We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Michael Alderson as the next Principal of Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation. Dr. Michael Alderson, currently Executive Head at Merchant Taylors’ Schools in Liverpool, will assume leadership of the Foundation in September 2025, succeeding interim Principal Andrew Pearson.
Born and raised in North Yorkshire, Michael first came to Durham as an undergraduate at Durham University, where he read Modern European Languages. He began his teaching career in 2000 after completing a PGCE at the Universities of Cambridge and Innsbruck. His academic accomplishments include a master’s degree and a doctorate in Church History of the Reformation from Durham University.
Michael’s career has been marked by leadership roles at prestigious schools. After serving as Head of Sixth Form at Derby Grammar School, he joined Durham School in 2003, teaching French and German before becoming Head of Department. As Housemaster of School House, he reintroduced boarding, and later, as Deputy Head [Staff], he managed recruitment, compliance, and daily operations.
Michael’s experience extends to coeducational and single-sex education, exemplified by his work as an independent consultant for Harrogate Ladies’ College. During his time there, he gained valuable insights into fostering inclusivity and supporting the unique needs of girls in coeducational settings, skills that he has further honed with oversight of Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, and is eager to bring to DCSF.
Michael has also led as Warden of Glenalmond College, where he steered the school through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, overseeing inspections, pupil growth, and modernization. Since 2023, as Executive Head of Merchant Taylors’ Schools in Liverpool, he has led a foundation with two single-sex senior schools and a co-ed prep school, and spearheaded plans to bring the two senior schools into one coeducational institution.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Alderson said:
“The decision to apply to be Principal of DCSF was easy: the Schools offer a superb education in and outside the classroom, supported by outstanding pastoral care in an amazing location with an almost thousand-year relationship with the Cathedral – a place in which I have worshipped over many years. The biggest attraction, however, is the culture of this very special community - warm, fun, with a sense of values and a real heart. I am particularly excited at seeing how Chorister School and Durham School have enriched one another since the creation of the Foundation. In coming to Durham, I will
have custodianship of a very special place and people, and it will be my privilege to bring the skills and experiences I have gained over the last 25 years to the service of Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation.”
Dr. Alderson will be joined in Durham by his wife, Emma, a teacher in the city, and their black Labrador, Angus.
Our current Principal, Kieran McLaughlin, commented:
“I am delighted that Michael has been appointed as Principal at DCSF. He was a hugely popular and successful Housemaster of School House and a very effective and collegiate member of Durham School's leadership team. Michael knows and loves this place, and I know that his time away has only made his heart grow fonder. I am looking forward to working with him over the next few months and beyond when he becomes a governor at Durham School Dubai. I wish him the very best, and I am sure that under his expert watch the Foundation will have a very bright future.”
Andrew Pearson, Senior Deputy Head (Academic), and interim Principal for the Summer Term 2025, said: “It is an honour to be asked by the Governors to take on the position of interim Principal of our amazing Foundation, and I look forward to working with both Kieran and Michael to ensure the very best continuity of education as well as strategy and leadership for this historic institution we all love and that does so much good for our wider community.”
On behalf of the Governors, I would like to add the following:
Michael was a hugely popular housemaster, teacher, colleague and member of the senior team over the many years he was at Durham, known for his great intelligence, foresight, quick wit, kindness, integrity, and humility. Indeed, speaking of kindness and integrity, it was Michael who masterminded the project that distilled our MARK values for us, ones that have served us so well as Foundation. After leaving Durham he has been achieving great things in challenging circumstances both North of the Border and near the Mersey, and picking up incredibly valuable skills along the way.
Applications for the role of Principal of DCSF were strong and numerous, and competition was fierce. This is a testament to the ever-growing standing we have within the HMC and further afield, thanks in no small part to our outgoing Principal Kieran McLaughlin’s reputation amongst his HMC peers and his achievements during his time with us, and also to the potential the wider independent school market recognise we have, as a newly-merged entity, to achieve greater and greater things.
Within this very strong field, it was Michael who triumphed with an impressive set of skills and experience that seem almost tailor-made for us as an organisation, and there could be no better person to help lead us into the next exciting chapter in our long history.
As a Board of Governors, we are very excited to work with Michael to build an ever-greater environment for our young people to learn and grow into the very best that they can be, and the fact that he already has good relationships with our existing and interim principals will help further ensure a smooth transition to the Alderson Era.
This appointment reflects DCSF’s commitment to ensuring exceptional leadership as it continues to uphold its rich traditions whilst embracing the needs of a diverse, modern student community of which we are rightly proud.
Mr. Simon Dobson OD
Chair, Board of Governors
Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation
