Meet the team | Oxhey Nursery School

Meet Our People

Every setting is built on their team

For the team at Oxhey, teaching early years is much more than a job. We care deeply about children’s happiness and success. Our classrooms are joyful places to be, where children are engaged and teachers give praise and encouragement. We listen to parents and families, and work together with them to help children achieve their full potential.

Find out more about the qualified, experienced leadership team at Oxhey below.

Roots Leadership Team

Hayley Yendell

Headteacher and Curriculum Lead, Roots Federation

With vision, commitment and care, Hayley takes a lead on the curriculum for Roots Nurseries, ensuring it sets all our children up for happiness and success.

Hayley is a proficient leader with decades of experience leading early years settings. In 2001 she became deputy headteacher at a three-form primary school in Stevenage where she took on special responsibility for early years.

She went on to become an early years adviser at Herts for Learning, a company whose mission is to improve education across the county. In this role, Hayley gave consultation, training and support that improved outcomes for over 100 schools.

Hayley sits on a governing body of Governor of South Hill Primary School (Hemel ) and trustee of the Claxton Trust (Stevenage), and is a trustee at a multi-academy trust, where she shares her expertise with the wider community.

Gemma Williamson

Headteacher and SENCo, Roots Federation

Gemma is Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator for the Roots Nurseries, and takes a lead in the Federation’s business and strategic decisions.

In 2010, she led the foundation stage at Laurence Haines primary school in Watford. In recognition of her impressive leadership, the local authority made her a Leading Teacher. In this role, she helped schools across the county improve their early years provision.

Gemma took the headship at Muriel Green Nursery in 2017. That same year, she achieved the National Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator Award.

She began working as a consultant to the headteachers at Oxhey Early Years in 2021. Here, she had the vision to collaborate with Heath Lane Nursery to improve all three settings, a vision which eventually led to co-founding the Roots Federation.

Gemma sits on the governing bodies of two maintained primary schools in Hertfordshire, keeping her up to date with educational practice beyond early years. She also sits on two boards representing the voice of maintained nursery schools.

Annette Norris
Head of school

Annette joins the Federation with a background spanning 22 years in education. However, she started her Early Years journey long before this, working in daycare nurseries in her hometown of Carlisle. Annette relocated to the South and has worked across three schools in Essex, In her first school she was promoted quite quickly to Early Years Phase Leader; in her second school she was employed as the Assistant Head teacher for Early Years and Key Stage1 and more recently a seven year Headship of a Primary School with Nursery attached. Annette is a passionate and dedicated leader, she comes from a long line of school development success. She has supported Primary schools and Early Years centres to ensure provision and education is of a high quality through training and development. Annette Joins the Federation as Head of School for Oxhey Nursery School.

Lucy Matley -
Teacher

Lucy has been a dedicated teacher for 14 years, serving the communities of Hertsmere and Watford. With a wealth of experience across Key Stage 2, she has developed a strong passion for teaching our youngest learners in the early years. At Oxhey, Lucy has taken on the role of class teacher for both 2-3 and 3-4-year-olds, where her dedication to delivering an ambitious curriculum truly shines.

Lucy believes in the importance of being a play partner and nurturing these vital interactions with children. She understands that building strong relationships with not only the children but also their families and her colleagues is key to a thriving learning environment. Beyond her classroom duties, Lucy co-chairs the governing body of a primary school, further highlighting her commitment to education and leadership.