Eaton House Schools are proud to have provided an exceptional education to our pupils since 1897. Based on two large sites in Belgravia and Clapham, our single sex schools for boys and girls are non-selective* and yet achieve outstanding results. We feed into Westminster, Eton, St Paul’s, Wycombe Abbey, St Paul’s Girls’ School, Winchester and other fine schools, winning many scholarships, awards and prizes each year.
Wellbeing is at the core of this well-rounded education. Each child is supported as an individual so that they can flourish both academically and socially. Finding the potential in each child is our passion.
New open house dates available now, visit bookopen.day to book.
Speak to our Head of Admissions, Miss Sam Feilding, on 020 3917 5050, or visit www.eatonhouseschools.com for more information.
*Non-selective at 2+ and 4+ entry.
diverse
dynamic
Jonnie Besley became Headmaster of Abberley Hall in September 2020, having previously been Deputy Head Pastoral at Orwell Park in Suffolk and Head of Boarding and History at Westbourne House in Sussex. In this issue, he talks about the value of a prep school education, not just for its academic reach but also its holistic approach.
Having studied French and Political Science at Edinburgh and an MBA at Chicago Booth, Rachael Provest combines a career in finance with a role at a Singapore schools’ group. In this issue, she talks about Max Your Money, her new children’s guide (with Larry Hayes) to inspire future entrepreneurs and business stars.
Dr Ranj Singh works as an NHS clinician specialising in paediatric emergency medicine, combining this with a media career – with work ranging from an award-winning CBeebies show to Strictly and This Morning. In this issue, he talks about his dual career and his children’s books designed to help young people take care of body and mind.
Your child’s primary years are fundamental in shaping not just what they become, but who they become.
King Alfred School has over 120 years of experience of designing joyful learning experiences which give each child the space they need to discover and develop their passions, to embrace challenge and reflect on their achievements.
Our creative curriculum inspires children because they do it
through experience, through play, through genuine interest; we nurture an eagerness to know more and encourage greater depth of understanding. We have high expectations for our children and give them the freedom to explore and grow - all within a structure which lets them develop at the pace which is right for them. The results speak for themselves; happy, confident children who love to learn.
Find out more about the school, or book to attend an open event
Autumn is the time when leaves fall and shadows lengthen, but for schools this is a period of beginnings. Children don their uniforms – some for the very first time – and move up to a di erent phase of life and learning. In this issue, we celebrate some of the many strengths that schools develop. For our cover and focus feature, it was
A nothing-but-the-best approach also determines the most exciting teaching in our schools, and in Inventive Science (page 42) we find out about the approaches that are helping children to develop skills and knowledge – but also see the creative opportunities. And in Teaching Entrepreneurship (page 62) we explore groundbreaking approaches to teaching skills fit for a new age with new ways of doing business.
I was struck by ‘Managing Change’, the article in this issue by the new
fascinating to speak to Stephanie Piper, Head of Radnor House Prep School, coming to Twickenham riverside next September (from page 16). This brandnew community being planned down to the last detail will have superb facilities and teaching approaches. Stephanie Piper, who has a long track record of leadership at great London preps says she is relishing this opportunity to be able to step back and think: “what is the best we could possibly do”.
Headmistress of Sydenham High School Antonia Geldeard (page 73). She talks about the importance of recognising and supporting the ‘liminal states’ that young people go through as part of their progression. Food for thought this autumn as we watch (and cheer on) our children’s next steps on unique and exciting learning journeys.
Libby Norman ACTING EDITOR"FOR SCHOOLS, THIS IS A PERIOD OF NEW BEGINNINGS. CHILDREN DON THEIR UNIFORMS – SOME FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME – AND MOVE UP TO A DIFFERENT PHASE OF LIFE AND LEARNING"
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Children from Taunton Prep braved cold waters and jellyfish to swim the English Channel from Dover to Cap Gris Nez to help save their local Wivey Pool from closure. Boys and girls as young as 12 – all of whom had trained in open water – swam the 21 miles, raising a total of £6,000.
