Our Strategy 2020-2030
Updated: September 2021
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE STAND FOR We are Habs, a strong, happy and supportive community, committed to the pursuit of excellence in education. We trace our roots back to the 17th Century. We give talented and ambitious young people the opportunities they need to succeed in life. Our academic performance speaks for itself, but we know that great exam results are just the beginning. A Habs education prepares young people for fulfilment in a world that demands flexibility, creativity, resilience and critical thought. Habs pupils step into that world with confidence, ready to shape the future and open to a lifetime of new experiences.
Our horizons are wide. We are a diverse community and we nurture a global perspective and a deep sense of responsibility for the world in which our pupils will lead and succeed. Our broad curriculum and co-curricular provision prepares pupils for success wherever their passion may take them. We work together, offering the best of single-sex education in a co-educational environment. Habs will always be the best place to learn and the best place to teach and work. When you join the Habs family, you will be part of our community long after your schooldays are over.
INTRODUCTION
Habs Boys and Habs Girls share many things: our founding principles of philanthropy and education; a 100-acre site on the outskirts of north London; a reputation for excellence, both inside and beyond the classroom; and now a shared vision, mission and strategy for the future.
Following an extensive and far-reaching review, the Governing body of our two schools developed an exciting and ambitious strategy for the next 10 years. This strategy is designed to ensure that our students leave us equipped to succeed and flourish in an increasingly global and technologically driven workplace.
Our shared mission and purpose • We will uphold our founding principles of philanthropy and education by serving our community and supporting talented children, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay fees • We will be a beacon of educational excellence, developing in our pupils a life-long love of learning through inspirational teaching • We will provide outstanding single-sex education in a co-educational environment, together with a rich co-curricular programme and some joint Sixth Form lessons • We will support and celebrate every child, equipping them with the confidence, resilience and sense of responsibility to thrive as inquisitive, courageous, creative, caring and collaborative individuals • We will champion diversity and inclusion and nurture cultural sensitivity and global perspectives that prepare our pupils for success in the modern world • We will combine tradition with optimism for the future.
1. EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
2. WORKPLACE AND LIFE SKILLS
We will deliver more than outstanding academic results; helping every individual achieve the best they can in a range of areas and in ways that help them succeed in life.
We will help our pupils develop the workplace and life skills they will need to flourish, including a deeper understanding of technology, data sciences and the digital economy as well as flexibility, creativity, critical thought, independent research and teamwork.
We will do this by: • i ncreasing our focus on preparation for entry to leading global universities in the US or other overseas institutions and other forms of further education or career pathways • v aluing all individuals’ achievements equally, regardless of their nature or impact • o ffering an enhanced range of academic and co-curricular activities • a dopting more digital teaching methods across our curriculum and co-curricular programmes.
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In September 2020, we will introduce an independent study programme in the Sixth Form as a supplement to A Levels, which will draw from the best elements of the IB, and we will integrate
technology insights across the board.
3. PUPIL WELLBEING AND PASTORAL CARE We will build upon current pastoral care provision to ensure the schools enjoy a well-deserved reputation for pupil wellbeing and pastoral care. We will develop and implement a more proactive pastoral care and wellbeing programme based on best practice in all aspects and we will deliver this consistently across our two schools.
4. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE To ensure our pupils have a truly international outlook, strong environmental awareness, welldeveloped cultural sensitivity and have benefitted from the diversity of the pupil and parental body, we plan to: • offer a more diverse range of foreign language education, including Asian and other non-Latin script languages • create more learning opportunities for pupils and staff through meaningful exchanges with international partner schools • develop an enhanced global speaker programme • embed the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in everything we say and do.
5. MAXIMISE THE BENEFITS OF CO-LOCATION OF THE GIRLS’ AND BOYS’ SCHOOLS To offer the best of single-sex education in a unique co-educational environment we will align the schools’ ethos, values and behaviours to form one shared vision for our two schools.
We will increase collaboration between the schools by ensuring that every Sixth Former is taught at least one subject in a mixed-gender class from September 2022. We will also maintain or expand the range of subjects on offer through combined classes at Sixth Form where appropriate. Teaching of the independent study programme and the management of international exchanges will also take place in co-educational groups.
