Alice Rose

Founder

Armed with an English and philosophy degree from Durham University, Alice's first and second jobs after university were speech-writing for an MP and packing Christmas cards in an Acton warehouse.

After this early descent down the career ladder, she arrived at Condé Nast, where she spent 20 happy years.

Alice masterminded, wrote and edited Tatler’s Schools Guide from 2009-2018, assembling a crack team of researchers and building an unparalleled network of contacts and experience in the independent schools world. In 2018, the team left Tatler to found Talk Education.

Alice Rose very sadly passed away in late May 2022. She still remains a driving force behind Talk Education, and it is thanks to her brilliant vision, her positivity and inspiration that Talk has grown into the huge success story it is today – the world's number one global independent schools guide.

Best moment on a school visit: Lunch with a horde of Bruern Abbey boys – who regaled me with some of the best, and the worst, jokes I've ever heard.

Worst moment on a school visit: On one of my first visits, I asked the very eminent head of a very eminent school what he planned to do when he retired. He snapped: 'I haven't told my wife yet and I'm certainly not going to tell you.' Interview over.

Joanna Parry-George

Chief Executive Officer

Joanna's background is in education journalism. After graduating from Bristol University, she embarked on a 10-year stint as a theatrical agent, before focusing on writing about schools, education and parenting.

Her extensive knowledge of independent schools led her to help relocating parents with school placements both here and in the United States.

She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband, three children and three bonkers guinea pigs.

Best moment on a school visit: Exploring the mind-blowing new School of Science and Sport at Brighton College, complete with full-sized cinema, lido and running track on the roof, which made her feel – for the first time ever – that she'd love to go back to school.

Worst moment on a school visit: Interviewing a prep school head from behind as he spent the meeting cleaning up his delightful dog's poo from an immaculate cream carpet.

Teddy Wolstenholme

Head of Editorial

Teddy spent over five years helping edit the Tatler Schools Guide, where she was lucky enough to get to know a huge number of brilliant heads and admissions directors, visit countless schools up and down the country and organise the annual Tatler Schools Awards. After Tatler, she moved into travel journalism before returning to the schools world and joining Talk Education. Teddy is in charge of all things editorial at TE – from our in-depth school reviews to our ongoing and exciting programme of features highlighting all the goings-ons in the global independent schools sphere.

Best moment on a school visit: Being greeted at the station by Brambletye's gorgeous school dachshund Hercules, who promptly flopped into my knee for the drive back to the school. First impressions count for a lot!
Worst moment on a school visit: Arriving at one East Anglian school during the Beast from the East, two hours late, caked in snow, feet soaked through - and brusquely whisked off on my tour without so much as the offer of a cup of tea. I was on my knees...

Sam Whitmore

Non-executive Director

Sam Whitmore is non-executive director of Talk Education and a Chartered Certified Accountant. She lives in Worcestershire and has two young children.

Best school memory: learning a song with all the American states in alphabetical order for a performance in assembly (she can still remember all the words - we’ve heard it).

Worst school memory: cross-country - in particular, the time I forgot my trainers and had to run in my new school shoes. 

Sarah Dawson

Subscriptions Manager

Before having children, Sarah worked for BBC Magazines. More recently, she looked after schools' advertising on two London parenting titles. Sarah supports the busy school subscriptions team and lives in West London with her husband, three children and a very exuberant lockdown puppy. 

Best school memory: As one of the first intakes of girls to join the sixth form, a group of us were packed off on a ‘girls’ survival weekend’ on Snowdon. After putting up our tents at the end of an icy, very windy, strenuous mountain walk, we had a short reprieve indoors at the school’s Snowdonia school. When we reemerged, our tents were covered in snow. We hoped we'd be allowed to retreat indoors again, but no – instead, we were told 'a layer of snow will help you keep warm, out you go!' Great friendships were made on that trip; those girls are still my best friends today. 

Worst school memory: Moving school six times, from Ireland to Scotland to England. However, I have great memories, experiences and friends from six different schools in three different countries.

