Stay up to date with the latest from RSAcademics. Here you’ll find school leadership news, sector updates and announcements about the people we’ve helped to appoint.
We are pleased to have supported the Governors of Ballard School with the successful appointment of their new Head. Following a rigorous recruitment process, Stuart Turner has been appointed as the new Head of Ballard School, with effect from 15th April 2026.
Stuart is currently Deputy Head at Emanuel School in South London.
You can read more about the appointment on the Ballard website
The Independent Schools Leadership Forum 2026 will bring together Heads, Governors and Bursars for a day of forward-looking discussion shaped by the combined expertise of RSAcademics, Grant Thornton and Withers. This partnership offers a perspective that few other sector events can match.
RSAcademics supports schools through leadership appointments, strategic consultancy and research that informs confident decision-making and strengthens school culture. Grant Thornton adds practical guidance drawn from its work with education clients across the UK, across advisory services including mergers and acquisitions and tax. Withers brings recognised authority in governance, charity regulation and the legal issues that influence strategic decisions in schools.
The programme will explore the pressures and opportunities now shaping the independent school environment, including changing regulatory demands, shifts in parental expectations and the financial realities that leaders are working through.
Breakout sessions will provide space for delegates to focus on topics such as support with banking and business models, VAT in practice, donor engagement or leadership in a more uncertain landscape. The day will close with a collaborative futures session that invites participants to consider priorities for the years ahead.
Time for discussion and reflection is threaded throughout the event so that leaders can share insights and compare approaches with peers who are facing similar choices.
Places are limited and reserved for representatives of independent schools.
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About the Event You are invited to arrive for coffee from 9.30am and the event will start at 10.00am. There will be opportunities to network throughout the day and the day will end at 4.00pm with a drinks reception. Book Your Place Secure your place now for the Independent Schools Leadership Forum 2026. With places strictly limited and reserved exclusively for representatives of independent schools, early booking is strongly advised. Tickets are priced at £120 including VAT, and booking is available via TryBooking. Join us for a day of strategic insight, expert guidance and meaningful discussion alongside peers from across the sector—book today to ensure your school is part of this important conversation. |
We are pleased to have supported the Governors of Talbot Heath School with the appointment of Ross Cameron as their new Headteacher. Ross will join the school at the start of the 2026 summer term.
We are thrilled to have supported Worth School with the appointment of Ben Pennington as their new Head from September 2026. Ben is currently Head of the Senior School at St Andrew’s, Turi, in Kenya.
Ben’s appointment follows an extensive search and robust recruitment process.
He has led St Andrew’s Senior School through a period of strategic renewal and operational improvement, contributing to excellent ISI outcomes and strong enrolment. He is recognised for building outstanding professional teams, enhancing curriculum design and deepening a culture of safeguarding and care.
Previously, as Senior Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead at King’s Ely, Ben oversaw safeguarding and chaired the Child Protection and Safeguarding Committee. Earlier leadership and teaching roles included Ampleforth College, where he was Housemaster and Assistant Head (Academic Middle School), and Sherborne Prep.
Before entering education, Mr Pennington served as an officer in the British Army and played professional rugby in both the UK and Australia.
We would like to wish Ben and Worth School all the best for this new appointment.
We are delighted to have supported the successful appointment of Jo Ogden as Chief Finance and Operations Officer (Bursar) at Bishop’s Stortford College.
The position attracted over 30 applicants from both educational and commercial backgrounds. A rigorous process, consisting of three stages of interviews and two visits to the College, ensured that all candidates could fully understand the College and articulate its impact, while also allowing us to narrow the field to a select group of talented individuals.
Jo graduated with a degree in Geography and a Master’s in International Marketing before joining the Royal Air Force. Over a successful 22-year military career, Jo obtained a CMI Post-Graduate Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership, as well as a further Master’s in Defence Studies from King’s College London. In 2016, Jo joined the independent school education sector as Bursar at St Piran’s School in Maidenhead, later being appointed to her current role at Claremont in 2021.
Jo will start her new post in October 2025, and we would like to wish Jo and Bishop’s Stortford every success with the appointment.
We’d like to share news about a future leadership transition for our UK Appointments Practice.
Claire Oulton has decided to step down as Head of UK Leadership Appointments at the end of July 2026. Claire has been at the heart of this part of our business for over a decade, after a distinguished leadership career within leading UK schools and her impact has been profound. She has supported hundreds of schools and candidates in securing successful leadership appointments and her contribution to RSAcademics, and to the sector more widely, has been truly outstanding.
