Prep Houses

Pupils in Year 6, 7 & 8 are assigned to a Prep House. There are seven in total; four boys’ and three girls’ houses.

Boys' Prep Houses

Mr Nick Weinberg
House Master of Banks, Teacher of History

Mr. Weinberg has been the House Master of Banks
House since the beginning of the 2020/21 academic
year, having previously taught at Harrow Hong Kong
in 2019.

Mr. Weinberg studied History and Politics at 
University of Warwick and originally trained and
worked as a journalist, before moving into teaching. He
obtained his PGCE from the Institute of Education and
began his career teaching History in London. In 2016,
he moved to Hong Kong and subsequently taught in a
number of international schools, holding both pastoral
and academic responsibilities.

Mr. Weinberg is the husband of Letitia Weinberg, who
is Head of Geography and the former Assistant House
Mistress for Fry House. Mr and Mrs Weinberg welcomed
the arrival of their son, Jack, earlier this year, and they
have relished introducing him to the Banks boys. Mr
and Mrs Weinberg really enjoy getting to know not just
the pupils, but their families too, who they count as
part of the extended Banks community. They aim to
create a positive, secure and fun environment in which
every pupil feels safe.

Outside of school, Mr. Weinberg enjoys most sports,
especially football and is a keen supporter of Tottenham
Hotspur.

Mr. Tom Cameron
House Master of Darwin, Teacher of History

Mr. Cameron was born and raised in South Africa and spent
his formative years at boarding school in Kwa-Zulu Natal. He
studied at the University of Pretoria and taught in private
and independent schools in South Africa, the U.K., and Hong
Kong, where he taught at the French International School
for 15 years.

Mr. Cameron, his wife Melanie, and young son James returned
to South Africa in 2016 and took a position at St Andrew’s
Preparatory School. He held the position of Senior Prep Boys
Housemaster, Head of Sports, teacher of Social Studies, and
Master in Charge of Rugby.

In 2021 Mr. Cameron and his family returned to Hong Kong
to work at Harrow International School. He has held the
position of Prep Teacher of Humanities and Senior Assistant
Housemaster (Sun House) since August 2021. His wife
Melanie has been employed as Prep Matron at Harrow Hong
Kong since April 2021.

He is an avid sportsman who played professional rugby in
South Africa and joined the Hong Kong Football Club in
2000. He represented Hong Kong in the National 15’s and 7’s
rugby. He also completed the Maclehose Trail walker, Lantau
Moon Trekker, and Standard Chartered HK marathon. He is
a keen cricketer while still enjoying playing golf and cycling
regularly.

He is committed to providing excellent, comprehensive
pastoral care, motivation, and support to all students in
his care. He is international-minded and adept at creating
an atmosphere conducive to learning and socialising with
peers while ensuring the safeguarding of all boarders in their
“home away from home.” Mr. Cameron, his wife Melanie, and
son James are looking forward to becoming part of the
Darwin family!

Mrs Kirsty Wilson
House Mistress of Lyon, Teacher of Physical Education 

Born and raised in Scotland, Mrs Wilson went on to complete University in Auckland New Zealand. She developed her passion for Health and Physical Education in a school rich in culture and community spirit on Auckland’s North Shore before travelling through Europe and Asia and finishing in Hong Kong.

Mrs Wilson joined Harrow Hong Kong in August 2015 as a
Physical Education teacher where she is heavily involved in
the Swimming team. In recent years Health and Well-being
have become a focal point for Mrs Wilson, where she has
put the Well-being of the pupils at the forefront. Having
previously been Assistant House Mistress and House Mistress of Wu House, Mrs Wilson is very much looking forward to setting up Lyon as the first boys’ Prep Day House in August 2023.

With three young children life is busy but she has a love for
health, fitness, cooking and travel. 

Mr Rian Stone
House Master of Shackleton, Teacher of Biology

Mr Stone is from the Stellenbosch Winelands area in South Africa, a region renowned for its high quality secondary and tertiary education. Mr Stone completed his Bachelors of Science and PGCE at Stellenbosch University. During his time at high school and university, Mr Stone nurtured his passion for holistic education, focusing on the benefits that may arise from a balance of sport, social and academic excellence.

Following the completion of his PGCE, Mr Stone became a teacher at Somerset College. During these formative years as a teacher, Mr Stone worked as an Assistant House Master, cricket and hockey coach and outdoor activity leader. A highlight of this experience was leading groups of Grade 9 students during the annual 27-day-long hike, where the value of stoicism was nurtured. After four years at Somerset College, Mr Stone moved to Hong Kong, where he joined Elsa High School (Carmel School Association). Mr Stone worked there for another four years, learning the importance that community and family play in the educational process.

Mr Stone considers himself a lifelong learner and has completed a Psychology honours degree and a Masters in Education, whilst teaching. He also enjoys playing sport as much as he enjoys coaching it, and is currently a hockey player at the Hong Kong Cricket Club, where he also coaches. Mr Stone thoroughly enjoys hiking and can often be spotted enjoying long hikes with his partner Meghan and dog Pippa.

