Teaching staff
David Christian Director of Engineering
David started his career as an engineer in the Royal Navy, working on a wide range of engineering equipment on many different platforms during his 19 years of service. After leaving the Navy, he worked with Babcock International leading a team of engineers to deliver a highly successful engineering apprenticeship scheme. He has been Department Head and programme manager in Portsmouth Colleges for several years, ensuring that the engineering curricula are up to date and focusing on developing student’s industry-based knowledge and skills whilst achieving their academic qualifications.
Away from work, David likes to spend time with his family including his four children, he plays squash and enjoys oil painting.
Damien Edmondson Head of Science
Damien is an experienced Chemistry teacher who always seeks to push his students to achieve their highest potential. He has been a Department and curriculum lead in Hampshire and Portsmouth schools for a number of years. Damien believes that education is at its greatest when students are fully involved in every aspect of their learning and feel safe to be and express themselves.
Damien is interested in creating dynamic-learning environments, to make Science a live and continuous experience. Through the use of educational theory, virtual learning environments and modern context based lessons he aims to enhance the quality of student engagement and learning that our students receive.
Damien is an avid runner and enjoys numerous physical pursuits outside of college.
Tom Holdstock Head of Mathematics
Tom studied maths and physics at the University of Reading before undertaking a postgraduate research project in mathematical biology. He took his passion of maths and the sciences to the classroom, teaching maths to 11-18 year old students and how it applies to the real world. He firmly believes that it is the universal language of science. Tom has had over 8 years teaching experience, including being Head of various key stages and departments across different locations. He is also a Lead Practitioner responsible for training teachers to maximise their impact on their students’ progress.
When Tom is not thinking and talking about maths, he is enjoying time with his family and the outside, keeping fit through running and cycling. He also dabbles in music and can play four chords on a number of instruments, but not much else!
Kyle Arthur Head of KS4 & PE Teacher
Kyle studied for his BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science degree at the University of Portsmouth, immediately followed by his PGCE. Following on from his studies, Kyle has spent a number of years traveling and working across the world designing & delivering teaching programs in fitness & sport. Specific focus on South Asia & India in particular; developing collaborations with various Bollywood cinema celebrities and political figures, Kyle has been able to influence and spread the word of fitness to thousands of people young and old alike. Kyle’s ambitions are to encourage and fortify a culture that maximises participation & opportunity in sport. A culture that celebrates diversity and provides multiple platforms for all our students to thrive.
Debbie Hatter Head of Social Sciences
Debbie studied at Bournemouth University and gained a BA(Hons) in multi-media journalism. Although the course was really insightful, it was when she was studying this that she decided that she didn't want to be a journalist after all.
After a bit of soul-searching, Debbie completed her PGCE in 2004 and has been a teacher ever since, taking on the role of Head of English in different schools since 2006. She loves being in the classroom, and inspiring students with her own love of literature, as she thinks it is really important to see the relevance in this aspect of education. Debbie believes that we can learn so much from literature at different points in time, and it is important to study this and think about the big questions in society today.
In her own time, Debbie likes to spend time with her family and read, when she gets the chance! She is in the process of writing her own dystopian novel!
Phillippa Ryder Head of Sixth Form & English Teacher
Phillippa started her career as a newspaper journalist, first in general news and entertainment at newspapers along the south coast, then as Education Correspondent at The Portsmouth News. She was tempted away from the newsroom and into the classroom by a local headteacher and successfully took up a place on the government’s GTP teaching scheme. She has since taught English in several schools across the area.
In 2017 Phillippa took a career break when she bought a Metropolitan Police riot van and converted it into a camper. She and her family spent a year traveling around Europe. She was again tempted back into the classroom at the prospect of bringing her love of 19th-century literature and science fiction to UTC Portsmouth.
Outside work, Phillippa will happily take on any craft and is generally to be found knee-deep in glue, cardboard and felt as she helps her young daughter with all manner of weird and wonderful creations.
James Loosley Science Subject Coordinator
James studied Physics at the University of Bristol. Much of James’ studies focused on Astrophysics which is his biggest passion within Physics. James believes that learning Physics changes how people think about the world around them and regularly distracts his family while watching films by getting annoyed at the inaccurate Physics.
