Our team

Our dedicated senior leadership team is committed to guiding students through their educational journey. Led by Charlotte Avery, this experienced team oversees all aspects of delivering our strategy.

Of course, they couldn't achieve this without our brilliant teaching and support staff, as well as the expert guidance of our Governing Body.

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  Charlotte Avery

  Headmistress

  St Mary's is about achieving academic excellence alongside a much wider set of values and attitudes ...

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  Headmistress

  Charlotte Avery

  "I am proud to lead a school where success is not limited to exam results; rather, it is about achieving academic excellence alongside a much wider set of values and attitudes that sit at the heart of our School ethos."

  Charlotte joined St Mary’s as Headmistress in 2007. Educated at St Paul’s Girls’ School and St Anne’s College, Oxford, Charlotte holds an MA in Education Management and a National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). She is also a former President and Vice President of the Girls’ School Association and a passionate advocate for the advantages of an all girls’ education.

  Charlotte’s teaching career began over 26 years ago, teaching English and Drama at Newstead Wood, Orpington, followed by South Hampstead High School, before transferring to Norwich High School, GDST, as Head of English and Drama and subsequently Head of Sixth Form. In 2004, she was appointed Deputy Head (Pastoral) at Highgate School and oversaw its successful transition to co-education and the transfer of Senior School entry from 13+ to 11+. 

  Formally a member of the Ministry of Defence’s Research Ethics Committee and Governor for a Church of England primary school, a Council member representing the independent sector for the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), and member of the Maths4Girls Steering Committee, Charlotte is currently serving as a Governor at St Bede’s Inter-Church School, Cambridge, Mill Hill Independent School and Haileybury Independent School, as well as being an ISI Inspector.

  Charlotte is also a Board Member for the International Coalition of Girls' Schools (ICGS); a Judge for the Independent School of the Year (ISOTY) Awards and sits on the Editorial Advisory Board of Independent School Parent magazine; sits on the Education Leaders' Council for the Foundation for Education Development (the FED); and is a Fellow and member of the Education Advisory Board at High Performance Learning (HPL).

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  Faisal Babar

  Bursar

  It’s a milestone year for St Mary’s, with several capital projects either underway or in the pipeline that will transform the school’s learning facilities for future generations of students. I’m enthusiastic to be a part of the St Mary’s community and to help the school deliver on its growth and development ambitions.

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  Bursar

  Faisal Babar

  It’s a milestone year for St Mary’s, with several capital projects either underway or in the pipeline that will transform the school’s learning facilities for future generations of students. I’m enthusiastic to get started, become a part of the St Mary’s community and help the school deliver on its growth and development ambitions.

  Faisal Babar joined St Mary’s in 2022, from St John's College School where he was School Bursar for seven years.

  A language graduate (French and Spanish), Faisal began his career in 1998 as an Internal Auditor at Cadbury Schweppes PLC – before progressing to the roles of Financial Analyst and Business Process Specialist.

  Before joining St John’s, Faisal worked for the John Lewis Partnership for eight years. Roles included Finance & Systems Manager; Marketing Manager for Financial Services; and Branch Development Manager.

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  Olivia Buchanan

  Head of Preschool and Junior School

  I am thrilled to be returning to Cambridge and joining the St Mary's School community. Having watched the development of the school for a number of years, I look forward to building on current successes and supporting further growth and excellence. St Mary's is an ambitious school with a strong set of values focused on providing every child with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Nurturing a love of learning, I will ensure that every child acquires and secures the skills to become effective lifelong learners, fit not only for the world we live in today but for a future yet to be determined. I am ready to embrace new opportunities, break boundaries and spark innovation. 

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  Head of Preschool and Junior School

  Olivia Buchanan

  Miss Olivia Buchanan joined St Mary's School as Head of Preschool and Junior School in 2023.

  Educated in Surrey, followed by three years in the Scottish system in Dumfries and Galloway, Miss Buchanan went on to gain a BSc in Geography at St. Andrews University. Upon finishing, she attended Cambridge University to complete a Secondary Geography PGCE followed by a Masters (MEd) in Special Education and Inclusion, gaining distinction. Since then, Miss Buchanan has supported the training of teachers at Homerton College, published papers in Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy and advised local councils in the provision of learning for those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Her teaching career spans from across the state and independent sector in both the secondary and primary phases across Cambridge and London. She spent six years as Deputy Head Learning and Teaching at The Hall School Hampstead before joining Falcons Prep as Head Teacher in 2018. 

   

   

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  Dr Paddy Wallace

  Deputy Head - Academic

  St Mary’s is a dynamic, nurturing school, with an outstanding track record and an ambitious focus on High Performance Learning. It’s an exciting time at St Mary’s and to be working to empower, educate and inspire our students.

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  Deputy Head - Academic

  Dr Paddy Wallace

  St Mary’s is a dynamic, nurturing school, with an outstanding track record and an ambitious focus on High Performance Learning. It’s an exciting time at St Mary’s and to be working to empower, educate and inspire our students.

  Dr Wallace joined St Mary's in 2022 from The Leys School in Cambridge, where he was Head of Mathematics and held integral roles in various whole-school strategy groups and advisory committees.

  At The Leys, Dr Wallace was also a form-master in Sixth Form and tutor in the Sixth Form girls' boarding house, as well as President of Common Room. Prior to The Leys, Dr Wallace was based at Radley College where he taught mathematics, undertook EPQ and Oxbridge supervision, and ran the Football and Athletics clubs.

  Between 2002 and 2010 Dr Wallace was a Lecturer at the University of Oxford, where he taught undergraduate and postgraduate Economics and was a tutor at St Catherine's College and Lady Margaret Hall.

