Q&A with Tom Borrie, the new Principal at St Giles London Central

We are delighted to announce our new Principal at St Giles London Central, Tom Borrie! You may recognise Tom from his time as Principal at our London Highgate school. Tom’s journey with St Giles started over a decade ago, when he completed his teacher training qualification back in 2005.

We sat down with Tom to get to know him a bit better. Read more about his journey below.

Hi Tom! Welcome to St Giles London Central. How have your first few weeks been?

I have had a very interesting and busy first few weeks. Many areas of the school are currently being newly decorated which I think will make a big difference to our staff and students.

Although I worked at London Central in the past there are lots of new members of staff here now. It has been a pleasure meeting everyone and I have been made to feel very welcome.

You have worked at St Giles for a while, can you tell us about your previous roles here?

I gained my teacher training qualification at St Giles in 2005 although I did not immediately start teaching. I started work full time at the school in 2010 and over the next five years was lucky enough to have a variety of roles including Academic Councillor, Senior Teacher and Assistant Director of Studies. Each of these roles provided me with a much greater holistic understanding of how a school is managed.

How does working at London Central compare to working at London Highgate?

London Central is much bigger than Highgate so there are many exciting new challenges. Fortunately both schools have a very warm and friendly atmosphere but I do miss the greenery and garden of the Highgate school!

What are you most looking forward to about working at London Central?

The school has achieved some fantastic inspection results over the last two years so I am looking forward to working with such an experienced and capable team. I hope very much that I can play an important role in taking the school forward both in the service we provide to our students and the facilities we offer everyone who works and studies at the school.

What is your favourite thing about London?

I have lived in London all my life and sometimes I take for granted many of the fantastic things this city has to offer.

Probably my favourite thing about the city is the food!  I know that food in the UK does not have a very good reputation but I think this view is outdated. London has some of the best food from all over the world if you know where to find it.

What advice do you have for students going to study in London?

Try and spend some time outside of the main tourist districts, you will find that some of the most fun and most interesting bars, restaurants and attractions are located in areas away from the city centre. I would ask for advice from my teacher or host family on alternative places to visit and make sure you see all sides of this wonderful city.

Thanks Tom and good luck in your new role!