Ms Kathryn Richardson, Master of Wellington College Hangzhou, is an accomplished education leader with over 20 years of experience. She taught in London schools where she quickly progressed into leadership positions. In 2014, Kathryn moved to Dubai as a Deputy Headteacher in a British curriculum international school and was promoted to the Head of Primary at their newly opened sister school in 2016.

Kathryn holds a bachelor’s degree in education, specialising in maths and science. In addition to this, she has a master’s degree in educational leadership and management and is also a qualified facilitator for the National Qualifications of Middle and Senior Leadership.

Kathryn has a passion for school improvement and strongly believes in making sure every child reaches their true potential. Kathryn has redesigned school curriculums so that they are creative, personalised to each individual pupil, and provide challenge for all. In her spare time, Kathryn enjoys travelling, reading and spending time with her family.

Chang has been Bursar at Wellington College Hangzhou since 2019 and comes with a wealth of experience in finance and management. After graduating from Tianjin Normal University Chang started her career at a Fortune 500 company where she grew to lead the accounting department. In 2003, she decided to pursue her academic and professional goals in the UK, where she completed her BSc in Applied Accounting, ACCA qualification, and MSc in Accounting with Finance. She worked as an auditor in a firm located in Mayfair, London for three and a half years, gaining valuable overseas working experience.

Prior to joining Wellington College Hangzhou, Chang has held many senior roles within Wellington College China family, starting as Finance & HR Manager at Wellington College International Tianjin in early 2011 and transferring to Wellington College International Shanghai in 2014 at its founding stage. In the capacity of Senior Finance Manager, she was responsible for the finance of all Wellington and Hiba schools in Shanghai.

Ms Ivey Wang graduated from East China Normal University with a bachelor's degree in Chinese International Education and completed a master's degree course in Educational Psychology. She also holds a master's degree in Education from Plymouth State University. Ivey is an IB examiner and qualified IB Middle Year Programme(MYP) Principal; She has obtained the certification of Leading School Course from Harvard Graduate School and the teacher training certification of ACTFL and Positive Discipline. She is also the Off Campus Practice Project Advisor of East China Normal University.
 
Ivey has been engaged in international education for nearly 17 years. She has worked in several top international schools in Shanghai where she developed the skills of multi-cultural understanding and communication, as well as the understanding and practice of internationally recognised pedagogy, and gradually became a leader from a teacher. She worked as K12 Chinese Curriculum Coordinator at Shanghai American School, then served as school Curriculum Director and Primary School Principal at two international bilingual schools in Suzhou and Shanghai. She integrated Chinese and western education concepts and wisdom, built a collaborative and efficient team, led the development of integrated bilingual immersion curriculum and always committed to creating more opportunities for students’ development. 
 
Ivey adheres to the mission of International Educators, which is to provide future oriented education for students, focus on students’ holistic development and improve their global competence and wellbeing. Through leading education innovations, she dedicates to cultivate lifelong learners with deep Chinese cultural roots and international mindedness, who will be able to communicate confidently on the international stage and deal with global issues in the future.

Sophie completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Birmingham, UK. Whilst volunteering at a local primary school during this time, she decided to become a teacher and undertook a PGCE at the University of Exeter in Primary Education with a specialism in the Early Years.

Sophie's passion is the development and education of young children. However, she has a range of experience across the primary age group at the teaching and management levels. During her career, Sophie has also taught in various settings and three different countries. After qualifying and spending time learning her craft in the UK, she joined a British international school in Cairo, where she stayed for several years. Upon returning to London, she became Head of Early Years Foundation Stage at a highly respected prep school for girls in London. In 2013 Sophie joined an international school in Beijing as Head of Early Years and has been in China since. Since 2018, she has led the Primary sections in Shenzhen and in Chengdu.

Sophie was a teacher moderator for the London Borough of Camden's Early Years team. She has also been an NQT mentor and has written articles about Early Childhood Education for several magazines. Sophie is passionate about child-centred education and the importance of meaningful education for children. She is also interested in Special Educational Needs. Sophie grew up near and was educated in the City of Bath in the UK. She is accompanied by her husband and two children, who are attending Wellington College International Hangzhou. In her spare time, Sophie enjoys reading and supporting charities, particularly animal welfare.

James is from Chongqing. He completed his bachelor's degree at Chongqing University, specialising in Marketing, and his post graduate education at Sun Yat-Sen University with an International MBA degree jointly granted by Sun Yat-Sen and MIT.  

He has over 14 years of marketing experience, providing professional services of marketing and brand building for companies like UTC, British Embassy, Disney, and international schools in Guangzhou and Chongqing.  

James is a huge sport fan, he loves football, motorbike racing, kart racing, scuba diving, bouldering, and workouts with weights. In his spare time, he also devotes time to public services regarding environment protection, care for vulnerable groups and animal protection. 

