Valete

Mr Andrew Keddie

Andrew has been a well-loved and highly committed member of the History and Politics departments since joining the school in 1991. Blessed with extraordinarily broad subject knowledge, his passionate advocacy for the subjects he teaches means that generations of Emanuel pupils have been inspired into a lifelong love of learning under his tutelage.

His involvement in the co-curricular side of the school has been broad, including the sports field, the boat club, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and managing debates. In fact, as one of the longest serving members of staff, the challenge is finding an area of school life that Andrew hasn’t been involved with at some point over the past 30 years. As a long-running chairman of the Common Room, he has always been an admired and respected colleague and the common room and the departments in which he works will feel poorer places without him.

It is impossible to fully describe the incredible impact Andrew has had.We wish him the very best for the future in his welldeserved retirement.

An extended tribute can be found in the 2022 edition of The Rose & Portcullis

Ms Sarah Birtles

Sarah joined us last year after leading a team at Portland Place. She has shown herself to be an incredibly popular and talented teacher in both D&T and Art and a supportive form tutor. Sarah is leaving to start her own business in nails and lashes - Murphy’s. Her pupils and colleagues wish her all the best.

Mrs Jane Morrison-Bartlett

Jane leaves the Physics department after 18 years of service. She joined the school in 2004 as Head of Science and Head of Physics, and her son, James, enrolled as a pupil at the same time. She had been assured when hired that she would not have to teach him, so naturally, there he was in her class on the first day. For the next 13 years she successfully piloted the faculty and department through a period of great change. She is an excellent teacher; innumerable pupils have been made to feel secure and confident in her perceptive and methodical Physics lessons. We wish her all the very best in her retirement and will miss her greatly.

Miss Jennifer Spruce

Jennifer has taught with us for two years in the Biology department. An exceptionally talented biologist, she has impressed and inspired pupils throughout the school. From designing fun activities that are popular in her younger classes, to ensuring her A Level pupils are suitably motivated and challenged, she has made a very positive contribution to all her pupils’ education. As well as this, she has been an excellent support to her Year 7 tutor group, who will be sad to see her go.

Mr Will Davis

Will is moving with his family to Cranleigh School where he will be Head of Politics. Will joined Emanuel in 2015 as teacher of History and Politics, and in his time at the school he has been a head of house, form tutor in both the lower school and Sixth Form, and since 2020, Head of Politics. Described by pupils as a ‘marking machine’, his wit, organisation and unflappable bonhomie will be much missed. Will has greatly enriched pupils’ lives beyond the classroom with his organisation of the Goddard Lecture series, and through his commitment to cricket and U12B rugby. He is a highly valued member of the common room committee, staff quiz team (which may never recover from the loss of Will and Andrew Keddie in one year) and the staff football team. September promises to be a very exciting time for him as not only does he move house and start a new job, but also has a baby on the way. We wish him the very best with all his endeavours and thank him for his superb contributions to Emanuel.

Ms Caroline Lepretre

The MFL department bids a fond farewell to Ms Caroline Lepretre who is moving back to France with her family after over 10 years at Emanuel. Her kind, supportive approach and her high level of care will certainly be missed by her pupils and by her colleagues. A talented teacher, her pupils value her calm manner, her superb subject knowledge and engaging lessons. Her contribution to the growth of French at Emanuel has been significant as she has invested much time and energy into developing our curriculum and cocurricular programme. We all wish her well as she embarks on her new adventure with her family.

Mr Simon Gaynor

Simon joined the Sports department as Director of Rugby at Emanuel five years ago from Steyning Grammar School. He leaves us at the end of this term to perform the post of Assistant Director of Sport at RGS Guildford. Simon has implemented a positive rugby culture at the school which has inspired pupils.The 1st XV has benefited from his wealth of rugby knowledge. His enthusiasm for physical education and breadth of knowledge across several sports has made him a valued and dependable member of the department. We thank him for his contribution to Emanuel sport, as well as for his role as a form tutor and we wish him every success.

Mr Mike Ross

Mike joined us in 2019 and, since then, his subject knowledge and expertise have been invaluable in supporting our DT pupils. He has also been a member of the DofE team. He is leaving us to lead the DT team at JAGS.

