Brendon Fulton

Master

Born and raised on the east coast of South Africa, Brendon studied and worked in IT before joining the education profession as a computer science teacher and staff development coordinator for IT integration. Having worked as Head of Department and pastoral lead, Brendon, his wife and two sons emigrated to the UK in 2008, where he took up the position of advanced skills teacher at the Windsor Boys’ School. During his time in the UK, he undertook a degree in Psychology while completing his PGCE. 

In 2011, Brendon and his family moved to the Middle East, where he worked as a Deputy Head across a large 3–18 British International School in Qatar. It was here that he also completed his Master's degree in Education. In 2015, Brendon accepted a position as Head of Secondary at the Dubai British School (DBS) in the UAE. He was quickly promoted to Principal the same year. Three years later, he was promoted to Executive Principal across the three schools within the DBS portfolio. During his time with the DBS group, the schools achieved outstanding ratings and are now oversubscribed, enjoying an excellent reputation in the region. While living in the UAE, Brendon also attended the Henley Business School, completing a course in Advanced Management Practice. 

Brendon and his wife Kerri have three children. One is currently studying Aerospace Engineering in Europe, the other two are part of the Wellington Community.

Kay Yang
Deputy Head of Whole College

Kay Yongzhen Yang was born in northern China where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, she went back to her high school, and began her career as a high school chemistry teacher and received great honours as a provincial expert teacher there.

After six years, she received her master’s degree in education and moved to Guangzhou, where she began her international education journey at a well-known private K12 school teaching IB Chemistry and serving as the school’s Director of Academics and IBDP Coordinator. In 2008, Kay was invited to Shanghai to initiate the IBDP programme at a K12 international school and served as its Director of Academics of Whole School, Deputy Head and Head of School. Later, she started studying for her second master’s degree in education from University College London. In 2018, she became Vice Principal of Whole School at another K12 international school, focusing on teaching and learning, curriculum development and teachers’ professional development.

Kay was also appointed by International Baccalaureate Organisation as an IB Programme Leader and was a guest lecturer and supervisor at East China Normal University. She has a deep understanding and rich practical experience in the integration of Chinese and international curriculums, philosophy and approaches, as well as the theory of learning and teaching practices.

Lynsey Breeze

Bursar

Lynsey is a chartered accountant, a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) and a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for the HR sector. 

She has extensive experience charity and education sectors in the UK, having served as Director of Finance and Support Services for a hospice in Birmingham as well as the Bursar of St. Mary's School, an independent girls school in England. She has also served as the Senior Financial Auditor of an accountancy practice.

In her spare time, Lynsey loves helping others and engages in volunteer work with focus on environmental issues. She loves coffee and is a trained barista. She is also an avid traveller, keen fundraiser and adventure seeker. Now that she has two children, her days of skydiving and running marathons are over. But she still enjoys running (albeit more slowly).

Charlotte Knight-Benjafield

Executive Head of Early Years ｜Designated Safeguarding Lead (EYC)

Mark Wright

Acting Head of Prep School

Mark started his teaching career in a junior school in the south of England, teaching across Key Stage 2 for four years. After eight years teaching in the UK, Mark decided to take his young family to live and teach in Qatar, initially to teach year 2 and then Early Years Foundation Stage. As well as being a pastoral middle leader at the school he was a swimming coach and led a large number of pupils through their Silver International Award. Mark went to Portsmouth University to study human geography and then completed his PGCE at The University of St. Mark and St. John in primary education. Outside school, Mark is kept busy by his two young girls, Mia and Sophie, who also attend Wellington College International Shanghai and will be found in the Pre-Prep. Mark likes to train and compete in triathlons whenever he can. He also loves to play and watch all kinds of different sports, particularly football, and is a massive fan of Arsenal FC.

Dr Charles Debieux

Head of Senior School

Charles began his formal education at the University of Leeds, UK, where he studied for a degree in Biochemistry and Medical Biochemistry, followed by a Masters in Research. His research was on blood vessel development after the onset of a stroke and how modern genetics can be used to regrow blood vessels to the oxygen starved part of the brain, a process known as Angiogenesis. After this fascinating project he obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology at Newcastle University, UK, where he conducted research on the childhood disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy, published numerous papers in international journals and presented at a scientific conference in New York. After Charles formal training he continued with his research career, but this time in the field of Bioengineering at the University of Exeter, funded by the British Research Council and Shell UK. This research was focused on genetically engineering Micro-organisms to produce Bio-diesel and remove pollutants caused by extracting fossil fuels. During this project he discovered and named a novel gene and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA). Outside of Science Charles has a passion for adventure and travel. He has visited a variety of countries around the world and one of his favorite trips was spending four weeks bush camping in Africa, travelling through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. While he delights in the natural wonders of the world, he still enjoys the glitz and glamour of a city.

Adam Shaw

Director of Pupil Services

Adam began his journey with Wellington College China as a founding member of staff at our sister school in Tianjin, in 2011. In August 2013 he became part of the Wellington College International Shanghai start-up team, before becoming a founding member of the academic team, the following year. Adam has held roles including Head of Art, Design & Technology, Housemaster and Head of Boarding, and in 2015 he was appointed Deputy Head Pastoral of the Senior School. In 2020, he was appointed to the whole school role of Director of Pupil Services, overseeing Learning Support (SEND), Pupil Support and Counselling teams, as well as the College's academic Wellbeing curriculum. He also leads the College's Staff Wellbeing Committee, offering avenues of support and guidance to colleagues, as well as a board staff activity programme.

Adam studied Industrial Design at the University of Central Lancashire before heading back to his spiritual home to study for his PGCE at The University of Manchester. His first teaching post was at Aquinas Sixth Form College in Stockport, where he became curriculum lead in Design & Technology, before spending three years in the Middle East as Head of Design & Technology at Repton School in Dubai.

Over the past 7 years, Adam has taken advantage of many of Shanghai's social and sporting offerings, he is the Chairman of the Shanghai Scottish Football Club, regularly cycles around the city and beyond, and can occasionally be seen swinging a cricket bat and a golf club, too. 

Rachel Chadwick

Director of Admissions | Deputy Bursar

Rachel joined Wellington Shanghai when it opened in 2014 and has been welcoming new families to the school ever since. She gets involved in many aspects of helping a family settle into school life and the Wellington community in Shanghai. If she does not have the answer to a question about Wellington or living in Shanghai, she will know somebody who does!   Before working in education, Rachel was a corporate lawyer working in the UK and the Middle East. Moving to Shanghai presented the opportunity to pursue what she feels is a more meaningful career in education, and she feels privileged to work with young people.  

In her spare time, Rachel likes to keep fit and healthy whether it be exploring parts of China on her road bike or enjoying leisurely walks with her dog to explore the fascinating lane life and history that Shanghai has to offer.

Laurianne Gidrol

Director of Marketing

Originally from France, Laurianne attended the Institut Politiques de Lyon where, in 2003, she was among the first group of language exchange students that the school sent to Shanghai University. After graduating, she expanded her business knowledge with an MA in French-Chinese International Management. She returned to China in 2005 and has since gained a wealth of experience in marketing and customer service management. She has served as the programme coordinator for a Chinese language academy as well as head of admissions and PR at the Canadian International School of Beijing. In 2013, she joined Wellington to become its founding director of marketing. Laurianne is a fluent speaker of Mandarin with a talent for cross-cultural communication. In her spare time, she is either exploring China or discovering new restaurants in Shanghai.    

Nichole Henderson

Assistant Head (Teaching & Learning) | Head of Nursery

Originally from the US, Nichole has worked in Early Years education in China for 22 years. She originally arrived in Beijing a 24 years ago for a Chinese language course at Tsinghua University, but after starting a family, she discovered her passion for teaching little ones. Over the course of her career, she has pursued studies in dual-language learning, educational innovation and improvement and, most recently, early education leadership.

Outside of work, Nichole loves to spend time creating digital drawings on Procreate, reading histories of China and biking around the French Concession (and finding its xiaolongbao and pastry shops) with her family. She has two children with her in Shanghai. One is a toddler who is just learning to talk. The other is an IB pupil at Wellington. Her oldest son is currently in Switzerland at the prestigious ETH completing his master’s degree in biotechnology.

Charlotte Knight-Benjafield

Executive Head of Early Years ｜Designated Safeguarding Lead

Charlotte is an experienced Early Years teacher and Head of Early Years.  She holds a BA(Hons) degree in Geography from the University of Oxford.  She completed her PGCE(with QTS) specialising in Early Years at Oxford Brookes University and went on to gain vast experience in outstanding schools in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, UK. During her time in the UK she was actively involved in Oxfordshire Moderation teams in addition to mentoring a number of successful PGCE students.

Charlotte has been teaching internationally for a number of years. She began her international journey as Head of Early Years, at a leading international school in Beijing where she led the Early Years to produce outstanding academic results.  During this time, she also developed a successful Parent Partnership Program (PPP) which has gone from strength to strength.  It was on this journey that Charlotte discovered her passion for growing effective teaching teams.

Charlotte says ‘Creating the right culture and environment for our talented teachers to thrive is ultimately the best way to support our young learners.  If our teachers are well supported and informed then their genuine passion for learning will shine through. This passion serves to inspire our children to be curious, independent thinkers and learners.’

Charlotte says her most important role is being a mother.  She has four children; three children join her and her husband in Shanghai, whilst her oldest daughter studies at University of Bristol, UK.  Charlotte says ‘I think being a mother allows me to connect with our Huili parents in a meaningful way.  I understand their concerns, worries and questions.  I am here to understand and support our families on this most important educational journey.’

With a large family, Charlotte does not have much spare time on her hands!  When she has a moment free, she loves to walk her two little dogs, Echo and Bagel.  She also enjoys reading biographies.

Nina Li

EYC Dual Language Coordinator | Teacher of Chinese

Nina was born in Tianjin and brought up in Shanghai. Her family has a mix of southern and northern Chinese heritage with a father from Shanghai (south) and a mother from Tianjin (north). Part of the Wellington team since 2014, she has taught most year groups in Early Years and Pre-Prep. She has enjoyed the opportunity to develop her knowledge in early childhood education. Nina took the British QTS Course (Qualified Teaching Status) at Durham University in 2016. During summer holiday, she taught in a local UK school and passed the requisite skill tests. Patient, hardworking and self-motivated, Nina has a talent for developing great relationships with both pupils and parents. She also maintains high standards for her pupils. In her spare time, Nina is keen on travelling, photography and doing volunteer work. She likes learning about different cultures around the world and loves to seek out new experiences. A passionate teacher, Nina is excited to be part of Wellington's Chinese department and will give as much support as she can to her pupils.

Joanne Philander

Head of Pre-Nursery | Classroom Teacher

Joanne is an experienced classroom teacher eight years of teaching experience. She began her career by working at agovernment school in Thailand for two years while obtaining a TEFL certificate. She then moved to Beijing, where shetaught at a role play centre-based school for one year. In 2018, Joanne relocated to Shanghai and worked for the China Welfare Association and Concord Academy.

Joanne's has a BA business administration from Kings University in Ghana. Her dedication and passion for Early Years education are evident in her teaching approach. She firmly believes that educators in early childhood education play acrucial role in shaping a child's development and have the opportunity to make a significant difference in their lives. Joanne is committed to providing unwavering support, guidance and creating a positive environment for children to thriveand grow. She takes joy in helping children foster a love for learning, which will lay the foundation for their future academic success.

Outside of the classroom, Joanne enjoys traveling, playing softball, cooking and listening to music. She is also a proud dog mom to two intelligent and beautiful dogs named Zoey and Lunah.

Lucy Qu

Associate Deputy Head (Early Years)

Lucy worked with an International Educational Group for over 13 years as Executive Principal (Shandong)before joining Wellington College Shanghai. She holds Diploma of Pre-school Education and Teaching; CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education; Bachelor’s Degree in English and Early Years Education. She has undertaken iPGCE with University of Strathclyde Glasgow. Lucy has a strong understanding of the importance of the image of child and the image of teacher. She strongly believes in the importance of seeing the learner within a socio-cultural context where knowledge is constructed as the child interacts with both the physical and interpersonal environment. Lucy has been through many Reggio Emilia and IB trainings for the past 13 years. She has passion to listen to children, record children’s progress and see environment as the third teacher. She is keen to set up inviting environment to young learners. Outside of work, she enjoys reading books and travelling. Lucy considers herself as a life-long learner, she is eager to learn new knowledge and skills from the community. She is looking forward to working with school teams and parents to offer high quality education for young learners.

Natasha Steyn

Assistant Head (Curriculum & Assessment) | Head of Reception

Natasha is from the east coast of South Africa, where she started her career and gained over nine years’ teaching experience in the Foundation Stage. In 2016, she moved to China where she accrued a further six years’ experience teaching in Early Years and Key Stage 1. She has worked for two years in Jiangsu Province and four years in Shanghai. At her former school she served as an international curriculum leader. During this time, she innovated and implemented an Early Years oral language programme designed to develop practical and expressive communication skills through social interaction and play. She has extensive experience teaching young learners with English as a second language, both in China and South Africa.  

She studied education at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. In 2007, she qualified with a bachelor’s degree in education specialising in the foundation-intermediate phase. Whilst working in Shanghai, she decided to pick up the textbooks again and in 2021 completed a master’s degree in education with proficiency in educational leadership through the University of Exeter.

In her free time, Natasha enjoys practising yoga and is currently training to become a yoga instructor with a focus on yin and restorative styles. At home, freshly baked bread has become a hobby, and the new normal, since learning the art of sourdough baking during the last lockdown. She relishes a good book and can often be found reading at one of the many coffeeshops or parks around Shanghai.

Mark Wright

Acting Head of Prep School

Mark started his teaching career in a junior school in the south of England, teaching across Key Stage 2 for four years. After eight years teaching in the UK, Mark decided to take his young family to live and teach in Qatar, initially to teach year 2 and then Early Years Foundation Stage. As well as being a pastoral middle leader at the school he was a swimming coach and led a large number of pupils through their Silver International Award. Mark went to Portsmouth University to study human geography and then completed his PGCE at The University of St. Mark and St. John in primary education. Outside school, Mark is kept busy by his two young girls, Mia and Sophie, who also attend Wellington College International Shanghai and will be found in the Pre-Prep. Mark likes to train and compete in triathlons whenever he can. He also loves to play and watch all kinds of different sports, particularly football, and is a massive fan of Arsenal FC.

Joanne Parrish

Deputy Head of Prep

Joanne has a wealth of experience teaching in both the UK and internationally in a career spanning two decades. She has taught across all age levels from Pre-Nursery to year 13 in various roles and subjects in different schools. Joanne joins Wellington to teach year 2, having transferred from Huili Nursery Shanghai. 

Born and raised in Ireland, Joanne completed her university degree and teaching qualification in London. After graduating, she continued to teach in Southwest London for 10 years before leaving for Shanghai. During this time, she completed a post graduate diploma in education and worked with two London Universities as a mentor for trainee teachers.

Joanne has lived in Shanghai since 2011 and loves life in this vibrant city. She loves to travel with her husband and two daughters, exploring China and beyond. She also enjoys keeping fit, cooking and baking with her family and socialising with friends.

Michael Orchard

Head of Pre-Prep (Year 1-2)

Michael has been teaching for more than ten years and came to Wellington College in 2018 as a Year 2 teacher. In 2020 he became Head of Year 1 and the Wellbeing Coordinator for Pre and Lower Prep. Michael holds a certificate in Positive Education from Wilfred Laurier University (Canada) and is passionate about pupils learning to flourish in all areas of life. Before moving to Wellington, he taught both Years 1&2 at Yew Chung International School. Michael gained his graduate teaching qualification in his home country of New Zealand. He also holds Qualified Teacher Status in England. He completed a BSc(Hons) in Environmental Health at Middlesex University, and later a post-graduate diploma in leadership at Mattersey Hall, Doncaster. Before teaching Michael pursued a career in public health working in central government on legislative and policy reform. He also served 3 years as the Executive Director of the Institute of Environmental Health before taking a career break to teach public health at a university in China. Michael is accompanied by his wife, and two children who both study at Wellington.

Dr Tania Blatti

Head of Lower Prep (Year 3-5)

Tania has 18 years' experience working in the education sector. She holds a PhD in education from the University of Melbourne, where she discovered the significance of collective teacher efficacy in increasing teacher impact on pupil outcomes. She also earned an MEd from the British University in Dubai and a BEd from the Royal Melbourne Institute in Melbourne. Throughout her career, Tania has held various teaching and leadership roles in education, starting in Australia and later moving to Dubai, South Korea and China. Her diverse experiences have allowed her to gain a unique perspective on education and a desire to nurture learning systems and educational practices to support multilingual learners.

Oonagh McCabe

Assistant Head (Teaching & Learning)

Oonagh graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Education degree from St. Patrick's College in Dubli. She continued her professional and academic development by completing a postgraduate diploma in Assessment, followed in 2017, by a Master of Teaching from Dublin City University. She taught primary school for 7 years in Dublin before moving the Abu Dhabi, UAE to teach at a leading British international school. While there, she took on the position of head of maths for the EYFS and primary school. She joined Wellington in 2019. With over a decade of experience, Oonagh brings a wealth of expertise, a multitude of knowledge and a deep understanding of pedagogy to the classroom everyday. Oonagh has previous experience working in settings such as SEN, EAL and in a native language immersion school. Outside of teaching, Oonagh enjoys singing and playing music, cooking and spending quality time with family and friends. She loves to travel and avails herself of every opportunity to visit new places. She takes a keen interest in other cultures and believes teaching is a great way to educate through life experience and cultural context.

Matthew Lowish

Assistant Head (Curriculum & Assessment)

Matthew is originally from the UK and joins Wellington College from Dulwich College Beijing where he taught History, Geography, combined Humanities and Global Perspectives to Senior School students from Year 7 up to IB. He was the Head of Humanities and, most recently, Head of the Individuals and Societies faculty in addition to being a Model United Nations director and a football coach during his time at Dulwich. Matt attained a First Class Honours bachelor degree in War Studies and International Relations from Kings College London. He achieved QTS through the Graduate Teacher program at Sandown High School on the Isle of Wight, where he worked for four years as a history teacher and form tutor. He has also completed courses in blended learning, middle leadership and assessment in recent years. Matthew is excited to join Wellington for the new academic year. He is accompanied by his wife, Jian, and his three children, Kaili, Tiesha and Jiesun. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading historical fiction, playing and watching football, visiting historical sites and museums and watching documentaries. He and his family are very much looking forward to joining Wellington and settling in Shanghai.

Keith Maguire

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care)

After graduation, Keith taught in Irish primary schools for six years in KS2. At every point in his career, Keith has helped lead curricular development. One such area would include science and technology in which Keith took part in a national STEM project lead by Microsoft and the Department of Education in Ireland which was aimed at getting more girls interested in STEM subjects. As well as curricular interests, Keith also has a passion for helping other teachers to develop their skills. In his previous school, he successfully initiated and implemented a professional learning community (PLC). This enabled teachers to share resources, amend school policies and develop their teaching pedagogy. Having originally graduated from the University of Limerick with a Bachelor of Education (primary teaching degree), Keith then continued his studies while still working full-time and completed his Masters of Education with a specialism in leadership. Keith values relationships and strives to build positive connections with students in his class. He believes that happy students will be happy and successful learners. Outside of school, Keith has many interests including cooking and travelling. When it comes to sport, Keith likes nothing more than watching ‘hurling’ which is a national sport in Ireland. He now looks forward to discovering Asia and having the opportunity to work in Wellington College.

 Catherine Ma

Head of Dual Language

Catherine worked as a tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC) before following her passion and switching to a career in education. Her cross-subject education background, professional attitude and lifelong learning helped her grow from teaching to management. She was the founding academic principal for Early Years at two top bilingual schools in Shanghai, where she oversaw curriculum development and staff training. Both schools achieved excellent academic outcomes even from the founding year. Catherine holds very high standards for her team and herself. She is always willing to inspire people around her to achieve their best potential.

When studying at Beijing Normal University, Catherine gained the first grade international scholarship and was sent to EWHA Womans University in South Korea as an exchange student for one year. She finished her post graduate learning of teaching Chinese as a second foreign language at Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2020 and started her master's degree in applied educational leadership at UCL shortly thereafter.

Catherine is a huge fan of history and comparative culture. She spends most her leisure time reading and travelling. She also enjoys sports, board games and escape rooms.

Dr Charles Debieux

Head of Senior School

Charles began his formal education at the University of Leeds, UK, where he studied for a degree in Biochemistry and Medical Biochemistry, followed by a Masters in Research. His research was on blood vessel development after the onset of a stroke and how modern genetics can be used to regrow blood vessels to the oxygen starved part of the brain, a process known as Angiogenesis. After this fascinating project he obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology at Newcastle University, UK, where he conducted research on the childhood disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy, published numerous papers in international journals and presented at a scientific conference in New York. After Charles formal training he continued with his research career, but this time in the field of Bioengineering at the University of Exeter, funded by the British Research Council and Shell UK. This research was focused on genetically engineering Micro-organisms to produce Bio-diesel and remove pollutants caused by extracting fossil fuels. During this project he discovered and named a novel gene and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA). Outside of Science Charles has a passion for adventure and travel. He has visited a variety of countries around the world and one of his favorite trips was spending four weeks bush camping in Africa, travelling through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. While he delights in the natural wonders of the world, he still enjoys the glitz and glamour of a city.

Daniel Eldred

Deputy Head of Senior School | Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Daniel Eldred was born in Gaborone, Botswana and lived there for most of his childhood before returning to the UK in 1999 to attend East Bergholt School and complete his GCSEs. Daniel studied fine art Sculpture at Kingston University and, after his degree, he spent a year exhibiting in Berlin and London. In 2007 Daniel enrolled at the Institute of Education, London and completed his PGCE in secondary art and design education. Daniel second teaching placement was to the Regent School, Bangkok, where he trained for six months; this was the experience that made him realise that he wanted to work in international schools. During Daniel?? time as a teacher he has continued to develop his subject knowledge; the most exciting of these opportunities was to train in special effects makeup at the London School of Media and Film. Daniel sees Wellington College International Shanghai as an opportunity to further develop and fine tune his teaching practice in a progressive education environment. As a leader in art and design education, Daniel feels it is important to expose pupils to a wide variety of media and processes. Daniel intentions are to try and make links to industry in every project undertaken across all Key Stages. The creative industry is vast and varied, so pupils should have the opportunity to see art and design from a variety of influences.

Joshua Beard

Director of Higher Education & Careers

Joshua has worked in education for more than 15 years, starting in the United States and then since 2007 in China. In that time he has worked with pupils from Grade 5 to university level and beyond in a wide variety of roles: social studies and TOK teacher, English instructor, test prep tutor, after school activities director, CAS coordinator and college counsellor. It is in this last role that he found his true professional calling. Josh completed his undergraduate education at the University of Virginia (UVA), where he pursued an interdisciplinary degree in international relations and religious studies. He later received his Masters in Teaching from National Louis University, where he focused on secondary social studies education. More recently, he completed a post-graduate certificate in college counselling from the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). Outside of school, Joshua enjoys staying active by hiking and lifting weights. He loves spending time with his wife and young son Caelan here in Shanghai. Having married into a local Chinese family, Josh is diligently working on his Mandarin language skills but he should probably spend more time learning Shanghainese if he wants to please his in-laws.

