Prep School Magazine - Spring 2021 Issue 100

Spring 2021 â–² Issue 100

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep and junior school world

100

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ISSUE

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CONTENTS

SPRING 2021 | ISSUE 100

5 From the editor 7 Have vision, believe and succeed, Richard Tovey 11 You don’t have to be sporty but..., Professor Robert J. Allison 18 Black Knight Historical, Ian Pycroft 20 Self-directed learning, Go Curiousity 22 Proud to run independent schools, Barnaby Lenon 24 Looking back, Roger Trafford 26 Prep School, SATIPS and IAPS, John Morris 30 100 issues of Prep School, Anne Kiggell 33 A successful school, Dr Peter Kent 34 Maximising the potential of your outdoor space, Playtime by Fawns 36 There is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes, Jane Prescott 39 A Girl’s Guide to Being Fearless, Paul Jackson 40 In celebration, David Hanson 42 Meeting with advertsity, Christopher King 44 Showcasing the best of boarding life, Robin Fletcher 46 In praise of Common Entrance, Will Orr-Ewing 48 Smiling: happiness right under your nose? Ben Evans 50 Why should your pupils visit a place of worship? Alec Synge 52 The ‘timeless’ benefits of lacrosse, Lizzie Wright 54 Enhancing the quality of education, Dr Neil Hawkes 56 In search of time and space, Dr Joe Spence 58 Born To Be Awesome, Sam Babooram 60 Where do we go next? Paul Baker 62 A common humanity, David Pond 64 A new space for all, Gus Lock and Rose Hardy 66 The role of outdoor learning residentials, Daniel Cibich 68 Walk tall and shine bright: how are you performing today? Jon Gray 70 Music and a pandemic, Claire Tomsett-Rowe 72 Going solo, Emma Gray 74 Why the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate is a success, James Barnes 76 Making a difference, Jane Scott 78 A safer future, Directline Structures 80 SATIPS Broadsheet 85 SATIPS directory 86 Viewpoint, Dr Peter Kent Editor Paul Jackson Managing Editor Meena Ameen Designer Scott James Advertising Gerry Cookson, gcookson@johncatt.com Steering Committee Bill Ibbetson-Price; Ben Moir; Richard Tovey MBE

ISSN: 0963 8601 Printed by Micropress, Reydon, Suffolk IP18 6DH Publishers’ Notice Prep School is published three times a year, in January, May and September, by John Catt Educational Ltd. Opinions expressed in Prep School are not necessarily endorsed by satips; likewise advertisements and advertising features are printed in good faith. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement by satips.

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Subscription Details: The Business Managers are John Catt Educational Ltd, 15 Riduna Park, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1QT. Tel: (01394) 389850 Fax: (01394) 386893, to whom enquiries regarding advertising, subscription order forms and correspondence about subscriptions should be sent. www.prepschoolmag.co.uk @prepschoolmag

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SCHOOL WORKSHOPS TO BRING HISTORY ALIVE! www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk 01692 535613 / 07717 482823

From the editor Timing is, seemingly, so important in almost everything we do in life.

Sometimes we benefit from a decision made when we have very little choice. House buying springs to mind. Sometimes we have to belligerently justify a decision we have made when we did have choices.

Inspectors and lesson observers used to demand that the title of the lesson had to go on the board at the very start of the lesson. I always argued that a teacher should be able to choose the time to reveal all and if it meant asking the pupils at the end of a lesson, educational journey or story, ‘What should we title this lesson?’, so be it. Can you tell that I always enjoyed justifying my actions and railed against box-ticking exercises?

With ‘timing’ as the theme, I am so pleased that I delayed writing my editorial. Only two weeks ago, it almost seemed quite wrong to celebrate

anything. Even ‘Christmas’ was a word not to be mentioned. Then, suddenly, the optimists amongst us were rewarded with the wonderful news that not one but two seemingly successful vaccines were within our grasp. Now we have hope that the effects of the pandemic can be diminished or, perhaps, even eradicated. Celebrations were back in vogue until the latest lockdown. However, we can happily and unashamedly rejoice in the 100th edition of Prep School.

Congratulations and thank you to former editors Anne Kiggell, the late David Tytler and Michele Kitto. To all those who have contributed to the magazine since the first edition was published in the Spring of 1988.

To all at John Catt, the publishers, particularly Alex Sharratt and Meena Ameen, plus the many companies who have advertised in the magazine over the years. And finally, thank you to all involved in SATIPS whose support and belief in Prep School magazine has never wavered.

If there was ever an appropriate ‘time’ to congratulate all who work in our schools, it is now. Teachers perform at their very best when their confidence is high and they are anxiety free. Worries about whether they will still have a job, the health of their loved ones or the parlous state of the world in general, take their toll. All of these issues, and more, have been major concerns to so many who work in education. Many, many congratulations for coping so admirably with it all and making light of such pressures while delivering lessons of happiness and quality to your pupils. Well done. Thank you, also, to everyone who is showing empathetic leadership and kindness both within our common rooms and beyond. That was very much the theme of the 99th edition of Prep School magazine and if we can celebrate the results of this in our centenary edition, then we can feel justifiably happy. There is light at the end of the tunnel and whilst we cannot party yet, we will.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

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By inspiring students through curiosity, choice and challenge, we shape them into tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.

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Have vision, believe and succeed Richard Tovey was Headmaster of Tockington Manor for 37 years and Chair of IAPS from 1999 to 2000. He was awarded an MBE for services to education and is President of SATIPS. It is with great humility I write this article because, although asked to reflect on my 38 years as a headmaster, I never had to face anything like the present Covid19 challenges. I retired at the right moment! Nonetheless, I maintain my educational connection by continuing to be a school governor and I have great admiration for all in the teaching profession at this present

time. Never has teaching had to be so diverse and flexible. However, the theme of my article is as relevant as ever. Whatever situation one is in, one has to have a vision for the future of one’s school in which one believes passionately. Every school is dierent and there is not a correct answer that fits all. But if one believes passionately in what one is doing then one will, hopefully, succeed.

My wife Jane and I took over Tockington Manor in September 1975. The school had been founded and run by my parents since 1947 and was turned into an educational trust in 1967. It was a boys only (aged 7-13) boarding prep school. It is perhaps worth saying that my parents did not think it was a good idea for them to have their son in their own school and so I attended another prep school

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whereas our four children all attended our school. We strongly believed having our children attend our own school fostered the confidence of the parents. My parents retired in 1973.

The following two years had not gone well but it was with no small amount of disbelief that we were approached by the governors to see if we would be prepared to take it on and try to save it. We took up the reins in September 1975. We decided we were young enough that we had to give it a go and if we did not succeed we could start again and continue our teaching careers as previously planned.

So what was our initial vision? Stage one had to be to ensure survival.

First, we needed to turn the school co-educational. My parents had spent their whole career emphasising the family nature of the school but we were keeping half the family out of it by not welcoming girls. Second, we had to start accepting day children.

Yes, we were a boarding-orientated school but to many local working families we felt that an extended day, with children doing their prep (homework) at school, thus enabling parents to complete their day’s work, having Saturday afternoon sports fixtures to which both parents were able to attend would be popular.

We then set about opening a preprep, and soon after a nursery. We were also very aware that working parents also wanted ‘wraparound care’ not just during the day but also throughout the holidays. This required not just a holiday club but a highly coordinated operation to ensure the highest standards and it became a vital part of the future recruiting drive. It had to be staffed to the same high standards as the school. However, we needed to spread the word that we were no longer just a boys boarding school. Having only just been elected a member of IAPS, we did not get off to a very good start!

We had had a roof box made to put on our car, advertising the school, its new departments and that it was now open to day children. It was not long before we received a very frosty letter

from IAPS saying that I should know better that as a new member it was not the done thing to advertise.

Wow – how quickly things were changing on that front!

The second major vision change had to be around the boarding market.

The school had been founded around the two main strings on my father’s bow – his army background and the fact that he had been a successful minor county cricketer. Almost all the early pupils had come through those two routes. Year after year there had been warning shots that the boarding school allowance paid to forces families was going to be cut/reduced/ abolished. The school was still very much ‘forces based’ and clearly that market was no longer going to be reliable. How could the boarding market be widened? Again, what was the vision?

Present parents liked the fact that not only did Jane and I oversee the boarding but that when we marketed the school we did it together. The school could not afford the vast prices being charged for advertising overseas but by sending us both on trips abroad, parents met us both before they entrusted us with the care of their young child and, believe it or not, that was cheaper than advertising in a major newspaper! What a treasure trove of children we had the privilege of welcoming to our school, and in the future those children’s children too in many cases.

However, this is all very economic and marketing based. Of course, if the school is not soundly and lovingly based, no amount of visionary marketing will or should enable it to succeed. So the vision of how the school itself should evolve was and is paramount - standards on all fronts academic, sporting, musical, artistic et al, outstanding staff, atmosphere, facilities. Again all very obvious but a combination of all this is a fine balance and one that will forever be evolving. I was very lucky too.

Because I knew I was never going to move on to another school as TM

was my home from birth and I had no wish to do anything else, other than try to make it the best school in the country, I had to ensure I kept myself up to date with all that was going on in the educational world.

Thanks to governors who backed our vision, a wonderfully supportive and understanding wife, and an excellent staff l embarked on my involvement with IAPS. I regarded it as a huge privilege and it was a great asset as it enabled the school to have input from so many great people from the educational world. The millennium year proved to be the climax as I was elected chairman of IAPS and from that year the ‘strapline’ of my conference was the title of this article: have vision, believe and succeed.

The new future will be very different but with hard work and passion, a new vision will be forthcoming for every school and if well presented and implemented the new evolving plan will succeed.

I feel very honoured to have been invited to become President of SATIPS and may I wish all those of you involved with schools an inspiring future as you lead your pupils through uncharted grounds into new territory.

I believe SATIPS has and will continue to have an increasingly vital role to play in the future. It is an organisation run by teachers for teachers and never before has there been a time when the S and T (Support and Training) of our name has been more critical.

Additionally, in the interest of growing the SATIPS community on social media, I do hope you will follow the relevant accounts which can be found on the website and encourage your colleagues to do the same. The more member schools we can include, the wider we can spread our S and T!

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

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You don’t have to be sporty but‌ Professor Robert J. Allison, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University, discusses sport as part of prep school life An enduring characteristic of prep school life is the importance of sport, which provides an opportunity for competition between houses. Sport helps promote a strong sense of community and loyalty as well as an opportunity for parents and friends to visit and become involved in school life. It is exactly the same here at Loughborough University.

Our intramural sport competition between the halls of residence is one of the things that generates a keen sense of competitiveness at the university. Each hall has its colours that are worn with pride. All UK universities compete in the annual British Universities and College Sport (BUCS) competition. BUCS has been running for 40 years and I am delighted to say that Loughborough has won the competition 40 times.

I believe that’s called a clean sweep.

It does not make our annual varsity match with Durham any less important. Whatever the sport, at the end of the Wednesday afternoon when Durham visit everyone is exhausted, having performed to their personal best.

I have taken a moment to reflect further on the parallels between prep school life and Loughborough University. Some are obvious.

What headteachers need are highly motivated staff and outstanding teachers. Equally important are

Loughborough University from the air

children that are eager to learn and with delightful personalities. What I need as the Vice-Chancellor is the very best lecturers that are going to inspire students with teaching that is underpinned with research of the very highest quality. At a good university, the research and teaching go handin-hand, complementing each other and creating an environment where scholarship flourishes. In parallel comes students with enquiring minds that are self-starters. I want students with character that are going to contribute to our success as much as they take from us by the time they graduate into the wider world as a Loughborough alumnus.

Whether prep school or Loughborough University, much comes down to the quality of the new cohort of young people that arrives each September. In admitting pupils to a school or students to a university a key question is are you a recruiting or selecting institution? It comes down to a simple equation: how many want to come vs. the number of places that need to be filled.

I arrived at Loughborough as the ViceChancellor at the beginning of 201213. One of the first things to land on my desk was the undergraduate admission statistics. We had undershot by around 300 students. We had

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to work hard to recruit students and even then, with an average A Level entry tariff of B/B/C, our numbers were short. It has taken time, a very different approach to open days and a relentless drive for excellence but we have transformed ourselves from a recruiting to selecting. The number of students that we seek to admit today is not that different to October 2012. We aim for around 3800. The difference is that we now get the best part of 50,000 applicants wanting to come here. The more that want to come, the higher the A Level tariff we can set. Our average entry tariff is A/A/B and for subjects such as sport science, architecture and a range of engineering disciplines it is A*/A/A. Whether it is a prep school or university, recruitment to number is essential for financial sustainability and meeting the annual budget agreed by the governing body or in our case council. The more who want to come the more selective

you can be. The harder it is to get in, the more stringent the selection process. The brighter the pupils, the better the academic results and the more attractive you are at least in the eyes of the parents. My scientific background tells me it is called a positive feedback mechanism. Success generates success.

As an aside, what about league tables?

For prep school or university, whether you like it or not, league tables are here to stay. For prep school entry I doubt that a prospective pupil will have any notion of league tables that extend much beyond the Premiership and their favourite football club. With parents it is a different matter and if not league tables, the latest Ofsted or ISI report will quite definitely be of interest. At Loughborough University both prospective students and their parents show a keen interest in our league table position and what publications such as the Complete University Guide say about us.

I have been heard to say that a Vice-Chancellor finds good reason to eschew league tables if their university is not doing very well in them but commend them if their university is on the way up, in the top 10 or within spitting distance of it. Right now I think league tables are marvellous. Go back around ten years and Loughborough’s average position in national higher education league tables oscillated between 25th and 30th. Today we are firmly in the top 10. Right now we are 6th in the Complete University Guide, 5th in The Times and Sunday Times Complete University Guide and 4th in the Guardian University Guide. We are the only university in the UK to win the prestigious Times/Sunday Times University of the Year accolade twice and we have been the ‘What Uni University of the Year’ three times in the last six years. The ‘What Uni’ awards are important because they are voted on by the students themselves.

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League tables? You can see why I like them, not least because of the part they play in our constantly improving student recruitment position.

Incidentally the same can be said about many of staff: who wouldn’t want to work in and be part of a top 10 university?

I am in no doubt that whether it is league tables, BUCS or our other successes, all can be put down to one principal attribute and that is the quality of the people at Loughborough. Have great staff and students and great things can happen.

One of my mantras is that if you have the best buildings and infrastructure that money can buy and average minds do not expect anything more than an average performance. Have the greatest minds in the world and average facilities and you can reach for the starts. Have the greatest minds and the very best facilities and it all becomes just that little bit easier to reach the high peaks of success. Surely that applies to prep schools as much as it does Loughborough University?

Once you have recruited the very best staff or admitted the very best students they all have a role to play in creating a sense of community and again, I argue that the same applies to both prep school and university.

One of the things that we all seek to establish is a tangible sense of community, which brings a feeling of belonging and being in a home-fromhome. Here our students call it the Loughborough family. If you Tweet, Facetime, Snapchat, whatever your preferred method of e-communication is, have a look #LboroFamily. Achieving a sense of belonging and being an integral member of the University community is partly a question of size and shape. We are large enough to be a multi-subject, broad-based university. We are not so large as to be remote or impersonal. From the many discussions that I have had with ex-students that have become teachers the same holds true for school size. Our halls of residence are not just dormitories for first years but

smaller parts of the whole and each as an individual personality. While admitting around 3800 freshers each year, our halls have spaces for over 6000 students. All have a Warden, who is also a member of staff, and a number of sub-wardens. Don’t ask me how a hall develops a personality or reputation. What I do know is that the students perpetuate it and in some strange way subliminally hand it down year on year.

I suggest that there is a parallel with the schoolhouse structure that exists in most prep schools. Houses break the school population down into smaller communities. For young children this is more likely to provide a homely atmosphere, particularly if they are boarding. Housemasters and mistresses are the figureheads with day-to-day responsibility for those in their house just as Wardens are in their hall of residence. The house, or in our case the hall of residence, often provides the locus for extracurricular activities and with that a helpful divide between the academic and non-academic sides of life.

The main difference is that at prep school the staff are in loco parentis.

At Loughborough University because the students are over 18 years old we have a duty of care to each one of them but in a very different way.

Our formal, statutory relationship is with the registered student and not the parent. That does not mean to say that parents stay at arm’s length all of the time (yet another parallel perhaps). A small minority are even needier than the students and a phone call from an anxious mum or dad has to occasionally start with a colleague reminding them that we are not at liberty to freely discuss the progress of their nearest and dearest.

Having said much about the people here at the university, capital expenditure cannot be ignored. I have been privileged to present the prizes at many school speech days.

Almost every headteacher’s address that I have listened to mentions the new science laboratories or the new

music school or the new sports hall.

Whether prep school or university, maintaining the current estate and adding the latest shiny new building is almost de rigueur to demonstrate that progressive, high-quality education is on offer.

What does this mean for somewhere like Loughborough University?

Let me do some adding up from the last five years. STEM lab is a laboratory facility for teaching in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects: £20 million.

Claudia Parsons is our new hall of residence: £30 million. All of the rooms are en-suite which is expected these days. Parsons also includes inside and outside recreation areas and a learning zone. The West Park Teaching Hub is exactly what it says on the can: £10 million. Not to mention refurbishment of the library: £4 million. We have yet another gym/fitness centre: £22 million. And I remember all too well the refurbishment of our estate for science and engineering: a cool £50 million. It all adds up to an eyewatering £136 million and that’s before I go anywhere near the Elite Athlete Hotel.

Providing the very latest technology, all wired or Bluetoothed in, also seems to be a never-ending source of expenditure. Our approach to IT is to assume that all students will be online with three wireless devices 18 hours a day. Whether it is a laptop, tablet, phone or watch, each requires a wireless connection point into the university network. All of our lectures are recorded and made available 24/7 via LEARN, our online platform. Our students use it day and night. The moment the University network goes down the complaints come flooding in.

The infrastructure challenge is huge, the cost immense and all of it hidden.

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The High Performance Athletics Centre (HIPAC)

to qualifying for national squads such as Team GB. For them and others who train here, many of whom are Olympic gold medal winners or already world champions in their age class, we have to provide the very best infrastructure.

Let me offer an example. The moment the running surface for the athletics track was confirmed for Tokyo 2020 we had to replace the surface in our High Performance Athletics Centre with a replica. As our Chancellor, Lord Sebastian Coe, himself a Loughborough graduate points out, the difference between Olympic Gold and Olympic obscurity is a fraction of a second so training on the surface is an absolute must. It is non-negotiable.

I just hope that the Tokyo organising committee does not change their mind between now and the Games is 2021.

The Elite Athlete Centre has rooms where you can control the temperature but also the air pressure and flow mix.

If you are about to compete in the world championships in say Mexico

City, the most altitudinous capital city in the world, your chance of success increases if you live, eat and sleep for as long as possible beforehand in the atmospheric conditions where you will be competing. That is what the EAC is all about. In addition to the controlled environment is something called the Nutrition Lounge. It is the healthiest restaurant I have ever eaten in. The nearest similar facility to Loughborough’s EAC is in Beaverton, Oregon, USA: the home of Nike. That is the level of investment it takes to keep Loughborough’s position as the world’s best university for sport.

This brings me back to the question: do you need to be sporty to come to Loughborough?

To answer that I have to say something about our open days. Open days at Loughborough University are special occasions. We regularly welcome between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors to the campus. Many are potential applicants. Members of

the support team (as I call them) include mums, dads, brothers sisters and the occasional grandparent. I have lost count of the number of times parents have said to me ‘I was a student here…..’ or ‘when I came to Loughborough…..’ or ‘that building wasn’t here last time I was on the campus…..’.

On each open day I host ‘Welcome to Loughborough presentations’ followed by a Q&A session for our visitors. I am often asked: do you need to sporty to come to Loughborough? My reply is no but there is something about sport that is in our DNA. The can-do, wantto-win approach to life on the campus is awe-inspiring and has been the foundation of our success. Whether it is your prep school or Loughborough University, such an ethos is something that we can all surely identify with and be proud of.

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Black Knight Historical Established in 2003 by Ian Pycroft, a lifelong history enthusiast, with the ambition to provide a one-stop historical services outlet for any client wishing to incorporate history in their vision. Located in Norfolk, Ian and his team regularly travel all over Europe delivering their take on British history.

Educational delivery for schools is one arm of the ‘historical hydra’ that makes up B.K.H. alongside public event performance and management, film and TV work, Corporate activities and private entertainment. Every day is different in B.K.H. world, and our clients can be assured of an exceptional service with attention to detail that is second to none. The list of happy clients, and their reviews, would fill many pages, so testimonials are available to view on our website:

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sblackknighthistorical.co.uk/ testimonials Since his debut in 1985, as a performer in historical theatre, Ian has researched, made and collected thousands of replica artefacts, from earliest man through to the 20th century. These are used to enhance the school visits available from Ian and his team, which increase every year as new ideas are discussed and morphed into viable history

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

workshops. Workshops on almost every popular historical subject can be delivered, from early years to A Level, and SEN delivery. The team has performed at thousands of events across the country over the last 17 years, and some stand out especially such as major anniversary events researched, designed and staged, e.g.

500 years of Henry VIII, Operation Dynamo at Dover Castle, Magna Carta and Agincourt.

Of these, #Allerdale100 delivered in 2018 was probably the most poignant in recent years, with free educational workshops, public involvement and a life-size WW1 trench diorama installed in the Carnegie Theatre in Workington, Cumbria, as a commemorative project for Allerdale Borough Council. The Opening Ceremony included poetry, songs, drama and art from local schools.

‘B.K.H. has a dedicated team of historical performers, educators and researchers, all of whom make the wheels rotate in the right direction, and not fall off the cart’, says Ian with a wry grin. ‘Their input, humour and interaction is irreplaceable.’

Of his team, Carolyn ‘Molly’ Housego is principal costumier, as well as an exemplary researcher, educator and author. Seen here as Anne Boleyn, Molly portrays many of our historical queens with style and panache, from Boudicca through to Queen Elizabeth I. Not just making accurate period clothes, but having the detailed knowledge of that character to deliver a quality ‘first person’ presentation, so that when you meet an historical persona, time travel is almost believable!

The costume and accessories are typical of the level of detail in all B.K.H. characters, from the correct Prayers in the Breviary, the ‘English’ gable hood headwear, the blackwork embroidery around the smock, the jewelled adornment, and the famous golden ‘B’ pendant given by King Henry VIII. Next year the B.K.H. team will be in action at the newly renovated Nottingham Castle. Being asked to provide the grand opening event on the Easter weekend (2-5 April) is a considerable honour and typifies the trust shown by large scale commercial clients in us to deliver. Through the year, B.K.H. will entertain and educate on seven different occasions, with a diverse portfolio of events, one of which will be their take on the Robin Hood legend in August, and a wizardry event at the end of May.

Ian’s creative vision has led to work in some amazing locations, sometimes rubbing shoulders with the stars.

