THE new headmaster of Kelly College relaxes on a sofa in his study. 'I always wanted to be a teacher,' he says. 'It's such an interesting career. I enjoy what I study and I enjoy sharing it with young people; being able to help shape their lives.'

Mark Steed, 36, is an Essex man — but far removed from the crude, mythical stereotype of that county's males.

The son of a gardener father and a nursery nurse mother, he had a strict religious upbringing in the Plymouth Brethren. Now a theologian and a practicing member of the Church of England, he sees his religious experience as something of a 'personal pilgrimage'.

'There were elements of intolerance about the way I was taught to think, which is why my academic education was a way through that — I have moved from a fairly conservative perspective to a liberal one.'

And there was help along the way, teachers who influenced the young student. One teacher, Dr Diane Greenwood, was his religious studies tutor for just one year when he was 17, but it was long enough for him to be influenced for the better.

'She taught me Greek A-level and taught me to think straight, to think analytically.

'And I was privileged to work with three very different and charismatic headmasters, Dennis Silk at Radley and David McMurray and Dr Ralph Townsend at Oundle.

'Between them they shaped my vision on what boarding schools should be about.'

Mr Steed taught at Radley and Oundle after reading Theology at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he was a keen sportsman, particularly in athletics and basketball.

It was while at Cambridge that he was offered a post as resident tutor at the Leys School as part of his teacher training. It was to cement his desire to enter the profession.

Mr Steed took over the reins of the 379-pupil Kelly College at the beginning of this term. He describes it as an exciting time for the college with the opening of its new astro turf pitch last month.

'Kelly is a very friendly school and I'm staggered by how much it achieves with a relatively small number of pupils.'

The new head already has a clear view of the direction in which he wishes to guide the college. 'I have a very open management style in that I believe it is important that everyone understands what we are about and where we are going so that we have a shared vision for Kelly.'

Mr Steed wants to increase the number of boarding pupils and bring more girls into the college.

But rather than simply 'cream off' the brightest potential pupils, he is keen to attract those whose talents may shine outside the purely academic, such as musicians, drama students and future college leaders.

It is a view perhaps shaped by his own education as a pupil in the leading state sector grammar school King Edward's in Chelmsford. Mr Steed obtained 15 O-levels and four A-levels there, but is no fan of its system.

'I reacted against the exams for exams sake approach it had,' he said.

'It sounds churlish to criticise it, because it did me so well but it was not an all-round education — it left huge gaps.

'It was an academic sweatshop whereas Kelly is about a much broader education.'

While Mr Steed gets used to his new job, his family are getting used to their new surroundings. His wife, Patricia, is a geographer, and his children, Anastasia, 9, William, 7, and Jeremy 3, are settling in next door at Kelly College Junior School.

Apart from childhood holidays in Bude, Mr Steed had never been near West Devon until his appointment. 'It's a lovely place to live and to bring up one's family,' he said.

But while family and career take up most of his time, he has other interests. He is fascinated by stained glass windows — his main dissertation as a student was on the theology of the art of stained glass windows. He has travelled extensively to see them but says the finest example is in England, at Cambridge's King's College Chapel.

He is also interested in church architecture and enjoys reading non-fiction, philosophy and history. He likes fiction too, preferably novels with a philosophical dimension, such as those by Camus and Dostoevsky.

And just when you think he is sounding a touch too earnest, the new headmaster of Kelly College grins. 'I read some trash as well, and I'm a great devotee of James Bond films,' he says. 'Sean Connery was the quintessential Bond, but the best film was The Spy Who Loved Me with Roger Moore.'

He smiles. 'Yes, James Bond films, that's escapism in the Steed household.'