Chris leaves us at the end of this term to take up the position of Head of Year and teacher of Physical Education at the West London Free School. He joined the school as Director of Cricket and worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to provide innovative activities which the pupils could enjoy at home. The 1st XI has benefited from knowledge of the game and as their coach they have enjoyed success in the school’s traditional block fixture opponents. We thank him for his positive contribution to both the sports and the physical education programme, where he has established some vital foundations.

Miss Sarah Bunting

Sarah joined Emanuel in 2019 and has transformed the Biology department during her tenure as Head of Biology. A superbly organised leader and an inspirational teacher, she is renowned for her excellent resources and expert use of retrieval practice in the classroom. The popularity of Biology A Level has risen greatly since she joined, and the many pupils who have moved on to biology-related degrees is testament to her impact. She is certain to enthuse another team and set of pupils as she moves to Newcastle for her next head of department post.

Miss Kate Preston

Kate arrived in January 2021 and was soon catapulted into teaching exam classes during remote learning. She was instrumental in devising a new way of delivering A Level coursework during lockdown, and she struck up an immediate rapport with all her classes. In September, Kate joined the Learning Support department alongside her work in Geography, expanding her contribution to the school. The work and support she has provided this year to so many pupils has been exceptional. They, along with the Geography department, owe her a great deal, and she will be very much missed.

Ms Vanessa Dittmer

Vanessa has made a significant contribution to the teaching of German at Emanuel and we wish her well as she leaves us to spend more time with her young family. A talented teacher who is popular with her pupils, Vanessa engaged them with her warmth, excellent subject knowledge and her sense of humour. Pupils often talk about the rhymes and songs she taught them, demonstrating just how much they value her and appreciate her teaching. She also led exchange trips to Hamburg where she delighted in introducing many of our pupils to German culture. We wish her the very best.

Dr Sadaf Khan

Sadaf has had a hugely positive impact in her short time here as Deputy Head of Chemistry, teaching throughout the age range and running super curricular activities including the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and Royal Society of Chemistry Top of the Bench competition. Her contribution has not been confined to Chemistry, and she will certainly be missed by her football team and her Sixth Form tutor group as she moves on to a new school, closer to home.

Mr Mark Hipperson

Mark joined the Economics and Business department in September 2016 from Portland Place School, having previously taught at Epsom College. Relatively late to the profession, he had started his postuniversity life working in the City for an investment bank and it was there that he developed his passion for business and economics. In the six years that he has worked at Emanuel he has contributed immensely to both the curricular and extra-curricular side of school life. Coupled with a good sense of humour, he has made an extremely positive impact on his colleagues and on the many pupils that have come under his care in his role as head of year. Mark and his family are moving to Portsmouth.

Miss Amelia Williams

Miss Elizabeth McCloud

Elizabeth joined Emanuel four years ago in September 2018 as an English teacher. Her excellent pastoral care meant that she was soon promoted first to Head of Hill Form, and then Head of Year 7. She has had a positive impact on a huge number of our youngest pupils, offering a supportive ear and gentle, reassuring guidance in their early years at the school. Her contributions to both the English department and the wider school have been outstanding: from World Book Day to theatre trips, to the highly successful Well-Being Afternoon which lifted our spirits in lockdown last year. A talented sportswoman, she has coached the U13 A and B netball teams and impressed pupils with her national level accomplishments in korfball.

Amelia has been at Emanuel for two successful years and has inspired many hundreds of children to continue with Classics. She has been involved in many extra-curricular activities coaching netball, running the Classics Activity Day for Year 7 last year and helping on trips to Bath, the British Museum, Verulamium and Fishbourne Roman Palace. She has been an asset to the Classics department, and we wish her well.

MsTasha Jovanovic-Callaghan

Tasha joined us at short notice in January and immediately threw herself into her teaching, producing excellent Firefly resources, sharing her experience with the rest of the department, and regularly meeting with small groups of pupils outside the classroom to help them with their Chemistry. We are very grateful for her help this year and wish her all the best at her new school.