Jane Jones will be Head of Eagle House School from January, joining from Swanbourne House. Jones had a successful career as a barrister and district judge before moving into education. Eagle House is a co-ed day and boarding prep for ages 2 to 13 and is part of the Wellington College family of schools.
St Columba’s College in St Albans has appointed Karl Guest as its new Head from September 2023. Currently Head of Alton School in Hampshire, he succeeds David Buxton, who retired last summer a er 14 years at the helm. David Shannon-Little is Interim Head at the co-ed Catholic school, which was recently rated ‘Excellent’ in all areas by the ISI.
Four pupils from Cottesmore won the National Schools Jumping Championships at The All England Jumping Course, Hickstead. The showjumping team of Darcy, Daisy, Orla and Mia are all from Mid and West Sussex. Orla also took 3rd place in the individual final a er a nailbiting jump off round.
Pupils at Holy Cross Prep in Kingston Upon Thames led a special service of thanksgiving for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Girls had learnt more about the Queen’s remarkable life and shared happy memories and prayers which they had written collaboratively in class to present at the service.
Two years ago, Portland Place School launched a hybrid approach to independent education. Among its first cohort of Hybrid GCSE students, 38% achieved grades 7-9 (the national average is 26%). Portland Place Hybrid School offers online learning for four days a week, with one day spent at Portland Place School, which is located close to Regent’s Park.
Abberley Hall was delighted to scoop the top prize in the ‘Best Prep School’ category at the 2022/23 Tatler Schools Guide Awards. Headmaster Jonnie Besley says: “I couldn’t be more thrilled that everyone’s hard work and dedication has been recognised in this way and by such a prestigious national outlet”.
Suzie Longstaff is to join Dukes Education as Principal of its new London Park School (LPS). Currently Head of Putney High, she will be the founding Principal, eventually establishing a new centre of excellence across a number of central London sites north and south of the river, and a London Park Sixth Form in Belgravia.
Moulsford Prep in Oxford held the official opening of its new pre-prep building in July, with children’s TV presenter Andy Day Doors cutting the ribbon. The building houses Reception and Years 1 and 2 for boys and girls, with the school remaining boys only from Year 3. It incorporates eco-friendly systems such as green roofs.
James Johnson is the new Head at Taunton School. He joins from Ardingly, where he was Head of Senior School. An English teacher by training, his background includes roles at Cheltenham College and Tonbridge School. He has arrived in the year the Somerset school celebrates its 175th anniversary and continues its ambitious four-year investment in campus additions.
Working with the National Literacy Trust, the Royal British Legion, has introduced free teaching resources to help young children understand the importance of Remembrance. Alongside a poetry project led by Tomos Roberts, there will be a livestream assembly on Armistice Day on 11th November. This year’s resources explore the theme of service.
Godstowe School in High Wycombe has welcomed Kate Bailey as the new Headmistress.
Formerly Founding Head of Wetherby Pembridge New York, part of the Alpha Plus Group, she brings a wealth of experience to leadership of the day and boarding school for girls aged 3 to 13 and boys aged 3 to 7.
A team of 14 students from Habs Boys celebrated a worthy second-place win at the U13 ESSA National Water Polo Championships, with Trinity School, Croydon crowned winners. Competing against a number of strong teams, the squad at Habs Boys secured qualification to the National finals having won their quarterfinals match against hosts Northampton School for Boys.
Gyles Brandreth has launched a new poetry writing competition as part of Poetry Together 2022 on ITV’s This Morning. Winners will get the opportunity to read their poems aloud on national TV. Poetry Together is wholly supported by Dukes Education and this year’s theme is Laughter & Tears. Find out more at poetrytogether.com
Windlesham House Prep has become a National Football League (NFL) Hub for the southeast region. It will welcome NFL Flag Football training, host regular tournaments and play alongside other schools in the league. NFL Flag is the starting point for American football professionally, with a regional final played at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium
Opening in 2023, Radnor House Prep School o ers an exciting setting where children can grow and thrive. Absolutely Education finds out about this new learning community on Twickenham riverside
Words LIBBY NORMANRadnor House Prep o ers the kind of blue-sky thinking around education that will fire the imagination and lift the hearts of parents across Twickenham and beyond.
