Our People
We believe that we can change the world by sparking the minds who will influence the future.
We believe that we can change the world by sparking the minds who will influence the future.
At the heart of our learning journey at Julia Gabriel Centre is the individual. Our people are the drivers of change – and we believe that we can change the world by sparking the minds who will influence the future. At Julia Gabriel Centre, we have a team of excellent staff and teachers who are committed and dedicated to driving our mission. Many of our staff and teachers are not only qualified and certified educational specialists, but also parents and performers.
Julia Gabriel Centre has a team of over 200 skilled professionals dedicated to education and communication – teachers of voice, speech, drama, literature, early childhood education, musicians and linguists.
Trained and qualified through the University of South Australia and the Maria Montessori Training Organisation.
Fiona comes from Scotland and first joined Julia Gabriel Centre as a teacher in 1991. She has held several senior positions in both Julia Gabriel Centre and Chiltern House, and is now the Managing Director of the Julia Gabriel Education group. Fiona passionately believes that every childhood should be filled with positive experiences and wonder. She works with teams in our centres in Singapore and overseas to ensure our programmes deliver the Julia Gabriel Education promise.
Trained and qualified through the Institute of Education, Singapore.
A long-term member of our staff at Julia Gabriel Education, Sumathi was a Head of Centre at Chiltern House before moving over the Julia Gabriel Centre to become our Principal. As well as overseeing all Julia Gabriel Centre operations, she also co-ordinates our Early Learning Programmes and teaching team. She shares her extensive knowledge by working with others, supporting their growth and enabling them to deliver the high quality of programmes you can expect from Julia Gabriel Centre.
Trained and qualified through the University of Cambridge, the University of London, Trinity College London and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.
The son of the founder of Julia Gabriel Centre, and one of Julia’s earliest students, Mark has been a member of our staff since 1999. He has held many roles at Julia Gabriel Centre over the years, including heading our school support services programmes and heading the Julia Gabriel School of Education (our adult training division). He is currently a Director of the Julia Gabriel Education group and also oversees various areas including co-ordinating our speech and drama teacher training programmes, overseeing our students’ Trinity College London assessments and running our main community service project – the annual Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships.
Trained and qualified through the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Trinity College London and the Julia Gabriel School of Education.
Mala’s first experience of Julia Gabriel Centre was back in 1998, when she was working as a secondary school teacher and decided to join our centre’s speech and drama teacher training programme. She subsequently decided to join us as a teacher in 2002. Mala believes that everyone has the ability to become a confident communicator, able to express themselves well through both speech and writing, and works with our teaching team to ensure that the experience of every student at Julia Gabriel Centre is fruitful and empowering.
Trained and qualified through Beijing Language & Culture University, Beijing Preschool Teacher Training Academy and the Julia Gabriel School of Education.
Huang Ying is the Head of Chengzhu Mandarin Centre and the co-ordintator of Mandarin programmes across the whole of Julia Gabriel Education, including the Mandarin curriculum at Chiltern House and the programmes at Julia Gabriel Centre which include Mandarin elements (such as our Bilingual PlayClub programme). She and her teams of talented Mandarin educators have developed a love of both the language and Chinese culture in thousands of children. She regularly works with parents on how they can support their children’s language development.
This programme gives participants opportunities to expand thinking, to speak confidently on a wide-range of topical and social issues, and to persuade an audience with creative, well-structured arguments. Students hone their persuasive speaking capabilities as they engage in class debates after which they receive adjudication feedback.
This programme allows students to learn and apply skills related to broadcast journalism and compering. They will learn interviewing skills as well as be exposed to the correct etiquette involved in speaking in different public situations. Techniques, skills and confidence are built through practical work.
Students learn to prepare and present talks and speeches confidently and with enjoyment. The course builds awareness of the differing needs of listeners, enabling students to adapt language and presentation to suit these needs. Students are taught platform techniques and given a range of current topics which they can use for their presentations. These topics can be customised according to the needs of the school.
Students learn about story structures, characterisation, development of plot and various storytelling strategies. The programme builds students’ ability to present text in Standard English that is both vocally and physically expressive. Creativity and imagination are harnessed as students develop original stories and use effective storytelling strategies to share these stories with their peers and/or parents.
Poetry and prose are explored through drama activities to encourage students to use their imagination, develop their thinking skills and enjoy using language creatively and expressively.
Students work on text, developing characters and staging and, through teamwork, prepare a performance for peers and/or parents at the end of the course.
One of the most important skills secondary school students need is effective communication. Having an awareness of the purpose of communication, the intended audience and the differing contexts in which we are required to communicate is a distinguishing feature of an effective communicator. We engage students through a variety of activities to speak, listen, question and discuss in a purposeful, meaningful and impactful manner.
As part of this programme, students can be prepared for Trinity College London Communication Skills examinations.
Poetry and prose are explored through drama activities to encourage students to use their imagination, develop their thinking skills and enjoy using language creatively and expressively.
This programme culminates in a performance for peers and/or parents at the end of the course.
Students’ reading fluency and vocal expression are improved through group reading exercises and language exploration. The course culminates in a presentation to peers and/or parents, which builds confidence in presentation skills, encourages teamwork and develops performance skills.
Students learn about story structures, characterisation, development of plot and various storytelling strategies. Classes aim to build the students’ ability to present text in Standard English that is both vocally and physically expressive. Creativity and imagination are harnessed as students develop original stories to share with their peers and/or parents.
Speech & Drama allows students to build confidence and self-esteem, and to master the techniques necessary for effective communication of the spoken word. Classes build the students’ command of Standard English, promote enjoyment of language in all its forms, and produce students who are vocally and physically expressive with speech that is clear, colourful and individual.
Students learn to prepare and present talks and speeches confidently and with enjoyment. The course builds awareness of the differing needs of listeners, enabling students to adapt language and presentation to suit these needs.
As part of this programme, students can be prepared for Communication Skills examinations with Trinity College London.
This programme gives participants opportunities to develop critical thinking, to speak confidently on a wide range of topical and social issues, and to persuade an audience with creative, well-structured arguments.
Students hone their persuasive speaking capabilities as they engage in mini debates or persuasive presentations and receive constructive feedback.
This course provides support for students to help them understand, prepare for and cope with the demands of the revised ‘O’ Level English Oral Examination. Students work on the skills they need to think purposefully, building techniques for clear thinking and speaking.
This programme is supported with an original book compilation of pictures and spoken interaction prompts together with model answers which can become a useful practice and reference guide for students.
This programme develops students’ expressive speaking skills as well as enhances their enjoyment of performing and presenting poetry. Through instructions on vocal variety, an understanding and appreciation of character and main ideas in poetry, and through improvisation and drama-based activities, students prepare a choral presentation at the end of programme.