Senior Leadership Team

Philip Skelker, the College’s Head Master since September 2000, was educated at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, where he was an Open Scholar, and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He has taught English at the Watford Grammar Schools, the Hasmonean School and Eton College. He was previously head of King David High School, Liverpool and Carmel College. In June 2001, Mr Skelker was awarded the Max Fisher Prize for his contribution to Jewish education.

Adam Harris joined Immanuel College as Bursar in October 2010.  He is a graduate of South Bank University and a Chartered Certified Accountant(FCCA). He started his career in an accountancy practice, where he specialised in the music, media and advertising industries. He has also worked for a hedge fund, looking after a number of private equity portfolios. In the last four years he has been the internal accountant at the Lubavitch Foundation, looking after their schools and Chabad Houses all over the UK.

Beth Kerr joined Immanuel College in September 2001 as Head of Physical Education and took up the position of Director of Pastoral Education in September 2005.  Mrs Kerr is a graduate of Loughborough University and a former member of the Welsh national netball team. She has a deep interest in the promotion of healthy eating and good nutritional knowledge among young people. Her commitment to all forms of fitness is reflected by her completion of the 2003 London Marathon.

Joyce Mays, Director of Sixth Form has played a major role in the College’s Sixth Form since joining Immanuel College in September 2002 as Head of Psychology. A graduate of University College London, Mrs. Mays won the British Psychological Society 1st prize in 1990 for best undergraduate thesis for her research into gender stereotyping in the workplace. She became Head of Careers in January 2006, whilst retaining her responsibility for Psychology. Mrs Mays has been Assistant Director of the Sixth Form since January 2011. Until January 2011, Mrs Mays was one of the team of Sixth Form tutors, responsible to the Director of Sixth Form for oversight of the pastoral welfare and academic progress of the students in her tutor group.

David Riffkin, the Director of Judaism at Immanuel College, is responsible for all aspects of Jewish education at the school. He studied full-time for four years in Modern Orthodox yeshivot, taking his semicha (rabbinical diploma), whilst in the Kollel at Yeshivat Hamivtar. He took his first and second degrees at Jews’ College, London, before gaining a PGCE in Religious Education at the Institute of Education. Rabbi Riffkin has taught previously at Carmel College and at Herzlia High School in Cape Town, where he was Head of Jewish Studies.
 
Ruth Solomons is responsible for individual and whole-staff professional development. She is a graduate of University College, London in Zoology, has a masters’ degree in Educational Studies from the University of London Institute of Education and an MBA.  Mrs Solomons was Head of Science at Immanuel from 1997 to 2002, and prior to this she was Head of Biology and a head of year at a large maintained Catholic secondary school. In addition to her masters’ degree, Mrs Solomons’ own professional development has included five years’ part-time study of counselling skills at Westminster Pastoral College and Middlesex University.