Category: News and Announcements

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 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. 

We are delighted to announce that, following a rigorous recruitment process supported by RSAcademics, Matthew Foster has been appointed as the new Head of City Junior School, starting September 2025.

Matthew is currently Deputy Head at Bute House Preparatory School in Hammersmith, where he is responsible for school and curriculum development and has designed and delivered an ambitious and exciting academic programme. He brings great enthusiasm for junior school education and a wealth of expertise, knowledge and ideas acquired in both the UK and California. 

Speaking on his appointment, he said:

“I am delighted to be joining City Junior School as Head in September. I am inspired by the school’s values of community, joy and scholarship, and look forward to building on the excellent work of Rachel Thompson. I am excited to get to know the pupils, staff and families, and to work together to ensure the school continues to thrive as a joyful, inclusive and innovative learning community.”

We wish Matthew every success in his new role. 

We are pleased to have supported Holme Grange School with the successful appointment of Pippa Adams as their new Headteacher from September. 

Pippa joins Holme Grange from Farlington School, Horsham, where she has been Deputy Head for the past four years, leading significant strategic change and working to expand opportunities for all pupils. 

We would like to wish Pippa all the best for her exciting new role. 

We are pleased to announce we have supported the 1729 Maths School with the successful appointment of their Founding Head, Nick Hamshaw. 

Nick  is an experienced mathematics educator and school leader who joins 1729 from his role as Senior Deputy Head at Haberdashers’ Boys’ School. After studying Mathematics at the University of Oxford, he first taught at Aylesbury Grammar and was a boarding sub-tutor at Radley College. He was later Head of Maths at Oundle and Haberdashers’ Boys’ and was Academic Deputy Head at St Albans High School for Girls. 

The 1729 Maths School is the UK’s first specialist maths school for ages 11-18, located within the Belmont and Mill Hill School campus. 

Speaking on his appointment, Nick said “I am thrilled to be the Founding Head of 1729, a school unlike any other, purpose-built for children with exceptional mathematical potential.”

We wish Nick every success with his new appointment. 

We are thrilled to have supported Ackworth School with the appointment of Elizabeth Bowey as Deputy Head (Curriculum) and Tom Norris as Deputy Head (Pastoral and Boarding). 

Elizabeth Bowey joins Ackworth from City of London Freemen’s School, where she is currently Head of Teacher Training and Head of Art. Her experience spans the full age range of an all-through school, from Year 3 to Upper Sixth, and she brings a particular passion for developing creativity and curiosity in students. 

Tom Norris is currently Director of Studies at Tranby in East Yorkshire, and brings extensive experience in both independent and state education, with previous roles including Head of Year, Head of Physics, and Assistant Head for Curriculum. He also serves as an ISI Team Inspector and is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. 

Welcoming the new appointments, Martyn Beer, Head of Ackworth School, said: 

“We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth and Tom to Ackworth’s senior leadership team. Elizabeth brings a deep understanding of curriculum and a heartfelt commitment to the values we hold dear, while Tom’s breadth of leadership experience and pastoral insight will be invaluable as we continue to support and inspire every student. Their expertise and vision will help shape an exciting future for our school community.” 

We’s like to wish Elizabeth and Tom every success with their new roles. 

We are delighted to have supported Beechwood Park School with the appointment of their new Senior Deputy Head, Charis Wightman, and their new Head of Prep, Emily Boyd.

Charis is currently founding Headteacher of the Durham School in Dubai and Emily is currently Head of Teaching at Shore, a leading boys’ school in Sydney, Australia. 

We wish Charis and Emily every success in their exciting new roles.

We are delighted to have supported Oakham School with the successful appointment of Geraint Davies as their new Chair of Trustees.

Geraint will succeed Professor Neil Gorman, who retires at the end of the Summer Term, having served on the Board of Trustees, the School’s Governing Body, since 2013 and as Chair since 2017.

The Chair of the Appointments Committee and Vice-Chair of Trustees, Mark Dorsett, said, “We were extremely fortunate to have such a strong field of applicants. We are grateful to everyone who invested their time and energy in offering to contribute to the School through this role. Meeting so many people who are committed to Oakham School and excited about its future was a pleasure.  I am delighted that the Trustees have appointed Geraint, who has a deep-seated and authentic enthusiasm for the School and whose two boys thrived during their time here.”

Currently Chairperson and Head of Dispute Resolution at Howes Percival, Geraint’s two boys attended Oakham and he and his wife live locally to the school. 

Speaking on his appointment, Geraint said “I am excited to be given the opportunity to take up the role as Chair of Trustees at Oakham School. I am grateful to Henry and Mark for welcoming me and to Neil for providing such valuable insights into the role.  Both our boys really enjoyed their time here and the School provides a wonderful environment for its pupils to flourish, develop the skills necessary to succeed in the modern world and form life-long friendships.  This is a challenging time for the sector but Oakham is well placed to build on its success and heritage.”

We wish Geraint and Oakham every success with the appointment.