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Ashbourne Independent
Sixth Form College
17 Old Court Place
Kensington
London
W8 4PL
United Kingdom
click here to view map
admin@ashbournecollege.co.uk |
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| Ashbourne College Staff |
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Founded in 1981 by its current principal and director, Mike Kirby, Ashbourne employs a large number of staff for both teaching and
administrative purposes.
Ashbourne's ethos is one of friendliness and informality and one of the great things about the college are the enduring relationships
between staff and students.
Students are encouraged to call their teachers by their first name and are not required to wear uniform. As a result,
Ashbourne inspires good relations between staff and students, based on mutual respect and approachability.
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| Principals |
Principal
Michael Kirby
MSc (London), BApSc (Toronto), MInstD
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Mike
Kirby founded Ashbourne College in 1981 and has since presided
over its continuing academic development and growth
in reputation.
Educated at the Universities of Toronto
and London, where he read Aerospace Engineering and
Statistics, Mike is a key figure in the promotion of
independent education in the UK through bodies such
as the Council for Independent Further Education
(CIFE) and the British Council Education Counselling
Service. He has recently joined the Admissions Panel for Medicine at UCL as a lay member. Mike Kirby can be contacted out of hours in an emergency on 07715 549 966, he can be contacted in writing at all times by email (mike@ashbournecollege.co.uk) or in writing by writing to the College directly (Ashbourne College, 17 Old Court Place, London W8 4PL) |
Director of Studies
John Wilson
BA (Hons), MA (Oxford), PGCE (Cambridge) |
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John was educated at The
Queen’s College, Oxford and Homerton
College, Cambridge. He joined Ashbourne
in 2000 as a Biology and Science teacher and is now
in his second spell with us, rejoining as Director
of Studies in 2005. John is a member of the Institute
of Biology and has recently joined the Admissions Panel for Medicine at UCL as a lay member. John is the Designated Person for Child Protection, Complaints Co-ordinator, Educational Visits Co-ordinator and Duty Officer. A voicemail can be left out of hours for John relating to the above matters on 0044 7523 329 924. |
Director of Operations
Lee Kirby |
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After living and working abroad, Lee has been instrumental in the construction of the college's information systems and databases. A qualified FA coach, he is passionate about football and has played semi-professionally and professionally in the UK and Vietnam, respectively. A former director of an entertainment company, he continues to contribute to our annual talent show, the Ashbourne Revue. |
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| Academic Management |
Assistant Director of Studies
Breanne Grantham
MA (York), BA Hons, BEd (Queen's University, Ontario), Diplome Annuel (Universite de Sorbonne, Paris)
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Breanne was educated at Queen’s University, Canada and the Sorbonne University in Paris, and holds a Master’s degree in English from the University of York. She joined Ashbourne in 2005 as Head of GCSE and is a specialist in English Language and Semiotics. Together with James Wykes, she has inspired students to produce our first college newspaper this year. |
Assistant Director of Studies
James Wykes
MA Modern Literatures in English; Birkbeck, BA English Literatures; University of Wales, PGCE in English; King’s College |
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Having cut his teeth at two well-known London colleges, James joined us two years ago. Last year he made an outstanding contribution as Head of GCSE and looks likely to exceed that performance in his new role as Director of Studies. He is passionate about learning and plays a key role in the integration of English and Drama. Together with Breanne Grantham, he has inspired students to produce our first college newspaper this year and is now one of the driving forces behind our Annual Christmas Revue. James is deputy designated Person for Child Protection, Complaints Co-ordinator, Educational Visits Co-ordinator and Duty Officer. |
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| Teaching Staff |
Arabella Bridge
BA Hons (Open), PGCE (Sussex)
English (HoD), Drama |
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Arabella Bridge has led a successful English Department at Ashbourne for nearly ten years. The department started with a handful of students and is now one of the largest in the College. Arabella completed a BA in English Literature then went on to pursue postgraduate studies at NYU. She gained a PGCE from the University of Sussex and has over twenty years experience of teaching. Arabella, as one might expect from an English teacher, is a keen theatergoer and an avid reader. |
Rupert Browett
BA Hons (London)
History, EFL (HoD) |
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Rupert Browett, Head of EFL is highly experienced in the field of English Language teaching. He holds a BA in History from Goldsmiths College, and a Certificate in TEFLA from International House. He is especially tuned in to the needs of our overseas students as he has travelled and taught throughout the world, particularly in Asia and is himself learning Chinese. Rupert has acted as an examiner for a variety of EFL qualifications including the First Certificate and IELTs. Rupert is a keen cyclist and another veteran of the London marathon.
