Key Staff

Andy is very proud to be the founding Headteacher of River Academy.  

Andy has a track record of success in all of his senior leadership roles, specialising in transforming behaviour and outcomes for students in a range of different settings.  

Andy began teaching in the 1990s at Little Heath School in Reading before enjoying a few years teaching in Kuwait. On his return, he worked at Edgbarrow School in Crowthorne as Head of History, followed by a spell as Head of Year and four years as Head of Sixth Form. Then followed a move to the Downs School in Compton where, as Assistant Head, Andy oversaw the Sixth Form in particular. Whilst here, the school achieved some phenomenal exam results which led to some national recognition and speaking engagements at large conferences. 

From here, Andy was appointed Deputy Headteacher at Brakenhale School in Bracknell. Working as part of a team, the school was transformed in a matter of four years, leading to the first student successfully gaining a place at Oxford University in the school's 50-year history, to a very successful OFSTED inspection and to a hugely oversubscribed school after many years of decline and underperformance. 

In January 2020 Andy began work as Headteacher of Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge taking the school from Inadequate through to a very strong OFSTED inspection in May 2022 grading the school as ‘good’.  

Out of school, Andy spends most weekends on the touchline or courtside watching his children play sport. When time permits, he still plays golf and goes for the odd run. 

Laura began teaching in 2007 at Altwood School in Maidenhead. Specialising in English, she very quickly took on responsibility within the department. During her time there, she held pastoral responsibilities for transition as well as the role of Director of Studies for Key Stage 3.  

Laura made the move to The Hurst School in 2012 to be Head of English. Following the schools’ strongest GCSE English results in 2016, she was promoted to the Senior Leadership Team, first as Assistant Headteacher and then most recently, in 2021, as Deputy Headteacher.  

Laura made the move to River Academy to fulfil her dream of being part of a founding staff body in opening a brand-new school, shaping all things curriculum, teaching and learning, and the continuing professional development of staff.  

Away from school, Laura enjoys nothing more than a friendly (but competitive!) game of netball, a good book, and the company of friends and family.  

Becky began teaching French and Italian at Headlands School in Swindon in 1991, then moved to Meadway School in Tilehurst in 1992 for 3 years. After time at home as a full-time mum to 3 young sons, Becky resumed teaching as a supply teacher in local Reading Borough Primary schools, and then in 2004 started teaching on a supply basis at Maiden Erlegh School in Earley, gradually building up to full-time work there - teaching both French, and Purple Pathway English classes. When the Maiden Erlegh Trust opened Maiden Erlegh School in Reading in 2015, Becky moved to serve on the team setting up the new school, leading the French department and the Purple Pathway course. 

Following her appointment as SENCO at Maiden Erlegh School in Reading in 2016, Becky successfully built up the SEN department and developed the SEN offer as the new school grew year by year. She also had the opportunity to serve at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge as part-time SENCO to cover a maternity leave in 2021, further broadening her experience. 

In her role as SENCO at River Academy, she has developed a different style of SEN Support, with the emphasis on Quality First Teaching in the classroom, supported by bespoke interventions led by our team of Teaching Assistants; and overseen the development of The Bridge, our Moderate Learning Difficulty resource base. 

In her spare time, Becky enjoys cooking and hosting, walking with friends, and spending time with family. She is a Deacon at her Church and an honorary life member of her local cricket club.  

After graduating from the University of Bedfordshire with a degree in Physical Education with QTS, Christina began her teaching career at Wycombe Abbey Independent School as a P.E. teacher. She then moved to Upton Court Grammar School, where she became Head of House and discovered her passion for pastoral care.

Christina went on to Burnham Park Academy as Head of Key Stage 3, before spending five years at Pinner High School. There, she held a variety of leadership roles including Head of Year, Educational Visits Coordinator, and Lead of Enrichment. Seeking the new challenge of being part of the team shaping the setup of a new school, Christina joined River Academy as Head of Year 7.

Outside of school, Christina enjoys playing netball, watching rugby, and has recently begun training for her first marathon.

After graduating from Brunel University, Jamie completed his teacher training in Swindon, his hometown, before moving to Ealing in West London. There, Jamie began his teaching career at Acton High School (now Ark Acton) as an English teacher and, as an additional role, Student Voice Coordinator.

After three years Jamie moved onto William Perkin, then Greenford High School, where he taught English and Drama. At Greenford, alongside teaching, Jamie held the position of ARP Manager – overseeing an SEN unit specialising in students with ASD and SCLN. Following two successful years in that position, Jamie became Deputy Head of Year 9 (a year group of >300 students), and continued with that year group through year 10.

After four years at Greenford, Jamie moved to Ark Soane Academy – located across the road from Ark Acton -as an English and Drama teacher (along with Geography and RP, when required). After ten years in Ealing, however, Jamie and his wife decided to move out of London and relocate to Caversham.

In his spare time, Jamie is interested in all things nerdy and dramatic.

After graduating from the University of Birmingham with a BA in English, Esme completed her PGCE at the University of Bristol. Esme then began her teaching career in 2017 in Bristol, working as an English teacher at Patchway Community School in South Gloucestershire.

After relocating to Reading, Esme began working at Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre in 2019 and quickly became Key Stage 4 Coordinator for English. During this time, Esme began studying for her masters in Learning and Teaching at the University of Oxford.

In 2024, Esme joined River Academy as Curriculum Leader for English and has loved crafting a challenging and diverse curriculum to meet the needs of our students.

Outside of school, Esme loves to read, go to the theatre, travel and spend time with friends and family.

Prior to teaching, Sarah was a member of the Institute of Taxation and had a career in a number of "Big 4" firms of accountants rising to Senior Tax Manager, specialising in corporate and international tax.

Sarah started her teaching career following completion of a Maths Secondary PGCE with the University of Reading in 2011. She has worked in a number of schools in the local area, most recently at Maiden Erlegh School (from 2019) as Head of KS3 Maths and Assistant Head of Year 7 and then Year 8.

Sarah completed her National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching in 2023 and has recently been accepted onto the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme.

In her free time, Sarah loves to spend time outside walking with her dogs (and family!). She also enjoys listening to and playing music.

Matthew began teaching in 2018 at Ark John Keats (AJK) Academy, London, after 5 years working as a Lab Scientist, and then a policy adviser for the Government Office for Science. By 2021, Matthew was made Head of Science, and subsequently moved to the Sele School, Hertfordshire, in 2023, also as Head of Science. 

Matthew moved to River Academy in 2024, where he serves as the Curriculum Leader for Science.

Outside of school, Matthew can be found training for various running events, or spending time with his friends and family. 

Ben became a teacher in 2022 after 18 years working in the publishing industry.  Having attended Maiden Erlegh School, he completed a degree in French & Portuguese at the University of Oxford. Those linguistic abilities allowed him to start working as an International Sales Manager, working for a variety of Academic publishers including Oxford University Press and Bloomsbury and travelling to a number of countries across the world, including Nigeria, Angola, Egypt, India, China, the Philippines, much of Europe, and many more besides.

COVID provided Ben with the chance to settle into a more rewarding and settled vocation and in 2022 he completed a PGCE at the University of Reading.  After this he worked at Highdown School, teaching not only French and Spanish but also English and Sociology.  He also spent time as Subject Lead for French & Spanish, and as Assistant Head of Year for Year 10.

In his spare time, Ben enjoys running and taking part in running events, quizzing, and sharing his passion for Belgian comic books with his children.

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