Ashbourne College Staff

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.

After living and working abroad, Lee has been instrumental in the development of the college’s information systems and databases.
He is a qualified FA coach and has played semi-professionally and professionally in the UK and Vietnam. Lee has had basic training as a counsellor, which has had a significant impact on the pastoral support for students at the college.

Since joining Ashbourne in 2007, James has made an outstanding contribution to the academic development of the school. As well as leading an exceptionally successful English Department, he was instrumental in establishing Drama as a vital part of Ashbourne’s curriculum. He has enriched the College’s cultural life with initiatives that have ranged from the college newspaper to critical theory seminars. Above all, as Assistant Director of Studies and Leader of Faculties, he has guided and motivated countless Ashbourne students and has presided over the evolution of the College’s distinctive educational approach.

Ruchi has a Masters in Computer Applications and Bachelors of Commerce with Honours from her native India. She started teaching ICT and Computing in the UK in 2001 and completed her PGCE in ICT from one of the most prestigious institutions, the Institute of Education, University of London. She joined Ashbourne in 2012 and has progressed to become a core member of our staff. She constantly tries to improve her teaching strategies and is passionate about promoting Computer Science at Ashbourne. Apart from her love for Bollywood, she enjoys reading fiction and aspires to play badminton well.

Cristiana Bottigella holds a Degree in Italian Literature and Contemporary Art from the Catholic University in Milan and obtained an MA in Cultural Policies from the City University, London. She had her first experience as an Italian teacher in a London College, after which she tutored numerous pupils at different levels in Germany, Austria and Italy. Cristiana has a strong interest in contemporary literature and art and currently teaches at Ashbourne as well as in other independent colleges in London

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, 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.

Joanna Budden has a BA in History from Leeds University. She taught English abroad for some years before completing a PGCE at Manchester Metropolitan University. Joanna enjoys travel and the great outdoors.

As well as being Deputy of Middle School and a Drama Teacher at Ashbourne, for many years Fran has also been a practitioner in both Mindfulness and Meditation techniques and a senior facilitator for one of the country’s leading Arts Educational companies, helping to deliver specialist programmes in Student Health & Wellbeing and various PSHE issues – all of which were excellent preparation for the next step in becoming the new DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) for the college. Fran has a genuine belief in students feeling truly supported in all the aspects of their lives that can impact on their ability to reach their potential, and is a committed advocate in supporting young people develop the skills and techniques that allow them to be proactive in their own wellbeing;- whether academically, emotionally or socially. She is delighted to be the DSL for Ashbourne.

Stephen is a hugely experienced tutor and semi-retired head of a large comprehensive school on the outskirts of London. He has been teaching at Ashbourne since 2013. He has an impressive list of qualifications including BA Hons Geography (University of Leicester), PGCE (University of Leicester) and a PHD in Philosophy (University of Leicester). Students find Stephen’s wealth of experience, knowledge and professionalism combined with his warmth and wit a very appealing combination.

Frances Bushe has an MA in Acting and qualified to teach Drama at the University of Cambridge. She is a prize-winning playwright, filmmaker and an award nominated performer. She has studied improvisation and sketch comedy at Second City in America and has also taking successful productions to the Edinburgh Fringe. Frances is a skilled improviser and is trained in stage combat.

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 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.

John studied Economics at the City of London Polytechnic and then at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He taught economics at London Metropolitan University for 35 years before joining Ashbourne in 2015. John is the author of Taking The Fear Out Of Economics, an introductory text for A2 and first year degree students. John engages students through the use of examples to explain economics. In his free time John likes to run, play the piano and garden. All of which he does slowly. He supports Celtic and West Ham.

Rupinder earned a degree in Industrial and Natural Resource Chemistry from Brunel University. She then went on to work as an analytical chemist for several companies such as SGS and Oxford Agricultural Services. Rupinder then retrained and completed her PGCE in 1996 and her first interview was with Ashbourne in which she was successful! Rupinder first taught at Ashbourne 19 years ago, before leaving for the States where she lived and travelled for 3 years. She came back to us in 2013. Combined with her love for teaching maths, her positive personality and sense of humour she is committed to encourage an uncompromising work ethic amongst her students. In her free time Rupinder enjoys studying French and reading historical fiction. She has a passion for travelling and learning about cultures.

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.

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.

Pete Franklyn has a BSc. in Actuarial Science from the London School of Economics and a PGCE in Secondary Mathematics from the University of London. Before retraining as a teacher in 2002, Pete worked at Channel 4 for 11 years, first as Marketing Manager and later writing and directing TV trailers.

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.

Lisa studied Science with a specialism in Molecular Botany, in the beautiful Trinity College in Dublin, where she moved from Canada. Lisa has taught Biology and Science part-time since 2005, returning to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Science Education in 2012. She has taught Science, Biology and Maths in secondary schools in Ireland and was delighted to join Ashbourne in early 2015 after her move to London.

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 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.

Natalia joined Ashbourne in September 2016 as part of our growing psychology department. She developed a passion for teaching whilst researching London gangs for her PhD, and has since been committed to helping students find joy and self confidence through learning.
Aside from teaching and a keen interest in forensic psychology, Natalia loves nature and travel photography

Sahib graduated with LLB law (honours) at the university of Reading. She was called to the Bar as barrister having further studied at the Historic Inns of Court School of Law. Sahib is a scholar and barrister member of the prestigious Honourable Society of Middle Temple.
Prior to Joining Ashbourne, Sahib was the managing director of a legal services consultancy company where she supported regulatory bodies and firms on highly complex litigation cases.

