Teachers

Hello! I am Caroline Woodland, the Reception Class Teacher at Norton Primary School. In 2008 I joined the amazing Norton family as a NQT after studying an Early Years teaching degree at UWE in Bristol and I have never looked back! Teaching is my passion; it’s great to see each child love learning, making friends and being a confident individual. Every child is unique and they all have their own learning journey; my role is to ensure they build positive relationships with myself and others, make progress and want to achieve by scaffolding their learning and providing fun and stimulating experiences at school. Over the past 13 years I have taught Reception and Year 1.



At home I am a Mum to my two beautiful, young children. Weekends and holidays are family time; this is when we enjoy making memories and having adventures, mainly outdoors. We love the beach, reading stories, making dens, being creative and most importantly having fun!

Hi! I began working at the wonderful Norton school 9 years ago. I began my time at Norton working in the preschool for two years and since then have been teaching in Reception and now Year 1! I love the children’s individual personalities, watching the children progress and seeing them grow in confidence. Norton really is a very special place to work!


I’m the deputy safeguarding lead at Norton, a school governor and KS1 Subject Lead for phonics and reading. I really enjoy these roles and love to see how the changes we make benefit the children.

I’m a Mum to an inquisitive, busy toddler. At the weekends we enjoy going on adventurers, visiting parks and spending time with family members.

I have had the pleasure of teaching at Norton for a wonderful 21 years. Having graduated from university with BEd honours I was extremely fortunate to start my teaching career here, in the Autumn of 1997, with a Reception class. Since then I have taught across the whole of Key Stage One and Year 3 and 4. I currently teach Year 2.

I absolutely love teaching and enjoy watching children develop and grow into confident young adults. I am a firm believer that learning should be fun and meaningful as well as challenging so that all children can reach their full potential. I really do feel like I have the best job in the world! This is all down to the fantastic people and children that I work with every day.

I am the Physical Education Co-ordinator and this was one of my specialisms at university. Within my role one aspect of my job is to look at participation and identify opportunities for all of our children to be involved in physical exercise and team sport. I believe all children can enjoy being active no matter what their capabilities and I am keen to encourage this at Norton.

My favourite author is Julia Donaldson and I enjoy reading her stories to my class. ‘The Gruffalo’ is always top of my reading list closely followed by ‘Superworm’.

Outside of school I love being a mum to my son who is a typical toddler and growing up way too fast for my liking! I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, holidays in Cornwall and reading (when I have a spare moment!!)

Miss Francesca Bussey

Class 3 Teacher / Assistant Head Teacher

I am incredibly proud to be the Assistant Headteacher of Norton and Year 3 teacher. I first came to Norton as a student teacher and returned after completing my Newly Qualified Teaching year in my home county of Kent. At this point, I thought I was leaving my family, but I was in fact joining it. I have been here for 11 years, teaching mixed 5 and 6, Year 6 and am now starting a new adventure in Year 3.

Maths is my subject leadership responsibility, I have worked across the county to support the teaching and learning of mathematics. This year, I am delighted to be working closely with the GLOW Maths Hub and Tewkesbury C of E Primary school to share staff training and good practice in Maths.

Mental Health is a particular passion for me and my classroom practice is designed to instil resilience, independence and positivity in pupils, as I see these as essential skills for happy, lifelong learners who are prepared for life in modern Britain.

Growing up on Thames Sailing Barge Greta, I understand and respect the variety of backgrounds we all have and celebrate our differences: be together, not the same. I now live in Norton and feel very honored to play a part in such an incredible school team in our community.

Hello!

Since graduating from the University of Winchester in 2017, I spent my first two years teaching in year 1 in Hampshire. I then joined the wonderful Norton family in 2019 and absolutely adore teaching year 4. I love seeing the children become independent and grow in confidence.

I am the history and geography subject lead and have a huge interest in geography and exploring new places. I like to incorporate geography into my teaching too in a variety of fun and interesting ways to help children appreciate the world we live in.

I am also the KS2 lead for reading and enjoy sharing my love and passion for reading with the children. Some of my favourite children's books are 'Secrets of the Sun King' by Emma Carroll and 'The day the crayons quit' by Oliver Jeffers.

Outside of school I enjoy reading, travelling and walks in the countryside.

I have had the pleasure of being part of the Norton family since 2019, joining freshly graduated from
University with First Class BEd Honours and a Music Diploma. I began my teaching journey as a Year
1 teacher and have since moved to Year 5, I love both ages equally and you can still see the creative
and lively side of me in the juniors. In 2020 I also took on the role of Art, craft and design co-
ordinator and have strived to make our curriculum as individualistic and inclusive as possible. This
has also initiated significant links with the local community and other schools.

Since my time at Norton I have taken on many ‘hats’ and have used my love of music to organise our
Christmas Carol Services. Alongside teaching, you can find me on the stage and I love representing to
the children that hobbies can continue into adulthood!

When I am not performing, you can usually find me doing something arty or out for a walk in the
countryside or on the beach! A donkey is also my favourite animal!

Hello!

I worked at Norton C of E Primary School for almost six years as a Teaching Assistant and vowed that, after completing my teacher training, I’d be back – and here I am!

I am beyond happy to be working with the Norton Family again. Previous to teaching here, I spent three years working within a mixed year 5/6 classroom within Gloucestershire. I am thrilled to be teaching the Year 6 children here. Ensuring that children leave Norton at their happiest with a solid foundation from which to build upon and a love for learning is my absolute priority.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, cooking, keeping fit, watching football and, most importantly, spending quality time with my partner and our wonderful daughter.