Our Team

As the Principal of Westbourne School, Rachel is focused on leading the school to continued success.

Rachel is a bold, experienced, highly-engaging and values-driven leader with a strong track record in academic achievement and strategic school leadership. She provides an abundance of energy, expertise and vision to help deliver our mission.

Rachel previously served as Acting Head at Monmouth School for Girls during the merger of the girls and boy schools, becoming Head of Senior School at the fully merged co-educational Monmouth School. Her earlier roles include Senior Deputy Head and Director of Sixth Form. With over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience across both the independent and state sectors, she brings a powerful combination of academic rigour, pastoral depth and classroom expertise. Rachel also holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management.

Rachel’s wealth of experience offers an invaluable addition to both Westbourne School here in the UK and Westbourne’s global leadership team.

A seasoned, highly experienced educator and Vice Principal of our Senior School, Stuart is leading our digital advance, developing a collaborative and borderless learning environment, alongside fostering the seamless connectivity of our growing international group of schools. Westbourne has been recognised in multiple EdTech and Innovation award categories, most recently in 2024 at the ISA School Awards and Independent School of the Year Awards. Stuart was voted Innovator of the Year in the Pearson National Teaching Awards 2024 – a truly incredible accolade.

He is also one of our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL).

Recently awarded a Pearson National Teaching Award for ‘Headteacher of the Year – Bronze’, Jo has a wealth of experience across Senior School and Prep as both an educator and parent, deeply invested in our continued success.

As Vice Principal, Prep & Middle Years, she is a cornerstone of our Senior Leadership Team, ensuring that the Westbourne experience is truly sector-leading.

Jo is also one of our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL).

With over a decade of GCSE and IBDP teaching experience, and a profound understanding of the diverse challenges students face, Nia is our vibrant, deeply caring Head of Sixth Form.

She brings a wealth of academic and pastoral knowledge to support our Sixth Form students to thrive in their studies, university applications and future careers – ensuring they are confident, future-ready leaders in their chosen fields.

She is also our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

With a rich international background, Jane has worked in a range of leading international schools across Porto, Beijing, Bangkok, and Budapest, bringing a global perspective to our pastoral and academic work.

Having worked for 14 years at Westbourne, including leading the development of our Chinese curriculum, Jane is a familiar face to many students and families.

Alongside teaching IB and GCSE, and supporting Sixth Form students as an IB2 Form Tutor, Jane is also a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, drawing on her international experience and longstanding dedication to Westbourne to help ensure a safe, supportive environment for every member of the school.

As GCSE Coordinator, Stephen is responsible for the academic progress of students in Years 9 to 11. Having worked in three comprehensive schools prior to joining Westbourne, and being the dad of two GCSE age children himself, he is well placed to support your children on their journey through these years.

In addition to his significant educational leadership roles, which have included responsibility for vocational education in a school of 2,000 children in Milton Keynes, he also spent five years in local government where he was jointly responsible for scrutinising the work of a local authority’s education department.

In addition to his role as GCSE Coordinator, Stephen teaches Business and Economics here at Westbourne, playing a pivotal role in helping to cement the popularity of these subjects with our students.

Bringing exceptional STEM knowledge and intellectual rigour to Westbourne, Mr John is our Middle Years Lead, looking after students in Years 6-8, a key transitional stage between Prep School and GCSE. His role focuses on supporting students to thrive both academically and personally as they make the important step up to our Senior School.

Mr John taught in schools in Inner City and Greater London, primarily within Key Stage 2, for a number of years, becoming a core subject leader. He joined Westbourne Prep as Maths Coordinator, during which he reworked the Mathematics curriculum and Schemes of Work within the Prep School, eventually becoming Upper Prep Coordinator and, now, Middle Years Lead.

A passionate and devoted sports leader with a background in high-performance rugby, Jack heads up our sporting provision across the whole school, having built his teaching career at both independent and state schools. Dedicated to innovative, high-quality teaching that aims to motivate, inspire and challenge students of all abilities, Jack is committed to the holistic development of young people, placing equal emphasis on the cognitive, social and physical aspects of physical education.

Jack manages day-to-day PE provision across the school, including GCSE PE, as well as the development of team sports at Westbourne, sporting competitions, and whole school sports events including our annual Sports Day at Cardiff International Athletics Stadium.

Pivotal to delivering the highest quality sports provision at Westbourne, he aims to create opportunities for students to connect to a plethora of sports whilst understanding the role of physical activity in caring for physical and mental wellbeing.

The anchor of our boarding community, Ceri provides the ‘home-from-home’ atmosphere, kindness, care and attention that is so very important to our boarding students. Ensuring homework is completed, healthy meals are eaten, always providing time for a chat, a game, or a gentle reminder of ‘phones away’, she works tirelessly to ensure that our boarders grow into autonomous, self-motivated and respectful young adults.

Having been a boarder herself from the age of eleven to eighteen, and since having spent more than six years working as a Housemistress in some of the UK’s leading schools, Ceri brings additional insight and expertise of how to encourage young people to flourish.

Having been at Westbourne for over 17 years, Mrs Edwards has specialised in the Key Stage 1 setting, teaching in our Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 3 classes. She understands the importance of building the strong foundations that Early Years education requires.

We are proud to have one of the most experienced and best qualified nursery teams in the area, capably led by our Nursery Manager, Mrs Louise Dwyer.

Alongside offering a wealth of experience and knowledge, Louise holds a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management in Children’s Care, Learning and Development, alongside a Level 3 Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development, and over a decade’s experience as a Nursery Nurse.

We’re delighted that CIW rated our Nursery ‘excellent’ across multiple categories in a recent inspection. Little Westbourne has also won Early Years Team of the Year Award (Silver) in the Pearson National Teaching Awards.

One of the most familiar faces to both students and parents, Mrs Leach serves as the primary point of contact for day-to-day school enquiries. She is deeply committed to the wellbeing of all students and is based across both the Senior School and Prep School throughout the week, remaining readily available to provide support as needed. In addition, she oversees the organisation and efficient administration of Senior School and Sixth Form examinations.

Jenny is a communications specialist with 17 years’ experience across sectors including education, visual arts and heritage, having begun her career in PR for a London auction house. She has worked on multi-channel campaigns for a variety of public and private sector clients, including the Welsh Government and Hugh James, and was part of the founding team of a new model of university launched in London. She studied English at the University of Oxford, and has a Master’s from St Andrews.

At Westbourne, Jenny oversees our UK marketing and communications, sharing the story of Westbourne’s ongoing evolution both in the UK and globally to attract the world’s brightest students.

Claire is a key point of contact for all families enquiring about joining Westbourne School. Passionate about delivering first-class education, she is dedicated to ensuring that the application and onboarding process is as straightforward as possible for both our day and boarding students. With a background in finance, Claire is highly knowledgeable about all things Westbourne, having been with us for almost a decade.