A grammar school has appointed a new headmistress after the predecessor left to take care of a family member undergoing "very serious surgery" .

Following a two day assessment and appointment process involving three candidates last week, the Board of Governors has chosen Sylvia Tai as the new head teacher of Watford Grammar School for Girls, Ladys Close.

She will be the nineteenth headmistress of the school and will start her new role on April 1.

The Chair of Governors Percy McCloskey said: “The Governing Body looks forward to supporting Miss Tai in moving the school to its next stage of development and congratulates her on her appointment.”

Former head teacher Clare Wagner made the decision not to return to school in September last year as she felt "it would be inappropriate to ask the school for extended leave".

She added she was "very proud of all that has been achieved by everyone in the school and has great affection for the girls and the staff and will miss them very much".

Miss Tai, who grew up in Watford, has been acting headmistress since Ms Wagner's departure.

She graduated from the University of Liverpool and after she gained her PGCE from the University of Oxford, became a Geography teacher in 1992.

Miss Tai has taught in Tring, Botswana, St Albans and Mill Hill, and joined Watford Girls as an Assistant Head in 2007 before being appointed to the post of deputy head in 2014.

She is currently undertaking a Master’s Degree in Education Management at Kings’ College, London.