Sarah Kirby-Smith

Subscriptions Manager 

Sarah has a wealth of experience in independent school marketing and PR. Her career started in the City organising international information conferences and exhibitions for TFPL, followed by over 20 years in the world of independent schools; as a housemistress, registrar and marketing officer. Strangely, this career shift coincided with the arrival of her three children! Sarah was also, for eight years, Director of Training for SATIPS (Support and Training for Prep, Primary and Senior Schools) enjoying many a school visit. Latterly, Sarah spent time with a group of schools directing their marketing and communications strategies.

Sarah lives in beautiful Suffolk with a very patient husband, a dotty cockapoo (Teddy) and two cats, enjoying visits from her children on a wonderfully regular basis! She is never happier than when she has a camera in her hands and the dog by her side.

Best school memory: being taught the nine times table by the Headmaster at the age of 5. He pointed out the pattern to the class and it stuck!

Worst school memory: as a chorister, processing to the choir stalls and hearing the boys awarding the girls marks out of ten. I was one of 40 girls in a sixth form of 250 boys! Character building stuff.

Verity Winsbury

Global Schools Subscriptions Manager

Having spent the earlier years of her career in the financial markets, Verity broke away from the City when her children were small to follow her entrepreneurial path. Within Talk Education, Verity heads up the Global School Sales division. In her spare time, you can find Verity running around after her three children, crazy Springador dog (Hugo) and a naughty mischievous pony (Cookie). When she does eventually get time for herself, Verity is a very keen tennis player.

Best school memory:  At prep school, when we were allowed to play in the woods at break time. We felt like we were on an amazing adventure. 

Worst school memory: Going to elocution lessons and being taught how to conduct ourselves as ladies! We always ended up in fits of giggles and were promptly told off!

Katharine James

Schools Manager

Katharine spent 20 years in insurance regulation and compliance before becoming the admissions registrar for a large prep school in Kent – she moved there six years ago after a decade in Hertfordshire, so knows all about relocating within the UK and finding the right school for children who have already begun their educational journey. Her time as an admissions registrar equipped her with the knowledge needed for understanding the entry process for most UK prep schools – and how to handle the admissions registrar at your school of choice. As part of her role, she also gave parents advice on future senior schools when considering the prep options. 

Katharine attended a girls’ day school in Cambridge and has an MA in English literature from St Andrews. She enjoys getting to know parents, their children and their family ethos and ensuring that the school they choose fits them. She does research and parent advisory for Talk Education, mainly focusing on Kent and Sussex. She lives in the fields between Tonbridge and Sevenoaks with two teenagers, a timid cat and an overly friendly and greedy Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

Best school experience Helping a family get access to full bursaries so that their children could attend prep school.

Worst school experience Being asked by a prospective parent to put together a spreadsheet showing the fees for their three children as they moved through the school, taking into account any sibling discounts, fee increases and inflation until the youngest was 13 (they were two at the time). 

Susie de Labilliere

Schools Manager

Susie joined Talk Education's editorial team in September 2019. Her experience is in new business development, marketing and PR. She and her husband live in Herefordshire with their two teenage boys and two dogs.

Best school memory: St. Michael’s Prep in Devon - the whole school singing a song about the railway station with the longest name in Britain, and holding up letters to spell it out
(still proud to recite it to this day); “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”
Worst school memory: Marlborough College – the daunting walk carrying your tray through the Norwood Hall dining room (which seemed cavernous at the time) as one of the
first intake of girls aged 13.

Anna Kerman

School Visits & Research Manager

Anna has over 10 years experience working as a marketer and communications specialist in the independent school sector, and has served for many years on the board of governors at her local primary school. She was educated at Hereford Cathedral School and later studied art and architectural history at the University of Reading before heading to London to pursue a career in magazine publishing. 

Anna lives in Kent with her husband, two children and aspirations to finally get her screenplay down on paper.

Best school memory: Singing the Alto part of Mozart's Requiem in D Minor by candlelight in the cathedral as a member of a 300 strong chamber choir. It was a spine-tingling moment in a choral journey that ended in respectful silence. Perfect.

