Who we are

Dr. Fufy Demissie

Fufy developed Talk with Tales for Children (TWiTCH) programme and launched its pilot study in 2018. She is passionate about the value of dialogic teaching and Philosophy for Children (P4C) and has embedded these principles into the TWiTCH programme.

She is a senior lecturer at the Sheffield Institute of Education and the Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) lead at the EYCRC based at the Meadows Nursery. 

Prof. Sally Pearse

Sally is the Director of the Early Years Community Research Centre (EYCRC) and the Sheffield Hallam led Meadows Nursery in Shirecliffe. She works with strategic partners Save the Children, and early years partners and practitioners from across South Yorkshire to develop effective services for young children and their families. Her areas of interest are partnership with families and communities, children’s social and emotional development and trauma informed practice. Sally is involved in a range of early years research projects and has oversight of the TWiTCH programme.

Louisa Pinder

Louisa is a Project Manager at Sheffield Hallam University, where she manages the TWiTCH project and supports a range of education research initiatives. She also lectures on the Initial Teacher Education programmes at the University, drawing on her experience across primary education, specialist provision and further education.

Passionate about inclusive education and professional learning, Louisa focuses on making research accessible and relevant to classroom practice. She is currently studying for an EdD, exploring how educational research can support practitioners’ professional development.

Sophie Keegan

Sophie is a communications professional specialising in public affairs, digital communications, stakeholder engagement and events. She has worked in Sheffield Hallam University’s External Engagement team for six years, gaining broad experience across communications and media relations.

Passionate about projects that create positive social impact, Sophie joined the TWiTCH team on secondment in 2026. She is committed to advocating for children and supporting initiatives that help give every child the best possible start in life.

Vic Menzies

Vic Menzies is Assistant Professor at Durham University and leads the evaluation team. Vic has 15 years’ experience of evaluating education programmes in early years, primary and secondary schools.

Dr Johny Daniel

Dr. Johny Daniel is Associate Professor at Durham University and leads research on reading difficulties, dyslexia, and inclusive education. He is leading on the evaluation practitioner practice outcomes.

Dr, Akansha Singh

Dr. Akansha Singh is Assistant Professor at Durham University. She is a Senior Statistician overseeing the statistical design and evaluation of the TWiTCH trial, supporting high-quality evidence generation to inform practice.

Dr. Xiafei Qi

Dr. Xiaofei Qi is Associate Professor at Durham University. She will provide advice to the evaluation team as a specialist in early years practice and lead on the implementation and process evaluation.  

Rachael Barker

I began my childcare journey over 13 years ago working in a nursery where I qualified then going onto childminding from my home. What began as a small, nurturing setting quickly grew, expanding the provision to meet the needs of more families in our community. Today, I am proud to lead a thriving setting with nine dedicated staff members, all working together to provide high quality, child centred care.

Living on a farm, I enjoy spending time with and riding my horses, while nature, outdoor learning and real-life experiences are central to our approach.

In 2025, we took part in the TWiTCH project, embedding its approach across the setting and strengthening how we support children’s communication, interactions and love of reading. Stories are at the heart of our practice, inspiring imagination, language development and shared joy every day.

Holly Darken

I am an early childhood educator with over 20 years of experience and an MA in Early Childhood Studies. I have worked as a university placement mentor, lectured at Sheffield Hallam University for three years, and now work as an Educational Professionals Tutor in higher education. Having worked in the sector for many years I am passionate about early years education and supporting staff development.

Ann Dawson

For more than 20 years, Ann has led EYFS in Sheffield schools, particularly in areas of high social deprivation and with large numbers of children learning English as an additional language (EAL). In 2007, she established Sheffield’s first fully integrated EYFS unit at Pye Bank School, where she also served as EYFS Lead, Assistant Head and Deputy Headteacher.

Ann created Rainbow Talk, a successful programme supporting children’s language and communication, now used by hundreds of teachers across Sheffield and the surrounding areas. Since founding Firm Footings for Early Years Ltd in 2019, she has provided consultancy and training to schools, academies and early years settings across South Yorkshire.