One particular highlight was working with Ant & Dec on Saturday ‘K’night Takeaway in 2018, alongside famous names Joanna Lumley, David Walliams, Noel Edmunds and Emilia Fox. Ian was the knight on guard duty outside of the cell holding Ant, Dec and Jo, and was seen punched on the helmet by the boxing glove wrapped in aluminium foil, before having the keys to the cell stolen from his belt.

‘Whatever it takes to make the client happy’ is a B.K.H. mantra.

‘Teaching makes up about onequarter of the business, and prep schools are very important sector’, says Ian. ‘B.K.H. works at a number of independent, boarding and prep schools across the country, and probably our most popular workshop is the Royal Tudor Experience, delivered by Henry VIII and one of his queens, or his daughter Elizabeth I’.

But as suggested already, they are not a one-trick-pony, by any stretch of the imagination.

Visit www.blackknighthistorical. co.uk to find out more

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Self-directed learning Go Curiosity explore the challenges which lie ahead for tomorrow’s young adults and how the incentive of student choice can be key for building essential skills for the future Children are naturally curious. It is what makes the role of a teacher uniquely rewarding and challenging.

As educators, we all want to harness this curiosity and shape our pupils into future leaders and innovators.

But how can we better prepare children for what lies after school?

The world is moving fast and nowhere is this change better observed than in the workplace. With the decline of so-called ‘jobs for life’ and the rapid acceleration of digital transformation, it is increasingly clear that tomorrow’s workforce will need to be adaptable and resilient in the face of profound structural change. Nurturing children’s innate desire to explore and ask questions could be the key to unlocking the essential skills needed to thrive beyond school.

Traditional standards-based education still plays an important part in driving academic and social success.

However, we need to consider a more well-rounded, broad and rich system, one in which knowledge is creatively applied rather than simply regurgitated. One way to promote deeper learning involves setting aside time in the curriculum to allow students to take ownership of their education through choice and enquiry.

This self-directed time gives children the freedom to explore their interests, practise critical thinking and selfreflection, and build their confidence as independent learners. After all, the very purpose of education is to support pupils in developing the skills to shape their own path through life.

Self-directed learning is should not simply be an extension activity for the most gifted pupils in the classroom. It can be built into every child’s toolkit of skills for life, helping them to experiment with ideas, make mistakes, adapt to change and – just as importantly – get excited about their learning.

Put broadly, self-directed learning is a way of getting students in touch with their own learning needs to investigate and discover the things they want to know. The child is provided with a framework on which they can build knowledge, engage with the learning process, and develop skills in argument and debate. In a complex, evolving world, these attributes are crucial to nurturing wellbeing and success.

Although students can blossom in ways that they determine, the teacher plays a key role in facilitating self-directed learning. Embedding choices into classroom practices keeps the flame of curiosity burning, even as pupils approach the notoriously tricky teenage years.

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PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

Individual choice is a particularly powerful motivator. In addition to being a tool for self-differentiation, choice incentivises pupils to delve into their own areas of research and to respond in ways that intrinsically motivate them to want to know more. They can solve problems, lead, collaborate, or innovate – cultivating a wide range of skills that will enable them to explore perspective-taking throughout their school career.

Children have been shown to engage in deeper learning when they are given the freedom to determine a task, and the excitement and achievement experienced helps to enrich all areas of school life.

Although students can blossom in ways that they determine, the teacher plays a key role in facilitating self-directed learning. Embedding choices into classroom practices keeps the flame of curiosity burning, even as pupils approach the notoriously tricky teenage years. Getting the optimal balance between teacher-led instruction and student choice may sound intimidating,

but it reaps significant rewards, not least in boosting academic achievement.

Furthermore, introducing self-directed learning into the classroom can be mutually rewarding for both pupil and teacher. Classroom relationships are enhanced through increased engagement and sharing of the learning process. Through the ‘fly on the wall’ experience of seeing how each pupil approaches choices and challenging questions, teachers gain valuable insights that strengthen their connection with a child and inform their own practice.

Self-directed learning and formative assessment go hand-in-hand, and both can be used to embrace and nurture a child’s skills. It naturally requires pupils to be aware of themselves as learners – the child is encouraged to self-assess their work and justify the choices they have made. Involving pupils in the assessment process is a valuable metacognitive technique, allowing children to internalise the progress they are making in their learning.

These conversations do not need to be dauntingly sophisticated; selfassessment is an ongoing process that children will gradually refine and initiate as they move through school.

In fact, showcasing their own chosen project to the teacher is often a rewarding and pleasurable experience that supports the pupil’s growing confidence in their presentation skills.

The turbulent events of the past year have highlighted the importance of a flexible, adaptive approach to change. Broadening the curriculum to accommodate self-directed learning is vital for developing children’s readiness for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Forward-thinking schools can play an invaluable role in fostering independence, creativity, and resilience, equipping pupils with the essential skills needed to become selfdirected lifelong learners.

To discuss how GoCuriosity can enrich your school environment, please contact Ella Ford at: ella@gocuriosity.com

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

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Proud to run independent schools Barnaby Lenon CBE is Professor of Education at the University of Buckingham and Chair of the Independent Schools’ Council These days I find myself debating with politicians and journalists about whether ‘private’ schools do more harm than good. Politicians have quite strong views about this; some ascribe all the woes of the country to independent schools – including Brexit. We need teachers, parents and governors to push back against this. Here are just some of the arguments I use.

1 Parents must be free to spend money on their children’s education if they wish The UN Declaration of Human Rights 1948 states that ‘parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children’. Independent school parents have already paid for their children’s state education through taxation but choose not to take it up. Children belong to parents, not to the state.

2 The state does not run schools especially well The state struggles with schools.

Despite the best efforts of Michael Gove, the flagship coalition policies of academisation and free schools have withered. Some state schools have clearly improved but huge performance gaps remain. Taking control out of the hands of local authorities increased the role of the central government but the government has had to devolve responsibility to multi-academy trusts.

Some MATs get good exam results, but the autonomy of individual schools and

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teachers (which were part of the reason for taking power from local authorities) has been lost.

3 Prep schools do a great job Prep schools teach with subject specialists and this enables them to get pupils to a high level by the age of 11 or 13. In areas of the co-curriculum, such as music, sport and drama, there is no comparison.

Yet there is increasing evidence that co-curricula activities are not just ‘optional extras’, they develop pupils in ways that academic subjects do not and lead to lifelong interests.

4 Government spending on schools is simply inadequate to guarantee high quality Spending has not kept up with inflation and all state schools are now having to cut staff and subjects offered. An Institute for Fiscal Studies report in November 2020 showed that total school spending per pupil in England fell by 8% in real terms between 2009-10 and 2019-20. The bulk of these funding cuts were driven by a 57% reduction in spending per pupil on services provided by local authorities and a more than 20% cut in sixth form funding per pupil. Whilst primary school teacher numbers have risen by 11% since 2010, pupil numbers have grown by 17%.

So we should not apologise for spending more per pupil than the state.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

5 Social mobility issues Ill-informed commentators attach too much importance to schools as engines of social mobility.

Professor John H. Goldthorpe, Oxford sociologist and the leading researcher in the field, makes this unequivocal statement in his lecture, ‘Social class mobility in modern Britain: changing structure, constant process’ (Journal of the British Academy, 4, pp. 89-11), delivered in 2016: ‘The historical record clearly suggests that to look to the educational system to provide a solution to the problem of inequality of opportunity is to impose an undue, and I would say an unfair, burden upon it.’

‘It was this evolution of the class structure that created, in the middle decades of the last century, what has been aptly called the “Golden Age” of social mobility, when social ascent clearly predominated over social descent. The key driving forces at work were, on the one hand, the growing demand for managerial and professional personnel in corporate business, central and local government, and the welfare state; and, on the other hand, the falling demand for manual workers, especially in the extractive and manufacturing industries, resulting from technological advance and changing patterns of international trade. And what may in contrast be

noted, since it will be of relevance later, is the very limited part that was played by education – if only because among those cohorts who chiefly benefited from the Golden Age, education was still “thin on ground”.’

The main barrier to social mobility is the failure of the economy to generate more high-skill jobs.

Governments should concentrate on improving the economy, not damaging independent schools.

6 Fees Some more privileged families send their children to independent schools but the typical independent school parent is an upper-middle-income family where both mother and father work and the whole of one salary goes on school fees. The average day school fee is £14,000.

Independent schools are not the only ways in which parents choose to spend money on education, with 23% of UK parents spend money on private tutors.

48% of the population go to university where they pay fees, often supported by parents. With university tuition fees plus maintenance loans, even for very low-cost subjects like English and history, the average independent school fee is looking cheap. There was a time when all students going to school or university paid nothing.

Now universities are allowed to charge £9250 a year. When you add in maintenance loans that is a bit more than our average schools: £50,000 over three years = £16,700 a year.

7 Low-income families Many politicians are critical of independent schools because they take relatively few pupils from lower-income families. These are the children who would benefit most from good schools. Before 1976 many low-income pupils at Direct Grant independent schools were paid for by the state; this was scrapped by the Labour government. Before 1997 some pupils were paid for by the Assisted Places scheme, scrapped

by Tony Blair. In 2017 we made an offer to the government that our schools would find 10,000 new free

places every year for children from low-income homes if the government would pay those schools just the amount they would have spent on them to go to a state school. This offer was rejected. Since 1997 many prep schools have been working hard to raise money for bursaries to fund lowincome pupils.

8 We help the country Many independent schools offer things which are thin on the ground in the state sector, including nurseries, boarding, single-sex schools, special needs schools, schools for very able pupils, music and dance schools, and schools with a particular strength in sport. They contribute greatly to their local communities, not least in terms of employment.

They are responsible for attracting many overseas business families whose decision to work in the UK is contingent on the high quality of independent schools. They produce many students for universities. UK independent schools are generally

regarded as being the highest quality schools in the world.

9 We save the state a huge sum In their 2018 analysis, Oxford Economics found that If independent school pupils took up the state school places to which they were entitled instead, then the British taxpayer would have to bear significant extra costs. For all UK independent schools, the total taxpayer saving is around £3.54 billion per annum.

10 We prop up activities which are dying in state schools, not least classics, music, modern languages and sport. Our schools achieve a high proportion of the top grades in ‘strategically important subjects’ such as maths, chemistry and physics. Our results speak for themselves.

Prep schools are great schools and we should be proud of them. In the absence of state support, we have to charge fees because quality costs money. We should not apologise for that.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

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Looking back Roger Trafford was Head of King’s Taunton and Clifton before being appointed Head of the Dragon, Oxford and holds the distinction of being twice-elected as Chair of IAPS I started teaching 62 years ago. I was 19, reasonably intelligent with a place at Oxford and definitely unqualified.

I taught a full timetable – English, history, maths, geography, scripture and Latin – to a class of 20 ten-yearold boys, shared boarding duties for the 60 boarders with three other resident staff and played a full part in the games programme. I was paid £125 a term plus board and keep. The keep was a fourth-floor garret room where a maid brought me a cup of tea at 7am every morning. Morning tea for staff does not appear today, I assume!

After three years at Oxford and another three teaching English in Boston, Massachusetts, I returned to the same school, still technically unqualified but at least with a degree. I worked for an outstanding headmaster and with some brilliant and experienced colleagues so my ‘training’ came by observation, listening, watching and following. I became head of English but do not remember any departmental meetings, although I did provide sets of English books to be read by the various classes. Anything which needed copying had to be typed – in my case, handwritten – onto a sticky sheet and run off one at a time by turning the handle of the Banda.

I don’t remember it seeming a chore and there was always time to talk and learn, usually over after lunch coffee in the common room (not staff room, please!) when the 360 boys were in the charge of the two teachers on duty who

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wandered slowly around, talking to the boys. And did the boys misbehave? Of course they did, but rarely more than they should have done.

Other aspects have changed in the last 60 years, quite rightly.

Independent schools in the ‘60s were usually called public schools but were more independent than they are now when the government and press prefer to call them private, an inaccurate name for all but a few.

Heads then were often dictators, usually of the benevolent variety and sometimes believed they were right in whatever they thought or did. I remember one headmaster at an IAPS district meeting when the subjects under discussion were new controls over learning. ‘National Curriculum?’ he said, ‘Over my dead body’. Pupils often learned in far worse conditions than they do today when some schools are more comfortable and certainly better equipped than many homes. They sometimes had too little freedom of expression but they did have the advantage of knowing where they were, an advantage denied to many of our children today.

When I took up my first headship I was 33, unqualified and untrained but crucially married to someone trained to teach who could make sure I coped.

We had several rooms in a Georgian mansion, surrounded by 100 boarders – boys, of course – and I was paid £3300 a year. My wife was in charge of the catering, cleaning and the matrons and was not paid anything. I suppose

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

it was a sign of the times (1973) that we did not find any of that unfair and were very happy. I taught, coached the Ist XV and under 11 cricket and knew all the boys very well – even when, nine years later, numbers had doubled and included girls.

Dormitories of 6 to 12 boys had polished wood floors but no curtains, only the old outside shutters and were always immaculately clean. The classrooms were converted stables or, in one case, a brick-floored former apple store. Outside were playing fields and woods where the boys constructed dens, often underground and close to the badger sets round which the boys sat silently at dusk, watching their neighbours. I don’t remember the words health and safety being used and there were certainly few checklists from inspectors.

Although HMI’s had been inspecting independent schools since 1957, they were a rarity and we were spared Ofsted until 1993. Nevertheless, all activities were automatically considered for danger before being permitted. For example, tree climbing was fine, but not up the enormous Wellingtonias nor in trees which had breakable branches hanging over the lake. If it rained too hard for cricket in the summer, our predecessors had evolved a ‘gate-to-gate’ run – about a mile – in plimsolls and swimming trunks because we did not have any method of drying clothes mechanically. They were sometimes joined by Herbert, our enormous Old

English Sheepdog. They knew him well because he came into my classes and round the dormitories with me in the evening and was intelligent enough to stay behind the white lines of the rugby pitch!

Lessons were undoubtedly much more formal than most today and the boys sat in rows, facing forward.

I found it difficult to sit still all the time at the raised desk in the front and I understood – as the boys did – that the front row left and right were a better place to sit than the back row for avoiding notice.

Spellings and tables were learned for prep. Interestingly, English teaching in America included much more on grammar; I had never heard of a dangling modifier until I taught in Boston. Pupils were used to writing with a fountain pen and I expected my pupils to write an essay every other week. Marking took a while when 20 boys each wrote at least four or five pages in their books and comments and spelling corrections were expected. However, there was a lot more freedom in subject matter.

Expectation of standards to be

reached tended to be on an individual basis rather than an average which can hold back some pupils. Many aspects of education today had not been invented. National Curriculum, Ofsted, Key Stages, 1265 working hours and CRB are examples and teaching was probably simpler then.

Of course, progress is needed but I seem to remember there was more time to educate 50 years ago.

And how much did parents pay for this Elysium? I remember a farmer parent saying that he would be fine as long as a term’s boarding fee remained about the same as a good bull calf.

I think that was £1000 in the ‘70s.

Today a good bull calf, depending on breed and size, is around £350-£400 and a term’s boarding fee in a prep school is nearing £10,000. No wonder farming is in trouble.

Headship is often a lonely job and apart from crucial support from spouses, IAPS has always tried to provide help with meetings, conferences, written advice and information – including through Prep School magazine. I certainly appreciated help and advice and

comradeship in my early days but suspect that there is less time for that now. In the same way, parents had more time to stop and talk and become involved in the school.

And would I do it again? My wife always wanted to teach but I went to Oxford and into teaching because I wanted to play and coach games and I did, even as a head. I once calculated I wrote around 30,000 headmaster’s reports; that might have put me off if I had known about it before I started and I do not miss them. I doubt whether there is a job where there are greater opportunities to help and guide others and I have almost always stayed in the 8-13 age group because children at that age are more receptive and more able to be changed for good than teenagers – and, I suppose selfishly, more likely to give the satisfaction which comes from watching them progress and the discovery and development of talent.

I have been very lucky and have not forgotten the time when a nine-yearold at my last school came up to me in the playground and said, ‘You know, sir, you aren’t doing a bad job’.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

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Prep School, SATIPS and IAPS John Morris reviews aspects of his 17 years as General Secretary of IAPS from 1991 to 2008 After a career in teaching, teacher training and the local government education service, in 1991 I joined IAPS as General Secretary. Following three months at the old office in a damp Kensington basement, we moved to Royal Leamington Spa (a title that Queen Victoria had been ‘graciously pleased’ to bestow in 1838). Our new regency style HQ stood next to a firm of solicitors named Wright Hassall. I made an early appointment to visit the local branch of our bank and found that it was managed by Mr Swindell. When I reported rather proudly on the surplus made from the sale of the office in Kensington Church Street and the purchase of 11 Waterloo Place a former chairman mischievously asked if I would put the money on a horse. After 20 years in the rather serious world of the local government education service, with its programme planning and zero-based budgeting, this came as a breath of fresh air. I didn’t put the money on a horse, but I knew that in choosing IAPS I had backed a winner.

As I said in a farewell letter to members in 2008, I believe the association had come a long way since 1990 when it still retained some of the features of a gentleman’s club. My initial brief was to set up a range of professional services that either did not exist or existed only in rudimentary form. It was at that time

that the strategic direction of IAPS, to foster the provision of all-round excellence in our schools, was firmly established for the future. In that context, I produced the first business plan for IAPS. There was only a limited training programme, embryo advisory services to governors and bursars, and no website. There were 11 main IAPS committees and working parties to service, which produced well over 40 in-house meetings a year. So the committee and working party structure were pruned to seven. The professional development programme grew from nine groups of courses in 1991 to over 60 courses in 200708. The annual conference became professionally organised in-house. A range of educational and management support for members was provided through improved advisory services.

The inspection service mushroomed.

New public and members’ websites were created. Much time and effort were devoted to an unprecedented campaign to promote prep school education as well as IAPS itself.

These achievements reflected the excellent work of the small but highly professional team of staff that I had been able to appoint. Behind the scenes I met and negotiated with ministers, government departments and agencies, fostering in them a willingness to respond to the needs of prep schools.

The old title Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools was eventually replaced by the Independent Association of Prep Schools and the current logo, colours and branding were established. A well-known figure on the national education scene in the 1990s described IAPS as a pennyfarthing organisation doing a Rolls Royce job. By 2008 I preferred to compare us to a Maserati: sleek and well-designed, with an established reputation, yet capable of outstanding performance and an impressive turn of speed when needed, while thoroughly rewarding to drive.

IAPS schools In times past, most traditional IAPS schools were for boy boarders aged 8 to 13, located in the rural countryside.

By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, IAPS prided itself on a rich variety of association prep schools in terms of size, age range, gender and location. Moreover, many IAPS schools fundamentally changed their nature in those years. Strong parental demand for more frequent contacts with their children saw a change in most boarding prep schools to weekly or flexi-boarding establishments, some offering occasional sleepovers for day children. This was accompanied by an increase in schools located in or near to cities and towns. Moreover, the reduction in the numbers of boarders meant that many schools were converted into mainly day schools.

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More junior schools of senior independent schools joined IAPS. Girls were admitted to previously allboys schools. There was a particularly marked growth in provision for the 2 to 7 age range and a significant increase in the number of all-girls schools for 2 or 5 to 11-year-olds that joined IAPS. The proportion of female members grew from 17% to 30%. The aims and expectations of many new prep school parents looked to the preparation of their children for local grammar or other state secondary schools rather than independent senior schools. Allage day coeducational schools with a sixth form became more common.

Throughout these years of change, IAPS maintained a policy of allowing schools that had extended their age range to remain in or join the association provided their core business was still education up to the age of 11 or 13.

Some schools diversified into taking significant numbers of pupils from overseas or children with special educational needs.

In 1990 55% of schools were single-sex, but by 2007 this had fallen to 25%.

In 1990 there were 325 mixed day/ boarding schools compared with 215 in 2007. Only 14% had no nursery or preprep provision. 37% still had boarders but only four boarding-only schools remained of the twelve in 1990.

successor, the late David Tytler, also did a first-class job. Both were ably assisted by the proofreaders and the magazine’s business managers, first the late Julie Belgrave and subsequently John Catt Educational.

IAPS, SATIPS and Prep School magazine In those days Prep School was regarded as the in-house IAPS magazine but was also aimed at parents and potential parents. It was overseen by a joint editorial board of IAPS and SATIPS, usually chaired by an IAPS school head.

Alas, the constant difficulties in making effective contacts with existing and potential prep school parents forced IAPS to look to other means of achieving that ambition. Yet for me, Prep School always remained the in-house magazine and was not only admirably equipped to reach, inform and entertain teachers in our schools but also to carry out a most valuable role in assisting SATIPS to provide professional support, training, information and resources for them.

The work of the SATIPS broadsheet editors, along with the IAPS education staff and subject coordinators, greatly enhanced the knowledge and skills of school teaching staff.

Prep School faithfully reflected the school concerns of the moment, but with a lightness of touch that made it eminently readable. Though it was always the senior partner, IAPS greatly valued its connection with SATIPS in sponsoring the magazine.

The warmth of former editor Anne Kiggell was reflected in her early invitation to me to visit her house for lunch before I was even in post.

This also allowed her to brief me on the truth behind IAPS as she saw it; a lesson that I never forgot! Her

The lasting quality and reputation of the magazine are reflected in the fact that it is still widely read in school common rooms and by heads, bursars and governors.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

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100 issues of Prep School Anne Kiggell, Editor of Prep School magazine from 1987-96, reflects on the past 100 issues of the magazine In the spring of 1987, I answered an advertisement in The Times for a part-time editor of a new magazine for the prep school community. I was ready for a new challenge, as during my sons’ school days I had been working part-time (genuinely) at St Paul’s School, and intermittently as a freelance journalist on family and educational topics. With some trepidation and in total ignorance of what would be involved, I applied. I was interviewed by a board consisting of three members of IAPS and three of SATIPS, and was appointed. I later learned that one reason was that I was the only applicant to ask them any questions. The answer to most of them seemed to be ‘on your own’, ‘in your own house’ or ‘very little’.

I set about learning my new world.

My own sons had been at a day prep school in London – one of the remaining privately owned establishments – though I knew nothing of these esoteric matters and I had no direct awareness of IAPS as a body, let alone SATIPS. I discovered that IAPS was not an association of schools, but personally of heads (of course, in those days, largely headmasters). They had produced The Preparatory Schools Review each term – a black and white pamphlet entirely self-referential, featuring detailed accounts of the

30

headmasters’ golf competitions and extensive reports and results of interschool cricket and rugby matches.

There was no intention of interesting the wider educational world.

SATIPS, was the rather cringingly named Society of Assistants Teaching in Preparatory Schools. Remember that for all the early years of prep schools, the only way to become a headmaster was to buy a school, or to have the capital to start one (sometimes a desperate measure involving clubbing together and schools with up to five ‘headmasters’ in partnership) or – not infrequently – marrying the daughter of a headmaster with no sons. So most had been doomed to be ill-paid ‘assistants’ all their life.