Worst school memory: Signing up to the first ever 'Chairman's Challenge', which involved carrying heavy rucksacks and a cumbersome, twelve foot wooden pole in a team of eight up and down the Welsh mountains and across several woodland assault courses (including one completely blindfolded). Cold, hungry and exhausted, we later discovered we had been carrying the equipment we would be using to construct our own group tent, in the dark, and in what turned out to be an unforgiving rainstorm. We woke up the following morning with only our torsos still under canvas, our legs in puddles and a flock of sheep chewing on our walking boots.  

James Rose

Chief Operating Officer

James Rose has worked in the investment banking industry for over 25 years, most recently working closely with new companies on their start-up strategy and fund-raising plans in Europe and Asia.

His first job application, aged ten, was for a position as Junior Master at his own Prep School, an ambition he eventually fulfilled while taking a year off before starting University. He is currently a School Governor within the independent sector, a role which brings both challenges and satisfaction in equal measure.

James lives in the west country with two well-trained spaniels and three impeccably-behaved sons.

Best moment at school: finally being given a football pitch on which to resurrect football as a major(ish) sport at a rugby-playing school.
Worst moment at school: managing to destroy a set of rugby posts with a heavy roller the afternoon before his employer School was due to host its own Rugby 7s tournament.

Dimitri Goulandris

Chairman

Talk Education’s chairman Dimitri Goulandris set up and runs The Cycladic Group, an investor in, and creator of businesses. Founded in 2002 to invest capital on behalf of his family and other investors, the Group has invested in over 40 businesses and founded five in the U.S., Europe, India, Africa and Latin America. Cycladic works closely with its investee partners to help them achieve their ambitious goals.

Dimitri is passionate about children’s mental health and learning differences and spends significant time focusing on this area both on a for-profit as well as a charitable basis.

Dimitri has also been active in non-for-profit activities having sat on the Council of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, setting up the Knightsbridge School International Foundation that seeks to provide high quality education to talented children from less-fortunate backgrounds and being involved with The Hellenic Initiative and the UK leading mental-health charity, MQ.

Dimitri is a graduate of the Singularity University Executive Programme, has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a MA and BA in Electrical and Information Sciences from Cambridge University.

He was born and lives in London with his architect wife, Christina and his three children.

Emily Bennison

Researcher – UK

Emily has looked after the schools in Yorkshire and the North of England for the past 11 years, initially for Tatler's Schools Guide and now for Talk Education, writing reviews and doing school visits - even venturing up as far as Scotland on occasions. Originally from Somerset, she has lived near York for the past 20 years with her husband, three children and an antisocial cat.

Best moment on a school visit: when a friend's daughter ran out of her chemistry lesson to give me a spontaneous hug (much to the astonishment of the teacher).

Worst moment on a school visit: being grilled by a city school Head and told that he'd never recommend journalism as a career to his pupils.

Kate di Costanzo

Parent Advisory 

Kate has taught at some of the UK’s leading prep schools, sending children on to a wide variety of senior schools across the country. As a director of studies and a head of prep, she worked with parents to ensure that their children went on to the school that best suited them and where they might fulfill their potential.

She lives in Worcestershire with her daughter and a gorgeous little boy called Alfie.

Best school memory: So many, but surprising boys in their Latin lesson by getting my dog to sit in Latin. ‘Sede!’ Having a dog in a classroom is a joy.

Worst school memory: As a pupil, being made to stand up in front of the school during lunch for licking my knife. It wasn’t even that tasty.

Jane Broughton

Researcher – South Africa

Jane is researching schools in South Africa for Talk Education, beginning in Cape Town. She used to work in book publishing, and is a freelance travel writer and content creator. She lives in Somerset West, wedged happily between a mountain she loves to climb and the sea, with two teenage children and one small dog.

BEST SCHOOL MEMORY I have so many good memories, all involving friends, but what really stands out now is how much we laughed and how carefree and fun life seemed to be. Also, reading under the desk – if only those teachers knew what a gift it was to turn something like reading for pleasure into an illicit activity. 

