Senior Management
Alastair Chirnside, Warden
Alastair was at Merton College, Oxford, where he also won a half-blue for lightweight rowing. Alastair started his career as a fund manager with Schroders in London and was brought up near Oxford and attended the Dragon, winning a King’s Scholarship to Eton. He took a Congratulatory First in Classics and French before going into teaching in 2004. His first teaching job was at Eton, where he also coached J16 rowing before going on to be Head of Year 11, Head of Classics and House Master of Walpole House. He left Eton in 2016 to become Director of Studies at Harrow, where he was then appointed Deputy Head Master in April 2019. He became Warden of St Edward’s in September 2021. Alastair is married to Zannah, and they have two children, Mary and Lizzie. Beyond Teddies, he is a governor at Summer Fields. During the holidays, Alastair and his family enjoy travel in their VW camper, spending time at their home in Normandy, walking with their black Labrador, Pixie, and camping on the Thames in their double-sculling skiff.
Edward Hayter, Chief Operating Officer
Edward was educated at RGS Guildford where he was a music scholar and then read Politics and Economics at Southampton University where he was captain of the Boat Club. He began his career in the Royal Navy, trained as a surface fleet Navigator and was appointed aide-de-camp to HRH The Princess Royal in 1996. Edward left the Royal Navy in 1998 to pursue a career in strategy and corporate finance initially with strategy consultants Monitor Deloitte, then as COO of Corporate Ventures at British Telecom, Director of International Strategy at Lloyds Bank and for 12 years an Operating Partner at Lloyds Bank’s Private Equity fund LDC, working with the senior management teams of investee companies to drive growth and improve operational efficiency. Edward joined St Edward’s as Chief Operating Officer in January 2020. He leads the financial and operational management of the School and of the charity’s commercial subsidiaries and operations, including St Edward’s School International Ltd. He is also responsible for admissions, the School’s endowment, fundraising, and is Company Secretary of the North Wall Trust. Beyond Teddies he is Chair of his local Parish Council and a Governor of St. Hugh’s School. He is also a keen sailor and cyclist and enjoys playing the bagpipes. His wife Victoria (who does not enjoy the bagpipes) is a teacher at New College School. They have four children and two very enthusiastic golden retrievers.
Clare Hamilton, Sub-Warden
Clare was educated at Gordonstoun and joined St Edward’s in 2019 as Housemistress of Apsley, following a 16-year career as an Army Officer and educator. She has worked at the Defence Academy and ran Army education for the South of England and in many overseas locations from Africa to Brunei. Clare has an MSc from the University of Southampton and teaches Geography and Politics. Her husband is a retired Bomb Disposal Officer and now a Bursar in a local Prep school and they have one daughter.
David Flower, Sub-Warden Academic
David was educated at Chatham House Grammar School in Ramsgate and at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he studied History. An early participant in the Teach First programme, David began his career teaching History at a co-ed, non-selective state school in Croydon, where two of his pupils became the first in their families to go to university, and where he led the girls’ football team to victory in the local cup. At Dulwich, alongside management of all aspects of the academic life of the school, David created A Level Plus, a programme of 20 bespoke, multi-disciplinary courses designed to promote deep learning. Outside his academic work, David is a keen sportsman, having played county and regional representative hockey. He coaches hockey, cricket, rugby and football, and enjoys cooking Japanese food.
Eve Singfield, Deputy Head Pastoral
Eve joined St Edward’s in 2002 from Bedford High School, primarily to coach girls’ rowing. She has since coached all levels of crews – both boys and girls from Shells up to 1st VIIIs. In 2003 Eve coached the GB Junior Women’s Four to a World Silver medal, with a crew which included Natasha Townsend, Teddies’ current Senior Girls’ Rowing Coach. Eve became HM of Corfe in 2009, combining this with the role of Assistant Director of Sport from 2013. After a decade in Corfe, Eve stepped down as HM to focus on her role as Director of Sport and teaching PSHE (now the Wellbeing programme). The opportunity to work in a boarding house again came in 2021, when Eve spent some time in Apsley House as Temporary HM. In February 2022 Eve was appointed HM of Cooper Lodge, the School’s newest co-ed House, a position she held alongside her role as Director of Behaviour and Standards. In 2024 Eve took on the role of Deputy Head Pastoral. Eve is married to Jonny who coaches the Senior Boys’ Rowing squad. They have two sons, both of whom were educated at St Edward’s.
