New Longridge Headteacher on the challenge ahead

The new Longridge Towers School Headteacher, Jonathan Wilcox, will take over from retiring Head Jonathan Lee in September, 2026. Mr Wilcox took time out from his schedule at his current school in Australia to have an in-depth interview in which he discussed his motivations for applying for the role, how his life experiences have shaped his approach to education and what he aims to achieve at Longridge.

 

FULL INTERVIEW

THE NEW Longridge Towers School Headteacher may soon be jetting more than 10,000 miles and leaving behind a far warmer climate, but he could not be happier at the prospect of arriving in Berwick-upon-Tweed with his family.

Jonathan Wilcox grew up in the rural south-west of England and developed a love for the outdoors around Cornwall that has stayed with him throughout a teaching career that has taken him from the UK’s south to its north, and the planet’s southern hemisphere. He was the outstanding candidate among a high-quality cohort of applicants short-listed for the role of Longridge headteacher, and he admits he is still coming to terms with the news.

Speaking to us from the Discovery Christian College north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, where he is Head of Secondary, he said: “Myself and my family are hugely excited and really can’t wait to get across and meet everyone in the summer.

“I got the strong feeling in my time researching Longridge and the local communities, and from my visit there, that there is a strong community behind the school, and a lot of potential to grow.

‘Community is crucial to the growth of a successful school’

“I must admit when I arrived and saw the building, I thought ‘I haven’t seen a school like that for a long time’. From then meeting people I came away feeling this is my sort of style and a school I would like to excel in. While there is always a bit of trepidation travelling from one side of the world to the other, being there, in Longridge Towers School, it felt like a place that can provide an exciting challenge.

“The area reminds me a bit of a Cornwall and its people. At the school, and even when I was staying at the local hotel, people were bending over backwards to talk and take time to acknowledge you – and probably just wanting to know who the new face was. But, to me, that shows how they are a deeply connected people, and that kind of interest and community is crucial to the growth of a successful school and the nurturing of children’s potential.

“In my conversations with pupils, staff and families, I could see they were deeply invested in Longridge Towers, and had a connection to the community and the rural landscape. Coming from Cornwall, that really resonated. It’s that sense of knowing your place, of independence but within a community, being confident enough to look after one and all.

“That was a real lovely thing to come across, to know that there’s a passion and a drive to make this place a success. It convinced me that this was a post I could apply for, that there was something there we could grow, and it is a real honour to be chosen to be the new Longridge Headteacher and be given the opportunity to help drive the school forward.”

A background formed in Cornwall and shaped around the world

Mr Wilcox has developed a rich and varied experience in education. As a student himself, he studied at King Alfred’s College University in Winchester (major in Geography and minor in Environmental Sciences), and did his post-graduate in Education at Brunel University in West London.

He taught in Dorset before moving to New Zealand, where a short trip turned into nearly a decade in the Land of the Long White Cloud. He was in charge of Agriculture and Horticulture at a school in Taranaki, developing a course that would be studied by pupils from all years, including Level 1 (equivalent of GCSEs, Level 2 (AS level) and Level 3 (A level). This featured a variety of pathways from more practical skills, such as quad bike and chainsaw safety through to docking sheep, pruning vines and trees to beekeeping, to the academic university entrance pathway of agricultural sciences and management.

“It has been interesting, definitely,” he said, “but a terrific life of adventures and growth, for me personally and my family.

“My wife and I grew up in Cornwall and I’ve always loved coastal communities, which was another draw for us to Berwick, but the southern hemisphere move was an interesting one.

“I was only meant to go to New Zealand for a month, on an exchange, and when I got there I fell in love with the country. It’s a beautiful place and we stayed there for almost a decade. I loved the school and we had our children in New Zealand. It was great in many ways.

“But it is very far away from family and so, eventually, we looked for a move home. We both wanted to go somewhere special. I always had a dream to go to a Scottish island, so I applied for a post in Orkney, and was a deputy head at Stromness Academy. Again, we were surrounded by beautiful people in a beautiful place.

“But – and I don’t want to offend any Orcadians – it is quite brutal in the winter, and while we survived two winters there the family did not particularly like that element of it, and when I was offered a job in Australia, we thought ‘why not?’ It was another step-up for me, to Head of Secondary, and I have loved working with the staff to really transform the school over the past six years.

Transforming a school on the verge of closure

“When I arrived at Discovery Christian College in Queensland, there were around 150 pupils, and the school was in decline and near closure, but I really like a challenge, and over the last five years the roll has climbed to just over 400. We have worked hard to change the school’s reputation with lots of energy and consultation, and that has brought buy-in from the community who now see us as ‘The School’ to go to.

