Introducing our new Head of Juniors

After 11 years of leading Redmaids’ High Junior School, Lisa Brown will be retiring from Headship at the end of the academic year.  Since first joining as a Year 4 teacher, Lisa has worked in our community for over 30 years, ensuring our school meets the needs of a modern education whilst maintaining its values. 

We are delighted to announce that current Deputy Head, Mrs Anthea Newton, will succeed Lisa next September as Head of Juniors and will work closely with Head of School Paul Dwyer. Anthea has played an integral role in the success of our Junior School and each September our Junior pupils transition with ease into Year 7 with strong bonds forged between the year groups. 

Anthea says, '''I am delighted to have been appointed as Head at Redmaids’ High Junior School - it’s such an exciting opportunity to take on the next chapter of such a wonderful school. I look forward to leading the Juniors as a beacon of excellence for girls’ education, ensuring we build on the foundations that Lisa has established whilst maintaining consistency, continuity and community.''

Lisa has been a rock at Redmaids’ High Juniors for so long now, it’s hard for us all to imagine the school without her leadership.  She will leave a legacy that can be seen – and felt – in our culture of community and kindness.  Continuing that vision will be paramount under my leadership of the School. 

Demonstrating that Redmaids’ High is the best school in Bristol for girls in Years 3 – 6 is a vision we both share. Lisa has blazed a trail in creating an environment that shapes and develops young girls both academically and emotionally, and I will take up that torch to ensure we keep developing and moving forward. On joining the School, I took on the robotics curriculum which is thriving and sees girls succeed in competitions like the First Lego League, sharing robotics learning and showcasing their programming skills. All pupils here have their own iPad to support their learning, and we are proudly part of the Apple Education Community, so I am excited to take the curriculum forward to reflect current technology and innovation. 

Lisa Brown comments, “I am delighted that I am passing the baton of Headship to Anthea Newton, who is experienced, knowledgeable and forward thinking. We have worked closely together as a team, which will ease transition, and she puts the girls at the heart of every decision, as I do. Under her leadership, there is promise of exciting times ahead for the Junior School; I look forward to hearing all about it!”  

An introduction to Mrs Newton 

Anthea’s first three years of teaching were in East London in a Tower Hamlets primary school, giving unique insights into the challenges some pupils and families can face.  Her next role was at Clifton College, where over a 10-year tenure, she was Head of Drama, a Year 5 teacher and coached the Colts rugby team. This last responsibility gives a clue to one of Anthea’s significant passions; rugby. She has played for many years, representing Blackheath and Clifton clubs as well as being part of the England student set-up. 

She now plays touch rugby, has 48 caps for Ireland and has played in two World Cups in her age category.  The whole Redmaids’ High community were proud to cheer her on from afar at the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.  This passion for the game is family-wide as two of Anthea’s three children, Owen and Aoife, represent England at Touch Rugby in their respective age groups.  Her third child, Grace, is currently studying Russian and Spanish at Trinity College, Dublin. 

Anthea says, “I love sport - watching, playing and coaching. Sport gives girls an opportunity to develop skills outside of the classroom like teamwork, collaboration and physical dexterity. It also teaches them about resilience, whether that’s picking themselves up after a loss or dealing with the disappointment of not being selected for an IAPs team. These are core life skills, and it’s proven that success in sport, at your own level, is one of the marks of success in later life.  I look forward to continuing to champion sport and active life – in all forms – at Redmaids’ High Juniors. It’s certainly a joy to me that, in our school, there are no stereotypes, and a girl can be seen dancing beautifully in the hall one day, clad in a boiler suit to go caving the next and then be programming a robot the day after. Girls here learn to try new things and be adventurous.  I love the idea that at Redmaids High, we ‘give it a go’.” 

In terms of future plans, Anthea recognises, as we all do, that we are living in a fast-changing and evolving world. We want our pupils to have the best start on their journey through their teen years and into adulthood. Embracing new technology and developing the curriculum to ensure they are equipped for the future and the roles they will have are high priorities. One aspect of Anthea’s long-term plan is to explore how engineering could play a part in that.  On a day-to-day level, Anthea plans to retain some teaching responsibilities through assemblies or continuing to engage pupils in IT lessons or with mental maths. 

Please join us in congratulating Anthea on her appointment.  For Lisa, the coming months will be extra special with lots of opportunities for pupils, staff and parents, past and present, to celebrate her incredible tenure at the school and commitment to its success. To find out more about our Junior School, please click HERE.