Joy Qiao is the Founder and Chairman of Wellington College China. She founded the group in 2009 and, under her leadership, Wellington China has become one of the most reputable international education groups in China and globally. Joy grew up in Shanghai and earned her BA in Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Prior to her devotion to education, she had extensive experience working in the IT industry in the United Kingdom, Germany and China.

Joy is married to a British husband and they have two teenage sons. Influenced by this, Joy's vision is to create the world's leading English-Chinese bilingual schools, which combine the very best attributes of both British and Chinese education. She views such blended education as being a key contributor towards deepening understanding and appreciation between China and the rest of the world. Bilingualism, cross-cultural awareness and global citizenship will all be highly valued skills in this century when East is meeting West.  

Ms Maya Tarabay Schisano is one of the founding members of the Friends of Wellington (FOW), serving as the Events Chair since 2014 and the Chair in the 2018-19 school year. She worked closely with the College to achieve an open, dynamic and inclusive culture. 

Maya has a BA in Interior Design, Marketing and Fine Arts from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and is fluent in Arabic, French, Italian and English. Currently living in Shanghai, Maya has lived in the United States, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Australia.

She has extensive experience working in the luxury goods industry, and was at one time a global account manager at Prada. Maya also has experience in public relations and marketing, consulting for various Lebanese businesses as well as MSN Arabia and Sabil Water. In addition, she spent some time working as a presenter for the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) in Lebanon.

Maya first became seriously interested in education when her boys first started school at Wellington College International Shanghai in 2014. Recognising the alignment between the College’s philosophy and ethos and her own, she put her energy and focus as a parent into working towards that common goal: a school in which all children can thrive and that her boys are proud to be Wellingtonians.

Andy Yarrow has been Chief Executive of Anthem, a UK-based Multi-Academy trust with 16 primary and secondary schools, since March 2017. He spent the previous three and a half years at one of the largest MATs, Oasis Community Learning, as Regional Director for the London and South East Region. Prior to joining Oasis in 2013, Andy was Founding Principal of Chelsea Academy and Headteacher of Hornsey School for Girls in Haringey, London. Both schools achieved outstanding Ofsted judgments under his leadership. Having studied geography at UCL, followed by a PGCE at Cambridge University, Andy started his career as a secondary school geography teacher in London in 1991, moving to Head of Geography in Surrey in 1995, Assistant Headteacher in Hertfordshire in 1998, Deputy Headteacher in Slough in 2000 and headship in 2004.  

Andy has been a coach for UCL's NPQH programme and has coached around 100 aspiring and serving headteachers over the past 12 years. Andy also has a considerable interest in international education, having visited schools in over 20 different countries and spoken at school leadership conferences in several, including China.  

Chris Huo works with Fosun International as Senior Investment Director. He leads the private equity investment activities in the UK and European market for the real estate arm of Fosun Group and is responsible for overseas subsidiary businesses from a governance and compliance perspective. Prior to Fosun, Chris spent 10 years with KPMG in the UK where he practiced as an auditor of international businesses, covering a wide range of industries and public organisations including universities and charities. He also worked in the KPMG Corporate Finance division, advising UK-listed corporates and global investment funds in infrastructure and TMT spaces, with respect to corporate reorganisation/ restructuring, strategic review, cross-border transactions and valuation.

Outside of work, Chris has gained experience of governance and wider regulatory issues through his interest in technology and investment. In the field of venture capital investment activities, he acts as a senior consultant for early-stage companies (FinTech, medical device, data analytics and distributed ledger) in the UK. He currently sits on the board of directors of VOGT Stockholm, a Swedish luxury fashion business.  

Chris has 20 years of experience of living and working across Asia and Europe. Very relevant to Wellington China, he was educated in both China and in the UK. Chris has a deep understanding of both parts of the world, making him a natural candidate for working across cultures.

Chris graduated with a BEng (Hon) in Electromechanical Engineering from the University of Southampton in 2008. He then qualified as a chartered accountant with The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 2011. He is married with one child who presently studies at Wellington College International Shanghai.

Erica has completed a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education at the New Zealand Tertiary College and obtained a national-level New Zealand teaching certificate. She has taught in New Zealand for five years and has worked in some leading early childhood centres. She supported the leadership team by training new teachers and actively developing and integrating curriculums. Reggio Emilia’s teaching methods influenced her, especially her philosophy and teaching practice. She believes that every child is a capable, unique and resourceful individual. She is committed to creating a respectful, inclusive and inspiring learning environment for children through trustworthy relationships.

From her previous roles, she discovered her warm, responsible, and passionate nature and her sincere love for children of all ages. She cherishes the opportunity to learn with her children as she sees herself as a lifelong learner. As a teacher from a Chinese cultural background, she advocates cultural diversity and strives to foster a positive sense of self-identity in every child. Her overseas experience has also provided her with unique cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to understand, support and assist parents through positive relationships. Erica enjoys working in a team and believes effective leadership starts from understanding, empathy, supporting and mentoring.

