Mr Jay Piggot, the Headmaster of Epsom College, will be stepping down at the end of the 2021-22 academic year. This will be his tenth year as Headmaster of the school, and it has been a decade of remarkable transformation.
The Lower School was conceived and opened under his leadership, construction of The Mermaid has begun, and a sister school in Malaysia rose up from the rainforest on the edge of Kuala Lumpur. Most importantly, these initiatives have been allied to a significant and sustained advancement in the education of Epsom’s pupils.
Exam results are the strongest they have ever been, with the most recent moderated grades placing Epsom as Surrey’s leading co-ed day and boarding school. The co-curricular programme has consistently been recognised as among the ‘best of the best’ in the UK by The Week magazine, and the most recent ISI Inspection awarded Epsom a top-rating of ‘excellent’ in all areas, making an extremely rare ‘no recommendations for future improvement’. This year, the College was a finalist in the TES Award’s ‘Boarding School of The Year’.
Inspirational leadership
Chair of Governors, Dr Alastair Wells, says: “Under Jay’s leadership there has been truly transformative change at the College. Epsom is a much-improved school for his time at the helm and I am grateful to him for his inspirational leadership which has changed the way we educate Epsomians. Jay is leaving us when he is at the top of his game, with grateful thanks from all the Governors and the Epsom community both past and present. He will be a hard act to follow.”
Mr Piggot says: “Great schools are about the creation of community and the personal development of all who inhabit them, both pupils and staff.
“It has been wonderful to live and work alongside staff and pupils of such distinction who value the life of the mind and revel in the breadth of their experience. Equally, Poppy and I are grateful to all parents and governors who have helped to support and enable the advance of this remarkable community.”
The Governors have started the recruitment process to appoint Mr Piggot’s successor, who will be the College’s 14th Headteacher in its 166-year history.
