Leadership Team

Andrew Thomas B.Ed (Hons) M.Phil NPQH

SCHOOL EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL
Main Responsibilities: Strategic Direction
Andrew worked for 17 years in one of the UK’s largest secondary academy’s in Devon, before joining AAESS.  He held many portfolios including Director of 6th Form, Head of Year 7 and Keys Stage 3 Manager.  Andrew trained as a PE teacher and undertook his Master’s degree with a leading professor in the UK, in ICT & Physical Education.  Andrew has given many conference speeches for BETT Middles East, The British Educational Research Association, and also at many Premier Football Clubs, including Chelsea and Arsenal!  His research has been published in many renowned journals.  He led a very successful ICT, Business & Law Faculty that saw results at A Level being in the top 5% of the UK.  Andrew enjoys skeet shooting and time with his wife, Georgia, and two sons, James & Ben.

Helen McCauley B.Ed (Hons) First Class

Principal of Primary
Main Responsibilities: Primary Teaching & Learning English, Library & Registrar

Before moving to Al Ain to join AAESS in August 2013 Helen lived and worked in the West of Scotland.  She spent 13 years in her previous school which had been graded by Her Majesty’s Inspectorates (HMI) as one of the top performing primary schools in Scotland.  During Helen’s time in her previous employment she achieved Chartered Teacher Status and worked very closely with the Senior Leadership Team in improving standards across the school.  In addition, Helen also worked on curriculum development within her local authority and with Education Scotland (the national body for supporting quality and improvement in learning and teaching).  Helen is a 2nd level trained inspector with the British Schools Middle East.  She enjoys spending her holidays with her husband and 3 grown children who live and work across the UK.

Zaheer Abass BSc, HED (Distinction: Physics and Chemistry)

Principal of Secondary

Main Responsibilities: Progress & Data Faculty Link: Science, Arabic & Islamic

Zaheer graduated with the honour of being chosen as the best Physicist of his year while achieving distinctions in Physics and Chemistry. Zaheer started his teaching career in 1996 in South Africa. He joined AAESS in January 2002 as General Science and Physics teacher. In 2008 he was promoted to the Head of Science in the secondary school. Zaheer is particularly proud of students’ achievements in Science in his time at AAESS. Besides achieving outstanding results in Science, several students have extended their success in scientific careers worldwide.

Zaheer’s wife teaches English in the secondary school and his daughter attends the primary school. He enjoys running, cooking and body surfing.

Chris Ebbinkhuysen H.D.E. A.C.E. M.A. (Leadership and Management)

Deputy Principal of Primary

Main Responsibilities: Performance Management & Student & Staff Welfare. Faculty Link: Maths, Social Studies & MFL

Chris completed his H.D.E (B. Ed Equivalency) Qualification in 1993, and started his career as a Year 4 teacher in January 1994. He has held many portfolios over the years, such as Subject Head of Science, Head of Years 4 and 5, Extra Curricular Coordinator and Head of Department Life Skills (Pastoral). During this time, he has served on a number of committees, focusing on improving and developing areas such as the raising of attainment and standards, extra-Curricular activities for children, school fundraising and managing the procurement of resources. He has also been very involved in the development of teachers and empowerment of parents, through leading many INSET initiatives and workshops.  In July 2003, Chris was promoted to the position of Deputy Principal at a large primary school in South Africa.  In 2010 he completed a further two years qualification in School Leadership, Administration and Management. Chris joined AAESS in August 2014 and was promoted to Deputy Head of Primary in August 2015. Chris is also the Youth Manager of the Al Ain Amblers Rugby club, realising the importance of sport in the development of our youth. He enjoys participating in all kinds of sport and spending quality time with his wife and two teenage children.

Carolyn Bavister B. Ed (Hons)

Deputy Principal of Primary

Carolyn joined AAESS in Sept 2017 having previously worked in the South West of England, at an ‘Outstanding’ school, for 17 years and prior to that at a school in Bedfordshire for a further 7 years.

In her previous school, Carolyn held the position of Assistant Headteacher with responsibilities for: developing and maintaining high standards of teaching and learning, raising pupil attainment and achievement, monitoring pupil progress, leading training for trainee teachers, mentoring the induction process for Newly Qualified Teachers and motivating and inspiring her teaching teams.

