The Deira International School (DIS) leadership team is highly experienced and talented, with outstanding expertise in The National Curriculum for England and International Baccalaureate and the highest educational and ethical standards. The majority of leaders at DIS come from the United Kingdom and leading British international schools from around the world.
Simon O'Connor
School Director
School Director
Simon O'Connor
I am the Director of Deira International School with oversight over both the primary and secondary schools. I have over 25 years of experience in education and joined DIS in August of 2020. Before this I was Principal of Jumeirah College, an outstanding school in Dubai, since 2013 and am now one of the longest serving principals in British Premium Schools in Dubai. I am passionate about learning and ensuring all students are challenged in lessons in order for them to achieve their full potential. I strongly believe that if this is to be achieved students should be happy at school, and therefore the wellbeing of our community is a key focus for all of us here. Prior to moving to the UAE, I taught History and Politics for over 20 years in a variety of different school contexts. In my last role in the UK, I worked as a school leader in a very successful grammar school in Kent. My role there was curriculum lead and I was also responsible for the management of a teaching school and working across an academy chain of schools which I helped to found. My key education interests are teaching and learning, curriculum design and assessment and leadership models across schools. Within this context, I worked as an Associate with High Performance Learning and led the programme across ten GEMS schools. I am also very keen to develop the wider student experience, and this was the motivation for a recent link with ArtsEd theatre school. As a student I studied for a BA in History and Philosophy at the University of Wales, College of Cardiff where I was a choral scholar at Llandaff Cathedral. I then studied for a PGCE at Trinity College, Cambridge, where I was also a choral scholar. I also hold a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership, and a National Professional Qualification for Headship.
Douglas Pettitt
Secondary Head Teacher
Secondary Head Teacher
Douglas Pettitt
I am delighted and proud to be the Secondary Head Teacher at an exciting time in the Deira International School’s future development. I have been in the teaching profession for twenty-seven years and in a senior leadership role spanning eighteen years in a variety of secondary schools in the UK and now most recently in Dubai. My background and experience in teaching is Physical Education, Geography and Mathematics having qualified from Loughborough University, UK in 1993. I then went on to gain my National Professional Qualification for Headship in 2009 and led my first school as Head Teacher of Kingsmeadow School, Gateshead, UK in 2013. My most recent position since moving to Dubai in the summer of 2017 was as Secondary Principal at GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail and after three years, establishing it as an ‘Outstanding’ British Overseas School. I was thrilled to join DIS this Autumn to further strengthen the leadership of the school. My extensive leadership experience especially at Key Stage 4 and 5 will provide strong strategic direction as students challenge themselves to be the best they can be at both at GCSE and IB qualifications.
Gaynor Dale
Primary Head Teacher
Primary Head Teacher
Gaynor Dale
With 25 years’ experience in education, this is my third position as a Headteacher and my second within Dubai, having been a Principal previously. Having spent 5 years as a leader within Dubai, it will be my pleasure to showcase the wonderful opportunities that await your child, especially in a school as well-established and community-focused as DIS. As a passionate advocate for empathetic leadership and quality first teaching and learning, I am delighted to support our talented teachers to develop innovative and purposeful practices within the Primary school. Our approaches result in students making great progress and being prepared not only for Secondary, but for life itself! We are a true team at DIS and one that shares a vision for continuing excellence across all year groups, areas of the curriculum and wider enrichment. Feel free to peruse our website or make an appointment to come and visit our wonderful school and view its facilities.
Emma Hannon
Secondary Deputy Head Teacher
Secondary Deputy Head Teacher
Emma Hannon
I joined Deira International School this year as Deputy Headteacher in the secondary school. My key responsibility is pastoral support, and I am also the designated safeguarding officer for the secondary school. This means that I am responsible for ensuring our students are happy and safe. I have been teaching for 20 years and in senior leadership roles for 10 years, in London, Abu Dhabi and now Dubai. I studied for a degree in Politics at the University of Cardiff and qualified with a PGCE in History from the University of York in 2001. I have undertaken a variety of senior leadership positions in the UK, including Director of Sixth Form and Deputy Principal. Most recently I was Director of Digital and Innovative Learning across two schools in Abu Dhabi. I am very excited to be joining the team at DIS, and looking forward to ensuring that we continue to offer out students a positive and enriching experience while they are with us.
