Andrew Lancaster is Principal at the British International School Shanghai, Puxi Campus.
An impressive academic record that includes BSc (Hons), PGCE and NPQH provide the foundation for Andrew’s career as an educator. He’s the recipient of a Shanghai Silver Magnolia Award, proving the impact he’s had here.
Before taking the reins as Principal, as Head of Secondary, Andrew oversaw a sustained increase in the school’s academic results for IGCSE and IBDP students, ensuring outstanding academic results that have enabled two thirds of our BISS Puxi students to reach the world's top 100 universities in the last year.
Not just a faculty member, Andrew is also a BISS Puxi parent. His two sons, with Deputy Head of Whole School, Lisa Cavanagh, have spent their learning journey at the school too.
Peter grew up in Solihull, England, and enjoyed the area so much that he attended the University of Birmingham to study for a BSc in Psychology. He gained his PGCE the year after and taught in an inner-city school for 3 years.
Having previously spent time in Nepal, volunteering, working internationally began to appeal and so he moved to Brunei Darussalam. Six years there were followed by a move to Qatar where he first took on the role of Deputy Head and then, Head of Campus at a lovely school.
Peter's ethos is ‘everything for the children’ and this drives all decision making; benefitting both the children and staff who know of the clear direction in which we travel. This covers both the wellbeing of the children and also the manner in which they make progress within the curriculum.
Peter is an avid reader and enjoys a wide range of genres. He used to play rugby until one too many knocks and bruises, but still follows the sport closely. Recently, he took up padel and thoroughly enjoys this fast-growing sport.
UK-born Andrew attended Keele University to take a degree in Philosophy and Politics. This was followed by a PGCE programme at the University of Nottingham to teach Mathematics.
His first teaching job was volunteer work with VSO in Papua New Guinea, working in a high school in a very rural environment. Andrew then spent a year working in London before going overseas again to work at the British School of Lomé in Togo, West Africa – initially as a Mathematics teacher, then Head of Mathematics, followed by IB Diploma Coordinator.
After ten years in Togo, he came to China for the first time to work at BISS Puxi where he rose from Head of Mathematics to Head of the IB Academy. After six years at BISS, Andrew returned to Africa for two years as Head of Secondary at a newly established school in Gabon. This was followed by a return to BISS for another two years as Head of the IB Academy before moving across the river to NAIS Pudong as Head of Secondary.
Andrew is a shining example, and advocate, of our commitment to helping students understand Internationalism.
Lisa started teaching German and French at a secondary school in Northamptonshire in September 1999. Very early on in her teaching career she was fortunate enough to be able to take on a pastoral role as Deputy Head of House, Head of House and then Head of Year.
In the classroom, Lisa’s strengths lie in her organisational skills and making each step of a lesson clear and connected. Furthermore, she encourages all the students in her lessons to participate and take risks.
Alfred Creissen is the Deputy Head of Primary (Early Years) at the British International School Shanghai, Puxi Campus.
I am a dedicated school leader and teacher, and I have been working within Nord Anglia Education for over 10 years. I have implemented positive change across the Nord Anglia group that has had direct impact on academic standards.
I have a specialist degree in Early Years and a Master’s Degree in Education.
I am Deputy Head of Primary, overseeing our Early Years provision.
My passion is Early Years education.I particularly enjoy developing engaging environments for our youngest learners.
My wife, Victoria, and two children join me on our journey at The British School Shanghai, Puxi.
I started teaching as part of the English and SEN departments of an outstanding Secondary School. Following on from this, I worked as a teacher and Senior Leader in a British Primary School for eight years. After joining NACIS, I moved to BISS Puxi as Assistant Head before moving into the Deputy Head of Primary role with responsibility for Curriculum and CPD.
I studied at the University of Manchester for my BA in Languages before completing my PGCE in Primary. I also trained to be a Maths Specialist Teacher. I currently work as the Deputy Head of Primary as the PSLT link for Years 4, 5 and 6 and Curriculum Lead across the Primary phase. As part of the Primary School Leadership Team, we strive to provide a range of high quality learning experiences to ensure the best outcomes for our students. I feel strongly that in order for our students to be successful in the future they need to develop a broad range of transferable skills that can be applied effectively in the global community. As a languages graduate, I truly value the importance of being an effective communicator and an internationally-minded individual.
I am an avid reader and love to travel and experience other cultures. I also thoroughly enjoy learning and deepening my understanding of other languages. When possible, I enjoy attending concerts, the ballet and theatre.
I have taught Modern Languages extensively at secondary level and in the higher education sector since 2005. I joined BISS Puxi from a leading IB World School in the UK in 2016 as a teacher of Spanish and French. I was promoted to Secondary Global Campus Leader in 2017 and then to Head of Modern Languages in 2019.
I graduated with a first-class-honours degree in Modern Languages from the University of Exeter. After completing an MA in Spanish and Latin American Studies at King’s College, London, followed by a PhD in Spanish History at the University of Exeter, I undertook a PGCE in Modern Languages at the University of Cambridge.
As Assistant Head teacher and Head of The IB Academy, I lead on the communication and promotion of the mission and philosophy of the International Baccalaureate throughout the school; I am responsible for the administration of IB Diploma Programme; and I work closely with the IB Pastoral Lead, the CAS Coordinator and the Higher Education counsellors to support our students with their studies and prepare them for their future.
I love teaching students about the rich and diverse literature and culture of the Hispanic world, endeavouring to develop international-mindedness in the process. I also enjoy teaching Theory of Knowledge and encouraging students to question assumptions and to recognise a multitude of perspectives in order to confront present-day challenges.
I enjoy reading (particularly Hispanic literature), cinema, travel and music.
Echo Li is Admissions Manager at the British International School Shanghai, Puxi Campus.
Echo grew up in Shanghai and studied English at the Shanghai Teaching University. Echo joined BISS straight after university and worked her way up to the Admissions Manager role within the Marketing, Admissions and Communications department. Echo has seen the school grow and how the addition of key buildings such at the two STEAM centres in the Primary and Secondary Schools make such a difference to students and their learning.
Echo enjoys the whole journey from the initial interaction with parents to seeing students join on their first day and developing academically, creatively, personally and socially at the school. Echo is married with one child. In her spare time, she enjoys watching films and travelling to new places with her family and friends. Echo believes that travel is an education in itself and an opportunity to open our eyes to new perspectives.
Great teachers help to make great schools, which is why we recruit the world's best. It doesn’t stop with recruitment; we provide training with world-leading institutions to create outstanding professional development opportunities.
Our teachers:
•Access subject-specific training every year with MIT and Juilliard. This exclusive training means our teachers are on the cutting-edge of their profession.
•Are offered an Executive Master’s in International Education from Kings College London. This degree provides our teachers with an in-depth understanding of school leadership in international settings.
•Use performance management process for ongoing developmental feedback and opportunities to discuss career aspirations.
•Collaborate and share resources with their 10,000 peers worldwide.
Speak to our Admissions Team about what makes us unique or arrange a visit to our campus and see for yourself.
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