The School's Management Team
Core Leadership Group
Mr Jonathan Hetherington BA(Hons) MSc(Ed) QTS NPQEL Headmaster
Growing up on the edge of the fens, Jonathan completed the International Baccalaureate in the Sixth Form at Impington Village College, Cambridge, before obtaining his bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the University of Southampton. Embarking on a Primary PGCE at Homerton College, the University of Cambridge, Jonathan soon changed direction. He joined More House School in September 2004, teaching English and Music, and has remained ever since. Completing the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) through the University of Southampton, Jonathan was promoted to Head of Year Seven in 2006 and introduced the, now annual, More House School Sponsored Walk.
Having served as Head of Year for a variety of age groups, including Year Eleven, and as Acting Head of the English department, Jonathan was appointed as Head of Sixth Form in 2010. In 2012 he was appointed Deputy Headmaster with specific responsibility as Head of Boarding, overseeing the residential staff team and welfare of the School’s one hundred-plus boarders. Jonathan completed the Boarding Schools’ Association Post-Graduate Certificate of Professional Development awarded by the University of Roehampton, and was awarded his MSc in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Leicester in 2014. Jonathan was appointed as Headmaster of More House School in 2015.
A keen church-bell ringer, Jonathan was elected to the prestigious Society of Royal Cumberland Youths in 1999, is Ringing Master and Tower Captain at St Andrew’s, Farnham, and Safeguarding Officer for the Guildford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers. Sometime ‘cellist, having achieved Grade Eight and the Advanced Certificate ABRSM when he was much younger, Jonathan enjoys supporting school shows and concerts, and lives on site with his wife Elizabeth, their two children, James and Isabelle, a Labrador, Rosie, and cat, Bubble. Elizabeth, a Music teacher in the school, has served as Foundation Governor at St Mary’s Church of England (Aided) Infant School in Frensham and as a leader within the Rowledge Scouts. Jonathan has served for several years as a governor of Treloar’s School and College in Alton, which provides high-quality education and care for children and young people with complex physical disabilities.
Jonathan serves on the Board of Trustees for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. He is Area Coordinator for the Independent Schools Association's London West region and is also a Trustee and Non-Executive Director, sitting on the association's Executive Council and chairing its national Membership Committee. Jonathan serves as a member of the Pre-registration Committee for CReSTeD (the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic pupils) and is a member of the Independent Schools Council Advisory Group - SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). He also serves as a member of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) for St Mary's Frensham and The Good Shepherd, Dockenfield.
Jonathan recently completed the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL) and, since September 2024 is the Honorary Officer and national Vice-Chair of the Independent Schools Association (ISA). In September 2025, he expects to become the Association's national Chair for the 2025 - 2026 academic year. Capitulating to sustained pressure from his son, James, Jonathan has recently begun playing club cricket for Tilford and, despite James' intense training regime in the nets, considers himself very much an eleventh man novice.
Mr Piers Lewis BA (Hons) MBA MSc FCMI Chief Operating Officer
Piers joined the school in June 2024 assuming the new role of Chief Operating Officer (subsuming the previous role of Bursar) following a diverse career across defence, children’s charity sector and consultancy.
The first 16 years of his career centred in the Army Air Corps, primarily flying the Apache helicopter, including three operational tours of Afghanistan. He also commanded 656 Squadron developing new rapid deployment strategies and initiating an Arctic capability and new tactics working from aircraft carriers in the UK, Mediterranean, and in the Arabian Gulf. Outside of that, he was an instructor, managed the future plans for the Apache force and conducted the strategic planning and budgeting for three of the helicopter types in the UK inventory from the MOD Head Office in Whitehall.
Since leaving the military, Piers has worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers as a procurement and cost consultant in a variety of sectors, managed the global logistics and procurement function for the multi-national Plan International children’s charity, and headed up all projects and programmes in a local defence contractor.