SATIPS as I knew it was emerging from this image of its members, but still felt undervalued as a body. They published their own inexpensive bulletin, News and Views, and also a termly series of broadsheets focused on individual subjects.

I was not privy to the discussions leading up to an agreement on a new partnership in a publication to be called Prep School, but it was clearly the result of a more positive attitude to modern realities on both sides, and it was an exciting prospect.

The first edition had some good material in it, starting with a piece from the Secretary of State for

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

Education, Kenneth Baker, the Chairman of the Headmasters’ Conference (senior independent schools), and including an interview with Mary Archer on the refuge a boarding prep school had been for her sons while Jeffrey Archer was involved in an insalubrious and highly publicised court case. We went on to have contributions from the education spokesmen of the other parties – and a very wide range of distinguished contributors, as well as increasingly valuable material from the schools.

The presentation at first did not match the content as IAPS had already signed a contact with the printer for a cheap and flimsy monochrome version, and I was still new to the typesetting and presentation aspects. But it was successful enough for me to press for a firmer cover with a good colour picture, and I found the best source for excellent free supplies was to ask schools for their new prospectuses, as these were produced. The schools were delighted to be on a cover, the credited photographer was delighted with the free publicity, and from then on we could guarantee an excellent first impression of each issue.

I personally visited as many schools as possible, and invitations were enthusiastic from district meetings, and within a year from the HMC annual meetings and then the

GSA conferences. These enjoyable contacts also provided several new contributors, as did the speakers, both from these and from the IAPS and SATIPS conferences, edited versions of whose addresses spread high-quality material around the organisations.

One of the advantages of travelling around the UK was being able to spread the news of interesting initiatives from one school to another.

I was often able to spur an innovator into writing up his or her ideas for the whole readership, and there were some incredible ideas. Who, without the pictures, would have believed threeyear-olds from the pre-prep CDT classes could solder connections on the circuit boards they had designed, or float safely in the boat they had made with proper tools?

Prep School allowed me to have a panoramic view of virtually a decade of change and development in both good and bad financial conditions.

The increase in pre-preps, in mixed schools, in female staff in senior positions, and in challenging

activities, went along with greater balance across the curriculum.

One example is that, in some more traditional schools, there was still in the ‘80s a disproportionate emphasis on Latin and Greek, compared with science and modern languages – let alone the dawn of IT. I did visit establishments where scripture, English, and French were randomly assigned to masters who had been appointed for their strengths in rugby and cricket. SATIPS did great work in sharpening a more professional attitude across the board.

One cannot ignore the improvements in the safeguarding of children during that time. Prep schools were no less vulnerable to or skilled at covering up abuses than the rest of society, and this had to be recognised. So the magazine tackled this topic also, to the fury of at least one headmaster.

Some smaller schools did have to close or merge in one or other of the periods of recession, and others had to modify their views about solid full-term boarding, and compulsory

Saturday match attendance. More access did creep in for weekly boarding, with respite boarding offered for day pupils, to cover family absence or crises. These changes happened over a few dead bodies, but such moves often led to an increase in boarding in the long-term, especially when the interest of the social services in the ‘90s had led to a muchneeded relaxation in some rather grim conditions. To quote from my last editorial in the summer of 1996: ‘…the survivors, as always, have been the flexible and the far-seeing. When one loves the old ways, and feels that they have served one well, and that one has served them well oneself, change can be deeply unattractive. But schools exist to serve children, not to cocoon adult memories: happily, many have shown that they can meet changing social needs with losing anything that really matters.

The retiring editor says goodbye to Prep School with natural regret, but also with pride at having served an increasingly healthy and nationally respected sector of education one well prepared for what will inescapably come – the next challenge.’

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A successful school Dr Peter Kent, Headteacher of Lawrence Sheriff School since 1999, was previously President of ASCL and is currently President-Elect of the International Confederation of Principals Leafing through details of deputy head posts on a Sunday afternoon, I tried to find one that seemed right for me. The problem was that almost all of them seemed to be the same. Words like ‘standards’ ‘monitoring’ and ‘evaluation’ appeared to be compulsory. There seemed nothing here to set the pulse racing. Then I saw it. I read: ‘We believe that a happy school is a successful school’. I can honestly say that it was the first and only time that I had seen those two ideas brought together: achievement and standards mattered, but so did the human values that make people happy. Six months later I found myself starting as the school’s new deputy head.

Nearly 25 years on, happy schools are much more fashionable. Courses are offered on leading happy schools and a recent headline announced that children in a group of secondary schools were to be given ‘lessons in happiness’.

One to one coaching is available and in a few years, no doubt, Ofsted inspectors will be told to grade schools on how happy they are (looking back on my mood on a typical Monday morning, I fear I may regularly be in danger of ‘requires improvement’).

Whilst valuable, I wonder if attempts to create happiness may not go to the heart of the issue. The thing that convinced me that it mattered was working alongside a headteacher who put into practice the values that lay behind the word. He believed that the school should embody principles such as fairness, justice, concern for the individual, even – dare one say it – love.

Furthermore, he did not apply these

principles only to students, but also to all of the adults. In doing this he taught me the most important lesson of my career: what matters most in education is not policies or government initiatives but people. We achieve most when we value all of the people who make up our school, not just certain groups.

Valuing people is not a magic formula to create happy schools but it is a good start. I am not suggesting that this means accepting low standards when the behaviour of students or staff falls below expectations. However, it does mean an acceptance that everyone has an important contribution to make to the organisation. For students this may mean creating student councils that go beyond dealing with ‘bogs, bins and bells’ but makes a serious contribution to what is taught and how.

Similarly, it is important to recognise that all schools contain aspects of powerful practice that are as effective as anything that can be found elsewhere.

By celebrating and sharing the effective practice that lies within, the school can send a strong message that everyone has an important contribution to make to its success.

Over the coming years, we will all have a part to play in shaping the education system of the future as it seeks to emerge from the impact of the pandemic. In this context, I believe that the concept of happiness is perhaps more important than ever before. Presently, there are many things that we cannot do because of Covid-19. However, the opportunity to continue to build communities which embody these principals of happiness

is something open to all schools regardless of phase or type and which transcends the constraints that we all currently face.

One of the concerns that I have repeatedly heard over recent months has been about the pipeline of school leadership and how to encourage the emerging generation of teachers to take on what at present is a profoundly challenging role. My experience is that one of the best ways to recruit leaders of the future is to enable them to see a genuinely happy school in action. When I started as a deputy I was certain that I did not want to become a headteacher because the job appeared to involve so many negatives. I had heard of too many school leaders who felt isolated and suffered poor relationships with colleagues. Seeing a happy school in action convinced me that it was possible to develop a model of leadership that placed the valuing of people at its centre. The inspirational effect of this experience was beyond anything that a course or qualification could have achieved. As I move into my 23rd year as a headteacher, it is still this vision of what a school can achieve which inspires me above anything else.

It is true to say that a happy school is a successful school. Whilst courses, coaching and case studies have their place, it is important not to complicate something relatively straightforward.

A happy school is not a place where everyone wears a Cheshire cat grin or the headteacher is called Mr Chuckles.

It is a place where people matter, an idea which is both simple and profound at the same time.

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Maximising the potential of your outdoor space Playtime by Fawns share a great guide with Prep School readers on maximising the potential of your outdoor play space While many schools are blessed with substantial grounds to allow pupils to explore and run around freely during break times, the provision of an expertly designed play space, incorporating designated zones, can create a more tailored play space. This not only increases learning experiences but can meet the individual needs of every child throughout the school day. With over 30 years of play industry experience working with schools, Playtime by Fawns have compiled a brief guide for schools on how to create the perfect outdoor play space for all pupil The first step is to establish the space available, your budget for the project, and the maximum number of pupils you will need to cater for at any time. Once these steps have been considered, you then need contact a specialist playground company who will work with you to design your fantastic new playground and help get your project off the ground.

A good reference for reputable play companies is the Association of Play Industries (API), an independent trade body that promotes best practice within the play industry sector. A reputable play company such as Playtime by Fawns will look to meet with the school to discuss the specific needs of the project face-to-face. They will offer you expert advice on how to maximise the use of the space available, helping you meet the specific needs of pupils within the agreed budget. An understanding of the school philosophy on challenge and managed risk for the pupils should be identified very early on in the process.

This ensures that all play equipment and the surfacing is suited to the varying abilities and confidence levels of the pupils using the newly created play area.

Once the full brief of your project has been discussed and agreed, the chosen play company will then provide, as part of its service, a free 3D design of your new play area. This

illustrates the new play equipment recommended within your area and how the play equipment will meet the needs of the pupils long term.

The play company’s presentation should clearly explain the features of each piece of play equipment proposed and the benefits to the pupils.

Understanding and implementing different types of play to cater to the needs of all pupils, encouraging them to learn through play is vital to a successful play space. The dynamics of the areas are also very important, how much space is utilised within the area, allowing for open, free play around the new equipment, as well as considering the visibility across the space for supervision and pupil safety at all times.

Involving the pupils as part of the presentation meeting with the play company can provide an excellent opportunity to obtain vital feedback on the proposed new play space and

Support and guidance should always be on hand as this should be viewed as a long-term investment by the school.

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PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

ensure its success. This meeting also gives a huge sense of ownership to the pupils and allows them to participate in the decision-making process, gaining vital skills and confidence along the way as it is usually the pupils who pose the most telling questions as they know what they like!

This 3D illustration is also a vital tool for you to present your vision of your new play area to all key stakeholders in the project, ensuring they are fully consulted and on board with what you are looking to achieve.

Once your new play space design has been selected and API approved play provider chosen, a pre works meeting with all relevant stakeholders should be arranged by the play company prior to your installation commencing. The contracts manager responsible for the installation will attend the school to agree on the methodology of your installation to ensure everything runs smoothly. Play companies should be able to offer personalised method statements and risk assessments for your school to review in terms of ensuring health and

safety during installations. Also, in these unprecedented times, confirmation of full compliance with Covid-19 safe working practices in accordance with the latest government advice is essential.

Some larger projects and installations within play areas that are difficult to access may have to happen during school holidays, but most installations can take place during the school term, providing an excellent opportunity for the pupils to view the project taking shape on daily basis, rather than it just appearing miraculously over a half term of summer holiday.

Communication is key to ensuring the success of these installations, with designated points of contact on hand throughout the process to answer any queries that may arise. Specific installation coordinators should ensure that you are kept up to date with exact start dates and times, progress reports and expected finish dates.

Upon completion of the works, specific information should be given by the play company to confirm the after

sales service available to the school and provide advice for any general maintenance recommended on the products purchased. This after sales service should also include the facility for the play company to arrange an independent inspection of the new play area on an annual basis by a fully qualified play inspector, providing peace of mind to the school that everything continues to be fully compliant with BSEN1176 and BSEN1177.

Support and guidance should always be on hand as this should be viewed as a long-term investment by the school. Reputable API companies such as Playtime by Fawns will keep in contact with their customers going forward, making sure that the new play area remains in tip-top condition and enjoyed by the pupils of the school for many years to come.

Do get in touch with us for a free consultation: 01252 515199 or sales@fawns.co.uk

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There is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes Jane Prescott is Headmistress of Portsmouth High School for Girls and President of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, there is much to celebrate in schools and it can be easy to lose that positive focus.

My prep school has been located on its current site for almost one hundred years and has extensive outdoor space for an urban school. We are five hundred metres from the sea and a huge communal public space which provides endless opportunities for outdoor fun. As Covid restrictions lifted, families used their free time to picnic and enjoy being outside as the spring and summer sunshine gave warm days and evenings. Normally they might be busy with their jobs or school but with the country in lockdown, many took advantage of our coastal location to meet in the relative safety of outside. There is no doubt that whilst there are many pressures and anxieties around the pandemic a small plus was that people had the freedom to enjoy the local area once severe restrictions were lifted. It is a change to our routine that we should try to keep.

Now with cold weather and rainy days, it is not so appealing to be outside

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but we should still make an effort to get out as much as possible. Schools should make time for children to have the opportunity to play outside.

Many participate in forest and beach school programmes which encourage children to learn how to make fires safely and whittle wood, for example.

I watched our pupils make pizzas over an open fire as part of the outdoors curriculum. Some schools walk a daily distance around their playground at the start of the day. The children like to challenge each other about how far they have walked. We have developed our morning exercise to be more than just a walk which is proving to be a popular activity. Children enjoy the freedom more space affords them and they develop social skills with their peers away from the direct influence of adults. Fidgety children benefit from being allowed to expend their energy.

escape the sun or rain. It has been such a well-used resource that we have added two more at the senior schools which provide shelter for older girls at break and lunchtime.

To encourage children to spend time outdoors willingly, we fundraised for an outdoor classroom which has a fire pit at its centre. It has enough space for a whole class sitting around the edge and is a popular place to either

Beach schools is an important teaching programme which includes lessons on tides and coastal features. A vital part is that which concentrates on the sustainability of the oceans and the

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

Our forest school programme enables the prep school girls to learn skills that they take with them into future endeavours such as our venture leaders’ programme. Our youngest pupils enjoy using our outdoor space to forage for leaves and insects; the learning is all year round and develops as they grow older. Eventually, all can start a fire using old fashioned flint safely and even cook on the open pit.

They soon can form their assessments of risk whilst pushing their own boundaries through exploration. This has gained greater emphasis and importance as indoor classrooms need a regular change of air and a chance to be cleaned and refreshed.

impact of plastics in the ocean. We regularly participate in beach cleans which help pupils understand the need to be more environmentally aware.

Many of them make personal pledges to reduce waste in their homes as a result of what they learn.

There are obvious benefits to being outside as much as possible. In these Covid times being in the fresh air is preferable to being cooped up inside with the potential of passing on infection. Children spend much of their time working on screens especially during lockdown and any activity that gets them away from their digital devices helps vary the day and give their eyes a rest. Exercise is important and, although competitive team sports are restricted, any chance to play games is welcomed. Some sports pose less of a risk of passing on infection, such as tennis and cross country. Going for family walks is a good way of doing something together. Getting reluctant children to participate is not easy but making the walk into a fun treasure hunt may help.

Our mood is improved by participating in outdoor activity and

there is a sense of achievement. We may learn a new hobby which brings benefits to our physical and mental wellbeing. Some studies suggest regular outdoor activity puts children ahead academically than their more sedentary peers. Certainly, there is much to be learned about the environment and children are much more likely to look after their play parks and grounds if they understand the harmful impact of litter, for example. Most local councils organise tidy school competitions in which we successfully participate.

Outdoor play encourages creativity.

However varied indoor activity it is always constrained by a restrictive physical area. Outdoors children can play with mud and mould it into interesting structures and learn about consistency and the adhesive property of clay. Our pupils make frames from twigs tied together and fill the centre with fallen leaves. They learn about shape and form. ‘There is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes’, my geography teacher used to say as we measured and observed the natural landscape on

field trips sometimes in a gale. I might not have thought it at the time but she was right. When teaching geography I found myself repeating her wise words.

All we need is the right outer gear and a positive attitude to enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors.

When I look back at old photographs from a century ago, our pupils today look much the same. Similar faces are smiling at the camera even though they may be wearing quite different clothes. Our uniform allows for exploration and washable hardwearing fabrics make us less precious about getting a bit muddy. One of our alumna who was evacuated to our temporary school site out of Portsmouth during WWII recounts being given a picnic and told to explore the country lanes with a friend as a reward for achieving well- something not advisable today. Children of the 21st century do not have the same freedom of the pupils from years gone by therefore it is even more important that we afford our pupils the chance to feel the excitement and wonder of being outdoors as part of the routine curriculum.

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A Girl’s Guide to Being Fearless You can imagine that when I picked up this book to read, everything about the title was telling me that this was not really a book for me, personally, unless I was going to be wearing my grandfather’s hat. How wrong could I be! If ever the phrase ‘judging a book by its cover’ was at all appropriate... To my mind, this is a must-read for everyone irrespective of age or gender and, again, on a personal level, I took a great deal from it. I wanted to know more about the author and, having spoken to Suzie Lavington, I have included her background. However, my praise for the book can best be measured by the fact that I have already taken quotes from it to articulate important points to folk who will benefit from the advice.

This is one of them: ‘Career-wise, we hope you don’t nail every job interview you sit through and that, on occasion, inferior colleagues get promoted ahead of your brilliant self.

There’ll be a lesson to take away… though we’re not entirely sure what that one is. Temporary gnashing of teeth is okay but contrary to popular belief, the best revenge isn’t to let their tyres down. It’s to truly shine at

work and make your employer wonder how the hell they could have got it so wrong in the first place.’

After graduating from Bristol University with a BA in Drama, Suzie Lavington kicked off her career in film… on the ‘other’ side of the camera. After she’d had enough of making tea for prestigious actors and longing to trade places, she trained at Drama Studio London and made an almost living in theatre for the next decade. But no amount of acting could allay her deep-down feeling of not quite being enough.

After missing out on a bazillion opportunities thanks to her crippling nerves and self-doubt, she set out on a path to discover the cause of those feelings and how she could kick them into touch once and for all.

Every single gem she uncovered on that little quest, she poured into ‘A Girl’s Guide to Being Fearless’ (a live workshop before it became a book, co-authored with Dr Andy Cope). Her mission is to get it into the hands and heads of young women everywhere because high self-esteem and deepdown confidence should be every girl’s prerogative. And, quite frankly, the

world needs more females who are full to the brim with self-belief and who know they are spectacular, exactly as they are.

Suzie delivers a series of confidence and wellbeing workshops and keynotes with training company Art of Brilliance (www.artofbrilliance.co.uk), in both the business and education sectors.

She’s also a voiceover artist and keeps threatening to tread the boards again.

She shares her Buckinghamshire home with her relentlessly patient husband, their two spectacular girls (by far her proudest achievements), and a lifetime collection of DVDs they never watch. You can find her tweeting under @SuzieLavington.

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In celebration David Hanson was Director of Education at IAPS and the organisation’s first CEO I was educated at Bolton School and had always planned to be an architect. But, to the consternation of my parents, I first studied fine art and later philosophy and education. I taught at Sir John Cass School of Art and then in London comprehensive schools. As my career developed, I became increasingly drawn to working with younger pupils in those exciting and formative years of their education.

In 1995 I joined IAPS as Director of Education and found myself in a wonderful organisation and in a role that fitted me like a glove. I stayed for nine years then left to work with Lord Puttnam as Chief Executive of the Teaching Awards and then Sir Ewan Harper at United Learning and EC Harris, where I returned to my interest in architecture and buildings as Academies project leader.

In 2008 I returned to IAPS as CEO. In my heart, I had never really left. I stayed for another ten years and enjoyed almost every moment. When I retired from IAPS I consciously stepped right back. I have all too often seen the problems in schools associated with the previous incumbent still being in the background. However, after two and a half years, I think enough time has passed and I am delighted to have been asked to write this piece for Prep School magazine.

I love being retired from full-time work. I support and mentor one or two local business and charity leaders and act as Chairman of the i25 Independent School Awards

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and STEM Chairman of the British International Education Association.

I have taken the advice that I have so often given to others, which is to keep learning. I am learning to play the guitar - something I shall never fully master. I have also had time to reflect what makes prep schools and IAPS so exceptional.

British prep schools are an industry employing tens of thousands of staff and contributing more than £1 billion to the UK economy. They are also admired around the world for the quality of education, care and welfare they provide for their pupils.

It has always mystified me why our governments, both past and present, not only fail to acknowledge this but at times actively make our life hard.

IAPS schools have survived wars, recessions and seismic social, economic and political change. Yet, despite the many predictions of imminent failure, the sector continues to thrive. And I am convinced that it will continue to do so. The keys to the success of the sector remain remarkably consistent. At the heart of it, we know and understand that our primary task is to provide a worldclass education. This may sound like a self-evident truth, but I have found that some in the education system can lose sight of what that means.

The curriculum is not something shaped by ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ politicians but is built from experience and knowledge. We know that academic success alone is not a sufficient condition for success in life.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

We inculcate in our pupils the core values of respect, service, compassion, discipline and hard work. We focus on their care, welfare, social and personal development. Importantly, we want them to appreciate that their excellent education is a privilege and with that privilege comes social responsibility.

Despite the economic challenge that many face, our parents instinctively understand the importance of education. They consider ‘private’ education to be the best investment they will ever make. They embrace our values as well as our academic standards and they place great importance on the rounded development of their children and personal care. This is what they buy into. But they do not want us to be museums, harking back to some ‘golden’ age. They want us to embrace and lead the way on pedagogy, digital learning and future careers.

When asked where we should invest our time and money, I reflect on what Michael Barber said in the 2007 McKinsey Report: ‘The system cannot outperform the capacity of teachers.’

The lesson here is that schools should invest in their classrooms, both in the resources needed to ensure the best possible environment for learning, but more importantly, in their staff. As a sector we need to seek out, develop and train our staff, because no one else is going to do it for us.

The other critically important factor in determining our continuing success is the effective management of change. Whilst our core values

may be immutable, as Charles Handy said ‘We must not be prisoners of the past’. The management of change is one of the greatest challenges for leaders. We all know that no matter how good the staff or the resources, great schools require exceptional leadership and no other factor comes close in determining the success of the school. IAPS has always understood that. World-class schools deserve world-class support. The genius of IAPS is that it has always worked hard through its regional districts and at HQ in Leamington Spa, to make a large organisation feel like a close family.

This level of attentiveness and care does not happen by accident. The staff at HQ go out of their way to make it feel personal, that we know you and that we will do all we can to help you.

I was asked many times that when things went wrong in schools, who does IAPS support - the head or

the governors? The answer for me was always the same. We support the children. IAPS is a membership organisation, but importantly the school is the member, as is the head.

This form of membership means that IAPS provides advice, guidance and support that is in the best interests of the whole school. I found this understanding of IAPS membership provided a steady compass. When required, it gave me the courage to give uncomfortable advice to both heads and governors.

When it was founded IAPS brought together a group of people driven by a common purpose and an overriding belief in what is good in education. Its founding fathers worked together to create something quite extraordinary and that legacy endures. I have had the rare luxury of seeing so many diverse schools and meeting so many different people but there

is something in all of them that is distinctively IAPS. The members are proud of their association. They are tied by a common bond and shared passion for education, even though that sometimes exacts a high price.

The scale of discretionary effort given by so many of its members ensures that IAPS succeeds.

I was a temporary custodian of a wonderful organisation. I believe I had the best job in the world. It was wide-ranging in its scope, from politics and media, committees and meetings to parents and children. But my greatest pleasure was always going to schools and walking with the head, visiting classrooms and listening to them as they came alive with their passion, their plans, dreams and deep pride in their school. It was an honour and privilege and I felt humbled in such company.

