Katherine Brice, deputy head of City of London School for Girls in charge of pastoral care, is to be the new headteacher of the girls’ branch of Hasmonean High School.

She will join the school in January , succeeding Rachel Fink, who started last month as headteacher of JFS.

Mrs Brice is a Cambridge University history graduate who came to City of London in 1992 following previous jobs at Aylesbury High School and Haberdasher’s Aske’s.

Apart from teaching she also writes, having authored a study of the English revolution as well as an historical novel, The Three Henrys.

Like Hasmonean’s overall executive head, Andrew McClusky, Mrs Brice is not Jewish — reflecting the willingness of Jewish schools to recruit from outside the Jewish community for leadership roles as well as their ability to attract teachers from top institutions.

Mr McClusky said, “In addition to this excellent appointment, we are working on a new leadership structure to strengthen the leadership capacity and teaching of Kodesh [Jewish studies] to ensure that this area is stronger than ever next year.”