Our Junior School Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl interviewed our new Junior School Head, Iona Carmody before joining us in September 2026. Click on the questions below to find out more or you can view the full video here.
FAQ with our new Head of Junior School
Interview with Iona Carmody, LEH Junior School Head
What made you want to become a Junior School Head?
I think when you become a teacher, you suddenly find your passion in life, which is obviously to grow and develop children, and to watch them develop and grow into the people that you would ideally like them to be.
As I grew and developed myself as a teacher, I thought, “Do you know what? I don’t want to just develop a class of children. I don’t want to develop a few groups of children. I want to have a perspective of everybody in the school and watch how from when they’re very young until they move on into their senior schools, and it’s such a fantastic process to watch.”
What do you think makes a good Head?
I think a good head has to be somebody that is visible. Everybody in the school should know who you are and know that you are approachable. I think it’s really important for everybody to know that you can go and talk to the Head at any point, and that she’s not a scary individual, and she’s not somebody to be wary of. She’s somebody who really ultimately wants to know you as a person, and the best way for us to get to know each other is through conversation.
So I’m the kind of head that would really invite people to come and speak to me because it’s only when you have conversations that you get to know people. I think it’s very much important for me as a Head to make sure that I not only know the pupils, but their families as well and to welcome families into school.
I’m sure there’s going to be lots and lots of events where we’ll be able to meet each other and have conversations and chat, and that’s just a lovely way to approach school life. I think it’s all about the relationships and they are so important.
What was your favourite subject when you were at school?
I loved most of my school subjects because I’m quite curious by nature, so I want to find out more. I’m the type of person that would go and look up a word in a dictionary to find out what it meant.
I really enjoyed History because I thought it was amazing that there were all these amazing things happening in the past and currently in these countries that, at that age, I hadn’t heard of before. I never had dreamed of visiting. And suddenly, as an adult, I was able to go to those countries and see those places where history took place, and it just brought it to life for me. And I think that sort of curiosity started in the classroom in a History lesson.
And anything creative. So, Art, Music, Drama, anything like that, I loved.
What do you like to do outside of school?
I’m a very big believer in green spaces and blue spaces. Green spaces: being out in nature, in forests or gardens and Blue spaces: one of my favourite activities is to be by the beach. Being outside, I think, is just a natural remedy. It makes you feel 100 times better.
So when I want to just relax and just take my mind elsewhere, you’ll usually find me outdoors.
What is the most important thing children should learn besides school?
I think that school is brilliant, and you learn a huge amount, but I think it’s what you learn as a person that is probably the most important.
It’s all those skills like how to talk to people, how to relate to people, how to have empathy, and how to communicate and have relationships with people. I think those are massively important, particularly as you grow up and you move into the bigger world. It’s all about those softer skills and knowing how to treat people, having good manners, speaking kindly to people which I think matter the most. As much as you work hard on your academic subjects help you move into the greater world, it’s all going to be about having those connections with people that will really make a difference to you and to them.
Will you be teaching any subjects?
I will. I’m probably going to be teaching RE and Philosophy and I’m really looking forward to that because I like to look at the bigger questions in life, and to delve into those sort of questions that we might need to have a bit of a thought and think little bit deeper about.
I’m all about growth mindset, and I think philosophy and RE can definitely help to cultivate that.
Who is your favourite character from a book and why?
I could think of so many examples, but actually I’m going to go back to my childhood, and I’m going to think of characters that very much have stuck with me and I sort of still value those messages that those books taught me then. And the first one is Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham is about a character, Sam-I-Am, who is very, very determined and persistent to encourage his friend to eat green eggs and ham. Now, quite frankly, I don’t think I would like to indulge in green eggs and ham, but I think the deeper message behind that book was all about encouraging people to do things because ultimately, until you try something new and different, you never know whether you’re going to like it or not. I love that message from that book, and that stuck with me right up until now and probably will for life.
The other book that I absolutely love is Charlotte’s Web. I cry every time I read it because it’s such a touching book. It’s all about this miraculous spider, and even though she’s so small and insignificant, she does such amazing things, and she makes such a difference to the other animals. And even now when I think about the book, I think, “Oh, it’s such a lovely story.”
What's one rule you think every school should have?
