Lisa Keighley - Headteacher
Hello and welcome to Blakehill Primary School.
I have worked at Blakehill since 2000 and I am incredibly proud to lead such a wonderful school. I am part of a fantastic team that is committed to providing a quality education to our children and their families.
During my time at Blakehill Primary School, I have taught in every year group, working with children of all ages and stages of development. I have led numerous curriculum areas including Science and Mathematics and gained leadership experience in my roles as phase leader, assistant headteacher and Head of School.
Teaching and leadership for me is about inspiring and empowering others; providing opportunities to help others develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to lead happy and successful lives both now and in the future. I value the partnerships with pupils, their parents, staff and Governors that we have at Blakehill and know that this is key to the successes that our pupils continue to achieve.
I am highly dedicated to this great school of ours and enjoy the excitement, the challenges and the successes that we encounter every day. Ensuring that all children at Blakehill have enjoyable and excellent learning that are both memorable and empowering is central to my vision for the school.
Rachel Gould - Deputy Headteacher
I began my Blakehill journey in 2012 when I started as a Year 1 teacher. Since then I have worked in all year groups across both key stages and enjoyed every minute of it! This is the second school that I have taught in but one I wish to stay at for years to come. The school feels like a second to family to me and I enjoy everyday that I spend here. I love everything about this school and its community: the children and their parents are a pleasure to work with. No matter which year group that have worked in, the children have been hard working and enthusiastic to learn.
In my role as Deputy Headteacher and lead of Special Educational Needs and Pastoral Care, I work with our wonderful staff to create a place that children enjoy coming to, where they develop a love for learning, feel safe and valued. I work with a large number of families and offer support to both children and their parents.
We have developed a fantastic team in SEN and Pastoral care where I get to work alongside other adults who share the same passion as myself for supporting our families and children who need additional support or provision.
Sacha Nelson - Assistant Headteacher ( Teaching and Curriculum)
I joined the Blakehill team in 2024 and I have thoroughly enjoyed my teaching experience here so far. Blakehill warmly welcomed me and I am now a very proud member of the team. Prior to my current position at Blakehill, I have worked as a classroom teacher in many year groups with most of my time spent in KS2. I also gained lots of invaluable experience in my previous role as a senior leader, for many years.
My greatest passion is delivering high quality teaching and giving my pupils a wonderful and memorable learning experience. This passion supports me greatly as I enjoy coaching and mentoring other staff to be the best they can be. Impact is what drives me most; seeing children make progress academically, socially and emotionally is highly rewarding for me. I currently enjoy teaching year 6 and love to prepare them for the world beyond primary school, ensuring they have many happy memories to take with them.
Oracy is one of my greatest passions in the classroom and I see this as a universal tool to engage all and include all. I have had wonderful opportunities come my way and have shared training with many schools across Bradford and beyond, showcasing my approaches in the classroom.
I am excited to join the leadership team; it is a great opportunity to further enhance the fantastic curriculum offer for our pupils, as well as ensure all children have a wonderful learning experience during their time at Blakehill.
Jamie Nicklin - Mental Health and Wellbeing Champion
The first thing that I noticed when I entered Blakehill Primary School was the welcoming atmosphere and the excellent team spirit amongst the teaching team. The staff know their students well and provide a wonderful experience.
Prior to Blakehill, I taught in three other primary schools, and before that I worked as a civil servant for the Department of Health – helping to implement government policies in the NHS. As a teacher, I have taught in every year group with a specialism in PE. I am a keen runner – if you are hiking in the Dales, you may see me run past! These experiences have helped me to become an open-minded and well-rounded teacher who is ready for any challenge.
I am very excited to be upper Key Stage Two Phase Leader. I became a primary school teacher because I wanted to make a difference and I can do this by giving every child the best possible educational opportunity. Learning in school should be fun, interesting and linked to real life experiences so that children are ready for the next challenges in life. I am determined to make those last two years at Blakehill a brilliant time that will stay with the children through high school and beyond.
Sarah Dickinson- Assistant Headteacher , KS1 and Early Years Lead and EYFS/KS1 SENCO
I came to Blakehill in 2014 and knew straight away that this would be my ‘forever’ school. My passion has always been for the Early Years. Working in the Early Years, every day is exciting and I love to see how the children grow and develop in their first year of school. Reception is where magic takes place. Children arrive on their first day, shy and nervous. In my role I see the magic happen as they develop confidence, and a love for learning. Teaching in Reception is the most rewarding job in the world and I am privileged to lead a wonderful team who share my passion.
In the Early Years at Blakehill our focus is to put the children first in all that we do. We embrace the children’s current interests and develop new interests through providing exciting and challenging areas of learning provision indoors and outdoors. We work hard to embed strong routines and are proud to develop kind, independent learners.
In addition to the Early Years Lead role I am also SENCO for the Early Years and Key Stage One. I work closely alongside Mrs Gould to support children with any additional needs from their very first day at Blakehill.