A warm welcome to David Payne

We are delighted to announce that David Payne has joined Bedford Modern School as the new Head.

Mr Payne was previously Senior Deputy Head at Portsmouth Grammar School for four years and prior to that, Head of Sixth Form at Victoria College in Jersey and Head of Geography and Deputy Head of Sixth Form at St Albans School. He attended Rugby School and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA in Geography before obtaining his postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) at the University of Oxford. He also holds an MEd in Educational Leadership.

Outside of the classroom Mr Payne enjoys outdoor pursuits, has enjoyed coaching and refereeing rugby throughout his teaching career, and also has experience of leading the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme in previous schools. He is married with three children.

Commenting on his move to Bedfordshire, Mr Payne said: “It is an enormous honour to be appointed to the role of Head of Bedford Modern School. I was drawn to the school’s values and its commitment to excellence in the holistic education of young people and have been impressed with the school’s desire to retain its tradition of academic rigour whilst simultaneously continuing to focus on the forward-looking development of character. I have been struck by the warmth of the community in my visits to the school, where there is a clear culture of care and kindness, allied to a focus on the creation of opportunities and support for the students."

We look forward to welcoming Mr Payne to our key OBM events and our thanks go to Andrew Whomsley who attended the Christmas Lunch in his interim role as Acting Head.