As you are aware we have a new Head of Secondary Mr Craig Mclaren joining us in August, and we are looking forward to his imminent arrival. Mr Mclaren has already been in touch with a number of staff and from the moment he joins us will be hitting the ground running.
Of course he won’t be the only new starter; we have a variety of new faces joining our talented team. Over the next few weeks their faces will be popping up onto the website and of course during the parent orientation days you will have the chance to meet them.
Joining the Humanities team we have Jonathan Boulton. Mr Boulton is currently Head of History at Southfields Academy, although prior to joining Southfields in 2006 he has worked overseas in a variety of locations including Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Mr Boulton is a keen Rugby player and is also an educational consultant for the British Library, Museum of London and the Imperial War Museum.
Also joining the Humanities team with a particular focus on IT and Business is Mr Andrew Hay. Mr Hay is currently teaching in Benfield School in the North of England, he is also actively involved in the school council and delivering study skills. A keen footballer, Mr Hay plays at a semi-professional level and will be involved in coaching school teams.
Continuing on the sporting theme, Ms Katherine Hervey joins the PE department. Ms Hervey is an experienced teacher across KS1 and KS5, she has a passion for a number of sports and also wishes to get involved in sports leadership awards and raising the profile of fitness to our students through engaging activities. Gymnastics , swimming and netball are amongst her many fields of expertise.
Ms Lisa Measures joins us in the art department , and she currently teaches Art, Craft and Design to students across all age ranges in Doncaster. Earlier in the year we had the pleasure of meeting Ms Measures here in Abu Dhabi and had the opportunity to look at some of her samples of work with students; her breadth of knowledge includes illustration, graphic design, print-making, photography, animation, fashion drawing and performance.
Joining the English department is Mr Andrew Kenning, an exceptionally experienced English teacher across all year groups. Mr Kenning will bring a wealth of IB knowledge to the team as since 2011 he has been an examiner for IB English. A keen writer himself with a novel hoping to be published, Mr Kenning will be an excellent role model for our students. He also has significant experience in University placement and will be working with our Post 16 team supporting in this area. Joining him in the school will be his two sons, who were part of founding students here at BISAD so a warm welcome back.
Miss Sara Brazier also joins our English department, currently working in Clacton coastal academy. She has a range of experiences including media and film studies along with an extensive knowledge of GCSE and KS3 English language and English Literature. In addition she is a GCSE literature marker.
Ms Rebecca Carswell also joins the English Department with a particular emphasis on students with English as an additional language. Ms Carswell has been based in the UAE for some time and has taught a whole range of English language courses to students from around the world. A keen traveler with a range of talents including swimming instructor and ski instructor we look forward to her joining the team.
Joining our Science team is Mr Garry Backshall. Mr Backshall has been to visit the school a number of times during the year as his wife is a member of the English department. Mr Backshall brings extensive experience to the team and was previously Head of Science at The British International School Budapest; he is a very experienced practitioner across IGCSE and IB.
Another exceptionally experienced practitioner is Mr Tim Birchall, a graduate of Oxford. Mr Birchall joins our Mathematics department, with a particular focus on challenging and supporting our HL IB students. Currently working at Greenfield Community school, Mr Birchall also held the previous post of Maths teacher and STEP/Oxbridge entrance at Rossall school in Fleetwood. An avid traveler and a keen interest in sports, Mr Birchall looks forward to making the move from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
Finally, joining our curriculum access team is Mr Paul Greed. Mr Greed is an exceptionally experienced EAL teacher who has worked in a variety of international locations, including as part of the founding team in our sister school in Shanghai. I look forward to having Paul back on my team and know he will be a fantastic support to our students with additional language needs.
In addition to the new appointments we have restructured our Secondary leadership team. Supporting Mr Mclaren strategically leading the secondary school forward are three assistant heads.
I am delighted to announce that Mr Christopher Lowe takes up the post of Assistant Head KS3, Mr Andrew Bradley Assistant Head KS4 and continuing in her secondary leadership post is Ms Katrina Charles as Assistant Head for Post 16 education.
There have also been a few changes to Heads of Year for 2014-2015:
Head of Year 7 – Ms Ester Farrant
Head of Year 8 – Mr Andrew Fairbank
Head of Year 9 – Mrs Lucy Jones
Head of Year 10 – Mr Ross Wales
Head of Year 11 – Mr Matthew West
In her capacity as Assistant Head post 16, Ms Charles remains responsible for Year 12 and 13 supported by Mrs Brown as CAS coordinator and Mr Riley as Careers Advisor.
The British International School Abu Dhabi