WORST SCHOOL MEMORY I was in primary school, and we had to line up for a girls-only vaccination with a visiting nurse who clearly left her bedside manner at home that day. A couple of girls fainted and most of us were in tears. Nobody really explained what was going on, or why the boys didn’t have to endure the same torture. A great example of how ignorance breeds fear. 

Sabine Hook

Parent Advisory – Early Years

Sabine was educated in London and attended Queen’s Gate School before reading English literature at the University of Durham. After graduating from Durham in 2005, she gained a PGCE qualification in early-years and primary-school teaching from UCL Institute of Education – University College London. 

She gained first-hand experience in the British state-school system, initially as a class teacher and then as head of early years. On top of this, she also has experience of the independent-school sector, having taught in a British international school in Cairo as well as a prestigious inner-London nursery. 

Sabine left full-time teaching in 2012 and, recognising the complexities and increasing competition for nursery-school places in London, was one of the early pioneers of nursery consultancy. With three children of her own, she recognises how crucial the first educational experiences are and the challenge of finding the right fit for every child. A nursery and school consultant for the past eleven years, Sabine has developed strong relationships with the most popular London nurseries and schools. This, coupled with her knowledge of how young children learn and the 3, 4 and 5+ assessments used in many London schools, allows her to offer parents the highest-quality advice and support.

Emma Love

Writer

Emma writes about schools for Talk Education, a subject that she began covering 15 years ago. She lives in a leafy corner of southeast London and finds any excuse to escape abroad whenever she can.

Best school memory: I used to like the trips. One, to the Isle of Wight was especially good. I was fairly young and the class stayed in what we told ourselves was a haunted house so it was terrific fun.
Worst school memory: Maths, in general. It was my least favourite lesson.

Susa Greville

Researcher – UK

Susa has been researching schools and advising parents on their children’s school choices for over eight years. She originally spent 15 years in equity research and finance, and became interested in the education sector as her own children went through the British system. She visited schools for the Tatler Schools Guide before joining Talk Education. 

She has also advised schools on their development and marketing plans, as well as special situations such as the merging of schools and succession planning.  

Susa is keen to help parents cut through the noise and find the right school for their child. Covid lockdowns last year presented extra complications as families were having to make choices about schools that they had often not even stepped inside.

Susa covers the London prep- and secondary-school sectors, along with UK boarding and day schools. She helps parents work through the nuances of the entrance systems and aims to lend clarity to the process.

She lives in west London with her husband and children.

Will Oldfield

Researcher – UK

Will visits and reviews schools for Talk Education across the Midlands and the South of England and writes editorials. He previously worked as a History teacher at a top all-girls boarding school and brings his insider knowledge and pedagogical experience to the team. He lives in the Cotswolds and spends as much time outdoors as possible.

Best moment on a school visit: Being greeted by the adorable school dogs at Edgeborough.
Worst moment on a school visit: Arriving at a school just in time to get suddenly rained on as I dashed across the very long car park.

Nicky Youngs

Researcher - UK

Nicky’s background is in public relations, most notably as an account director for a London broadcast marketing agency. After marrying into the military, she chose a more flexible career developing property, freelancing for a national newspaper and, most recently, qualifying as an NLP practitioner. Her role as a school governor has given her a deeper understanding of children’s education. Nicky lives in Gloucestershire with her husband and two teenage children.

Lara Sweeting

Researcher – UK

A former headhunter in London, Lara is Talk Education’s schools researcher covering parts of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire. She and her husband live on a stud farm on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border with their two sporty sons and faithful whippet. When not researching schools or planning to breed the next Derby winner, Lara can be found cheering from a boundary or touchline.

Best school memory My father arriving unexpectedly at sports day and winning the super-competitive fathers’ race.

Worst school memory My toga slipping off when I was playing the lead role in a sixth-form production of Troilus and Cressida.

