Come and meet the teaching staff at our school!

Mary Evans

HILT (Harlow Inspirational Learning Trust) Executive Head and CEO

After over 28 years as a Harlow Head Teacher-21 years at The Henry Moore-School-choosing its name and seeing it develop from a field to the school it is now, and previously 7 years at Jerounds Infant School and in addition to more than 40 years in teaching I am now semi-retired and working part-time as CEO and Executive Head at the Harlow Inspirational Learning Trust.

As Executive Head I work closely with the Head Teachers and staff at both Henry Moore and Milwards schools, setting the ethos and leading the teaching and learning.

It is very exciting and a privilege to be part of supporting children to be the best they can be, and to discover the things that they enjoy and are good at.

Delivering a high quality, fun, broad and balanced curriculum has always been a particularly important non-negotiable for me in leading schools. Children must be exposed to many exciting learning experiences in order to have little seeds sown in their minds and to create ambition and high expectations of themselves.

Music and sport are very strong in our two schools, with children having many different opportunities in these areas.

As CEO I work closely with governors and the Finance team ensuring that HILT’s finances run well and are compliant with all DfE requirements.

Commitment to Harlow

Having been born in Harlow and taking advantage of the many opportunities I had as a child, I am very committed to offering today’s children as many of the same opportunities as possible.

Music was very strong in Harlow when I was young-producing many professional musicians, and I have been very pleased to be able to share my interest, knowledge, and skills with the children.

Both HILT schools have choirs that sing at various events, and musical instrumental tuition on offer to the children.

I am very proud that both HILT schools are members of the Harlow Education Consortium, where Harlow Head Teachers and staff meet regularly to work together in different ways to the benefit of all Harlow children.

Michael Doughty

Head Teacher & Safeguarding Lead

I have been in education for over 20 years after qualifying in 1999 from Canterbury Christ Church University.  I started my primary teaching career in the London Borough of Newham and stayed here for 16 years until taking a position closer to home first at The Downs Primary School, followed by my time at The Henry Moore Primary School. 

I have taught in Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and so have a wide range of experience within the primary sector both in teaching and leadership roles 

I became involved with Milwards Primary School in 2018 through HILT teaching a Year 2 class.  The highlight of this was of course being given the opportunity to lead this fantastic school. 

I have two beautiful daughters, both at secondary school, and enjoy nothing more than spending the weekend with them and my wife.  I generally regard myself as a weekend taxi driver ferrying children to either karate or gymnastics. 

I can often be seen with a very red face struggling across the fields on my mountain bike or being run ragged on a badminton court.

Sam Lambert

Assistant Head

Nursery and Reception Class teacher. EYFS & KS1 Lead, Deputy Safeguarding Lead

I was born and raised in Harlow, early photos of me as a child often involved a row of dolls all with a pencil and paper in front of them ready for a long day of learning ahead.

I trained as a teacher later in life after spending time nannying and working in a nursery. My degree was in ‘Early childhood education’, and this was and still is my passion. I love to see where children start their journey at school, be it the emergent writing of a few squiggles on a page to writing sentences that can be read and enjoyed by others or a child’s confidence, starting off not talking, then performing to an audience. It always confirms my belief I am in the right profession when I see the look of pride on the child’s face

Outside of school I love movies, either in the cinema with a big bucket of popcorn or curled up on the sofa.  I also enjoy open water swimming, in all weathers and temperatures.

Lissy Nixon –

HILT Lead Practitioner for SEND (SENCo). Deputy Safeguarding Lead

I qualified as a teacher after studying at both Leeds University and then Cambridge University. Since then I have been lucky enough to teach across the year groups before specialising in SEN.  

I have the fantastic job of working across both our schools in HILT, leading the provision for SEND. This means I get to work with different children every day which I love! I feel very lucky to work with such fantastic teams of staff  and am constantly learning. 

Outside of work, I’m kept busy with my family. We love being outdoors, walking our dog but also enjoy watching films together on rainy days!

Rachael Alcock –

Year 6 Teacher. Literacy & PSHE Lead

Born and raised in Harlow, I started my teaching career in 2011 locally at the Henry Moore Primary School, alongside studying for my degree in Early Years, Playwork and Education. It was great to learn on-the-job; this gave me experience of different ages and stages, and how every child learns in a unique way. Since qualifying, I have taught across both key stages and have enjoyed each and every year group. 

