Ampleforth College, the Benedictine boarding school often dubbed "the Catholic Eton", has announced that Peter Roberts will step down as Head at the end of the Autumn term on medical advice.
Alumni and parents with pupils at the school received an email on 29 August informing them of Mr. Roberts’ departure, just a year and a half after he took the role.
He had previously been head teacher at The King’s School, Canterbury, and was brought in at Ampleforth to oversee a “new chapter” for the school after years of safeguarding concerns, including the Department for Education (DfE) ordering the school to “cease to admit” any more students in 2020 following an “inadequate” Ofsted rating.
The installation of Mr. Roberts had been hoped would usher in “a new chapter for the school…[that] will be one of consolidation and confidence".
<strong><em>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/a-new-chapter-for-ampleforth/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">A ‘new chapter’ for Ampleforth</mark></a></em></strong>
The Governing Board has appointed Jon Mutton, Deputy Head of Pastoral and Wellbeing at Ampleforth College, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/1316866895776459/posts/1615633309233148"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">to succeed him</mark></a>, stating:
“We are fortunate to have, in Jon Mutton, an extremely talented and popular successor who has fulfilled many senior leadership roles in his thirteen years at the College and who will build on Peter Roberts’ strategic vision, providing continuity and stability of leadership in the years to come.
"The Board is confident that, under Jon's leadership, Ampleforth College will continue to provide outstanding education and pastoral care for all its students – and will go from strength to strength."
Edward Sparrow, Chair of Governors, said: "We are very sorry to lose Peter; he is one of the outstanding independent school heads of his generation. In his two years with us, he has built confidence, increased numbers, and made excellent progress on our mission to re-establish the College as the leading Catholic boarding school in Europe. We wish him great happiness in his retirement with his wife, Marie. We owe him much and are very sorry to lose him, but he must put his health first."
Mr. Mutton joined Ampleforth College in September 2011 as Head of Classics, a role he also held at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. He studied Classics and English at the University of Leeds, earning a Master’s in Classics and a Master’s in Educational Leadership.
He has taught Latin, Greek, Ancient History, and Christian Living and has held key leadership positions in academic, pastoral, and co-curricular areas during his 13 years at Ampleforth. He was a live-in assistant housemaster from 2012-14, Housemaster of St Thomas’ House from 2014-19, and became Deputy Head of Pastoral and Wellbeing in 2019.
A marathon runner who enjoys coaching various sports, Mr. Mutton is also a former Junior Chess Champion who has represented England in chess; he has run the College Chess Club for many years. He lives on campus with his wife, Sara, and their two young daughters. Mr. Mutton is also a Governor of St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School in Ampleforth village.
At the same time as Ampleforth's announcement, Moor Park, a leading Catholic prep school in Shropshire, has also announced that James Duffield will take over as headteacher with immediate effect.
In a surprising letter sent to parents of pupils at Moor Park – which featured in the <em>Herald's</em> "Catholic Good Schools Guide 2024: Top Five Prep Schools" – the Board of Governors announced that Brendan Brady was stepping down as headmaster after just two years in the role. The letter did not give an explanation for the sudden departure.
He is being replaced by James Duffield, a former pupil of the school who had previously been Head of Religious Studies and a housemaster. His appointment was reportedly welcomed by parents as it marks a return to the school having a Catholic headmaster.
After his appointment, he told the <em>Herald</em>: "I am delighted to have been appointed as Headmaster at Moor Park. As a traditional prep school founded on Catholic principles celebrating its 60th anniversary, we very much look forward to continuing to help children on their spiritual as well as academic journey. <br><br>"Having been a pupil here myself, moving to Belmont Abbey and finally Downside, I am abundantly aware of the importance of a strong Catholic education with the outlook and foundations for life that it provides.
"The example of the great St Thomas More, our patron, of service to others but God first, is an increasingly important message for children today as they enter an ever-complex modern world."<br><br>The announcements from the two schools come during a volatile period in the UK's Catholic boarding school scene, especially given the plan by the new Labour government to remove the tax exemption for private schools and impose VAT on school fees.
During the sudden closure of Kilgraston School, Scotland’s only Catholic boarding school, the school said “the possible impact of VAT on school fees” was a factor in the decision to close, due to pupil numbers already being perilously low for the school to be sustainable.
<strong><em>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/scotlands-only-catholic-boarding-school-closes-with-immediate-effect/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Scotland’s only Catholic boarding school closes with immediate effect</mark></a></em></strong>
<strong>Recent developments at the UK's Catholic independent schools can be found in the <em>Catholic Herald's</em> 'Catholic Good Schools Guide 2023', currently available in print and featured <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/catholic-herald-good-schools-guide-2023-top-ten-senior-independent-schools/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">online</mark></a>. </strong><br><br><em>Photo: The Ampleforth trifecta that many, if not all, attendees of Ampleforth College will forever remember: Ampleforth Abbey, colocated with the school, all set within 'The Valley'. (Image courtesy Ampleforth College.)</em>
