Our Staff

Christina Wells

Principal and Chief Executive

I have been Principal and Chief Executive here at West Heath since 2008. Prior to coming here I was Director of Education at Mid Kent College and had spent my last two years there working collaboratively with Medway businesses to create educational and economic links with China.

Being Principal at West Heath is the culmination of a long career in education and is a position that I very much enjoy.

Alan Baker

Vice Principal Staff & Student Development

I have worked at The New School for ten years as Vice Principal. In I total have worked with young people for 32 years. During that time I have experienced a wide range of educational settings including mainstream schools and residential special schools. I have previously held positions of responsibility in a number of schools including head teacher of a PRU. I have also worked as part of a multi agency inspection team established by Kent County Council to monitor the standards of care in children’s homes and residential special schools. My time at The New School has been and continues to be the most rewarding experience of my professional life. 

Fran Pass

Vice Principal Curriculum & Quality

I hold a BA ( Hons) in Art, Masters of Education in SEN, PGCE and NPQH. I was previously a head teacher of two PRUs at the same time as being deputy to the behaviour support service in Sussex. I later worked in a mainstream secondary school as Assistant Head Teacher and SENCO. I then went on to work for Kent County Council as a Access and Inclusion Advisor and senior advisor for 6 years where I worked with schools to support school improvement. I have also worked as part of a multi agency inspection team established by Kent County Council to monitor the standards of care in children’s homes and residential special schools. My experience has varied from Secure Unit Teaching and Residential Social Work to supporting and managing schools and individual pupils to reach their potential. 

I have two boys and occasionally in my spare time take up my hobby of fine art painting. I am currently studying for a further qualification in Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Jim Nunns

Vice Principal Care

I started work at The New School at West Heath in September 2010.  I have worked with children and young people in various social care settings for over 20 years.  This has included working with children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, and most recently, children with physical disability and complex medical needs.  During my time working in these settings I qualified as a social worker and have qualified as a trainer for the Kent Safeguarding Children’s Board.  I also enjoy spending time with my wife and children.  I enjoy participating in all kinds of sports and also enjoy playing the bass guitar, acoustic guitar and singing.

John Lack

Head of Finance

I am a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and prior to joining the school in 2009 as the Head of Finance,  worked for 12 years as a financial controller/director in the Harrods subsidiary companies. My involvement with the school began in 2004 when I was seconded on a part-time basis to prepare the management and statutory accounts and lead on the annual budget process. I  have worked in a number of industries and have been fortunate to travel the world with my work, but this job is without doubt the most rewarding and fulfilling of all.

David Perridge

Learning Director Key Stage 4

I have worked with young people for over 20 years in a variety of educational settings. These have included working in mainstream secondary schools as both Teacher and Head of Department (History), being Head of History in a community school in Nairobi, Kenya, and subsequently, Assistant Head Teacher in a school for young people with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties in Hastings. Since joining The New School in 2003 I have been Director of Learning for Upper School, in addition to which I lead staff training in Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Pauline Knutton

Learning Director Key Stage 3

I started my career in education working in a village nursery school where I completed the P.P.A. diploma. From there I went on to become a Teaching Assistant in a number of primary schools, a secondary school and finally, twelve years ago, The New School at West Heath. Since that time the school has supported me to complete my degree and gain qualified teacher status and I am now Director of Learning for KS3; a role that I find enormously rewarding.

Chris Pedersen

Learning Director HEART

I have worked in many different types of schools, broken by time bringing up my own family and a stint in publishing children’s books. 

Julian Roberts

Learning Director Post 16

My first role was as a care worker, supporting young adults with head injuries and physical disabilities, helping them develop skills to enable independent living. I took a short break, of 15 years, to forge a career as a brand consultant; returning to work with young people 5 years ago when I joined West Heath. I have recently completed a BA Hons degree in Childhood Studies with an SEN specialism, with a particular focus on High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

Julie Bellamy

Learning Director TAs

I began working with young people in secondary main stream schools in 1994 as a Learning Support Assistant.  I found this position highly rewarding and an absolute privilege, as I was able to see young people grow and develop, while at the same time knowing that I had played, albeit a small part, of that process.

In 2004 I joined the New School at West Heath as a Teaching Assistant and very much embraced the School’s ethos of ‘Rebuilding lives through education’.  Through the school’s well established CPD plan I now hold the post of Learning Director of Teaching Assistants. One of my missions is to promote and fully embed the notion of the Teaching Assistant role being that of a highly professional one, which brings with it the necessary qualifications and training, as Teaching Assistants play a key role in making the vision of the 21^st century school as set out in the  2008 Children’s Plan.

Dan Giannini

Learning Director Boarding & Care

I hold NVQ Level 4. I started work as a care worker in supporting young adults with different learning and mental health problems. I remained working with this client group and took senior worker responsibility for two and a half years and subsequently moved to work as a house parent in a residential setting supporting adults with severe learning difficulties. I then moved to a residential special school setting as a child care officer for children and young people having special educational needs, working at times as a teaching assistant in this employment and taking responsibility as a Child Protection Officer. Worked in this capacity for over a year before joining our school.