Here we have a brand-new school. It will o er a huge amount of space, a fantastic setting right on the Thames and a top team of educators invested in building a thriving learning community for children aged from 2 1/2 to 11.
While Radnor House Prep is not yet open, it is going to inhabit a well-established space that is already a very popular school. Radnor House Twickenham (which takes pupils from Year 5-13) has become so successful it has outgrown its space and is moving to the landmark Kneller Hall, also taking on the name Kneller Hall School, from September 2023. This means, e ectively, two brand new schools close by in Twickenham expanding the educational opportunities for this area of south-west London. Both schools are part of Dukes Education – there is a palpable sense of a long-term educational vision at work.
This is certainly something inspiring Radnor House Prep’s founding Head Stephanie Piper, already in place for many months and busy planning this new school community.
“After 21 years of being a Head, this is an amazing opportunity to just to step back, to look at things and think: how are we going to do it and what would be the best that we could possibly do?” she says. This is not to say that Radnor House Prep is an
entirely blank canvas. “They have got the most incredible facilities already,” she says. Reshaping obviously means redesigning appropriately for younger and smaller children, but the school proportions are energising and inspiring – unusual for the sheer number of large learning spaces that are at Radnor House Prep’s disposal. These have opened up opportunities to create exciting teaching and learning settings.
As an example of this, there are three well-equipped science laboratories at present. These are being remodelled into state-ofthe-art STEAM spaces. “The three current labs will be used for science, for coding, for robotics, for CAD, art and technology. It is important that science and technology are not distinct from art and creativity as there is always crossover and also the need for children to be able to develop their core skills across all of these subject areas,” says Piper.
Exciting 21st-century stu , and even more so because the school comes with no ‘baggage’ of inherited IT and can ensure superb systems from the outset. In case you think it’s all shiny and new, this will all
“IT’S WONDERFUL TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK: WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY DO HERE?”
be happening on a site that comes with a unique and rather marvellous slice of London history. Known as Pope’s Villa, the Victorian Gothic building by architect Henry Edward Kendall Jr (among the founders of RIBA) stands proudly on the site where leading Enlightenment poet Alexander Pope once lived and worked. It still bears his name and, by some miracle, Pope’s Grotto remains –running under the road at the front of the school. It even has a preservation group (patrons include Monty Don) dedicated to keeping the poet’s subterranean flight of fancy alive. So, this exciting new school with the latest technology also comes with a fantastic old grotto attached – that is something not many schools can brag about. The site is also located right on the banks of the Thames – a priceless position that the founding Head calls “the best view in London”. With the river running alongside the back of the school, pupils here will have indoor and outdoor vistas that are life-enhancing on the gloomiest winter day. These vistas are going to be maximised within the new design as an outdoor covered play area for the Early Years pupils. The redesigned space will, she says, be “fabulous”.
Stephanie Piper is relishing the many opportunities here to design and build a community that works for every member. She brings with her a wealth of experience of school leadership, having been Headmistress of Devonshire House Prep for 11 years and, before that, Kings House School in Richmond. She raised her own children in Hampton
and still lives in this area, so understands both the local and broader London learning landscape very well. Unusually, Piper started out as a senior specialist, teaching French and German. “I think it’s a really good mix to come with that subject specialism background but also having the opportunity to have that younger age group,” she says.
She says she got hooked as soon as she switched from senior to prep education. “At this age, children are so interested, and so engaged. They are so thirsty for information.”
Stephanie Piper’s experience of this “thirst” is being put to good use in designing a curriculum to keep curious minds engaged. “We can look at the curriculum. We can say: what is the best that is out there at the moment in learning for younger age groups?”, she says. “Our teaching will follow the child, using a completely redesigned space, and that fabulous outdoor covered play area. Children will be encouragedto learn at their own pace, to expand their minds and to explore the world. Learning will be self directed, allowing the children to get a sense of independence and confidence in their ability much faster than in a more traditional setting.”
