Headteacher of Prep School

St Swithun’s is a flourishing independent girls’ school set in 45 acres of rural Hampshire within easy walking distance of Winchester city centre, yet only 50 minutes by train from London. It has a co-ed preschool, educates girls aged from 4-11 in its prep school, and offers day, weekly and full boarding options for girls aged 11-18 in the senior school.

At St Swithun’s Prep, children's happiness is at the heart of everything we do. We know that confidence is fundamental to success, so all activities are characterised by a palpable sense of fun and enjoyable challenge to ensure that pupils flourish in every way during their time with us. The school accommodates up to 230 girls aged 4-11 with a co-educational preschool from age 3 and is housed in a pair of state-of-the-art buildings that opened in 2015 and 2016. We are proud to be a High Performance Learning (HPL) school and a member of the Fellowship of World Class Schools.

Following the retirement of Jonathan Brough after a long and successful career in education, the Headmistress of St Swithun’s School and its Governors are seeking an ambitious new leader of the Prep who can contribute to an exciting future for the school. With recent investment in the physical infrastructure, this is a rare opportunity for an inspirational leader to build on the Prep’s reputation and to further develop its identity in the market. Reporting to the Headmistress, it is expected that the Prep School Head will have the confidence and ambition to take responsibility for driving the development of the Prep, and for leading it day-to-day while taking an interest in, and contributing to, the wider St Swithun’s community.

St Swithun’s Prep is a welcoming environment where both staff and pupils treasure warm, respectful relationships. The children enjoy going to school and the staff relish having the chance to share adventures, interests and laughter. The Headmistress and Governors seek a leader who will enjoy sharing activities with the children, who is a presence around school, who can lead their staff with confidence and for whom the academic growth of the pupils and excellent pastoral care will continue to be a priority. 

How to Apply

To apply please send your CV and cover letter for the attention of the Chair of Council, Mrs Alison McClure, to stswithuns@minervasearch.com by COB on Friday 24th February 2023

We warmly welcome informal, confidential conversations and questions. Please contact stswithuns@minervasearch.com

First interviews are scheduled to take place on Monday 20th March and the final interviews on Monday 27th March.

Safeguarding Statement

St Swithun’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. 

All staff are expected to share and support this commitment and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.