A NEW headteacher has been appointed at Oxford High School.

Felicity Lusk, who had been in charge of the independent school in Belbroughton Road, Oxford, for 13 years, announced she would be leaving in November after she was offered the headship at Abingdon School – the first woman to take the post.

Now the Girls’ Day School Trust, which runs the school, has announced Judith Carlisle, headteacher at Dover Grammar School for Girls, will take the reins of Oxford High in January.

Mrs Carlisle, 51, plans to move to Oxfordshire with her husband, David Gough.

It will be her first post in the independent sector.

She said: “It is an exceptional, extremely high-achieving school with a sense of really working in partnership with the students.

“Visiting the school was the thing that finally convinced me I wanted the job.”

She said she was not daunted by the reputation of her predecessor, and hoped to spend the beginning of her tenure assessing how the school worked and what areas could be further developed.

Mrs Carlisle added: “I’m really looking forward to being part of the Oxford scene.

“The position just sounded fantastic immediately, then when I went on to the website and watched the DVD of students talking about their school, I thought it sounded a really good match.

“I like new challenges and I have already been impressed by the welcome I have had from the Girls’ Day School Trust.”

Under Mrs Carlisle’s leadership, Dover Grammar School became a specialist humanities college and was rated outstanding by Ofsted, with A-Level students recording the highest average points scores in Kent.

Trust chief executive Helen Fraser said: “Judith is passionate about girls’ education and committed to both academic and extra-curricular excellence.

“Oxford High School has built up a tremendous reputation under the leadership of its headteacher for nearly 14 years, Felicity Lusk, and is known for its outstanding academic results and vibrant all-round education.

“We wish her every happiness in her new post.”

Miss Lusk leaves the school at the end of the summer term.

She said she was sad to leave Oxford High but hoped her appointment as a female headteacher at a boys’ public school would inspire her former pupils.

Of her successor she said: “I am certain she is going to do a really good job, and I am certain she is going to love it.”

Oxford High School, which has about 950 pupils, is among the top-performing independent schools in the country.

It was ranked third in the country for performance at GCSEs in 2008.

Senior school fees are £9,720 per year, although there are some scholarships and bursaries.