| George Martin Stephen | |
|---|---|
Stephen at St Paul’s School's Apposition |
|
| Born | 1949 |
| Employer | St Paul's School |
| Title | High Master |
George Martin Stephen, PhD (born 1949) was, until 1 January 2011,[1] High Master (headmaster) of St Paul's School in London, and is an author. He is described as "one of Britain's highest profile heads".[2]
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Stephen was educated at Uppingham School, an independent school in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, followed by the University of Leeds in West Yorkshire, where he obtained his BA degree, and the University of Sheffield (in South Yorkshire), where he obtained a PhD.[3]
From university, Stephen moved into teaching, becoming headmaster of The Perse School, an independent school in Cambridge, then High Master of Manchester Grammar School, an independent school in Manchester. In the past he has served as chairman of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, a group of 250 independent schools.[2][4] In 2004 he moved from Manchester to St Paul's. Stephen suffered a stroke towards the end of 2005, and wrote about his experiences in a work titled "Diary of a Stroke".[5]
On 29 June 2010, he announced his decision to stand down as High Master of St Paul's during August 2011.[6] In the days following his announcement, The Times reported that there had been an "apparent confrontation" with governors over Stephen's ability to raise funds for St Paul's School's redevelopment.[7] This claim was rebutted by the school in a letter sent to The Times, in which the chairman of the governors stated there was "no lack of confidence in [Stephen's] fundraising abilities", but rather Stephen had chosen not to seek renewal of his contract in 2011 to allow a new head to provide continuity of oversight throughout the multimillion-pound redevelopment.[8] In November 2010 he announced that he was to take sabbatical leave from 1 January 2011 until July 2011, when his tenure as High Master was due to end. He is succeeded by Professor Mark Bailey, who agreed to "give some of his time" to St Paul's for the first half of 2011.[1]
Stephen is an author of several academic titles on English literature, modern naval history and war poetry. The four Henry Gresham novels are crime thrillers set in the London and Cambridge of Elizabeth I and James I. He writes under the name of "Martin Stephen".
| Preceded by Richard Stephen Baldock |
High Master of St Paul's School 2004 – 2011 |
Succeeded by Mark Bailey |
| Preceded by James Geoffrey Parker |
High Master of Manchester Grammar School 1994 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Christopher Ray |
| Preceded by A. E. Melville |
Headmaster of The Perse School 1987 – 1994 |
Succeeded by Nigel P. V. Richardson |