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More House School

The School's Management Team

 

Core Leadership Group 

Mr Jonathan Hetherington  BA(Hons)  MSc(Ed)  QTS                Headmaster

Growing up on the edge of the fens, Jonathan completed the International Baccalaureate in the Sixth Form at Impington Village College, Cambridge, before obtaining his bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the University of Southampton. Embarking on a Primary PGCE at Homerton College, the University of Cambridge, Jonathan soon changed direction. He joined More House School in September 2004, teaching English and Music, and has remained ever since.  Completing the Graduate Teacher Programme through the University of Southampton, Jonathan was appointed as Head of Year Seven in 2006 and introduced the, now annual, More House School Sponsored Walk. 

Having served as Head of Year for a variety of age groups, and as Acting Head of the English department, Jonathan was appointed as Head of Sixth Form in 2010. In 2012 he was appointed Deputy Headmaster with specific responsibility as Head of Boarding, overseeing the residential staff team and welfare of the school’s one hundred-plus boarders.  Jonathan completed the Boarding Schools’ Association Post-Graduate Certificate of Professional Development awarded by the University of Roehampton, and was awarded his MSc in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Leicester in 2014.  Jonathan became Headmaster of More House School in 2015.

A keen church-bell ringer, Jonathan was elected to the prestigious Society of Royal Cumberland Youths in 1999, is Ringing Master and Tower Captain at St Andrew’s, Farnham, and Safeguarding Officer for the Guildford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell-Ringers.  Sometime ‘cellist, having achieved Grade Eight and the Advanced Certificate ABRSM, Jonathan enjoys supporting school shows, and lives on site with his wife Elizabeth and their two children, James and Isabelle.  Elizabeth, a music teacher in the school, has served as Foundation Governor at St Mary’s Church of England (Aided) Infant School in Frensham and is a leader within the Rowledge Scouts.  Completing his term of office, Jonathan recently stepped down from his governor role at Treloar’s School and College in Alton, which provides high-quality education and care to children and young people with complex physical disabilities. 

Jonathan serves on the Board of Trustees for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.  He is Area Coordinator for the Independent Schools Association's London West region and is also a Trustee and Non-Executive Director, sitting on the association's Executive Council and chairing its national Membership Committee.  Jonathan serves as a member of the Pre-registration Committee for CReSTeD (the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic pupils) and is a member of the Independent Schools Council Advisory Group - SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).  He also serves as a member of the Parochial Church Council for St Mary's Frensham and The Good Shepherd, Dockenfield.

Mr Stephen G. Johnson  FFA  FFTA                                                       Bursar and Clerk to the Governors 

 Having worked in industry as an accountant for many years, Steve decided to change direction and came into education in 2003 as a Finance Bursar in a boarding prep school in West Sussex. After fourteen very happy and rewarding years, he decided to retire. This lasted four months, at which time he took on the role of Interim Bursar at another boarding prep school in Berkshire. He joined More House in May 2019 as Bursar.

Steve lives in West Sussex with his wife Jane, a retired Maths Teacher, has two grown up children and two grandchildren. He enjoys music, playing Tenor Saxophone, and has a 1st Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate.   

Mrs Penni Kerr  BA (Hons)  QTLS                                                          Deputy Head (Curriculum); Head of Business Studies

Penni joined More House School as Head of Business Studies in April 2014 and was appointed Deputy Head (Curriculum) in September 2015.  

She has almost twenty years’ experience in Sales and Marketing, including running her own Marketing Consultancy in Singapore.  After returning to the UK, Penni had a career change to teaching in 2008 and before joining More House, was Programme Manager responsible for the Business and Travel and Tourism teaching at Farnborough College of Technology where she also taught Business Studies at Level 2, 3 and Degree level. 

Penni’s main responsibility is to develop a wide and engaging curriculum for the school which takes into account age, aptitude and need of each pupil. Penni holds a BA (hons) from the University of Central Lancashire, and QTLS. 

A proud Yorkshire woman, Penni is an active supporter of the Guide Dogs for the Blind, having raised three Guide Dog puppies who all went on to be fully qualified Guide Dogs. In the summer she can be found at her local cricket club making cricket teas and watching her three grown-up children play. She is also the club's Safeguarding Officer. 

