MEET OUR TEAM
The Becklands School operates across two sites with one leadership structure and one staff team. Every member of staff is recruited under our safer recruitment procedures and recorded on the school’s single central record.
If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of a child at our school, contact the school office on 01430 338569 and ask to speak to a designated safeguarding lead for that site, or Claire Horsfield.
Leadership and governance
- Proprietor: The Becklands School Ltd, represented by Vicky Simpson
- Chair of Governors: Mike Stathers
- Headteacher/Operations Director both sites: Claire Horsfield
- Head of Site, Becklands: Jenna Constable
- Head of Site, Millbrook Horizons: Becky Thomas
- Head of Operations, Millbrook Horizons: Danielle Kenington
- Executive Board: Michael Watts and Luke Gomersall
- SENCO, both sites: Becky Thomas
Our safeguarding team
- Designated Safeguarding Lead, whole school: Claire Horsfield
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Becklands: Jenna Constable
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Millbrook Horizons: Rebecca Thomas
Vicky Simpson – Proprietor
I founded Becklands because I believe every young person deserves an education that truly understands them: tailored, therapeutic, and full of opportunities to grow.
With more than twenty years in health, social care and education, I oversee the strategic direction, governance and quality of education at Becklands, working alongside our headteacher, executive board, governors and staff.
My conviction has always been that young people who haven’t thrived in mainstream settings are not young people who are capable of less. They need us to work differently, and to keep the ambition where it should have been all along.
Claire Horsfield – Headteacher
Claire is Headteacher across both our sites and our Designated Safeguarding Lead. She also serves as Operations Director and leads our Executive Board.
Her responsibilities include the quality of education across both sites, safeguarding, health and safety, premises and accommodation compliance, data protection, safer recruitment and complaints oversight.
Claire brings a broad background from the business and third sectors, and approaches operational challenges with clarity and confidence.
Luke Gomersall – Executive Board
Luke brings over seventeen years of experience in education and residential children’s social care, including opening new special schools in a previous role.
His qualifications include a Level 7 certificate in Strategic Leadership and Management and a Postgraduate Certificate in Autism and Asperger’s.
Luke advises the Executive Board, the Proprietor and Governors on pastoral and behavioural interventions, working alongside the senior leadership team.
Mike Watt – Executive Board
Michael has held a range of leadership roles in education and in residential children’s services, working predominantly with children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of them looked-after children supported through Education, Health and Care Plans.
He brings extensive experience of working with children aged 3 to 18, with a strong focus on special educational needs, and has held safeguarding and inclusion roles including LAC Lead, SENDCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Michael advises the Executive Board, the Proprietor and Governors on quality of education and SEND.
Jenna Constable – Head of Site, Becklands
Jenna worked previously in a primary school setting before coming to Becklands as a Deputy Head, she has supported the school through key periods of development and growth and is passionate about ensuring access to education for all learners.
Jenna has lead work in developing our personal development curriculum linking into having skills essential for adulthood for our learners alongside developing and embedding our SEMH curriculum.
Becky Thomas – Head of Site, Millbrook Horizons, and SENCO
Becky is an experienced educator with years of experience within secondary education including teaching GCSE and A Level English. She heads up leading our site at Millbrook as in her personal life she loves the outdoors and has horses of her own.
Becky is also our SENCO for the school, having worked and led provision for students with additional needs she is excited to be working in a school that allows students to access their education in a way that is built to meet their needs.
Danielle Kenington – Head of Operations, Millbrook Horizons
Danni has a wealth of experience supporting individuals with additional needs, SEN and SEMH as well as mental health services. She is solutions focused and supports in the running of both sites from timetabling, to ensuring policies and procedures are implemented efficiently.
Teaching staff
- Christina Magowan
- Julia Serban
- Amber Brigham
Teaching assistants
- Danielle Jefferson (TA & HLTA)
- Amie Hildred
- Lewis Lupton
- Charlotte McSeveney
- Nicola Iggleden
- Elliemae Stewart
- Ellenor Green
Instructors
- Ashley Jones
- Helen Townend
- Jess Pickard
Pastoral team
- Danielle Jefferson — ELSA
- Nicola Iggleden — ELSA
Admin and finance
- Kalama Claydon-Ireland
- Laura Thornham
Site and domestic
- Laura Thornham
- Roberta Eastwood
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