“Despite more established private schools in the area vying for our students, we have grown in size and numbers and surpassed those schools with higher grades in national assessments, and recently gained 100% success rate for those leaving in their final year.

“So, both educationally, and as a family, we have had a brilliant adventure in Australia. But there is always the fact that you are on the other side of the world to your family, and that becomes more of an issue as parents and grandparents get older. It’s going to be very nice to be able to be within driving distance from September!”

The move also comes at a good time for his children, he explained.

“Our children Matilda and Jowan (Cornish for Jon) are excited about the move but it is something my wife Lynsey and I have been planning for a little while. Matilda and Jowan will be entering Years 8 and 9 in September, and so we planned this move to ensure our children get the best education in the lead up to their GCSEs and A Levels or equivalent.

“Although education standards in Australia are high, I believe the UK challenges pupils more to extend their learning which will enable them to excel at university.

“But I didn’t want to jump at any school so we have been looking for a little while. There’s been a few opportunities in Cornwall, a few in the south-west, and elsewhere, but it had to be somewhere with high standards, potential and which I felt I could really connect with – a school with a heart – and that’s what I believe I’ve found at Longridge.”

So, what is Mr Wilcox’s approach to education and how will he go about building on the work of Mr Lee and his staff, to take Longridge into a vibrant new chapter?

“I want to make sure that every single student meets their potential, and that’s not me reading off a script, it’s something which is part of me,” he replied. “You see many students who float through school, who do enough but coast really, and you know that they’re not meeting their potential.

“A real driver for me as a headteacher is motivating staff, and students, to make sure that every student has that drive for excellence. If they don’t then I’m not doing my job properly. Every single student has a story and what is really important for me is unlocking that story, unlocking their inner drive, and helping them realise that they can be an amazing part of our community, in and out of school.

“So, if I see a student that is doing okay, but there’s no drive, no passion there, that’s where I get excited about what we can do as teachers. For me, that’s about caring for each individual, meeting them where they’re at, and taking them on a journey where they learn and grow, and end up understanding and experiencing excellence.

“That is really my core. I’m finding it also has its down sides as letters went out this week to the families here at my current school to tell them I’ll be leaving in the summer, and so I am having to deal with children trying to change my mind, and telling me not to go!  Of course, that’s reassuring, knowing that I am meeting them where they’re at, that I am doing something that they find valuable, but that will be the same at Longridge – I will want every single student to be in a better place when they start each day to where they were the day before.

“That’s how I gauge success, by regularly asking myself ‘have I made this school a better place today, this week or this month?’ You have to be honest in your reflection, and sometimes you question whether you have, but that’s what drives me to be better tomorrow. So, I would see myself as a very reflective, caring teacher, who wants staff and every single student in my school to excel.”

What does that approach to driving children to achieve their potential actually look like in a school day to day?

“You have to show that you are actually there, both for the staff and the students every single day, and that is not easy with all the responsibilities you have as a headteacher. There’s a term I like, ‘loving our students on purpose’.

“So, it’s not enough to teach and hope they know you value them. You have to communicate to children that you care about them, and how they study and behave, because they don’t tend to believe anything you say until they actually know that you care about them.

“But showing up, being there, listening to the children and having time for them is something which I know Longridge values, from speaking to the staff and families here. And because of the size of the school, the small classes, you have that opportunity to genuinely support every student.

“The other side is being clear with expectations and what you expect of all students who come to the school. It’s important that we are all on top of tracking where the students are at, setting targets and moving forward, and making the curriculum accessible to everyone, so it’s the right course for the right student at the right time to enable them to meet targets. When they don’t, it’s important we find out why, identify the challenges and look at how we best support that child to help them drive forward.”

Vision for Longridge – ‘Excelling as part of the community’

Mr Wilcox spoke of his excitement at finding out more and getting to know the Longridge community later in the year. But, to get an idea of where he wants to take the school, we asked him where he envisages Longridge Towers School being in five years’ time.

“I want Longridge in the future be a school where people see our students excelling as part of the community,” he replied. “Exam results are extremely important, and students and parents from quite a distance will want to come to our school for excellent academic results, but that’s only part of the story. If we’re not developing people who can contribute to whatever community they find themselves in, then we’re not doing our job.

“I was delighted to discover Longridge has a ‘Forest School’ and takes Outdoor Education seriously. I have worked with forest and beach schools, and they really help with the wellbeing of students. We can guide children in their work but if you are not mentally happy and comfortable, it is hard for anyone to excel.

