Art & Literature
Lizzie Skeaping - Head of Arts & Literature Faculty
Lizzie Skeaping teaches History and History of Art at Harris Westminster. She studied History and Culture at the University of Warwick, specialising in Renaissance Italian art and modern Irish history. Before joining Harris Westminster, she taught at The National Archives, home to some of the UK's most iconic historical records, and completed a Masters in Museums and Galleries in Education. Her fascination with different lives and cultures prompted her to teach abroad in Vietnam and Spain. She enjoys sport and dreams of playing cricket for England.
Frances Sleap - 2iC A&L & Teacher of Philosophy
Frances Sleap studied Philosophy and Theology and then the Study of Religions at Oxford, writing her Master’s dissertation on the idea of chosenness in modern Judaism. Before deciding to pursue a longstanding interest in education she worked at the Dialogue Society, an Islamically-inspired intercultural dialogue charity. Her work included co-authoring an introduction to ‘Dialogue Theories’ and providing training for postgraduate students. She is still fascinated by the dynamics of dialogue in different contexts and is excited to work in the natural dialogue hotspot that is the PTE classroom. Her other interests include poetry and the ethical issues surrounding energy and climate change.
Philip Barnes - Teacher of Art
Philip Barnes teaches Art at Harris Westminster. He is a practicing artist with a background in Painting and Installation. He attained an MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design and since graduating has exhibited work in the UK and internationally. He is a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors and has been awarded practice-based residencies at The School of Visual Arts New York and Joya arte + ecologia, Spain. He enjoys living and working in London, particularly for the thriving contemporary art scene and the city’s accessibility to world class galleries and museums.
Jack Dunleavy - Teacher of Art History
Jack Dunleavy teaches History of Art at Harris Westminster. He studied English & History of Art at the University of York, specialising in the art and literature of the Blitz. As well as teaching at Harris, he works for Art History Link Up, a charity dedicated to widening access to art history education for students in the state sector. In his spare time he enjoys going to the cinema, reading books and thinking about oil paintings. His favourite artist is either Edouard Manet or Pablo Picasso.
Hania Stella-Sawicka - Teacher of Art & Head of Turing House
Hania Stella-Sawicka trained at the Royal College of Art and has been making work and exhibiting as a practising artist in the years since. She has always been fascinated by how we learn from visual and material culture and enjoys offering Harris Westminster students an insight into contemporary art in London. She has come to teaching bringing a range of experience in the field, working with creative studios, designers and galleries.
Sara Neal - Assistant Principal and Teacher of English
Sara is a lifelong reader and believer in the power of education to change lives. Born and raised in London, she completed her English degree at Durham University and a year of teacher training working at a school in Oxfordshire. Sara has spent the majority of her teaching career in inner city London schools, where she spent four years as Head of Department before moving into Assistant Principal roles.
Freddie Baveystock - Teacher of English
Freddie Baveystock is passionate about literature, culture and learning. He took his first degree in English at Worcester College, Oxford; followed this with a MA from University College London in Anglo-American Literary Relations; and then went on to complete a DPhil at Wolfson College, Oxford on the impact of American nationalism upon its literature during the first half of the C19. As well as teaching in London, Oxford and Reading, he has worked as a journalist, consumer researcher and brand consultant. He is a Trustee of Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden, and in that capacity advises on its Writer in Residence programme.
Katherine Wasley - Teacher of English
Katherine Wasley is an English teacher at Harris Westminster. She has previously been an English teacher and Sixth Form English Coordinator at Westminster Academy for eleven years where she taught the International Baccalaureate. Ms Wasley studied English Studies and Philosophy at The University of Nottingham. After gaining her degree, she taught in Hong Kong for a year before training to become a teacher with TeachFirst. In addition to her love of reading widely, Ms Wasley is a keen member of the National Theatre and loves the distraction of a life drawing class. Ms Wasley also enjoys yoga and can usually be found pottering around in her garden at the weekend trying to create the perfect border.
James Aitken - Teacher of English
James Aitken teaches English at Harris Westminster. He studied English at Durham before going on to complete his Master’s at Oxford. He specialised in the literature of Australia and New Zealand, writing a dissertation on conceptions of the will in the works of Patrick White. An ill-advised attempt to emulate Kerouac led to James spending 9 months hitchhiking the length of New Zealand, during which time he made a living working on farms, fruit-picking, and tending the bar at pubs in small coastal towns. He subsequently made his way to Tokyo, where he spent a number of years teaching at a secondary school. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, language-learning, and playing music.