Dr Jim Panton, Deputy Head Welfare
Jim grew up in Fife and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford. He began his career in academia, lecturing in Politics at St John’s College, Balliol College and Hertford College, Oxford, where he also coordinated the tutorial teaching training programme for the Department of Politics. His first (school) teaching job was at Stowe where he taught Politics and History. In 2013 he moved to Magdalen College School (MCS), where he was Head of Politics, Housemaster, and Head of Upper Sixth. Jim left Magdalen to become the founding Head of Senior School at Wellington College International Bangkok, a post that he held before returning to Oxford to take up his current role at Teddies.
Jim has an MSc and DPhil from Oxford and an MPhil in Philosophy from UC. In addition to Thailand, Jim has lived and worked in Cuba and Guatemala. His family – partner Sara and daughters Mira and Alexandra, who are pupils at Teddies – share his love of travel. Jim continues to work at university level with the Open University, and, when time permits, to write about politics and education, most recently a co-edited collection From Self to Selfie: A Critique of Contemporary Forms of Alienation (2019).
Nick Coram-Wright, Deputy Head Co-curriculum and Contingent Commander of the CCF
Nick went to Lancing College in Sussex and then studied French and German at the University of St Andrews, including part of the third year in Vienna and Neuchâtel, Switzerland. After graduating, he worked in London for a computer research company expanding their business into mainland Europe. He did his PGCE at Girton College, Cambridge, and his first post was at St John’s Leatherhead where he held various positions including resident Assistant Housemaster, officer in the RAF Section, ran the sailing and windsurfing club and coached U14 football. He joined St Edward’s in 2000 as Head of German and for two years was Modern Languages Coordinator, leading a number of school trips to Berlin, Malawi and most recently in 2023 to Morocco. In 2004 he became Housemaster of Cowell’s, a post he held until 2015. Amongst many of the highlights of running a boarding house Nick particularly recalls two sponsored parachute jumps from 13,000ft with members of the Sixth Form. Nick enjoys travelling, visiting the theatre and opera as well as photography.
Lawrence Tao, Deputy Head (Systems and Analytics)
Lawrence studied Maths, Music and Latin at the University of Durham, where he was also organ scholar of St John’s College. Following this he spent a year as organ scholar at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, before becoming school organist at Gresham’s School in 2010. There he completed his PGCE and became Head of Academic Music in 2014 and Acting Director of Music in 2016, and was an Assistant HM. Since joining St Edward’s in 2017 as Head of Academic Music, Lawrence took up his current role as Deputy Head (Systems and Analytics) in 2024, having previously been Assistant Head Academic. Lawrence has also taught Theory of Knowledge, Maths and Computer Science. Lawrence’s musical interests include playing the organ, piano and violin, choral and orchestral conducting, and making and directing chamber music, and he has a particular interest in the music of J S Bach, Maurice Duruflé and Madeleine Dring. Aside from music, Lawrence enjoys board games, crosswords and travel.
Judy Young, Assistant Head Curriculum
Judy was born, brought up and went to school in Oxford. She read Engineering Science at Warwick University and did a PGCE at Oxford, including a stimulating term at a pilot school for the Nuffield Science Project, then at the cutting edge of changes in the teaching of science. From there she went on to teach at St Helen’s and St Katharine’s in Abingdon, followed by Wycombe Abbey School and then as Housemistress at Lancing College. 1986 saw the arrival of an adopted family, a sibling group of three children, and three years later, she and her family moved to the north-east. Here she ran a seven acre small-holding and bred pedigree Tamworth pigs. Teaching called again, and she spent four very happy years at Westfield School in Newcastle, coming back south again in 1999 to take up the post of Housemistress and Physics teacher at St Edward’s. She was also a tutor for more than a decade, on the Boarding Schools’ Association Certificate of Professional Practice, and a former Boarding Inspector.