When not teaching, James enjoys sports and is an avid fan of rugby, football and cricket and enjoys playing rugby and football albeit not very well.
Freya Sims Design Technology Subject Coordinator
Freya is an experienced teacher having taught the full range of Design Technology subjects over the 14 years she has been in teaching. Freya has a passion for STEM and, with an enquiring mind, likes to investigate how things work. She is particularly interested in the use of different forms of energy and designing products to solve particular problems.
Freya is a keen supporter of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. After gaining her Gold Award in 2003, she has continued to encourage others to participate and will do so at UTC by managing the Award Centre.
Outside of work Freya is interested in hiking and canoeing. She finds the mountains inspirational and tries to get to the Lake District and Wales as often as possible.
Maija Brice Maths Teacher
Maija is an experienced maths teacher, delivering lessons for both GCSE and A-Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics classes. Maija has a special interest in supporting students for Mathematics University Admissions Tests (TMUA, STEP, MAT) as well as encouraging and training students for participation in UKMT Maths Competitions. Maija also offers LaTeX Maths typesetting course as part of the Enrichment program at the UTC.
Maija previously worked for Portsmouth City Council as well as in the construction and distribution industries.
Outside work, Maija enjoys a number of activities. She is passionate about film and previously worked as a director at Number 6 Cinema in the
Historic Dockyard. Most of Maija's free time is spent with her family but when she gets some time she likes kayaking and she also enjoys dress-making.
Tessa Wildsmith Maths Teacher
Tessa studied Mathematics at the University of Portsmouth, gaining a first class honours in her bachelors, which was shortly followed by a Masters of Research (MRes). She has completed three pieces of research to date looking into areas of geometry, physics as well as computational Galois theory, where her paper on geodesics was funded by the London Society of Mathematics. Following on from her Masters she chose to take a change in direction, and decided to pursue a career in teaching having enjoyed her previous experience teaching in a sixth form. Tessa is passionate about the beauty of mathematics and showing all students how integral it is for our appreciation of the universe around us.
Away from work Tessa is a keen artist, having displayed one of her portraits in the Mall Galleries, London. Over the past year she has produced over 100 portraits as part of a passion project.
Samuel McBride Maths Teacher
Sam studied Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Portsmouth and went on to complete his PGCE there too. From the age of 16 Sam has wanted to be a Mathematics teacher, thriving in a STEM environment. He believes that as subjects, Maths and Statistics underpin almost all aspects of life for all ages.
As part of his degree, Sam has experienced a multitude of mathematical disciplines. From Financial Mathematics to Logistics and Supply Chain Management to Stochastic (Random) Processes, which he aims to apply in his lessons and encouraging looking at the ‘Maths beyond Maths’.
Outside of the classroom Sam loves to cook and even has a qualification in food preparation. In addition he is a music lover and an avid tabletop gamer, both casually and competitively.
Jonathan Turner Maths Teacher
Jonathan studied Maths at the University of Portsmouth and graduated in 2011. Since then he has had over 9 years experience of teaching Mathematics to GCSE and A-Level standard. Jonathan particularly enjoys the pure aspect of Mathematics, really getting his teeth into the processes required to solve more complex Maths problems. He demonstrates this enjoyment by encouraging and enabling students to take part in Maths Challenge competitions, both individual and also team-based against other schools.
Jonathan is also passionate about the wider development of students and has had wide involvement in extracurricular activities including ski trips and Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys travelling, going to the gym, cycling and honing his skills at baking, particularly cheesecakes.
Melanie Ward Teacher of STEM
Trained as an Engineer with the Royal Navy, Melanie completed nine years of service working on various different radar systems as a weapons engineer. After leaving the Navy she became a systems engineer on satellite communications systems, which involved training maintainers on the equipment. This reignited her spark for teaching, something Melanie had wanted to do at school, and so she started her teaching career at HMS Collingwood. In her six and half years there teaching navy engineers, she also completed her teacher training.
