Richard Nicholson

Richard Nicholson is the Trust’s Chief Executive Officer and Foundation Principal at Warwick Schools Foundation. He has spent his career in education, as a classroom teacher, middle leader, senior leader, head and latterly CEO. 

A graduate in Music from the University of Oxford, Richard combined teaching and work as a professional musician at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School, Ealing, leaving to lead the music department at St Catherine’s, Bramley in 2003. In 2006 he was appointed to his first senior leadership role – Senior Teacher (Strategic Development) – at The Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton, where he progressed to being sole Deputy Head. In 2015 he was appointed Head of King’s High School, Warwick in the Warwick Schools Foundation, being responsible for a wide programme of school improvement – notably pupil achievement (with the school being named TES School of the Year for the West Midlands in 2019) and the building of a new school on the main Foundation site, which also opened in 2019.  

In 2020, he was appointed the first Principal/CEO of the Warwick Schools Foundation, with strategic oversight for the charity. In that time, The Kingsley School has come into the charity, a new strategic plan has been agreed, new leadership appointments made, core centralised functions redeveloped and enhanced (including new functions for Safeguarding and Music), and a joined-up approach to investment, including shared infrastructure projects across the schools.   In 2021, The Foundation brought Partnerships with external groups have also been developed, including the residency with Orchestra of the Swan, and renewed partnerships with schools in the town of Warwick, not least through ‘Warwick - a Singing Town’. 

Richard has many interests outside the Foundation, including several Trusteeships (Warwickshire Music Education Trust, ArtsEd in London, the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain) as well as being Safeguarding Governor at Headington School.