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Meeting with adversity Christopher King was Headmaster of Leicester Grammar School and is CEO of IAPS Asked to write about the current state of the independent prep and junior school world whilst under the dark cloud of Covid-19 might seem to offer a very gloomy prospect of a somewhat depressing read. There is no doubt, just to be clear, that the sector is facing a most challenging time. The answer to the question of how many schools in membership of IAPS have closed because of the impact of coronavirus is six. They are six schools who were ailing before we knew anything about the city of Wuhan in China and what might have escaped from there. The truth is that ‘Covid-19’ might appear on the list of reasons why these schools closed but they were really already in terminal decline and the virus just tipped them over the edge. It is probably, sadly true, that some others will follow the path to closure and it is going to be a time of significant financial struggle for quite a lot of schools.

have found a way to keep going and bouncing back.

The history of the sector over the past 127 years has been one where adversity has been met before. If there are casualties because of this dreadful strain on our health, wellbeing and finances, there is also the resilience of our sector to fall back upon for considerable comfort. In March 2020 there were dire predictions of the rapid and widespread collapse of the prep school world. It didn’t happen and in adversity, our schools

Imagination and innovation combined in our schools to keep the children in our schools and at the same time maintain meaningful academic progress. In addition, schools turned their attention to their marketing and found they could offer virtual tours and virtual open days. Grim predications of a collapse in pupil numbers gave way to optimism as strong interest in our schools revealed itself and, though it is somewhat

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During the first lockdown, many of our schools stayed open for the children of key workers. In some cases, our schools regularly educated up to 200 children from all age groups. This developed protocols and procedures that worked and built confidence in staff and parents that the school could operate safely and manage effectively when the virus was raging outside of the school’s boundaries. Our schools were champing at the bit to re-open before the end of the summer term and many did manage to do so across the age groups. In the lockdown period schools moved a long way in a short time with their online and virtual offer. The whole curriculum found its way online and, whilst not all children could benefit from this, the older children certainly maintained good academic progress in the core subjects.

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counter-intuitive, adverse times often lead people to prioritise education even more than they do when the economy is going well.

It should not have been entirely a surprise that the twin forces of innovation and imagination came to the fore as they had been in evidence well before Covid-19 arrived on our shores. Just two examples are the growth of a baccalaureate-style education and the adoption in our schools of an engineering curriculum.

The baccalaureate approach really plays to the traditional strengths of our schools as it demands depth and breadth to understanding.

Teaching styles are evolving from the predominantly didactic to one which encourages greater individual enquiry.

The engineering curriculum has been championed by St Faith’s in Cambridge and IAPS has been delighted to be able to combine with the school to promote the more widespread adoption of this initiative. On the pastoral side of school life there is a general sense that this is a major priority for our schools. Our schools have absorbed much modern thinking regarding pastoral matters and ideas such as those championed by Carol Dweck linked to growth mindsets. It has long been the case that prep schools have been characterised by their emphasis on a holistic style of education and it remains the case that it is not so much

that they attach equal importance to the pastoral and academic aspects of pupil development but more that they are intertwined as both threads run through the whole of our schools’ lives.

Membership of IAPS is running at historic high levels but this numerical strength cannot hide the fact that change is very much in the air with regards to the ownership, governance and membership of our schools.

We are seeing more schools being absorbed into wider groups of schools and senior schools are beginning in greater numbers to draw prep schools into a wider federation of schools.

When these things happen, and it is done in a planned orderly fashion, very often the school retains its historic name, as well as things such as uniform and other key aspects of their identity. It can see certain administrative costs be stripped out and a stronger financial footing to be created allowing capital investment to be made giving confidence to current and prospective parents. This change in ownership should be embraced where it can secure the long-term future of the school and, at IAPS, we are encouraging schools to be

proactive in weighing such a change as an option, certainly as an alternative to just sitting and hoping the market turns to align with their offer. IAPS members have very recently approved a new strategic plan to run for the next five years which allows for two new membership categories, allowing recognition of the changes described and to allow into membership executive heads responsible for more than one prep and pre-prep.

In recent years the professional development of IAPS has grown and refined itself. As with our schools there has been a recent move to an online offer but still key are the major conferences. The annual conference is as important as ever and in 2022 there will be a joint HMC/IAPS festival of education to be held in Edinburgh. The cross association SEND conference is an important event as are the annual pre-prep and deputy heads’ conferences. A major new addition to the programme will be a sporting conference scheduled for later in 2021.

Sport is very important to IAPS with a massive programme of competitions now under the umbrella of the association. Bringing professional

and consistent organisational skills to the tournaments for IAPS schools has been important to the growth in sporting competition and areas such as safeguarding are now properly administered. The range of sports is impressive but so is the quality of the competition, be it in the main team or more individual sports such as sailing or clay pigeon shooting. One of the most impressive events has to be the swimming final held at the Olympic venue in London with over 15000 competitors and supporters attending.

No other heads association comes close in scale to the national standard competitions IAPS offers.

IAPS has an optimistic vision for the future which draws on our 127 years of history but is prepared for the future with a relevant and forwardthinking offer to members. We recognise there is a need to develop the heads of the future and to work, for example, towards a more diverse ethnicity amongst the membership.

The new senior leaders category of membership is designed to link new members to IAPS and to allow for their development to help ensure the association has another 127 years.

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Showcasing the best of boarding life Robin Fletcher, CEO of BSA, suggests the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic has inadvertently had some benefits for the world of boarding I think it’s probably more than fair to say that 2020 hasn’t exactly played out like anyone expected. It seems like an eternity ago now but when we began the year who could have predicted that within a matter of weeks the entire world would be facing a crisis of a magnitude none

of us has ever seen before? It’s the stuff of nightmares, isn’t it? The kind of thing you’d expect to read in a comic or see in a disaster movie, not real life. A global pandemic engulfs the whole planet; millions of people are affected; many lives are sadly lost; business is affected across the

globe, and restrictions on our dayto-day activities – freedoms we’ve always enjoyed and most of us have always taken for granted – have to be implemented to keep everyone as safe as possible. Every aspect of life as we know it comes to a complete shuddering halt, with no-one having any idea of how or when things will return completely to normal.

It still all seems scarcely believable, but it’s the reality of what all of us have lived through during recent months. The coronavirus has had a huge impact on every aspect of everyone’s life and continues to do so, and that certainly remains the case for the entire boarding community across the world. But, has a global pandemic given us – quite by accident – the platform to showcase many of the things that make boarding great?

Is there a case to suggest that living within the boarding community is one of the best, even safest, places to be in a situation like this? And has it hastened in positive changes for the world of boarding? Changes we thought may come at some point but have now had to happen sooner, quickly becoming integral components in the new way of doing things.

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PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

Agile and flexible, responding quickly Having lived with the coronavirus pandemic now for the best part of a year, there’s plenty of evidence which we’ve seen during that time to lend considerable weight to those arguments. When the seriousness of the situation became clear, boarding schools had to change the way they did things completely, almost overnight. Exactly like our member schools, here at BSA we too had to be agile and flexible. We’ve had to respond quickly to the challenges this situation has presented, ensuring we can offer the support and guidance our members would need.

day school life and learning. Before re-opening for the new school year in September, boarding schools needed to prove that they were as safe as they could possibly be to reassure parents it was safe for children to return.

To help them prepare, we developed the BSA COVID-Safe Charter, which schools could voluntarily adopt.

The charter was warmly received by the entire boarding community. It allowed schools to demonstrate they had done everything in their power to keep students as safe as possible, while parents and students could also be safe in the knowledge that every effort had been made to minimise the chances of a virus outbreak.

As a result, all of our training, events and continued professional development courses were quickly taken online and will continue to be delivered virtually for the foreseeable future. Alongside the traditional training opportunities we offer, we also expanded the programme to deliver many seminars to schools to help them in adjusting their teaching and learning styles to the online world.

The charter covers things like cleaning protocols; what procedures are in place for testing students for coronavirus; ensuring guidance surrounding any students travelling into the what measures will be implemented for isolating pupils if there is a positive test, and whether students can wear face masks or coverings in class if they want to. As a result, all of the strict guidelines covered in the charter, which schools have implemented to limit the risk to pupils and staff, have arguably made the boarding environment one of the safest places to be during the Covid19 crisis.

Ensuring that training and learning could continue online meant no faceto-face interaction would be necessary.

Alongside meeting guidelines on any interaction, considerable time has been saved for both BSA Group colleagues and delegates who would be travelling to and from events, as well as reducing the environmental impact these journeys would normally create.

And it’s been the same for schools. The virtual open day has rapidly become the ‘new normal’, with online open events being specially tailored to replicate as closely as possible the physical experience parents and pupils would have if they were there in person, but without the face-to-face interaction and need to travel to schools.

BSA COVID-Safe Charter Quite rightly, schools, parents and boarding pupils were all concerned about the impact the coronavirus pandemic would have on day-to-

Physical health and mental wellbeing One of the major concerns about the pandemic and being isolated from family and friends during the lockdown periods we’ve been through has been the potential adverse effects it will have on the population’s mental health. Alongside physical health, schools have had to ensure they continue to prioritise student mental wellbeing too, and it could be argued that being in a boarding environment makes that easier and is more beneficial to students. Being within their own support bubbles, students aren’t separated from their friends and can help support each other.

Sporting activities are an integral part of boarding school life and crucial

to maintaining good physical fitness and mental health. Thankfully, with boarding students remaining in their own bubbles, these activities have been able to continue safely within schools. By keeping many of these activities in-house and within a biosecure environment, travel for any away fixtures is no longer needed, reducing any risk travelling between schools would create.

Solo musicians can continue to practise alone, but players who are part of an ensemble and need to continue playing with other musicians for their studies and development, have been able to do so within their bubbles. While traditional performances in front of face-to-face audiences and travelling to concerts aren’t possible at present, some have been able to give concerts or recitals virtually, ensuring that the music doesn’t need to stop.

Showing us at our best While making any sort of prediction on when our lives might return to some semblance of normality remains impossible, one thing is certain: our response as a sector and as a whole global boarding community has shown the best of us and will continue to do so, whatever the coming days and months may hold.

With reports emerging in recent days of the development of more than one vaccine that may be effective in the fight against coronavirus, I’m sure everyone hopes like I do that this encouraging news does become a reality sooner rather than later. If nothing else, it does at least offer us all a glimmer of hope.

A full copy of the BSA COVIDSafe Charter can be viewed at www.boarding.org.uk/467/ safeguarding/-covid-19

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In praise of Common Entrance Will Orr-Ewing attended Summer Fields, Harrow and Oxford before becoming a history teacher at a Fulham Prep School.

He set up Keystone Tutors in 2007, which is now one of the UK’s leading tutoring organisations with offices in Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

‘Ah, yes, the formidable CE.’ I was sitting opposite a family in a hotel conference room in Kuala Lumpur. They had never been to the UK before, needed help locating London on a map, and their English was hesitant. Yet when it came to Common Entrance (CE) they spoke confidently and with a certain breathless reverence.

It might follow that an exam of CE’s international stature and age (est.

1904) would be cherished in its own country. But in a sector that thrives on disagreement, about this exam most educationalists are agreed: it has had its day. Undermined on one side by most independent schools’ decision to select pupils via computerised examination at 11 rather than by the CE at 13, and assailed on the other by challenger qualifications that appeal more to the zeitgeist, such as the Prep School Baccalaureate (PSB) or the IB’s junior exams, its demise looks inevitable. In the same way that Singapore still sets the O Level (still partly written by Cambridge University) perhaps some far-flung former British colony might still set the exam in a strange act of imperial nostalgia but as the focal point of a prep school education, it would be no more.

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But can it yet be saved? I believe it can, and that it should.

Firstly, why does it deserve saving?

Like anything that has lasted more than a hundred years, its antiquity should give it some defence, especially in a sector that uses heritage so much to its advantage. But I believe it can defend itself on its own terms and want to argue that this is principally in the way it enshrines knowledge.

The 11 subjects covered by CE each comprise a scheme of core knowledge that has been developed over many decades. This is its hidden strength.

The centrality of factual knowledge in the CE is, in the eyes of its critics, one of its central flaws. A ‘knowledge-rich’ curriculum has many fashionable enemies within the independent sector. Dr Seldon may have left the sector but he remains the most prominent and influential of these critics. His support for the Prep School Baccalaureate over CE is typical of the criticism: ‘its approach is much more in tune with modern thinking about how children learn and is less concerned with solitary rote learning.’ The PSB takes a similar tack, ‘what is important for 10-13-year-olds is developing a passion for learning – not the need to acquire enough facts to pass a test – not to be able to write a “set” essay,

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not to parrot 20 capitals of the world.’

The PSB explicitly favours skills over knowledge: it is ‘an assessment model that has at its heart the development of the values, skills, attitudes and behaviours required for children to succeed and flourish in an everchanging world.’

Anyone who has spent much time in education will be all too familiar with this line of argument, popularised by the likes of Sir Ken Robinson, as they will be by the related claim that learning knowledge is less important now that children have access to the internet. Fewer in the independent sector, in my experience, are as familiar with the almost unanimous rejection of these arguments by most of the world’s leading educationalists.

The writing of E. D. Hirsch, Daisy Christodoulou, Daniel Willingham and many others has shown that a wide and deep knowledge – such as is enshrined by the CE syllabi – is a prerequisite for the development of the sort of ‘values, skills, attitudes and behaviours’ wished for by the PSB (and, of course, by us all.) These writers have also shown that most skills such as creativity, collaboration and so on are ‘domain-specific’ (i.e. to be creative in painting does not make one creative in engineering, etc) and are, therefore, powerless

if not supported by a well-fortified knowledge base in many separate domains. They have also convincingly shown why children can’t ‘just Google it’, showing what children’s research skills are like without a solid base of knowledge: they don’t know what they don’t know. Learning knowledge is not therefore arbitrary – any knowledge will do, anything to service the more important teaching of skills – but absolutely primal.

In my experience, most teachers in the independent sector know this to be true. What they don’t like about CE is the reduction of the richness of knowledge to, in their view, the cramming and then spewing out of regurgitated facts. If they are not careful, though, this majority of teachers will lose CE to a much more vacuous structure for Years 7 and 8 promulgated by a more vocal minority.

Having made the case that its basis in knowledge makes it worthy of saving, what else might its defenders do to save it from extinction?

1. On the basis of the arguments summarised above, make the case for it publicly and proudly as the tried-and-tested knowledge-rich curriculum, an approach backed up not only by a century of hardwon experience but by the latest cognitive science too.

2. Now that most school admissions decisions are made in Year 6 or 7, acknowledge that CE is now more useful as a set of rigorous syllabuses than it is as an entrance exam. The ISEB has already moved in this direction, and they should stress this new emphasis as a real virtue.

Responding to one of the main criticisms of CE as putting unnecessary pressure onto exam candidates, the CE can now reposition itself as a ‘lowstakes’ rather than ‘high-stakes’ assessment.

3. Charged with this new identity, it should also move to make the exams as resistant to cramming

as possible. ISEB has just released new specifications that seem to have done precisely this, ‘opportunities for rote-learning of material have been minimised.’

To take this further, prep school teachers and tutors could be invited to let the ISEB in on how they have crammed students for it in the past and such insights (e.g. forcing every child to memorise an essay on the Battle of Hastings) could then be used to adapt question-setting and mark schemes accordingly. Past papers could be removed from Galore Park and replaced by just one specimen paper in each subject.

4. To reduce the time teachers spend marking CE (another bugbear), the ISEB could experiment with using No More Marking in English, history, TPR and some maths questions.

5. Prep schools could then be encouraged to use teaching time saved from oodles of past paper practise for the independent and interdisciplinary study that many secondary schools have called for and which is due to come into the CE after its next consultation. CE can then make this a selling point in pushing back against rival exams.

6. CE could additionally be used as another means of building partnerships with the state sector, starting with the many prestigious Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) that have a knowledge-rich approach such as the Inspiration Trust, ARK, West London Free School, Michaela Community School and many more. ISEB could consult with such schools about how CE can be successfully implemented in a state school setting. The exam could be used to forge links, e.g. with sharing of resources, pedagogical approaches, student successes via nationwide essay prizes and so on. In this way, the independent sector

can use its curriculum to show the way nationally by offering a gold standard and then helping interested schools participate in it.

7. Relatedly, after the muchpublicised flaws of the leading national examination boards, the ISEB also has a role to play as an exemplar for the development of national examination boards – in the sense that it is a charity, run not for commercial gain and informed by leading professionals in the sector.

8. Lastly, to meet the appetite many parents have for an education that delivers skills as well as knowledge, the ISEB could work to publish an attractive ‘skills articulacy profile’ at the end of Y8 to showcase skills acquired. By doing so at the end of the programme, skills can be acknowledged without being made the master.

Moves to challenge CE risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater, allowing the vital years of Years 7 and 8 to be captured by those who favour a conception of education inimical to what prep schools have always done so well – providing pupils with a solid grounding in subject knowledge that often stays with them for the rest of their lives. Britain’s oldest school exam deserves renewed efforts to help it gradually reform to make sure it remains fit for our times, and then it deserves defending to the last.

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Smiling: happiness right under your nose?

Ben Evans, Headmaster at Windlesham House Prep School in West Sussex As we continue to move forward into 2021, has there ever been a more important time to smile? This last year has tested schools, staff and children to the limit, there have been many challenges and obstacles to overcome and finding reasons to genuinely smile daily may have been more difficult for some. Yet in truth, a smile is the transformational curve that can set things straight.

That old adage ‘never smile before Christmas’ given as sage advice to newly qualified teachers starting their careers in September has never been more anachronistic. It might be a simple action, but a smile can be one of the most naturally effective stress relievers and mood elevators.

In fact, smiling during its use can be transformational, especially in a busy school setting because it creates an instant connection with others.

It’s a sign of warmth, kindness and generosity of spirit. A smile can make someone feel welcome when they are in unfamiliar territory or convey friendship in a way that that is universally understood.

Superpowers Smiling has superpowers too because, in its most basic and instinctive form, it even overcomes gender, ethnicity, religion, wealth and position. In a

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diverse school environment where some children can feel anxious, under pressure or out of place, regardless of age, a smile is an instant sign of reassurance and can quickly put young people at ease. Smiling at children will help them to develop greater confidence and higher selfesteem (something that is crucial to happiness, social development and academic progress). A smile also acts as a form of encouragement, helping children to feel safe, comfortable and understood within their school community.

There have been many studies debating the science behind smiling and whether it matters if a smile is mimicked or genuine. Can we still obtain the same benefits if our smile is weaker or not as obvious for example? For many people, a genuine smile is never far away and can often be spotted initially as a bright twinkle in the eyes before the whole face lights up. A genuine smile is there to greet people, as a sign of recognition and as a reaction to something amusing or light-hearted. In response, adults and children will return the smile, instantly forming a connection and bond. In fact, it is often difficult not to smile back even if one is trying one’s hardest.

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Faking it Of course, the ability to smile genuinely will also be affected by the environment, atmosphere or type of situation. Schools must strive, at all times, to promote a warm and friendly environment where smiling is easy and the norm. We must also learn to appreciate that some people smile differently. Some people just have a different ‘happy’ resting face and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are giving a fake smile.

Some people smile internally but without their faces reflecting their inner feelings. This can be difficult to interpret and is sometimes viewed negatively. However, this shouldn’t put people off of digging a little deeper and more often than not, this will result in a friendly and cheerful exchange. Not everyone’s faces are as instantly expressive as others.

In contrast, a fake or insincere smile, however well-intentioned, can be easily spotted. There are some key things to look for: does the smile reach the eyes or are they left blank and expressionless? During the pandemic and the necessary wearing of face coverings, it can sometimes be harder to spot the non-verbal clues and also see whether or not people are physically smiling. The eyes are

usually the clue together with other signs of positive body language.

Again, we mustn’t instantly judge a fake smile as being negative or unkind, there may well be a perfectly valid reason as to why a person cannot smile genuinely at any given point.

Modelling positivity The truth is, smiling effects you and everyone around you and there is definitely an ‘untapped’ power that is worth exploring further in school.

Smiling releases endorphins, which helps people to feel happier and it also positively impacts your health, productivity and ability to open up conversations with others. On that basis, schools must promote more smiling amongst staff and pupils, but

this has to come from the top down.

As adults, in the transition from childhood to adulthood, we often forget to smile as much as we used to, so we may have to retrain ourselves to smile more.

Staff and teachers must model smiling in that same way that they would for other positive behaviours such as politeness, kindness and resilience as well as effective learning attributes. Although we shouldn’t forget that smiling (and the way we smile) is a very personal thing, and forcing it consistently, at times, may seem ‘over the top’. But for the child on the receiving end of that smile, the impact of this simple act could well last a day for them. When you view

a person smiling, you can sometimes feel like you are being rewarded and this is certainly the case for children at school. From a positive perspective, regularly smiling means that we are making a difference to those around us and encouraging others to return the smile.

Making smiling a conscious part of day-to-day life at school will bring benefits. Before long, smiling can become instrumental in creating a school-wide culture of kindness and care, one that is self-perpetuating and nurtures a friendly and child-centred learning environment that everyone can enjoy.

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Why should your pupils visit a place of worship?

Alec Synge, Head of Birchfield and Hazelwood and erstwhile General Secretary of SATIPS, explores the reasons why your pupils should visit a place of worship It is a truism to say that all RE teaching occurs within a set of defining frameworks. These include the National Curriculum, DfE guidance, Ofsted and ISI criteria, the ISEB exam specification and wholeschool requirements such as SMSC and PSHE. I hope to show that visiting a place of worship will touch on many of these so that what can seem limiting are wide-open opportunities.

Here I discuss four main RE inputs*: the ISEB TPR Specification and syllabus; DfE Attainment Targets for religious education; ISI criteria for the evaluation of the quality of outcomes for pupils and Ofsted’s criteria for the evaluation of SMSC, within the personal development judgement.

Before turning to these four in turn, I urge that any visit to a place of worship is structured as an enquiry during which knowledge, understanding and evaluation are required. The groundwork will be done in the classroom before the visit so that pupils can make critical judgements rather than merely expressing opinions. As well as a working knowledge of the religious background, pupils will also gain enormously by meeting, listening to and asking questions of a member of the faith community associated with the place of worship.

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Of course, awkward moments may arise; for example, a feisty Year 8 girl gave an opinion to the mosque guide that females should have the same right as males on where to sit. These moments will be fine if as teachers we have established in advance that any kind of questioning is acceptable and it will make for a fruitful spirit of enquiry.

The TPR specification There are seven aims listed in the specification and I argue that they all would be developed during a visit to a place of worship. Aim (ii) seeks to develop ‘… skills to reason, argue and evaluate claims made by religious … systems.’ Aim (iii) is to ‘acquire knowledge and develop understanding of … religions’ and (iv) sets out to ‘consider the influence of beliefs, values and traditions…’ of religions.

