Meet our Executive Team
A family of leading independent schools based in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, offering high quality education and care for boys and girls aged 5 months to 18 years.
Both Berkhamsted and Amersham are prosperous communities surrounded by beautiful Chiltern countryside, and within easy reach of London by road or public transport.
Our family of six schools combines both single-sex and co-educational teaching.
At the Pre-Prep and Prep, boys and girls are taught together until the age of 11, separately from 11-16 (Berkhamsted Boys and Berkhamsted Girls), before coming back together again in a joint Sixth Form. Heatherton provides a co-educational nursery class (3-4) and single-sex education for girls aged 4 to 11.
Our objectives are: “to promote the education (including social and physical training) of boys and girls and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, to conduct day or day and boarding schools in or near Berkhamsted at which religious education (in accordance with the principles of the Church of England) is provided.”
Meet Our Executive Team
Martin Walker, Principal of Berkhamsted School, started his Berkhamsted journey as the Headteacher of Berkhamsted Sixth in September 2017. An alumnus of Barnard Castle School, where he was Head of School, Martin pursued his studies in French and German at Nottingham University. He took gap years in France, Germany, and Austria, during which he taught English, skied, and played rugby.
Martin completed his PGCE at Cambridge University and started his teaching career at the Perse School, eventually becoming Deputy Head of the Lower School. His next move was to Harrow School, where he spent seven years as Head of Department and four years as House Master of West Acre House. He has a rich background in coaching rugby, hockey, and cricket, and has led Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. Martin has spent time during his career doing voluntary work in the school holidays, focusing in particular on supporting underprivileged children.
He is married to Liz, and they have two daughters who attend Berkhamsted School. In his leisure time, Martin enjoys playing sport, reading and travelling.
Andrew Mair joined the Berkhamsted Schools Group as Vice Principal in June 2026. An alumnus of The King’s School, Tynemouth, where he served as Head of School, he went on to read Music at Durham University. He is also a Fellow of The Chartered Management Institute.
Andrew began his teaching career in the North East of England and has since developed extensive leadership experience across both the maintained and independent sectors. Throughout his career, he has held a wide range of senior roles, including Head of Department, Head of Faculty, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Assistant Vice Principal, Vice Principal and Trust Lead for Christian Ethos & Character Education. Prior to joining Berkhamsted, he served as Deputy Headmaster at St Catherine’s School, Twickenham.
Alongside his educational leadership, Andrew remains deeply committed to music and regularly conducts ensembles. He is also an active member of The Salvation Army.
Andrew is married to Hazel, and they are expecting their first child in Autumn 2026. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the piano, composing music and spending time with his family.
Tracey Evans is the Chief People Officer (CPO) at Berkhamsted Schools Group. With a wealth of experience in Industry Tracey joined Berkhamsted School in 2007. She spent 16 years in Banking, where she studied and attained her CIPD qualification during her role as an HR Specialist and Management trainer. Before leaving the bank Tracey held the position of Bank Manager for two years. Spending the next five years in an engineering company Tracey developed their HR portfolio before diversifying once more into the world of Education. With 580 staff, a Group of Schools which includes a Day Nursery, and an annual turnover of £28m, the challenges of managing the HR and Payroll for the Group are varied and require her to be up to date with the ever changing employment law and best practice. In this role Tracey offers professional advice to other smaller independent schools who have benefited from Berkhamsted’s pioneering initiatives. Tracey has two daughters who are Old Berkhamstedians. She enjoys travel, horse-riding, getting out and about in the countryside and spending time with her family.
Julian Anthony was appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2018. Julian was previously the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Norwood – one of the UK’s oldest charities employing over 1,000 people, assisted by hundreds of volunteers, supporting vulnerable children and their families, children with special educational needs and people with learning disabilities. As a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales he has held a variety of senior finance positions including those at BT, T-Mobile and Premier Foods. Julian graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Computing, and is a former pupil of The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys School. Julian, who is married to Wendy, an Educational Psychologist, is an avid Arsenal supporter and keeps fit by either running, swimming or going to the gym most days which he claims is essential just to keep pace with his three energetic children.
