Introducing Our New Senior Deputy Head
Published by Bancroft's School on Wednesday 20th of September 2023
We are thrilled to introduce Katie Shapiro as our new Senior Deputy Head at Bancroft's School.
Katie brings extensive experience in education and politics to her new role. Katie started her career in public affairs in Brussels, followed by Westminster before deciding to change course and become a teacher. After teaching at Highgate School, she went on to become Head of Sixth Form at Queen’s College London before taking on the role of Deputy Head (Academic).
We caught up with Katie after her first few weeks settling into her new role to find out more about her background and interests:
When asked about a surprising fact about herself, Katie said “I have a fear of flying – my family refuses to sit next to me on a plane as they are so embarrassed. However, despite this, I have a weird fascination with planes. I love reading about planes and watching them taking off and landing – I am obsessed with Big Jet TV. My husband always jokes that the ideal holiday for me would be going to the airport, watching the planes, and coming home.”
On her background in politics, Katie shared “After my Masters in European Political Administration at the College of Europe in Bruges, I worked in Brussels for a lobbying agency representing transport and food clients. This involved meeting politicians in the European institutions and trying to make sure that any legislation supported these clients’ interests. I moved to London after three years and joined a Westminster-based consultancy. However, by my late 20s, I started to question what I was really achieving and thought that teaching might be more rewarding.”
When asked what drew her to Bancroft’s, Katie said “Bancroft’s is known for its outstanding academic results and it’s true that they are hugely impressive. But even more than that, I was drawn to the warmth of pupils and staff when I first visited the school – there is such a sense of community and a breadth of activities (beyond the academic) which Bancroft’s offers.”
On her priorities in the new role, Katie said “I firstly want to get to know everyone and understand the strengths of Bancroft’s and where we can perhaps do things differently. We are busy at the moment shaping our vision for the School for the next five years to ensure that Bancroft’s can provide a truly holistic education which gives our students the skills and knowledge to be ready for the opportunities and challenges of the future.”
When asked about school events she is looking forward to, Katie said “I’ve heard so much about Taal so I’m really excited to attend that. Also, the summer festival at the end of last summer term sounded incredible. So that is something else which I’m really looking forward to being part of later this academic year.”
We are thrilled to have Katie leading Bancroft’s in her new role as Senior Deputy Head. Please join us in welcoming her to the Bancroft’s community!