Sarah Marshall
Primary Deputy Head Teacher
Primary Deputy Head Teacher
Sarah Marshall
Prior to moving to Deira International School as the Primary Deputy Head Teacher in 2019, I was at GEMS Wellington International School for 8 years, an Outstanding Premium, through school in Dubai. During my time there I taught across key stages and developed as a leader; leading subject areas, year groups, developing the curriculum and the Deputy Head Teacher driving learning and teaching. Ever since I was 6 years old, I knew the teaching profession was for me. I steered my education around accomplishing this personal goal, achieving my BA Hons in Primary Education. My love for teaching has enabled me to become the dedicated practitioner I am today with over 14 years’ experience. At DIS we are deeply committed to ensuring children are given every opportunity to experience exceptional learning opportunities in enabling environments – safe, happy, challenged and successful, allowing them to fulfil their aspirations. One of many reasons I aspired to become a leader was to raise standards in learning and enhance teaching whilst playing a supporting role to fellow professionals. All children have the ability to fulfil their potential and it is our responsibility to draw upon each other’s strengths to make this possible. Children, staff and parents feeling proud of their efforts and achievements are key drivers for me professionally. Inspiring others to take risks, reach their goals and never giving up when faced with challenge, is for me what lifelong learning and education are all about.
Iman Fattoum
Head of National Studies
Head of National Studies
Iman Fattoum
Hi, my name is Iman Fattoum, and I am very excited to join the DIS community. I have been working in Dubai as a teacher and Head of Department since 2013 in IB and British schools. Prior to that, I worked in teaching, managing the development of school programs and delivery of learning experiences, assisting in training teachers for content delivery, and developing national strategies to enhance some important notions such as interactive learning and active citizenship in schools in conjunction with different NGOs in Syria. I am passionate about every student in Dubai learning Arabic and using it in their daily life. In addition, I am keen to see these students fulfill their potential and discover their abilities and skills to thrive in Arabic and other aspects. I believe that learning Arabic is not only learning a language, but also about ways of thinking and a culture. As my first own students inspired me to study my MA in Educational Leadership and Innovation (Warwick University/ UK) to make a difference in their learning journey, the students in other schools have added invaluable experience to my personal and professional journey which – I am sure- will be the case in DIS.
Eleanor Hickey
Head of Inclusion
Head of Inclusion
Eleanor Hickey
I am delighted to join Deira International School as an Assistant Head overseeing whole school Inclusion. As part of my role I will be working with our students of determination, ELL and Gifted and Talented and I cannot wait to support them all in achieving their full potential. Deira is a fantastic school to be a part of, which has staff in all roles who genuinely care about the whole child, supporting them not just in their academics, but also in their wellbeing. Having been in education now for over a decade, I have had various roles, including class teacher and Head of English, but my heart has always lay with inclusion. I enjoy working with students of all abilities, and encouraging them in following their passions, developing their confidence and growing a love for learning.
Sheikh Iqbal
Secondary Assistant Head Teacher - Academic
Secondary Assistant Head Teacher - Academic
Sheikh Iqbal
I am delighted to be joining the Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Head for Assessment and Curriculum Standards at Deira International School. As DIS continues its journey beyond outstanding, I look forward to ensuring that all our students achieve the best possible academic results. This is my 10th year in the teaching profession, the last 3 of which have been at DIS. During those last 3 years, I have been the Year Learning Co-ordinator for Year 10 and 11. Prior to my time at DIS, I was at a top 5 performing school in the UK where, like DIS, we were right at the forefront of education, which gave me the perfect experience to ensure that students excel academically at DIS. During my time at this school, I was selected by the Department For Education as one of the 100 Most Inspirational Teachers in the UK, an achievement I am immensely proud of. My subject specialism is Mathematics, where I have had immense success with some incredible results over the last 10 years in teaching, most notably this year where we celebrated the best ever Maths GCSE results for a single class At DIS we believe that all students can achieve academic excellence and by working with the students and parent community, together all of our students can achieve that success. I am a firm believer in the holistic development of a child and believe that a students work outside of the classroom can only benefit their work inside the classroom, therefore, it is imperative that our students develop holistically to compliment their academic success.
