The Houses

Austen

I am a devoted educator and compassionate advocate for children's well-being, born and raised amidst the breathtaking landscapes of South Africa. Having pursued my higher education at the esteemed University of Potchefstroom, I have always harboured a profound passion for nurturing young minds and empowering them to reach their full potential.

Stepping beyond the familiar horizons of my homeland for the first time, I now find myself at WASCZ , accompanied by my loving husband and cherished daughter. This new chapter marks an exciting adventure and a profound opportunity to expand my cultural horizons while continuing my mission to inspire and uplift children.

From an early age, I knew that my calling lay in working with children. Whether they are in the tender years of early childhood or navigating the complexities of adolescence, I believe in fostering an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and encouraged to excel. My unwavering dedication to ensuring that each child can blossom into the best version of themselves is the driving force behind my work.

My heart swells with happiness and joy when I see the spark of curiosity and the eagerness to learn in the eyes of my students. I understand the profound impact that a nurturing and empowering educational environment can have on shaping young lives, and I approach my role as housemistress of Austen with boundless enthusiasm and dedication.

Now, in my new home in Austen, I am committed to creating a space where every girl can thrive. I am determined to ensure that each student feels heard, loved, and cared for, guiding them with wisdom and compassion as they navigate the journey of self-discovery and growth. With my unwavering belief in the potential of every child and my deep-rooted passion for education, I will try my utmost to continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of each of my girls.

Blake

My name is Konstantin Nikolaev, students call me Mr. Kosta. I am honored to be housemaster of Blake House at WAS Changzhou. I was born in Moscow, Russia. My first boarding experience was in Northampton, UK. I graduated from Touro College of NY and got my master’s degree in psychology in one of the best universities in Russia. I had my internship at San Diego State University, faculty of psychology in California, USA. After finishing my degree, I built my career at the first boarding school in Russia, where I worked as a Housemaster for 5 years. During my work I joined and completed Boarding School’s Association program, which helped me to understand aspects of boarding life better. All my career relates to boarding and education.

Here at WAS Changzhou, I’m wellbeing and EPQ teacher. I am passionate about all kinds of sports, especially football and hockey. WAS Changzhou gives great opportunities to students to find what they like. I am confident that my active approach to life will help WAS children fulfill their potential.

Our house is named after famous poet and writer William Blake. I would like to remind to all students his famous quote. “No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” I wish to all Blake students “to soar” as high as they can in their academic life.

Cavell House

My name is Nataliya and I am honoured to be Housemistress of Cavell House at WASCZ. I was privileged to have attended some of the best schools in Mykolayiv where I grew up before acquiring a Bachelor Honors in Kyiv Slavonic University. These gave me an excellent opportunity to learn languages with honoured teachers and professors from different countries.

I also attended art classes in the Art School and got a certificate of completion the full course of studies. I worked in many famous schools and universities in Ukraine and China before I joined WASCZ and taught pupils and students Reading, Speaking, Literature and ESL subjects.

Having been a teacher for over 18 years, and as a parent of two girls, I am fully aware of how important encouragement, love, support, and personal role model are in encouraging young girls to succeed academically and socially. I want to show our girls all the advantages of the opportunities the school can offer them.

I am excited to assist with boarding, tutoring, and the pastoral care that is the core of our school. My goals are to help pupils gain independence, empathy, and good team spirit along with physical, academical and social excellence. Together with my team of talented tutors, I will do my best to help the young girls achieve their dreams and goals and become independent, creative, and successful women in future.

Dove House

It is my great pleasure to be the housemistress of Dove House. All the young ladies in this house are beginning their exciting journey at the school, and it is a honour to be able to support and encourage them on this journey towards fulfilling their goals and ambitions for the future.

Our house is named after the Dame Frances Dove who was a remarkable woman. She founded Wycombe Abbey in 1896 and was its first headmistress. Her education ideas were very modern and she championed the education of sports for girls - including cricket.

I arrived at WASCZ in August of 2019 and quickly fell in love with boarding, tutoring, and the pastoral care that is the core of our school. I have witnessed personally how boarding fosters independence, resilience, empathy, and comradery in our pupils. Together with my team of talented tutors, I strive to lead the pupils in my care to academic, musical, and athletic excellence in the years to come.

With so many opportunities available at WASCZ, Dove House is a homely and welcoming environment that engages all students to pursue their educational and life dreams.

Elgar

I am deeply honored to take on the role of the new Housemaster of Elgar House. I bring with me a wealth of knowledge and experience, having earned a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education and a UEFA B Licence for football. Additionally, I possess an Advanced Certificate in Pastoral Care and Boarding Management, which has equipped me with the necessary skills to provide better support and guidance for our students.