From Year 1, children will be taught by a class teacher and TA, and still with lots of access to the school’s outdoor spaces. Even in these early years there will be specialist teachers in French, Music, PE
and Drama (the school has a brilliant theatre on site). From Year 3 onwards, subject specialists will teach all lessons and children will move to di erent rooms – as they would in a senior setting – making full use of the purpose-designed spaces.
There’s no doubt that the outside spaces are hugely impressive for any visiting parent, but Piper says parents who have already attended parents’ evenings are even more inspired by what the state-of-the-art technology and sheer range of learning spaces inside the building are able to o er their child. “Being a new school, we can ensure we are ahead of the game rather than having to catch up and renew with technology.” There are going to be elements that focus directly on building creative capacity. The large music and drama spaces are superb
for fuelling creativity, but there is also going to be a modern breakout space where children can enjoy one-to-one teaching, group work and other ways of taking learning beyond traditional classroom confines.
As you’d expect from a language specialist, there’s emphasis on the value of learning languages really early. “French will be the core modern language, the intention being that they will gain mastery in French before they move on to their senior schools, where they can take up Spanish, Mandarin or German with the confidence that they already have a sound understanding in French,” says Piper. Games and PE are a vital part of the mix, as at any good prep, and will take place partly on site (there’s a great gym and good outside games spaces) but also in some of the many sports facilities
“WITH THE THAMES RUNNING ALONGSIDE THE SCHOOL, PUPILS HERE HAVE VISTAS THAT ARE LIFEENHANCING ON THE GLOOMIEST DAY”
in this neck of the woods – including Teddington Cricket Club, the grounds at Saint Mary’s and, as its superb facilities come on stream, Kneller Hall. Radnor House Prep is more or less equidistant between Bushy and Richmond Parks, so outdoor exploration is a given. “In this part of London, we are very fortunate with the facilities available to us, and we hope to be able to take advantage of all of these. We will also be running residential trips and day trips – their value is immeasurable.”
The teaching and learning approach will, says Piper, provide plenty of stretch for the most able, but always within a balanced and progressive setting. “It will be a challenging curriculum which will ensure that pupils are well prepared for the very highest 11+ entry exams, if appropriate, but also supported and extended at their own pace and without the need for excess pressure or stress.”
One big draw for prospective parents is that students here at Radnor House Prep can move on to Kneller Hall or the other Dukes Education school locally, Hampton Court House. Piper says that this guarantee makes a big di erence to children and
“MINDFULNESS AND WELLBEING WILL BE INTEGRAL TO EVERYTHING WE DO AND HOW WE GO ABOUT OUR LIVES AT RADNOR HOUSE PREP”LEFT & BELOW Children at Radnor House Prep will benefit from subject specialist teaching from Year 3
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Drama and Music will be part of life here –there’s a terrific theatre on site
their parents. “It stops 11+ being the be all and end all exam,” she says. But crucially, Radnor House Prep remains independent – this means sta will adopt an entirely individualised approach. “Parents will be able to review choices along the way and look at the other schools available and what would be the right fit for their child. We feel that this freedom to choose o ers the best of both worlds, a guaranteed place waiting – so pressure o – but a challenging and exciting curriculum which will keep all options open.”
Of course, all schools – but especially prep schools – are about so much more than exams and onward journey. They set the foundation for a happy and fulfilled life. This is core to the ethos at Radnor House Prep – and something Stephanie Piper is passionate about. “Social and emotional literacy must be taught alongside numeracy and literacy and given equal value. Neuroscientists are clear that the optimal time to change mindsets, attitudes and behaviours is prior to the age of six,” she says. “We are not going to pay lip service to mindfulness or wellbeing, they
will be integral to everything we do and how we go about our lives at Radnor House.”
She points out that pastoral care has been one of the key elements in Radnor House Twickenham’s enormous success. It is moving on and becoming Kneller Hall School, but kindness is set to remain embedded in the fabric of school life here at Pope’s Villa. “We want to emulate this and through our Radnor Rs – our core values of Resilience, Respect, Reflection and Resolve – we hope to provide solid pastoral care at a crucial time of a child’s development.”
