The Fifth Headmistress
Miss Audrey Scott (1934 - 2022)
(QAS Headmistress 1977-1993)
Miss Scott became the fifth Headmistress of Queen Anne’s school, Caversham, in September 1977, a role she held for 16 years.
It sounds as though it was an instant fit, the governing body had no hesitation in offering Miss Scott the role due to the wealth of experience she would bring, and she had no hesitation in accepting it. Miss Scott co-authored a book on Queen Anne’s first hundred years and in it she said that her initial perceptions were “of a school and headmistress which were held in high esteem by the academic community”.
This was a status Miss Scott was determined to maintain, but she also wanted to extend the school’s reputation for games and develop and strengthen its musical life. Miss Scott’s aim was to empower every girl passing through the school to take full advantage of the ever increasing range of career opportunities available to a woman by developing her individual talent. This guiding principle shaped many of the changes she made and still apply to this day.
It is worth setting the scene back in 1977 and the challenges that she faced. The country was in a state of turbulence and almost unrelieved gloom. Four years of inflation and rumbling industrial unrest had worn down the morale and financial security of many. It sounds slightly familiar... However, in that time of turmoil, a school with a clear sense of purpose and high standards was particularly valued. With inflation affecting parental incomes, keeping Queen Anne’s at the top of its game was vital.
Miss Scott remained positive and imaginative in the face of these challenges. She spent her first few years consolidating the school’s position, building on its excellent amenities and traditions. Later on she embarked on major projects, several of which are still in use today, including the school gates with our logo on them, the Murial Hall library and the Centenary Arts Centre.
Miss Scott threw her whole self into the role. She knew everything about the school, even down to where each piece of furniture was placed and she was eagle-eyed in detecting any deviation. She chose the décor, and even bought the curtain material for the whole campus! The Queen Anne’s roses were dear to her heart.
However, she also knew her staff and her girls thoroughly and cared deeply about them. Each morning the staff were assembled in their allotted spaces in the staff room for what was known as mothers’ meeting. Miss Scott would sweep across from her study to deliver notices and instructions. In keeping with the times, nobody dared to call Miss Scott by her first name.
As mentioned, Miss Scott was keen to improve the school’s sport and took an active interest in how the school was doing. On returning from a lacrosse tournament the captain and staff would have to go to Miss Scott’s house to tell her the result. If it was positive, her face was a picture of happiness, if we had lost, she wanted to know what had gone wrong. She was once rather severely ordered off the pitch by an umpire as she was virtually in the goal with excitement – one of the risks of playing a game with no boundaries.
And let us not forget her much loved series of little dogs (all Cavalier King Charles spaniels) which played their part in school life. They would come to watch matches, attend events, and each year the Lower 4 were invited to the dog’s birthday party. Something I remember attending, and we were all keen to avoid the bit of cake the dog had been allowed to lick!
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It is a sign of the resilience and character of school headteachers that approaching its centenary in 1994, Queen Anne’s was only on its fifth head. It was Miss Scott’s sincere prayer that she be given the strength to lead the school towards its centenary, and so very cruel that ill health should deprive her of that crowning point to her career.
To her immense regret, in the autumn of 1992 her doctors advised her and the governors that she should retire a year early, in the summer of 1993.
Even after she left, Miss Scott remained very involved with the school, attending various music concerts, matches, theatre trips and QA Society reunion day events where she always commanded an audience! While Miss Scott was still able to drive herself to Queen Anne’s for alumnae gatherings and major events, a parking space in the shade of the trees always had to be reserved so that her dog Nellie would not be affected by the heat.
Most notably in 2018 she opened the Scott Music Centre, and she was a major benefactor for this state of the art music facility, named in her honour. In typical Miss Scott style, she brought her own scissors to the opening, just in case.
Miss Scott was also very supportive of her successors, offering encouragement and advice. She could be stern at times, but her comments were always well intentioned, and came from her deep affection for the school.
Through Queen Anne’s, Miss Scott had developed a love for Westminster Abbey and she became a steward there for some years before she became involved here with Chichester Cathedral.
During her sixteen years at Queen Anne’s, 2,000 students passed through her hands and she endeavored to pass on to each of them the importance of learning to value themselves, other people, and have the ability to live as a community. She succeeded.
Miss Scott was a woman of vision and integrity, respected and admired by those she encountered. Queen Anne’s always remained in her heart and was one of her proudest professional achievements. As a school, we owe Miss Scott an enormous debt of gratitude. Almost 30 years after she left, Miss Scott is still very much part of our school and the groundworks she laid form part of the foundation on which we are moving forward today.
