Sean Carlisle is no stranger to Uplands, having grown up in the Lowveld and having taught at both the Preparatory and College in his younger years. After studying to be a teacher at the University of Johannesburg, he taught History for a very short time at Roosevelt High in Johannesburg.
Sean started his Uplands teaching career in 1994 as the Deputy Boarding Master in the Prep and had to check the water pumps each day, and then ended his rounds doing a fence-line security check each evening. He was part of the team that launched Uplands College, spending over eight years with us, in amongst time overseas teaching at Woodbridge School in the UK.
Sean has spent the past 11 years at Hilton College in several teaching and sporting roles. He was a member of Hilton College’s Executive Committee, having finished his contract as Executive Housemaster and Housemaster of Pearce House.
Sean has a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience working in both close communities and high-profile schools with demanding standards. As a former member of the Hilton College strategic planning review team, he helped shape a whole new contemporary approach to boarding that is proving to be highly successful. A seasoned educator who is greatly respected, Sean has a calm, thoughtful, collaborative and inclusive approach to work. His strategic, holistic and team experience will serve Uplands well, as our ‘One School’ moves into a new and exciting era.
Outside the academic day, Sean has coached both 1st team Rugby and 1st team Cricket, as well as a whole range of other sports. He is married to Kerry and they have two daughters, Megan and Hannah.
Allan Laing comes to Uplands from Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal where he was Deputy Rector: Pupils. Allan was born in Kabwe in Zambia and obtained his Honours and Master’s degrees from the University of Johannesburg. His independent teaching experience started at St John’s College in Johannesburg. After 11 years at St John’s, Allan moved to Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal.
Allan has always been passionate about Pastoral Care, and Boarding in particular, for the past 25 years. He has thus made it his goal to increase the development of all involved in this vitally important aspect of the care of young people within schools. Allan is a Lay Minister in the local Anglican Church as well as at Michaelhouse and is also the National Director of the Boarding Schools of Southern Africa Association.
Allan is married to Caireen and they have four sons – Andrew, Jonathan, Ross and David. He enjoys a number of hobbies and interests, including sports, reading, fly fishing, caravanning and the bush.
Scott Hauptfleisch was schooled at St John’s College and studied both locally and overseas. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and education. He joined Uplands as the Headmaster of the Prep School in 2021. Prior to that, he was at St Peter’s for the past 11 years. He also spent time at Brisbane Boys College, St John’s Prep School, St David’s Marist Brothers, Corpus Christi and Cyril Jackson Primary School in London. His time at St Peter’s took him through several teaching roles. As a result of his passion for IT and Pastoral Care, Scott was appointed the ICT Integrator for both the boys’ and girls’ schools, as well as Deputy Head of Pastoral Care and Additional Learning for the Boys’ Prep School.
Scott has also worked in the private sector outside of education. He has always had a passion for leadership, teaching and mentoring - and leads by example each day. He sees himself as an innovative, positive, patient, empathetic and compassionate leader who loves working with people. He is also well known for being highly competitive on the sporting front! Scott’s wife, Lorin, is an Educational Psychologist also working at Uplands as Head of the Learning Support Unit and they have two boys, Sam and Joey
Ms Heather Prior is the Pre-Preparatory Headmistress at Uplands. Heather has been devoted to early childhood education for her entire adult life and is passionate about the importance of quality early childhood education. She is a highly-experienced Pre-Preparatory teacher and holds several early childhood qualifications, including a Diploma in Educational Management in Early Childhood Development. Her unique professional experience stems from 30 years of teaching and working with young children from all cultural backgrounds, including children with barriers to learning.
Heather believes that a well-balanced, culturally-enriched and play-based programme builds self-confidence and inspires children to develop a lifelong love of learning. Heather’s core belief is that relationships are at the heart of her work and that a happy day at school includes plenty of laughter and creative fun outside on the beautiful playgrounds at Uplands. Establishing trusting relationships with families and working together as a team improves children’s academic achievement, social competencies and emotional well-being. She enjoys reading, relaxing in the bush and being with her family and friends in her spare time
Violah has a Primary School Teacher’s Diploma, a BA in Education from the University of the North, an Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) from the University of Pretoria (for pupils with special needs), an ACE from the University of Johannesburg in School Management and Leadership and a BEd Honours in Education Law and Management from the University of Pretoria. She is passionate about nurturing capable and confident school leaders, working with children, acquiring knowledge, travelling, development and interacting with people. Violah is married to Jan Moya and has two daughters, Fiona and Sihle, a graduate of Uplands College.
As the new Business Manager at Uplands, Jaco Diedericks has a wide-ranging role that encompasses many aspects of the complex operations at school. Undaunted, Jaco says, “I am extremely fortunate to work daily in my dream occupation. I believe that quality educational institutions, available to everyone alike, are the key in making a lasting impact for a better and harmonious world. Education holds the key to breaking poverty cycles and creating leaders for the future that are responsible, caring global citizens.” Jaco believes that his contribution to quality education is working within educational institutions to develop and improve all aspects of the finance, operations and management of the school and to keep teachers teaching: i.e., making sure we support that their work hours are dedicated to what they do best and our team will take care of them and operational challenges they face. In his role as Business Manager within an ISASA school for over 10 years, Jaco knows that what we do is unique and that we all contribute to sharing knowledge, best practice, support and develop staff within our circle to deliver what is needed to make schools successful in an ever-changing educational sector. There are no grey areas when it comes financial management, legal compliance, confidentiality, respect and integrity.
Jaco is passionate to work in a school environment, hearing the laughter of children, watch kids develop into holistically educated young adults. His passion extends to the teaching staff as well as operations and outsourced staff. His philosophy is that everyone works hard and contributes to the success of our pupils and a happy and effective school.
Three decades of marketing experience and an Uplands parent since 1997 ensures that Cindy Walker is well positioned to grow Uplands and the brand effectively. She has several marketing and business qualifications qualifications and has a deep understanding of the requirements of school marketing. Cindy is extremely positive about the potential of Uplands and her passion for the province and community will support her marketing endeavours.
Desiree Raidoo has joined the Uplands Executive Team in the role of Head of Human Capital. Desiree is an admitted attorney and holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree, majoring in Legal Studies and Media & Communication, as well as a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She comes to Uplands with a wealth of knowledge in Legal Risk, Audit & Compliance, coupled with people development.
Desiree has spent most of her career in the financial services industry, occupying various senior roles within the corporate environment which has added to her experience in leading and guiding her peers and colleagues to achieve their full potential through continuous professional development. Her aim is to promote the health and wellness of the Uplands Team to ensure we fulfil our dream and goal of becoming the school of choice, through valued relationships, respect and integrity. Her key responsibilities will include Human Capital Strategy and Planning, Professional Development, Wellness, Cross-Campus culture Engagement and Compliance, as well as Transformation, Diversity and Inclusion.
Desiree comes from the Western Cape, but has deep family roots in KZN. She is married with two children. She has a host of hobbies but loves travelling, good food and spending time with her family.