Kelly is a highly experienced leader and early years educator, currently in her third year as Assistant Head of Early Years. With a wealth of international experience, including living in the UAE before coming to China, Kelly has gained extensive classroom experience and developed her leadership skills.

Kelly graduated from the University of Gloucestershire, UK in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Primary Education (Hons), specialising in Early Years and Key Stage 1. She is a reflective life-long learner, always seeking out new challenges and opportunities. After completing her degree, Kelly obtained Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) and went on to be the lead teacher in a large nursery in her hometown of Swindon for three years before embarking on her international career.

One of Kelly's proudest achievements was becoming a founding member of a primary school in Dubai, where she played a key role in helping the foundation stage achieve 'Outstanding' status. As a leader of learning, Kelly is passionate about building on the strengths of others, motivating and encouraging a thriving team environment. Her focus is on developing best practices within early years education, with a belief that play-based, child-led learning is key to nurturing confident and independent learners.

Kelly is currently living in China with her husband, and together they enjoy exploring the country and its rich cultural heritage.

Ms Lucy Trotter graduated from Queen’s University Belfast, UK with a BSc in Geography and a Business Diploma from Arcadia University. She spent several formative years as a teaching assistant before completing her PGCE with the University of Buckingham. As a child, Lucy lived in a variety of countries and studied at international schools around Asia but returned to her hometown of York for senior education.

Lucy has worked for Wellington College International in Early Years leadership positions at our sister schools in Nantong, China and Bangkok, Thailand and is looking forward to joining the Hiba Academy Hangzhou team. She is especially passionate about sharing the pivotal role of excellent early childhood education for future success, focusing on the value of creating a safe environment where the youngest members of the school community can thrive. In addition, Lucy promotes a love of literacy, specifically in terms of harnessing the power of emergent writing in the early years.

In her free time, Lucy loves to bake tasty treats, swim, and read a good book with a cup of strong Yorkshire tea. She can’t wait to explore Hangzhou’s legendary scenery and beautiful sights.

Julie is an early years educator, holding a bachelor degree in Early Year Education from Huai Bei Normal University. She started her education journey over 12 years ago, working with children from 18 months to 6 years in a nursery school in China. Looking for a new challenge, she moved to an international school in Singapore to continue her career in 2012. She used a play-based curriculum and teaching approach to provide rich and meaningful experiences for the children in her care.

She continued her studies in Singapore to enhance her knowledge and skills. She began as a teacher but soon moved up to take the senior position in the leadership team. In July 2015, She moved on to support a new international pre-school in China as the Vice Principal. Her leadership role in China allowed her to promote quality learning environments and experiences for families under her care. Next, she took her expertise and strong understanding of the culture and curriculum to be a Principal in January 2017, ensuring that children, parents and educators build a sense of ‘belonging’ to the big family. She thoroughly enjoyed this role, allowing her to advocate best practices and ensure quality learning within a caring environment for children. She believes in lifelong learning and thrives on ongoing research.

Charlotte taught in the UK for four years after completing her bachelor's degree and Post Graduate in Education at the University of Derby. Charlotte has taught several creative subjects during her teaching career and has taught EAL through these creative pathways. After teaching Drama, English and Media Studies in Nottingham, Charlotte moved to Hangzhou and has been working with children in a bilingual learning environment for three years.

Charlotte considers encouraging children's creativity to be a cornerstone of language and emotional-social development and believes that the spontaneity of children-led learning, furthers this. Charlotte’s enjoyment of art began during secondary school where she chaired the school’s creative writing club, curating and producing anthologies of work from students. She enjoyed participating in workshops held by the school’s graphic design club.

In Hangzhou, Charlotte attends water painting classes in her spare time and enjoys sewing and making handicrafts. Charlotte believes that employing these skills through learning materials and the environment creates an engaging atmosphere to encourage inquiry and fascination within children. Charlotte has called Hangzhou her home for three years prior to joining the Wellington community. The campus and staff give Charlotte a sense of nostalgia of the joy of her own school days and she hopes that through the amazing opportunity Wellington has granted her she can instil this feeling in others.

Kofi is a highly skilled and experienced Early Years and Key Stage 1 teacher with over 15 years of teaching experience across four different countries. He completed his Early Years teacher training at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK, and holds a master's degree from the London Metropolitan University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of East London. 

Kofi's extensive work experience spans across different levels of early years education and Key Stage 1. He spent nine years working in the UK before taking up a role as an Early Years Coordinator at an IB World school in Ghana. Kofi has also worked as a Key Stage 1 teacher and head of phonics at a British international school in Dubai. Kofi has been a dedicated Early Years teacher at Wellington College Hangzhou, for the past two years.

