Our Senior Teams

Jo Anderson has been Principal of Bury Grammar School since December 2016 - overseeing the Kindergarten, Infant School, Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Schools, Boys’ and Girls’ Senior Schools and Sixth Form.  She joined Bury Grammar School in September 2015 as Headmistress of the Girls’ School and is proud to have led this family of schools on a journey which has resulted in BGS coming together officially as one school - enjoying exceptional examination results, flawless inspection reports, growing pupil numbers and, most importantly, nurturing a happy and successful community.

Jo grew up in Leicester, went to the University of Leeds to study Modern Languages and, after having lived in both France and Italy, began her teaching career at Leeds Girls’ High School.  She moved to the north-west in 1999, taking up a post at Stockport Grammar School, after which she moved on to The Queen’s School in Chester in 2002 to be Head of Modern Languages.  Four years as Deputy Head of the Manchester Grammar School’s Sixth Form followed and immediately prior to coming to Bury Grammar School, Jo had also the privilege of being Head of the Girls’ Division at The King’s School in Macclesfield.

 

Jo believes utterly in the transformative power of education and still loves to teach modern languages.  In her free time Jo is a keen musician (although she does not profess to be very talented), loves to spend time with her two teenage children and is an avid follower of politics.

 

Devin Cassidy joined BGS in 1999 after teaching in a successful grant-maintained school in North Wales where he had responsibilities in staff development, teacher induction and providing for the most able pupils.

Devin became a Head of Year and was subsequently promoted to Deputy Head Pastoral and then to Second Master.  In 2017 he was appointed as Headmaster and Vice Principal of BGS and played a key leadership role in bringing the schools together into the current structure which ensures equality of educational provision for all pupils at BGS.

As Vice Principal, amongst other responsibilities, Devin oversees all matters relating to staff and also coordinates preparing the school for inspection.  He is a qualified schools inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate and regards this role to be both a privilege and one which is hugely beneficial to BGS. He has two daughters who have both attended BGS and are currently at university and in his spare time enjoys reading and walking in the mountains of Snowdonia and the Lake District.  Devin has led the school's World Challenge expeditions to Madagascar, Central Asia, Central America, Morocco, South East Asia and Tanzania and describes this as being real personal development and resilience development in pupils.

A Fellow of both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chartered College of Teaching, Devin thoroughly enjoys continuing to teach Chemistry to A Level in addition to coaching potential applicants for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science.

Victoria Leaver joined BGS in 2007 to take up the role of Head of Geography after starting her teaching career at The Manchester Grammar School. Following eight successful years as a Head of Department Victoria was promoted to the position of Head of Sixth Form and played an integral role in the launch of the Co-educational Sixth Form. A Senior Examiner and Subject Expert for Ofqual, Victoria was well placed to move into the role of Assistant Principal, leading Academic Provision across the Bury Grammar Schools in 2017 and enjoys working with all age groups and departments. Originally from Norfolk, Victoria is married to a BGS Old Boy and has two sons both of which attend BGS.

 

 

Chrissy Howard has a strong and long-standing connection to Bury Grammar School. Firstly, as a parent before joining the Boys’ Junior School as a classroom teacher in 2004. Born and raised in Manchester, she studied the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply achieving MCIPS at Salford University. A successful career as a Procurement Manager followed and subsequently applied those business skills to acquiring a Private Day Nursery.

 

After completing The Graduate Teacher Programme in 2002 Chrissy gained valuable experience in both the state and Independent sector. Her passion for high educational standards was evident in the classroom and she soon progressed to Assistant Head. Further management roles followed culminating in securing her current position as Head of Infants and Junior Girls, EYFS and Acting Head of the Junior Boys School. A willingness to innovate and drive curriculum improvements has been a hallmark of her leadership. Chrissy is dedicated to ensuring each pupil is encouraged and supported to fulfil their potential in a caring, happy educational environment.

Chrissy is married with two daughters, both of whom attended BGS and are now embarking on careers in education and the health service. She has a keen interest in travel, enjoying trips with her family and participates in Netball and Pilates.

