Ways you can become involved
Dwight Parent Association
Dwight’s Parent Association is our volunteer parent organisation that provides a focal point for the school community. All Dwight parents are automatically members.
Welcome to Dwight! Arriving at a new school isn't just new for students; parents and caregivers have a whole new community to discover! Dwight’s Parent Association is our volunteer parent organisation that provides a focal point for the school community. All Dwight parents are automatically members and welcome you to participate in any way you would like — from taking on a leadership role, being a classroom rep, helping at a booth at one of our events, or attending our events. The DPA’s main goal is to foster a sense of community within the Schools. With families from all over the world including right here in London, we strive to make sure each family finds support and friendship when moving to Dwight.
Through class representatives, the Parent Association facilitates the communication between class teachers and parents in relation to volunteers for classroom or special events. The class representatives also facilitate the social interaction among families in the school community.
The DPA serves as a fundraising vehicle for school community events and projects for Little Lions Nursery, Junior and Senior Schools. Activities include the Welcome Back to School Potluck, International Food Fair, teacher appreciation activities, and the Book Fairs. Plus, it assists the schools with food drives or other charity projects the students are involved in.
Parents interested in becoming more involved or who have any questions should email DPA@dwightlondon.org
Classlist Parent App
As communication between parents is not always easy unless you personally know parents either in your child's class or through other means, we have signed up both the Senior and Junior schools to Classlist, an app which will help us commuicate with each other. Classlist is not only another means of safe communication between parents of the school but also a means of providing support and assistance to each other. A range of questions are regularly answered, and there is a useful section for buying and selling items.
For more information on Classlist and to download the app click here.
Spark Fund
The Spark Fund comes to life in September 2023, and through all of its forms there is a consistent theme: the students. The students are central to all that we do at Dwight and the Spark Fund will allow students to further grow as part of Dwight School London. In a nutshell, the Spark Fund is a ring-fenced amount of funds that are dedicated towards improving, advancing and securing the following key elements of Dwight School London:
Bursaries and Scholarships
The Spark Fund will enable us to offer a greater breadth of opportunities to current and potential Dwight School students. This will be achieved through additional financial aid, and more bursaries and scholarships.
Spark Tank
Through the Spark Fund, our students will benefit from the resourcing for their ingenuous ideas, inventions and innovations. The fund will be used to support student ideas from the idea stage to the product stage, and beyond!
Innovation & Sustainability
The Spark Fund will be used to ensure that we benefit from facility enhancements and campus upgrades that allow the IB to thrive for our students, while being cognisant of the environment, and our aims, mission and vision.
Ways to donate
All Autumn Term invoices will carry an optional £50 item that will help to launch and build our Spark Fund. The reason for £50 is that it marries nicely with our 50th year anniversary of being a centre for educational excellence in London. Should you not wish to add the £50 then simply deduct this amount and pay the invoice accordingly. This is a community-wide initiative aimed at really adding value to the aforementioned areas of the school, and staff, alumni and local/international businesses will also be approached about donating a small amount. New families to Dwight will continue to pay the Capital Development Fee, but this will be known as the Spark Fund going forward.
Annual Report
At the end of the school year an annual Spark Fund report will be produced that will clearly outline to which areas of the school our Spark Funds have been allocated, and highlight the success stories as a result of the funding. This report will also outline how much was generated from the Spark Fund and which areas of the community the funding came from. We will also take the time to thank and recognise any significant donations and these will be featured in the publication, which will be shared with all in the community.
Key donation recognition
There are other ways to donate aside from the optional charge on the invoice, and donations are welcomed at any stage of the calendar year. Donations of more than £2000 will be recognised in the annual report, unless there is a wish to remain anonymous.
Donation form
* Required
Community CAS
Service as Action (SaA) is a foundational element of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). It seeks to develop caring members of the community who act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and their environment.
Service as action requires students to engage with their local community through community or personal projects and provides opportunities for students to explore, design, implement, and reflect on their efforts to positively impact their local environment. Through Service as Action experiences, students learn the value of community participation and gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing their immediate surroundings.
At Dwight London Service as Action and Creativity, Activity and Service are implemented in the school curriculum. Units of study offer students opportunities to take action in and outside lessons. Action is embedded in the tutoring system with Tuesdays dedicated to research, discussion and reflection to raise awareness of issues related to our local and global community.