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  Aodain Clover

  Deputy Head - Pastoral and Boarding

  I always remind our students, that they are valued because they are unique and that as such our school is a different place because they are here with us.

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  Deputy Head - Pastoral and Boarding

  Aodain Clover

  I have always felt very lucky to work in a school where the girls and staff value what the school stands for so much. They don't necessarily know it when they arrive, but they certainly understand it when they take it into the world with them at the age of 18. I feel that there is something almost undefinable about our community which is fundamental to what makes us different.

  Aodain Clover is the Pastoral Deputy Head at St Marys Senior School. What that means on a day-to-day basis is that Aodain looks after girls with the help and guidance of a wonderful team of tutors, Heads of Year and dedicated support staff such as the nurses and counsellors.

  Aodain first joined the school’s RE department 21 years ago and since that time has been Head of Years 7, 11 and our Sixth Form before becoming Pastoral Deputy Head. This means she is in charge of everything from attendance and punctuality, to uniform and discipline through our dedicated and keen staff. She is also the Senior School's Designated Safeguarding Lead to ensure the staff and girls are aware of important matters surrounding safegu​arding issues. 

  Aodain says she always felt as if she was coming home, when she first arrived here in 1998 because she had first met St Mary's girls when she was 16 on her very first trip to volunteer in Lourdes when many of them became her friends. To then come to work in a community which values each individual in the way we try to do, is really important for her as a teacher, she says.

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  Emma Hall

  Deputy Head - Data and Operations

  There is nowhere else I would even consider sending my daughters but St Mary’s School, Cambridge...

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  Deputy Head - Data and Operations

  Emma Hall

  "There is nowhere else I would even consider sending my daughters but St Mary’s. They are happy, known and cherished as individuals and challenged to be the best they can be in all they do. What more could a parent ask for!"

  After gaining a first class Mathematics Degree from Manchester University, Emma attended Oxford University to complete her PGCE teacher training. Over the past 20 years, she has taught in all boys, co-educational and all girls environments. Prior to joining St Mary’s School, she was Head of Mathematics for eight years.

  At St Mary’s Emma has progressed to become our Assistant Head: Director of Studies and Academic Registrar. She enjoys all aspects of her varied, challenging and fulfilling roles, which all share a common theme of placing students at the forefront of everything she does.

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  Kate Latham

  Assistant Head: Enrichment and Partnerships

  Here we don't reinforce society's stereotypes that girls find maths and science more challenging. St Mary’s girls understand that all pathways are open to them.

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  Assistant Head: Enrichment and Partnerships

  Kate Latham

  To counter any suggestions that some children are naturally more able than others, we encourage our girls to develop a ‘growth mind-set’. We talk about laying down new neural pathways and the endless possibilities of each human brain and, by doing so, we erase the limitations imposed by having a ‘fixed mind-set’.

  Kate's daughter is a St Mary's alumna and is now a choral singer committed to improving opportunities for women in the world of Music about which she feels very strongly. As such Kate really sees the legacy of enabling young women every day.

   

   

   

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  Robin Griffiths

  Head of Sixth Form

  The girls here are fantastic. They’re always keen to learn and enthusiastic. It’s wonderful because every lesson is focused and they love to hear new ideas, build up their understanding, and achieve fantastic results.

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  Head of Sixth Form

  Robin Griffiths

  As Head of Sixth Form and a Physics teacher, Robin is passionate about teaching STEM and advising on STEM placements and careers. He joined St Mary's in 2019. A graduate of Imperial College, and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Robin was first attracted to the physics at an early age:

  ‘I always loved Physics at school not just because it grappled with the big questions, like where the universe comes from, but because it covers the small questions that bamboozle you, like why some of the light hitting a window reflects off it, while some of it passes through. It helps you to think about and question experiences of the world that you may have taken for granted previously. What is also exciting about Physics is that it’s a frontier science, so what we teach is often new and always developing. I’ll be teaching new discoveries at A Level that were not known about just a few years earlier.’ 

  Mr Griffiths first taught at Saffron Walden County High School in 2007, where he progressed to Head of Physics, remaining there until 2017. This gave him first-hand experience of some of the difficulties of teaching Physics in the UK. With a shortage of Physics specialists in teaching, especially in state schools, Mr Griffiths observed that many teachers from other backgrounds were struggling to teach the subject. This motivated him to share his own knowledge and to address the gap in specialism and he joined the Institute of Physics as the Head of their Teacher Support Programme in 2017. There, he worked on government projects that looked to address the lack of Physics teachers, before returning to the classroom at St Mary's in 2019.

  At St Mary's our success is built on our superb facilities, and the opportunities that we offer. To take one example, the Youth STEM Award, a Sixth Form enrichment opportunity, gives students a chance to keep up with the world of science, whether planning a STEM career or not. And I’m especially proud that our Sixth Form STEM students get involved with younger years in the school, to help bring on their science education.

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  Alex Brough

  Director of Digital Learning

  St Mary’s is unique for all the right reasons, having worked across a group of 64+ schools I can say without a doubt that the respect, kindness and fundamental ethos of the St Mary’s community are what makes the difference.

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  Director of Digital Learning

  Alex Brough

  Alex is the Director of Digital Learning for the school. Having gained a first-class degree in Automotive Engineering and Motorsport from the University of Hertfordshire, Alex completed his PGCE with the University of Buckingham.

  Beginning his career in education as a learning support assistant he has had a wide range of experience as a Head of Year, Subject Lead in Physics, Head of Computing and Digital Learning and working as part of a wider school group to lead on digital strategy.

  Alex also works with schools on their digital strategy, management information systems and curriculum as part of pre-inspection frameworks.

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