Outside of the classroom Melanie loves spending time with her two children, outdoors, walking in the countryside or at the beach possible. She also enjoys a good race in Asphalt 9: Legends.
Alexandra Dulieu-Rayner Humanities Subject Coordinator
Alex originally completed her degree in Criminology and Psychology. She then went on to study her MSc in Web Science; specialising her academic career in the interdisciplinary study of web based deviance and criminality. Having continued with her postgraduate research, she then decided that her passion lay in the fundamentals of education and completed her PGCE in Computer Science.
Alex believes that having a strong set of skills and knowledge in computing and digital technologies is fundamental to the evolving world. As a woman in STEM, she believes in collaboration and diversity - encouraging students to be curious and creative in their approach to problem solving.
In her spare time, Alex is a lover of the countryside and can most likely be found walking her greyhounds through the woodland and fields of the South Downs.
Sean Archibald Engineering Teacher
Sean's area of interest is electrical and mechanical engineering. He has worked for local companies; working with water companies fixing mechanical pumps and manufacturing heat sealers for medical, pharmaceutical and food companies.
Away from work, Sean likes to spend time with his family, including his young daughter. He has also been a member of the Army Cadet Force for 15 years, having himself been a cadet and then moved on to become one of their trusted instructors.
Mark Bird Engineering Teacher
Mark studied Applied Physics at Brunel University and then went on to complete a PGCE at Southampton University to teach Science and Technology. He taught A-level Physics and A-level electronics to 16-18-year-old students for seven years before leaving to study for a Master’s degree again at Southampton University. After completing his Master’s degree Mark began teaching Design and Technology in the classroom to 11-16-year-old students and set up and taught BTEC Engineering from scratch. He strongly believes education is not just for the academically gifted but for all who have enquiring minds.
In his spare time, Mark is a family man with a daughter. He enjoys making things and keeping old technology working as well as reading about science and technology. Mark enjoys travelling, leisure cycling and astronomy.
Jonathan Stockley Science Teacher
Jonathan Studied Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Liverpool, and has recently completed his PGCE at the University of Portsmouth. Jonathan has gained experience in teaching in various countries including Vietnam, where he worked at the Hanoi Academy International Bilingual School as a science teacher and Hungary, where he worked at the SEK Budapest International School as a teacher of International Baccalaureate Diploma in Physics.
Jonathan is passionate about STEM especially physics and feels it is the most fascinating subject underpining everything; all the fundamentals of our technology, the driving forces of the nature around us and they even go some way to explain the very fabric of our universe.
Outside of work Jonathan practices robotics and programming, which he looks forward to bringing to UTC.
Richard Tucker Science Teacher
Richard is a science and engineering teacher with a passion for students applying their learning in new and innovative ways.
After studying mechanical engineering at Nottingham university he began his career with Rolls-Royce aerospace before joining the British Army. During 15 years of service he led diverse teams on many challenging operations around the world. His technical experience also led to a stint working in the MOD on new equipment and technology for operational deployments across Defence.
Beyond the classroom, Richard enjoys a range of sports on land and on the water, while deluding himself that he still could make it to the olympics in one of them.
Dr Andrea Hegedus Science Teacher
Andrea studied molecular biology in Hungary before she moved to the UK to pursue a career in HIV research. During her PhD and postdoctoral years, Andrea tutored, trained and supervised a number of students from BSc to PhD levels, which sparked her interest in teaching. In recent years she has tutored biology and chemistry to GCSE and A-level students, which led her to retrain as a science teacher.
Outside work Andrea likes reading and watching crime stories, as well as solving puzzles and jigsaws. When weather permits, she also enjoys swimming in the sea.
Patricia Madureira Science Teacher
Patricia studied Biochemistry (BSc, MS) at the University of Lisbon, Portugal and completed a PhD in Biomedical Sciences (Virology specialism) at the University of Lisbon and Imperial College London, UK.
Patricia continued her scientific career focusing in cancer research. First, as a postdoctoral fellow in Imperial College London, followed by a senior postdoctoral research position in Dalhousie University, Canada, and as a Principal Investigator (leading her own research laboratory) at the Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Portugal.
