We are delighted to announce the appointment of Ann Massey, Deputy Head of Eltham College, as the new Head of STAHS Senior. Ann’s appointment is the result of an extensive recruitment process led by independent school sector specialists RSAcademics.

Ann will take up the position from Acting Head of STAHS Senior, Drew Thomson-Jones, in April 2025. The position of Head of Senior became available following the formation of the St Albans Education Group and Amber Waite’s move from Head of STAHS to Principal of the Group.

Ann grew up in a village in the Welsh valleys near Port Talbot, after which in her words, she ‘landed at Oxford with a bump’. She holds a BA(Hons) and an MA (Oxon) in Modern history from St Anne’s College, Oxford and an MEd in Leadership and Management. She has been the Deputy Head Pastoral at Eltham College in South London since 2017 and spent 16 years at James Allen’s Girls’ School as a Teacher of History and Politics, Assistant Head of Section, SENCO, and Head of Lower School.

Ann is married to John, Detective Chief Superintendent of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and has two children: Isabel who is studying BioMedical Sciences at Cardiff University and Matthew who is reading French and Spanish at Exeter College, Oxford. Ann and John recently moved to Hertfordshire and are looking forward to joining the St Albans community.

Ann said, 'I am thrilled to have been appointed as Head of STAHS Senior. It is a great privilege to be able to lead a school with such a rich history and progressive philosophy of education. I am looking forward to getting to know students, staff, parents, governors and alumnae in the coming months and I am excited by what the future holds for the school community.'

Amber Waite, Principal of St Albans Education Group said: ‘The governors and I were determined to appoint a visionary Head of STAHS Senior who will build on the outstanding foundation that she inherits. Ann very clearly shares STAHS’s ethos and values and has a firm understanding of excellence in independent education. Her significant strategic and leadership experience in the sector set her apart in a highly competitive field of candidates, and I am confident that she will lead the school through the next exciting phase in our development with kindness and natural authority. Ann has lofty ambitions for the future of STAHS, and I look forward to working with her on making her vision a reality.’