Kate Rowe

Researcher – China

Kate Rowe has been a teacher for over 20 years in Britain and China. She studied at University College, Durham, and has professional qualifications from the University of Sheffield, the University of Roehampton and Babson College. She worked for over a decade as a head of department, first in a British comprehensive school and then in a large international school in China, and for a further five years as director of studies in a tutorial college preparing Chinese students for their applications to a wide range of UK and international schools in and outside China. She is a lead researcher for Venture Education, working on projects in the last year for UCAS, ACAMIS TES and the British Council.

Amelia Elwes

Researcher – UK

Amelia has been a researcher of independent schools since 2010 alongside a rather unconventional working career. Following the loss of a friend in 1993, her attitude to life has been more about seizing the moment and seeking out interesting opportunities. Until recently, she worked on a part-time basis in the admissions and/or marketing teams of a local independent school, gaining invaluable insight both as colleague and parent. She also owns a local garage/forecourt/village store and recently started marketing a four-part course in Chinese language for non-native Mandarin speakers. 

A modern-languages degree was the basis for various working contracts abroad but now she is more settled in the depths of the Cotswolds nurturing her veg patch and converting a 7.5-ton horse lorry into a motorhome with her husband and two energetic teenage boys.  

Best school memory Getting an A in Russian A-level having got a D in the mock… proof that putting enough effort in really can reap rewards. 

Worst school memory Having to decide at prep school (aged 10) one Saturday whether to play in a hockey tournament or sing with the choir in a local music festival. I sought advice from a teacher, whose rather stern response was, “Amelia, you are going to be making difficult decisions for the rest of your life, so you’d better start learning to do it now” – words that haunt me regularly as they have proved so true!

Natalia Manuale

Researcher – Argentina

Natalia has worked in education for 22 years, promoting the Montessori philosophy and its ethos of learning for life. First a teacher in traditional, bilingual and Montessori schools in Argentina and the UK, she is now an educational consultant, helping institutions in the public and private sectors with the design, development and improvement of their projects and programmes. She is also a trainer and mentor of teachers, offering courses in professional pedagogic development, educational leadership and on how to innovate and enrich practices at early-childhood level. Natalia has a BA in early-childhood education and is working towards a master’s degree in educational policies. She lives in Buenos Aires with her two daughters and scientist husband. 

Best school memory Playing in the hockey team, especially the intercollegiate tournaments where we spent all day away from school. 

Worst school memory Not being good enough in maths and wanting to escape from the class. 

Nicola de la Rue

Parent Advisory & Researcher – UK and Southern Africa

Nicola covers schools in the East of England, London and across the South East, as well as Southern Africa, for Talk Education and has been involved in researching schools for over 10 years. Nicola lives in rural Suffolk and has two teenage boys.

Best thing about visiting schools: meeting a class of children who are so inspired by their science or design projects that they are all clambering to tell you about it at once (you would be surprised how often this happens!).
Worst thing about visiting schools: feeling obliged to eat yet another delicious but definitely not needed school pudding at lunch.

Natalie Harris

Researcher – UK

Natalie covers schools in the South East for Talk Education. She enjoyed a long corporate career at WebEx and Cisco, and then swapped the rat-race for motherhood and garden design. Having a girl and boy one academic year apart, the personal research she undertook for her own children's schools was great preparation for Talk Education. She lives in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire with her husband, two kids and Frazzle the dog.

Best school visit memory: Being comprehensively herded around a school by the Head teacher’s dog.  

Worst school visit memory: Almost following the teacher into the loos during the tour.

Louise Courtenay

Researcher – Asia

 

Louise has a degree in educational studies, focusing on child and adolescent development. With her family of five, she has experienced two international moves within Asia that have involved local and overseas schooling for her children. She now lives in a quiet corner of Hong Kong, 10 paces from the beach and within striking distance of some of the best hiking trails around.

Best moment on a school visit: Getting to try the sushi bar in the student dining hall at Dulwich College (Singapore)
Worst school moment: Having my skirt accidentally pulled down by one of my children at their school when they were very young – and knowing that a member of staff was walking directly behind me in the corridor. I was never able to look that PE teacher in the eye again.

