Mary Breen

Mary Breen was appointed to The Royal Ballet School’s Board of Governors in June 2023. She is Chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Academic and Student Welfare Committee.

Mary has been involved in education since 1988, starting her career as a physics teacher at Wellington College, before moving to Eton College for seven years where she was Head of Physics. From 1999 – 2019, Mary was Headmistress of St Mary’s Ascot, an academic girls boarding school. She has been a member of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) Inspections Committee and Boarding Committee, the Committee of the Catholic Independent Schools Conference (CISC) and the National Committee of the HMC – The Heads’ Conference (HMC).

In October 2019, Mary became the Schools Advisor at Farrer & Co law firm, where she provides practical, school-focused advice, support and guidance to a wide range of schools, working closely with our team of education and safeguarding lawyers. She mentors and appraises heads of schools, assists with safeguarding, academic and pastoral reviews, and delivers training for governors and senior teams.

Mary is also an accredited workplace mediator. She has served on the governing bodies of seven schools and is currently also a governor at Radley College.