Karen Downs

I am an Early Years Specialist with over 25 years of global experience and extensive leadership across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. My career has ranged from turning around struggling kindergarten departments to leading inauguration projects, with enrolment growth from a single registration in a new start up to increasing numbers from 55 to 170 students in a setting on the verge of closure. I have achieved this by mentoring multilingual teams through frameworks including the Canadian Maple Bear Program, IEYC, EYFS, Reggio Emilia and Montessori inspired approaches.

I specialise in curriculum development, staff mentoring, quality assurance and building strong relationships with SLTs, boards and ministries of education. I am committed to continuous professional growth and am currently studying towards a Master's degree.

Throughout my career I have been driven by the belief that every child deserves a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment where they can thrive. This starts with empowered, knowledgeable and well supported teachers. I am now seeking an Early Years role where I can build systems, not just maintain them.

Head of Early Years

Lead a team of 25+ while supporting 2 campuses to achieve consistent lesson delivery for 150 children. Oversee the Oxford International Early Years Curriculum and EYFS Framework with alignments to Reggio Emilia Inspired learning.

Create operational schedules, class timetables and after school activity program.

Staff recruitment with coordination of recruiters, coverage and staff allocation.

Develop curriculum goals, assessments and procedures for children learning English as a second language.

Monitor targets for English language learners in collaboration with classroom teachers and Read Write Inc Phonic program lead.

Collaborate with other department heads to embed best practices across the whole school.

Identify and support students with additional learning needs, liaising with the SENCO as required.

Lead regular team meetings, professional development sessions and performance reviews.

Mentor new and underperforming staff to improve teaching quality and classroom management. Conduct regular classroom observations and provide constructive feedback to maintain high teaching standards.

Liaise with SLT and school principal to maintain, improve and implement strategies for stability and growth.

Nov 2022-July 2024: Al Raneem International School, Muscat, Oman

Head of Kindergarten

Oversaw daily lesson delivery while leading the I.E.Y.C curriculum. Designed age-appropriate assessment aligned to the teaching and learning procedures for math, phonic and reading guidelines for 100 children aged 3-5 years and 10 staff.

Guidance of appropriate curriculum materials and resources for children learning English as a second language in line with school policy and Ministry of Education guidelines to ensure high standards of care and education. This provided the foundational link required to eventually move forward with the primary curriculum objectives.

Liaise with other SLT and school principal to maintain, improve and implement strategies for stability and growth.

Nov 2021-Nov 2022: UK Based Ongoing Studying Towards Master’s Degree.

As a result of the Covid’19 pandemic disruption to international hiring I chose to step back from full-time leadership to focus on my coursework.

March 2019 – Nov 2021: Wonderland Early Learning Centre (W.E.L.C)

Academic Director/Consultant, New Delhi, India

Project management from pre-inaugural requirements leading to a fully functioning pre-school school in 7 months with a capacity of 120 students.

The initial enrolment was 1 child raising to 60 in an 8-month period from August 2019-March 2020.

Liaising with the board of directors, investors and faculty to develop strategies for attaining quality environments, stability and implementing the EYFS curriculum to promote a positive learning experience.

My impact was to write clear, decisive policies and procedures within organisational structures relevant for the setting. Once in operation implementing schedules, frameworks, staff development / parent liaison school promotion and educational requirements to raise levels of attainment for staff and children aged 15 Months to Reception.

Dec 2017 - Jan 2019: Horizon Nursery, Muscat, Oman

Head of Nursery

Overall responsibility for a 185 place EYFS Nursery. Duties include reviewing policy and procedures to ensure the smooth day to day running of the nursery. Liaise with the board of directors to maintain, improve and implement strategies for stability and growth. To oversee the daily lessons, teachers and support staff to ensure high standards of care and education are adhered to for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Aug 2017 - Dec 2017: Kingsgate International school, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Deputy Head of School

As a new start up school part of my role was diverse from staff recruitment, sourcing educational resources, fixtures, and fitting, devising policies and procedures, plus school promotional events. On the academic side my focus was on classroom design for supporting the early year’s unit from 6 months old to reception, devising themes of inquiry, lesson planning, assessment, plus offering support for the Cambridge curriculum.

Due to the uncertainty of opening timelines beyond the school's control, I chose to step back from the project rather than wait indefinitely, prioritising a role where I could have security.

Aug 2015 - Apr 2017: Al Whattaya Private School/ Al Raneem International School, Muscat, Oman.

Kindergarten Principal / Advisor for 3 campuses.

Devising appropriate curriculum guidelines, assessment, policies, and procedures for children learning English as a second language. Implemented the EYFS framework as the school moved towards a hands-on play-based approach. This required gaining approval from and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education, along with setting in place standards and procedures to gain accreditation for Associate International (AI, USA).

Aug 2010- July 2015: Azzan Bin Qais International School, Muscat, Oman

Head of Kindergarten/ SLT

During my leadership the department went from failing status and on verge of closure to 170 students.

Achieving this required building bridges and positive relationships with the Ministry of Education, gaining their support for the curriculum transition.

At the end of this period, I had successfully implemented the UK Foundation Stage curriculum, developed a framework for reading, writing and phonics in Arabic and English that built links with the lower primary.

During my leadership, I actively promoted inclusion of parents through seminars, assemblies, school shows, sports day, school trips, parent reading buddies, special days and children’s events.

Aug 2009 - July 2010: English School of Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus

Nursery Classroom teacher and Supporting the Coordinator

Responsible for implementing the UK Foundation Stage curriculum to include both individual child assessments, portfolios, and classroom management. Responsible for guiding and supporting new and inexperienced teachers to develop their awareness of child appropriate development and relevant activities.

Aug 2008 - July 2009: Zeyneb Mutlu School, Istanbul, Turkey

Kindergarten English Coordinator

Implemented a phonic, reading and writing program across 12 classes, for ESL children. Developed and coordinated a closer integration of the English expectation between the PYP and Maple Bear English programs, along with working with other management team members.

June 1985- July 2008: Maternity Nurse, Nanny, Crèche Worker, Proxy-Parent and Classroom teacher.

Worked with children from birth to 7 years old across Turkey, France, Germany, India, Majorca, Belgium, and the USA.

M.Ed. Early Childhood and Nursery Education, Dundee University, Scotland, UK

BA Childhood Studies, Dundee University, Scotland, UK

International Montessori Diploma, 0-6 years old, MCI, London.

Diploma in Child Psychology and Development, Rusland College, Bath, UK

City and Guilds Home Economics, Family and Community Care, UK

City and Guilds Communications - Levels 1 and 2, UK