Lower Secondary
Computing

My passion for computing began when I received my first computer (Sinclair ZX81) and was transfixed with creating coding solutions to problems. I continued my passion through my education and graduated from Kingston University with BSc (Hons) in Computer Science.

Prior to teaching, I worked in the IT industry. During this time, in addition to working in the “real” IT world, I gained significant experience in a variety of IT specialist skills, including Programming, Systems Analysis and Design and Databases. Using this experience, I have been able to make lessons more realistic by illustrating with real life examples.

I currently work as Subject Lead for Computer Science & IT for a school in the South East of England. I have shared my passion for Computer Science with my students for the past 16 years. I believe they build the future, and the skills they develop studying Computer Science & IT provide a good foundation in all occupations.

In addition to teaching in school, I contract for several exam boards as an examiner and moderator for BTEC, GCSE and A Level. These roles support my teaching as they provide me with a good insight into how to achieve higher grades in exam papers and programming projects.

In my spare time, I run the school ski club, Geek Club, and I am a verifier for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. I enjoy spending time with my family and our dogs.

I am very excited to be part of the Wolsey Hall Oxford Team; a positive learning experience is the foundation of a happy, successful life, and I am extremely privileged to be able to help guide their journey. I pride myself on giving my full care, attention and enthusiasm to my students.

I gained my degree with joint honours in Computer Networking and Business IT, and started my career as a Data Analyst. I then moved into an Information Technology Analyst role for a few years. In 2010 I travelled to Kenya, where I spent five years working with an entrepreneur and created a successful business. It was in Kenya, where I helped young people with computer skills that I realised my love for teaching. I returned to England, enrolled myself into a teaching programme with Warwick University and graduated with a PGCE.

As a Computer Science teacher for five years, I have trained a variety of students to achieve academic excellence and confidence in their computer and programming skills. I teach many programming languages, including Python, VB.net and Javascript. The current subject content within computing is challenging and interesting, and when taught well gives students problem solving skills that can be applied to any field of academic study.

As a part of my role as a Computer Science teacher, I also train and support other teachers in the subject. To help develop the programme, I have created and shared many resources online. I focus on the curriculum, developing ways of helping my students to flourish, and many of my lessons draw on my previous industrial experience. Having this experience allows me to relate to ‘market’ requirements and enables me to design relevant lessons. My lessons are planned to ensure that I deploy a range of teaching strategies and include a variety of activities. I provide my students with constructive feedback so they can improve and aim high.

In my spare time, I run an after-school hockey club, a cyber-discovery club (students learn cyber programming techniques), and I assist in the duke of Edinburgh award scheme. I enjoy hiking, cycling and travelling.

I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with my students.

Growing up I had a keen interest in Computing; always excited by the opportunities new technology would bring. I gained a vocational qualification in computing and went on to study Creative Computer Games Design at university. During my studies, I volunteered in Secondary schools and worked on summer schemes with young adults, and this is where I found my second great passion for education.

I completed my degree, and due to my enthusiasm to teach, I promptly moved on to a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Since qualifying, I have taught for ten years, covering a range of levels from GCSE to Higher National Diploma. As well as teaching, I work with a number of awarding bodies, as an examiner and as a team leader for standards verification. I have also written for published textbooks for Pearson qualifications.

My passion for multimedia and gaming is still with me. My core subjects taught include web development, 3D computer modelling and games development, as well as the more technical subjects including computer programming and web server side scripting. I recently worked with both the Royal Society of the Arts and the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching on a project to see if gaming can help improve literacy and numeracy skills in teens. I have also recently returned to education myself and am about to complete my MSc in Computer Science.

When not teaching, or gaming, I enjoy reading. I am also a keen cyclist, having recently ridden from London to Paris in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

I look forward to sharing my passion for Computing with you.

I started my career in industry, working for a company that built bespoke computers for clients as it was cheaper to build computers than buy them at that particular stage in time. I was interested in education and therefore decided to apply for a Graduate Training Programme. Since then, I have been teaching for over 13 years and have seen the subject of ICT/Computing evolve.

I taught in my first training school for ten years and became Second in Department after a successful appointment. I thoroughly enjoyed the transition and was passionate about progressing my understanding/knowledge of the journey from within education. After a year in post, I had the opportunity to move abroad and teach in Dubai. This was a wonderful experience, and as I had my 3-year-old daughter with me, she was also able to experience education abroad in the scorching sun. I taught KS4 & 5 Computing at a GEMS foundation school that ran the British Curriculum. A year later, I returned to the UK and re-integrated into the UK education system.

I am currently working as Curriculum Lead for Technology and IT within a school in the North of England and love what I do, with the varying number of subjects I manage. I teach KS3 Computing & Technology, KS4 Computer Science, and have also taught KS4 Business Studies. I really enjoy learning about the diverse cultures our various students are from, many from the local area and others from the rest of the world. Managing a variety of subjects gives me the chance to be in touch with my creative flair as well as my main focus of Computing.

My spare time is usually spent with my daughter, who is now eight years old and is highly creative, just like her mum. We enjoy various activities, such as painting, drawing, string art, and stitching/sewing. We love to hike and enjoy the views, which developed a passion for photography and capturing the scenes and moments and learning to use a DSLR Camera I purchased. I love to read all sorts of books; however, my favourite would be anything Sci-fi, fantasy or magic related.

I am looking forward to meeting new students and parents from different parts of the world and exploring the IT infrastructure that we live in.

I am a qualified and experienced Computer Science teacher, having taught in South London and Oxfordshire as Head of a Successful Computer Science department. I have also led Computer Science for a trust of 50 schools at Key Stage 3, 4 and 5 (Secondary Level) as well as leading outreach work with Primary students.

Outside of teaching, I have collaborated on some of the most popular GCSE and A level computing textbooks. I have also consulted and delivered training for AQA, Hodder, Dubai College, the British Computer Society, Philip Allan, ZigZag, to name but a few.

I am also conducting research into the use of Virtual Reality with the Open University. Amongst other projects, I have presented at several conferences and was recently contracted to write a book on VR in Education for Routledge.

I am passionate about Computer Science, and I love sharing that passion with learners. I believe the skills we develop studying Computer Science, problem solving and decomposition, can help us in all subjects and all walks of life. I have supported students to progress to some of the top universities and computing related courses, and on to computing related careers. Their success has been a fantastic reward.

Outside of education, I still enjoy problem solving and programming for enjoyment. I cycle regularly and hike in the Lake District. I enjoy reading, with a particular penchant for Terry Pratchett and Tom Sharpe. I enjoy the occasional play on Elite Dangerous (in VR, obviously) and spending time with my young family.

I have over ten years of experience teaching Computing, Computer Science and Information Technology in high schools in my native South Africa. I was also the foundation teacher at two different schools, meaning that I started the department in those schools. I have also been a driver of digital transformation in schools, being the first to be a Google Certified Educator and assisting the staff in gaining their certifications.

As well as teaching in schools, I have consulted for Pearson Education, creating a training manual for them and running a course as a Master Trainer in a Train-The-Trainer workshop. I have also worked in industry as a Systems Engineer.

The most exciting thing about computers is the way they allow you to combine logical thinking with creativity to solve problems. This is particularly true when creating computer games, which I enjoy as a hobby.

These days coding is the new literacy, and everyone deserves to be fluent. Not everyone understands everything quickly or even on the first try but I have helped many students to understand, practise and improve their results, and I will help you too.

My wife and I recently came to live in the UK where she has a position with the NHS. When I am not helping students or creating computer games, I enjoy cycling and spending time with the family.