Senior School Staff

As Headmaster of RGS Guildford, Jon has been instrumental in driving numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing the academic and extracurricular offerings of the School.

His leadership is characterised by a strategic vision that balances tradition with innovation, ensuring that the School remains at the forefront of educational excellence. His passion is to make the RGS accessible to all pupils and, as a consequence, the creation of an enduring bursary fund has been as focus of his leadership.

Under his guidance, RGS Guildford has continued to thrive, maintaining its reputation as one of the leading independent schools in the UK, while also emphasising the importance of traditional values and outstanding pastoral care.

Jill began her teaching career in 2004 in South Devon before moving to Surrey. Jill worked in co-ed schools in the state sector for 12 years in a variety of roles, teaching Biology, Head of KS3 Science, Outdoor Education, Head of Vocational Education and joined RGS Guildford in 2016.  She is passionate about enabling students to reach their full potential and enabling staff to have the autonomy to deliver the best education for students.

Outside of work, Jill enjoys sailing and has been a National Coach Assessor and International Centre Inspector. She also ran the county’s Search and Rescue team, still a current operational member she attends callouts as a dog handler and as a search manager.

Jimmy joined RGS Guildford in 2000 from KCS Wimbledon, and also has experience of teaching in co-educational schools, in both the state and independent sector.  He has held various leadership positions at the RGS including Head of Classics, Head of Sixth Form, Assistant Head and Senior Master; he has also coached most sports during his time at the School.  Within the classroom he strives to inspire a love of learning and to instil a passion for classical languages; in his leadership roles, he takes pride in upholding and promoting the School Values and strong sense of community at the RGS to current – as well as prospective, and past – students and parents. 

Outside of work, family – including his three sons – and friends, travel, fitness, the Surrey countryside and pubs, and supporting home and away his beloved Brighton & Hove Albion fill his time. 

As Chief Strategy Officer, Sam is responsible for strategy development and delivery across all parts of the RGS, including RGS Guildford and our wider international family of schools. His focus is on helping the RGS to innovate and embrace the future, whilst ensuring it stays true to its ethos and values. He brings over 25 years of experience of leading complex change, including previous senior positions in both the charity sector and management consultancy.  

Outside of work, Sam is passionate about sport and is mostly to be found on a touchline somewhere, supporting his children whilst trying to remain un-biased. He is also a keen amateur cook, and enjoys walking in the Surrey Hills with his family. 

Becky is the Director of Finance and Operations, with responsibility for finance, HR, IT, health and safety, estates, and governance—where she also serves as Clerk to the Governors. She enjoys the variety and challenge of the role and is committed to making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, so staff can focus on what they do best and students have the best possible experience. 

Before joining the school sector, Becky spent 17 years working in universities in London and the south coast, leading operational teams and overseeing strategic planning. Her most recent role was as Director of Operations at UCL, focussed on their advancement programme. Outside of work, she has a young family, so much of her spare time is spent at clubs and activities, but she loves to travel whenever the opportunity arises. 

Natacha gets huge satisfaction from supporting all teachers with their classroom practice, whether they are new to the profession or more experienced. She enjoys staying up-to-date with the latest educational research and then exploring how best to put this into practice within our school context. She firmly believes that through self-reflection, collaboration and engagement with research, teachers can continually refine their practice to deliver an exceptional experience for all their students. She is equally interested in how best to support students in developing their own learning habits to ensure they reach their highest potential both at school and beyond.

Natacha has been responsible for Teaching and Learning since 2016, having previously held pastoral roles at the school. Before joining the RGS, Natacha taught at a similarly selective co-ed independent school. Outside of school, Natacha enjoys playing tennis and running, as well as spending time with her young family.

Following reading a MChem at Oxford University, and PGCE at Cambridge University, Tom joined the teaching profession in 2003 teaching Science a variety of schools from London to New Zealand. Tom joined the RGS in 2007 where, in addition to teaching Chemistry, Tom has held a variety of roles leading Teacher Training, Head of Fifth Form, Head of Sixth Form and, since 2016, Assistant Head Partnerships. Tom passionately believes in working with talented colleagues at RGS as well as local primary and secondary schools to create exciting educational opportunities for all students in our wider community.

