About Us

Staff

Headmaster

Matt Thomas+ MEd BA Ed (Hons) FRGS

Bursar

Andrew Owens+ MSc ACMA+

Deputy Head

Ms Laura Hutchings+ BA (Hons) (Leeds)

Head of Pre-Prep

Mrs Sarah Wake+ BSc (Sussex) QTS, PGCE (Maternity leave – Summer term 2025 – Spring term 2026)

Headmaster’s PA & Registrar  

Mrs Sarah O’Brien+

Pre-Prep Teaching Staff

Mrs Blaize Anderson BA (Roehampton) PGCE (Brighton) – Year 1 Teacher 

Mrs Karen Bentley BA (Hons) (Kingston) – Year 3 Teacher (Wednesdays)

Miss Ali Fentiman BA (Hons) (Chichester) PGCE – Year 3  Teacher, (Maternity cover) Head of Girls Games’ and Forest School Leader

Mrs Jess Lake, BA (Kingston), EYPS, iPGCE – Reception Class Teacher 

Mrs Sasha Metzger MA BSc (Durham) PGCE – Year 2 Class Teacher (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)

Mrs Emily Thoms BA (Hons) (Winchester) – Year 2 Teacher (Thursday and Friday)

Mrs Sarah Wake BSc (Sussex) QTS PGCE – Year 3 Class Teacher (On maternity leave – Summer term 2025 – Spring term 2026)

Prep Teaching Staff

Mrs Peta Andrews* – G. Mus (Colchester, PGCE (Birmingham), LLB (College of Law), LLM (Sussex) – Head of Music (Sabbatical cover)

Mr Alex Arbuthnot BSc (Hons) (UWE Bristol) – DT Teacher

Mr Adam Bardouleau* BA(Hons) (Chichester) PGCE – Head of PE, Pastoral Lead, ICT, Year 5 Form Teacher

Mrs Ruth Burton-Haigh BA (Hons) (Chichester), PGCE (Sussex) Director of Studies and Head of Maths

Miss Ali Fentiman BA (Hons) (Chichester) PGCE – Head of Girls Games’ 

Mrs Emma Footman BA (Hons) (Brighton) QTS – Girls’ Games Coach

Miss Pamela Goldfinch BSc (Hons) (Sussex) PGCE – Head of Science

Mrs Lisa Green BA (Hons) (Liverpool) PGCE – Head of French, Year 8 Form Teacher

Mrs Carly Harrison BA (Hons) (Winchester School of Art) PGCE  – Head of Art

Ms Laura Hutchings+ BA (Hons) (Leeds) PGCE – DSL, Head of English, Director of Studies, Year 7 Form Teacher

Mr Jay Manley*, – BA Hons (Chichester) PGCE – Boys’ Games and PE and ICT Teacher, temporary Housemaster

Mr Jason Marconi*+ BA (Hons) (Oxford Brookes) PGCE – Director of Music, Housemaster (on sabbatical – Summer term 2025)

Mrs Jo Owen BSc (Hons) (Canterbury) – Girls’Games Coach

Mrs Joan Telfer, MA (Oxon) – Head of Classics

Matt Thomas+ MEd BA Ed (Hons) FRGS  – Head of Humanities and Theology and Philosophy 

Mr Greg Weaver BA (Hons) (Southampton) PGCE – Director of Sport, Year 6 Form Teacher

Mrs Janet White BA (Hons) (Bangor) PGCE – Year 4 Class Teacher

Dr Richard Wintle* B.Ed(Hons) (Wales) MPhil MA MSc EdD MBA PhD FRSA – Humanities and English Teacher

Learning Develpoment

Mrs Sarah Armstrong BSc (Hons) Cert SpLD – Head of Prep Learning Development, SENDCO

Mrs Jo Truscott OCR Level 5 Specialist Teacher SpLD (Helen Arkell) – Pre-Prep Learning Development

Teaching Assistants

Lesley Hudson BA (Northumbria), PGCE

Mrs Emily Kirby DipHe

Mrs Rosie Manger, Montessori Diploma

Mrs Sarah Twinley, Level 3 NVQ

Matrons

Miss Jane Croser*,  Mrs Mary Lamb, Mrs Sarah Posnett

GAP Students

Sarah Hawking*

Support Staff

Mrs Alison Howard-Dace – Catering Manager

Mr Kevin Jenkins – Estates Department

Mrs Jenny Lloyd – Bursar’s Assistant

Mr Michael Meachim – Estates Department 

Mrs Sarah Posnett – Admin. Assistant

Mr Kirby White – Estates Department

All email addresses = firstinitialsurname@dorsethousesschool.com

+ Member of Senior Management Team

* Member of the Boarding Team

Peripatetic Music Staff

Gerry Berkeley – Drums and percussion

Matthew Cooke – Lower Brass

Gordon Curtis – Clarinet

Nikki Duddy – Piano and Oboe

Jessica Garner – Cello

Cheryl Higgs – Singing

Frances Jellard – Singing

Clare Kennington – Violin and Viola (Maternity Cover)

Angela Kirsten – Bassoon

Paul Satchwell – Upper Brass

Nic Saunders – Piano

David Smith – Guitar and Bass

Penelope Tedd – Piano/keyboard, Cello, Music theory

Julie Twite – Flute

Angela Urquhart – Violin and Viola (Maternity leave 2025 – 2026)