The Leadership Team and the Head are responsible for the day to day running of the school. Members of the Leadership Team have specific responsibilities within the overall management of the School.
The Leadership Team
Linda Gaskell - Head of Pre-Prep
Following a successful career as a nursery nurse, Linda went on to complete her Bachelor of Education degree with a specialism in Religious Studies and Philosophy at Westminster College, Oxford in 2000. She has been teaching for 18 years, working in Oxfordshire primary schools with children aged from 3 to 8 years across all subjects. Linda has led successful departments, alongside her teaching commitments including; RE, PSHCE, Assessment, History, SEND and EYFS. She has also worked in one of the first schools in Europe that co-educated mainstream and special needs children during its infancy, leading the Integration department alongside working as the SENCo and Year 2 teacher, before running its successful nursery setting. Linda joined Abingdon Prep in 2012 as the EYFS co-ordinator and Reception teacher.
Role at Abingdon Prep:
Appointed Head of Pre-Prep in 2015, Linda has worked closely with the Head and Leadership Team, alongside the Pre-Prep Team, to develop a purposeful, child-centred environment within which children are eager to explore and extend their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Her responsibilities involve developing the Pre-Prep department, working alongside the Prep school to ensure a seamless transition and developing all round pastoral, academic and sporting achievement through a creative and exciting curriculum. Having worked as part of the Safeguarding Team for several years, Linda has also taken over the role of DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) from July 2018.
Stefan Gerrard - Senior Deputy Head
After completing his degree in Geography with French at Royal Holloway College, University of London, Stefan went on to complete his PGCE at Nottingham University. His career spans over 32 years within both primary and secondary education. Stefan began teaching Geography and French in a London secondary school and has also taught EFL in Italy, the Czech Republic and in the UK. Since joining Abingdon Prep in 2003. Stefan has been a Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 form teacher and has taught History, Geography and, more recently, English to senior pupils, as well as French to more junior classes.
Role at Abingdon Prep:
Within his shared role of Senior Deputy Head, Stefan’s remit includes deputising for the Head in their absence; responsibility for the day-to-day organisation of the school; general oversight of the teaching staff, Other Half co-curricular programme, PSHCE and RSE; overseeing pupil voice initiatives; and collaborating with the Deputy Heads on both academic and pastoral matters.
Charles Newbury - Deputy Head Academic
Having graduated with a degree in Humanities from Brighton University, Charles went on to complete his PGCE at Roehampton (Surrey University). Before joining Abingdon Prep, he worked in a number of schools – both single sex and co-educational – including Stamford School, Lincolnshire; Twickenham Prep School, London and Magdalen College School, Oxford where he was also Deputy Head (Academic) of the Junior School. Previously a Governor at a local primary school, he is husband to Liz, a primary school deputy head and father to Ben and Jessica. In his spare time, he enjoys running, travel and fictional writing – very much hoping to one day publish his book about a Year 6 pupil who discovers an Anderson shelter in their former back garden.
Role at Abingdon Prep:
Appointed Deputy Head Academic in 2024, Charles’ responsibilities include developing pupil progress tracking, marking and feedback and the integration of skills strands and more creative assessment into the post-scholarship and AP+ curriculum.
Rachel Pairman - Senior Deputy Head
Having read Law at Cambridge, Rachel qualified and practised as a solicitor specialising in personal injury litigation for several years before deciding on a change of career. She retrained as a teacher and has taught in a number of maintained and independent schools in both New Zealand and England. Rachel joined Abingdon Prep in 2010 to develop the Phonics programme and teach Year 5 and then subsequently became Assistant Head Pastoral before being appointed Senior Deputy Head.
Role at Abingdon Prep:
Within her shared role of Senior Deputy Head, Rachel’s remit includes deputising for the Head in their absence; responsibility for the day-to-day organisation of the school; general oversight of the teaching staff, Other Half co-curricular programme, PSHCE and RSE; overseeing pupil voice initiatives; and collaborating with the Deputy Heads on both academic and pastoral matters. She is also involved in teaching PSHCE and French.
Richard Sutton - Deputy Head Pastoral
Having read Geography at Royal Holloway College, University of London, Richard served as an Army Officer for most of the 1990s, serving as a Captain in the Royal Artillery in Bosnia, Canada, Cyprus, Germany and the UK. He then worked for a brand design agency in London for several years, including being account manager for the UEFA Champions League brand. After retraining as a teacher and completing a PGCE, he worked at Cothill House for 19 years in a number of roles including Director of Sport, Deputy Head Pastoral, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Head of History and Head of PSHCE. Richard has also been a governor of a local primary school.
Role at Abingdon Prep:
Richard became Deputy Head Pastoral in January 2022. His responsibilities include the oversight of the welfare of all the pupils, ranging from the management of the pastoral system through Section Heads and Form Teachers to any pastoral issues in the school. He oversees and organises the House System, School Council, Listening Service, Assemblies and Class Pairings. He works closely with the Senior Deputy Heads on rewards, sanctions and discipline issues. Richard is also Head of PE and a Games Teacher, taking teams across the school in all of the major sports.
