About us
The Oaks was founded nearly 20 years ago by working parents whose children attended local schools, preschools and the Oaks clubs, so they understand how important it is to find good local childcare. Day-to-day management is handled by the office team based in Mortimer and by the club management staff working at school/community sites in Mortimer, Burghfield, Aldermaston, Tadley and Silchester.
The Oaks is led by a small team of Directors who are focused on top-quality childcare provided by highly qualified and highly caring staff. We are always available to talk to anyone who would like to know more about The Oaks.
Being a Community Interest Company (CIC) means that we have protected our non-profit status and our commitment to serving and supporting the local community.
We are an equal opportunities employer, our culture actively includes people with a diverse range of skills, experience, and backgrounds and we are committed to providing access for a wide range of families who use our services.
Recent Feedback ...
A Big Oaks parent said:
“I’d like to take this opportunity to extend a huge thanks to all the staff. They have adapted amazingly well and kept the children having fun and feeling happy and safe all term (no mean feat in the current circumstances!)”
A Little Oaks parent said:
“Please find attached a little Christmas thank you gift for helping our son settle so well into breakfast/after-school club and helping with his transition to school life.”
A Burghfield parent donated to our chosen Christmas charity and said:
“Thank you for your hard work this year, our son loves going to the after-school group.”
And a Silchester parent said:
“Thank you so much to you all for your hard work this year in setting up and running the club at Silchester. It really has been a lifesaver as we were struggling to juggle work with the school pick-up at 3.15. My son really enjoys the club, sometimes he complains that we have picked him up too early!”
Children say:
“It’s the best club ever!”
“I love all the staff.”
“After School Club always know what to do if you are sad.”
“They’re awesome because they buy us new toys.”
“There are lots of activities and the muffins!”
Serving the local community
Working with your Child:
We want your child to feel safe and happy at the Oaks and our staff are very experienced at working with children of all ages. We aim to make their time at the club as relaxing and fun as possible and will spend time getting to know them and what they enjoy doing. The clubs are well stocked with games, toys and play equipment and children have a say in how clubs are run.
Working with Parents:
We have a very close relationship with parents who can leave their children with us knowing they are safe, happy, and well cared for. We invite parent representation from each school and welcome all feedback and ideas on how the clubs can be improved. Our Playleaders, Clubs Manager, and Office Manager are always available to talk about any aspects of your child’s care.
Working with Schools and Community:
We work closely with the schools in which our clubs operate, and invite representatives of school management to be Members of The Oaks. We employ local staff, use local suppliers wherever possible, invest substantially in training and development, and regularly host student volunteers for their Duke of Edinburgh awards. We take care to invest in the development of the clubs and our staff and each year we donate any surplus to the charitable organisations within the schools.
Meet the Managers
Jackie Rozentals
Jackie Rozentals is a Playleader at both Early Big Oaks and Big Oaks. She has been with us since 2015 loves the friendly, relaxed atmosphere at Breakfast Club, and being the leader of our busiest club, Big Oaks. She loves a competitive game of ‘Stop the Bus’! During lockdown, Jackie started baking, and often delivers treats to her family! She is also our Party Queen, often organising our Oaks get-togethers.
Shigeko Weir
Shigeko is our Breakfast Playleader at Aldermaston Oaks. She has been with The Oaks since 2019. She encourages outdoor activity but also enjoys helping children being creative with crafts and construction toys, drawing pictures, and playing board games. Her latest interest is origami – the art of paper folding. At home, she has two children and used to run a book/activity club for Japanese-speaking children. She enjoys travelling and walking her dog.
Debs Clarke
Debs Clarke joined The Oaks in September 2019, became our Little Oaks Playleader in December 2020, and now leads both breakfast and after-school clubs. She has many years of experience working with children and loves being outside with them, particularly in the sunshine.
Abi Showering
Abi Showering joined The Oaks in September 2020 as a Playworker, and quickly took to working with children of all ages across all of our clubs. She became Deputy Playleader at Early Little Oaks and Little Oaks in July 2021, and is qualified at NVQ L3 in Playwork. Abi enjoys ice skating once a week and spending time with her nieces and nephews.
Natalie Coles
Lewis Brown
Lewis is part of the Holiday Oaks team, with Alice and Colette. He is Level 2 qualified and trained in leading and delivering swim sessions as part of our holiday club provision.
Naomi Nash
Naomi joined the Oaks in November 2022 as Deputy Playleader at Aldermaston Oaks and is now Playleader at Aldermaston Oaks afterschool club. She has a background in education and care, supporting young people on their life journey. Naomi believes that a fun, friendly, and safe environment helps children develop at their own individual pace. She loves outdoor activities and encourages outdoor play, whenever possible.
Ann Morgan
Ann joined The Oaks in March 2023, after working as a Steiner Waldorf Kindergarten teacher and manager for 28 years. Ann has recently been promoted to Playleader for Priory Oaks afterschool club. She enjoys providing and supporting a safe and caring social environment for the children in the out-of-school clubs and especially enjoys sharing puzzles, games, and craft activities with them. Ann also works at our Mini Oaks Preschool, helping to support the children in their learning and development. Going to Forest School with the children is a particular favourite- spending time outdoors, walking, gardening, or collecting dinosaur bones!
