The newly appointed Head of the Junior School, and future Head of Ratcliffe College Preparatory School, is Fr Christopher Cann, who will take up post on 1st September 2013.
Fr Christopher will be a very worthy successor to Mrs Caroline Rigby after her excellent service to Ratcliffe College.
Fr Christopher commenced teaching Religious Studies at Ratcliffe College Senior School last September. It was our good fortune that Mr Cann, as he was then, had recently taken a career break and was able to step in at very short notice.
It came as a surprise to us all when he announced that he was due to be ordained as a Priest of the Ordinariate later in the Autumn Term, although he had previously been an ordained priest within the Anglican Church for many years.
Previous employment includes Head of Stoneygate College; Chaplain and GCSE Teacher of RS, French and Latin at Llandaff Cathedral School, Cardiff; and teaching Chaplain, then Deputy Head/Boarding Housemaster, and finally Headmaster of Smallwood Manor Preparatory School, the feeder school to Denstone College, for twelve years.
Fr Christopher joins us with a wealth of experience in school leadership, not to mention the fact that he is a fully accredited Independent Schools’ Inspectorate team inspector.
He gained his Masters Degree with Honours in French Language and Literature from the University of St Andrews, followed by an additional MA in Theology from the University of Oxford, whence he also gained his teaching qualifications.
He speaks fluent French, along with some German and Spanish, and tutors Latin. His particular interests include supporting Leicester Tigers, enjoying long dog walks with his family, music (he plays piano, clarinet, guitar and enjoys choral singing!), reading, tennis, swimming, running and cooking at weekends. Fr Christopher states, ‘This is a really exciting time for Ratcliffe.
It will be such a privilege to be leading the Junior School as it moves into the planned state of the art accommodation.’
Mr Gareth Lloyd, Headmaster, commented ‘We are thrilled with this appointment. Fr Christopher will undoubtedly lead the Junior School, and in time Ratcliffe College Preparatory School, with compassion, discernment, intellectual rigour and, I suspect, a lot of fun and laughter!’