Teaching Staff

Gail Metcalf is in charge of our Nursery for the morning sessions. She has a degree in History from the University of East Anglia and obtained her PGCE from the University of Sussex. She enjoys spending time with her family as well as reading, swimming, tennis, riding and studying French.
Alison Davies has a D.P.Q.S specializing in Early Years Education and has over 20 years experience in this field. She is passionate about providing a positive, stimulating and fun learning environment, for children in the Early Years. Alison joined B.I.S.B. in 2007 and is currently working as a Nursery teacher in the Nursery class. Her last working position before taking a career break was in Oxford, England, where she was the manager of a workplace day nursery. Her free time is spent with her family, but she also enjoys reading, studying Flemish and trying to cycle and walk in the lovely Belgium countryside. She also works voluntarily as part of a pastoral care. team and enjoys meeting a wide variety of people through this.
Reception Class Teacher Shirley Cassidy has a BA in Liberal Studies and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Oregon State University. Before coming to Belgium, she taught in the U.S. and in international schools in Morocco and France. She is currently the reception teacher and literacy coordinator. Her interests include books, music, fencing, cooking, interior decorating, and spending time with her family.
Alicia Baine is a New Zealand National with a Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching from Massey University, New Zealand. She has taught in both Key Stage 1 and 2 in NZ and has spent time teaching in Singapore, The United Arab Emirates and Germany. Miss Baine has taught using a range of curricula with a strong focus on inquiry learning and enjoys student-centred learning. She is currently our Year 1 teacher and the Library Coordinator for KS 1 and 2. Her interests include reading, skiing, traveling, spending time with family and friends.
Tim Gill has a Bsc in Zoology and a PGCE from the University of Southampton. He has taught a variety of subjects, in a range of schools, at a number of different Key Stages. Currently teaching Year 2 he is also the Science Coordinator. He is married with three children and a dog.
Valeria Vetter trained as a primary school teacher in Pinetown, South Africa, where she qualified with an HDE to teach 5 to 12 year olds. After teaching for some 16 years in South Africa, she moved abroad where she worked in Poland before settling down in Brussels. She has an ESL qualification and has ESL teaching experience with students ranging from 5 to 19 years old in Polish schools. Her interests are her family, computers, reading and travelling.
Tim Stedman studied Geological Engineering at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, after which he taught TEFL in Turkey for 6 months and in Spain for 21/2 years. Then he completed a Primary PGCE with Spanish at Nottingham Trent University. He has been teaching for 4 years with back-to-back Y2 classes, a Y3 class and then last year's Y1 at BISB. In his free time, Tim plays hockey for White Star Hockey Club in Evere while also doing lots of running. When he is back home in England he competes in fell races. He also likes learning languages and going to the cinema.
Kate Stevenson has a BSc in Psychology and a PGCE from Roehampton University in London. She taught Year 6 in a large school in West London before joining BISB in 2007. She is currently the Year 5 teacher and ICT coordinator. Her interests include cookery, travel and hiking.
Ruth Avis has a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Essex and a PGCE from Oxford Brookes University. She has been a teacher for sixteen years during which time she has taught in Key Stages 1 and 2 as well as the Foundation Stage. In recent years, she has specialised in Learning Support and EAL. Most of her free time is taken up with her family, but she occasionally gets back on the tennis court or watches the odd Cary Grant film!
Our music teacher Penni Clarke received her Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from both McGill University and The Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She also has a Diploma of Education in Primary and Secondary Music from McGill University and has taught both in Canada and in Europe at both levels. Penni sings in several professional choirs including the Chorus of La Monnaie Opera and directs Vocame Chamber Choir and the choirs of Saint Andrew's Church of Scotland.
Rosaria Scharf speaks several languages with at least three of them (French, Italian and English) fluently. She has been teaching French at BISB since she first joined the school in 2001. Before that she has taught French in several educational establishments throughout Belgium including coincidentally our Junior department before it became part of BISB.
Pandoria Gorgia has a BA in French Literature from the University of Montpellier in France and a Master's degree in Comparative Litterature from the University of Paris IV- Sorbonne. She also speaks three languages fluently (French, Greek and English) and before joining BISB in 2004 she taught French as a foreign language for 7 years in Greece, to both primary and secondary pupils. In her free time she enjoys reading, travelling and listening to music. .