Clearly, in a place of worship, all these can be touched on directly and in an experiential manner. Aims (v) to (vii) touch on ‘responses to moral issues’, ‘questions about the meaning and purpose of life’ and ‘skills relevant to the study of TPR’. A place of worship will enrich pupils’ responses in all these areas.

When considering ‘questions about the meaning and purpose of life’, which comes in the Spiritual domain of SMSC,

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it is often a good idea to try to get the pupils to reflect on their impressions of the place of worship. This may not always be easy for them but a period of quiet when first entering a place of worship, undertaking the task of considering what the place is like to them, offers a powerful moment of calm and reflection.

Space prohibits looking in detail here at the TPR exam Attainment Targets but all three can be used to focus questions or tasks associated with a visit. AO1 seeks selection and organisation of the material as well as the deployment of subject knowledge.

AO2 looks for the explanation of religious ideas and practices, and their relevance, while AO3 aims to develop evaluation of different responses to religious issues, including a personal response. Because these skills and aptitudes are required throughout the visit, they have an ideal opportunity for development. Assessment is made by observation during the visit and through written, dramatic or graphical work back in the classroom.

‘Attainment Targets’ for religious education (National Curriculum) Clearly, AT1, ‘Learning about religion and belief’, will be developed by visiting a place of worship with both

its areas for enquiry, Practices and ways of life, and Expressing meaning, being central. This will be especially true if you are able to visit during a period of prayer or you can negotiate a special ceremony for your pupils.

Expressing meaning can be seen in many aspects of a place of worship including, but not exclusively, during worship. Artworks, individual gestures and religious artefacts are just some of the aspects to be investigated. For example, the artwork on a wall of the courtyard at the Regent’s Park mosque shows a world view that is not always associated with Islam. So, by looking out for such artwork or other artefacts it should be possible for pupils to establish a deeper understanding of the concerns of the faith community, hopefully also reducing reliance on stereotypes.

Turning to AT2, ‘Learning from religion and belief’, it is clear that the building itself and any members of the faith community will be able to show identity and diversity as well as values and commitments. A favourite way of showing pupils the latter is taking them to the langaar of a gurdwara. When we return to school we debate: is the food itself the key point, or is it the hospitable generosity of the Sikh hosts running the langaar?

This in turn usually raises how the food being given out might be seen as a ritual and then, further, can be compared with Christian communion or Hindu Prashad.

Recently, some local RE syllabuses have included a third AT on evaluation. This occurs more often among Roman Catholic schools but I would encourage any colleague undertaking a visit to generate ways of building in some evaluative work from pupils, even if the National ATs do not specifically include this.

ISI Inspection framework, published September 2019 Section C of the ISI framework is entitled ‘Inspection of Educational Quality’. In the three main sections

of this – pupil achievement, personal development, strengths and points for development – there are 29 bullet points. I judge that 14 of them are directly relevant to visits to places of worship, but for brevity, I will look at four. (i) For achievement, a visit necessarily needs pupils to ‘develop their study skills’ and in their learning, ‘demonstrate initiative and independence … (as well as) … their competence in working collaboratively’. Also, underachievement, pupils should develop ‘… skills across the areas of learning (linguistic, mathematical, scientific-technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic/ creative)’. If we accept that a visit is an enquiry, then these ‘areas’ are all plentifully available during a visit.

It is usually helpful to include as many curricular areas as possible. I have harnessed the skills of science, art and drama colleagues over the years to good effect for pupils. (ii) Under personal development, there are eight bullets of which seven would be central during a visit. No. 3 evaluates the development of ‘spiritual understanding’, no. 6 looks at ‘responsibilities in… the local community and wider society’ and no. 7 evaluates pupils’ ‘respect for their own and other cultures’. (iii) Inspectors will look for strengths in relation to the curriculum, extracurricular activities and ‘opportunities for pupils to develop independence, responsibility and leadership.’

Ofsted inspection handbook (Nov 2019) paragraphs 219-223, pp. 59-61 This section for the Ofsted inspection framework states: ‘Inspectors will evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education’.

Of course, SMSC is a central strand for inspection and Ofsted provides 17 bullet points altogether, of which 14 are directly addressed by a visit to a place of worship.

areas. (i) All five of the Spiritual criteria are directly relevant, including ‘ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life’ and ‘sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them’. (ii) For Moral development, pupils will have extra opportunities during a visit to show ‘interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues’ when the faith community shows its values (e.g. the langaar, community notice boards or if a guide to the place of worship is available). (iii) All the Social criteria are relevant including the promotion of ‘mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.’ (iv) Cultural development has six strands, of which five are key, including ‘understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain’. School and further afield can become a personal issue. I recall having a practising Muslim boy in a class at the Regent’s Park mosque who participated in wudu and the Salat al-zuhr (mid-day prayers) with the other male worshippers. This made a good impression on the mosque authorities and certainly on the other pupils.

I hope that by looking at four main curricular or inspection frameworks and using examples from each to show how they can directly be addressed, informed and enriched by a visit to a place of worship, I have been able to encourage you to plan a visit with the confidence that it will develop many central and vital aspects of your pupils’ educational and personal development. It should also help your school’s next inspection.

Again I have space only for four examples, one from each of the four

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The ‘timeless’ benefits of lacrosse Lizzie Wright, Director of Lacrosse at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, outlines the benefits lacrosse has had on her students Lacrosse (originally known as stickball) has a long history dating back to the 1600s. Founded by the Native Americans, the game was initially played in the St Lawrence Valley region (by the Algonquian tribe) and was renamed as it is known today, in 1636 by the Huron people.

In schools across the country, lacrosse continues to evolve as a popular, all‐ inclusive team sport. It is a fast‐paced game of sprinting and endurance, in which players can cover any area of the pitch throughout the game.

This creates an ‘even playing field’ for all, meaning all players have the opportunity to attack and defend giving them a chance to be in the ‘spotlight’ during a game, building on their self‐esteem and confidence.

Sports like lacrosse are all about feeling valued and having belief in your ability to succeed. Not everyone will score during the game, but everyone plays a vital role in helping the team achieve success. Everyone’s contribution is celebrated making the game energetic and exciting. Lacrosse is a sport where a team can come together to score lots of goals and it, therefore, becomes an open playing field for all. The competitive spirit embraced by the players also gives them a sense of pride in being part of that team.

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Building resilience During these high‐energy matches, children will find they are constantly running around on a pitch that is 110 yards long and 60 yards wide. There can be a lot of ground to cover in a game that is an hour-long, mixed with players picking up ground balls, shooting and cradling. The game requires a high level of physical activity that is great for building quad and hamstring strength from an early age, not to mention upper body and core strength.

The element of competition is also important for children to develop because it fosters determination and resilience. Lacrosse teaches children to set personal goals and to build character on and off the pitch. In the game of lacrosse, mistakes will happen, but students learn to react and overcome these. Building mental strength challenges students to improve every day. The true impact of lacrosse teaches students to learn and grow while enjoying a sport.

Lacrosse isn’t just about the physicality of the game though, there is a wellbeing aspect too. Laughter is the best medicine and though students train hard, maintain focus and remain competitive, it doesn’t mean they don’t capture the enjoyable moments when playing; students embrace these moments which keeps the game fun. The sport is very much

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a mind and body game. Playing any sport allows students to build on important life skills and playing lacrosse enables just that.

An uplifting game of communication Effective communication and listening between team players is required in a match of lacrosse.

During a match, players are constantly speaking to each other and there is a real sense of team spirit and camaraderie between players in a game. This confidence when communicating let’s everyone feel valued, and as important as the next. This builds the foundation of trust between players and as a result, students become fearless on a team. Players are assured their voice and opinion matters. The sport has become even more popular during this last year with the pandemic because since it enhances and boosts mood, players want to continue to play. The fact that every student becomes the star of the match is uplifting and an exciting feeling.

Lacrosse has changed immensely over the last decade alone. Rules are constantly being re‐evaluated and adapted, to continue to grow the sport all over the world. Players used to use a wooden stick, but this is now plastic and years ago players were taught to use one hand while playing, which could be tricky to master.

The sport has grown tremendously and today you are encouraged to use both hands. In fact, in the last three years in England, there have been four major rule changes to keep the game exciting, upbeat and fast-paced.

Players can self-start, move freely, run through the crease and specialise at the draw which starts the game.

changes, lacrosse is exhilarating to play and now requires the use of tactical plays, like in basketball to be successful when playing, such as using hidden flips, backwards picks and x‐cuts.

Some of these rule changes have made the game exciting for spectators to watch, connecting players and parents. Other rules have advanced the game, challenging players to develop their skills to a higher level.

For instance, lacrosse used to be played with no boundaries, but now there are fixed boundaries to consider.

Players have developed stronger stick work because of this rule change and can be more creative and enjoy a different side to the sport.

Schools are particularly keen to grow the sport and to ensure younger students use the game as an outlet to have fun as well as to enhance their overall mental and physical performance and this has been especially important during the last year. Many people don’t realise that lacrosse uses body contact like football and that this has been allowed to some degree, to continue during the pandemic, which has helped students to feel closer and to create a real sense of togetherness, during a time when many are apart.

This is hugely important for boosting wellbeing and social interaction.

An outlet for fun Allowing free movement has also required players to develop higher stamina and speed. Before this, you used to have to stop moving when the whistle is blown, but current rules keep the game fluid and students can think outside of the box. In some ways the game is more robust or forceful than it once was, similar to rugby, you are highly encouraged to throw your ‘entire body’ into the game. With all of these

The skills developed through lacrosse will also translate academically for children too. It’s true that the most successful academic outcomes are always backed up by happy, passionate environments where children feel encouraged and supported to work hard and to be their best selves. The spirit of achieving in sports and in other lessons really helps to increase motivation and general performance in school.

Nurturing leadership styles In a world where teamwork and a sense of community is ever more important, lacrosse helps people to come together to achieve success, which in later life helps to develop players as motivational leaders and effective communicators. Lacrosse helps to identify different types of leaders on the pitch from a young age; from social leaders to those who are more competitive, those who are more culture‐driven, those who lead by example and also those on the side‐lines who are supporting the team players. No matter what the leadership style, the goal during lacrosse is really all about having a positive and productive impact on your team as a whole; something that certainly resonates with adults in later life.

Over the last few years, it is amazing to witness the growth of the sport.

Members of schools and clubs are excited to play and learn to love an ever-growing game. Lacrosse shapes and prepares students for the future while providing them with important life lessons. Students play to enjoy life and to laugh with teammates along the way. Lacrosse empowers students with confidence, team spirit and selfesteem; skills we strive for our future generations to have and love.

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Enhancing the quality of education Dr Neil Hawkes, well known as an inspirational speaker, educator, broadcaster, author and social commentator, explores how becoming a values-based school can enhance the quality of education Last February, just before the Covid19 lockdown, my wife Jane and I were in New Zealand. Besides other professional and personal activities, I had the pleasure of revisiting Snells Beach Primary School. I had visited it 11 years previously to talk with staff about how to become a valuesbased school. On this visit we were uncertain about whether the school would still be values-based. We were met by the current principal, who we remembered was the deputy on our last visit.

I hope you are curious and may be wondering, what the magic ingredients are that enthuse teachers like her to adopt values-based education? I would like to share with you what teachers have found are the special, transformational ingredients that create a values-based school.

The first, I discovered whilst observing Peter Long who was an outstanding teacher in Oxfordshire.

When I was on final teaching practice, I was lucky to have Peter as my mentor. I observed that the

As Kathryn showed us round the school, tears of joy came to my eyes when it became obvious that the school had enthusiastically continued its values journey to be an outstanding values-based school.

For instance, as we entered the reception classroom, we were greeted by the wide smile of the teacher who had been there 11 years ago.

She was holding up a Living Values book that I had recommended and beaming said, ‘You see we hadn’t forgotten you and all that you shared with us!’

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key to his remarkable teaching was not his mastery of subject matter, which was excellent, but his ability to form meaningful relationships with children. He showed them great respect and they, in turn, mirrored respect back to him. He was an advocate of giving pupils access to first-hand experiences; enjoying taking pupils for walks and observing the natural world. He gave children the gift of empathy and love for the environment. The children were shown how to take care of plants and animals. Through this process they learned to observe animal behaviour and their own.

Peter would engage them in a Socratic process of questioning, which caused the children to think deeply about what they saw and make links between phenomena – it was a holistic education where both the heart and mind were nurtured.

So, good interpersonal relationships are key in developing a values-based school atmosphere. The best schools I visit never have a hierarchy of relationships, only a hierarchy of roles.

The next ingredient of a values-based school is a community inspired set of

The process of implementing such an approach is challenging, as it requires each of us to hold a mirror up to our thoughts and actions. values, such as respect, trust, honesty, integrity, justice and compassion.

These positive values form a unique, transformational vocabulary that acts as the children’s moral compass, nurturing in them what I describe as ethical intelligence. Ethical intelligence is the ability to morally self-regulate behaviour, which is, in my opinion, the most needed intelligence if humanity is to flourish and our natural world sustained.

A perfect example of the embedding of a values vocabulary can be seen at The British International School of Cordoba, which has the quality mark as a values-based school – the first in Spain. The school’s philosophy is encapsulated in the phrase, ‘happy children learn best’.

These value words are thought about and experientially explored by those who use them (pupils and staff and parents) to empower them to live their lives based on a positive values narrative. The process of implementing such an approach is challenging, as it requires each of us to hold a mirror up to our thoughts and actions. The benefits are worth the effort: individuals feel transformed and empowered to be self-leaders.

Embedding such an active ethical compass has shown to positively affect pupils’ behaviour, their thinking and the quality of their schoolwork.

The third key ingredient for creating a values-based school is the determination of all teaching and support staff to be role models for the school’s chosen values. Consistency of

The school give the children a toolkit of values to enable them to know and understand themselves, to become reflective learners and to develop personal ethics. The Principal, Howard Thomas says, ‘The result of VbE has been the creation of a calm, friendly and purposeful learning environment.’

modelling across the school is vital.

Staff have to decide what modelling a word actually means in their daily work in the school. For instance, if the value respect is chosen then all staff need to agree that they will not shout pupils. Staff also use the language vocabulary of values when talking with children. They will be heard using phrases such as, ‘Well done, you were very respectful.’

The final key ingredient is to give regular time and space for pupils to be inwardly reflective about the values and work on them. Creating pause breaks during lessons, when pupils stop what they are doing, be still and inwardly reflect has profound effects both on learning and helping the pupil to be in control of their inner world of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

The result of introducing valuesbased education, where all aspects of school life are based on an agreed set of positive values is, in a word, transformational. All in the school benefit as academic diligence is improved as is relational trust. Not only are children well educated in the school’s curriculum, but they nurture every aspect of their humanity.

I hope I have inspired you in this short article to consciously underpin all aspects of your teaching and wider life with positive values.

For more information and examples of VbE in practice, please see www.valuesbasededucation.com.

Dr Neil Hawkes, founder of VbE, is the co-author (with Jane Hawkes) of The Inner Curriculum: How to nourish wellbeing, resilience and self-leadership.

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In search of time and space Dr Joe Spence, Master of Dulwich College, was Headmaster of Oakham School and Master in College (Housemaster to the King’s Scholars) at Eton College In James Joyce’s great short story The Dead, Gabriel Conroy, dilettante schoolmaster, bemoans the passing of a more spacious age. Those of us whose careers in teaching started before say 1997, to which time I date the death of the deferential parent, may well reflect that we entered the profession in a relatively spacious era. My teaching career began when I covered for a friend in the summer term of 1987, telling my first headmaster that I was to be at Eton ‘for one term only’ and had no interest in working in schools. He nodded sagely and wished me well of my doctoral research and life as an academic. Thankfully, he did not hold me to my statement. Within weeks at Eton, I had found my vocation. What was and is the appeal?

Independent schools make the most of their teachers’ talents and deploy them to the benefit of all of their pupils. That can be in terms of sports coaching or with support for pupils in the performing arts, debating, charitable work, adventurous activities or student journalism. The all-round-schoolmaster (a woman or a man) finds the greatest job satisfaction in being able to tease out every pupil’s aptitudes and enthusiasms and, indeed, can find new enthusiasms for herself or himself along the way. Arriving at Eton, I encountered a Provost, Lord Charteris, who could unabashedly

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proclaim, when asked about his role: ‘The Provost does nothing and the Vice Provost helps him’. In fact, what he offered Eton was a lifetime of experience as a courtier, and he ensured he had the space in which to think about the counsel he would offer to the fellows of the college and its headmaster. That he seemed to have all the time in the world helped everyone else keep everything in perspective.

The cult of being seen to be working hard can take hold in a school and has a deleterious effect on any common room. Blessed are those who sustain a work-life balance. One of my ablest heads of subject came to see me early in my first headship and told me that he needed my permission to come into school just on time and to go home when the school day ended.

He assured me that I would not find his work wanting and warned me not to listen to those who convince themselves of how hard they are working, but for whom efficiency is an undervalued virtue. The selfproclaimed teacher-martyrs often cost others as well as themselves dearly.

What I want for every colleague is that she or he finds a mentor. I also want every teacher I appoint to be someone who can be a mentor to pupils, not just a subject teacher or coach.

That Eton headmaster who ushered me into teaching, the late Sir Eric

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Anderson, was my mentor. I didn’t go back to him to ask for advice on particular issues, but certain things he said in passing lodged firmly with me and have proved to be true. The first was the advice to surround yourself with people who bring you answers rather than problems. The second was that as soon as anyone suggests that she or he wants to resign you should let her or him do so. And the third precept was to never worry about making a decision late. Time and time again, I have found the value of waiting, taking soundings and time rather than following the noise created by the loudest voices around the need for immediate decisions on matters that are important, but not urgent.

Eric Anderson also appointed me to one of the best jobs in teaching. It was as Master in College, the Housemaster of the King’s Scholars at Eton, that I first encountered the world of prep school boys. One of the joys of the work was to interview, annually, 100 prospective King’s Scholars from the country’s great prep schools. The interview I best enjoyed was with a bright but unaffected 13-year-old (now a successful theatre director) who told me that the reason Eton puts all its scholars into one house was to create ‘a library of minds’. Less successful but equally memorable was the interview that saw me enjoying the company of a sparkling 12-year-old (now a poet) who at the end of the first evening of four

days of exams and interviews reflected: ‘Put it this way, sir; if it was golf, I’d be on the leaderboard.’

The search for space in education – the finding of time, talent and resource to encourage pupils to look beyond the curriculum – is the defining feature of my educational philosophy. I arrived as Head at Oakham School very happy to inherit and promote Project 20:20, Tony Little’s innovative scheme to recognise and nurture leadership, teamwork and communication among students with an aptitude for enterprise and to encourage in those students the entrepreneurial gift of being able to think outside the box.

At Dulwich College, I was heartened when my deputy master academic picked up on my idea of ‘free learning’. I thought the phrase would disappear into the great wash of

forgotten sound bites about which teachers sneer. Instead, we oversaw its embedding into the story of what makes a Dulwich education in London and through our international partner schools. Free learning is the celebration of all the students undertake free of the constraints of the syllabus and it is freely engaged in by pupils and their teachers. Our liberal studies and A Level-plus modules, our symposia and free learning weeks, encourage pupils to enjoy learning for its own sake rather than for grades and certificates. As Michael in the Remove (Year 12) said of Dulwich Political week: ‘I really enjoyed hearing contrasting and passionate opinions on matters concerning our future as young adults.

That’s an education.’

In 2020 there has been much to celebrate in how quickly independent

schools have been able to adapt to virtual and hybrid learning. I hope that in 2021 we can play our part in overcoming the nation’s digital deficit. I hope too that another effect of the year of Covid-19 will be that the examined curriculum will become progressively less all-consuming and that we might be able to leave space to ensure that our courses cannot be spoon-fed.

If we can do this, we might recover something of that spaciousness for which Gabriel Conroy yearned: ‘We are living in a sceptical and, if I may use the phrase, a thought-tormented age: and sometimes I fear that this new generation, educated or hypereducated as it is, will lack those qualities of humanity, of hospitality, of kindly humour which belonged to an older day. [We are] living in a less spacious age.’

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Born To Be Awesome Sam Babooram is one of those people who has faced bullying and adversity at school, come through the horror of anxiety and eating disorders and has used all this as the foundation to inspire others. Her story is testimony to how life’s challenges, to put it mildly, can be the catalyst to change.

Her book is the perfect series of lesson plans for a termly programme of confidencebuilding for teachers and their pupils.

I commend it to you. – Paul Jackson Hey, my name’s Samantha and I’m from a small town up north called Darlington. I’m half Mauritian and half Scottish, or chocolate and milk as I like to call it! I had the best childhood anyone could wish for, except when it came to school. I absolutely hated it.

Being one of the only three non-white kids in my entire school, I was very aware I was different. I was known as the fat, ugly geek and was painfully shy with hardly any friends. I had some extremely strict, overbearing, perfectionist-type teachers too who taught me it was weak and wrong to express emotions. That I had to achieve perfection all the time. I suffered abdominal migraines at the age of seven from the stress and anxiety of being in school. It really negatively affected me, and by the time I was 13 all of these factors manifested in me developing anorexia.

The entirety of my school and college life was awful and I was constantly

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told I wasn’t good enough, strong enough or thin/pretty enough to get the things I dreamed of. No surprises, that didn’t help my cloud of self-hate.

I struggled with it my entire teenage life through to young adulthood.

I did ridiculous things to my body and mistreated it so badly, purely because I hated myself so much. I despised everything about myself and felt so unworthy and undeserving of anything good, kind or any love and acceptance. My reflection made me want to vomit, and self-hate completely encompassed my life.

When I was 19, one of my friends was tragically killed in a car accident, and it really made me re-evaluate my life, how I was wasting it by living in this fog of self-hate and anorexia. I decided to see a counsellor and that opened up my eyes as to how if I wanted to get better and live life, it was up to me to see myself differently.

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At 20 I moved down to London to follow my dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter and I remember experiencing an epiphany on New Years’ Eve 2006 that if I actually wanted to pursue my dreams, I had to get better. I knew my dreams were way bigger and way more important than being a size 6, and that I had to draw a line over my anorexia once and for all. I woke up on January the 1st 2007 ready to fight it and I started the slow, hard and lonely journey to recovery. That was the only good thing to happen that year as, in the eight months that followed, I lost three members of my family, including my father. His death was very sudden and I felt my entire world fell apart. I was overcome with pain and felt so lost, broken, lonely and hopeless. I thought to myself that I never, ever wanted anyone to feel the way that I felt and that I would dedicate my life to helping prevent anyone from feeling that way.

Over the years, this became my ‘why’.

It became the reason I developed a heart for the broken and vulnerable, the reason I created opportunities to speak of love, life and kindness over anyone I encountered. It was why I volunteered with charities working with people recovering from eating disorders, survivors of domestic abuse, sex trafficking and war crimes, both here and overseas.

