Governors & staff
About us
Mr G Entwisle
Headmaster
BA (Hons) Loughborough
Giles Entwisle joined Durston House in September 2020. For the previous seven years Giles was Headmaster of Bede’s Preparatory School in Eastbourne, the prep school of Bede’s senior school. Before that he was Deputy Head at Highfield School in Liphook, Hampshire, and Housemaster at Holmewood House in Tunbridge Wells. In total he has taught at five different prep schools, all of them with strong reputations and high standards of teaching and pastoral care.
Giles began his career as a languages teacher, qualifying from Bristol University in 1992. He has an Honours degree in Modern European Studies from Loughborough University, and is married to Regina, a Spanish teacher. They have two children.
Miss L Vallely
Deputy Head
BEd (Hons) (University of Glasgow) QTS
Lauren was born and raised in Lanarkshire, which is a beautiful area of Scotland close to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Loch Lomond. She studied Primary Education at the University of Glasgow and graduated in 2009. Lauren moved from Scotland to ‘The Big Smoke’ in 2010 and has worked at many leading independent prep schools. Most recently as Deputy Head Pastoral at Wetherby Kensington and Deputy Head at Parsons Green Prep. Lauren enjoys painting using oils and acrylics and loves visiting art galleries. During her spare time she volunteers in a range of projects within the Kensington & Chelsea district, sometimes with her cockapoo Larry who is a trained therapy dog.
Mrs J Twyford
Bursar
Jenny was recruited as Bursar at Durston House in January 2005, having previously been the Bursar at a Prep School and an Adult Education College. Born in South Africa but brought up and educated in Ealing, she has run her own business and worked as a Finance Executive in the industrial chemical manufacturing industry. Jenny has two children and five grandchildren; is a keen tennis player, having played competitively in the Middlesex League, and continues to play regularly.
Mrs C Saigau
Director of Studies
BA (Romania) PGDip (Romania) MTeach (IoE London) QTS
Cristina was born and educated in Romania with a degree in Philology, and began her teaching career in England in 2000. Starting Durston in 2008 as a Year 1 teacher, in 2010 she joined the Junior School team as a Year 3 teacher, and in 2015 became Head of Latin. Outside of work Cristina enjoys city walks, travelling, and trips to the theatre.
Mr D Stock
Head of Co-Curricular
BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE
Dominic grew up in leafy Kent. He moved to London for his degree in Physical and Sport Education, at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Starting Durston in 2011, he has held positions in Junior School, Middle and Upper School, mixing class teaching, History and PE/Games, before joining the Senior Management Team, as Director of Studies, in September 2018. Always a keen sportsman, Dominic enjoys playing both codes of rugby, having represented Harlequins Rugby League and now playing on the wing for Twickenham Rugby Football Club.
Miss J Chisholm
Head of Studies Administration
BEd (Canada) QTS
Jennifer joined Durston House as Studies Manager in 2018. Born and raised in Canada, she has called London home since 2011. Jennifer has worked across a variety of school settings, most recently as a Year 3 and 4 Teacher and a member of the management team at a prep school in North London. She enjoys travelling extensively throughout Europe and is most at home in the mountains, having ski raced competitively as a child.
Miss P Orr
Head of Junior School
BEd (Australian Catholic University)
Philippa Orr completed a Bachelor of Education in Australia and has worked in various educational settings from early childhood to special education. Eager to travel and experience new horizons, she moved to London in 2016 and joined Durston House in 2017 as a Year 4 Form Tutor and has held a variety of roles in Middle and Upper School.
Originally from Melbourne, Philippa can’t help but have a keen love of food and coffee, and enjoys exploring London’s Gastronomic scene. When not eating or cooking, Philippa spends her time in London’s parks and looks forward to yoga classes, theatre and travelling abroad.
Ms D Finlayson
Head of Pre-Prep
BSc (Hons) (Middx) PGCE
Dawn has worked at Durston House since 2010, where she spent 3 years teaching in Year 1 and seven years as Head of Reception, before moving to Year 2 and becoming Head of Pre-Prep. Before her move to London, Dawn worked with 5-12 year olds in schools across Scotland, including the Highlands and the Lothians.
Dawn enjoys music, both as a performer and in the audience, and regularly plays her flute with the Durston School Orchestra. In the school holidays she can usually be found in a theatre or arena somewhere (not always in the UK!), enjoying some musical theatre or a pop or rock concert. Dawn has volunteered for many years with amateur dramatic groups, working backstage and front of house, and particularly enjoys preparing her pupils for performance opportunities throughout the year.
