Our Teachers
Mr Brown
Mr Brown grew up in Chelmsford, where he was a member of football, rugby and martial arts clubs from the age of 6 to 20. He played football for Chelmsford City, Baddow Spartak and Tiptree U18s. He also became one of the youngest qualified referees at his secondary passing when he was 15 and took charge of many matches. Mr Brown has a level 2 qualified outfield coach (football) and a level 1 goalkeeper coach (football) and he has enjoyed managing boy’s teams to numerous promotions and success; however, he now manages an all-girls team. Mr Brown enjoys coaching and helping others which influenced his career choice. Mr Brown achieved brown belt in Ju-jit-su and won national and international medals for his performances at competitions.
Mr Brown went to the University of Colchester where he gained a 1st class degree in business management. In 2014-15, he completed his PGCE qualification with Billericay Education Consortium and has been a full time teacher ever since.
Outside of school, Mr Brown loves football and most sports; he continues to coach football and helps other coaches in his role at the football club; he likes being active and meeting up with his old school friends and going on holiday.
Ms Camper
Ms Camper first started helping in schools as a parent volunteer before becoming an LSA. She enjoyed it so much that she went on to gain a first class in Childhood Studies at The Open University and then trained as a teacher at the University of Derby.
Outside of school, Ms Camper has a lifelong love of martial arts. She has achieved a brown belt and has even won medals in competitions both as a child and as an adult. She also enjoys spending her free time reading, crocheting, gardening and relaxing with her family.
She lives in Colchester and is a proud mum of two grown-up sons. At home, life is never dull with her two cats and her dog keeping her busy.
Mrs Clarke
Mrs Clarke has been teaching at Montgomery for 25 years and has loved every minute of it!
When she is not at work she enjoys doing long walks with her nutty dog Indi, reading and snuggling up in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate!
When she is not muddy from dog walks, she enjoys visiting her children at university and catching up with her friends.
Mrs Clarke is Level 2 qualified BSL and loves to sign and sing.
Mrs Clohosy grew up on Mersea Island. She studied the piano and cello from the age of 9 and at the age of 13, attended The Royal Academy Of Music every Saturday as a junior. She moved to the Scottish Borders at the age of 15 to attend a music school and returned to Colchester to complete her A levels. From here, she attended Trinnity Music College in London where she gained her BA degree in music. Following that, she gained here PGCE teaching qualification at Middlesex University and began her teaching career in 1992. Mrs Clohosy taught in secondary schools until 2013 when she made the move into primary teaching.
Mrs Clohosy loves all things music and drama and is also a keen twitcher (bird watcher).
Mrs Corris
Mrs Corris has lived in Essex for all of her life, except when she was at university but even then would be frequently back in Essex. She taught in 2 schools before joining Montgomery in 2014. Mrs Corris has always wanted to teach in Early Years and her training and experience is all based around Early childhood.
Mrs Corris enjoys spending time with her family. They have 2 dogs and often enjoy taking long walks as a family
Mr Dholakia
Born in Camden, Mr Dholakia grew up and was educated in North West London. Having studied Politics and Sociology at University, he later spent time abroad before undertaking a PGCE in Wandsworth. Mr Dholakia has worked as a teacher for 12 years in Brent and moved from London to Colchester in 2019. He has two primary school aged children. Outside of teaching he’s worked in coaching youth football and playschemes. His interests included cycling, DIY, squash, cross fit and gruelling cross trainer work outs whenever he can find time.
Mrs Dignum
On leaving Middlesex University in 1996, Mrs Dignum moved to Colchester and started her teaching career at Montgomery Junior School. She has been responsible for many aspects of the curriculum since joining. However, science and maths are her passion.
At home, she enjoys making and doing activities. Baking, sewing, DIY, gardening and origami occupy her time when not working.
Mrs Dignum enjoys trying out new things. When in her '30s she attended an adult dance class and even passed 3 exams on the way. Also, her mother originates from the Isle of Man, which makes her ¼ Viking!
Miss Gibbs
Miss Gibbs was born in Liverpool and moved to Hertfordshire as a child. She has recently moved to Essex before joining Montgomery Primary School.
She always wanted to be a teacher and became a teaching assistant before going to Middlesex University to train to become a teacher and achieve her dream.
In her spare time, she enjoys going for walks, gardening, reading, drawing and painting and swimming. She also loves Maths! She lives with her fiancé, pet cat Willow and pet terrapin, Slider.
Miss Goswell
Miss Goswell grew up in Romford before moving to Colchester when she was nine years old. As a child, she loved football but soon discovered her real passion was gymnastics. She competed in many competitions and then became a qualified gymnastics coach, continuing to coach until she began her career in education. She studied Early Years at the University of Essex before completing her teacher training. Miss Goswell joined Montgomery in 2021 as a Teaching Assistant and is now delighted to be a teacher at the school. She has a dog called Bonnie and a cat called Patch and in her spare time she enjoys taking Bonnie for walks. She also loves travelling and one of her favourite experiences was visiting India to work with underprivileged children.
