Our Staff (gallery)
"Staff appear effortlessly to achieve the often mutually exclusive combination of high standards and expectations in a caring, supportive and low pressure environment."
(Parent)
Please select a category below to view the staff currently at Belhaven Hill.
Headmaster
-
Mr Olly LangtonHeadmaster
Mr Olly Langton
MA (Hons) History (Edinburgh)
Olly joined Belhaven as Headmaster in September 2020 having taught at Ludgrove (2005-7) and Radley (2007-20). He is married to Rosie and, together, they ran J Social, a boarding house at Radley for seven years before jumping at the chance to run one of the country's best prep schools. Their three children, Alexander (now in Form 6 at Belhaven), Cleo and Lettie and Nelson, the Labrador, are all very excited to meet you!
-
Mrs Rosie LangtonHeadmaster's Wife
Mrs Rosie Langton
MA (Hons) Modern Languages (Oxford);
Masters in Publishing (Oxford Brookes)Rosie is a mother of three (Xander, Cleo and Lettie), a teacher of Italian and French and a freelance designer. Currently she has responsibility for all things uniform and she aims to become increasingly involved with marketing the school and encouraging young Italianists! She is loving living by the sea and getting to know the treasures of East Lothian.
Teaching
-
Mr Olly LangtonHeadmaster
Mr Olly Langton
MA (Hons) History (Edinburgh)
HEADMASTEROlly joined Belhaven as Headmaster in September 2020 having taught at Ludgrove (2005-7) and Radley (2007-20). He is married to Rosie and, together, they ran J Social, a boarding house at Radley for seven years before jumping at the chance to run one of the country's best prep schools. Their three children, Alexander (now in Form 6 at Belhaven), Cleo and Lettie and Nelson, the Labrador, are all very excited to meet you!
-
Mr John MarriottDeputy Head Academic (SMT)
Mr John Marriott
BA (UCL), MA (UCL), PGCE (Buckingham),
MBA (Durham University Business School)
Deputy Head Academic (SMT)
Head of EnglishJohn joined Belhaven in 2019, having been at Windlesham House School in Sussex for seven years. He held a range of positions while at Windlesham, including Head of Classics, Housemaster, and Director of Studies. John teaches senior English at Belhaven. His favourite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.
-
Mrs Katie GaleDeputy Head Pastoral (SMT)
Mrs Katie Gale
B.Sc. Hons (Surrey),
P.G.C.E. (De Montfort), C.C.R.S.
Deputy Head Pastoral (SMT)
Head of Maths
Girls' Games CoordinatorKatie joined Belhaven in 2001 and lives in the North Lodge. During her time at the school, she has taught maths throughout the school, junior science, and took over as Head of Maths in 2009. She currently coaches the 1st Netball and Rounders teams and is a supporter of Hull City Football Club. She has a son, William, who spent 6 years at Belhaven before moving to Merchiston Castle School where he is currently in his second year.
-
Mr William TownshendHead of Geography; Head of Sport
Mr William Townshend
B.Sc. (Natal), Higher Dip.Ed. (Rhodes)
Head of Geography
Director of SportA native South African, William joined Belhaven Hill in 2004. William lives on site in the South Lodge has one son currently at Belhaven and two other children who, having been through the school, are now at Strathallan. On winter weekends off, William can often be found refereeing or umpiring local rugby or hockey club matches and in the summer, playing cricket for the Borderers CC.
-
Mrs Amanda ParksForm 5 Class Teacher
Mrs Amanda Parks
B.Ed. (King Alfred's)
FORM 5 Form Mistress
LibrarianOne of only four Form 5 teachers in Belhaven's history, Mandy arrived in 2003. She and her black Labs have been a welcoming start to many children's time at Belhaven. Mandy loves walking and camping and in 2019 she completed the Pennine Way in aid of the RNIB. Her hobbies include water colour painting and music and she plays the violin in two amateur orchestras in Edinburgh. Mandy is also the school librarian and she regularly organises author visits and book fairs. She is happy to help children with reading and recommend books to them. She has two grown up sons and a grandchild!