It was why I wrote the songs I wrote, got up at 5am every Sunday to serve at my local church, why I started to work in education, write this book, everything. I never wanted anyone to feel that pain, or that self hate that I’d felt, but I wanted them to feel and experience the beautiful lifechanging freedom that I had found in learning to accept and love myself, and deciding what I would let define me. To this date, I’ve been free from anorexia for 13 years. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been worth it.

paper sea of self-hate from six year olds, thinking that I couldn’t believe how such young children thought these things about themselves. There was no way I was going to let these kids, or any kid, grow up thinking like this. Not on my watch! So that’s how Born To Be Awesome came about.

I wanted to create something that would help children realise their value, boost their self-esteem and confidence, help them celebrate others and not compare. Something that gave them the skills to express their emotions healthily, to think positively and reduce worry and stress, to persevere, live boldly, dream big, and be kind. I wanted to teach them all the things I wish I had learnt when I was younger, all the things I know all the incredible survivors I had worked with over the years wish they had been taught too. I wanted to set kids up to win. For them to know that

whatever people or the world may say about them, they were born to be awesome and do awesome things.

I hope that it contributes to a self-worth, wellness and kindness revolution. That it creates a generation that loves and accepts themselves and live and walk boldly in that freedom, to all that they have been called to do and dream of doing. To create a generation that cares for others, that believes in themselves, a generation that doesn’t give up and a generation free from worry and anxiety. I’m also hoping that the adults get in on it too. That’s why each chapter of my book has messages and challenges to them, it’s hard to teach self-worth and self-care if you don’t understand it yourself right? So I hope that by the end of the book, not only are the children inspired, more happy and confident but so are the adults!

I wrote Born To Be Awesone whilst working in a primary school. I was surrounded by these incredible kids, but I could they had increasing such low “In a world where see children are under pressure to fit a prescribed self-esteem, wereconsiders overcome with mould of what society to be ‘perfect’ , Born to be Awesome is a veritable of sunshinefeeling that teaches childrenthey not only is it OK worry andrayanxiety, things yourself, but it is in fact awesome…” didn’t knowto be how to express, and they Corinne Ginty - teacher weren’t often encouraged to see past their – they didn’t knowand mental Have surroundings you ever been concerned about the self-esteem emotional wellbeing of the children you work with? Ever wanted to do how to dream. something about it but not been quite sure how?

Then Born to be Awesome is for you.

One term the school covered a topic Drawing from years of experience working in education and worldwide on identity, and I told teacher I has put together youth restorative projects, author the Samantha Babooram this incredible collection of 8 super fun, easy, interactive, engaging had some ideas I could use to help. and flexible lesson plans. Each one is jam packed with inspiring and confidence discussions, assembly ideas and She toldbuilding me togames, go for it, so I activities, did, and resources, all designed to gently teach children (and maybe even yourself) I remember in of one of the sessions how awesome, valuable and one of a kind we all are.

IExplaining was discussing/looking at celebrate the labels how to let go of comparison, differences, handle worry and emotions, embrace mistakes and persevere, dream big and live people had put on us.

I asked the kids boldly, this isn’t just a book, it’s an invitation to shape the future. So come and be awere part ofsix this self-worth, wellness andtime) kindness (who years Resources old at the torevolution, you know you want to! write down the negative things that people had said to them (so we could rip them up and throw them away later), and I saw one of the little boys.

His list had the words: ugly, stupid, boring, weird, no one likes me. I asked him who had said those things to him, and he told me that that was what he said to himself. The rest of the class then went out to play and left their papers on the floor. I remember walking around, surrounded by a

Resources

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Where do we go next?

Paul Baker, SATIPS Council Member, reflects on a life of school mastering, teaching geography and leading the young to magical places My parents were very important, I realise now, in giving me both independence and also the opportunity from a young age to see different environments, to travel and to become a geographer and explorer (in the widest interpretation of this word). As a child growing up in Ludlow from 1948 to 1952, my mother, in her diaries, referred to me as inquisitive, an explorer of the garden and interested in animals.

Maybe the roots of being a geography master? My father was a teacher of English at Ludlow Grammar School but after five years teaching following the war, he went back into the army to serve the Royal Army Education Corps for the rest of his career. Was this the spark that led me later into teaching, travelling and exploring?

Travelling on my own, from the age of 12, on planes and trains to go home from boarding school to Singapore and Germany certainly gave me the confidence to be independent and there is no doubt that as I went on to O Levels, A Levels and a university geography degree, it became my life.

It was probably no surprise that I became a geography teacher in 1970.

At university, we visited Wales, Yorkshire, Dorset, France and Spain to carry out fieldwork. Another reason for my desire to be a teacher.

My first teaching job was in Rugby at a small all-boys prep which no longer

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exists. Blackboards, chalk and a few textbooks were how I began in the classroom but coaching rugby, cricket and hockey were far more important.

However, I was able to do some fieldwork with the boys in North Wales, an area I knew well from my school days at Ellesmere College.

Some experience of teaching secondary geography followed and then from Rugby I went on to teach Geography at the Oratory School, Reading for three years and then was appointed to the school of St Mary and St Ann, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, taking over from a head of geography who was way behind the times, I had to transform and bring up to date the A Level and GCSE teaching very quickly and I think I have never in my career worked to such a short time limit as I did then. Geography fieldwork saw me taking groups of students to the Dorset coast, Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, North Wales, the Isle of Arran and Morocco. The Morocco expeditions were the start of a very friendship with Mike McHugo MBE, the founder of the charity ‘Education For All’. Morocco has been a destination that has seen me return many times, most recently in 2019 with a group of geography teachers from European schools.

In the mid-1980s, I became residential housemaster and head of geography at Northaw School

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near Salisbury, Wiltshire. This was my first introduction to SATIPS, an organisation which ran great courses for teachers in all subjects. As the geographer who led courses for them, I met a vast number of other teachers and enjoyed running the Easter residential geography course at the University of Nottingham. There were, to follow, many SATIPS and IAPS geography courses and I fondly remember those we held at Lancaster and Loughborough universities in the 1990s. Teachers had both the time and desire to attend courses during the Easter break.

House mastering in Wiltshire was a new experience that allowed me to be involved both with the pastoral wellbeing of the boys and girls and to organise both weekend excursions for the boarders as well as fieldwork for the geographers. I was still travelling and helping on various private trips to Morocco in the holidays, but when Mike McHugo contacted me to say he had bought the Eagle’s Nest in the Cevennes, France, we began our annual fieldwork trip in 1987 to this outstanding area of France, with its vast array of wonderful geographical opportunities. This carried on from 1987 to 2008. 22 summers with 12 to 14 days in the Cevennes using one minibus with eight pupils on the very first trip to a coach full over the next few years and then two and three

coaches when I moved to the Dragon School in 1992. Thankfully I always had plenty of volunteers from my teaching colleagues to give up two weeks of their summer holidays. I also had help from young adults who had been on the trip as pupils and now came back to help run these most successful excursions. Geography fieldwork combined with the fun of learning was a recipe that worked for 21 years from 1987 to 2008.

In 1992 I was appointed as head of geography at the Dragon School combining this with being director of activities from 2000. This turned out to be my last teaching post but probably my most enjoyable time in teaching. My move to Dragon coincided with the biggest transformation in teaching as we suddenly moved from the Banda Machine and BBC computer to online resources, more advanced computers, interactive whiteboards and many other technological advances over the next decade. I now believe that from the mid-90s to 2008, I saw the biggest teaching revolution in my time as a teacher and teaching geography was transformed.

While at the Dragon I was Chair of the Independent Schools Working Group for the Geographical Association and as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and involved with many geography teacher training days. In 1994 I became the IAPS Geography Coordinator (later renamed Geography Adviser) and as Chair of the Geography Common Entrance Committee, with the help of colleagues we, hopefully, made geography more relevant for those moving to their senior schools.

There is no doubt that in the 1990s, teachers felt able to give up their own time to attend INSET courses away from school. However, as the pressure grew in schools to provide ‘cover’ and with the ever-increasing but essential requirements of health and safety and child protection, there has certainly been a move for training to take place in schools. SATIPS webinar courses

are testimony to that and teachers now have far less time and, therefore, the inclination to attend off-site subject courses.

Preparation regarding health and safety has been another very necessary change for those taking on the running of expeditions and field trips and I hope that would not have diminished my desire to lead trips in the ’80s and ’90s because, with the help of colleagues and parents, I always wanted to widen the children’s’ experience of their world. Trips to Morocco, Brunei, Borneo, Kenya, Sinai, and Canada were undertaken.

We also organised weekend camping expeditions to North Wales and the Lake District. These were, obviously, a great success and it always interests me that when I meet former pupils, it is often these expeditions, along with the school ski trips, that they mention first. My geography teaching career was very fulfilling and there are many people I need to thank for giving me both opportunities and advice, from schools to expert explorers. Teaching has changed a great deal since I started in 1970.

My work since on the Council of the Royal Geographical Society, as Chair for many years of the GA Independent Schools Special Interest Group, and my present work for the University of Buckingham as a PGCE tutor and MA supervisor plus, of course, my work on the SATIPS Council have allowed me to be involved and stay up to date. In retirement, you do not often get the chance of six weeks teaching as a cover for a sick member of the geography staff at Charterhouse.

This was very rewarding too. I am very grateful to my friend Peter Price at Charterhouse for that too as it allowed me to keep up to date with GCSE requirements. This was full cycle as Peter, in the 1990s when completing his PGCE in Oxford, did his teaching practice at the Dragon with me as his mentor.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that teachers in school today face a good deal more pressure than I did 50 years ago and school leaders and the community must be mindful of that and have the necessary support structures in place.

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A common humanity David Pond, Former Commodore Royal Navy and current Chief Executive of Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, assesses the importance of leaders inspiring hope and optimism

It’s a great privilege to be invited to contribute to the 100th edition of the Prep School magazine, though I feel a huge responsibility to say something of interest for this celebratory edition.

Having been state school educated my knowledge of the independent sector is limited, though when I graduated from university I flirted with being a schoolmaster and taught English at Gresham’s Prep School. The experience was to be one of those lifechanging moments. I was taken under the wing of headmaster Logie BruceLockhart, who gave me confidence in my abilities and a belief that it did not matter where I came from, but

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what did matter were the qualities I had as a human being and how I used these for a greater good. He was a true inspiration and had an enormous impact on me and, in particular, on my thinking about leadership and the importance of being authentic and of loving those you lead. I left Gresham’s to pursue a career in the Royal Navy which lasted 28 years, during which I held operational and command appointments in the UK and overseas.

I resigned from the navy in 2006 because I wanted to broaden my leadership experience and also to use my skills to focus on social inequality.

Since then I have worked with services

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for young people leaving care, youth offending teams, and those providing support for teenage substance misuse and teenage pregnancy. I have designed programmes for young people not in education, training or employment and worked with the NHS and safeguarding services, before taking up my current role as Chief Executive of Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR). The richness of all of these experiences has helped me to identify and manage my own fears, prejudices and frailties as a leader, and shaped my thinking about how we create community and be agents for social change and the common good.

Like many, I suspect, I am struggling with the fall-out of our increasingly polarised society. It seems that the things we care about are under threat – respect for difference, civility and decency in public life, tolerance, human rights, care of the vulnerable, care for the environment. But as parents, teachers and leaders, our job is not to despair but to give hope and inspiration to those around us, and particularly to young people who are trying to navigate an increasingly divided and complex world whilst also trying to find themselves and their place within it.

Hope and inspiration are the two stand out qualities that make working with disabled people such a joy. To engage with those who have often overcome seemingly impossible challenges is to sense the power of the human spirit. Consider Stuart Robinson a corporal in the RAF. Whilst on patrol in Afghanistan his vehicle hit a landmine and he was blown into the air losing his legs and suffering other life-changing injuries. His eight-year journey from a battlefield operating theatre to selection for the GB wheelchair rugby squad inspires everyone who has ever met or heard of him.

Chris Ryan, one of the top junior professional golfers in the country was returning from a tournament with three of his teammates when the car in which he was a passenger went out of control and flipped over. His three friends walked free whilst he suffered a broken neck. A quadriplegic he is now the GB wheelchair rugby captain. His predecessor as captain was Steve Brown the latest presenter on BBC Countryfile. He is there because he entertains us. His cheery presentation skills reaches into our homes inspiring us to see beyond his paralysis and demonstrating that a chair is no barrier to a fulfilling life.

These are individuals whose stories are the torches which ignite our very humanity and which are not constrained by socioeconomic barriers, or race, or colour, or age or gender or sexual orientation. But hope and

inspiration does not just flood into the bloodstream when an individual acquires a disability, it is more often the result of time and of being part of a supportive family and community network. Whilst its the GB athletes who attract the greatest media interest, as an organisation GBWR’s mission is to provide opportunities for a broad range of disability groups.

But it’s much more than a game, it’s about building rich wheelchair rugby communities where the game itself acts as the catalyst for bringing together individuals who otherwise can so easily be isolated. The sport is a London 2012 legacy success story and since then has grown from seven teams to 28 and it continues to grow. GBWR provides wheelchair rugby programmes in military personnel recovery centres and all of the country’s spinal injury units. It works with the charitable foundations of several premiership rugby clubs including Saracens, Gloucester, Leicester Tigers, Northampton Saints, Harlequins and Exeter. In partnership with the Lord’s Taverners charity, it also delivers a junior programme in schools and club settings.

Whilst the programmes are all about providing opportunities for those who are disabled to re-engage with community and get active again, many athletes use their profiles to deliver positive social impact. Ayaz Bhutta was born with a rare genetic disorder that affects the growth of bones in the arms and legs. He is a GB athlete and a Muslim and is part of a programme to promote disability awareness across the Muslim community in Bolton and particularly those of South Asian origin. Moreover, he is engaging and influencing community leaders to promote disability sport and physical activities for these same communities and in doing, creating a cultural shift as to how disability sport is viewed.

Ayaz will also be working with the Council of Mosques, the Muslim Awareness Charity and the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation to increase the involvement of Muslim women and girls in sport, without

compromising their religious or cultural values. Aaron Phipps, also a GB athlete contracted meningitis and, as a result, it was necessary to amputate his legs and most of his fingers. In total Aaron spent a year in hospital. As well as representing GB, Aaron became the first disabled person to scale Mount Kilimanjaro.

As his wheelchair was unable to traverse large parts of the terrain the final ascent was undertaken on his hands and knees. Aaron now spends a great deal of his time delivering motivational talks to groups of young people in schools and colleges, encouraging them to grasp the opportunities available to them and to have belief in themselves and what they can accomplish.

I have come to appreciate that there is much we can learn from those who are disabled which can energise us, provide balance and perspective in our lives, encouraging us to be kinder to ourselves and one another and to re-engage with the community. As leaders, particularly of young people we have a duty to promote optimism, hope and courage. We must enable those in our care to grow, evolve and to embrace a set of values which encourages a common humanity and shared interests, rather than become prisoners of the intolerance and division which increasingly seems to define political and public debate.

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A new space for all Gus Lock and Rose Hardy share their new plans with readers as their schools unite for the first time in 145 years with an ambitious ten-year ‘single campus’ masterplan is revealed Making history, leading independent schools, Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls and The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, have announced a shared vision and joint strategy for the future to provide single-sex education in a co-educational ‘single campus’ environment. Despite being based on the same 100-acre site in Elstree for the past 46 years, both schools have operated largely as separate entities. This announcement sees the schools united under one shared vision for the first time in their history with an ambitious, tenyear redevelopment plan underpinned by the legacy of the schools’ founder, Robert Aske.

Robert Aske’s key principles were inclusivity, benevolence and charity.

In line with this, the schools intend to conduct a fees and bursary policy review with the objective of increasing bursary provision and

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aligning fees at different age groups between and across the schools.

There are also plans to engage with other local schools through meaningful relationships to create a true community partnership for education in North London and South Hertfordshire.

Under the joint strategy, both schools will continue to deliver single-sex education, while benefiting from an expansive co-educational setting, together with a rich co-curricular programme and co-teaching in at least one A Level subject for each sixth form student. The schools have implemented this new strategy in a bid to ensure their students are equipped to succeed and flourish in today’s global and technologically driven workplace. The integration of mixed gender lessons in the sixth form will also help students to prepare for life at university.

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Over recent years both schools have also welcomed new, ambitious heads, both of whom have been instrumental in driving this collaboration forwards.

Rose Hardy, Headmistress at Habs Girls, has been keen to forge closer links with the boys’ school since she became head in September 2019. She explained: ‘Our schools already share many things, from an expansive campus on the outskirts of North London to a reputation for educational excellence.

Our guiding principles are the same and working together as a team, we all stand to gain so much more. I’m excited about the next decade as we move forward with a robust strategy that combines tradition with optimism. Working more closely together will also enhance our aspirations to support and celebrate every child, nurture cultural diversity and broaden global perspectives, so that we may prepare all of our students for the modern world.’

Following an extensive review, the governing bodies of both schools have confirmed they are committed to the future plans and, as a result, a series of cross-school working parties are now underway to determine how these aims can be best implemented throughout the ten years. To maximise the co-location benefits, both schools aim to create a unique co-educational environment, with an aligned ethos and core values to form one shared vision. Increasing the collaboration between the schools by ensuring that every sixth form student is taught at least one subject in a mixed-gender class from September 2021 is also part of the new strategy.

Gus Lock, Headmaster at Habs Boys (also an Old Boy of the school), is passionate about upholding the Habs legacy, adding: ‘The schools’ leadership teams and the governors are genuinely excited by this vision for the future education of the students in our care. I 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. Something the team at Habs is passionate about is the legacy and the intentions of our founder, Robert Aske, who believed wholeheartedly in serving our local community and supporting all talented children, regardless of financial status. We are proud to be working on several bursary-led campaigns and future initiatives to uphold this legacy.’

The schools plan to enhance access to their facilities for the wider local community and to actively engage with other Haberdashers’ schools across the country. A key aspect of embracing Robert Aske’s legacy is also to encourage philanthropy and to give 21st century meaning to the ‘Serve and Obey’ motto.

Both schools are focused on helping students to 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.

Key co-educational aspirations for the joint strategy include the redevelopment of the co-curricular programme with a focus on developing skills for both boys and girls, broadening the learning environment while embracing technology. The schools will also review the campus development plans to facilitate co-educational learning and plan to develop a single campus masterplan which respects the environment and heritage of the Elstree site, allied to an appropriate campus-wide investment decisionmaking process.

Retracing historic roots back to the 17th century, both schools are committed to being guided by the established principles that aim to give talented, ambitious young people the opportunities they need and deserve to succeed in life.

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The role of outdoor learning residentials What value can outdoor learning and residentials bring to young people’s mental health and wellbeing, especially in a Covid world? We put this question to Daniel Cibich, Head of Education Partnerships at The Outward Bound Trust.

The mental health and wellbeing of young people has been a significant concern amongst health experts, educators, and teachers for some time, and this has been escalated by the uncertainty and isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wellbeing of young people: the reality right now During the first national lockdown, young people’s lives were turned upside down through school closures, cancelled exams and social restrictions. Some thrived during this time as school-related anxiety or stress reduced; they enjoyed quality time with their family and dedicated more energy to hobbies. However, the majority of young people struggled in some way and the overall decline in their mental health and wellbeing had proved concerning.

Research from The Prince’s Trust has shown significant increases in anxiety, despair and worry about the future, as well as a loss of hope amongst young people. As the pandemic continued to cause widespread disruption throughout the summer and into the autumn term last year, the declining mental health and wellbeing of young people have

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become more apparent. Situations that were already a source of stress and anxiety for young people, such as the transition from primary into secondary school, had become even more challenging to navigate. The longer the pandemic continues, the greater the risk to mental health. In fact, it is estimated that 1.5 million young people will need either new or additional mental health support because of the crisis.

PREP SCHOOL Reflecting the best in the prep & junior school world

The value of outdoor learning on wellbeing Outdoor learning and residentials have been key to the wider education of young people, as well as to help support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. They often provide learning experiences that can’t be recreated in the classroom. They give an essential opportunity to seek out challenges, develop resilience and selfbelief, and spend uninterrupted time

The outdoor sessions we have run so far have been supporting with the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of pupils by providing opportunities throughout the week to get active, connect with each other and feel less anxious, whilst adapting to changing rules and routines. in nature. Research from Learning Away also shows that the impact of a residential learning experience is even greater when residentials are fully integrated with a school’s curriculum and ethos.

There is also an increasing evidence base to show that exposure to the natural environment positively affects mental wellbeing. Research shows that time spent outdoors increases levels of self-esteem and mood, both of which are widely known to be short and long-term determinants of mental health. Importantly, these positive effects are found to come in to play across a variety of ‘natural’ settings, such as open countryside, fields, urban green space, remote wilderness, allotments and gardens, and through varying levels of engagement – from viewing nature to active participation.

At The Outward Bound Trust, we understand the deep connection between engagement with the outdoors and wellbeing. In fact, our programmes have long helped young people to build a strong foundation of wellbeing. From learning to recover from setbacks and cope with changing situations, to developing supportive relationships and taking responsibility for themselves. Through our unique blend of learning and adventure in the

wild, they learn to stay positive, to take care of others and to not give up.

We also teach them how to transfer these skills back into the real world – so, although it may sound extreme – an Outward Bound residential can help young people navigate the challenges of a global pandemic.

In-school adventures Since March 2020, like other outdoor learning providers, we haven’t been able to deliver our usual residential programmes. However, can’t is not a word we use at Outward Bound – it is not in our DNA. That’s why we’re more determined than ever to instil these qualities in young people.

Whilst we’re unable to run residential courses, we’ve been working in partnership with schools across the UK to deliver ‘in-school adventures’, which have been designed to enable young people to get active, spend time outdoors and socialise with others in a Covid-safe way. The impact on the pupils’ wellbeing has been immediate.

As restrictions have become a regular feature of everyday life, our in-school adventures are providing a sense of freedom and release, which restores energy and enthusiasm. The pupils re-build skills they’ve lost or forgotten – the skills that bring a feeling of capability and hope for the future.

The outdoor sessions we have run so far have been supporting with the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of pupils by providing opportunities throughout the week to get active, connect with each other and feel less anxious, whilst adapting to changing rules and routines. They provide periods of calm during the school day and foster resilience, which helps pupils to regulate their emotions.

The sessions are positive and fun, providing something they eagerly look forward to and feel genuinely excited about. The sessions have also enabled them to learn more about and appreciate nature close to where they live, which is important for maintaining healthy wellbeing. One pupil said, ‘We must be the luckiest school in Wales’, after one session.

Looking ahead, there’s no doubt that The Outward Bound Trust, and the outdoor learning sector as a whole, has a critical role to play in restoring ambition, optimism and confidence to a generation of young people whose lives have been put on hold. The pandemic will pass, but there is now a concern that young people will feel the effects well into their adult lives.

It’s our responsibility to ensure they’re ready to meet the challenge.

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Walk tall and shine bright: how are you performing today?