“I also taught agriculture back in New Zealand and, in an area rich in agriculture, that is something I would like to develop and expand at Longridge, with more vocational courses.

“I have work to do to listen to the staff, governors and parents at the school around their needs, and I will do that from when I arrive in the north-east in the summer, but I believe that we can offer a real variety at Longridge that caters both for academics going to university and students who want to go on to college, into work and other areas.”

Independent schools across the UK are facing unprecedented challenges and many have closed in the past year. Does that concern the new headteacher?

“I am acutely aware of the challenges that have come from the Government’s change of tack on business rates relief and VAT, and the increased pressure of operating costs,” he said. “To be entirely honest, that was the one thing that made me think long and hard about the move, because I’m in a secure job here in Australia without any such tax implications.

“But I have a lot of friends who work in independent schools in the UK and I took counsel from them, and that helped reassure me that it was a challenge that myself and Longridge could face with confidence.

“I’m not coming in blind; I have my eyes wide open to the challenges the independent sector is facing. But to me that’s also an opportunity to do things differently and to build a community ethos around high-quality education, which is what I have experience of doing here in Australia; really growing a school.

“To do that we need to be very clear that the narrative of what we are selling as a school meets what the community needs and wants. So, one of the first things I will be doing in the summer will be having meetings with the community, and when I say ‘community’, that starts with the staff, and parents and the families who are committed to our school.

“What do they want? Where do they want to see the school going? I need them to be completely honest with me because it will be vital for us to work together to generate a strong buy-in, trust and ownership across our community of where the school is going. That’s really important for me.

“It can’t just be a ‘story’, a ‘narrative’. It has to be real. One of the best advertisements for a school I think is round the dinner table – I’m a bit of a traditionalist and I love my family all being round the table for dinner, talking, and hearing them say how good their school is. Hearing them say how good the results are, how amazing the staff are, how they feel valued and part of the school community … that is the story we want people talking about.

“It is important, therefore, that every single student here knows they are seen as an individual, known for who they are, their character and the positives they bring to our community.

“If they genuinely feel that, we can sell that story, our narrative, to the community so that Longridge has a name for being a school and an environment where people want to be, and want their children to be.

“It will be a place where parents trust us and know their children are going to get an amazing education that suits each child, and recognises their abilities and potential, and helps them to become successful.”

So, can we expect the new headteacher to introduce new ideas to Longridge?

“I will take the first few months to get to know the staff, pupils and parents, and wider community, and I know already that there is some amazing teaching going at the school.

“When a new headteacher comes in it’s more a matter of tweaking and refining in my experience, and maybe, in my case, bringing in some international ideas that I have seen enhance a school around pedagogy and the pastoral side.

“I have lots of ideas but they have to fit into the Longridge environment so we’ll wait and see how things go as I get to know everyone from September onwards. What I would assure people is that anything we seek to change or ideas we introduce will only be done to build on the great work of current and past staff at Longridge, and make Longridge a better place every day for the students.”

We caught up at the end of a school day in Queensland that had started for Mr Wilcox at 5.30am with a beach run and short surf, which suggests we can expect to see the new Head out and about in the natural Borders and Northumberland environment – and perhaps in a boat.

‘We’re looking forward to some calmer, colder weather!’

“I am well aware we will have a different climate in Berwick,” he said, with a laugh. “But, actually, it is one we are looking forward to. This might sound ridiculous, but you can get too much of constant warm weather – and cyclones that are battering our coast currently – and we’re looking forward to some calmer, colder weather! It’s nice to have a balance.

“In my spare time, I love being fit and going for runs. I was in a Cornish gig rowing team in my younger days and I’m aware there are rowing clubs nearby, so I would like to get back to rowing when the time’s right.

“I love reading, relaxing with family – I’m very much a family person – and being outdoors. Having the opportunity to spend a lot of time outdoors is important and really good for your wellbeing, and that ethos of Outdoor Education, Forest School, beach trips and residentials at Longridge is great.”

Asked what he is most looking forward to in his move to Longridge, he concluded: “Myself and my family are looking forward to just being part of a community. I’m not the sort of person who will sit back. I like to be involved and meet people – I’m generally quite a social person.

“I’ve got my job to finish here in Australia and it’s important to me that I leave the kind of legacy that I have worked hard to grow, but there is no doubt that we are all very excited about the new opportunity back in the UK, and leading Longridge into a bright, successful future.

“I can’t wait to get there.”