-
Mr Noel CurryHead of Classics
Mr Noel Curry
M.A. (Hons.), P.G.D.E. (Edinburgh)
Head of Classics
(Lions Patrol)Noel started at Belhaven in 2008 and during the last twelve years has held a range of positions including Forms 3 and 4 Tutor and Housemaster. He is also Head of Cross-Country and is a keen runner himself. Noel has four children, two of whom are at Belhaven. Noel speaks fluent Swedish, is a keen Leeds United football fan and, having been a brewer professionally before turning to teaching, enjoys brewing and drinking real ale.
-
Mrs Kay HollidayHead of Science; Head of Co-Curricular
Mrs Kay Holliday
BSc Forensic Science
PGCE Secondary Science
Head of Science
(Wolves Patrol)Kay joined Belhaven in 2016 previously having been Assistant Head of School and Head of Science at the West London Free School. A keen hockey and netball player.
-
Mrs Karen LeitchHead of Learning Support
Mrs Karen Leitch
BA Business Studies
PGCE
Head of Learning Support
English, MathsKaren joined Belhaven in 2014, having taken a career break to raise her three boys, living for five years in Virginia, USA, during this time. Karen has held a variety of positions at Belhaven, including teaching junior French and Maths. Her current position is as Head of Learning Support. Her youngest son, Fin, is a Belhaven pupil.
-
Ms Lucy WimbledonHead of Art
Ms Lucy Wimbledon
BA Hons (Edinburgh College of Art)
PCGE Secondary Art & Design (Reading)
Head of ArtLucy started at Belhaven in 2004 and has twins, Rafe and Liv, currently at Belhaven and a younger son Oak. Lucy studied Painting and Drawing at Edinburgh College of Art and then went on to do her teacher training at Reading University. Her interests now are landscape painting, ceramics and printmaking. In her free time Lucy loves sea swimming and yoga. She lives with her three children in Dunbar.
-
Mrs Jane HaddonArt, RMPS, DT
Mrs Jane Haddon
Joint Hons M.A. Fine Art (Edinburgh)
PGCE PG Guidance
Art, RMPS, DTCame to Belhaven in January 2011 from St Margaret's School, Edinburgh. She has 2 grown up children.
-
Mrs Lesley TownshendForm 4 Class Teacher
Mrs Lesley Townshend
BCom Accountancy & Business Hons (Edinburgh)
PGCE Secondary (Moray House)
FORM 4Lesley has taken on various teaching roles at Belhaven, starting in 2004, with some time out to have 3 children. Since 2015 she has been a Form 4 form tutor and teacher. Lesley lives on site in the South Lodge, has one son currently at Belhaven and two other children who, having been through the school, are now at Strathallan.
-
Mrs Anna McGrathHousemistress of Girls' House; Drama
Mrs Anna McGrath
BA Hons (Royal Holloway, University of London)
MA (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)
PGCE (Birmingham City University)
Housemistress of Girls' House
DramaAnna joined Belhaven in 2020 after working both pastorally as a residential tutor and as an academic lead as Director of Drama at Fettes Preparatory School. Prior to this, Anna worked as Head of Drama at Hartland International School in Dubai. Anna trained as an actress at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before commencing teacher training as part of the Teachfirst programme. She is passionate about pastoral care and looks forward to developing confident young women in her role as Girls' Housemistress.
-
Mr Will PookHead of Computing & Outdoor Education
Mr Will Pook
Bsc, PGCE
Head of Computing
Head of Outdoor EducationWill started Belhaven in September 2020, having spent a year studying for a Masters in Outdoor Education in Edinburgh and qualifying as a Mountain Leader and Yachtmaster (Coastal). Before chasing Outdoor qualifications, he was teaching Computing in Prep schools in Southern England. When not programming Robots using iPads or brewing up hot chocolate in the Woods, he is working towards another qualification as a Rock Climbing Instructor on Scottish crags.
-
Mr Ian DryburghHead of PE & Sports Coach
Mr Ian Dryburgh
BSc (Hons), MSc
Head of PE, Sports Coach & Junior ScienceIan joined Belhaven in 2019 andcompleted the Independent School PGCE at the University of Buckingham. An IRB Level 3 rugby coach, Ian coaches the first team at the school.
-
Mr K EllisonDirector of Music
Mr K Ellison
BA (Hons), PGCE; LRSM; ARCM; FASC
Director of Music
(Owls Patrol)Joined Belhaven in January 2020 having held posts as Head of Music in schools for over 20 years. He has also held the positions of Senior Teacher, Head of Curriculum, and Senior Housemaster in previous posts. He lives in a flat in main school building, and greatly enjoys golf and football.