Sahib joined Ashbourne’s popular psychology department; eager to pursue her passion for teaching and learning. This has developed from mentoring and tutoring as well interest in child rights, development and safeguarding.

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.

Virash is a teacher with a vast amount of experience in the tutorial college environment. Before joining Ashbourne College, he held the roles of Director of Studies and Head of Chemistry, as well as teaching Biology and Chemistry. In addition to his teaching roles, Mr Patel has worked as an analytical chemist in industry, and was awarded a fellowship from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
He has a wide experience of tutorial and pastoral care and of preparing students for entry to schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and optometry. He also has a very successful track record of assisting students in gaining places to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In addition, has given instruction and guidance to all students in implementing their UCAS applications.

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.

Katie studied History of Art and English Literature at the University of Birmingham and holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art Theory from the University of Essex. Katie has held various roles in the arts sector in London. These include working for the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), Anne Thorne Architects and most recently the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), for which she collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists on innovative and high-profile art projects in and around London’s Olympic Park. Before teaching at Ashbourne, Katie established History of Art A Level at the International School of Creative Arts (ISCA), the only specialist day and boarding school run in association with University of the Arts London (UAL). She joined Ashbourne in 2012 and now teaches History of Art, Media Studies and English. Katie is passionate about engaging students’ interest and encouraging them to develop their enthusiasm for literature and art history both in and outside the classroom. Katie is also a Personal Tutor for Year 12 students. When she is not teaching, Katie is tackling the renovation project of her period home.

Sean has recently graduated with a Masters in Civil Engineering and Business
Management from Warwick University. He began his career as an investment banker but quickly realised that teaching was his preferred profession. A keen sportsman, Sean plays lacrosse, football and tennis in his spare time.

Lawrence is a practising Fine Artist, specializing in painting and has exhibited at many leading contemporary Galleries both in and outside London. His work is also held in many public and private collections. He has an extensive range of teaching experience and has taught and lectured at a variety of levels including A level, Foundation and on Art and Design Degree courses.

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 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.

Abdul taught Pure Maths at Michigan State University for three years before returning to the UK. Then he transcribed parts of Newton’s Principia at Sussex University before joining Ashbourne College. Some of his research is published in leading journals and he has given seminars and conference speeches in the UK, USA and Germany.
Abdul enjoys cooking, long walks and day trips to small towns and villages.

Amjad was educated in his hometown Glasgow before moving to London to study Physiotherapy. After working for various NHS trusts in London as a Chartered Physiotherapist, Amjad decided to change careers and enrolled for a PGCE at Green Templeton College, Oxford before completing a Master’s at Jesus College, Oxford. Amjad joined Ashbourne in 2010 and now combines GCSE Science teaching with A Level Chemistry and Lower Sixth Form Personal Tutoring..

Will Stockland has studied both Western and Eastern art history at the universities of Edinburgh, London and Oxford. As well as being a teacher, Will has worked in charitable fundraising, in the wine trade and as a bookseller. He has been the editor of several magazines and writes book reviews for various publications. He has many hobbies, including book collecting and snooker, and he is an active member of his local church.

Piers studied Composition at the Royal College of Music, and has worked extensively as a composer, writing many commissioned pieces. His work has been performed by the Britten Sinfonia, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, The Composers’ Ensemble and London Children’s Ballet. Pier’s background makes him particularly suited to teaching the composition unit at A Level and GCSE. Piers also actively runs Ashbourne’s choir and music clubs.

Sarah has an MA in Human Sciences from Oxford University, and an MSc in Neuroscience from University College London. Before turning to teaching in 2010, she spent several years working in research, first at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge and at the Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems at Boston University, and has published original research papers in the fields of cognitive neuroscience and psychophysics. In her spare time, she is a folk musician and a marathon runner.

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.

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.

A new addition to Ashbourne, imported from America, Lauren has warmly and enthusiastically embraced the Asher experience. Lauren has worked to inspire students to delve into all that English has to offer, and to ignite a passion for creative analysis. After completing a rigorous undergraduate programme in sunny California, Lauren welcomed the challenge of graduate school in a new country. Through her Master’s degree in Modern English Literature at UCL, Lauren fell in love with London and the prospect of becoming a teacher. A thorough training at the world-renowned Institute of Education and a short stint at a sixth-form college in East London brought her to us in 2014.

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.

Amy joined Ashbourne in September 2015 as our new Head of Natural Sciences. In addition to teaching, Amy also runs the Ashbourne College Medical programme, supporting AS and A2 students who wish to go on to study Medicine and Dentistry.
As well being passionate about science, Amy also loves music. She plays the violin and has toured with university’s orchestra

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..

Having first graduated from the University of Oxford in Law, Chris then undertook postgraduate work at the Courtauld Institute before beginning his teaching career in Law and History of Art. Chris is noteworthy for many things, not least of which is his winning personality which has won him many friends among colleagues, students, parents and representatives of many other educational institutions. Over the past few years, Chris has moved away from his teaching responsibilities at Ashbourne and has had an invaluable role in assisting Ashbourne with its admissions process and regularly travels abroad in that capacity. He is a published author of many books and articles in the field of Art History.

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.