Life Skills Team and Consultants

Mr. Alan Andrew
Director of Student Support at ICS

Alan Andrew is from the United States where he has earned degrees in Psychology (B.A.) Special Education (M.Ed.) and School Psychology (Ed.S.).  His professional experience includes primary and secondary special education teaching, working as an educational psychologist and as head of school.  As Director of Student Support he inspires to develop a program that is strengths based with a respect for learning and behavioural differences rather than a medical model focused on deficit.  Alan believes in a neurodiversity model that builds bridges between neurotypical and neurodiverse individuals.  Alan enjoys working at ICS, a school that does not make assumptions as to a uniform best.  Alan has lived and worked in the USA, UK, Belgium, and Spain.  He couldn't be happier living in London with his partner Vincent, sister Amy, and two dogs: Costa and Rica.

Mr Samir Chiedde
Life Skills Assistant

Mr Samir Chiedde is from Brazil. He graduated from FEFISA University with a BA in Physical Education and Sports. Samir is also qualified as a Football Coach and Personal Trainer. He is passionate about Martial Arts, training and teaching Jiu-Jitsu (for which he reached the purple belt level). His passionfor diversity and inclusive education brought him to work with Life Skills students.
Samir loves football and in his spare time he has been coaching an Under 8 football team and teaching Brazilian football skills to children of all ages.

Laura Muir
Head of Student Support at Secondary School

Laura Muir holds a masters degree in education with a specialization in special education from the United States and a masters in sociology from the London School of Economics.  She has worked with special needs children in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.  Her background is in evaluating, supporting, and instructing students with learning disabilities, on the autism spectrum, with ADHD, and with behavioural concerns.  She has managed diverse individual student plans and taught literacy, humanities, and mathematics.  Additionally, she created and implemented a special needs programme in Abu Dhabi, where she trained and supported teachers to work with SEN students.  Laura is very excited to be joining ICS’s student support team.

Beryl Jones
Speech and Language Therapist 

Beryl obtained her BSc (Hons) degree in Speech and Language Therapy from the University of Reading in 2007. Her training experience includes working within Special schools, language centres and also Mainstream schools with Inclusion provision.

Beryl is a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Health Professional Council, London Autism Special Interest Group and London Bilingualism Specific Interest Group.

Beryl has a passion for making learning interesting, fun and accessible. Working within a multi-disciplinary setting Beryl’s role is to facilitate the understanding and exchange of language within social and academic communication settings. 

Beryl is originally from Sierra Leone, lived in Germany for 12 years and has worked in the UK across a variety of culturally diverse social and education settings. 

Philip Hurd
Head of ICS and Life Skills

Philip has spent 20 years in International Education and developed a passion for creating and developing opportunities within the field of Special Education Needs. He believes in facilitating exciting educational journeys for all students and staff which challenge, stimulate and exceed expectations. Out of a passionate commitment to inclusion and diversity Philip has set up a comprehensive Special Education Needs department for the International Community School in London, has founded SITE charitable trust, set up a Travel and Learn programme that has taken SEN students up the Amazon and into the Arctic and co-created the College of Life Skills.