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Joanna Budden
BA (Leeds)
History (HoD), Politics (HoD) |
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Joanna Budden has a BA in History from Leeds University. She taught English abroad for some years before completing a PGCE at Manchester Metropolitan Universty. She is also an examiner for Edexcel. Joanna enjoys travel and the great outdoors. |
Brendan Casey
BSc Hons (London School of Economics), BEd (Greenwich)
Accounts, Business, Economics (HoD) |
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Brendan Casey is Head of the highly successful Economics and Business Studies Department. He is another long-standing member of staff, having been at Ashbourne for over ten years. Brendan is a graduate of the London School of Economics. He trained as an accountant and worked in the city before completing his PGCE at the University of Greenwich. Brendan is a lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club. |
George Chaldezos
BA Hons, Phd (Cambridge)
Classics, Latin and Greek
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George studied Classics at the Universities of Thessaloniki, Cologne and Cambridge. He joined Ashbourne in 2003 as a teacher of Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation and has been running the Classics department since then. George is a member of the Association for Latin Teaching and Assistant Examiner for OCR and the Cambridge Pre-U. |
Sheila Cosgrove
BA Hons (Chelsea College of Art and Design) CFA (Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford University) BSc Design (University of Cincinnati,USA)
Art, Fashion |
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Sheila Cosgrove worked in New York as a fashion illustrator before moving to England for post-graduate work in Fine Art at Oxford University. She spent twenty years as a freelance art and design journalist and portrait artist before taking a degree in textile design at Chelsea College of Art. She frequently lectures to interior design students on Colour Theory and Application and her textile designs for fashion and furnishings have been sold in America, Britain and across Europe. |
Jerry Evans
BSc Hons (Aberystwyth), FSI (City University, London)
Geography (HoD), Business Studies |
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Jerry Evans has a degree in Geography from the University of Aberystwyth. He worked investment banking for many years, before completing his PGCE and turning to teaching. He holds an FSI and is a Fellow of the Securities Institute. He is also a member of the advisory board for the School of Management and Business of the University of Wales. Jerry is extremely well travelled and has visited almost every country on the globe.
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Dennis Fulcher
BSc Hons (Kingston) MA (London) PGCE (Greenwich)
Media and Social Sciences (HoD), Psychology, Sociology, Film, Politics and Law |
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Dennis Fulcher is the College’s polymath and Head of Humanities. Originally a graduate in Sociology, Dennis has also completed a Masters in Government and Political Studies, a PGCE and a Diploma in Print Journalism. He is also a teamleader for Government and Politics examiners. Dennis is a lifelong film enthusiast. |
Odette Hudson
License d'Enseignement des Langues Etrangeres(France), DipLanguage (Denmark)
French (HoD) |
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Odette Hudson is one of the founding staff of Ashbourne College, having been here since its inception. Odette took her first degree in Language teaching at the University of Clermont-Ferrand in her native France. She continued her educational studies at the University of Copenhagen before coming to the UK, where she found herself settling down. She is a keen gardener and an avid reader (on many topics and in several languages) |
Jak Kirby
BA (Silapakorn University,Thailand)
Photography |
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Jak Kirby has a BA in Applied Arts from the University of Silapakorn in her native Thailand. She worked in the advertising industry and as a television director before coming to Ashbourne. Jak began by teaching photography but has developed a flourishing Graphics Department in her ten years at the college. She is particularly interested in practical film making. |
Alberto Lado Rey
MA (Westminster), Licentiado (Spain)Teachers' Training Certificate (Spain)
Spanish |
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Alberto Lado Rey has a degree in English from the University of Santiago de Compestela, in his native Spain. After completing his teacher training, Alberto came to London where he started teaching at Ashbourne and other independent schools. He is an examiner for Edexcel. In addition, Alberto has recently completed an MA in Hispanic Studies at UCL. This has allowed him to pursue his interest in Spanish and Latino American culture, in particular Latin American documentary and Spanish cinema after Franco.