My background as a professional coach and player has been quite fulfilling. I had the opportunity to play at the highest levels in Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Serbia, and was fortunate enough to help my team achieve national champion status. In my coaching career, I’ve also enjoyed a number of successes, with several competition victories along the way.

Over the past five years, I have had the pleasure of contributing to education in China. My journey began at Hefei No.1 High School, where, in my first year, my team won the city championship. Following this success, I served as an assistant Housemaster at WASCZ for two years.

I am deeply committed to the holistic development of our students. With my extensive experience in both sports and pastoral care, I aim to create a supportive and dynamic environment that nurtures all aspects of their growth. I believe in fostering the physical, social, and emotional growth of our students, ensuring they thrive both academically and personally.

I trust that my leadership and vision will bring about positive changes to Elgar House, benefiting both students and staff. My dedication to education and passion for sports will, I hope, inspire our students to strive for excellence in all their endeavors.

Newton House

My name is Samuel Cooke, and I am extremely delighted to introduce myself as the new House Master of Newton House. I am a Masters educated teacher from the United Kingdom. Originally from Leeds, United Kingdom, I was brought up in an amazing household that encouraged both academia and physical exercise. With this, I now have a huge variety of interests that range from Shakespearean plays and epic novels to rock climbing and football.

In 2010, I enrolled at University in Manchester, England where I got my first taste of being an educator. It was at this point that I knew that a life in education was the right career path for me. Since 2013, I have held numerous roles in education, notable roles being Central Manager at Duke of York Royal Military School, Dover, UK, and most recently Teacher of English at Campsmount Academy, Doncaster, where I have been for the previous four academic years. Both roles have allowed me to gain much needed experience which will be invaluable as the House Master of Newton House.

I pledge to create a happy, ambitious, inspirational, and inclusive place where students and staff can enjoy learning together. I have a clear vision for Newton House: to create the best version of every student, so that they can succeed in the future. I am committed to this clear vision and am driven by our shared understanding of what success looks like and how we can achieve that together.

I take an inclusive approach that maintains a focus on the wellbeing and progress of every child, I will provide a safe place for learning, and give attention to individual student circumstances and needs. I firmly believe that students will ultimately achieve better results by establishing a positive and supportive partnership between myself and parents.

As a new member of the WAS family, I know this coming academic year will bring challenges, but I ensure that the students of Newton House will succeed and grow as people while achieving the academic success they deserve.

Scott

It is a thrill to be joining WAS Changzhou and become the new housemaster for Scott House. I come here with my wife and two young sons. We are excited to get to know the boys and staff associated with this well-established house and immerse ourselves in the life of WAS and Changzhou. In addition to my role with Scott, I am a Biology teacher and the Head of Grades 7 and 8. I love to play sports, especially football and hockey, am a keen photographer and love to travel. After my teacher training in the UK, I worked in Serbia and South Korea where I was a housemaster for many years. I was educated in the UK where I was a boarding student from 9 to 18 years old; for me boarding is a way of life. Co-existing with all manner people, one learns independence and interdependence. In amongst a crowd of individuals, camaraderie develops, community appears and lifelong memories can be made. Routine and fun. Hard work and play. Happy and safe. These are the watch words for an outstanding boarding experience. And in the true spirit of Robert Falcon Scott, through adventure and fortitude, and kindness besides, we strive for our boys to become great people and aspire to great things.

Turner House

It is my great pleasure to be the housemaster of Turner House, the strongest and the most competitive boy’s house at the school. Having worked as an assistant housemaster at the International School of South Africa from 2002 to 2008, and at this school since April 2024, I have developed a strong understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in a boarding setting.

My key goal is to build and maintain a caring, diverse, welcoming and culturally rich boarding house, where all boys feel connected to one another and experience a genuine sense of belonging in the school. I also desire to foster multiple developmental pathways for individual boys in Turner House, which will enable them to thrive in their personal identity in unique and positive ways in the school, thereby making them the best version of themselves, both socially and academically.

I am married with two daughters, aged 21 and 19. The eldest has just completed her bachelor’s degree in architecture and the youngest is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I hold a bachelor's degree in science, a postgraduate diploma in engineering (satellite telecommunications), and a bachelor's degree with honours in science education.

Having been a teacher for 23 years, and as a parent, I am aware of how important support, encouragement and a good role model are in assisting young people to excel academically, physically and socially.

I am approachable and very caring in my nature. At the same time, I am a firm believer and a practitioner of values and principles that encourage behaving well towards others and acting in ways that benefit the community we live in. I hope to impart these beliefs to the boys as we journey together.

Hawking House

After 2 years in the role of assistant, it is a great pride to become the new housemaster of Hawking, a well-known house for its sense of winning mentality. I am also head of water sports (Development) and head coach for rowing, which will help me to motivate our students to embrace challenges, never give up, even after failure and ultimately make trace their road to succeed.

