Mr Ben Bentley
Head of Maths
Interests and Hobbies: Massive fan of sport whether playing, watching or just generally talking about it. Often found at Stamford Bridge attending Chelsea matches. Spending quality time with friends especially over a Friday night dinner.
Favourite Meal: Meat meal – nothing beats a good steak and chips with some charif (spicy) sauce. Dairy – you can’t go wrong with a typical Italian pizza or pasta.
Dislikes: Tottenham, Leeds and Milwall. In that order. Oh, and good manners are essential.
Ms Natasha Gonella
Head of English
Hobbies and interests- Unsurprisingly, reading is my favourite hobby! I particularly love reading Fantasy and Gothic novels. I also enjoy keeping a reading journal which is like a scrapbook diary of everything I read. Spending time with my 3 lovely children takes up most of my time, but relaxing baths, spa days and swimming are my favourite ways to unwind.
Favourite food- Sushi and dim sum. A good cheese board.
Dislikes- bananas, because they are offensive. Velvet, because it is scary. Spiders because they are actually aliens. Impoliteness, messiness and poor grammar.
Mr Ben Gordon
Head of Jewish Studies
Interests and Hobbies: I enjoy playing sports and going on bike rides. I support Arsenal. I enjoy reading any of the David Baldacci books as they are full of adventure and mystery. When I have time, I like to cook and bake which keeps me busy. Any left over time, I enjoy watching TV to relax.
Favourite Meal: Steak or Ribs with chips.
Dislikes: Rudeness, giving up too easily, lying and Spurs.
Ms Liza Merrett
Head of Science
Interests and Hobbies: I love being outdoors, either walking or running, I really enjoy the gym – mostly HIIT classes or spinning. It’s a good thing I like exercise because I also love cooking and eating out! I have two children both at university and a slightly mad cat called Faye who is very lazy and demands lots of attention when she wakes up. I support West Ham (someone has to) and so I’m used to disappointment and the occasional success in sport, I have really missed watching football, tennis and athletics during the lockdown. I like reading and try to read fiction and non-fiction – I like books about science particularly genetics and genomes.
Favourite Meal: Chicken curry, rice, naan, spinach bhaji or smashed avocado on sourdough bread with a poached egg on top for brunch.
Dislikes: Rudeness, bananas, cleaning!
Mrs Sophie Fernandez
Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Mr Nick Ladd
Head of Humanities
Interests and Hobbies: History, Politics, Golf and Music.
Favourite Meal: Steak and Chips with Salad.
Dislikes: Fruit.
Mr Andy Layton
Head of PE
Interests and Hobbies: I enjoy playing a variety of sports ranging from Golf to Swimming to Football. Surprising I know!!!! I currently play football every Saturday afternoon for Old Finchleians FC and my position is in goal. I also like to keep active during the week by going out for early morning runs and HITT workouts. During my time off, I like travelling around the world and visiting as many different cultures as possible. In recent years I have travelled to Vietnam, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bali to name a few. If I’m not playing sport or travelling, I do like a good video game.
Favourite Meal: Picking a favourite meal is very hard for me as I LOVE food and will eat almost anything. But I do enjoy a good large pizza with a side of garlic bread.
Dislikes: People that lie, rudeness, wasps and deluded football fans.
Mrs Emily Linton
Head of Creative Arts
Interests and Hobbies: I love anything to do with art and being creative. When I have time I like to paint and am always looking for new DIY projects. I enjoy reading, going to the cinema and spending time with my friends. I love anything outdoors, going for nice walks and picnics. Most of all I enjoy spending time with my three young children and family is really important to me.
Favourite Meal: Chinese Food – Metsuyan is the best!
Dislikes: Peanut Butter.
Mrs Linda Levy
Data Manager
Interests and Hobbies: I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes on my family. I have also found a new hobby in boating. I love the peace and quiet of the waterways and it’s a great opportunity to relax and de-stress.
Favourite Meal: I really enjoy anything with salmon – especially Sushi. Also, all types of cheesecake!!
Dislikes: Laziness.
Mrs Sarah Max
Head of Informal Jewish Education
Interests and Hobbies: I really enjoy cooking, experimenting with new recipes and trying them out on my friends and family.
Favourite Meal: Friday night dinner. I look forward to a bowl of chicken soup all week.
Dislikes: Rudeness, lies, tomatoes and peppers.
Mr Brandon Pieters
Head of Business, Computing and Travel
Interests and Hobbies: DIY, Golf, Football, Gardening and Excel spreadsheets.
Favourite Meal: Chicken Schnitzel.
Dislikes: Average food and poorly designed spreadsheets.
