The position of Headteacher has been occupied by David Samuel Northwood since September 2011, after the former head, Janet Downes, retired at the end of the previous academic year.

[1] Most pupils at Nelson Thomlinson are from Wigton and the smaller communities within a few miles of the town which fall within its catchment area.

[2] However, some pupils come from further afield, including smaller settlements like Allonby, Bowness-on-Solway, Hesket Newmarket, and Mawbray, and also from larger towns such as Aspatria, Maryport, Silloth, and the city of Carlisle, which all have their own secondary schools.

In 2004, anti-social behaviour in the town centre by under-18s, many of whom were pupils at Nelson Thominson School, prompted authorities to impose a curfew on youths in Wigton.

[9][10] In 2014, Hayley Southwell, a teacher at Nelson Thomlinson, was arrested and pleaded guilty to charges of having sexual activity with a girl aged between 16 and 18 while in a position of trust.