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TONBRIDGE SOCIETY
IMPACT REPORT 2021
Robert and Sally Elliott
FAREWELL FROM THE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS IN CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT ELLIOTT Robert Elliott’s five-year tenure as Tonbridge’s Chair of Governors will conclude at the end of the Summer Term. His relationship with the School, which now spans more than a quarter of a century, began as a parent, when his boys – firstly Robbie, and later James – were boarders at Park House in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Robert became a governor at Tonbridge in 2003, and has led the governing body with great distinction since 2017. A Law graduate, he trained as a solicitor before embarking on a stellar career that saw him rise to the position of Chairman and Senior Partner with global law firm, Linklaters LLP. In the past five years, he has held other senior positions with banking and wealth management firms and has also been an adviser to the Government on the implications of Brexit for UK law. Here Robert looks back on his life, career and long association with Tonbridge in a conversation with Nick Ellwood, the School’s Head of Communications. Tell me a little about your background: where did you grow up? I grew up first in Newcastle, then in Leeds. I went to a direct grant school, called Leeds Grammar School, and then attended Queen Mary College in 1970, which was part of the University of London, to read Law. Why did you choose Law? Mainly because it was regarded as a good, professional qualification. My initial idea was to go to drama school, and I also considered perhaps doing English and Drama as a degree. My father was very much against this, though, and there was, perhaps, a bit of a conspiracy between him and my Headmaster to put me on the track into Law, but looking back they were probably right to do so!
This clearly is a field you’ve enjoyed, as this is where you’ve spent most of your career. I rather fell into it, I suppose, at first, but yes, I soon found that I liked the Law. I was soon able to earn a living and to meet my aim of being independent. Above all, I can honestly say I enjoyed working in law, from the very day I started, right up until now, so I count myself as fortunate. It’s important to enjoy what you’re doing. Your eldest son came to Tonbridge in 1995. Why did you choose the School? When we were choosing, and considering boarding, we visited Tonbridge and met the Headmaster, Martin Hammond. It struck us that Tonbridge was a very high-quality, straightforward place, where our son would get an all-round, grounded education. It wasn’t flash in any way. I also spoke to some OTs I knew in my practice, who confirmed all this, and not long after Robbie started in Park House. John Gibbs was still a housemaster at that time! What other impressions of Tonbridge did you form as a parent? Well, it was fairly traditional, which is not necessarily a bad thing – but nonetheless progressive in many areas. One thing I realised was that it suited different types of boys. My first boy was very sporty, a captain of rugby and so on, and my
second boy was a music scholar, so I was able to see at first hand the diversity, and the excellence, of what Tonbridge had to offer. Back at that time, I would say that the School probably needed to be a bit more worldly, and a bit more global, in its outlook. I think great strides have been made over the years since then. Did your boys enjoy their time here? They loved it and they were very happy here. Back to what I was saying about the diversity: Park House had a reputation for being very sporty, but by the time Jamie, my youngest, was there, they won the House Music Competition for the first time. Nothing stands still at Tonbridge: there is always change. How does today’s School differ from the one that you first came across in 1995? Let’s start with the physical: that’s not to say this is the most important aspect, but without question there has been a huge investment in facilities: the Tonbridge School Centre, the refurbishment of the Smythe Library, and the opening of the Barton Science Centre, to name just three major projects. Widening access was already an objective back when I joined as parent, and as a governor, but in more recent years we have developed a clearer idea of what we are trying to achieve in this area. It’s a key strategic focus, not least
