We are delighted to announce that Rebecca Mitchell will join Westonbirt Prep as Headmistress in January 2024.

A highly experienced leader, Rebecca has been the Headmistress of Heywood Prep in Corsham since 2017, having previously been the school’s Head of Pre-Prep and then Deputy Head. Heywood Prep, a fellow member of the Wishford Schools group, is a co-educational prep school of 260 pupils aged 2-11. The school has a similar ethos to Westonbirt’s and a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for every pupil to thrive.

A recent inspection rated the school as Excellent in all areas and highlighted in particular that:

• Pupils of all abilities make excellent progress… encouraged by fast paced teaching, effectively planned and delivered to meet the needs of pupils.
• Pupils mix with ease across all age groups and are highly supportive of each other as a result of the strong family ethos throughout the school community.
• Pupils demonstrate an acute understanding of right and wrong and a mature appreciation of the importance of kindness.

During the interview process, Rebecca impressed with her energy, enthusiasm and understanding of the school’s culture and ethos, twinned with a clear, calm determination. Rebecca has strong links with Westonbirt Prep, having taught in the school between 2009 and 2013, while her eldest child is already a student at the senior school.

We were very pleased with the level of interest in the role and the quality of the applicants, which reflect school’s reputation. Throughout the search process, our focus was on finding someone who really understood Westonbirt Prep and the school’s ethos and ambitions. We feel confident that Rebecca will make an outstanding Head, building on Westonbirt Prep’s many successes.

This is a very exciting step for Westonbirt Prep, and we greatly look forward to working with Rebecca in the years to come.

You can read more about Rebecca Mitchell and her work at Heywood Prep here.