The other half, Michael Windsor

The other half Michael Windsor explains how Abingdon gives pupils a proper confidence

What is character education? Recent Secretaries of State for Education have espoused its importance and Damian Hines recently unveiled a plan to establish ‘five foundations’ for building character across the state sector.

We probably all have our own definitions of what character education might mean, and certainly independent schools have for a long time placed the development of character at the heart of their mission. Indeed, in 1862 the Head of Loretto listed his priorities in this order: ‘First – Character. Second – Physique. Third – Intelligence. Fourth – Manners. Fifth – Information.’ A quick trawl through school websites today confirms that personal development remains very important to our schools, with the enhancement of confidence often emphasised.

It was certainly this aspect of character education that The Times picked up on in their report on Mr Hines’ recent announcement, their headline proclaiming: ‘All pupils will have the chance of gaining public school swagger’. I felt the choice of headline was both unfortunate and inaccurate.

That phrase ‘public school swagger’ grates because it draws on outdated representations of our sector and does not reflect what today’s independent schools are all about. I believe we would all agree that confidence has nothing to do with ‘swagger’ or arrogance but rather comes from allowing young people to be at ease with themselves and simply to be the person they want to be. In preparing pupils for the future, we need to help them grow the inner confidence that allows them to ride out tough times by fostering fundamental values such as integrity, humility and kindness, rather than nurturing an unwarranted and artificial sense of entitlement.

How can we help our pupils develop this sense of inner confidence?

Let’s start with life outside the classroom. Abingdon is renowned for the ‘Other Half’, a term that reflects our commitment to the importance of extra-curricular activities. The Other Half plays a key part in the personal development of our pupils as it allows them to challenge themselves in a huge range of activities. An advantage of the relatively large size of Abingdon is the sheer range of extra-curricular opportunities that we can make available – over 120 at the last count. This means that the Other Half can accommodate every possible

taste and interest and that pupils have a great chance of meeting like-minded friends in their various activities. There’s no such thing as a typical Abingdon pupil as there are so many different pathways for them to follow, which we ensure are equally valid and respected.

We place a particular emphasis on taking pupils out of their familiar context and opening their eyes to the world beyond the bubble of school life. This is why our students gain so much from our partnership activities with local maintained schools, be it helping primary school children with DT or languages or producing short films with the Abingdon Film Academy. A recent scheme has seen sixth formers from Abingdon and two local partner schools mentoring Year 8 pupils in English, Maths and Science. While the younger pupils have benefited in terms of academic motivation and progress, the older students have learnt a great deal about leadership, teamwork and time management. We have a well-developed swimming partnership with a local secondary school which allows sixth formers from both schools to coach younger pupils, some of whom have barely swum before. I also love seeing our boarders helping out as Science Ambassadors at the family mornings we run with Science Oxford; students from all over the world engaging in learning and discovery with our local community.

But I think it’s a mistake to conclude that the building of confidence is just about extra-curricular activities. This needs to be a focus in the classroom too. At Abingdon, our approach to teaching and learning demands that teachers encourage pupils to think for themselves and to take risks. We help teachers develop questioning techniques that require pupils to challenge received thinking and to express their own ideas and opinions, in an atmosphere in which they will be listened to and taken seriously by their peers and their teachers. We train students to understand the importance of feedback and to accept constructive criticism in the spirit in which it is given. We recognise the importance of praise, and every week teachers

can nominate pupils for ‘Head’s Praise’ which gives students the dubious reward of coming for a chat with me at break-time (with a further reward in the form of chocolate). But we are not over-lavish with our praise, so that pupils know that when it does come, it is authentic and well-earned.

Neither do we neglect the importance in building confidence of ensuring that pupils have strong foundations of knowledge upon which to draw. Teaching stands at the heart of developing intellectual confidence. Pupils are able to cope with new ideas or, indeed, are happy to formulate their own, if they have a really well-established foundation of knowledge in place. They can also approach the challenge of public examinations with confidence if they have been properly prepared for them. This does not mean teaching to the test. Good results should be a by-product of a good education where pupils can achieve mastery by establishing firm foundations through a coherent curriculum and regular, structured practice.

Knowledge is also the true foundation for creativity. One of my great musical heroes, the jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, famously spent two years practising his scales and technique on the Williamsburg bridge in New York (to avoid disturbing the neighbours) and in doing so developed a new and rich language for improvisation. You are going to have the confidence to try an audacious move on the rugby pitch or produce an imaginative and ambitious work of art if you’ve done plenty of practice and preparation beforehand.

I’m all for developing confidence, but the last thing that we should be imparting to future generations is a veneer of arrogance or ‘public school swagger’. I hope rather that our pupils emerge from Abingdon with a sense of inner confidence that allows them to feel comfortable in their own skins, able to embrace change and challenge. Michael Windsor has been Headmaster of Abingdon School since 2016