Meet the team

Everyone who works at Leigh Treasures Preschool is dedicated to providing a positive, safe, caring, warm and friendly environment for your child. All staff have a current DBS and undertake regular training in Paediatric First Aid, Safeguarding and Food Hygiene as well as other relevant topics to support and enhance our provision.

Each child is allocated a Key Person to be their “special person”, to be your point of contact and to use their observations to track and support your child’s progress. Within each session, we have at least 3-4 members of staff with direct care of the children. During higher-number sessions, we increase this and aim to to work above the required staff to child ratios of 1:8 for over 3s and 1:5 for under 3s enabling us to provide high quality support for children’s wellbeing and learning.

  • Charlotte Lane

    Owner/Director

    Hi I’m Charlotte. With 18 years of experience in Early Years Education and as a proud mother of four, I’ve developed a deep understanding of what truly matters in a nurturing, high-quality preschool environment. Having lived in Leigh-on-Sea all my life, I’m passionate about creating a setting that reflects the warmth and spirit of our local community.
    At Leigh Treasures, my vision is to build more than just a preschool — I want to create a place where families feel welcomed, involved, and connected. A place where children can flourish through inspiring enrichment activities, engaging resources, and the support of our highly qualified and dedicated team.
    I’m so excited to watch each child grow in confidence, curiosity, and creativity as part of our Leigh Treasures family.

  • Helen Simmonds

    Manager

    Hi, I’m Helen. I am a mum to six year old twins and can be often found on outdoor adventures with my two in tow, usually building dens in the woods or collecting shells on the beach. I 'am also a qualified teacher, with nineteen years experience working in various schools across Essex and London. I have a degree in Psychology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Over the years, I have taught children of all ages from Nursery through to year 6, but my love for teaching Early years was reignited during the pandemic when my own children were 18 months old. Lockdown with two toddlers kept me busy and it was during this time that I truly understood the importance of those precious first years, recognising the power of play in fostering children’s development and learning. That is why I am so excited to be part of the Leigh Treasures Preschool team, providing daily opportunities for children to explore, learn and have fun!

  • Hayley Wilding

    Preschool Assistant

    Hello, I’m Hayley! Level 3 qualified with over 20 years experience working with children. I am really excited to be part of Leigh Treasures Preschool and to get to know each and every child that we welcome through our doors. Being a parent myself to three wonderful children, I understand the importance of a safe and nurturing environment which enables children to develop into confident, happy, independent young people, and believe it to be a privilege to be a part of their learning and developmental journey throughout their early years. When I’m not at Preschool I love going for long walks, and last year climbed Snowdon! I enjoy reading, spending time with my family and also running an events business in my spare time.

  • Victoria Stone

    Preschool Assistant

    Hi I’m Vicki. I have 20+ years experience in childcare. I hold an NVQ Level 5 and I enjoy being creative. One of my passions is taking photos, so I’m sure that will be one of my jobs when it comes to specific celebrations such as Christmas. I live locally, am a mum of two girls, both at a local school and my husband has his own business in the community. As well as working at Leigh treasures I also work as an NHS Speech and Language Assistant for young children.

    Charlotte has so many ideas for the Preschool and is building a real community connection, which makes it already feel more than ‘just a Preschool’.

  • Preschool Assistant

    Abbie West

    Preschool Assistant

    Hi, I’m Abbie! I am level 3 qualified with three years of experience in childcare. I am a mum of a 3 years old. Who is on the go all the time. We both love being outside, going for walks and riding our bikes. We love being down the beach playing in the sand and sea this is our favourite place to be. In my spare time I love to bake cakes and being creative. We also spent lots of time doing messy play and painting. I am so excited for the new adventure that Leigh Treasure Preschool is going to bring. After becoming a mum it showed me the importance of creating a safe environment that children feel free to learn, play, explore and have fun. I can’t wait to create this while at Leigh Treasure Preschool.