INTERNATIONELLA ENGELSKA SKOLAN

Älvsjö

Internationella Engelska Skolan Älvsjö is a 4-9 school with a safe and calm environment, where teachers can teach and students learn.

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ABOUT OUR SCHOOL

Meet Our Staff

All of our staff pull together to create the best learning environment through the school.

leading the school

Management

Mr. Spencer

Assistant Principal

I am originally from England but have lived in Sweden for 10 years. Previously I have worked within Internationella Engelska Skolan where I have taught science as well as working in middle management with academic and finally pastoral roles.

Ms. Gopie

Assistant Principal & Head of Student Care

Ms. Lane

Academic Manager

I am originally from England where I was a music and drama teacher, I moved to Sweden in 2003 where I worked in IES Gävle. I moved to Stockholm in 2016 to be part of the IES Älvsjö team.

Ms. Houghton

Academic Coordinator, Head of Aesthetics & Textiles Teacher

Hi my name is Mrs Purcell- Houghton. I am Head of the Aesthetics department and I teach Textiles. I have been a teacher for 20 years and taught a range of creative subjects. My favourite aspects of teaching is sharing my love and passion for my subject and seeing the sparks of creativity fly in the room when students design and make their own products.

Admin

Ms. Lundqvist

School Administrator

Originally from France I have lived in Sweden for over 26 years. I work with the school administration and help parents, teachers and students with different projects.What I enjoy about working in a school is to be able to help students be prepared for their adult life in any way I can.When I am not at school, I like to walk in the woods, watch good movies and spend time with my family and friends.

Ms. Grandbois

Intake Coordinator

Phone: 073 152 48 82

Ms. Aktas

School Economist

I have previously been a student at IES Bromma and now 10 years later I sit on the admin team as an economist at IES in Älvsjö. I am a trained real estate agent with a business economics focus. I am a structured person who likes order and order. In my job as an economist I get to help people, which I think is very fun. Every day you get to learn something new from both students and teachers at the school and as people you grow a lot from this wonderful school environment. An honor to be a part of IES Älvsjö.

Mr. Jeeves

Facilities Manager

Hello and welcome to IES Älvsjö. I am Mr. Jeeves and I am the Facilities Manager. My role is to ensure a safe and secure working environment for all those in our school; this includes our students and staff. I am originally from the UK but have lived in Sweden for many years.

Ms. Moradi

Substitute Coordinator / Administration

Ms. Jo

Reception / Administration

Ms. Rana

IT Representative

Mr. Salama

School Admininstrator

Hello! My name is Johnny,
I am originally from Syria, I moved to Sweden in 2015.
I’m the Student Care Resource Head and the Junior Club Head at IES Älvsjö, my primary responsibility is to foster a caring and supportive environment for our students.
I work closely with our dedicated team to ensure that the well-being and success of our students are at the forefront of our efforts.
This includes providing guidance, resources, and support to meet their needs, both inside and outside the classroom.
Welcome to IES Älvsjö.

Library

Ms. Falck

School Librarian

I enjoy books, art, sports and people. The library is open every day and ready to serve you with the related information and study books as well as latest literature, to provide you the best experience ever.

Student Care Resource

Ms. Embaye-Yenie

Student Care Resource Coordinator

Ms. Björkqvist

Student Care Resource

My name is Ms Björkqvist. I come from sweden. I work with the Student Care Resource team. The best thing about working here is all the students. In my free time I spend alot of time with my family and our little dog Harry.

Mr. Berry

Student Care Resource

I am born and raised in Bredäng, Stockholm. I am currently living in Segeltorp, Stockholm with my partner and daughter. Before IES I worked in Hökarängsskolan at “fritids” for 1 year, and before that at Långbrodahlsskolan in Älvsjö. I have been working at IES as a student assistant since March 2019, and I am super excited for yet another term at IES.

Mr. Olsson

Student Care Resource & Junior Club

I'm a happy soul who loves developing children and teenagers. Born and raised in Sweden but my mother is from Sri Lanka. I really enjoy helping out in the classroom in both Swedish and Science. In the afternoons, I'm often found in Junior Club and like to encourage students in various activities.

Mr. Perez

Student Care Resource & Junior Club

I was born in 1995 and I have roots from South America, Peru. My job at the school is mainly my responsibility in the Junior Club. I started at IES in February 2017 and since then I have learned a lot about the students. In my free time I play football and this makes me want to keep going all the time, both at work and other times. Looking forward to the time with the students at the Junior Club!

Mr. Ryan

Student Care Resource

Hej, I am originally from Johannesburg, South Africa and have been living in Sweden since 2019. My professional career started off in the financial industry as a Tax Accountant, while working as a 'Juniors Rugby Coach'. I joined IES Älvsjö team as a Student Care Resource and work closely with all students supporting them and ensuring they are happy.

