Mrs Anna Packman will be joining Beaudesert Park School as our Head of Pre-prep in September 2021.

Anna will be taking over from Mrs Harriet Searson who has been our Acting Head of Pre-prep since September 2020.

Anna has been a teacher of Pre-prep aged children for almost 20 years and has spent the last six years as Headmistress of the Pre School and Prep School at Bromsgrove School, Mission Hills in Shenzhen. Anna and her family will be returning to the UK after 11 years in China. Her daughter, Ada, will be joining Reception.

Headmaster, Chris Searson said of her appointment, “Anna impressed us with her vision, experience and dynamism. In her own words, education is her ‘passion and vocation’.  I am sure that exciting times lie ahead for the Pre-prep under her leadership.”

Anna said, “It is with great anticipation that my family and I look forward to joining Beaudesert in a few months’ time. The warmth, beauty and spirit of the School spoke to us across many thousands of miles and I am delighted to be joining a community that clearly has so much soul.”

Our Pre-prep children had a few important questions for Mrs Packman ahead of her arrival…

• Do you have any pets?

Thank you for this question! 11 years ago my husband, Bill, and I lived in a city in China called Shanghai. One day we found a box outside one of the shops near our house. On the side was written the word ‘FREE’. We looked inside and found a tiny little puppy! The puppy had been put in a box by someone who could not look after the puppy and they left it in a place they were sure someone would find him. We were very lucky and happy to find this special gift and he became our dog. We named him Rubens as my husband loves racing car drivers (before we moved to China, we had a cat named Senna after another famous racing driver).

• What is your favourite colour?

My favourite colour is blue because it reminds me of sunny blue sky days and the beautiful deep blue sea. I also love a stone called Lapis Lazuli which is full of rich blue colours.

• Are you excited about coming to Beaudesert?

I am VERY excited about coming to Beaudesert. It looks like a beautiful school in a wonderful place full of very special people and I cannot wait to meet you all.

• Why do you want to be Head of the Pre-prep?

I want to be Head of Pre-prep because I can think of no better ways to spend my days than helping children like you learn and grow. In Pre-prep you learn to read and write, to be proud of who you are, to help others and be kind and to understand the world around you. Pre-prep is the beginning of your journey into who you will become in the future, and helping children and teachers do their best and be their best is what I love to do.

• What is the best thing about living in China?

There are many wonderful things about living in another country. You can travel and see new places and try lots of yummy new food. You learn to understand the different ways that people can live, think and communicate. You learn to be patient and tolerant, which is all about how we can respect different ideas even when they are not the same as our own. China is very different from England but there are some things that are the same all around the world, such as how much families care about each other. I enjoy finding the things about us that are the same instead of focusing on the things that are different.

• What do you like doing when you are not at school?

I love to cook. I used to prefer cooking savoury foods, like spaghetti and lovely salads full of healthy vegetables. When I was pregnant with my little girl, Ada, who will be joining Reception at Beaudesert, all I wanted to eat was cake! So I got pretty good at baking and now I love doing that too. I hope you all like cooking as well and I look forward to making some tasty treats together at Beaudesert!

Learn more about Beaudesert Park’s Pre-prep.