-
Mr Jack WhiteHousemaster of Boys' House; Maths
Mr Jack White
BSc Hons Economics (Leicester), PGCE (Sunderland)
Housemaster of Boys' House
Maths & HistoryJack joins Belhaven this year (Sept 2021) from Marlborough College Malaysia, where he has been the Assistant Boarding Housemaster and Head of Year 7. Trained as a Secondary Maths teacher whilst working at Barnard Castle School, he made the transition to Prep School teaching and loves the variety that it brings. He is a keen sportsman and outdoor enthusiast and very much looks forward to exploring the East Lothian coast with pupils, his wife Vicky and one year old daughter Rosie.
-
Mr Jak PurkissEnglish & Humanities
Mr Jak Purkiss
MA Hons (Edinburgh), PGCE (UCL)
English & HumanitiesJak joins Belhaven this year (September 2021) and will live in North Lodge. He arrives from London having spent a brief time teaching Key Stage 2 following two years teaching abroad in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a keen sportsman, still playing where possible and particularly enjoys football, cricket and rugby. He is also an avid cyclist and has completed a number of long distance triathlons and running competitions.
-
Mrs Lindsay GreyHead of French
Mrs Lindsay Grey
Head of French & Form 3LS
Lindsay studied French, Spanish and International Relations at the University of St Andrews. Originally from the Highlands, she has spent a lot of time living and working abroad in France, Spain, Mexico and Chile. After university and working abroad, she completed Teach First in the North East of England and has just moved back up to North Berwick after spending four years in London where she was Head of Modern Foreign Languages at an inner-city secondary school. Lindsay is keen sportswoman and loves running, cycling, sea swimming and Munro climbing.
-
Mrs Alice JohnstonPre-Prep Lead & Class Teacher
Mrs Alice Johnston
BSc Geography (Newcastle)
PGDE Dundee
Pre-Prep Lead & Form 6 Class Teacher
(Woodpeckers Patrol)Alice joined the staff in September 2015 as a junior class teacher. She taught Form 4 for a year then moved to Form 6 where she worked on developing our 6 & 7 year olds. The past 18 months have been an exciting challenge, as we have worked together to create a wonderful Pre-Prep department. This collaboration will help the seamless transition for the children as they move into the Prep school. Alice is joined in Form 6 by her lovely Labrador Cora, who enjoys the attention from the children. Alice was previously a co-director of the junior play and will now be involved with the Pre-prep Nativity play. She is a qualified make-up artist, which has been useful for school productions as well as teaching the children face painting. Alice is a keen skier and netballer and loves going on walks with Cora.
-
Mrs Fiona SemplePre-Prep Class Teacher
Mrs Fiona Semple
Fi joined Belhaven in April 2022, having spent the last few years working at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, both as a Junior School French Teacher and as a Class Teacher. What she enjoys most about teaching is the children's natural curiosity for the world around them and the rapid pace at which they pick up new skills. She loves making the process of learning as active and engaging as possible and she is looking forward to having even greater opportunities to take learning outside in the beautiful surroundings at Belhaven. Having relocated to East Lothian, she is looking forward to spending more time at the beach paddle boarding!
fsemple@belhavenhill.com -
Mrs Rachel GibsonPre-Prep Class Teacher
Mrs Rachel Gibson
Rachel has recently moved to Dunbar and loves the community feel of the town. She is looking forward to working at Belhaven (from Sept 2022) with its close-knit community and extensive opportunities for play-based and outdoor learning. After completing her Masters degree, Rachel took a teaching post in Edinburgh where she was awarded the Probationer of the Year Award for her teaching and learning. In her spare time, Rachel is now working towards a Doctorate which focusses on social justice and pupil voice - areas of education about which Rachel is passionate.
