New Director of Wellbeing Appointed
St Edward’s is delighted to welcome Virginia Macgregor as Director of Wellbeing. Taking up this new post in the pastoral team in September, Virginia will be working on the development of the School’s provision in Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHEE) as well as Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). The scope of the role will also include the promotion of wellbeing more generally, both for pupils and for staff and the embedding of the School values of integrity, kindness and courage in all areas of life at Teddies.
Virginia studied at Oxford and has a background in teaching English and running boarding houses at Haileybury, Downe House and Wellington College. As a classroom practitioner and as a pastoral leader she has put the wellbeing of pupils, staff and parents at the heart of everything she does. She believes that, ‘equipping young people with the tools to flourish, to lead happy, healthy, resilient and mindful lives, should be as much of a priority, for schools, as achieving academic excellence. That in fact, the two are inextricable.’
Virginia aims to ensure that wellbeing is embedded in every part of School life at Teddies – from the Boarding Houses to the classrooms, and beyond: ‘My ambition is for Teddies to be a leader in wellbeing within the independent school sector and to bring our wellbeing research and practice to the wider community through our Beyond Teddies Partnerships Programme.’
With an MA in Creative Writing, Virginia is also an author – she has published five novels for adults with Little, Brown and two for young adults with HarperCollins and is currently working on her seventh novel. Virginia’s books tackle some of the most pressing issues of our age, many touching on topics related to wellbeing. She believes that story is often the most powerful form through which to reach people: ‘By allowing us to inhabit lives other than our own, stories build empathy and compassion.’ Virginia hopes to bring her creative spirit to the role and looks forward to getting involved in the lively and diverse arts scene at Teddies.
Virginia and her husband, Hugh, who is also a teacher, currently live in New Hampshire in the US with their three children, Skye, Somerset and Willoughby. Having grown up and studied in Oxford – with a brother who attended Teddies – she is excited to be coming back home with her family.