Shiplake College Appoints New Headmaster

Shiplake College has appointed Mr Tyrone Howe as headmaster of Shiplake College from September 2019. Mr Howe moves to Shiplake from Uppingham School in Rutland, where he has been housemaster of a very popular boarding house for the last seven years.

Shiplake College has appointed Mr Tyrone Howe as headmaster of Shiplake College from September 2019. Mr Howe moves to Shiplake from Uppingham School in Rutland, where he has been housemaster of a very popular boarding house for the last seven years. He succeeds Mr Gregg Davies who is in his fifteenth year as headmaster of Shiplake College.

Mr Howe was educated at Banbridge Academy in Northern Ireland and holds a MA Joint Hons in German and International Relations from St Andrew’s University and a Master of Studies in European Literature from Oxford University. Mr Howe started his teaching career at Marlborough College but left to become a professional rugby player for Ulster, going on to represent Ireland, the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians. Following his retirement from rugby Mr Howe spent five years in industry before returning to education. In addition to his housemaster duties at Uppingham he teaches politics, languages and business and has coached rugby at all levels of the school including the 1st XV.

Mr Howe has been a regular on Sky Sports rugby coverage as a commentator and analyst. In wider educational roles, he has delivered talks at conferences and has served on the board that works with eight academy schools in Northamptonshire.

Mr Howe and his wife Alex, who is also a teacher at Uppingham, have ten-year-old twins, Hugo and Georgia, and two dogs – an old man called Murphy and an excitable and ever-hungry 18-month-old Golden Retriever called Simba. He enjoys a wide spread of interests including reading, music and sport and has a particular interest in sports psychology.

Mr Tyrone Howe said: "It is a great privilege to be appointed as the next Headmaster of Shiplake College. I was immediately struck by the warmth of the school’s welcome, the sense of community, and the motivation of the staff and pupils. Shiplake’s core values of ‘Individual, Independent and Inspirational’ resonate strongly with my own belief and vision of how a school should operate. Above all, Shiplake is truly focused on adding value to its pupils across its academic and co-curricular provision, while making sure that its pastoral care is both professional and compassionate. In building on the superb work that Gregg Davies has done over the last 15 years, I look forward to steering Shiplake into the next chapter of its history."

Shiplake College Chairman of Governors, Rt. Hon. Tim Eggar said: “The selection process was extremely thorough and we were fortunate to have a very strong field of candidates, including current heads and deputy heads. All the governors, staff and pupils who met with Mr Howe commented on how Mr Howe really understood Shiplake and demonstrated the many qualities required to lead and inspire those around him. This is a hugely exciting time for Shiplake College and I am confident that Mr Howe is absolutely the right person to take the school yet further forward, after 15 very successful years under Gregg Davies.”

Shiplake College is an independent boarding and day school for boys aged 11 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18 situated near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. Rated ‘Excellent’ in all categories by the Independent SchooIs Inspectorate (ISI), Shiplake College provides an outstanding education based on small class sizes, excellent facilities and dedicated teaching staff.