Embracing New Members of our Community

Welcome to an exciting new academic year at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi! As we embark on a journey of growth and learning, we are thrilled to introduce the newest members of our community. These dedicated individuals bring with them a wealth of experience, passion, and opportunities that will enrich the education we provide to our students.

Let us extend a warm welcome to our new staff members at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi:

Elizabeth Ennis / Deputy Head of Primary (Junior School)
————

Elizabeth Ennis is the Deputy Head of Primary Junior School, joining us with over two decades of teaching and leadership experience. After graduating with a Bachelor of Primary Education from the University of Central Queensland in 2000 and teaching for four years in her home town in Australia, she moved to London. Here, Elizabeth taught and held a range of senior leadership positions with a focus on achievement across the primary age range. In 2016, she moved on to the United Arab Emirates to take up a deputy headship. Whilst there, Elizabeth undertook and was awarded her National Professional Qualification for Headship. Prior to joining Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, she was leading PSHE and Pupil Voice from the Early Years to the 6th Form at Haileybury Astana in Kazakhstan. Elizabeth is committed to ensuring staff are supported with their development and wellbeing so they are best placed to support students to achieve all that they can.

When not at school, Elizabeth spends her time trying to improve her baking skills. She loves travelling with her family and is excited to see all of the sights of China she did not see when last visiting in 2006.

Jennifer Buster / Deputy Head of Senior School
————

Jennifer Buster joins Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi as Deputy Head of Senior School after 15 successful years in leadership roles at high-performing schools in London, followed by a year as an international school improvement consultant in Guangzhou, China.

Fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, Jennifer spent much of her formative years in Singapore and had a successful career in business before retraining as a teacher and gaining a PGCE in London, together with a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Warwick. As an educator, Jennifer believes in nurturing happy and successful students and is passionate about raising aspirations through creating a culture of continuous improvement in student achievement and learning through a holistic approach.

Jennifer has five wonderful sons, all based in the UK – some embarking on their early careers, others enjoying independent lifestyles at universities. Jennifer moved to China with her husband Gavin and is excited to explore and experience the history and range of cuisine Shanghai has to offer.

Yasmin Rashed / Primary School PE Teacher
————

Yasmin Rashed has 11 years of experience teaching physical education in several international schools. She completed her BGCEi at Liverpool John Moores University, Originally from Cairo, Egypt. She is a PYP teacher certified by the IB International Baccalaureate Programme. She has completed the first year of her master's and is writing her thesis; she also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Physical Education, a Postgraduate Diploma in General Education (E-learning Teacher Training of General Education and Online Teaching), and a Special Diploma in Educationer thesis; she also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Physical Education, a Postgraduate Diploma in General Education (E-learning Teacher Training of General Education and Online Teaching), and a Special Diploma in Education as well.  

She has a wealth of experience teaching different grades and has spent the last five years as the EYFS and Primary Years PE Program Leader, as well as coaching multi-sports and driving extracurricular activities.

In addition, She has the opportunity to teach a diverse range of students, including those challenged by ADD/ADHD, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and other health-related afflictions. Additionally, the Down syndrome students. So she concentrates on methods and teaching techniques to ensure that each student understands the content offered, improves their own personal talents, and has fun and socialises with his friends.

Outside of school, she also enjoys playing and watching many sports, including volleyball, handball, badminton, fitness workouts and karate. Her main sporting passion was karate, which She had represented on the National Team and won national and international competitions. Away from sports, she prefers spending time studying as she considers herself a lifelong learner. Also enjoys listening to music, dancing, and spending time with her family. Yasmin is excited about being a member of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community.

Matt Hewitt / Head of Mathematics
————

Matt Hewitt is the Head of Mathematics in Senior School. Originally, Matt is from the south of England and on leaving school, he joined the Navy, spending ten years travelling the world. This gave him the travel bug, and happily, Matt’s second career in teaching has allowed him to continue that journey.

