British Education Hong Kong A/W 2018

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BRITISH

EDUCATION

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AUTUMN • WINTER 2018

TIME OUT

Is the Common Entrance dead?

Future PROOF

Berkhamsted’s lessons for life

HONG KONG EDITION

WORLD CLASS BRITAIN’S BOARDING SCHOOLS LEAD THE WAY

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FOLLOW THE LEADER

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INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

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Marymount LOND ON

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• Independent Catholic day and boarding school for girls ages 11-18 • Students representing over 40 nationalities and multiple faiths • A strong academic tradition based on inquiry, interdisciplinary knowledge and reflective study • Average score 36, 100% pass rate

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CONTENTS AUTUMN / WINTER 2018

EDITOR

Amanda Constance

EDITOR IAL ASSISTANT

UP FR O NT

12 NEWS

What’s going on in the world of education

Georgia McVeigh

56

A DV ERTISING M A NAGER

Nicola Owens

COMMERCI A L DIR ECTOR

19 BURSARY BONUS

Leah Day

International franchises can benefit UK schools, says Barnaby Lenon, former head of Harrow School

GROUP SA L ES DIR ECTOR

Craig Davies

68

22 CRUSE CONTROL

British Education meets leadership guru Jo Cruse P R EP

26 TIME'S UP?

Prep heads discuss whether the Common Entrance is out of date

30 GOLD STANDARD

Why scholarships still matter, by Giles Tollit, Headmaster of Horris Hill

A RT DIR ECTOR

Phil Couzens

SENIOR DESIGNER

Pawel Kuba

MID-W EIGHT DESIGNER

Rebecca Noonan

DESIGNER

Catherine Perkins

M A R K ETING M A NAGER

40 BOYS ARE... BRILLIANT

Lucie Pearce

Campaigner Gary Wilson on celebrating boys

FINA NCE DIR ECTOR

SEN IO R

Jerrie Koleci

48 WORLD CLASS

DIR ECTOR S

UK boarding schools are leading the way, says Tom Lawson, Headmaster of Eastbourne College

Greg Hughes, Alexandra Hunter

PUBL ISHING DIR ECTOR

50 GENDER ISSUES

Sherif Shaltout

Will single-sex schools survive? By Lisa Freedman

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Historian Dan Snow on his days of self-discovery at St Paul's School

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@AB SOLUTELY_MAGS ‘AB SOLUTELY MAGAZINES’

Senior heads discuss curriculum options

Technology and independent learning are the key, says Microsoft's Director of Education

AUT UMN • WINT ER 2018

S CHOOL LE AVER

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68 GET PERSONAL

74 TALL STORIES

L AST WORD

98 MIKE BUCHANAN

The new executive director of the HMC

Is the Common Entrance dead?

PROOF

Berkhamsted’s lessons for life

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26

How best to ready young people for the real world, by Brian Schofield

TIME OUT

Future

Richard Evans debunks some Oxbridge myths

77 PREPARE TO LAUNCH

BRITISH

EDUCATION

AU T U M N • W I N T E R 2 01 8

HONG KONG EDITION

WORLD CLASS BRITAIN’S BOARDING SCHOOLS LEAD THE WAY

TOP TIPS FOR OX B R I D G E

FOLLOW THE LEADER INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

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F RO NT COV E R Pupils at Berkhamsted School, a family of leading independent schools from nursery to 18 in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire berkhamstedschool.org

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47 Berkhamsted Students have gained a place at Oxford & Cambridge since 2012

45% of Berkhamsted Boarders secured an A*- A in 2018

Discover Berkhamsted

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We l c o m e

From the

EDITOR

I

’ve had the whole summer to ponder leadership, our theme for this issue. Is it the ability to take campaign for something and blaze a trail? Like Gary Wilson, who has worked tirelessly to raise achievement in boys for decades? (see page 40). Or is leadership something more internal, less visible? The ability to take control of your own life, to be the master of your own decisions?

This is how Jo Cruse, leadership guru extraordinaire sees it (see page 22).

I have another picture of what leadership might be. I don’t live in the most salubrious area of London; it’s down-at-heel, diverse and vibrant. Every morning I see a local headmaster patrolling the pavements close to his school – Newman Catholic College. He is always well

the Syrian Summer Camp, gave succour and educational support to local refugee children.

And the last, the Springboard Youth Academy Camp provided holistic education to refugee and asylum-seeking young people. All these camps ran simultaneously. I've no doubt all were transformational. I’m also sure they involved many agencies and different people but my gut feeling is that the head was the engine behind them. Nobody affects the temperature of a school like its leader. I salute you Mr Danny Coyle.

And while I’m heaping praise, my own inspirational book of the summer was Educated by Tara Westover. It’s a memoir of a young girl growing up in rural Idaho in a fundamentalist Mormon family.

With no formal schooling she

“NOBODY AFFECTS THE TEMPERATURE OF A SCHOOL LIKE ITS LEADER” dressed. He is always alert, straight-backed. I see him chatting to pupils, straightening ties and hurrying them along. Above all, he is present, a figurehead, showing them how to be. During July and August this year, Newman Catholic College (NCC) ran three summer camps. The first was run in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police; NCC identified 50 boys aged 13-15 deemed to be ‘vulnerable’ over the holidays. These boys were then involved in a programme that kept them constantly engaged, including four weeks of training with Saracens rugby club. The next camp,

makes it to Cambridge to do a PhD. It is a story of the transformational power of education. Even Barack Obama has tweeted his love for this book. So I’m in good company.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

A manda Constance EDITOR

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• A B S O L U T E LY E D U C AT I O N ’ S •

CON T R IBU TOR S

Brian Schofield

Head of Politics, Hurstpierpoint College

Brian Schofield previously worked as an editor, travel writer and literary critic for the Sunday Times. His first book, Selling Your Father’s Bones, is published by Harper Collins. He writes about preparing school leavers on p.77.

Who is your favourite leader from history and why?

Gladstone, a Prime Minister guided by conscience rather than career.

Lisa Freedman

Education consultant and journalist

The best school?

The one offering the most choice.

A Canadian by birth, Lisa Freedman remains fascinated by the bizarre intricacy of the English education system, and is currently completing a PhD in the History of Education at UCL. She writes about single sex schools on p.50.

Who is your favourite leader from history and why?

Frederick William Walker, headmaster of Manchester Grammar School, 1859-1876, and St Paul’s School, London, 1877-1905.

We are a highly successful co-educational school for 10 -18 year olds.

Choose from the IB Diploma Programme or A-levels.

Gary Wilson

We offer boarding and day places.

Education consultant and campaigner

Gary Wilson is widely regarded as one of the country's leading experts on raising achievement in boys.

He writes about Brilliant Boys on p.40.

Who is your favourite leader from history and why?

Sir Alec Clegg, educational pioneer who changed the shape of education in his role of Chief Education Officer for the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Call our Admissions team to join one of our open mornings or arrange a personalised visit

01572 758758 admissions@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

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We l c o m e

From

ACADEMIC ASIA

I

t is now 20 years since the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the UK to the People’s Republic of China.

Although not initially too noticeable, the handover has had a significant impact on education in Hong Kong.

The first major change was the introduction of the new HKDSE (Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education) which replaced Hong Kong’s own HKCEE (Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination) and AL (A-Level). The HKCEE and AL were well-established public examinations in Hong Kong and were recognised both locally and internationally.

These examinations would take place in April and May each year with the results published in August. It was, therefore, a system that matched the British education system very well.

Following a phasing-out of the HKCEE, the new system was in place in 2012. There is now only one public examination at the end of the six years of secondary education compared

servants joining the Government after the 1997 handover are no longer entitled to the allowance.

Hong Kong is an international business, financial and trading centre and English is the language of business worldwide. It is crucial that Hong Kong maintains a good standard of English if it is to remain competitive. Prior to the handover, there were a significant number of schools who taught using English; today there are a higher proportion of schools who teach in Chinese. This has created a need in recent years for high quality international schools and the number of satellite schools continues to grow. One of the most prestigious to open was Harrow International in 2012, it now has 1300 pupils.

The increasing number of satellite schools that offer British education at all age levels will inevitably have an effect on the number of families that may decide to keep their children in Hong Kong. Another factor may be the growing number of sixth form colleges that are opening

“PRIOR TO HANDOVER THE MAJORITY OF SCHOOLS TAUGHT IN ENGLISH, TODAY A HIGHER PROPORTION TEACH IN CHINESE” to the two examinations taken with the HKCEE. Under the previous system, there was seven years of secondary education whereas now there are six years with an extra year added at university level.

Another significant change is the gradual phasing out of the OEA (Overseas Education Allowance). A number of Hong Kong families benefited for many years from the OEA which was an allowance that was granted to children of serving civil servants.

Although the allowance did not cover the whole cost of sending a child to a British boarding school, it did make such an opportunity more affordable. Civil 10

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in the UK. Hong Kong families may choose to keep their children at home and then send them to these academic hothouses for their last two years of school.

The education landscape continues to change in Hong Kong. These changes may well have an effect on the number of students that the traditional British boarding schools will be able to recruit – the next 20 years will be just as interesting!

Battie Fung

MANAGING DIRECTOR ACADEMIC ASIA

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Transformation through education An independent boarding and day school focused on social diversity and mobility, for boys and girls aged 11-18.

T: 01403 246 555 E: hello@christs-hospital.org.uk Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 0LJ www.christs-hospital.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1120090

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Get Ga ming An all girl team from Wimbledon High School were thrilled to be winners of the 2018 BAFTA Young Game Designers competition at a prestigious awards ceremony, where they were awarded the Game Concept Award for 1518 year olds. The girls won the prize for their café simulator game idea – Tea and Tartlets.

NEW APPOINTMENT Edward O’Connor has been appointed as the new Head of St Edmund’s School Canterbury from September 2018. Edward has been Deputy Head at St Edmund’s since 2013 and was Acting Head of the Junior School last year. He succeeds Louise Moelwyn-Hughes.

He said: “I feel privileged to be taking over as Head of this dynamic and vibrant day and boarding school at this exciting stage in its evolution.”

“I feel privileged to be taking over as Head of this dynamic school”

RESCUE MISSION

Best Success

Gordonstoun School welcomed former pupil Connor Roe back to the school to talk about his role in the cave rescue operation of the Thai football team and their coach. Roe, who left Gordonstoun in 2009, was called to assist with the final phase of the rescue operation by the British Cave Rescue Council.

Eaton House Belgravia Pre-Prep has achieved its best results for 7+ and 8+ examinations in five years.

The first set of results under the new Headmaster, Huw May, just under 40% of the boys received offers from Westminster Under or St. Pauls, amongst other well known schools.

OPEN DOORS Kensington Park School, a new day and boarding senior school, opened its doors in August to welcome girls and boys aged 11+. This follows the opening of the school’s sixth form last year. Headmaster Paul Vanni said: “KPS is a fantastic addition to the central London independent school scheme…"

“I can’t wait for Tokio Myers, the pianist who won Britain’s Got Talent last year to perform with the full Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

He is state-educated and busts the myth that classical music is only for old, rich, white folk” AY E S H A H A Z A R I K A I N T H E E V E N I N G S TA N D A R D

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UPFRON T / NEWS

By Georgia McVeigh

M I L ESTON E In 2019 Dulwich College will celebrate its 400th anniversary with the Dulwich Olympiad 2019, showcasing skills in sport, music, drama and art. The school will host some 800 participants from Dulwich College International schools, as well as boys from the London college.

SCORE IT U P 2018 saw Felsted School achieve its best ever IB Diploma Programme results.

Once again,Felsted achieved a 100% pass rate, and this year improved their average point score to 35.5 out of a possible 45, 5.5 points above the world average.

Five students achieved scores of over 40 points, putting each of them into the top 6% worldwide.

F LY I N G H I G H GCSE students Niamh Breslin and Martha Tyler represented Babington House School in the London Schools Trampoline Championships held at Harlington Sports Centre, where both performed extremely well. Martha has previously competed in Regional trampoline championships and has her sights set on representing Great Britain for trampolining.

T H E B U T T E R F LY EFFECT A Year 11 pupil from Sydenham High, Frances Newe, qualified for the National Summer Swimming Championships in Sheffield, despite a challenging season.

She was one of only 20 swimmers in the country selected in five events, winning silver in the butterfly to make her the second fastest in the country for her age.

SPORTING SUCCESS Cumnor House Sussex Colts ‘A’ team beat strong competition at the East Grinstead Hockey Academy tournament. 13 schools from all over Sussex, Surrey and Kent were brought together to compete for the prestigious winners’ trophy.

“I don’t want my kids coming home speaking like Ali G.” PA U L W E L L E R , O N E -T I M E C L A S S WA R R I O R A N D N O W M I D D L E C L A S S PA R E N T O N W H Y H E E D U C AT E S H I S K I D S P R I V A T E LY

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“We’ve had feedback over the last week that some people are unhappy with our plan to offer up to 14 scholarships to refugees living in the local area. To these people we would like to say: Tough. Jog on.”

UNIVERSITY OF READING ON TWITTER

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UPFRON T / NEWS

By GEORGIA MCVEIGH

RECORD R E S U LT S Brighton College broke its own record for top grades this year, and was placed number one in The Times A-Level league table. Despite the new exams, the school achieved 40% A*s, the school’s highest ever figure.

Headmaster Richard Cairns said: “With 99% of grades at A*/B, these results are better than any school in England achieved last year.

C O U N T RY REPS

Young Entrepreneurs

Oakham School have had a successful sporting year, culminating in a large number of students selected to represent their country. Seven Oakhamians were selected to play rugby for their country, alongside other students selected to represent their country in athletics, cricket and hockey. One student even made international history for being selected as the first athlete outside of the US to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game.

Year 6 pupils from Rose Hill School won second, third and runners up prizes in the national John Lewis Innovation Prize.

The task was to reinvent a school blazer. Pupils presented their winning products to Paula Nikolds, the first female MD in John Lewis history. Pupils were then taught about how John Lewis manages sustainability and ethical employment.

“These results are better than any school in England”

UNIVERSITY LIFE St Helen’s, Northwood, recently launched St Helen’s University, a pioneering three-day, off-timetable initiative at the school, enabling Year 7 - 9 girls to follow their own schedule of talks, classes, adventures and independent work.

Girls chose from Creativity, Culture, Performance, Science & Technology, Society and Wellbeing themes, with activities including archery, abseiling, photography, journalism, forensic analysis and theatrical make-up workshops.

Top Story

ART FEST Hanford School has hosted their first Art Festival. The successful program saw 16 different artists and experts hosting talks and workshops for Hanford girls, staff, parents, friends, family, local school children and residents. The weeklong festival celebrated the role of creativity plays by exploring major environmental themes, with the aim of demonstrating how art communicates important ideas and issues.

R E S U LT SUCCES SES The Oratory School celebrated another year of A-Level success with 40% of pupils achieving an A*-A. Their A-Level results also placed The Oratory School in the top 3% of schools for adding value to this year’s Upper Sixth Form cohort. The school is also celebrating GCSE success, with 46% of all grades being the top grades of 9-7 (A*-A).

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“Call me old-fashioned, but the notion of not having personal space when you’re going through puberty is nonsensical, whatever your gender. Where should we draw the line?”

KELLI N EALE I N TH E TI M E . H ER DAUG HTER FOUG HT TH E SCHOOL T O R E I N S TAT E S I N G L E S E X L O O S ( S H E W O N ) .

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UPFRON T / NEWS

By GEORGIA MCVEIGH

W H Y B OA R D? Cranleigh School has designed an evening for prep schools and parents to discuss boarding queries. Open to anyone interested in sending their child to either Cranleigh or another boarding school, it includes talks from the Director of the Good Schools Guide, Education consultants, the Chair of the Boarding Schools Association and the Headmaster of Cranleigh Prep School.

LIFE SKILLS

G O L F I N G G OA L

Oakfield Prep offers a Year 6 Diploma during the summer term: a programme of workshops and projects that involve design, Creative Arts, reading groups with junior pupils, community visits to care homes and charities and leadership skills in sport, music and drama. Entrepreneurs, investment banks and local businesses run seminars in the school and visiting speakers hope to inspire the children.

Their practical-design project for the Summer Fair involves strategic thinking, problemsolving and social responsibility.

The Golf Academy at Merchiston has been ranked No. 1 in the UK by the ISGA for the fifth year running. Each of the 19 schools competing had competed in their regional areas, so the competition for the national title was between the best performing schools in the UK. Merchiston Golf Academy were awarded second place, securing the prestigious Order of Merit award as the ISGA’s Number One Junior Golf School in the UK.

“It's an evening for parents to discuss boarding queries”

S TAT E - O F THE-ART The King’s School Canterbury will open a new, state-of-theart performing arts centre in January 2019. A former Victorian Malthouse close to the school will house a 334 seat theatre with retractable seating and full orchestra pit, two drama and dance studios, and spaces for art exhibitions.

The theatre will benefit not only the school but also the local community with the space available for use within a city that has a thriving arts scene.

Top Story

CRICKET GIRLS Broomwood Hall’s girls cricket team were placed second at the London and Surrey finals of Lady Taverner’s Indoor Cricket competition and were unbeaten at the SOCS finals in June.

Broomwood Hall prides itself on encouraging a high level of sport in female players, and the mixed rugby teams have also done very well this year, with sport growing in popularity amongst the girls.

S E N S O RY P L AY

C R E AT I V E CAREERS

The Moat School in Fulham has installed a new sensory playground in the Lower School area with investment from the Cavendish Education Group.

The Moat School caters for pupils with unique learning profiles, and hopes that the new developments will to continue to provide the best possible care and results, both socially and academically.

Highgate School recently held a Go Creative – Get A Job! conference, focusing on the importance of creative arts in education. The head of Highgate, Adam Pettitt, highlighted the need to encourage the creative arts subjects in schools. Other speakers also took part, including a keynote from actor and writer Meera Syal CBE.

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“We have in this country quite an outdated idea of our education system, which is that private schools are posh and everything else isn’t. Whereas the truth is that, within the private sector, Eton and Harrow and Winchester and St Paul’s are posh.

Everything else is middle-class.”

C O M E D I A N D AV I D B A D D I E L

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UPFRON T / OPINION

Bursary bonus With more schools opening overseas franchises, the Chairman of the Independent Schools Council explains how they can help schools in the UK BARNABY LENON

E

ducation is a hugely important and significant UK export. British independent schools are globally renowned and, for this reason, the UK independent school model is becoming increasingly popular and translated to countries across the world.

The ISC annual Census shows there are 47 ISC member schools that have set-up campuses abroad, educating a total of 32,330 pupils. There are, in fact, more pupils being educated in overseas campuses than there are overseas pupils in UK ISC schools.