Girls' Prep Houses

Ms Jenny Mitchell
House Mistress of Fry, Teacher of Biology

Ms Mitchell grew up on a farm in the rural countryside of County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. She had long been interested in all things science related and so departed for Edinburgh in Scotland to study a BSc in Biological and Health Science at Queen Margaret University.

Having loved every part of her degree, Ms Mitchell knew she wanted to share her love of Biology and so decided to head to South East London where she completed her teacher training at The University of Greenwich. She took up her first teaching job at an all boys school in South East London where she spent 5 years teaching Science, Biology and was also Deputy Head of Year. It was in South East London that she met her husband, Mr James Brewer, a fellow science teacher and Deputy Head of Curriculum. They both decided to take up a teaching opportunity in the Middle East where they would stay for eight years. Both were part of the Science Department and in addition, Ms Mitchell was Head of Progress and Mr Brewer was Deputy Head (Academic). It was in the Middle East that they had their two children, Noah (age 7) and Ella (age 5).

Another opportunity came along to move to Malaysia and, having honeymooned in South East Asia and loved every minute of it, they decided to move to a boarding school where Ms Mitchell would take up a position as House Mistress of a girls’ boarding house. Ms Mitchell, Mr Brewer and their family are thrilled to have joined the Harrow community and are thoroughly enjoying boarding life in Fry House.

Mrs Holly De Vies
House Mistress of Nightingale, Teacher of  Biology

Born in Leicester, in the English Midlands, Mrs De Vies (formerly Miss Perridge) spent the majority of her life living in the Leicestershire countryside, residing in both Loughborough and Long Whatton.

Having always had a passion for travel, she opted to study at Aston University, Birmingham as it provided the opportunity for an international placement year. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biology and English and spent a year working as a teaching assistant at The British International School of Kuala Lumpur. In Malaysia she met her husband, Theo, who was also working as a teaching assistant and here they were inspired to pursue careers in teaching.

With a Biology specialism, she completed her Science PGCE at Loughborough University and spent four years as a Biology Teacher at Loughborough High School, England. In her final two years there, she took a leadership role as Hastings House Mistress.

Mr and Mrs De Vies joined the Harrow community in 2016 as a Teacher of Biology and Year 5 Teacher respectively. Since 2018 they have been proud house parents in Nightingale.

As a couple, they love to travel and spend their free time exploring Hong Kong and Asia. At the moment they are working on an ambitious travel goal: to visit 80 countries by 2020. In addition, they are both very active. Mrs De Vies is a keen runner and can usually be found on the Maclehose training for her next race, whilst Mr De Vies plays rugby for the Typhoons RFC and football in a local league.

In April 2019 Mr and Mrs De Vies were married in Koh Samui, Thailand. They have a rescue dog called Josie and the latest addition to their family is their son, Rory, born in March 2022. When they are not in Nightingale, they can be found walking or training together, usually on the Maclehose behind school. They are both absolutely delighted to be House Parents and are looking forward to welcoming the Nightingale girls into their family and offering a smooth and funfilled transition into the Upper School.

Miss Charlotte Townsend
House Mistress of Parks, Teacher of French and Spanish

Miss Townsend grew up on a farm in rural Somerset, southwest England. Her love of language learning sparked in Year 7 when her French and German teacher challenged her to reach the class “top table”. After her A Levels, hooked by the intrigues of Russian history and the nuances of English literature, Miss Townsend combined her interests in her degree choice; she began a BA in European Studies and Modern Languages, French and ab initio Russian, at the University of Bath.

Miss Townsend found that her studies and year abroad had opened up the possibilities of the world to her. In particular, her experiences and adventures studying in Aix-en-Provence, France, and Voronezh, Russia, gave her huge personal confidence. After a year in industry, she started her teacher training at the University of Gloucestershire, hoping to inspire young people from seemingly simple backgrounds that there is an exciting world beyond the boundaries of our home towns.

She took up her first teaching job at a school in Redditch, near Birmingham, teaching French and Spanish for 3 years, and from there moved closer to home near Bath, teaching French and fulfilling the roles of Lead Practitioner and Head of Department. There she met her partner, Mr Phil Harwood, a science

teacher specialising in chemistry and an outdoor education instructor. They both decided to take up a teaching opportunity in Malaysia, where Miss Townsend was appointed to the roles of Prep-School Coordinator for Languages (Reception – Y6) and Assistant Housemistress of a girls’ boarding house.

Having loved her experiences in boarding, Miss Townsend accepted an offer to work as a Houseparent at a British boarding school in the north of England, where she now resides with Mr Harwood and their dog Pango. Miss Townsend continues to teach French to all year groups and Mr Harwood teaches science, is a Head of Year and has a leading role in outdoor education. They are both hugely excited to explore Hong Kong, especially to seek out the best hiking spots with Pango, and to become part of the Harrow and Parks House family.