Sean has been Principal at Doha English Speaking School since April 2016. In May 2017 and in March 2023 DESS was judged by the accredited inspection team PENTA as Outstanding. Previously Sean was a Headteacher in the United Kingdom for 10 years at a school that gained Outstanding in their OFSTED inspection.
From 2012 to 2016, Sean was a Local Leader of Education for the National College for Leadership where he coached and mentored other headteachers whose schools were in challenging circumstances. He was also a Lead Facilitator for the National College of Leadership where he was a facilitator for adult learning on all of their major leadership programmes. Sean works within a strong team at DESS which strives to offer a secure and happy environment where quality learning can take place. He is married with two children. One who is a Primary school teacher and the other who is studying medicine in the UK.
Mark has been the Business Manager at Doha English Speaking School since September 2022. He has come with a breadth of experience in leadership positions across schools, both internationally and within the UK, where he has held the positions of school governor, school business manager, and finance director.
The Institute of School Business Leadership has recognised his contribution to the profession through making him a Fellow of the Institute. Mark is passionate about collaboration across the administrative and support functions with the academic team. Through embedding controls and governance in efficient processes he seeks ways to ease the path for teaching staff to further develop educational outcomes for pupils. He relishes the versatile nature of the role and loves welcoming the families to school in the mornings. Mark is married with two children and a dog, in his spare time he likes to travel and explore new cultures and cuisines.
Cole joined DESS in 2016 to manage our Key Stage 1 department. In her time at DESS, she has held many roles such as Year Group Leader, Phase Leader and Class Teacher.
Through these positions, Cole has implemented a plethora of new teaching initiatives, ensuring that the department has always been in line with top performing schools in the UK. Cole has a wealth of experience in education, both in the UK and in international settings. She originally acquired her Honours Degree in Business from Strathclyde University. This led her into the world of business where she worked for the Scottish Executive as a Project Manager for the financial education of young people. Realising through this role that she had a passion for education, Cole returned to university to acquire her teaching qualification. She first earned a PGCE in Teaching from Glasgow University which she received with Merit. She then went on to study for a Masters degree in Education, also from Glasgow University, again receiving a Merit. Her Masters degree focussed on literacy acquisition for young learners, and she has published articles and teaching resources on this topic.
Liam graduated with a PGCE from the University of East London in 2011. Prior to this, he studied English and Sociology at The National University of Maynooth in Ireland.
His experiences before DESS, were initially in a school in East London for four years where he worked in Key Stage One and Early Years whilst being part of the Senior Leadership Team. He was also responsible for PE and phonics and was the staff representative on the Governing Board. Prior to Joining DESS in 2024, Liam spent 7 years at Oryx International School and was part of the team that grew the school from 75 children to 1875. He held a teaching and management role in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two whilst completing his Senior Leadership (NPQSL) Award before becoming Assistant Principal, and was later promoted to Deputy Head. His roles during this time have included Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Reporting, Safeguarding, EAL and CPD. He recently completed a Headship qualification (NPQH).
Heather joined DESS in 2021 to launch the inaugural Year 7 and Year 8. Since this time, the provision has greatly expanded and Heather leads a highly experienced and impactful team of teachers in the Upper Preparatory phase.
Heather has over fifteen years of experience in education, both in the U.K and internationally. Heather studied French and History at the University of Warwick and achieved First Class Honours. Heather trained via the Teach First scheme and taught in Liverpool for 5 years before embarking on her first international role in Singapore. Whilst in Liverpool, Heather taught Modern Foreign Languages and also led literacy school-wide. In Singapore, Heather was Deputy Head and Acting Head of Secondary in a highly reputed British-curriculum international school and taught History, French and English. Heather worked closely with Year 5 and Year 6 in order to prepare students for their transition into the next phase of the school. Heather also led the successful authorisation in order to become an IB World School. Having taught GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB Diploma, Heather is therefore extremely well-placed to work with the students, parents and teachers at DESS. With the successful launch of the Year 7 and 8 programme at DESS, Heather is delighted to be continuing to develop the school to ensure it remains as the most sought-after Preparatory School in Doha.
