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out this role with characteristic organisation and efficiency.
experiences at Dulwich. She took all these challenges in her stride and did a fantastic job, but the department were delighted to welcome her back to the College in September 2013. Iva has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the past 14 years and I will miss her both professionally and
personally. However, I fully support her decision to retire, which will enable her to spend more time with her family in the Czech Republic. My colleagues
In 2012, Iva took a year’s leave of absence in order to accompany her husband to China (who had been based there as part of his work for IBM). There, she taught in an international school – a stark contrast to her
and I wish her all the very best for the future and sincerely hope that she will keep in touch and visit us from time to time.
rather than separate entities, and he has exerted a most positive influence over the 700 or so boys who have been in his direct care. A genuine schoolmaster, Richard offers both warmth and steel in equal measure and is scrupulously fair and consistent in his dealings with the boys: he demands high standards of conduct and appearance, but always allows his compassion to prevail and has indeed been his pupils’ best advocate in times of difficulty. Richard’s care for the boys as individuals, and their progress and involvement, has also been evident in his assemblies, which have been well received by the Upper School community: he has used these most notably as a platform to celebrate the boys’ achievements and to champion their talents, while, more importantly, giving them access to the stage in his fervent support of the ‘It Matters To Me’ series. His background as a South London boy has enabled Richard to identify closely with his charges, who have appreciated his wisdom – and his humour. The latter has been especially Richard Berlie ¯¯ª»ÐV}
R ichard joined Dulwich in and Princethorpe Colleges, before serving most recently as Head of History and then of the Humanities Faculty at Emanuel School. A Cambridge historian, Richard has demonstrated his steadfast commitment to academic rigour and scholarship in its widest sense, and this has certainly informed his style in the role of Head of Upper School. September 2015, having taught at Wymondham, Ampleforth, He has encouraged the boys to be open-minded in their outlook and to discuss and challenge ideas in a robust yet courteous fashion. In the classroom, as a teacher of A-level History and Politics, Richard has engaged his pupils in the courses he has chosen, thanks to his genuine interest in, and deep understanding of, the contemporary world, and also because of an approach that enables the boys to feel safe to express their views and to enter into debate with their peers. Richard rightly considers the academic and pastoral sides of school life to be mutually complementary,
evident in his involvement in videos for Leavers’ Revues (where he offered a sales pitch for ‘Berlie Bites’ and sung in a ‘Carpool Karaoke’ sketch), and from his at times unexpected references to popular culture, spinning and ‘body pump’ classes. As a leader of his Upper School team, Richard has created a sense of identity and loyalty; he offers advice and consults readily, yet affords individuals the space and freedom to go about their work independently, thereby allowing them to feel at once empowered and valued. Richard leaves us following a promotion to the position of Vice-Principal of Mander Portman Woodward in Central London, where, having been a member of the College’s Senior Management and Educational Leadership Teams, he will be able to draw on his broad academic and pastoral experience. We wish him the very best as he embarks on this new challenge and thank him for the impact that he has made during his two years with us on the College, and, of course, on the Upper School in particular.
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