St Mary’s bolsters first class team with new Head of Juniors

St Mary’s School, Cambridge, has strengthened its first-class leadership and teaching teams with the appointment of a new leader at its Junior School. Miss Olivia Buchanan has joined St Mary’s as Head of Junior School, following the departure of Mrs Jo Christian at the end of the last academic year.

Olivia joins St Mary’s from Falcons Prep Richmond, where she was Head Teacher for five years. Familiar with the kind of education offer available at St Mary’s, she completed her education at an all-girls’ prep school in Surrey, followed by boarding at secondary school. She has a BSc in Geography from St. Andrews University and a PGCE in Geography from Homerton College, Cambridge University. She also gained a distinction in a Masters (MEd) in Special Education and Inclusion at Cambridge University.

Olivia has extensive teaching experience gained in a range of settings that spans state and independent schools and secondary and primary phases of education across Cambridge and London. Prior to her five years at Falcons Prep, Olivia spent six years as Deputy Head (learning and teaching) at The Hall School Hampstead. On top of her day-to-day work commitments, Olivia has also supported the training of teachers at Homerton College and published papers in Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy.

Commenting on her appointment, Olivia said:

“I am thrilled to be joining such an inspirational, collaborative and nurturing learning community. Since my appointment, I have been impressed with the excellence, commitment and passion displayed by the staff, alongside the eloquence, intelligence and curiosity of the girls. I am strongly committed to providing education in a single-sex environment and have been witness to the many remarkable examples of how this school system can benefit children of all abilities and personalities. I very much look forward to working with the St Mary’s team to continue empowering, educating and inspiring our pupils.”

Charlotte Avery, Headmistress at St Mary’s School, said:

“We are delighted to warmly welcome Olivia to St Mary’s. The depth and range of her expertise and experience as a committed and passionate educator will bring immediate benefit to our Junior School. I am confident that she will inspire our Junior School girls to be curious, creative and compassionate, enabling them each to become the very best version of themselves. I look forward immensely to working alongside her as she continues to embed key strands of our educational philosophy, including High Performance Learning, oracy and digital literacy.”