We were delighted to hear over the summer that Mr Piesse has been appointed as GDST Trust Consultant for Languages to work across the 25 GDST schools and academies. He joins fellow NHEHS teachers Miss Munro-Hall and Mrs Ferguson as Trust Consultants; Miss Munro-Hall as PSHE Trust Consultant for Seniors and Mrs Ferguson for Juniors respectively. Both Miss Munro-Hall and Mrs Ferguson will be continuing in their roles for a further two years.

GDST Trust Consultants are highly trained and experienced subject experts who work across the GDST establishing best practice, fostering collaboration and supporting the delivery of an outstanding girls-only education. Read more about the current Trust Consultant Teachers here.

Mr Piesse said of his new role, “the study of Languages and Classics builds bridges between diverse people, places, ideas, cultures, and enables us to understand, and ultimately improve, our human condition. In our increasingly divided world, my aim as Trust Consultant Teacher for Languages is to enable every student in the GDST to build the most beautiful bridges, through their learning of Languages and Classics and to enjoy both the process and the result.”  He aims to do this by championing Languages and Classics, understanding current opportunities and challenges, sharing and developing best practice, transforming the GDST into a beacon of excellence.

Mr Piesse graduated with a double first-class degree in French and Spanish from St Peter’s College, Oxford, before teaching in several state schools in London for 17 years, 13 of which were as Head of Faculty. Between 2012 and 2017, he led one of the only Languages and Classics departments in the UK to offer Latin, Greek, Ancient History and Classical Civilisation, at Nower Hill High School. He joined the GDST in 2017 where, as Head of MFL at NHEHS, he increased uptake, transformed the Year 7 curriculum, developed links with UCL and King’s College London and galvanised the GDST community, through events such as the GDST Languages Festival.  Most recently, he has been pursuing my interest in the connection between Languages and Social Justice and in March 2022 led a session on Amnesty International and MFL at the Association for Language Learning Annual Conference in Sheffield.