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Mae Lynne McDougall
MA Hons (Glasgow), PgD (Glasgow Caledonian), PGCE (Strathclyde)
Business, Economics |
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Mae Lynee McDougall has an MA in Politics from Glasgow University and an MSc in Business Information. She travelled widely then completed her PGCE and went into teaching. She has been at Ashbourne for eight years. Her interests include hockey and running. She has completed the London and Edinburgh marathons.
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Chella Nathan
BEng Hons (North London) BSc Hons (Sri Lanka) M Sc (Maths-Open)
PGCE (PCET) (Greenwich)
Mathematics and Physics |
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Chella Nathan has a BSc in Mathematics and Physics from his native Sri Lanka and a B.Eng from London University. He has been teaching Mathematics and Physics for over twenty-five years. His research interests are number theory and the development of renewable energy sources. |
Sakae Osakabe
Teacher's Training Certificate (Japan)
Japanese |
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Sakae Osakabe competed her degree and Teacher’s Training Certificate in her native Japan. She has taught Japanese for many years, in a wide range of schools and Colleges within London. Her hobbies include travel, drawing and flower arranging.
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Michael Peat
BD Hons, DipTheol (London) BSc Hons (Birmingham)
Religious Studies, Mathematics and Philosophy |
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Michael Peat has a very broad academic background as his first degree was in Physics. Doctoral studies in Theology took him to Philadelphia where he lived for many years and he now teaches Philosophy and Theology at Ashbourne. Philosophy, though challenging, is a particularly popular subject. Michael is a keen chess player and along with Chris Todd runs the chess club. |
Dr Barry Rhule
Phd (London), BSc Hons (CNAA)
Mathematics, Physics |
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Dr Barry Rhule has a BSc in Mathematics and Physics from CNNA and a PhD in Physics from the University of London. He is a member of the London Mathematical Society and has been teaching Maths and Physics at Ashbourne for over ten years. |
Wesley Rykalski
BA History, MA Medieval Studies (UCL)
Media Studies |
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Wesley took his BA and MA at UCL and is working on a PhD in cultural power in the early medieval world at Birbeck. Wesley writes a teaching blog on media studies (http://rykalskireadsthemedia.blogspot.com) and contributes to a joint research blog on Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project (http://arcadespromenades.wordpress.com) and the sea-side. |
Christopher Todd
BSc Hons (East Anglia), PGCE
Chemistry (HoD), Biology |
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Chris Todd graduated from the University of East Anglia in Chemical Sciences. He worked as a research chemist in the field of semi conductors, then in investment banking before completing his PGCE at Roehampton. He has been at Ashbourne for over eight years. His particular passion is chess; he runs a team in the London Chess League and together with Michael Peat runs the Ashbourne chess club. |
| Louise Forster |
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Louise Forster is half-German and read German and Italian at Reading University. She also speaks French. She joined Ashbourne ten years ago as a German tutor and now teaches Italian and EFL in addition. She has lived in Berlin, studied at Munich and Bologna as part of her degree and often visits friends and relatives in Bavaria. She is also a member of the Goethe Institut. Louise enjoys opera, Art History and working creatively with textiles. |
| Frances Burns |
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Fran has a B.A. from Liverpool and an M.F.A. in Drama from Ohio University in the USA. Originally from Glasgow, Fran has travelled extensively and lived and worked in America for several years. Fran began her career as a professional actress, working in theatre throughout the UK, Europe and the States, and began teaching only as a favour, covering her best friend's maternity leave. Teaching has remained her first love ever since, despite intermittent breaks in voice work, corporate training and at one of the country's leading Arts Education companies. She is now the Practical Drama teacher at Ashbourne. |
| Michael Niman |
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Michael Niman studied Politics with Sociology at Teeside University and later completed a MA in post-sixteen education at Southampton university, where he was awarded best postgraduate student. Michael has taught various subjects, from Sociology to training nurses and housing officers. He has a very open minded approach to teaching, and once even taught General Studies A Levels while riding on the South Downs! He enjoys anything to do with nature and his dream includes going on a safari to South Africa and witness the midnight sun. |
| Luca Paci |