Kofi's innovative and inquiry-based approach to teaching creates an engaging and dynamic classroom environment that fosters learner agency and empowers pupils to take responsibility for their own learning. He is a teacher with a deep understanding of the EYFS and the national curriculum for England and training in the IB Primary Years Programme. Kofi is skilled in teaching pupils from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. He has a proven track record of achieving higher levels of attainment in reading, writing, and oral language, particularly among pupils for whom English is an additional language. Kofi is a dedicated and passionate educator committed to providing his pupils with an exceptional learning experience.

Amy received her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education from Bei Hua University. Prior to that she graduated from Liaoning Normal University and majored in Curriculum and Teaching Theory. She worked as an intern in a kindergarten in Ji Lin. During which she was trained to be mindful of children’s physical, social and, mental developmental characteristics. She was also a part-time teachert at a school in Da Lian and it was this experience that inspired her to become a full time teacher.  

She is passionate about teaching children in early years and tries her best to be a positive role model to children in her class. Amy believes commitment and love are as important as knowledge and experience in teaching. In her spare time, Amy loves making handmade ornaments, drawing, painting and watching films.

Kate Chen graduated from Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages as an outstanding graduate of Zhejiang Province, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. Following this, she completed her Master of Arts Degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Melbourne. During her time at school, Kate feels fortunate to have worked as an assistant to the school's Foreign Affairs Department for three years.

Kate has also worked as an early childhood teacher and mentor at an international school in Shanghai, co-teaching with international teachers of diverse backgrounds. These valuable experiences have shown Kate that diversity in the community and workplace can inspire idea creation and increase innovation. Kate's master's degree research focused on bilingual education and family language policy. She is interested in how different language policy choices and patterns realised in the households can promote active bilingualism.

Kate is passionate about early childhood education and is deeply influenced by the Reggio Emilia education system that supports children's well-being and fosters their intellectual development. She believes in the rich potential in children and enjoys the co-construction process of knowledge. One's internal image of the child directs them to behave in certain ways and Kate hopes to play a part in helping children challenge thoughts and exceed limits.

Miss Chen graduated from St. John's University in the United States with a Master's degree in sports management and a Bachelor's degree from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). She is a national first-level athlete and a certified coach of the American Swimming Coaches Association Level 1,  2 and3. She was a swimmer with more than 15 years of swimming training and competition experience and won the championship and the Sports Award at the National College Swimming Championships. Miss Chen has a rich academic background and teaching experience in both China and the United States. She has a national primary school PE teacher certificate, an AUSTSWIM (Australian Swimming Association) teacher certificate, an American Swimming Association age group coaching certificate awarded by ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association), a water lifesaving certificate, a First Aid / CPR / AED certificate, and a CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) safety training certificate.

Miss Chen has participated in the Make a Splash youth swimming popularization event held by the USA Swimming Foundation and the Pan American Games trials held by Swimming Canada. After graduation, she taught youth swimming development programs at colleges in the United States, and organised teams to participate in the Junior Swimming Competition in the New York metropolitan area. After experiencing the collision of different sports cultures and identity transformation, she has developed a stronger passion and enthusiasm for the development of aquatics sports and is committed to providing more training opportunities and competition platforms for the young generation.

Miss Chen led the Wellington College Hangzhou swimming team to participate in the FOBISIA Swimming Invitational and won first place in the short courses events. On the other hand, she was invited to participate in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games as a commentator. She hopes to pass on the spirit and energy of sports to children and firmly believes that sports are not only a lifelong skill, but also can promote children's physical and mental strength and independent.

Greg is an experienced educator with more than ten years of teaching experience in China and Europe. He comes from England but has been living in Norway for the past five years with his wife and two young daughters, where he has been teaching in a Norwegian ‘barnehage’ (kindergarten). 

As a teacher, Greg takes pride in an inclusive learning environment ensuring progress and engagement through the delivery of inspiring and stimulating lessons. He is passionate about the benefits of the creative arts and its implementation in a bilingual context. In his last position, he was part of the award-winning choir coaching team and was also responsible for introducing daily ‘mindfulness’ sessions into the classroom.

His hobbies include photography, art, music and film, walking in the woods and chatting with his children about anything and everything. 

Maria has two university degrees, one in social work and the other in primary school teaching, the latter of which led to qualified teacher status. She also has a master's degree in teaching Spanish as a foreign language.

Since graduating in 2015, Maria has taught different ages, from early years to high school, across Spain, England, China and Kuwait. Living and teaching in different countries have allowed her to experience different cultures and ways of working, expanding her awareness of the world. She considers herself a conscientious colleague with a strong work ethic and resilient attitude who is always willing to help.

