Staff

Will Phelps has been Headmaster of The Beacon since September 2015. Prior to his appointment, Will was Headmaster of the British International School in New York (BIS-NY) for five years and has previously been Senior Housemaster and Head of Boarding at Abingdon School. He began his teaching career at Aldenham School.

Will has three teenage children. He was educated at the Dragon School, Clifton College, Bristol and then King’s College, London, where he read Theology. He completed his PGCE at Oxford University and an MA in Education Leadership at New York University (NYU). His hobbies include drama, cricket and walking his dog.

James Skea joined The Beacon in 2000 as Director of Sport, after which he was promoted to Head of Upper School, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and now Senior Master (Pastoral). James started his teaching career as a PE Teacher in Cheltenham and went on to teach in Kenya for a number of years, before returning to the UK to teach at the end of the last Millennium. His devotion to The Beacon, its staff and, most importantly, our boys is a wonderful asset to the School.

Simon Detre became a key member of The Beacon team, joining as Deputy Head (Academic & Digital) in 2018. Before exploring his passion for education, Simon enjoyed a successful career in the IT industry. Since qualifying as a teacher, he has held the positions of Senior Deputy Head at St Anthony’s School in Hampstead, Senior Master at Westminster Abbey Choir School and Headmaster of St Teresa’s School, Princes Risborough. Simon is also an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Frank Muzika joined The Beacon in January 2019 as Director of Finance & Operations, responsible for Finance, Estates, IT and Compliance. Before his role at The Beacon, Frank’s experience in the commercial sector was considerable. He became the Co-Founder of the Toys “R” Us UK business in 1985, progressing to Finance & Administration Director, Deputy Managing Director and, ultimately, UK Lead Executive together with the European Chief Financial Officer role until 2018.

Gail Gamble joined The Beacon in 2016 as Head of HR, working closely with Governors and the E-team to lead the strategic HR agenda. Gail originally qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen, specialising in compensation and benefits. She then moved client side into the marketing sector where she was a Board Director for over 10 years at AMV BBDO and went on to hold a variety of HR leadership positions within the Omnicom global marketing communications network before joining The Beacon. Gail is also qualified at Practitioner Level with an avid interest in executive and leadership development.

Nikki Olhausen joined The Beacon in 2014 as Head of English. She brought with her a wealth of teaching experience, having taught English and Media Studies for over 20 years in local senior schools. Nikki’s teaching passion centres around the more creative aspects of English, which has resulted in her introducing exciting initiatives into The Beacon boys’ experience, such as the BBC Young Reporter day, trips to Sky News and the Write Path collaborative writing event. Nikki holds an MA in Education Leadership and Management, which complements her strategic role within the school. She also has a huge amount of invaluable pastoral experience, having been Head of Key Stage 3 (11-14) for a number of years. Outside of school, Nikki is an avid reader and walker. She also enjoys travel, theatre and live music.