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Governors
Mr S A Armstrong
Marketing & former Durston House parent
Andy has an broad commercial background in Event Management, Charity, Entertainment, FMCG and B2B business sectors. His last Executive role was as CEO of a leading RAF Charity responsible for staging the annual Royal International Air Tattoo. Former Durston parent.
Philippe Carpentier
Business Developer, Private Investor & former Durston House parent
Philippe Carpentier has a broad commercial background in the energy industry, having worked in the industry as well as in consulting roles. He is currently acting as a business developer in an energy start-up and managing his personal investment portfolio.
Ms A Collier
Solicitor, Business Consultant & former Durston House parent
Ms Ann Collier (LLB Hons) originally qualified as a solicitor. She has also been a lecturer at the College of Law and more recently has been Head of Learning & Development in two large City law firms. She now works as an executive coach and business consultant. Former Durston parent with a son and a daughter.
Mrs S Girn
Solicitor & former Durston House parent
Mrs Shally Girn is a solicitor practising employment law, in house, in a global law firm, advising on partner and employee issues and disputes in the UK and International offices. She is a former Durston parent of two boys.
Dr T Girn
Chartered Accountant & former Durston House parent
Dr Tom Girn is a Chartered Accountant and director of AP Benson management consultants. He specialises in corporate turnaround and finance.
Mr D G Henshall (Co-Chairman)
Solicitor & former Durston House parent
David Henshall qualified as a Solicitor and is currently specialising in cross-frontier commercial disputes. Former Durston Parent.
Ms J Honigsberger
Data Analytics Consultant (Retired) & former Durston House parent
Ms Julia Honigsberger retired in 2020 following a career as consulting director at Thorogood Associates, a global data analytics firm with its headquarters in West London. Former Durston Parent.
Mr K Mahoney (Co-Chairman)
Chartered Surveyor
Kevin Mahoney is a retired Chartered Surveyor with 35 years’ experience in commercial property, specialising in shopping centre development and asset management across Europe.
Sally-Anne Huang
High Master of St Paul’s School
Sally-Anne Huang was educated at Bolton School prior to reading Classics and English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She also has an MSc in Educational Leadership and Management and a Masters degree in Children’s Literature, which is a personal passion of hers. Sally-Anne is High Master of St Paul’s School and experienced in governance of both boarding and prep schools.
Dr Richard Maloney
Headmaster of Uppingham School
Richard joined Uppingham as Headmaster in September 2016 after seven years as Headmaster and CEO of the St Bede’s School Trust in East Sussex.
Ben Purkiss
Headmaster at Caterham Preparatory School
Ben is a Surrey Prep School Head who, over the course of his career has worked in a variety of Prep and Secondary schools across Kent, Surrey and Sussex in pastoral and academic leadership.
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Heads of Department
Miss C Barnes BA (Hons) (London) MA (London) PGCE — Head of English
Mr R Bester Higher HiDipED (Durban) — Head of Geography
Mr M Datoo BSc (Hons) (Hertfordshire) MSc (Leicester) PGCE — Head of Science
Mr S Glassington BSc (Hons) (Southampton) QTS — Head of PE / Games
Mrs A Gorard BA (Liverpool) PCGE — Head of Learning Support / SENCO
Mrs A Hryschuk BEd (Canada) — Head of Art
Mrs E Jones BSc (Hons) (Cardiff) PGCE — Head of French
Mr J Nicolaou BSc (Hons) (London) PGCE — Head of IT & CSc
Mrs K Palamarchuk MA (Krakow) PGCE — Head of Music
Mr D Rajah BA HDEd (Natal) QTS — Head of Mathematics
Mrs C Saigau BA MA (Galati) MTeach (IOE London) QTS — Head of Latin
Mrs A Stiglingh MA (Joint Hons) (Edinburgh) QTS — Head of Reception
Mr Stock BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE — Head of History
Mrs E Williams PDT AdvCertEd (Cape Town) — Head of PSHME
Mr L Williams BA (Rhodes) BA (Hons) (W. Cape) DipTch — Head of TPR
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Teaching Staff
Mrs D Adhami BEd (Hons) (West Midlands College) — Pre-Prep
Mr E U Bassey BA (Hons) (Nsukka) MA (Lagos) DipMusEd — Music
Miss C Barr BSc (Ireland) PGCE — Pre-Prep/Junior
Miss J Beaumont BA (Otago) QTS — Pre-Prep (Reception)
Mr A Bendas BA (Romania) QTS — PE / Games
Miss R Buchanan BA (Double Major) (Auckland) GradDipEd — Pre-Prep (Reception) – Maternity Leave
Mr W Coetzer BA (Hons) (Johannesburg) PGCE — Junior School