Alex Tester, Assistant Head Co-curriculum
Alex arrived at St Edward’s in 2009 as Director of Music, and then took on the leadership of the arts in 2019. A former Organ Scholar at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, he is a conductor, organist, jazz pianist, and animateur, but with a background with Footlights and a love of theatre, he has particularly enjoyed developing links between the arts at Teddies. He has worked as a Musical Director at Oxford Playhouse, Soho Theatre and various provincial London theatres. As a teacher, he spent time as an Assistant Housemaster at his previous school and ran peer listening schemes both there and at St Edward’s, and still enjoys tutoring in the boarding house. In his free time, Alex is a keen but amateur runner, and having gained full coaching qualifications with England Athletics in the last few years, he enjoys putting them to use in and out of school. He has taken part in three marathons in London, Paris and the Welsh coast, many half-marathons, and the odd Cutteslowe Parkrun!
Nicola Jones, Registrar
Nicola grew up in Oxfordshire and was educated at the Carrdus and Wychwood Schools. After moving to London and completing a degree in Education, Nicola began a career in the luxury retail fashion industry. After joining the specialist department store, Simpson Piccadilly and running the external corporate events programme for a number of years, Nicola then moved into Public Relations first as a Press Officer, then as Marketing Manager and eventually ended up as Head of Advertising & PR for DAKS Simpson Group. Having spent over 20 years in London, the lure of the countryside won over and Nicola returned to her native Oxfordshire. Initially working as a PR consultant for a variety of retail brands, Nicola then moved into the Education sector heading up the Marketing & Admissions for Wychwood School. Nicola joined St Edward’s as Registrar in 2017.
Rachael Henshilwood, Director of Development and Partnerships
Following her Business degree, Rachael began her career in international sales and marketing with leading IT and BPO service providers, whilst also building up a portfolio of charitable voluntary roles. Following the birth of her son Bligh, who is being educated at St Edward’s, she moved into fundraising in the independent schools’ sector where she has spent the past 14 years working with leading schools in the UK and Australia, including Melbourne Grammar School and Eton College, where her husband Alex is a House Master. Rachael leads on our growing community engagement, partnership and charitable initiatives alongside fundraising. In her spare time she is also a Governor of Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, a Trustee of the Windsor Learning Partnership (a Multi Academy State School Trust) and a Trustee of the Fulham Reach Boat Club which enables deprived young people in London to achieve their potential through rowing. Rowing has been a major part of both Alex and Rachael’s lives over the years with Rachael competing at Junior International level and Alex with the GB team for eight years. They have now moved into Crossfit and compete together at local competitions.
Kate Pearce, Director of Finance and Corporate Services
Kate grew up in Leicester and read Natural Sciences and Biological Anthropology at Selwyn College Cambridge. Here she combined a long-standing love of music with the newly gained passion for rowing, captaining the lower boats crews. After graduating she gained her accountancy qualification with PriceWaterhouse Coopers in London. Kate then joined Experian in Nottingham, and then moved into the private healthcare sector, looking after about 20 hospitals across the South-East for BMI Healthcare. Kate was Finance Director at University College London (UCL) from 2018-2023, seeing the University through the financial turmoil of the Covid period. Kate joined Teddies in October 2023 as Director of Finance and Corporate Services. Kate is a keen musician and continues to play the violin with an orchestra in London, having led the orchestra on occasion and performed solos, ‘Scheherazade’ being her favourite. Kate’s husband Phill is a surgeon in the RAF and is a Consultant at the John Radcliffe hospital. They have two young boys.
Tracy van der Heiden, Head of Communications
Tracy was educated at Shutz American School in Alexandria, Egypt, and at Devonport High School for Girls, a state school in Plymouth. She was the first person in her family to go to university, reading Modern Languages at St Hugh’s College, Oxford. Having thoroughly enjoyed producing a number of Edinburgh Festival productions during her student days, she looked to arts administration for her career, finding her first role as Assistant Editor of the members’ magazine of the charity, The Art Fund, then based in what is now Tate Britain. She went on to spend a decade at the Victoria and Albert Museum, first as Press Officer and then Head of Media Relations, followed by three years as Head of Media Relations and Marketing at the Royal College of Art. Having moved to the Cotswolds to find more space for her growing family, Tracy worked in part-time roles while the children were young, as PA to the writer and comedian Rory Bremner and as media adviser to an architecture practice. She joined St Edward’s in 2010 to develop the then fledgling Marketing Department. Tracy and her husband Jan have four children, three of whom are OSE.