JEAN ROSS will take over as the new headmistress at St Mary's School in Gerrards Cross after the summer holidays.

She replaces Franny Balcombe, who is retiring in August having been at the helm of the girls' private school on Packhorse Road for the last 15 years.

Mrs Ross is currently deputy-head at St Albans High School for Girls, whose primary department recently won the Sunday Times Independent Preparatory School of the Year.

Her academic specialism is in Modern languages and she holds a BA (Hons) from Manchester University in French. She is a published writer and a strong advocate in the belief that every child matters.

She said: “We need to make education a challenging and positive experience in which every child can acquire confidence and self esteem.

“My educational philosophy is one of identifying the individual talents of each and every child and giving them the tools and motivation to reach beyond their best.

“I believe that a happy child is a successful child and so academic provision should be backed up with excellent pastoral care. I want every child to look forward to coming to school each day.”

In a statement, St Mary's governors said Mrs Balcombe’s leadership of the school had been “exemplary” and wished her a happy retirement.

They said they were confident the school would “continue to flourish” under Mrs Ross.