Mr. Al Hassan

Student Care Resource

Student Care Team

Ms. Persson

Career Counsellor/ Studie- och yrkesvägledare

I have been with IES Älvsjö since we opened in 2016 and I still love coming here every day! I enjoy working in education and seeing our students learn and grow in our school community. I truly believe in each person's ability to "be the change" and I feel very privileged being part of a community that is dedicated to learning and growth.

Ms. Darin

School Counselor Year 5, 7 & 9

I was born and raised in Stockholm, but have also lived in France and in Switzerland. After graduating high school, I was traveling around the world and then I was studying psychology for 5 years at Uppsala Universitet. When I was your age, my favorite lesson was PE and Swedish, because I loved to do sports and to write stories! I am looking forward to meeting you all!

Ms. Malm Qvarnström

School Nurse 4-6

I am a pediatric nurse and have worked at IES Älvsjö the past four years. Before that I worked with hospitalized newborn/premature babies and at a BVC for many years. I love the personal meetings and the opportunity I get to boost the students in the right direction. Children are our future and helping them find and maintain good health is my main priority. I grew up in Norrköping, Sweden but have lived my whole adult life in Stockholm. When I'm not at work I love spending time with my own kids, do yoga and be outside.

Phone: 070-874-2913 

Ms. Montgomery

School Nurse 7-9

Ms. Björnfot

School Counselor Year 4, 6 & 8

Aesthetics

Ms. Houghton

Academic Coordinator, Head of Aesthetics & Textiles Teacher

Hi my name is Mrs Purcell- Houghton. I am Head of the Aesthetics department and I teach Textiles. I have been a teacher for 20 years and taught a range of creative subjects. My favourite aspects of teaching is sharing my love and passion for my subject and seeing the sparks of creativity fly in the room when students design and make their own products.

Ms. Åhnstrand

Home Economics Teacher

I have a Master of Education in Art. I have worked both as a Home Economics teacher and Art teacher. In my spare time I like to be in nature and paint pictures. I'm looking forward to meeting and working with all students.

Mr. Houghton

Woodwork Teacher & Head of Year 6

I have been teaching for 17 years: 12 in the UK and 5 in Sweden. My favourite aspect of teaching is seeing the transformation throughout the years of the students on their learning journey. I enjoy most summer and winter sports from swimming to skiing.

Mr. Thomson

Music Teacher & Head of Year 5

I am from Southport, in the North West of England. I have relocated to Sweden having spent the previous 5 years working within the music industry in London. I hope to use my passion and experience in music performance and business to inspire others to appreciate the value of music and how it can positively effect our lives.

Ms. Åkerström

Music Teacher

Hello! My name is Ms. Lala Åkerström and I am from Baku, Azerbaijan. I hold Masters degree in Music and Education. I have been a teacher for almost 30 years. I taught in several internationla schools. I moved to Sweden 15 years ago. It is my 3rd year at IES.
This year, I am going to be teaching Music in grades 5, 6, 8 and 9 and I am going to be a Mentor in 8A.
A few of my favourite things to do in my free time are reading, baking, spending time with my children and travelling.

English

Ms. Stephen

English Teacher

I am an English Language and Literature teacher from London, England.

I have taught in schools in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, England and Sweden, and I love travelling and exploring new places. 


My favourite thing to teach is poetry and storytelling, and in my free time I enjoy reading dystopian fiction and watching psychological thrillers!

Ms. Meiklejohn

English Teacher & Head of Year 4

I am from Scotland. I have been living in Sweden for 8 years now. I am a Year 4 mentor, and teaching English to Year 4 and Year 5. I have been playing the flute for 12 years and I enjoy painting.

Learning Support

Ms. Richards

Special Educator

I was born in Sweden but have spent most of my life abroad, in Switzerland and the UK. I am passionate about education and believe each child should have the opportunity to be the very best version of themselves and finding the key to unlock their potential. 

Ms. Ross

Learning Support

I am originally from Chicago, Illinois in the USA where I studied International Relations at Lake Forest College. I moved to Sweden 20 years ago with my Swedish husband. I continued studying at Stockholm University. I have mostly worked in Corporate Communications, but moved into the education field at EF Education, where I worked with the "High School Year Abroad" program. I helped develop an English program for young children called "English4Kids", and integrated it into the Upgrades Education group. We inspired kids to speak English in small group classes, private tutoring, homework help and even childcare. I thrive in helping students succeed in all aspects of education, especially where English is involved. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy yoga and exercise as well as spending a lot of time with my kids who play ice hockey.

Mr. Skogholt

Learning Support

Ms. Devi

Learning Support for Mathematics and Science

I am originally from India, holding degrees of Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Bachelor of Education. I had worked as a Mathematics teacher in India for about six years before moving to Sweden. I have worked as a substitute teacher earlier at IES Älvsjö, currently working as a learning support teacher and teaching both Mathematics and Science from grade 4 to grade 9. My hobbies include listening to music, cooking, and travelling.

