Meet the Heads

Lara Péchard
Head, Felsted School

Lara joined Felsted in September 2026 as the 29th Head, bringing with her more than 25 years of experience in world-class independent schools, as well as a passion for ensuring that pupils and staff thrive both academically and personally.

Starting her career as a History Teacher with a particular interest in American history, Lara is an inspirational and dynamic leader with a bold, aspirational mindset and sharp commercial acumen.

Lara joined Felsted from her previous position as Head of St Margaret’s School, a leading independent boarding and day school in Hertfordshire, which saw substantial improvements to facilities and infrastructure under her leadership and was praised throughout three highly successful ISI inspections.

Lara lives onsite with her husband and two children, who both attend Felsted School.

Exceptional Leadership from a head who believes a successful school career should be a happy one.The Good School's Guide

Miranda Norris
Head, Felsted Prep School

Miranda Norris became Head of Felsted Prep School in September 2022.

Miranda brought with her over 18 years of senior leadership experience across state, independent and international settings. She joined Felsted from Dulwich College Junior school, where she was Head of the school’s pre-prep department (DUCKS). Previously, Miranda was Deputy Head of Dulwich College Junior Schools in Suzhou, China and more recently Dulwich College, Singapore.

Miranda grew up in Swindon and North Wales before completing a four-year bachelor of Education honours degree at Westminster College, Oxford. Miranda began her career as a primary school teacher in Neston where she also led the physical education curriculum before moving to the independent sector in London, as Director of Studies at Wetherby Prep. Miranda’s experience to date has enabled her to deepen her knowledge of learning across all sectors and she is a passionate ambassador for building environments where children are inspired and engaged.

New Head of Felsted Prep from January 2027 - Emma Gray

New Head of Felsted Prep from January 2027 - Emma Gray

Announcement from Chair of Governors - New Head of Felsted Prep

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Emma Gray as the next Head of Felsted Prep School.

Emma is an experienced educational leader with more than 20 years in independent education and a strong track record of delivering growth, transformation and strategic development within junior and prep school settings.

Following a rigorous recruitment process, led by the Governors and Felsted’s incoming Head, Lara Péchard, Emma was selected from a strong field of candidates for her extensive experience, ambitions and her clear alignment with Felsted’s values.

Currently Head of the Junior School at St Margaret’s, Bushey, Emma provides strategic leadership from Nursery to Year 6 while contributing significantly to whole‑school strategy, development and long‑term sustainability within a through‑school environment. During her time at St Margaret’s she has led a period of exceptional growth, driving curriculum innovation and building a programme of enhanced community engagement.

Her ambition is to balance strong academic outcomes with a broad, holistic education, introducing curriculum developments that equip pupils with wider life skills, including financial literacy, problem solving, and pupil voice.

Before joining St Margaret's, she was Assistant Head at York House School, where she played a key role in supporting significant pupil growth. Prior to that, she was Director of Studies at Knightsbridge School.

As we look ahead to an exciting period for Felsted Prep, including the launch of our Pre‑Reception in 2026, continued development of specialist‑led excellence and the strengthening of our seamless KS3 journey, we are confident that Emma, under the leadership of Lara Péchard, will be an inspiring leader for pupils, staff and families.

We are in the fortunate position that Emma will join us in January 2027, giving the opportunity for a cross-over and smooth handover between Heads.

We would like to thank you for your continued support and partnership. It has been a busy and purposeful period for Felsted and I hope that the upcoming Summer break offers you and your families a chance to rest, recharge and enjoy time together.

We look forward to returning with renewed energy for the exciting months ahead.

Mike Beale
Chair of Governors

As a long standing HMC (The Heads’ Conference) School, Felsted is part of a thriving and proactive association of leading Heads. HMC is a kite mark of global quality, innovation and excellence in education. Standards in HMC independent schools are exceptionally high and parents can be assured that they are choosing the very best education for their child. Published examination results, league tables in national newspapers and ISI (Independent School Inspectorate) reports all confirm the quality of education on offer. 95% of HMC school pupils go on to higher education. HMC has a global membership of nearly 400 schools, and in 2022, HMC schools educated more than 270,000 children in the UK.

All HMC member schools are regularly inspected and accredited against both qualitative and quantitative membership criteria in order to ensure that the HMC kite mark continues to exemplify quality, innovation and excellence in education.

Visit the HMC website to learn more