We are delighted that Mrs Rose Hardy has been appointed as Head of the John Lyon School (incorporating Quainton Hall Prep School) from 1st September 2023, after a thorough appointment process led for RSAcademics by Claire Oulton, Mike Stephens and Helen Flower. Mrs Hardy read History at Somerville College, Oxford, then more recently she completed an MEd in Educational Leadership. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mrs Hardy has a wide range of leadership and educational experience. She is currently Headmistress at Haberdashers’ Girls’ School in Elstree and has been instrumental in bringing to life their ambitious 10-year strategy. Previously, Mrs Hardy spent five years as Head of St Margaret’s School in Bushey. She also served as the first female Head of the co-educational Sixth Form at St Albans School, before moving on to the post of Second Master, again the first female to hold this pivotal position.

On accepting the role, Mrs Hardy said: “This is an exciting time for the John Lyon School as it continues the transition to a fully co-educational all-through 3 to 18 school and I am delighted to be appointed as Head. The John Lyon School has a rich history and I am proud to have been entrusted with its leadership, working within the John Lyon Foundation and with the Harrow Family of Schools, for the School’s next chapter.”

The full announcement can be seen here