According to a report by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), published in July 2018: “British international schools make up 45% of the international schools market. The schools are located outside the UK and teach a curriculum that would be recognised in the

ISC member schools are currently educating 32,330 pupils overseas UK, such as the National Curriculum for England. These schools have a distinctly British ethos, which can include highquality pastoral care, a range of extracurricular opportunities, and reference to British values, freedoms and culture.”

As a leading UK export, the British international schools sector has significant economic value. The international education sector also has a big impact both socially and culturally, a fact acknowledged by many domestic and international pupils.

As COBIS notes, the sector contributes to the UK economy through franchises, use of education goods and services, and

repatriation of salaries.

In addition, British winternational schools send students to UK universities, and generate soft power of immense value by educating thousands of global, political, economic and professional leaders across the world.

It is down to the strength of the independent sector that other countries have encouraged schools to set up partner schools abroad; recent years have seen such schools established in China and the Middle East and this has strengthened relationships with these important trading partners.

The nations that appreciate the UK model are no strangers to impressive academic attainment within their own systems, but it is breadth of curriculum and the direct line into an established school's ethos and philosophy which draws in new parents.

ABOVE Pupils at Repton School in Dubai

International franchise schools, run by UK-based ISC schools, help to fund bursaries in the UK, increasing access to UK independent schools. It is important schools can raise funds for bursaries in this way. With many independent schools having charitable status, they do much for the communities around them and a key part of this is in the offer of bursaries for students who would not otherwise be able to access independent education.

A third of all independent school pupils now receive help with their fees. ISC schools provide more than £800 million of fee assistance, benefiting over 170,000 children. This figure is increasing year-on-year and is certainly being supported by the increase in overseas campuses.

Independent schools believe in the importance of bursaries for a number of reasons. Bursaries widen the pool of applicants at ISC schools, meaning that schools have a greater mix of pupils from a variety of backgrounds and are a better representation of the country as a whole.

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UPFRON T / OPINION

Time out The CEO of Leadership Matters on the importance of teachers taking stock AN DY B UCK

M

ost school leaders I work with put other people first.

Every day.

But taking time to step back from the day-to-day and reflect on our strengths and potential areas for growth is an essential part of leading well. Leaders at all levels owe it to themselves, their colleagues and the pupils they serve to take time out to recharge the leadership batteries.

Seeing how more and more schools are starting to make leadership development a collaborative and school-based endeavour is really exciting. No longer is this just about someone going on a one-day leadership course. That’s not to say that the brilliant programmes run by trusted organisations are redundant. But alongside this, there is nothing more effective than high quality incremental leadership development that is rooted in developing strong leadership habits in the workplace.

Quite apart from building leadership capacity from within, this approach also helps to develop a common language around leadership with a school or group of schools.

And for schools working in an international context, being able to create one’s own leadership development opportunities is more of an essential than an option.

The expert group in the UK looking at teacher professional development published its findings in the form of the highly respected standards for CPD (2016).

This got me thinking about what a similar summary might look like for effective leadership development. Here is what I came up with: • The approach distinguishes between learning and development, with both included as part of a clear pedagogical framework. It’s all very well learning something, but it’s only useful if that enables you to develop your practice in a sustainable way.

• It offers evidence-based leadership

ABOVE A teacher at Berkhamsted

knowledge within a carefully constructed curriculum that leaders can then apply within their context.

• This leadership knowledge sits within a coherent leadership framework.

• Learning with and from peers is a key feature of the approach.

• There is an implicit understanding that leadership habits and skills take time to develop, and programme length reflects this.

• There is an appropriate blend of teaching, mentoring, coaching, personal reflection and goal-setting are an integral part of the approach.

• Tools that support self-awareness such as personality predisposition and 360 feedback are available towards the start of the process.

• There is an opportunity through carefully curated publications and online resources for participants to personalise their learning.

• There is a focus on the evaluation of impact throughout the process.

• The overall approach should stretch, support and challenge leaders, leaving them feeling empowered and positive about the future.

Above all, great facilitation is about building a relationship with participants, asking brilliant questions that get them to work things through based on quality experiences and input. It’s about being curious and interested, rather than judging.

Above all, it’s about helping individuals identify one or two areas for focus and creating a commitment to deliberately practise and then reflect on those areas.

Leaders at all levels in all schools, in whatever setting, are forever going the extra mile for the pupils they serve. But taking time out to reflect and grow as an individual is both nourishing and makes you a better leader. What’s not to like?!

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CRUSE CON TROL Jo Cruse had it all and lost it all. She now uses her experience to teach young people how to be the masters of their own lives A M A N D A C O N S TA N C E

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UPFRON T / PROFILE

LEFT Jo Cruse in action at Dulwich College

J

o Cruse is blonde, beautiful and very, very articulate. Born in the UK and raised in South Africa, hers was a gilded pathway to certain success.

Head girl at Herschel Girls’ School in Cape Town – the St Paul’s Girls’ of South Africa – followed by PPE at Cape Town University, she swiftly rose through the ranks of South African politics to become Chief of Staff to the Parliamentary Leader and then Head of Communications in Parliament. A move to the UK in 2012 didn’t slow her down; she taught Economics at high-flying Merchant Taylor’s in Northwood for a couple of years before becoming a spin doctor in Westminster. And then it all came crashing down.

“I woke up on my 29th birthday; I was going through a divorce, I was depressed, unable to work and in big trouble financially.

I’d gone from being a high-achieving 18 year-old on the traditional path to success to having failed by every metric of success

College, Cranleigh, Oakham, Westonbirt, Putney High (where Cruse held the role of ‘entrepreneur-in-residence’), Merchant Taylors’, Haberdashers Aske’s, Radley and Downe House. Cruse has had glowing references from many of them with numerous heads lauding her work with their students.

Interviewing Cruse in a Mayfair coffee shop, it is hard to imagine she has ever had a moment of crisis or self-doubt. Immaculate in a navy suit, she has the chiselled cheekbones, toned arms and blonde mane of an avowed high flyer. Savvy beyond her years, she talks in a fluent millennial patois of therapy and management speak but has an emotional intelligence that goes way beyond soundbites. And she is winningly open about the fact that she hasn’t always been so together.

For Cruse, the collapse in her late 20s has become the defining point in her life.

She comes from a family of doers; her father, Peter Cruse, was an activist in an apartheid South Africa – he was exiled after becoming involved in the defence of Steve

doing great things, I’d probably get greater clarity about what I wanted to do.”

On her return, Cruse was clear that she wanted to work in education with “the autonomy and dynamism that entrepreneurship offered,” she says.

Fate came calling: Duncan Piper had been snapped up by James Dyson to run his university and needed to replace himself so in March 2017, Cruse took over at The Unreasonables.

“It was extraordinary. Like entrepreneurship bootcamp for 18th months,” she says.

The Unreasonables had identified a “real need”, says Cruse. “There is a huge defecit between what the world is demanding of young people and what schools are currently able to provide.”

For the last 18 months, she has visited four to five schools a week delivering a variety of programmes. The first has been working with mainly sixth-form students, primarily delivering face-to-face leadership workshops, ranging from training prefects to Ted-Talk-style lectures.

THERE IS A HUGE DEFICIT BETWEEN WHAT THE WORLD IS DEMANDING OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND WHAT SCHOOLS CAN PROVIDE I’d set for myself, both personally and professionally. It was a real moment of reckoning,” she says now.

The reckoning involved time out and lots of “invaluable” therapy. “I basically wanted to figure out how I got there and once I’d figured that out the commitment I made was to help other young people not to get to that place. It was the first step on the journey towards doing what I now do.”

Cruse, aged 32, now delivers leadership programmes to young people. For the past 18 months, she has been the managing director of The Unreasonables, an education startup (founded by Duncan Piper who is himself now heading up the new Dyson University), which she has recently left in order to go it alone as a consultant.

With The Unreasonables she ran leadership workshops in many of the UK’s leading schools including Dulwich

Biko – and her English mother was involved in the women’s rights movement in the UK in the Seventies.

“Growing up, I was certainly encouraged to understand what I believe and then go out and act on it,” says Cruse. “But the real catalyst for me was experiencing a period of crisis and wanting to use it constructively.”

Once back on her feet, Cruse set up a consultancy for social enterprises on communication strategy. “I was very interested in the intersection between education and entrepreneurship,” she says And then she fell in love “which was unexpected and lovely”. A night out with her now fiancé, Dom, resulted in a wild plan to travel from Alaska to Argentina, ostensibly to interview 75 social entrepreneurs from Anchorage to Buenos Aires. It sounds terribly high-minded but she now laughs that she had an ulterior motive. “I kind of figured if I spoke to 75 people that were

It quickly became apparent that students were hungry for skills development so Cruse worked with students on networking, public speaking and interview skills.

Much of the work “was not rocket science, she says. It involved demystifying business speak and tips on negotiating the working world. Her one-hour ‘networking workshop’ for example, included simple tips on personal branding, such as having a business card and a LinkedIn profile, how to start a chance conversation and how to follow it up with a phone call or email.

Things that many of us take for granted but are revelatory to our screen-glued youngsters. “A lot of it is basic old-fashioned manners,” says Cruse. “We do a 10-minute icebreaker around handshakes and eye contact. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you stand out if you are one of 100 people contesting for a big job. It’s an absolute game changer.”

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UPFRON T / PROFILE

RIGHT Jo Cruse talks to students and teachers at Dulwich College

Cruse also led numerous “thoughtsparking sessions” on her philosophy of leadership. “For The Unreasonables, leadership is about being active in your choices and challenging assumptions.”

Hence the company name. “It’s about disrupting conventional ways of thinking around leadership and how young people understand themselves and their futures.”

She says many 15 or 16 year olds think of leadership as “something out there”. Many have already decided they aren’t leaders and “we want to them to question that”.

One of the ways Cruse does that is to “reframe what leadership is”. Teenagers like to think in absolutes, in black and white.

The oft-shared assumption, she says, is that to be a leader “you have to be extrovert, uber-confident, an achiever and infallible”.

“One of our most popular sessions we ran was when I would go to schools and talk openly and very candidly about my own experience of having OCD. I was diagnosed when I was 16. It was very debilitating. I was very ill in my late teens but it was about saying to them – these two things can coexist: you can be a human being with all the complexity that comes with that and still lead.”

“You can be a human being with all the complexity that comes with that and still lead” That was “revelatory” for a lot of students, says Cruse. “Especially in those top schools that are uber, uber competitive and all about achievement with no room for fallibility. It was wonderful to see the conversation that that provoked.”

Cruse says she has had some very emotional emails, from students who have been affected by her honesty in these sessions. She says that exposing herself to them is also an important part of defining what leadership is for them.

“The farce is thinking everyone else has it sorted, there's a lack of honesty”, she says, citing her own experience as a good example. “Even though outwardly I was a leader, I showed very little active leadership of my own life in my teens and 20s. I didn’t develop that sense of agency for myself.

I do this now because it’s really shit to be 29 and lost.”

Cruse sees “a very clear dovetail” between her work and helping young people manage their mental health. “So many problems such as anxiety are fed by uncertainty and if we can give young people the skills to cope with uncertainty then it will help their health and wellbeing.”

Much of the uncertainty comes from the changing world of work. Cruse sees a fundamental “disconnect” between this and the way schools are still approaching education. “Most of my peers don’t work nine to five”, she says, “we all have portfolio careers. Even looking back at my own schooling, just 15 years ago, that was never ever part of the conversation. To survive in this working environment you need a completely different set of skills. We say to the students: ‘You will probably have five or six careers, you might work for 10 or more employers, you have got to learn how to manage that process.’”

Cruse is now much in demand as an independent consultant and already has top schools, corporate clients and edtech companies clamouring for her talents.

She is something of a paradox – despite her protestations, Jo Cruse is the success her 18-year-old self foresaw. What’s so appealing is her insight and honesty about how she’s got to this point and her preparedness to share that with others.

She is clearly excited about her new consultancy role. Her projects all have the same central theme, she says, “How do we equip young people to be the best versions of themselves?’ As she heads out in to the Mayfair afternoon, it’s hard not to think that she is the very embodiment of her own teaching philosophy.

Jo Cruse’s CV PRESENT Education consultant and entrepreneur 2017-2018 Managing Director, The Unreasonables 2016-2017 Co-led the MacroAdventure expedition from Alaska to Argentina to interview social entrepreneurs and investors across the Americas 2014-2016 Political and Communications Advisor, Westminster 2010 -2012 Democratic Alliance - Chief of Staff to the Parliamentary Leader of the Opposition, Head of Research and Communications and, latterly, Parliamentary Operations Director 2007-2010 Business and Communications consultant and freelancer 2004-2006 PPE, University of Cape Town 1995-2003 Herschel Girls' School, Cape Town

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PR EP / TA LK ING POIN T

working children to celebrate their effort and successes as they move on to their senior schools.

Whether children have conditional offers to their senior schools or not, the Common Entrance creates an opportunity for children to experience the pressure of examinations within the nurturing environment of their prep school. This is excellent preparation for the challenges of GCSEs. The Common Entrance also develops academic skills that are necessary for success at GCSEs and beyond. For example, in English and the Humanities, CE papers allow children to develop and hone their skills in LEFT analysis, synthesis, Pupils at Woodcote House reasoning and BELOW essay writing.

A field trip at Sandroyd All examination

“I think it is an essential part for preparing prep-school children for later life” I think the benefits outweigh some of the flaws in the system. The entrance exams keep a group of 13 year olds academically focused, which is no mean feat. We could, of course, have internal exams, but they wouldn’t carry the weight or the same gravitas as a public exam.

There is, of course, the argument that they’re too young to be undergoing so much stress, but we’ve had no CE failure ever – which is the same as with most schools.

It is by and large a formality, as most senior schools have made their decisions by pre-testing. So yes, the boys do get a bit stressed but we’re lucky to be a small school so we can manage that - and I believe we do it very effectively.

Parents also tend to get more stressed than the boys, but I think that’s for the school to manage and here we manage it very well.

systems, by their very nature, have flaws. However, I strongly believe that the Independent Schools Examining Board have been working hard to successfully adapt the CE syllabuses, and as such, have put Common Entrance firmly back on the map.

Parents concerned about the narrow focus of the Common Entrance, or the pressure it places on children, should talk this through with the prep schools they are considering – asking them how they support pupils and balance CE preparation with a broader curriculum. For example, at Sandroyd, all of our academic lessons take place in the morning, leaving the afternoon to focus on the extracurricular and important character development skills. Showing that there is more than enough time in the day to fit everything in!”

ALASTAIR SPEERS HEADMASTER Sandroyd

C

ommon Entrance provides a vital set of ‘high stakes’ examinations that allow children to develop both academic rigour and a growth mindset.

Whilst pre-testing is becoming the norm, this is largely based on computer tests that are closely linked to IQ levels. Success in Common Entrance is more closely related to hard work and effort, as opposed to innate intelligence. The CE exams therefore encourage a growth mindset that allows hard

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Out of

DAVID PATERSON

DATE I

With more schools introducing the 11-plus and pre-tests, is the Common Entrance dead?

Here some prep schools give their thoughts on the pros and cons of the 13-plus

HEADMASTER Woodcote House

still firmly believe in the Common Entrance (CE). To me, it’s absolutely vital pupils have an entrance exam. Because Woodcote is a prep school, we’re preparing them for what’s going to confront them in the future which begins with their GCSEs, which they will sit three years after leaving their prep school. Nor would we have prepared them for the discipline that will be needed to take their A-Levels and beyond.

Of course, there are weaknesses with the CE. Lots of subjects aren’t great. For example, the History syllabus is much too narrow, whereas conversely, the Religious Education syllabus is much too wide: there’s too much to learn. With this in mind, I can envisage that Common Entrance may condense into just the core subjects, so Maths, English, Science and a language.

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‘ Enjoying childhood and realising our imagination.’

“My time at Dallington has helped me to grow in body, mind and soul – this is something that I am immeasurably grateful for.

Dallington has given me a push in the direction of success and I am thankful for all they have done. I will do the best I can to repay them, the best I can, by leading an honest and dignified life.”

– Nick (Year 6 pupil) Dallington is a family-run co-educational independent school, with a nursery, in the heart of London.

Personal tours each day of the week, except Wednesday.

Next Open Evening: Thursday 4th October 2018 from 6 to 8 pm

Headteacher, Proprietor and Founder: Mogg Hercules MBE Email: hercules@dallingtonschool.co.uk Phone: 020 7251 2284 www.dallingtonschool.co.uk

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PR EP / TA LK ING POIN T

“One way forward would be that places offered at Year 6 and Year 7 are unconditional”

MARKS EDWARDS

D E P U T Y H E A D ( AC A D E M I C ) Dragon School

ABOVE Pupils at Knighton House

BELOW In the science lab at Dragon School

ROBIN GAINHER HEADMASTER Knighton House

T

he Common Entrance is still alive but the move by senior schools to pre-testing pupils and confirming places at the start of Year 7 creates an opportunity to reimagine our curriculum across the final two years of prep school.

Moving away from the somewhat rigid CE curriculum and testing regime will help us create a better balance between factual knowledge and the development of real, transferable skills. We believe this will lay still stronger foundations for successful future study, examination performance and later life.

By consulting widely with the senior schools our girls move to, and listening to them carefully on their requirements at entry, we think moving away from CE is the right thing to do for the girls given they have already secured their place. Support and enthusiasm from senior schools for us to drop CE has been crucial in our planning and in reassuring parents that their

daughters will still be able to transfer to their senior school of choice.

When we set out on this project we asked ourselves two key questions: is Common Entrance fit for purpose in 2018; and is it what we want educationally for the girls when they reached the top of the school? In both cases the answers were overwhelmingly no. Instead we are developing an alternative KED Curriculum (Knowledge Enlightenment Discovery) which will be more intellectually sound in content and methodology and include more stretch and challenge for each pupil. Schools which persist with putting their pupils through Common Entrance are doing a disservice to them. It will probably survive but it will soon be extinct here at Knighton House. For our girls this change will ensure that every leaver goes on from Knighton intellectually confident: readier and better able to meet the challenges of senior school and the world beyond.

I

n short, no: CE is not dead.

However, we are certainly currently in a transition period. In reality, CE has never been wholly ‘Common’, as every school has different grade boundaries and is free to use the suggested mark schemes as they chose - nor ‘Entrance’, as increasingly places are provisionally allocated as early as Year 6. Indeed this early allocation of pupil places has become more pronounced with an increasing take-up among senior schools of the Common Pre-Test.

What we now need is greater transparency and agreement. It is very difficult for 12 and 13-year old children to undergo the anxiety of entrance exams just weeks before they finish at their prep schools. This anxiety has now been magnified by the proliferation of pre-testing.

One way forward would be that places offered at Year 6 and 7 are unconditional, something which a number of senior schools are now undertaking. However, this would not necessarily sound the death knell for CE, as there are many advantages to a Year 8 exam to mark the end of a child’s prep school education.