Robert Hicks

Assistant Head (Curriculum and Assessment) | Director of Studies

Robert began teaching English in 1995 in China, working in the country for over four years before moving back to the UK with his family to pursue a career as a mathematics teacher. He joined Wellington as a founder in 2014, having spent the previous thirteen years in a UK academy. Robert believes that mathematics is a universal language and an elegant tool for problem solving and is most exciting when presented in the context of its real applications. As such, he seeks every opportunity to link mathematics to science, computing, finance and day-to-day life. He also shares his sense of wonder at its intricate forms and patterns, particularly those found in nature, with his pupils. Few things delight him more than the solving of a particularly challenging problem, and even more so the pride of a pupil who achieves a solution on their own. Being part of Wellington's mathematics department is a thrilling opportunity, and he feels privileged to be part of an institution that delivers such innovative and first-class education. In his whole-school role, Robert oversees the college timetables and works closely with the senior leadership team to plan the curriculum, calculate staffing needs, harvest and analyse pupil data and develop Wellington's reporting systems.

Penny Lewis

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care - Years 6-8) | Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Penny graduated from the University of Warwick with an LLB in Law. For 6 years she worked in a variety of legal environments including the Ministry of Justice, prosecution services and leading international charities. It was during a lectureship at Waseda University, Tokyo that she realised her love of teaching and so decided to move on to pastures new, swapping her law books for novels. Penny began her teaching career in West London, achieving QTS (Outstanding) and a PGCE from the Institute of Education, UCL. In particular, she is keen for students to develop a deeper appreciation of the written word and to find their own voice through an exploration of poetry, drama and creative writing. Penny moved to Shanghai in 2018 with her husband who is also a teacher. In her spare time she enjoys practising yoga badly, writing her never-ending novel and attending any event that sounds interesting. She hopes to get a cat.

Matthew Lowish

Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning / Global Perspectives cooridnator)

Matthew is originally from the UK and joins Wellington College from Dulwich College Beijing where he taught History, Geography, combined Humanities and Global Perspectives to Senior School students from Year 7 up to IB. He was the Head of Humanities and, most recently, Head of the Individuals and Societies faculty in addition to being a Model United Nations director and a football coach during his time at Dulwich. Matt attained a First Class Honours bachelor degree in War Studies and International Relations from Kings College London. He achieved QTS through the Graduate Teacher program at Sandown High School on the Isle of Wight, where he worked for four years as a history teacher and form tutor. He has also completed courses in blended learning, middle leadership and assessment in recent years. Matthew is excited to join Wellington for the new academic year. He is accompanied by his wife, Jian, and his three children, Kaili, Tiesha and Jiesun. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading historical fiction, playing and watching football, visiting historical sites and museums and watching documentaries. He and his family are very much looking forward to joining Wellington and settling in Shanghai.

Martin O'Brien

 Head of Sixth Form (Years 12-13) | Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Martin graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2009. Following this, he completed my PGCE at Liverpool John Moors University and gained an MA in Advanced Educational Practice two years later. Prior to moving to Shanghai Martin has taught in two different secondary schools in Surrey/South-West London. He has previously held roles such as Head of Geography alongside teaching subjects such as A-Level Business Studies. Since 2015 Martin has held pastoral roles of a varying nature such as Assistant Head of Learning for Key Stage 4 and Head of House for Key Stage 3. In spare time, Martin likes to keep fit and healthy making the most of his gym membership. He also enjoys travelling; especially to new and relatively undiscovered destinations and has also been improving his culinary skills with cooking classes.

Maxine Stander

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care - Years 9-11) | Head of Y11 

Maxine's passion for teaching began at university while she was studying Consumer Sciences. Years of tutoring part-time while studying gave her valuable experience and insight before accepting her first teaching role in 2014. Since she started teaching Business Studies, she has been committed to three things: maximizing individual student performance, inspiring students' interest in learning and instilling a sense of self-worth among all pupils. Maxine takes pride in guiding her pupils to develop a love for learning and a desire to contribute to their community. After earning her bachelor's degree with distinction in Consumer Sciences, she went on to complete her Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education at the University of Pretoria. When she is not teaching, you will find Maxine coaching netball.

Joshua Beard

Director of Higher Education & Careers

Joshua has worked in education for more than 15 years, starting in the United States and then since 2007 in China. In that time he has worked with pupils from Grade 5 to university level and beyond in a wide variety of roles: social studies and TOK teacher, English instructor, test prep tutor, after school activities director, CAS coordinator and college counsellor. It is in this last role that he found his true professional calling. Josh completed his undergraduate education at the University of Virginia (UVA), where he pursued an interdisciplinary degree in international relations and religious studies. He later received his Masters in Teaching from National Louis University, where he focused on secondary social studies education. More recently, he completed a post-graduate certificate in college counselling from the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). Outside of school, Joshua enjoys staying active by hiking and lifting weights. He loves spending time with his wife and young son Caelan here in Shanghai. Having married into a local Chinese family, Josh is diligently working on his Mandarin language skills but he should probably spend more time learning Shanghainese if he wants to please his in-laws.

Victoria Doamekpor

Director of Educational Technology & Innovation

Vicki was educated at the universities of Lancaster and De Montfort where she gained a BSc (Hons) in computer science, statistical mathematics and business management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law. After completing her PGCE in secondary ICT and business at Manchester Metropolitan university, she taught ICT and mathematics at an all boys comprehensive school in Manchester, UK before starting her international teaching career in The Netherlands in 2007. She gained her masters in International Education focusing on technology integration in 2015, shortly after moving to China. 

Being a technology enthusiast, Vicki spends a lot of her spare time trying out new applications for pupils to use in class, and developing her understanding of programming languages so she can keep up with her pupils. Outside of the technology classrooms, Vicki can usually be found either in the Stanley houseroom or in the theatre, assisting with the many productions Wellington puts on throughout the year. Vicki thoroughly enjoys spending time with pupils outside her classroom, developing relationships, encouraging and nurturing not only the pupils in her House, but all the pupils at Wellington. 

Outside of work, Vicki enjoys spending time with her children, taking them to endless sports competitions and going on bike rides along the river. As a family they thoroughly enjoy travelling around Asia, swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving whenever possible. 

Helena Hicks

Director of Chinese Studies

Helena Hicks studied at Hunan Normal University, gaining both a BA and an MA in English language and literature. Before moving to the UK with her English husband, she was a well-known English lecturer to degree students of English at Jimei University of Xiamen in Fujian Province. She is fully qualified as a teacher in both China and the UK. While in the UK, Helena held teaching posts at some of the country's most prestigious schools. She was a Chinese teacher at the Cheltenham Ladies College, one of the leading girls schools in the country. Helena also served as Head of Curriculum and founder at the Gloucestershire Mandarin School and taught Chinese at Pate Grammar School, one of the highest rated grammar schools in the UK. Helena has been part of the Wellington team since 2014. Since then, she has been dedicated to making Chinese language and culture key aspects of every pupil life. Her own carefully crafted curriculum responds to the linguistic needs of every learner of all ages from the complete beginner to the native-level, fluent speaker. Her program of cultural enrichment, through annual celebration performances and workshops, reaches out to every pupil, parent and teacher. When not teaching, Helena enjoys swimming, walking, table tennis and travel.

Robert Hicks

Assistant Head (Curriculum and Assessment) | Director of Studies

Robert began teaching English in 1995 in China, working in the country for over four years before moving back to the UK with his family to pursue a career as a mathematics teacher. He joined Wellington as a founder in 2014, having spent the previous thirteen years in a UK academy. Robert believes that mathematics is a universal language and an elegant tool for problem solving and is most exciting when presented in the context of its real applications. As such, he seeks every opportunity to link mathematics to science, computing, finance and day-to-day life. He also shares his sense of wonder at its intricate forms and patterns, particularly those found in nature, with his pupils. Few things delight him more than the solving of a particularly challenging problem, and even more so the pride of a pupil who achieves a solution on their own. Being part of Wellington's mathematics department is a thrilling opportunity, and he feels privileged to be part of an institution that delivers such innovative and first-class education. In his whole-school role, Robert oversees the college timetables and works closely with the senior leadership team to plan the curriculum, calculate staffing needs, harvest and analyse pupil data and develop Wellington's reporting systems.

Samuel Jones

Director of Houses | Head of Academic Drama

For 20 years, Samuel has worked in a variety of educational settings and held leadership roles that encompass both academic and pastoral responsibilities. As the Head of Drama at John Lyon, Harrow, he successfully revitalised the drama and theatre department, achieving exceptional exam results while establishing connections with other schools, arts organisations and the wider community. Before this, he held the position of Deputy Head of College at Fortismere School, where he played a key role in implementing a school-wide house system that empowered students and transformed the school community. He also served as an examiner for Edexcel Pearson, visiting prominent schools across the UK.

At Wellington, he served as the Senior Housemaster for Combermere before assuming the position of Director of Houses. In this capacity, he creates a comprehensive programme throughout the school that is funcompetitive, fostering mutual support among pupils across various disciplines. He has combined this role with his responsibilities as the Academic Head of Drama, overseeing all aspects of the curriculum's performance work and directing two large-scale productions annually. Additionally, he oversees Wellington’s Drama Fellowship programme, which involves collaboration with theatre professionals from around the world.

Before teaching, Samuel achieved success as an award-winning actor and writer. He received training at Birmingham University, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. His interests beyond teaching encompass football and travel.

Michael Larsen-Disney

Director of Arts

Michael is hugely excited by the opportunities that Wellington College International Shanghai offers. He welcomes the chance to be involved in a very progressive educational system within one of the best Performing Arts facilities in the world. Michael has had a long international career as an actor, singer, dancer and director in mainstream commercial theatre and now utilises his skills, knowledge and academic background to educate the next generation of students and performers. Michael was educated at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne, Australia, and later at Bath Spa University (Cert. Ed.) and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in the UK, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Contemporary Theatre Practice. Michael has previously held positions as Artistic Director of the Wessex Academy of Performing Arts UK, where he ran BTEC and Degree programmes (BA Hons) in Music Theatre and Acting and, more recently, at the British International School of Jakarta in Indonesia where he was Director of Performing Arts. “It is my aim to nurture and unlock the potential of all students at Wellington College International Shanghai, whether it is within or outside the curriculum. I have established a Performing Arts Academy to serve the College and the wider community. My vision is to make Wellington College International Shanghai not just an outstanding centre for Performing Arts in Shanghai, but one of the best in the world.”

Anja Mori

Director of Maths

Anja began her career in education substituting as a maths teacher while in university. Then, as an intern, she mentored students for mathematics competitions and help them win gold medals at the national level. Since then, she has taught in China for six years in both the American and British school systems. As curriculum developer for the Wasatch Academy programme at the High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University, she focused on ways to improve learning opportunities for students and educators. She has also taught at RDFZ's International Curriculum Centre as an A-level and IBDP teacher. Recognising the importance of holistic education, she began incorporating the historical background of discoveries into her lessons. This helped pupils appreciate the beauty of mathematics and the world around us. Anja earned her Masters degree in Mathematics and Education at University of Maribor, Slovenia. As a Statistics enthusiast, she likes reading and following longitudinal research on human development. On days off, she likes to take hiking and cycling day trips. Her great desire is to be able to travel to western China to explore the mountains.

Dr Paul Tkachenko

Director of CCA & Enrichment | Head of Performance Music

Paul was born in the UK, but he grew up in Australia, Hong Kong and Germany. His long and diverse career as a musician took him to venues around the world. A genre-hopping multi-instrumentalist tuba/double bassist who sings, he has performed on a number one hit record and played live on BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4. Paul has performed with Japanese virtuoso violinist Taro Hakase on double bass. He played bluegrass banjo solos in Nashville, Greek Rebetiko in Istanbul, Balkan dubstep on the tuba at Glastonbury Festival, sung in Russian and Yiddish as a soloist with the Aurora Orchestra, played piano and musically directed a 7 month sell-out show in London, played trumpet at Shakespeare's Globe and performed Victorian Music Hall comedy songs at the Queen's Jubilee on the accordion. Paul's MA dissertation on Turkish Nationalism in music was published in 2005, and he completed a PhD on the London Klezmer scene in 2013 at City University, London. He has taught from Primary to University level and comes to Wellington from The International School of Moscow where he led their highly successful instrumental programmes and conducted the orchestra. When not playing music and spending time with his two children, Paul enjoys long-distance running and has completed several marathons.

Adam Shaw

Director of Pupil Services | Teacher of Design & Technology

Adam began his journey with Wellington College China as a founding member of staff at our sister school in Tianjin, in 2011. In August 2013 he became part of the Wellington College International Shanghai start-up team, before becoming a founding member of the academic team, the following year. Adam has held roles including Head of Art, Design & Technology, Housemaster and Head of Boarding, and in 2015 he was appointed Deputy Head Pastoral of the Senior School. In 2020, he was appointed to the whole school role of Director of Pupil Services, overseeing Learning Support (SEND), Pupil Support and Counselling teams, as well as the College's academic Wellbeing curriculum. He also leads the College's Staff Wellbeing Committee, offering avenues of support and guidance to colleagues, as well as a board staff activity programme.

Adam studied Industrial Design at the University of Central Lancashire before heading back to his spiritual home to study for his PGCE at The University of Manchester. His first teaching post was at Aquinas Sixth Form College in Stockport, where he became curriculum lead in Design & Technology, before spending three years in the Middle East as Head of Design & Technology at Repton School in Dubai.

Over the past 7 years, Adam has taken advantage of many of Shanghai's social and sporting offerings, he is the Chairman of the Shanghai Scottish Football Club, regularly cycles around the city and beyond, and can occasionally be seen swinging a cricket bat and a golf club, too. 

Daniel Tuitt

Director of Sport

After graduating from Brunel University Daniel began his teaching career in 2011 as a Secondary School Physical Education teacher with responsibilities for the provision and inclusive education for those with Special Educational Needs, using the National Curriculum for England and Wales until 2014. From 2014 until present?Daniel have been Head of Department at a Preparatory School and a State School for the last four years, teaching Early Years to Key Stage two, developing relevant curriculums and teaching across all areas. Daniel has a passion for all areas the Physical Education Curriculum whether it be at Early years or at GCSE and he aims to give pupils the opportunities to develop their essential skills and to play competitively at all levels.

Christopher Arundale

Classroom Teacher

Christopher has several years of experience in Early Years education, having taught both Nursery and Reception in schools in Yorkshire, England.

He earned his BA Honours in primary education (Early Years) at Leeds Trinity University in 2015.  Further to his role as class teacher, he led whole school curriculum developments in art in his role as a subject leader. Through this journey Christopher found a personal connection to art and discovered the importance of using it as a cross-curricular method in schools. He believes art is vital for healthy personal, social and emotional growth. He has also worked closely with language specialists to support children learning English as a second language.

Outside of school, Christopher’s hobbies include cooking, travelling to new places and hiking. Christopher is excited about joining Wellington School and living in the exciting city of Shanghai.

Lewis Booth

Nursery Teacher

Lewis has been working as an educator for almost a decade, teaching in children in Early Years to Middle School in the UK, Czech Republic, South Korea and China.  Throughout his career, he has occupied a variety of educational positions and leadership role, which include activities coordinator, camp counselor, teacher, head of foreign teachers and head of K1 curriculum. Lewis has taught in China for seven years, spending the past five years working as an Early Years teacher in Shanghai.

Lewis has a first-class BA (hons) in English literature from the University of Surrey, UK. He received his PGCE from the University of Sunderland in 2021 and he is currently undergoing a master’s degree in education from the same institution. He has attended training courses from the International Baccalaureate Organization and the STEM+ Institute in Shanghai.

An avid reader, Lewis spends his free time either studying or being with his family in Shanghai and Hubei. He is a big football supporter and watches his teams from around the world whenever he can. He also likes to spend time walking his dog in the evenings to relax.      

Bonnie Chen

Teaching Assistant

Nancy Chen

Early Years Assistan

 Lucy Chen

Chinese High Level Teaching Assistant (Reception)

Nicolle Chenjera

Reception Teacher

Nicolle started her teaching career as a Senior High School teacher in Anhui Province. In 2016 she made her move to Shanghai and has since taught across different age groups in both private and government institutes. So far, Early Years is her favourite age group to teach. She has also worked as head of kindergarten and even assisted in training and curriculum development projects. Her goal has always been to create an environment in which pupils have the confidence to realise their full potential.

Nicolle loves working with people and understanding more about child development and human behaviour. This passion stemmed from her time studying for her bachelor’s degree in psychology at De Monfort University (Leicester) and later while living in China when obtaining her PGCE in Early Years from the University of Sunderland. She knows that children are unique and must have a stimulating environment where they can grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. She also recognises that successful pupils become successful adults.

Since living in Shanghai, she has also spent time studying Mandarin at the University of Science and Engineering, and she continues to study in her free time. Nicolle believes that education never ends, and hopes to continue with her studies in the hopes of one day becoming an educational psychologist specialising in Early/Primary Years.

Besides work and studies, Nicolle loves cooking and creating cooking content videos, exercising, travelling and playing with her cat named Pioggia (Italian for rain).

Sylvie Cui

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Rita Deng

Reception Teaching Assistant

Dora Deng

Reception High Level Teaching Assistant

Amy Dong

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Chloe Gu

Pre-Nursery Teaching Assistant

Chloe brings extensive experience to the field of early childhood education. She has dedicated over two enriching years to an esteemed IB bilingual kindergarten, demonstrating her commitment to fostering holistic development. Chloe seamlessly collaborates with international educators, enhancing the classroom experience. Notably, she has excelled as both a dedicated Chinese teacher and a dynamic group leader. In her role as a group leader, Chloe skillfully organizes curricular activities and mentors fellow educators, ensuring the smooth execution of events for a thriving learning environment.

She holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Donghua University and skillfully combines her marketing expertise with the art of early childhood education. Her proficiency is further highlighted by her Kindergarten Teacher Qualification Certificate.

Outside the classroom, Chloe is an avid traveller and a devoted Disney fan.

Nichole Henderson

Assistant Head (Teaching & Learning) | Head of Nursery

Originally from the US, Nichole has worked in Early Years education in China for 22 years. She originally arrived in Beijing a 24 years ago for a Chinese language course at Tsinghua University, but after starting a family, she discovered her passion for teaching little ones. Over the course of her career, she has pursued studies in dual-language learning, educational innovation and improvement and, most recently, early education leadership.

Outside of work, Nichole loves to spend time creating digital drawings on Procreate, reading histories of China and biking around the French Concession (and finding its xiaolongbao and pastry shops) with her family. She has two children with her in Shanghai. One is a toddler who is just learning to talk. The other is an IB pupil at Wellington. Her oldest son is currently in Switzerland at the prestigious ETH completing his master’s degree in biotechnology.

Olivia Huang

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Olivia enjoys working in an international environment and being exposed to different cultures. She received an Excellent Staff Award in her first job. With six years of experience as a teaching assistant and six months as an assistant teaching manager in the international department, she is deeply passionate about her job and approaches tasks with a fresh perspective.

She graduated from East China Normal University with a major in preschool education. During this time, she learned to play the piano and can now play simple nursery rhymes. Olivia has a love for animals, and she has a lovely cat and a little turtle at home. She enjoys traveling and capturing photos of beautiful scenery and plants. Additionally, she relishes drinking coffee, indulging in delicious food, and cherishing quality time with her family.

Chao Huang

Teaching Assistant of Pre-Nursery

Jennifer Jacques

Reception Teacher

Jennifer started her teaching career in 2011 here in Shanghai. She has taught in China for 9 years in both bilingual and international schools. After teaching in China for five years, Jennifer decided to return to England to pursue her professional development. She has experience teaching young children in a range of schools and settings, including nurseries and primary schools within affluent and deprived areas. Since then, Jennifer has returned to Shanghai to continue her career in the city she loves and missed.

Jennifer’s passion for adventure, travel and exploring different cultures is what brings her to Asia. Some of her previous travels have included diving the Komodo islands in Indonesia, multi-day hiking in Sichuan’s mountains and scrambling sheer drops in Scotland’s Cuillin range.

Sherry Jing

Reception Teaching Assistant

Charlotte Knight-Benjafield

Executive Head of Early Years ｜Designated Safeguarding Lead

Nina Li

Dual Language Coordinator | Teacher of Chinese (Reception)

Nina was born in Tianjin and brought up in Shanghai. Her family has a mix of southern and northern Chinese heritage with a father from Shanghai (south) and a mother from Tianjin (north). Part of the Wellington team since 2014, she has taught most year groups in Early Years and Pre-Prep. She has enjoyed the opportunity to develop her knowledge in early childhood education. Nina took the British QTS Course (Qualified Teaching Status) at Durham University in 2016. During summer holiday, she taught in a local UK school and passed the requisite skill tests. Patient, hardworking and self-motivated, Nina has a talent for developing great relationships with both pupils and parents. She also maintains high standards for her pupils. In her spare time, Nina is keen on travelling, photography and doing volunteer work. She likes learning about different cultures around the world and loves to seek out new experiences. A passionate teacher, Nina is excited to be part of Wellington's Chinese department and will give as much support as she can to her pupils.

Joanne Philander

Head of Year (Pre-Nursery & Nursery) | Pre-Nursery Teacher

Joanne is an experienced classroom teacher eight years of teaching experience. She began her career by working at agovernment school in Thailand for two years while obtaining a TEFL certificate. She then moved to Beijing, where shetaught at a role play centre-based school for one year. In 2018, Joanne relocated to Shanghai and worked for the ChinaWelfare Association and Concord Academy.

Joanne's has a BA business administration from Kings University in Ghana. Her dedication and passion for Early Years education are evident in her teaching approach. She firmly believes that educators in early childhood education play acrucial role in shaping a child's development and have the opportunity to make a significant difference in their lives. Joanne is committed to providing unwavering support, guidance and creating a positive environment for children to thriveand grow. She takes joy in helping children foster a love for learning, which will lay the foundation for their future academic success.

Outside of the classroom, Joanne enjoys traveling, playing softball, cooking and listening to music. She is also a proud dog mom to two intelligent and beautiful dogs named Zoey and Lunah.

