Mark Taylor has been appointed as the interim chair of the Independent Schools Council (ISC). He succeeds Barnaby Lenon, who has held the position since 2011.
A former major and tank commander in the British Army, Taylor is a sixth-generation soldier whose ancestors were involved in significant historical events such as the Battle of Waterloo and the Charge of the Light Brigade.
Taylor began his career in independent schools in 1993, as deputy bursar at Cranbrook School. He went on to serve at Dulwich Prep School in 1996, Bedales Schools in 2003, and his current role at King’s School Canterbury, where he has been bursar since 2010.
Taylor has been an active member of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), where he served on the committee from 2007 and was chairman from 2013 to 2016. From 2019 to 2025, he served as chair of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS). He will be the first bursar to have chaired three of the representative bodies for independent schools.
Taylor brings wide and deep experience to the role of ISC chair. He has contributed to various boards, including the ISC, ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) and BSA (Boarding Schools’ Association), and is currently serving as an ISI compliance inspector. He is a governor of Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, chair of the East Kent Schools’ Together (EKST) Partnership Finance Committee and a trustee of the Turner Group of nine state primary and secondary schools. In October 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for Encouragement of the Arts (FRSA).
In accepting his new role, Taylor said, "I am honoured to take on the role of interim chair of the ISC and follow in the footsteps of Barnaby Lenon, who has been an inspirational leader during turbulent times. Independent schools have so much to offer and I look forward to championing and defending the bold ideas, pioneering approaches and strong community partnerships that are a hallmark of ISC schools."
For media enquiries, including requests for interview, please contact Sarah Cunnane, head of media and communications, ISC: [email protected] or 07778 570 803.
About the Independent Schools Council (ISC)
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is the umbrella organisation for associations of independent schools in the UK, representing over 1,400 schools educating more than half a million pupils. It supports its members with a range of services, including advocacy, guidance, and research.