As the Radnor House Prep team prepare for the exciting run up to September 2023, there is fine tuning going on – including visits to see best practice and incorporate more great education ideas. The overarching aim is to ensure the enjoyment – the ‘buzz’ – of learning and growing here together and instil a spirit of belonging. “A new school creates its own community,” says Stephanie Piper. “We are bringing together a wealth of experience to provide the very best o er, and to ensure we build a kind and caring community where children thrive.”
Head: Stephanie Piper
Gender: Co-ed Day or boarding: Day
Ages: 2 1/2 -11
Points of entry: Nursery (from age 2 1/2), Reception (4+) and occasional in-year admissions Admissions: Non-selective. Early registration advised from birth. Any questions, contact admissions@radnor-twickenham.org
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Next Open days: 6pm, Thursday 24th November 2022; 10am, Saturday 3rd December 2022
Address: Radnor House Prep School, Pope’s Villa, Cross Deep, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 4QG prep.radnor-twickenham.org
Sarah Glencross, the new Head of Redcli e Gardens School, examines how to discuss upsetting news stories, particularly with younger children.
The death of The Queen, the war in Ukraine, climate change, costof-living crisis – today’s breaking news headlines are worrying for us all but can be particularly frightening for younger children if not handled sensitively. Developing an understanding of world events and global issues is an important part of a good education, but current a airs and political threats need to be discussed in an age-appropriate way.
Many schools use assemblies or ‘circle time’ to talk about news-related topics.
Secondary school students have exposure to news at home and, of course, via their smartphones and social media channels, and increasingly schools are having to provide students with workshops on how to spot ‘fake’ news. These encourage students to evaluate news sources and examine why governments or organisations might want to spread false information.
Students might be encouraged to have an open classroom discussion and to explore topics from di erent angles and di erent points of view. For example, the recent death of the Queen can be placed in a historical context and perhaps can open up debate into the role of the monarchy. These concepts are likely to be a little too sophisticated for the younger prep school pupils. They will relate more closely to the very moving images of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the funeral. Quite often these issues dovetail closely with a school’s PSHE (personal, social,
health and economic education) programme and can be approached from a pastoral care and emotional wellbeing perspective. This might entail happiness and wellbeing projects such as ‘Think Positive’ and ‘Time for Laughter’, providing ‘worry’ buckets for pupils to share their concerns and, when appropriate, speaking to children individually and providing them with comfort and reassurance.
Whatever the age of the students, combatting any feeling of helplessness is very important and finding a way for pupils to respond positively to a crisis can be mutually beneficial. Fundraising is an excellent way to provide ageappropriate information and to help children engage positively with global issues. For instance, recently we saw many schools in the UK fundraise considerable amounts to support Ukrainian refugees. At Redcli e, students, sta and parents supported the Refugee Response programme run
by the local church to provide refugees and asylum seekers with hot meals and English lessons.
In March, we were lucky enough to have a visit from His Royal Highness, King Charles III, who came to learn first hand about the important work the church was doing.
Environment is another area where schools are doing fantastic work in harnessing students’ energy and passion into positive action. Many schools run schemes to discourage car use for the school run, promote recycling, cultivate their own vegetables and plant trees.
SARAH GLENCROSS Head , Redcliffe Gardens SchoolFor younger children there are age-appropriate news resources, such as The Week and BBC’s Newsround, which can be invaluable. But being in a smaller school where teachers can quickly spot and step in if a pupil is upset can also really help. Sometimes just taking time to really listen to a child’s concerns and letting them know that it is OK to be worried is what is needed most.