Mr M Datoo BSc (Hons) (Hertfordshire) MSc (Leicester) PGCE — Science
Miss S Easton BA (Hons) (London) — Junior School
Mr H Eghvay BSc (Hons) (Westminster) PGCE — Science
Mr J Foxall BA (Hons) (Cardiff) MA (London) PGCE — French
Miss J Gahir BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE — Maths
Mrs A Harridge BA (Hons) (USA) QTS MA (USA) — English
Miss A Ingram BA (Otago) GradDipEd — Pre-Prep
Mr R Koya BSc (Bath) PGCE — PE / Games
Mr C Mulhall BA (York) PGCE — Junior School
Mrs T Outten LLB (Hons) (Reading) PGCE — Junior School
Mrs H Sharp BA (Hons) (Oxford Brookes University) PGCE — Pre-Prep
Mrs N Sharma BA (Hons) (London) PGCE — Maths and History
Mrs E Smith BA MontDip (Toronto) DipRSA (SpLD) AMBDA — Learning Support – Pre-Prep
Mr C Strinati BSC (Hons) (London) PGCE — Junior School
Miss H Sweeney BA (Griffith) GradDipEd — Pre-Prep
Mr K Trott BA (London) — Pre-Prep
Mrs J Woolley BA (Hons) (Oxon) — Junior School
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Administration Staff
Miss G Budasz — School Secretary
Mrs A Burrell — Junior School Secretary
Mrs E Elmer — Bursar’s Assistant – Finance
Mrs C Ferns — Headmaster’s Secretary / Registrar
Mr P Khaunekar — IT Technician
Mrs P McLelland — Administrative Assistant
Mrs A Priya B Tech (Electrical), Associate CIPD — HR Manager
Mr H Ross MEng CEng MIET — Head of Communications
Mrs L Swaby — Pre-Prep Secretary
Miss R Togher BA (Hons) — Marketing Officer
Mr A White BA (Hons) MA PGCE (Reading) — Librarian
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Assistants
Ms K Augustine — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Miss C Dawson — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Ms A De Jong — School Assistant (Main School)
Ms J Ellis — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Ms A Garvey — Learning Support Assistant
Mrs A Latawiec — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Mrs L McElroy — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Mr Z Outten BSc (Hons) (Essex) — Sports Assistant
Mrs A Rickwood — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Miss R Saleh — Gap Student
Ms S Smith — School Assistant (Sport)
Miss K Swanson — School Assistant (Junior)
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Support Staff
Mr D Butler IOSH — Facilities & Premises Manager
Mr M Liciu — Facilities Supervisor
Mr B Sula — Facilities Assistant
Mrs B Sandhu — Hospitality Officer
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After School Care
Mrs N Brusnahan — After-School Care Supervisor (Pre-Prep)
Mrs N El-Defrawy — After-School Care Supervisor (Main School)
Ms A Grimshaw — After-School Care Assistant (Pre-Prep)
Mrs A Latawiec — After-School Care Supervisor (Junior School)
Mrs M Lloyd — After-School Care Assistant (Pre-Prep)
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Lunchtime Supervisors
Mrs M Aherne — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs M Bellamy — Lunchtime Supervisor / Domestic Assistant
Mrs N Brusnahan — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs J Dowling — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs N El-Defrawy — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs M Lloyd — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs K Pomeroy — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs A Rohan — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs A Sarnecka — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs A Swiekatowska — Lunchtime Supervisor / Domestic Assistant
Mrs A Walerys — Lunchtime Supervisor
Ms K Wojton — Lunchtime Supervisor
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Visiting Music Teachers
Mr M Allen BMus (Hons) MMus (LCM) — Drums
Mr M Blake CertEd (CNAA) LRAM — Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn,Tuba
Mr F Brikcius MgA (JAMU) – Cello
Mr T Crehan MMus (Perf) BMus (Hons) (RNCM) — Violin
Mr C Goodman BMus (Hons) (RCM) — Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Miss M Ireland BMus (Hons) — Oboe
Mrs Y Shon MMus BMus (Seoul) — Piano
Mr G Ubeda Perf Dip (TCL) — Guitar
Mr S Zakarian BMus MMus (RAM) LRAM —Piano
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Cleaners
Ms H Alexis — Pre-Prep
Mrs J Jurczak — Main School
Mrs A Laskowska — Main School
Mrs M Sharp — Pre-Prep
Mrs A Swiekatowska — Main School
Mrs A Walerys — Junior School/Swyncombe & Castlebar Pavilions
Mr S A Armstrong
Marketing & former Durston House parent
Andy has an broad commercial background in Event Management, Charity, Entertainment, FMCG and B2B business sectors. His last Executive role was as CEO of a leading RAF Charity responsible for staging the annual Royal International Air Tattoo. Former Durston parent.
