Senior Leadership Team

Senior Leadership Team

 

Ian Clayton, Principal

Ian is originally from the UK. He earned his degree in European Studies, history politics and a smattering of French at Nottingham Trent University. He gained his PGCE at the University of East Anglia. He worked for 16 years in the UK as a history teacher, head of faculty, head of house and senior teacher, though not all at the same time! He also was seconded to teach and lecture on the PGCE course at the University of East Anglia. He then became head of the senior school at the British School Manila, a founding FOBISIA school. He was instrumental in establishing a senior school from the ground up. In 2009 he moved to join the English Schools Foundation where he was a Vice Principal for 5 years. For the last 10 years he has worked as Head of the International Stream at the French International School in Hong Kong.  He joins us with his wife and they have two sons studying in the UK. He loves sport, following football, cricket, rugby, but F1 not so much! He is committed to develop[ing and nurturing BST on the next part of its journey.

 

David James, Deputy Principal

David grew up in West Wales and studied History at Cardiff University. Following this he completed his Post Graduate Certificate in Education at University of Wales Institute Cardiff. He also has a Masters in Educational Leadership & Management from Bath University. David began his teaching career in London before moving overseas to teach internationally in Japan and Malaysia. Passionate about learning, partnerships and service, David has held a variety of senior leadership roles in the UK and internationally, most recently as Director of Professional Learning (Whole School Deputy Head) at Garden International School, Malaysia. David recently moved to Tokyo with his wife and son. They brought with them their dog, Seren, and David can often be seen walking him in one of Tokyo’s many parks.

 

Caroline McCallum, Head of Secondary

Caroline graduated from Liverpool University with a B.Des(Hons) and completed her PGCE at Brighton University. Last year she completed her Masters Degree in Leadership with a focus on Teaching and Learning. She spent her early career working in schools in the south of the UK teaching Art before relocating to Scotland. Her previous position was Deputy Head at Gordonstoun, a boarding school on the north east coast of Scotland, where she was also a volunteer for HM Coastguards. Caroline is passionate about holistic teaching and learning, cognitive psychology and professional development in education. She has been in Tokyo for two years living with her husband Dave, and has two sons; her eldest son graduated from Glasgow this year with a first in Computer Science and her youngest is studying pharmacology, having graduated from BST in 2020, both live in Glasgow in Scotland. Caroline's interests outside school include drawing, quizzes, walking and gardening.

 

Eleanor Loran, Head of Primary

As an innovative and values-driven leader, Eleanor has over 23 years of experience in education which includes leadership in schools within the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and more recently, Japan. Currently, Eleanor is the Head of the Primary School at The British School in Tokyo (BST). Following undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Media Management and Primary Education, Eleanor completed an MA in Early Childhood Education from The University of Sheffield. Eleanor is trained in and delivers NPQML and NPQSL programmes for aspiring leaders. She is also a link tutor for iPGCE students, and their mentors, at Warwick University. At BST, she leads the Primary School promoting a fervent commitment to the development of the whole child through a holistic educational experience. This specifically focuses on enabling environments, student-directed pedagogies and community-centered schooling.

 

Noriko Kosugi, Bursar

Noriko has a BA in Law from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Temple University. Her career background is mainly the manufacturing industry and the real estate industry. She has previously worked at JFE Holdings, Molex, Imerys and Unizo Holdings, mainly in Finance and Business Management fields. Before joining BST in 2020, she was a board director of Unizo Holdings. She is married and has a son and a Norfolk terrier.
 

 

Ben Loran, Director of Operations

Ben is originally from the UK and studied History at Middlesex University. He has a Master of Science degree from Leicester University in Educational Leadership. Having taught in London, Auckland, Hong Kong, and now in Tokyo, Ben places great importance on ensuring school communities are internationally minded. Ben has worked in International school education since 2006 and has senior leadership experience from schools in both New Zealand and Hong Kong. Ben was most recently Whole School Deputy Head at Discovery Bay International School (DBIS). Ben is committed to inclusive, holistic education that provides meaningful experiences for all students. In addition to spending time with his wife and three sons, he enjoys running, mountain biking, skiing and football.

 

Educational Leadership Team

 

Duncan Grey, Deputy Head of Secondary

Duncan received a BSc (Hons) in PE and Sports Science at Loughborough University, before gaining his PGCE from the University of Bath.  Having spent his early teaching career in Nottingham, he then moved to the British School Muscat, in Oman, where he spent three years as Director of Sport and seven years as Deputy Headteacher.  Duncan is passionate about sport’s capacity to motivate, energise and bring people together and, as such, enjoys participating in a wide variety of physical activities, including rugby and long distance running.  Duncan has recently moved to Tokyo with his wife Lisa and their two young children.

 

Omar Murtaza, Deputy Head of Secondary

Omar is originally from Bradford in the UK. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in Economics from university in Nottingham and has just completed his Masters in Educational Leadership with a focus on Teaching and Learning and CPD. He spent the first six years of his teaching career in Nottingham in two different schools teaching and leading Economics and Business Studies. He held the position of Assistant Head with responsibility for Academics before he moved to Dubai English Speaking College, where he spent five years as Director of Professional Development and Teacher Training across the Primary and Secondary schools. Omar is passionate about evidence-informed practice and providing the highest standard of holistic education which is inclusive for all students. Omar is a keen long-distance runner and footballer, aside from this, has interests in geopolitics, music and travelling.

 

Nicola Hill, Deputy Head of Primary

Originally from Lancashire in the UK, Nicola studied for a BA (Honours) degree in English and Primary Education at St Martin’s College, Lancaster. Nicola taught throughout Primary for 11 years in the UK, as well as being Head of Early Years at a school in Lancashire. After moving to an international setting in Hong Kong, Nicola took on the role of Assistant Head and worked with children and colleagues across Early Years and Lower Primary. She is passionate about a child centred, experiential approach to education and promotes learning environments that inspire creativity and curiosity. Nicola is here with her husband and two children, who will both be attending BST.

 

Rebecca Remnant, Acting Deputy Head of Primary

Rebecca grew up in Hertfordshire and went to school in Saint Albans before studying for a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS at University of Greenwich. Once her teaching career started, Rebecca undertook multiple research development projects with the University of Cambridge and the Hertfordshire Local Education Authority. Rebecca joined BST in 2016 as a classroom teacher before becoming Head of Year, Assistant Head of Primary and now Acting Deputy Head. At the heart of Rebecca's educational ethos lies a fervent belief in nurturing the whole child. This is centered around providing students with a well-rounded and balanced curriculum, grounded in the principles of connection and fostering a profound sense of belonging within the school community.