Social Sciences and Arts Faculty

…”it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge” – Albert Einstein…

The Social Sciences and Arts Faculty has a particular rationale and set of values that inspire students’ work. Passionate enthusiasts for the subjects they teach, the teachers take as their starting point Blake’s claim that ‘Energy is eternal delight’. The portfolio of visual and language-based A level subjects offered are conduits to the next generation of a global culture, as transmitted by the past to the present. Our students will experience some of the wonder and excitement of exploring this multiverse of forms and achievements and though students will specialise within their subjects, they will also glimpse from time to time the interconnectedness of disciplines. Students will acquire the skills of analysis and understanding of the languages and art forms they study and are often inspired to become creative practitioners themselves.

Head of Faculty

Jeremy Brown has a BSc from UCL and a PGCE from the Institute of Education. He has extensive experience of teaching and examining A Level Psychology and Sociology.

Jeremy Brown - Head of Social Sciences and Arts Faculty

Social Sciences

Social Sciences cover a range of Social Science and Humanities based A Levels and GCSEs. Although the teachers employ a range of traditional and modern teaching techniques and resources, they are united in the aim of expanding students’ general knowledge and understanding of broad trends and themes in historical and contemporary societies, thus creating an awareness of the major events and processes which have shaped history and the modern world.

The department is also united in its use of debate and questioning as a tool for aiding students develop clarity of thought and expression, verbal eloquence, logical analysis of theories and the rational evaluation of evidence.

Many of the department’s teachers have post-graduate qualifications in their field and work as examiners or senior examiners for the subjects which they teach.

Faculty Staff

Jeremy Brown (BSc, PGCE) – Head of Faculty, Psychology, Sociology

Jem Barton-Hanson (MA Cantab) - Law, ICT, Physics

Imogen Davies (BSc, PGCE) - Psychology, Science and Maths

David Callard (BA) – History, Government and Politics

Tony Gear (BMus) – Physical Education

Asad Lahda (MA) – Law

Kelly Hockey (BA, PGCE Cantab) - Religious Studies

Claire Hoult (BA, Cert Ed Oxon) - Classics

Gary Hunter (BA, PGCE) – History

Eamonn Marren (MA, PGCE) - Sociology

Richard McMillan (MA Oxon, PhD) – History, Government and Politics

Peter Olive (BA Oxon) – Classics

Mohini Qavi (MA, PGCE) - Philosophy, Religious Studies

Social Sciences includes…

Staff

Jeremy Brown has a BSc from UCL and a PGCE from the Institute of Education. He has extensive experience of teaching and examining A Level Psychology and Sociology. Jeremy is also Lansdowne’s Head of Curriculum.

Jem Barton-Hanson read Law at Queens’ College Cambridge joining Lansdowne in 1993 while taking bar examinations. Since 1993 he has taught a combination of Law, Information Technology and Computing.

David Callard is a BA (Hons) graduate from Southampton University. He is an A Level examiner and has over twenty years experience teaching History and Government and Politics A Level in a variety of schools and colleges. He has taught at Lansdowne since 2006.

Imogen Davies has taught at Lansdowne since 2011. She has a BSc in Psychology from Leeds University and a PGCE in Secondary Science and Psychology from Exeter University.

Tony Gear BMus teaches a combination of Physical Education and Music A Level. Apart from teaching the PE A Level syllabus, Tony is a qualified football and rugby coach and manages the Lansdowne’s sports’ teams.

Gary Hunter holds a BA and a PGCE, has extensive experience of students’ academic and pastoral care, teaches the GCSE History syllabus, and is Lansdowne’s Vice-Principal.

Kelly Hockey holds a BA in Theology and a PGCE from Cambridge University. She is a highly dedicated tutor specialising in the Old and New testaments.

Claire Hoult has been teaching Classics for nearly twenty years, first in the United States and then in London. She has a BA and a PGCE from Oxford University.

Dr Richard McMillan has an MA degree from Cambridge University and a PhD from London University. He is an A Level examiner, a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and the author of a book on decolonisation which has been favourably reviewed in academic journals both in Britain and overseas. He has been teaching at Lansdowne since 2002.

Eamonn Marren MA, PGCE, is a Principal Examiner for Sociology with over 25 years experience of delivering the A Level syllabus.

Peter Olive is an Oxford graduate with a particular interest in Ancient Greece and Classical Greek.

Mohini Qavi is a highly experienced tutor who holds an MA and a PGCE from Kings’ College, London. She also teaches Religious Studies at Lansdowne and has a particular interest in the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics.

Arts

Equipped with a purpose-built theatre space in the Hall, a Music and Language suite and a projection room for the study of Film and Media, lesson by lesson, students gain confidence by realising that their teachers are on the same side of the table as them, respecting them as individuals, responding to their needs and praising their achievements, sharing both a body of knowledge and a set of expert skills in preparation for exams and coursework.

Faculty Staff

Tim Maher (MA) – English Literature and Film Studies

Lorenza Boscaini (MA) – Italian

David Mullen (BA) – Art

Philip Carr (BA Cantab MA) – English Language and Literature

Gabriella Demko (MA) – German

Edward James (MA) - English Literature

Nick Huntington - Drama, Theatre Studies and English

Tony Gear (BMus) - Music

Darragh Kilroy (BMus, PGCE) - Music

Cesar Gonzalez (MA) – Graphics

Cathy Graham (BSc) - Photography

Rob Miller (BA, PGCE) - Media Studies

Sakae Osakabe (PGCE) - Japanese

Andreas Petzold (PhD) - History of Art Tutor

Patricia Theleste (BA) – French

Ines Santos Garcia (BA) – Spanish

Arts include…

Staff

Tim Maher has a first class degree in English and an MA in Area Studies. His passion for the subject is passed on to students and supported by detailed knowledge of examination assessment criteria gained through his work as an examiner. Tim also teaches Film Studies and is Head of the Department.

Lorenza Boscaini-Gilroy qualified in Modern Languages at the University of Venice and has an MA in Bilingual Translation. She has taught and examined Italian and other European languages for many years.

Philip Carr has had experience as Head of Department for over thirty years, including in Saudi Arabia, where he taught English as a Foreign Language. He has a Cambridge degree and an MA. Philip has written teaching materials for the Welsh Joint Board, for whom he also examines. Phillip is a published poet.

Gabriella Demko is a highly enthusiastic, dedicated language teacher whose courses are successful because they are embedded in rigorous grammar, expanding vocabulary, and the nuances of written and spoken idiom, as required by the exam board.

Tony Gear is an experienced teacher of classical and popular music. He is a vocal coach and plays the piano, trombone, bass and acoustic guitar, and drums. Tony is the singer/songwriter for two bands which play and tour nationally.

Cesar Gonzalez is an expert in Graphic Design and the digital technology and software systems that best serve students’ needs. His enthusiasm for the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject is supported by his experience of the industry as a web and media designer, providing students with expert skills and knowledge for success in their A Level and future studies.

Cathy Graham is an experienced professionally qualified photographer and teacher. With a detailed grasp of the syllabus, Cathy encourages her students with individual practical advice and support in their work throughout the course.

Sakae Osakabe has extensive experience of teaching Japanese as a foreign language. She has taught in British schools and colleges for 15 years and is an examiner at GCSE and A Level.

Dr Andreas Petzold holds a PhD from the Courthauld Institute where he continues to teach on a range of degree and post-graduate courses. He has a range of interests specialising in Florentine Rennaissance and the early Baroque period.