St Andrew’s College welcomes Tom Hamilton as the 20th Headmaster. This week we welcomed Mr Tom Hamilton as the 20th Headmaster of St Andrew’s College. Tom is well known in our community, having served as Deputy Headmaster of St Andrew’s College for four years between 1997 and 2001, and having maintained close relationships with many members of the Andrean community.

Tom is married to Rentia and they have three children, sons Adam and Conor in London and daughter Lauren in Johannesburg. Tom’s career in education is long and impressive. Tom is a scholar at heart and a Mathematics teacher by training. He has co-authored three Mathematics textbooks and was the Director of Studies at St Alban’s College in the early nineties. He has also co-authored Derby Day, a book on schoolboy rugby in SA.

Tom left St Andrew’s College to take Headmastership of St Alban’s College, Pretoria, where he had previously been a housemaster and Director of Academics. During his headship at St Alban’s, the school enjoyed a period of strong growth which included a significant increase in pupil numbers. Through his exemplary leadership, Tom put St Alban’s College firmly on the map of top South African schools and has left a legacy and his own mark on the school. From 2017 to 2020, Tom was the CEO of the Royal Bafokeng Institute, a company of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, with the purpose of setting rural children on the path to achieving their full potential. Thereafter, he had two successful years as CEO of the Kyalami Schools Group where he was responsible for the executive oversight of five schools. However, he decided that the chance to serve St Andrew’s College as Headmaster was an opportunity that could not be ignored.

Tom’s experience has given him a deep understanding of the educational realities in South Africa, and has instilled an enduring personal commitment to building partnerships with schools serving under-privileged members of the community. Mr Hamilton has extensive experience in governance, staff development, strategic leadership, and diversity and transformation imperatives. He places significant emphasis on academic excellence and has a deep understanding of the educational realities in South Africa.

After two weeks in his new office, Tom remarked: “Returning to College as Headmaster is an immense privilege for me and, in many respects, it is as if I have come back home. I take up this role fully aware of the magnitude of the history and tradition here, and also the scale of the challenges that we face, within the school and within the city. I am realistically optimistic that with the support of Council, Staff, Boys, Parents and Old Andreans, we can tackle and resolve each and every challenge.”