The Bilingual Primary School

Marina Gutierrez has been involved in Education and Education Governance for the last 15 years, specialising in bilingualism and biculturalism. Marina has also worked as a Spanish teacher for children and adults. As one of the founders of the Bilingual Primary school her passion and drive led to the creation of the school we know today.

Hola, ¿qué tal? Soy de León, del noroeste de España. I moved to Brighton in 2011. The world of SEND and education are important passions of mine. Additionally, I love languages, travelling and learning from other cultures. I also enjoy social gatherings after lunch (sobremesa), dancing and keeping fit. I am a Deputy Head teacher in a SEN school and I am very pleased to be part of the governing body at the BPS. I studied my teaching degree in Spain and obtained my QTS in the UK. I also studied a PGCert in Autism by the University of Brighton.

Hola! I have been involved with the Bilingual School since 2012 when my eldest son started in reception, he has two younger brothers still in the school and I am a regular at the school gates. I have a BA in Communications and Spanish and have just completed my MSc in Psychology having written a thesis on bilingual education. I have been teaching swimming since 2010 and have a varied background in TEFL, events, marketing and communications. I have a strong passion for languages having lived and worked in several countries around the world and am passionate about the advantages of bilingual education.

I qualified as a chartered accountant and worked in industry and the charity sector as a Finance Director, retiring in 2020. My employer for the previous 11 years was Ark Academy Trust, including a network of some 40 schools, where I was Finance Director of the parent charity and latterly Director of Governance. I acted as a governor for 8 years and chaired 3 Ark primaries in Hastings. I have 3 grandchildren at BPS and was delighted to join as a Governor at the start of 2023. I have a passion for music and sport and look forward to supporting our school.

Hi dear BPS Community! I am Ainhoa and I volunteer as Co-Opted Governor on our school board presently serving as Co-Chair. I joined the governing board because my child attends the BPS and I wanted to contribute to our wider school community. I am originally German and Spanish, grew up in a trilingual household and attended several bilingual schools internationally. Bilingual education is very dear to my heart, and I feel fortunate that our children have such a wonderful opportunity here in Hove. Outside of mum and governor mode, I work in Healthcare communications with a strong focus on creating solutions, programme and budget management, as well as events. When opportunity allows, I support our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives as well as youth mentoring.

Jurjen Holsheimer is a Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager for the Brighton & Hove City Council. He line-manages 3 of the 6 nurseries which are look after the wellbeing and early education of some of the most vulnerable children in the city, and has a wealth of experience in child psychology and Early Years education.

Dr Lizbeth Navas-Aleman is an experienced consultant in International Development issues. She works with a variety of international organisations on a wide range of social (bilingualism, xenophobia, disability rights) and economic issues (industrial upgrading, private sector development), with special emphasis on Latin America and Latin American communities abroad.

I am a bilingual (Spanish/English) education and international development practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in education management, cultural relations, and international development. Organisational learning and improvement and people development have always been at the heart of my work, which has focused on secondary and higher education, international development and cultural relations. I hold a Master’s in Nonprofit Management and a Bachelors degree in Education. I started my career as a secondary school teacher in Canada, before moving to Peru where I lived for almost 20 years and held various roles in higher education institutions before serving as Country Director Peru for the British Council. I moved to Brighton in 2022 and I’m thrilled to form part of the Bilingual Primary School’s community. 

Christina Curtis is a communications and events management specialist with 20 years experience as a senior editor in broadcast news. Now working in the humanitarian sector she has two children at the Bilingual school and is committed to the vision of bilingual education for all.

Dr Janet Enever is a former primary teacher and retired professor of primary foreign languages education, having worked in universities in London, Poland, Hungary and Sweden and conducted research and consultancy in Latin America, Europe and Asia. In retirement she co-edits a research journal on language teaching for young learners.