Zoe Powell

SEN Coordinator | Nursery Teacher | Safeguarding Officer (EYC)

Zoe Helen Powell joins the Wellington team from Huili Nursery Hangzhou, where she taught for three years and oversaw the year group of children aged 3 to 4. Prior to this, she taught in the UK for 13 years after receiving her PGCE in Early Years in 2005 from The University of Derby.  Zoe is passionate about teaching children of all ages and has gained experienced working with children aged 2 through 11. She places a high value of children’s wellbeing and believes that a happy and content child will engage in their learning and have high levels of involvement. Her forte lies in Early Years, where she believes that every child has the ability to reach their potential through adult-led and child-initiated activities inside and outside the classroom. She has attended many courses that have enabled her to reflect on developments in education and enhance her teaching. An advocate for the Read! Write! Inc. programme, Zoe has supported other educators in other settings with their teaching of phonics. Prior to teaching, Zoe worked in schools as a teaching assistant supporting children with social, behaviour and emotional difficulties.

Outside of work, Zoe enjoys spending quality time with friends, keeping in touch with friends and family back in the UK, exploring new and exciting places and watching a good film. She is also a keen photographer and a great lover of animals.

Dove Qin

Chinese High Level Teaching Assistant (Reception)

Lucy Qu

 Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead | Associate Deputy Head (Early Years)

Lucy worked with an International Educational Group for over 13 years as Executive Principal (Shandong)before joining Wellington College Shanghai. She holds Diploma of Pre-school Education and Teaching; CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education; Bachelor’s Degree in English and Early Years Education. She has undertaken iPGCE with University of Strathclyde Glasgow. Lucy has a strong understanding of the importance of the image of child and the image of teacher. She strongly believes in the importance of seeing the learner within a socio-cultural context where knowledge is constructed as the child interacts with both the physical and interpersonal environment. Lucy has been through many Reggio Emilia and IB trainings for the past 13 years. She has passion to listen to children, record children’s progress and see environment as the third teacher. She is keen to set up inviting environment to young learners. Outside of work, she enjoys reading books and travelling. Lucy considers herself as a life-long learner, she is eager to learn new knowledge and skills from the community. She is looking forward to working with school teams and parents to offer high quality education for young learners.

Avon She

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Vivian Sheng

Teacher of Chinese (Nursery)

Vivian graduated from Tongji University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and holds a Teaching Certificate for Primary School and Early Years. She also holds a Certificate for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages.

Before joining the Wellington team in 2015, Vivian spent 10 years teaching in top international and bilingual schools. Over the years, she has gained a wealth of experience in methods for teaching and classroom management. Deeply passionate about her profession, Vivian has a special interest in early childhood development and learning.  

When not teaching, Vivian enjoys exploring Chinese culture and traveling around the world. She loves sharing Chinese culture with pupils, parents and colleagues alike.

Sophie Sillman-Mcneish

Nursery Teacher

Sophie has been working as an EFL teacher in Shanghai for the past 2 years, gaining experience with teaching English and soft skills to a range of ages from 3-15 years old. She has experience with teaching phonics, grammar, reading, listening and speaking, logical reasoning, communication, creativity and social skills. In her previous role, she was a specialist in planning and arranging weekly arts and crafts classes centred around topics relevant to current events or the time of year. She was also a teacher ambassador with the responsibility of welcoming new teachers and assisting them with any challenges they faced during the onboarding process. Before that, she had experience with volunteering in local Primary Schools in the UK as a teaching assistant, helping students with numeracy and literacy tasks.

Sophie graduated from the University of Leeds in 2019 with an integrated MEng degree in civil and structural engineering. She then went on to pursue a career in teaching and gained her TEFL qualification as well as certificates in Cambridge TKTs. She is currently working towards an IPGCE from the University of Derby.

During her free time, Sophie enjoys reading, cooking and experiencing new food, and playing tabletop games with friends.

Danni Song

Chinese High Level Teaching Assistant (Nursery)

Natasha Steyn

Assistant Head (Curriculum & Assessment) | Head of Reception

Natasha is from the east coast of South Africa, where she started her career and gained over nine years’ teaching experience in the Foundation Stage. In 2016, she moved to China where she accrued a further six years’ experience teaching in Early Years and Key Stage 1. She has worked for two years in Jiangsu Province and four years in Shanghai. At her former school she served as an international curriculum leader. During this time, she innovated and implemented an Early Years oral language programme designed to develop practical and expressive communication skills through social interaction and play. She has extensive experience teaching young learners with English as a second language, both in China and South Africa.  

She studied education at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. In 2007, she qualified with a bachelor’s degree in education specialising in the foundation-intermediate phase. Whilst working in Shanghai, she decided to pick up the textbooks again and in 2021 completed a master’s degree in education with proficiency in educational leadership through the University of Exeter.

In her free time, Natasha enjoys practising yoga and is currently training to become a yoga instructor with a focus on yin and restorative styles. At home, freshly baked bread has become a hobby, and the new normal, since learning the art of sourdough baking during the last lockdown. She relishes a good book and can often be found reading at one of the many coffeeshops or parks around Shanghai.

Jandré Swanepoel

Outdoor Learning Champion

Jandré Swanepoel has more than seven years of teaching experience in the South African Curriculum. She has taught PE to different age groups and has worked as a School Sports Manager and Coordinator as well.   Jandré has also stayed abreast of new developments in her field by completing various specialised courses and is a qualified Learn to Swim instructor. Jandré grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied at the North-West University in Potchefstroom, where she earned a three-year degree in Health Sciences, majoring in Psychology and Human Movement Sciences. After that, she completed a BA (Hons) degree in Kinderkinetics, a profession that aims to promote and optimise the neuro-motoric development of young children through scientifically-based physical activity. Jandré enjoys after school activities such as coaching netball, athletics, hockey and swimming. She also loves to participate in outdoor activities herself such as golf, social hockey, cycling and swimming.

Kaylee Tang

Nursery High Level Teaching Assistant

Jessie Wang

Teaching Assistant

Tiantian Wang

Reception Teaching Assistant

Judy Wang

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Ciara Whyte

Nursery Teacher

Ciara Marie Whyte hails from a small town in the southeast of Ireland. She studied international business with Chinese studies for her undergraduate degree at University College Cork. Having spent an exchange year studying at Shanghai University, she realised how much she loved this beautiful city and decided to make Shanghai her second home.

She began her teaching career in 2017 and this is where she found her true passion, particularly in the Early Years sector. She has been a teacher for almost six years and finds great joy in the individuality, personality and growth that each student adds to a classroom setting. She loves teaching young pupils their core subjects whilst also emphasising their social and emotional learning.

Ciara is passionate about all types of music — singing, playing the guitar and ukulele. She went to Tokyo, Japan and trained as a Music Together Specialist and had the amazing opportunity to bring everything that she learned back to the classroom. She believes that music is so important in the Early Years because it ignites all aspects of child development.

Scarlett Xi

EYC Teacher of Chinese (Nursery)

Kitty Yan

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Kitty Yan graduated from Shanghai Normal University with a major in preschool education. She has accumulated 12 years of experience working in schools in Shanghai. In her role, she actively supports children's language development during daily curriculum activities and shows a genuine interest in understanding their hobbies and interests. Kitty has a knack for observing children's behaviors and activities, and she provides relevant assistance and support accordingly.

Kitty possesses a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum content aligned with both the British education system and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) system. She is also adept at assisting teachers in completing their teaching tasks. With her practical experience in teaching English, she effectively engages with pupils in both individual and group settings, utilising a wide range of supportive techniques such as leading, questioning, and explaining. Additionally, she is capable of independently teaching phonics-related knowledge to groups. Furthermore, she offers support to individual pupils in class to enhance their language, reading, and other skills.

Kitty highly values teamwork and derives great enjoyment from spending time with children at school. She demonstrates patience when interacting with children, willingly listening to their stories, and employing open-ended questions to foster critical thinking. She firmly believes in the potential of every child to succeed and is wholeheartedly committed to helping them achieve their goals.

Annie Yan

Music Teaching Assistant

Ammie Yu

Chinese High Level Teaching Assistant (Nursery)

Jennifer Zhang

Nursery Teaching Assistant

Carol Zheng

Pre-Nursery Teaching Assistant

Jenny Zheng

Reception Teaching Assistant

Bella Zhu

Teacher of Chinese (Reception)

Paula Zimmerman

Reception Teacher

Paula comes from a small coastal town in South Africa and has lived in Asia for close to a decade. She comes toWellington’s Early Years Centre by way of our sister school Huili Nursery Shanghai, where she taught for 4 years. Before that, she gained experience working in Thailand and Hong Kong, both in Early Years settings. She has experience acrossthe Early Years, having taught Reception, Nursery and Pre-Nursery ages.

She graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with an LLB and then furthered her studies with a PGCE from Durham University, followed by a QTS qualification from the UK.

In her free time, she spends time with her rescue dog Franki, exploring the neighbourhoods and coffee shops of Shanghai. She enjoys travelling to new countries and experiencing different cultures around the world.

Olivia (Dongmei) Zhang

Trainee Teacher

 June (Hanmeng) Zhu

Trainee Teacher

Hanmeng completed her bachelor's degree in teaching Chinese as a second language at East China Normal University. She then pursued her master's degree at the School of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Beijing Normal University.

Throughout her studies, she skillfully blended theory with practical experience, gaining extensive expertise in teaching. During her undergraduate programme, she excelled in roles as a teaching assistant and Mandarin instructor at an international school. This hands-on experience helped hone her pedagogical skills and deepened her understanding of diverse learning needs. Continuing her education at the postgraduate level, she embarked upon an internship involving curriculum development within the dynamic field of internet industries. This role not only demonstrated her adaptability but also underscored her ability to innovate and thrive in evolving educational landscapes.

In her spare time, Hanmeng enjoys reading widely, with a particular fondness for the works of Jane Austen.

Conor Albino

Year 4 Teacher

Conor began his education career in 2016 as an English teacher in Beijing. He became a specialist teacher in 2017 and then a senior teacher in 2018 overseeing training of new academic staff. He moved to Shanghai in 2019 to become a homeroom teacher and operations coordinator in a bilingual school. Conor strives to build positive relationships in the classroom and believes that happy pupils make the most successful learners. He completed his undergraduate studies at Rollins College in 2015 and is currently enrolled in a Master of Education program at Liverpool John Moores University. In his free time, Conor enjoys cycling by the Huangpu River, cooking new foods and photography. He is an avid reader and enjoys trying his hand at writing fiction and poetry. He also enjoys learning foreign languages and traveling when possible.  

Jessica Anderson

Year 4 Teacher | Learning Support Teacher

Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waikato in New Zealand and a Graduate Diploma in teaching (primary) from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Jessica has since lived and taught abroad for the past fourteen years in countries including New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and China. Jessica has now been living in Shanghai for the past nine years with her husband and two children, who also attend Wellington College. Having previously taught here in Shanghai for the past seven years, Jessica made the move to Wellington College International Shanghai, where she teaches year 2. This will be Jessica's second year working here. In her spare time, she enjoys running, travelling to exotic beaches around Asia, also cooking (and eating) various types of international food.

Andrew Ashton

Year 3 Teacher

Mr Ashton comes from New Zealand and is a qualified primary school teacher with TESOL/TEFL certification. He brings nine years of experience teaching in China, Japan, New Zealand and Korea. He is passionate about nurturing children through their learning journey and believes that every child has something unique to offer.

He has double major in English and art history, an honours degree in English literature, a graduate diploma in teaching through the University of Auckland, and he is currently in the final stage of a master’s degree (Master’s in Teaching and Learning) which he is studying online through Massey University in New Zealand.

His main hobbies are playing the guitar, photography and reading. He also loves to travel and tries to keep fit through running. He has previously enjoyed being a cross-country coach to middle school students.

Grace Bao

Year 3 High Level Teaching Assistant

David Barton

Year 2 Teacher | Mathematics Coordinator (PPLP)

David graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Huddersfield. He worked in marketing and graphic design for several years before realising in 2007 that teaching was his true calling. He initially qualified as an EAL teacher. In 2009, he joined a renowned international school in Guangzhou and gained his PGCE teaching qualification in 2012 as a Primary classroom teacher.

He has mainly taught in Lower Prep and then followed his love of mathematics by becoming Head of Primary Maths. After several years in this role, David sought a new challenge by taking on the role of year leader, overseeing both the academic and pastoral care of a five-class year group. David is passionate about educational research and in 2020 he gained a masters degree with distinction, in international education. He likes to keep up to date with educational trends from the UK and around the world by being an active member of several teaching and learning associations such as: the Chartered Institute of Teaching, Mathematical Association and ATM.

David is married with two children who keep him very busy. His main passion outside of school is listening to music and watching sport. He loves eating and trying new food, as well as trying to bake bread and make pizza.

Joyce Cai

Year 2 Teaching Assistant

Maeve Carpenter

Year 5 Teacher

Shelley Che

Head of Teaching Assistants

Shenlian Chen

Year 1 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Shenlian embarked on her professional journey at Nanjing Normal University, where she obtained a BA in early childhood education in 2016. She then pursued an MA in education at University College London. She is a qualified primary teacher in China, the UK and the US, holding both a QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and a primary teaching credential from Washington, DC.

With five years of primary teaching experience in China and abroad, Shenlian previously worked at a bilingual school in Shanghai before joining Wellington. During this time, she discovered her passion for teaching mathematics and transitioned to become a math specialist. Shenlian highly values pupils' voices and choices in the classroom. She is committed to providing an exceptional learning experience for each student by tailoring her teaching to meet the diverse needs of her students. Shenlian firmly believes in the importance of continuous learning to enhance her teaching skills and better support young learners.

During her leisure time, she finds joy in reading, travelling, and exploring new things. She has an affinity for nature and treasures moments of tranquillity.

Doris Chen

Year 2 High Level Teaching Assistant

Yujia Chen

Cover Teacher

Emma Chen

Year 4 Dual Language Co-Teacher 

Emma graduated from Southwest Jiaotong University in 2012, attaining a bachelor’s degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. She went on to earn a master's degree in linguistics and applied linguistics at East China Normal University. During her master's studies, Emma decided to work as a Chinese volunteer teacher at the Confucius Institute at the University of Turin in Italy, thus starting her teaching career in a primary school.

Prior to joining Wellington, Emma taught for several years at Shanghai-based  international schools. This experience has provided her with valuable insights into international education and bilingual teaching methods. Furthermore, Emma considers herself a lifelong learner and is constantly striving to improve her skills through ongoing professional development and research.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys traveling, going for jogs and engaging in leisurely reading.

Megan Cooke

Year 2 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Megan is from the west coast of Ireland and has worked in education for over a decade. She taught in Ireland for seven years and has experience across multiple year groups, especially years 1 and 2. She has also worked as a learning support and EAL teacher. Her love of travel and passion for teaching brought her to Shanghai in 2019, where she joined a start-up school as a classroom teacher, in conjunction with co-leading the school's literacy curriculum and mentoring new staff.

Megan qualified with a Bachelor of Primary Education (Hons) from Dublin City University, in 2011 and has been working as a primary school teacher ever since. She strongly believes in developing the child as a whole person and enriching the child’s social, emotional and physical wellbeing, alongside academic achievements.

When Megan is not teaching, she loves to spend time with her friends and family, listen to music and be outdoors. She loves the vibrant nature of Shanghai and particularly enjoys visiting the vast array of restaurants available in the city.

Chris Corbett

Head of Year 3 / Year 3 Teacher

Chris is originally from Liverpool and graduated with a BSc (Hons) in architectural technology before pursuing a PGCE inprimary education. Over the past eight years, he has worked in schools in the UK and internationally, including Thailandand China, where he spent five years.

Chris has extensive experience teaching in various settings, including Early Years and Prep. Throughout these years, he has developed a strong understanding of different curriculums, such as the English National Curriculum, IPC andinquiry-based approaches like Reggio Emilia. Recently, he has been teaching in Key Stage 1 and has previously held leadership positions as a coordinator and assistant head.

Outside of the classroom, Chris has a passion for endurance sports, ultramarathons, hiking and travelling. He is dedicated to supporting the local community, which has led to various experiences, including co-founding Suzhou Striders, a nonprofit fitness community in Suzhou, and serving as an award leader for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, leading students on Bronze and Silver expeditions. Chris is accompanied by his partner, Lauren, andtheir son, Cody, who was born in Shenzhen and will join the Wellington Community when he reaches the appropriate age.

Dorothy Dai

Dual Language Bilingual Teacher & Year 2 DL Coordinator

Dorothy joined Wellington College International Shanghai in 2014. She has extensive experience teaching pupils across all primary phases and deep familiarity with the English national curriculum.

She graduated from Shanghai International Studies University with a major in English education and holds a teacher qualification certificate for high school English and a Certificate for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (CTCSOL). In 2018, she completed the British Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) Course and taught at a local UK school during the summer holidays.

Her passion for teaching stems from her desire to make a positive impact on as many pupils’ lives as possible. Through developing relationships with the children under her care, she has discovered that each pupil possesses unique talents. Dorothy is thrilled to be part of Wellington's Dual Language department, where she can provide high-quality education to young learners.

As a busy mother of two children, she also enjoys opportunities to travel, take photographs, read and engage in various sports.

Beverley Driscoll

Year 5 Teacher

Beverley is from Gloucester, England. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sport development from the University of Gloucestershire in 2013 and her PGCE from the University of Gloucestershire in 2019. Beverley was part of the cheerleading team at the University of Gloucestershire, which led her to be involved in a school sports initiative across Gloucestershire schools to encourage girls to participate in school sports.

She has a passion for travelling which led her to work with children in America as a camp counsellor and activities coordinator during her summers at university. After university, Beverley worked with students with autism, special educational needs and behavioural difficulties in secondary and primary schools.

She moved to China in 2015 to gain experience working in the international education community and taught at bilingualschools in Beijing for six years. She worked as a reception and grade 2 teacher while learning about the culture of Beijing. In 2021, she relocated to Shanghai, where she was a year 4 teacher and English coordinator in her school.

Beverley really enjoys exploring new places and has visited many countries whilst living in China. In her spare time, she likes to go to the gym, spend time exploring the city and spending time with friends.

Loren Eichhorn

Head of Year 1 | Year 1 Teacher

Loren was born and raised in New Delhi, India, where she completed her schooling and undergraduate education. She has been working in primary education since 2003 when she started as a Teaching Assistant at the American Embassy School in New Delhi. Loren loved this experience so much that it inspired her to teach internationally. Later on, she moved to England and obtained her PGCE qualification. Loren has been living in Shanghai with her family since 2011. Before joining Wellington College, she taught at Nord Anglia International School, Pudong until 2018, when she decided to be a stay at home mum to her two little boys. Loren completed a BA (Hons) in English in 2001 from Delhi University and then obtained a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) from Lucknow University in India in 2003. Following this, she completed a long-distance MA in English qualification in 2005. After moving to England in 2006, she obtained an MA in Education from the University of Leeds in 2007 and completed her PGCE in Primary Education from Leeds Beckett University. Loren has worked in Early Years and Key Stage 1, having taught both year 1 and year 2 classes. Loren delights in spending quality time with her family, and they are passionate about building Lego creations at home. She also enjoys watching movies, listening to music and reading.

Steffen Eichhorn

Year 2 Teacher

Steffen earned his bachelor's degree in Chinese science and cultural studies at the Friedrich Schiller University of Leipzig. Upon graduating in 2009, he was offered the opportunity to work for the German Pavilion at the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai China. After returning to Germany to continue studying for his master's degree, Steffen found his way back to Shanghai to pursue further studies at Tongji University.

Steffen started out as a general manager and project manager in the events industry, catering primarily to auto shows, fashion shows and concerts. He decided upon a career change by doing his QTS with Wellington Bilingual. Before joining Wellington College International Shanghai, he worked at Huili Nursery Shanghai for four years.

When he is not busy working or spending time with his family, you can find Steffen engaging in functional fitness. He enjoys newly developed technologies like digital art and NFTs as well as dabbling with the Procreate app on the iPad.

Mave Gong

Trainee Teacher

Mave Gong holds a master's degree in applied linguistics from the University of Melbourne. She has experience as both a national homeroom teacher and Chinese teacher at a bilingual school in Shanghai. Mave was actively involved in various school activities, teaching research, and curriculum development. She studied different subject areas and tailored engaging lesson plans to match learners' ages and needs. In the classroom, Mave focuses on holistic education, carefully observing students to help them solve problems independently. She has unique insights into teaching strategies and primary school children's psychology.

Her academic interests include genre pedagogy, grammar/syntax, language curriculum design, and intercultural communication. Mave has also participated in educational and research events such as academic writing workshops, online language groups, and volunteering as a Chinese exchange coordinator.

When she has free time, Mave enjoys traveling, spending quality time with her adorable dogs Ozzy and Leia, listening to music and crafting. She finds beauty in exploring life's adventures.

Rebecca Guo

Year 2 Teaching Assistant

Abby (Shanshan) Han

Year 1 Teaching Assistant

Victoria Harwood

Year 3 Teacher

Victoria began her teaching career six years ago in ESL, where she accumulated a wealth of experience teaching both KS1 and KS2 level students. She has since taught English, Spanish and Mandarin in the UK and more recently taught bilingual curriculums in international primary schools in Shanghai.   Her passion for languages led her to study a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages with Spanish and Chinese at Newcastle University, graduating in 2014.? She then went on to complete a PGCE at the Institute of Education, University College London, specializing in languages and teaching Mandarin and Spanish to second language learners. After spending six years living in different cities in China, Victoria considers herself to be a Sinophile. She loves learning about different cultures and languages and reading foreign language novels. Since completing her studies at University, she has taken on a new challenge of learning Japanese. One of her recent academic achievements is taking the HSK (Chinese proficiency test) to level 6. Outside of academic interests, she likes to keep an active lifestyle, and she enjoys roller skating along the West Bund at the weekend as well as running and swimming. She also likes to relax and finds a creative outlet in drawing, painting, printmaking, journaling or any other crafty activity.

Michael Johnstone

Head of Year 4 | Year 4 Teacher

Michael started his career in education as an EAL teacher in Kindergarten and elementary grades in Seoul, South Korea. After four years he returned to Canada to attain a second degree in education. He then took a position as a homeroom teacher at an offshore Canadian school in Seoul, where he taught year 2 for two years. He relocated to Shanghai in 2018 to teach year 1 and 3 students at another local international school.

He received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Ottawa, with a specialization in years 1-7. He is certified through the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT).

Michael has a strong interest in literature, particularly the ways in which it both reflects and shapes societies. Like many other international teachers, he enjoys travel and experiencing the diversity of cultures firsthand. He also has an interest in technology, music, photography and science. One of the things he enjoys the most about teaching is sharing these interests with pupils and inspiring children to find their own ways of exploring the world.

Karin Kong

Year 3 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Colin Lambert

Year 3 Teacher

Colin joins us from Teesside in the northeastern part of the UK where he undertook a role as a year 5 teacher before moving to Wellington in 2021. It was his charity work as a Forest School practitioner that first led him into teaching. Here he worked with people of all ages with autism, helping them improve their social and emotional skills. Before Colin’s teaching career, he graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a Bachelor of Art Degree in Photography. Following on from his degree, he travelled the world for several years, getting a passion for exploring new cultures and cuisines. This would later create his strong desire to work internationally and spur his move to Shanghai. Outside of the classroom, Colin’s interests are focused on keeping fit. This has led him to cycle from coast to coast in England, hike the West Highland Way in Scotland and swim five kilometres down the River Tees.

