Mr. Mark Hoskins

In this episode of Education Corner Podcast, Mr. Mark Hoskins spoke to us about Reed’s School going beyond providing excellent academics, with a focus on values and skills that students can take with them after their school life. He also highlights the philanthropic history of their founder, Andrew Reed, and how they still maintain his beliefs within the school today.

FROM REED’S SCHOOL, SURREY

Mark began his working life as an economist before moving to teaching. Recounting his career so far, he told us: “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve worked at five brilliant schools.” His teaching career began with teaching economics at Wilson’s School and Whitgift, then as Senior Deputy Head at The Royal Grammar School, Guildford, before taking on the Headship at Reed’s School.

At Reed’s school, their values-driven education is a point of pride. Mark explained the importance of the school’s ethos and values: “What we’re trying to do is distill the values that Andrew Reed, our founder, would have been proud of.” When choosing the school’s core values, the whole school community - parents, governors, staff and pupils - were consulted: “That led us to our six core values: integrity, independence, curiosity, compassion, resilience and responsibility.” These core values form the foundation of life at Reed’s School and encapsulate their hopes for the pupils’ futures: “If we can embed those ideas in our pupils by the time they leave the school, then I think we’re sending out well-rounded people with a strong moral compass who want to do good things.”

On their admissions process, Mark emphasised that: “We’re not looking for anything in particular. [...] we just want children to be enthusiastic and throw themselves into everything.” At Reed’s, they believe that all children can be enthusiastic and thrive in the correct environment and with the right amount of encouragement.

Children applying to Reed’s first take the ISEB Pre-Test, before attending a short interview. Mark emphasised the informality of this: “We’re not asking them to solve world peace or anything like that. We just want to know a little bit more about them, what they’re interested in, what books they’re

Reed’s School, Surrey

reading, what sports they’re doing, what music they’re interested in, that sort of thing.” They aim to make the process enjoyable and stress-free - a recent activity for applicants was an escape room based on Andrew Reed and the school’s history. “It was a team activity that the pupils really enjoyed,” Mark recalled.

At Reed’s School, Years 7 and 8 are referred to as The Close. Mark explained: “They have their own prefect system, their own junior houses. So pastorally, we try to create a little bit of a schoolwithin-a-school to nurture those particularly young boys as they transition from primary school into secondary school.” In these years, boys are taught by the same teachers in the same buildings, but benefit from some separate spaces and extra support as they transition to senior school. The school’s all-boys environment from 11-16 also benefits pupils, Mark explained: “It allows us to tailor the teaching and learning a little bit more towards the teenage boys and find things that they’re interested in as they lead up to GCSE. I think it can instill a bit of confidence; there’s a little bit less social pressure.” Pupils who join Reed’s at any stage are drawn to the school for its wealth of opportunities across co-curricular activities, as well as strong academics, Mark told us: “Yes, they want the highest grades they can possibly get. but they also want to be involved in sports, music and drama, they want to be involved in fundraising for charity, they want a community.”

Reed’s School is particularly proud of their sporting provision, in which all pupils are encouraged to take part. Mark explained: “I think everybody is sporty, everybody’s musical, everybody has got it in them to be involved [...] We’ve just got to find the right avenue for that.” Whilst elite sport teams are a part of Reed’s offering, they also offer “A to F teams” across all year groups, as well as academies in a range of sports to support and encourage pupils of all abilities. Mark applies that ethos across school life: “Very few of us will be professional sports people or professional musicians, but we can all get a huge amount out of taking our sport or our music to the level that gives us enjoyment.”

At around 800 pupils, Reed’s also takes pride in cultivating a family-like feel at the school. Mark described this environment as one where they can “Stretch without stressing and push without pressurising.” He explained that this close community allows all pupils to feel “nurtured and supported.” Pupils are encouraged to get involved in all aspects of school life and embrace all the experiences on offer: “It’s about supporting pupils, giving them confidence, letting them know that academics are absolutely central and vital but all the other things that a school provides are just as important.” A recent example of these unique opportunities offered at Reed’s includes recording the school song, Blessed Saviour, at Abbey Road Studios to celebrate 150 years of the Old funded places to children and has benefitted over 12,000 children to date, with approximately 70 currently attending Reed’s School. This philanthropic legacy of Andrew Reed continues to both benefit and inspire pupils, Mark told us: “Andrew Reed was a real social entrepreneur. He didn’t just sit back and ask for money, he went out and made things happen. I’d like to think that we engender that idea in our pupils as well, that if you want to do things in this world, you’ve got to go out and make it happen. You can’t just sit back and wait for it to happen to you. So I think he provides a great example.”

This strength of community and generosity is central to life across Reed’s School, as well as their plans for the future. The school aims to equip pupils for the future through: “[...] the three dimensions of a future-proof education: values, skills and knowledge.” Mark explained: “Shaping character is vital.” Reed’s aims to give pupils academic knowledge as well as confidence and transferable skills through the likes of “trips, sport, music, drama and CCF,” so all pupils are equipped to thrive beyond the school. Indeed, many Old Reedonians return to the school and share their success, Mark reported: “We give them the tools by which they can be flexible, they can respond to opportunities and feel comfortable in whatever environment they find themselves in.” This is central to the aims and ethos at Reed’s School, and encapsulates their aim of providing a well-rounded and supportive education to allow all pupils to thrive, no matter where their futures take them. “We’re enabling all those opportunities to take place [...] because there are huge opportunities out there.” Mark concluded, “It’s brilliant to see young people just take these opportunities in their stride.” www.reeds.surrey.sch.uk Reedonians.

Central to the history and ongoing work of Reed’s School is Rev. Dr. Andrew Reed and his Foundation. Andrew Reed founded the school as a school for orphans in 1813, and this evolved into both Reed’s School and the Andrew Reed Foundation today. “To this day, around 10% of our pupils are foundation pupils.” Mark told us, “We’re very proud of that history [...] we talk about Andrew Reed a lot and we talk about the Foundation.” The Foundation continues to work closely with the likes of the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation to offer fully

We would like to thank Mr. Mark Hoskins, Headmaster of Reed’s School, for giving up his time to speak to us.