Jon Gray, Headmaster at York House Prep School, Hertfordshire, reflects on pupil performance There is much documented on learning support in schools and also on the challenges associated with accessing the curriculum for children with learning difficulties, as well as those who are ‘bright and bored’ or indeed gifted and talented. Yet in truth, these ‘assumption’ are not overly helpful. Those who are deemed gifted and talented, might be forgiven for thinking ‘why bother working hard?’ Surely if you have been blessed with natural ability to pass everything with flying colours, there is no need to sweat it, is there? Equally, if you are labelled as neither gifted nor talented, then there seems little point in trying at all because what’s the point, you’ll fail anyway?

Rather than labelling children in a way that only serves to isolate them further, why not use the phrase ‘exceptional performance’? Instead of pigeon-holing children into categories according to perceived ability, this phrase simply asks for high standards across the board, but it’s a competition that is open to all participants. Most teachers will agree from experience, that the highest peaks of pupil achievement usually come from the dedicated as opposed to the dilettante.

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A place to shine As children get older, they benefit more from ability setting, aka ‘differentiation by task’. Allowing them the opportunity to do the best they possibly can in that subject and in that classroom, on any given day, should be open to as many children in the room as possible. Ability grouping is one way to achieve this. As a rule, there aren’t many children who don’t have their peaks of performance whether in academics, sport, music, art, drama or indeed in other more niche areas that have nothing to do with school at all.

If a child sits in the middle of the ability range in a subject, that is fine, so long as somewhere in the day they find a place to shine and walk taller. For instance, during fencing club, while in a music lesson or on a mountain-biking track. One of the biggest benefits to a prep school education is that the children get to do more. School is there to give them to scope to lead fuller lives full of opportunity and to have more experiences upon which to draw when challenging times arrive.

Achieving exceptional performance means viewing life as a rich tapestry

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rather than one of blessed verbal reasoning all of the time. If you can dance, you’re rarely lonely. If you can make people laugh the seat next to you fills up quickly and so on. When asking a child to finish the sentence ‘I am…’ they should hopefully have lots of answers. They might belong to a family, a culture, a religion or a school and the more they know and understand themselves, the more resilient they will become.

Pillars of strength There is an interesting analogy of a temple roof being held up with a pillar for every strength that a child sees in themselves. If all this rests upon is their social standing (and that is measured by how many ‘likes’ their Instagram selfie gets), then the first tremor will bring the whole edifice crashing down. All of the different subjects, sports and co-curricular activity that a prep school child experiences are potential pillars in a robust structure that cannot be knocked down.

Form teachers play a crucial role in helping children to achieve their potential in school as they are such a key advocate for them. The unique ability of that teacher to really ‘lean

in’ to the 16 to 20 pupils in their care should be a blessing to all concerned.

The child who knows that one more adult member of staff is very definitely ‘on my side’ feels all the more happy, secure and buoyant for it.

Success in confidence, academic study and co-curricular activity all help to build the resilience children need from a young age and form teachers can make all the difference.

Of course, every child is different so how do you measure performance in a way that is meaningful for each child and how do you demonstrate or communicate the results to parents?

As a prep school, our job is to shape parental expectation so that schools applied to, provide a suitable menu of options, shortening those options over time to ensure the child attends the right school for them. Unusual circumstances would be needed to justify a child joining a school where they would be in the bottom quartile for intellectual potential.

Life through lockdowns The cycle of assessment, recording and reporting needs to stack up against performance too and different approaches work for

different audiences. The methods we use to demonstrate a child’s performance and progress are also playing a significant financial role in the modern world. We have to ensure that we provide insight in a way that resonates with a variety of audiences and that includes further generations as well as parents. For example, Facebook and Instagram suit the young parents of today, Twitter achieves a really lively day-to-day picture reflecting actual activity rather than marketing spend, but those grandparents who are paying the fees will want a smart prospectus, a smart magazine and a piece of silverware at speech day to justify their beneficent investment.

Schools are continually adjusting their approaches to supporting children’s ability to perform well and parental relationships are a big part of this process. The specifics of life through lockdown has been hugely challenging for some pupils in terms of performance, but it has also suited a minority quite well. As exhibited at Prime Minister’s Questions, ‘The extrovert who benefits from a baying gallery has felt bereft, the slightly more

nervous but undoubtedly intelligent lawyer, has loved the quiet terraces as each carefully considered dart has found its mark.’ Pupils have been the same. If you live for human interaction the virtual classroom is a joyless place, but if you have spent years feeling irritated by interruptions and unnecessary explanations, the sense of peaceful progress has been welcome.

Whilst many heads have seen recessions before, back in 200809 for instance, the mental health and wellbeing impact on children and families of the last year has been something for us all to watch carefully. Work stress and financial pressures on families have arguably had a larger impact on prep school children than the actual medical issue has to date. One thing we all have to fight hard to achieve is as much normality and breadth of experience as possible whilst working within the restrictions of this unprecedented time. Ensuring every child is given equal opportunities to excel and succeed is vital and this has little to do with being gifted and everything to do with dedication and achievement.

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Are you getting the most out of SchoolSearch?

Have a look at your school’s profile on our leading online guide to UK independent schools – www.schoolsearch.co.uk

Now with dedicated search pages for UK regions and counties, many of which feature on the first page of Google search results.

Add your school’s dates to our open days calendar and send us your success stories to post in the news section, which also includes leading advice and features provided by our featured schools.

Featured schools can add social media links to their profile, including embedding a Twitter feed, and can showcase a promotional YouTube or Vimeo video.

Our site has visitors from across the world looking for UK independent schools, and an established UK audience. Families can find and compare their nearest schools with our postcode search.

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Music and a pandemic Claire Tomsett-Rowe, Director of Music and Director of Performing Arts at Wetherby Prep and co-editor of the SATIPS Music Broadsheet, discusses the challenges of teaching during a pandemic As we returned to school this September, we were faced with the existential realisation that teaching music will not be the same for a long time. How do we adjust to this new, unrecognisable landscape whilst keeping our musical provision as innovative and exciting as possible?

For me, the answer has been found within communication and an eager befriending of all forms of technology.

During the first lockdown, we regularly held concerts over Zoom to provide a performance platform for our pupils. Now that we are back at school, these concerts have taken a new form. As parents are not allowed to enter the building for concerts, we now hold regular year group performances via a specific, recurring Zoom link. Whilst we initially thought that these concerts would feel stilted, we have seen unexpected benefits. As these can be viewed anywhere, we have reached a wider audience of parents who would have otherwise been unable to attend.

Colleagues are streaming the concerts to their tutor groups, allowing a greater, schoolwide exposure to the music being produced, a feat which would usually present a logistical problem. We have also noticed that the more reticent musicians are happier to put themselves forward to perform, as, in person, they are only playing to a small group of their peers and don’t feel the glare of the camera.

As with many schools, at Wetherby Prep we are currently conducting assemblies via Zoom and Teams, alongside our usual stream on

Instagram. The big change is that our pupils are now taking part in assembly from their classrooms rather than in the school hall, which can make hymn singing a little… difficult. To combat that, we now have Friday morning musicians. As we are now teaching within year group bubbles, we have internally restructured, creating new, year group specific ensembles. These new groups get a chance to flex their musical muscles in this new assembly format, either through instrumental pieces, songs or hymns. This has also been an excellent opportunity to get our colleagues involved in our music-making. I have always been a big believer in encouraging teachers in disciplines other than music to show their hidden talents, as it shows our pupils that you never have to pigeonhole yourself, even Einstein was an accomplished violinist. For our Remembrance Day assembly, we were treated to a rousing chorus of ‘I Vow To Thee’ from the PE department and our Year 8 boys.

Within the performing arts department, we have organised the Year 4 play to be a cross-curricular production, using art to creating backdrops, drama to block and direct, and music to… well… learn the music. Whilst this is the standard organisation when producing any school production, in 2020, we have taken a more technological approach.

It would be unrealistic to believe that the rehearsals (and even the performances) would be untouched

by Covid-19, so we have a system in place whereby any child who is having

to isolate, can join the rehearsals and performances via Teams. As we are creating our own backdrop for the play, this has been digitised for use as a Teams background to full include the pupil self-isolating.

This technology has been invaluable when preparing for the carol service, arguably the most significant event in any music teacher’s calendar. As we will be unable to come together and perform, we have been teaching the carols and their respective parts to all pupils, whilst our new year group choirs have been learning new anthems. At the beginning of December, we will be taking each year group to our usual church to film their performances and then edit these together to create a full carol service, intermingling various choirs and class performances. This will be shown at the same time to all our bubbles to create a proper sense of Christmassy ‘end of term’ excitement and unity. We are further using these recordings in the Christmas cards sent to parents. These will contain a QR code which will take the recipient to a series of videos they can watch with their children and families, again encouraging a much-needed sense of community and togetherness.

These are, indeed, strange and unprecedented times but, as with all things, if we continue to communicate, share ideas and embrace the new technology around us, we can find a way through. We may even begin to wonder how we ever did things without it.

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Going solo Emma Gray, Head of Juniors at St Margaret’s School in Hertfordshire, explores the intricacies of the classroom climate For primary-trained teachers in particular, the physical set-up of the classroom has always been a fundamental tool in creating the desired classroom climate. In fact, before the start of every academic year, teachers spend a great deal of time planning and preparing the physical aspects of their classroom.

The special care and attention given to classroom layout, location of the reading and role play areas and also to the positioning of teacher and student desks, is very deliberate.

The rise of #EduTwitter and other social media platforms, may have even given way to a greater element of competitiveness between teachers during this planning process and they are certainly a great source of insight for NQTs to research ideas for their own learning environments.

Prior to 2020, once the physical space had been established, teachers would normally spend the first few weeks of September establishing relationships and routines that create and support a positive classroom climate. Prep school teachers will have systems in their classroom that work with the ebb and flow of the school day, the weeks, term and the academic year. Teachers are also aware of the structure of more rigid factors, such as assembly times, timetables and pick up times. These factors, together with children’s individual nature, are certainly a recipe for a very unique classroom.

Setting the tone Every day classrooms are witness to unique interactions, ranging from how the register is taken to the seating arrangement and the location of

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the teacher’s desk. Creating an ideal classroom environment, is part of a teachers’ essential tool kit; the room sets the tone however it is set up, and it shines a light on what is important to the teacher and the pupils. Whether that includes features such as a role play area in early years, or a writing zone to encourage reluctant writers, or indeed an elaborate and colourful reading corner with soft furnishings.

Of course, this year has been somewhat different. Covid-19 restrictions and strict government guidance have put an end to this autonomy and classrooms have been redefined to look a certain way for very specific reasons. With spaced out desks facing forwards in straight lines and the central teacher’s desk at the front (and very little in the way of soft furnishings), they arguably look more like a classroom from 100 years ago than a classroom during recent times.

If you compared a photo from your prep school archives years ago with a photograph taken in the last few weeks, the list of similarities, certainly in classrooms for children eight years and upwards, would likely be higher in similarities than in differences. Many of these features have remained unchanged for many years, although the introduction of technology is an addition, most adults taken into a prep classroom would recognise the class set up from their own school days.

In with the old Interestingly, if these dominant features within classrooms remain mostly unchanged what does this say about our understanding of the classroom layout? Does it perhaps

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imply that the classic layout of the classroom environment and key features of a primary classroom is best practice?

Covid-19 has certainly forced us to rethink our views on many things from the way we run parents evenings and school trips, to the structure of assemblies and classroom layouts. Regardless of how much time and thought individual teachers had previously given to the physical classroom in the context of teaching and learning, or how innovative they were in previous years, the guidance is now set from the top down and it has certainly created some interesting debate.

In recent years, many prep schools have undertaken new building projects and we have certainly seen a shift in design with different approaches to layout and more innovative utilisation of space. These designs have filtered down from universities and colleges, forwardthinking secondary schools and other industry sectors. It is now more common to see lecture-style theatre seating and moving walls as part of collaborative learning spaces.

Losing the wow factor There are many classrooms and learning environments up and down the country that prior to the current guidance that had the wow factor.

Everything from bean bags instead of chairs to swiss balls to encourage movement and luxury canopies and draped material similar to what might be found on a glamping site. In fact, some schools have had displays that are comparable to the stage sets found in some of our national theatres.

When considering classroom environment, teachers will often try all kinds of desk layouts from u-shaped, to all together in a boardroom style, (teachers desk included) to being amongst the children’s desks, in traditional groups and of course in the style of test conditions. If you scan through a school furniture catalogue, the range and style of desks that can be purchased range from u-shapes, circular as well as hexagonal. All of these are badged under the concept of improving collaboration and engagement.

However, anecdotal evidence suggests that our predecessors in the 1920s may have already been using best practices when it comes to the perfect classroom layout.

More and more teachers across the board are reporting that for prep school children, (typically Year 3 and upwards), desks facing the front with minimal distractions, has a positive impact on their learning and engagement is found to be higher.

Hard to hide Prep schools also benefit from specialist teachers, these teachers can often take time to get to know the many students they teach across the school. But seating plans with set seats are supporting these staff, which establishes positive relationships in good time, allowing the core business of teaching and learning to be the main focus.

focused on sanctions over rewards, but the physical layout is arguably allowing each student to have an equal footing.

When you are facing the board, it is hard to hide from the teacher’s gaze when a question is asked, if you are already facing the front. So, in summary, perhaps we can learn a thing or two from the practices of 100 years ago? Perhaps the way classrooms were set up was more deliberate than we may have thought? The truth is combining the classroom layout of 100 years ago with the advances of modern teaching methods could be a very positive move and, in line with this, we may stand to gain after all from this difficult period of time.

During the 1920s, classroom management may have been more

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Why the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate is a success James Barnes, General Secretary of Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB), outlines the importance of community in sustaining schools through the worst The recent and ongoing periods of lockdown have proved to be a severe challenge for individuals, communities and organisations – we have all been learning and honing new skills and attempting to react to fast-changing situations. It is greatly to the credit of so many schools that they created effective systems out of potential chaos that have enabled high-quality teaching and learning to continue. Indeed visiting schools since September, I have been astonished by the range of activities on offer, despite the restrictions of bubbles and personal contact.

PSB; right now, that is absolutely crucial. Dedicated WhatsApp chats and shared resources are not just for teaching but managing the myriad other aspects of Covid-19, have been shared on the PSB Schools Hub and whilst a remote community is no substitute for the real thing, it goes a very long way in a crisis. The willingness to share successes and failures has been heart-warming and ensured that a better path can be followed without wasteful trial and error. The strength of collegiality has proven to be a considerable ally.

The strain of developing distance learning programmes, homeschooling and bubble environments has been considerable. Teachers have found the planning elements exhausting, parents have understandably fretted about doing the right things and the levels of stress have gone through the roof. Financial hardship, loneliness, inadequacy all have reared their ugly heads and added to wellbeing issues for children and adults. The one thing that normally sustains schools through the worst crises has been missing – community.

The expansion of Zoom conferencing has forced us to look at new ways of working, rather than being focused on dashing from meeting to meeting and in many ways this is a good thing. For the past two years, the PSB has been developing Zoom elements in all its meetings, to enable staff to benefit from what we do even when unable to physically attend. The present crisis involved stepping up the content and protocols already in place. It is an irony that because of Covid-19 we are running more meetings, not fewer, this year. We have reshaped our programme for 2020/21. Initial discussions will be managed via Zoom with face-to-face meetings for decision making following

Right from its inception, an understanding of joint purpose and sharing has been at the heart of the

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up on these. We will continue to record presentations for our schools and all elements of our provision will benefit from these initiatives; crucially we are enabling often isolated teachers to get time talking with each other. With the technology available to operate in small discussion groups, as well as recording and presenting ideas, although remote meetings are second best to getting everyone together in one room, they do serve an admirable purpose in difficult times. As we move through this year, I hope we will inch towards that shared collegiality that we have all missed in our isolated bubbles.

The loss of the summer term, and its associated external examinations, threw new light on a well-established issue, namely that the dependence on external snapshot examinations can be disastrous if it is the only point of matriculation. Whilst I have no problem with examining subjects in a way that blends retention of information with the ability to illustrate judgement and understanding, a system which simply tests knowledge retention was overwhelmed across the board last summer. The PSB – focused on illustrating progress and achievement over two-year

courses with endpoints at 11+ and 13+ – was unaffected. The blend of formal assessment, coursework and the development of learning skills did not place our pupils in a disadvantaged position. Strong evidence, built over an extended period, is a more comprehensive way of understanding and reflecting upon strengths and weaknesses, and does away with an absurd lottery often based on performances affected by unpredictable influences.

As PSB pupils move onto the next stage of their education, they take with them a clear understanding of the progress they have made, the strengths they possess and where they need to redouble their efforts.

The benefit of 34 schools working within a framework that reflects a two-year period of education culminating in a comprehensive transfer document, creates a genuine sense of achievement for individual pupils and an understanding for their new teachers of those pupils’ genuine abilities. Through no fault of their own, and as the result of a

flawed system, many children who were hoping to have examination certificates to validate their work over the past year had, at best, something rushed together or at worst nothing this summer.

The first tentative steps out of lockdown have been hesitant but the glue provided by the PSB for its schools is increasingly relevant and I suspect that is why we have seen a surge in interest in the PSB as a framework which ensures the best outcomes for its pupils. By January 2021, we will have in place a revised common transfer document which will cover two years of study across all subjects, reflect coursework and formal assessments, progress with the PSB core values and how successfully pupils have completed an extended project – the Pre-Senior Project Qualification. The PSPQ, in particular, provided a terrific focus for pupils during lockdown and its emphasis on the process of creating an extended piece of writing, performance or lecture is a powerful element of transfer at Years 6 and 8.

A movement conceived out of frustration with a stagnant examination system has in the past months shown itself to be so much more than simply a different way of doing things. The PSB has maintained a sense of purpose for its staff, as they grapple with restrictions, and ensured its pupils have not been left with an empty reflection on the work they have done. The flexibility of its framework allows each school to be independent, but the importance of integrating core values and sharing ideas and resources via the PSB Hub, ensures the whole is much greater than its parts. The most visible aspect of the PSB’s success has been successfully broadening the scope of its operations amongst the restrictions of lockdown and that in itself is some achievement.

The Pre-Senior Baccalaureate is an educational charity working in the independent and maintained sectors. For more information on the PSB visit psbacc.org or contact the PSB Administrator, Rebecca Morris at Rebecca.morris@psbacc.org

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Making a difference Jane Scott was Headmistress of Sarum Hall and Granville School and is a governor at St George’s, Windsor and Chair of the IAPS Charitable Trust The IAPS has a history of charitable work supporting children, families and employees in its schools. For many years there were three active charities: The Benevolent Fund, The Bursary Trust and The Harrison Memorial Fund. These had very small resources, were expensive to administer and were unable to establish a high enough profile to expand their work effectively. The IAPS determined that a new charity was needed which would encompass the work of the three charities and expand its ability to help and support a larger number of children, families and employees. It would also be able to react more quickly especially in an emergency. The IAPS Charitable Trust (itrust) was established in 2011 as a charity and company limited by guarantee. In summary, it aims to ‘….support the education of early and middle years children and to support the people who teach them’.

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Today the charity is thriving under its board of trustees which is made up of retired and serving heads and the CEO and the Head of Finance of IAPS. The board meets formally three times a year, but will always discuss emergency applications throughout the year. As with all charities we are dependent on raising funds and we are very grateful to the IAPS Council and individual IAPS schools who regularly donate. As of mid-July 2020 (when writing this article) we are going to be supporting 26 children from September 2020, some for a year others for their whole prep school years.

All applications are carefully assessed with the help of the independent Bursary Administration Limited (BAL). An in-depth scrutiny takes place to ensure that these are bona fide applicants who will genuinely benefit from our prep school

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education. The backing and financial contribution of the school is an essential part of our process. Once the award has been made the itrust will receive annual reports from the schools so that we can monitor the progress of each child. The Board of Trustees is always delighted to receive feedback from children and parents as this enables us to have a greater appreciation of the positive impact these awards/grants can have on the children both now and in their future education.

The itrust now has four main funds to use when making awards: Schools Access Scheme This was launched in 2015 and is designed for children from families who would not normally have the resources to pay for a prep school education and the opportunity to benefit from the start in life such an education provides. We are

very careful to emphasise that it is not for middle-income families.

Applications must be made through a member school as each school has to be prepared to match any funding offered by this scheme. At the moment itrust is supporting 15 children in 12 schools who have come from a variety of backgrounds across the country.

Case study We will start to support a child at the beginning of this September who was adopted at birth as her natural mother had suffered from substance abuse, landing her in prison. Her mother subsequently committed suicide five days after the child was born. She now lives with her adoptive mother who is a single parent and childminder. It is anticipated that we will be supporting this child for the next six/seven years.

General Bursary Awards A small number of bursaries are awarded each year, usually up to a maximum of £2500 per year per child. Priority is given to children who have already started their education in independent schools, and whose families’ financial circumstances have changed. Again the support of the school, or intended school, is essential and all awards are subject to an annual needs’ assessment review.

We envisage making between two and four new awards each year. Currently, we are supporting four children.

Case study Following a tumultuous start to life, this little boy was about to be taken into care when his grandparents decided to offer him a permanent home. They were keen to send their grandson to the local prep school where they already had connections.

It was agreed to give this family some financial support for three years.

Some comments from the children we have supported: Child’s comments I like being at school because I like running and athletics and I get to do those clubs. I like writing too because

in ‘ready, steady, write’ we get to do lots of writing – I am practising my ‘z’s! I have lots of friends and my teachers are all kind to me. I like every single lesson!

Coming to this school has created many opportunities for me especially in sport. I have progressed greatly in both new and familiar sports. This has allowed me to play in the 1st XI in both hockey and netball yet I am only 14! My sporting ability means that I can take advantage of our very selective emerging athletics program.

Boarding is also really cool because it helps you to form routines as well as creating strong friendships.

I really like my school and I especially like choir. I like all the teachers, especially the sports ones. I enjoy going on school trip; museum ones are best because I am interested in finding out about historical times.

Boarding is fun and it changes you because you can’t be late to get to school, so it helps with your organisation!

Benevolent fund This fund aims to support IAPS heads and school staff who have fallen on hard times and need some extra financial support. It will also consider applications from other members of the teaching profession. In some cases these children may be in their senior schools. The support we offer will be as wide a range as possible with small grants awarded, rather than a smaller number of large grants. This grant is unlikely to be the primary source of funding. Priority is given to parent(s) employed in IAPS schools, children in key examination years and children at schools where the school will match the funding.

Case study During this academic year we have awarded grants to two families of IAPS teachers who have lost their spouses in sad and tragic circumstances. This will enable the bereaved children to continue their education at a very vulnerable time of their lives.

Music and The Harrison Memorial Fund The Harrison Memorial Fund can award grants to children aged between 8 and 13 who need financial support to attend residential music courses, usually during the summer holiday. These include courses run by the National Schools Symphony Orchestra, the National Preparatory School Orchestras and Junior Choral Courses. There are also itrust bursaries available to children hoping to take part in junior choral courses.