During her teaching career, Maria has learned how important it is to create a positive atmosphere in the classroom. She works hard to ensure pupils feel comfortable and safe in their educational setting. Passionate about teaching, Maria attends to the children's individual needs in her class.

She has decided to return to China for a second time with her husband, a Wellington School teacher. They missed the culture, the food and the welcoming people of the country of China. 

Delphine’s motto is, “I am all about newness. New ways of thinking, feeling, doing and being.” With a curious and open mind, Delphine likes to draw from a bank of rich tools gained from a triad of; teaching, social and therapeutic work. Her vision is to inspire others to imagine, create and express on the leading edge. Born in England, she was known for her love of poetry and sporting accolades - a highlight was scooping a trophy for ‘Sportswoman of the Year’.

Pursuing her interests at the Bangor University of Wales, Delphine specialised in English Literature and Physical Education, graduating with a Bachelor of Education degree in the Primary setting. An eclectic range, Delphine has teaching experiences from early years to adults, SEN, cover teaching and overseas. Prior to joining Hiba Academy Hangzhou, she enjoyed her role teaching foundation education in North Devon, England. Early years education is a passion she is eager to grow at Hiba Academy Hangzhou. Time in South Korea, part of the EPIK English programme, compounded Delphine’s enthusiasm for embracing other cultures too.

A champion of special needs, Delphine used a gap year before completing her degree, to work with adults with profound disability. A special needs teacher upon graduation, led Delphine to some of her greatest achievements; creating tailor-made behaviour modification programmes, and reintegrating pupils with extreme behavioural issues, back into mainstream education. Vast work undertaken for Children with Disability Team, under the Social Services umbrella, expanded Delphine’s skill base. Here Delphine was engaged as a social worker, and other community roles, to support families with neglect, abuse or special needs. Delphine also attained Duke of Edinburgh experience, involving herself in outdoor pursuit projects with disadvantaged young people. Specialist advisor to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, appealed to Delphine’s natural advocacy attributes. Contributing to her knowledge of children’s educational rights in the UK, she guided parents through addressing special needs for their children in school.

Zealous in personality, Delphine has leapt at several voluntary opportunities: Camp America; affiliation with the United Nations, traversing 15 States of USA as the driver of an ‘I.T Pod’ (mobile classroom) and teaching English as a second language to disadvantaged Hispanic children; joined Sense Charity, supporting deaf/blind children on residentials; supported the RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association). These experiences have shown Delphine, for her, the most rewarding aspect of endeavours comes in the opening of a closed world we can help give to others.

Avid about mental development, Delphine stomped across fire coals during a motivational course hosted by Antony Robins. This inspired her to train as an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) practitioner – the art of understanding our internal programmes, that drive our choices and behaviours. Understanding our unique character, strengths and weaknesses, overcoming challenges motivate her immensely. Later gaining a diploma for complementary therapy, Delphine set up wellbeing classes for adults.

Today, emotional literacy is another dedication Delphine promotes in school. Thriving on nurturing nursery children, Delphine often describes them like, “Little plants who need watering.” To be part of developing each child’s unique personality and learning style is right up her street. All Delphine’s experiences, her successes, the challenges along the way, have shown her character to be one of compassion, empathy and fearlessness, overcoming many weaknesses, on an on-going journey, we call life.

Finally, arriving at Hiba Academy Hangzhou, Delphine enjoys co-creating with her colleagues and bringing a proactive and harmonising style to Wellington College Hangzhou pupils. She desires to support them to acquire wings of independence, security and learning with happiness.

Benjamin Clements (Ben) is a New Zealand trained and qualified Early Years teacher with a Bachelor in International Studies and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching, specialising in Early Years. He has worked as a teacher in schools in New Zealand, China and Europe, enjoying roles that exposed him to new teaching ideas and styles. 

Ben is a strong believer in learning through play and project based learning, ideas that became popular in New Zealand during his time studying. He has since focused on finding ways to implement these ideas more effectively in a diverse teaching environment. His passion is to help children to accomplish their goals and to help them to develop their ideas and skills as far as they are able.
 

Steffi began her Fine Art BA at Goldsmith’s University, UK - then completed her studies at Northumbria University. Whilst volunteering at an Art therapy Institute, she decided to focus on working with young children. From here she decided to become a teacher and undertook a TEFL course in ESL Education, specialising in the Early Years.

Steffi's passion is the social, emotional, artistic development and education of young children. During her career she has obtained a range of experience across the kindergarten age group and behavioral management levels. After qualifying and spending time learning her craft in the UK, she collaborated with Multiple Art Galleries in Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and London where she held exhibitions for two years. Upon returning to York, she worked as an assistant curator at Tate Modern, London - here she assisted and organised exhibitions by a multitude of world-renowned artists, as well as conducting Children's activity areas within the gallery.