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PR EP / OPINION

Talking

HEAD

GOLD standard Giles Tollit, Headmaster of Horris Hill School, on why scholarships remain relevant

S

everal of this country’s most prominent senior schools were founded in order to house scholars. Winchester College, established in 1382, was founded as a charitable institution by the Bishop of Winchester to educate 70 'poor scholars'. These days, only the most able pupils will be awarded scholarships by senior schools.

When the preparatory school sector was established 500 years later, the winning of scholarships was central to any schools’ success, and the number of scholarship places won often defined the standing of each prep school. More than simply an honour, though, the senior schools would award large sums of money to successful scholars, with the most brilliant receiving as much as two-thirds of the fees.

For the last 20 years, however, funds that were originally assigned for achievementbased scholarships are now worth ‘only’ 10%

“In an era where public exams have become easier, it is important to show how capable 13 year olds can be” of fees, although that is still a substantial sum. This has changed the scholarship landscape somewhat: I was in the scholars’ form when I was at prep school and I recall the pressure that was placed on several of my peers, for whom success in the scholarship would determine whether they went to their target school or not. This is rarely the case these days, and that it no bad thing. Selecting which pupils ought to use the academic scholarship route for entry (as long as they do well enough, candidates

can use scholarship papers in lieu of It is worth noting that in most ABOVE Horris Hill pupils Common Entrance) is a question of subject areas, the papers, designed ascertaining which pupils will enjoy to test the most able brains, will the challenge. As there is no set be at or beyond GCSE level. In an syllabus for scholarship and papers can look era when the public exams appear to have very different for from one year to the next, become easier, the opportunity to show being comfortable with the unknown is not just how capable children can be aged 13 something all Year 8 pupils are ready for. is hugely important. Every year or so, one At the same time, it is interesting to see of the broadsheets will publish part of the that the lists of scholarship winners have Eton General paper, expressing incredulity grown since the turn of the millennium. at what the candidates are being asked to This is partly due to individual prep schools do, whether it be philosophise about ethics feeding a larger number or show an ability to critique of senior schools, but also art. But these skills are well because the senior schools within the grasp of many themselves offer a wide range children in Year 8 and the of different awards. Where children in our schools should once there may have been be challenged. only academic, and possibly The pressure to win musical, scholars, there are scholarships may have now awards available for changed, but that they exist outstanding promise in art, and serve as a gold standard GILES TOLLIT design technology, drama, for prep schools is as vital Headmaster sport and for all-round today as it was when the Horris Hill School achievement. sector was first established.

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Staying Single Hanford School in Dorset is one of only three girls-only boarding prep schools left in the UK JASMINE ROBERTSON

W

hen Enid Canning opened Hanford in 1947 as a ‘home from home’ school for girls all boarding schools were single sex.

Much has changed since then. Hanford is now one of only three girls-only boarding prep schools left in the UK. Marlborough was the first to admit girls in the 6th form in 1968. Ten years later,

girl boarders at the top girls' schools still outnumbered those at the top co-ed schools by more than 12 to one. But since then many public schools followed Marlborough’s lead opening their doors to girls and by the turn of the century all but a handful of Britain’s traditional boys public schools were fully co-ed.

Most of today’s co-ed prep schools started out life educating only boys.

However, Hanford was created specially for girls. Enid Canning, and her husband,

the Rev Clifford Canning, made some very progressive decisions all those years ago, decisions that have proven key to Hanford’s enduring success: no uniform, no head girl, lots of ponies and a homely atmosphere.

The front drive is not flanked by neat cricket pitches or towered over by imposing H frame rugby goal posts. Instead you will see ponies grazing, a playground obstacle course and a small pretty chapel. In the grounds there are chickens, a working walled kitchen garden, a Grade II listed

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PR EP / FE ATUR E

stable block, a knot garden and our famous climbing tree. The interior feels like a family home, albeit a rather grand one. At its heart is the Hall where the whole school sits down to eat every meal. Upstairs the dorms are all decorated individually and girls bring their own toys, duvets and blankets and pictures so they will feel at home away from home.

This family atmosphere encourages all the ages mix together, older girls acting as big sisters to the new arrivals. Reading them stories, leading them out on rides and supervising the catching of ponies in the morning. Every Monday Mrs Johnston, head of Pastoral Care, creates a seating plan for the whole school where she mixes together the year groups. After Grace, the older girls serve the younger ones and conversation is very much encouraged by the member of staff supervising the table.

There is no uniform as Enid Canning made the conscious and somewhat radical decision to allow girls certain latitude when it came to choosing what they would wear in her new ABOVE school. Today’s girls enjoy the Hanford students comfort and freedom of being on a hack able to pick what to wear for BELOW the day ahead plus they even Hugging a Hanford pony get to make their own skirts in Handwork lessons.

Instead of a Head Girl there are The Committees. These groups team up to make decisions and share the tasks normally undertaken by one individual in the more traditional prep school hierarchy.

This encourages shared responsibility and teaches girls to compromise, as they learn not everyone sees things the same way.

Animals, horses in particular, are integral to life at Hanford. The school

“Most of today’s co-ed prep schools started out educating only boys” provides ponies of all shapes and sizes for the girls to ride. For the pony mad the ability to ride every day is a massive bonus while the summer term rides before breakfast are the highlight of the year. Even the handful of girls who do not ride will be found in the stables during break. The Cannings believed that learning to feed, groom and look after a pony would teach the girls to care about others.

The Cannings' desire to create a school with the supportive happy atmosphere of a family home where girls are free to enjoy their childhood and grow in confidence pays dividends academically. There have been 19 different scholarships awarded in the past two years, an impressive result for a small non-selective school.

H A N FO R D S C H O O L Child Okeford, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8HN AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 33

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HIT THE ROADMAP The British education system can be mind-boggling in its intricacies

I

JANIE RICHARDSON

n recent years, the British education system has been characterised by growing diversity and complexity.

Entry processes, admission testing, varying points of entry – each unique to a growing list of UK schools thus leaving parents to navigate a maze of options at every turn.

The days of selecting a preferred school and enrolling your child through from Reception to 18 is becoming a thing of the past. Parents are now confronted with numerous possibilities, with decisions being forced at each stage of the educational journey. This in itself has led to the rise of what is now termed ‘educational mapping’.

In many areas of the UK, careful educational mapping starts as early as nursery selection with limited registration places and the rising awareness that key nursery schools feed popular, often oversubscribed, pre-schools.

“There is a vast array of options for oversubscribed schools” Pre-prep entry into prestigious independent schools requires children as young as three and four to demonstrate an eagerness to learn and a confidence to independently walk into an assessment situation. Even if a place is successfully secured, parents are often forced to quickly turn their attention to preparing for the 7+ and 8+ assessments to achieve a place at selective schools.

Others will find themselves confronting 11+ as an entry option. Whilst benefiting from more time at chosen prep schools, this stage is often perceived to be academically challenging, requiring time-consuming preparation. Competition at this entry point throws up terrifying statistics of unrealistic demand for too few places.

Finally for boys aiming at top London day schools and competitive boarding

ABOVE Pupils at Charterhouse

institutions it is vital to fully understand pre-testing and 13+ entry. Pre-testing allows an offer to be made but only on the condition of passing Common Entrance exams at a specified grade dictated by individual schools.

The above outlines the vast array of options for joining oversubscribed schools.

Each characterised by its own set of challenges which parents are required to consider for their child. To confuse matters further, multiple schooling options exist that parents have to consider in the context of their own family: day, boarding, single sex, co-educational. All options are available but one key feature characterises them all – challenging admission processes.

The basic economic rule of ‘demand outstripping supply’ for limited places has left schools to pick and choose pupils at each point of entry and to adjust their admission assessment accordingly. It has been widely acknowledged that, with such fierce competition, the pressure placed on children sitting academically challenging exams is exceptional in the UK. In response to this, a recent decision was taken by a group of London girls schools to remove written examinations altogether

from their admissions process. Instead, they are hoping to develop the creativity of the selection process including cognitive ability testing alongside interviews. Whilst this decision has been welcomed, it does little to alleviate the complexity of the British education system, incorporating yet another new set of admission hoops for parents to both understand and navigate their way through.

British education continues to attract families from all across the world. If parents are able to carefully navigate the maze of options, their children will reap the benefits of a long established system.

JA N I E R I C H A R D S O N Founder JR School Search & Placement AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 35

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PR EP / OPINION

Talking

HEAD

MAPPING THE WAY Lacy Chapman, Principal of Lower School at ACS Cobham International School, on a new method of testing for primary students

A

recent survey revealed that eight out of ten school leaders have seen an increase in mental health issues among primary school children during exam season in the UK. In addition, headteachers reported an increase in fear of academic failure (76%) and depression (55%) among their pupils in the period since 2014.

It seems today’s pressurised system of testing is causing children as young as six to suffer stress and worry at a time when they’re supposed to be learning to love school. Instead, young students increasingly fear failure due to an endless stream of testing, or preparation for tests such as the 11+.

A B OV E

ACS Cobham Lower School

“At ACS, teachers teach the way all teachers were taught to teach” It’s apparent that something needs to change, in favour of a new system that abandons rigorous, formal testing and nurtures imagination and a love of learning.

Being assessed in such a formal manner at a young age places a huge amount of pressure on students and stifles this natural curiosity to learn with cramming facts, revision and taking tests. With increasing pressure to overhaul primary school testing, schools and parents want to see alternatives to the traditional system, where student progress is monitored but the pressures of exams is off.

Removing standardised tests from schools allows students, parents and teachers to escape the exam rat race, league tables and the competitive nature of the classroom.

At ACS Cobham, for example, we use classwork, identifying which task is best MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) suited to them. testing in lower school to monitor student Due to the nature of MAP testing, with progress. The tests are taken electronically, no set time limit and tailored questions, and the questions are adjusted to a student’s students can’t revise for it. So while a ability to ensure the tests are different developmentally challenging and rigorous for each child. While standardised testing program is still provided, it’s a personalised pressures teachers into meeting ‘essential’ and inquiry-based approach developed to targets, at ACS teachers teach the way all suit different types of learners. teachers were taught to teach: with each At ACS International Schools, students child receiving the individual are not only measured on attention they need to thrive their academic progress, and progress at their own but also against our school speed. MAP testing allows learning outcomes. We want them to do this and monitor all students to develop as progress, identifying where confident, caring individuals an individual needs extra and effective learners. support, or differentiating Ultimately, we want to promote tasks for those who positive personal development LACY CHAPMAN particularly excel. Students and instil a love of learning in Lower School Principal are also encouraged to make our students – what primary ACS Cobham their own choices about their education is all about.

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Crossed Wires The Head of Specialist Education and Wellbeing for Cavendish Education on her own, very personal, journey with dyslexia JESSICA NAROWLANSKY

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he colour coded spines of the Oxford Reading Tree books were the bane of my existence when my son was learning to read.

I was not surprised when reading proved difficult for him, being dyslexic myself I expected it, the problem was seeing the pain in my little boy’s face in this very public display of difference. The dyslexic child soon becomes old enough to notice they are different from their peers but too young to understand why. The comments of teachers when they saw my son’s scrawled, illegible writing; suggesting my thoughtful boy was careless or lazy. My blood boiled knowing the herculean effort involved for him to produce just a few lines by hand. … and so it goes for the dyslexic child.

ABOVE Pupils at Moat School

Just setting out as a Specialist Teacher back then, I knew what was next: Despite teaching children like my son every day, there would be no simple way through this 1

2 My son would need a different toolkit than his peers. I would need to find a way to help the school understand and see the bigger picture

Perhaps my greatest challenge was not projecting my own experience of growing up in the unsympathetic education system of the 1970s and 80s onto the situtation.

There was no real understanding of dyslexia in schools then and, therefore, no useful rationale for a child who consistently mastered IQ tests yet could not learn to read or write. To the school it was simple:

“We soon found not only could I write, I was actually very good at it”

I was difficult and lazy. I managed to keep my head more or less down and somehow, miraculously arrived at university, though woefully unprepared. On the cusp of being kicked to the curb due to my poor grades in my first year, I agreed to meet Will Ryan in the Learning Centre. During our first meeting he said, 'I don’t think the problem is you can’t write, I think it’s that no one has ever showed you in a way that works for you.’ We soon found not only could I write, I was actually very good at it. It was then that I fell in love with academia; my fervour for it has only grown through the years.

In its simplest terms, the dyslexic brain processes language differently, so while dyslexics may excel visuo-spatially or in non-verbal reasoning and be verbally eloquent, the way the brain and the hand sync-up to write does not become fully ‘automatic’ which is what one needs in school where we must listen, look and write simultaneously. Understanding my son’s neurology, I knew he could sit in Writing Club until the cows came home but it would not give him what he needed.

Dr Sally Shaywitz from the Yale Centre

for Dyslexia and Creativity says, ‘Dyslexia robs people of time’. It is recovering time through skills like touch typing, creative uses of technology, exam technique and multisensory revision skills where that very able child can reclaim the time lost in the classroom. The most important thing any school can offer a dyslexic child is a flexible approach to discover how that child works best.

One of my most cherished memories is of my son ringing me from university to tell me he got a First on his first essay.

Emerging with strength and pride from the wilderness, he’s not looked back since.

J E S S I C A N A R OW L A N S K Y Head of Specialist Education and Wellbeing, Cavendish Education AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 39

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BRILLIANT

BOYS A passionate campaigner for raising boys’ achievement, says we must stop the clichéd put-downs and celebrate boys GARY WILSON

I

've been working exclusively on raising boys' achievement for 25 years in total. You'd have thought I'd have got it sorted by now wouldn't you? But sadly there don't seem to be too many people working on it. I can only remember one public pronouncement on the gender issue and that was a few years ago when an Education Minister at the time declared, "We're going to reduce the gender gap by making sure that more three-year-old boys read more books!” That is just so wrong in so many ways. All teachers know that it is only in countries where children don't start with formal education until they are seven that boys are on a par with girls all the way through school. Denmark and Finland are two notable examples. My message to parents is, it doesn't matter if he can't read before he starts in education, what matters is that he has a love of stories.

Similarly it doesn't matter if he can't write when he starts school what matters is that he has got well developed fine motor skills. What matters above all else is that parents should not be made to feel this is all their fault. It's nobody's fault but those who dictate what we should know and what

we should be capable of doing by the age of three and four. The development of boys' fine motor skills take significantly longer than girls'. It's not his fault.

So why has the issue of the gender gap not been on the agenda? I believe it's relatively straightforward; it's because some may feel, at school level, local authority level and even national level that if we are seen to be focusing on boys then surely the girls are going to suffer! I call that sloppy thinking. Anything we do to help boys will have a positive knock-on effect for girls. Not least because it can be boys that behave in ways sometimes that are detrimental to all. I only concern myself with strategies that hit all the buttons for boys without disadvantaging girls. Also, if in education we are trying to develop a caring masculinity then that surely is for the benefit of all.

What are the reasons? How long have you got!? It is more complex than it first appears. A lot of people have suggested that if only there were more male teachers in primary education then our boys would be all right. My response is it's not going to happen, get over it and move on. It is not the gender of the teacher that is most important, it's the quality of the teacher

ABOVE Campaigner Gary Wilson

and how well they recognise and link into what's going on in a boy's head, in a boy's world, in a boys' universe.

Others suggest that laddish behaviour is to blame. Laddish behaviour, as teachers know, is very often a cry for help. It's far better for them to be seen not be bothered about winning than entering and not winning and if they are struggling very often they'll throw up a smokescreen.

Another common area for debate is teaching and learning styles. The vast majority of adults tend to prefer to learn in

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more visual ways whilst the vast majority of boys tend to prefer to learn in more active ways until at least their early teenage years.

Goods schools recognise this and teach appropriately Certainly there are elements in all of these areas that have an impact but then there is also negative peer pressure which can start in the nursery "you can't wear that you're a boy", "that's pink, what are you playing at". Also from the outset boys tend to be less independent. We should have the same expectations of boys being as independent as girls. Boys and writing is a universal concern. Dare I say it... girls in school tend to be massively biddable whilst there are many boys who, if they don't see a sense and purpose in doing something then they won't blooming well do it or at least they won't do it to the best of their

ability and writing is a particular case in point. There are also issues around the lack of positive male role models, the drop off in interest in reading as many boys get older, emotional intelligence issues and more...

It is a fact that girls tend to develop language faster, use more language in their play, tend to be more capable of talking about their feelings than boys as they often spend more time at their mother's knee doing just that. Boys are often encouraged to keep their emotions hidden, certainly by their own peers but often by the older males in their family. "Pull yourself together, you're a boy!" "Man up!" I hate it. If we want to turn out decent young men then we must honour their tender feelings.

We have to give boys the words so they can unclench their hearts. The latter has to be a huge priority in education.

Why is this article called "Boys will be...... brilliant?" Boys tend very often to get a bad press, look at the number of useless males on TV adverts, the T-shirts adorned with everything from "Here comes trouble" to "Boys are stupid throw rocks at them!"

How often have you heard, "Well he's a boy, what do you expect?" "Boys will be boys"!

I'm on a mission when I'm working with teachers, boys and parents and I say to you now, promise that you'll never ever say boys will be boys again, you'll say, "Boys will be brilliant". Your boys will be brilliant because they have your belief in them and you are helping develop their belief in themselves. garywilsonraisingboysachievement.com Boys Will Be.... Brilliant! By Gary Wilson and Linda Tallent is out now

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CANFORD WI M BO R N E , D O RS ET Head • Ben Vessey

et among 250 acres of landscaped grounds near Wimborne, Dorset, Canford is a top co-educational UK boarding school.

With 655 pupils aged 13-18, of whom 70% are boarders, the roll is the highest in its history. Results are consistently excellent: 95%+ leavers move on to university, with more than 80% to Russell Group/Sunday Times Top 12 each year, and 104 places at Oxbridge and over 100 to Medical Schools in the past decade.

This success is achieved through an environment which encourages participation, hard work and a strong sense of community, with a diverse co-curricular programme of intellectual, cultural and sporting activities and strong pastoral support.

S

GO WEST Absolutely Education explores why some of the best schools in the country are located in the south-west of England

DAUNTSEY’S N E AR D EVIZE S , WI LTS H I R E Head • Mark Lascelles

auntsey's in Wiltshire has seen a marked increase in the number of London-based parents interested in sending their children to the south west to school.

This, they believe, is a result of a desire to give children space as they grow through their adolescent years.

Dauntsey’s is about being part of a community and all of their boarders develop a strong sense of belonging and self-awareness. While academic achievement is a driving factor, Dauntsey's pupils also enjoy excellent facilities, outstanding drama, music, clubs and academic societies, and beautiful surroundings.

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PERROTT HILL

GODOLPHIN

KINGSWOOD BATH

N O RTH PER ROT T, SO M ERS ET

Head • Emma Hattersley

Head • Simon Morris

Head • Alex McCullough

odolphin School is an independent boarding school for girls aged 3-18. It is located in the heart of Salisbury, Wiltshire and offers day, weekly and full boarding from Year 4.

