A Warm Welcome to Our New Houseparent Family – Arriving September 2025

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that a new Houseparent family the Ushers will be joining the vibrant Hatherop Castle boarding community in September 2025.

Our incoming Houseparent Mark Usher brings with him a wealth of experience from four outstanding schools, both in the UK and abroad. After gaining a PGCE in Secondary Physical Education from the University of Brighton in 2002, he began his teaching career as Head of Boys’ Games at St Neot’s Prep School, where he also supported the boarding programme. Mark’s passion for sport and pastoral care then took him overseas to Bangkok International Prep School, where he served as Head of PE.

In 2010, Mark returned to the UK and was appointed Assistant Director of Sport and Assistant Housemaster at Horris Hill Prep. He later became Director of Sport at Beachborough Prep, a thriving day and boarding school. His own formative years as a boarder at Bradfield College, and earlier life Mark lived in Malaysia where his parents were houseparents, have shaped his enduring love of boarding life and the dream of becoming a Houseparent himself.

Joining him at Hatherop is his wife Pip, who also brings a rich educational background. The two met while teaching at Horris Hill, where Pip taught Years 3 – 4 and worked within the boarding team. Her teaching career has since taken her to Pembroke House Prep in Kenya, and more recently to Beachborough Prep School, where they lived with their two sons, William and James. Pip has also recently completed a Master’s in Psychology (2023–2025), reflecting her dedication to understanding and supporting the emotional wellbeing of young people.

The whole Usher family is incredibly excited to become part of the Hatherop Castle School community. They look forward to creating a warm, welcoming, and joyful home-from-home where boarders can grow in confidence, develop independence, and make lifelong memories.

We can’t wait to welcome them into our Hatherop family.