In 2019, Steffi held a position at an English Center in Hangzhou, China - here she led English speaking, writing and listening classes to primary level students. Since 2020 Steffi has a leading role as an Art and English teacher in an International Kindergarten: In this time, she has become a certified IB PYP teacher, and her students’ creative pieces have even been held in Art Galleries within Hangzhou.

Steffi strives to build happy and collaborative teams; she uses art as an expressive outlet in her teaching - making her way of teaching infectious and fun. Steffi understands the journey of learning English is long and can be intimidating, but her unique approach to teaching and learning opens endless possibilities.

Ms Tanis Pragnell graduated with a BA Honours degree in Librarianship and Information Studies.  Whilst working as a Lifelong Learning and Children’s Librarian, she frequently taught children how to use the library and visited both schools and nurseries for storytelling and book related craft sessions.  It was during this time that Tanis decided she would love to pursue a career in teaching.  She undertook a PGCE at the University of Wales, Bangor in Primary Education specialising in the 3-7 age group.

Tanis has been teaching for 20 years, most of this time educating children in the foundation phase.  During her career, Tanis has worked in various settings in three countries, she has spent most of her career teaching in Wales whilst raising her son, then began her adventure into teaching abroad.  Tanis has taught in Russia, where she also ran a successful after school baby club, and has most recently taught in Madinaty, Cairo. During her career she has enjoyed being an NQT mentor and involving herself in the wider school community by being an active member of the Parent Teacher Association.

Tanis remains enthusiastic about sharing her love of books with children and is particularly passionate that children immerse themselves into the world of books and reading.  She also enjoys creating a warm and caring environment in which children can flourish, and where every child feels enabled, safe, happy and valued. Tanis loves to help all children to reach their potential and to support their built-in curiosity. “I love to see that light bulb moment, when children discover that they can do something that they once felt was impossible.”

In her spare time, Tanis loves to explore new places and cultures.  She enjoys cooking – she is most successful at desserts!  Tanis also enjoys theatre, cinema and music concerts – and of course, reading.

Patricia completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in South Africa. A Post-graduate certificate in Education soon followed, as she followed her passion of working with children. She then sought a qualification in Trauma Psychology and qualified as a School Counsellor specializing in Play Therapy.

Working in a school setting as a School Counsellor helped consolidate her skills as she worked with children who had experienced traumatic events in their lives. Helping children heal and grow through challenges remains an area of interest to her.

Patricia has enjoyed wonderful teaching opportunities in Beijing, China as well as the United Arab Emirates. Working with the youngest of students, watching them grow and learn brings her joy. Teaching children skills in Phonics and then to love reading is a particular area of interest and she strives to bring learning alive through child-centered and directed activities.

Working as a member of a collaborative team and creating warm relationships between colleagues, parents and students is a strength for Patricia, as she strives to create understanding, nurturing relationships.

In her spare time, Patricia enjoys spending time with her multi-cultural family, who live all around the world.

In the United Arab Emirates, Patricia volunteers to teach immigrants, English to assist with their ability to find meaningful employment and start new lives away from their countries of origin. Additionally, Patricia loves travelling to remote areas and visiting with the elderly, helping them to enjoy a friendship connection.

Lucy is an enthusiastic, dedicated professional who has had a range of experiences relating to child development and special educational needs. Lucy graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Children and Integrated Professional Care where she found her passion for working with children and young people, focusing on early intervention and prevention support. 

Lucy went on to manage numerous teams within Coventry City Councils Childrens Services with specialisms in portage, parenting and safeguarding. Moving to China, Lucy wanted to use this opportunity to expand her experiences and gain an insight into a different education system. Previously she worked at a local kindergarten for nine months working closely with the Senior Leadership Team to expand their English Curriculum offer. Lucy is a keen traveller and gardener and was extremely excited to join the Wellington College Community. 

Stephanie Cheng Wang brings a range of experience and dedication to Hiba Academy Hangzhou (Nursery) as a qualified Australian teacher specialising in early childhood education. With over a decade in the field, Stephanie has made significant contributions across International and Bilingual kindergartens in China and Australia.

Stephanie began her career at a Kindergarten in Melbourne, where she excelled in personnel management, curriculum development, and achieved educational accreditation excellence recognised by the Government of Victoria. At Auburn South Pre-school, Stephanie's commitment to educational excellence underpinned the pre-school's National Exceeding rating, focusing on English education aligned with the VEYDF and EYLF frameworks.

In 2020, Stephanie assumed the role of Head Teacher at a school in Shanghai. Her leadership was pivotal in transitioning to successful online learning during the pandemic, and she enrolled over 50 pupils in online demo classes.