“Combatting any feeling of helplessness is important and fi nding a way to respond positively can be mutually beneficial”King Charles visited Redcli e Gardens in March
Celebrating its 125th birthday, Eaton House Schools has grown from one London prep to a thriving family of five schools combining tradition with a modern approach to education
Eaton House Schools is a stalwart of the London education scene, now encompassing five schools across two historic sites – one in the heart of Belgravia and the other overlooking leafy Clapham Common. This year, it is celebrating its 125th birthday. It champions single-sex education, with co-ed nurseries, and is known for giving boys and girls the strong start needed for top schools and a bright future.
The founder of the original Belgravia boys’ school was Thomas Sale Morton, a renowned Classics scholar and author – also tutor to the young Harold Macmillan. Indeed, it was the future UK Prime Minister’s mother Helen (Nellie) Artie Tarleton Belles who encouraged the gifted educationalist to establish a prep school.
It was known originally as Cliveden Place Preparatory School and inhabited 35 Cliveden Gate, moving several times to accommodate its swelling cohort, before a 1937 relocation to the premises at 3 Eaton Gate that still forms part of the school today. During World War II, pupils were evacuated to Haines Hill, a stately home in Berkshire. When the school returned to the capital a year after the War, 5 Eaton Gate was purchased in order to manage growing pupil numbers for the school – by now known as Eaton House. Morton had handed over the reins to Robin T. Gladstone (said to be a relative of William Gladstone) in 1910 and the Ingham family – previous owners of Westminster Kindergarten Preparatory School – took charge in 1959.
The late 1970s brought an exciting chapter under the visionary stewardship of the Harper family, Hilary Harper, newly married to Don
Harper, bought the school in 1977. She was then Head of the Junior School and already had 14 years’ service with the school. Under the Harper family’s leadership, the school went from strength to strength academically, becoming known for outstanding results in the 7+ and 8+ exams for the boys under its charge.
The Harpers spotted the future Eaton House The Manor when they were driving through southwest London. This fine Georgian manor overlooked Clapham Common Northside and was a significant local landmark. Known as Byrom House and ‘The Beeches’, it o ered both space and huge potential. The Harpers took it on as a project, developing the 1.5-acre site as a nursery, pre-prep and prep. Eaton House The Manor opened in 1993 and rapidly became an integral part of Clapham life.
Like its Eaton House Belgravia sibling, Eaton House The Manor developed an exceptional academic reputation and growing cohort. Further refurbishment took place from 2003 and five years later, it opened a separate girls’ school. This meant Eaton House The Manor now o ered a co-ed nursery with single-sex pre-prep and prep education for boys and girls on one site. Facilities have been added over the
years, including an underground gym, new labs and a theatre. It has also championed sustainability – from generating its over half its own electricity to supporting wildlife with its 300 square metres of green roofs and its ‘living walls’. It also continues to shine academically – with 38 scholarships and a Starred Pass to Eton for boys’ and girls’ schools in 2022 alone.
Huw May became Headmaster of Eaton House Belgravia in 2017 and the school now educates boys aged 2-11 on one site in Eaton Gate, and with a co-ed Nursery. Alongside that early beneficiary Harold Macmillan, other notable alumni include actors Sir Laurence Olivier and Eddie Redmayne, author Philip Pullman and adventurer Bear Grylls. It has an outstanding reputation for sending boys on to schools such as Westminster, St Paul’s and King’s College Wimbledon.
Hilary Harper retired in 2016, and her daughter Luchie Cawood took over. A new chapter began in 2021 when Eaton House Schools joined the Dukes Education family.
Sarah Seagrave – Headmistress of Eaton House The Manor since 2016 – took on the role of Principal of the Group in September 2022.
While a tailored approach to develop each pupil’s academic potential has always been Eaton House Schools’ philosophy, strong pastoral care, creative and sporting opportunities and a spirit of giving back are equally embedded. Generations of children have been educated across the two sites in Belgravia and Clapham, becoming a familiar site thanks to their distinctive uniforms and participation in community life.
Wherever children’s talents and passions lie, the approach at Eaton House Schools has always been the same – to ensure they flourish.
