Shropshire Star

Andrew takes over at top school

A new head has been appointed at the second fastest growing private school in the UK.

Published
New head Andrew Allman

Andrew Allman, 39, from Shrewsbury, said he was “proud and privileged” to take the helm at Myddelton College in Denbigh, a co-educational day and boarding school which was recently hailed by inspectors as “a vibrant international learning community”.

As well as being one of the fastest growing, Myddelton College was the newest independent school in Britain when it opened in 2016 on the site of the on the site of the former Howells School, which closed in 2013.

Two thirds of the school’s students come from Denbighshire, Flintshire and Conwy and it also attracts boarders from 16 different nationalities from as far afield as Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Nigeria, Spain, Italy, Mexico and Chile.

The new head paid tribute to his predecessor Mark Roberts for the firm foundations he laid in making Myddelton College “a successful school where pupils thrive personally and academically”.

Mr Allman attended Shrewsbury School.

He went on to BA in Theology and an M Ed as well as teaching qualifications at Durham University before joining the staff of Barnard Castle, a school with a reputation for producing rugby internationals.

Its former pupils include a string of rugby stars including England and British Lions fly-half Rob Andrew and wingers Rory and Tony Underwood as well as TV gardener Geoffrey Smith and Sir Edward Mellanby, the discoverer of Vitamin D.

Mr Allman came to Myddelton College from Barnard Castle two years ago as Head of Academic Studies and worked closely with his predecessor to strengthen the new school.

He said: “Mark Roberts did a fantastic job here and we have completely overhauled the school to give it the academic rigour it needed.

“I had been at Barnard Castle, which is a brilliant school, for 15 years and I was ready for a new challenge in a wonderful part of the world.

“It was the opportunity and the vision of establishing a new independent school with all the opportunities to introduce a teaching style and techniques appropriate for the generation that we’re living in.

“It’s about balancing traditional teaching techniques with the 21st century technology that we have available and it’s perhaps easier to do that at a school at the beginning of its history.”

The school currently has 70 boarders and 150 day pupils with 45 staff, including over 30 teachers, and Mr Allman added: “The school has integrated into the local community very well and people here are delighted is it open again and making a contribution to the local community.

“We encourage local organisations to make use of our facilities here and the list of those that do includes dance groups, a boxing club and the Scouts.”