The head of a leading private girls' school has confirmed she is calling it a day after a decade at the helm. 

Rebecca Dougall, headmistress of St Helen & St Katharine school in Abingdon, has announced her intention to retire at the end of this academic year.

Mrs Dougall had already enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a teacher and headmistress before her appointment at St Helen & St Katharine in January 2015, a role which she describes as “the great highlight and privilege of my professional life”. 

Under her leadership the school has enhanced its longstanding reputation for academic distinction, and empowering girls and young women to achieve their full potential.

READ MORE: The Times names top independent girls' school in county

For the past three years, the school has been ranked as the top girls' school in Oxfordshire and among the top five in the south east by The Times Parent Power, which ranks schools based on academic performance at A Level and GCSE. 

In addition, the past decade has seen the school "significantly expand its extracurricular offering, running more than 100 clubs and societies every week, ranking fourth in the UK for girls’ sport, creating the OX14 Partnership with other local schools and celebrating excellence in all aspects of community life.

(Image: St Helen & St Katharine school) The school’s campus has continued to evolve during that period, most recently with the addition of a sports centre, a multi-purpose pavilion on the Church Farm playing fields and the Benedict Building: a self-contained sixth form centre.

Mrs Dougall said: “This is a decision a long time in the making and one that is entirely personal.

"The job is both wonderful and gruelling and I have now reached an age and stage in my life when the time feels right for a change of pace and focus.”

(Image: St Helen & St Katharine school) Chair of Governors Kevan Leggett said: “Becky has been a superb leader for the St Helen and St Katharine community and will be a very hard act to follow.

"We shall celebrate her many achievements in style at the end of the year and wish her and her husband a long and happy retirement.

"Our current focus is on ensuring that the school continues to go from strength to strength in spite of the challenges facing the sector at present.

"This is an exciting opportunity to identify and appoint the right person to inspire and lead St Helen and St Katharine through its next chapter and we are delighted to be working with the market-leaders RS Academics on that process.”
 

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

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