Matt graduated from the University of Brighton with First Class Honours in Mathematics Education. He has much experience leading departments, both in the UK and internationally. Matt’s philosophy towards the learning of Mathematics is that students should be actively involved, engaged, and curious. This allows them to develop independence and have high expectations of what they can achieve. Matt has encouraged many to participate in Maths competitions and believes that challenging themselves in this way helps them to look at the subject differently.

Matt has been in Shanghai for several years and is very happy to be part of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community. In his free time, Matt relaxes with football, both playing and watching; he is a passionate follower of his team Brighton. He very much enjoys the many food choices and experiencing everything the city has to offer culturally.

Daniel Purle / Senior School Mathematics Teacher
————

Daniel Purle is a Teacher of Mathematics with four years of full-time secondary school teaching experience in the United Kingdom, specifically Stoke-on-Trent. He graduated from Keele University with a first-class Mathematics degree before attending Staffordshire University to complete his PGCE. As Deputy Head of Mathematics, one of the areas Daniel oversaw was the departmental data and assessment structure, ensuring a robust foundation for responsive teaching was in place.

Daniel takes pride in liaising with the wider network of education – Universities in particular - and subsequently is a trained subject mentor, leading to the development and qualification of multiple Mathematics PGCE students. He is passionate about ensuring his teaching and surrounding environment coalesce with psychological literature on optimising pupils’ cognitive load and intake of information. Outside of the classroom, Dan enjoys exploring new places, playing sports such as badminton and football and reading non-fiction.

John Tennant / Primary School Class Teacher
————

John Tennant is a highly dedicated and motivated individual with a passion for education, rugby, performing on stage and fitness. He holds a BA (Hons) in Business and Events Management from the University of Chester and a PGCE in Education from Goldsmiths University.

With over three years of experience in education, John has developed a strong understanding of the needs of his students and has honed his teaching skills to deliver engaging and effective lessons. He is dedicated to ensuring that his students reach their full potential and always seeks new ways to inspire and motivate them.

Jane Slade / Senior School PE Teacher
————

Jane Slade is the Senior Physical Education Teacher. Jane studied at Loughborough University, completing both her BSc Hons degree in Sports Science & Physical Education and a PGCE in Physical Education and Science. 

She has 20+ years of experience as a Head of PE and Director of Sport at academically selective Independent schools in the UK. Her overseas experience alongside Physical Education includes Deputy Head of Boarding in Malaysia and, more recently, Assistant Head, Pastoral in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Jane enjoys both the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject and has experience teaching examined curriculums at GCSE, A level and IBDP, promoting excellence in academic and physical, emotional and social wellbeing. She enjoys all sports and levels of competition. Jane believes that all students should be able to participate and engage in meaningful, fun, positive, high-quality Physical Education. Having competed at the National level in Swimming, she understands the level of commitment and resilience required to sustain this standard over a period of time. Her coaching experience includes students competing at National and Regional standards in Netball, Hockey, Swimming and Athletics, and she has more recently developed a passion for Basketball and Football. 

Jane enjoys adventure and exploring, along with her son; they are both very excited about being members of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community.

Paul Sullivan / Head of Drama and Dance
————

Paul Sullivan is the Head of Drama and Dance. He is a theatre artist and educator with a passion for performing arts, hailing from New Zealand. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from the National Academy of Singing in Dramatic Art and has worked as an actor, improviser, and director in the industry. For the past 18 years, he has taught IB Theatre and High and Middle School Drama, both in New Zealand and at international schools in Egypt, Vietnam, and China. 

As an ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association) Artist, Paul directs workshops at their HS and MS festivals. His teaching philosophy aims to cultivate an environment for learning that is both positive and dynamic, encouraging students to unleash their creativity, explore novel ideas, take calculated risks, and strive for excellence. 

In his free time, Paul enjoys running, exercising, snowboarding, improv theatre, and daily meditation. He is thrilled about being a member of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community.

