READING BLUE COAT SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Deputy Head Pastoral
Dr Guy Williams joined Reading Blue Coat in September 2019 as Deputy Head Pastoral, coming from a career at Wellington College where he was previously Head of Sixth Form and Head of Philosophy and Religion.
Having grown up in Herefordshire, Dr Williams went on the read Theology and Religion at Cambridge, followed by doctoral studies at Oxford. He wrote a dissertation about the spirit world in early Christianity and has written various shorter studies on the history of religion, philosophy, and teaching.
When he doesn't have his head in a book, Dr Williams is partial to a bit of karate or football. However, he maintains that teaching is still the most fun thing one can do.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Deputy Head ( Staff )
- Mr Howard Williams, Chairman of Governors
A native of Swansea, South Wales, Kevin Magill tried his hand at professional football before reading Theology and Philosophy at King's College, London. Having got the bug for academic research, he completed an MPhil with the influential British philosopher DZ Philips and then moved on to write a PhD in medieval theology at the University of Bristol. He started as a wide-eyed NQT at RBCS in 2007 before taking up roles as Head of Religious Studies, Director of Sixth Form and Deputy Head, Staff.
Mollie, also a Religious Studies teacher, is his considerably better half. Their daughter Seren is a recent addition and a guarantee that the day starts well before 5am. Kevin is an erratic golfer, a swimmer with a love of sea water, and a father devoted to quality time with his two, best girls.
Andy was Headmaster of St Joseph's College from 2012 to 2021. Prior to this he was Second Master here at Reading Blue Coat. During his time as Headmaster, Andy served on the Society of Heads' Main Committee, chaired their Education Committee and was a member of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) Teacher Association Liaison Group. He is an ISI Inspector and was a Founding Member of the Chartered College of Teaching.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Second Master
Ed arrived at Reading Blue Coat in September 2020 from Rugby School where he was a Housemaster of a boys' boarding house. Ed joined Rugby in 2009, following four years spent working on the political campaign trail in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. Prior to that, Ed earned a B.A. in History from University College London and a M.A. in Political Management from George Washington University. He teaches A-level Politics. Rugby is Ed's passion and he greatly enjoys sharing his love for the game as a coach. During the holidays, Ed is an avid traveller and has led school trips to Honduras, Zambia, Malawi and the USA. When time permits, he can generally be found on top of a mountain in the Lake District. Ed is married to Sarah, who was Head of French at Rugby prior to the arrival of their daughter, Ela, and baby Thomas.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Governors
- Chairman of Governors Dr Guy Williams
- Chairman of Governors Governors Staff Members
- Mr Howard Williams, Chairman of Governors
Howard's background is in investment management where he was head of Global Equity Investments for J.P. Morgan Asset Management having worked in the industry for over 35 years. After retiring in 2017, Howard is now an independent Non Executive Director at a number of investment-related companies and is chair of the Governing Body at Reading Blue Coat. Howard attended his local state school in Hemel Hempstead and went on to study at Queens' College, Cambridge where he obtained his BA and MA. At Cambridge, Howard played first team college football, was President of the University Sailing Association and gained a Full Blue. He enjoys travelling, playing golf, sailing and spending time in mountains (hiking up in summer, skiing down in winter). Howard and his wife Jane (former Head of Classics at Thomas' Battersea) live in South Oxfordshire where they enjoy long walks, regular visits to London for both work and pleasure and life in the beautiful countryside.
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Mrs Clare Freeman, Governor
Matthew is a former pupil of the school and his father, Peter Smith, is a former Governor to the School. Matthew is a qualified Actuary, attaining the award for the highest mark in the final Fellowship actuarial exam. For the last 11 years he has worked for LV=, leading several teams within the Finance department. Matthew is also a volunteer on the Education Committee at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, and was significantly involved in their recent curriculum refresh.
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Mrs Kirsty Richardson, Deputy Head ( Co - Curricular )
Mike is a former pupil of the school. Mike has been in private practice as a chartered surveyor for 40 years and a partner in a large national property consultancy for the last 20 years. Mike was an assessor for the RICS and has mentored a number of graduates through to getting chartered status.
Mike headed a team that mainly focussed on education, housing and defence. Mike's experience in construction projects covers a huge variety of schemes in the education sector for local schools, colleges and universities. He also developed a specialism within the practice of procurement through the complex legal requirements regarding Public Procurement and EU regulations.
Paul is a graduate of Reading University and has lived in Sonning since 2008, during which time his son spent 7 years at Blue Coat. His wife is Head at an independent day school and governor at another, locally. Paul is a Chartered Accountant and is a partner in one of the major international accounting firms, working in Reading and chairs the Finance and General Purpose Committee at Reading Blue Coat. He is passionate about the environment and has twice been elected as a local councillor during which time he championed sustainability.
Job Titles:
- Headmaster
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Born and raised in Horsham, West Sussex, Peter enjoyed sport and read Geology at Durham University, before working for five years as a Response Officer for Sussex Police. A move into teaching began at The Judd School in Tonbridge, where he taught for two years, before joining Dauntsey's School Geography Department. Peter was Housemaster of both Day and Boarding Houses and, amongst other things, enjoyed coaching football and rugby and running the Christian Union.
