Chelsea Prep School Welcomes a New Headmistress

One of London’s leading preparatory schools, Cameron Vale, has appointed a new Headmistress with decades of experience shaping outstanding educational outcomes for young children and the schools in which they thrive.

Alison Melrose has joined the excellent-rated Chelsea prep school and nursery with an impressive career story to date, having previously worked as the founding Head at Prince’s Garden Preparatory School in Kensington as well as developing her own business as a talented educational consultant.

After graduating from Durham University, Mrs Melrose has held a variety of roles across Preparatory Schools in London, accumulating over 25 years’ experience in the education sector.

Mrs Melrose, who is a member of IAPS and in addition to her post at Prince’s Gardens, has also been the Head of Broomwood Hall for eight years, said: ‘I’m delighted to have assumed the role of Headmistress at Cameron Vale and I am very much looking forward to getting to know each and every child, parent and member of staff individually over the coming weeks.

‘Cameron Vale appealed to me not only for its excellent reputation, but also for its family-feel and incredibly inspiring ethos and values. I have experience of both academic and operational aspects of school life, having also worked across the Northwood Schools group as Director of Operations and supporting my local primary school as a governor for seven years – so I feel perfectly placed to build upon the brilliant work of the previous Head, Miss Saul, and to continue and enhance the world-class learning opportunities on offer at Cameron Vale.’

Mrs Melrose will also be reviewing the school’s enrichment and co-curricular programme at Cameron Vale and drawing from her wealth of knowledge and connections in the local area. 

Mrs Melrose added: ‘I feel passionately about community within a school and how important it is to build strong links between home and school to ensure the best education for each child to flourish. I will continue to build on Cameron Vale’s academic success and I’m keen to develop the five school values with a multi-purpose ‘C Lab’, to support the key skills in being courageous, curious, collaborative, creative and critical thinkers.’

John Forsyth, CEO of Forfar Education which owns and operates the school alongside six other outstanding prep schools across the UK, said: ‘We believe that Alison will be the perfect fit for Cameron Vale. The vast amount of experience she has, not only in the private education sector but also in the wider education arena, means she will be able to bring a variety of new ideas to the curriculum and boldly take the school into a new era.

‘With her approach and dedication to both academic and personal development, the children will be able to flourish in all aspects of their lives and be prepared to continue their education in the top secondary schools and beyond.’

Cameron Vale and The Chelsea Nursery are part of a world-class family of schools, owned and managed by Forfar Education, a company that specialises in the education of children. Accepting children from six months to 11, both Cameron Vale and The Chelsea Nursery put the child’s enjoyment of education at the heart of everything they do. 

See Cameron Vale’s online listing here.