Magdalen College School has appointed a female head for the first time in its 535-year history.

The independent secondary school has announced that Helen Pike, currently headmistress of South Hampstead High School, will take over from September 2016.

Current headmaster Dr Tim Hands, who has held the post since 2008, will become headmaster at Winchester College from next year.

Ms Pike studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and was named as one of the ‘10 Heads to Watch’ by the Good Schools Guide in 2014.