Veteran teacher Rachel Friedmann, deputy head of Hasmonean, is leaving the school after 33 years.

Ms Friedmann, 54, will become head of the new Carmel High School in Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, Carmel is East Asia’s only Jewish day school. Currently serving students up to age 13, the high school will be launched next September.

“I want to promote both secular and Jewish education, intertwined in Hong Kong,” Ms Friedmann tells People.

“I’m very excited to be leading my own school and using my experience and communication skills to lead a Jewish high school. I’ve always been at Hasmonean and have a passionate affiliation with Jewish education.”

Ms Friedmann, who lives in Golders Green, North London, took up her first teaching post at Hasmonean in 1975. Based at the Girls’ School, she oversees student development at both the girls’ and boys’ site. She admits she is sad to be leaving, but says the decision was made easier by the fact that her son and two grandchildren live in Hong Kong. “My mother, who is 84, will also be coming with me.”