Diana Watkins

Diana is a Senior Advisor in the Appointments team at RSAcademics, supporting schools with leadership appointments, headteacher appraisals and executive coaching. 

Since joining RSAcademics in 2013, Diana has worked on a wide range of headship appointments, particularly within the prep sector, including Westminster Abbey Choir School, Glendower, Cumnor House, St Andrew’s Turi (Kenya), Twyford, St Paul’s Cathedral School and St John’s College Prep School, Cambridge. 

Diana served as a Head for 22 years, leading schools across the maintained and independent sectors, including a prestigious prep boarding and day school in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close. Her leadership experience spans all age ranges and gives her deep insight into the demands of school life. 

A former Chairman of IAPS, Diana has visited schools in the UK, Kenya, Australia and the USA, and advised boards, proprietors and families on a wide range of educational matters. She has also acted as a mediator in school-parent disputes and undertaken ISI inspections. 

Diana is a Governor and Advisor to several schools and in 2021 completed an ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring. Her work is grounded in a belief in the power of the creative arts to support learning and leadership development. 

A huge figure in the prep school world, Diana’s wise advice is invaluable in every process which she leads. Candidates trust her implicitly and clients cannot speak highly enough of her.