Mr John Hansford is the Headmaster. He is always available to see parents by appointment (see Appointments). Remember though that he cannot possibly know every aspect of the boys as well as their teachers do – often, a problem may be better addressed to one of them.

He is responsible to the Principals for the day to day administration and leadership of the school, the appointment of staff, ensuring that the school’s style and philosophy are maintained and that the boys are well prepared for the challenges which await them in the 21st century. He monitors the progress of each boy, and meets regularly with their teachers to discuss them. He does some teaching; the time he has for this is necessarily restricted, but it is a part of the job he very much enjoys.

The Headmaster also takes Assembly and greets the boys when they arrive in the morning. His particular role is to advise parents on the choice of next school, so he regularly visits other schools and entertains their heads at Northcote Lodge. He is in charge of entrance procedures and interviews for Shell, writes reports on all boys at least once a year, reads all reports every term, and writes the boys’ final leaving reports to their public schools.