Leadership Team

Ian grew up in Kent before reading History and Politics at Durham University. After graduating he joined the Teach First program working as a history teacher in East London in two different schools, in both curriculum and pastoral roles. Ian joined Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport as an Assistant Principal and then Vice Principal.

Ian holds an MA in Leadership and NPQH and joined as the Principal of Bassingbourn Village College in September 2024. Ian is excited to be building on the excellent community ethos at Bassingbourn with the ambition of ensuring that we produce resilient, responsible and respectful life-long learners.

Vanessa read English & Dance at Roehampton University and has a Masters in Education from Cambridge.  Having been teaching for over 30 years, Vanessa has taught in the UK and abroad, as well as in Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form schools.

Vanessa joined Bassingbourn Village College as an Assistant Principal in 2006 teaching English and responsible for Teaching and Learning Development.  In 2017 she was promoted to Deputy Principal and took over as Safeguard Lead in 2022.

Rachel is a French and English graduate from the University of Warwick.  As part of her degree, she spent a year teaching English in two secondary schools in Lille, France.  She completed her PGCE at the University of Exeter.  Rachel’s first teaching role was in Bishop Stortford and then she moved to a school in Ramsey, initally as a teacher of MFL and latterly as Director of Learning for MFL.

Rachel joined Bassingbourn Village College in 2012 as Head of MFL and has since been promoted to Assistant Principal in 2020. Initially Rachel lead on memory and metacognition supporting students with revision skills and exam preparation.  She continues to do this but now also has responsibility for Teaching and Learning and Professional Learning.

Jeremy left comprehensive school with 3 O Levels and joined the Royal Navy in February 1985. Whilst in the Royal Navy he achieved another 4 O Levels and left the service in August 1990. After a variety of different jobs Jeremy re-entered full time education in 1996, firstly taking an Access to University Course and then a History Degree at the University of East Anglia gaining a 2:1 in History.

Jeremy left University and worked in London as a Pensions Consultant before taking his PGCE in teaching at Homerton College, University of Cambridge in 2003-2004.

Jeremy gained his first teaching position as a teacher of history at Castle Manor in Haverhill starting in September 2004. He was the only history teacher at the school and very shortly created a new history curriculum that saw History results improve from 29% pass at A to C to 72% in the space of 3 years. Jeremy soon became Head of Humanities and then Assistant Principal before leaving Castle Manor to take the position of Assistant Principal at Bassingbourn Village College in September 2013.

Whilst at Bassingbourn Jeremy has carried out a number of diverse roles ranging from monitoring student progress, managing the establishment of Covid Testing at the college during the pandemic and overseeing the exams process. Soon after joining the College, he became Deputy Principal.

Jeremy is passionate about offering all students opportunity, giving them the tools and skills, they require to achieve their maximum potential. This aim is not just academic but to also give students the chance to experience events and places that they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to see or experience.

In his leisure time Jeremy regularly attends Portsmouth Football Club matches, enjoys attending music and comedy gigs and travelling to new cities and countries.

Rebecca graduated from Loughborough University with a Joint Honours degree in Physical Education, Sports Science and Physics. She stayed at Loughborough to complete her PGCE in Science, training at schools across Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

Rebecca started at Bassingbourn Village College in 2001 as an NQT, teaching both Science and PE from her first year. As her career progressed, Rebecca gained a range of experiences, including as Second in Department, Assessment Co-ordinator, and Exams Officer, before becoming the Transition Co-ordinator with oversight of Primary Liaison, Options, and Post 16 destinations. As a Careers Leader, Rebecca has an interest in careers education and has worked closely with a variety of external contacts to enhance the student experience.

Since joining the Leadership Team, Rebecca has taken on a variety of curriculum responsibilities and particularly enjoys having an overview of how the whole school curriculum fits together to provide students with the best possible experience. With a belief that important learning takes place both in and out of the classroom, Rebecca is big proponent of clubs and trips and visits to enhance the curriculum; particularly those trips that bring learning to life, such as to China, Iceland, or the World War 1 Battlefields.

When not at work, Rebecca enjoys reading, building Lego kits, and visiting friends and family in the North of England.