Pride in our schools today – and plenty of optimism for the future Christopher King, CEO of IAPS, writes the foreword to the 2022 edition “So how are your schools?” is pretty much the standard way people I meet professionally open a conversation with me. I’m not entirely sure what response is anticipated by those who ask this question but I certainly know how I frame my answer. Essentially the questioner can expect a response from me along the lines of, “They’re upbeat, optimistic and pushing ahead, thank you”. The truth is the first lockdown and subsequent Covid-19 related setbacks, operationally speaking, were hugely difficult and there was a negative impact on finances. However, apart from a few stand out cases where governors were overly aggressive when demanding fees be paid in full, the schools played it fair with parents, set out the financial situation they found themselves in and discovered there was, and indeed is, tremendous levels of inbuilt support for our schools. No doubt helped by the very successful roll-out of an online learning experience; few, if any, schools are reporting a knowledge deficit amongst their pupils as a result of Covid-19. The vast majority of parents have paid their fees bill, with remarkable good grace, and confidence within our schools rapidly returned. The doomsayers who predicted the closure of vast numbers of independent schools as a direct result of the pandemic are left looking rather silly, as their dire gloomy predictions proved a million miles from the reality. The reality is one where pupil rolls have risen right across the IAPS membership, no matter in which geographical area they are located. There are challenges, with some schools reporting a particularly competitive recruitment situation with regards to the nursery and early years. However, the perspective switches very rapidly to a far more positive picture in the older age groups and the buoyant nature of recruitment has become a feature of our schools. All this has had knock-on effects as confidence has grown throughout IAPS membership. Capital projects, which were put on hold for 12 months, are now underway
and, as I travel around the country, I see new investment manifested in construction sites as buildings come out of the ground. It is interesting to note that schools are investing in new classrooms to support the delivery of the core curriculum. The statement being made is one around the importance of the main activity of any school being, of course, the delivery of knowledge and skills associated with the school’s curriculum. Just two examples of this would be the investment Westonbirt School is making in classroom facilities on a site which has to be sensitively considered given the Grade 1 listed buildings in close proximity to the new build. Belmont School, located at Holmbury St. Mary near Dorking has seen a growth in demand as it took the decision to educate through to 16 and offer GCSEs. This positive move for the schools has allowed the cranes to move onto the school site as their new facilities begin to take shape. Here again, the emphasis is on classrooms to support the delivery of the curriculum. The whole experience of managing the day-today ever-changing situation associated with the time of the coronavirus has taken some toll on the heads and leaders of our schools. The changing advice from the government made for the most difficult of times. Nobody but a fool would want to openly declare that they are feeling so confident that they can say the worst is behind us but a more positive mood has started to wash over the leadership of our schools and, be it plans for a new school,
The doomsayers who predicted the closure of vast numbers of independent schools as a direct result of the pandemic are left looking rather silly, as their dire gloomy predictions proved a million miles from the reality.
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