Piers maintains linkages with his military background as the President of an active veterans association and can regularly be seen marching at the Cenotaph on each Remembrance Sunday. Outside of that, he enjoys a good challenge, completing the Marathon des Sables, Devizes to Westminster canoe race and even crossed the Pacific and dodging Arctic icebergs on various sailing expeditions in the last 10 years. He also flies light aeroplanes and sails with his young children in his spare time as well as coaching under 9s at Petersfield Rugby Club. Piers can often be found at the back gate at pick up with his English Springer Spaniel, Chester, and looks forward to connecting with as many parents as possible.
Mr John Branney BA (Hons) MA CertEd Deputy Head (Academic); Teacher of Media
John joined More House in April 2024, having previously worked as an Assistant Headteacher in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He has been a classroom teacher for over 20 years and has extensive experience of educational management, including managing transformational change. John has also worked with the exam board, OCR, helping to develop new A-Level qualifications and writing and moderating exams.
John was awarded a BA (Hons) in Media: Theory and Production in 2003 and an MA in Film Studies with the University of Exeter in 2009. He completed his teacher training with the University of Warwick in 2006, and would later work with the Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training helping to train teachers. John enjoys sharing his passion for film through his freelance and charity work. He has written articles for The Guardian and Media Magazine and hosts a podcast about British cinema. In 2016, John was presented a national award for ‘Most Inspirational Teacher’ by the Shine Media Awards. He was also nominated for the ‘Award for Unsung Hero’ at the Pearson National Teaching Awards in 2023.
John lives in Berkshire with his wife, Anna, and their two children, Rupert and Margot.
Ms Alexandra Rositano BA(Hons) Dip Ed Deputy Head (Head of Residential) [Maternity Leave]
Alex joined us in September 2022 as Head of Boarding and is also one of the Designated Safeguarding Officers at More House School. Australian by birth, Alex moved to the UK in 2014 to live and work. She holds degrees in both Psychology and International Studies as well as a qualification in secondary teaching and boasts extensive experience of working in boarding in both Australia and England. Alex moved to More House from her position as Head of House and School Counsellor at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School in Reigate.
Mrs Meriel Davenport MRCSLT RSA DipSpLD Director of Assessment and Therapy
Meriel joined the school twenty years ago as a Speech and Language Therapist and on a part-time basis, but very quickly became interested in the ethos of the school, such that she resigned from her other posts to focus entirely on the therapy at More House. The school’s knowledge and experience grew rapidly, the school’s numbers increased and in time the Learning Development Centre was founded, housing an ever-expanding team of therapists and literacy tutors.
Meriel says:
“There has been nothing more rewarding in my career than watching the development of young boys, who join the school as disillusioned and confused pupils, unable to voice their opinions and often being socially isolated, who then mature into responsible and engaging young adults, taking a full part in society, due in no small part to the development of their language and communication skills.
More House is a unique school and I feel very privileged to have had such a long and happy time here; my only regret is that we have so far failed to establish more schools with a similar ethos, especially for the education of girls”.
Mr Lewis Clarkson BA (Hons) MA (Ed) PGCE QTS PGCert NPQH Deputy Head (Pastoral); Teacher of History
Lewis joined More House in 2013 following the completion of his BA in History and the Modern World from the University of Winchester. Following the subsequent achievement of a PGCE and QTS from the University of Buckingham, he most recently studied for an MA in Education.
After four years at More House, Lewis spent the majority of the 2017-2018 academic year in Australia, working at Barker College, Sydney, in order to develop his practical skills as well as expand his experience of education in an alternative setting.
Whilst continuing to develop pupil progress across the school, Lewis has now broadened his position to include attendance and behaviour, coupling both curriculum and pastoral matters as Deputy Head - Pastoral Care
Aside from school, Lewis has a keen interest in sport, particularly football, and has completed two marathons - Brighton and London.
Mrs Eleanor Margesson BA (Hons) PGDip PGCE QTS Assistant Head (Training & Outreach); Teacher of English
Eleanor is an English Teacher with many years of experience in different sectors of education. As the Director of Staff Training and Development at More House School, she has developed and implemented a range of approaches for classroom teachers to use, which are aimed at keeping pupils with SEND in their lessons.
Eleanor is married to Nick and has two children one of whom attended More House school through to the end of the Sixth Form.
