Our Team

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  Mary Lonsdale Founder

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  Mary’s vision is to help children improve their confidence, ignite a life-long love of learning and cope better with stressful situations like exams. Originating from a family of teachers Mary has developed a significant insight into the teaching profession. Determined to deliver a top-quality service, she has ‘a nothing but the best’ approach to every child’s needs. This naturally holistic perspective on life is reflected throughout her recruitment, with a team of ten specialist office staff and advisers, plus over 250+ tutors.Mary loves Bikram yoga and is often found at the weekend beside a freezing hockey pitch in South London!

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  Rachel Arbuckle Project Manager

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  Rachel is responsible for communicating the Mentor brand and vision, focusing on the development of educational workshops and courses. Prior to joining Mentor Rachel worked as an international Photographer’s Agent.  As a mother to two teenage sons, she has an in-depth knowledge of both the State and Independent sector from 11+ through to A levels. Outside of work, she is a magpie with a love of anything mid-century.

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  Clare Rees Tutor Recruitment Manager

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  Following a degree in Business & Technology Management, Clare worked at IBM for 13 years before spending 10 years living in Singapore, Tokyo and New York. Having navigated NYC kindergartens and now the London school system with her two children, Clare is well versed in this area. At Mentor, she focuses on tutor recruitment across all subjects. Outside work, Clare is a spin enthusiast.

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  Edward Cooper Senior Education Consultant

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  Edward has a passion for providing an exceptional service and works with both clients and tutors to help them get the best possible results. Alongside this, Edward is Deputy Safeguarding Lead and is a qualified safeguarding contact for Mentor. Before joining Mentor, Edward became a fully qualified member of the CIPD and worked for 10 years as a recruitment consultant, team leader and supervisor where he focused exclusively on helping schools with supply, alongside ensuring a premium service. In his spare time he enjoys classical music, guitar, seeing friends, writing and charity runs.

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  Dr Anna Smith SENs Consultant

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  Anna has many years’ experience of conducting assessments of learning difficulties in children between the ages of 7 and 18. She is a highly qualified specialist assessor of Dyslexia, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). She has published extensively as part of a neurological research team at King's College Hospital. She is a senior member of the Dyslexia Action charity responsible for assessment standards and also a member of the SpLD Assessments Standards Committee. Anna has helped many children and families to identify and overcome specific learning difficulties.

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  Juuli Rossi Education Consultant

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  After completing a teaching degree in Finland, Juuli worked as a teacher in Germany for four years before settling in London. At Mentor Education, she is responsible for a host of administrative duties including managing the Academic Assessments, as well as helping the team with tutor recruitment and maintaining client relationships. In her leisure time, Juuli enjoys listening to music, baking, watercolour painting and spending time outdoors. She is also a film and history buff and loves experiencing new cultures and customs.

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  Philip Haynes Schools Liaison Manager

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  Phil trained as a teacher through the Teach First Leadership Development Programme for high achieving graduates and gained his PGCE through the prestigious UCL Institute of Education. Over the past decade, he has taught in schools in Italy, Switzerland and London and has an in-depth knowledge of both the state and independent sectors. Phil is passionate about making an impact on the academic progress of pupils from all backgrounds. At Mentor, Phil uses his knowledge of the education system to liaise with schools, coordinating support for a wide range of pupils. He is the proud father of a little boy and, when not on dad duty, enjoys long distance running, yoga and cooking.

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  Janet Morris Chair, Advisory Board

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  Janet is passionate about education believing that every child should have a great start in life. Janet has a portfolio career within the education sector working in EdTech, higher education, English language within a global context. She has spent 15 years working in the wider education sector – her most recent role was as a Director of Cambridge International Education which provides education programmes to over 10,000 schools around the world. Janet was the Interim Chief Executive of OCR in 2018 during a significant period of change in the assessment sector. Janet loves adventure – skiing, sailing and scuba diving. She is on a lifelong mission to become fluent in French.