Staff & Governors

My teaching career began in 1992, in the north-east of England, and since then I have worked in a wide range of schools, including state and independent schools, both in the UK and Australia, as well as in international schools in Hong Kong, Singapore and China. Prior to joining St Wystan’s I was head of primary at a large school in Singapore and before that I served as deputy head of primary in Beijing. Each experience has been very different and each one equally fulfilling and inspiring.

As well as my husband and our teenage son, I share my life and home with two pesky terriers. I am an absolute dog lover and have thrived on the sense of achievement that has come with rescuing and rehoming two dogs in need of a happy home. In my spare time I also enjoy walking to keep fit, travel, cooking and a little crochet.

I am delighted to be a part of the St Wystan’s School family! Although happily living in Repton now, I am a Londoner at heart. I started and continued my teaching career in prep schools in East and North London, where I met my husband and started my family  I have worked across many year groups, from Form 1 to Form 8, and I feel very fortunate to have the chance to do the same at St Wystan’s School, where I am also Deputy Headteacher and Head of English.

My two children take up much of my spare time, however, I am a very keen gardener and devourer of books! I pride myself on my knowledge of children’s literature and never turn down the opportunity to recommend a good book to our pupils!

I grew up locally in Staffordshire and was fortunate to attend both Foremarke School (now Repton Prep) and Repton. I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2017 with a degree in Law. Following my degree, I went on to spend a year travelling and working in schools in India. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching pre-prep and went on to complete my PGCE in 2019. I love being active and spending my free time in the outdoors as well as travelling to different countries.

I completed a BA Hons degree in Sports Development and Coaching at Newcastle. After completing this I traveled for a year, visiting North and South America, New Zealand, Fiji and Australia.  I completed a PGCE in Manchester in 2010, securing my first job as a Year 3 class teacher and the teacher of girls games at Barnard Castle Preparatory school in County Durham. I worked in Year 3 for 4 years and then moved to Year 1 and became KS1 Curriculum leader, where I gained valuable experience and insights. I moved to Derbyshire with my husband and worked at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery as Year 1 teacher.

I am enthusiastic, hard working, very approachable and I am sure my sporting background can be put to good use at St Wystan’s. My creativity is a personal strength of mine and I love to share this with the children.

I have lived in South Derbyshire for most of my life and was fortunate enough to attend Derby High School. Since leaving school, I went on to study a Master’s in Education at the University of Derby. I received the Deans Award from university for academic excellence. Having taught a range of year groups in a variety of schools, I am delighted to now find myself at St Wystan’s School. Outside of teaching, I am a qualified swimming teacher, Repton Rainbows Leader and have spent many years working at Repton Sports Centre. All of this, along with my love for surfing, the outdoors and my dog keep me very busy.

Since graduating from Durham University, I have been very fortunate to enjoy being a form teacher and music specialist in a variety of primary school settings in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire for almost thirty years! Whilst my three children were growing up, I gained valuable new experiences including teaching in early years, providing intervention English and numeracy groups, and supply teaching. I enjoy being busy, taking long walks with my family and miniature schnauzers, gardening, reading, singing and giving musical support to my local theatre group.

A career change (from carpentry) led me to complete a degree in education. My wife and I, along with our son, relocated to Seychelles in 2018 to work at an international school. From there, I completed a PGCE through the University of Nottingham, hosted in Singapore. We returned to the UK as a 5, with a baby son and rescue dog as new additions to our family. We feel very settled in South Derbyshire; even our dog seems happy to have traded sandy beaches for muddy paths!

My passions are football, music, food and the outdoors. I play a lot of chess (although it doesn’t appear to be improving my game all that much!) and enjoy word and maths puzzles.

I am delighted to be part of the St Wystan’s team!

After studying Theatre at Bretton Hall College and qualifying as a Drama teacher in 2004 from Manchester Metropolitan University. I began my career in secondary education before moving on to independent schools in both Leeds and Leicestershire. I have always taught a range of subjects, but have specialised in Music, English and PSHCE, alongside Drama. I now teach LAMDA and Public Speaking at Repton School as well as coaching students through LAMDA examinations at St Wystan’s. Away from the classroom, I love being outside and exploring with my young family. I also love singing in the St Wystan’s Staff and Parent choir.

Growing up with a passion for sport, I followed my northern routes to the University of Sunderland where I studied a BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences. After 3 years, I decided on teaching as a career and moved to London to complete my PGCE with Masters in Primary Education. Teaching across a range of boroughs in London provided me with an excellent foundation to my teaching career. I then decided to move back home to Leicestershire to begin my career in Loughborough. Working at St Wystan’s has been a delight; the education, experience and opportunities we are able to provide our pupils with make me an extremely proud teacher and I look forward to coming to work every day!

I began my teaching career in 2010 in London, training in a school to gain my PGCE in Primary Teaching with a specialism in Modern Foreign Languages. After qualifying I worked at Danes Hill Preparatory School for just over four years, as a Year Four Form Teacher and specialist teacher of Spanish.

I have always had a passion for languages and, as part of my degree, I was fortunate to spend a year in South America teaching English and French, amongst other volunteer placements.

After a career break to spend time at home with my three children, I returned to teaching at St Wystan’s and feel very fortunate to be part of such a friendly school.

Being an MFL teacher allows me the privilege to get to know each and every pupil in the school and I look forward to sharing my enthusiasm with them each week.

I graduated from Durham University in 2000 and gained my QTS in 2004, since then I have taught in both senior and prep schools. I am passionate about the outdoors and I am a Mountain Leader, Duke of Edinburgh assessor as well as being a sport and PE teacher. I currently coach in the junior section at Ashby Hockey Club where both my children are learning to play.