Godolphin educates girls for the 21st Century by equipping them with the skills, aptitude and adaptability they need to cope in a modern, fast-paced, global society. Pastoral care is key. Academic results are outstanding and the school has an excellent reputation for art, music, drama and sport.

To experience a school morning at Godolphin and to meet pupils and staff, visit on one of their Snapshot Mornings, which take place throughout the year.

ingswood School is situated on a 200-acre site in Lansdown, Bath, and offers an inclusive boarding and day community that balances academic rigour, strength in the arts and sport, traditional values and outstanding pastoral care with a forward-thinking, can-do approach. Both the Prep School (nine months - 11 years) and the Senior School (11 - 18 years) offer a broad, holistic education, in which pupils are encouraged to develop self-assurance and high levels of personal motivation. In this environment, pupils are consistently successful, and they constantly progress well beyond their natural potentia, as is shown through their excellent academic results.

errott Hill is a small, family school situated on a 28-acre site in Somerset. Its small size enables it to provide a bespoke all-round education for each pupil.

Results at Common Entrance are consistently impressive, as is its enviable scholarship record. Perrott Hill aims to develop the whole person, and it provides plenty of opportunities along the way; allowing children to experience success and fulfilment through an array of subjects and activities, with ambitious projects like the Perrott Hill Space Agency. It was rated ‘excellent’ in every category in its latest inspection, providing pupils with a 'proper childhood' combined with a 21st Century education.

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PERROTT HILL

HAZLEGROVE PREPARATORY HA ZLEG ROVE , SO M ERS ET Head • Mark White

azlegrove is a coeducational full boarding and day school for children between 2½-13 years. It has a creative curriculum, excellent pastoral care and a rural Somerset location.

Overall, Hazlegrove hopes to prepare its pupils for 21st-century life. To do this, it places a big emphasis on producing children who are empathetic, kind and connected; who are independent but know how to develop relationships and a sense of duty to the community. Its ethos focuses on academic rigour alongside endeavour and ambition. It hopes pupils can enjoy childhood whilst still being well-prepared for the next stage in their education at 13.

H

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SANDROYD TO LL AR D ROYAL , WI LTS H I R E Head • Alastair Speers

androyd is a coeducational boarding school for children aged 2-13 years. It is a family school, set in an idyllic environment that prepares children in the very broadest sense – offering academic excellence, combined with extensive co-curricular activities. It nurtures a child’s confidence and self-esteem whilst encouraging each individual pupil to fulfil all aspects of their potential: academic, artistic, cultural, sporting and social.

Sandroyd offers an all-round education that goes beyond simply teaching its pupils to pass entrance exams. A Sandroyd pupil leaves academically well-rounded and well versed in 'soft skills': confidence, resiliance, and self-motivation.

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DAUNTSEY’S

There’s been a marked interest in the number of London parents interested in sending their children to a South-West School

MONKTON COMBE

ST MARY’S CALNE

TAUNTON

M O N K TO N CO M B E , BATH

CALN E , WI LTS H I R E

TAU NTO N , SO M ERS ET

Head • Chris Wheeler

Head • Dr Felicia Kirk

Head • Lee Glaser

onkton Combe School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 2-18. Monkton achieved outstanding exam results over the last five years, including a record high of 52% of pupils achieving A*- A at A-Level in 2018. It starts with a proactive pastoral environment to develop academically strong and enthusiastic learners within a living Christian ethos.

Monkton hopes to give young people the qualities of character they need to become trusted employees, inspiring leaders and valued friends.

Boarding is at the heart of Monkton, and its special atmosphere is enjoyed by boarders and day pupils alike.

ocated near the market town of Calne and amidst the Wiltshire Downs, an area of stunning natural beauty and historical significance.

St Mary’s Calne is small by design (approx. 365 girls with a thriving Sixth Form of 120+ girls).

The school provides an exceptional, all-round education for girls; but what makes St Mary’s a really distinctive school is its special blend of excellence in pastoral care and academic development in a nurturing environment. It encourages ambition in all of its pupils, rooted in a broad understanding of the community and a celebration of others. It also achieves excellent academic results.

aunton School is a non-selective coeducational boarding and day school for pupils from nursery age to 18, based on one spacious 56 acre campus. It is the first school in Somerset to adopt a 'Zero to Landfill' policy, ensuring that all waste produced from the school is recycled. The ambition is to be the greenest school in the region, with many eco-projects in process.

Taunton School is also one of the only schools in the region that doesn’t outsource its catering; everything is prepared in-house.

All meat, vegetables and dairy are sourced locally, supporting farmers and small family-run businesses.

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Academically , Caterham is up there with the big guns...all achieved without any undue stress.

Parents praise the committed, passionate teachers as ‘great role models’.

If Caterham isn’t on your list already, it most certainly should be.’

TATLER SCHOOLS GUIDE

Great results, large, leafy grounds, good facilities, polite, charming and well-informed pupils. It’s on the up and pulling ahead of the pack now.

GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

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Spoilt for choice You’ve made the decision to send your child to a UK boarding school but now need to find the right place. So where do you start?

L O R N A C L AY T O N

TIMESCALES

In an ideal world, 18-24 months’ planning gives you plenty of time to research, visit, apply and decide on the best school but this can be shortened to a matter of months if necessary.

RESEARCH

You can • research online yourself • attend an education fair and meet a selection of boarding school marketing staff • ask for referrals from friends and family • engage an agent to accelerate your search

CRITERIA

Consider schools regardless of their location. By choosing the school that best matches your child’s abilities and interests then they are most likely to be happy and successful. Just because a school was great for your friend’s child doesn’t mean it will suit yours. So what do you need to consider?

• Co-ed or single sex • Student mix – the number of international and UK students; the number of boarders and day pupils; the number of full and weekly boarders… You want your child to have a selection of friends in class and in the boarding house who don’t all go home at the end of the day or week.

• Curriculum – A-Level, IB, or Scottish Highers – all lead to UK and global university application. BTechs may also be an option at some schools.

• English Language Support if English is not your first language.

• Learning style – schools offer different learning styles including learning support if your child has specific requirements.

“Just because a school was great for a friend's child doesn't mean it will suit yours”

ABOVE International students: the world is their oyster

• Extracurricular or co-curricular programme – can your child pursue their interests and develop the teamwork and leadership skills so important for university applications and later life?

• Added value or ranking – rankings are relatively meaningless as boarding schools offer such an array of non-academic benefits. Ask if they measure their added value. University destinations can be a further indication of the breadth of success achieved.

AEGIS GUARDIANSHIP

Most schools require a UK-based guardian, especially if your child has a Tier 4 visa (not a national of the EEA or Switzerland).

Subject to certain criteria, you can appoint a family member or friend but make sure they are happy to support your child in ALL eventualities - you will need to discuss how you fund their support of your child.

Alternatively choose an AEGIS guardian agency as their experience will ensure nothing is left to chance and your child – and you – will be fully supported in all eventualities.

PROFESSIONAL HELP

You could use an agent. British Council Agents are the quality mark for agents recruiting to UK schools. Criteria to evaluate include: • How many schools can they place at?

You want an agent with access to hundreds.

• Visa support – a good agent will have a visa partner who can help ease the process.

• Guardianship – good agents should be able to introduce an AEGIS guardian agency for seamless support.

• Fees – many agents only charge parents if you don’t accept a place at one of their recommended schools as they receive commission from your child’s school.

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Racing AHEAD

Some of the most exciting innovations in world education are happening in the UK’s boarding schools, says the Headmaster of Eastbourne College T O M L AW S O N

S

ometimes, the great public schools of Britain come across as stuck in the past. We like to show you photographs of our fine old buildings. The marketing here is obvious: we want to project solidity, established quality and exclusivity. The savvy parent knows that a fine, cloistered chapel does not say much about the quality of care and education that their daughter or son will receive, but many schools still feel most comfortable establishing their credentials by reference to their history.

The truth of the matter is that the great strength of the best UK schools is that their anchor in history gives them the confidence to pick and choose from the many innovations in education. Education

A profound shift has occurred in the last ten years in the quality of teaching

theory is prone to fads and the debate is often captured by proselytisers for one fashionable theory or other. Among this noise is a tremendous range of insights from academics and practitioners backed up by increasingly sophisticated data.

A profound shift has occurred in the last ten years in the quality of teaching and learning. The generation of teachers with formal training – typically the post-graduate certificate of education (PGCE) – has reached middle management in traditional independent schools. These department heads are interested in pedagogy (teaching method) but have also imbibed the freedom and individuality of the previous ‘Mr Chips’ generation with whom they have worked. Compared to their long-suffering colleagues in state schools, independent school professionals do not have to adopt any one method entirely depending on the prevailing mood of the Department for Education’s national curriculum and Ofsted

orthodoxy. Instead, they may adopt ‘flipped learning’, IT-rich classroom environments, or ‘formative assessment’ where it has most impact with their classes, and retain ‘chalk and talk’ where it is effective. This 'what works' philosophy is the underlying teaching and learning strategy of the leading public schools. Moreover, since this revolution has come about, teachers are now trained to learn and adopt new methods, so independent schools can evaluate the latest technology and theory, quickly adapt it to their needs, and implement in the classroom. Most national education systems across the world are centralised and bureaucratic which means they are slow to adopt innovation and, when they eventually do, it becomes a tenet (by then out of date) that cannot be challenged by individual schools or teachers. By way of anecdote, a French friend tried to persuade me of the superiority of their system: ‘the great thing is that you can move from one

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side of France to the other and, will be ubiquitous in later life.

ABOVE if your child was on P75 of the Whatever approach is taken, Eastbourne College pupils on the Downs science textbook that week, boarding schools are in a unique LEFT then their new school will be on position to understand and Headmaster Tom Lawson P75 of the same book, and you respond to the 24-hour pressures can continue uninterrupted’. of social media.

Yuck! How guaranteed to drain Leading schools scorn league the teacher of any responsibility to treat tables because they know that incentivising children as individual pupils. themselves to add to the exam pressure, In the pastoral sphere too, UK boarding already deeply felt by pupils, is a dangerous schools are realising that they are uniquely road. At Eastbourne College, where well placed to respond to the increasing typically between 15 and 20 per cent of levels of anxiety that teenagers are pupils come from overseas, we are proud, suffering. Boarding schools spend much for example, of Martin Chow’s four A* of their time thinking about the effects of grades to propel him to his first choice of ‘always-on’ mobile technology on teenagers, economics at the LSE, Tony Zhou’s entry to and expend resources on protecting Oxford with three A* grades, as well as all them, training them to be safe online, and our international pupils, many of whom are rationing the use of technology. Personally, I competing in Olympiads in maths, science think the schools that get a quick approving and modern languages. But beware the false newspaper headline for banning phones are impression that a school’s average grades dodging their duty to train young people in are the measure of its academic stretch. the responsible use of the technology which Your child is not an arithmetic mean: they

may be a high-flyer or someone in need of extra support. The question you need to ask your school of choice is not how they massage their average but what it does to enrich the high-achieving individuals or support each individual pupil who may struggle at first to learn in English.

The leaders of UK boarding schools are thinking more and more about the volatile and uncertain world for which our youngsters must prepare. Public exams, particularly GCSEs, are a straitjacket that prevents any school from radical reform in response to the rapidly changing economy.

But, again, the independent schools have the advantage of being able to reduce the number of subjects taken, and use the time to promot thinking skills, team activities, cultural and social events which are so much more important than regurgitating facts if they are to compete with the robots and AIs of the future.

This article has already used too many buzzwords which quite naturally might be meaningless to those not engaged in the debates among education professionals. I could have said more, explaining how the Boarding Schools Association introduced Dr Simon Walker’s work that proves the increase in ‘steering cognition’ (the ability to navigate life’s bumps in the road) that boarding schools can provide. I could tell you how well placed we are to work with companies like Century Tech or Seneca Learning which are beginning to use neuroscience, AI and big data to revolutionise how children study. Or how amazing the facilities are many British boarding schools (we have just completed our own £33 million development). Scratch below the gothic surface and you will discover dynamism and innovation in the UK’s boarding schools.

TO M L AW S O N Headmaster Eastbourne College AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 49

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Gender

ISSUES As smaller schools struggle and others go co-ed, will single sex schools survive?

LISA FREEDMAN

F

rom #Me Too to Times Up, gender is, of course, a hot topic, and nowhere more it seems than in education. The English independent system has traditionally been largely segregated, with boys in one school, girls in another.

Increasingly, however, the gender divide is being smoothed over, and the most pressing question today is: will single-sex education survive?

Charterhouse School, which, after 360 years as boys-only enclave, first admitted girls into its sixth form nearly half a century ago, will be the latest major name to become fully integrated, when, in September 2021, it introduces girls into Year 9. It’s a

move, the school feels, whose moment has undoubtedly come.

"If you look at the workplace and society in general, gender equality has become the norm," says head Dr. Alex Peterken, who arrived at Charterhouse from co-ed Cheltenham College in January 2018.

"Education is an important lens to look at society. Co-education promotes respect between the sexes, and develops empathy and maturity. If this relationship is normalised in the formative years, it can be hugely beneficial."

Single-sex education in the independent sector developed largely by chance. Until, the mid 19th century, girls’ schooling was largely restricted to such lady-like accomplishments as fine needlework and watercolour painting, and, even after the curriculum status quo was rebalanced by government intervention in the last quarter of that century, there was no question that girls of secondary-school age should share the same space as their brothers.

All-girls’ secondary schools – often accompanied by the name High School – were then established throughout the land, and it is these schools which remain at the core of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), a professional body which continues to promote the benefits of girls-only classrooms.

"Single-sex education remains a very important part of the educational landscape," says Gwen Byrom, head of all-girls Loughborough High School and this

year’s president of the GSA. "We live in a mixed-gender society, not an equal society.

All-girls’ schools allow girls to have a starring role, to step up as they naturally do, and to avoid the genderisation of subjects."

The benefits of partition are particularly evident in the study of science, where girls in single-sex schools are four times more likely to take A-Level physics than those attending their co-educational counterparts.

It isn’t, however, only women who defend the historic status quo. Singlesex boys’ schools, argue their defenders, also offer significant advantages, and University College School in north London’s Hampstead, a school with a long, liberal tradition, has become more rather than less gender-divided in recent years. Though it introduced a co-ed sixth form in 2008, its pre-prep has recently reverted to boys-only.

‘That decision was largely to make an

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SENIOR / FOCUS

LEFT Charterhouse: introducing girls into Y9 in 2021 BOTTOM LEFT Gwen Byrom RIGHT Westonbirt: admitting Y7 boys from 2019

easier transition to our junior school,’ says head Mark Beard, ‘but parents select UCS because of the distinctive education we offer. We feel, particularly between the ages of 12-15, that single-sex education allows them to be themselves. It reduces self-consciousness and encourages their creative side. As a result, the quality of art, drama, and singing here are all exceptional.’

In London, of course, there is no shortage of demand for an outstanding academic education whatever the format, and the capital’s multitude of single-sex schools which regularly top the league table (St Paul’s - boys and girls - North London Collegiate, City of London School for Girls) are all heavily oversubscribed at every point of entry, often by as many as four or five applicants per place. But, where there is an option to blend a strong exam outcome with a mixed-gender classroom, registrars are barely able to keep on top of the paperwork, and schools like Latymer Upper School and Highgate School, which have relatively recently become fully blended, have undoubtedly seen their popularity soar.

Outside of London, many of the major schools that have gone co-ed over the past 20 years or so have made the decision less

on ideological grounds than on practical ones – to keep up the quality and breadth of applicants. Those who have resisted the trend - including a myriad of small, and consequently uneconomic, all-girls’ schools – have often been forced to close.

One school adapting eagerly to the new reality is Westonbirt School, a day and boarding school in Gloucestershire. All-girls throughout its 90-year history, it feels now is the right time to align its girls’-only senior school with its co-ed prep school, and will start admitting boys into Year 7 from 2019.

"Prep-school parents have regularly asked me when we were going to do this," says head Natasha Dangerfield. ‘I think there’s still definitely something to be said for educating girls on their own - it’s not an outdated or outmoded model – but we live in a less gender stereo-typed society than we did even 10 years ago. It’s a change that’s happened significantly quickly.’

At Westonbirt, the introduction of boys into the senior school will be gradual, initially confined to day pupils, and the school will remain small – no more than 350 pupils in total - allowing it to continue doing it does best: providing a tailor-made education adapted to the needs of every child.

"We’re looking carefully at the subjects tainted by gender," says Dangerfield. "We intend to find a route through for both sexes."

Charterhouse, too, is carefully adapting its approach for its prospective intake. "We have re-evaluated sport and drama, and examined learning styles and how girls may

“All-girls’ schools allow girls to have a starring role, to step up as they naturally do” GWEN BYROM, PRESIDENT OF THE GSA

respond to feedback differently to boys," says Peterken.

The school is also adapting the way it operates socially, moving dining away from a house-based activity to a communal experience - "Eating is so fundamental to socialisation" – and segregating the sexes in the evening, allowing girls to relax together in their communal kitchen, boys to have downtime to kick a ball around.

Peterken, who has already overseen a similar transition at Cheltenham, is unfazed by the prospect, but remains unconvinced that Charterhouse’s example will soon be followed by all. He doesn’t, for example, see his alma mater Eton heading in this direction any time soon.

‘They’ll be the last cab in the rank,’ he laughs.

LI S A F R E E D M A N MD of education consultants, At The School Gates, www.attheschoolgates.co.uk AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 51

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Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

KEEPING IT REAL Antonia Beary, Headmistress of Mayfield School, says we must provide girls with strong, realistic role models

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ho are the role models for our young women today? Anyone relying upon the media could be forgiven for thinking the scantily clad protagonists in reality shows of dubious morality, or individuals who are simply famous for being famous, are the best one can aspire to as young women today. Surely this is not the case?

There are, of course, strong women working hard and making a difference.

We have many alumnae who come back to talk to our girls, to offer advice, mentoring, guidance and work experience. Why do we not hear more about women like them?

What type of leadership should we be promoting in schools? Strong women who never make mistakes, who balance high powered jobs with a growing family and being a perfect wife or partner? There

“There may be a few women appearing to live the dream but I am not sure they are good role models” may be a few women appearing to live that dream but I am not sure that they are necessarily good role models. You cannot focus 100% of your energies on being a mother, a wife, and a boss at the same time: it just doesn’t add up. You might not be able to play all these parts perfectly all the time but you can do some of them well some of the time and there is consolation in that. I applaud and encourage the celebration of women as good mothers, but wish the same focus was placed on men being good fathers

their nurture, young girls automatically begin to defer to boys at an early age. Sadly it seems that there are also still women in powerful positions who see younger women as a threat and are not ready to support them. A recent poll we ran with our alumnae indicated many felt surprise on leaving school that, while they had been educated to believe that success was achieved by working together and building each other up, in A B OV E the real world, in a wide Last year's range of careers, this is head girl at Mayfield seldom the case. Often women were the worst offenders. This means we – not to mention both being good parents. have more work to do.

