What first sparked your interest in education/becoming a teacher?
Because my parents moved around so much, I ended up attending a different school most years throughout secondary education so by the time I reached sixth form, I’d effectively completed a grand tour of the British education system. It was disorientating, of course, but it also gave me a crash course in school cultures, adaptability, and just how much difference one good teacher can make when you’re the new kid trying to figure things out.

Somewhere along the way, I developed a habit of making my own registers and calling out imaginary names to imaginary classes. At the time, I thought that was entirely normal… In hindsight, it may have been a giveaway.

When I eventually found myself teaching English abroad, the spark properly lit. I realised education wasn’t just about delivering information—it was about building connection, fostering confidence, and helping people find their footing.

How did your own teachers influence your teaching style?
The best ones made you feel like your thoughts mattered—even if they were a bit out there. They weren’t afraid to go off-piste if it meant unlocking something interesting. That stuck with me. At RIC, where individuality is a strength, not something to iron out, I feel completely at home encouraging tangents, debates, and the occasional literary rabbit hole- and encourage others to do the same. We don’t have a house teaching style and there’s a real diversity of approach and personality from our teachers right across from year 7 to sixth form.

What makes a great school?
A great school should feel more like a creative studio or a think tank than a factory, somewhere alive with scholarship, kindness and wellbeing in equal measure. That’s what we’ve tried to foster in Rochester. Being part of Dukes Education has helped us scale up that vision over the last ten years while staying distinctively RIC- personal, inventive, and proudly a little different. The recognition we’re achieved in recent years- industry awards for our creative arts and sustainability curriculums, for our boarding, for our wildlife gardens and for our culture of equality, diversity and inclusion - have put us a bit more on the map both in the UK and overseas. At its heart though RIC is still the same place I joined back in the late 90s- somewhere where kids are given the freedom to feel safe, to be themselves, and aim high without unnecessary pressure.

Which is your favourite part of the school day?
The unscripted bits that don’t appear on the timetable. You think you're walking to a meeting and suddenly you're bumping into students discussing the theatre show they went to on a boarding trip the evening before, whether it’s best to go to university in the US, the UK or Europe or whether the school dog should have his own Instagram. Those moments remind me that education isn’t just what happens in lessons- it’s the atmosphere and culture that wraps around them.

What’s your favourite interview question for a prospective student?
What’s something weird you’re fascinated by?” It allows them to show they’re reflective and curious. You get brilliant answers: fractals, abandoned theme parks, octopuses, niche Japanese films. One recent sixth form applicant showed me their self-published book on Philosophy; another performed a mini gig on his piano over zoom and then raved for five minutes about the BBC Radiophonic workshop and early electronic music. I was sold. That kind of intellectual and creative spark is what we’re looking for.

If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?
Teleportation pods between our lovely listed Georgian buildings would be nice. Or maybe a secret toy railway tunnel between our main campus and the new Northbank boarding village and arts centre. We’re always looking for spaces and garden projects that support creativity and wellbeing- there’s already a geodesic dome, musical gates and an underground theatre. One of our students recently asked if we could have an al fresco stage built in the College gardens. He designed it and worked with our site team to get it ready for this year’s summer festival.

When you tell people you are a headteacher, what is their reaction?
It’s often a double take. Some people look at me like I’ve just admitted to being a Bond villain... Others assume I spend my days patrolling corridors with a frown. Once I start describing RIC- first-name terms, no uniform, boarding that feels at times like a creative retreat- they start to understand. There’s a moment when people say, “I wish my school had been like that.” I hear that a lot.

What positive message would you like to give to the world?

Don’t worry if you haven’t got it all figured out. Nobody does. I’ve seen RIC students evolve from retake candidates into fully fledged doctors, from school refusers to top university graduates- proof that when we foster academic rigour and creative curiosity in equal measure, young people can flourish in ways no metric or league table position alone can capture.

 Read more about Rochester Independent College and the transformative education it provides here