Mathematics

Mr. K Jonsson

Mathematics Teacher

Hey! I was born and raised in Botkyrka south of Stockholm. I am basically a civil engineer (Technical Physics) and have been at KTH for several years and researched (Technical Lic. Mathematics) and taught mathematics for a variety of students in many different contexts. This year I am a mathematics teacher and mentor in year 7 at IES Älvsjö, which will be very fun! Outside of school, I like to train in different forms (especially playing tennis), programming, playing chess, reading and discussing philosophy, etc. I am really looking forward to an exciting school year and above all to meet is everyone!

Ms. Pollock

Year 4 Teacher & Mentor

I have been a Year 4/5 Maths teacher here at IES Älvsjo since we opened the school in 2016. I studied Education in university and began my teaching career in Canada 11 years ago. In between teaching in Canada and Sweden, I was a Year 4 teacher at the Canadian International School of Beijing. I am passionate about best educational practices in an international and multilingual environment. I look forward to working with students and guardians this academic year!

Ms. Strömberg

Mathematics Teacher

I am a part of the Mathematics Department and am teaching year 6 math. I am originally from Madison Wisconsin, USA and have lived Sweden for over 20 years now. I enjoy watching students mature and develop over the years, and helping students reach their full potential. Working at IES Älvsjö has allowed me to meet so many talented and inspiring teachers. Between the wonderful staff and amazing students, it is a pure joy to come to work every day.

Mr. Cornwell

Mathematics Teacher

I am from Victoria, Canada. This is my fourth year living and teaching in Sweden. I enjoy traveling and playing sports.

Mr. Sorte

Math Teacher

My name is Christian Sorte and I love solving problems. I have a background as a civil engineer in Solid Mechanics and always took the opportunity to teach mathematics on the side. I finally figured out that teaching was my true calling, where I get the opportunity to help others solve problems. Football has always been a great interest and so has singing.

Ms. Kerr

Math Teacher

I am from Scotland. I moved to Sweden in 2014 and have worked at 2 other IES schools prior to joining IES Älvsjö. I enjoy being in the forest, swimming in lakes and spending time with family.

Modern Languages

Ms. Vidal

Head of Department & Spanish Teacher

I love teaching my language and my culture. My other passion is Photography.

Ms. Kjällström

Spanish Teacher

I came from Chile for 36 years ago. I worked 19 years in Swedish school. I love music, dance and teaching. During my spare time I use to read, meet my friends and enjoy life.
"Happiness is a choice"

Ms. Agan

Spanish Teacher

I am very pleased about returning to IES Älvsjö for another year to teach year 7 and 8 Spanish. Originally from Minnesota, I have taught Spanish in the US and the UK, and taught English in Spain.

Ms. Gex-collet

French Teacher

Bonjour!

My name is Ms Gex-collet and I come from France. I am currently teaching French from Year 6 to Year 9 at IES Älvsjö. I studied cinema, French literature and occidental medieval history Master degrees, in Lyon, before moving to Sweden 5 years ago. I play violin ; I am passionate about Jean-Jacques Rousseau literature, cinema and hiking.

Physical Education

Ms. McKinney

P.E Teacher 4-5

Mr. Rodriguez

HOD Physical Education - PE Teacher

I'm the son of two PE teachers, strongly influenced by Physical Education in Japan. I deeply believe in the need for structure and order to achieve consistent and meaningful learning in students, from which I demand their maximum in the academic, social, and above all the human quality: to educate is to build better human beings. With the greatest enthusiasm, everyone is welcome to experience Physical Education in our School.

Mr. Myhre

P.E Teacher 8-9

Science

Mr. Hourani

Head of Department & Science Teacher

I am from Birmingham in the UK and have been working at IES for over ten years teaching Science and for the majority of that time working as a Head of Department. My main area of expertise is physics and enjoy sharing my knowledge of Science both inside and outside of the school environment.

Mr. Mahmoud

Science Teacher

Hello! My name is Mr. Mahmoud and I am from Khartoum, Sudan. I was born and raised in Dubai, U.A.E. I attended and graduated from GMU with a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine, and I have lived in Sweden since 2021.

I have had the pleasure of working in schools in Dubai, Shanghai, and I was also a private tutor in Ireland. This year I joined the Science Department as a Science teacher. I am passionate about teaching science and creating an environment that is fun for learning. I enjoy playing football, swimming, and reading.

Ms. Sharma

Science Teacher and Mentor

I am a teacher from India and have been working for the past 12 years. As part of my profession, I enjoy to interact with students and connect with them. To make Science engaging and hands-on is my goal. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, reading and cooking.