Barry Lomas
Secondary Assistant Head Teacher - Pastoral
Secondary Assistant Head Teacher - Pastoral
Barry Lomas
I am extremely excited and proud to have joined Deira International School as Assistant Head Teacher. DIS is currently at an exciting stage in its development and I look forward to helping DIS staff, students and parents along this journey. This is my tenth year in the teaching profession, in which I have held various leadership positions both in the UK and more recently within Dubai as a Head of Sixth Form in a highly successful British Premium school. My subject specialism is Physical Education, which is a passion of mine, both in an educational setting and beyond. My sporting experience and skills cover a wide range of sports both as a player and coach. As a player I have played football, basketball, cricket and tennis through to county level. As coach I have had many successes all the way through to National level, leading various teams to both National and County success. I am very excited at the prospect of bringing similar success to DIS and building on the ‘We are DIS’ team ethos. I have a real interest around teaching and learning, curriculum design and the pastoral care of our students. I believe in developing our students holistically by offering them a wide range of experiences both inside and outside the classroom that are equipping them with the skills and knowledge to lead happy and successful lives in the future. I’m a firm believer that student success is not only measured by results, and the experiences students receive outside of the classroom are just as important as those in it. This said, our curriculum is developed to stretch and challenge all our students and is based on a solid grounding of academic excellence. Here at DIS we place a huge emphasis on not ceiling student achievement and believe all our students can be successful. Your involvement throughout the year and in your child’s, education can make all the difference and I would like to thank you in advance for your support.
Michael Taylor
Primary Assistant Head Teacher
Primary Assistant Head Teacher
Michael Taylor
I am thrilled to be joining Deira International School as the Primary School Assistant Head Teacher. I am originally from the great city of Newcastle, England where I began my teaching career after completing a BA (Hons) in Early Primary Education. I have been teaching internationally since 2016, and I am excited to return to Dubai after five years working as a founding member of an international school in Beijing, China. Outside of school, I am passionate about football and love to play, manage, and support amateur football leagues. I find it to be a fantastic way to bring communities together! I also enjoy exploring new countries, tackling adventurous hikes, and learning about cultures around the world. I am a firm believer in lifelong learning and relish taking on new challenges. I am an accredited performance coach and I am currently studying for a Master’s degree at Northumbria University, focusing on leadership and learning. I can't wait to meet the ambitious, creative DIS learners I have heard so much about!
Scarlett Keyworth
Secondary Assistant Head Teacher & Whole School Student Experience
Secondary Assistant Head Teacher & Whole School Student Experience
Scarlett Keyworth
Within the DIS community I am primarily known as the Head of Performing Arts and have been fortunate enough to lead and develop an outstanding Drama department, working with young individuals with much talent and boundless energy for the Arts and Performance. As I step into the senior leadership team, I am excited to drive forward the student experience for both our primary and secondary school students, ensuring they leave DIS with a rich profile and an abundance of memories to last a lifetime. My key educational interests revolve around the development of the whole child and Holistic Education, which was a key line of inquiry for me when studying an MA in Global Education from The University of Sheffield, UK in 2017. I am an advocate for student voice and strongly believe in the classroom and beyond. I aim to provide a variety of opportunities and learning experiences for every child to develop and grow as a global citizen, whilst finding their individual talent, specialism and a love of learning. I am excited to be working with all the great individuals here at DIS and build upon the strong community we have here.
