Pictured Above: Heathfield School, Ascot, welcomes Ms Lou Scott, Deputy Head Pastoral and Boarding
Heathfield School, Ascot - an independent secondary boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18, rated ‘Excellent’ across all areas by the Independent Schools Inspectorate – is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Lou Scott as Deputy Head Pastoral and Boarding.
Commenting on her appointment, Lou said, “I firmly believe in the value of an all girls' education and the opportunities it affords students to develop a positive self-image, and support female empowerment”. Lou is looking forward to building upon the existing success of several effective initiatives already established here at Heathfield, such as our Flourishing and Positive Psychology programmes. She has just commissioned an independent boarding review to assist in the development of our strategic vision, taking into account the changing face of education and the relatively recent addition of day students to Heathfield.
Beginning her teaching career at The Royal School in Haslemere, Ms Scott then moved to Haberdashers’ Monmouth School, where she took on a variety of roles including Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Co-ordinator, Head of Year and Director of Sport, PE and Dance. Alongside teaching, Ms Scott, who is a passionate sportsperson, joined Wales Lacrosse as a player, later becoming a coach and member of the management team. In 2019, Ms Scott moved to the International School of Milan, a large co-educational independent boarding school, as Deputy Principal (Pastoral) and also began working with the Italian Women’s Lacrosse team.
Commenting on her appointment, Ms Scott said, ‘I have enjoyed every minute, getting to know our wonderful students and their families, and my new colleagues and exploring the beautiful campus. Some people may assume life at a small school is slow-paced – it’s anything but! I am constantly amazed at the number and variety of activities taking place each day at Heathfield and the talents of our pupils - my highlights so far have been the Music Captain's Concert and the St. Leonard's Day Dash.
‘I firmly believe in the value of an all girls' education and the opportunities it affords students to develop a positive self-image, and support female empowerment. I am looking forward to building upon the existing success of several effective initiatives already established here at Heathfield, such as our Flourishing and Positive Psychology programmes.
‘Indeed, I have just commissioned an independent boarding review to assist in the development of our strategic vision, taking into account the changing face of education and the relatively recent addition of day students to Heathfield.
‘It is well documented that happy children have better outcomes. My role is to ensure that we provide a supportive and nurturing environment that allows students to thrive and achieve their aspirations, and become confident, dynamic and well-rounded adults.
‘Pastoral care is constantly evolving as we increase our understanding of wellbeing and mental health in children, neurodiversity and globalism. With technological innovations in social media and AI, there are always new challenges to keep us on our toes!
‘Sport, especially Lacrosse, is one of my greatest passions, and I have been fortunate enough to attend World Lacrosse events with both Wales and Italy. Aside from physical fitness, resilience and teamwork, and igniting motivation, playing sport is all about psychology and analysis - the ability to dissect and analyse an event, and create a forward direction. This is also crucial in schools - understanding what makes or breaks a team’s success is not only useful when working with young people, but also when managing colleagues and wider groups.’
Commenting on Ms Scott’s appointment, Sarah Rollings (née Wilson), Headmistress, said, ‘We’re delighted to have Lou join the Heathfield ‘family’. The wellbeing and happiness of all our students is our top priority, so each of them can pursue and develop their unique interests and abilities. We pride ourselves on our sense of community and constantly seek ways to create the best possible, holistic, educational experience for all our students.’
About Heathfield School
Happy confident girls succeed – that’s the simple but powerful philosophy at Heathfield School. Founded in 1899, Heathfield was in the vanguard of educational establishments advocating the theory that happiness equated with academic success and has always placed high importance on pastoral care accordingly.
In its latest ISI Inspection the school achieved ‘Excellent in all categories’. The inspectors found that: ‘the overall achievement of the pupils is excellent and represents the successful fulfilment of the School’s ambitious aims’. They also stated that ‘pupils are happy, articulate and confident’ and that ‘pupils grow into young people who make a difference to the world and live their lives boldly’.
Heathfield was shortlisted by the Times Educational Supplement (TES) in 2020 for its Boarding School of the Year Award, alongside Wellington and Rugby.
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Heathfield School, London Road, Ascot, SL5 8BQ - 01344 898343 WEBSITE
