About Us

Meet the Team

Ian has been teaching for over 20 years, working in 3 main schools in a variety of curriculum and pastoral roles; these include Head of Year, Educational Visits Coordinator, Lead Practitioner, and Head of Science. He is currently Assistant Headteacher at Swanmore College with responsibility for Career Professional Development, and Teaching and Learning. Ian continues to teach Science at Key Stage 3 (KS3) with a main focus on Chemistry at Key Stage 4 (KS4).

His first experience working in a school was as a librarian and Teaching Assistant. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the school and found the experience fulfilling. In particular, he could see what he was doing was making a difference to pupils, their educational outcomes and the experiences they had on their journey through education. It was this that influenced his decision to train to become a teacher.

Ian’s favourite part of teaching is building relationships with people – trainees, staff and pupils – and supporting them to achieve, and then exceed, their own goals; a hugely rewarding part of his work.

“As a career, teaching provides you with the opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives of young people. It offers variety and flexibility with many pathways which you can navigate down to reach your end goal. Every day is different and the environment you work in is, although challenging, very rewarding and vibrant.
I want the RSA to provide trainees with the tools, support and experiences you need to grow as individual teachers. Every teacher is different, and a successful training program allows you to become your own teacher, to follow your own style, and have your own ideas whilst providing structure and support when needed. Teaching is a collaborative process; training should reflect this.
You should choose to train with the RSA because it provides outstanding personalised support. The team behind your training journey have a huge amount of experience and past success. You will train in different schools, enabling you to create working links with other organisations and individuals that will support your career as you progress. You won’t get a better tailored individual training and support package from any other provider.”

Photo of Kerrie Parsons, Professional Mentor

Kerrie has been teaching English and Media for 21 years in a variety of schools in Hampshire. She became a teacher because she loves inspiring and working with young people and wanted a challenge. Kerrie’s decision to specialise in English was easy as she’s passionate about the subject and loves sharing that with others.

Kerrie joined the Rural Schools Alliance in 2023 enabling us to gain from her considerable experience as a Professional Mentor in her previous school.

“Teaching is a career that offers you variety, a range of opportunities and the chance to be forever learning. I want our trainees to grow into confident and inspiring teachers who can share their love of learning.”
Photo of Alix Griffiths, Professional Mentor

Alix has had an extremely varied career in education, working in Early Years, Primary and Secondary schools since 2006. She specialises in Technology subjects, mainly Food Preparation and Nutrition, and has also taught Product Design and Engineering.

Since starting at Swanmore College in 2018, Alix has been a subject and pastoral mentor to trainee teachers and is a member of the Research Lead Team and the Wellbeing Team. She joined the Rural Schools Alliance in 2023 and brings with her a wealth of experience and a holistic perspective of teaching.

“I love that no day is ever the same and young people are genuinely brilliant. My subject in particular means that there is lots going on and every child can take home something they have made and learn skills that are useful for all of their life.
Teaching offers the ability to have high class initial training and on-going professional development throughout your career. There are many different paths to explore in both pastoral and curriculum as well as the chance to develop your own career in a way that suits your personality and life.
I want to equip our trainees with the skills, confidence and enthusiasm to be the best teachers who inspire and motivate their learners to take opportunities and succeed in all areas of their lives.”

Alex joined the Rural Schools Alliance in 2021 after working in marketing and experience management for over 20 years. She is often the main point of contact for our applicants and carries out the day to day administration for the team so that they have more time to focus on mentoring and teaching.