Dear Parents,

This is to inform you that at the end of this academic year our Director, Mr Mellor, will be leaving The English School of Asturias to start his well earned retirement. Mr Mellor has been the Director here for the last four years and we would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his efforts during this time.

We have appointed Mr Steven Hardes to take up the post of Director from 1 September. Mr Hardes has a first class honours degree in Biology, a PGCE and a Masters in Educational Management. He has 25 year experience in education, 19 of which have been in management. His experience has been widened by his additional role as a team inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate (a body approved by the British government for inspecting independent schools) in which he has evaluated educational provision in a range of British schools both in the UK and internationally.

Mr Hardes will join us from the British School of Gran Canaria. He speaks Spanish, has a good working knowledge of the Spanish education model and is familiar with the validation process and Spanish university admission. He has a Spanish wife, Pino Butler, who has a first class honours degree in Physics, UK Qualified Teacher Status, and 12 years teaching experience. Ms Butler will join the staff to teach Physics and Science. Their daughter Emma will join Year 8.

There will be a meeting shortly after the beginning of the new academic year to formally introduce Mr Hardes to parents at which he will be pleased to respond to any questions you may have. In the meantime, Mr Mellor will still be the first point of reference for all matters relating to the school until the end of the academic year.