Stephanie enriched a bilingual school in Shanghai as a Foreign English Teacher for 3 to 4-year-olds, implementing the EYFS framework. As House Leader, she fostered holistic development through monthly events, achieving a remarkable 92% retention rate.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with Distinction from Deakin University, a Diploma of Children’s Services from Holmesglen Institute of TAFE. Stephanie is passionate about early childhood education, cultural exchange, and ongoing professional growth. Her teaching philosophy is encapsulated in the timeless wisdom of the ancient Chinese proverb often attributed to Lao Tzu: 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.'

In her leisure time, Stephanie enjoys traveling and engaging in outdoor sports. These experiences have deepened her appreciation for life's simple pleasures, reinforcing the importance of humility and cherishing meaningful moments.

After graduating from Huzhou Normal University, Rachel was lucky enough to take the first step towards her dream of becoming a preschool teacher. Passionate about early childhood education, she worked in bilingual institutions and public kindergartens for seven years. Recently, Rachel has been researching how to use picture books to improve children's dialogue and debate to develop interactive thinking.

In her spare time, Rachel is a person who loves to laugh. She likes travel, cooking and yoga. She believes that everyone should have a positive and healthy attitude towards life and face every challenge in life bravely. She is also a person who likes to share things with others. She likes to communicate and make friends with people from different countries and backgrounds.

Joining Wellington College is a great gift for Rachel; she hopes to continue learning, strengthen her professional knowledge and understanding, and help more children have a happy and meaningful childhood.

Grace graduated from Ningbo University in 2012 as an outstanding graduate of Zhejiang province. She was awarded a school scholarship. In addition to her strong academic foundation and practical skills, Grace volunteered to participate in social services as that is something close to her heart. She helped out the aged in nursing home’s and organised a team to teach children English, in the community.

She believes in giving back to society and does her best with committing time to it. Grace has been working in nursery at international schools for the past five years, where she gained a lot of professional training and experience in teaching. She is responsible, proactive, caring, patient and collaborative with children, parents and colleagues. She believes every child is different and unique.

In her spare time, Grace likes to read various books about children, and on psychology. She is also fascinated by musical instruments. Grace has learnt to play the flute, cucurbit flute, ocarina, piano and saxophone by watching others play making her an example of self-directed learning.

Helen Li graduated from the Department of Early Childhood Education from Hubei Polytechnic University. During her internship period she was assigned to the municipal kindergarten, she was fortunate to be retained as a full-time kindergarten teacher by the government one year ahead of schedule. Familiar with the developmental guidelines for children aged 3-6 in the early childhood education programme, she obtained her kindergarten teacher qualification certificate.

In her educational career, she was exposed to the theory of early Sino-US teaching and participated using in-depth practical knowledge. Two years ago, she co-founded a well-known high-end early care institution in Hangzhou with Spanish overseas Chinese and, Irish linguist. Her experience so far had her interacting with international teachers from around the world and gave her a unique opportunity to share course development work, best practises while building on her mangement skills.

These diverse experiences have given her valuable insights in the field of early childhood education. At the same time, she is now giving deep thought to the bilingual teaching methodology and is incorporating new ideas into her own teaching practise. She believes that in the process of getting along with the child, one must also develop a rapport that involves understanding and listening to the child. She is looking at building great memories and lasting bonds in the early years.

Yvonne graduated from Zhejiang University of Science of Technology in 2013. After graduation, she became an Early Years teacher. She loves the job and works hard. She is now an experienced educator. In 2019, she had her own baby, which stimulated her with more passion to pursue childcare and education.

She hopes every child can have a happy childhood, and she will devote herself to this objective. Yvonne is a very outgoing person. She likes singing and likes to sing everywhere; she likes watching cartoons, which reminds her of her childhood innocence. She likes learning and trying everything that she has never tried before.  She likes children, so she enjoys every day with the children.

Kelly has been associated with the early childhood education for eight years. During this period she worked at a bilingual nursery school and other international preschools . All these international professional experiences have equipped her with in-depth understanding of both, the Chinese and the UK curriculum framework. She enjoys being in the classroom and inspiring her students with their learning.

In 2010, she successfully completed her training and earned her certification as a teacher from the Orff institute of Music and Drama. Her love for music is visible in her teaching practises too. She enjoys spending time with children and thinks children can build on their language and culture in a bilingual setting. In her spare time Kelly loves the outdoors and enjoys practising music.

At university, Hannah majored in international trade. However, her passion for English and education shone through and have driven her to become an English teacher in private training schools. She has been working in the field of education for more than six years including four years as an English teacher of children aged 3-8, and two years as a study advisor. 

Hannah has a  experience in co-teaching with foreign teachers from diverse backgrounds. In language teaching, Hannah is able to implement project-based learning to bring out every child’s potential and also establish a joyful and caring learning environment.

Hannah is a lifelong learner; she enjoys studying STEAM education,  early childhood pedagogies, drama and child development psychology.  In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking, yoga, Tai chi, cooking and photography.

