Senior Leadership and Governance

Severine Collins joined Claremont in January 2023 as Principal.  Mrs Collins is a bilingual French national and was schooled in France up to university level before coming to the UK to study Artificial Intelligence at Sussex University.

Severine became a teacher 27 years ago, and during that time has held teaching and leadership positions in British, bilingual and international schools. Mrs. Collins joined Claremont from CATS Canterbury, part of CATS Global Schools where she was Principal for eight years. She has also held leadership positions at Brighton College and Haut-Lac International Bilingual School in Switzerland.

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

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.

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.

Stephanie studied Biology and Maths at the University of London (Goldsmiths College). She was a manager of clinical trials within the pharmaceutical industry before retraining to become a teacher.

I decided to become a teacher because I love learning and being with children. No day is ever the same and there are always opportunities to make a difference. I teach Maths, but have also taught IT, Biology and Games.

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.

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.

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.