Mark Lascelles

Epsom College, a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 11 to 18, has appointed Mark Lascelles as head, effective from September next year.

He will take over from Sir Anthony Seldon, who was appointed as head following the shocking murder of former headteacher Emma Pattison last February,

54-year-old Lascelles has spent 12 years as head of Dauntsey’s School in West Lavington, Wiltshire. Prior to that, he spent three years at The King’s School, Canterbury, two as lower master and one as the acting head; and 17 years at Shrewsbury School as a teacher of Geography, coach for the 1st football, cricket and fives teams, and a boarding housemaster.

Lascelles said: “I had not been looking for a move, however the opportunity of leading Epsom is too tempting to pass up. It’s a school I have admired from a distance for a long time, and the more I discovered the keener I became to take on this role.”

Alex Russell, chair of the school’s board of governors, said: “The search for a new head started in earnest in the summer and we saw an exceptional calibre of candidates. Heads from some of the UK’s leading schools stepped forward, each with a bold and persuasive vision of Epsom’s future. The board of governors and members of council conducted a rigorous selection process and ultimately, Mark proved to be the strongest candidate. He is our unanimous choice. From the very start Mark impressed and as the process moved on he got stronger, pulling away from a formidable pack.”

Sir Anthony said: “I could not be more delighted than I have been by the appointment of my much sought-after successor. Mark Lascelles combines deep experience, great empathy and high intellect. Epsom is going to have a very exciting future indeed under him.”

Lascelles is married to Amber, and together they have three daughters, Alex, Nina, and Romilly. Alex leaves school in the summer for university and then the Army, while Romilly is likely to join Epsom in September, in Year 9, and Nina will become an Epsom sixth former in 2025 after she completes her GCSEs at Dauntsey’s.

Lascelles was educated at the Dragon School, Shrewsbury School and Durham University. He has been a governor of three prep schools: Yarlet School, The Ryleys, and Brambletye, and currently sits on the boards of St Michael’s Prep, Jersey, Abingdon School and Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School in Salisbury.