Kambiz Taherabadi / Head of Art
————

Kambiz Taherabadi is the Head of Arts Design at Dulwich Puxi. Kambiz has a decade of experience in international art education, teaching art and design in countries like the UK, USA & China in GCSE, IB, Common Core, and AP curricula. Kambiz holds a BA Honours in Illustration and Art History from the University of The Arts London and is pursuing his MA in Art Ed at the University of California.

Before becoming an art educator, Kambiz spent the first few years of his creative life in London as a freelancer. His most influential client was British Fashion icon Alexander McQueen, where he worked alongside the Menswear graphic design team designing prints. Then, Kambiz collaborated with TV production Nickelodeon, where he teamed with the Jim Henson group to create new muppet characters for the children’s TV show ‘The Wiggle Worms.’

Kambiz was invited to his childhood upper school in Oxford to deliver a presentation on his creative adventures to secondary school students. After experiencing such appreciation from within the educational community, Kambiz returned to university to complete his PGCE and acquire his QTS.

Kambiz continues to grow within arts education. He has collaborated with galleries to exhibit artworks from the incredible young artists he has worked with and was featured in Seattle’s newspaper ‘Westside Seattle.’ His teaching philosophy is to inspire young people to be open-minded and gain an appreciation of diversity through the arts.

Besides teaching, Kambiz enjoys visiting galleries, supporting the arts community in all cities he works in, travelling around China and Asia, and loves cycling, cooking, and tennis. Kambiz is excited about joining the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community.

Stephen Bowman-Jones / Senior School Music Teacher
————

Stephen joins Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi with nearly two decades of teaching experience in the UK, Europe and Asia. Stephen studied music at the University of Lancaster and the University of California at Santa Barbara before following postgraduate study at the University of Durham. Stephen began his teaching career in 2004 and spent ten years working as a music teacher and assistant curriculum leader for music. In 2015, Stephen made the move to international education, becoming the Head of Secondary Music at the British School of Guangzhou. In 2017, Stephen took up the post of whole-school Music Coordinator at the prestigious College Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland before returning to the UK as Head of Creative Arts and Head of Music. Prior to joining Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, Stephen’s last position was as Assistant Director of Music in a highly regarded secondary school and sixth form college in the north-east of England with a national reputation for musical excellence.

Doris Dai / Senior School Mandarin Teacher
————

Doris joins Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi as a Senior School Mandarin teacher, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Literature and a Master of Education from East China Normal University. Additionally, Doris is certified in IBDP teaching and learning and possesses a high school qualification certificate in Chinese teaching.

With several years of Mandarin teaching experience in Shanghai, Doris is passionate about infusing Mandarin learning with both academic rigour and enjoyment, helping her students achieve their academic goals.

Beyond the classroom, Doris finds joy in playing the guitar and Erhu, indulging in novels, and exploring new destinations through travel. She is immensely proud to be a valued member of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community, where she looks forward to making a positive impact on her students' educational journey.

Lan Zhang / AEN Assistant Teacher
————

Lan Zhang returned to Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi as an AEN Assistant Teacher across the Primary School. Holding a master's degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from Capital Normal University, she completed seven years of study in Beijing. Lan embarked on her teaching journey as a bilingual teacher, focusing on the IB PYP curriculum in the Early Years, which enriched her skills in planning, teaching, and assessing.

In 2018, Lan became part of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community, dedicating three years to DUCKS. Here, she not only gained proficiency in the EYFS curriculum but also honed her expertise in the Dual Language Approach, both inside and outside the classroom. Lan's experiences include crafting provocations for playful learning and purposeful play, undergoing training in the Read Write Inc. programme, and designing targeted interventions in Key Stage One. Additionally, her involvement in the annual Engaging Spaces Audit and the rich professional dialogues with fellow practitioners have continually shaped her approach to teaching, enhancing her ability to create meaningful learning experiences.

With a history of fostering strong relationships with students at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, Lan remains committed to offering a holistic and enriching educational journey for her pupils.