Shanila is a fully qualified teacher who has previously taught as a year one class teacher at the Eveline Day School in Balham and a secondary school English teacher at Thomas More School, Purley. She is now a specialist Speech and Drama teacher teaching in the independent and state sectors with students ranging from 4 to 18 years old.
Shanila is also a LAMDA examiner, examining both nationally and internationally.

Shanila is the secretary for the Coulsdon and Purley festival Speech and Drama section. More recently, Shanila has run training courses for Wandsworth Borough Council and is an esteemed judge on their annual “Word of Mouth” poetry speaking competition.

Ruban is a bilingual Speech and Drama Teacher and Actor, and has been working with Shanila for over 10 years.

He has found that working with children has been truly enriching, especially seeing the meek turn into the mouthy!

Shalene’s love for speech and drama started when she was just five years old — and she never really stopped. After completing all her LAMDA grades, she joined the teaching team alongside Shanila and Ruban, and hasn’t looked back since. She describes it as one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

Alongside her teaching, Shalene also found a passion for the law. While working in the legal field, she has continued her speech and drama now as a teacher.

Whether in the classroom or the legal world, she’s passionate about helping others find their voice and communicate with confidence.