Sarah Howard
Primary Assistant Head Teacher
Primary Assistant Head Teacher
Sarah Howard
I joined Deira International School as Assistant Head last academic year. I have 11 years of educational experience, teaching across all year groups in the primary phase, developing as a leader. My previous post was at GEMS Wellington International School as Assistant Head of Learning and Teaching. Further leadership roles in the UK and Dubai include; EYFS Lead, Coaching and Mentoring Lead and Deputy Head for Learning, Teaching and Assessment. I am passionate about learning and teaching, aiming to empower teachers to step outside their comfort zones and take risks to develop innovative practices, accelerate children’s progress and create extraordinary learning opportunities for children. I really enjoy being part of the DIS community and am looking forward to continuing my leadership journey working with the children, parents and staff.
Helen Wallis
Head of IB
Head of IB
Helen Wallis
I am delighted to be moving into the role of Head of IB at Deira International School. Having twenty years of educational experience in both the UK and across the world, most recently as Head of English at DIS and Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning) in China, I have the firm belief that good teaching is the key that can unlock every student's potential. I follow an educational philosophy of inclusivity and the IB's commitment to providing a pathway for every student is fully supportive of that. As a believer in holistic education, I have worked in various schools on the development of Learner Attributes matched to the IB Learner Profile. I am excited to see how, in my new role as Head of IB, these skills can be further embedded in the whole school curriculum and ensure that DIS produces students that achieve their potential and become the leaders of tomorrow. I am dedicated to excellence and will, as Head of IB, work to provide innovative and inspiring provision for DIS IB students. I am thrilled to be welcoming students into the new IB Learning Hub and all the opportunities that space will provide.
Charlotte Tibbetts
Head of Foundation Stage
Head of Foundation Stage
Charlotte Tibbetts
I am absolutely delighted to begin my role as Assistant Headteacher for the upcoming academic year. As a longstanding member of the DIS community, I have a career record of outstanding achievement both as a teaching practitioner and in a variety of leadership positions. My career has spanned across all primary phases and in a variety of leadership roles, imparting invaluable insights. At the core of my educational philosophy is a profound belief in nurturing each child's unique potential. This year, I am honoured to oversee the outstanding Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Year 1 departments. This opportunity aligns seamlessly with my passion for sculpting young minds during their pivotal early years, instilling a lifelong zest for learning. Recognising the significance of these formative years, I am committed to creating an environment which enables every student to flourish academically and personally. Collaborating closely with families and the broader community is a cornerstone of my approach, as such parent partnerships are instrumental in ensuring the best outcomes for our students. My leadership philosophy extends beyond the classroom walls. I am dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth. Through mentorship, guidance, and ongoing training opportunities, I aim to empower teachers and staff to reach their full potential as well as celebrate their many achievements.
Nicholas Bloom
Head of AI Development/Assessment Lead - Whole School
Head of AI Development/Assessment Lead - Whole School
Nicholas Bloom
I am delighted to be part of the senior leadership team at Deira International School, where I have been a member of the community for the past ten years. With a degree in Management Science (Advanced Accounting) from Swansea University and 15 years of teaching experience, I currently lead AI development at DIS, integrating innovative technologies to enhance our educational practices. Additionally, I oversee assessment and timetabling. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy rugby, CrossFit, football, and cycling. I am passionate about fostering a love for learning and critical thinking in my students, believing that teaching is not just about imparting knowledge but about inspiring students to reach their full potential, instilling confidence, and nurturing them into lifelong learners equipped for an ever-evolving world.
Kieran Birrell
Class Teacher/Head of Computing & Educational Technology Lead - Primary School
Class Teacher/Head of Computing & Educational Technology Lead - Primary School
Kieran Birrell
Team Content
Georgia Foster
Acting Whole School Student Experience Lead
Acting Whole School Student Experience Lead
Georgia Foster
Team Content