Mrs Sarah Cavannagh DipCOT MRCOT PGCert Head of Learning Development Centre; Lead Occupational Therapist
Sarah qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1988 and worked initially in a variety of adult care and rehabilitation settings. She transferred to working in Paediatrics in 1998 and has worked in a number of educational settings. She joined More House in November 2004, initially providing therapy for those boys statemented for Occupational Therapy, and was asked to set up an Occupational Therapy department in 2007 to provide this support to all pupils who would benefit from it.
She took over the running of the Learning Development Centre in 2014 and under her leadership, the Learning Development Team constantly strives to reflect upon and develop the support it offers to pupils in the school, incorporating evidence from best practice. She strongly believes that the integration of therapy and teaching within the school allows the opportunity and flexibility to provide fully for each individual pupil’s needs.
Sarah undertook a Postgraduate Certificate in Language, Literacy and Dyslexia to achieve Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association.
Senior Management Team
Mrs Samantha Cain BA (Hons) MCIPD
Head of Human Resources
Samantha joined More House School in March 2022, brining over 30 years’ experience in HR in retail, horticulture, Further and Higher Education, healthcare and the charity sector. After graduating from the University of Exeter, Samantha completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management, and has been a Chartered Member of the CIPD since 1994.
Prior to joining More House School, Samantha was HR Manager at Farnborough College of Technology for 7 years, Head of Human Resources at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher for 6 ½ years, before undertaking an interim role in Change Management at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham. For 2 years Samantha worked for the YMCA St Paul’s Group supporting teams in Housing, Children Youth and Families and Sports and Leisure through the pandemic.
Samantha is married to Markys, a Physicist who runs his own science consultancy business, and has one daughter. She and has lived in Farnham for 18 years, and for 3 years was a parent governor at St Andrew’s Infants School in Farnham. Her hobbies are running (or more often walking) in Farnham Park, reading and baking.
Mr Jarred Cooper BSc (Hons) Director of Co-Curricular and Enrichment; Teacher of Geography
Jarred moved to the UK in 2015 after completing his honours degree in Kinder Kinetics at the University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town and has been at More House ever since. He started as a boarding house master and in 2017 took on the role of Activities Coordinator and in 2018 became the Director of Extra Curricular Education.
As a qualified Kinder Kineticist he is passionate about improving the lives of children. He shares the values of leading a healthy lifestyle and driven is to enrich the school community’s children and help them achieve their true potential.
Jarred is proudly South African and enjoys teaching the boys about his culture. When not at school he is a keen rugby player (he plays for Farnham rugby club) and watcher, golfer and he loves to ‘braai.’
Mr Armand Faasen Dip Ed Head of Senior Years; Teacher of Mathematics
Armand joined More House School during September 2006 after relocating from South Africa. He completed his teaching degree at the Teacher Training College in Pretoria.
Since coming to More House, he has taken on the roles of Form Tutor followed by Head of Year throughout the school. In September 2020 he was promoted to the role of Director of Pastoral Care.
As an Educator his greatest achievement and successes are seeing the boys at More House achieve their full potential. Personally, family time is of great importance. When it comes to sport he is an avid supporter of the South African rugby team and loves a great round of golf or in fact anything at all to do with golf.
Mrs Lucinda Gillingham MMkt, PGDipMktg
Development Director
Lucinda joined More House School in September 2024, tasked with setting up a new Development office, principally responsible for fundraising and alumni relations. She brings over 20 years’ experience in fundraising and marketing, over half of this working within education charities.
Prior to joining More House School, Lucinda worked at Treloar’s for 8 years in a variety of roles from trust and corporate fundraising through to becoming the Director of Fundraising and Marketing. During this time, she was involved in successfully managing many of the charity’s capital appeals. Lucinda has also worked at Prior’s Court Foundation in Newbury and St. Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke in both fundraising and marketing roles.
Lucinda is married with two very energetic children. When not at work she enjoys spending time with family, socialising with friends, gardening, reading, keeping fit and yoga.