Emily Holland
Emily has recently been promoted to Deputy Preschool Manager at Mini Oaks Preschool, and she is level 3 qualified in childcare. Emily really enjoys being part of creating a fun, safe and caring environment for children. She has a keen interest in planning inspired arts and crafts activities with the children, and watching the children express their creativity. In Emily’s free time, she particularly enjoys painting.
Maryna Drahun
Maryna started working at our Little Oaks and Big Oaks clubs in September 2022 as a playworker. She has recently been promoted to Deputy Playleader at Big Oaks in June 2024. Maryna enjoys playing competitive games like Dobble, and Monopoly. She also enjoys finding and trying new arts and crafts and then showing them to children. Her latest hobby is bedazzling – decorating different objects with gems. In her spare time, Maryna enjoys playing and spending time with her niece.
Michelle Johnson
Michelle is our Deputy Playleader at Aldermaston Oaks. She joined the team as a playworker in January 2024 and has recently been promoted. Michelle loves interacting with the children, encouraging them to use their imaginations through play, and exploring arts and crafts indoors and outdoors with them. Michelle also supports local charities with her passion for arts and crafts, especially rock painting. In her spare time, she enjoys walking her three dogs and spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Toni Thuillez
Toni is our Breakfast Playleader at Silchester Oaks. She has been with The Oaks since 2024. Toni has recently been promoted to playleader, having previously worked at our Little Oaks breakfast club. Toni enjoys outdoor team games like 40-40, arts and crafts and often tries new ideas at home with her 2 children, which she then eagerly introduces to breakfast club. Toni regularly swims and enjoys family days out at the allotment, exploring all the little bugs and planting and growing things altogether.
Alice Owen
Alice is our Deputy Playleader at Little Oaks. She has recently been promoted from playworker, since only joining the Oaks in September 2024. Alice enjoys working to create a fun and safe environment for the children to thrive in and loves watching them explore their own creativity. In her spare time, Alice is often either studying French, running, or cuddling her fluffy cat, Charlie!
Meet the Office Team
Lucy Meechan
Office Coordinator
Lucy joined the Oaks office team in June 2023 from a well-established local Nursery and has a wide range of Childcare experience.
Lucy enjoys working in the office to support The Oaks Clubs, families and the Local Communities. In her spare time, Lucy loves reading, crocheting, and discovering shiny things in antique shops.
Lesley Soane
Finance Assistant
Lesley has worked mainly in a finance setting for many years and is very much looking forward to working with The Oaks colleagues, parents, and children in her new role, whilst covering for Abbie during her maternity leave.
Lesley has 3 children and 2 stepchildren, and also 2 grandchildren and 3 step-grandchildren – the youngest being just 3 weeks old!
Lesley enjoys walking her little dog with her husband and spending time riding her shared horse.
Gemma Wingfield
Administrative Assistant
Gemma has recently joined the Oaks as a playworker at our clubs and as part of our office team. Gemma is a mum of two, and a volunteer at the local Rainbows group. She thoroughly enjoys any crafty activity – with mixed success, reading, spending time with her family, and walking her dog. Gemma’s dream is to one day live on a farm and be surrounded by animals. She loves working at the breakfast club, getting to know all the children, and improving her Lego-building skills!
Meet the Directors
Graham Viles
Finance Director
Graham joined The Oaks in July 2021. Prior to joining us, he had been part of the sale of a highly successful business to a large US consultancy.
Graham is a Qualified Accountant and, having worked in finance for a long time, was keen to give something back to the community.
He is married with two daughters and loves all sport but is a massive fan of football and in particular Chelsea.
Prubie Payne-Sahota
Operations and Risk Director and Chair of Directors
Prubie has recently joined The Oaks in November 2021 and brings over 15 years of experience and expertise in education, having held numerous senior leader positions, culminating with being the Head of an outstanding Primary School, and is a veteran of 5 successful Ofsted visits.
She is the founder and owner of a successful educational services business, as well as being the Chair of Governors at a local primary school and sits on several committees, including safeguarding and risk. She is married with two children and is a keen supporter of England rugby.
In addition to her operation and risk role, Prubie is also Chair of our Director Group.
Meet the Members
Bella Mehta
Bella was our Strategy and Community Director, and also Chair of the Director group until 2023. Since then, and as a Member rather than a Director, Bella continues to support The Oaks’ strategy and represent the local community, ensuring sound governance, philosophy, and ethos are reflected in the business. She has been involved with The Oaks in various roles since 2011, including operationally during COVID. She joined as a parent volunteer when The Oaks was a club run by a committee, and her first child started school. She and her husband were both working parents and the clubs were essential to their family for many years. She appreciated how sensitive and adaptive the clubs were in caring for her children as they arrived from preschool at one end, and left for secondary school at the other (returning later for DofE and summer jobs!). Her now grown-up children have many happy memories of The Oaks. In 2015, she led the transition to a Community Interest Company, protecting the not-for-profit status and the future of the Oaks as an asset for the community.
She sees how much emotional, physical, operational, and strategic work, underpinned by kindness, goes into childcare, and how essential this quality of support is to life in general. She takes the stance that caring work, playwork, and the associated management roles should be more widely recognised as the skilled and demanding professions they are, and has represented the interests of the sector beyond The Oaks. Over the years, she has enjoyed seeing the clubs, preschool, office, children, and staff grow, and has loved being part of a professional, hard-working, and fun team at the office.
We are delighted that Bella continues to be an integral part of the Community Interest Company, as a Member.