Meat the team

Tricia Wood – Early Years Advisor for the Rest of the world (ROW) district

Tricia has worked in education as a teacher, leader and Head Teacher for 31 years, 26 years within Defence Children Services (DCS) across Germany, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Belgium. Prior to working within the military context, she taught in London for 5 years. Tricia has taught and has leadership experience across the full primary age range, but has specialised in Early Years Education and care for majority of her career.

Committed to ensuring that all children in our overseas locations, receive high quality education and care, she is passionate about ensuring we are supporting and caring for our youngest children to become flourishing individuals, that will meet their full potential as they progress through their next stages in their education journey.

Tricia is currently based at DCS Rest of World (ROW) Headquarters in SHAPE, Belgium. The ROW district includes Early Years Settings and school-based education and care in locations stretched across the world map. They include a schools in the Falklands, Ralston Canadian school in Canada, Gibraltar 0 – 5 provision in Sunflowers Early Years setting and St. Christopher’s Early Years unit (3 – 5-year olds), a school in SHAPE British Section, Belgium, AFNorth International school in the Netherlands, Naples school in Italy, a school in Sennelager and Ramstein in Germany, as well as a school and Early Years setting in Brunei.

Helen Lakey – Early Years Advisor for the Cyprus district

Helen is a Defence Children Services Early Years Advisor and works with a range of schools and settings supporting and developing their early years provision from 0 – 5 years. Previously she was a Head Teacher for over 10 years of two schools from 0 – 11 years and worked closely with the local authority supporting schools and their leadership teams to raise standards. Helen also works as an Ofsted Inspector. Prior to Headship, Helen taught from Reception to Year 6 in primary schools in Lincolnshire.

Committed to ensuring that all children in Cyprus, receive high quality education and care, she is passionate about ensuring we are supporting and caring for our youngest children to become flourishing individuals, that will meet their full potential as they progress through their next stages in their education journey.

The Early Years settings and schools in Cyprus are; Episkopi Primary and Episkopi Early Years, as well as Akrotiri Primary school and Akrotiri Early Years Setting based in the Western Sovereign Base Area (WSBA). Then there is Queen Berengaria Primary school and ESBA Early Years Setting (over two sites, one in Dhekelia Garrison and a satellite Early Years Setting based in Ayios Nikoloas station) that are in the Easter Sovereign Base Area (ESBA).

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