This week has seen the announcement of future changes at The Abbey. One element of these changes is the re-introduction of the role of Head of Senior School for 2024-2025, working alongside the overall Head of The Abbey.

In the wake of this announcement, Sarah and I wanted to write jointly to give more information about what this means for Senior School families and for those arriving this September.

Above all it means a continuity of approach. We already work closely together in our current roles of Head and Senior Deputy Head on all matters connected to the Senior School. We are part of a wider Senior School Management Team. And of course we work collaboratively with all colleagues across the school, united by the common desire to help our students to the best outcomes, the broadest range of experiences, and the highest quality of support.

The principle of an overall Head working in close partnership in this way is already the case across The Abbey as a whole. The Head works closely with Nisha Kaura, Head of the Junior School, and Nadine Doble, Head of Finance and Resources. There is a Whole School Leadership Committee to help bind together the very different work going on to support children from the ages of three to eighteen and to manage the operational life of a large and busy school. All this work is ultimately overseen by the Board of Governors.

The key principle that unites all leadership across the school is collaboration and shared responsibility. We believe that having individuals with diverse voices and perspectives working together as a team is the strongest and most effective way to make positive and sustained progress.

As part of this approach, we publish to all staff at the school a set of principles for how senior leaders will go about their roles. We thought it was worth sharing some of these principles here:

While senior leadership responsibilities are wide-ranging, at the heart of them is to foster,

maintain and cherish the atmosphere and ethos of the school. Senior leaders first and foremost must work in the light of the school’s values of honesty, kindness and courage, and always focus on the school’s aim – to equip girls to live with confidence, purpose and joy.

Leadership should be inclusive, prioritise listening over talking, provide decisive direction but based on a widely consultative approach… It is vital that senior leaders help shape and then share the direction of the school, always with warmth and openness and always ready to hear a wide range of responses and opinions. 

These principles underpin how everyone with leadership duties works at The Abbey. They will of course underpin everything we do in our shared responsibility for the Senior School.

There will be differences from September. Sarah will be front and centre in the leadership of the Senior School, working with students, staff and families, while my role will focus on progress with strategic issues. However, the sense of a joint team working to shared principles will continue to guide both of us in our work, as it does all the colleagues with whom we collaborate.

We know how important continuity is to young people and to parents for whom the choice of school is a serious commitment. We hope that sharing these details of how we work at The Abbey will give reassurance about our understanding of this, and the commitment of all those responsible for the school to everything that makes it such a special place.

Will le Fleming
Sarah Tullis