Meet Our Staff

Meet the Westbourne Academy Team

Welcome

One of the strengths of Westbourne Academy is the warm welcome we offer to all our students. We wish you a successful and enjoyable experience in the UK and we look forward to seeing you at Westbourne Academy soon!

Richard Surtees

Managing Director

Richard Surtees

Managing Director

After a career as a chef, I moved to English language teaching in Italy over 30 years ago. I enjoyed it so much that I got myself qualified with a Diploma and an MA in Applied Linguistics. I am now a senior manager at New City College, a large government college in London, and also the Managing Director of our two language schools, Oxford School of English and Westbourne Academy. I enjoy all aspects of working in international education, particularly meeting people from all walks of life, and I am proud of what our fantastic teams have achieved.

Mark Halls

Principal / Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mark Halls

Principal / Designated Safeguarding Lead

I started at WA in 1996 as the Director of Studies and as a teacher and I am now Principal, Male Welfare officer and the Safeguarding lead. Previously I taught in other schools in the UK and also in Italy and Germany and have been involved in this industry for over 30 years. I really enjoy the day to day contact with our International students and still keep in contact with some of my original students I taught over 30 years ago. In my free time I enjoy playing golf and tennis and going to the gym.

Emma-Jayne Lochhead

Head of Administration

Emma-Jayne Lochhead

Head of Administration

I joined WBA in August 2025, having spent much of my career working as an Executive Assistant across a diverse range of corporate and private organisations. Earlier in my career, I set up and managed a pre-school and also worked as a classroom assistant in junior schools, supporting both staff and students. The team at WBA are incredibly kind, approachable, and supportive, and there’s a positive, caring atmosphere throughout the school, making it a wonderful place for both students and staff. Outside of work, I enjoy horse riding, fitness classes, and spending time with family and friends - often planning fun events and get-togethers. I feel very fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful part of the UK.

Vanessa Elphick

Head of Accommodation / Assistant Safeguarding Lead

Vanessa Elphick

Head of Accommodation / Assistant Safeguarding Lead

I am the Head of of Accommodation, Female Welfare Officer and Deputy Safeguarding Lead. I started hosting students over 20 years ago before joining the team at Westbourne Academy in 2014. Westbourne Academy is like a big family, with lovely colleagues and with a great ethos. My job in accommodation is very varied, I place students with our homestays, talk to families daily, visit new homes, welcome students on arrival, and also help them with welfare issues. Outside work I love walking, spending time with my family and cooking.

Louise Ingham

Director of Studies

Louise Ingham

Director of Studies

Over the last 21 years I have been fortunate to have worked in education in different countries including Slovakia, Vietnam, Spain, Kazakhstan, Myanmar and Thailand. I have worked in various teaching, training and management positions. Here at Westbourne Academy, I am the Director of Studies. I love the varied mix of nationalities and diverse cultures we work with and just how motivated and committed our students are to learning English. I am originally from the North-East of England, but I love living in Bournemouth and being able to go for walks along the beach. In my free-time I enjoy going to fitness classes and I am also passionate about music and the theatre.

Mr. Garfield

Academic Administrator / ESOL Coordinator

Mr. Garfield

Academic Administrator / ESOL Coordinator

I started at Westbourne Academy in 1996. I left in December 1999 to teach English in Brownsville, but returned to Westbourne Academy in 2011. I have been teaching English for over 30 years in various countries, including Panama and Mexico, where I had my own school.

Erin Whitley

Language Schools Manager

Erin Whitley

Language Schools Manager

I joined Westbourne Academy in 2015 working in the administration and am now the Language School Manager helping to support the Principal. Throughout my childhood, my family hosted international students and I always loved learning about different cultures and hearing about their experiences. In my free time, you will find me chasing after my two young boys who keep me very busy!

Mr. Jacob

Teacher

Mr. Jacob

Teacher

Having completed the Cambridge CELTA course in 2012, I joined Westbourne Academy as a summer school teacher. On completion of the summer term, I was asked to continue at the school and became a full-time member of staff shortly after that.

Clare Vincent

Teacher

Clare Vincent

Teacher

I moved from London in 2013 and left my career in Social Work to retrain as a CELTA Teacher here in Bournemouth in 2016. I've since gained valuable teaching experience here at Westbourne Academy as a permanent member of staff and I enjoy being able to contribute to high quality student-centred teaching and learning. I spent some of my childhood living in Warsaw, Poland, so the love of international travel, different cultures and languages has stayed with me. It is a privilege to be able to teach students from all around the world. I particularly enjoy helping students prepare for their Cambridge English exams and learning about their achievements. Bournemouth is great for long walks along the beach and beautiful sunsets when the weather is good! I also enjoy walking in the New Forest.

