Somersfield Academy has announced the appointment of Peter Howe as their next Head of School.

Mr Howe, an educator native to Canada, will take the reins at the start of the 2021/22 school year after the retirement of Carlos Symonds, the incumbent school headteacher.

Mr Howe said: “I am honoured to be selected as the next Head of School of Somersfield Academy and to build on the wonderful legacy of the school’s first 30 years.

“Somersfield Academy’s student centric focus and its commitment to progressive education and the whole child are completely aligned with my educational philosophy.

“I cannot wait to join the community and to begin our work together.”

Mr Howe was educated at Queen’s University in Toronto and the University of Toronto, where he later started his teaching career before moving to Upper Canada College.

He spent eight years at Upper Canada College in various academic and leadership roles before he moved to Italy in 2005 to join the United World College Adriatic.

Mr Howe served as the Head of College at UWC Maastricht and is currently the Principal of UWC Atlantic.

He was chosen for the position out of more than 150 applicants from around the world.

A spokeswoman for Somersfield Academy’s Head Search Committee said: “Peter is extremely well suited to lead the school into the next phase of its journey and we are very excited to welcome him.

“He brings a wealth of experience and leadership and I'm sure his insights will continue to build on the student-centred inquiry-based learning foundation that Somersfield is known for."

Mr Symonds will close an almost 40 year-long career in the public and private education sectors in July.

His retirement will coincide with the graduation of the first class of pupils to graduate through the school’s secondary-level International Baccalaureate diploma programme.

My Symonds said: “This is an exciting time for Somersfield, with its first-ever graduates due to receive their high school diplomas during Somersfield Academy’s 30th year of operations.

“It has been both challenging and exciting to lead through this period of significant development.

“I am extremely proud of the students, staff and leadership who have brought these developments to fruition and I look forward to graduating our first graduates before my retirement.”