School Leadership
Fr Christopher Cann – Interim Executive Head, Stonyhurst; Headmaster, Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall
Fr Christopher Cann was appointed Headmaster of Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall in 2022 and now serves as Interim Executive Head of Stonyhurst until William Doherty takes up post. Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall is Fr Christopher’s fourth headship in independent boarding and day schools.
Prior to joining Stonyhurst, Fr Christopher was Headmaster of Ratcliffe College Preparatory School in Leicestershire and previously Headmaster of Leicester Preparatory School and Denstone College Preparatory School.
He has a Master of Arts degree in French from the University of St Andrews and in Theology from the University of Oxford.
Fr Christopher is married to Honor, who works as a GP, and has six children and two grandchildren.
Fr Christopher is a former Anglican priest who was received into the Catholic church in 2011 and is now a priest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Dr Alice McNeill – Interim Operational Head, Stonyhurst College; Senior Deputy Head
Dr Alice McNeill is Senior Deputy Head at Stonyhurst and will serve as Interim Operational Head of Stonyhurst College from 15 February to 30 April 2026, alongside Fr Christopher Cann, pending the arrival of Mr William Doherty.
With over twenty years’ experience in HMC independent co-educational boarding schools, including ten years in senior leadership, Alice specialises in academic improvement and whole-school ethos. She is a serving ISI Inspector and led the most recent ISI inspection at Stonyhurst.
She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge, with research focused on creativity in STEM education.