In her spare time Patricia enjoys practicing many sports including running, Ultimate frisbee, and roller-blading. Patricia has practiced athletics competitively from a young age and her love for the sport still remains. She has completed many international half-marathons and 3 full marathons (Brighton, London and Portsmouth) while being sponsored/ fundraising for different Charities. She also represented Portugal at the First Beach Ultimate World Cup.
Caterine King Teacher of STEM
Catherine’s first degree is in Economy and Accountancy (Business and Technology Education Council) studied in Poland. Catherine followed her passion for material science and physics by gaining two Ph.D. in material science and physics at The University of Warwick and The University of Wroclaw. The opportunity to study at Warwick University was given by getting a grant from Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (British Research Council). She then went on to complete a PGCE at the University of Winchester.
She strongly believes that passionate and highly qualified teachers are the gates to children's inquisitive nature and love of engineering.
Away from work, Catherine likes to spend time with her two children and a new addition - a miniature schnauzer puppy. She enjoys spending time in nature - climbing woods and hiking in the mountains - as well as weightlifting as a hobby. "
Kurtis Johnson Teacher of STEM
Kurtis studied Biochemistry at the University of Southampton and has recently completed his PGCE at the University of Manchester, where he gained experience in teaching Science in a variety of schools with students aged 11-18.
Having studied at a UTC himself, Kurtis has enjoyed being back in a STEM learning environment, where all students feel represented and able to work towards their goals for the future.
Outside of work, Kurtis enjoys spending time with his family and friends, gardening, photography, and gaming.
Neil Cater Teacher of STEM
Before teaching Mathematics in and around Portsmouth since 2006, including A-level Further Maths and Mechanics, Neil engineered integrated seatbelt and airbag systems for a Swedish automotive company using crash simulation. He has a background in Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics from Manchester, an MSc in Computer-Based Information Systems from Sunderland, and researched crash dummy development and side impact injury biomechanics. Although his work has always been STEM-focused, he especially enjoyed the opportunity to experience varied art and culture when working at different sites across Europe.
Outside the classroom, Neil has a passion for cycling, active travel, and low-traffic neighbourhoods. He divides his time between art and photography, cycling with his son, collecting work by street artists, and singing and playing a mean harmonica.
Rachel Antar Maths Teacher
After studying Sports Science at the University of Portsmouth, Rachel then went on to train as an Accounts assistant at night school and enjoyed 10 years working in the finance sector including a top 100 law firm.
When Rachel decided to take a career break to have a family she moved to the middle east and spent a year living in Lebanon. It was here when volunteering at a school in Tripoli that she decided she wanted to make a difference to children’s lives and that every child matters. Rachel returned to the UK to train as a Maths teacher and completed her Maths PGCE in 2013.
In her spare time Rachel enjoys a variety of sports including running and Zumba. Rachel has taken part in the Great South Run for a number of years and hopes one day to complete the London Marathon.
Steffan Lewis Geography Teacher
Steffan came to teaching after a career in aviation as an airline pilot and commercial flight instructor. Following a decade as an architectural technologist specialising in the cultural and leisure sector, Steffan gained his private pilot’s license and pursued a career in aviation, eventually flying passengers around Europe. With ambitions to fly for the British Antarctic Survey, Steffan also trained to maintain and pilot remotely operated underwater vehicles in hazardous locations.
However, after a full recovery from cancer, Steffan hung up his wings and retrained to teach Geography. Having extensively travelled and lived in many different places, he is passionate about both physical and human geography with a particular interest in our relationship with the natural environment.
Hannah Wells Geography Teacher
Hannah has previously worked in a Further Education college as Head of Geography responsible for delivering A Level programmes. Hannah believes that studying geography enables students to develop a wider variety of skills, as the subject requires students to understand and apply mathematical, English and scientific skillsets. Geography also encourages students to think independently, problem solve and critically analyse information. Hannah believes that geography is a practically-based subject and enjoys running field trips both at home and abroad.
Outside of work Hannah enjoys a wide variety of activities; she dances both jive and latin, likes to be involved in charity and community projects and also undertakes property renovation.