First Class Teacher Supply –

Lesley Robinson (Managing Director)

Lesley is MD of First Class, and together with co-Director Steph, responsible for founding First Class Supply way back in early 2004! With a background in sales and national account management, Lesley’s area of expertise is the finance and management side of the business. With over 20 years’ experience in educational recruitment alone, she is a mainstay of First Class, and always available for our many teachers, TAs and schools. Lesley is also on the fundraising committee of one of partner middle schools, and a volunteer reader with Year 5 pupils at the same outstanding school.

Steph Boulton (Director)

Steph is a Director of First Class Supply, responsible with MD Lesley for founding First Class way back in early 2004! Steph’s background is HR and customer service management, working for many years in patient liaison management within the NHS. Steph too has over 20 years’ experience within educational recruitment and is responsible for the HR, Compliance and Safeguarding side of the business. Another mainstay of First Class, Steph is also on the fundraising committee of one of our partner middle schools, and a volunteer reader with Year 1 and Year 2 pupils in one of our partner primary schools.

Julia Pollock (Team Leader and Senior Education Specialist) 

Julia joined First Class Supply way back in early 2008, and is an invaluable member of the First Class team. She has been a consultant on all our teams in her time, finally settling into her niche as an expert on all there is to know about being a Teaching Assistant on supply, whether in mainstream or SEN settings. She was young, free and single when she joined us, and is now a full time working Mum to three children – including twins born on Christmas Day 2011! She looks after us all in the office too, as well as always being available for words of advice and encouragement for our Teaching Assistants, Nursery Nurses and Learning Support Assistants. Julia is also a Governor at one of our local partner middle schools.

Kate Hall (Education Specialist)

Kate has been with us at First Class for almost four years, and in educational recruitment for over six years. She has an excellent understanding of all aspects of supply, having worked previously with our primary and TA teams, before finding her perfect niche in the secondary sector. Kate has established excellent relationships with our secondary and middle schools as well as our secondary teachers, and can be guaranteed to find the ideal assignments for our many secondary teachers. She is also a Governor at a central Newcastle middle school.

Hannah Lynn (Education Specialist)

Hannah is a fully qualified Nursery Nurse herself and has been with First Class for over three years. In that time, she has been a boon on the TA & SEN team, with an in-depth knowledge and real knack for finding the ideal assignments for our TAs, whether for half a day or a full academic year. Her background as a Nursery Nurse gives her a real insight into all TA assignments and she is very popular with all the TAs she works with, who all appreciate her bubbly personality and caring nature. Hannah is a Governor at a local partner primary school.

Gayleen Gray (Education Specialist)

Prior to joining First Class Supply Gayleen worked in SEN schools for 15 years, most recently as a Data and Examinations Officer.  This background has given Gayleen an amazing understanding of SEN which she utilises to match the right person to a schools specific needs. Gayleen’s substantial school administration experience is a real benefit in understanding what’s important to our partner schools.

Dionne Clark (Director and Finance Manager) 

Dionne is First Class Supply’s fantastic Finance Manager,as well as a Director of the company, and is responsible for all things financial at First Class. With over 25 years working within the accounts sector, and over six years’ experience with us here at First Class, Dionne is our go-to person for all things payroll and invoice related, as well as being an invaluable member of the management team. She also has a wicked sense of humour!

Jonny Carr (IT & Accounts Consultant)

Jonny joined First Class back in 2010 as an apprentice to help with the admin side of things. Since being offered a permanent job shortly after, he has not only progressed to take over all things IT related, but also excels at upgrading and maintaining our bespoke software system. He is also Dionne’s right-hand man in the accounts department and an integral part of the First Class team, with unending patience answering our many questions! Nothing is ever a problem for him and he’s always happy to help his colleagues.

Jemma Jobson-Muir (Admin Manager)

Jemma has been with First Class since 2012, and is integral to the smooth running of everything to do with the office admin, resourcing, training and events management side of things. She also keeps a firm hold of the ever-changing safeguarding and compliance legislation within the educational supply sector and education in general. With a solid background in recruitment going back 16 years, nine in educational recruitment, Jemma brings a wide depth of knowledge to the many, many different tasks she juggles on a daily basis! Always cheerful and always helpful, she is also the most organised person any of us have ever met!

Pam Heron (Finance & Admin Support)

Pam joined us in the summer of 2017, bringing a wealth of knowledge from her previous career as school admin & finance support in local secondary and primary schools. Pam splits her time between assisting Jemma and the Registration Co-Ordinators to assisting Dionne and Jonny in the finance team. She has quickly learned how hectic and ever-changing the world of educational recruitment can be and has quickly adapted to her new role.

Ann Thornton

Ann is the former Head Teacher of Wallsend Jubilee Primary School, Wallsend.  She has worked with us since 2017, and like her contemporaries, Mavis and Carol, Ann liked our ethos, and the team, so much she couldn’t wait to join us as an education advisor on leaving school!  Her warm and welcoming manner puts all those who come to join us at their ease.