The Staff

Mr Blinkhorn - Vice Principal & Head of Turing College

Hello Year 7, I am Mr Blinkhorn and I am the Vice 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 Silvester - Vice Principal &  Head of Kingsley College

I am Mr Silvester and I am Vice Principal at Leigh Academy Rainham.  I am a passionate Historian and enjoy teaching about how past events have helped to shape the world in which we live today.  I am also an extremely passionate teacher who loves to see students aspire to do as well as they possibly can in all that they do. I have a love of sport and have a keen interest in cycling and thoroughly enjoy exploring the Kent countryside on my bike in my spare time.  I am a big fan of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books and films and one day would love to visit New Zealand to see where the films were made.  I imagine the scenery will be amazing!  

I am very much looking forward to joining Leigh Academy Rainham in September and embark on what will be an exciting new chapter in my career.

Mrs Plant - Vice Principal & Head of Angelou College

I am Mrs Plant and I am Vice Principal  and the Head of Angelou College.  I am very passionate about my subject and my First Class  degree in English Literature and Film means I have a real appreciation for the way that stories are told.  I hope to inspire children  all to tell their stories as creatively as possible and show them  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 or Victorian fiction (my favourites).  

Before I became a teacher, I worked in London for 15 years as a Director of an international business and so I love talking about careers and future aspirations with my students.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading books, watching films and travelling as much as I can.  I have been learning Spanish for the past year in preparation for my next trip to Mexico.  An interesting fact about me is that in the 1990s - I was almost a famous pop star!

Mr Smith - Assistant Principal (Assistant Head of Turing College) 

Hello Year 7. My name is Mr Smith and I am one of the Assistant Principal's at LAR who has also had oversight of your transition to secondary school over the coming months! I have a strong passion for teaching all the Humanities subjects, particularly History-which I studied for my degree. History is a fascinating discipline in which it greatly develops your inquisitiveness as to why something happened and in some cases-repeats as well. 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 and I will be exploring Brazil in April next year visiting the cultural capital of: Rio De Janeiro and Curitiba. I am also an avid football fan and have supported Tottenham Hotspur all my life. I am very excited at the prospect of delivering and teaching you all a rich and diverse History curriculum that will ensure you do your best today for a better tomorrow.

I look forward to seeing you all in September.

Mr Harrington - Assistant Principal (Assistant Head of Angelou)

Hello and welcome to the year 7 students! My name is Mr Harrington and I am the Assistant Principal/ Assistant Head of College for Angelou. I am here to support your journey through the academy, as well as making sure that you enjoy a full and challenging curriculum through the International Baccalaureate MYP framework. Like Mrs Millward, I have lived abroad for many years; I have taught at IB World Schools in Cairo, Shanghai and, most recently, Rome. If you need any support or would like to learn some Italian, feel free to speak to me! 

Mr Harwood - Assistant Principal (Assistant Head of Turing)

I am Mr Harwood, Assistant Principal at Leigh Academy Rainham. I'm also a Teacher of History and have always felt that learning from our past enables us to prepare for our future. I have always enjoyed learning about History ever since I was in secondary school and went on to study History for my degree at university too. I was educated in the Republic of Ireland and pursued my passion for teaching in the UK. I've always been very sporty and have represented my country in the sport of rowing on two occasions (only once managing to beat my rival English opponent), raced a number of marathons in Ireland and the Netherlands and love football. 

When I'm not involved in sport, I also participate in amateur dramatics and have performed in a number of roles in local pantomimes in Medway, my favourite of which was playing Aladdin at the Brook Theatre. I'm very much looking forward to meeting you all and learning about your own hobbies, dreams and talents. 

Mrs Loveridge - SENCO

I am Ms Loveridge and I am the SENCO for Leigh Academy Rainham. I began my working career as a City banker. I only decided to go to University when I was much older. I graduated from the University of Greenwich with a BA (HONS) in Education Studies. I spent over 17 years working in the same primary school before moving to secondary education. It was there I became a Qualified Teacher. Since then, I have worked in three other Leigh Academies Trust schools before joining this school.

An interesting fact about me is that I had my ear bitten by a horse when I was 8 years old. Fortunately, they were able to reattach it successfully and I now have supersonic hearing! I love travelling and I have been fortunate enough to visit many countries around the world; Hong Kong, Dubai, Australia, USA, Canada, Cyprus and Spain to name just a few. I am very proud to be part of the staff at Leigh Academy Rainham and I look forward to welcoming you all to our school.

Mrs Keegan - Angelou Student Services Manager

Hello Year 7. My name is Mrs Keegan and I am the Student Service Manager of Angelou College at LAR. I will be working very closely with both Mrs Plant and Mr Harrington to help ensure you feel welcomed and supported during your secondary experience! I have strong ties to the Rainham area as I myself went to Rainham Girls in our local community. I also happen to be a mum of two; so I am very much aware of the anxieties and worries you may be feeling as my son went through the same experiences too. I absolutely love Greek and Turkish food and have tried at least 10 different types of kebabs! I would also love the opportunity to travel the world again someday and I hope that I can visit my dream destination: The Maldives. 

I am very excited at the prospect of meeting all the students who will be joining Angelou College and I wish you a lovely summer before you start in September.

Mrs Billingham - Turing Student Services Manager

Hello year 7's I am Mrs Billingham, Turing's Student Services Manager and one of the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) here at LAR. 

My role is to promote first-rate pastoral care for all our students. l work supporting the well-being of the students across all of our three college communities as well as being a point of contact for parents/Carers. My passion is  working with young adults and supporting them to reach their full potential.

When I am not in the academy I love being outside, spending time with my own family and most of all I enjoy traveling and have been to a list of amazing places, New Zealand is my all time best place to have been lucky enough to explore. 

I can't wait to meet you all and support your transition into the academy.