A Malvern school will be getting a new headteacher in the New Year.
Malvern St James Girls’ School head Olivera Raraty is retiring at Christmas having taken on the role in September 2016.
She’ll be succeeded by Dr Gareth Lloyd, who will start at Malvern St James on January 1.
Dr Lloyd will be the first male Head in the history of Malvern St James, which was formed by the merger of Malvern Girls’ College and St James’s School.
He grew up in Bridgend, South Wales and was educated at the universities of Exeter, Cambridge, London, Reading, Sheffield and Trinity Laban, in a range of academic disciplines including music, modern foreign languages, school management and philosophy.
MSJ will be Dr Lloyd’s fifth headship in schools in England, Wales and China.
He said: “I cannot begin to describe how excited I am to be joining the school.
“It is both an immense privilege and great responsibility to assume this headship, not least as the first male head in the school’s history.
“I am committed to a new era of growth, building on MSJ’s impressive heritage as one of the UK’s leading girls’ schools and its reputation for academic breadth and rigour, enrichment, and pastoral care.”
Dr Lloyd is a passionate musician, playing piano and violin, singing and composing.
His doctoral submission ‘Requiem for the Fallen of 9/11’ is due to be premiered in New York on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
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He is an equally passionate sportsman, having played numerous sports at a high level, including national representation in ultra-marathons, notching up 150 competitive marathon and ultra-marathon runs.
The school’s chair of governors Gemma Bruce said: “We are very excited about Dr Lloyd’s appointment.
“His experience gained over a lifelong career in education, his enthusiasm, focus and philosophy on education will make him a superb leader of our school, giving clarity and focus to our strategic direction over the next decade and beyond.
“Dr Lloyd shares our view that girls’ education is as important now as it was when our founding schools first started, and we still firmly believe that there should always be a choice of an all-girls environment where no subject is genderised and girls can learn and live with female role models all around them.
“Whilst welcoming Dr Lloyd, we thank outgoing headmistress Mrs Olivera Raraty for her outstanding leadership in the last seven years.”
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