Philippe Carpentier
Business Developer, Private Investor & former Durston House parent
Philippe Carpentier has a broad commercial background in the energy industry, having worked in the industry as well as in consulting roles. He is currently acting as a business developer in an energy start-up and managing his personal investment portfolio.
Ms A Collier
Solicitor, Business Consultant & former Durston House parent
Ms Ann Collier (LLB Hons) originally qualified as a solicitor. She has also been a lecturer at the College of Law and more recently has been Head of Learning & Development in two large City law firms. She now works as an executive coach and business consultant. Former Durston parent with a son and a daughter.
Mrs S Girn
Solicitor & former Durston House parent
Mrs Shally Girn is a solicitor practising employment law, in house, in a global law firm, advising on partner and employee issues and disputes in the UK and International offices. She is a former Durston parent of two boys.
Dr T Girn
Chartered Accountant & former Durston House parent
Dr Tom Girn is a Chartered Accountant and director of AP Benson management consultants. He specialises in corporate turnaround and finance.
Mr D G Henshall (Co-Chairman)
Solicitor & former Durston House parent
David Henshall qualified as a Solicitor and is currently specialising in cross-frontier commercial disputes. Former Durston Parent.
Ms J Honigsberger
Data Analytics Consultant (Retired) & former Durston House parent
Ms Julia Honigsberger retired in 2020 following a career as consulting director at Thorogood Associates, a global data analytics firm with its headquarters in West London. Former Durston Parent.
Mr K Mahoney (Co-Chairman)
Chartered Surveyor
Kevin Mahoney is a retired Chartered Surveyor with 35 years’ experience in commercial property, specialising in shopping centre development and asset management across Europe.
Sally-Anne Huang
High Master of St Paul’s School
Sally-Anne Huang was educated at Bolton School prior to reading Classics and English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She also has an MSc in Educational Leadership and Management and a Masters degree in Children’s Literature, which is a personal passion of hers. Sally-Anne is High Master of St Paul’s School and experienced in governance of both boarding and prep schools.
Dr Richard Maloney
Headmaster of Uppingham School
Richard joined Uppingham as Headmaster in September 2016 after seven years as Headmaster and CEO of the St Bede’s School Trust in East Sussex.
Ben Purkiss
Headmaster at Caterham Preparatory School
Ben is a Surrey Prep School Head who, over the course of his career has worked in a variety of Prep and Secondary schools across Kent, Surrey and Sussex in pastoral and academic leadership.
Miss C Barnes BA (Hons) (London) MA (London) PGCE — Head of English
Mr R Bester Higher HiDipED (Durban) — Head of Geography
Mr M Datoo BSc (Hons) (Hertfordshire) MSc (Leicester) PGCE — Head of Science
Mr S Glassington BSc (Hons) (Southampton) QTS — Head of PE / Games
Mrs A Gorard BA (Liverpool) PCGE — Head of Learning Support / SENCO
Mrs A Hryschuk BEd (Canada) — Head of Art
Mrs E Jones BSc (Hons) (Cardiff) PGCE — Head of French
Mr J Nicolaou BSc (Hons) (London) PGCE — Head of IT & CSc
Mrs K Palamarchuk MA (Krakow) PGCE — Head of Music
Mr D Rajah BA HDEd (Natal) QTS — Head of Mathematics
Mrs C Saigau BA MA (Galati) MTeach (IOE London) QTS — Head of Latin
Mrs A Stiglingh MA (Joint Hons) (Edinburgh) QTS — Head of Reception
Mr Stock BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE — Head of History
Mrs E Williams PDT AdvCertEd (Cape Town) — Head of PSHME
Mr L Williams BA (Rhodes) BA (Hons) (W. Cape) DipTch — Head of TPR
Mrs D Adhami BEd (Hons) (West Midlands College) — Pre-Prep
Mr E U Bassey BA (Hons) (Nsukka) MA (Lagos) DipMusEd — Music
Miss C Barr BSc (Ireland) PGCE — Pre-Prep/Junior
Miss J Beaumont BA (Otago) QTS — Pre-Prep (Reception)
Mr A Bendas BA (Romania) QTS — PE / Games
