Meet Our Senior Leadership Team

John is Headteacher at Patcham High School. He holds a BA (Hons) Degree from the London School of Economics, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education  and a Master’s Degree from the Institute of Education. Before his career in teaching, John served in The Parachute Regiment. He has since taught in schools across London and West Sussex and is a qualified Advanced Skills Teacher. He also holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship.​

Mike is a Deputy Headteacher at Patcham High School. He holds a BA (Hons) Degree in Geography from Bath Spa University as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Goldsmiths, University of London. Before his career in teaching, Mike worked in the Financial services sector.  He has since taught in schools in London, Thailand and Kent. He also holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship.​

Mark is a Deputy Headteacher at Patcham High School. He holds a BA (HONS) Degree from London Metropolitan University, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and a Master’s Degree from the University of Sussex. Before his career in teaching, Mark was a qualified heating engineer. He trained in schools across London and is a qualified Advanced Skills Teacher. He also holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship. 

Ruth is an Assistant Headteacher at Patcham High School. She gained a BSc Degree from Royal Holloway, University of London in Mathematics and Psychology, before completing her Postgraduate Certificate in Education and Master’s in Education from the University of Sussex. She is a qualified Advanced Skills Teacher and completed her second Master’s in Education Leadership and Management. Prior to working at Patcham, Ruth taught at schools in East Sussex and London. She is currently completing her National Professional Qualification for Headship. ​

Patrick is an Assistant Headteacher at Patcham High School. He has a degree in Sport, Physical Education and Coaching Sciences from the University of Birmingham, as well as a PGCE in Physical Education from the University of Chichester and also holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Sussex, which focused on the importance of shared agency over children’s learning. Patrick has previously worked at schools in West Sussex and Brighton. 

Mary is an Assistant Headteacher, the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Designated Teacher, and Director of Alternative Provision at Patcham High School. She holds a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Kent, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and a Master’s degree from the University of Sussex. 

Rachael is an Assistant Headteacher at Patcham High School. She gained her teaching qualification at Liverpool John Moores University studying Mathematics Education. Rachael taught at schools in Liverpool and West Sussex prior to joining Patcham High School. Since joining she has become a qualified Advanced Skills Teacher and was the Head of Mathematics for several years. She has recently completed her Master’s in Business Administration.  

Bex is SENCO at Patcham High School. She holds a BSc (Hons) Degree from the University of Keele in Psychology and Education. She completed a Certificate of Higher Education in Mathematics before going on to complete her PGCE in Secondary Mathematics at the University of Brighton. Bex went on to gain a Master’s in Education from the University of Brighton, and completed her National Award in SEN Co-ordination in January 2025 via the University of Chichester. Prior to working as a SENCO, Bex spent 7 years as a Head of Year and is also a fully qualified Youth Mental Health First Aider. 

Tom is Director of Sport at Patcham High School. He holds a BSc in Sports, Health and Exercise Science from St Mary's University in Twickenham. He gained his qualified teacher status via the Graduate Teaching Programme (GTP) which he completed at the University of Sussex in 2010/11. He holds coaching qualifications in a number of different sports including Cricket, Rugby and Football. Prior to working at Patcham High School Tom taught in schools in London. 

Josie is Director of Science at Patcham High School. She gained a BSc (Hons) Degree from University College London in Medicinal Chemistry before completing her Postgraduate Certification in Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. Prior to working at Patcham, Josie has taught at schools in London and worked in Marketing and HR in the IT industry. 

Kerry is Director of Student Support at Patcham High School. She holds a BA (hons) degree in English with Qualified Teacher Status, and has been the qualified Senior Mental Health Lead since 2022. Kerry joined Patcham in 2012 and during this time has been a Head of Year, seeing a year group through their full five years at Patcham, Director of the Bridge (mat. cover) before becoming the Director of Student Support, a role responsible for Attendance and Mental Health across the school. 

Holly is Director of English at Patcham High School. She holds a BA (Hons) Degree in English Literature and Postgraduate Certification in Education from the University of Sussex. Before working at Patcham High School, Holly worked at a school in London, leaving as Literacy Lead. She was then a leader in an international school, enriching her practice by teaching a range of qualifications including the International Baccalaureate, multiple A Level courses and GCSEs across different exam boards. 

Emma is Director of Maths at Patcham High School. She gained her BSc in Mathematics from the University of Manchester.  Prior to qualifying as a teacher, she worked as a Consumer and Market Analyst and within the charitable sector.  Emma has taught in schools in Brighton and East Sussex, before joining the Maths department at Patcham in 2016.

Jo has a Master’s in Business Administration from the Open University. Joanne has AAT level 4 accountancy qualifications and a Professional Diploma in Management. She has worked as Bursar and School Business Manager in schools in East Sussex and Brighton since 2014. Prior to this she worked  for Thomson Reuters for 20 years and was head of operations in a social media agency.