Staff

Mrs Maudsley joined Windrush Valley School in 2013 as a class teacher and has since progressed through several leadership roles, including Assistant Head and Deputy Head.
She holds a BEd (Hons) degree from the University of Gloucestershire and has more than 20 years’ experience within the independent education sector, working in a range of outstanding schools.

Mrs Maudsley created and implemented the school’s distinctive WINDRUSH360 and WAVES360 programmes, reflecting her commitment to providing a broad range of opportunities and supporting the academic, personal and holistic development of every child.

Alongside her commitment to raising academic standards and achievement, Mrs Maudsley is passionate about pastoral care, pupil wellbeing and curriculum enrichment. She believes that a well-rounded education should extend beyond the classroom, providing children with meaningful opportunities through community engagement, outdoor learning, practical life skills and varied co-curricular experiences.

Qualifications: BEd (Hons), Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mental Health Lead.

Mrs Mitchell gained a BA (Hons) in Primary Education from Canterbury Christchurch University. Since graduating she has taught in an outstanding school in Croydon and spent seven years teaching at Croydon High for Girls for the Girls Day School Trust. In this time, she was fortunate to teach Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. It was at Croydon High where her passion for teaching Early Years developed when she took on the role as Early Years Lead. Since relocating back to the Cotswolds with her young family, Mrs Mitchell enjoyed teaching at a local preparatory school before joining Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire in September 2021.

Mrs Sandiford is a highly regarded and experienced Teacher. She has been teaching for twenty-six years. Her teaching career includes six years at Monkton Combe School in Bath, where she taught Year One and Reception. Mrs Sandiford then went on to spend twenty years teaching at Dormer House School in Moreton-in-Marsh, Oxfordshire, where she taught every age group in Key Stages.

Mrs Riseley gained a Bed (Hons) in Music and graduated from Oxford Brookes with a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Mrs Riseley has a wealth of teaching experience spanning over 25 years, including teaching music in Kuwait for three years before returning to the UK. In addition to music, Mrs Riseley’s passions include sewing, gardening and history – in particular the Tudor period – and participating in Tudor enactments

BA (Hons) in Music and Classics
Diploma in Classics
Associateship in Music from the London College of Music
Teachers’ Certificate from the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music
Fellowship of the Independent Society of Musicians
More than forty years of teaching experience
Full DBS checks completed with the Independent Society of Musicians.

After completing a History and Music degree, Mr Hone taught English as a foreign language and worked for an adventure travel company leading tours all over the world to such diverse destinations as Alaska, Iran and Madagascar. He then studied for his PGCE at Westminster College of Education (Oxford Brooks University) and gained his first teaching post at an Ofsted Outstanding maintained school which regularly topped the national league tables.

Mrs Lovell- Meade has a breadth of teaching experience in both the private and state primary education sectors . She first taught at Windrush Valley school in 2009 with Year 1, before moving on to teach Year 1 and Year 3 at the prestigious Oxford High School for Girls. Further classroom experience was gained across several schools in Witney, Oxfordshire. A number of teaching years later, Mrs Lovell-Meade returned to Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire to teach brass instruments and recorders both individually and in groups to perform at school events. She has a passion for music, playing the flugelhorn and the trumpet in a dance band, a brass band and a brass ensemble. More recently, Mrs Lovell-Meade has been teaching Year 3, two days a week.

Mr Welch joined Windrush Valley Private School in 2023 and has a Level 3 Diploma in Sport, Level 4 Teaching Sport in Education Diploma and has achieved the National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers. Mr Welch brings with him several years’ experience of teaching and supporting children across the primary school age. His key focus is to teach PE – aiming to motivate and inspire the children to challenge themselves and achieve their absolute best and translate that hard work into positive performances in fixtures and tournaments. Mr Welch also runs our After School Care sessions.

Mrs Nowell has a breadth of experience teaching across the primary school age range. A love of geography resulted in her studying this subject to degree level. She also has a keen interest in science and art, promoting an active, practical and questioning approach to learning. Having grown up on a farm, she has a strong interest in the countryside and equine pursuits. Mrs Nowell is currently responsible for Year 5.

Mrs Lockyer has been working at Windrush Valley School for nearly 11 years now. She has a first-class university degree in Primary Education and English. Mrs Lockyer currently teaches Year 1. She has a passion towards science and conservation and has helped develop the new outdoor learning area along with a new science curriculum. In addition, Mrs Lockyer is a keen horsewoman and has a strong interest in animal welfare and care.

Mrs Brainin Child Psychology (BA) Diploma in Early Childhood Education (Hons). Mrs Brainin has been teaching at Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire since 2009. With years of experience in Canada, Mrs. Brainin has brought an array of teaching skills to the pre-preparatory program at the school. Her fluency in French has given her the opportunity to develop and grow the French program for years 1-6. Capitalising on her interest in languages, Mrs. Brainin embraces the new opportunity of engaging students as they explore the world of Latin.

Mrs Christie gained her B.Prim.Ed degree in teaching from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Since obtaining her degree in 2001, Mrs Christie has accumulated many years of teaching experience, mainly teaching Early Years. Since immigrating to the UK with her husband and 3 children, Mrs Christie worked at a local preparatory school before joining Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire in 2021. Mrs Christie enjoys music and believes that children learn through songs and rhymes. She has introduced music lessons for the children in the Early Years to encourage them to move and sing along to music using puppets and musical instruments.

Mrs Handy joined Windrush Valley Prep School in September 2024 as the Teaching Assistant for Years 1 and 2. Mrs Handy has over 35 years childcare experience, including being a private nanny in Canada and working in day nurseries. After qualifying as a Teaching Assistant from Evesham College in 2005, she has worked in various primary schools within Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire in all key stages. Mrs Handy has also worked in a residential home for teens with behavioural and mental health issues supporting online learning during Covid and as a Matron in a senior girls boarding house. She is thrilled to be a part of the Windrush Valley team.

Mrs Barron Joined Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire School in September 2019 as the School Business Manager, having spent the previous five and a half years in a Local Authority maintained primary school. Mrs Barron’s role is to manage all the non-curriculum elements of the school: finance, health and safety and premises management.