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Luca Paci studied Philosophy and Literature in Pavia and Swansea where he obtained a PhD on the Theory of History of Benedetto Croce. Among his interests are contemporary poetry and continental philosophy. He has published a collection of poems (The Fine Line) and a video-poem (London Trip-tych). He has also translated La Ragazza Carla, an experimental prose - poem written by the prominent Italian poet Elio Pagliarani. He has written on Carmelo Bene, Pagliarani and Pavese. His most recent work was Pro/testo an anthology of contemporary Italian poets. |
| Peter Franklyn |
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Peter Franklyn is a graduate of the London School of Economics. He worked at Channel 4 for over 10 years, first as marketing manager and later writing and directing TV trailers. In 2002 he decided to retrain as a teacher so he could spend more time at home with his family. |
| Michael Wilkinson |
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Michael Wilkinson began teaching Government and Politics at Ashbourne College in September 2009. Prior to this, he worked as a researcher at the Home Office, and thus has first-hand insight into the nature of the UK political system. Since leaving the Home Office he has been involved in freelance social research work at the University of Surrey, and he also currently tutors on some of their undergraduate courses in Sociology. Mike has a degree in Politics, an MSC Politics and Sociology and a Diploma in Applied Social Research. |
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| Administration Staff |
Admissions and Administration Manager
Shaheena Teeluck
LLB (Wolverhampton), LLM, LPC |
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Shaheena has worked at Ashbourne since May 2005, where she started as the Examinations and Finance Officer. More recently she has been deployed as the Admissions and Administration Manager. She was born in Mauritius and has traveled to many different parts of the world including Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. She takes great interest in shopping and fashion in general, especially shoes, of which she has over 100 pairs. She loves to read, and could quite easily be found in a Starbucks, reading one of her favourite novels. |
Online Marketing, Premises and Communication Systems Manager
Fabio Carpene |
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A son of two Italian parents, Fabio has worked at Ashbourne since September 2005. He was initially employed as a painter and decorator, but his ability to solve complicated problems encouraged the Principal to offer him an administrative role. His current role involves being responsible for the day-to-day running of the premises and communication systems. He also has a key role in the promotion of Ashbourne through the use of the Internet. He has a keen affection for Macs and new technology, which has helped Ashbourne develop and improve its IT and Network infrastructure. He is very passionate about football, and has played for semi-professional and professional teams in the UK. He is also a coach of an under 9’s football team, which includes one of his four children. |
Admissions
Hannah Martin
BMus (King's College London) |
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After graduating from King’s College London with a degree in Music and spending the summer working for a global civil engineering company, Hannah joined the Admin team at Ashbourne as Admissions Assistant. She has an eclectic taste in music ranging from opera to ska, and has been in a number of ensembles including a classical orchestra and a jazz band. She loves traveling and experiencing other cultures, and is planning a trip through the Far East and South America. |
Examinations Officer
Roger Parrott |
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Roger is the Examinations Officer at Ashbourne. He graduated from Warwick University and taught for 21 years in Worcestershire before doing a post-graduate course at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Since then he has not only continued tutoring, but has also acted in provincial theatres, for the RSC and in various television programmes and commercials. He has officiated for Ashbourne’s external examinations for the last ten years. |
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| In addition to the staff above, we have the following staff members: |
Sabah Bandoui, MSc Psychology, BSc Psychology
Kinzli Russell, BSC Hons Chemistry and Mathematics Belmont University, Nashville USA , PGCE Kings College London
Rob Kocho, BSc Sports & Exercise Science, Bde
Claire Meade, BSc, PHD, QTS
Andrew Miller, PHD in Physics, BSc Physics
Abdul Sami, Pure Maths, Algebra - Msc, Pure Maths - BA, M Dr of Philosophy
Jessica DaCosta, BA, MA University of London, PGCE, BA Easte European Studies at SSEES, PGCE at IOE, MA History of Art at Birkbeck College
Joanna Kay, BA Camberwell, PGCE Art and Desingn, Goldsmiths, BA Painting Camberwell College, Foundation in Art and Design Camberwell College
Eva Koudela, BSc, Phd Mathematics, GTP
Sanjeev Kumar, BA Accounting UWL, MSc Finance Southampton
Lawrence Quigley BA Loughborough, MA (RA), PGCE, BA Fine Art Loughborough, MA Fine ArtRoyal Academy of Art, PGCE Art Teacher Cert
Jai Virdi,
Emma Walsh, BA UCL, PGCE, BA Hons English at UCL, PGCE Secondary English at IOE
Kyaw Kyaw Win, BSc Internet Engineering, PGCE Secondary ICT and Computing, UK QTS
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