Ms Alexandra Rositano  BA(Hons)  Dip Ed                                           Deputy Head (Head of Residential) 

As of September 2022, Alex  is our new Head of Boarding and also one of the Designated Safeguarding Officers at More House School.  Australian by birth, Alex moved to the UK in 2014 to live and work.  She holds degrees in both Psychology and International Studies as well as a qualification in secondary teaching and boasts extensive experience of working in boarding in both Australia and England.  Alex has moved to More House from her position as Head of House and School Counsellor at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School in Reigate. 

Mrs Meriel Davenport  MRCSLT  RSA  DipSpLD                                  Director of Assessment and Therapy

 

Meriel joined the school twenty years ago as a Speech and Language Therapist and on a part-time basis, but very quickly became interested in the ethos of the school, such that she resigned from her other posts to focus entirely on the therapy at More House. The school’s knowledge and experience grew rapidly, the school’s numbers increased and in time the Learning Development Centre was founded, housing an ever-expanding team of therapists and literacy tutors.

Meriel says:

“There has been nothing more rewarding in my career than watching the development of young boys, who join the school as disillusioned and confused pupils, unable to voice their opinions and often being socially isolated, who then mature into responsible and engaging young adults, taking a full part in society, due in no small part to the development of their language and communication skills.

More House is a unique school and I feel very privileged to have had such a long and happy time here; my only regret is that we have so far failed to establish more schools with a similar ethos, especially for the education of girls”.

Mr Lewis Clarkson  BA (Hons)  MA (Ed)  PGCE  QTS  PGCert             Deputy Head (Pastoral); Teacher of History

Lewis joined More House in 2013 following the completion of his BA in History and the Modern World from the University of Winchester. Following the subsequent achievement of a PGCE and QTS from the University of Buckingham, he most recently studied for an MA in Education.

After four years at More House, Lewis spent the majority of the 2017-2018 academic year in Australia, working at Barker College, Sydney, in order to develop his practical skills as well as expand his experience of education in an alternative setting.

Whilst continuing to develop pupil progress across the school, Lewis has now broadened his position to include attendance and behaviour, coupling both curriculum and pastoral matters as Deputy Head - Pastoral Care

Aside from school, Lewis has a keen interest in sport, particularly football, and has completed two marathons - Brighton and London.  

 

Senior Management Team 

 

Mrs Samantha Cain   BA (Hons)  MCIPD
Head of Human Resources  

Samantha joined More House School in March 2022, brining over 30 years’ experience in HR in retail, horticulture, Further and Higher Education, healthcare and the charity sector.  After graduating from the University of Exeter, Samantha completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management, and has been a Chartered Member of the CIPD since 1994.

Prior to joining More House School, Samantha was HR Manager at Farnborough College of Technology for 7 years, Head of Human Resources at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher for 6 ½ years, before undertaking an interim role in Change Management at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham.  For 2 years Samantha worked for the YMCA St Paul’s Group supporting teams in Housing, Children Youth and Families and Sports and Leisure through the pandemic.

Samantha is married to Markys, a Physicist who runs his own science consultancy business, and has one daughter.  She and has lived in Farnham for 18 years, and for 3 years was a parent governor at St Andrew’s Infants School in Farnham.  Her hobbies are running (or more often walking) in Farnham Park, reading and baking.  She’s also a member of a book club which meets monthly.

 

Mrs Sarah Cavannagh  DipCOT  MRCOT  PGCert                                  Head of Learning Development Centre; Lead Occupational Therapist

Sarah qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1988 and worked initially in a variety of adult care and rehabilitation settings. She transferred to working in Paediatrics in 1998 and has worked in a number of educational settings. She joined More House in November 2004, initially providing therapy for those boys statemented for Occupational Therapy, and was asked to set up an Occupational Therapy department in 2007 to provide this support to all pupils who would benefit from it.

She took over the running of the Learning Development Centre in 2014 and under her leadership, the Learning Development Team constantly strives to reflect upon and develop the support it offers to pupils in the school, incorporating evidence from best practice. She strongly believes that the integration of therapy and teaching within the school allows the opportunity and flexibility to provide fully for each individual pupil’s needs.

She has recently completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Language, Literacy and Dyslexia to achieve Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association.

Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and keeping fit.