I can still remember my first day and the feeling I left with - this is my purpose. There is something truly magical about teaching and I consider it a privilege to educate the future generation. 

Fast-forward to today and I am delighted to be teaching at Milwards, after many years at Henry Moore. It is a very special place to be a part of. 

In my spare time I enjoy gardening, reading, shopping for antiques, and taking care of animals. I also have a passion for performing arts, particularly singing, and acting. I love nothing more than a West End show! 

Jed Smith

Year 5 Teacher

Forest Schools, Art, History and Geography lead.

I always knew I was going to be a teacher. As a child, I was always playing ‘schools’ in my bedroom and telling my parents I needed to stay up late to mark all the work I had made them complete that evening. My journey at Milwards began in 2010 when I completed my year 10 work experience, and I knew one day I would return. Fast-forward to 2015 and I did just that. I completed my degree at the Anglia Ruskin University and my PGCE at the University of Derby. There are so many things I love about teaching at Milwards, including the beautiful school grounds we have to play and learn in, the passionate colleagues that challenge and inspire me, and most importantly, the special children I get to teach every day. The artists I love to paint with, the singers I love to perform with and the scientists I love to explore with.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. You will often find me at the cinema, the theatre, trying out a new restaurant or competing in a quiz! I love to travel and explore different places around the world, with New York and Rome being two of my favourite cities.

Sean Huggett

Year 4 Teacher

Science & D&T Lead

I was born and raised in Harlow and completed my own schooling here. I qualified as a teacher in 2009 from The University of Brighton. Teaching has always been a passion for me because it has enabled me to make a difference. What is more, I can make that difference to the town I grew up in! It is extremely fulfilling to watch the ‘journey’ individual children go on whilst in your care, developing both socially and academically to become well rounded young citizens. Yes, teaching is a hard job, but would I change my career choice? No!  

I have a huge passion and interest towards science (no surprises there) and hope that in school I pass this enthusiasm on to others. I spend a lot of my spare time maintaining my allotment, looking after my chickens, gardening and bee keeping.  

Amanda Minogue

Year 3 Teacher (ECT)

I recently trained to become a teacher before coming to Milwards in 2021, and I worked as a graduate LSA in a number of schools in Harlow. Previously, my background is in law, working with fostered and adopted children. I have always wanted to work with children, and I am passionate about children’s rights and their emotional well-being, recently training to become a counsellor. In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, travelling, and spending time with my friends and family.

Emily Taylor

Year 2 Teacher. Music and RE Lead

From a young age I have always been involved with children’s work and knew I would work with either children or animals. It was my mum who suggested teaching and encouraged me in this direction. I linked this interest with my love of music, which I had grown up surrounded by, to study education with music at York St John. Since qualifying I have worked in a large Essex village school followed by the exciting opportunity to be part of the team opening and establishing a new school in Colchester. After 12 years in Colchester, I decided to move this direction to be closer to family and was drawn to the role at Milwards. Having family roots in Harlow, it seems very much to have been elements falling in to place to be teaching here now.

Fiona Gomes

Year 2 Teacher Maths Lead

I qualified as a teacher after studying at Middlesex University. My degree was Education Studies with Psychology, and I went on to complete my PGCE in 2009. My early teaching career was within schools in London before I joined Henry Moore in 2013. 

I joined Milwards in 2018 and took on the role as Maths lead. I am passionate about Maths and successfully qualified as a Maths Mastery Specialist in 2020. Alongside teaching I now support and train other schools with adopting the Maths Mastery approach.

Outside of work, I am a busy Mum of twin girls and a baby boy born this year! We also have a 1-year-old dog that we love to take out.

Caty Elwes

Year 1 Teacher (ECT)

I recently trained as a teacher before coming to Milwards in 2021. Previously I had lots of experience both in healthcare and working with children as an LSA and in a variety of other settings. I knew I wanted to train to be a teacher after becoming an LSA, though I took a break to travel, study and work abroad before I undertook this new journey. I studied photography at Canterbury Christ Church University, and I enjoy everything involving creativity in my spare time, especially knitting, and sewing!