Emma Barker - Teacher of English
Emma Barker completed her BA in English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. She then worked in Bologna for year - teaching English, learning Italian, before coming to London to complete an MA in Renaissance to Enlightenment Literature and Philosophy at UCL. She went on to work in publishing for several years but realised she liked discussing books as much as reading them, and that teaching English was for her. Since then, she has taught at a number of schools in London, becoming head of faculty at a large comprehensive in North London, before leading the English PGCE course at several London universities.
James Johnson – Assistant Principal and Teacher of Spanish and French
James Johnson is an Assistant Principal at Harris Westminster Sixth Form, and also teaches French and Spanish. He was born and raised in Hull, East Yorkshire, and studied French and Spanish at Exeter College, Oxford, before moving to the United States to begin his teaching career. He returned to the United Kingdom in 2013, and has taught at schools in London ever since. During this time, he has been a Head of Year, Head of MFL, and a Lead Practitioner. As a passionate linguist, he is excited to help students see that the world is bigger than they previously imagined, and help them see how their studies can take them on adventures the world over. In his spare time, James is a keen cook, a music lover, and likes to explore our great city in his running shoes.
Nikolina Stojanovic – Teacher of French
Nikolina Stojanović teaches French at Harris Westminster. While completing her Master's degree in Anglophone Studies at the university of the Sorbonne (Paris IV), she worked at the public library of the Centre Pompidou and nurtured her passion for culture through amateur music journalism. After teaching near her French hometown, she decided to move to London in 2014 where she taught French, German, and ICT in an independent school before she joined Harris Westminster. She dedicates her spare time to quizzes, woodworking, board games, and picking up a variety of crafty hobbies.
Michael Pirbakas – Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages & Head of Somerville House
Michael teaches French and Spanish at Westminster. He was born in France but grew up in the French Caribbean where he studied English and Spanish at the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (Martinique). Passionate about teaching languages, Michael went on to do a Masters Degree in didactics of foreign languages at the University of Paris 8. Michael has now been teaching French and Spanish in London for 7 years and in his spare time he enjoys reading, exercising and travelling.
Kyle Sweet - Teacher of Philosophy
Kyle Sweet teaches Philosophy at Harris Westminster. He attainted his Master's degree at the University of Birmingham, having written a dissertation on creating a new ethical theory after jesting that ‘all other theories are simply unsatisfying or impractical’. He feels that philosophy is a deeply important subject yet can seem so inaccessible to so many. This led him to decide that his dedication to the subject was best put towards inspiring young minds and creating enthusiastic dialogue about the intricacies of reality and human nature. After finishing his PGCE at King’s College London he has said he ‘feels incredibly grateful to be living out his passion at Harris Westminster’. Kyle also enjoys writing fantastical fiction and spending time with friends over a good board game.
Emma Syea - Teacher of Philosophy
Emma teaches Philosophy at Harris Westminster Sixth Form. She read Modern and Medieval Languages and Philosophy at Cambridge before going on to complete her Masters and PhD in Philosophy at King's College London. She lectures in Philosophy at various universities in London and her research interests include philosophy of mind, epistemology, and post-Kantian philosophy. She is also fascinated by the relationship between philosophy and art and is a member of King's College London's Centre for Philosophy and Visual Art. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing and painting, playing piano, and reading.
Ella Taylor - Librarian and Head of Extended Project
Ella is a Chartered Librarian who oversees the Wigoder Library and Extended Project at Harris Westminster. She read English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London before gaining her Masters in Library and Information Studies at University College London. Of particular interest to her are issues relating to unconscious bias and prejudice in information architecture inspired by the research and advocacy of Sanford Berman. To further investigate prejudice within literacy systems and structures, she is currently undertaking a Masters in Education (Literacy) at the Institute of Education, University College London. Ella believes that every individual should enjoy reading which inspires her approach to supporting students and caring for the Wigoder Library. In her spare time she enjoys watching films which her friends class as ‘depressing cinematography’ and spending time with her beloved, and terribly behaved, Sphynx cats.
