Staff

Nick Baker, BA PGCE, joined The Beacon as Headmaster in July 2022. He lived in Amersham as a boy and was educated at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, UCL (Geography) and Newcastle University (PGCE). His teaching career began in the senior school state sector before spending three years as Head of Geography at Chesham Prep between 2001 and 2004.  He joined Wetherby Prep School in London in 2004, initially as Senior Master, then Deputy Head in 2006 and Headmaster in 2008. Between 2014 and 2017, he was the founding Headmaster of Wetherby Senior School, alongside his existing role as Head of the Prep School.

Simon Detre joined The Beacon as Deputy Head (Academic & Digital) in 2018. Since September 2023 he has been Senior Deputy Head. He established a new agenda for teaching and learning, known as ‘Beacon Excellence’. He led the creation of our online school during the pandemic and led The Beacon through its 2022 Educational Quality Inspection. Simon was Interim Headmaster of The Beacon for the Summer Term 2022. He is also an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate and a Governor at RMS for Girls, Rickmansworth.

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 has recently become a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. Nikki 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.

Steve joined The Beacon in 2007. His previous roles were Head of PE, Head of Eddystone and Head of Middle School. Steve has also been on the school’s safeguarding team for 6 years, becoming the designated safeguarding lead in September 2023. He has also implemented the ‘Beacon Sparks Programme’ for middle school which is designed to give the boys an array of opportunities to progress in all areas. Steve has been dedicated to the school for almost 17 years, inspiring and motivating all the boys, striving for everyone to achieve.