Susan Li

Year 4 Teaching Assistant

Lizzie Li

Trainee Teacher

Cindy Liu

Year 4 High Level Teaching Assistant

Matthew Lowish

Assistant Head of Prep (Curriculum & Assessment)

Matthew is originally from the UK and joins Wellington College from Dulwich College Beijing where he taught History, Geography, combined Humanities and Global Perspectives to Senior School students from Year 7 up to IB. He was the Head of Humanities and, most recently, Head of the Individuals and Societies faculty in addition to being a Model United Nations director and a football coach during his time at Dulwich. Matt attained a First Class Honours bachelor degree in War Studies and International Relations from Kings College London. He achieved QTS through the Graduate Teacher program at Sandown High School on the Isle of Wight, where he worked for four years as a history teacher and form tutor. He has also completed courses in blended learning, middle leadership and assessment in recent years. Matthew is excited to join Wellington for the new academic year. He is accompanied by his wife, Jian, and his three children, Kaili, Tiesha and Jiesun. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading historical fiction, playing and watching football, visiting historical sites and museums and watching documentaries. He and his family are very much looking forward to joining Wellington and settling in Shanghai.

Catherine Ma

Head of Dual Language

Catherine worked as a tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC) before following her passion and switching to a career in education. Her cross-subject education background, professional attitude and lifelong learning helped her grow from teaching to management. She was the founding academic principal for Early Years at two top bilingual schools in Shanghai, where she oversaw curriculum development and staff training. Both schools achieved excellent academic outcomes even from the founding year. Catherine holds very high standards for her team and herself. She is always willing to inspire people around her to achieve their best potential.

When studying at Beijing Normal University, Catherine gained the first grade international scholarship and was sent to EWHA Womans University in South Korea as an exchange student for one year. She finished her post graduate learning of teaching Chinese as a second foreign language at Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2020 and started her master's degree in applied educational leadership at UCL shortly thereafter.

Catherine is a huge fan of history and comparative culture. She spends most her leisure time reading and travelling. She also enjoys sports, board games and escape rooms.

Portia Madlala

Learning Support Teacher

Vivian Magnaye

Year 5 High Level Teaching Assistant

Keith Maguire

Head of Year 5 | Classroom Teacher 

After graduation, Keith taught in Irish primary schools for six years in KS2. At every point in his career, Keith has helped lead curricular development. One such area would include science and technology in which Keith took part in a national STEM project lead by Microsoft and the Department of Education in Ireland which was aimed at getting more girls interested in STEM subjects. As well as curricular interests, Keith also has a passion for helping other teachers to develop their skills. In his previous school, he successfully initiated and implemented a professional learning community (PLC). This enabled teachers to share resources, amend school policies and develop their teaching pedagogy. Having originally graduated from the University of Limerick with a Bachelor of Education (primary teaching degree), Keith then continued his studies while still working full-time and completed his Masters of Education with a specialism in leadership. Keith values relationships and strives to build positive connections with students in his class. He believes that happy students will be happy and successful learners. Outside of school, Keith has many interests including cooking and travelling. When it comes to sport, Keith likes nothing more than watching ‘hurling’ which is a national sport in Ireland. He now looks forward to discovering Asia and having the opportunity to work in Wellington College.

Deirdre Maguire

Head of Year 2 | Year 2​​​​​​ Teacher

Originally from Cork in the south of Ireland, Deirdre Maguire has nine years teaching experience between year 1 and year 4. She began her career as Ms. English in a small school, where she taught for four years in a multi-grade setting. Deirdre spent the next three years teaching in a large school outside Dublin. Deirdre graduated from Mary Immaculate College (University of Limerick) in 2013 with an honours Bachelor of Education degree. Here she specialised in primary school teaching and Gaeilge or Irish (the native language of Ireland). In 2017, she began her Master of Education studies at Maynooth University. She completed this over two years while also working full-time. Here she specialised in children's wellbeing and anxiety in students. She graduated in March 2020 with an honours degree. In her free time, Deirdre enjoys running, reading books, listening to music and drawing. Recently married, Deirdre also enjoys spending time with family and friends. During her time off, she loves travelling and learning about new cultures.

Joyce Mao

Year 2 High Level Teaching Assistant

Jennafer Martinez

Prep Cover Teacher

Matthew Maynard

Year 3 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Mr Maynard embarked on his teaching journey in 2014 when he commenced his training in Essex, England. Over the next fouryears, he dedicated himself to educating year 5 pupils from diverse backgrounds in and around London.

In 2018, Mr Maynard began a new chapter by relocating to Beijing. During his time, he expanded his teaching expertise by instructing year 3 and 4 pupils. Additionally, he assumed the role of reading lead, taking on the responsibility of fostering a love of reading among his pupils.

Prior to his teaching career, Mr Maynard pursued his passion for philosophy at Reading University, where he studied the subject in depth. His own teaching philosophy is firmly rooted in putting children at the forefront of the learning experience. He believes in engaging pupils through purposeful activities that encourage critical thinking and holistic development.

Beyond the classroom, Mr Maynard has a diverse range of interests. Sport and fitness play an integral role in his life,and he actively participates in team sports like rugby and football during weekends. In his leisure time, he tries to visit the gym every day and he also enjoys reading, watching films, and playing the guitar.

Oonagh McCabe

Assistant Head (Teaching & Learning)

Oonagh graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Education degree from St. Patrick's College in Dubli. She continued her professional and academic development by completing a postgraduate diploma in Assessment, followed in 2017, by a Master of Teaching from Dublin City University. She taught primary school for 7 years in Dublin before moving the Abu Dhabi, UAE to teach at a leading British international school. While there, she took on the position of head of maths for the EYFS and primary school. She joined Wellington in 2019. With over a decade of experience, Oonagh brings a wealth of expertise, a multitude of knowledge and a deep understanding of pedagogy to the classroom everyday. Oonagh has previous experience working in settings such as SEN, EAL and in a native language immersion school. Outside of teaching, Oonagh enjoys singing and playing music, cooking and spending quality time with family and friends. She loves to travel and avails herself of every opportunity to visit new places. She takes a keen interest in other cultures and believes teaching is a great way to educate through life experience and cultural context.

Linda Mills 

Year 1 Teacher

Linda is passionate about science and loves getting children excited about it. She also has experience teaching kindergarten, Upper Primary and EAL children. She started her teaching career in Shanghai in 2016 after graduating from Newcastle University with a BSc in biomedical science. Her love of children and travel brought her to Asia to try her hand at teaching and she quickly fell in love. For the last three years, she was a grade 1 homeroom teacher at a bilingual school in Shanghai. During her time there, she obtained her PGCE while serving as a science coordinator.

Outside of school, Linda enjoys singing and working out. She is passionate about non-profits, and has put on several events around the city to raise money and awareness. Linda also loves to travel and has seen a great deal of China but is looking forward to doing more exploring.

Maddy Mitchell

Classroom Teacher

Jessica Modise

Prep Cover Teacher

Before moving to China, Jessica taught high school mathematics and biology.. While in her home country, she further enhanced her skills and completed her International TEFL certificate in 2018. She arrived in Shanghai the same year and started working with young learners as an ESL teacher. She has since worked with students from ranging in age from two to 18 years old.

Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in education in 2013 from the renowned Nelson Mandela University in her home country of South Africa. As a lifelong learner, she plans to obtain her master’s degree in specialised education in the near future as well.

When not working, Jessica enjoys exploring the city and learning more about China’s rich history and culture. When possible, she spends her free time travelling and being outdoors with her friends and family. 

Cheri-Lee Odendaal

Year 1 Teacher

Before pursuing a career in education, Cheri-Lee worked in the travel industry for half a decade. Her teaching journey began in 2012 when she as a teacher’s assistant while studying full time. She graduated from The University of South Africa four years later with a bachelor’s degree in education with a focus on Early Years foundation education. In 2019, Cheri-Lee moved to Shanghai to work in a training centre teaching English to children aged 3 – 15. From 2020 – 2022 she worked at a kindergarten teaching children aged 5 – 6. In her spare time, Cheri-Lee enjoys being with friends, cycling, practicing yoga, travelling and watching movies. She loves summers spent at the beach, swimming and reading in the sun.

Michael Orchard

Head of Pre-Prep (Years 1-2) | Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Michael has been teaching for more than ten years and came to Wellington College in 2018 as a Year 2 teacher. In 2020 he became Head of Year 1 and the Wellbeing Coordinator for Pre and Lower Prep. Michael holds a certificate in Positive Education from Wilfred Laurier University (Canada) and is passionate about pupils learning to flourish in all areas of life. Before moving to Wellington, he taught both Years 1&2 at Yew Chung International School. Michael gained his graduate teaching qualification in his home country of New Zealand. He also holds Qualified Teacher Status in England. He completed a BSc(Hons) in Environmental Health at Middlesex University, and later a post-graduate diploma in leadership at Mattersey Hall, Doncaster. Before teaching Michael pursued a career in public health working in central government on legislative and policy reform. He also served 3 years as the Executive Director of the Institute of Environmental Health before taking a career break to teach public health at a university in China. Michael is accompanied by his wife, and two children who both study at Wellington.

Phil Osborne

Head of Wellbeing | Year 3 Teacher

Phil spent two years teaching in the UK before moving to teach abroad for four years in a large international school in Shanghai followed by two years in an international school in Singapore as the head of year 3. However, Phil missed the bustle and excitement of Shanghai and is delighted to have returned to the city. Phil is a third-culture child and also a product of an international education system, having spent an entire childhood in the Netherlands, attending an international school before moving to the UK to study law at university. Phil has felt privileged to have been part of the founding group of colleagues who were responsible for setting up Wellington College International Shanghai. Phil is particularly interested in science and thoroughly enjoys introducing this subject to the younger pupils. Phil also speaks several languages and has a great deal of experience with EAL children. Mental health and wellbeing is something that has also been a passion for Phil, for many years.

Joanne Parrish

Deputy Head of Prep

Joanne has a wealth of experience teaching in both the UK and internationally in a career spanning two decades. She has taught across all age levels from Pre-Nursery to year 13 in various roles and subjects in different schools. Joanne joins Wellington to teach year 2, having transferred from Huili Nursery Shanghai. 

Born and raised in Ireland, Joanne completed her university degree and teaching qualification in London. After graduating, she continued to teach in Southwest London for 10 years before leaving for Shanghai. During this time, she completed a post graduate diploma in education and worked with two London Universities as a mentor for trainee teachers.

Joanne has lived in Shanghai since 2011 and loves life in this vibrant city. She loves to travel with her husband and two daughters, exploring China and beyond. She also enjoys keeping fit, cooking and baking with her family and socialising with friends.

Jun Qian

Prep Cover Teaching Assistant

Bob Rainey

Year 2 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Andres Sanchez 

Year 4 Teacher

Andres qualified as a teacher in 2001, first working in London, and later moving to Bristol to work as a year 4 teacher and maths coordinator. In 2006, he realized a lifelong dream to live and work in Rio de Janeiro when he accepted a year 6 teaching post at The British School there. The following year he became the Year Leader for year 6. He went on to become coordinator for the Student Council and house coordinator. In 2016, Andres accepted a leadership post at Taylor's International School, Kuala Lumpur.He has also worked at an outdoor school on Portugal's Algarve.

Andres got his degree in politics / American studies at the University of Wolverhampton and Keene State College, New Hampshire, USA. He completed his PGCE at the University of London, Southbank. Andres has continued in his lifelong learning journey by completing a number of courses such as the Harvard School of Education’s ‘Visible Thinking’ and the Council of British International School’s (COBIS) ‘Aspiring Heads’.

Outside of school, Andres enjoys listening to his vinyl record collection which he insists is the best way to listen to music ­— unless it is live.  As a chorister in his early life Andres finds peace and harmony listening to and singing choral music. He is a keen photographer and hopes to add to his catalogue while in China. 

David Selwood

Head of Year 5 | Year 5 Teacher

David Selwood was born in Sheffield, England and lived there for most of his life. He holds a Bachelor degree in Education from Nottingham University that qualifies him to teach children from years 3 to 11. He has worked as a teacher in the US and the Caribbean. Throughout his career, he has been a Key Stage One Leader, Deputy Head and Head of School.   David truly believes that his calling is to be a teacher and is devoted to making sure all of his pupils succeed. He enjoys being in the company of children because they surprise you every day with their ideas, endless energy, boundless happiness and talents.

Chanelle Serrano

Year 2 Teacher

Mrs Serrano is originally from northern England. Coming from a mixed background, she has always been fascinated by different cultures and is proud to be bilingual in English and Spanish. Previously she has worked in a range of Britishprimary schools, gaining experience in years 1 through 6. Since 2019 she has worked in year 2 with a range of children, including those with special educational needs and multilingual pupils. Making learning fun and full of immersive experiences are key to her teaching style. A safe classroom culture, mental health and setting high expectations are. fundamental to her educational outlook. Mrs Serrano’s passion for teaching comes from her mother who is also a teacherat Wellington College (Mrs Heatley).

As a teenager she supported her mother in teaching, gaining fantastic skills. After discovering her passion, she tookthe first step in becoming a teacher and gained a BSc honours degree, specializing in childhood studies, child psychology, and Spanish language and culture. In 2018 she graduated with a PGCE in Primary education with qualifiedteacher status, at Sheffield Hallam University. During her career, she has collaborated with educators and governors todiversify schemes of work to support all learners, led engaging afterschool clubs and taught excellent lessons.

Outside of school she enjoys travelling with her family, going to the theatre and taking long walks. Mrs Serrano has ababy boy who is full of energy and she loves reading books to him in Spanish.

Monique Skinner

Year 1 Teacher

Originally from South Africa, Monique has a true passion for nurturing young minds. She graduated with a first class Bachelor of Early Years Education degree from the University of Pretoria. Her teaching career began by dedicating four years to teaching children aged five to seven, where she gained invaluable experience working with children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Monique has taken on significant leadership roles throughout her career, serving as a mentor teacher and head of staff wellbeing. Her commitment to professional growth also led her to obtain the National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching.

In 2019, Monique embarked on an exciting journey to China alongside her husband, Hector. Their family grew in February 2023 when they joyfully welcomed their daughter into the world. Outside the classroom, Monique indulges in various hobbies that bring her joy and fulfilment. She has a love of singing, dancing and reading. Exploring the outdoors and going on adventures to new destinations with her family are experiences she cherishes. Monique's deep interest in musice specially shone through when she conducted one of South Africa's top-10 children's choirs.

Hector Skinner

Year 4 Teacher

Hector graduated with a first-class BA in human movement sciences degree and a postgraduate certificate in education from The University of Pretoria. He strongly believes in lifelong learning and has also obtained his National Professional Qualification in leading teaching. In addition to his academic qualifications, He has obtained coaching certifications in various sports disciplines.

Since embarking on his teaching career in 2016, Hector has taught pupils from years 1 to 6, catering to diverse cultural backgrounds and learning needs. He consistently inspires all pupils to realise their full potential. In 2019, Hector and his wife, Monique, relocated to Ningbo before settling in Shenzhen, where he assumed the role of co-curriculum coordinator at his school. They were also blessed with the arrival of their daughter in February 2023.

Hector is an avid sports enthusiast who delights in playing golf and has an insatiable appetite for acquiring new knowledge. He thoroughly enjoys outdoor activities and exploring new destinations with his family and friends. Over thepast four years, Hector and his wife have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout China, immersing themselves in the culture, relishing local cuisine, and appreciating the country's breathtaking scenery.

Daniel Speed

Year 5 Teacher

Daniel brings extensive experience in theatre, television and writing to the classroom and inspires young learners to be creative, curious, and fearless in their pursuit of knowledge and personal growth.

Throughout his career, Daniel has come to understand that teaching is not solely about imparting knowledge; it involves modelling a life of continuous learning for young students. He sets a positive example by actively seeking new experiences and learning opportunities. Daniel's creative background allows him to engage children in the learning process, encouraging their curiosity, exploration of new ideas, and bold self-expression.

Having lived in various parts of the world, Daniel has gained valuable international experience that provides him with aunique perspective on teaching and valuable cultural awareness. He understands and engages with pupils from diverse backgrounds, creating a welcoming and inclusive learning community.

Aside from teaching, Daniel is an avid reader and writer. He recognises the importance of these skills in fostering creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication. He encourages his pupils to read extensively, explore diverse genres of writing and engage in creative writing themselves.

Cynthia Sun

Year 5 Teaching Assistant

Ivy Tang

Year 4 Teaching Assistant

Dr Tania Blatti

Head of Lower Prep

Tania has 18 years' experience working in the education sector. She holds a PhD in education from the University of Melbourne, where she discovered the significance of collective teacher efficacy in increasing teacher impact on pupil outcomes. She also earned an MEd from the British University in Dubai and a BEd from the Royal Melbourne Institute in Melbourne. Throughout her career, Tania has held various teaching and leadership roles in education, starting in Australia and later moving to Dubai, South Korea and China. Her diverse experiences have allowed her to gain a unique perspective on education and a desire to nurture learning systems and educational practices to support multilingual learners.

Lulu Tao

Year 2 Teaching Assistant

Lauren Tate

Year 1 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Lauren has nearly a decade of teaching experience across multiple age groups, mostly in Early Years and Key Stage 1. Her previous roles were at international schools in Suzhou, Shenzhen and Thailand. Lauren graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a Distinction in her Post Graduate Certificate in Education, qualifying her to teach.

Lauren is passionate about nurturing students holistically through their educational journey. This involves developing pupils' physical, intellectual and social-emotional skills while fostering a love of learning that inspires academic success.

Outside of school Lauren loves spending time with her partner Chris and their young baby son. She also enjoys socialising with friends, watching movies, reading and trying new restaurants — especially for brunch and dinner. Lauren loves travelling and visiting new places on holiday. She looks forward to taking her son to different countries tonurture his love of travel.

Abby Taylor

Year 2 Teacher 

Adam Tesdale

Year 1 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Adam hails from the UK and is an honours graduate with a first-class degree in sport and exercise science from University College Worcester. He went on to study a PGCE at the University of The West of England, specialising in Lower Primary and Early Years teaching.  

Adam has over 15 years international teaching experience. Since qualifying, he has held numerous leadership/teaching posts in some of the most prestigious British international schools across Asia, including Wellington Tianjin. He also spent seven years in Abu Dhabi teaching at the award-winning Cranleigh International School. His most recent post was at Merchiston Shenzhen.

Beyond teaching, Adam is passionate about photography and filmmaking. He combines this passion with his love of drones which enables him to capture the incredible world around him. Adam is aslo very adventurous and loves to hike in the mountains and camp in the wilderness, something he has enjoyed doing in the Middle East.

Andrew Thackray

Year 5 Teacher | Science Coordinator (Prep School)

Before teaching, Andrew was an Analytical Chemist at the largest water company in the UK. After several years of analysing water and soil samples using ion chromatography, he chose to retrain as a teacher. It is a choice that he has never regretted. Andrew has more than eighteen years primary teaching experience. His first teaching post was in a small, local primary school on the east coast of England before moving to Qatar, where he spent his years teaching in the classroom or as a PE and swimming teacher. Andrew studied Chemistry at the University of Plymouth and completed a master degree in Chemistry at the University of Kent in the UK. He went on to complete his PGCE at Canterbury Christchurch University. Outside of school, Andrew spends most of his time with his two girls, Lily and Emma, who also attend Wellington College International Shanghai. Andrew is an avid triathlete and has competed in several Ironman races. He also loves to play and watch all kinds of sports, particularly cricket and rugby.

Steffan Thompson-Trought

Year 5 Teacher

Originally from London, Steffan graduated from the University of the Arts London in 2010 with a degree in Sports Journalism. He got his start in 2011 as a teaching assistant at his old primary school. He worked his way up through the ranks, assuming various roles, such as cover teacher and unqualified class teacher. In 2016, he began a graduate training programme at the school and became a qualified primary teacher in 2017. Steffan enjoys the challenges of working in diverse environments and believes the keys to a successful classroom are building strong relationships and having high expectations of children. He also loves inspiring children to read for enjoyment.   Outside of teaching, Steffan is a passionate traveller. Nothing excites him more than travelling to a new place that he hasn't yet been to. He is also an avid player and watcher of football and is a supporter of Manchester United.

Marilyn Tolentino

High Level Teaching Assistant

Aviva Wang

Year 5 Teaching Assistant

Demi Wang

Trainee Teacher

Stephanie Wang

Year 2 Dual Language Co-Teacher

Nicole Wang

Year 5 Teaching Assistant

Stuart Willy

Year 4 Dual Language Co-Teacher | Inquiry Coordinator

Stuart Willy came into education from careers in the media and social welfare. He served stints at Warner Music and the Financial Times and spent several years managing a team that supported vulnerable adults and families. In 2008, he transitioned into education, and he has not looked back since. He has taught in the UK and has eight years of international school experience in Shanghai. Most recently, he headed the primary school English department at YK Pao in Shanghai.   Stuart holds a BA (Hons) in Media Studies from Sheffield Hallam University. He is a CELTA-certified EAL teacher and completed his PGCE in Primary Education at The University of East London.   He is an avid traveller who has explored a large number of countries. In China, his travels have taken him on motorbike tours in Sichuan, camel trekking in Gansu and volunteering in an orphanage in the mountains of Yunnan.

Marion Wong

Year 4 Teacher | Head of English (Pre-Prep & Lower Prep)

Marion studied graphic design at Lincoln University. After graduating, she moved to Carlisle to train professionally as a teacher, completing her PGCE at Lancaster University. Over the years, Marion has taught in both mainstream and international settings in London, Guangzhou, Tokyo and Shanghai. She has experience teaching from reception to year 6.

Marion is a firm believer of lifelong learning. After more than a decade of teaching within the British system, Marion moved to the International Primary Years Programme. She developed inquiring, thinking and risk-taking attributes in her teaching. Marion is committed in promoting pupil agency for every child to be lifelong independent learners.

In her spare time, Marion enjoys photography and painting. She loves spending time with her two dogs and is an activevolunteer to a stray animal’s rescue center in Shanghai. Recently, she has wanted to do something different, so she hasstepped out of her comfort zone and started boxing lessons.

Carlene Wright

Prep Cover Teacher 

Prior to teaching, Carlene was a hydrogeologist who enjoyed drilling for groundwater and managing large groundwater drought programmes across England. After several years of consultancy work, she decided to do something even more worthwhile and retrained as a teacher. Carlene feels she has joined the best profession in the world! She has more than twelve years' primary teaching experience in the UK, Qatar and China. She is delighted to be going into her fifth year at Wellington College Carlene studied Geology at the University of Southampton and completed a master's degree in Hydrogeology at the University of Birmingham in the UK. She then went on to complete her PCGE at Portsmouth University. When not teaching, Carlene and her husband, an assistant head teacher at the school, keep busy with their two daughters, who attend the Prep School at Wellington College Shanghai. She enjoys travelling with her family and looks forward to seeing more of Asia and other parts of the world.