Mr Jarred Cooper BSc (Hons)                                                              Director of Extra-Curricular Education; Teacher of Geography 

Jarred moved to the UK in 2015 after completing his honours degree in Kinder Kinetics at the University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town and has been at More House ever since. He started as a boarding house master and in 2017 took on the role of Activities Coordinator and in 2018 became the Director of Extra Curricular Education.

As a qualified Kinder Kineticist he is passionate about improving the lives of children. He shares the values of leading a healthy lifestyle and driven is to enrich the school community’s children and help them achieve their true potential.

Jarred is proudly South African and enjoys teaching the boys about his culture. When not at school he is a keen rugby player (he plays for Farnham rugby club) and watcher, golfer and he loves to ‘braai.’

Mr Armand Faasen  Dip Ed                                                                    Director of Pastoral Care;Teacher of Physical Education 

Armand joined More House School during September 2006 after relocating from South Africa. He completed his teaching degree at the Teacher Training College in Pretoria.

Since Starting at More House he has taken on the roles of Form Tutor followed by Head of Year throughout the school. In September 2020 he was promoted to the role of Director of Pastoral Care.

As an Educator his greatest achievement and successes are seeing the boys at More House achieve their full potential. Personally, family time is of great importance. When it comes to sport he is an avid supporter of the South African rugby team and loves a great round of golf or in fact anything at all to do with golf.    

Mr James Haigh  BA (Hons) PGCert MBCS MBBCA
Head of IT Services

James is our Head of IT Services and joined More House in September 2020, bringing with him almost 20 years’ worth of experience in educational Information Technology. Having worked at both State and Independent schools in a technical and leadership capacity, he has also taught ICT and Music from EYFS to KS4 as well as being part of the wider school community as Archery Instructor and Assistant Housemaster of an 80 strong boys boarding house. James is committed to making sure the technology provision at More House provides the foundation for our pupils’ future when they leave as well as meeting the ever-changing needs of our teaching, learning and administration provision.

Continuing his own education, James is currently studying to complete an MSc in Cyber Security and Human Factors and recently presented his Academic Paper on the susceptibility of different socio-dynamic groups at a Cyber Security Conference in Bournemouth.

Away from IT James is a keen brass and vocal musician, twice winning ‘Choir of the Day’ in the BBC Choir of the Year competition and has represented the United Kingdom in the European-wide competition ‘Let The People Sing’. Locally he is Musical Director of Godalming Band, winning consecutive titles as Best Conductor, culminating in the band winning scaba ‘Band of the Year’ in 2018.

Mrs Amy Lee  MA 
Head of Safeguarding 

Amy joined More House School as Head of Safeguarding in September 2021.

Originating from Edinburgh, Amy’s secondary school years were spent at Fettes College and she graduated with an MA from Glasgow University.

In 2000, Amy moved down to London and began her career travelling around the world organising conferences and events. After meeting her husband, she decided on a career change and moved into the world of IT, working for Red Bull. Following some time out raising her children, Amy returned to work within the education sector.

Amy moved to More House School after being Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead at a secondary school in Farnham. With her wide range of experiences and a true passion for safeguarding and child protection. Amy is the leading force in shaping the School’s forward approach to safeguarding.   Amy strongly believes in listening to the voice of the child and feels that by empowering children, whilst making them feel safe, they can be helped to overcome the many difficulties that  life can bring.

In her spare time Amy enjoys gardening and making furniture, as well as being kept busy by her two boys.

Mrs Eleanor Margesson BA (Hons)  PGDip.  PGCE  QTS                    Director of Staff Training and Development; Teacher of English

Eleanor Margesson joined More House School as a classroom teacher of English in September 2012 and was appointed Director of Staff Training and Development in September 2018.

She began teaching English over twenty years ago and has experience in both the State and Independent sectors. In other schools she has worked as Second in Department and SENCo, served as a Primary School governor and has been involved in setting up an Independent School in London.

Her main responsibility is to ensure that all staff at More House are well-equipped for their roles and she is keen to develop a reflective and collaborative approach as staff work towards helping every student to thrive. Eleanor also provides leadership of the school's provision of training to external professionals, delivering the acclaimed Spotlight programme supporting local schools and teachers, and More House School's accredited training courses.

Eleanor is married to Nick and has two children, one of whom attends More House. She enjoys being involved at church and is trying to get a bit more confident when mountain biking with the family. If she gets time to herself she can be found reading, writing or painting.