Mariana Gutierrez

Researcher – Colombia

After eight years in London, Mariana – a Montessori-trained practitioner – left her busy life as a manager of a top Kensington nursery to lead an even busier life as the owner of a new nursery in Colombia. She has a degree in journalism and a Masters in strategic planning from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She lives in Bogotá with her husband and loves to research the latest trends in early-years education.  

Best school memory The food in the cafeteria (I’m not kidding – it was an Italian school). 

Worst school memory Not being chosen to be part of the school´s singing group (I don't really sing but it still hurts). 

Nicola Cunningham

Researcher – UK

Having previously worked in the City in London, Nicola is Talk Education’s schools researcher for the South West of England. She and her family are now fully fledged Devonians, loving rural life on their East Devon farm. She has an avid country-pursuits husband, two children at local prep schools and far too many animals to count.

Best school memory: Winning the three-legged race with my mother at my prep school’s sports day.

Worst school memory: Slipping while talking to the head of my senior school as we entered the dining hall, sending the contents of my lunch tray flying and struggling to get myself up off the polished wood floor.

Sophie Casben

Researcher – UAE

After a career in the South African wine industry, Sophie and her husband moved to Dubai with two babies in January 2009. Nearly 15 years later, the UAE is very much home, her teens are at school in the UK and a nutty cocker spaniel has joined the family. She continues to embrace all that Dubai offers, particularly the outdoors way of life – with camping in the desert being a firm family favourite. Sophie was previously Middle East director for Gabbitas Education Consultants.

Best school memory: The camaraderie was hard to beat.  

Worst school memory: Cross country running in wellington boots!  The two just weren't made to go together...

Kate Arnott

Researcher – Australia

Kate has lived between London and Sydney and now settled for the sunnier climate with her English husband and four children.

Best school memory Being in charge of all the sound and lighting for school events, I was asked to do a sound check for a performance the following day. It was by Jimmy Barnes, the father of one of my fellow pupils, and his band Cold Chisel – who were No. 1 in the Australian charts at the time – and they jammed for an hour with about six of us in the theatre.

Worst school memory Going on an excursion to Ayers Rock, and when we got there the airlines went on strike. We had to take a bus the whole way back – three days and two nights straight!

Evgenia Lazareva

Researcher – Switzerland

After graduating from Le Rosey school in Switzerland, Evgenia came to London for university. She has worked in the international-education industry for more than 10 years. She lives in London with her partner, son and a very clingy dog.  

Best moment on a school visit Seeing children from more than 60 countries feeling so comfortable with each other and switching between three to four languages with ease as they went about their day.  
Worst moment on a school visit Driving to an appointment from one school to another and finding that the road had been snowed in, resulting in a four-hour detour! 

Emi Thornburn

Researcher – UK

Emi now covers schools in the South West for Talk Education having worked in many different schools on and off for the last 20 years. She lives in Somerset with her husband, two children and two lovely golden retrievers.

Funniest school moment getting a headmaster’s tie stuck in the shredder – I couldn’t possibly comment on which headmaster that might have been!

Worst school memory being forced to eat spring rolls at my Prep school.

Gabi Harrison

 Researcher – UK

Gabi covers the Home Counties for Talk Education, having previously also visited schools on behalf of the Tatler School’s Guide.  She lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire with her husband and three school-age daughters, and when she’s not busy on school visits she works in Executive Coaching and Assessment. 

Best moment on a school visit: it has to be the fish pie packed with huge prawns that I was dished up for lunch at Lockers Park prep school – seriously yummy! 

Worst moment on a school visit: having a very serious nine-year old explain to me that I was liable to be 'in big trouble’ as he’d noticed me not joining in with saying grace before lunch.

Dolores Tereso

Researcher – Brazil

Dolores is a journalist and a researcher now covering schools in Brazil for Talk Education. She lives in Brasilia with her husband, three young daughters and two lazy cats. 