Now, probably when people hear the word ‘rules’, they think, “Oh my goodness, it’s going to be strict, and everybody has to behave really well.” I think rules are important because it’s all about keeping us safe, and rules have to be followed, so, there’s ultimately always going to be some rules in school, and I think that that’s to be expected. However, I also think that it’s important for schools to have unwritten rules so that everybody just knows that this is how we behave.
I think one of the most all-encompassing rules would be treat everybody with respect. And it’s not just about pupils treating each other with respect, but it’s also how staff treat each other, and how everybody in the community treats each other. When you get that right, even from the very beginning in your school years, I think you’re set for life.
Will you feel nervous on your first day? If so, how will you overcome these nerves?
I think that I’m going to be incredibly nervous on my first day. It’s going to be really, really scary because I’m coming to a school that I don’t know. I’m going to have to find my way around. I’m going to have to meet lots of people and get to know lots of people and families, and I won’t know their names.
But I think I’m also going to be reassured hugely by the fact that everybody is in the same boat. Everyone is going to be feeling nervous on their first day back. Everybody who’s leaving Year 6 (Upper 2) and going up to Senior School into Year 7 (Thirds) at LEH, they’re going to feel nervous because they’re going to have a whole new setting and environment to get used to, and will be meeting new girls from other schools and a whole new set of teachers. Also the Form 1’s (Year 3) will be nervous and they are going to need a lot of reassurance. They will be in the same boat as me because they too have never come to LEH before. So they will need that reassurance of knowing that they’re not the only ones that are going to feel nervous – their new Head is going to feel incredibly nervous, too! Other teachers will also feel nervous because they’ve got a brand-new class to get used to and lots of new names to remember.
I think that starting at the beginning of anything is always going to be nerve-wracking. However, if you can think to yourself, “I’m not the only one. Everybody’s going to be feeling the same way,” that helps you get through it.
What do you think makes a happy school?
I think a happy school is really carefully structured because I think it doesn’t just happen. There’s a lot of things in place that we might not be even aware of that help to make a happy school.
Number one is that a happy school has to be a safe school. When you come to school, you should think of it as a safe place to be. And I’m not talking about the walls and the gates and everything else: the physical sort of safety; I’m talking about the safety that you feel inside, that you feel safe to air your thoughts and to put your hand up in class and answer questions, and to be able to make a mistake. because even if the answer is wrong, we just go back and try again.
And of course, lots of play times, being outdoors, being with your friends!
What is your favourite part of the school day?
First thing in the morning. It is my plan, and something I’ve always done, to welcome families into school at the school gate. I think that’s a lovely thing to do in the morning. It just sort of makes everybody happy to come into school, and it makes me feel happy as well when I see lots of smiling faces.
What advice would you give to your Junior School self?
If I was going back to junior school again, and if I was taking on board some advice, I would say that number one is don’t worry about what other people think. You be you. I think that’s the most important thing, because so often, we spend such a lot of time worrying about what other people think of us, and they’re worrying about what they think of themselves.
Secondly, I think it would be to just have a go. Be brave. Try new things. Don’t be hesitant. Just go for it. And if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, and that’s okay. But if it does, oh my goodness, how fantastic do you feel after that?
What are you most excited about in your new role?
I think I’m most excited about getting to know the school and how it works, because, LEH is something special, and from everything I’ve read and everything I’ve heard, I just think, how amazing that I’m coming to work at this fantastic school, and to get to know these fantastic girls who are the bedrock of the school, who are the most important part of the school, and getting to know what they can do and watching them develop.
Quick Fire Questions: Cake or Cheese and so much more!
Cake or cheese?
Oh, it’s got to be cake.
Beach holiday or adventure holiday?
Adventure holiday! I think you can probably be on a beach any old time, but to have an adventure holiday, where you’re seeing new sights, experiencing new cultures, or even doing something that’s a little bit brave, like maybe abseiling down a mountain, that’s for me.
Early bird or night owl?
When I was younger, I was definitely a night owl, but now I need my sleep, so you will find me being an early bird.
Ketchup or mayo?
Can I have them combined? If I can’t, then it would probably be ketchup on a bacon sarnie. Can’t beat it.
Sunny day or snowy day?
I come from Southern Africa so I think it’s got to be a sunny day because I love that feeling of warmth.
Talk to animals or speak every language?
I think because we are blessed with amazing technology these days where I could probably use AI or Google Translate to speak any language, therefore I think probably the skill of being able to speak to animals would be highly valuable.