Nick Stuart CB – Chairman of John Lyon’s Charity

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Nick Stuart CB – Chairman of John Lyon’s Charity (2002 – 2010)

1942 – 2025 

Nick Stuart
Photograph of Nick Stuart. He is an older man with short grey hair, wearing glasses and a dark blazer over a burgundy shirt. He is smiling gently at the camera, with a soft-focus banner and warm indoor lighting in the background.

We are deeply saddened to share that Nick Stuart CB, who served as Chairman of the Grants Committee of John Lyon’s Charity 2002 – 2010 passed away unexpectedly on the 12th of September 2025.   

Nick was a highly respected and much valued member of the John Lyon community, serving with great dedication as both a Foundation Trustee and Governor of Harrow School from 1996-2007. Nick was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Sue, and children – Henrietta, Emily and Alex, at this difficult time. 

Harrow was in Nick’s blood, having attended Harrow School in 1956 -1960 and was known for his sporting spirit, particularly in boxing. He carried that dedication and discipline into his role as Governor, where he championed physical education and extracurricular opportunities for all pupils. 

After attending Oxford University, he joined the Department for Education & Science in 1964 and served as Private Secretary to the Minister for the Arts (Jenny Lee) in 1968-69, the Head of the Civil Service (Sir William Armstrong) and to successive Prime Ministers (1973-76).  He also served as an Adviser in the Cabinet of the President of the European Commission (Roy Jenkins) in 1978-80. He was unsurprisingly appointed CB in 1992 for his innovative contribution in this field.   

Nick went on to hold a number of posts as Director General in the Education and Employment Departments between 1987 and 2001, when he retired as Director General for Lifelong Learning.  

During his time at the Department for Education, Nick oversaw some of the most pioneering and well-known education reforms of the day, including piloting the first school league tables. He is credited by many as being the architect of the 1988 education reforms, which introduced a national curriculum and grant-maintained schools as well as abolishing the Inner London Education Authority.   

Given this illustrious career, John Lyon’s Charity was incredibly fortunate that with his connection to Harrow, Nick agreed to serve on the Grants Committee – his tenure as Chairman bore witness to the evolution of the Charity into a grant-making force majeure.  Available income grew from £3million in 2002/03 to over £5million in 2009/10 and Nick oversaw grants made to over 700 separate organisations that supported young people in the Charity’s Beneficial Area.  Utilising both Nick’s skills as a political negotiator and his extensive connections, his period at the helm saw the Charity become increasingly important for each the local authorities within the Beneficial Area, relationships that he felt would position the Charity to have greater impact at a local level.  He stepped down at a time when leaders of these local authorities increasingly recognised the value and importance of support from John Lyon’s Charity for the voluntary sector in their areas.  Given Nick’s links with the political establishment, he was particularly proud that John Lyon’s Charity had garnered such strong and fruitful relationships with the statutory sector, which have served us extremely well over the years and remain an integral partner with the Charity in our local boroughs.   

Nick was a passionate believer in the value and importance of helping young people to take up activities and opportunities that they would not normally have access to, broadening their horizons and encouraging them to ‘aim higher’.  He took this very seriously and particularly championed the Arts as a way of enriching children’s lives.  He particularly liked to encourage the plethora of world class Arts institutions based within the Charity’s Beneficial Area to engage with local children who would not ordinarily have access to their work.  Nick was particularly proud of the John Lyon Access to the Arts Fund that launched in 2009, which was the forerunner of today’s Cultural Capital Fund– a fund that has enabled thousands of children across the Beneficial Area to access high quality Arts activities that they would not have otherwise experienced.  Given this commitment, it was no surprise when Nick volunteered to become one of the first trustees of the newly established Primary Shakespeare Company in 2014, which brings Shakespeare into primary schools and encourages them to use his works as inspiration across a whole term of learning.  

As well as having a pivotal role in the development of John Lyon’s Charity, Nick was extremely active in public service following his retirement in 2001 including sitting on the QCA board, Chair of NIACE, (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), Chair of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), trustee of the Girls’ Day School Trust and board member of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS).     

Nick’s legacy lives on in the opportunities his work helped create for young people, and in the enduring partnerships he fostered between schools, charities, and local communities. As we reflect on Nick’s eight years leading John Lyon’s Charity, his words in the Foreword of his final Annual Report resonate with beautiful poignancy: 

“I pass on my Chairmanship secure in the knowledge that the Charity will continue moving steadily forward, positively impacting the lives of young Londoners.” 

His words now serve as both a reflection of all he achieved and an inspiration for the work that continues in his name.