Best school memory Reading stories to pre-nursery children, miming and acting them out while watching their joyful faces and hearing their laughter. 

 Worst school memory Being sent to the head´s office when I was eight because I didn't hear the bell and continued jumping rope. It was the only time I was sent there and I felt completely embarrassed. 

Kate Carnochan

Researcher – UAE

Emily Marcuccilli

Researcher – UK

Emily covers schools in the south west and has been visiting schools for 11 years, initially for Tatler's Schools Guide and now for Talk Education. She lives in the Somerset countryside with her teenage son and disobedient terrier.

Best moment on a school visit: meeting the wonderful Miss Canning in the Hanford stables amidst all the ponies and hens - before promptly tripping over her dog.
Worst moment on a school visit: on one of my very first school visits, when the (now former) head at a prominent south west school spent much of our meeting rolling his eyes and expressing his dislike of journalists.

Eugenie Evans Lombe

Researcher – UK

Eugenie covers schools in London and the South East for Talk Education, having worked in education for a number of years. She splits her time between London and Hampshire with her husband, twin teenage daughters and two bedlington whippets.

Heather Rutherford

Parenting Consultant

Heather is a parenting coach and facilitator and the Founder of The Parenting Partnership.  She has a passion for sharing practical, effective and accessible skills to help parents bring out the very best in their children.  Following a 20 year career in investment banking in New York and London, and having experienced the joys and challenges of raising three young children, Heather became fascinated with the latest research on positive parenting and trained as a parenting coach.

She gives talks in schools, runs courses and webinars and works one on one to help parents raise happy, resilient and successful children. Heather grew up and was educated in the US, has an MBA from London Business School and lives in Gloucestershire with her three children and two rambunctious labradors. 

Kathryn Watson

Researcher – UK

Kathryn spent over five years as a researcher for Tatler's Schools Guide. She has three children, two at university and one in the sixth form.

Best moment on a school visit: visiting Gordonstoun School on the beautiful Morayshire coast in the Scottish Highlands, I was persuaded to stay the night and enjoyed great hospitality including dinner with staff and sixth formers, a theatre performance, a snoop inside their own Fire station and walk to Hopeman Harbour to see their sail training vessels and their sailing yacht, 'Ocean Spirit'.

Worst moment on a school visit: a comical episode at a boarding school...a charming young House master opened the common room door to show me the wonderful facility, only to find the TV blaring and a lanky young GCSE pupil reclining on a long sofa, fast asleep and snoring, halfway through the morning. Slightly embarrassed, I smiled and said how wonderfully relaxed the atmosphere was throughout the school.

Philippa Wheatley

Researcher – UK 

Philippa lives in Kent with her husband and two daughters. Her key roles on several PTA committees have given her a broad understanding of the education system and the importance of finding the right school for every child. She has knowledge and personal experience of schooling in the UK and Romania.

Best school memory: I truly loved everything about school - sports matches, cookery lessons, drama and boarding.

Worst school memory: Liver and onions for lunch at prep school - just revolting! 

Cazzie Haigh

Researcher – UK

Following a degree in French and Management Studies at Leeds University and ESC Dijon, Cazzie worked in marketing in London and Paris. She also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism, and worked at Conde Nast before moving to Washington DC, where she worked in the French Department at The British School. This led to a PGCE at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. 

Cazzie lives near Oxford with her husband and three daughters.

Best school memory: Nervously waiting with all my friends to be handed the envelope containing my A level results, then the sheer joy of doing better than anticipated, and the jubilant celebrations that followed.

Worst school memory: In my first few weeks at senior school, I was made to stand on my chair for chatting by my history teacher, who wanted silence in class so that he could write his book!

Heather Langford

Researcher – UK

Heather covers schools in the north west for Talk Education. Her background is in brand and retail marketing, and she is looking forward to using her communication skills to extract some fabulous insights during her school visits. 

Heather lives in Knutsford, Cheshire with her husband, three children and hamster.

Best moment on a school visit: Hearing a 14 year-old girl at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester singing the most amazing Opera recital. Utterly heavenly. 

Worst moment on a school visit: None yet, but I'm sure they will come! 

Silja Turville

SEND Consultant

Silja is an educational consultant and neurodiversity coach focussed on supporting families with children identified with additional needs. After graduating from Newcastle University, Silja worked in investment management before experiencing at first hand the challenges of finding the right school and support for a neurodiverse child. Given her own experience, Silja became passionate about sharing knowledge and helping other parents find the right schools and input for their children in a friendly and accessible way. Silja is also a director of a new school in development for learners with speech and language needs. She lives in London with her children and a very excitable and always hungry labradoodle.

Best moment on a school visit: Hearing “House of the Rising Sun” playing in the music rooms at Alderwasley Hall School to find this was, in fact, a fantastic live performance from a talented group of students some of whom only months before were too scared to play in front of even one other person.
Worst moment on a school visit: Visiting a school with amazing teaching and support in class only to find the boarding provision was so awful that it felt like it was the set of a horror film.

Jenny Black

Researcher – UK

A former lawyer, Jenny lives in York with her husband and 3 teenage daughters (the oldest of whom is now at University) and one mad spaniel (also female!). Jenny loves spending time on a racecourse and happily lives very close to York’s famous Knavesmire.

Best school memory: A-Level results day. Having had a full set of rejections after my UCAS application and some very doubtful teachers, proving them all wrong was a sweet moment! 

Worst school memory: Hockey was not my thing and I’m old enough to remember the bully off and hacking at turf (no Astro in those days!). These days I absolutely love following my daughter to hockey matches all over the country.

Helena Grant

Assistant Schools Manager

Helena helps us keep the Talk Education website up to date and has worked in education for almost 10 years. She lives in Herefordshire with her husband, two teenage girls, her dad, one Labrador and a Burmese.

Best school memory: Moving to a co-ed school for sixth form (Repton) and discovering that boys were great to have in class and contributed a lot to the fun and engagement of lessons.

Worst school memory: Finding a much-loved school pony dead in the paddock one morning.

Catherine Thomlinson

Parent Advisory

Catherine has been in education all her life, working in schools and nurseries for over 25 years in London and for a short while in Cape Town. She now lives in west London and has two grown-up children.

As headteacher of a London prep school for 11 years, Catherine has knowledge and expertise in advising parents on the best choices for their children from nursery through to transfer to senior school.

Alongside her love of literature, Catherine is an advocate of meditation for wellbeing and an all-round feelgood factor. She is now also running courses in meditation for children, parents and schools.

Best school moment: A Zoom rendition of Simon and Garfunkel by Year 4 boys singing ‘Here’s to you, Mrs Thomlinson, we all love you more than you will know,’ complete with guitars and tambourines. I probably watched it over 20 times with a tissue at hand. Magical.

Worst school moment: Aged 10, playing spin the bottle after lights out on a class holiday in Cornwall and being caught by the teacher, who was not impressed!

Anna Hanson

Researcher – UK

Anna covers schools in the East Midlands for Talk Education. With a background in law and business, she is also a mentor for her college at Cambridge University and is passionate about education and learning. She lives in Rutland with three dogs, some horses, three sons and a husband (in that order). When not pursuing outdoor activities or travelling to schools, she likes to paint. 

Best school moment: being offered a delicious afternoon tea on a visit to a prep school. 

Worst school moment: feeling obliged to watch the quarter final of a rugby tournament in torrential rain, wet through, until it was thankfully called off due to the very real risk of players drowning.

Emmah Duffus

Senior Strategist

Emmah has spent over 12 years looking after schools’ advertising for London’s leading parenting magazine.  She has an in-depth knowledge of the independent schools’ market and what parents are looking for when it comes to choosing a school.

Emmah was educated at Francis Holland School, London and Wellington College, Berkshire.  She studied Spanish and Portuguese at Bristol University.  

She lives just south of Cambridge with her husband and two rather badly behaved terriers.  She has two slightly better behaved children who are both studying for their A-Levels.