Examples of projects
School projects
- Adopt/ clean a beach
- Be part of the Student council
- Become a House Captain
- Peer tutoring/ reading
- Library helpers
- Student ambassadors
- Be a buddy
- Take part in the Service Learning day
- Participate in assembly
- Create resources for tutor time
- Organise a school/ House event
- Organise a food bank collection
- Organise a St.Valentine event
- School bus repurposing
Subject initiated projects
- Create a school vegetable garden
- Make a greenhouse
- Teach a language
- Teach a sport
- Organise food, clothes or book collection
- Develop a fitness training programme
- Create a mural
- Act in a school play
- Perform in assembly/ in a concert
- Help organise/ be part of an Art exhibition
- Design scarves (Kundakala Neo project)
Student initiated projects
School Consultative Group
The School Consultative Group (SCG) is made up of individuals who serve by invitation of the Head of School. The SCG aims to involve parents in the strategic development of Dwight School London utilising the professional skills and knowledge of parents who bring management and leadership experience, prior independent or international school governance experience, and parental perspective.
SCG Bylaws are available to view here.
SCG Members
Christopher Beddows
I was brought up in the North of England in a town called York and had a wonderful childhood with a close-knit family, including three brothers. I graduated from Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln with a degree in education. After spending my first few years as a teacher in the Lincoln area I was offered a position at the British International School in New York. It was here that I had my first experience with the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme and also where I met the woman that is now my wife.
Working within an IB education is central to who I am and this was recognised when I was selected to be part of the International Baccalaureate Educator Network in March 2014. This training allowed me to visit IB schools around the world and both authorise and verify their implementation of the programmes. I believe that the IB provides a fantastic framework for all stakeholders within a school and gives an opportunity for everyone to learn about who they are and the world around them. In particular, it is essential that students are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in a community and use these to to make significant contributions. In today's world, perhaps more than ever, an IB education is needed not least because it fosters students who approach things with an open mind, intercultural understanding and respect.
My international education adventures took me to Italy before eventually settling back into New York life with Dwight School. I found myself attracted to the school by both the mission and vision as well as their three pillars: Personalised Learning, Global Vision and Community. Ensuring that a school is committed to promoting and engaging a students Spark of Genius, and focusing on the holistic development of our learners, resonated with me and has become central to my own philosophy of education. After seven years at Dwight New York, most recently as an Assistant Principal, I was delighted to accept the position of Upper School Principal at Dwight London.
It is great to be in London and I am looking forward to exploring all of the delights that the city has to offer with my young family. I am excited to be part of the community of Dwight School London and be in a position to continue to ensure the School is collaborative, joyful and a constant hive of activity.
Laura Freeman
I began my journey at Dwight School London in 2022 and am currently the PYP Coordinator and Year 3 Teacher at the Junior School. It is a privilege and pleasure to work at a school that has such strong IB values and are genuine in their mission to provide personalised learning, global vision and a community. I enjoy facilitating meaningful and authentic learning experiences for the students that helps them to develop not just their academic pursuits but also their skills and abilities that ignite their spark of genius.
I began my career in IB education in 2011 at Rome International School, Italy working in EAL and SEN and as a school going through the authorisation process I became deeply involved in the positive outcomes that came from the International Baccalaureate. I gathered more knowledge and enthusiasm from working at the International School of Lausanne, Switzerland for eight years and I taught in the classroom and ran the Science after school programme for Primary. During this time, I was also a tutor for IB Chemistry, Maths and English Languages. The next chapter was moving to Cambodia and teaching at the Australian International School of Phnom Penh and launching the Atelier for the Early Years to Year 2. Before my teaching career I earned a Bachelor of Science and worked in the medical industry for many years as a Territory Manager.
Both of my children also attend Dwight School London and thrive in the dynamic education that is offered. Outside the classroom I enjoy spending time in nature, philosophy, walking my dog and exploring the world around me.
Deepak Khanna
Deepak is the Co-Chair of the SCG and has been a member since 2015.
Deepak is a Senior Pharmaceutical Executive with over 30 years’ industry experience. He has held a variety of strategic and operational roles across various geographies and divisions. Currently, Deepak is Senior Vice President and Regional President, EMEAC (Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Canada) Oncology for MSD, responsible for MSD & Merck’s oncology business across the region. Previously, Deepak also held the position of President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) where he oversaw the pricing and reimbursement negotiations with the UK government.
Deepak holds dual nationality, both British and American. He earned a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry and economics from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA in marketing from Santa Clara University.