Mrs Olivia Turner  BSc  PGCE  QTS                                                        Head of Junior Years; Teacher of Junior Years

Olivia is Head of Junior Years and has enjoyed an array of roles at the school, starting as a teaching assistant when completing a placement year from university in September 2007.

Olivia has always had an interest in working with children from diverse backgrounds and was instrumental in the setting up of the Libra Foundation, a charity taking British Volunteers to work with disabled and disadvantaged children and young people in Romania. Olivia read Psychology at Surrey University and this has fuelled her interest in working with children who find the norms of society, particularly in education, a challenge. This also developed an enthusiasm for working with and supporting children’s wellbeing and self-esteem - encouraging children to see themselves as drivers of their individual educational journeys.

Olivia is married with a family and loves her home in Petersfield.  She also enjoys taking her family sailing with her parents at Milford on Sea, Hampshire.

Mrs Adele Williams LLB (Hons)  PGCE  QTS                                        Director of Pupil Progress; Teacher of Junior Years 

Mrs Williams joined More House School in 2017 as a Teacher in the Junior School. Teaching is Adele's second career having been a litigation solicitor in Manchester for 12 years before following her vocation into teaching.  Prior to joining More House, Adele managed her own tutoring business after being Head of English at a Prep School in Cheshire for a number of years and for a time there, stand-in Director of Studies. 

Adele is passionate about the education of pupils and helping boys and parents meet the educational challenges of moving through the school.  

'Your years at More House are very important in terms of continuing to build on both the knowledge and skills that you already have and empowering you to move with confidence into the next stage of your education and the challenges of public examinations and then further into the world beyond school.

These are exciting years when you will begin to think about your futures and future careers. We look to engage you through all the things you study at school so that you can achieve your best and aspire to be whatever you want to be within a safe, nurturing environment that allows you to become a more independent and a self-motivated learner.' 

Adele moved to Surrey just one week before joining More House and outside of school, along with her wife Jo, enjoys wandering the local woodlands with their two rescue dogs. Adele also enjoys open water swimming and has taken part in the Bournemouth to Boscombe pier to pier swim. She also follows Blackpool Football Club where she was a season ticket holder for several years! (You can take the girl out of Lancashire, but you can't take Lancashire out of the girl!)

Mr Iain Yeoman  MA  PGCE  RSADip                                                       Head of Sixth Form; Teacher of English and Media

After an early childhood spent kicking his heels around RAF bases many and various, dodging the occasional hand grenade in the process, Iain and his family settled in Musselburgh - Edinburgh’s older and more modest near-neighbour.

Benefitting from a broad Scottish education at George Heriot’s School, Iain moved on to St Andrews University where his MA in English Language and Literature was augmented by ‘Junior Honours’ courses in Geography, Philosophy and Social Anthropology. A stint in the University Air Squadron taught him that he was never going to emulate his childhood hero ‘Biggles’, whilst time spent bankrupting VAT defaulters for HM Customs & Excise finally convinced him that the call of the teaching profession was something he should heed.

Iain achieved his PGCE qualification from Westminster College, Oxford in 1989, marrying the long-suffering Fiona that same year. He cut his pedagogic teeth at Cams Hill School, Fareham (where he served latterly as the IT co-ordinator, overseeing the installation of bleeding-edge technological innovations such as the new-fangled Acorn Archimedes platform, with its floppy disk that wasn’t floppy, a CDRom and access to something called ‘e-mail’). Iain then moved to Havant College where he taught A Level English Literature and a range of subjects ending with the word ‘Studies’ (Media, Film, Communications, General) to Post 16 students and adults.

Joining More House in 2007 as Head of English, Iain has also served the school as a Head of Year and ‘Director for Quality’. He is currently Head of Sixth Form. Additionally, he undertakes work for AQA and has acted as an Assistant Principal Examiner, Team Leader and Scrutineer.

A one-time schoolboy international fencer, Iain is a barely competent dinghy sailor and recovering console games addict. He has two more-or-less grown up children: Beth, who is 22 and studying for a Master's in Forensic Psychology at Kings College, and 19 year old Jack who is studying Professional Musicianship at BIMM, Brighton.

 

More House School

Moons Hill, Frensham,
Farnham, Surrey,
GU10 3AP.

T: 01252 792303
E: schooloffice@morehouseschool.co.uk