Mrs Rose Hardy will leave Habs Girls' School at the end of this academic year to take up a new post as Head of John Lyon School. We send her warm congratulations and wish her the very best in her new role. 

Mr Simon Cartmell, Chairman of the Board of Governors, has sent the following letter to all parents at Habs Girls:

I write to inform you that Rose Hardy, Headmistress of the Girls' School, will be leaving Habs Elstree at the end of this academic year to become Head of the John Lyon School, incorporating its affiliate Prep School Quainton Hall, based in Harrow-on-the-Hill. In this role she will be responsible for driving their whole school co-educational agenda.

Rose has been instrumental in the successful development of the collaboration agenda with Habs Boys. She has embodied our school values during all her work with the Boys' School Leadership Team, with staff in both Schools and with staff in Professional Services. She has been influential in the formation of our long-term strategy and central to the 'Nexus' project that has successfully delivered the initial co-educational Sixth Form experience for the pupils in Elstree.

The planning and execution of the wide-ranging changes needed to deliver our co-educational Sixth Form experience, achieved whilst also dealing with the impact of Covid on school operations, are testimony to her leadership, clarity of purpose and commitment to the objective as well as her breadth of experience as a school leader.

She has been steadfast in her support for all pupil aspirations, regardless of gender, balanced with appropriate pastoral care and the pursuit of opportunities for all. She has brought much needed focus to aspects of Girls' School operations, delivering greater clarity regarding the desired academic, co-curricular and pastoral outcomes at all levels in the school.

Rose has been a believer in, and supporter of, the long term goals the Governing Body are pursuing for the schools and as a result we are sorry to see her move on after four years with the Elstree Schools. She leaves with our thanks and best wishes for her continued success as an outstanding educator and I hope you join me in wishing her well in her new role.

A process to identify and appoint a successor will begin after Christmas and we are hopeful of making an announcement by the end of the Spring Term.

Yours sincerely,
Simon Cartmell OBE
Chairman, Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools Board