Senior Leadership and Governance

Ed’s passion for Politics led him to a postgraduate Masters in International Relations at SOAS University of London. As well as teaching History and Politics Ed has served as a Head of Sixth Form, Head of Department and Housemaster at Bedes School before joining the Claremont Project in 2013. He has been teaching for 21 years and has been Headteacher since 2018.

I never considered teaching until, as a 19 year old, I worked as a builder’s labourer on a School’s facilities team. The Headteacher urged me to apply for University and taught me the transforming power of education. Having completed a History degree at Edinburgh University he then persuaded me to apply to train as a teacher before offering me my first job. I live in Battle with four children and a growing collection of hats! I have always really wanted to be Indiana Jones, am suspicious of helicopters & snakes and Bruce Springsteen would be my specialist subject if I ever was on Mastermind

Lea studied Human Biology at Loughborough University, during which she spent a year working at a Pharmaceutical company in the market research team. After graduating, the allure of a company car and a mobile phone (‘it was the early 1990s so it was big deal then‘ Lea reminisces), pulled her away from a nagging thought she had about becoming a teacher. Lea went on to work in industry for the next 20 years in sales and marketing roles until the draw of becoming a teaching caught up with her once again.  Lea has been teaching now for 10 years.

Teaching gets me out of bed in the morning. Every day is different and I love the thought of helping all the future hotshots in jobs we don’t even know exist yet!

Victoria has been teaching for 10 years.  She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University before training as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse Coopers. Victoria then worked in investment banking in the city of London, specialising in UK mergers and acquisitions.

Once I had my family, I decided on a career change to allow me to work more locally and to find a new challenge to utilise my skills. I teach Economics and Business, and very much enjoy working with our students in advising on their future destinations, and helping them see all the opportunities available to today’s school leavers.

Bio to follow…

Claire studied Chemistry at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University before working in Database Management for 15 years mostly with the Reference Laboratory Services Divisions of what is now Public Health England. After having her children, Claire and her family moved to Kent where she retrained as a Chemistry teacher and before joining Claremont Senior School in its third year since opening.

Francoise spent her youth in sunny Marseilles and graduated from Aix-en-Provence University with a BA in Philosophy and an MA in English Literature.  She has dedicated her whole career to education working with students of all ages, from Nursery to adult learners on her teacher training programme.  Francoise taught in a range of large London based comprehensive schools running language faculties before coming to Claremont a year after the school first opened in 2011.  Francoise has worked as an education consultant for a range of national organisations and for our international students provides a crucial bridge between their school experience and life in the boarding house.

Rebecca studied Anthropology at Southampton University and has been teaching for 10 years.

I went straight to university straight from school at 18 with a very narrow view of the world. It was the most informative three years of my life, where I discovered activism, and a world of different people and experiences. When I left university I worked as a teaching assistant in a challenging school. I realised I wasn’t yet ready for the rigour, and routine of the 9-5 so I travelled for a year across India and Nepal, working for six months with the Tibetan community in exile in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. When I came home I was ready to return to University and completed a PGCE at Brighton.

Gavin’s path to teaching began 16 years ago when he was a youth worker and a Community Sport Coordinator for the local authority. Here he realised his passion for teaching Sport and PE. He studied Business and Sport Studies at university and took extra modules in Sport Science. He then completed his PGCE at the University of East London.

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.