RETIREMENT OF PETER MARSHALL, COO

Dear Old Sedberghians and Friends of Sedbergh

After sixteen and a half years, firstly as Bursar and then as Chief Operating Officer, Peter Marshall will retire from his role in April 2025.

Peter joined the School in October 2008 from the Royal Bank of Scotland, and has since played a key role in the development and success of the School.  Immediately on joining the staff he oversaw the move of Sedbergh Junior School from Bentham back to the Sedbergh campus, opening in January 2009.

The drive and determination that successfully delivered this project to a high professional standard has been seen in many other projects since, including the Thornely Studio (2012), the merger with Casterton and opening of CSPS (2013), the Carus House dining and social space (2015), the Hirst Centre (2018), creation of the Sixth Form Study Centre in Queen’s Hall (2020) and many more.

Alongside this, Peter has worked closely with the town to improve relationships and develop the economic prospects for Sedbergh.  He helped to catalyse the forming of Sedbergh Hotel Enterprises which went on to open the Black Bull Hotel in 2018.  His tenacity helped develop the relationship with Lancashire County Cricket Club to the point where LCCC now uses Sedbergh’s cricket pitch as an outground, the first of its kind outside Lancashire.

The School’s commercial trading has significantly developed under Peter’s oversight, with SSDL’s short course programme broadening its provision bringing more children to experience the Sedbergh and Casterton campuses.  SSIL was incorporated in 2015, and Peter successfully built a relationship with Rong Qiao to see RQSS opened in Fuzhou, China in 2018.  A second international school opened in Vietnam earlier this year.

All of these developments came from the writing of the School’s first Strategic Plan in 2012, a joint effort of Andrew Fleck, Headmaster, Peter and a group of Governors.  This plan was refreshed in 2019 and is currently being revised for the quincentenary year.

Peter will remain as a Director of Sedbergh School International Limited which will ensure continuity of our strategically important work with our partner schools in Fuzhou, China and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Peter and Mandy will live in Sedbergh and continue to be very much part of the School community to which they have both been wholeheartedly committed over the past sixteen years.

Recruitment of Peter’s successor will begin shortly, and we look forward to celebrating Peter’s service and contribution to the School in spring 2025.

Yours sincerely

Richard Gledhill                                            Dan Harrison

Chairman of Governors                                Headmaster