Meet our lovely Barracks Lane Forest School team members
Below you can read about our nursery team members.
Mariam Iqbal
Tanja Fletcher
Tanja has over 20 years’ experience working in Early Years in a wide range of settings including nurseries, pre-schools, children’s centres and a Foundation Unit in a primary school. Tanja holds a BA in Early Years Education and is a qualified Forest School Leader. Tanja loves going for long woodland walks, felting, doing woodwork and ‘tinkering’ and is passionate about sharing her deep love of the natural world with all children.
Adriana Grau Oliver
Adriana is passionate about education and nature. With over 6 years of experience in Early Years settings and 17 years working with primary and secondary education in non-formal education, her interest in learning as a community process is always at the core. She has been engaged with several Youth organisations focussed on self directed learning and which contribute to the development of a fairer and more equal society. Adriana loves riding her bike, sewing and being in nature with her two children and friends.
Katryna Pastacaldi
I have 16 years of experience working with children and I have been a qualified Nursery teacher and SENCo for the last 12 years. I love thinking with my hands and engaging with all possible materials and techniques, from weaving to woodwork. I moved to Oxford from Italy with my family, and I now enjoy discovering this new home with my two children. I work at the beautiful Barracks Lane garden site.
Shaheen Shujaa
I have 19+ years of experience and a Foundation Degree in Early Years Education and have worked in a variety of settings across Oxford. I am very proud to have helped attain an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating whilst working as a Nursery Room Lead. I am passionate about enabling Early Years environments through the Reggio Emilia ethos, especially in the ‘great outdoors’. I enjoy reading, as well as experimenting with multimedia arts, particularly oil painting.
Topaz Tong
Topaz lives locally in Florence Park with her husband, two children, and a dog. Topaz has spent over a decade in the service industry. She also volunteers with Scouts as an assistant leader, and with the Oxfordshire Cloth Nappy Library lending cloth nappies as part of the Oxford County Council’s Reusable Nappy Trial Scheme. In her spare time, Topaz enjoys singing, hiking, and solving puzzles.
