Category: News and Announcements

Following a rigorous appointment process, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Miles Chester as the new Head of Merchant Taylors’ Prep. Miles will join the school from September 2024, on the retirement from headship of Dr McNerney, after over 20 years of service to the school. 

Miles grew up in Richmond – he was educated at Grey Court School and Richmond College. He graduated from Edinburgh University with an Honours degree in Biological Sciences and completed his PGCE at Roehampton Institute, specialising in Primary Education. Miles taught for nine years in a number of inner-London primary schools, before being appointed as a Deputy Head in 2004.

Miles was appointed as Head of New King’s Primary School in Parsons Green in 2008; he led the school to become an academy in partnership with Thomas’s London Day Schools. He continued to lead the school as Head of Thomas’s Academy from 2015, later moving into an Executive Head role working across the group of schools as Director of Community Outreach. Miles was awarded an MBA in Educational Leadership from the London Institute of Education in 2013.

We wish Miles every success with his new role. 

We are delighted to have successfully supported Haileybury in the appointment of a new Master. 

We are delighted to have supported Bishop’s Stortford College with the successful appointment of John Maguire as their new Head from September 2024. He will become the 11th Head of the College, following Kathy Crewe-Read’s decision to take a position in Italy at the end of this academic year.

John was selected from a strong field of candidates from around the world, a testament to the strength of the College’s reputation. Locally educated at Heath Mount and Felsted School, John graduated in Geography and Geology, before commencing a successful career in teaching and leadership at a number of schools in the UK.  John joins the College from the British School of Bahrain where he has been Executive Headmaster since 2019.

Bishop’s Stortford College has remained a constant in John’s life, having played sports against the College as a student. John and his family are looking forward to returning to the UK, and his two daughters will be joining the College in September.

Chair of Bishop’s Stortford College Governing Council Guy Baker, said, “We are delighted to announce John Maguire’s appointment and look forward to him leading the College through the next stages of its strategy, to the benefit of all pupils. John has significant experience as a Head and we are confident that under his leadership, the College will go from strength to strength.”

We wish John every success with his new role. 

We are delighted to have supported Wolverhampton Grammar School in the appointment of Nic Anderson as their new Head.

Nic, who has been the Acting Head since 1 September 2023, will take up the permanent position as Head with immediate effect, offering a seamless transition for parents, staff and students. Nic is well known to the WGS community having enjoyed a long association with the School for over 40 years. His journey first began as a young senior school student. For the last 26 years, he has been a much-loved member of the Wolverhampton Grammar teaching staff, first as a Maths Teacher and Teacher in charge of boys’ hockey, then in 2005 as Head of Lower School in charge of Years 6, 7 and 8, and more recently as Deputy Head (Academic) and a member of the Senior Management Team since 2009.

On his appointment Nic said: “I am touched and thrilled to have been offered this opportunity to become the new permanent Head of Wolverhampton Grammar School. WGS is so dear to me and has been with me for the best part of my life. I can’t imagine a greater honour than to be asked to lead WGS into its next exciting chapter. My journey from being a boy at school here, through to my adult teaching career and seeing my own children become WGS students, has come full circle. It is with the utmost pride that I take up my headship.”

We wish Nic every success with his role.

We are delighted to have supported Holyport College with the appointment of Alastair Ingall as their new Headteacher.  Alastair will join Holyport in September 2024.

Alastair is currently Senior Deputy Headteacher at the Tiffin School, where he has worked since 2011. Prior to this, Alastair worked at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. 

We wish Alastair every success with his new post. 

The Governing Body has announced Will Newman, current Head of Sedbergh Prep School, to be the next Head of Cranleigh Prep School. Will joins the school in January 2025 and we are thrilled to have supported his appointment. 

Will brings 24 years of experience in senior leadership positions in prep school education. Head of Sedbergh Prep for over six years, he was previously Deputy Head of Taunton Prep and has taught both Science and English. The move will be a return to Surrey for Will and his wife Liz, a fellow teacher and their two children, as he previously held senior roles at Edgeborough Preparatory School for eleven years.

As well as Will’s more senior leadership roles, he is a school inspector and has taught Science and English. He also holds an MA in Physical Education and has a strong interest in sport, as well as performing arts, and an in-depth knowledge of co-curricular provision from former specialist roles.

Current Head of Cranleigh Prep, Neil Brooks, will remain in post until his retirement from the profession at the end of the Michaelmas term 2024.

Chair of Cranleigh’s Governing Body, Adrian Lajtha, said: ‘It is clear to the Governing Body that we have found a leader whose values and ethos closely align with those of our School. We have no doubt that he will be an inspiring Head for pupils and staff. The field of candidates was exceptionally strong and a really positive reflection of the excellent reputation and standing of Cranleigh Prep.” 

We wish Will every success in his new role. 

Following a rigorous selection process, we are pleased to have supported Prior’s Field in the successful appointment of Zoe Ireland as their new Head from September 2024. Zoe will succeed Tracy Kirnig who will be retiring at the end of August.  

Zoe has substantial experience in senior leadership roles and is currently Acting Head at Farnborough Hill, where she was previously Deputy Head Academic for six years. Hazel Morris, Prior’s Field Chair of Governors, said: ‘We are very fortunate that Zoe is able to join Prior’s Field as Head Designate in the Summer Term, so that she can familiarise herself with the school and therefore hit the ground running in September. My thanks to Tracy for being keen to enable this handover period. Zoe will bring warmth and commitment to the school, fully supporting our ethos and aim to ensure achievement for each individual.’ 

Zoe herself said: ‘As a longstanding and dedicated advocate of girls’ education, I am thrilled to be joining the Prior’s Field community. I could not have been more impressed by the energy and calibre of the staff and students that I met during my visits to the school. I am very much looking forward to working with staff to inspire the next generation of young women at Prior’s Field.’  

We wish Zoe every success in her new role. 

We are delighted to have successfully supported Charterhouse in the appointment of their new Chair of Governors, Mark Bishop. Mark will take over from Vicky Tuck, who has stepped down to begin a new three-year tenure as Chair of Council for the Girls’ Day School Trust. 

Mark was educated at Charterhouse before graduating from St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1984. He began his teaching career at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford before becoming the Deputy Headmaster at Caterham School, a leading HMC co-educational boarding school. In 1996 he was appointed Headmaster of Trinity School, Croydon, part of the John Whitgift Foundation.   

After 10 years of headship Mark became the Chief Executive of Perrett Laver, a global Executive Search company, before returning to the world of schools as the High School Principal and Executive Headmaster of YK Pao School, Shanghai, one of China’s leading international schools. He has been a Governor of several independent schools and for many years was an Independent Schools’ Inspector in the UK. He was and remains a keen sportsman and is married with two grown-up children. 

Mark joined the Governing Body this month and will take over as Chair on 1 March 2024. John Olsen, a current Governor and OC, will become acting Chair during this short interim period.