Wellington College Bangkok is delighted to announce that Dr Jim Panton will become Head of Senior School from August 2021.
Jim has extensive background in both secondary school and university teaching and joins Wellington College Bangkok from Magdalen College School, a leading academic independent day school in Oxford, where he has been Head of Upper Sixth and Head of Politics, Housemaster, and a teacher of politics, philosophy and history. He previously taught politics and history at Stowe School, a prestigious UK boarding school.
Jim began his career as an academic, lecturing Politics at St John’s College, Balliol College, and Hertford College, University of Oxford, where he also coordinated the tutorial teaching training programme for the Department of Politics and International Relations. He has published a number of articles and book chapters and co-edited two books. He is committed to the transformative power of education, and while working in elite schools and universities, Jim has spent over a decade working with the Open University, teaching philosophy and social science to adults from the widest range of educational backgrounds. He is a Governor at John Watson School, a community special school for children with serious education and learning needs in Oxfordshire.
Apart from the UK, Jim has lived in Cuba (where he taught English) and Guatemala (where he worked with refugees). He has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE), a Masters (MSc) and Doctorate (DPhil) from the University of Oxford; an MPhil from University College London, and a PGCE teaching qualification from the University of Buckingham.
Chris Nicholls, Master of Wellington College Bangkok, commented on Jim’s appointment: “The search for our first Head of Senior School was an amazing experience, for many reasons. We had a huge response, from strong, aspirational candidates across the world. Our longlist was very long – as was our shortlist! It was an enormous pleasure for me and the Recruitment Team to spend time with each of the finalists, learning more about them and trying to gauge the ideal fit. These were serious contenders – because this is one of the best jobs anywhere! Jim beat out some really top-class leaders and I’m delighted to be able to welcome him to Bangkok. He brings so much to Wellington College and I know our parents and students will very much enjoy getting to know him.”
