Meet the Teachers

Mrs Millward - Principal and SENCO

'I am Mrs Millward and I am the Principal for Leigh Academy Rainham. I am incredibly passionate about Biology, my Cambridge degree is in Natural Sciences, and continuing my own education with a desire to better understand the psychology of how we all learn. I also love amateur dramatics, theatre, chocolate and art! I grew up in the local town of Rainham attending both primary and secondary school here and have fond memories of visiting Rainham library and Cozenton Park as a child.

An interesting fact about me is that I grew up in Hong Kong and spent nearly 4 years there as a child experiencing my ‘5 minutes of fame’ on Chinese television, taking part in two children's shows called ‘Noodles’ and ‘Boomerang’! I have loved travelling ever since and been fortunate enough to explore many countries around the world; Laos, India, Nepal, Kenya, Australia, China and Costa Rica to name just a few. I am very proud to be given the opportunity to lead Leigh Academy Rainham and cannot wait to welcome you all at the gates on the first day, with our dog mentor Brandy.'

Mr Blinkhorn - Assistant Principal, Curriculum Lead for Maths, Head of Turing College

'Hello Year 7, I am Mr Blinkhorn and I am the Assistant Principal at Leigh Academy Rainham. I absolutely adore my subject of Mathematics, the way it can explain the world around us, predict the future and is applied by all of us every day. One of my favourite Mathematicians is Florence Nightingale, she was a remarkable statistician and used this in her nursing. I am greatly looking forward to meeting you all and providing you with lots of extra-curricular enrichment.

I attended the University of Chichester and the University of New Brunswick in Canada. Studying in Canada was a fantastic experience, especially being able to ski from lesson to lesson and take part in an ice hockey game.

I’m a big fan of board games, computers, reading and the arts. I particularly enjoy rugby, cricket and skiing but I’m a fan of most sports. A fact about me is that I am currently learning Italian so I am better able to communicate with people when I’m on ski trips.'

Mr Smith - Director of Learning (Humanities and Year 7), Head of Kingsley College

'Hello Year 7. My name is Mr Smith and I will be both the Head of Humanities and Head of Kingsley College at Leigh Academy Rainham. I have a strong passion for teaching all the Humanities subjects, particularly History-which I studied for my degree. I am a keen traveller and love to explore and interact with the different cultures, sites and people the world has to offer. Some of my favourite destinations have included: Dubai, Moscow and Miami. I am also an avid football fan and have supported Tottenham Hotspur all my life. An interesting fact about myself is that I have just recently moved to the Medway area and have enjoyed exploring the local History such as: Rochester Castle and Cathedral. I am very excited at the prospect of delivering and teaching you all a rich and diverse Humanities curriculum and supporting you pastorally to ensure you do your best today for a better tomorrow. -I look forward to seeing you all in September.'

Mrs Plant - Curriculum Lead for English, Head of Angelou College

'Hello Year 7 - I am Mrs Plant and I am your Curriculum Lead for English and the Head of Angelou College. I am very passionate about my subject and my degree in English Literature and Film means I have a real appreciation for the way that stories are told. I hope to inspire you all to tell your stories as creatively as possible and show you how reading stories can show us so much about the world we live in. My current classes would say that I like to make them laugh and I get really excited when we are talking about Shakespearean tragedies (my favourite). In my spare time, I enjoy reading books, watching films and travelling as much as I can. This summer, I’m touring the islands of Scotland but normally I like to go a little further afield. I have been learning Spanish for the past year in readiness for my next trip to Mexico. An interesting fact about me is that in the 1990s - I was almost a famous pop star!

I can’t wait to meet you all in September, I know you will love the English Curriculum that we have planned for you.'

Mr Naidoo - Science Teacher

'Hello Year 7. I’m Mr Naidoo and I will be teaching Science at the Leigh Academy Rainham. I love science because I live science. My favourite part

about being a science teacher is the ability to understand how everything in the world is interlinked and how much more we can learn from the Earth and beyond.

I got my Bachelor of Education Degree in Physical Sciences and Information Technology. I also love exciting practicals and making science lessons interactive with technology.

I’m the first teacher in the UK to be qualified as a Quantum Flow Practitioner and I helped develop a breathwork system called Alpha mode to engage the minds of students. My work on mindfulness has been featured in the Guardian this year. I am also an app developer and one of my hobbies is to create apps to make teaching and learning easier.

I am looking forward to supporting you on your learning journey with us here at Leigh Academy Rainham.'

Miss Casey - English and Music Teacher

'I am Miss Casey and I will be teaching English and Music at Leigh Academy Rainham. As a child I loved reading and over the years that turned into a passion for literature. This inspired me to study English Literature at degree level. I have a large range of hobbies, just a few being: playing the guitar, travelling, skiing, dogs, and playing football which I have done for 17 years. I am a huge S.S Lazio supporter. An interesting fact about me is that I can speak Italian (not quite fluent, yet) and have visited Italy 16 times in the last 4 years. I am also a huge astronomy geek, I love stargazing and learning about the universe. I’m incredibly excited to be a part of Leigh Academy Rainham and cannot wait to teach you all a stimulating literature curriculum. See you in September!'

