Welcoming our new Headmaster

Warmest welcome to our new Headmaster, Mr Robert Sykes. Robert served as Head of Spanish at Habs from 2011 – 2014 and then as Deputy Head Academic since April 2020. Outside of Habs Robert has spent the majority of his career in leading independent schools in and around London. Robert is passionate about providing an ambitious and dynamic education for young people, one that will enable them to have a profound impact on our community here in Elstree but also in the world around them. 

Mr Robert Sykes, “ This is a very exciting moment for me, and I feel humbled and privileged to be taking on the role of Headmaster at this wonderful school. I am fully aware of the strengths of Habs and the potential that the school has. Habs is a dynamic, ambitious, and caring school and I am very excited to be leading the school forward into the next phase of our development.   

As a school, we have also thought a lot about our values of ambition, curiosity, courage, and community, as well as our core purpose. As a school we strive to empower young people to make a profound impact in the world. This might mean leaving us ready to lead, to bring others along with them and to drive profound and positive change in society. This could equally mean having a profound impact in personal ways on those around them, growing up to be good people, caring partners and valued friends to others. By maintaining our academic ambition and enabling students to achieve the highest academic outcomes, whilst also supporting them to grow personally, and to invest in our community, we can be sure that they will leave us fully equipped to make their own profound impact in the world.  

I am very grateful for the outstanding work of Mr Gus Lock, over the past five years. As Headmaster, Gus steered the school admirably through some considerable challenges, and has energised the whole school community as he has led our exciting and ambitious strategy. I very much look forward to continuing to work with Gus as he moves on to become Executive Principal of the Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools. I am also delighted to welcome to our community Dr Hazel Bagworth-Mann who joins as Headmistress of Habs Girls. Hazel and I worked with each other previously, and I am delighted that we are able to work together again”. 

As an academically ambitious school, students at Habs can expect to be challenged above and beyond any exam curriculum. We encourage students to think hard and we nurture intellectual curiosity, all of which enables students not just to excel in exams and achieve their higher education goals, but also to develop an enduring love of learning. We develop students’ personal skills and attributes.  

Through our exciting curriculum and our outstanding range of co-curricular and partnership opportunities, students develop character, independence, creativity, teamwork and the ability to communicate and motivate others. We value every individual for who they are and support our students to find happiness. We encourage students to take responsibility and ownership. Students have opportunities to lead, in Sports, Music, the Arts, CCF, through our partnership initiatives, and in many other ways, helping them to recognise the part that they can play to make our community even stronger and more cohesive, whilst having fun along the way.  

By enabling students to achieve the highest academic outcomes, to grow personally, and to invest in our community, we can be sure that they will leave us fully equipped to make their own profound impact in the world.