Head trying to fight off revolt from those who say school is heading in ‘aggressively woke’ direction
It was always going to be a big ask to shift an institution such as Eton College – with its 580-year history, its wealth, power, privilege and funereal tailcoats – into the 21st century. But that was Simon Henderson’s pitch when he applied to be headmaster.
The pitch must have gone down well with the interview panel because in 2015, at the age of 39, Henderson became Eton’s youngest ever head. His ambition was to modernise, to make the exclusive Berkshire school more progressive, more inclusive and more relevant, as he explained in an interview with the Guardian.