Mark Wright

Acting Head of Prep School

Mark started his teaching career in a junior school in the south of England, teaching across Key Stage 2 for four years. After eight years teaching in the UK, Mark decided to take his young family to live and teach in Qatar, initially to teach year 2 and then Early Years Foundation Stage. As well as being a pastoral middle leader at the school he was a swimming coach and led a large number of pupils through their Silver International Award. Mark went to Portsmouth University to study human geography and then completed his PGCE at The University of St. Mark and St. John in primary education. Outside school, Mark is kept busy by his two young girls, Mia and Sophie, who also attend Wellington College International Shanghai and will be found in the Pre-Prep. Mark likes to train and compete in triathlons whenever he can. He also loves to play and watch all kinds of different sports, particularly football, and is a massive fan of Arsenal FC.

Kiara Wu

Trainee Teacher

Kiara graduated with a degree in second language education from the University of Minnesota. During her studies, she obtained her TESL certificate. After graduation, she worked as a Chinese/bilingual teacher at Hopkins West Junior High School. Upon returning to Shanghai, she obtained her Teacher Qualification Certificate and then worked for a bilingual school in her hometown. As a teacher, Kiara embodies the spirit of a lifelong learner. Her goal is to ignite her pupils' curiosity about the world, fostering open-mindedness and a passion for learning both inside and outside the classroom. Outside of teaching, Kiara has a great passion for travel and spends her holidays exploring the wonders of the world.

Grace Yang

Dual Language Bilingual Teacher & Year 1 DL Coordinator

Anna Yang

Prep Cover Teaching Assistant

Lily Yao

Year 1 High Level Teaching Assistant

Ada Yin

Year 3 High Level Teaching Assistant

Tracy Yu

Year 4 High Level Teaching Assistant

Gina Zhan

Year 1 Teaching Assistant

Cherry Zhang

Year 4 Teaching Assistant

Faith Zhang

Year 3 Teaching Assistant

Susan Zhang

Year 5 Teaching Assistant

Trista Zhao

Year 1 High Level Teaching Assistant

Teresa Zhao

Year 4 Teaching Assistant

Julie Zhu

Year 3 Teaching Assistant

Paula Alderson

Head of Chemistry and ISAMS Logistics Manager

After graduating with a first-class BSc (hons) degree in Chemistry, Paula was a research scientist with ICI and then DuPont following a company buyout. She was in the polyester intermediates field specialising in pure terephthalic acid. In 2002, she decided to embark on her education career and taught all specialities of science and maths in the northeast of England for many years before teaching internationally. She taught in Azerbaijan before working in Shanghai for six years as a head of year and then a head of science and technology. She then taught at an international school in Beijing before returning to Shanghai to join the Wellington Family.

Thomas Allen 

Teacher of Mathematics

Originally from Cambridge, Tom studied physics, mathematics, further mathematics, and computer science through to A level before obtaining a masters in artificial intelligence and computer science from The University of Sheffield. After graduating from university, he started work as a mathematics teaching assistant and IT teacher at Carlton le Willows Academy in Nottingham. During the next three years, he switched over and obtained his teaching certification specialising in secondary mathematics, teaching students from year 7 to 13. After this, he left to travel, first within Europe, and then to Shanghai with the goal of learning Mandarin.

In Shanghai, Tom completed his TEFL qualification before starting work as a curriculum developer and teacher trainer at Wall Street English within their newly formed scholar department, focusing on teaching English to teenagers and young learners using a person-centred learning experience. During this time, he took on many new challenges, working with students from ages 5 to 19. He built strong relationships with pupils and staff, quickly becoming a highly requested teacher by students and parents, eventually taking responsibility for most aspects of the department, from academics to managing staff.

Tom has a passion for learning across a wide variety of subjects, specifically STEM fields and languages. In his free time, he enjoys learning languages, playing competitive video games, and deepening his understanding of subjects like physics and philosophy.

Lizanne Awuor Obilo

Teacher of Economics

Lizanne is from Kenya and has a bachelor’s degree in business commerce. She holds a post-graduate teaching and learning diploma from the University of Nottingham with a focus on international education. Before transitioning into the field of international education, Lizanne was a risk manager at the British-American insurance company in Nairobi where she gained a wealth of experience in the corporate world as well as the economic environment. She has taught in international schools in China, Kenya, Cameroon and Seychelles. In the past eight years, Lizanne has served as a teacher of A level and IGCSE business and economics. She’s also an examiner of CAIE both IGCSE and A level economics. Lizanne is currently pursuing a master’s degree in economic development and policy analysis at the University of Nottingham.

In her spare time, Lizanne loves reading and analysing economic journals and magazines. She also enjoys cooking, swimming and traveling.

Anna Bannister

Head of Psychology & Head of Year 12

Anna studied for a BSC (Hons) Degree in human psychology at Aston University, where she became particularly drawn to the field of cognitive neuroscience, and was awarded a Nuffield Foundation scholarship to study variability in human brain function, as well as using fMRI for her dissertation and volunteering as a research assistant throughout her time studying. Anna went on to complete a PGCE specialising in KS2 and KS3 science. After a decade of teaching, she is once again studying, this time for a Masters in educational leadership at the University of Buckingham. Anna joins us from London, where she worked as Head of a rapidly expanding sixth form and has implemented a comprehensive work experience programme. Prior to this, she had 5 years experience of Head of Department and had also taken on many further roles, such as whole-school careers coordinator and literacy coordinator. Anna has worked extensively with pupils who speak English as an additional language, and is particularly interested in encouraging pupils to develop a growth mindset. Anna has two children and although they all frequently sail, walk and swim, she does feel her hobbies predominantly involve ferrying and watching the children during their activities. Anna enjoys travelling and is looking forward to kayaking, scuba diving, cycling and trekking across the Far East. She is particularly interested in human evolution, and would recommend any book by Professor Chris Stringer. Anna recently completed her first free-fall sky dive and is now hooked!

David Bartoli

Head of Design & Technology

Since he was very young David Bartoli has always been fascinated with creating, designing and making. As a child he spent hours creating everything his imagination could come up with out of Lego. He believes that the ability to design and manufacture products is one of the hardest but most rewarding skills that pupils can learn. The design process is necessary for their development; experiences allowing them to experiment, create, take risks, manage projects, solve problems are all key skills that will be needed in the future. This fascination with how the world works, why products/buildings/systems are the way they are, led David to discover the rest of the world. He loves to experience different cultures and understand the history, art and design behind them. Every country he visits, he picks up a new perspective on design, people and the wider world. The sustainable approach that Sweden takes with product design; the wonder and power of Jerusalem; the original crafting techniques of Morocco; the paintings and woodwork techniques of China; these are all just various drops in the water of what he has learned and experienced throughout his design journey.

Joshua Beard

Director of Higher Education & Careers

Joshua has worked in education for more than 15 years, starting in the United States and then since 2007 in China. In that time he has worked with pupils from Grade 5 to university level and beyond in a wide variety of roles: social studies and TOK teacher, English instructor, test prep tutor, after school activities director, CAS coordinator and college counsellor. It is in this last role that he found his true professional calling. Josh completed his undergraduate education at the University of Virginia (UVA), where he pursued an interdisciplinary degree in international relations and religious studies. He later received his Masters in Teaching from National Louis University, where he focused on secondary social studies education. More recently, he completed a post-graduate certificate in college counselling from the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). Outside of school, Joshua enjoys staying active by hiking and lifting weights. He loves spending time with his wife and young son Caelan here in Shanghai. Having married into a local Chinese family, Josh is diligently working on his Mandarin language skills but he should probably spend more time learning Shanghainese if he wants to please his in-laws.

Myles Bebbington

Teacher of Computer Science | Prep Computing Coordinator

Myles has taught computing skills for three years in Italy, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. He has gained a wealth of experience through stints at small edu-tech companies such as Firetech as well as international schools like the British International School of Kuala Lumpur. Before teaching computing, Myles worked as a tour guide in the UK, showing a variety of cultural sites to children of all nationalities. Having achieved a Bachelor's degree in politics and French at the University of Exeter (with a year spent studying in France), Myles developed a passion for working in different cultures. He moved to Malaysia for two years after finishing his undergraduate, before returning to the UK to complete his PGCE. In his spare time, Myles practices weightlifting, and has competed in amateur competitions in Singapore, Malaysia and the UK, achieving silver and bronze medals. Before he took up weightlifting, he played American Football in the UK and France. He also enjoys reading, hiking and developing his programming skills.

Tarra Behr

Head of Business and Economics

Tarra comes to Shanghai from Auckland, New Zealand. At school, she discovered her love for Accounting and English and from there decided to become a teacher so that she could share her passion with others. She has been teaching commerce since 2013 and enjoys making the subject come to life. She is passionate about creating activities that will get students out of their seats, thinking critically, and solving problems that businesses of today face. These activities encourage students to think out of the box, draw on their existing knowledge and seek new ideas through research.   She attended Massey University, where she received a Bachelor of Business Studies, Bachelor of Arts, and her Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary).   Outside of the classroom, you will find Tarra working with budding entrepreneurs as she guides them in following their dreams of starting their own businesses. In her spare time, Tarra is a keen baker and cake decorator. She also enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures. This is Tarra's first international teaching post and she is excited about exploring China.

Amy Bennett

Head of History (Senior School)

Originally from Manchester, Amy spent most of her life in Warrington, UK, before heading to the Northeast for university. She graduated in 2015 with a BA degree in Combined Honours, majoring in history, before settling in South London. There she spent seven years working for a successful multi-academy trust, first as a trainee in the Teach First Leadership Development Programme (2016 cohort) and then as part of the founding team of a brand-new academy in 2018. At this academy she built up the humanities department, leading the history curriculum and whole-school citizenship curriculum, collaborating on the personal development curriculum, establishing a comprehensive and inclusive student leadership structure, and leading on whole-school assessment for learning initiatives, including embedding oracy into assessment design.

Whilst teaching, she undertook an MA in Humanities Education at UCL Institute of Education. Her research interests include curriculum design, cognitive science and inclusive teaching. Her areas of historical interest include Europe in the Early Modern period, the Age of Revolutions and the birth of nations such as the United States and Germany. She also has a soft spot for art history and symbolism in portraiture.

Outside of teaching, Amy is an avid fiction reader, musical theatre-goer and Formula 1 fan.

Chris Blackwell

Teacher of Humanities

Chris is a Welshman who graduated in 2015 from USW with a bachelor’s degree in public services. Following this, he travelling the world and began teaching in 2016. Upon realising that teaching was his calling, he obtained his PGCEi and then a PGCE in secondary geography with QTS. He has enjoyed teaching in the UK and in Shanghai, giving him a unique perspective and appreciation for international education. He is on track to begin studying for a master’s degree in education, leadership and management

With a sporting history ranging from rugby league to golf, Chris is happy to be involved in anything competitive or challenging. While he does not consider himself to be artistic in the slightest, he has been focusing on photography in recent years, both in street and sport varieties.

Sarah Burgess

Teacher of Science

Sarah began her early career working for a major bank, where her role was focused on staff training and development. This pathway led her to becoming a corporate project manager overseeing nationwide training programmes. However, a move to Shanghai ignited a change of career, and for the last 12 years, Sarah has worked at some of the top international schools in China and Singapore.

She has held a number of prominent roles in schools including head of Key Stage 3 and university and careers counsellor to name but two. Completing her undergraduate degree in biochemistry with medical biochemistry at Leeds University, Sarah went on to study for her PGCE at the University of Sunderland.

Outside of work, Sarah is a dedicated mum who enjoys nothing more than spending time with her family and their little white dog, Monty. During summer holidays, Sarah likes to head back with the family to the wild and historic coastline of her native Northumberland.

Phillip Burnell

Head of Geography & Head of Educational Excursions

Phillip worked in schools across Shanghai for nine years before joining the Wellington Community. During this time, he taught and coordinated IGCSE and IB curriculums related to the earth sciences. He has also been involved with the teaching and development of business studies, economics, global perspectives, IGCSE courses and STEAM programmes. Phil enjoys spending time outdoors and he has shared this by leading expeditions and educational trips around the world, most notably from Shanghai to Switzerland, Tanzania and Thailand. Phil has also maintained roles as both head of year and ECA coordinator, being award the Educational Leadership Award by the Huacao town Government, Shanghai in 2019.

Phil completed his master’s degree in volcanology and geological hazards at Lancaster University in 2012. Prior to this he graduated from Keele University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in geology with physical geography. After completing his PGCE, he has continued his professional development in education and gained a variety of certifications in the IGCSE and IB curriculum.

He has been an avid badminton player since he was young, taking part in occasional competitions and team events. Staying true to his roots, he enjoys being outdoors, cycling, orienteering and hiking whenever he can. When indoors, he likes to relax with the occasional gaming session, particularly those that promote creative city building challenges.

Emma Cairns

Head of Year 10 | Teacher of English

Alexandre Carvalho

Teacher of Mathematics

Alexandre has worked in several schools across China, from Upper Primary to High School, with pupils from various levels and backgrounds. He has worked with the British Columbia Curriculum and International Baccalaureate. He has taught mathematics to Middle and High School students, from years 5 to 13. In addition, he worked as an advisor and mentor, providing pastoral care for year 8 children.

Before becoming a teacher, Alexandre worked for multinational companies in the financial and administrative areas for 16 years. His passion for teaching and travelling the world led him to switch careers and embrace the world of education.

He holds a degree in Business from INSPER (Brazil), and a teaching degree with an emphasis on mathematics from Unijales University (Brazil). He is studying for a master’s degree in mathematics at Shawnee State University in the US. He also regularly participates in educational workshops and seminars.

Outside work, Alexandre loves spending time exploring new places, fishing, and riding his bike. In addition, he is a keen cook and enjoys barbecuing with family and friends.

Dr Charles Debieux

Head of Senior School

Charles began his formal education at the University of Leeds, UK, where he studied for a degree in Biochemistry and Medical Biochemistry, followed by a Masters in Research. His research was on blood vessel development after the onset of a stroke and how modern genetics can be used to regrow blood vessels to the oxygen starved part of the brain, a process known as Angiogenesis. After this fascinating project he obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology at Newcastle University, UK, where he conducted research on the childhood disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy, published numerous papers in international journals and presented at a scientific conference in New York. After Charles formal training he continued with his research career, but this time in the field of Bioengineering at the University of Exeter, funded by the British Research Council and Shell UK. This research was focused on genetically engineering Micro-organisms to produce Bio-diesel and remove pollutants caused by extracting fossil fuels. During this project he discovered and named a novel gene and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA). Outside of Science Charles has a passion for adventure and travel. He has visited a variety of countries around the world and one of his favorite trips was spending four weeks bush camping in Africa, travelling through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. While he delights in the natural wonders of the world, he still enjoys the glitz and glamour of a city.

Ramabai Chintapalli

Teacher of Chemistry

Ling Coong

Teacher of Science | Head of Charity and Service Learning

Ling has taught in Shanghai for over a decade and has extensive international school experience in teaching IGCSE science and IBDP biology. She has worked with IBDP students, helping them excel in their internal assessments and guiding them through the Extended Essay process. She believes in the importance of fostering curiosity and developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills in pupils. As well as teaching, she has had strong experience in coordinating and supporting students in their CAS programmes. She promotes the importance of service learning and encourages pupils to reflect on their experiences. She has also initiated and fostered relationships with local and international charities and NGOs to create opportunities for pupils to engage and become global citizens.

Prior to moving to China, Ling taught GCSE science for several years in Oxfordshire, England. A graduate of the University of Sheffield, Ling earned a degree in neuroscience, and taught English in Japan before completing her PGCE at The University of Leeds.

In her spare time, Ling loves to take walks around Shanghai and sample different cuisines from around the world. She also enjoys reading books and watching films as well as spending time with her boys (her husband and two children).

John Davis

Teacher of Design & Technology

John has been teaching Design Technology in the UK for 16 years. He has taught Early Years to A-level, in subjects like electronics, product design and systems and control. He also has experience teaching food technology, ICT and computing.

He served as head of department at a leading prep school in South Derbyshire, where he helped develop children's technical skills. He prepared pupils for scholarships in design and technology. As manager of the school's motor racingteam, he gave pupils the opportunity to design, build and race electric cars.

John also served head of eesign and technology at the Huili School in Hangzhou. Before teaching, John worked in Medical Engineering for the NHS and a company that specialised in radio therapy equipment.

In his free time John enjoys being outdoors through camping, walking and running. He also likes to travel and relax witha good book.

Bradley Dennon

Teacher of Mathematics

Bradley has been working at Wellington College International Hangzhou since 2019 and previously taught in the UK in Manchester. Since 2016 Bradley has been teaching the GCSE and IGCSE curriculum and has taken on teaching A-levels too. His experience in teaching lies in the age group 11-18, with vast experience of taking pupils through exams in years 11,12 and 13.

Bradley was educated in Manchester, a city known for its large number of international students. He attended The Manchester College for his A-levels, Salford University for his mathematics degree and Manchester Metropolitan University for his teaching qualification. Bradley also holds a National Professional Qualification for middle leadership.

Outside of school Bradley enjoys watching and playing football and supports Manchester City FC. He also enjoys playingmost racket sports when he gets the opportunity. Bradley, even outside of the classroom, has a genuine interest inmathematics and will seek out puzzles and challenges related to maths in his spare time.

Victoria Doamekpor

Director of Educational Technology & Innovation

Victoria (Vicki) Doamekpor gained her Bsc (Hons) in computer science, mathematics and management at Lancaster University. Then Vicki went onto Manchester Metropolitan University where she obtained her PGCE in secondary ICT and business. Vicki has previously taught in the UK and the Netherlands at primary schools. Vicki hopes as a teacher to instil a love of learning in all her pupils by sharing her own passion with them. As a caring, compassionate, dedicated teacher, she challenges every one of them and provides experiences that stimulate curiosity, providing opportunities to ask questions, problem-solve and reach a higher level of knowledge. She provides pupils with opportunities to become confident, creative technological learners, equipped with an essential skill set that they can use to enrich and extend their learning. Having worked in international education for the past eight years, Vicki now feels very privileged to be joining Wellington College in Shanghai. Vicki is proud to be working at a school with such a wonderful ethos and history. She is looking forward to getting to know Shanghai and also intends to travel around as much of South East Asia as possible.

Katie Edwards

Head of English (Senior School)

Katie grew up near Bristol in the UK and has been teaching for 19 years. She worked for 14 very happy years as an English teacher and whole-school literacy coordinator at a high performing state school in Ealing. In 2020, she joined the Wellington Family at its Hangzhou campus and has really enjoyed the challenges of teaching at an international school and living in China. Throughout her career, she has mainly taught English language and literature at GCSE and A level and has held a variety of pastoral roles.

Katie gained her degree in English Literature from Loughborough University and took her PGCE at Roehampton Institute, University of Surrey. She also holds a CELTA certificate for teaching English as a foreign language.

In her spare time Katie is mum to two very lively girls who are also Wellington pupils. She loves cooking, writing and running (very slowly) when she has the chance.

Thomas Edwards

Head of Science (Senior School)

Thomas has taught biology A level and science for eight years in Beijing, four of which he took the additional responsibility of  housemaster for both Prep and Senior School pupils. Before that, Thomas taught IB Biology and Environmental Systems and Societies at a British International School in Shanghai. He studied biology at the University of Bristol and completed a post-graduate diploma in psychology before completing his PGCE and starting his teaching career in Suffolk in the UK.

Whilst studying he discovered SCUBA diving, and the cold trips to windy UK beaches sparked a continuing passion for the underwater world. Thomas later became a SCUBA diving and first aid instructor and enjoys all things relating to the great outdoors, leading several school SCUBA diving trips for pupils to the Philippines and Malaysia as well as countless International Award expeditions. Thomas believes that trips and experiential learning are critical for pupils to develop into well-rounded, resilient and enthusiastic team players.  

Thomas enjoys trail running, cycling and keeping fit. He has completed the Beijing marathon twice as well as several ultra-marathons in the hills around Beijing. Thomas also loves rugby, singing and learning Chinese, even if his infant daughter has already superseded his Mandarin proficiency.

Daniel Eldred

Head of Upper Prep | Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Daniel Eldred was born in Gaborone, Botswana and lived there for most of his childhood before returning to the UK in 1999 to attend East Bergholt School and complete his GCSEs. Daniel studied fine art Sculpture at Kingston University and, after his degree, he spent a year exhibiting in Berlin and London. In 2007 Daniel enrolled at the Institute of Education, London and completed his PGCE in secondary art and design education. Daniel second teaching placement was to the Regent School, Bangkok, where he trained for six months; this was the experience that made him realise that he wanted to work in international schools. During Daniel?? time as a teacher he has continued to develop his subject knowledge; the most exciting of these opportunities was to train in special effects makeup at the London School of Media and Film. Daniel sees Wellington College International Shanghai as an opportunity to further develop and fine tune his teaching practice in a progressive education environment. As a leader in art and design education, Daniel feels it is important to expose pupils to a wide variety of media and processes. Daniel intentions are to try and make links to industry in every project undertaken across all Key Stages. The creative industry is vast and varied, so pupils should have the opportunity to see art and design from a variety of influences.

Bradley Finan

Teacher of Humanities

Bradley was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester and has been working with children for over 18 years. Initially, he worked with children in care homes across the North West of England before spending seven years working in Youth Justice with children who were becoming involved in criminal behaviour. He also volunteered for a local charity that provided English lessons to refugee families. He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2002 with a BA (Hons) in criminology and sociology. He followed this up by working for the Rochdale Youth Offending Team, helping some of the most vulnerable children in society to access education and keep away from criminal activity. Bradley came to Shanghai with his then fiancé in 2010. Almost 9 years on, he is now married and blessed with two wonderful children. He completed his PGCEi Teaching qualification while teaching at The British International School, Pudong. Since then, he has primarily taught in year 5 and year 6 and has recently enjoyed his role as Primary House Co-ordinator. Bradley really enjoys exploring new places and has visited over 30 countries around the world. In his spare time, he enjoys going to the gym, walking and spending time with my family.

Persephone Furness

Teacher of Science

Sean-Philippe Gall

Teacher of Humanities

Mira Gao

Teacher of Mathematics

Conor Gibson

Head of Year 9 | Teacher of English Language and Literature

Conor was originally trained to teach in the UK through the Teach First Development Programme. From there, he taught in Birmingham for two years before moving to International School Seychelles, where he taught history at the IGCSE and A Level and served a pastoral role as Head of Year. Most recently, he has taught English at the IGCSE and DP level and Theory of Knowledge in Indonesia.

He holds a degree in history from the University of Oxford and completed his PGCE through Birmingham City University in 2014. Currently, he is studying for a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Leicester.

When not teaching, Conor often reads literature and history books. He is also interested in many sports, especially cricket and football. He regularly attends cooking, taking French lessons and enjoys scuba diving.