 

Holly Simmons graduated from Liverpool University and started her career as a Drama and English teacher at Westholme School, where she was promoted to Head of Department.  She joined Bury Grammar School in 2007, introducing GCSE Drama to the school and teaching A Level Drama and Theatre studies.  A huge passion for the theatre, as the daughter of an actor, Holly is an inspirational director and producer and has led school productions at BGS for the last thirteen years, producing many hugely successful musical theatre productions.  The Drama department grew very quickly at BGS and has enjoyed outstanding results in recent years.  Holly has always worked in pastoral care and was delighted to join the Sixth Form team as Head of Year 12 and then Deputy Head of Sixth Form.  She relishes the opportunity to lead the Sixth Form, maintaining our high expectations, working with our exceptional young adults, guiding them through the UCAS and Apprenticeship process and beyond.

 

Alan Dennis joined Bury Grammar School in September 1999 as a member of the Maths Department. Alan graduated from the University of Sheffield where he studied Maths and Astronomy before completing his PGCE at Nottingham University and then taking up his first teaching post at Bristol Grammar School. He has held the posts of Assistant Head of Sixth Form and Head of Year before taking on his current role with an overview of the day to day running of the school.
 
Alan has a passion for outdoor learning and helped establish the Boys' Duke of Edinburgh Award unit in 2007. He has led overseas expeditions to Morocco, Iceland and kayaking in Norway. In his spare time he enjoys walking in the mountains, especially those in North Wales, and playing guitar.

 

Robert Lees joined BGS as Deputy Head Pastoral (Boys) in September 2018. He studied Russian and Spanish at Durham University and completed a Modern Languages PGCE at Manchester University. He taught English at the Moscow State University for a year before joining the Army in 2004 and serving as an Intelligence Officer in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2010 he took a teaching post at Bolton School and worked as a Head of Department, Head of Careers and also as a Head of Year. At Bury Grammar Schools he runs the Russian club and coaches tennis. He is married with two young children, and when time allows, is a keen fan of Manchester City.

 

Rachel Newbold joined BGS as a NQT in 2009 as a member of the PE Department. Rachel graduated from Loughborough University where she studied Geography and Sports Science before completing a PGCE at Edgehill University whilst competing in the Netball Superleague for Manchester Thunder. Rachel became Head of House in September 2011 and then Head of Section and was subsequently promoted to Deputy Head Pastoral (Girls) and is currently also the Director of Sport. Rachel loves being active and indeed teaching pupils to be active. She describes her role in PE as extremely rewarding and that there is nothing better than seeing the face of a pupil who becomes successful at a new skill that they never imagined that they could perform. Rachel regards her pastoral role as a real privilege as it takes her into every area of school life and provides her the opportunity to work and interact with all members of the school community. At BGS, Rachel runs the senior netball teams and coaches rounders and athletics. She is married with two young children and enjoys watching live sport, playing netball and city breaks.

 

Kate Lewis joined Bury Grammar School as a teacher of Physics in 2006 and has previously held the roles of Head of Physics and Assistant Head of the Science Faculty. After leaving Westholme School, she went on to study for a Degree in Physics at the University of Durham and then completed her PGCE at Edgehill College. She started her current role of Director of Studies in September 2019 where her responsibilities include the production of the school timetable, managing the GCSE and A Level Options processes and helping to maintain and analyse pupils' data.

Kate is a firm believer in the benefits of partnership working and in the past has been involved in an Ogden Partnership composed of local schools and recently helped to organise a large conference at BGS for 140 primary teachers. Enthusiastic about Science and specifically Physics, she is keen to engage all pupils in the subject that has held her fascination for the past 20 years. Kate has a young family which occupies much of her free time; her children are keen swimmers, climbers and mischief-makers which keeps her busy!

 

Kiri Gore joined BGS in 2007 as teacher of Art, becoming Head of Art (Boys) in 2010 before being appointed as Director of Arts and Culture (BGS) in 2018. She graduated from Staffordshire University with BA Hons: Ceramics and has a Masters degree in Fine Art, obtaining the Vice-Chancellors Excellence Scholarship. As a member of the SLT, Kiri represents the School on a regional Arts Board and is the Artsmark Leader for all arts and cultural opportunities in BGS. Her role entails leading on whole school initiatives which create a thriving hub of excellence in the Arts for all pupils and staff. The role of Director of Arts and Culture engages the school and local community to collaborate together, providing sustainability, diversity, resilience and skills.

 

As a professional artist, Kiri specialises in ceramic installations with a focus on memories. She has exhibited across the northwest and her work has been sold both nationally and internationally. Kiri is also Sixth Form tutor and is heavily involved in the preparation of students for Higher Education, supporting them in their own educational development. When she isn’t working in her studio, Kiri has a keen interest in sports and a wealth of experience in cricket and hockey.