Mr James Thomas, Headmaster at Sutton Valence School, is delighted to announce that the Governing Body has appointed Mr Mark Scholey as the new Head of Sutton Valence Preparatory School, effective as of September 2022. Mr Scholey will succeed Miss Claire Corkran, who departs at the end of this academic year after 12 years of outstanding leadership of the School.

The appointment follows a thorough and highly competitive search with a strong list of candidates applying for the post. Mr Thomas commented, “I am very confident that the Prep School will continue to go from strength to strength under the leadership of Mark and we will look forward to welcoming him to our very special community.”

Mr Scholey is currently Deputy Head at Dulwich Prep London, one of the leading Prep Schools in the country. He previously held leadership posts at Parkside School and has also worked at Danes Hill School. Before teaching, he worked for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 and, before that, in management consultancy for Accenture. He was educated at King’s College School, Wimbledon before taking an undergraduate degree in History at Durham University followed by a PGCE and Masters in Education from the University of Cambridge.

He is married to Pippa and they have a son, Nicholas, aged four. His interests include sport, especially hockey and running, reading, cooking and going on family walks. He has recently moved to Kent, his wife returning to the county where she grew up and where much of the rest of their direct family still lives. He has strong beliefs in preparatory education being about discovering and developing passions for life and his ethos chimes with the values that we already have here at SVPS.

On his appointment, Mark comments, “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Head of Prep at a superb school. SVPS has a fabulous reputation for helping each individual child to thrive, with real energy and commitment amongst its staff, and a wonderful site and extensive grounds in which to nurture young people. It will be a huge privilege to be part of the wider community and to shape some ambitious and sustainable plans for the future alongside its very capable leadership team and with the guidance and support of the Senior School.”

The school ethos that ‘each cares for all and individuality is cherished’ has always been an important part of life at SVPS and, in many ways, defines the legacy left by Miss Corkran. Her commitment to preparing children for their next stages of education, along with her compassion and emphasis on character values has made Sutton Valence Preparatory School the special school it is today. The Governing Body and Headmaster are immensely grateful for all that she has achieved.

We are certain that Mr Scholey’s appointment will allow SVPS to continue to thrive and strive for excellence, building on the successes of the recent past, and the community look forwards to welcoming him to the School.