Introducing Our New Staff Members

Mrs Ana Souza
Mrs Souza is Portuguese and has a bachelor’s degree in architecture, a master‘s degree in landscape architecture and a master’s degree in teaching visual arts. She is currently a PhD student in inclusive education. She enjoys travelling, eating and communicating. Mrs Souza will be a Learning Support Teacher in the Portuguese Section.


Mr Adam Knowles
Mr Knowles is joining St. Julian’s as Deputy Head of Mathematics and Computer Science teacher. He is moving to Portugal from Singapore, where he taught for the last nine years and had the role of IGCSE Mathematics Coordinator and also as an Instructional Coach. Prior to that, he taught Mathematics in the UK and Shanghai. Beyond the classroom, he has a keen interest in sports, especially tennis and outdoor education, and is eager to explore them here.


Mr Adrian Palmer
Mr Palmer will take on the Head of Theory of Knowledge role and teach Biology and Environmental Systems and Societies. He comes from Bangkok, where he has taught these subjects since 2006. In the past, Mr Palmer has worked as an environmental educator and conservationist in the UK and forest restoration in Thailand. He has a Master's degree in Education for Sustainability, focusing on effective climate change education in the IB diploma, and he has been working for the IB on the new Higher Level Environmental Systems and Societies course.

Mr Callum Grant
Mr Grant will be joining the PE department and arrives from Texas in the USA, where he has been teaching since 2019. Before that, he worked in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mr Grant grew up in the Scottish Highlands and attended the University of Edinburgh.
 

Ms Carolina Agostinho
Ms Agostinho is a former pupil who is returning to St Julian’s School as a PE teacher after teaching at Park International School for the last three years.
 

Mrs Claire Knowles
Mrs Knowles is joining our Student Futures Advisors team and teaching Geography. Mrs Knowles has been working in teaching in international schools in Japan, China and Singapore for the past 21 years. Prior to moving abroad, she taught in the UK for five years.
 

Miss Edele Nolan
Miss Nolan is from Ireland and has 20 years of experience in Education. She is taking on the role of Lead Counsellor in Secondary. Edele started her career as an Early Years Educator and moved into counselling leadership eight years ago. She has a BA in Education and a Master in Applied Positive Psychology, is a qualified Play Therapist, an Adolescent Mental Health First Aider, and a Mindfulness Educator. She has worked in various international schools in India, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and the UAE. Miss Nolan's goal is to build positive relationships of kindness, empathy, respect and understanding with the students and families of St. Julian’s. Her door will always be open.

Ms Isabella Hooke
Ms Hooke will be teaching English Language and Literature at St. Julian’s after working at a  state school in London as an English teacher and at an international school in Bangkok, India and as the Head of Key Stage 4.  She graduated from the University of Bristol in 2016 with a degree in Law and completed her PGCE at King's College, London.



Ms Jennie Cottam
Jennie Cottam will be teaching English in the Portuguese section. She is returning to St. Julian's after three years of private tutoring and, very recently, a baby! Previously, she taught EAL and English for nine years. Before arriving in Portugal, Ms Cottam taught in the UK, Japan and South Korea after studying English Language at Glasgow University.



Mr Jez Rowson
Mr Rowson will be teaching History and TOK at St. Julian’s. He has been teaching in international schools for more than 25 years. Mr Rowson had visited Portugal before and wanted to live here ever since.
 

Miss Lisa Kirwan
Miss Kirwan will be teaching Primary’s Year One. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, she has been working in an International school as a Kindergarten teacher in Dubai for the past two years.  Miss Kirwan completed her Masters in Primary Education and worked in an Early years setting.



Mr Luke Peedell
Mr Peedell is joining the Secondary Science team to teach Physics and Chemistry. He has always enjoyed the ocean and sciences at university, with a focus on oceanography and marine chemistry.  He has spent the last ten years working as a Science teacher in Peru.




Mr Mark Hooper
Mr Hooper joins St. Julian’s in the role of Director of Enrichment from Harrow International School Shenzhen, where he was Boarding Housemaster and International Award coordinator. Before working in China, he worked at Akeley Wood Senior School as Assistant Head (Character Development and Wellbeing) and taught for 14 years at a highly selective grammar school. During that time, he spent many years leading the Physical Education Department. Mr Hooper has taught in New Zealand and at the prestigious Garden International School in Malaysia, where he worked for five years as a Teacher of Physical Education and Examinations Officer, and at the British School of Bucharest in 2014 as Deputy Head (Enrichment and Pastoral) where he over his 7- year tenure also developed a comprehensive enrichment program of after school activities and school trips. Mr Hooper completed a BA in Sports Studies and his PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) at the University of Ulster in Belfast.


Mr Mark Roper
Mr Roper will work in the Design Technology Department and teach Computer Science. He arrived at St. Julian's after living for the past 24 years in Hong Kong, where he was Head of Faculty in an international school. Previous to Hong Kong, he did an MA in Design Management and worked in Penang, Malaysia, for a couple of years and four years in Nottingham, where he did his PGCE.



Mr Michael Atkinson
Mr Atkinson arrived at St.  Julian’s from teaching in Wroclaw in the south of Poland for the past two years. He will be teaching in the Science department. Originally from Milton Keynes, he moved to Sheffield for University.



Mr Warren Newbery
Mr Newbery joined the PE department at St. Julian’s after teaching for seven years in Kuala Lumpur, where he held roles such as Assistant Enrichment Leader and Head of Sport, and 4 years in Shanghai as Head of PE and Secondary Sports Coordinator. His educational background entails a BSc in Sports Science with Human Biology and a PGCE in Secondary Physical Education.