Where are you joining Epsom from?
I have joined Epsom College from King’s College School, Wimbledon where I taught for the past four years. The last two years of which I spent as acting Head of Biology which was interesting timing, given the academic challenges posed by the pandemic. Prior to working in Wimbledon, I taught at Whitgift School where I was also partially responsible for running the extensive Outdoor Education programme, as well as being a residential tutor in the boarding house.
Where were you educated?
I was a pupil at Whitgift School and during my time there I played Cricket and Hockey as well as being a Music Scholar. I spent three years in Durham where I gained a degree in Zoology before quickly returning to the comforts of South Croydon!
What are you most looking forward to about working at Epsom?
I am incredibly excited to be starting at Epsom and returning to a boarding environment. I myself boarded from the age of 8, so I know it can be both a daunting and incredibly formative time in your life. I am also relishing the opportunity to work in a fully co-educational environment and being able to immerse myself in the Epsom ‘total curriculum’ by working with lots of pupils in a range of fields.
What aspirations do you have for your department?
Epsom College has a proud medical background and it is my hope that, as we emerge from the pandemic, we can bring the department back to the forefront of what the school does. Primarily, I hope the department will be a centre of academic enjoyment, intrigue and excellence and that we can engage as many Epsomians as possible and encourage lots of them to consider careers or further study in the Medical or Biosciences.
Any exciting developments or activity in the Biology department this year?
It is my intention to launch a Dissection Club later this year so that younger pupils have more opportunity to gain experience and skills in this unique area of our subject. I know that Mr Smith is also incredibly excited that we are able to run the Operation Wallacea trip again next Summer and it will be great to take a group of our students to Mexico to teach them all about behavioural ecology and conservation science.
What other elements of College life are you looking forward to getting involved with?
Outside of the Biology department, I am a tutor in Fayrer House, which is superbly convenient as my wife and I have just moved into one of the flats above the House. I am excited to get to know the boys in the House this year and immerse myself as much as possible. On the sporting front, I will be working with the U15A Girls’ Hockey team for the first two terms and then I am hoping to also take a Cricket side in the Summer term.
On a personal note, how do you enjoy spending your time outside of school?
I am a hugely keen sportsman and whilst I don’t play cricket competitively anymore, I do still love a day out at the test match. I am also a passionate Liverpool fan, so can often be found travelling the country to watch my team. I am a single-figure handicap golfer and so tend to spend as much time as I can in the holidays on the course locally or travelling further afield to play.
My love of travel is something I share with my wife, Francesca, and we have lots planned for the next two years starting with a ski trip to Canada at Easter. We love doing adventurous things on holiday and we have just returned from our honeymoon in Fiji where we spent a lot of our time diving the extraordinary coral reefs there. We are also proud owners of Geoffrey, the British shorthair cat, who will no doubt be seen roaming the Epsom grounds from his base in Fayrer.
