Welcome Mrs Anna Spellman

Shiplake College has announced the appointment of Mrs Anna Spellman as our new Deputy Head Academic, who will be taking up the position at the start of the 2026-2027 academic year. She will be succeeding Mr Paul Jones, who will be moving to Bethany School as their new Headmaster.

Mrs Spellman brings more than 25 years of senior school educational leadership experience across both state and independent sectors. For the past 12 years, she has been a key figure at Queen Anne’s School, serving first as Head of English and more recently as Assistant Head Teaching and Learning. During her tenure, she has made a significant and lasting impact on academic standards and outcomes across the school.

A highly accomplished teacher of English, Mrs Spellman is known for achieving consistently exceptional examination results and she also holds a Level 5 Certificate in Specialist Teaching (Dyslexia and Literacy) as well as being an ISI Inspector.

When asked what she was most looking forward to on joining Shiplake, Mrs Spellman said: “I’m looking forward to a new challenge, getting to know the Shiplake community and getting stuck in!”

Above all, Mrs Spellman’s leadership mirrors our Shiplake values in that it is grounded in a belief in high‑quality, inclusive teaching that enables every student to thrive. As much as we are sad to see Mr Jones leave us to join Bethany School, we look forward to giving Mrs Spellman the warmest of Shiplake welcomes.