Jonathan Anderson Headmaster

I joined Merchiston Castle School as Headmaster in August 2018. I grew up in Ulster and read Geography at Queen’s Belfast where I developed an appetite for teaching. 

In 1997, I joined Christ’s Hospital as a Geography Teacher before being promoted in 1998 to Assistant Housemaster, and in 2003 to Housemaster in a boys’ boarding house. After almost 14 years at Christ’s Hospital, I was appointed as Senior Deputy Head at Worksop College, Nottinghamshire, where I spent the next seven years.

My passion is in ensuring that all pupils enjoy an educational experience that is truly their own. I see the success of what we offer to our pupils on many occasions, but, perhaps most significantly at the end of their school career: they are leaving not just a school, but a place where they have grown up together in every respect. 

With a buoyant school roll, I am excited about the future ahead. Merchiston is an exceptional place and one which I am delighted to lead

INTERESTS

I am a big fan of road cycling. I am very much the personification of the MAMIL – the middle aged man in lycra – and you will no doubt see me on occasion looking the part, gradually making my way down the drive in a vain attempt to stay fit and justify the purchase of my latest piece of expensive kit. I enjoy riding my bike, but I also enjoy the sport, its culture, its history and the science behind it. 

I am a committed family-man - my wife, Bethan and our family have all been made to feel most welcome here in Castle Gates, and we are so lucky to enjoy living among a great community in such beautiful surroundings.