When I told the Editor that I had been invited to lunch by the headmistress of St Mary’s School Ascot, he made a bid to join me. But I had to be firm: “I need to be able to focus,” I explained, as I left him at his desk. After all, it’s not every day you get to meet the people who run arguably the most prestigious and successful girls’ school in the country.
Danuta Staunton has been headmistress of St Mary’s for the last six years. Tall and striking, she was anointed by her long-serving predecessor, Mary Breen, and took up the role in her early thirties. It seems young, but she has already proven herself to be more than equal to the task. Polish, but born and bred in London (both sets of grandparents came over after the Second World War), she is warm and approachable. She is keen that the school is a jolly place, and in this she leads from the front, exuding positivity and happiness.
