After five years as headmistress of Wycombe Abbey girls’ school in Buckinghamshire, Cynthia Hall is moving on next summer.
Her retirement is timely because her husband, Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, has just been appointed director-general of the BBC.
During her time as head, she encouraged dance. “Wycombe covers a wide range of styles, including ballet, tap, modern and street. Girls are able to take lessons and, where available, to work towards examinations in their chosen discipline,” says the school website. “There are occasional workshops run by dance companies, plus visits from leaders in the field, such as Deborah Bull CBE, creative director of the Royal Opera House and former prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet.”
Who knows what the girls would have learned if she had stayed on while Lord Hall runs the BBC. “She has excelled as the headmistress of schools for robust and able girls,” says Janette Wallis, senior editor at the Good Schools Guide. “Not afraid to take hard decisions. Personally elegant; a little intimidating.”
Just what parents like to hear.
