Meet the new head teacher of Salisbury Cathedral School

First is Sally Moulton, of Salisbury Cathedral School.

As of September 2024, Mrs Sally Moulton has taken post as head teacher at Salisbury Cathedral School, following her role as head teacher at Yarrells Preparatory School.

Mrs Moulton studied English literature and music at the University of Leeds before qualifying as a teacher at the University of Bath, and then, from 2000, she spent eight years in Kenya with her husband and two sons where she worked as an academic deputy in a British curriculum school.

Mrs Moulton said: “I went into areas of my education I had not had the opportunity to delve into before and it gave me the confidence to delve into leadership. It was an incredible experience."

Sally Moulton of Salisbury Cathedral School (Image: Newsquest)

She had worked in her previous role for six years before joining Salisbury Cathedral School.

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She said: “I spent a bit of time thinking about what my next steps would be, I’d brought my school to a level I was really happy with and what we had achieved had really secured its future.

“I thought, do I want to do the next stage there or consider another leadership somewhere else? It took me two years to find the right place. I believe it’s all about the right fit."

For a school that has been around since 1091, Mrs Moulton has clear plans to ensure it's legacy continues.

“I’ve got some immediate priorities", she said, "helping the school to continue to thrive, making sure it’s in the best possible position in the market place. We’re really building boarding numbers, and we’re looking at extending provision in the nursery to meet the needs of people in Salisbury.

“Then, beyond that, the priority for a head is to make sure education of the school is the best it can be; making sure the quality of provision is as it should be.”

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In terms of the Labour proposal to introduce a 20 per cent VAT on private school fees, Mrs Moulton has said that parents “already know their position”.

The school’s plan is to halve the fees with the parents, and parents were made aware at the beginning of the term.

She said: “As soon as I came into post, I wanted them to have the clarity that should the policy come into effect, they know what we do, what worst case scenario would be so we all know where we stand.”

Salisbury Cathedral School was founded in 1091 (Image: Salisbury Cathedral School)

As her first full week draws to a close, Mrs Moulton said to the Journal: “It’s been really exciting experiencing and re-affirming that feeling I had when I came for an interview – that this is the right school for me. I can’t believe it’s been a week already.

“There’s been this buzz and fizz in the air – everybody’s just bubbling! I’m really excited about being here. 1 2 3 go!”