Mrs Hallam
Mrs. Hallam lives in Colchester with her husband and two children. She studied Psychology at university before training to become a teacher.
As a family, they enjoy spending quality time together, going for walks, and playing board games. In her spare time, she loves crocheting, staying active at the gym, and curling up with a good book and a cup of tea.
Miss Hills
Miss Hills grew up in Brightlingsea where she spent many sunny days down at the beach and outdoor swimming pool as a child. Throughout her childhood, Miss Hills danced competitively and performed in many shows in front of hundreds of people. During secondary school, she also joined a cheerleading squad who competed all over the country in national championships.
Miss Hills graduated from University of Colchester in 2020 during the pandemic. She then completed her teacher training and qualified in July 2021.
Outside of school Miss Hills spends her time baking and socialising with friends. She enjoys spending time with family, especially her young nephew. Miss Hills loves travelling to different countries, especially somewhere hot!
Mrs Keogan
Mrs Keogan has been at Montgomery for many years, although did leave to live in Australia!
But she came back after having her 2 boys...they are grown and flown and so lives with her husband and Indy, the cat. Mrs Keogan has enjoyed many a mud run, even roping colleagues in! She enjoys cycling and walking holidays, loves a book and often has several on the go. Nature and being outdoors is a top priority.
Miss Knott
Miss Knott grew up in Crawley, West Sussex, but she then moved to Colchester in 2008 where she joined Montgomery Junior School as a pupil herself! She joined in Year 4 and she even had Mrs Dignum as her Year 6 teacher. Her time at Montgomery Junior School inspired her to become a teacher. Growing up, Miss Knott had a huge passion for art and photography and spent a lot of time painting and capturing photos of her friends and family.
In 2019, Miss Knott attended Canterbury Christ Church University and completed her 3-year Primary Education degree, graduating and qualifying as a teacher in 2022.
In her free time, Miss Knott enjoys going to the gym, socialising with her friends and spending time with her pet rabbit, Barry.
Mrs Lloyd
Mrs Lloyd grew up in the London area. As a child she enjoyed dancing and attended clubs both in school and out of school, where she was involved in many performances. Recently, she has decided to start tap dancing again! She was also a keen Girl Guide, particularly enjoying going camping and continues to enjoy camping holidays with her family now.
After completing A-Levels, Mrs Lloyd went to study at Roehampton University where she graduated with a BA Hons in History and Education. After university, she started her teaching career in the London Borough of Redbridge. She taught in two schools there until she moved to Colchester in 2020, just before the first COVID lockdown.
Mrs Lloyd lives with her husband and two children. They enjoy spending time outdoors and going for walks. She is also passionate about protecting the environment and conservation. Mrs Lloyd enjoys gardening and making areas for all wildlife to flourish, particularly all the creepy-crawlies. Her favourite animals are spiders!
Miss Mason
Miss Mason graduated from the Open University in 2012 and then completed the Graduate Teacher Programme in 2013. She taught across KS2 in Ipswich until moving to MJS in September 2020.
Miss Mason grew up in Wivenhoe and Dovercourt. She is very familiar with the local area as she used to live in Alamein Road before moving to Cyprus as a military wife. Recently, Miss Mason moved from Ipswich to Colchester. She lives with her partner and their five children.
Outside of school, Miss Mason enjoys walking in Highwoods Country Park and travelling to European cities to sight-see and try local foods.
Mrs Maston
Mrs Maston originally grew up in Lancashire but has called Colchester home for the last 20 years. Growing up, she always enjoyed singing and went on to study music at Durham University and then worked in London’s West End . She met her husband shortly after and they now have three children together. In 2019 Ruth retrained and qualified as a teacher. In her spare time, she likes to sew, she stays active at the gym and in particular loves to bake with her 5 year old son (especially if there is chocolate involved!)
Miss O'Connor
Miss O’Connor grew up in a small town called Thetford, where she enjoyed exploring in the enormous forest that surrounds the town. At school, she played in a football team and would spend her weekends practising with her friends.
She studied Psychology at university and later trained to be a teacher. Miss O’Connor has been teaching in Colchester for eighteen years. She lives with her partner, two children and two cheeky kittens! Her family loves spicy food so she enjoys cooking curries and making up her own recipes for them to try.
Her favourite past times are listening to live music, reading and running. Lately, she has been learning some new DIY skills and is developing an unhealthy obsession with power tools!
Mrs Patterson
Mrs Patterson has always lived in Essex, moving to Colchester in 2020. As a child, she loved maths and learning about numbers. She qualified as a Primary School Teacher from the University of Winchester in 2017 and has worked in different year groups within EYFS, KS1 and KS2 in different schools in Essex. She also spent a short time living and teaching in a school in Spain and in Cyprus.