Mr Sam Morley

Sam leaves us at the end of this year to take up a post at Thomas’s Battersea Senior School. Over the past year, he has taught pupils from Hill Form up to Year 10, supported the Poetry by Heart competition, inspiring pupils to write their own poetry, and lead a superb talk for Senior Literary Society on the life and works of Yukio Mishima. He has also been an enthusiastic supporter of our outreach programmes, leading many lessons for our Year 5 partner booster programme, Ascent, and supporting with the Ukrainian coffee and conversation hubs.

Miss Harriet Chambers

Harriet leaves us at the end of this year to become Head of Music in Kings’ School

Al Barsha Dubai. She has been a firstrate teaching practitioner and pupils have clearly benefited from her expertise and deep knowledge of the examination requirements. Harriet has been fully involved in the life of the school and has led the Intermediate String Ensemble with much aplomb as well as coaching hockey with verve. The department wishes her well in her new school and the exciting challenges that it will bring.

Ms Rosie Mott

Andrew Fernando Financial Controller

Andree Fitzgerald

Sixth Form Administrator

William Ford Classics Teacher

Nor Gany Exam Invigilator

Simon Gaynor Director of Rugby

Luke Gilbert Facilities Manager

Edward Gorst Biology Teacher

Lisa Graham English Teacher

Simon Gregory Music Teacher

Nick Grenfell-Marten

Temporary Bursar

Phoebe Gurden

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Sean Healy English Teacher

Mark Hipperson

Business and Economics Teacher

Carla Johl Sports Coach

Natasha Jovanovic-Callaghan

Chemistry Teacher

Sadaf Khan Deputy Head Chemistry

Jeremy Light School Keeper

Tseden-Ish Lkhagva IT Technician

Shreya Marian Sports Graduate

Elizabeth McCloud English Teacher

Samuel Morley English Teacher

Emily Moseley Biology Teacher

Rosalyn Mott DT Teacher

Holly Neale Sports Coach

Hugo Nilsson History and Politics Teacher

Angel Nunez Physics Teacher

Mr Oliver Cope

Oliver joined Emanuel from More House School in September 2021. During this time, he has taken on a wide range of activities both in the classroom and in the co-curricular life of the school. Oliver has produced terrific work with the school’s instrumental ensembles and the quality of playing which he draws from the pupils is impressive. Most notable was the ‘Night at the Movies’ he helped organise in the Spring Term. Oliver leaves us to take up a conducting scholarship with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Rosie joined us in 2016 as part time DT teacher and became a full-time member of staff soon after. She is naturally enthusiastic about practical design and has been a great support in numerous dramatic productions, with make-up, costume, props and puppets. Her contributions to the department have been invaluable and the pupils in her classes and her form have flourished in her care. She has been a member of the teaching and learning committee and has revolutionised how pupils can use Firefly in DT. We wish her well with her new project of setting up a GCSE curriculum at Thomas’s.

Leavers 2020-2022

Sarah Birtles Art and DT Teacher

Sarah Bunting Head of Biology

Elizabeth Burbidge Science Teacher

Mark Calvin Head Rowing Coach

Harriet Chambers Music Teacher

Oliver Cope Music Teacher

Imran Daula Infrastructure Administrator

William Davis Head of Politics

Doralice De Brito Coelho

Swimming Lifeguard

Lieke Dittmer German Teacher

Evelina Doria Playground Supervisor

Alison Elliott Rowing Coach

Kathleen O’Neil Modern Languages

Maksymilian Orzel Boathouse Manager

Douglas Parnham Rowing Coach

Sarah Potts Music Teacher

Katherine Preston

Geography and Learning Support Teacher

Vanessa Rodnight

Head of IT and Compliance

Michael Ross DT Teacher

Timothy Sandford Music Administrator

Laura Smith Biology Teacher

Rafal Smyk School Keeper

Lucia Spinelli-Williams Art Technician

Jennifer Spruce Biology Teacher

Lara Stoby Drama Teacher

Lucinda Stuart-Grant

Music Administrator

Orla Thorne Drama Technician

Corin Vafidis Drama Teacher

Simon Wakefield Director of Studies

Forbes Walker

Chaplain, RS and Chemistry Teacher

William Whiting Music Teacher

Amelia Williams Classics Teacher

Carly Yeomans PE Teacher