Coco majored in Cartoon Illustration, graduating from Anhui University in 2014, and she also studied the master's program at Belarusian State Technological University of pedagogy. She has a passion for drawing, which she loves to use in the classroom as one of many tools for inspiring children to be creative and represent their ideas. Coco chose to follow her passion for education and became a high school art teacher. It gave her wonderful experiences working with older children before she decided to extend her skills working with younger children. Expanding her educational knowledge as a nursery teacher set her on a path to developing her knowledge of Montessori education systems. This passion for learning set her on a path to discovering the interests and wonders of Hiba Academy Hangzhou, where she now has experiences in several different classes. In her spare time, Coco enjoys spending days with her family, enjoying picnics, spending time in the countryside and enjoying delicious meals with her friends.

Tracy is an experienced Early Years educator with over eight years of experience in international schools, specialising in the IB and Reggio curricula to create inclusive, child-centred learning environments. She has served as a Teaching Director, where she managed teams, co-taught with international educators, and designed inquiry-based curricula. Tracy’s dedication to education has earned her the Outstanding Class Teacher award, reflecting her passion for fostering student growth and engagement. 

A firm believer in lifelong learning, Tracy’s personal interests include music and exercise, which she integrates into her teaching philosophy to promote a holistic educational experience. These hobbies reflect her belief in the importance of a balanced approach to life and learning, enriching her ability to connect with students both in and out of the classroom.
 

John arrived in China by ship as the sun rose on the horizon in the Winter of 2007. Since his arrival, he has made Hangzhou his second home and has been teaching here ever since.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art, a Master of Art's degree in Interactive Media and Design, and an Associate's degree in CELTA and TEFL. He has always been motivated by his passion as a creator of art and music in many forms. He is a proficient painter, animator, illustrator, as well as being highly inspired by his native Gaelic-Irish musical and cultural traditions as a songwriter and seanchaí. He is also conversationally fluent in Gaelic Irish, Hiberno-English, and Chinese.

Tom is passionate about early years education and has amassed a wealth of teaching experience. He thoroughly enjoys teaching early years pupils and believes in the importance of cultivating their interests and active learning in physical education. Joining the Wellington family is an honour for him and he is committed to being a lifelong learner. 

Prior to joining Wellington College Hangzhou, Tom gained valuable experience working in bilingual and international schools for several years. He excels in organising physical education activities for young pupils and is well-versed in IB and EYFS curriculum. 

During his spare time, Tom enjoys traveling and hiking, he actively participates in public welfare activities.

Caron Hou holds a master's degree in sports education. Ms Hou was the former chief coach of Singapore National Synchronised Swimming Team. She has achieved the qualification of coach and referee for artistic swimming issued by Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA). She won the title of best honourable coach, awarded by Singapore Sports Council. She is currently a national referee in China.   

 
Caron learnt the dance major in her childhood and was selected to join in the professional group by the coach of the synchronised swimming team. Later, she retired due to physical injuries and engaged in teaching. She has more than 30 years of professional experience and has won international competitions many times while leading the Singapore national team.   

 
At present, she is responsible for the daily teaching and competition organisation of swimming and synchronised swimming in our school. Meanwhile, she also contributes to planning and implementing the popularisation of synchronised swimming in Zhejiang Province. She hopes that more and more children will have the opportunity to participate in synchronised swimming in the future, to experience the unique charm of the sport, to gain the perseverance of the sportsmanship and to be the excellent reserve talents for our country!   

Alexandra Cowley, born in Namibia, has spent much of her adult life studying, working, and travelling overseas. With more than 20 years of experience, she has worked with children aged 3 to 18 from different socio-economic, educational, and cultural backgrounds in Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

She holds a Bachelor of Social Science undergraduate degree, having majored in Psychology and Social Anthropology, a Montessori Pre-Primary Teacher’s Diploma, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Special Needs Education. She also holds certificates in Play Therapy and Counselling Children and Adolescents and a diploma in Professional Child Psychology, making her well suited to Director of Pupil Support.

Alexandra spent 13 years living and working in Kuwait, the last eight years in a management capacity as Head of Early Years at International British Curriculum schools. This gave her the unique opportunity to work not only with children but also with parents, teachers, and other stakeholders.

She believes that her experience in teaching and leadership has given her a unique perspective on understanding the needs of children, teachers, and parents within an educational setting. It has also given her the necessary tools to support those she works with effectively and positively, as well as to communicate proficiently with other stakeholders. She leads by example and believes that discussion and open exchange of ideas are essential in developing a successful partnership.

Her educational background and diverse pedagogy experiences have helped her develop a deep understanding of the needs of children. Education is not only about educating the child academically but also socially and emotionally, something that she believes is becoming increasingly necessary within our society.

She moved to Hangzhou with her two youngest sons, aged 9 and 11, who joined Wellington College, while her oldest son, aged 19, remains in South Africa to continue his studies.