She has also developed and delivered Early Years and Key Stage 1 Philosophy for Children (P4C) training, working with practitioners, parents and families to extend children’s learning beyond the classroom.

Anne de A’Echevarria

Originally a secondary teacher and PGCE tutor, Anne is passionate about pedagogies that nurture oracy, creativity and metacognition. She now works as a trainer and facilitator supporting schools and communities across the UK and the Netherlands, with a focus on Philosophy for Children and Communities (P4C).

Anne is Philosopher in Residence for the North-East Primary Innovation Network, a visiting P4C lecturer on Newcastle University’s PGCE programme, and a qualified Early Years Educator and Montessori Trainer. She has also used philosophical enquiry to support dialogue, social cohesion and mutual understanding among children, communities and people in prison education.

Anne is the author of several publications, including Thinking Through School, which won the National Education Resources Book of the Year award.

Kate Halliwell

I have had the great pleasure of being a TWiTCH Coach since the programme began in 2023. I am also a qualified teacher and a Philosophy for Children trainer/facilitator, and therefore extremely experienced in encouraging others to develop their thinking and find their voice.

Sally Hinchliff

For the last 13 years I have worked as teacher trainer at Sheffield Hallam University and have so enjoyed introducing trainee teachers to P4C and the benefits of a dialogic stance in the classroom.  As a teacher of primary foreign languages, I have used stories, puppetry and drama as powerful tools to engage young learners with French and Spanish.

Melanie Klein

Hi, my name is Melanie. I believe books and storytelling have the power to transform, inspire and connect people across generations. I am passionate about using literacy to foster wonder, curiosity and rich talk in the classroom, and through my teaching experience and educational consultancy work, I strive to create meaningful, engaging learning environments where every child (and teacher!) can thrive.

Topsy Page

Topsy Page is an experienced educator, trainer and facilitator specialising in oracy and Philosophy for Children (P4C). She works with educational settings to support children to speak, listen and think together.

www.topsypage.com

Gina Parker Mullarkey

Gina is a trainer for Thoughtful, Dialogue Works, Learning through Landscapes, High Points and Futureproof Cumbria. Her work focuses on Global Learning, the Outdoors and Oracy and Thinking Skills through her business Little Chatters. Gina has worked as a nursery practitioner, delivered outdoor sessions with a focus on oracy working alongside parents with their preschool children, supported settings in embedding Philosophy for Children and Outdoor learning and developed Thoughtful’s Philosophy for Children for Early Years course.

Gavin Salmon

I have worked in education for over 20 years, with the majority of my career rooted in Early Years. I have been fortunate to work as a class teacher, Early Years Lead, governor, and Early Years specialist for the local authority, supporting settings and schools across Cumbria and County Durham.

I now work for the National Literacy Trust as an Early Years Project Manager, leading the Early Years work in the national campaign National Year of Reading. It is a privilege to champion early language, literacy, and a love of books, and to work alongside practitioners, children, and families during such an important stage of development.

Catherine Timbers

I have a wealth of experience in Early Years education. I have been fortunate to work in Sheffield schools for over 30 years and now for the National Literacy Trust. In schools I enjoyed the roles of class teacher, Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher.  My current role with the NLT is Early Years Regional Project Manager for Yorkshire and Humber and the North West of England. It is both a privilege and a joy working with the youngest children and their families.

Jane Yates

Jane has a long-standing passion for supporting nursery and early years settings with Understanding the World and Communication and Language. She is a Thoughtful Philosophy for Children (P4C) Trainer and has supported many nursery settings to embed P4C in early years practice across England, Scotland and Wales.

Jane previously worked in a primary school for 15 years and facilitated a weekly P4C session across the full primary age range. Originally trained in Outdoor Education, much of her work has also involved working with young children in outdoor learning environments.  As part of her role as an RE adviser, she recently worked with her Local Authority Strategic Lead for Early Years to develop RE guidance for early years settings, rooted in children’s everyday experiences and curiosity, and focused on belief, belonging and diversity through play, storytelling, talk and exploration.