The Governors of Harrow School are proud to welcome Alastair Land as Harrow’s 35th Head Master.
Alastair joined the School in April 2019, marking the start of the summer term. His appointment follows the departure of his predecessor Jim Hawkins, who led the School for seven years from 2011.
He is returning to Harrow after serving as Headmaster at Repton School in Derbyshire for three years, having previously worked as Deputy Head Master at Harrow for the preceding three years.
As a passionate scientist, Alastair attended Trinity College, Cambridge University where he achieved a First in Natural Sciences. He went on to teach Biology at Eton, where he was also a Deputy House Master and then spent nine years at Winchester College as House Master of the Scholars’ house.
As Alastair takes on this new role ‘on the Hill’, his aim is to maintain the historical legacy of Harrow, whilst also being ‘unafraid of forward thinking’. Alastair will implement this way of thinking in his work with pupils and teachers, and also with external stakeholders in the community. His areas of focus include:
Preparing pupils for a dynamic future: Harrow’s curriculum will be reviewed to ensure a greater focus on the skills, dispositions and attributes that Harrovians will require to thrive in the future. Within this review, the school will be examining what it means to be a young man in the 21st century, as well as what it means to be a 450-year-old all-boys school today. As part of this, the School will work ever more closely with parents and further enhance support for colleagues in pastoral roles.
External relationships and partnerships: Harrow School is located centrally within Harrow on the Hill and is an active part of the local community. Harrow currently maintains over 150 partnerships with local schools and organisations and this is set to develop under Alastair’s stewardship. One of the School’s key relationships is with John Lyon’s Charity, a grant-giving charity which promotes the life-chances of local children and young people through education, and which is part of the same Foundation as Harrow.
Alastair Land commented: “Whilst schools can look similar, their ethos is always inherently different – a combination of the teaching staff, pupils, parental expectations, heritage and local community. Harrow School is an extraordinary phenomenon. It has a power that reaches both across the UK and globally and with that comes a responsibility to uphold its legacy, whilst ensuring our boys are prepared for the modern world.”