Beatriz Goni

MFL Teacher

Beatriz has worked for the Cervantes Institute and the Shanghai CIIC International Training Center as Spanish teacher for adults and children since 2019. She is also been an official evaluator at all levels of Spanish language,for official Spanish certificates since 2020.

She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Burgos in Spain. After developing her career as a civil engineer, she discovered her passion for teaching Spanish as a foreign language and made a career pivot to teaching in Shanghai in 2017. She is currently working on a master’s degree in teaching Spanish language for foreigners from Nebrija University in Madrid, Spain.

She has lived in Shanghai since 2011, where her twin daughters were born. Bother are Wellington pupils as well.  

Rebecca Hall

Teacher of English Language and Literature

Rebecca is from London. She completed a degree in modern languages and linguistics, which included an Erasmus year in Manchester. After graduating, Rebecca’s first significant connection to teaching was from the CELTA. After some years in the education field, Rebecca undertook the PGCEi in 2020.

After pursuing her degree and finding great excitement from living abroad, Rebecca knew that her journey would go beyond the UK. She moved to South America in 2017 and taught English and exam practice to adults. Through this experience, Rebecca realised that her career path would almost certainly be in education. Some years later, the opportunity to live and work in China presented itself. It was from that point onwards that Rebecca discovered her love for working with young people together with being in a school environment. Rebecca has taught ESL and subjects in the medium of English to several age groups ranging from 6 to 18 years old. Rebecca encourages strong communication, creativity, and a love for learning in her classroom.

Rebecca’s loves dancing, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, travelling, yoga, learning languages, and building strong connections with others.

Yi Han

Teacher of Physics

Yi obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering for life science at the University of Cambridge. After graduation, she became a chartered accountant and worked as a financial consultant at one of the world's leading accountancy firms in both London and Shanghai for more than 10 years.

After many years of working in the financial sector, she realised the importance of education and developed a strong passion for education. She decided to obtain a PGCE from Durham University and started her career in international teaching.

Yi is an avid traveller and has been to many exciting places including Antarctica. She also enjoys playing board games and practicing yoga.

Robert Hicks

Assistant Head (Curriculum and Assessment) | Director of Studies

Robert began teaching English in 1995 in China, working in the country for over four years before moving back to the UK with his family to pursue a career as a mathematics teacher. He joined Wellington as a founder in 2014, having spent the previous thirteen years in a UK academy. Robert believes that mathematics is a universal language and an elegant tool for problem solving and is most exciting when presented in the context of its real applications. As such, he seeks every opportunity to link mathematics to science, computing, finance and day-to-day life. He also shares his sense of wonder at its intricate forms and patterns, particularly those found in nature, with his pupils. Few things delight him more than the solving of a particularly challenging problem, and even more so the pride of a pupil who achieves a solution on their own. Being part of Wellington's mathematics department is a thrilling opportunity, and he feels privileged to be part of an institution that delivers such innovative and first-class education. In his whole-school role, Robert oversees the college timetables and works closely with the senior leadership team to plan the curriculum, calculate staffing needs, harvest and analyse pupil data and develop Wellington's reporting systems.

Lydon Jaftha

Teacher of Geography

      Worked as a Social studies teacher in Hyde academy (Beijing) teaching global world History and Geography. Worked as an ‘Individual & Societies’ teacher in Shanghai for 4 years teaching grades 6-10 within the IB curriculum.Majored in Geographic science degree at University of Cape Town.  Currently completing Bsc Honours in Environmental science. Completed Post graduate certificate at University of Nottingham. UEFA C licence and Goalkeeping accreditation at Scottish Fa. Level 3 TOPIK (Korean) certified. Certified Cricket and Field Hockey coach at the South African cricket/hockey association.Interests include coaching sports such as football and cricket with a keen interest in youth development. Learning languages is a strong interest and currently studying Korean and Cyrillic (reading), would like to achieve a competent level in Mandarin (HSK). Other interests include using Blender to create 3D products and participating In sporting events. 

John Joyce

Head of English (Upper Prep)

John's teaching career began in Sunderland at Hylton Red House School, before heading east to work at The British International School of Shanghai, Puxi. There he was Head of Year and taught IB. After a fabulous few years in Shanghai, the opportunity arose to work at St Joseph's Institution International, a top IB school, in Singapore. As much as John loved working at SJII, China was the place he wanted to be. Having visited Guangzhou and liking how green the city was, John knew that a role at The British School of Guangzhou was the right fit for him at that time. After seven years in Guangzhou, John and his young family were ready for a new challenge, and they are looking forward to joining Wellington College.   John earned his degree in Archaeology and English Literature from the University of Wales. This was soon followed by a Masters in Archaeology from Cardiff University. It was while working as a field archaeologist that John realised his true calling as a teacher. He then enrolled in a PGCE in Secondary English at Newcastle University. In his spare time, John has a wide range of interests: mainly physical activities and sharing the world with his young daughter. He loves to read about China including Chinese fiction in English and has been a student of the language for the best part of a decade.

Penny Lewis

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care - Years 6-8) | Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Penny graduated from the University of Warwick with an LLB in Law. For 6 years she worked in a variety of legal environments including the Ministry of Justice, prosecution services and leading international charities. It was during a lectureship at Waseda University, Tokyo that she realised her love of teaching and so decided to move on to pastures new, swapping her law books for novels. Penny began her teaching career in West London, achieving QTS (Outstanding) and a PGCE from the Institute of Education, UCL. In particular, she is keen for students to develop a deeper appreciation of the written word and to find their own voice through an exploration of poetry, drama and creative writing. Penny moved to Shanghai in 2018 with her husband who is also a teacher. In her spare time she enjoys practising yoga badly, writing her never-ending novel and attending any event that sounds interesting. She hopes to get a cat.

Braden Long

Teacher of Physics

Braden Long comes to Wellington after 21 years of teaching in the US at a junior boarding school. He has taught physics for the past 11 years and has also taught physical sciences and earth science. Braden was also the dean of boys and director of residential life for a several years. He coached cross-country, basketball and lacrosse throughout his tenure and for 16 years was a houseparent for boys aged 11 through 16. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of New Haven. His first joy in life is spending time with his wife, Chen, and their daughter, Lilian. He also enjoys hiking, basketball, lacrosse and watching sports.

Matthew Lowish

Assistant Head of Prep (Curriculum & Assessment)

Matthew is originally from the UK and joins Wellington College from Dulwich College Beijing where he taught History, Geography, combined Humanities and Global Perspectives to Senior School students from Year 7 up to IB. He was the Head of Humanities and, most recently, Head of the Individuals and Societies faculty in addition to being a Model United Nations director and a football coach during his time at Dulwich. Matt attained a First Class Honours bachelor degree in War Studies and International Relations from Kings College London. He achieved QTS through the Graduate Teacher program at Sandown High School on the Isle of Wight, where he worked for four years as a history teacher and form tutor. He has also completed courses in blended learning, middle leadership and assessment in recent years. Matthew is excited to join Wellington for the new academic year. He is accompanied by his wife, Jian, and his three children, Kaili, Tiesha and Jiesun. In his free time, Matt enjoys reading historical fiction, playing and watching football, visiting historical sites and museums and watching documentaries. He and his family are very much looking forward to joining Wellington and settling in Shanghai.

Tina Ma 

Mathematics Coordinator (Senior School)

As a child, Tina lived in Shanghai, Colombia and the United States. After graduating with a degree in economics from University of California, Berkeley, she worked in finance and accounting before joining the teaching profession. After six years of teaching mathematics, she sees it as a lifelong and meaningful profession. During this time, she has obtained her secondary mathematics credentials from Washington DC, her QTS from the UK and is currently working on her Master of Science in Secondary Education from California State University, Fullerton.

Tina enjoys taking her three dogs on short trips in and around Shanghai. She also likes all the different cuisines available in Shanghai, such as Shanghainese, Turkish, Italian and Thai cuisine.

Katy Mackenzie

Head of Year 6 | Teacher of English Language and Literature

Katy moved to Shanghai from Beijing where she has been working as an English teacher for the past five years. She has taught IB language and literature, IGCSE first language English and IGCSE world literature. She was also head of year 7 for two years. Before moving to China, Katy taught in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland for five years. She has an MA in English and Scottish literature from the University of Aberdeen and a PGDE in English secondary teaching from the same university.

In her spare time, Katy enjoys running, reading, exploring Shanghai and its surrounding areas and taking Mandarin lessons.

Ellie Martinez

Head of Science (Upper Prep)

Will Martinez

Head of Year 8 | Teacher of Mathematics

Will Martinez graduated from the University of Sussex with a BSc (Hons) in computer science and began his career working in the IT industry. After several years, he ventured back to university to complete a postgraduate qualification in mathematics and decided to retrain as a mathematics teacher. He obtained his PGCE at St Mary’s University, London in 2010.Will’s teaching career began in London, where he taught mathematics from year 7 to 13. In 2013, he took on the role of head of faculty at an international school in Spain, where he taught for four years and later moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for another four years.

Will appreciates the beauty of mathematics not simply from its concrete practical applications and its ability to help us understand the world, but also from its abstractness. He aims not only to nurture his students to develop as confident problem solvers but also to instil a passion for the subject.

In his spare time, he enjoys keeping fit through CrossFit, cycling and playing football. He also enjoys travelling and learning about other cultures and ways of life. He has explored much of Southeast Asia but is looking forward to experiencing China.

Rory McMahon

Teacher of Mathematics

Born in Clare in the Republic of Ireland, Rory graduated from the University of Limerick with a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked in the building services sector in various roles including CAD technician, estimator, designengineer and ultimately project manager, in which he was responsible for the delivery of heating, ventilation and air conditioning installations for clients.

After seven years in this field, Rory completed a PGCE in secondary mathematics from Swansea Metropolitan University. He has four years of experience in teaching upper school mathematics in the UK and six years so far in China, with posts atinternational schools in Beijing and Shenzhen prior to moving to Shanghai. Rory also has three years of experience working as a housemaster and it is in the pastoral side of education which interests him the most. Building positive relationships with young people and watching them develop and grow are two of the main reasons for his change of career.

Outside of school, Rory enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, watching sport and going for walks. He also has anactive family life where his young daughter, Anna, always keeps him very busy.

Anja Mori

Director of Mathematics

Anja began her career in education substituting as a maths teacher while in university. Then, as an intern, she mentored students for mathematics competitions and help them win gold medals at the national level. Since then, she has taught in China for six years in both the American and British school systems. As curriculum developer for the Wasatch Academy programme at the High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University, she focused on ways to improve learning opportunities for students and educators. She has also taught at RDFZ's International Curriculum Centre as an A-level and IBDP teacher. Recognising the importance of holistic education, she began incorporating the historical background of discoveries into her lessons. This helped pupils appreciate the beauty of mathematics and the world around us. Anja earned her Masters degree in Mathematics and Education at University of Maribor, Slovenia. As a Statistics enthusiast, she likes reading and following longitudinal research on human development. On days off, she likes to take hiking and cycling day trips. Her great desire is to be able to travel to western China to explore the mountains.

Jade Nelles

Teacher of English Language and Literature 

Hailing from the UK, Jade has worked at various international and bilingual schools between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Over the years, her passion for pastoral care has seen her take up positions such as head of year, house lead and student leadership coordinator. Jade studied English language and literature at Goldsmiths, University of London and completed her PGCE with the University of Sunderland. She is a keen debater and spent two years adjudicating and training teams for the World Scholar’s Cup.

Jade grew up as a third culture kid in Jersey, Channel Islands and then moved to Hong Kong as a teen, where she became a staunch advocate for animal rights. When she is not out rescuing strays, she can be found tinkering with her PC and restocking the fantasy and horror sections of her bookshelf.

John O'Breza

Teacher of History

Originally from the USA, John has lived and taught in Shanghai for the past twelve years, of which ten years were spent teaching history at Guanghua Cambridge International School. There he taught both IGCSE history and AP US history, and he was heavily involved in extracurricular activities including helping to mentor the school’s first film club. For aperiod, he was also Head of Department where he helped to design an American-based history curriculum. During that time he also worked to receive his teaching license from the United States.

John graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a degree in History. He then went back to school in 2007, studyingfor his M.A. in U.S. Intellectual and Cultural History from Ohio University.

Outside of the classroom, John enjoys learning more about the city he calls home, regularly going on historic tours andreading about life in the city over the past 150 years. Additionally, he regularly attends live music and theatre performances. He also enjoys cinema, gaming, and yoga.

John is from the US and has lived and taught in Shanghai for 12 years. At his previous school, he taught IGCSE history and AP US history and also helped mentor the school’s film club. As head of department, he designed an American history curriculum and obtained his US teaching license.

John graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a history degree. In 2007, he earned his MA in US intellectual and cultural history from Ohio University.

Outside of teaching, John enjoys learning about Shanghai through historic tours, books on the city's past 150 years, and regularly attending live music, theatre and cinema. He also enjoys gaming, yoga and travelling.

Martin O'Brien

Assistant Head (Head of Sixth Form) | Teacher of Geography

Martin graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2009. Following this, he completed my PGCE at Liverpool John Moors University and gained an MA in Advanced Educational Practice two years later. Prior to moving to Shanghai Martin has taught in two different secondary schools in Surrey/South-West London. He has previously held roles such as Head of Geography alongside teaching subjects such as A-Level Business Studies. Since 2015 Martin has held pastoral roles of a varying nature such as Assistant Head of Learning for Key Stage 4 and Head of House for Key Stage 3. In spare time, Martin likes to keep fit and healthy making the most of his gym membership. He also enjoys travelling; especially to new and relatively undiscovered destinations and has also been improving his culinary skills with cooking classes.

Tobias Oyugi

Head of Computer Science

Tobias is from Kenya and has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science. He holds a post graduate teaching and learning diploma from Cambridge University with a focus on international education. He also holds a master's degree in systems, monitoring and evaluation from the University of Nairobi. 

He has taught in international schools in China, Kenya, Cameroon and Seychelles. In the past 16 years, he has served as a teacher, ICT director and departmental head. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in data science at Arizona State University. He is also an active computer science education global advocate and a member of Computer Science Teaching Advocacy Coalition (CSTAC), an international charity based in the USA.

In his spare time, he loves manipulating digital circuit boards and microcontrollers. Tobias also enjoys reading philosophical books and cycling.

James O’Neill

Head of IB Core | Teacher of English Language and Literature 

Originally from Ireland, James graduated from University College Cork with a joint BA (hon) in English Language and Literature, and Philosophy. He completed his PGCE and teacher training in Bristol, UK and has also taught in London and Singapore. In his spare time, James is passionate about food, film and travel. He enjoys hiking and is attempting to learn Mandarin.

Jake Parslow

Teacher of Chemistry

Jake Parslow is a seasoned teacher with experience as the head of chemistry at Alice Smith School in Malaysia, as well as in London and Brighton in the UK. He holds a Masters in education, a PGCE in Chemistry, and a BSc Hons in Neuroscience.

Jake takes great joy in staying updated with the latest research and sharing his knowledge with others. He firmly believes that hands-on experiences are crucial for pupils to truly grasp scientific concepts, and loves running practicals.

Beyond the classroom, Jake has a deep interest in travel, nature and adventure. He is excited to be a part of Wellington Shanghai and eager to explore everything that China has to offer. During his free time, Jake indulges in complex board games, reads science fiction novels and enjoys cooking.

Leticia Perez

Head of Year 7 | MFL Teacher

Leticia has been a teacher of MFL for nine years. She started her career in education as an EAL teacher in West London, where she could enjoy working with students from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. This experience made her realise that teaching her own culture was her true calling in life. So, she started her journey as Spanish and French teacher in the UK. She worked as co-head of the MFL department in her last school, where she took care of KS4 and developed its A Level curriculum for Spanish.

Leticia completed her degree in translation and interpreting at University of Murcia, specialising in English and French. She went on to earn her master’s degree in dducation from the University Miguel Hernández of Elche before moving to the UK and becoming a qualified teacher.

In her spare time, Leticia enjoys practising yoga and boxing, going for long walks as well as travelling and exploring different cultures. She is often seen in museums and art galleries and particularly enjoys going to the theatre or reading about varied topics such as philosophy or psychology.

Alan Pritchard

Senior Second Language Coordinator

Alan began his teaching career in South Africa, teaching secondary Afrikaans and English Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 at private and state schools in Cape Town. After seven years, he moved to the UK, where he was a primary school teacher for six years. He obtained his Qualified Teacher Status at secondary schools in London before leaving the classroom to become a teacher trainer and writer of teaching resources. Alan ran INSET workshops for teachers at schools in England, Wales, Spain, South Africa, China and Malaysia. Additionally, he created various study skills courses and memory-improvement programmes which he delivered to students all over the UK. Alan has spent the last eight years teaching EAL, English First Language and an English As a Second Language at two international schools in Shanghai. Alan studied English, History, Afrikaans-Nederlands and Speech and Drama at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, before earning a Postgraduate Teaching Diploma at the University of Cape Town. Alan has a passion for writing and is an accomplished and acclaimed novelist, playwright and poet. His work has been lauded in South Africa, Europe and the United States. He is also passionate about animals and lives with 11 cats and two rabbits.

Samuel Rogers

Teacher of Mathematics

Sam has accrued seven years of teaching experience and taught both mathematics and science in the UK before moving abroad. At his first international placement, he was employed as head of STEAM due to his multidisciplined background. He was responsible for writing and implementing the school’s STEAM programme as well as collaborating with other department heads to develop a series of project-based educational activities. At his final placement before Wellington Mr Rogers was employed as head of mathematics and was responsible for running the department and ensuring the successful delivery of the school’s mathematics curriculums.  

Sam is a PGCSE (QTS) qualified teacher with a BSc (Hons) in biological sciences from the University of Reading. He has also undergone a postgraduate subject knowledge enhancement course in mathematics.   

During his free time, Sam enjoys hiking, swimming and photography.

Maja Rogic

Teacher of Mathematics ｜Whole College Coaching

After completing her maths degree at the University of Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, Maja trained as a teacher at the largest Serbian secondary school in Novi Sad. In 2014 she joined Wellington College International Tianjin where she worked as a teacher of maths, a housemistress, a charity coordinator and in a pupil welfare and guidance role. Her exam year classes are known for achieving the highest grades in IGCSE and A level public exams. 

Maja developed an interest in coaching in 2016 and was instantly drawn to it. After completing training organised by the school, she went a step further and completed a rigorous “Co-Active Coach Training” programme consisting of five modules that foster expansive development. This course helped her to establish a coaching framework that she has been successfully using ever since. Maja is known around the Wellington College China group for leading and co-leading foundational courses. 

On a personal level, Maja is particularly interested in fighting for human and animal rights, raising awareness of important social and environmental issues and helping those in need. She is a vegan who enjoys exploring vegetarian and vegan options in Shanghai. Maja enjoys walking, reading, traveling and you can usually find her listening to music or practising Italian. 

Zachary Ruch

Head of Humanities (Upper Prep)

Zachary Ruch hails from San Diego, California and has had the privilege of teaching and living on four continents. After starting his career in the US, he moved and taught humanities at different international schools. He first taught history at the George Washington Academy in Casablanca, Morocco and led Model United Nations there for several years. He then moved to Eastern Europe, where he was Head of History at the American School of Kosovo. More recently, he taught world history and psychology in Shenzhen, China. He has been based in China since 2016.

At the time or writing, Zachary will receive a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard University this summer. He currently holds a bachelor’s degree in history secondary education from Appalachian State University, and a master’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in political science from Fort Hays State University. He considers education to be a life-long process and strives for continued growth.

Zachary enjoys a variety of academic and non-academic interests. Academically he takes joy in reading all manner of history books and learning about other cultures, particularly in the late 19th century. He also finds psychology and the study of the mind incredibly fascinating. Outside of academics, his interests include reading, rugby, travelling the world with his wife, Stephanie, exercise and playing video games.

Meritxell Sanz

Head of MFL

Meritxell was born in Barcelona, Spain. She gained a degree in sociology from the University of Barcelona. In her final undergraduate year, she pursued Spanish and Latin American studies at the Metropolitan University of London. After moving to study in Canada and travel around the United States and Europe, she pursued an master’s degree in international relations and exterior commerce at the Politics and Sociology Official College of Madrid. Furthermore, she obtained a PGCE in Secondary at Goldsmiths University of London and a MA in education from the University of Nottingham.

She enjoyed working in a variety of Ofsted outstanding schools in London and, in the process,  gained a CELTA certificate. She has had a wide range of experience in academic roles, teaching Spanish, French, TOK, sociology, international studies, EAL, RE and Spanish film studies. Throughout her career, she has served as a curriculum leader, CAS supervisor and head of modern foreign languages. While at Wellington, she has completed several middle leadership development advance programmes, positive education coaching advance courses and IB certificates. She is also an IBDP examiner.

Meritxell enjoys living in Shanghai because it is a truly international city of the 21st century, with plentiful opportunities and experiences to discover.

Francesca Sharp-Paul 

Teacher of English Language and Literature | House Coordinator

Francesca graduated from Aberdeen University with a joint master's degree in anthropology and history before moving to London to pursrue a career in radio advertising. After two years in the advertising world, she decided to fulfil her ambition of becoming a teacher and was accepted as part of the Teach First Leadership Programme, with whom she completed her teacher training and earned a PGDE from Canterbury Christ Church University. She then went on to complete the master's element of the course in transformational leadership.

Prior to joining Wellington College International Shanghai, Francesca taught secondary English literature and language at a coastal school in Kent, England. During her time there, she also served as acting 2iC of the English department and IB MYP second in charge of English for years 7, 8 and 9.

Francesca loves reading, listening to '80s music and baking (often unsuccessfully). She makes the most of the weekends by exploring new places and seeing family and friends, with most of these plans revolving around food! 

Adam Shaw

Director of Pupil Services | Teacher of Design & Technology

Adam began his journey with Wellington College China as a founding member of staff at our sister school in Tianjin, in 2011. In August 2013 he became part of the Wellington College International Shanghai start-up team, before becoming a founding member of the academic team, the following year. Adam has held roles including Head of Art, Design & Technology, Housemaster and Head of Boarding, and in 2015 he was appointed Deputy Head Pastoral of the Senior School. In 2020, he was appointed to the whole school role of Director of Pupil Services, overseeing Learning Support (SEND), Pupil Support and Counselling teams, as well as the College's academic Wellbeing curriculum. He also leads the College's Staff Wellbeing Committee, offering avenues of support and guidance to colleagues, as well as a board staff activity programme.

Adam studied Industrial Design at the University of Central Lancashire before heading back to his spiritual home to study for his PGCE at The University of Manchester. His first teaching post was at Aquinas Sixth Form College in Stockport, where he became curriculum lead in Design & Technology, before spending three years in the Middle East as Head of Design & Technology at Repton School in Dubai.

Over the past 7 years, Adam has taken advantage of many of Shanghai's social and sporting offerings, he is the Chairman of the Shanghai Scottish Football Club, regularly cycles around the city and beyond, and can occasionally be seen swinging a cricket bat and a golf club, too. 