Tom is passionate about holistic education and the role that co-curricular and, in particular, outdoor education play in our lifelong character development and Tom leads the Royal Naval Section of the CCF, teach dinghy sailing, and provides tuition and support for Gold DoE expeditions.

Outside of work, Tom enjoys training for and competing in triathlon events and can usually be found in the pool/lake/sea, or running or cycling through our beautiful Surrey countryside. When not being a ‘Dad-taxi’, he enjoys a garden project, puzzles, escape rooms and playing board games with his family.

David joined RGS Guildford in 2012, following his first career in banking and finance. He is an enthusiastic teacher of Economics and former Head of Department. As a member of the leadership team, David’s goal is to ensure all pupils meet their academic potential whilst studying a rigorous, forward-looking curriculum designed to spark curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning. 

David spends all the time he can outside of work, outside. A keen watcher and coach of rugby, walker in the hills and mountains, reader, birder and dog-lover, he has given up on technology and plays golf with vintage clubs. 

Mike works with our international schools to develop living partnerships across the family of schools, following experience in high-performance schools both in the UK and overseas. Alongside experience leading in A Level and International Baccalaureate curricula, Mike has enjoyed positions of academic, pastoral and house leadership. His experience overseas includes early planning for a school transitioning into a co-educational environment; more recently in the UK, he was Head of Upper School in the RGS.

Along with a love of working with people and making connections, Mike is at his happiest outdoors. Fortunately, his family share his enthusiasm for the outdoors and even put up with his attempts at various musical instruments.

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Alastair is Managing Director of RGS Guildford International, the team that oversees and sets up RGS Guildford international schools, all of which are co-educational. This includes maintaining quality and managing the relationships with our partners and schools in China, Dubai, Oman, Qatar and  India (opening in 2028), as well as pursuing opportunities for new schools in other markets overseas. Alastair has held senior leadership positions in international partnerships over the last fifteen years in the heritage and higher education sectors, and is a passionate believer in the transformative impact that international experiences and perspectives can have on students and staff.

Having lived and worked in China and Italy, Alastair speaks five languages and brings a truly global outlook to his work. Outside of his professional role, he enjoys cycling, hiking, sea swimming, and exploring the countryside both in the UK and overseas.

Jaime started his teaching career in 2005. After two years of teaching Physical Education in a co-educational state school in Essex, he moved to London. Here, he took up a post in a newly established co-educational academy in Hackney. For the next ten years, Jaime worked within the middle management of the academy, supporting its growth from a school with one cohort of 180 to a community of over 1000 pupils. 

In 2017, Jaime and his family relocated to Guildford, and he began his time at the Royal Grammar School. In the years since, Jaime has been the Head of Academic Physical Education, Head of Lower Sixth Form, Head of Upper Sixth Form, Assistant Head Teaching and Learning and is currently the Head of Sixth Form.  

Jaime is particularly passionate about supporting students and their families as they go through their final years here at the RGS. He’s sees this time as one of the most exciting, yet one of the most challenging periods in a young person’s life, as they and their family attempt to manage their transition into adulthood. 

Outside of work, Jaime and his family spend the majority of their time enjoying all the outdoor activities the Surrey Hills have to offer. With two young children, this mainly involves bike rides, playgrounds and National Trust treasure hunts! 

Nick joined the RGS back in 2008 fresh out from finishing his MSC in International Relations and Economics. As an economics teacher who trained at RGS and Guildford County School, he has held a variety of different roles at the RGS including: Head of International Partnerships, Head of Economics and Head of Upper School before starting his current role leading safeguarding and pastoral care in 2023. Nick enjoys leading a busy pastoral team that is always looking to help students develop as individuals within the kind and diverse community that is the RGS.

Away from work, Nick’s passions include sport, travel and development education. This has led him to own a rusty tuk tuk, currently stationed in his back garden that once travelled with him and a former RGS teacher through 38 countries!