Miss R Buchanan BA (Double Major) (Auckland) GradDipEd — Pre-Prep (Reception) – Maternity Leave
Mr W Coetzer BA (Hons) (Johannesburg) PGCE — Junior School
Mr M Datoo BSc (Hons) (Hertfordshire) MSc (Leicester) PGCE — Science
Miss S Easton BA (Hons) (London) — Junior School
Mr H Eghvay BSc (Hons) (Westminster) PGCE — Science
Mr J Foxall BA (Hons) (Cardiff) MA (London) PGCE — French
Miss J Gahir BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE — Maths
Mrs A Harridge BA (Hons) (USA) QTS MA (USA) — English
Miss A Ingram BA (Otago) GradDipEd — Pre-Prep
Mr R Koya BSc (Bath) PGCE — PE / Games
Mr C Mulhall BA (York) PGCE — Junior School
Mrs T Outten LLB (Hons) (Reading) PGCE — Junior School
Mrs H Sharp BA (Hons) (Oxford Brookes University) PGCE — Pre-Prep
Mrs N Sharma BA (Hons) (London) PGCE — Maths and History
Mrs E Smith BA MontDip (Toronto) DipRSA (SpLD) AMBDA — Learning Support – Pre-Prep
Mr C Strinati BSC (Hons) (London) PGCE — Junior School
Miss H Sweeney BA (Griffith) GradDipEd — Pre-Prep
Mr K Trott BA (London) — Pre-Prep
Mrs J Woolley BA (Hons) (Oxon) — Junior School
Miss G Budasz — School Secretary
Mrs A Burrell — Junior School Secretary
Mrs E Elmer — Bursar’s Assistant – Finance
Mrs C Ferns — Headmaster’s Secretary / Registrar
Mr P Khaunekar — IT Technician
Mrs P McLelland — Administrative Assistant
Mrs A Priya B Tech (Electrical), Associate CIPD — HR Manager
Mr H Ross MEng CEng MIET — Head of Communications
Mrs L Swaby — Pre-Prep Secretary
Miss R Togher BA (Hons) — Marketing Officer
Mr A White BA (Hons) MA PGCE (Reading) — Librarian
Ms K Augustine — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Miss C Dawson — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Ms A De Jong — School Assistant (Main School)
Ms J Ellis — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Ms A Garvey — Learning Support Assistant
Mrs A Latawiec — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Mrs L McElroy — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Mr Z Outten BSc (Hons) (Essex) — Sports Assistant
Mrs A Rickwood — Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Miss R Saleh — Gap Student
Ms S Smith — School Assistant (Sport)
Miss K Swanson — School Assistant (Junior)
Mr D Butler IOSH — Facilities & Premises Manager
Mr M Liciu — Facilities Supervisor
Mr B Sula — Facilities Assistant
Mrs B Sandhu — Hospitality Officer
Mrs N Brusnahan — After-School Care Supervisor (Pre-Prep)
Mrs N El-Defrawy — After-School Care Supervisor (Main School)
Ms A Grimshaw — After-School Care Assistant (Pre-Prep)
Mrs A Latawiec — After-School Care Supervisor (Junior School)
Mrs M Lloyd — After-School Care Assistant (Pre-Prep)
Mrs M Aherne — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs M Bellamy — Lunchtime Supervisor / Domestic Assistant
Mrs N Brusnahan — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs J Dowling — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs N El-Defrawy — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs M Lloyd — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs K Pomeroy — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs A Rohan — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs A Sarnecka — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mrs A Swiekatowska — Lunchtime Supervisor / Domestic Assistant
Mrs A Walerys — Lunchtime Supervisor
Ms K Wojton — Lunchtime Supervisor
Mr M Allen BMus (Hons) MMus (LCM) — Drums
Mr M Blake CertEd (CNAA) LRAM — Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn,Tuba
Mr F Brikcius MgA (JAMU) – Cello
Mr T Crehan MMus (Perf) BMus (Hons) (RNCM) — Violin
Mr C Goodman BMus (Hons) (RCM) — Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Miss M Ireland BMus (Hons) — Oboe
Mrs Y Shon MMus BMus (Seoul) — Piano
Mr G Ubeda Perf Dip (TCL) — Guitar
Mr S Zakarian BMus MMus (RAM) LRAM —Piano
Ms H Alexis — Pre-Prep
Mrs J Jurczak — Main School
Mrs A Laskowska — Main School
Mrs M Sharp — Pre-Prep
Mrs A Swiekatowska — Main School
Mrs A Walerys — Junior School/Swyncombe & Castlebar Pavilions