Saima Sheraz

Teacher of Mathematics

Saima has been teaching maths since 2014. She holds a master’s degree in applied mathematics and bachelor’s degree mathematics education. She also studied abroad for year in the US to gain international exposure.  

She joins Wellington from an international school in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where she worked as a senior mathematics teacher. She taught Algebra and Geometry based on the American curriculum to a diverse community of students.

Outside of teaching, Saima enjoys listening to music and spending quality time with family and friends. She loves to travel and explore new places.

David Slade

Head of Mathematics (Prep School)

Originally from Norwich, UK David Slade began his career as a year 4 teacher at a local school, where he had the opportunity to train the football and athletics teams. After leaving the UK, he joined The British School, Rio de Janeiro, where he led Mathematics and was part of the team responsible for introducing the IPC curriculum. In his most recent post at The Sultan's School in Oman, David was responsible for Science across the Primary School. David holds a BA (Hons) in Economic and Social History from the University of East Anglia. Before even graduating, he began to volunteer at a local primary school, following in both his sisters' footsteps to become a teacher. The following year, David returned to the University of East Anglia to complete his PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education). David is an avid traveller, spending most of his holidays exploring new places. He has a young daughter, Isabel, with whom he cannot wait to explore the world. He also has a dog named Doguinha, who was rescued in Brazil, and a cat called Pacoca, who he adopted in Oman. At the weekends, you will most likely find David cycling, running or walking his dog.

Stephen Spice

Teacher of Mathematics

Stephen was born and raised in Kent in the UK and initially studied banking and accountancy before choosing the more creative and exciting subject of mathematics. Having shown exceptional ability in the subject, he graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a first-class degree and academic awards for excellence in mathematical application that resulted in a multi-year research grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to study arithmetic p-adic chaos theory. This resulted in the creation of several new mathematical tools in the field of systems dynamics.

At the beginning of the new millennium, he decided to explore the world of international teaching and moved to Athens, Greece. He started teaching computer science and physics and was soon promoted head of the school’s ICT department. Whilst teaching mathematics in Greece, he completed a master’s degree in education from the University of Leeds and was awarded a multi-year research grant from the Greek government to study the application of chaos theory to opinion dynamics in the department of methodology in social psychology at Panteion University, Athens. This research resulted in several presentations to the Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies.

With more than two decades of international teaching experience, Stephen has also held various positions including head of department and extended essay coordinator. When he is not passionately engaging his students in the delights and mysteries of mathematics, he enjoys walking, reading, solving mathematical problems by writing computer programs and writing books.

Maxine Stander

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care) | Head of Y11 

Maxine's passion for teaching began at university while she was studying Consumer Sciences. Years of tutoring part-time while studying gave her valuable experience and insight before accepting her first teaching role in 2014. Since she started teaching Business Studies, she has been committed to three things: maximizing individual student performance, inspiring students' interest in learning and instilling a sense of self-worth among all pupils. Maxine takes pride in guiding her pupils to develop a love for learning and a desire to contribute to their community. After earning her bachelor's degree with distinction in Consumer Sciences, she went on to complete her Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education at the University of Pretoria. When she is not teaching, you will find Maxine coaching netball.

Bryce Van De Laar

Teacher of English | House Coordinator

Over the course of his career, Bryce van de Laar has taught a variety of subjects including English language and literature, social studies, creative arts and music in China and South Africa. As the cultural coordinator at his previous school, he worked with the head of the sports committee to create a house system. This had a huge impact on the cultural life of the school.  

Bryce holds a bachelor’s degree in music and English literature from the University of Cape Town. He followed this up with his PGCE.

Outside of school, Bryce enjoys stretching his creative muscles. He is a singer-songwriter and is currently producing his second blues-rock album. In addition, he and his wife are competitive Latin-American dancers. Bryce enjoys reading, and his favourite novel is The Great Gatsby. While he is not very good at it, he also enjoys playing touch rugby.

Rory Vaughan

Teacher of English | Academic Fellowship Coordinator

After receiving his BA Joint Honours in English and history from University College Cork in 2011, Rory completed his CELTA course and moved to Chiang Rai, Thailand, where he taught English and social studies before returning to Ireland the following year to complete his Professional Diploma in Education in English and history. Rory then moved to Ashford, Kent, where he spent two years teaching IGCSE English. Rory joins Wellington following four years teaching at an international IB school in Dubai, where he taught English language and literature up to DP level and served as Head of Year for the duration. His interests include reading, writing short stories, fitness and music particularly the guitar, ukulele and singing. Rory is also an avid traveller and is eager to explore Shanghai and its surroundings.

James Waldron

House and Pupil Coordinator | Teacher of English and Humanities

James has been teaching Humanities and English Literature internationally for the past two decades and has heldmanagement positions at schools in and around Shanghai. He holds four British universityqualifications, including a Masters in Educational Leadership. He's spoken atconferences in the UK and throughout Asia, particularly on soft skills and theintersection of schooling, education and neuroscience. Because of this interestin how we learn he is studying for his second masters, this time inneuroscience from King's College London.  He was instrumental instarting the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at his last two schools and has ledmultiple school trips to Britain and throughout China. He also enjoys studyingcomparative history and looking at the effect geography can have on the courseof events; he is a bibliophile with a large personal library covering manyareas but particularly Chinese and European history and philosophy.  His two children occasionally tire of him saying 'I have a book on that...' Jamesfounded the Shanghai Chess Club a very long time ago now and, though he nolonger plays competitively, he is still active in Shanghai's chess community. James has now completed 3 Spartan obstacle course races and is also a keencyclist and swimmer.

Scott Ward

Teacher of Design & Technology

Upon graduating from university, Scott spent a few years working professionally as a design engineer before switching careers to pursue his passion for education. Since then, he has taught English in Thailand and Spain before merging his educational background with his teaching skills to teach design & technology in the UK and in China. He also has a passion for sports and has additionally worked as a PE teacher and coached a variety of sports teams. 

Scott completed his early education in his hometown of Leicester in the UK before graduating from Sheffield Hallam University with a first-class honours degree in sports engineering. Furthermore, he holds a PGCE with QTS from Warwick University in secondary design & technology and is a fully qualified teacher of English as a second language.

Outside of teaching, Scott is a keen cyclist and plays a variety of different sports when he gets the chance. He also enjoys traveling to new places. He loves anything to do with food. He likes to read and he enjoys being with his friends and family. Scott also takes a personal interest in woodwork and crafts outside of school life and is often working on some new project or idea that he has come up with.

Jack Yim

Teacher of Science | House Coordinator

Originally from Hong Kong, Jack was brought up and educated in England. He holds a BEng (Hons) degree in mechanical engineering and an MEng degree in building services. Jack returned to Hong Kong in 2013 to work in an international school and completed his PGDE at the University of Hong Kong.

Jack then joined an international school in Suzhou, where he taught IGCSE physics and chemistry. He later took up additional pastoral roles as the school’s deputy coordinator of CCAs and a head of house. In this capacity, he monitored the progress of the pupils’ performance both academically and intellectually. He annually led the pupils to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award at the Bronze and Silver levels, taking them on Adventurous Expeditions, like camping, kayaking, cycling and hiking. In 2021, Jack became a year 5 science teacher and then head of year 7 at a British international school in Shanghai.

Outside of school, he enjoys CrossFit training to stay healthy and energetic. He is also a highly skilled swimmer andhas participated in both long- and short-distance open sea swimming competitions.

Zeki Yuan

Teacher of Physics

Zeki is an experienced educator who brings both knowledge and enthusiasm to the physics classroom. With seven years of experience, Zeki has honed his expertise teaching students across A-level, AP and IBDP courses. He was named Oxford AQA Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2021 and BPhO Excellent Coach in 2018. Many of his previous students are now studying at prestigious universities including the University of Cambridge, McGill University and New York University. They maintain a good friendship with him and recognise him as one of the most influential teachers they have met.

Graduating from Stony Brook University in 2013 with a master's degree in physics, Zeki's educational background has provided him with a solid foundation and deep understanding of the subject. Most of the hours he spent as a graduate student were in the laboratory, which also grants him proficiency in handling various experimental equipment.

Beyond the classroom, Zeki is a quiet person. He finds solace in physical activities such as jogging and swimming. These hobbies keep him physically fit and also contribute to his overall wellbeing, enabling him to bring positive energy into the classroom. He enjoys watching stand-up comedy too. He believes a humorous attitude in life solves most problems.

Zitong Zhang

Teacher of Mathmatics

Nourdine Zouaf

Teacher of French

Originally from Burgundy, France, Nourdine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in French literature and language from Sorbonne University, having studied at its Paris and Abu Dhabi campuses. He then pursued studies in literature along with a semester at HEC Paris, where he took courses in strategy, innovation and European law.

He started his career in the field of communications and business, having worked in the music, publishing and cinema industries. His career path has taken him to Italy, Morocco, the UK and the UAE, where he ultimately made his foray into international education. He then followed this trajectory and became a French teacher in Macau and then France before joining Wellington Shanghai.

In his free time, he enjoys practising judo (black belt), hiking and he hopes to develop his passion for yachting and gastronomy.

Jessica Anderson

Year 4 Teacher | Learning Support Teacher

Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waikato in New Zealand and a Graduate Diploma in teaching (primary) from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Jessica has since lived and taught abroad for the past fourteen years in countries including New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and China. Jessica has now been living in Shanghai for the past nine years with her husband and two children, who also attend Wellington College. Having previously taught here in Shanghai for the past seven years, Jessica made the move to Wellington College International Shanghai, where she teaches year 2. This will be Jessica's second year working here. In her spare time, she enjoys running, travelling to exotic beaches around Asia, also cooking (and eating) various types of international food.

Christopher Arundale

Head of Year (Reception)

Christopher has several years of experience in Early Years education, having taught both Nursery and Reception in schools in Yorkshire, England.

He earned his BA Honours in primary education (Early Years) at Leeds Trinity University in 2015.  Further to his role as class teacher, he led whole school curriculum developments in art in his role as a subject leader. Through this journey Christopher found a personal connection to art and discovered the importance of using it as a cross-curricular method in schools. He believes art is vital for healthy personal, social and emotional growth. He has also worked closely with language specialists to support children learning English as a second language.

Outside of school, Christopher’s hobbies include cooking, travelling to new places and hiking. Christopher is excited about joining Wellington School and living in the exciting city of Shanghai.

Chloe Chen

Learning Support High Level Teaching Assistant

Jack Duxbury

Learning Support Teacher

After graduating from Northumbria University with a first-class degree in sports coaching, Jack worked as a teaching assistant in special needs schools for two years. Here, he developed a love for supporting children who struggle to access the curriculum, often a result of their special educational needs. Jack then earned his PGCE specialising in SEN and became a year 6 teacher at an ‘Outstanding’ SEND primary school, in his hometown of Lancashire, England for four years. 

Jack bases his teaching practice on creating a safe, nurturing environment that facilitates positive child development. He is dedicated to making a difference in children’s lives, engaging them across the curriculum and enabling conditions for success. Alongside his passion for supporting children with special educational needs, Jack also has keen interests in sport (coaching and playing) and computing.

Jack enjoys spending his spare time exploring the city on foot, running, or on two wheels, cycling. He also enjoys photography.

Daniel Eldred

Head of Upper Prep | Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Originally from Cork in the south of Ireland, Deirdre Maguire has nine years teaching experience between year 1 and year 4. She began her career as Ms. English in a small school, where she taught for four years in a multi-grade setting. Deirdre spent the next three years teaching in a large school outside Dublin. Deirdre graduated from Mary Immaculate College (University of Limerick) in 2013 with an honours Bachelor of Education degree. Here she specialised in primary school teaching and Gaeilge or Irish (the native language of Ireland). In 2017, she began her Master of Education studies at Maynooth University. She completed this over two years while also working full-time. Here she specialised in children's wellbeing and anxiety in students. She graduated in March 2020 with an honours degree. In her free time, Deirdre enjoys running, reading books, listening to music and drawing. Recently married, Deirdre also enjoys spending time with family and friends. During her time off, she loves travelling and learning about new cultures.

Qian Hao

College Counsellor

Julie Jia

Learning Support Teacher

Charlotte Knight-Benjafield

Designated Safeguarding Lead (EYC) | Executive Head of Early Years

Penny Lewis

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care) | Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Penny graduated from the University of Warwick with an LLB in Law. For 6 years she worked in a variety of legal environments including the Ministry of Justice, prosecution services and leading international charities. It was during a lectureship at Waseda University, Tokyo that she realised her love of teaching and so decided to move on to pastures new, swapping her law books for novels. Penny began her teaching career in West London, achieving QTS (Outstanding) and a PGCE from the Institute of Education, UCL. In particular, she is keen for students to develop a deeper appreciation of the written word and to find their own voice through an exploration of poetry, drama and creative writing. Penny moved to Shanghai in 2018 with her husband who is also a teacher. In her spare time she enjoys practising yoga badly, writing her never-ending novel and attending any event that sounds interesting. She hopes to get a cat.

Yili Lu

Learning Support High Level Teaching Assistant

Danni Luo

Learning Support Teacher

Amy Ma

College Counsellor

Keith Maguire

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care)

After graduation, Keith taught in Irish primary schools for six years in KS2. At every point in his career, Keith has helped lead curricular development. One such area would include science and technology in which Keith took part in a national STEM project lead by Microsoft and the Department of Education in Ireland which was aimed at getting more girls interested in STEM subjects. As well as curricular interests, Keith also has a passion for helping other teachers to develop their skills. In his previous school, he successfully initiated and implemented a professional learning community (PLC). This enabled teachers to share resources, amend school policies and develop their teaching pedagogy. Having originally graduated from the University of Limerick with a Bachelor of Education (primary teaching degree), Keith then continued his studies while still working full-time and completed his Masters of Education with a specialism in leadership. Keith values relationships and strives to build positive connections with students in his class. He believes that happy students will be happy and successful learners. Outside of school, Keith has many interests including cooking and travelling. When it comes to sport, Keith likes nothing more than watching ‘hurling’ which is a national sport in Ireland. He now looks forward to discovering Asia and having the opportunity to work in Wellington College.

Gemma Mcdonagh

Head of Safeguarding

Gemma is an experienced and qualified primary teacher, specializing in Key Stage 2 (KS2) as a Key Stage Coordinator. After returning to the UK, she obtained qualifications as a social worker and has been a part of the child protection and court team in Chester since 2022. Gemma's international teaching journey began in Beijing in 2011, where she worked for five years before spending some time in Saudi Arabia.

She graduated from Bradford University, where she studied social policy until 2007. In 2011, she completed her Primary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with the University of Cumbria after working as a specialized teaching assistant for three years. In 2021, she made a career change and pursued a fast-track diploma in children and family social work, focusing on safeguarding children and supporting families.

In addition to her professional life, Gemma is a mother of two. During her spare time, she enjoys taking family days out, hiking, exploring, and supporting their hobbies and interests. Gemma also finds pleasure in staying fit and relaxing with a good book. Having travelled extensively during her time in China, she is excited to introduce her children to new and exciting places.

Martin O'Brien

Assistant Head | Head of Sixth Form | Deputy Safeguarding lead

Martin graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2009. Following this, he completed my PGCE at Liverpool John Moors University and gained an MA in Advanced Educational Practice two years later. Prior to moving to Shanghai Martin has taught in two different secondary schools in Surrey/South-West London. He has previously held roles such as Head of Geography alongside teaching subjects such as A-Level Business Studies. Since 2015 Martin has held pastoral roles of a varying nature such as Assistant Head of Learning for Key Stage 4 and Head of House for Key Stage 3. In spare time, Martin likes to keep fit and healthy making the most of his gym membership. He also enjoys travelling; especially to new and relatively undiscovered destinations and has also been improving his culinary skills with cooking classes.

Michael Orchard

Head of Pre-Prep (Years 1-2) | Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Michael has been teaching for more than ten years and came to Wellington College in 2018 as a Year 2 teacher. In 2020 he became Head of Year 1 and the Wellbeing Coordinator for Pre and Lower Prep. Michael holds a certificate in Positive Education from Wilfred Laurier University (Canada) and is passionate about pupils learning to flourish in all areas of life. Before moving to Wellington, he taught both Years 1&2 at Yew Chung International School. Michael gained his graduate teaching qualification in his home country of New Zealand. He also holds Qualified Teacher Status in England. He completed a BSc(Hons) in Environmental Health at Middlesex University, and later a post-graduate diploma in leadership at Mattersey Hall, Doncaster. Before teaching Michael pursued a career in public health working in central government on legislative and policy reform. He also served 3 years as the Executive Director of the Institute of Environmental Health before taking a career break to teach public health at a university in China. Michael is accompanied by his wife, and two children who both study at Wellington.

Lucy Qu

 Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead | Associate Deputy Head (Early Years)

Lucy worked with an International Educational Group for over 13 years as Executive Principal (Shandong)before joining Wellington College Shanghai. She holds Diploma of Pre-school Education and Teaching; CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education; Bachelor’s Degree in English and Early Years Education. She has undertaken iPGCE with University of Strathclyde Glasgow. Lucy has a strong understanding of the importance of the image of child and the image of teacher. She strongly believes in the importance of seeing the learner within a socio-cultural context where knowledge is constructed as the child interacts with both the physical and interpersonal environment. Lucy has been through many Reggio Emilia and IB trainings for the past 13 years. She has passion to listen to children, record children’s progress and see environment as the third teacher. She is keen to set up inviting environment to young learners. Outside of work, she enjoys reading books and travelling. Lucy considers herself as a life-long learner, she is eager to learn new knowledge and skills from the community. She is looking forward to working with school teams and parents to offer high quality education for young learners.

Martina Resende

Sunshine Club Coordinator & Pupil Wellbeing Specialist

Maja Rogic

Teacher of Mathematics ｜Whole College Coaching

After completing her maths degree at the University of Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, Maja trained as a teacher at the largest Serbian secondary school in Novi Sad. In 2014 she joined Wellington College International Tianjin where she worked as a teacher of maths, a housemistress, a charity coordinator and in a pupil welfare and guidance role. Her exam year classes are known for achieving the highest grades in IGCSE and A level public exams. 

Maja developed an interest in coaching in 2016 and was instantly drawn to it. After completing training organised by the school, she went a step further and completed a rigorous “Co-Active Coach Training” programme consisting of five modules that foster expansive development. This course helped her to establish a coaching framework that she has been successfully using ever since. Maja is known around the Wellington College China group for leading and co-leading foundational courses. 

On a personal level, Maja is particularly interested in fighting for human and animal rights, raising awareness of important social and environmental issues and helping those in need. She is a vegan who enjoys exploring vegetarian and vegan options in Shanghai. Maja enjoys walking, reading, traveling and you can usually find her listening to music or practising Italian. 

Adam Shaw

Director of Pupil Services

Adam began his journey with Wellington College China as a founding member of staff at our sister school in Tianjin, in 2011. In August 2013 he became part of the Wellington College International Shanghai start-up team, before becoming a founding member of the academic team, the following year. Adam has held roles including Head of Art, Design & Technology, Housemaster and Head of Boarding, and in 2015 he was appointed Deputy Head Pastoral of the Senior School. In 2020, he was appointed to the whole school role of Director of Pupil Services, overseeing Learning Support (SEND), Pupil Support and Counselling teams, as well as the College's academic Wellbeing curriculum. He also leads the College's Staff Wellbeing Committee, offering avenues of support and guidance to colleagues, as well as a board staff activity programme.

Adam studied Industrial Design at the University of Central Lancashire before heading back to his spiritual home to study for his PGCE at The University of Manchester. His first teaching post was at Aquinas Sixth Form College in Stockport, where he became curriculum lead in Design & Technology, before spending three years in the Middle East as Head of Design & Technology at Repton School in Dubai.

Over the past 7 years, Adam has taken advantage of many of Shanghai's social and sporting offerings, he is the Chairman of the Shanghai Scottish Football Club, regularly cycles around the city and beyond, and can occasionally be seen swinging a cricket bat and a golf club, too. 

Giselle Slade

Head of Learning Support

Over the past decade, Giselle has worked as an SEN teacher at The British School, Rio de Janeiro, where she was a founding member of the SEN department in the Secondary School. More recently, she taught at The Sultan's School in Muscat, Oman. Alongside her teaching role, Giselle takes a keen interest in extra-curricular activities, such as working with students at the Model United Nations club and coaching swimming.   Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giselle spent a year as an exchange student in Atlanta, Georgia, before completing a degree in Physical Education. Giselle then switched the focus of her academic studies to follow the passion she developed for Special Educational Needs. In 2018, Giselle graduated with a Masters in Special and Additional Learning Needs at the University of East London. Her dissertation amalgamated her experiences as a teacher by studying the potential impact of physical activities on the academic lives of dyslexic students.   In her free time, Giselle enjoys cooking and reading. She loves exercising and CrossFit. She also spends a lot of time dreaming about her next travel destination, and she uses school holidays as a chance to explore the world. In 2019, Giselle became a mother and is currently enjoying spending time with her daughter, Isabel.

Maxine Stander

Assistant Head (Pastoral Care) | Head of Y11 

Maxine's passion for teaching began at university while she was studying Consumer Sciences. Years of tutoring part-time while studying gave her valuable experience and insight before accepting her first teaching role in 2014. Since she started teaching Business Studies, she has been committed to three things: maximizing individual student performance, inspiring students' interest in learning and instilling a sense of self-worth among all pupils. Maxine takes pride in guiding her pupils to develop a love for learning and a desire to contribute to their community. After earning her bachelor's degree with distinction in Consumer Sciences, she went on to complete her Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education at the University of Pretoria. When she is not teaching, you will find Maxine coaching netball.

Dr Tania Blatti

Head of Lower Prep (Year 3-5)

Tania has 18 years' experience working in the education sector. She holds a PhD in education from the University of Melbourne, where she discovered the significance of collective teacher efficacy in increasing teacher impact on pupil outcomes. She also earned an MEd from the British University in Dubai and a BEd from the Royal Melbourne Institute in Melbourne. Throughout her career, Tania has held various teaching and leadership roles in education, starting in Australia and later moving to Dubai, South Korea and China. Her diverse experiences have allowed her to gain a unique perspective on education and a desire to nurture learning systems and educational practices to support multilingual learners.

Suzy Wang

Learning Support High Level Teaching Assistant

Sophie Zhou

Head of Counselling & Mental Health 

Francyne Carr

Head of ELP (Pre-Prep & Lower Prep)

Marcela Carvalho

Teacher of ELL

Marcela has experience teaching from Early Childhood to Upper Elementary in a variety of settings. Throughout her 22 years of teaching, she has experienced teaching different age groups and worked in different school systems in the US, Brazil and China. During all these years, she has worked with the British national curriculum, American Common Core, Montessori and IB. Marcela has led year-level teams and served as a workshop leader for a Montessori training center. She is highly collaborative, hardworking and passionate about supporting her pupils to feel successful and loved.

