Introducing
Miss Kate Eaves Assistant Head (Lower School)
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I am delighted to welcome Kate Eaves to Downe House. Her skills, warmth and the considerable experience leading Years 7 & 8, combined with her commitment to the highest quality, will ensure that our Lower School pupils continue to thrive and flourish both academically and pastorally. They will be in excellent hands. -Mrs Emma McKendrick, Headmistress
Kate started her career as a Teacher of Modern Languages, specialising in German and French, at the Leys in Cambridge where she also gained experience as an Assistant Housemistress in a girls’ boarding house. After five years, the enviable lure of setting up a German department took her to newly established Wetherby Senior School in London, where her natural flair and ability to develop and deliver exemplary pastoral care saw her transition quickly to Head of Lower School;
ensuring the very highest standards of education and care for the boys in Years 7, 8 and 9. Throughout her career in independent education, Kate has had a particular interest in pastoral care and a strong affinity with boarding; having been a day pupil who made the most of the boarding environment herself. Having enjoyed the opportunity to have significant input into the educational and pastoral life of a new and growing school, Kate wanted to get back a boarding community.
“I was a day pupil at a boarding school - I loved it! I was that child who was doing my prep at school, having supper at school, and taking part in as much of school life as I could. When I trained to be a teacher I went straight into a boarding environment – it just felt like being at home for me because of the personal experience I’d had.” -Miss Kate Eaves, Assistant Head (Lower School)
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There will be many opportunities for you to meet Kate in person over the coming months and from September when she joins our Leadership Team. We are certain that her expertise and knowledge, and her warmth and genuine care for young people will be obvious when you meet.
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My aim is, and always will be, to ensure that our pupils are able to flourish in all areas of School life, at what is a critical transitionary stage of their adolescence. I very much look forward to working in partnership with my team, the pupils, parents, academic and wider School community to make certain of this. -Miss Kate Eaves, Assistant Headmistress (Lower School)
Notable amongst the highlights of Kate’s career has been leading initiatives such as an inspirational lecture series aimed at encouraging pupils to aim for success whilst also having a positive impact on the communities around them. She also implemented a Lower School pupil-coaching programme, to equip pupils with the skills they need to develop and meet their potential both academically and emotionally, and lead successful, well-rounded lives beyond school.
“For me, a boarding education is a really special experience. I love the strength of the relationships that you are able to make with the pupils in your care, and having the opportunity to support them in a more consistent way than is possible at a day school.”
Working towards becoming a qualified coach practitioner is something that Kate is particularly dedicated to, and she intends to make the most of this skill with the young pupils at Downe.
“My focus is very much on equipping young people with not only the education but crucially the personal skills and tools they need to thrive in a world that is increasingly challenging and can be difficult to navigate. For me, holistic pastoral care and coaching is all about building resilience and one of the many things that drew me to Downe is that its ethos aligns very closely with this principle, as well as the School’s commitment to working in close partnership with parents, which for me is a crucial part of the very best pastoral care provision in a boarding education.”
When Kate joins Downe House in September 2022, she does so at what is an exciting time in our Lower School. The School has just restarted its programme of sending all of our Year 8 pupils to spend a term in France at our beautiful Château de Sauveterre; we have launched our World Ready Programme, ensuring that our young people develop a broad range of personal skills alongside their academic curriculum; and the girls will enjoy all the benefits of our home-from-home community purpose-built Lower School houses, whilst also enjoying all the advantages of interacting with more senior students and being very much part of the wholeschool community. Kate’s expertise, experience and energy will be invaluable as we continue to give the very youngest pupils at our School the most enriching, challenging but supportive start to their senior school journey. -Mrs Emma McKendrick, Headmistress
Downe House, Cold Ash, Berkshire RG18 9JJ T: +44(0)1635 200286 | www.downehouse.net
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