Peter and his wife Emily, a language teacher, are parents to four sons, and their mostly obedient Labrador, Arthur. ‘Down time' means time as a family, perhaps enjoying some camping, being involved with a church and enjoying the delights of the Blue Coat area.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Deputy Head ( Academic )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Bursar
Anjali Mehta Chandar's background is as a CBT Therapist working with children and adults with anxiety and low mood, in both schools and clinics. She runs a busy private practice called Brighter Life Therapy, with a small team of other therapists, who all offer remote CBT therapy or counselling, or in person sessions at Wellington College. Anjali is also an experienced Lecturer in CBT at the Charlie Waller Institute. She enjoys creative activities, reading novels and cooking.
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Governor Governors Staff Members
- Governor Mrs Sheena Taylor
Clare grew up in Wallingford and attended SHSK School, Abingdon. She graduated from Durham University with a BSc in Geography (with European Studies), which gave her the opportunity to spend her middle year studying at Aix-en-Provence University. Bilingual in French, she trained to teach Geography in French at Nottingham University, before taking up her first teaching post at Forest School, Snaresbrook. Clare is currently Head of the Sixth Form section at RMS for Girls, Rickmansworth. She has been at the school for 18 years, taking on roles including Head of Geography, Head of Year 11 and Deputy Safeguarding Lead. She has a son and a daughter and enjoys baking and running, recently completing her third Great North Run.
Helen is an Assistant Headteacher at RMS for Girls in Rickmansworth, whose responsibilities include teaching and learning, digital learning and staff professional development and wellbeing. Helen grew up in Cheshire and on completion of her A levels, took a gap year to study at the Sorbonne university before reading French and German at Durham University. After an early career as a management consultant, Helen decided to enter the teaching profession and gained her PGCE from Oxford University in 2005. Since that time, she has worked in a number of schools and held a variety of pastoral and academic responsibilities before becoming an Assistant Head. Helen lives in High Wycombe with her husband and two sons. In addition to a lifelong passion for travel and languages, Helen loves reading, walking and the occasional bit of fair weather running.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Deputy Head ( Co - Curricular ) Mrs Anjali Mehta Chandar
- Deputy Head ( Co - Curricular ) Senior Leadership Team Staff Members
Kirsty joined Reading Blue Coat in September 2022 from Downe House School where she has been Director of Drama and Dance since 2018. Prior to Downe House, Kirsty was appointed as Assistant Director of Drama at Wellington College where she also worked as a tutor in a boys' day house. Kirsty's first teaching post was at Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire, where she joined the School as Head of Dance and also worked as an Assistant Housemistress in a senior girls' boarding house. Kirsty graduated from the University of Surrey and later went on to gain her PGCE at Buckingham University.
Due to her Welsh roots Kirsty enjoys spending time in her home county of Pembrokeshire with her husband Jake, her son Barney and their dogs Alfie and Belle. In her free time, she loves watching rugby, spending as much time at the beach as possible and visiting the theatre. Kirsty loves all aspects of performing and is also a qualified competitive cheerleading coach.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Pyper Foundation Director
Sarah grew up in the North of Scotland, specifically at Gordonstoun School where her father was Headmaster for over 20 years. Sarah attended the school herself before attending Oxford Brookes University to study Performing Arts with Communication, Media and Culture. Following University, Sarah worked in admin roles in Oxford before going to work in the Development Office at St Peter's College which is part of the University of Oxford.
In 2018 Sarah moved to Reading Blue Coat to work in the then newly created Foundation Office as Community Relations Coordinator. Sarah created a bespoke events programme for the Old Blues Community and set up Reading Blue Coat Connect by means of engaging the wider community with the School. In August 2021, Sarah took on the role of Foundation Director and is delighted to continue working towards the Foundation Office's goal of increasing the bursary provision at the School through fundraising and engagement. Most recently, Sarah married her partner Tom in Scotland at the end of October 2021.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys going to the theatre, having run a theatre company in the past, both producing and performing in plays herself. She also enjoys walking, reading and spending time with family and friends. She is a huge dog lover and hopes to one day own her dream dog (a corgi).
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Chartered Accountant With Extensive Experience of Service Management
Sheena is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience of Service Management, Quality & Compliance and Risk Management at Accenture PLC, where she has held a variety of national and global roles. Sheena has a son who attended RBCS and a daughter who attended the Sixth Form at the School. Outside of work she enjoys outdoor activities largely centred around her family and dog Ruby.
Job Titles:
- Governor
- Strategist and Chartered Management Accountant
Nicola Bruce is a strategist and Chartered Management Accountant with a strong corporate governance background. She is the Senior Independent Director and Remuneration Committee Chair at the Anchor Hanover Group, the UK's largest provider of housing and care for older people. She is Remuneration Committee Chair at Stelrad plc, and she is a non-executive director at OFWAT, the UK water regulator. Nicola is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She has an MBA from INSEAD and a PPE degree from Hertford College, Oxford. Three of Nicola's four children have attended RBCS.