In a generation of ‘post-feminist’ women, Our duty is to give girls at school the who have been brought up to believe that confidence to make mistakes without being opportunities are equal, it turns out that we scarred for life. Furthermore, being able still need to develop leadership skills and to accept that others also make mistakes aspiration in our young women. Something is an important element in the making of is going wrong, because clearly there are not a good leader. It helps the development enough women in positions of responsibility of perspective and the establishing of a and too many of those who are in the public sense of respect for themselves and others. profile are at risk of being undermined.

To promote good leadership we need to We want to instil a sense of entitlement encourage and nurture trust, teamwork, and the understanding that they have as a sense of give and take; building people much right as the next man to any job – up rather than breaking them down; providing, of course, that they can show negotiation, discussion and debate. Many they have the skills, talent and of these skills come not commitment or perseverance from straight A* grades, but to do the job well. We need from Duke of Edinburgh, to ensure that girls leaving community service, drama our schools are able to engage productions, musical concerts confidently and effectively and orchestra. with men and women in More than ever we need the work place, as well as in leaders with integrity to personal relationships. This respond to the challenges of ANTONIA BEARY is not always easy to do in a cotoday’s world: and that means Headmistress ed environment when research strong women to complement Mayfield School reminds us that whatever strong men.

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27/09/2018 15:38

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24/01/2018 17:55

SENIOR / OPINION

Talking

HEAD

TAKING FLIGHT Samantha Price, Headmistress of Benenden School, on encouraging the female engineers of the future

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here is a shortage of women in engineering.

There is nothing new about this statement (it is one of the most frequentlyrepeated maxims in British education) but the figures are concerning, the more so because there is little evidence to show that they are improving.

The UK has the lowest percentage of female engineers in Europe yet the industry is vital to the economy (accounting for 26% of GDP) and is growing, buoyed by constant technological innovations: EngineeringUK has recently said the country needs 1.8 million new engineers and technicians by 2025. Therefore, if the industry in this country is to thrive and complete globally, it requires women to enter the profession.

Schools have a responsibility to inspire young women into pursuing engineering roles, and not just because the shortage of candidates in a growing market makes it an attractive career option. But for the good of the country. Tomorrow’s engineers will be developing products that could shape our lives and post-Brexit, the Government will be keen for UK engineering to be at the forefront of this revolution.

Yet how do schools inspire girls into engineering? You need to create a culture where a girl being interested in Science or Product Design is the norm, not an exception. Engineering needs to be something pupils are familiar with; something they see around school and feel confident with. Being in an all-girl environment helps us in this regard as

“Every nut and bolt has been tightened by the girls themselves”

A B OV E

A team of 28 Benenden girls began work girls are naturally on the microlight two years ago, devoting encouraged to engage two hours to the project every Thursday with these maleevening. Over more than 50 weekly dominated subjects. sessions, they built it under the stewardship A shift in culture lays the foundations of four staff members.

– but you also need to give girls the The girls have put their own stamp on opportunity to gain practical experience. the microlight in places: for example, it is A group of Benenden girls have just decorated in Benenden’s colours and the finished constructing a Microlight aircraft. registration mark is G-GRLS. They have done it all; every nut and bolt has Zara Hussain, 18, worked on the project been tightened by the girls themselves. And and said: “I thoroughly enjoyed working in a in early July they took to the skies of Kent in team towards a common goal and learning the finished product. new skills, especially for such a physically This project has cost absolutely nothing, large, yet intricate project. This developed apart from time. It was funded by the my passion in engineering British Microlight Aircraft further, which I am going to Association (BMAA) which study at Oxford next year.” funds projects in state and For their next project, independent schools. Sadly, Benenden girls have chosen very few schools – state or to build a racing car. This will independent - take them up on enable the next generation to the opportunity but we would experience first-hand what urge schools to do so, and engineering is all about – would be happy to offer advice.

SAMANTHA PRICE which can only benefit the The girls learnt so many Headmistress girls, the industry and the practical skills, and had great Benenden School country. fun at the same time.

A Benenden student in the Microlight

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28/09/2018 11:52

DAN SNOW The award-winning historian on his days of self discovery at St Paul’s School in west London

Where did you go to school and when?

I went to St Paul’s School in Barnes during the Nineties.

Did you enjoy it?

I loved it. I found being a teenage boy difficult and I was always terrible at sport, but at SPS I found two sports I was good at, which was rugby and rowing; they didn’t require much co-ordination but it was good if you were tall and strong.

What were your favourite subjects?

English, History and Politics. My A-Levels. One of the joys of the British education system – or possibly its greatest failing – is you can give up everything.

I loved being able to whittle down the subjects I wanted to give up. I ended up rowing and playing rugby and doing English, History and Politics - I was in heaven really. I spent the whole of one term studying The Tempest. At one time I was studying Edmund Burke in Politics, the French Revolution in History and Tale of Two Cities so I was a machine because all three subjects pointed in the same direction so I had a huge advantage.

Who was your favourite teacher?

Keith Perry –my history teacher. He was fantastic. He treated us like adults. He gave me a great love of the 18th century in particular which has stayed with me for the rest of my life.

What was your favourite activity at school?

Taking part in team sport which took me away from home. It taught me about existing within groups; the freedom and excitement of going to places – it was about developing my own sovereignty over myself. It was so exciting.

What is your most vivid memory of your school days?

I remember travelling in a minibus to rowing races and thinking, 'This is what adult life is like. I’m not with my parents, I’m with my own peer group, we’re driving off to an event with no adult supervision, we could stop and eat what we wanted, talk about what we wanted.' I felt like I was coming of age.

Where did hang out at school?

Students in the sixth form had lockers with a desk, an area which you could work in and I was lucky enough to be close to my two best friends - Theo and Ben. They were – and still are - two of the most intelligent and brilliant people I know – and we competed in a friendly way and drove each other on. I owe them a huge amount really. They are a big part of the reason I did so well at school.

Did you ever get in to trouble?

I did once... I got very drunk after a rowing race and failed to turn up at

school the next day where I was supposed to be giving a speech about the Republican Principle of the American Revolution.

What was your greatest achievement?

I had many sporting achievements – we won at everything. We were the best rugby team in the country, we won the rowing national championships and I got three As at A-Level. But in a way that was not healthy for me; schools are good at giving you a framework and you can achieve within that but that doesn’t really have much to do with the real world. I left school at 18 thinking I was really rather wonderful but then I realised that that doesn’t set you up to be a nice, good and compassionate person or to succeed in the more complex world.

It is much harder to navigate your way through the world than it is to win a rowing race. I guess I succeeded at everything at school but that wasn’t necessarily the best start in life.

What drives you?

Always looking forward. I’m always interested in the next challenge. I always think about the next thing – if you go to my house now, there are no pictures of me rowing for Oxford or winning awards on the telly or whatever. I don’t think those things really matter .

What matters is happiness – enduring personal fulfilment – if you win 5 BAFTAS but you are a broken alcoholic 10 years later

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27/09/2018 15:32

PROFILE

then that is completely irrelevant right. I know that winning the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race has been a foundation of my life – I lost it also and that was in fact the making of me – but winning it is not going to be an important source of happiness to me in the next 10 years. What is going to make me happy is a successful marriage, career and parenthood. I don’t see the point in dwelling on past triumphs and failures. When you study history you’re constantly surrounded by the greatest and most remarkable human beings who have ever lived. You kind of never think that you are that good or impressive. Napoleon had conquered the whole of Europe by the time he was my age.

Where did your love of history come from?

It came from a childhood of going to castles, battlefields, museums and galleries and hearing stories about our past.

Everything is history in our family; my dad (the newsreader Peter Snow) loves history, both personally and now as an author. My aunt is a professor of history at Oxford (Margaret MacMillan, this year’s Reith lecturer). My grandmother was a ferocious oral historian – a storyteller. We all love history.

What are you doing now?

My dream has been to make history accessible using all the modern technology available. So I’ve launched historyhit.tv, a new online only channel for history lovers. It works like Netflix, you pay a subscription and watch as many history programmes as you like.

It’s stuffed with lots of the best history programmes in the world. We launched in December last year. We already have thousands of subscribers. It’s for a general audience of history fans but we know it’s already being used in schools.

I did a successful History Hit tour in the summer which returns in the New Year and I’m also working on a book project for Christmas.

Why does history matter?

Because it is everything that has ever happened on this planet. It’s why societies are organised the way they are. It’s why we interact the way we do, why we speak the way we do. It’s why you go on holiday to Sicily and not Somalia. It’s why Brexit is happening. Why Donald Trump happened. It’s why Russia is poisoning people on British soil. It defines and controls us.

Name the five historical figures you’d invite to you dream dinner party: HORATIO NELSON • GENGHIS KHAN • MARY WOLLSTONECROFT • LIVIA – WIFE OF AUGUSTUS OF ROME • ELIZABETH I • AND ME

H I S TO RY H I T.T V from £6.99 a month Dan Snow History Hit UK Tour, nationwide from 22nd Janurary to 29 March 2019, visit historyhit.com for more info and tickets.

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27/09/2018 15:32

SENIOR / OPINION

Talking

HEAD

BE BRAVE, be you Julian Thomas, the Head of Wellington College, says individual choice is central to a good education

W

ellington College is a pioneering school: in our educational practices, we embrace adventure and encourage exploration; in our students, we seek to develop this same spirit of enquiry by introducing choice at every stage of the Wellington journey. The future belongs to the risk-takers, the creative-thinkers, the pathfinders – now, more than ever, choice is central to a good education.

Over the last few years, we have reshaped our curriculum to allow students to find and follow their passions. By giving students the option to choose six elective subjects from a range of 15 before they enter the College, we encourage them to adopt a certain mind-set: self-knowledge is important, individuality is important, autonomy is key. It is why we require all students to complete a crosscurricular project on a topic that inspires them during their first year with us – and

“Choice, of course, is important, because it allows us to make mistakes” why our students don’t officially matriculate until this is complete, thus demonstrating their commitment to independent academic study. It is why we have introduced Lab time – breathing space within the curriculum that allows students to explore their individual topics and develop research skills. And it is why all middleschool students now complete a Higher Project Qualification. These opportunities to explore the world beyond the exam specifications allow our students to discover where their passions and motivations lie, but they also help them to understand

A B OV E

themselves as learners. our students is consistent: be courageous Such self-awareness in your choices but know yourself. Where can only be achieved by leavers’ destinations are concerned, we are granting autonomy, and fighting parental and societal expectation, autonomy can only be and this is where the pioneering spirit is achieved by allowing choice. needed most.

By the time our students are ready to Choice, of course, is important because enter the Sixth Form, we hope they will it allows us to make mistakes, it affords have gained enough self-knowledge to us the opportunity to fail. In the quest choose between A-Level and the IB. We are for self-knowledge, making the wrong committed to keeping both pathways open choice can be illuminating. For teenagers, to our Sixth Formers because we recognise choices inevitably lead to transgressions, that what is right for one is not necessarily and transgressions lead to dialogue. At right for another. In addition to this, we are Wellington, we practise restorative justice working to ensure that our students are and, where discipline is concerned, we informed about the range of place great emphasis on the options available when they conversation – because the leave school. While Russell conversation is where the Group universities remain learning takes place. the preferred route for many, Seeing the different choices we are seeing more students people make – whether they choose alternative paths. This be right or wrong - allows for year, 60 students were offered something most important places at US universities and to me and to Wellington: the we are raising the profile of celebration of diversity and JULIAN THOMAS entrepreneurship and degree the growth of empathy. This, Head apprenticeships lower down above all, is why choice is Wellington College the school. The message to important in education.

A student songwriter's acoustic session

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27/09/2018 15:30

King’s College Saint Michaels INTERNATIONAL CO-EDUCATIONAL BOARDING SCHOOL FOR AGES 13-19 ‘Pupils make rapid progress in lessons, which includes the development of subject specific language skills, in addition to extending their subject knowledge’ ISI 2017

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ALL-INCLUSIVE FEES NO GUARDIANSHOP REQUIREMENTS FLEXIBLE ENTRY POINTS SMALL CLASS SIZES EXCELLENT PASTORAL CARE EXTENSIVE SPORTS & SOCIAL PROGRAMME MODERN ON-CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST UNIVERSITY APPLICATION GUIDANCE Mrs Georgina Hanford

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+44 (0) 1584 811300

27/09/2018 15:56

Matter of

CHOICE We often assume our children can study whatever they want in the private sector. But the truth is curriculums vary widely. Absolutely Education asked some senior schools what subjects they offer and why and how they are preparing pupils for an uncertain and unknown job market

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27/09/2018 15:14

SENIOR / TA LK ING POIN T

“We offer girls aged 10 upwards, specialist teaching of each science subject”

I

JOHN WILSON

DOROTHY MACGINTY

HEAD (UPPER) Eaton Square Mayfair

HEADMISTRESS Kilgraston

t has almost become a cliché that schools in the 21st century are tasked with preparing their pupils for a work place so rapidly changing, that the jobs they will do and careers they will have in the future don’t currently exist. As technology improves and automation increases, this is more true now than it was a decade or even five years ago.

Schools then, face enormous challenges. To ensure the traditional strengths of their institutions continue, whilst also ensuring that pupils leave with a set of qualifications and skills that will set them up for life in an unknown job market far removed from that which existed when the schools were established. It is for this reason that more and more, schools place an emphasis on developing the broader curriculum as well as the academic curriculum. At Eaton Square Mayfair, alongside our wide academic curriculum, our broader curriculum aims to ensure that pupils develop a growth mindset and recognise the importance of resilience, reciprocity, resourcefulness and reflectiveness in their studies and in their daily lives. If they can develop these skills, any future career is open to them.

We believe that all of our pupils can be great and we seek to find and nurture at least one area of our broader curriculum in which they can demonstrate their greatness, be that in music, drama, sports, leadership, writing, communication or elsewhere.

F

or time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”

So said President Kennedy. Vital in the 1960s and perhaps even more so in today’s rapidly changing world.

The head of an independent school must, like the chief executive of any international company, continually anticipate and react to industry trends. University is not the only tertiary route and it is the responsibility of your child’s independent school to prepare them for their individual journey.

An increasing, global demand for scientists, LEFT engineers and

Pupils at Eaton Square Mayfair

technologists needs resourcing. The national average for girls leaving school to pursue a university STEM subject is 24%; this year, 65% of Kilgraston pupils were offered places to study these subjects.

Three years ago we took the decision to offer girls from 10 upwards, specialist teaching of each science subject. By the time the two compulsory science choices have to be made at 14, pupils have an indepth understanding of Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Higher level ICT has been introduced this year.

Languages, too, are key to preparing girls for an international platform. From 12, our pupils now study four languages: with the aim of the majority taking one to Higher level.

Choosing nine National subject choices inevitably means decision time. After a hitherto balanced curriculum though, that choice is made easier.

Don’t look at the paintwork of a prospective school, look at their curriculum. Then look ten years ahead. There’s your answer.

RIGHT Girls at Kilgraston

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LEFT Pupils at Heathfield RIGHT Sixth form girls, Mayfield BELOW RIGHT In the classroom at St Mary's Shaftesbury

MARINA GARDINER LEGGE HEADMISTRESS Heathfield

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he curriculum and its management over the seven years of a pupil’s experience is central to Heathfield’s vision of discovering and developing every girl to enable her to excel because it is based around the pupil. This begins in years 7, 8 and 9 where all girls study a very wide range of subjects in order to evaluate where their talents lie. Despite the increased rigour of the new exams, we ensure pupils don’t specialise until they absolutely have to for Year 10 as we believe that being able to

study in a whole range of different subjects from cookery to music, drama to textiles is essential.

Even at Year 10, the option choices are not pre blocked but are designed purely around our pupils’ own choices. At A-Level we are lucky enough to be able to ensure that a diverse range of subjects run in order for our pupils to choose what they are best at such as Further Maths, Photography, Sport Science, Drama, Music which are all offered every year. In addition, for our Lower Sixth, we offer a variety of extended academic options to generate independence ranging from the Extended Project Qualification to an internal essay competition, to curriculum MOOCS in order to personalise our pupils’ experience even further. This personalisation is at the heart of our mission which is to imbue each of our pupils with the self-knowledge and confidence to take hold of her life with both hands.

“Our mission is to imbue each pupil with self-knowledge and confidence”

ANTONIA BEARY HEADMISTRESS Mayfield

A

t Mayfield we strongly believe in the benefits of studying a wide range and variety of subjects. Breadth and choice within the curriculum are fundamental to providing a balanced and creative education to expand every girl’s horizons. The humanities enable students to develop informed opinions on their own and other people’s lives and the world we live in. They also develop research and problem solving skills, the capacity to critique texts, and the ability to debate and present information.

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SENIOR / TA LK ING POIN T

Ever-increasing globalisation necessitates studying languages, and proficiency not only opens the door to living and working abroad but facilitates a better understanding of different perspectives.

The creative and performing arts are a fundamental element of the education and formation of any individual. Not only do they have a positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, but they are key to helping girls to make mistakes and learn from them. The benefits of singing, playing music or performing on stage are vast: from boosting selfconfidence, to teaching the discipline required to learn lines. Commitment, attention to detail, critical analysis and patience are required to succeed.

These skills are transferrable and cross-curricular links between the arts and subjects considered more traditionally academic are hugely valuable.

At Mayfield, we aim to provide an education that inspires creativity and critical thinking; that encourages the commitment and self-confidence to take risks and make mistakes; that helps the girls prepare for the world around them. This instils the resilience, confidence and integrity to navigate the challenges and opportunities they will face in the modern world with enthusiasm and optimism.

DR CHRIS ENOS D E P U T Y H E A D ( AC A D E M I C ) St Mary’s Shaftesbury

W

e talk a great deal about preparing pupils for a rapidly changing world but what does this actually mean? At St Mary’s, we believe the best way to achieve this is by offering as varied and broad a curriculum for as long as possible. This encourages our pupils to explore subjects and find out what their real passion is.

At Key Stage 3, pupils explore a wide range of subjects beyond the narrow confines of externally-set exam specifications, studying at least one modern foreign language and a humanity. As an independent school we can choose from both iGCSE and GCSE specifications, so we opt for the most appropriate course that

best prepares each of our pupils for A-Levels and beyond. Most pupils study 10 GCSEs which provides that balance and breadth we value.

The removal of the AS assessments provides greater amount of curriculum time resulting in greater in-depth understanding of A-Level subjects and the ability to participate more fully in other activities. At St Mary’s, the girls follow a '3+' curriculum where they choose at least one additional activity to their three main A-Level subjects.

This can be a fourth academic subject, an EPQ, Duke of Edinburgh, Leiths Cookery or the organisation of activities for younger pupils.