Carolyn is passionate about ensuring all children have a challenging and enriching learning experience that will prepare them for future life. As an Arts leader, Carolyn effectively led a primary teacher’s support network, on behalf of the Torbay Teaching Alliance providing CPD and monitoring music provision. She was also an educational representative on the strategy board of a Music Hub working in partnership with all schools to ensure they provided a high quality music education for all.

Her husband, Richard, also teaches at AAESS, as Head of Maths in Secondary and they have two boys – one who is currently studying at university in the UK and one who is in his final year at AAESS.

In her spare time, Carolyn pursues a wide range of interests including: cycling, swimming, water-sports, travelling and spending time with her family.

Robert Rudling B.Ed Hons PE with QTS

Deputy Principal of Secondary

Main Responsibilities: E-learning, Innovation and ECAs Faculty Link: PE and Sport

Robert joined the school in 2018 as Director of Sport and in August 2020 was promoted to Assistant Principal of the secondary school. Although Robert spends the majority of his time in the secondary school he guides the whole school in E-Learning and Innovation whilst developing the extra-curricular provision for our student. Robert has worked in England, Malaysia, Thailand and New York. Robert is proud of the development and progress made during the ECA program and overwhelmed by the development of well rounded, worldly and self motivated students.

In his spare time, Robert enjoys playing golf and competing in triathlons and taking part in iron man competitions.

 
Hannah Rudling, B.Sc (Int) Sports Science; PGCE Primary; NPQML, Level 2 Swimming teacher

Deputy Principal of Primary

Hannah joined AAESS in 2018, moving from a prestigious international school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She has also worked for a number of years in schools in both London and Suffolk, UK. She graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Sports Science, before going on to complete her PGCE in Primary Education. Over the years, she has held a number of roles, including: MFL and maths co-ordinator, Head of Year in Years 3 – 6, Extracurricular activities coordinator and residential trips leader. Hannah came to AAESS in the role of Head of Year 5 and has since progressed to Head of Year 6, Talk for Writing coordinator and, most recently, assistant Headteacher for Primary. She is passionate about the development of the curriculum to ensure it is engaging and relevant to students. She has also been very active in the development of the school swim team.

 
Hannah is a very keen sportsperson herself and trains and competes regularly in triathlon events in the UAE and beyond.
Hadi Sfenjeh, Bachelor Degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies, Professional Diploma in Teaching

Deputy Principal of Arabic and Islamic

Main Responsibilities: Arabic, Islamic and Social Studies

Hadi is a devoted father of three children, advising them to continue having Islamic values and virtues.

Hadi loves soft music, swimming and walking.

He is proud of Arabic as a language which was the reason he chose to get his Bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Islamic studies followed by a teaching career.

After nine years as a teacher, Hadi followed with eight years as the Head of the Arabic Department and later as a Principal for a private school for six years.  During those times, he made sure to continue to develop his professional skills in all areas which enabled him to be a permanent member of the Board of Trustees for a numbers of schools in Al Ain.

Recently, Hadi was honored to join AAESS to be one of the members of staff working together hard with his team to do their best.  He is encouraged by how much the Arabic team is dedicated on enriching Arabic reading in the school.  Aiming for a better performance in using innovation and creativity in all aspects of their students’ learning journey.

Petrus Vreugdenburg H.D.Ed.; CPT3A; BPS

Deputy Principal of Learning Support

Petrus completed his H.D.E (B. Ed Equivalency) in 1996 and is currently completing his MEd in Special Education Needs with Middlesex University. He is also CPT3A qualified and is registered with the British Psychology Society. 

Petrus has been with AAESS since his two oldest boys began their AAESS journey in 2013. He became a Board of Trustee member in 2015 and continues to serve on the Board today. Petrus  began his career as a classroom teacher at AAESS in 2016, working in various departments until he was offered a role in the intervention department of the school in 2020.

Petrus is committed to creating an environment where all students feel they are valued and empowered to achieve their full potential. He believes that an inclusive and diverse school community enhances the educational experience for all students. He works closely with our hard-working staff, students and families to ensure that AAESS continues to be an excellent place of learning and belonging.

Petrus is also a long serving member of the Committee for the AL Ain Amblers Rugby club. He believes that we should live a balanced life and encourages all students to participate in a variety of activities. One of his proudest moments was playing for Al Ain Amblers in the team with his two oldest sons. His youngest son is currently in Primary and his wife is a KS1 teacher. 

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