Prior Park School has announced that the Head of its new Catholic independent senior school in Gibraltar is Mr Peter Watts, currently Deputy Headmaster of Sherborne School.
Prior Park Schools recently announced that it was expanding to the Mediterranean after being selected by the Gibraltar Secondary School Parents’ Group as the preferred bidder from a competitive field of UK school groups.
The new school, Prior Park School, Gibraltar will open its doors in September 2016.
The Chair of Governors for Prior Park Schools, Mr Michael King expressed his delight at the recruitment of Peter Watts.
He said: “The selection process for a new Head is always a thorough and meticulous process which in this case involved a panel drawn from the UK and Gibraltar.
“This process was further shaped by the exceptional calibre of the large number of applicants from both international and UK schools, so we are convinced that we have chosen a worthy man who will lead our new school with vision and integrity.”
Peter Watts was educated at the Universities of Southampton and Bristol.
Following a 1st in Physics, he worked briefly in scientific research before realising that helping others to understand some of the wonders and mysteries of the universe as a teacher might be more rewarding, and subsequently took up a physics teaching position at King Edward VI School.
For the past 20 years he has served in both academic and pastoral roles at Sherborne School, including Head of Department, Housemaster, Director of Professional Development and Deputy Headmaster.
Throughout his career, Peter has been recognised as an inspirational leader of staff and students and was selected by the ISC to visit universities to recruit graduates into the teaching profession.
A Welshman, Peter is passionate about rugby, singing and border collies.
His wife, Diana, was educated in Bath and they have two children, William and Emily.
Mr Watts commented: “The Prior Park Schools’ group has a clear vision for what they believe is important in education which is so clearly in line with my own sense of mission, to borrow the words of Aristotle; ‘An education of the mind without an education of the heart is no education at all’.
“I am hugely excited and honoured to be given the responsibility to lead the community of Prior Park Gibraltar and believe that this will provide excellent opportunities for boys and girls across the group to gain a first-rate academic as well as pastoral education.”