Ms. Osman

Science Teacher

I am originally from Egypt. I hold an MSc degree in Education from Stockholm University and a 2 years diploma in STEAM education, alongside other pedagogical-focused studies. I worked for the school community as well as research academia in education with a sharp focus on differentiation through digitization.

Social Sciences/ SO

Mr. Levinson

Head of Department & SO Teacher

I come from a long service at our school in Täby where I have worked since 2006 and I joined IES Älvsjö in 2016. I am a qualified teacher in social studies: Geography, Religion, History and Civics, and I have worked within the school system since 2001. I enjoy lots of different activities and my interests range across a wide variety such as computer games, cheerleading, food and unicorns, and probably lots of other things that I would really like but I don't know about them yet. I live with my family and we have three children, and several pet rodents.

Ms. Dufwa

SO Teacher

I am a happy Scanian who has lived in London for ten years, after that I moved to Stockholm and trained as a subject teacher in History and English. At the English school in Älvsjö I will teach SO. As a teacher, I am committed and constantly try to develop and use different learning processes in my teaching. I look forward to inspiring and taking my students on a knowledge journey through the four SO subjects. "When you learn, teach. When you get, give." - Maya Angelou

Ms. Sjöstrand

SO Teacher & Head of Year 8

I was born and raised in Stockholm but have also lived in both the US and Brazil for a couple of years, so in addition to Swedish and English, I also speak fluent Portuguese. I am a certified high school and gymnasium teacher in SO & English and this year I will teach years 6 & 7 in SO. It feels very fun to be back at IES where I had my first teaching job 11 years ago (at IES Nacka). In my free time I coach my one daughter's basketball team and I spend a lot of time sewing (mostly children's clothes) and reading.

Ms. Isaksson

Teacher SO/Social studies & Head of Year 9

My name is Eva Isaksson and I have been working in different schools for many years. Mostly as a teacher. I have seen a lot of students come and go. I am also a teacher in Swedish and in SVA, Swedish as a second language, but here at IES Älvsjö my main sunjects are History, Teligion, Civics and Geography. I still, after all thes years, find this work exellent and fulfilling.

Swedish

Ms. Vidzem

Head of Department & Swedish / SVA Teacher

Reading and above all reading comprehension is something I am passionate about and enjoy teaching a lot. My interests are reading, cooking and spending time with family and friends. My family also includes a cat and a dog. I love animals! I look forward to working with you, all fantastic children this school year!

Mr. Bäckström

Swedish Teacher

I was born and raised in Västerås and have lived in Sundsvall, Gothenburg and Uppsala. I teach Swedish in grades 5 and 6 and belong to the Swedish department. In my free time I like to play football, hang out with friends and play music - both to listen to and play by myself.

Mr. Cunningham

Swedish Teacher

Hej! Jag heter Patrick Cunningham. Ursprungligen från den djupaste av värmländska skogar. Numera bosatt i Stockholm sedan sex år tillbaka med min katt (Cosmo). Till vardags är jag en engagerad språklärare som driver en schackklubb. På kvällstid volonterar jag som trädgårdsdräng vid Tantolundens kolonilotter. På min fritid finner jag sinnesro längs löpspåret, på klätterväggen eller med en bra bok.

Ms. Palmkvist

Swedish Teacher

Hi everyone out there! I teach my 4th year here at the school but am also Swedish, English and math teacher. I love teaching and to educate. My passion is reading and socializing with others. Traveling and exercising are also other things I love. I hope we'll see eachother!

Mr. Rask

Swedish Teacher

I am from Värmland, more specifically Hammarö outside Karlstad, but moved to Stockholm about 20 years ago. My subject is Swedish and I teach all classes in grade nine and one grade eight. What I think is fun about being a teacher is all the meetings in the classroom and taking part in the students' thoughts and ideas. When I'm not working, I enjoy music, movies, reading books, playing video games and cross-country skiing (if there is a lot of snow).

Mr. Hansson

Swedish Teacher

My name is Jonatan Hansson and I'm from Sweden. I teach Swedish currently for year 7 and 9 and my favorite parts of the subject are literature and grammar. Outside of school I enjoy music and especially playing guitar. 

Mr. Johansson

Swedish Teacher

Ms. Barhanko

Swedish Teacher

My name is Ilona Barhanko and I'm new to IES Älvsjö. I am going to teach Swedish in year 6 and 7. I am from Norrköping, so I am new to Stockholm. I am so excited to be a part of IES älvsjö and to meet all of you in the school. 

Ms. Modin

Swedish & SO Teacher

My name is Cecilia and I'm originally from Dalarna where I grew up until I turned 11 and moved to Stockholm. Ever since I was a teen wanted to be a teacher so after I graduated high school I started studying. Right after I finished my masters in 2021 I started working at this school which has been amazing. This year I will be working with Swedish and SO in year 4 and I'm really looking forward to this academic year!

In my free time I love to spend time with my dogs, family and friends.