Staff Profiles
Year 5 – Year 6
At St Christopher’s, our dedicated and well-qualified team of staff put your children at the heart of everything we do.
Year 5 – Year 6
Hazel Smith
Year 5 HS
Hazel is from the North West of England. She has a degree in Psychology and a PGCE in Primary Education. Hazel knew she wanted to teach abroad after volunteering for a summer in a school in Ghana. She worked as a teacher in the UK for two years before making the decision to move abroad. Hazel went to work in Kuwait, in the Middle East, where she worked in an international primary school for 3 years. Outside of school Hazel enjoys playing sports including Gaelic Football, frisbee and going scuba diving. She also enjoys sitting on her balcony relaxing, reading a book and enjoying the beautiful Penang sunsets. She is looking forward to her second year teaching here in Penang.
Lauren Bailey
Year 5 LB
IPC Coordinator
IPC Coordinator
Lauren is from the United Kingdom and has a Bachelor degree in History from the University of Leeds. She then went on to complete her PGCE teaching qualification at the same university. After four years teaching in Leeds and Manchester, her passion for travel and learning about other cultures led her to make the decision to move to Penang.
This is Lauren’s second year at SCIPS and as a class teacher in Year 3. In her free time Lauren enjoys hiking, climbing and swimming. This year she plans on exploring more of South East Asia.
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Rebecca Allan
Year 5 RA
Becca is from York, a historic town in the north of England. She studied at York St John University for three years and qualified in 2012 with a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS. From there she took a teaching post at a village school in Harrogate and worked there as a class teacher and as part of the senior leadership team for the past eight years. She has travelled all over Europe and after travelling to Vietnam and Thailand, Becca knew she wanted to see more of Asia. This inspired her move to Penang and to St Christopher’s. In her free time, Becca enjoys reading books, baking, exploring the outdoors and socialising with friends. She is enjoying this new adventure and being a part of the SCIPS family.
Graham Reeves
Year 6 GR
Maths Leader
Maths Leader
Graham moved to Penang from Bristol, a city in the United Kingdom. He studied at The University of the West of England and earned a BA (Hons) degree in Primary Education. Graham has taught in a number of state schools in the United Kingdom as well as spending two years working in an international school in Chengdu, China. At his previous school, Graham was the coordinator of Science and PE, two subjects he feels very passionate about.
Graham is a keen cyclist and used to race for his local team, Bristol Road Club. At weekends he can be spotted tackling the hills of Penang or going all the way around the island.
Graham is married to Claire, also a teacher at SCIPS, and he has a daughter Florence and a son George. He loves living in Penang and working at SCIPS because of the strong sense of community and friendly welcoming environment for his whole family.
Andrea O’Keeffe
Year 6 AO
Science Leader
Andrea is the typical ‘Third Culture Kid’. Although she has close ties to her Irish and Spanish background, she grew up primarily in Japan before completing her Bachelors degree in Natural Sciences at Durham University. She then went on to complete her PGCE teaching qualification at Cambridge University and taught in the Cambridge area for 4 years. Having experienced the international school circuit as a student, she decided to try teaching abroad and has not looked back. Andrea has taught in Cambridge, UK, Cairo, Egypt and now in Penang. Outside of school, Andrea loves to play sports, such as basketball, ultimate frisbee, football and squash, but equally enjoys exploring, be it rainforest, desert, underwater environments or cultural heritage.
Luke McRae
Year 6 LM
PSHE Coordinator
Luke is from Newbury in the United Kingdom. He studied at Roehampton University and graduated in 2014. Before graduating from university, he travelled and lived overseas, spending time living and working in Australia, South-East Asia and India. Malaysia has often felt like his home away from home. During his time overseas, he was inspired to become a teacher. He began his teaching journey in London and has since taught in Qatar. His favourite hobby is travelling with his young family. His wife is also a History teacher and his young son keeps him busy and entertained. Luke is looking forward to seeing another year at SCIPS in Year 4.