New Deputy Head Academic – September 2026

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Charlotte Wilde as Deputy Head Academic, from September 2025.

Charlotte joins Leighton Park from Taunton School, where she is currently Assistant Head Academic, leading a successful whole-school focus on value-added progress. She brings a wealth of experience from senior academic roles across a number of leading independent schools, including Wells Cathedral School, Caterham School, and St Mary’s School, Ascot, where she began her career as a teacher of Physics.

Charlotte gained a first-class degree in Theoretical Physics at the University of St Andrews and completed her PGCE at the University of Oxford. She is passionate about academic excellence, staff development and ensuring every student is supported to find the educational pathway through which they will flourish. Alongside her academic work, she is an enthusiastic musician, dancer and regularly supports school choirs.

Luke Walters, Head, said: “Charlotte brings intellectual rigour, warmth and a clear commitment to the academic progress of every student, all of which emerged through a rigorous process. Charlotte stood out in an incredibly strong field that included impressive candidates from some of the country’s most well-regarded schools, as well as highly accomplished internal candidates. She will be an asset to our leadership team and the wider Leighton Park community. We are very much looking forward to her arrival in September.”

Charlotte added, “From my first visit, I was struck by the warmth of the relationships that define the Leighton Park community. It was a pleasure to meet students who spoke with such pride about their school and the intellectual curiosity it inspires in them every day. I’m looking forward to getting to know the community better and to building on the excellent work of Alex and the academic team: challenging and supporting Leighton Park students to achieve their remarkable potential, both academically and personally.”

Charlotte will be living on the Park with her husband, Jack and their two whippets.