This broad, individual and very personal approach to the curriculum enables our sixth formers to leave St Mary’s as independent learners with the confidence and ambition to be fully prepared for a rapidly changing world.

“A broad curriculum encourages our pupils to explore subjects and find out what their passion is”

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SENIOR / INSIDER

GROWING UP The Head of Institute of Teaching and Learning at Sevenoaks on its Middle School Curriculum MARK BEVERLEY

I

n Years 9 to 11 at Sevenoaks School, we firmly favour enrichment over acceleration. We don’t encourage taking exams early: subjects are not to be rushed through, but explored and reflected upon.

Between the ages of 13 and 16, a child’s ways of thinking about himself, others, and the world shifts to a much more adult level. As a result, arguing skills improve, students start applying concepts to specific examples, general reasoning skills improve, and they become more able to evaluate the credibility of various sources of information. Equally they may also challenge the assumptions and solutions presented by adults.

The Sevenoaks Middle School curriculum therefore aims to inspire and challenge, to satisfy intellectual curiosity and encourage an open-minded approach to learning. A unique academic core connects and informs a balanced range of subjects, assessed through a combination of qualifications (IGCSE, GCSE and our own Sevenoaks School Certificates).

All of our courses are tailored to inspiring and ambitious teaching and learning, and some courses are written from scratch to prepare students effectively for study in the Sixth Form. These avoid the artificial limitations of public courses; their flexibility means that we can undertake ambitious curriculum content, while assessing them in a meaningful, rigorous way.

A common set of values, as well as the promotion of interdisciplinary approaches, means that our courses ‘speak’ to one another in ways that encourage students

“Between the ages of 13 and 16 a child’s way of thinking... shifts to a much more adult level”

to transfer knowledge and skills from one subject across to another. We also allow students to choose particular areas of their courses in which they have an expertise or interest.

We want our students to learn how to study effectively on their own, and to contribute as part of a group; to listen in lessons, but also to speak and present in them. We want them to be as confident in new technologies as they are with book, paper and pen. When they enter Sixth Form, they will know how to collaborate without copying, how to debate while still listening and will have learned that enthusiasm and curiosity are the best tools we have to combat cynicism and self-interest.

Our Middle School Curriculum is balanced and wide-ranging with depth and choice, from a broad range of academically ambitious courses which prepare students for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the Sixth Form.

A wide range of academic subjects in Year 9 means that pupils can make informed choices of courses in Year 10. In addition they study three core Critical Thinking courses, Systems of Belief (in Year 9),

Critical Perspectives (in Year 10) and Ten Ideas that Changed the World (in Year 11). In Years 10-11, the examined courses students pursue are English Language and Literature, at least one Modern Language, a Humanity, all three Sciences, Mathematics and two optional courses from a range that includes Expressive Arts and other courses from the Humanities. Courses in these years are assessed via GCSEs, IGCSEs or SSCs. There is provision for bilingual students and for those with prior experience of other languages.

ABOVE As students progress Sevenoaks through the Middle School, pupils in the classroom they record and reflect on key curricular and co-curricular events, building as they do a portfolio of their achievement which leads to the award of a Middle School Diploma in Year 11, and a sense of engagement and involvement in their own learning.

These years are vital: in them we see the most change in the students and in them we must support and guide the student through the curriculum with intellectual curiosity and academic excitement.

MARK BEVERLEY Head of Institute of Teaching and Learning Sevenoaks

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27/09/2018 15:09

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26/09/2018 17:19

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Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

LESSONS for life Dr Dale Cartwright, the Head of Careers at Merchiston Castle School, says a rigorous academic education is no longer enough

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he employment landscape is evolving at such a rapid pace, with an expanding workforce in both creative and service industries, and so it is essential that young people today are well prepared for the unfamiliar industries of tomorrow.

The key to this lies in both a focus on developing the skills and attributes transferable to any existing or emerging industry and the flexibility of thought to identify the opportunities that this transferability provides. The world of education has largely, and understandably, been focused on attainment for many years, and top grades followed by a prestigious university have long been seen as preferred outcome of a successful education.

What is now clear is that this is not enough: universities and employers in all

“An evolution of learning in schools is required” career areas decry the absence of many skills fundamental to independent learning or the work place, and so an evolution of learning in schools is required to improve on this and ensure that our learners are truly ready for the next stage. What does this evolution really mean in a modern, forward-thinking school with a global perspective?

At Merchiston, it means a commitment to providing our young men with progressive and cohesive opportunities to develop key skills across the total curriculum, ensuring that these are embedded as a key component of learning and underpinning attainment at the highest level possible.

opportunities to do so. Creativity is most obviously developed in subject areas such as Art and Design, Design and Technology, Music, etc. However, to focus so narrowly is to ignore the opportunities provided more widely: the designing of an elegant Chemistry ABOVE experiment; the Merchiston Castle beauty of a play pupils crafted to get around an opponent’s defence in rugby; Equally, it means developing a shared an elegant counter in a debate. Skills vocabulary to articulate progressive skills and attributes essential to the service development and to identify successes, industries are the very same as those which development opportunities, and the value are essential to being part of a community of these skills in different areas of learning, such as Merchiston. Opportunities to serve, life, and work. lead, and contribute widely are important There has been much discussion around and include collaborative projects in class; what these skills and attributes are and how Koinonia (service in the community); best to develop them, and every school will involvement in student-led fora; serving have its own focus and its own approach as prefects. based on what they consider to be most These few examples highlight how so appropriate for their learners. Merchiston many school activities can be distilled is no different in this respect, and we have down to underlying skills development, developed our own skills something which has perhaps framework, drawing on best been undervalued in the practice and applying it within recent past. However, in an our context with a global employment environment outlook. It is wide-ranging, developing at an everas one would expect, and so a increasing pace of change, focus on the aforementioned it is more crucial than ever creative and service industries that these opportunities are will serve as an example. cultivated, promoted, and How does a typical 17-yearvalued by both educators and DR DALE CARTWRIGHT old young man - if there is such learners. Only by doing so Head a thing - develop the skills can we ensure that our young of Careers crucial to such industries? It people are ready to contribute Merchiston Castle is essential for them to have, to, and shape, the world of School and make the most of, the tomorrow.

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27/09/2018 15:03

Up close &

PERSONAL The Director of Education at Microsoft UK says that combining digital learning with traditional classroom methods and independent study produces best outcomes

I

t’s becoming clearer by the minute that a ‘one-size-fits-all' approach to learning will not help teachers deliver the anticipated personalised pathways that the class of 2030 needs to enter the workforce.

Our research points to exactly that, as students who receive personalised instruction perform 98 per cent better than traditionally taught students today. Despite the many benefits and the flexibility that independent schools can have in funding and adopting new methods, finding the means of delivering tailored learning can be difficult for

CHRIS ROTHWELL

educators who already spend hours on lesson preparation for the class. So how can these schools make use of technology to tackle this challenge?

BLENDED LEARNING FOR EVERY LEARNING STYLE

Blended methods of learning, that combine digital learning with traditional classroom methods and independent study, have huge potential for the improvement of both the teaching and learning experiences.

It’s compelling to see that 73 per cent of teachers advocate the introduction of technology into the classroom as a means

to ensure their teaching reaches a variety of learning styles. Embracing blended learning, and its flexibility, is particularly pertinent given that students never outgrow their learning styles from school through to the workforce, regardless of industry.

But still, many schools, across the private and public systems, are turning to technology for technology’s sake, rather than taking a strategic approach guided by the potential learning outcomes that they can help achieve. Often, schools can be guilty of deploying the latest and greatest technology tools without the appropriate training or student needs front of mind,

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SENIOR / EDTECH

and therefore fail to harness the technology to its full potential for improved learning outcomes. By contrast, well-planned implementations, where technology is closely tailored to an individual or group’s learning style, can have dramatic benefits.

Indeed, we’ve seen this from working with our customers as well such as Rugby School where teachers have driven excellent results by using technology tools that engage students, ABOVE Rugby Schools pupils provide autonomy and empower using Microsoft Studio them to learn at their own pace. for design lessons Moreover, a recent IDC study BELOW AND of over 76 million job postings LEFT found that being able to use Finished pieces by Microsoft Office was one of the students five in-demand skills employers At Microsoft, we launched most want from a prospective ‘Learning Tools’ to do just that: applicant. Integrating the right level the playing field for struggling technology into classroom environments students. These tools include features will prepare students with the skills they such as Immersive Reader, Dictation and need to prosper as our future digital Read Aloud, which enable students to workforce. improve their text comprehension, giving them the confidence they need to take on independent reading. For teachers, making PERSONALISATION TO DRIVE use of these tools enables them to work STUDENT SUCCESS more efficiently and free up time to focus However, success here isn’t just about on students and delivering personalised the top students continuing to get the learning. top grades, it’s about seeing students Using collaboration tools to alleviate outperform their usual attainment, teacher pressures becoming more confident and being able Another powerful way to deliver to work efficiently on independent tasks. personalisation is through collaboration tools. These enable better cooperation, not only between teacher and student, but also between peers – so that students can learn from one another. Last year we brought Microsoft Teams to education to create collaborative classrooms where school communication could be centralised in a digital hub.

Teams has been able to drastically alleviate the pressures on teachers’ time by empowering them to host all documents in one place enabling them to create and deliver interactive tailored lessons suited to students’ abilities.

Such tools are encouraging teachers to assign specific tasks to individuals, share independent feedback in real time and get a comprehensive view of a student’s comprehension of a topic (as well as where they may need further support).

“At Rugby, teachers have driven excellent results by using technology tools that engage students”

MIXING THE OLD WITH THE NEW TO FOSTER ENGAGEMENT

Yet it’s important to remember that embracing blended learning methods does not mean saying goodbye to the traditional classroom. Traditional methods such as writing still play a key role in a student’s classroom experience and digital inking has huge potential, particularly in STEM subjects such as maths and science. Using a digital pen or stylus to write equations, draw diagrams, make notes and annotate data can spark up to 36 per cent increases in favourable STEM outcomes alone.

Digital inking also unlocks students’ creativity and can be used in creative subjects such as music and art, with students being able to experiment and perhaps create the next masterpiece all without being limited to pen and paper.

Rugby School and its use of Microsoft Studio in its design department is a case in point: classes are now meeting deadlines more frequently and students are further enabled to create work of more depth and complexity with more enrichment in their output and as a result the school is seeing a narrowing achievement gap

THE PERFECT PARTNER IN DELIVERING PERSONALISED LEARNING

It’s simply not enough to just introduce technology into the classroom and hope for the best. Now more than ever, implementing classroom technology must be strategic, and driven by the outcomes schools want to empower students to achieve. After all, it will be the most effective independent schools that will listen to the needs of their students and give them what they require.

The future challenges are there for us all to see and it will be those schools that embrace deliberate technology practices for personalised learning that will get ahead and empower our future generations to achieve more.

C H R I S R OT H W E L L Director of Education Microsoft UK AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 69

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03/09/2018 12/06/2018 14:44 13:28

Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

TEAM work Jon Perriss, Deputy Head of Christ’s Hospital, says the whole school must ensure the wellbeing of students

W

hat does your school do to ensure the wellbeing of your students’ mental health? On a scale of 1-10 how important is their happiness?

To directly answer the question; 10, no doubt about it. Whatever gifts one may have, unless you are happy, settled, feel secure and well cared for, those gifts are unlikely to be brought to fruition. At Christ's Hospital, we have a Team Around the Child approach to ensure that we are congruent with our communication of what care is right for the specific young person.

Although it is true that one size does not fit all, having some sensible structures in place allows the effective management of mental health problems.

“Helping children to help themselves is the first step” Helping the children to help themselves is the first step in this process; we have a robust PSHE programme to educate all age groups and a Pupil Wellbeing Committee.

This means that the pupils themselves are at the heart of the pastoral messaging, ensuring that topics as broad as mental health awareness, anti-bullying and online safety are in the consciousness of the pupils across the school. The inclusive house structure at the school means that the pupils have a multi-layered support system in place to pick up any concerns and offer appropriate, early intervention. This ranges from a senior pupil, to a resident matron, house tutors and houseparents. The key to any mental

ABOVE health issue is knowing the child Lead; this will be a member of staff Christ’s Hospital well, and with 45-55 pupils in each who is able to oversee the mental pupils house, this is more than achievable health care of all our young people. at Christ's Hospital. Therefore it At the moment, staff are being is the relationships fostered through time trained in mental health first aid so the and diligence of the dedicated staff that ‘front line’ can be as effective as possible, support our young people best. The young with the hope that issues can be resolved people need us to be resilient, well-rounded, before the need for more acute care. We whole people so that we bring this to our also have a welfare team who are able to relationships with them. We are also aware discuss strategies to support our young that young people learn from people to ensure that we are the way we behave; if we model doing everything we can to emotional intelligence and help them. emotional support, they will The education media have learn from this and support rightly recognised that the each other too. mental health of young people As well as having a medical is a public health concern centre that is staffed 24 which should have parity hours a day, a GP service with physical health needs every morning and a team and at Christ's Hospital, we JON PERRISS of counsellors, we also are are proud that we are at the Deputy Head moving towards having a forefront of such awareness Christ’s Hospital Designated Mental Health and provision.

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27/09/2018 14:56

Be PREPARED The Headmaster of Emanuel School highlights the importance of mental health provision in schools, particularly for pupils transferring into higher education ROBERT MILNE

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very August sees another cohort of talented Emanuel pupils gain their A-Level offers for Russell Group universities or to much-coveted places at prestigious drama schools, art schools and music colleges. They are always excited by what the future holds. I suspect however, that some are also slightly anxious about leaving home, having to make new friends and missing the routines, happiness and confidence that school life has given them.

A number of our leavers will stay in touch with colleagues and keep them up to date on their experience of higher education.

Undoubtedly they will enjoy themselves

50% of mental health issues will start by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24.

and their courses, but there may also be a sense that on-going study, away from home, as well as edging ever closer to the world of work, presents some new-found worries from time to time. Occasionally we have found that a young person has really struggled to settle into their new institution, despite our best efforts to help them prepare for life after school.

The nationwide challenge for young people transferring to university has seen a flurry of cross party and university publications in response to some stark and unsettling realities about mental health and well-being for undergraduates. Whilst there remains so much to enjoy about pursuing academic ambitions, living independently, making new friends and laying foundations for a chosen career, the daunting facts surrounding mental health in young people are urging universities and professional health networks to review their shared approaches to looking after those in their care.

The government’s green paper ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision’ last December was an optimistic sign of intent, but much of the actions within this paper fall short in timescale and breadth of intervention to make a truly meaningful change for school leavers heading to university in the next few years. The statistics for mental health in our school-age generation show that 50% of mental health issues will start by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24. The significance of this age range is further compounded by the fact that for many this coincides with

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / OPINION

Tips MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH AT SCHOOL The following 11 steps are approaches that our school and many others have adopted to help those in their care.

1 Put on-going mental health lessons for pupils and their peers in the weekly timetable and make it part of assemblies.

2 Ensure that every child has a form tutor or a trusted adult to take care of their holistic development. This ought to be a teacher that establishes a long-term relationship with the pupil and their parents.

3 Find time for physical exercise through games, clubs and activities.

4 Ensure there are private spaces in schools- having a moment of calm away from the bustling theatre of school life is vital to a young person’s sense of wellbeing.

5 Make sure that we look after the mental health of teachers, just as much as those in their charge. Being able to teach in a calm and enjoyable manner is vital for pupil wellbeing.

6 Ensure that the school has an in-house counsellor and that the pupils can access them easily. It is also beneficial to have a leading pastoral colleague with access to an external network of mental health professionals.

7 Don’t be scared of technology. For many pupils an app on their phone or iPad, like one on mindfulness or anxiety can be a superb way to independently overcome a difficult moment.

ABOVE Emanuel School pupils LEFT Headmaster Robert Milne

8 Establish regular parent and pupil workshops on topics of pastoral concern.

9 Teachers should be encouraged to think about how language can be used for better mental health, e.g using a child's name when marking.

10 Set up a peer-to=peer mentoring or buddy scheme.

taking a series of public exams and studying away from home; all within the context of adolescence.

Sadly, universities and local health networks have not always been well prepared for these cumulative challenges. Statistics across recent years bear this out. The number of young people dropping out of university courses has trebled and 94% of universities have experienced a rise in students accessing ‘support services’. Currently there is an average of 10 years between a young person’s initial symptoms of a mental health concern and them receiving formal help.

UK universities have thankfully sought to systematically address the situation but they do not operate in isolation. All good schools, therefore should continue to ensure their pupils leave them with the capacity to cope with this post-sixth form transfer point - providing them with the self-knowledge, empathy, attitude and skills to thrive in the important years ahead.

ROBERT MILNE

11 Have fun! Humour in schools and moments of amusement in conversation, in assemblies, in lessons and daily dialogue helps everyone run along and enjoy their day all the more.

12 Young people's mental health is a growing concern, but we should be optimistic as we become more knowledgeable about it. Schools and universities can harness this knowledge, work in partnership with each other, growing a network of expert support and sustaining closer links with families.

Headmaster, Emanuel School emanuel.org.uk

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SCHOOL LE AV ER/ INSIDER

REACH FOR THE STARS The founder of The Profs tutoring agency, debunks some Oxbridge myths R I C H A R D E VA N S

E

veryone has their own idea of what an Oxbridge student looks like, and it’s usually wrong. This is because of certain misconceptions surrounding Oxbridge requirements and the admissions process.

I’m here to debunk the common myths.

As an admissions specialist and the head of The Profs, a company that works with students going through the admissions process, I see students who have been given poor advice and inaccurate information more often than you'd expect. University admission stress is a serious problem for the whole family, with parents often feeling the greatest strain, so let me give you an insight into the truth behind the most common application myths.

MYTH 1 YOU HAVE TO BE A GENIUS TO GET INTO OXBRIDGE • I often see students who are more than capable of applying to Oxbridge, either not aiming high enough, or discouraged from applying by teachers or friends.

The criteria for a successful applicant to Oxbridge is actually quite simple. Firstly, hit the entry requirements. Secondly, show how passionate and knowledgeable you are about your chosen subject. Beyond that, there’s no such thing as the ‘right person’ for Oxbridge.

Your child has five spaces on their UCAS application form, so why not use one of them to reach for the stars?

MYTH 2 UNIVERSITIES CARE ABOUT EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES • An application filled with extra-curricular achievements irrelevant to a student’s desired courses will sadly not impress the university admissions team. While it’s no mean feat being the captain of the football team - there are enough in the UK to fill up every Russell Group university, tenfold.

Ultimately, all that universities look

the opportunity to ‘level up’ university choices if their grades are better, so don’t be afraid to slow down if it leads to a better quality application the deadline this year isn’t until January 15th!