6. ENHANCED CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMME AND COLLABORATION To provide an unmatched, comprehensive programme of co-curricular activities, conducted in co-educational groups where appropriate in the Junior and Prep Schools and the Senior Schools, we plan to: • r eview and develop our co-curricular programme with a focus on developing life skills and broadening learning environments • e nsure the co-curricular programme embraces digital and other technology related aspects • r eview and amend the campus development plans to facilitate co-educational learning.
7. BEST PLACE TO LEARN, TEACH AND WORK The best education relies on the best educators and our ambition is to employ, retain and motivate the very best staff for the benefit of the young people in our schools. We will build on current activities to: • ensure Habs is an outstanding place to work • develop a strategy for recruitment, reward, personal development and retention of staff • increase our focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, international best practice, Continuing Professional Development provision and exchanges.
8. UPHOLD OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLES We will seek to reflect our founding principles of inclusivity, benevolence and charity in all that we do. We will: • c onduct a fees and bursary policy review, with the objective of increasing bursary provision and aligning fees at different age groups between and across the schools
• e ngage with local schools through meaningful, planned outreach to create a true partnership for education in North London and South Hertfordshire • e nhance access to the schools’ facilities for the local community • a ctively engage with other Haberdashers’ schools across the country • e ncourage philanthropy.
9. IMPROVE STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS AND LOOK BEYOND OUR CAMPUS Whilst the Elstree campus is a remarkable asset, it can create a certain degree of isolation. We will: • s eek to create a true ‘Habs community’ that embraces the local community, parents, pupils, alumni and other stakeholders • m ake meaningful improvements in alumni engagement and create a lasting relationship between individuals, the schools and the Haberdashers’ Company • a ctively engage with the ‘educational community’ on a national and international level.
10. DISPLAY FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE AND ESTATE STEWARDSHIP In discharging our responsibilities to our charity and to future generations, we will act as good stewards for the Elstree estate whilst providing financial capacity to innovate and invest where required, recognising the financial commitment parents make in sending their children to the schools. We will: • s eek cross-school and scale efficiencies, share best practice and manage expenditure effectively, particularly capital expenditure • m oderate fee increases and seek to align fees across the schools and stages of education • d evelop a single-campus masterplan which respects the environment and heritage of the Elstree site, allied to an appropriate campuswide investment decision-making process.
UPDATE ON THE STRATEGY A series of cross-school working parties were set up and continue to implement this strategy. You can read the progress made so far on the following pages. We are excited by this vision for the future education of our students. We believe that our shared strategy will best serve all members of the Habs community and, most importantly, help us to prepare our students for future success.
UPDATE ON OUR 10 STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES, WHICH WILL HELP US ACHIEVE OUR MISSION In September 2019, the Governing body of our two schools launched an exciting and ambitious 10-year strategy designed to ensure that our students leave us equipped to succeed and flourish in an increasingly global and technologically driven workplace. At that point in time, no one could have foreseen the impact of a global pandemic which was to begin just a few months later. This section sets out the progress made so far on our strategic aims despite these unprecedented challenges.
1. EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION We have:
• r eviewed our timetables and agreed a new, aligned school day structure for implementation from September 2022. This will enable us to offer an enhanced range of academic and co-curricular activities, including an academic enrichment programme
• l aunched a whole school curriculum review • introduced changes to diversify curricula • a dopted more digital teaching methods across our curriculum and co-curricular programme, including greater use of Microsoft Teams and digital platforms.
2. WORKPLACE AND LIFE SKILLS We have:
• i ntroduced the first phase of an independent study project in the Sixth Form as a supplement to A Levels, which draws from the best elements of the IB • a greed the scope and shape of our digital platform provision • a pproved the joining up of our two alumni databases to enable better connecting of careers and alumni • e xpanded our speaker programme to engage more readily with alumni.
3. PUPIL WELLBEING AND PASTORAL CARE
• d eepened our relationship with Parikrma School in India through a range of joint activities, such as St Catherine’s Day Zoom calls and a reading programme
• b egun a pilot programme of parent talks (Dr Kathy Weston - how to raise a resilient child, Dr Faith Orchard - young people and sleep, Dr Aric Sigman - parenting the demanding generation)
• w elcomed more global speakers, such as Dr Priyanka Joshi from the University of California.
We have:
• a ppointed two full-time school counsellors to work across both schools to provide proactive and reactive support • c ommenced a new catering contract with healthy eating central to the decision-making process and health and nutrition workshops scheduled for students • c ompleted an independent student diversity and inclusion survey • s tarted work on developing a joint PSHCE programme, which will also respond to the challenges presented by Everyone’s Invited.
4. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE We have:
• i ncluded the assessment of foreign language provision in the curriculum review
5. MAXIMISE THE BENEFITS OF CO-LOCATION OF THE GIRLS’ AND BOYS’ SCHOOLS We have:
• i ncreased collaboration between the schools and are now teaching PE, Psychology, Classics and Enrichment in mixed-gender classes • a greed a new school day structure for September 2022, which will ensure that every Sixth Former is able to be taught at least one subject in a mixed-gender class • i nvestigated opportunities to maintain or expand the range of subjects on offer through combined classes at Sixth Form.
6. ENHANCED COCURRICULAR PROGRAMME AND COLLABORATION We have:
• a greed the strategy and software for a centralised calendar and resource management (eg trips, music, sport etc) • r eviewed our co-curricular programme with the intention of offering a pilot joint programme from September 2021 and a full programme from September 2022 • s ubmitted a formal request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to expand the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), currently Boys’ School only, to incorporate cadets from the Girls’ School.
7. BEST PLACE TO LEARN, TEACH AND WORK We have:
• c ompleted a teacher salary review and implemented new appraisal and pay progression systems • u ndertaken pensions workshops for teachers • i ntroduced Continuing Professional Development provision in the Girls’ School alongside existing Continuing Professional Development in the Boys’ School and agreed the principle of a Joint Schools’ Training Hub
• p rovided ongoing staff training on diversity and inclusion • c onducted an independent teacher and support staff diversity and inclusion survey • a dvertised, promoted and successfully appointed recruits to a new joint Graduate Teacher Training Programme.
8. UPHOLD OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLES We have:
• a ppointed a Director of Partnerships to work across both schools and engage with local schools and community groups through meaningful, planned outreach to create a true partnership for education in North London and South Hertfordshire • a ppointed a Director of Development across both schools to establish and lead a joint development department and to encourage philanthropy • supported local schools with remote learning during lockdown, delivering bundles of new laptops and dongles with pre-loaded internet to several schools in the community • b een proud of our school community for supporting critical workers in a number of ways and through varying initiatives during the pandemic.
9. IMPROVE STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS AND LOOK BEYOND OUR CAMPUS We have:
• a ppointed a brand agency to develop new joint brand positioning and visual identity • a greed a new joint brand positioning and visual identity for both schools • i nvested in a new messaging platform to streamline, simplify and centralise communications between the schools and our stakeholders • a ppointed an external agency to engage with the local, national and educational press.
10. DISPLAY FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE AND ESTATE STEWARDSHIP We have:
• c ompleted a private placement to secure fixed rate, committed, long-term finance to help fund capital expenditure on the estate master plan • a warded new joint catering and cleaning contracts to align these services, whilst deriving significant savings from both
• c ontinued to integrate the back-office functions, streamlining processes and improving efficiencies • i mplemented a fee modulation process to move to a three-tier fee structure that is consistent between both schools at all levels • c arried out several IT infrastructure improvements including installation of fibre cable between the schools providing physical connectivity; reconfiguration of networks to allow flow of network traffic; achieved cost savings through combining internet connections; and made improvements in cyber security • d eveloped a single-campus masterplan and begun building work on the Boys’ School academic hub • i ntroduced a new 4+ entry point, creating Reception classes at the Boys’ School and aligning entry points between both schools • a cquired planning permission to build a state-of-the-art Pre-Prep at the Boys’ School, allowing all pupils to be on one campus • b uilt walkways between both schools and developed plans to make more of the historic Aldenham House building as a dynamic space for students from both schools.
Highlights • New structure of school day agreed • Sixth Form study programme Phase 1 underway • Scope and shape of digital platform provision agreed • Two full-time school counsellors appointed • Programme of parent talks launched • Diversity and Inclusion pathway underway • Software and strategy agreed for centralised calendar and resource management for co-curricular activities • New appraisal and pay progression systems defined • Director of Partnerships and Director of Development appointed across both schools • Aligned branding development commenced • I ntroduced a new 4+ entry point at the Boys’ School, creating Reception classes and aligning entry points between both schools • W orks commenced on Boys’ School academic hub, with planning permission granted for a new Pre-Prep building • Aldenham House project – planning and development underway • Joint contracts for cleaning and catering