Murray Neil

Teacher

Murray Neil

Teacher

I've been teaching English for over 27 years now, mostly in the UK but I've also lived and worked in South America and the Middle East. I started working at Westbourne Academy about 6 years ago and I love meeting students of all different nationalities and helping them to develop their English skills. I really enjoy all aspects of teaching, but in particular I have a passion for assisting students with their spoken English and pronunciation. In my free time, I like running along the beach to keep fit and I'm a huge music fan with a collection of over 5000 vinyl records.

Peter Chandler

Teacher

Peter Chandler

Teacher

I started at WA in January 2023. Between 2012 and 2022 I completed the CELTA and DELTA teaching qualifications and taught English close to the centre of Bournemouth. Before then, I was a qualified state-school teacher for 6 years and a qualified accountant for many years - I have a degree in Business Studies. My wife is Polish, we have a son and a daughter (twins) and have hosted students for many years. In my free time, I love travelling, walking my dog (especially on the beach when permitted), following AFC Bournemouth and family time.

Tom Bramble

Teacher

Tom Bramble

Teacher

I passed my teaching qualification (CELTA) in 2023 and have been teaching at Westbourne Academy since June 2024. I love getting to know students, their cultures and stories. I'm interested in languages, travel and music. I love Westbourne Academy because of the wonderful students and staff we have here, and the fun lunchtime activities. In my free time I like dancing, birdwatching and playing computer games.

Zehra Kilic-Diffey

Teacher

Zehra Kilic-Diffey

Teacher

I am originally from Turkey but have lived in the UK since 2005. After completing my CELTA in 2009 and my DELTA in 2012 I worked for language schools, universities and primary schools. I came to Bournemouth to work for a language school in the summer of 2013 and have been living and working here since then. I feel so lucky to be working with international students and learning about different countries and cultures. I enjoy teaching all levels particularly Academic English and ELTS exam classes. My husband is from Bournemouth and we have a baby girl. We have travelled in Asia and South America as well as Europe but we are looking forward to doing more once our daughter is a bit older.

Lucia Hearn-Kukova

Teacher

Lucia Hearn-Kukova

Teacher

I started at Westbourne Academy a couple of years ago after completing my CELTA teaching course and moving to Bournemouth from London with my husband and two children. I am originally from Slovakia, where I developed my passion for teaching as a University student. Later on I moved to Cambodia for 2 years to teach English in language schools.

Amy Jones

Teacher

Amy Jones

Teacher

Since qualifying with my CELTA in 2023, I’ve enjoyed teaching English both in London and Bournemouth and joined the Westbourne team in Autumn 2024. Having studied languages at university, Westbourne Academy is such a fantastic place to maintain my curiosity for other languages and culture, and to encourage students on their own language journey! Outside of the classroom, I enjoy dancing, music, psychology and spending time by the sea!

Johan Nayar

Teacher

Johan Nayar

Teacher

After attaining my teaching qualification (CELTA) in 2006, I began teaching in Madrid. Since then I have taught in Oxford, London, Bournemouth, Ecuador and Madrid once more. In 2019 I completed my higher level training qualification (DipTESOL), and as part of the research project I looked into how to bring creativity into the classroom. I have taught all levels from beginner to advanced, and I also run filmmaking workshops along the way.

Tas Lane

Teacher

Tas Lane

Teacher

I have been teaching English for over 20 years in language colleges and secondary and primary schools in and around Bournemouth. I also spent a year teaching English in Japan. I really enjoy working in an international setting, and I have been teaching English at WA since June 2024. In my free time, I go swimming in the sea and take long coastal and countryside walks here in the beautiful county of Dorset.

Where We Are Based

Location

31 Alumhurst Road, Westbourne, Dorset, BH4 8EN, UK.

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Meet Our Staff

Meet the Westbourne Academy Team

Welcome

Richard Surtees

Mark Halls

Emma-Jayne Lochhead

Vanessa Elphick

Louise Ingham

Mr. Garfield

Erin Whitley

Mr. Jacob

Clare Vincent

Murray Neil

Peter Chandler

Tom Bramble

Zehra Kilic-Diffey

Lucia Hearn-Kukova

Amy Jones

Johan Nayar

Tas Lane

Where We Are Based

Location