A boys’ secondary school in Winnersh will have a new head at the helm in September.
Headteacher Keith Quine is set to retire at the end of this academic year after 35 years at The Forest – the last 12 as head of the school in Robin Hood Lane.
Deputy headteacher Mary Sandell will take over in a new role as principal and director of education in September.
“As our current deputy head, Mary can step easily into the post,” said Bill Crawford, chairman of governors at the school, which became an academy last July, and teaches boys in Years 7-11, including Reading RFC Academy players in Years 10 and 11. Girls are also taught in the sixth form.
Ms Sandell brings a wealth of experience, having taught for 30 years at six schools, including Windsor Boys’ School.
Excited about her new role, Ms Sandell, who has two grown-up children, said: “I am absolutely passionate about high-quality teaching and learning.
“The world is not standing still – in many cases, the jobs we are preparing the boys for have yet to be created. We have to equip our pupils with the confidence and lifelong learning skills to support them once they leave school.”
Mr Crawford said: “It is clear that successful schools such as our own are increasingly becoming more outward looking, and the roles that heads and their management teams need to play have become many and diverse.
“Whilst there are exciting opportunities arising from academy status, such as our new fully co-ed sixth form building which will be up and running in 2015, the governing body doesn’t want to lose sight of our key objective – ensuring the quality of education.
“So we are revising the management, business and support side of the organisation so that Mary and her team can focus on this objective, hence the change in title.
“We want to ensure that our students succeed even more than they do already.
“We needed an experienced professional, and Mary matched our profile in every sense.”
A geography graduate and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Ms Sandell, who lives in Windsor, has also worked as an advanced skills teacher.
She intends to continue to teach, firmly believing that she cannot lead on teaching and learning without remaining a classroom practitioner herself.
Her last three schools have been boys’ schools, providing her with a unique understanding of the way boys learn.
“I know from experience that boys learn differently to girls; they need to be challenged, and they thrive on problem-solving, clear steps and humour," she said.
“I want to keep what’s good about what we do already, but also build and improve on it.
“Developing a more creative and dynamic approach in the classroom will encourage our pupils to learn, and I am delighted to be inheriting equally enthusiastic staff, who care deeply about their pupils’ education.”
