Our people

Established in 1985, we are an accredited Montessori school for two to seven-year-old children. We have an established track record of high-quality education: we focus on the individual needs of each child.

Our Head Teacher Emma Wetherley leads a talented team.

Emma Wetherley (Head Teacher)

Montessori Dip. (AMI); BA (OU) Early Childhood (0–12)

Head teacher Emma Wetherley (Grantham Farm Montessori School and the Children's House)

Emma trained in Denver and London with the highly esteemed Association Montessori Internationale. She lived and taught in Brussels for many years (1996–2004) before returning to the UK to continue her passion for teaching.

Emma believes it is important for school leaders to be at the heart of classroom life and as such teaches in both the nursery and primary classrooms. She is the school Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, and fire warden. She is trained in developing a growth mindset, paediatric & adult first aid, health & safety, equality, diversity & inclusion, and mental health awareness. Emma is chair of the school leadership team.

Caroline Imi (Deputy Head Teacher)

Early Years Educator; MA History of Art & French

Deputy head teacher Caroline Imi (Grantham Farm Montessori School and the Children's House)

Caroline worked in local schools for six years before joining Grantham Farm in 2015. Caroline teaches in the Children’s House class (2–4-year-olds). She is trained as a Dyslexia Teaching Assistant.

Caroline is the school SENDCo (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-ordinator). She is also trained in developing a growth mindset, paediatric first aid, health & safety, fire safety and awareness, equality, diversity & inclusion, and mental health awareness. Caroline is a member of the senior leadership team.

Caroline Palmer (Deputy Head Teacher)

BA (Hons) with QTS

Deputy head teacher Caroline Palmer (Grantham Farm Montessori School and the Children's House)

Caroline joined the school in 2011 after she saw how her own son thrived in our Montessori classroom. Caroline teaches in our primary classroom, bringing together the Montessori curriculum with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 curricula.

Caroline is the fire warden for Grantham Farm class. She is also trained in developing a growth mindset, safeguarding and child protection, paediatric first aid, health & safety, equality diversity & inclusion, and mental health awareness. Caroline is a member of the senior leadership team.

Paul Freeman (Music Teacher and Literacy Support)

Montessori Phonetic Reading Cert.; BSc (Hons) Engineering

Teacher Paul Freeman (Grantham Farm Montessori School and the Children's House)

Paul joined the school in 2006. He teaches music and drama throughout the school.

He supports our successful language development programme and reads with the children each week.

Paul has trained in safeguarding and child protection, health & safety, fire awareness and paediatric first aid.

Gitte Bailey (Early Years Educator)

Children’s care, Learning & Development Level 3; Montessori Phonetic Reading Cert.; Montessori Number Sense Cert.; Montessori Materials & the Mind Cert.

Teacher Gitte Bailey (Grantham Farm Montessori School and the Children's House)

Gitte is a highly experienced Early Years Educator having taught young children since 2003. She joined the school in November 2020 and works in our Children’s House class (2–4-year-olds).

The school supported Gitte to qualify as a children’s yoga teacher and she is our resident Yoga Teacher. She is the school Designated Safeguarding Lead, and Primary First Aider. She is trained in developing a growth mindset, fire safety awareness, health & safety and equality, diversity and inclusion. Gitte is also a member of the senior leadership team.

Cosima Magill (Montessori Teacher)

Montessori Dip.; Dyslexia Teaching Assistant Cert.

Teacher Cosima Magill (Grantham Farm Montessori School and the Children's House)

Cosima joined the school as a reading volunteer in 2016 and has many years’ experience in working as a Dyslexia Teaching Assistant. She holds a Montessori teaching diploma and works in the Children’s House class (2–4-year-olds).

Cosima has trained in safeguarding and child protection, health & safety, fire awareness and paediatric first aid.

Lucy Parkinson Gadd (Administrator)

BSc (Hons) Economics

Lucy has been a part of our school since 2012 when her daughter, followed by her son in 2016, joined the school. After her youngest left Grantham Farm, Lucy became a reading volunteer before moving to our office to help with day-to-day administration.

Lucy is trained in safeguarding and child protection, health & safety, fire safety awareness, online safety, UK data protection, and equality, diversity and inclusion. She is currently training to become our mental health lead.

Sophie Dahroug (Montessori Assistant Teacher)

Montessori 3–6 Assistants Cert. (AMI); BSc (Hons) Geography

Sophie joined the school in 2022 having taught as a children’s swimming teacher for many years. She qualified as a Montessori assistant teacher in 2020 and is currently studying with Montessori Partnership to become a fully qualified Montessori teacher.

Sophie is trained in safeguarding and child protection, health & safety, fire awareness and paediatric first aid.