Mr Jarrett - Maths Teacher

'Hello Year 7 – I am Mr Jarrett and I will be teaching Mathematics at Leigh Academy Rainham. I am very enthusiastic about my subject because Mathematics is all around us and we are all required to problem solve in our everyday lives! When I was at university, I was particularly interested in astrology, in particular the movement and orbits of our planets. Equally, I also have a passion for languages and culture because a part of my degree was studying the German language.

An interesting fact about me is that I love exploring the world we live in and have been very fortunate to visit some spectacular places, which include Niagra Falls and the Grand Canyon. I also lived in Hamburg, Germany, for a year. I really enjoy going to the theatre and I hope to see The Lion King when it reopens; I saw Tintin The Musical in London, a few years ago now, and this is because I am a keen Tintin collector.

I hope you all have an enjoyable summer and I look forward to meeting you in September and helping you become great, young mathematicians.'

Miss Dinkova - Modern Foreign Languages Teacher

'Hola Year 7! Comment ça va? My name is Miss Dinkova and I will be teaching you Modern Foreign Languages at the Leigh Academy Rainham. Although I speak five different languages, I will mainly teach you Spanish and French. I moved to Spain when I was 9 years old and had to learn Spanish from scratch (and yes, I did make many embarrassing mistakes while learning the language). I have travelled a lot since then, once I joined university, where I did a Degree in English Studies, I was given the amazing opportunity of spending a year in the UK. I have lived in three different countries but some of my favourite destinations are: Budapest, Bologna and Warsaw (I challenge you to find out the countries where you can find these cities). I will show you that anyone can learn a different language as long as you believe in yourself and you’re not afraid of making mistakes, and I will not only teach you how to speak the language, but we’ll also explore all the different countries and cultures that use those languages, their art, cinema, music, people, etc. By the way, did you know that there are roughly around 6500 languages in the world? Hopefully you will add one more to your repertoire!

I’m afraid I am not a football lover and I much prefer reading, cooking, dancing and spending time with my adorable pugs. I am very passionate about K-POP too (yes, I know the names of all the members of BTS, EXO and BlackPink). I am really looking forward to meeting you in September and teaching you about the wonderful world that surrounds you.'

Miss Ferguson- Design Technology Teacher

'Hi Year 7! I am Miss Ferguson and I will be teaching Design Technology at Leigh Academy Rainham. I am passionate about all aspects of the Design Technology curriculum, especially Food Technology and Textiles, which I know you will all be looking forward to trying!

In my spare time, I like baking, making clothes (I love watching shows like The Great British Sewing Bee or The Great British Bake Off for inspiration) and going on camping holidays in amazing locations around the UK and abroad. An interesting fact about me is that I have previously lived in New York- right next door to the Empire State building!

I am really looking forward to meeting you all in September, and seeing your creativity blossom as we explore the amazing opportunities Design Technology can offer you.'

Miss Swanston - Art Teacher

'Hi Year 7, I am Miss Swanston - your Art teacher. By nature, I am passionate about all artistic activities: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, photography and digital design. My multi-media degree encouraged me to experiment widely with materials and techniques, combining them in new and original ways. I cannot wait to share this innovative approach to designing and making with you as we embark upon our creative curriculum at the Leigh Academy Rainham. We are so very fortunate to have the best opportunity to work in a brand new building with amazing resources available to us. I am very much looking forward to meeting and getting to know you as we develop our ideas.

A fact about me is that I am an ‘outdoorsy’ person. I have an Art studio on a farm where I am inspired by nature and wildlife. I also enjoy hiking, trail running, swimming and cycling in the countryside. As well as exploring locally, I am keen to experience our wider world and have travelled to places of outstanding beauty such as the rainforests of Borneo where I was thrilled to see orangutans and elephants in the wild!'

Mr Peachey - Geography Teacher

'Hello Year 7, I am Mr Peachey and I am your Geography teacher. I am very passionate about geography and the world that we live in! I did my degree in Geography with Ocean Science at Plymouth University. I hope that I can inspire you to be as fascinated and thoughtful of the world we live in, the way that I am. I love visiting new places, countries and cultures. Some of the places I have experienced include: The Seychelles, India, Kenya and Iceland.

In my time in The Seychelles, I conducted environmental research and protection work, and was fortunate enough to work with some amazing animals and plants. The world we live in is so fragile and believe that it is important to protect the world so you can enjoy its amazing beauty in your bright future.

I am a massive fan of lego and star wars and have combined the two together and have built up a large collection of star wars lego. I enjoy playing PC and PS4 games. I can't wait to meet you all in September, and begin our Geography journey around the world and find out what it has to offer.'

Miss Southern - Physical Education Teacher

'Hi Year 7, I am Miss Southern and I am your Physical Education Teacher. I am passionate about all things sport, and most importantly trying new things. During my time at University, I was part of the Ski Team, Athletics Team and Cheerleading Team, which I took with me after graduating and last year, my cheerleading team came 6th in the World at The Cheerleading World Championships in Florida, USA.

I love living a healthy lifestyle and keep busy in Athletics, Gymnastics, Cheerleading and Netball on a week-to-week basis. It is very important to have an active lifestyle, whether that's participating in sport or just going out walking a dog or going on a bike ride. Hopefully this summer you can get out and about more, and enjoy being outdoors.

Being part of a team has many benefits and can create a bond for life. Hopefully, I can inspire you to become a team who can support each other through your time at The Leigh Academy Rainham and beyond. I cannot wait to meet you all in September and begin our exciting journey together. Have a great summer!