Leadership Team

Mr Coles has been working in education sector for twenty four years, having previously worked at three leading independent schools within the UK, before he moved with his family to Kazakhstan. He has a strong connect with the Haileybury Group, having worked at Haileybury U.K., located near London, for 9 years. During his career he has gained considerable Senior Leader experience, most recently leading the Haileybury School in Almaty. Due to his work in developing Digital Learners he has regularly presented at Education conferences such as BETTS, has also lectured, and coached future Middle and Senior Leaders in conjunction with UCL and the Institution of Education. Mr Coles moved to Kazakhstan almost three years ago, having previously lived in France and England with his wife Sylvie and son Louis. He strongly believes that learning an additional language has helped him understand the challenges for EAL learners. John enjoys spending time with his family, playing football and building Lego with his son. He is passionate about digital technology and preparing children for the future in a modern world. He is keen on growth mind-set, encouraging development through active learning, sports, play and holistic education.

Inna has been working in education for twenty years. Prior to moving to Kazakhstan, she has worked in various UK and international schools. She has held senior leadership positions for over 10 years in various schools in the UK and abroad and she thrives on undertaking new challenges. Prior to becoming a teacher, Inna gained a vast amount of experience working as a project manager and interpreter for various international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. These roles have given her the opportunity to travel the world and develop a passion for travelling, learning about new cultures and languages. She is an avid linguist and speaks 7 languages. Speaking several foreign languages has helped her understand the difficulties for the EAL learners. Inna is a strong believer that languages give us the opportunity to become a better human being by allowing us to explore the world around us, communicating with other people from different countries and understanding other cultures. Inna is passionate about music, enjoys playing the piano and the violin in the spare time. Her other passions are travelling and cooking international dishes.

With 18 years teaching experience, 15 of which in leadership, Mrs Sinclair joins us from a well established school in the United Arab Emirates, where she has been Deputy Head for the past nine years. During her career, Mrs Sinclair has worked in international schools across South America, Europe, Asia and in the Middle East. She is an accredited BSO Inspector and has been part of evaluating teams internationally. Mrs Sinclair is passionate about high quality education and aspiration for all students. She believes the possibilities are endless with the right mindset and learner resilience. She is a certified OLEVI coach and uses coaching strategies to inspire learners to reach their full potential. Mrs Sinclair’s hobbies include outdoor pursuits and writing; and currently has pieces of her written work published in anthologies. She joins Haileybury with her two children and husband, who also teaches Music at Haileybury.

Having worked in teaching and administrative roles for nearly twenty years, Mr Cunningham is excited to have the opportunity to join Haileybury Astana. During his career Mr Cunningham had worked in in the UK, Thailand, UAE, and most recently in China. He is an accredited CIS inspector and believes that reflective practice is key to continued growth and development in education. Having worked internationally for a large part of his career, Mr Cunningham is passionate about supporting EAL learners to reach their full potential. He has a keen interest in using technology to support and challenge students in preparation for life after school. Rob enjoys travelling with his wife, who is also a teacher at Haileybury, and their two boys. He a is a keen sports fan with a special interest in Rugby.

Nicola Kirby retrained as a Teacher of English after a career in financial services. She has worked in education for 18 years with 14 of those years in various leadership roles in both the UK and internationally. Nicola believes in professional development and life-long learning and was one of the first in the UK to achieve the National Professional Qualification of Senior Leadership and is currently studying for an MSc in Psychology. She has also worked with various universities in their Teacher Training Programmes. In addition to study, Nicola enjoys keeping active, cooking, reading and language learning. She is looking forward to exploring Nur Sultan and Kazakhstan.

Currently, Mrs Gricmanis is in her 18th year of teaching and joins Haileybury Astana from Bangkok, Thailand. During her time in Bangkok, Mrs Gricmanis held several whole school leadership roles, including Head of Early Years for 5 years. Throughout her teaching career, Mrs Gricmanis has specialised in Early Years, taught in Key Stage 1 and taken on a variety of subject leadership postitions. She also has a great deal of experience in adapting teaching and learning for children from a wide variety of cultures, having taught in the UK, Thailand and Hong Kong. Mrs Gricmanis loves to see the unique skills and abilities of children be challenged and developed, enabling all learners to grow and succeed. She is also eager to ensure that children have a safe and secure environment to learn in and is keen to promote the wellbeing of all. It is her belief that children will thrive when they feel safe, respected and nurtured. Outside of school, Mrs Gricmanis enjoys creative activities, such as crochet, painting and singing. She also likes to explore the architecture of buildings and structures and taste food from other cultures. Mrs Gricmanis, is excited to be in Kazakhstan with her husband and is extremely pleased to be a part of the Haileybury Astana community.