James Priory – the Headmaster’s review of the year

FROM THE HEADMASTER

HEADMASTER JAMES PRIORY SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON SEEING A BUSY CAMPUS ONCE MORE AND REFLECTS ON THE SCHOOL’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN RECENT TIMES

One of the great strengths of the School is, I believe, the depth of relationships between the boys and the staff.

Ever since the return of many of the boys towards the end of the Lent Term, the campus has been coming back to life. A tightly fought T20 match took place on The Head on the very first day of term, and the sense of fun, energy and purpose the boys brought to this match has been evident across our entire site since re-opening. It really does feel now as if the School community is back again.

It has also been exciting to mark a new chapter in

Tonbridge’s history when Robert Elliott, the Chairman of

Governors, and I announced our merger with The New Beacon

Preparatory School, with effect from 31 August this year.

There has always been a strong relationship between our two schools, based on a shared ethos of outstanding teaching and learning, high-quality pastoral care, and a commitment to the development of the whole child. We believe that the merger will bring considerable benefits to Tonbridge and The

New Beacon, whilst respecting our separate identities.

As the two governing bodies work together, we expect

Tonbridge and The New Beacon to become aligned in terms of overall strategy. Each school, however, will retain its own teaching and support staff, its own leadership and management teams, and its own uniform and site.

As you know, Tonbridge is a determinedly selective school.

We pride ourselves on the number of different schools from which boys join us and value our relationship with a wide range of preparatory and state primary schools.

We see this development as part of a wider strategy of working closely with and supporting all our feeder prep schools to ensure a high level of continuity for those boys and their families joining us, and, importantly, in committing to the positive experience of transition at 13+.

We already welcome some 20 boys from The New Beacon every year and are pleased to secure that relationship for the future, although the merger will not guarantee places. Our rigorous recruitment process will remain the same for applicants from The New Beacon as it does for boys from other schools, all of whom we will continue to welcome and support.

Furthermore, we remain fully committed to widening access and are grateful for the generosity of many Old Tonbridgians in supporting a growing number of Foundation Awards for pupils who would otherwise be unable to attend the School.

As a result of the merger, The New Beacon will become part of the group of schools overseen by the Skinners’ Company, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of

London and a major not-for-profit organisation which supports seven other schools, including Tonbridge School.

We hope that you will welcome this news as a further strengthening of Tonbridge School.

While we have, of course, been through some very unusual circumstances in the last year, there is so much that has made me proud of the School in this time. The boys showed outstanding character and commitment in adapting to periods of online learning, and I was most impressed with the resourcefulness shown by the teaching staff who ensured that our Tonbridge Online programme delivered a high-quality, interactive experience for all.

Teachers and pupils alike have also been navigating the challenges of assessed grades following the cancellation of public examinations for the second year running. Boys studying for A level and GCSE examinations have worked very hard for their assessments this term which will contribute to the evidence on which exam boards award grades in the summer. Thanks to their efforts and the dedication of their teachers, we hope that the boys can look forward with confidence to the next stage of their educational careers.

It was also very pleasing that we managed to run a fun and inspiring programme of co-curricular activities during this time, from cookery to keep fit, and from photographic and DT competitions to virtual concerts and readings for a ‘Fireside Shakespeare in Lockdown’ film compiled by the Drama Department.

One of the great strengths of the School is, I believe, the depth of relationships between the boys and the staff. This has been evident in the boys’ engagement not only in online lessons but in tutor group discussions, year group Chapel talks and services and House activities and competitions, wherever they were in the world.

A proud moment for me was in witnessing the incredible response to our Laptop Appeal. The entire School community, including OTs, parents and staff, showed great generosity in quickly raising more than £40,000, and we also saw donations of IT equipment, including iPads, smartphones and headphones. We were able to donate more than 130 laptops to young people from the local area who otherwise simply wouldn’t have been able to access online learning at such a crucial time. I am extremely grateful to everyone who lent their support to the appeal.

There have been many successes this year among our OTs. England batting star Zak Crawley (WH 11-16) has recently been named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. We have seen Freddie de Tommaso (WH 06-11) debut at No.1 in the Official Classical Artist Albums Chart with his album Passione. In December the Sandhurst Sword of Honour was awarded to Old Tonbridgian Tom Brown (PH 09-14). We have been entertained by many of our OTs throughout periods of lockdown, with viral comedy from Will Hislop (WH 06-11) and Tom Chaplin (HS 92-97) who partnered with TV star Matt Lucas to release a comedy single to raise money for NHS workers.

The Tonbridge Society team have been busy organising a series of talks over the past year to provide the community with opportunities to connect, to learn and be inspired. We heard how the Bank of England is responding to the joint challenges of Brexit and Covid-19 with Simon Hall (WW 84-89). James Riley (Sc 74-78) gave an insight into his busy life as CEO of luxury hotel group, Mandarin Oriental, to name just a few.

Our speakers have been received so positively by the community, I encourage those of you who haven’t yet tuned into a ‘Spotlights’ talk to do so over the coming months, or to visit our Tonbridge Talks page on Tonbridge Connect where you will find recordings to watch at your own leisure. I want to extend my personal thanks to all those OTs who have so generously given their time as speakers and who have helped provide a careers programme which genuinely sparks the imaginations of our current pupils.

As I write, we are looking forward to our inaugural Giving Day and the opportunity this event will provide to support our expanding Foundation Award programme and to celebrate the educational and community partnerships define so much of what we do as a school. It has been encouraging to see the strength of support we are already receiving, and we will be excited to share more news in the weeks and months ahead.

May I end by sending my very best wishes to you and your families, and by thanking the OT community once more for your support and messages of encouragement, which are always appreciated. After a long and challenging national lockdown throughout much of the winter, I hope that we can all truly enjoy a ‘glorious summer’, to borrow a phrase from William Shakespeare.

Please also reach out to us via Tonbridge Connect if we can help you, if you can offer help to others, or if you have a story to share. As always, we look forward to hearing from you ●

James Priory