Meet our 13 Art & Design teachers
Kirsten Brown
Secondary Art & Design
I am an Art and Photography teacher working with secondary school and sixth form students aged 11-18. My favourite part of the job is teaching students new skills that enable them to express their creativity and make work they can be really proud of.
Simon Columb
Primary Art & Design
I am an Art teacher who has worked in Secondary and Primary schools. I’ve taught 6-year-olds and I have seen A-level and GCSE students through their exams. I love drawing, painting and every form of art that forces you to challenge yourself and have fun in the process. Art stretches your creative muscles and supports you in thinking outside the box – and the future is clearly led by those creative thinkers.
Alicia Isabel de la Cruz Corral
Secondary Art & Design
I am a Graphic Conscience teacher and Art Coordinator, responsible for introducing young minds to Graphic Art & Design Visual Communication as an Art discipline. My Art training started in Seville, Spain, where a five year Fine Arts degree deeply rooted in Academia, left me hungry for meaning; so I came over to the UK, where I completed an MA in Visual Communication and landed (thanks to the dot.com boom) a very fancy design job in London in Promotional Music Graphics, till I retired to quiet Lincolnshire to start a family and a more fulfilling and meaningful life in teaching.
Ruth Cowley
Secondary Art & Design
I have been an art teacher for over 20 years, and have been so lucky to have met such amazing young people. My favourite part of being a teacher is the element of surprise! With everyday and every lesson it is guaranteed to bring something new. Learning within education is definitely for both the student and the teacher, every day’s a school day!
Mrs Creane
Primary Art & Design
I have been teaching for over 20 years and have taught children from the ages of 4 - 11 years old. I have worked in very large schools and in small village schools. I have a degree in Art and spend my free time creating my own artwork. Currently I am a Senior Leader at my school with a wide range of responsibilities which include teaching a year 2/3 class. One of the best things about my job is helping children to achieve a love learning for now and the future.
Miss Davies
Primary Art & Design
After growing up with absolute certainty that I would become a teacher, I went to the brilliant Roehampton University where I studied Primary Education. It was here that I discovered I could combine my passion for Art and my desire to teach and inspire children through becoming an Art specialist. I graduated in 2017 and have continued to share my love and knowledge for all things creative with children across primary schools ever since!
Jane Davies
Secondary Art & Design
I have been an art teacher for over 20 years and a subject leader for 15. I have also recently been appointed as an AQA examiner. Throughout my teaching career I have maintained high standards and an aspirational approach, the students at my school regularly have their work selected to be exhibited at a national level. I have always been encouraged by the possibilities that a creative education can provide for students who are keen to improve their life chances. Students in our GCSE and A-level groups routinely achieve above average outcomes and are often in the top 5% of results nationally (published by AQA). The majority of my art and photography students go on from A-Levels to higher education in the arts, they are usually the first in their family to go to university. I love my job and feel very lucky to have an influence in this critical point in my student’s journey.
Mr Di Salvo
Secondary Art & Design
Hi! I’m Mr Di Salvo an art teacher at a school in Kettering. I also work as a Specialist Leader in Education in art for my trust. I studied Fine Art at the University of Derby, after completing my degree, I wanted to inspire others to create and enjoy art as much as I do and so this led me to teaching. I really enjoy teaching students new and exciting processes and ideas and trying to make learning fun, I love making mistakes as it shows we’re trying something different. I hope you enjoy our journey.
Niccola Elliott
Secondary Art & Design
I am currently working as a secondary school Art Teacher in East London and I have been teaching there since 2010. I work with 11 - 18 year olds, so my day is always incredibly varied. I thoroughly enjoy interacting with the students and witnessing their confidence grow and the amazing artwork that they produce. I love all the different disciplines in art and so teaching the subject truly is my dream job!
Alanah Harris
Primary Art & Design, Science, Geography, Religious Education, History
Miss Harris is no ordinary teacher - I am secretly a chameleon and can change into anything I want to be. I can be a wizard in Maths, an explorer in Geography or even better, a super hero in PE. After studying Physical and Sport Education at St Mary’s University in London, I became a teacher to share my love for learning. I teach all lessons in Primary to some wonderful children at a school in London. In my spare time, I am a dedicated runner and can often be seen running around royal London parks like Bushy Park. I am fond of going to the gym, reading and yoga.
Jade Maychell-Barrasso
Primary Art & Design
I currently teach Year 5 in a lovely school in South West London. I am an Art & Design specialist and I am passionate about seeing children succeed in the subject and seeing their confidence grow. My favourite style of Art & Design is illustration, but my favourite to teach is anything that lets children get their hands a bit messy!
Melanie Tong
Primary Art & Design
I am an artist and a teacher, working in East Kent. I live and work 5 minutes from the beach, and it influences my art work enormously. I mostly paint, looking at the forms of the sea, but often incorporate printed or collaged elements too. I teach art and creative topic projects in two schools each week, working with children aged 6-11.
Steph Wallace
Primary Art & Design
I’m a primary Inclusion Manager with the joyous privilege of teaching a mixed Year 5/6 class two mornings a week. I have been teaching at our lovely creative and inclusive village school for 25 years and although my main focus is now SEND and Mental Health and Wellbeing, I have experience of teaching from EYFS to KS3. I’m a practising artist in my spare time and also advocate for ArtsWork, the educational bridge of the Arts Council.