In 2019 we were able to support seventeen children. Sadly, due to Covid-19, we have been unable to make any awards this year, but the money available will roll over until it is possible to run these courses again.

However, we do know from previous years how much the children love these courses, gaining a great deal from making music together over a concentrated period of time and meeting other fellow musicians.

Child’s comments I would like to sincerely thank all of those who kindly funded some money to give me this wonderful experience.

I was so sad to leave the choral heaven and everyone else there. But my future plans are planned and ready to go. They are to, next year, definitely go back to the course to fulfil my dreams…

If you are interested in finding out more about the itrust do look at the IAPS website where you will find all of the necessary links to contact the relevant people: www. iaps.uk Alternatively you can contact our Grants Secretary, Mrs Daphne Cawthorne at itrustgrants@gmail.com If you would like to make a donation or have a general enquiry contact the IAPS Head of Finance, Mrs Jackie Moore at jcm@iaps.uk I am always happy to talk about our work and can easily be contacted at itrustchair@gmail.com I look forward to seeing you at the IAPS Conference.

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A safer future Directline Structures examines how we can build safer buildings and trust the construction industry in the wake of the Grenfell enquiry The Grenfell enquiry is moving into new territory and unearthing a corporate scandal involving wellestablished names in the construction industry, including Kingspan and Celotex. The attitude that is emerging in Kingspan, a well-known cladding manufacturer with over 13,000 employees in 2018, through the email evidence is shocking – morality and responsibility are disregarded in pursuit of pure profit. It’s clear that individuals in the firm were aware of failings in the products they were marketing, but the ‘powers that be’ had no interest in addressing safety concerns when commercial strategies were at stake.

How can we, the construction industry, alongside clients and end users, have confidence in buildings now we know the factors that contributed to the Grenfell tragedy? We look at how one Kentbased design and build company, Directline Structures Ltd, is doing things differently to build trust in the construction process again.

Responsibility The Grenfell tragedy has highlighted the failings of a procurement system that allows responsibility to be ducked and blame to be passed from party to party. Combined with the often faceless multi-million-pound organisations involved, there was no one ultimately responsible for the safety of the project. The specialists and consultants whose job it was to advise on fire safety were sidelined and silenced by the continual drive to deliver the project as cheaply as

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possible. In an industry that is forever running from responsibility, Directline Structures is a rare example of a small firm stepping up and saying ‘we are responsible for this project and it is in everyone’s interest that it is delivered safely, on time and on budget’. As a complete design and build service; incorporating architects, engineers, specialist consultants, building control, and ultimately delivering the project as the main contractor, Directline Structures is the first and last point of call for the project.

Competence and professionalism Many of the professionals in the construction industry – most especially architects and engineers – have undergone years of study and training to ensure their competence, but there is more to be done. Architectural education should be more keenly focused on the technical, not conceptual aspects of architecture so that all architects are fully equipped with the knowledge and understanding to specify safe and appropriate materials in construction.

Architectural apprenticeships are a significant step forward, and there is a growing consensus among a new generation of architects that technical competency is as important, if not more so, than conceptual vision or artistic flair.

The Directline Structures team is headed up by Katy Barker, chartered architect and daughter of a chartered engineer, who has a passion for ‘real’ architecture. Design that not only looks fantastic but also delivers technically and functionally. The

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continuity of the team, incorporating architectural, engineering, M&E, fire safety, and building control; from concept, through technical design, to construction on-site, means there is no break in communication; things are not lost between one team to the next.

Quality and morals It is, unfortunately, not surprising that, at some point in their recent history, the financial success of Kingspan became more important than the integrity of their product.

Oftentimes the bigger the company, the more pressure there is to be successful, to chase the next target.

The ambitious and ruthless rise to the top, an attitude which has become culture. There are, of course, regulations and tests in place in the construction industry to regulate products used in buildings, but these were intentionally bypassed and abused to give the appearance of compliance when individuals in that company knew their products were not safe. Partly, this is a factor of the ‘race to the bottom’ – a toxic culture to be the cheapest no matter what, but for construction that can often mean a compromise on safety and integrity. Partly, it is a symptom of big business – they are ultimately driven by commercial success.

Directline Structures is a small, family-owned business, that holds quality, honesty and fairness as their core values. This is applied to everyone involved in projects, from their own employees to subcontractors, clients and end users.

The integrated design team truly

work with clients to develop designs that are high quality, fit for purpose and meet their budget. No corners are cut; it is through teamwork, and an honest approach to costs, that the best outcome is achieved for everyone involved in the project. The result will not be a ‘cheap’ building, it will be a building that is cost-effective to build and maintain through its design, using quality components that are proven to be fit for purpose.

A personal approach When you work with a small company you are important to them, not just a project number being processed

and delivered. Directline Structures is a small team of professionals who are all dedicated to the projects undertaken and are invested in seeing them through from start to finish.

The success of a project is, of course, measured financially, but equally importantly on customer satisfaction, quality of finish, and being ‘on time and on budget’.

longer. As a client or consumer, you have the power to choose who you work with. Keep your standards high, demand quality, honesty and fairness from everyone you engage. That way you can be confident in the process and the outcome and are contributing to making the industry safer and fairer.

It is clear from the Grenfell tragedy, that massive change is needed in the construction industry and, while regulations are being updated and products are withdrawn from the market, the culture change will take

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EDITOR Jan Miller Art Teacher Moreton Hall millerj@moretonhall.com

ART So the Satips Art Exhibition didn’t take place this year - such a shame.

For many years, we have posted our eight best art works to the host school and proudly been part of the Satips Art exhibition – one of the highlights of the Satips calendar. It was a chance to meet Head teachers and Art teachers from 70+ Satips member schools from around the country, celebrating the best Artwork that prep schools have to offer. Every year discussions at the exhibition centred on the importance of Art within prep schools, the wonderful range of talent and the plethora of teaching ideas and techniques evident. Personally, I particularly enjoyed seeing all the school’s work interspersed – there was no competition between schools, we were just ‘The Satips Exhibition’.

Every year themes changed: surely the most positive aspect of teaching, and being taught by specialist teachers, in a prep school, is that there is flexibility in planning. We only got as far as registering for the exhibition when lockdown happened, and were fortunate that we had not posted our work, for fear it would be sitting unopened in folders waiting to be

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returned. Our entries for two other competitions are just that – sitting in a cupboard until art colleges and art galleries return them.

All change please I have been writing these Satips art broadsheets for 20 years now – and have seen the changes from the glorious cream paper broadsheets with heading in a flash of red to full colour publications and now as a predominantly online resource. Like the organisation, it has echoed my own changes from teaching Reception age through to A Level, and sharing my experience as Head of Department and Design Technology teacher across 2 schools, in London and the Shropshire hills. Indeed the Satips family still has ties and it is nice that Peter Gibbons, that some of you may remember, steering the Satips ship in my early days, still reads all the broadsheets and emails me about the projects. Until March - little has changed, as I flicked through some early copies. It was a standard 3 terms of teaching and 3 corresponding broadsheets showing life in my busy classroom and sharing photographs of children engaged in making, but that was until March came and we all left school, not sure of when we would return. I would normally be sharing work from the summer term now, but it is all virtual art, made by the children at the kitchen table, photographed by them and uploaded.

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Distance learning Our projects have not been dampened by the distance, with some accessing and completing tasks in Hong Kong and emailing me their progress at 2am. Communication was vital, with parents, children and colleagues and my Inbox was filling up daily.

Ensuring each child had an online folder to upload to was key is monitoring progress. Although nothing will replace seeing artwork live, and we are not about to replace virtual folders and display boards with virtual ones, this is something I am keen continue. Children are familiar with photographing their work and even dragging A1 portfolios to university interviews are a thing of the past, replaced with online portfolios and blogs. Even our youngest charges are tech-savvy now, and regularly add messages of self-assessment to their work to inform me ‘I really enjoyed making this, Miss’.

Online feedback For infant and juniors art lessons, we used Seesaw to set, collect and feedback to pupils. I did enjoy seeing the work coming in online showing their home efforts using whatever materials they had, and they were incredibly well resources with more glitter and paint than I have! Some less well-resourced were inventive with household paints, food colouring and working on backs of envelopes when they ran out of paper. Children

enjoyed receiving instant feedback and seeing emojis, and they and I even managed to converse using the speaker function button. They made their own merit cards at home, and would claim merits awarded for effort. Many parents, who were able to, enjoyed being supportive, and involved, with the children’s art tasks - encouraging time away from computer screens.

No change there then I thought I would struggle teaching art online but we were quite organised, in the days before we left, and armed children with their sketchbooks, large pieces of work, projects to complete, rolls of paper and bags of pencils and pastels. I posted an envelope of basic materials to three year groups, including coloured pencils, oil pastels, modelling wire as well as calico, cotton and needle. This allowed all children to access projects.

They might not have had the large paper or the range of materials, but there were many inspiring pieces of work made and they were kept busy inspired by objects around them.

Lockdown began with Van Gogh, focussing on his chair, his bedroom and kitchen table still life, as these are all accessible themes.

Technology These are unprecedented times indeed.

I am writing from my lounge, which has been my virtual classroom since March. It has been a steep learning curve for all and, like all art teachers, I have also been juggling computer programs such as zoom, Google Meet, seesaw or purple mash. I did manage to set tasks, and add variations, that allowed children to choose, accounting for their materials and support available. Some of course had parents to open instructions, read and give second explanations, encouragement

and photograph to upload the work.

Whilst we were aware that some parents continued to work and so tasks were explained to them through voice or video messages.

Google slides were ideal for continuation of a project, uploading instructions and guiding through photographs of my step-by-step demonstrations. I found combinations of tools were best but ultimately I wanted them away from computers and being creative. I set up an instagram account and have been choosing work to show, to inspire others and share efforts. I too have found time to make, draw and photograph and this is a great platform to bring efforts together. Hybrid leaning will add a new dimension this year.

Teaching online has added to our skill set and we are now able to do both, simultaneously in some cases.

Online resources There were plenty of inspiring online resources. Grayson Perry’s TV shows, made people pick up paintbrushes that have never painted before.

Rainbow themed art and waving hands have been seen through every craft technique in windows. Quentin Blake reproduced his own version of Picasso’s Guernica and David Hockney encouraged us all to sit in our gardens and paint our surrounding, like he was doing daily, in his house in France.

Were you part of the online event: Art at Home - Make world History?

Several children and parents took part to create a World Record in the World’s largest online drawing lesson.

Over 45000 children, across the world, took part as Illustrator Rob Biddulph taught us all step by step how to draw and colour a whale. Those who took part could print their World Record certificate and upload a photograph of their drawing. The results were

interesting- of course hey were similar but all were different and showed the child’s personality. Do take a look.

Returning to the classroom We are entering a new phase for the autumn term and this will bring new challenges and ways of working, some we can predict and plan for, others more evident as we encounter them.

Like many of you, I find myself in a new classroom with spaced out desks and planning for lessons that are very different to our normal Art lessons. I used to encourage moving around to get resources – this is a thing of the past and each child now will have a bag of their own resources and their own apron. I regularly used to move the tables and seating around to suit the lesson - we will all now face the front. The norm of gathering around to watch demonstrations – this will be done via camera to a whiteboard.

Items are given out. Children will have their own packs of art materials – thank you Seawhites of Brightonto avoid sharing. Time will be spent ensuring children feel safe, know their area is clean and know the new rules.

It was a welcome site seeing the children return recently. It wasn’t quite the buzz we normally have in classrooms in the first lessons but I am sure that is different to the boarding houses.

Sketchbooks this year will be more central to our way of working.

Everything contained in one book and stored in their resources bag. We always did use sketchbooks regularly to experiment with materials but working in books will ensure less moving around classrooms to use drying racks when working on loose paper. We have increased our sketchbooks to A3 to allow larger scale work.

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SUMMER TERM WORK Making brushes A simple activity was to make their own paint brushes, encouraging awareness of mark-making to create textures and add further interest in their work, whether in drawings, painting or sculpture.

Most used outdoor space to make the brushes, tying materials to twigs and ends of pencils. Some made doubleended brushes.

You can draw squares on paper and make marks in the squares. I like to cut a square from a piece of card packaging- then make the marks through it.

Reflecting on the year We were glad we squeezed in our midyear art exhibition before lockdown for parents and children to celebrate their work. Our recently completed theatre affords us a lovely bright, spacious and light foyer entrance which is multi-functional and great as an art exhibition venue.

Prep School Art Day These were annual events, we hosted, bringing together several

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art departments together. Children met and spent the morning together making art and having lunch, whilst the teachers all helped with the teaching and sharing ideas. We fitted in a mini event before lockdown and hope we can add others to our calendar in the not too distant future. Tables were shared with our own pupils and all were keen to begin working, with the prospect of working spontaneously with new techniques and materials to produce a large mixed media piece. Their theme was Japan as they looked at kimonos hanging and sushi on the tables. A warm up activity saw them use chopsticks with charcoal tied to loosen the continuous lines. Sushi was then photographed and a sketch was made filling the A2 card. We had earlier prepared the surface by printing fluorescent noodles exposed on a silk-screen. Techniques were demonstrated, materials added to and plenty of encouragement. A soy sauce fish was made using a press print foam board and printed over.

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Passport challenge In the prep years, every year group has a termly challenge for each subject. Once completed they get a stamp. The spring challenge for Year 3 was to make their printing block and print their own wrapping paper, tag and card in an hour! It certainly was a challenge. They used sticky foam to quickly make their printing block, while they added tissue collage to the brown paper, their card and tag, and then printed their design.

We had a stamp printing ‘hand made by….’ - which added a nice professional touch. It was a challenge for me too – ensuring all got the pack at the end of the week with all their items in.

45min lessons artists challenge These have proved popular. Pupils enter class to find pictures of an artists’ work and resources. Very little instruction is given as they ‘respond’ to the artists’ work. Paper varies in type and size. Colours are mixed and limited if it is paint. They have to make decisions and work with pace and this creates excitement and a great working atmosphere.

expectations or what “works”. Writin staff to reflect on their classroom

SATIPS 1

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SATIPS offers a wide range of training courses, Conferences Courses are designed to cover a wide range of interests. and other In-Service opportunities.

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Members schools receive a substantial discount on course fees.

Full details of the training programme can be found on the website.

Member schools receive a substantial discount on course fees.

SATIPS SATIPS

expectations or what “works”. Writing staff to reflect on their classroom pr

12

Broadsheets are edited by Prep School in their field, have taken on th Why should my school be in membership?

Competitions,exhibitions Exhibitionsand and events events for Competitions, for pupils pupils For further information about the Broa SATIPS offers a variety of pupil-focussed events.

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• SATIPS Annualgeneral General Knowledge • SATIPSChallenge Challenge (annual knowledge quiz)quiz • National Handwriting Competition, held in conjunction • SATIPS is absolutely concerned to cater for staff ranging • National Handwriting Competition with Cambridge University Press from NQT to Head of Department or Senior Leadership Team.

• Poetry Competition • Poetry Competition We also aim to cover all age ranges from Nursery to Key Stage 3.

• SATIPSKI • SATIPSKI the annual Ski competition • Annual Art Exhibition held at Hemel Hempstead indoor ski centre SATIPS offers a four-part corePaget of activities and support: • SATIPS Challenge, Harry (challenge@satips.org) • Annual Art Exhibition • National Handwriting Competition, Paul Jackson (education@satips.org) Broadsheets • Poetry Competition, Stephen Davies (shd@bryanston.co.uk) Full details of all these events are at http://satips.org/competitions/ These are published• each term, covering a wide range of curriculum interests, as SATIPSKI, Gillian Gilyead (gilliangilyead@aol.com) well as specific concerns: eg Senior Management, Special Needs and Pre-Prep.

• Annual Art Exhibition, AlayneSchool” Parsley (A.Parsley@cheltenhamcollege.org) “Prep Magazine Full details of all these events areaat www.satips.org/competitions “Prep School” is published times year.

It offers in Prep Schools Broadsheet articles are usuallythree written by practising Prep readers School teachers with a broad range of authoritative articles educational emphasis occasional contributions from leaders inon their field. Thismatters ensureswith that,an whatever Prep School Magazine on issues that concern all Prep Schools. the article is about, the reader can be certain that he or she will not only share ‘Prep is published threebut times a year.

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What next?

Joining Satips or seeking further information? expectations or what “works”. Writing articles for the Broadsheets encourages Weto arereflect proudon oftheir whatclassroom SATIPS offers.

With all curriculum Council members and Officers staff practice and development. still working in Prep Schools we believe we understand the demands on staff What next? Joining SATIPS or seeking further information? working inSATIPS schools and are here to support them.

We are proud of what offers.

With allwho, Council members and Officers Broadsheets are edited

by Prep School teachers with proven track records still in prep schools weof understand the demands on staff in working their field, have takenwe onbelieve the role subject ambassador.

Pleaseworking doabout contact us ifand youare would like more information inthe school herego toto support them.

For further information Broadsheets, http://satips.org/ and, for or if we can be of any assistance. sight of recent editions, follow the links to “Specimen Broadsheets”.

Chair CoursesChairman and INSET Ben Moir Lisa Newbould SATIPS offers a wide range of training courses, Conferences chair@satips.org chair@satips.org and other In-Service opportunities.

Courses can be accessed onDirector the web-site at http://satips.org/courses/ of Education Director of Education Paul Jackson Paul Jackson Courses are designed to cover aeducation@satips.org wide range of interests. Attention is given to education@satips.org course feed-back which helps to shape our programme. School requests for training is particularly encouraged.

General Secretary Director of Training Bill Ibbetson-Price Sarah Kirby-Smith Course presenters are very carefully vetted.

Our aim is always to make use of gensec@satips.org training@satips.org known experts in their field who are also first-class presenters.

Members schools receive a substantial discount on course fees.

General Secretary Alec Synge GenSec@satips.org

Courses a SATIPS offers a wide range of and other In-Serv Courses can be accessed on the we

Courses are designed to cover a wide course feed-back which helps to shap training is particu

Course presenters are very carefully v known experts in their field wh Members schools receive a sub

articles for the Broadsheets encourages ractice and curriculum development.

SATIPS directory teachers who, with proven track records he roleOfficers of subject ambassador. adsheets, go to http://satips.org/ and, for e links to “Specimen Broadsheets”.

Chairman Ben Moir chair@satips.org

Finance Director Stephen Coverdale finance@satips.org

President

Richard Tovey MBE

Vice Presidents

Trevor Mulryne & David Kendall

Director of Paul Jackson Education education@satips.org

General Secretary Bill Ibbetson-Price gensec@satips.org

Communications Ellen Manning Administrator ellen@ellenmanning.co.uk

and INSET Members of Council f training courses, Conferences vice opportunities. eb-site at http://satips.org/courses/ Emma Goodbourn (nedgoodbourn@yahoo.co.uk)

Paul Baker (pb3448@gmail.com)

Brenda Marshall (brendamarshall@supanet.com)

Ben Moir (benmoir@hotmail.com)

Mark Middleton (markmiddleton@orwellpark.org)

Paul Mason (paulmason@crossfields.com)

Alayne Parsley (a.parsley@cheltenhamcollege.org)

SATIPS Broadsheet editors

range of interests. Attention is given to pe our programme. School requests for ularly encouraged.

Art

Jan Miller, Moreton Hall (millerj@moretonhall.com)

Classics

Emiliana Damiani, Pinewood School (emilianadamiani@pinewoodschool.co.uk)

Nicholas Richards, Christ Church College (richards.n@cccs.org.uk)

Design Technology

Vacant

Drama

Stacie Bates, Walhampton School (s.bates@walhampton.com)

English

Charlotte Weatherley, Knighton House (charlotte.e.weatherley@gmail.com)

Geography

Ben Mono, Eagle House (ben.mono@eaglehouseschool.com)

History

Matthew Howorth, Twickenham Prep (mhoworth@twickenhamprep.co.uk)

ICT Mathematics

Mark Templeman, Brockhurst and Marlston House Schools (m.templeman@brockmarl.org) Matthew Reames (mreames@gmail.com)

Modern Foreign Languages

Richard Smith (tricks6543@gmail.com)

Music

Claire Tomsett, Wetherby Prep (claire.tomsett-rowe@wetherbyprep.co.uk)

Mark Penrose, Bilton Grange (msp@biltongrange.co.uk)

Pastoral Development & PSHCE

Jenny Burrett, Wishford Schools (jenburrett@gmail.com)

Physical Education & Games

Liz Durden-Myers (liz.myers@scholary.com)

Pre-prep

Sam Weeks, Stamford Junior School (slweeks@ses.lincs.sch.uk)

vetted. Our aim is always to make use of ho are also first-class presenters. bstantial discount on course fees.

RE education@satips.org Science Luke Busfield, Ludgrove (emmaandluke154@btinternet.com) Senior management

Christopher Parsons, Norwich Lower School (cparsons@norwich-school.org.uk)

Special Needs/Learning Development Claire Thurlby, St Faith’s, Cambridge (cthurlby@stfaith’s.co.uk) Classroom Management

Mark Philpott, The Elms, Trent College (markypotts1@yahoo.co.uk)

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Viewpoint Originally published in his school newsletter in November 2020, Dr Peter Kent shares some notions from the sunny side of the world.

Why was I in the Maldives last weekend? Well, it’s a long story…

Being President Elect of the International Confederation of Principals has given me the chance to swap ideas with a whole range of leader from across the world and I have taken several of their suggestions and brought them back to Lawrence Sheriff. One of those leaders is Dr Abdulla Rasheed, the Minister of State for Education in the Republic of the Maldives.

The conference focused on innovation in response to the pandemic. In the light of this, I focused upon three trends that are currently reshaping education worldwide: 1. Technology and remote learning. Whilst platforms such as Google Classroom and Zoom offer new opportunities for remote education, what matters more than anything is the quality of teaching that is provided. Research from the Education Endowment Foundation in the UK shows that these fundamental elements remain crucial whether teaching is delivered face to face or remotely: bringing your subject to life, avoiding long periods of ‘passive learning’, providing opportunities for peer interaction, offering the chance to research and engage in problem solving and employing a range of strategies that help students to learn.

2. Collaboration. Working together and sharing ideas at local, national and international level is more important now than it ever was. We also need to look within and learn from the examples of powerful practice that exist within every school.

3. Keeping your balance. All of us need to respond to the immediate challenges of the pandemic, but to also leave some time to plan for the future. Events such as the Maldives conference highlight how we can all play a part in building a ‘better normal’ for pupils worldwide, showing a willingness to change and adapt our approaches in response to all that the past year has taught us.

At the end of the question and answer session, the very well informed and articulate Maldives Minister of State for Education asked me to pass on to everyone at Lawrence Sheriff her ‘good wishes from the sunny side of the world’. Strangely that phrased popped into my head as I scraped the ice off my windscreen on Monday morning.

Dr Peter Kent is Headmaster of Lawrence Sheriff School

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