We’re delighted that Claire will continue to work with us as a Senior Advisor, remaining closely involved in client work.
In preparation for this change, Richard Backhouse will be joining RSAcademics in April 2026 and will assume leadership of the UK Appointments Practice from August 2026. He and Claire will work together between April and July to ensure continuity for our clients and team.
Richard brings significant experience in school leadership, most recently as Principal of the Berkhamsted Schools Group. Prior to that, he was Principal of Monkton Combe. His early career included positions at Bradfield and Oundle, where he had responsibility for pastoral and extracurricular areas of school life. He was also Chair of HMC in 2021/22. Known for his strategic thinking and calm, considered leadership, Richard is well placed to take on this role and to guide the next phase of our appointments work.
Richard has already begun connecting with members of the team and will be present at selected sector events in the months ahead.
Claire, Richard and I feel very confident that this transition will continue the ongoing development of our appointments practice and our commitment to supporting schools with care, insight and professionalism. Since 2009, we’ve worked in close partnership with schools to support more than 600 senior appointments in the UK and internationally. Our approach remains rooted in a deep understanding of the sector, thoughtful processes, and a clear focus on each school’s values and needs.
We look forward to this next chapter and to continuing to support schools with experience, clarity and care.
Heather Styche-Patel
CEO, RSAcademics
We are delighted to have supported Shiplake College with the successful appointment of their new COO, Philip Arnold, who has joined the College ahead of the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Philip joins Shiplake following a distinguished career in the Royal Air Force, which he joined in 1992 after graduating from university. With over three decades of service, he has held a wide range of leadership and operational roles, both in the UK and overseas, including postings in Kenya, Germany, the Falkland Islands, and the USA.
Philip brings extensive staff expertise, having led large teams and managed complex operations and programmes. His experience includes strategic planning roles at the Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Office, where he contributed to major Defence and cross-government initiatives.
He holds an MBA from the Open University and a Master’s degree in the Operational Art and Science of War from the United States Air Force’s Air University, where he graduated top of his class. He has also completed the Major Project Leadership Academy at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
We would like to wish Philip and Shiplake College every success with this appointment.
We are delighted to have supported Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood with the successful appointment of their next Head Master, Sam Baldock. He will take up the role in September 2026, following the retirement of Simon Everson, who has led the School since 2013.
Sam’s appointment follows a rigorous and highly competitive recruitment process, during which he impressed the Governors with his clarity of vision, depth of experience and strong alignment with the values and ethos of Merchant Taylors’. He is currently Vice Master at Bedford School, having recently served as Acting Head Master there.
Chair of Governors, Commodore Andrew Cree, said:
“Sam Baldock brings outstanding academic credentials, proven leadership and a deep commitment to the kind of all-round education that defines Merchant Taylors’. He shares our belief in nurturing the individual potential of every boy and has a clear vision for the future of the School. We are confident he will lead Taylors’ with distinction.”
Mr Baldock studied Natural Sciences at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, before working briefly in commercial research. He spent ten years at Westminster School, where he taught Biology and was later Head of Biology. He went on to serve as Assistant Head at Mill Hill School before joining Bedford School in 2018 as Deputy Head (Academic), later becoming Vice Master and serving as Acting Head Master.
He will become the 33rd Head Master in the School’s distinguished history.
We would like to wish Sam and the school every success with this new appointment.
We are delighted to have supported Cheltenham College with the successful appointment of their new Head, Chris Townsend.
Currently Head at Felsted School, Chris will be joining the Cheltenham College community as the new Head of College from April 2026.
On accepting the Headship at Cheltenham College, Chris said, “It is a real honour to have been given the chance to build on the excellent work of Nicola Huggett as the next Head at Cheltenham College, and I look forward to getting to know everyone in the community in the coming weeks and months.”
We are delighted to have supported The Effingham Schools Trust with the appointment of Rachel Owens as their new Chief Executive Officer. Rachel will join the Trust in August 2026.
Rachel read History at Somerville College, Oxford and began her teaching career at Bury Grammar School in 1992. In 2011, she was appointed Headmistress of St George’s School, Ascot, and since 2016 has been Headmistress of St George’s Weybridge. Rachel is currently vice-Chair of the HMC Sports Committee, and Chair of HMC Projects – a charity bringing able students from Eastern Europe to study at British boarding schools.
We would like to wish Rachel every success in her new role.