FOR the first time in its 179-year history, The Royal School will have a head boy in the summer term.

The school’s first head boy is Yuriy Kislyakov (pictured), who is studying A-Level maths, further maths, chemistry and physics, and who would would like to become a pilot. He plays the drums and speaks fluent Russian.

Yuriy’s election has made history because it is only this year that formerly girls-only The Royal School will have a fully co-ed sixth form, after becoming the first Diamond school in Surrey. Under the Diamond model, boys and girls are taught separately but offered extra-curricular and social opportunities together.

The Royal School adopted the Diamond model of education, with girls and boys taught separately from seven to 16, in 2011.

Senior school pupils went to the polls and elected both a head boy and a head girl. The new head girl is Isabel Benson, who is studying A-Level English literature, drama, French and history and is a talented actress.

School principal Anne Lynch said: “The election was a rigorous process involving a letter of application, an interview with a member of the governors’ academic committee and, most significantly, hustings in front of the entire senior school, when the candidates were invited to explain how they would support the ethos and values of The Royal School and why they would be ideal for the role of head girl or head boy.

“We are very grateful to our current head girl, Florence Johnson, and deputy head girl, Charlie Gill, for their very fine leadership of the student body over the past 12 months. We wish Yuri and Isabel the very best for their year of office, which will begin in the summer term 2019.”