A boarding school has appointed a girl as head pupil for the first time in its near 500 year history.

Freya Findlay, 17, says she feels honoured to have been selected as head of Sedbergh School in Cumbria.

The role gives her traditional, yet rarely used, privileges including being allowed to grow a beard, keep a goat on the grounds and marry.

The £21,000-a-year school, near Kendal, was founded in 1525 and only began admitting girls six years ago.

Miss Findlay said: "They always pick the best person for the job and it just happens that in the other years it has been a guy.

"I think I was chosen because I am trustworthy and I try to get stuck in with everything I do.

"I feel very privileged and excited to have been selected."

The teenager, who is studying A-Level Maths, English Literature, Latin and Ancient Greek, hopes to study Classics at Cambridge University next year.