Miss Jean Walker, Chair of Governors, is delighted to announce that Mr David Newberry has been appointed as the next Head of Sunninghill Prep School, taking effect from September 2022.

David is currently Deputy Head at Bede’s Prep School, a thriving IAPS school on the Sussex coast. Originally a Dorset man, David grew up on Portland before moving to London in his early twenties. David worked for a number of years for a Homeless Charity and also for the Prison Service but his time working as an English teacher in the Czech Republic made him realise that teaching, and working with children, was the career he wanted to pursue.

He completed a degree in psychology and education in 1999, at the University of Surrey and then undertook a Graduate Teacher Programme where he qualified as a teacher in 2003. It was in London that he met his wife Tammy, and they had their son Max – now seventeen. Once Max was born, the family moved back to the West Country where David taught for 8 years in a village school in Somerset before moving into the Independent Sector where he has remained.

Further career progression took him to Eastbourne, to Bede’s Prep, as their Housemaster, before he was promoted to Deputy Head and Head of Boarding.

Miss Walker commented that Mr Newberry’s ethos and values are well suited to Sunninghill Prep’s most senior role, saying “David shows a very clear management style, placing the pupils at the centre of every decision. His experience coupled with the necessary skills to empathise with and inspire pupils, parents and staff set him apart during the interview process amongst a very strong field. His vision and ideas resonated with the Board at interview, and he demonstrated an understanding of the strengths and challenges for schools in the independent sector. David was also passionate about the early years setting and Junior Prep being the foundation for a healthy school.

We very much look forward to welcoming David, Tammy, Max, and Molly to parents, pupils, staff and the wider Sunninghill Prep community in the near future.”

David said of his new appointment, “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Sunninghill as your new Head in September. The minute I set foot in the school I felt the warmth from pupils and staff and knew this was where I wanted to be. Dorchester, and the beautiful surrounding countryside, is an area that I know and love, and I am thrilled to be ‘coming home.’

I had the privilege of meeting pupils and staff during the interview process and Tammy and I, together with our 5-year-old Labrador, Molly, are very much looking forward to getting to know them all, and the wider Sunninghill family.”