High profile headteacher Vicky Bingham has been appointed as head of North London Collegiate School, the school reports.
Ms Bingham will be only the tenth headmistress since the school was founded in 1850.
She joins NLCS from South Hampstead High School, where she has been headmistress since 2017. South Hampstead was recently named Independent Girls’ School of the Year.
Prior to that, she was deputy head of Guildford High School and head of classics at St Catherine’s School, Bramley. Ms Bingham read classics at Keble College, Oxford.
Dr Hazel Bagworth-Mann – who replaced previous head Sarah Clark after her departure in April 2022 – will remain in post as interim head at NLCS, taking up her new role as senior deputy head when Ms Bingham joins the school in September 2023.
North London Collegiate School came under fire earlier this year, when it was revealed to be the school with the largest increase in A* grades at A-level when teacher assessment was in place because of the pandemic. The proportion of A* grades was 90.2 per cent in 2021, up from 33.8 percent in 2019, when exams took place.
Commenting on Vicky Bingham’s appointment, Robert Hingley, chair of governors, said:
“Vicky Bingham’s appointment represents an important milestone in NLCS’s history. With her extensive experience at the helm of top independent girls’ schools, we are delighted that Vicky has accepted this role.
“As we approach our 175th anniversary, Vicky will lead our global innovation partnerships through initiatives such as our Ideas Hub (opening in 2024) and will continue to expand our international capabilities through our outstanding IB curriculum and US university admissions.
“As the tenth head in our illustrious history as the UK’s first girls’ school, we believe that Vicky will bring a truly pioneering spirit to help shape our students to be leaders of the future.”
Vicky Bingham said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as the next headmistress of NLCS, one of the pre-eminent schools of British education and an early pioneer of girls’ education.”