Deepak and his family moved back to London in 2010. They live in Hampstead and have two children who have been in Dwight for the past 10 years, Mira in D2 and Nikhil in M4.
Andrea Marquez
I was born and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I completed a masters degree in Literature at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. As part of my studies I spent a year and a half as an exchange student in the Université Paris VII, France.
In 2011 I moved to Los Angeles with my husband where I had the opportunity to work in numerous artistic and film projects. I was selected as an artist in residence in LA AIR: ECHO PARK FILM CENTER, a programme supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
In 2014 I moved to London where I pursued Postgraduate Studies in Fine Art (University of East London), under the supervision of the Turner Prize winner and Professor Grenville Davey. My films have been screened at galleries and film festivals, such as Sheffield Fringe Festival (UK), Space (London, UK), Festival Transterritorial de Cine Underground (Buenos Aires, Argentina), MARFICI (Mar del Plata, Argentina), Biblioteca National de la República Argentina, Cairo Video Festival (Egypt), Bideodromo (Bilbao, Spain) and Echo Park Film Center (Los Angeles, USA). I also write. My literary works have also received several awards.
I have been teaching Literature and Spanish for more than ten years now, at Dwight School for the past seven, where I am also librarian. The International Baccalaureate programme allows me to combine my passion for language, teaching and art. I am a mum of two little girls. My eldest, Emilia, is in reception at the Lower School. I am a proud member of the wonderful Dwight community.
Whitney Myrus
Huda Pandeli
Head of Infrastructure Performance, Infrastructure Projects Authority
Huda is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 18 years of experience in the UK construction and infrastructure market. Having started her career working for one of the UK’s largest contractors delivering major projects throughout London and the South East, she subsequently joined EY (formerly known as Ernst & Young) to work on some of the largest infrastructure programmes including the London 2012 Olympics.
Huda works for the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, which reports jointly to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, advising ministers and senior officials on infrastructure performance. Leveraging her years of experience advising Board executives, a sold commercial background and a portfolio of procurement related roles, she is focussed on the government’s Infrastructure and Construction procurement agenda. Huda currently sits on several government programme boards fulling different roles – as an advisor, as the government (funder’s) representative and as a non-executive director.
Huda cares passionately about lots of things, the main four are: transforming and improving the diversity and sustainability of the construction industry, STEM in education and encouraging more girls into it (she’s a construction ambassador), family and baking.
Sara Rushby
I have been a teacher for a number of years working both in the UK and overseas. Although my specialism is in Early Years, I have taught children from Nursery to Year 3. My time overseas took me to large International Schools in Indonesia, Vietnam and Hungary in roles such as Year Group Leader, Music and Assessment Coordinator and Early Years Coordinator. I am passionate about learning through play and child-centred learning. I love being outdoors and I am a Level 3 Forest School practitioner leading outdoor learning and Forest School experiences for our younger students.
Outside of school I am interested in Photography and film-making.
Katie Shmuel
I have been an SCG member since 2021 and am responsible for Wellbeing. This builds upon my training in natural health, nutrition and wellness. I am excited to collaborate with students, parents and staff on initiatives to assist everyone’s mental and physical health. I have also assisted Dwight with teaching students about healthy eating and liaising with our catering provider regarding the School’s diverse menu.
I work as a lawyer part-time whilst continually studying in the area of wellness, in particular, stress management. Prior to joining the SCG, I worked part-time at Dwight as a Community Liaison Officer, assisting with social media marketing and spreading the word about our wonderful school to the local community. This has enabled me to have insight into the School as a member of staff, parent and now part of the School Consultative Group.
As a lawyer I have worked at Allen & Overy LLP, the Bank of England and Barclays Wealth specialising in banking and finance litigation and employment. I also founded a social media start up matching tradespeople to consumers in London.
I love travelling and am proud to be an eternal student. My passions include languages (I speak 7), singing and yoga and I am truly happiest in the company of animals!
Aneta Izabela Wlecial
Aneta has been both a proud career-woman and mother for over two decades as Finance Manager for one of the world’s foremost natural resource companies.
Years of negotiating multi-million-dollar trade deals on a global scale have given Aneta a tenacious mindset for business, as well as the steadfast ability to successfully resolve difficult situations, no matter the pressure.
Alongside her formidable career, Aneta has raised her two sons. Mario, an Automotive Journalist, born in 1998 and Archie, who is currently in Dwight’s Primary Years. She is lucky enough to share keen interests with her children, including languages, fashion, cooking, cars and animals.