A new head teacher has been appointed at a secondary school.

Toby Sutherland was last week chosen as the head of St Clement Danes School, in Chenies Road, Chorleywood, and will take up his post in January 2018.

He will replace Dr Josephine Valentine, who has led the school since January 1998 but will now instead be the executive head teacher of the Danes Educational Trust from January next year.

Mr Sutherland, who has worked as the deputy head teacher at the school since September, said he felt “excited” by his new role.

He said: “It is a huge privilege and honour to lead this exceptional school into a new and exciting period of its long existence.

“I am humbled by the decision which has been made and excited at the prospect of working with our fantastic students, staff and governors over the coming years to build on Dr Valentine’s superb legacy at the school.”

Writing to parents after the appointment of the new head teacher, chair of the Danes Educational Trust, Rosie Faunch, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to record my thanks to Dr Valentine for leading St Clement Danes for the past 20 years. Under her leadership the school has gone from Good to Outstanding to ‘World Class’.

“As Dr Valentine has said on a number of occasions, St Clement Danes is ‘probably the best school in the world’.

“This is down in no small part to her leadership and we wish her well as she seeks to make the Danes Educational Trust and all of its schools similarly world class.”