Meet our Prep School Team

Stuart gained his degree and two post graduate diplomas in Architecture and BRS prior to qualifying as an architect.  He later retrained and gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in 2013. Stuart has been teaching ever since.

A phrase or saying that inspires you. ‘The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else’s eyes’.  Voltaire

If you could go back in time to your own school days, what advice would you give your younger self? Everything that seemed a challenge then has shaped your character in ways you will not even begin to realise.

If you weren’t a teacher, what job would you be doing instead? Architect – still – or as a rather left field alternative butcher.

What has being a teacher taught YOU? To add a further quote – ‘Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid’.  Albert Einstein

What are you currently ‘getting better’ at? Perfecting my ice cream recipes.

Dan qualified at Brighton University (Chelsea College, Eastbourne) with a BA(QTS) in Physical Education and has taught English, Maths, History, Geography, RE, DT, PE and Games. Dan has been teaching for 36 years.

I actually became a teacher by accident! I came to Claremont at 18 years old to do a gap year and liked it so much I decided to stay on.

David’s career path has been eclectic. He completed a degree in English Literature before sitting an aptitude test that indicated he would be a good computer programmer, so he pursued that for some years after university.

I then spent almost 10 years teaching overseas before realising I would like to return to the UK and pass on my knowledge of technology to young minds in a British classroom setting. Claremont gives me that opportunity.

Michael went to Bexhill College and the Open University where he studied Sports, Fitness, Coaching Development and Management. Before coming to Claremont, he coached football and had an ambition to coach football full time.  Michael has been teaching for 9 years.

At Claremont I started to teach other sports and found it was not only football I enjoyed, but also working with young people and supporting them to reach their potential, regardless of ability. That being said I still think the football season is too short!

Lorraine has a BA hons in Performing Arts with Classical Voice major and has been teaching music for 22 years. When she is not  teaching, Lorraine is a choral director and musical director.

A phrase or saying that inspires you. ‘Everyone is a musician in my classroom‘.

If you weren’t a teacher, what job would you be doing instead? I’d be a musician.

Barbara has been teaching for 29 years. She studied at Falmouth School of Fine Art and at the University of Greenwich.

A phrase or saying that inspires you. Art Makes Children Powerful

If you could go back in time to your own school days, what advice would you give your younger self? It’s all a journey of learning and personal growth

Tell us something about yourself not a lot of people would know. I was brought up in Latin America

If you weren’t a teacher, what job would you be doing instead? A Fine Art printmaker

What has being a teacher taught YOU? That there are many paths to success.

What are you currently ‘getting better’ at? Investing more time to reflect and identify creative possibilities.

Marie was born in Normandy and is French native speaker.  After gaining two degrees (English and French linguistics) from the University of Rouen,  Marie came to England to study for her teaching qualification at the University of Southampton.  She then began teaching modern foreign languages in various Secondary schools in Sussex, before later training to teach early French to pre school and Primary school children.

It all probably started with me teaching my dolls and teddies when I was little.

Kate earned her my Drama Degree from the Nene College, Northampton, which was affiliated with the University of Leicester and my PGCE from Middlesex University.

Teaching runs in my family and despite the pull of a career in theatre, teaching drama was always my first choice.

Dan has been teaching for 12 years. He studied Comparative American Studies at Warwick University, which allowed him to further his interest in History and Literature, as well as spend a year in Argentina. He has taught every subject during his career, but specialises in English.

My own experiences of school influenced my desire to replicate the feelings of wonder and possibility that learning inspired in me, and to make the classroom a place of excitement and aspiration.

Rachel has been teaching for 25 years. She was inspired to become an educator by her own PE teacher at school. She studied at The University of Brighton in Eastbourne.

It was a beautiful place to learn. I have remained in Eastbourne ever since!

Working at Claremont has given me the opportunity to watch children grow and develop from nursery to senior school and helping them with their ailments is truly a gift for me.

Celia Ackerley has been teaching for 20 years. She started out with a degree in Zoology from Liverpool University before trying out nursing. However, after realising she was too squeamish to make that a career she started working in challenging schools in London, Sheffield and East Sussex.

I became a teacher as I wanted to help people and be challenged. I particularly like working with young people as they make make my day fun and two days are never the same.