-
Mrs Rebecca MacdonaldPre-Prep Teaching Assistant
Mrs Rebecca Macdonald
Becky joined Belhaven in September 2021. She is originally from the Highlands of Scotland but moved to Edinburgh to complete her first degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. She later went on to study Early Years Education and gained experience working as a Teaching Assistant in an international school in Italy. Becky loves running, beach walks and coffee stops, so thinks that East Lothian is where she is meant to be!
rebeccamacdonald@belhavenhill.com -
Mr Angus BrownTeaching & Boarding Assistant; Sports Coach
Mr Angus Brown
Angus joined Belhaven as a gap student in September 2020 and has since become a permanent fixture! He is now a Boarding & Teaching Assistant and Sports Coach in the Prep and Pre-Prep. He loves the outdoor environment at Belhaven and is a keen all-round sportsman, specialising in cricket. He gained his Level 2 coaching qualification at Hampshire Cricket College and plays for Hampshire & England Physically Disabled Cricket Teams, making his debut for England in 2019 in the Disability World Series in Worcester.
angusbrown@belhavenhill.com
Learning Support
-
Mrs Karen LeitchHead of Learning Support
Mrs Karen Leitch
BA Business Studies
PGCE
Head of Learning Support
English, MathsKaren joined Belhaven in 2014, having taken a career break to raise her three boys, living for five years in Virginia, USA, during this time. Karen has held a variety of positions at Belhaven, including teaching junior french and maths. Her current position is as Head of Learning Support. Her youngest son, Fin, is a Belhaven pupil.
-
Ms Pippa HallAdditional Needs Auxiliary
Ms Pippa Hall
-
Mrs Tamara MillmanLearning Support
Mrs Tamara Millman
Nurse/Matronal
-
Mrs Sandra PerksSchool Nurse and Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Sandra Perks
-
Mrs Jane WilsonDay Matron
Mrs Jane Wilson
-
Cathy LeeNight Matron Boys' House
Cathy Lee
-
Joanne TurnbullNight Matron Boys' House
Joanne Turnbull
-
Angela CairdNight Matron Girls' House
Angela Caird
-
Lucy LavelleNight Matron Girls' House
Lucy Lavelle
-
Mrs Gill PeartNight Matron Girls' House
Mrs Gill Peart
Pastoral
-
Mr Jack WhiteHead of Boys' House
Mr Jack White
BSc Hons Economics (Leicester), PGCE (Sunderland)
Housemaster of Boys' HouseJack joins Belhaven this year (2021) from Marlborough College Malaysia, where he has been the Assistant Boarding Housemaster and Head of Year 7. Trained as a Secondary Maths teacher whilst working at Barnard Castle School, he made the transition to Prep School teaching and loves the variety that it brings. He is a keen sportsman and outdoor enthusiast and very much looks forward to exploring the East Lothian coast with pupils, his wife Vicky and one year old daughter Rosie.
-
Mrs Anna McGrathHead of Girls' House
Mrs Anna McGrath
BA Hons (Royal Holloway, University of London) MA (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) PGCE (Birmingham City University)
Housemistress of Girls' HouseAnna joined Belhaven in September 2020 after working both pastorally as a residential tutor and as an academic lead as Director of Drama at Fettes Preparatory School. Prior to this, Anna worked as Head of Drama at Hartland International School in Dubai. Anna trained as an actress at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before commencing teacher training as part of the Teachfirst programme. She is passionate about pastoral care and looks forward to developing confident young women in her role as Girls' Housemistress.
Administration
-
Mrs Rachel CaugheyBursar, Estate Manager (SMT)
Mrs Rachel Caughey
Rachel joined Belhaven as Bursar & Estate Manager in September 2021. Rachel has had a varied career as a solicitor: in-house Counsel in the financial services as well working in private practice. She also had a property development company. She has two teenage boys as well as two Labrador dogs. A keen sportswoman, Rachel enjoys spending her free time either walking the dogs, cycling, riding horses, playing golf (poorly) and skiing.
-
Mrs Olivia ReynoldsSchool Admissions and Registration
-
Mrs Nicola BruntonSchool Secretary
Mrs Nicola Brunton
School Secretary
secretary@belhavenhill.com -
Mrs Tricia MulroySchool Secretary
Mrs Tricia Mulroy
School Secretary
secretary@belhavenhill.com -
Mrs Elena ClarkHousekeeper
Mrs Elena Clark
Housekeeper
elenaclark@belhavenhill.com -
Mrs Kirsty LaspariniFinancial Manager
Mrs Kirsty Lasparini
-
Mr Richard McLeanMaintenance
Mr Richard McLean
-
Mr Alex WilsonHead Groundsman
Mr Alex Wilson
-
Mr David PeekWebsite Manager
Mr David Peek
I.A.P.S. Diploma of Education
Website Manager
davidpeek@belhavenhill.com