Marie, Lady Stubbs, DSG (born 1939) is a British educator and academic, mostly known for being the headmistress who held headship at The Douay Martyrs School in

Ickenham Ickenham is an area in Greater London, forming the northern part of Uxbridge and within the London Borough of Hillingdon. While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britai ...

, and then reformed St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School, in

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district in North West London, England, north of Paddington, southwest of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn, on Edgware Road. It is part of the City of Westminster and is northwest of Charing C ...

, London.

Career in education

Early career

Marie Margaret Stubbs was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and became head teacher at Douay Martyrs School in

. She was also responsible for the running of secure unit for girls in South London.Biodata for Lady Marie Stubbs
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Headmistress of St George's

The school had been put on "

special measures Special measures is a status applied by regulators of public services in Britain to providers who fall short of acceptable standards. In education (England and Wales) Ofsted, the schools inspection agency for England and some British Overseas Ter ...

" by

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

, meaning that it was considered to be well below standard and subject to regular inspection. The students had serious behavioural problems and there was low morale among the staff, due in part to the murder of a previous headmaster, Philip Lawrence, who was stabbed to death when intervening in a fight at the school gates. A new headteacher, Margaret Ryan, was appointed and later resigned. As a result, Lady Stubbs was asked to leave retirement and given a contract of seventeen months to reform the school or it would face closure. Seventeen months after her appointment as headmistress, the school was taken off special measures, once believed to be impossible by some and was no longer considered to be failing. In regards to Stubbs' term, Paul McGuire of the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'' wrote "there is little doubt that the single-minded determination of tubbs ..had a fundamental impact on the school's improvement." McGuire stated that "tension and controversy", with "some of it acted out in the national press" had occurred during Stubbs' term.

Second retirement

Following her experience at St George's, she wrote the book ''

Ahead of the Class ''Ahead of the Class'' is a single British television drama film, based on the book of the same name by Marie Stubbs, that first broadcast on ITV on 30 January 2005. Adapted for television by Robert Jones and directed by Adrian Shergold, the ...

'' which outlines her time at the school as well as her opinions on the need for good leadership of headteachers in order for schools to succeed. She quoted about education: ''"You should sit down and decide what makes a good education for the children. Every child should be intrinsically valued."'' In 2005, ITV made the book into a two-hour drama with

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Go ...

in the role of Lady Stubbs.

Personal life

Lady Stubbs has been married to Sir William Stubbs, formerly Head of the QCA, since 1963. The couple divide their time between London and

Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.

Honours

* Member of the governing body of

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...

, which awarded her an honorary doctorate * Catholic Woman of the Year (2002) * Nominated as Scotswoman of the Year (2005)

Decorations

:- Dame of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great (DSG)

Styles

*1963–1994 – Mrs Marie Stubbs *1994–present – Marie, Lady Stubbs

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stubbs, Marie 1939 births Living people English Roman Catholics British writers Schoolteachers from Glasgow Women school principals and headteachers Women heads of schools in the United Kingdom People associated with De Montfort University