Headteacher at £20,000-a-year top London private school pleads guilty to injuring cyclist while driving

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 05:02 EDT, 17 September 2026 | Updated: 09:20 EDT, 17 September 2026 A headteacher at a top London private school has admitted to driving without due care after she left a cyclist with a broken wrist. Catherine Hitchcock, 49, headmistress of £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School, caused cyclist Robert Atkinson to fracture his wrists when she pulled into his path at a mini roundabout on Belvedere Grove in Wimbledon, south-west London on February 10. Ms Hitchcock, who is also a governor of Putney High School, did not hit the cyclist with her Peugeot but caused him to fall forward onto his handlebars and off his bike, sustaining his injury.The accident took place in the affluent Wimbledon Village, in between her school, which was previously attended by actor Tom Holland, and her £1.8million house.She was not in attendance at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon and her lawyer pleaded guilty on her behalf.He said she admitted the cyclist had the right of way and she apologised for causing Mr Atkinson to fall off his bike.He added there was a ‘significant distance’ between her car and the cyclist and the injuries were only ‘minor’.Ms Hitchcock previously had a fully clean licence and was fined £911 and handed five penalty points. Catherine Hitchcock, 49, headmistress of £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School, caused cyclist Robert Atkinson to fracture his wrists Ms Hitchcock, who is also a governor of Putney High School, did not hit the cyclist with her Peugeot but caused him to fall forward The headmistress studied geography at the University of Oxford, where she also completed her PGCE. She later undertook further teaching qualifications at University College London.She began her career at Finchley Catholic High School in 1999 as a geography teacher.The 49-year-old joined Donhead Preparatory School, attended by England rugby player Danny Cipriani, in 2015 and was Assistant Headteacher until 2021. Ms Hitchcock became headteacher in January 2024.She has acted as governor for a range of elite London private schools and works with the Independent Schools Inspectorate, a Department for Education body to inspect private schools.A previous version of this article incorrectly said that Ms Hitchcock pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and that she had 'crashed' into the cyclist. In fact, she pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and did not collide with the cyclist. The article has been amended to make this clear.