Oxford News
Oxford private school’s new plans as headteacher steps down
Last month it was announced that Helen Pike has decided to step down as master of Magdalen College School in east Oxford at the end of the 2026/27 academic year.
She has been master at the school for the past 11 years, was the first female master at MCS, and guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history – to become fully co-educational from 2027.
READ MORE: Oxford private school headteacher to leave after 11 years
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school has announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
Helen Pike, Master at Magdalen College School (Image: MCS/Andrew Walmsley)
Ms Pike said earlier she was looking forward to a new phase in her professional life, “one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years”.
As the headteacher considers a career move, governors at the school have started the recruitment process to find the right replacement.
Chairman of the board of governors Bob Price said in a letter to parents: “Helen will not be handing over the reins until August next year, which will allow a substantial and smooth period of transition before she moves on to pursue the next stage in a stellar career.
“There will be many opportunities over the coming year to celebrate Helen’s achievements, and to thank her fully for all she has done for MCS.
“The process of recruiting a new Master is already under way, and is being led by a panel of governors that includes two experienced former Heads and three other long serving governors.
“We are being supported by a leading recruitment firm, Odgers, which has worked for many years with a wide range of leading independent schools on similar senior appointments.
“I will of course keep you in touch with progress and hope to be in a position to provide an update by the end of the academic year.”
Pupils at Magdalen College School (Image: MCS/Andrew Walmsley)
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a top 20 independent school and south east school of the year by the Sunday Times and won independent school of the year for social mobility.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new science, library and partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said earlier the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
Oxford News
Team GB athlete and celebrity magician hospitalised with heatstroke
Shane Sterling, who studied at Oxford University, is currently a judo athlete, practising magician and is the owner of Oxford Magic Walking Tours.
He was hospitalised with heatstroke after conducting three back-to-back walking tours through Oxford on Monday (August 3).
Shane led tours at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, spending most of the day outdoors and walking between Oxford’s historic landmarks in hot weather.
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His tours are highly interactive and can occasionally run slightly beyond their scheduled finish time.
This can leave Shane with only around 20 minutes to return to the meeting point, check in the next group and begin the following tour.
Around an hour into his final tour at 3pm, he began to feel increasingly unwell, but determined not to disappoint his guests, he continued and completed the tour.
However, shortly after the tour ended, his condition quickly became worse.
“I suddenly felt extremely sick and dizzy,” Shane said.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson has to pay £95 for his own Amazon Prime account
“I had a severe headache, I was incredibly thirsty, and I knew something was not right.
“Luckily, my wife was meeting me after the final tour. She immediately realised how unwell I was and made sure I received medical help.”
Shane was taken to hospital that evening, where he was treated for heatstroke.
Medical staff warned him that the situation could have become extremely serious if help had been delayed.
The tour guide is sharing his experience as a warning to others, particularly with further periods of hot weather expected.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson and Christian Horner team up to raise over £1m
“I spend a great deal of time outdoors, and I consider myself to be extremely fit,” said Shane.
“I represent Team GB in judo and have trained at a high level for many years. I never expected something like this to happen to me, but it shows that heatstroke can affect anyone.”
He is now urging residents, visitors, tour guides and outdoor workers to take extra precautions during periods of extreme heat.
“Drinking water is essential, but it is not the only thing people need to think about,” Shane said.
“Try to spend time in the shade, take proper breaks and avoid pushing through if you begin to feel unwell.
READ MORE: ‘Devoted’ husband and father, 74, killed in Cotswolds fire
“Move to a cool or air-conditioned place as quickly as possible and seek urgent medical help if your symptoms are serious.”
Common warning signs of heat-related illness can include dizziness, nausea, severe headache, intense thirst, confusion, weakness and feeling unusually unwell.
Shane, who has now recovered, added: “I pushed through because I wanted to finish the tour for my guests, but looking back, I should have stopped as soon as I felt ill.
“No tour, job or appointment is worth putting your health at risk. The hospital staff told me that this could have ended very badly for me.”
Oxford News
Clarkson, May, Hammond coming back to film new Grand Tour episode
According to The Sun, the hosts will join YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman as well as social media star Francis Bourgeois in series seven.
Having presented Top Gear together for over a decade, the famed trio departed the BBC show back in 2015, moving on to Prime Video’s The Grand Tour.
READ MORE: Clarkson’s Farm star shares emotional message after exit from show
The petrol enthusiasts are expected to help ensure the show’s reboot gets off to a smooth and welcoming start, according to co-creator and TV producer Andy Wilman.
Mr Wilman, who is also executive producer of Clarkson’s Farm, told The Sun that the guys will do cameos as they “pass that baton on” in the series which debuts on Friday, September 4.
The TV producer told 3Bs radio at the Buckingham Literary Festival: “We’ve got three guys coming soon with a new Grand Tour and we’ve got behind them.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson has to pay £95 for his own Amazon Prime account
“We’re really supporting them. Our guys are in the shows doing cameos, so we’re wishing them well because we do want to pass that baton on.”
This will be the first time in almost two years the Top Gear originals, who went their own ways professionally, will be seen together since September 2024.
That was when The Grand Tour: One For The Road was released on Prime Video, marking an end to over two decades of Mr Clarkson, Mr May and Mr Hammond working together.
Oxford News
Jeremy Clarkson has to pay for his own Amazon Prime account
The 52-year-old said that neither she nor her boyfriend receives a free subscription from Amazon, even though they front one of the streamer’s biggest British shows.
Ms Hogan made the admission in an interview with content creator Lucas Stewart on his YouTube channel.
Asked directly whether she was given a complimentary Amazon Prime or Prime Video account, the Irish former model and actor replied: “I share my son’s.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson and Christian Horner team up to raise over £1m
“We don’t get any goodies.”
She went on to explain that sharing subscriptions is simply how many younger viewers now choose to spend their money.
“Children nowadays are just like, ‘Yeah, I’ll just get this subscription,’ and that’s their way of spending money whereas we used to buy cigarettes and more alcohol,” she said.
“This is their spending money, so I share it with him.”
Clarkson’s Farm, which follows Mr Clarkson’s attempts to run his Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds, has been one of Prime Video’s breakout UK successes since it launched in 2021.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend reveals his ‘true colours’ amid ‘misconceptions’
Ms Hogan has become a key part of the series, often seen running the Diddly Squat Farm Shop and appearing alongside Mr Clarkson and farmer Kaleb Cooper.
In the interview, she also reflected on how the attention from the show has changed her life, but the Independent report focuses on the unusual fact that one of Prime Video’s best‑known on‑screen personalities still relies on a family login.
Amazon Prime currently costs £8.99 a month in the UK, with membership including access to Prime Video, music, deliveries and other services.
The company has tightened its rules on account sharing in recent years, but Ms Hogan’s comments suggest that, inside the Clarkson household at least, the stars are still paying customers.
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