Staff

Mrs March – Head of Department – Teacher of KS3/4/5 geography. Teacher of KS5 Travel & Tourism

Mrs Alison March B.Ed (Hons) started at Chatham House in 2009 following her successful transition from primary teaching (12 years) in Surrey and Thanet. She is now teaching Geography and Travel & Tourism at CCGS as an established and experienced teacher (over 30 years in the classroom).  Mrs March is former head girl and student of both Clarendon and Chatham House. Moving on to Kingston University after A-levels she also studied in the Netherlands as part of her degree course. Currently, she teaches across the key stages up to Year 13. She enjoys all aspects of the geography curriculum, especially fieldwork. Until very recently, Mrs March has been a parent of two students at the school that have both successfully moved on to university and chosen careers.

Mr. Dudley – Teacher of KS3/4/5 geography. Travel & Tourism KS5 subject lead. Duke of Edinburgh verifier.

Mr Jon Dudley B.A (Hons) PGCE started at Chatham and Clarendon in 2018.  After graduating from the University of Plymouth in 2013 he went to work in retail for several years as both a store manager and area manager for two different supermarkets before training to teach at Canterbury Christ Church University. It was during his teacher training studies that he first came to CCGS for a very successful teaching placement, and he was offered a role in the department. Currently he teaches across all three key stages. Mr Dudley leads Travel and Tourism at KS5. Mr Dudley is also the verifier for the Duke of Edinburgh award.

Mr Mayo – Teacher of KS3 geography, KS3 R&P, KS3 PSHE and KS3/4 Games. Duke of Edinburgh supervisor and assessor. Head of Mann-Somerville House.

Mr Mayo, an ex-pupil of Chatham House, joined the department in 2014. A teacher of over 25 years' experience, he taught in a private school in Essex, and in Sandwich Technology School before coming to CCGS. Mr Mayo is primarily a physical geographer but enjoys teaching all aspects of the syllabus. Mr Mayo is Head of Mann-Somerville house and is also co-coordinator and a supervisor/assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh Award at CCGS and plays an integral part is providing the training that participants require. Mr Mayo is also a parent to three students in the school.

Mr. Topping – Teacher of KS3/5 geography and KS3/4 Games. Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Manager

Mr Topping, B.Sc (Hons), started at Chatham & Clarendon in 2017 after studying Environmental Earth Sciences at the University of East Anglia for 3 years, and then his PGCE there. He is a physical geographer by nature and particularly enjoys teaching both the Coastal Landscapes and the Hazards aspects of the syllabus but does like teaching all areas of Geography in both Key Stages 3 and 5. Fieldwork is also a particular favourite of Mr Topping’s, as he leads trips to Stratford in London for Year 12. Mr Topping is also the Manager of the Duke of Edinburgh Award at the school and has led numerous successful expeditions over the years for students in Years 9 to 12, at both Bronze & Silver levels.  

Miss Jade West – Teacher of KS3/4/5 Geography. KS5 Travel and Tourism and KS3 English.

Miss Jade West, an ex-pupil of Clarendon House, joined the Geography Department at CCGS in 2025. She teaches Geography across all key stages and delivers lessons as part of the English department at Key Stage 3. Before retraining as a teacher, Miss West built a strong career in public services. Her teacher training and placement at Herne Bay High School led to a permanent teaching role there prior to joining CCGS. A specialist in human geography, Miss West has a particular interest in environmental geography and brings her passion for global issues into the classroom. She is an enthusiastic traveller and enjoys sharing her experiences to enrich students’ understanding of the world.

Mr. Chidwick- Interim Headteacher and teacher of Geography.

Mr Chidwick has been teaching for over 20 year and joined the school in 2024, following successful senior leadership positions in a number of Kent schools. He completed a BSc (Hons) at Coventry university and has enjoyed using the knowledge he gained whilst exploring the mountainous areas of Britain and Europe. Mr Chidwick is enthusiastic about all aspects of human and physical geography but has a particular interest in glaciation and upland landscapes. An element of geography that Mr Chidwick particularly enjoys is fieldwork, giving students the opportunity to experience the wonders of our planet first hand.

From time to time the Geography Department also welcomes training teachers from Christ Church University College, Canterbury involved in their PGCE course.