Richard Thompson is Assistant Vice Principal (External Relations). His early years were spent in Stratford-upon-Avon where he attended King Edward VI School. After graduating in Sports Science at Cardiff, he completed his PGCE at the University of Birmingham before taking up a scholarship at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. His teaching career began in Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet. Richard has worked at Berkhamsted School since September 1998 and, since then, has been a Head of Department, a Head of House and Deputy Head of Boys before becoming Head in September 2013, a position he held for five years. He is married to Laura who teaches at Berkhamsted Pre-Prep and has a son who is an Old Berkhamstedian. As well as having a career in education, Richard has played rugby for Moseley, Ebbw Vale and Saracens, and maintains a keen interest in sport.
Nick Cale joined Berkhamsted in 2008 and has held several key positions in his time including Head of French, Head of Modern Languages, Director of Data and Research, and most recently, Deputy Head of Curriculum and Assessment. He was educated at QEH Bristol and studied French and German at Birmingham University during which time he was fortunate to complete university placements at both Université Grenoble Alpes and the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg. As a perpetual gap-year student he has enjoyed working in French hotels in the Alps and also as a ski guide in Austria. A keen lover of all things sport and travelling, Nick has coached rugby and cricket throughout his time at Berkhamsted as well as accompanying numerous ski trips to both Europe and North American together with a wide-range of other trips that have allowed him to try out new languages. He lives in Berkhamsted with his wife, Alex, and two young daughters, Clara and Alba.
Email: sixth@berkhamsted.com
Jo Vila was appointed Head of Berkhamsted Girls in 2025, having been a valued member of the Berkhamsted community since 2010. During her time at the School, Jo has held the roles of Director of Sport and Deputy Head of Co-Curricular, fostering a culture of ambition and self-belief among students. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and is deeply committed to character development, self-discovery, and empowering young people to use their voices to make a positive impact. Jo feels incredibly proud to be part of such a wonderful, forward-thinking community, where the ethos and values align so closely with her own.
Email: girls@berkhamsted.com
Tom Hockedy is the Headteacher of Berkhamsted Boys and has been a member of the Berkhamsted community since 2013. He has held positions as Head of Department, Sixth Form Housemaster, and Deputy Head of Berkhamsted Girls working in leadership positions in all of the Senior Schools in the Group. He was educated at Millfield School, Somerset, where he was also Head Boy, and completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Exeter. Tom has previously held posts at Millfield and Uppingham School.
His service at Berkhamsted was put on pause for two years while he worked in a start up in the food and drinks sector as Operations Director, returning to the School after a successful period of expansion to resume his career as a school leader.
Tom is dedicated advocate for education, has conducted action research into learning environments, is an advanced Graydin Coach, and is also a governor at number of schools. He is married to Amelia, who is an English teacher in the Senior School, and they live locally with their two sons. In his free time, you will never find Tom too far away from a significant DIY project.
Email: boys@berkhamsted.com
Karen O’Connor is the Headteacher of Berkhamsted Prep, Pre-Prep and Berkhamsted Day Nursery
She attended Saint Michael’s Grammar school in North London, completed a degree in English and History at the University of Southampton, followed by a PGCE, and in recent years attained a Masters in Leadership at University College London.
Karen has been a senior leader for over 20 years, leading across a range of maintained primary schools. This has included holding a number of Deputy Head and Acting Headship posts, working in both the London Borough of Barnet and in the Inner London borough of Camden, prior to coming to take up her post at Berkhamsted. She is committed to ensuring that every child has the best possible start to their educational journey and in addition is a Governor of a maintained all through school in Barnet.
Karen and her husband Richard have a daughter who attended Berkhamsted. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, playing tennis, swimming, travel and joining her daughter on horse riding hacks.
Email: Pre-Prep preprep@berkhamsted.com | Prep prep@berkhamsted.com
Alice Fletcher is the Headteacher of Heatherton School. Following an education in all-girls schools, Alice gained a degree in Business Management at The University of Leeds. It was in Leeds that she started volunteering at a local primary school and found her passion for teaching. She gained a PGCE at Froebel College at Roehampton University. Alice brings a wide breadth of experience from 20 years in teaching and leadership across the state-maintained, international and independent sectors. She has recently been a governor at a local school in Henley, where she lives with her husband. She is often found walking her dog by the river, gardening or reading.
Email: office@heatherton.com
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ABOUT US
Our history
Berkhamsted School was founded in 1541 by John Incent, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.