MYTH 4 THE COSTS OF MISINFORMATION ARE SMALL • I believe that the decision of which universities and courses to apply to through UCAS is one of the key turning points in a person’s life. Those who made prudent, informed course choices are far more likely to have enjoyed their degree and converted their studies into a relevant job..

UNIVERSITY CHOICES Which way to go?

for in a personal statement is that your experience enables you to excel in academic study at degree level.

As I always say to my students: ‘If it’s not relevant keep it out!’

MYTH 3 EARLY APPLICANTS ARE ALWAYS BETTER • Schools historically set very early UCAS deadlines (as early as September) for their students. This isn’t necessary for students who aren’t applying for Oxbridge or early-entry subjects like medicine, and can often force students to rush these important decisions.

For many high-achieving students, waiting and applying later is the right option. UCAS adjustment also allows

“Don’t fill your application with irrelevant extra-curricular achievements”

MYTH 5 ADDED SUPPORT IS ONLY FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS • As an admissions specialist and tutor, this myth hits particularly close to home. There is, unfortunately, still a stigma around receiving additional support to further one's education.

There seems to be an assumption that if you are looking for help you must not be bright enough, when in reality, many high-performing students use application support to give themselves a further edge on their peers when competing for places at the world’s most competitive universities.

When one in six students seeks additional support when applying to Oxbridge, can you afford for your child to miss out?

R I C H A R D E VA N S Founder of The Profs theprofs.co.uk/admissions-tutors

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27/09/2018 14:47

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / OPINION

RIGHT In the science lab BELOW A Hurst pupil in the classroom

a strong academic core, should produce just that shape. But university admissions officers are different, they are focused on ‘I-shapes’ – committed academic specialists who love to study beyond the classroom.

That means schools must offer a strong ‘super-curricular’ programme of academic enrichment and extension, and students and parents must make careful choices between immediate applications and longterm development.

HOW WE DO IT

EXPLORE THE ALTERNATIVES, BUT CAUTIOUSLY

A

lternatives to university are certainly improving, with 36,000 Higher level apprenticeships starting last year, and it’s a great idea to make young people really stress-test the idea of a conventional degree – is it worth, it, or can I do better elsewhere? But there must also be a strong note of caution here. Of those 36,000 Higher spaces, only 2,000 were actually offering degree-level training, the remainder only offered training to the level of a foundation year or higher education diploma. As a comparison of scale, there were over 450,000 degree places available from UK universities last year. Suffice to say, there’s much to be said for apprenticeships, but there’s also a lot of (government-led) hype surrounding them, too.

“Last year a faintly depressing 26,000 young people dropped out of university ”

HURST COLLEGE HAS A NUMBER OF STRATEGIES FOR BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SCHOOL AND THE BIG WIDE WORLD he most significant is the St John’s, a co-educational house which incorporates the whole Upper Sixth year. St Johns operates as a hybrid school house and hall of residence, giving the Upper Sixth a valuable preparation for the years ahead. Hurst also tailors its tutoring system towards school-leavers, by using academic Heads of Department as Upper Sixth tutors, with students allocated tutors according to their favoured degree choice. Tutors are then charged with developing specialist knowledge and contacts within Higher Education, and are trained as life coaches to facilitate students’ decision making.

A programme of ‘Bluffer’s Guide to Adulthood’ training also helps Sixth Form students prepare for the financial, legal and health choices they’ll face after school.

T

NOW’S THE TIME TO ENCOURAGE AMBITION

T

he final years at school are not a time for crushing dreams. The arguments in favour of letting students shoot for aspirational post-18 goals are more than just psychological, they’re also pragmatic. One impact of recent higher education reform is that universities now offer many more unconventional routes to long-term success, meaning students who aim high and fall short have more choices than they once did. Want to be an engineer, but made a mess of your Maths A-level? University Maths Foundation Years for engineers are now commonplace. Missed that steep uni offer for Law by a grade? Your excellent Extended Project Qualification might mean you still get the place. Got no offers from any medical schools this year? Gap year applications to medicine are now absolutely the norm, as is the pathway of taking a Biomedical Sciences degree first. If a school is using a lot energy persuading your child of what they can’t achieve, it may mean their knowledge is outdated or their agenda is self-serving.

Either way, it’s worth reminding them that one characteristic every new arrival into adulthood will need is persistence. That, more than anything, will fuel a successful launch from school.

BRIAN SCHOFIELD Head of Politics and Sixth Form Registrar Hurstpierpoint College, West Sussex

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / INSIDER

PREPARE to launch How can we best ready young people to take the right steps after school?

BRIAN SCHOFIELD

T

he final bars of Jerusalem fade away, the eyes are dabbed with hankies, the childish (but forgivable) final day pranks have all been performed – and school’s out, forever. But while the Upper Sixth Formers stride out on their final day of compulsory education, confidently expecting to conquer the world, one question rattles edgily through the mind of every parent and teacher proudly watching on. Are they ready?

Have these school-leavers developed sufficient self-awareness and resilience to cope with a less structured, more independent young adult lifestyle? Have they made the right choices about their future, to ensure their next few years are packed with purpose, meaning and joy? Do they know how to use a tin-opener?

The right education can answer all those questions. If parents and teachers

collaborate on an effective and enjoyable ‘launch sequence’, there’s plenty of time in the last few years of school to give young people the skills they need to complete a smooth transition into university or its alternatives. Not everyone gets the help they need – last year, a faintly depressing 26,000 young people dropped out of uni without finishing the first year, a sure sign of insufficient preparation. But with a little thought, those next steps after school should be on the sunny side. Here’s a thorough pre-flight checklist.

START THE COUNTDOWN EARLY

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henever I talk with university admissions officers, their consistent complaint is that young people engage with their post-18 choices too late. Their open days are crammed with Year 12 students, but they wish they were packed with Year 10s. That

may seem very young, but remember, most students settle on their A-Level choices by the February of Year 11. And it is heart-breaking to have to tell a Sixth Former who’s fallen in love with the idea of Economics at Warwick that their decision to drop Maths at 16 has left them without a hope. The Russell Group’s ‘Informed Choices’ website is a very helpful resource to start perusing early, and university events for Year 10 and 11 students are a great investment of time. It’s not ‘tiger parenting’ to start researching early, it’s prudent.

LEARN TO COACH, NOT PREACH

T

he key to preparing young people to leave school is ensuring they are heading in the right direction for them. That direction might bemuse or even disappoint the adults in their life, but if the decision-making process has been thorough, thoughtful and sincere, so be it. Wouldn’t you rather build a happy computer-game designer than a miserable dentist? At Hurst we have employed executive life coaches to train our Sixth Form teachers to guide students towards decisions based on selfawareness and self-honesty, through the use of questioning and listening techniques which prevent staff from diving in and delivering solutions that may not match the individual. The process – which we call ‘Finding Your Why’ – takes time and patience, but it’s the right approach. Never forget (in the nicest possible way) how long it’s been since you left school.

T-SHAPED OR I SHAPED?

I

n the final two years at school, it's all about finding the balance between two ‘shapes’ of people. Employers consistently say they are looking for ‘T-shapes’, people with a breadth of experiences and skills, but also the capacity to focus and specialise in one area. A good sixth-form, with a full spectrum of extra-curricular activities and AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 77

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IBREAK THE MOULD At Southbank International School, breaking the mould is not the exception. It’s the norm. Which is why our students demonstrate outstanding levels of creativity, individuality, collaboration and personal expression.

Places are understandably strictly limited.

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YES, IT’S A CRYING SHAME…

…that she left it too late to apply for Hurtwood House, because it’s simply the best for acting, dancing, singing, film-making – “A utopia for creative minds” – as the Good Schools Guide says.

And crucially, this exciting school is equally successful academically. In fact, it’s statistically one of the top co-ed boarding schools in the UK. So, if you’re looking for a really exciting and rewarding change of school at 16 – don’t leave it too late.

Contact Cosmo Jackson or visit our website for more information.

T: 01483 279000

E: info@hurtwood.net

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24/07/2018 16:40

PROMOTION

A PERFECT GEM An education at one of Ireland’s leading schools for boys

G

lenstal Abbey School stands out as one of the leading boarding schools in Ireland for boys aged 12-18.

Situated in County Limerick, in the heart of Munster, Glenstal Abbey is only 40 minutes' drive from Shannon Airport and just over two hours' drive from Dublin Airport.

Glenstal is a small school with small classes; there are approximately 250 students divided into groups mostly of 12 to 16 pupils, in line with the clear policy and academic vision of the school.

A Catholic school, Glenstal welcomes students from all traditions and sees itself as a partner with parents in the formation and nurturing of its students in a climate of learning. Staff at the school operate under the guiding principle of being the best at everything they do.

Each student at Glenstal is encouraged to fulfill his potential. Finding the precise programme of learning and development that suits each student is a key feature of an education at Glenstal. The school’s ethos is grounded in the values of reverence, respect and responsibility drawn from a long monastic tradition.

The Irish Department of Education and Skills recently completed a Whole School Evaluation on the management, leadership and learning at Glenstal Abbey School.

2018 Expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro!

ABOVE Students at Glenstal Abbey School RIGHT 2018 Munster Schools Senior Cup Champions and Munster Rugby School of the Year 2018

The report warmly endorsed the school’s academic, pastoral, sporting, art and music programmes: “All these aspects of the students’ experience appear to be woven into a fabric of care, support and pedagogy to nurture the academic, social and personal development of the students while in the care of the school.”

Glenstal has regularly topped The Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ survey over the last 10 years. These tables are based on the percentage of students progressing to universities in Ireland and the UK. Our recent results in the Irish Department of Education and Skills Leaving Certificate results were excellent with most students receiving their first choice in their chosen third level course.

There is no better way for parents to discover what life is like for a student here than to explore the school and its grounds for themselves.

THE ANNUAL BOARDING FEE IS IN THE ORDER OF €23,500 For further information about Glenstal Abbey School see www.glenstal.com email admissions@glenstal.com or telephone +35361621044 AUTUMN • WINTER 2018 | B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N | 81

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Finding the perfect school for your child

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We can help with every aspect of your child’s educational journey.

This includes advising on the best school, university or summer school, advising on higher education and career choices, providing tutors, guardianship and entry testing to ascertain your child’s potential.

www.gabbitas.com +44 (0) 20 7734 0161 | info@gabbitas.com Gabbitas Educational Consultants is registered in England No. 2920466. Part of The Prospects & Shaw Trust Groups.

Gabbitas Educational Consultants is registered in England No. 2920466. Part of The Prospects and Shaw Trust Groups.

Image supplied by Eastbourne College.

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Talking

SCHOOL LE AV ER / OPINION

HEAD

LIFE lessons Martin Walker, Headteacher at Berkhamsted Sixth, on preparing students for the future

A

t Berkhamsted School, we work not only to ensure that the students thrive whilst they are at school, but also to prepare them to flourish at university and in the professional world.

We therefore concentrate on helping the students to develop the skills, courage, creativity and confidence that are needed to compete and to enjoy challenges after leaving school. The Student Consultancy in Schools Programme and the Mini-MBA are innovative schemes, which offer the students practical opportunities to develop those qualities.

THE STUDENT CONSULTANCY AT BERKHAMSTED

The Student Consultancy in Schools is a unique programme run at Berkhamsted Sixth in association with The University of Oxford's Career Service. Teams of students are selected through a competitive assessment centre and are given training in essential management consulting skills.

The successful students are introduced to a client from a local social enterprise or charity, which sets them a real life strategic business problem to investigate. The students then work together to research the problem and to suggest solutions.

Alternatively, the charities may ask the teams to advise them on their business or marketing strategy.

“We prepare students to flourish at university and in the professional world”

prepared for life after school in a business environment.”

Keely Charlick, CEO Sunnyside Rural Trust said: “I can honestly say that I found the professionalism of the students at such a high level they could have been a new start-up company. The standard of presentations and reporting was exceptional and beyond my expectations.”

A B OV E

A student practises new skills

THE MINI-MBA

Berkhamsted Sixth also offers a Mini-MBA in collaboration with Ashridge Executive A key objective of the project is to Education, Hult. In the first term, all Year 12 encourage students to see volunteering students participate in the Personal Impact and engagement with the local community & Presence module through a combination as the norm, whilst gaining valuable of online delivery, group work, practical business experience and developing key tasks and presentations from industry employability skills. TSCS is now in its experts. The module helps with developing sixth year at Berkhamsted, and we take self-understanding and managing great pride in producing reports for our relationships in a professional setting, key clients which are of a professional quality, skills in the world of work. For example, and which will make a real difference to the students learn how to approach difficult local community. Student outcomes include conversations and how to give feedback learning to communicate professionally, effectively. They learn more about individuals’ strategy skills, research skills and varying motivational value systems which understanding how to break helps them to understand how down, approach and manage conflict can occur in teams a project. and how it is best to manage it Josh, a Berkhamsted and work together to achieve a student, said: “I feel I have common goal. gained valuable business After all students have experience you just can't gain experienced the Mini-MBA, through any other activity run they are given the opportunity through schools. It improved to continue the Mini-MBA MARTIN WALKER my confidence with presenting course or to undertake Headteacher Berkhamsted Sixth and putting together detailed an Extended Project business reports. I feel more Qualification.

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Schools and Colleges

Specialist GCSE and A level provider Strong teaching and outstanding pastoral care.

The ISI awarded MPW

—The Good Schools Guide

most recent inspection.

MPW colleges are some of the country’s best known providers of bespoke fifth- and sixth- form education, offering GCSEs and A levels in

Phone us today or visit our website:

over 45 subjects. We are distinctive in many ways, not least in our small

www.mpw.ac.uk

London the highest grade in every category in their

classes of 9 or less students and our exceptional university preparation: over 70% of our leavers each year progress to top tier universities. Our mission is to turn academic aspirations into reality. MPW is a friendly, flexible college that offers an outstanding learning environment.

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London 020 7835 1355

27/09/2018 11:58

SCHOOL’S OUT / INSIDER

SPORT for all The Director of Sport at Dauntsey’s says sport matters for everyone

I

MARCUS OLSEN

t is sobering to read in newspaper reports that childhood obesity has become a global phenomenon affecting all socio-economic groups, irrespective of age, sex or ethnicity.

Certainly, it would appear that time spent on screens in one form or another seems only set to grow, contributing further to a sedentary, indoors lifestyle. Added to that is the growing concern about the pressures of social media and its impact on young adults’ mental health.

Meanwhile, we have witnessed the demise of competitive sport in many government schools thanks to the sale of facilities and a lack of dedicated resource.

It is a depressing picture, and perplexing too, given young people’s passion for their national football or basketball team and their country’s medal count at the Olympics.

Sport really matters. Not just for high

“I have yet to find a pupil who can’t find something that gives them a buzz.” performing athletes pursuing medals. Sport matters for everyone. As well as developing physical skills and fitness, participation in sport – be it individually or in a team - builds confidence, resilience and mental toughness.

Sport in school gives pupils an opportunity to learn leadership, self-discipline and teamwork and develop a real sense of achievement. All of these are vital skills that are easily transferable into many other aspects of life beyond the classroom.

But in order to engage people at all levels, sport needs to be fun, challenging and available to everyone - from elite athletes to enthusiastic all-rounders. At Dauntsey’s our pupils are extremely fortunate to have access to a wide range of facilities. As well as our major sports of rugby, hockey, football, basketball, athletics and tennis for the boys, cricket (for both girls and boys), and hockey, netball, athletics and tennis for the girls, we

ABOVE Rugby at Dauntsey's

run a thriving extra-curricular programme.

This allows pupils to represent the school in sports such as swimming, rifle shooting, fencing and equestrian. We played almost 750 team matches last year, at all levels, across a range of sports. I have yet to find a pupil who can’t find something that gives them a buzz.

One of our sixth formers said to me recently; “You learn a lot about yourself through team sports. It’s about working together towards a common goal, taking responsibility for the team as a whole instead of trying to be the star or blaming someone else when things go wrong.

“Playing sport is such a physical boost, too. It makes you more energetic, stronger, clearer-headed. I really noticed when I was on study leave last year and not playing so much sport – I felt I couldn’t move as freely, didn’t have as much energy. Sport definitely gives you back more than you put in.”

Another pupil in the Lower School said: “When I play in a team, I’m really in the moment and my mind is totally onto it.

When I’m running, I’m on my own and I take my thoughts elsewhere. I’m in my own little bubble.

This is wonderful feedback to receive and it gives me hope that our young people can buck the trend and make exercise an everyday part of their lives beyond school.

Sport can be demanding but exercise trains your brain as well as your body and the two things feed off each other.

We are all living in an increasingly pressurised and connected world. It can be hard to switch off both physically and mentally. Sport and doing exercise can help us all manage the stress of daily life, it can burn off nerves and frustration and restore a sense of perspective and calm. Where better to start the habit of sport than at school?

MARCUS OLSEN Director of Sport Dauntsey's AUTUMN • WINTER 2018

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PROMOTION

ANTHOLOGY DEPTFORD FOUNDRY: A KNIGHT FRANK DEVELOPMENT 15 MINUTES WALK FROM GOLDSMITHS UNIVERSITY

GLOBAL Audience Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s Global Head of Research, on why British schools attract families from around the world.

O

ne of the biggest drivers for prime residential markets globally is the demand for international education. Knight Frank estimates that a total of £2 billion each year is invested in London’s prime housing market by parents looking to secure accommodation while their children are at school in the capital.

To understand this trend in more detail, Knight Frank teamed up with London-based education specialists Keystone Tutors to find out why so many international families decide to choose a UK school.

During 2018, Keystone Tutors surveyed over 130 education consultants, head teachers, heads of admissions, private client advisers and relocation agents to collate

data on global trends regarding independent education in the UK. The countries with the greatest numbers of children represented among the institutions taking part in the survey were Hong Kong, mainland China and Russia.

The most popular age for wealthy parents to choose to send their children to study in the UK is 16, followed by 13, the age at which many enter secondary school. Those aged under 11 are a smaller, yet still significant, cohort.

The three greatest motivations for clients sending their children to school in the UK were: quality of education (87% of all respondents); prestige of school name – including perceived future employment prospects (67%); and to improve their children’s chances of securing a place at Oxbridge or other top UK universities (62%).

Similarly, the most frequently cited reasons

66% of respondents believed Brexit had had no impact on the attractiveness of the UK for education

LINCOLN SQUARE: A KNIGHT FRANK DEVELOPMENT FIVE MINUTES FROM LSE

for selecting a university in the UK were prestige of university name and quality of education offered (each 80%), followed by quality of lifestyle (44%).

After these, non-EU countries such as Switzerland are popular choices.

For university options, the US leads with 86% of respondents confirming it as an option, followed by the UK, with Canada next (35%), the rest of the EU (35%) and Australia (20%).

The vast majority of respondents (66%) believed that the UK’s vote to leave the EU had had no impact on the attractiveness of the UK for education.

The results showed that 61% of respondents felt their clients’ appetite to consider UK education had not changed in the past 12 months, while 24% felt it had increased, and only 15% felt it had decreased.