Mr James Haigh BA (Hons) PGCert MBCS MBBCA
Head of IT Services
James is our Head of IT Services and joined More House in September 2020, bringing with him almost 20 years’ worth of experience in educational Information Technology. Having worked at both State and Independent schools in a technical and leadership capacity, he has also taught ICT and Music from EYFS to KS4 as well as being part of the wider school community as Archery Instructor and Assistant Housemaster of an 80 strong boys boarding house. James is committed to making sure the technology provision at More House provides the foundation for our pupils’ future when they leave as well as meeting the ever-changing needs of our teaching, learning and administration provision.
Continuing his own education, James is currently studying to complete an MSc in Cyber Security and Human Factors and recently presented his Academic Paper on the susceptibility of different socio-dynamic groups at a Cyber Security Conference in Bournemouth.
Away from IT James is a keen brass and vocal musician, twice winning ‘Choir of the Day’ in the BBC Choir of the Year competition and has represented the United Kingdom in the European-wide competition ‘Let The People Sing’. Locally he is Musical Director of Godalming Band, winning consecutive titles as Best Conductor, culminating in the band winning scaba ‘Band of the Year’ in 2018.
Mrs Amy Lee MA
Head of Safeguarding
Amy joined More House School as Head of Safeguarding in September 2021.
Originating from Edinburgh, Amy’s secondary school years were spent at Fettes College and she graduated with an MA from Glasgow University.
In 2000, Amy moved down to London and began her career travelling around the world organising conferences and events. After meeting her husband, she decided on a career change and moved into the world of IT, working for Red Bull. Following some time out raising her children, Amy returned to work within the education sector.
Amy moved to More House School after being Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead at a secondary school in Farnham. With her wide range of experiences and a true passion for safeguarding and child protection. Amy is the leading force in shaping the School’s forward approach to safeguarding. Amy strongly believes in listening to the voice of the child and feels that by empowering children, whilst making them feel safe, they can be helped to overcome the many difficulties that life can bring.
In her spare time, Amy enjoys gardening and making furniture, as well as being kept busy by her two boys.
Mrs Olivia Turner BSc PGCE QTS Head of Junior Years; Teacher of Junior Years
Olivia is Head of Junior Years and has enjoyed an array of roles at the school, starting as a teaching assistant when completing a placement year from university in September 2007.
Olivia has always had an interest in working with children from diverse backgrounds and was instrumental in the setting up of the Libra Foundation, a charity taking British Volunteers to work with disabled and disadvantaged children and young people in Romania. Olivia read Psychology at Surrey University and this has fuelled her interest in working with children who find the norms of society, particularly in education, a challenge. This also developed an enthusiasm for working with and supporting children’s wellbeing and self-esteem - encouraging children to see themselves as drivers of their individual educational journeys.
Olivia is married with a family and loves her home in Petersfield. She also enjoys taking her family sailing with her parents at Milford on Sea, Hampshire.
Mrs Adele Williams LLB (Hons) PGCE QTS Director of Pupil Progress; Teacher of Junior Years
Mrs Williams joined More House School in 2017 as a Teacher in the Junior School. Teaching is Adele's second career having been a litigation solicitor in Manchester for 12 years before following her vocation into teaching. Prior to joining More House, Adele managed her own tutoring business after being Head of English at a Prep School in Cheshire for a number of years and for a time there, stand-in Director of Studies.
Adele is passionate about the education of pupils and helping boys and parents meet the educational challenges of moving through the school.
'Your years at More House are very important in terms of continuing to build on both the knowledge and skills that you already have and empowering you to move with confidence into the next stage of your education and the challenges of public examinations and then further into the world beyond school.
These are exciting years when you will begin to think about your futures and future careers. We look to engage you through all the things you study at school so that you can achieve your best and aspire to be whatever you want to be within a safe, nurturing environment that allows you to become a more independent and a self-motivated learner.'
Adele moved to Surrey just one week before joining More House and outside of school, along with her wife Jo, enjoys wandering the local woodlands with their two rescue dogs. Adele also enjoys open water swimming and has taken part in the Bournemouth to Boscombe pier to pier swim. She also follows Blackpool Football Club where she was a season ticket holder for several years! (You can take the girl out of Lancashire, but you can't take Lancashire out of the girl!)