French, living in China for more than 10 years, I have a Master degree in plastic transformation and although I started my career as a trainer, I spent most of it in the industry, living and working in 6 different countries, leading factories or business operation and traveling in more than 60 countries. A passionate rower, I operated in 2020 a big career change and got certified as a rowing coach, reaching level 3 with USRowing last year.

Joining WASCZ in 2022, helped me to understand the true benefits of a boarding system, especially in an environment where single child family is the norm. On top of a strong academic mission, we like to cultivate camaraderie, create teams, for a game, a season or a life. We are here to help students to try as much as possible new activities, find their passion, engage and share.

This is possible thanks to a strong pastoral and tutoring team, a mix of senior and new teachers, all passionate about education, the key to the success of Hawking students.

Fonteyn

I am Lyn Dempster from Liverpool, England and I am delighted to be boarding mistress of Fonteyn house at Wycombe Abbey, Changzhou. I have been teaching for quite a long time and bring with me a wealth of experience although China is very different to back in the UK. This is my second position in China, a country I come to love, respect and admire for its amazing culture, architecture and its friendly and welcoming people.

I have 3 grown up children, 1 of whom is also a teacher back in the UK and I came into teaching by starting off by completing a small computing course, primarily to keep up with my children when they were young. One thing led to another and here I am in China teaching computing and boarding mistress of Fonteyn house!

I firmly believe in a holistic approach to education in that the foundations that underpin excellence are ensuring that students are well looked after, happy & secure and that their well-being is taken care of with lots of support and encouragement. If this is achieved then students will be more stimulated and confident to work smart, make progress and excel in what they want to achieve.

In my spare time I like to be outdoors: hiking; camping; trekking and I can also be quite adventurous with a bit of rafting and skiing. Things might not be as easy to do as they were several years ago but I never give up, keep on going even if only to prove a point to myself.

The facilities at the school are by far the best I have ever experienced and I know students have a very diverse extra curricular program with opportunities for a vast array of sports, musical opportunities and trips abroad. This is something I know I will fully support all students in, not only in Fonteyn house and I will actively encourage and support students to fulfil their potential both academically and emotionally and to also continue the hard work and excellence that is already established in Fonteyn house.

Somerville

My name is Eileen Tamati and I am thoroughly enjoying my role as Somerville Housemistress. Mary Somerville was a strong and aspiring woman, qualities I would like to encourage our Somerville girls to develop through the vast array activities available here.

I am from and was educated in New Zealand – the land of the long white cloud. I hold a Physical Education Degree, Bachelor of Education Degree and a Teaching Diploma and have been teaching for 21 years now, which is something I am very passionate about.

This is my third year at Wycombe Abbey School. Currently I am Head of Physical Education, Director of Sport as well as Somerville Housemistress.

I am here with my 3 children, all of whom are currently thriving in China. My oldest daughter is teaching in the Physical Education Department and is leading the Netball Development. Sport is a passion of mine and I have played and coached competitive and high-performance netball and basketball spanning over 30 years.

My oldest son is currently going to Changzhou University studying a Degree in Chinese Language and Literature. He is in complete admiration with China and its culture and is making the most of his opportunities whilst here.

My youngest son is a pupil here at Wycombe Abbey Changzhou, he loves sport and will play anything if given the opportunity.

We are a family that love to travel and have done so extensively. I believe in giving my children the opportunity to see the world and the many cultures within, to assist them to grow into confident and independent young adults.

Through the nurturing and encouragement from our enthusiastic Somerville staff we will support our girls to achieve their potential and to seek head on the challenges that lay ahead.

Blyton

I am honoured to be the Blyton Housemistress and have the opportunity to support the girls in the house through their journeys toward becoming accomplished and cultivated young women. I am further delighted to be in the house named for one of my favourite childhood authors; Enid Blyton’s books about adventurous children and boarding school antics inspired my love of literature and I aim to encourage the girls in Blyton House to find inspiration in their experiences at Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou. I came to the school in 2018, and have been so impressed by the opportunities provided to pupils across academics, the arts, sports and through challenges such as the Duke of Edinburgh International Award. Raising my family in this boarding school environment really highlights to me how an holistic education encourages pupils to thrive in many areas.

As a teacher and a mother of three children, I am very aware of how important support, encouragement and a good role model are in encouraging young people to excel academically, physically and socially. I will be encouraging them to take full advantage of all the wonderful opportunities the school can offer them. Along with the wonderful tutors who are part of the Blyton team, the community that girls join in Blyton House will be key to ensuring that they are able to develop into strong, creative and intelligent young women who will be able to achieve their dreams in the future.