The appeal of renowned British public schools in the UK itself remains strong despite the establishment of franchised versions around the world. This is largely thanks to the strong pastoral care and wide array of extracurricular activities on offer.

Demand for an international education is also driven by the perceived benefit of being exposed to another country’s language and people. This broadened global perspective incentivises wealthy parents to send their children overseas to develop language skills and build a global network.

The hope is that a high standard of academic teaching, the wide array of extra-curricular opportunities, and the development of an international crosscultural perspective, will lead to better career prospects..

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UK Education Expo 2018 HONG KONG Saturday 20 October 11.OO – 18.00 Sunday 21 October 11.00 – 18.00

Many of the UK’s leading boarding schools and colleges will participate at Academic Asia’s UK Education Expo. This is the perfect opportunity to meet with senior staff from a range of excellent institutions. Academic Asia continues to provide a very personal service; interviews and assessments can be arranged on both days. Admission is free and there will be educational seminars on a range of topics. We very much look forward to welcoming you to the Expo.

S 2 2 1 - S 2 3 0, O l d Wi n g, Ho n g Ko n g C o n ve n t i o n a n d Ex h i b i t i o n C e n t r e 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

CHRIST'S HOSPITAL

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UK SCHOOLS EXPO / EXHIBITOR S

Ashville College Location Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 9PF Head R Marshall USP Ashville College is a co-educational independent school for children aged 3-18. It is situated in Harrogate, in the North of England. Boarding, for children aged eight upwards, has been central to Ashville since it was founded in 1877. Today, 21st century teaching and facilities make it a fantastic environment for children to flourish.

Alumni Arthur Balfour, industrialist; Jim Carter, actor; Tony Richardson, theatre and film director; Blanc Wan, pianist.

Bedford School Location De Parys Avenue, Bedford Head James Hodgson USP Bedford School offers boys

aged 7-18 years an outstanding education within a warm and friendly, truly international community. A leading independent boarding and day school, Bedford's academic success is demonstrated by a long history of impressive exam results at GCSE, A-Level, and in the IB. Alumni Alastair Cook, cricketer; Lord Paddy Ashdown, politician; John Fowes, author.

Berkhamsted School

L o c a t i o n Berkhamsted,

Hertfordshire He a d Mr Martin Walker U S P In addition to outstanding academic teaching, support to get into the best universities, a wide range of state-of-theart extracurricular facilities and supportive pastoral care, Berkhamsted offers a Mini-MBA qualification, weekly careers lectures and lunches with visiting professionals from many different industries and one-to-one counselling support in school.

Al u m n i Sir Robin KnoxJohnston, Clementine Churchill, Zaha Hadid, James Rodwell.

Cardiff Sixth Form College

L o c a t i o n Cardiff, UK He a d Gareth Collier

BEDFORD SCHOOL

U S P Cardiff Sixth Form College

has been named the number one school in the UK for A Levels for the past nine years. The College boasts tremendous results ñ in 2018 89% students received A* to A, whilst 96% students received A* to B.

Cheltenham College

L o c a t i o n Cheltenham, Gloucestershire He a d Nicola Huggett U S P Everyone takes pride in the pastoral care at Cheltenham College; it is the foundation of our warm environment and close-knit community. 80% of pupils are boarders and spend more time at College during term time than they do at home so the boarding houses are never empty and strong friendships are formed.

Al u m n i Dr Edward Wilson, Antarctic explorer; Tim Bevan co-founder, Working Title films; Jack Davenport, actor; Rageh Omaar journalist.

The advantage of full boarding is that all 900 pupils stay at school twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Christ's Hospital is academically strong with 98% of pupils moving on to the leading universities worldwide.

Alumni Charles Lamb, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Colin Davis, Barnes Wallis, Joe Launchbury Roger Allam.

City of London Freemen’s School L o c a t i o n Ashtead, Surrey He a d Roland Martin USP Freemen's is a leading

co-educational boarding school in the UK. We have great

academic success, but we also want the best for the young people in our care; we guide them towards making positive choices, giving them the confidence to contribute in a world that can be challenging and uncertain.

Al u m n i Warwick Davies, actor; Andrew Garfield, actor; Gavin Turk, artist; World-class and Paralympics double bronze medalist GB sailor Alexandra Rickham, Musician Joe Strummer, singer and guitarist with The Clash, English National Badminton Men's Singles Champion and British Olympian Anders Nielsen.

Christ's Hospital Location Horsham, West Sussex, UK Head Simon Reid USP Christ's Hospital is one of

the oldest boarding schools in the UK and one of only four coeducational full boarding schools.

CHELTENHAM COLLEGE

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ST ANDREW'S PREP SCHOOL

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Nasser Judeh, former Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan; General Lord Richards, former Chief of Defence Staff.

Location: Colchester, Essex He a d : John Russell U S P : Granted Royal Charters

by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, CRGS is a top performing selective state boys school that admits girls into a co-educational sixth form. Its family-style boarding is rated outstandingí by Ofsted and offers a relaxed, supportive study environment which complements the academic requirements of the school.

Al u m n i Dr Laurie Bristow, Ambassador to Russia, Col Richard Kemp CBE, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan.

Eastbourne College L o c a t i o n Eastbourne,

Kent College Canterbury

L o c a t i o n Canterbury He a d Dr David Lamper USP At whatever stage your

child joins Kent College we offer flexibility and individuality. We tailor timetables around the passions and interests of the individual. International Study Centre pupils enjoy full integration into boarding houses, tutor groups, sports and the activities programme.

Alumni Grace Balsdon, Great Britain and England hockey player, Raymond Yiu , composer and jazz pianist; Ptolemy Dean, architect.

south coast He a d Tom Lawson U S P Every year pupils earn

places at top universities including Oxford and Cambridge. £33 million development is now on stream including 32 new classrooms and outstanding sports and music facilities. Safe, healthy seaside resort conveniently located for London, Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Superb seven-day-aweek boarding including vibrant weekends.

Al u m n i Sir Hugh Casson, architect; Eddie Izzard, comedian;

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Kent College Pembury

Location Pembury, Kent Head Julie Lodrick USP A thriving school with high

academic standards and an ethos of providing a bespoke education and outstanding opportunities for enrichment and success. Set in beautiful countryside, just 35 miles from London, students benefit from innovative teaching and excellent resources in a superbly equipped environment, within a

caring Christian community.

Alumni Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Sarah Sands, editor Today programme Radio 4; Vivien Stern, journalist and author.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School Location Lancaster Head Dr Chris Pyle USP Established in the 13th

century, we are one of the UK’s top state grammar schools for boys; a fabulous school offering a wealth of opportunities to all boys. We are particularly proud of the warmth of the relationships between pupils and staff and of the quality of our pastoral care.

Alumni Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology Aberdeen University; Scott Durant MBE, Olympic rowing champion; Jon Richardson, comedian.

Monkton Combe School

Location Bath, south west England Head Chris Wheeler USP As shown by Monktonís

outstanding exam results over the last five years fulfilling academic potential is one of our key priorities. However Monkton thinks differently, we start with a proactive pastoral environment to develop academically strong, enthusiastic learners within a living Christian ethos.

Al u m n i : Sir Richard Dearlove, Chris Anderson, entrepreneur; Bernard Cornwell, historical novelist; Steve Williams, double Olympic Gold rowing champion; Hannah Martin, artistry manager for Bobbi Brown where she advised on the make up for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; Monica Daniel, writer and producer and founder of rKive Productions.

We are particularly proud of the warmth of the relationships between pupils and staff and of the quality of our pastoral care

SPRING 2018

27/09/2018 14:24

UK SCHOOLS EXPO / EXHIBITOR S

Haberdashers' Monmouth Schools

Location Monmouth, Wales Head Dr Andrew Daniel

(Monmouth School for Boys) USP Haberdashers' Monmouth

Schools attract parents who want their children to achieve excellent academic standards with co-curricular activities while developing strong social skills, responsibility and a sense of community. Unlike other schools that offer either single sex or co-education, we provide the perfect balance of both, with inter-school collaboration throughout our family of schools.

Alumni Sir John Beddington, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister; Dr Jane Glover CBE, musician and conductor; Tom Lucy, Olympic rower who won a silver medal for Great Britain at Beijing in 2008, Laura Tenison, founder of JoJo Maman BÈbe.

Queen Anne’s School

Location Caversham, Berkshire Head Julia Harrington USP Excellent tracking of

academic performance and the monitoring of attitude to learning is inherent in our

KENT COLLEGE CANTERBURY

strategies for success, which academic results reflect.

Alongside outstanding pastoral care and an award-winning sixth-form centre and brand new state-of-the-art music centre.

We are set among 35 acres just north of the River Thames, only 40 minutes by train to London Heathrow.

Alumni Posy Simmonds, illustrator; Jenny Seagrove, actress.

Queen’s College

Ryde School

Location Taunton, Somerset Head Dr Lorraine Earps USP Queen's prides itself on

Location Isle of Wight Head Mark Waldron USP The first UK Independent

offering an individual education with family values. The spirit and heart of this very special community ensures the inclusion of every pupil across all ages and ability. With shared values and educational expertise, the family at Queen's ensures each boy and girl is nurtured to reach their full potential.

school to offer two IB programmes (IB Diploma and IB Career-related) alongside A-Levels for Sixth Form. We are an IB World School, enabling our pupils to flourish in mind, body and soul.

Alumni Christoph Lees, Reader in Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine at Imperial College; Heather Kerr, England Women's Squad for the Six Nations and Women's Rugby World Cup; Dr John Traill, Director of Music, St Anne's College, Oxford.

Royal Russell School

Location Croydon, Surrey Head Chris Hutchinson USP Just one hour from

QUEEN ANNE'S SCHOOL

Heathrow and Gatwick airports, our spacious site is home to a community that places emphasis on the care and development of every student. Specialisms include Maths, Science, Computing, Media, Model United Nations and Sport, with a national trophy winning Football Academy.

Alumni Professor Ali Ansari, Professor in Modern History, St Andrews University; Tom Wright, architect of the Burj Al Arab hotel, Dubai; Naoko Mori, Japanese actress.

St Andrew's Prep Location Eastbourne,

East Sussex, UK Head Gareth Jones USP St Andrew's Prep pupils

are culturally aware, kind and confident and the schoolís location by the sea is perfect for developing healthy, active and purposeful young people.

We offer gold standard teaching in academic subjects, superb sports coaching and St Andrew's Prep is the school of choice for performing arts in the locality.

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UK SCHOOLS EXPO / EXHIBITOR S

St George’s School

Stonyhurst College

Location Ascot, Berkshire Head Liz Hewer USP St George’s Ascot, is a

Location Lancashire, north west England Head John Browne USP A co-ed Roman Catholic independent school in the Jesuit tradition.

Alumni Joe Ansbro, Scottish International Rugby player; Mark Thompson, CEO New York Times; Tim Hetherington, photo journalist; Arthur Conan Doyle, author.

deliberately small, vibrant boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18 providing an excellent academic education. The school is set in 30 acres of leafy countryside only 30 minutes from London and eight miles from Heathrow. A friendly atmosphere, extensive facilities, strong pastoral care and opportunities for individual development make St George’s stand out from the crowd.

Alumni Princess Beatrice of York; Victoria Smurfitt, actress; Kirsty Gallacher, TV presenter.

Stephen Perse Foundation

Location Cambridge, England Head Tricia Kelleher USP We teach both A-Levels and

the IB at our vibrant sixth form college in Cambridge. Our students achieve exceptional results, due to small class sizes and excellent teachers. We enjoy the use of inspiring facilities across the city, and we now offer boarding.

Alumni Bridget Kendall, Roz Savage, Polly Faber.

Strathallan School

Location Perth, Scotland Head Mark Lauder USP Strathallan was the top co-

educational independent school for A-Levels in Scotland in 2017.

With a vast rural campus and over £22million recently invested we have an excellent reputation in sports and the arts, too.

Alumni Bhris Baur, Editor of The Scotsman; Tessa Dunlop, TV presenter and historian; Ian MacNaughton, TV and film director; Michael Moore, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (2005-2015) and Secretary of State for Scotland (2010-2013).

TAUNTON SCHOOL

STONYHURST COLLEGE

Taunton School

Whitgift School

Location Taunton, Somerset, UK Head Lee Glaser USP Taunton School is a non-

Location South London Head Chris Ramsey USP Whitgift is a leading

selective co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 0-18 years, based on one spacious 56 acre campus. It is the first school in Somerset to adopt a “Zero to Landfill” policy, ensuring that all waste produced from the school is recycled and none goes to landfill.

Alumni Mark Getty, Dr Chris Gibson-Smith CBE, Dr Moger Woolley, Mickey Li, James Evry.

independent day and boarding school, close to central London and set in 45 acres of parkland.

We offer a challenging and inclusive environment for 10-18 year old boys, with a broad curriculum, 80+ clubs, 40+ sports and a packed performing arts programme. Excellent academic achievements lead to top Russell Group universities.

Alumni Sir Robert Boyd, space research scientist; Andy Duncan, former chief executive, Channel 4; Derren Brown, illusionist.

Worth School Location Sussex, England Head Stuart McPherson USP An ISI inspection in

November 2017 judged Worth to be 'excellent', the highest possible grade for the quality of the pupils' academic and other achievements, and personal development.

Alumni Robert Bathurst, actor; Sir David Bell, former chairman, Financial Times; Sir Peter Jonas, former head of the English National Opera; Philip Mould, art dealer and broadcaster.

For more information visit: academic-asia.com

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Co-educational Boarding Prep School from 7 – 13 Academic excellence • Exceptional pastoral care • Outstanding facilities Situated in 55 beautiful acres • Transport to and from major airports +44 (0)1684 544 108 • registrar@thedowns.malcol.org • www.thedownsmalvern.org.uk

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“MONKTON IS A

SMALL SCHOOL WITH A BIG HEART,

NURTURED BY A STRONG

SENSE OF FAMILY

AND A TRADITIONAL BOARDING ETHOS.”

An independent boarding and day co-ed school near Bath, England Pre-Prep, Prep & Senior 2–18 year olds

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See success in action To book a personal visit or for further details, please contact the Registrar: Tel: 01283 559222 Email: registrar@repton.org.uk

www.repton.org.uk

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• Co-ed • Day (3 to 18) • Boarding (13 to 18) • IBDP & AP • 52 Nationalities • 15 Average Class Size • 19 Miles from London f

London Area • +44 (0)1932 582 316 • www.tasisengland.org

www.tasisengland.org

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LEARN • CREATE EXPLORE WHERE WILL YOUR FUTURE TAKE YOU? Top quality boarding provision from age 7, with superb pastoral care Rated ‘excellent’ in all areas of the latest Inspection Report Over 100 co-curricular activities available Reputation for sport and links with professional clubs Inspirational music, drama and creative arts Outstanding academic results with the vast majority of applicants securing places at their preferred university

T. +44 (0)1225 734210 | E. admissions@kingswood.bath.sch.uk

www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk An Independent Co-educational Boarding & Day School for pupils aged 9 months - 18 years

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HIGHLY EXPERIENCED FRENCH, SPANISH AND ENGLISH TUTOR I provide a bespoke one to one service in teaching children of all ages French, Spanish and English to all levels.

With prepared, tailored lesson plans, I adhere to the syllabus that each tutee is studying and deliver a personalised programme to my students.

“

I specialise in GCSE, iGCSE, A-level, IB and university tuition.

Lucinda is a very talented and gifted tutor who has a deep understanding of languages as well as how to teach them well to students of all ages and abilities.

”

We couldn’t recommend her more highly.

07949 245 335 www.privatelanguagetutor.com lucinda@privatelanguagetutor.com

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60

L A ST WOR D

seconds with

Mike Buchanan The new Executive Director of the HMC and recently departed head of Ashford School in Kent

Tell us about your leadership style I’ve just started writing a book called Positively Leading which is a reflection on what I have observed successful leaders doing and how they do it. It’s based on the cycle of seeking; first, to understand what makes people tick, what they’re motivated by and second, seeking to improve their performance by adjusting their behaviours so that; third, they flourish as professionals and people.

skills and great teachers should be doing. The first is to maximise the achievements of their pupils by colliding them with as many opportunities to learn as possible. The second is to develop the personal characteristics that underpin and enable a fulfilling life: such as, empathy, resilience, love, delayed gratification, dedication etc. I often quote Maya Angelou who said: “People will forget what you say and what you do but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Whilst I have often failed, I have always tried to remember this in my dealings with colleagues, parents and with students.

Why do you think leadership matters?

Leadership doesn’t matter but people do and the ultimate purpose of a leader is to enable those around him or her to live purposeful, fulfilled and meaningful lives.

How did you lead during your 13 years as head at Ashford?

I set out to find people to join us as teachers and support staff who understood and could mirror the values, behaviours and attitudes that we wanted the children and young people in the school to learn and to adopt. Those values, behaviours and attitudes are encapsulated in our strapline of Adventurous Learning which means providing the right balance of stretch and support for each individual person and an environment where taking risks without the fear of blame is second nature and intuitive.

Finally, I set out to get out of the way so that, with the general direction of the school set, others had the freedom and flexibility they needed in order to work at their best..

What changes did you make in your time at Ashford?

When I was appointed to lead the school it was a charming, introverted and largely complacent organisation which was

“Leadership doesn’t matter but people do”

losing pupil numbers and money rapidly: it probably only had 12 months to live.

With the help of many, the number of children in the school has more than doubled, the school is co-educational throughout and it has a thriving, largely international, boarding contingent of nearly 180 pupils. We’ve invested tens of millions of pounds in new facilities but most importantly we look outwards to what the best education around the world can be and have tried to emulate it.

A B OV E

Mike Buchanan

What makes a good learner?

A good learner is forever curious and works incessantly hard to satisfy his or her curiosity. A good learner knows how to ask great questions and has the courage to ask them. A good learner is not necessarily the same as someone who is good at succeeding in exams so that is the challenge of many schools; to balance enabling young people to be good learners and good at exams.

What has mattered to you most in your years as teacher?

There are only two things that good

Tell us about your new role as Executive Director of the HMC? I will be providing leadership in a different way to the members who themselves lead some of the most prominent and outstanding schools in the UK and around the world. As a headteacher, I could command people to do things if I so chose. As Executive Director of HMC I have no power to command so I will need to hone my influencing skills and I very much look forward to it.

What are the main challenges facing the independent sector currently?

The first is ensuring that within the UK the contribution and enormous work that many do for young people in their schools and in partner state schools is recognised and valued. The second is ensuring that, over time, independent education becomes affordable to more people.

What are your professional aims for the next 5-10 years?

To enable the HMC and its members to be the most positively influential professional association in education in the UK and around the world to benefit young people whatever their backgrounds.

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A unique schools group.

If your senses were telling you this, how would you cope? Our schools support students with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome to think and see things differently.

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