This article is originally from the May 2021 issue of Independent Education Today. Read it here.
St Mary’s Colchester
St Mary’s Colchester has appointed Nicola Griffiths as principal, succeeding Hilary Vipond. Griffiths, who is currently deputy head at Ipswich High School, will take up the post in September 2021. Griffiths said about her new role: “It has been my career ambition to return to my home county and to lead a wonderful girls’ school which places the needs of every individual girl at the forefront of everything that it does. I am also looking forward to working with the school community to continue Hilary’s amazing work over the forthcoming years.” Vipond served St Mary’s Colchester for 25 years.
Badminton School
Badminton School has appointed Michael Waymouth as director of finance and operations, with effect from July 2021. Waymouth joins Badminton after a long army career, although he has spent most of the last decade in education roles, including deputy commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and as a director within the UK Defence Academy. Waymouth also brings commercial and strategic experience from the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his MA from Cranfield University and a diploma in strategic direction and leadership from the Chartered Management Institute.
Albyn School
Albyn School has appointed Stefan Horsman as its new headmaster. Currently deputy head of senior school at Robert Gordon’s College, Horsman will take up the post in April 2021. Commenting on his appointment, Horsman said: “I was attracted by the school’s size, alongside the fact that, as a through school, pupils have a seamless, 13-year educational journey without any pastoral or academic interruptions. The genuine warmth and family feeling of the school’s community shines through.” Horsman said he intends to “empower staff to lead change” in the face of challenges.
Ballard School
Ballard School has welcomed new deputy head academic Matthew Higgins, who will play a key role in driving forward a new blended learning approach to education. Higgins will work alongside the headmaster, bursar and deputy head pastoral, while leading the academic side of the school. He was most recently assistant head (whole school assessment and digital strategy) at Magna Academy and has previously held roles at independent schools Brighton Girls and St John’s College. Higgins said he has designed curricula that are “broad and balanced” that further develop skills like “communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity”.
Denstone College
Denstone College has appointed Lotte Tulloch as head, with effect from September 2021. Currently Tulloch is deputy head of Sedbergh School and a member of the senior leadership team of Casterton, Sedbergh Preparatory School. Tulloch was awarded a Morehead-Cain Scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where she graduated with a BA with Distinction in English literature. She gained her PGCE in secondary education from Buckingham University and studied for a master’s degree in business administration (MBA Education) at Keele. She has significant international experience and is passionate about British schools as pedagogical centres of excellence.
Sherborne School
Sherborne School has welcomed Alex Pearson as a new housemistress in boarding house The Green. Pearson is a historian by specialism, with a first-class honours degree from Manchester University. She became senior year head at a boys’ school in north London, and then pastoral leader of a free school, gaining a distinction in an MA in Leadership in Education along the way. She has been a tutor in The Green since 2018 and therefore has built up a good rapport with pupils. Pearson said she and her team “share a commitment to the wellbeing of pupils” and will work to ensure The Green remains a place of “intellectual vibrancy” and “kindness”.