Mrs Patterson lives in Colchester with her husband and their beautiful dog called Willow. She enjoys taking her dog for walks with her family and friends (especially in Mersea), exploring new countries and playing badminton for fun.
Mrs Robinson
Mrs Robinson played hockey, tennis and netball at school, and enjoyed the great outdoors as a Girl Guide. She attended the University of Liverpool where she studied Art and a Bsc in Psychology, before backpacking through Asia and Europe. She worked in London for 10 years in publishing, events and professional bodies before moving to Colchester. She has been a teacher for 11 years.
She loves to travel, paint, and spend time in her garden with her family, pet rabbit and claustrophobic rescue cat.
Mrs Russell
Mrs Russell grew up in Harlow where she was a keen sprinter and represented Essex in district sports events during her time at secondary school. Mrs Russell has played netball throughout her life, representing her school, university and most recently the military dependents team; she particularly enjoys teaching netball during P.E.
Mrs Russell went to the University of Hertfordshire where she studied English literature and history before she began teaching at a pupil referral unit in Kent, alongside raising her family. Mrs Russell moved to Colchester in 2016 with her husband, who was serving in the military, and her two young children. Shortly after moving, she began working at Montgomery Junior School as a learning support assistant. She qualified as a teacher in summer 2020 and is currently undertaking her NQT year within year 3.
Outside of school, Mrs Russell enjoys walking her Labrador and loves long bike rides with her family. She likes taking part in fundraising and organising charitable events but admits she avoids cake sales as baking isn’t a particular talent of hers!
Mrs Satchwell
Mrs Satchwell has lived in Colchester since she was born (apart from postings up North to sunny Yorkshire when her husband was posted there).
She trained as a teacher and qualified in 2010.
She worked in Clacton when she started her career, but took time out of teaching when she had her two children and wanted to be on the school gate to drop off and collect her own children. Now they are older, she has come back to teaching again to enjoy what she qualified to do.
In her spare time, she enjoys long walks (the occasional mountain!) and bike rides with her husband and children and reading (whenever the time permits between her children's after school clubs!).
Mrs Traynor
Miss Smith moved to Essex from Scotland when she was 10 years old, only briefly leaving Essex to study at university in Manchester. She has been teaching for 6 years and she is now a Specialist Leader in Education.
When she isn't teaching, Miss Smith is an Explorer Scout Leader. This means she spends most of her free time sailing, hiking, camping or generally having an adventure. She is happiest when she is outdoors! Miss Smith also thoroughly enjoys going to the theatre and loves to sing and dance. She has led children's choirs and taken part in adult choirs and musical theatre groups.
Mrs Tweed- Deputy Headteacher
Mrs Tweed has always lived in Essex. She grew up in a small village called Roxwell, where she loved to walk her dog and enjoy nature. As a child she enjoyed gymnastics and singing. She sang in the church choir and has been part of several other choirs over the years. As a student, she studied history and education at Middlesex University and then completed a PGCE at Anglia Ruskin. She worked in several coastal primary schools in Essex before joining Montgomery Junior school in 2023.
She lives at home in Frinton with her husband, grown-up twins and a leopard gecko called Rango. In her spare time, she likes to paint, go to the theatre and can still be heard singing all of the time.
Mrs Watson
Mrs Watson lives with her husband and daughter and loves spending time with her family. She started her journey by completing a degree in Early Years before going on to train as a teacher. Outside of school, she enjoys getting out for dog walks and when she gets the chance loves to play a bit of badminton too!
Mrs Williams – Class Teacher
Mrs Williams was born in Ipswich and is an avid Ipswich Town supporter. Being part of an army family, she moved regularly as a child, spending time as a baby in Colchester before moving to Munster, Kent and Berlin. She even went to the other side of the Berlin wall, on a school trip, before it was taken down! As a student, she studied Business and Finance at Anglia Ruskin University and eventually worked for Essex County Council in various capacities, before beginning work as an LSA in her local church school. During this time, Mrs Williams made the decision to retrain and studied History at The University of Essex, before completing her Initial Teacher training and a PGCE through Greenwich University, graduating in 2022.
She has two grown up children and one still in education. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her favourite team play at Portman Road, music, yoga, going to the cinema and sharing good food with good friends. She also loves to travel, especially to The Seychelles to visit her family.
Mrs Wright- Headteacher
Mrs Wright was born in London and grew up in Battersea; she is a keen Chelsea supporter. She loved sport as a child and was captain of the Netball and Rounders teams. She attended Leeds University and studied Russian and English. After university she travelled and lived for a year in Greece and another year in the USA. She did her PGCE with the University of Nottingham and then went on to teach in both London and Lancashire, where she was a Headteacher for six years before moving down to Essex.
She has two grown up sons and two grand-daughters and a grandson. She enjoys running and has completed two mountain marathons (OMMs) and an ultra marathon (55km) plus other less gruelling events.