Marcela holds a master’s degree in elementary education from Acacia University in the US and a bachelor’s degree in education and school administration from UNIFIEO in Brazil. She also holds a post-graduate diploma from UNESP (Brazil) and a credential in advanced studies in Montessori education from the MECA-SETON Teacher Education Program (Chicago). Additionally, she is a lifelong learner and regularly takes part in continuous professional development including workshops on agency, phonics, readers and writers’ workshops and conceptual-based understanding in numeracy.

During her spare time, Marcela enjoys spending time with friends and family, eating Brazilian barbecue, dancing andchatting. She also enjoys traveling and exploring different cultures with her husband, daughter and son.

Wendy Dai

ELL Teaching Assistant

Catherina Fasanmi-Jones

Teacher of EAL(Upper Prep & Senior) | Language Pathway Coordinator

Catherina holds a joint honours degree in Spanish and Russian and a master’s degree in translation, with a specialism in medicine. After over a decade working for a successful business consultancy firm in London, Catherina found her calling in education and completed her PGCE in secondary modern foreign languages at the Institute of Education, UCL, London. She has worked across a range of primary and secondary schools in UK and taught Key Stages 1 to 5. She has developed and led MFL curriculums and was a key member of the university guidance team at her previous school. Catherina moved to Shanghai and joined Wellington College, having developed an affinity with China, its language and culture, after completing a language teaching course at East China Normal University. 

Jennifer Kung

Teacher of ELL

Alan Pritchard

Senior Second Language Coordinator

Alan began his teaching career in South Africa, teaching secondary Afrikaans and English Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 at private and state schools in Cape Town. After seven years, he moved to the UK, where he was a primary school teacher for six years. He obtained his Qualified Teacher Status at secondary schools in London before leaving the classroom to become a teacher trainer and writer of teaching resources. Alan ran INSET workshops for teachers at schools in England, Wales, Spain, South Africa, China and Malaysia. Additionally, he created various study skills courses and memory-improvement programmes which he delivered to students all over the UK. Alan has spent the last eight years teaching EAL, English First Language and an English As a Second Language at two international schools in Shanghai. Alan studied English, History, Afrikaans-Nederlands and Speech and Drama at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, before earning a Postgraduate Teaching Diploma at the University of Cape Town. Alan has a passion for writing and is an accomplished and acclaimed novelist, playwright and poet. His work has been lauded in South Africa, Europe and the United States. He is also passionate about animals and lives with 11 cats and two rabbits.

Emma Tadamasa

Teacher of ELL

Emma-Jayne was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand and graduated with a BA in Japanese from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. She then taught English in four primary schools in Japan for five years as part of the JET Programme, where she discovered her passion for teaching. Upon returning to New Zealand, she attended Massey University and obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Primary School Teaching. Emma-Jayne taught in New Zealand for four years before embarking on an adventure to Brunei Darussalam, where she taught ESOL in two primary schools. Recently, she achieved her Masters in TESOL from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and she is deeply interested in language acquisition and learning.

In 2023, Emma-Jayne relocated to Shanghai with her husband and children, who also joined Wellington. As a mother of two, she enjoys exploring new places with her family and trying local cuisines. She has a genuine enthusiasm for learning about different languages and cultures. She is proficient in Japanese and has a strong desire to acquire the foundations of Mandarin while in China.

Lily Chen

ELL High Level Teaching Assistant

Tanya Tkachenko

Teacher of EEL

Lanka Xiong

ELL Teaching Assistant

Miguel Alvarado

Head Coach of Aquatics

Jacob Charrot-Grinsdale

Teacher of PE | House Coordinator

Grace Colombo

Teacher of PE

Grace joined Wellington College International Shanghai as a swimming teacher in 2015. Currently she holds ASA Level 1&2 certificates and a lifesaving certificate. She has been teaching Early Years swimming lessons, swim CCAs and in the swim Academy. Grace was a competitive swimmer during her childhood. Her enthusiasm for swimming has been passed on to the next generation when she met her husband who was also a competitive swimmer in the Italian national team, as her whole family is now enthusiastically engaged in swimming. All her three children love swimming and are involved in different aquatics activities. Grace loves to inspire and motivate the children through her chosen area of sport. She believes swimming is one of the most beneficial sports for children. She would like to bring to Wellington College International Shanghai not only her teaching experience and knowledge but also her passion and enthusiasm for swimming.

Michael Farrell

Assistant Director of Sport

Michael has 13 years of experience, having previously taught in Singapore and Japan as well as China.  While spending most of his time as a PE and EAL teacher, he has served in variety of roles, including head of activities, sports coordinator, head of year and curriculum coordinator. 

Prior to entering the teaching ranks Michael worked many years in the field of sports coaching and development. He was the sports editor for a regional newspaper in Western Australia and an agent network manager for a telecommunications company in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. 

Michael holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Sydney, a graduate diploma from Murdoch University and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Chaminade Univ

David Ge

Swimming Teacher

Harry Hardy

Teacher of PE | House Coordinator (PPLP)

Harry studied at the University of Bath where he obtained an honours degree in sports coaching (2015) before completing his PGCE at Newman University (Birmingham, England). During this time, Harry worked as a trainee PE teacher in an SEN Primary and Secondary school. It was here that Harry developed his understanding for inclusive and differentiated teaching practices that are key features of his teaching today.

After completing his teacher training, Harry spent two years teaching key stage 3 and 4 PE at British secondary schools before undertaking a whole-school PE teacher role at a school in Shanghai.  In 2018, he took on a Head of Primary PE at another Shanghai international school.

Harry has also worked in the US, Thailand and Cambodia, where he coached football and taught English in local Primary and Secondary schools. Harry is also a competitive football player and plays in a local expat football league.

Brittany JOUBERT

PE Teacher

Don Jia

Lifeguard

Ciaran Mannion

Head of PE

Ciaran previously taught at SUIS Pudong, where he served as head of PE and taught IGCSE Physical Education. He implemented and managed all aspects of the PE curriculum, including attending events organized by the SSSA. Before that, he taught grade 2 homeroom at the school and has taught PE to students from ages 5-18. Before moving to Shanghai, Ciaran coached hurling and gaelic football to all ages in Ireland. Ciaran attended the Institute of Technology in Carlow, where he obtained a Certificate in Sports & Exercise followed by a degree in Sports Management & Coaching. He subsequently obtained his PGCE from Sunderland University in 2014. Outside of teaching, Ciaran tries to live a very active lifestyle and plays a variety of sports. He is the coach and player for the Shanghai men’s gaelic football team and regularly competes throughout Asia. His other interests include teaching strength & conditioning classes, yoga, cooking and he has recently begun learning to play Irish music on the banjo.

Jane Mao

Swim Coach

Dan Munns

Head of Football

Dan brings over 15 years of experience from large international schools in Malaysia and Singapore. Dan holds a FFA coaching license and has also obtained a PGCEI with merit from The University of Nottingham in the UK. Outside of teaching, Dan is an avid sportsman who enjoys playing football and golf. He has represented England in Beachsoccer on 43 occasions in the professional European Beachsoccer League, where he played against football legends such as Eric Cantona(France), Julio Salinas (Spain), and Danielle Massaro (Italy).

Sia Song

Swimming Coach

Bill Sun

PE Assistant

Daniel Tuitt

Director of Sport

After graduating from Brunel University Daniel began his teaching career in 2011 as a Secondary School Physical Education teacher with responsibilities for the provision and inclusive education for those with Special Educational Needs, using the National Curriculum for England and Wales until 2014. From 2014 until present?Daniel have been Head of Department at a Preparatory School and a State School for the last four years, teaching Early Years to Key Stage two, developing relevant curriculums and teaching across all areas. Daniel has a passion for all areas the Physical Education Curriculum whether it be at Early years or at GCSE and he aims to give pupils the opportunities to develop their essential skills and to play competitively at all levels.

Michael Warner

Head of Examination PE

Michael has been teaching for 15 years. He started his career in his home country of Canada, teaching PE and various other subjects before moving to South Korea and then China. While in South Korea and China, Michael has taught science and physical education, ranging from key stage 2 to 5. In addition to his teaching experience, Michael has previously served as an IGCSE coordinator, overseeing the delivery of the IGCSE programme at another international school. Having a keen interest in meeting the needs of English language learners, he is a certified trainer of teachers for the Teaching in English in multilingual classrooms programme. Michael also has extensive experience in curriculum development projects in his various schools.

Michael has completed a bachelor of science degree in nutrition and dietetics from Acadia University. In addition, he has received a post-graduate bachelor of education degree with certification in physical education and science from the University of Western Ontario and a Master in Education in Athletic Coaching from Northcentral University.

Outside of school, Michael’s interests include running, gymnastics and playing volleyball. Unrelated to physical education, he enjoys studying Korean, having previously studied it at Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University. He also enjoys 'trying' to train his dog. 

Cassie Wu

Swimming Teacher

Jing Xie

Teacher of PE

Jing has extensive experience as a PE instructor in Shanghai-based international and bilingual schools, teaching the IPC curriculum and British curriculum across Primary ages while obtaining her QTS. Here coaching expertise has also taken badminton and football teams to several SSSA competitions.

A graduate of Shanghai Sports University, Jing is specialist in martial arts. She coaches yoga, pilates and has a lot of experience in helping young pupils improve their fundamental skills fundamental skills.

A mother of two, she enjoys family time with her children, doing Thai boxing and yoga. Travelling is also another one of her passions and she loves exploring destinations with lots of natural beauty.  

Celia Barthman

Teacher of Music

Celia Barthman Celia has been teaching music for over 16 years both in the U.S. and abroad and started performing in choral and instrumental ensembles at a very young age. She loves working with a variety of different age groups and musical ensembles. Celia earned her Master of Arts Degree in World Music Studies from the University of Sheffield and holds BSc degrees in both Vocal and Instrumental Music Education from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. She served for several years as the North Dakota American Choral Directors Association Middle School Repertoire and Standards Chairman. Celia has also played Principal French Horn in several different orchestral groups, including the Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra, the Minot Symphony Orchestra, the Bangkok Charity Orchestra and the Bangkok International Community Orchestra. As an ethnomusicologist, Celia has a love of non-Western music. During her time in the U.S., she studied West African Percussion for seven years with a Master Drummer from Ghana. During her teaching career, Celia has served as an adjudicator and guest presenter at music festivals in Thailand, Vietnam, Canada and the U.S.

Jessica Sumerfield

Teacher of Music

Jessica comes from Taipei, Taiwan. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, Jessica taught music at the prestigious Oundle School, UK. She then moved to warmer climates, teaching Early Years and junior music at Concordia International School, Bangkok. Jessica then moved to Shanghai to start the music programme at YK Pao School, where she stayed for eight years. At YK Pao, she initiated their successful strings programme and developed the school's English choirs and vocal ensemble groups. Jessica has over ten years' experience in teaching cello and piano to the younger age groups. When time allows, Jessica loves travelling and cooking. Her music teaching philosophy centres on enjoyment through exploration.

Madeline Churchill

Teacher of Art | Artist in Residence

Madeline joins the college as Artist-in-Residence following eight years as Head of Art at Wellington College in Tianjin and eight years teaching at the Art School in Wellington College in England. A fine art graduate from Oxford University’s Ruskin School of Art, Madeline has been dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, aspiring to draw out the best of each individual’s creative potential. Ambitious artworks have been made at every level, from year 7 pupils through to top Senior School pupils who have been offered places at prestigious art institutions across the world. Beyond teaching and painting, Madeline is a keen musician who plays the violin and piano.

Shaun Gingell

Teacher of Art

Originally from Sunderland, England, Shaun discovered his calling in visual arts at a young age. It led him to earn his BA in fine art from the University of Lincoln and then an MA in the same from Sunderland University.

Shaun’s passion for exploring different cultures has taken him to South Korea, Cambodia and China, where he has taught art to a wide range of learners. During this time, he completed a PGCE and a PGDip Artist Teacher to further his professional development. For the past four years, Shaun has specialised in teaching Primary School art. Working with children in this cohort has been the most rewarding part of his career because of the artistic freedom he gets to share with his pupils.

Outside of teaching Shaun engages in self-exploration through a dedicated practice of yoga, meditation and making and exhibiting art. 

Helen Heatley

 Teacher of Drama and Dance

When Helen was 18 years old she started work as a professional dancer with the famous Bluebell Girls dancing on the world's largest stages in the show 'Hello Hollywood Hello'- Reno. Her dancing career allowed her to travel and work in South Korea, Japan, America and Europe. Helen's real ambition was always to become a professional actress. She attended the BA acting course at The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) a top London Drama School, where she was trained by The Royal Shakespeare Company as well as top professional actors, actresses and directors. After years 'treading the boards', Helen decided to spend time with family in the UK and qualify as a Performing Arts Teacher through the University of Gloucestershire. Helen is an outstanding teacher with many years' experience in both secondary and primary schools in the UK. Helen secured the Gold Arts Mark for her last secondary school. Helen supported the school and was instrumental in helping it to become a leading Performing Arts specialist school in the UK. At Helen's last primary school there were 29 different languages spoken. Ofsted observed Helen and noted that Helen is an outstanding teacher who gives every child confidence to believe in themselves and develop their communication skills.

Amy Hodgins 

Head of Art

Originally from Ireland but raised in the UK, Amy always knew she wanted to pursue a career in the arts. From a young age, she felt an affinity with drawing and creating. Being a teacher has provided an opportunity for her to share this passion with her pupils.

Following her graduation from Kingston University in London, Amy began working in gallery education and museum learning. This experience confirmed her desire to pursue a career in teaching and led her to Cardiff to study for a PGCE in secondary education (art and design). After some years teaching in London she took up her first international teaching post in Caracas, Venezuela before arriving in Shanghai in 2019.

Amy sees the study of art as a holistic practice with many personal and learning benefits. It provides a vital means for young people to express themselves and respond to the world around them in creative ways. She feels students develop problem-solving skills and the ability to develop and refine ideas in greater depth. She encourages every pupil to see value in their artistic endeavours, and never say the words "but I cannot draw".

Outside of school, Amy loves to travel and explore different countries. She also enjoys visiting exhibitions, yoga and soccer.

Fleur Hua

Art Technician

Originally from Shanghai，Fleur has been in education field for ten years. This is her sixth year working at Wellington College International Shanghai. Fleur currently works in Art department as a brilliant technician and also teaches primary school students professional art skills in their daily school time. In addition to education, Fleur tested new products of art supplies for Tombow Japan and helped several local stationary companies with their publicity. Away from work, Fleur enjoys exhibitions, especially handicrafts-related activities. She is also keen on learning new techniques (photography, video editing, procreate etc.)

Fallon Jelissa Hammond

Teacher of Drama

Fallon is a passionate drama teacher, who taught for three years in South Africa before journeying to China. Since then,she has drama and public speaking to students in 10th to 12th grade in the American programme as well as languageacquisition to ninth grade IB MYP and DP English language and literature. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in drama andperformance studies and a PGCE from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where she spent her undergraduateworking as a stage manager with the university’s theatre company for all external performances. Her interests includedancing, reading and attending the theatre.

Samuel Jones

Director of Houses | Head of Academic Drama

For 20 years, Samuel has worked in a variety of educational settings and held leadership roles that encompass both academic and pastoral responsibilities. As the Head of Drama at John Lyon, Harrow, he successfully revitalised the drama and theatre department, achieving exceptional exam results while establishing connections with other schools, arts organisations and the wider community. Before this, he held the position of Deputy Head of College at Fortismere School, where he played a key role in implementing a school-wide house system that empowered students and transformed the school community. He also served as an examiner for Edexcel Pearson, visiting prominent schools across the UK.

At Wellington, he served as the Senior Housemaster for Combermere before assuming the position of Director of Houses. In this capacity, he creates a comprehensive programme throughout the school that is funcompetitive, fostering mutual support among pupils across various disciplines. He has combined this role with his responsibilities as the Academic Head of Drama, overseeing all aspects of the curriculum's performance work and directing two large-scale productions annually. Additionally, he oversees Wellington’s Drama Fellowship programme, which involves collaboration with theatre professionals from around the world.

Before teaching, Samuel achieved success as an award-winning actor and writer. He received training at Birmingham University, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. His interests beyond teaching encompass football and travel.

Michael Larsen-Disney

Director of Arts

Michael is hugely excited by the opportunities that Wellington College International Shanghai offers. He welcomes the chance to be involved in a very progressive educational system within one of the best Performing Arts facilities in the world. Michael has had a long international career as an actor, singer, dancer and director in mainstream commercial theatre and now utilises his skills, knowledge and academic background to educate the next generation of students and performers. Michael was educated at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne, Australia, and later at Bath Spa University (Cert. Ed.) and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in the UK, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Contemporary Theatre Practice. Michael has previously held positions as Artistic Director of the Wessex Academy of Performing Arts UK, where he ran BTEC and Degree programmes (BA Hons) in Music Theatre and Acting and, more recently, at the British International School of Jakarta in Indonesia where he was Director of Performing Arts. “It is my aim to nurture and unlock the potential of all students at Wellington College International Shanghai, whether it is within or outside the curriculum. I have established a Performing Arts Academy to serve the College and the wider community. My vision is to make Wellington College International Shanghai not just an outstanding centre for Performing Arts in Shanghai, but one of the best in the world.”

Vera Mitford-Beran

Head of Academic Music

From the moment she started playing the cello at the age of six, music has been the focus of Vera's life. Her teaching career began at the British School of Beijing, where she was appointed Head of Music at their Sanlitun campus. She then joined Dulwich College Seoul and built a thriving music department as the school's Director of Music. A graduate of Bela Bartok Conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, Vera achieved her BA as a cello teacher and performing chamber musician at the Szechenyi Istvan University Art Faculty in Hungary. She received her PGCE at the University of Buckingham, England. Vera is married to a master chef and is a proud mother of two children, Emma and Benjamin, who are all very excited to explore Shanghai.  

Dr Paul Tkachenko

Head of Performance Music | Director of CCA & Enrichment

Paul was born in the UK, but he grew up in Australia, Hong Kong and Germany. His long and diverse career as a musician took him to venues around the world. A genre-hopping multi-instrumentalist tuba/double bassist who sings, he has performed on a number one hit record and played live on BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4. Paul has performed with Japanese virtuoso violinist Taro Hakase on double bass. He played bluegrass banjo solos in Nashville, Greek Rebetiko in Istanbul, Balkan dubstep on the tuba at Glastonbury Festival, sung in Russian and Yiddish as a soloist with the Aurora Orchestra, played piano and musically directed a 7 month sell-out show in London, played trumpet at Shakespeare's Globe and performed Victorian Music Hall comedy songs at the Queen's Jubilee on the accordion. Paul's MA dissertation on Turkish Nationalism in music was published in 2005, and he completed a PhD on the London Klezmer scene in 2013 at City University, London. He has taught from Primary to University level and comes to Wellington from The International School of Moscow where he led their highly successful instrumental programmes and conducted the orchestra. When not playing music and spending time with his two children, Paul enjoys long-distance running and has completed several marathons.

Andrew Peacock

Teacher of Instrumental

Caitlin Quinlan

Teacher of Music

Caitlin is a New York City-born and bred musician who has had the pleasure of living in Shanghai for the past four years. Music has been the focus of her life for as long as she can remember. Caitlin began studying cello at the age of three and has been singing for as long as she had a voice. She earned her Bachelor’s of Music in Cello Performance from Vanderbilt University and her Masters of Music in Cello Performance from Carnegie Mellon University.

She is passionate about performing and creating music and has enjoyed working on an eclectic range of projects involving music, theatre and dance as well as performing on cello with orchestras chamber ensembles, and singing in jazz big bands and combos in New York City, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Shanghai. She takes inspiration from a wide range of genres and can be seen singing Mexican mariachi songs just as well as playing Bach cello suites.

When not in the classroom, Caitlin loves to cook—or mostly eat—ride bikes, learn new languages and see new places.

Kathryn Robbins

Teacher of Visual Art 

Eddy Wang

Teacher of Art

Antony Wood

Teacher of Drama and Dance

From 2014 to 2018, Antony worked at Wellington College Shanghai as an EAL teacher, although he taught many dance CCA and Academy classes, choreographed school musicals, and helped as a cover teacher in the Drama department. In the 2019-2020 school year he began making the transition to the Performing Arts department, and now starts the 2020-21 school year a full member of the Performing Arts team. Antony trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts under Malissa Hayden (New York City Ballet) and Duncan Noble (Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo). This was a springboard to an international dance career with such companies as Ballet de Santiago de Chile, the Icelandic Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Oldenburg City Theatre, Buddy Holly the Musical, and Phantom of the Opera (Hamburg production). Apart from dancing many roles in the major classical ballets, Antony enjoyed dancing numerous neo-classical, modern, and jazz roles from a variety of well-known choreographers. Antony has also appeared on screen both as a dancer and actor in commercials and films, including The Forbidden Kingdom, John Rabe, and Ip Man 2. He received a BA Liberal Arts from University of New Mexico, PGCE secondary English from Durham University, and is now pursuing an MA in Theatre from University of Surrey (Guilford School of Acting). Antony loves practicing martial arts, reading about physics, going to shows, and dreaming up new performance ideas.

Phoebe Xiang

Teacher of Music

Phoebe has been passionate about music since childhood. She earned a master’s degree in music from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and also studied vocal music at Manhattan School Music and New York University. She has taught vocal music for over a decade and has several years’ experience in teaching piano to younger children. She is also a cultural communicator and a member of the Shanghai Aesthetic and JingWu Association. Outside of school, she enjoys playing flute, doing tai chi and visiting art exhibitions.

Hana Zhong

Art Technician

Lynsey Breeze

Bursar

Lynsey is a chartered accountant, a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) and a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for the HR sector. 

She has extensive experience charity and education sectors in the UK, having served as Director of Finance and Support Services for a hospice in Birmingham as well as the Bursar of St. Mary's School, an independent girls school in England. She has also served as the Senior Financial Auditor of an accountancy practice.

In her spare time, Lynsey loves helping others and engages in volunteer work with focus on environmental issues. She loves coffee and is a trained barista. She is also an avid traveller, keen fundraiser and adventure seeker. Now that she has two children, her days of skydiving and running marathons are over. But she still enjoys running (albeit more slowly).

Rachel Chadwick

Director of Admissions | Deputy Bursar

Rachel joined Wellington Shanghai when it opened in 2014 and has been welcoming new families to the school ever since. She gets involved in many aspects of helping a family settle into school life and the Wellington community in Shanghai. If she does not have the answer to a question about Wellington or living in Shanghai, she will know somebody who does!   Before working in education, Rachel was a corporate lawyer working in the UK and the Middle East. Moving to Shanghai presented the opportunity to pursue what she feels is a more meaningful career in education, and she feels privileged to work with young people.   In her spare time, Rachel likes to keep fit and healthy whether it be exploring parts of China on her road bike or enjoying leisurely walks with her dog to explore the fascinating lane life and history that Shanghai has to offer.