A private school has appointed a new headmistress.

Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls in Elstree has welcomed Rose Hardy following the retirement of her predecessor Biddie O’Connor at the end of the summer term.

Ms Hardy, who left St Margaret's School in Bushey earlier this year, said: "I’m really excited about taking the school forward into the 21st century and building on its already strong reputation.

"It’s been a busy start to the new school year and yet the genuine warmth and kindness of the whole school community has been quite humbling.

"What is clear is that Habs' is full of bright, caring and good-humoured students and, for such a large campus, it somehow manages to project the feeling of a much smaller, close-knit community, which is a rare and wonderful thing to be part of."

Watford Observer:

Ms Hardy also sits on the board at the British School of Paris and hopes to use her international links and experience to boost global opportunities for her students.

Empowering students to use every opportunity available to drive their learning is top of her agenda, as are her plans to forge much stronger links with Habs' Boys’ School, which shares the same campus as the girls’ school.

She added: "Habs' students are citizens of our multi-cultural and richly diverse world and it’s our duty as a school to empower them to connect with that world.

"With continued uncertainty around the impact of Brexit, it’s also becoming more pertinent than ever for schools to open themselves up to new collaborative learning opportunities. As such, I’m also really encouraged to have begun the process of working more closely with Habs' Boys’ School.

"It’s something that hasn’t been attempted historically, but it’s a very positive step forward and something I am very keen to see evolve in the future."