Following an extensive recruitment process, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Michael Bryant as Head of STAHS Prep from September 2023.

Mike grew up in Sevenoaks, Kent, and attended The Skinners’ School before reading for a BA in French and German at the University of Nottingham. He went on to earn his teaching qualification in Primary Education and later his MA in Education from the Institute of Education (University College London).

Mike brings with him many years of experience in the classroom and in prep school leadership, most recently as Deputy Head Academic at the highly regarded Newton Prep in London. Prior to taking up this post in 2019, he was Deputy Head Academic at St Dunstan’s College Junior School, part of St Dunstan’s College, a co-educational independent junior and senior school in London.

Outside of school, Mike can be usually found on the cricket field. He has played 1st XI Kent League cricket for Holmesdale Cricket Club since 2004. He has also coached and managed junior club cricket in Kent and has played as an overseas player for Boronia Cricket Club in Melbourne, Australia. He looks forward to joining a local club once he is settled in Hertfordshire.

The next few months will be a time of excitement and change for the Bryants, as Mike and wife Victoria are expecting their second child in January. Their new baby boy will have big brother Zack to look up to, and the entire family is eager to make Hertfordshire their home.

Mike said: ‘It is a huge honour to be appointed the next Head of Prep at STAHS. The opportunity to lead a prep school with such a superb reputation for shaping both the hearts and minds of young people is an immense privilege and one that I will never take for granted. As a family, we are very much looking forward to making the move around the M25 and immersing ourselves within the whole STAHS community.’

STAHS Head, Amber Waite, said: ‘I am super excited to welcome Mike to the STAHS community. Having worked with him at a previous school, I know that he will bring charisma, energy and lots of exciting ideas to our already thriving Prep School. A real education scholar, his pedagogical knowledge and understanding of how children develop and learn is second to none, and I know he will inspire STAHS pupils to set and achieve the very highest of ambitions.’