It’s more than a job. Meet our team of dedicated, diligent professionals.
Ian Piper - Principal
Ian Piper started as Principal at Hastings School in September 2024 having previously been Headmaster from The British International School of Washington, which he has led since 2016 and was previously Head of Danube International School Vienna for seven years, having held further leadership roles in both Paris and Zurich. All these schools catered for students from pre-Nursery until Year 13 and were high performing schools, both academically and in terms of extracurricular activities. Mr. Piper’s most recent formal education was the completion of a MSc in Management Sciences from Southampton University and a MEd in Educational Management from Bath University. Mr. Piper is enthusiastic about the opportunity to connect with and contribute to the Hastings community and learning about the Spanish language and culture.
Emma Duffy - Head of Primary and Early Years
Emma completed her PGCE at the University of Glasgow. She has over 10 years experience teaching across Early Years and Primary and began working at Hastings School in 2014. Emma is passionate about working in Early Years and helping young children to develop curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.
Anne McConnell - Deputy Head of Primary - Key Stage 1
Anne McConnell began her teaching career in Brighton, East Sussex. She has 10 years experience working in numerous schools in Brighton and Madrid as classroom teacher, Key Stage Coordinator and Deputy Head. Anne studied Philosophy at Leeds University, and completed GTP teacher training with Brighton University.
Fiona Chapman - Deputy Head of Primary - Key Stage 2
Fiona Chapman’s teaching qualification is from the University of Warwick. She has been teaching for over 30 years in schools in London, Mexico City and Madrid. Her plan to continue moving on an international circuit came to an end when she moved to Madrid in 1995 and fell in love with the city and Hastings School! She is passionate about Teaching and Learning.
Simon Baskett - Head of Secondary
Baskett graduated from Oxford University with a History degree and then completed a PGCE at the University of Bristol. He has also done an MA module in Action Research at Bath University. He has over 30 years experience in teaching, having worked at schools in London, Bristol and Oxford and held management positions at a number international schools in Madrid. He joins Hastings after over a decade at Runnymede College where he held the post of Deputy Head (Academic). Simon has also worked as a journalist, having done freelance work for a number of British newspapers and broadcasters and he was the chief sports reporter for the Reuters news agency.
Rose Bryant - Deputy Head of Secondary - Academic
Rose studied for a BA in English Literature and Drama at the University of Birmingham before completing her PGCE at the University of Bristol. From there, she completed four years teaching in Dorset in the UK, including working as the KS4 Coordinator for the English department. Rose joined Hastings School in 2015 as an English teacher, enthusiastically pursuing a path in Teaching and Learning. Outside school, she continues to enjoy her theatrical roots and regularly acts in productions with English Theatre Madrid.
Linda Carruthers - Deputy Head of Secondary - Pastoral
Linda Carruthers became Head of Art at Hastings school in January 2009. In 2012 she became part of the leadership team with responsibility for Pastoral Care. She studied Fine Art in Newcastle and completed her PGCE at Roehampton University in London. Linda has a passion for the Arts which is what brought her to the beautiful city of Madrid and has since made it her home.
Anna Brickle - IB Programme Co-ordinator
Anna studied Physics at Bristol University and completed her PGCE in 1994. Anna worked in the UK as a Physics teacher and Head of Physics in Bristol, Brighton, and Nottingham before relocating to Indonesia in 2004. She stayed there for 10 years, raising her children, and working as Head of Science and Head of the House system in the Australian International school. The family moved to Spain in 2013 with Anna teaching the UK curriculum and Física (Bachillerato) in addition to her Head of Science role. She finally moved to Hastings in 2018 and with her interest and experience in international education systems she is leading the development of the IB diploma programme.
Louise Pepper - Deputy Head Data and Assessments
Louise joined the team in 2023, having previously taught in the UK, Spain and the UAE. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics in 2011 (UK), a MA in Education in 2018 (UK) and a Masters in Mathematics for Teachers in 2022 (Canada). A lifelong learner, Louise continues her studies with the University of Nottingham, currently studying for a Doctorate in Education. As well as teaching Mathematics, Louise is also responsible for in-school assessments, academic data and day-to-day logistics, including building the Secondary school timetable. Outside of school, Louise enjoys reading, puzzles and strategy games.
TEACHING TEAM
Highly qualified and passionate
Our teachers, most of whom come from the UK, are our most valuable asset and we are fortunate to have a team of teachers who are not only highly qualified and experienced, but passionate about what they do. The quality of relationships with students is crucial and the better teachers know their students, the more they can ensure they get the best out of each individual.
Teachers at Hastings receive ongoing professional development to ensure they stay up-to-date with the latest developments in education. We have worked hard to make Hastings a great place to work in order to attract and retain the very best staff.
We currently have 208 employees, of which 192 are permanent and 16 temporary.
