Ralph Douglas Townsend (born 13 December 1951, in Nedlands, West Australia) is an educational consultant. He was Chairman of Prep Schools Trust (2017-2022) and Special Adviser to the President of Keio University and President of Keio Academy of New York (2017-2021). He currently serves on the International Development Group of the Jesuit Refugee Service. He was Headmaster of Winchester College (2005-2016).Townsend, Dr Ralph Douglas Townsend
, '' Who's Who 2011'', A & C Black, 2011; online edn,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, December 2010 (accessed 23 September 2011). He was previously Headmaster of Oundle School (1999-2005) and before that Headmaster of Sydney Grammar School (1989-1999).

Career

After brief teaching appointments at

Dover College , motto_translation = I cannot refuse the task , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , headmaster = Simon Fisher , r_head_label = , r_head ...

and Abingdon School, he proceeded to further study at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. He was first Senior Scholar at

Keble College Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to ...

, then a Junior Research Fellow, Tutor and Dean of Degrees at Lincoln College, where he was the Anglican chaplain. He resigned from this post in 1985 when he decided to join the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He took up a teaching post at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

in 1985. He left as Head of Personal Education in 1989 to become Headmaster of Sydney Grammar School. While in Sydney, Townsend was Patron of the Australian Musicians' Academy and President of the New South Wales Classical Association. After ten years in that post, he returned to England to become Headmaster of

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

. In 2005 he was appointed Headmaster of Winchester, the first Roman Catholic to hold that post since the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. In 2011 he was invested a Knight of the

Order of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

of Jerusalem. He has written books, articles and reviews in the areas of church history, westerns, religious literature and education. He has been a Governor of

Terra Nova School Terra Nova School is a prep school in Cheshire, England for children from two and a half to thirteen years of age. It began as a school for boys in 1897, and today educates boys and girls. Children aged two and a half to seven attend the pre-pr ...

( Cheshire) 1999–2003, Old Buckenham Hall School ( Suffolk) 1999–2006, Ardvreck School (

Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has becom ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

) 2000–2005,

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

(

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

) 2003–2006, Bramcote Lorne School (

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

) 2003–2005,

Mowden Hall School Mowden Hall School is a co-educational day and boarding preparatory school in the parish of Bywell, in Stocksfield, Northumberland, England approximately west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has been part of the Prep Schools Trust since 2007 and i ...

(

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

) 2000–2007,

Worth School Worth may refer to: Places In the United States: *Worth, Georgia *Worth County, Georgia *Worth, Illinois *Worth Township, Cook County, Illinois *Worth Township, Woodford County, Illinois *Worth Township, Indiana *Worth Township, Michigan *Worth, ...

(

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

) 2004-2010 and 2016–2019, The Pilgrims' School Winchester 2005–2013, St Swithun's School Winchester 2005–2013, St John's School Beaumont 2007-2016 and Charterhouse School 2016–2019. From 2005 to 2011 he was a Trustee of the

United Church Schools Trust The United Church Schools Trust (UCST) is a large education charity in the United Kingdom which owns and operates a group of 12 independent schools. The charity is operating under the name United Learning as of 2012. History UCST was founded in ...

and an adviser to the United Learning Trust. From 2008 to 2016 he was a Governor of

Midhurst Rother College Midhurst Rother College is a mixed Academy for students aged 11 to 19, in Midhurst, West Sussex, in southern England. It was officially formed on 1 January 2009 following the closure of three predecessor schools in the area. It serves a wide rur ...

and from 2014 to 2019 a Trustee of St George's House Windsor Castle. He was a governor of UWC Dilijan College 2008–2018.

References

External links

Winchester College Website: The Headmaster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Ralph University of Western Australia alumni Alumni of the University of Kent People educated at Scotch College, Perth Australian headmasters Sydney Grammar School headmasters Headmasters of Winchester College Fellows of Lincoln College, Oxford Living people 1951 births Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Headmasters of Oundle School Staff of Abingdon School Teachers at Eton College