“Little people often have big feelings, and the goal of baby signing isn’t to get rid of those feelings but to help them better communicate them”
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Baby signing helps children to engage with you and supports their development
Picture this, you are taking your baby to the park, and you tell them this by using the signs for ‘walk’ and ‘park’. Your baby keeps signing back to you the words ‘cat’ and ‘bed’ and at first you think they have misunderstood. But then you remember that this time last week, when you were heading along this same road, you saw a cat sleeping on a wall. Your baby has remembered that encounter and wanted to share the memory. This was, in fact, a real experience between a mum and a baby and illustrates just how rewarding baby signing can be. The experts say it’s a tool capable of opening up dialogue between parents and children well before spoken conversation begins.
It is important to distinguish ‘baby signing’ from ‘sign language’. British Sign Language (BSL) is specific to the deaf community and is a complete language in its own right. Baby signing, on the other hand, is the use of gestures with spoken language. It is not meant as a substitute for the spoken word, but rather as a means of supporting language and helping young children engage with their world. Baby signing involves parents using a limited number of simple gestures to support words as they are spoken. This underpins the natural development of your child’s speech.
Baby signing today has its roots in the US and is generally acknowledged to have started with the work of Dr Joseph Garcia (then an American Sign Language interpreter). He noticed that children of deaf friends who used ASL communicated by six months old. A similar concept was pursued by two University of California academics in the 1990s, Dr Linda Acredolo and Dr Susan Goodywn. They spent some 20 years developing an impressive body of evidence and techniques for baby signing. Here in the UK, baby signing has found many champions. Sasha Felix developed one of the first parent programmes, Sing and Sign, some 20 years ago. This has now introduced thousands of families to baby signing using music.
Baby signing is a way to open up conversation with your child before they can talk – and with potential benefits that last beyond infancy
Baby signing does not require a huge investment of time and nor does it feel like an imposition. Gesturing when we speak is something most of us do instinctively. Baby signing also acts as a natural extension of children’s own gestural stage, which is an important part of speech and language acquisition in early years.
You can get started by reading books or watching online videos, but a popular (and social) option is to attend in-person classes with your baby. Whatever route you choose, once you have started to pick up the basics it’s easy to implement these throughout your daily life. Armed with this new simple language of gestures, you then pass on these communication tools to your child.
A popular age to start implementing baby signing is around 6 months – once an infant can sit up and use their hands to sign things out. Sasha Felix believes this is the best age to start, but some parents are keen to get going even earlier. Baby signing does
Children typically phase out signing once they become verbal, but may still use it for emphasis
not interfere with your child’s natural speech development. Once your child becomes verbal, they will typically start to phase out their signing. That said, children may still continue to include a sign for emphasis, out of habit or when they are being particularly insistent.
The broader goal of baby signing is to help families to communicate, and the benefits are felt by parents and children alike. For parents, it is a good way of learning how to speak clearly and communicate words and concepts at a level infants can understand. It also gives vital, and fascinating insight into how children navigate the world. “It means they can communicate so much of what they are seeing, experiencing and feeling, so it’s a wonderful tool for bonding and getting to know your child”, says Sasha Felix.
While communication is the first goal, when a child has the opportunity and means to express their thoughts, feelings and desires this can also have a positive impact on behaviour. “I would never be so presumptuous as to say that it takes away the frustrations of a two-year-old,” says Sasha Felix. “Little people often have big feelings, and the goal of baby signing isn’t to get rid of those feelings but to help them better communicate them.”
So don’t expect a total absence of temper tantrums or meltdowns – there is no such
thing as a weak-willed twoyear-old. That said, arming them with extra communication skills does help with conflict deescalation. Children are likely to pause to respond, and may also feel more understood through the process of signing to you.
Another big benefit is that baby signing naturally kick-starts the process of learning to recognise and label feelings, which is an important step in developing emotional intelligence.
While learning to hold a conversation with someone still in nappies may seem strange at first, baby signing is fun for both sides and establishes an environment of positive communication from the earliest years. Families that implement these simple language tools often continue to feel the benefits long after their little ones have moved on from signing and grown into talkative young people.
For more about baby signing classes and resources, visit singandsign.co.uk
“Baby signing helps children to recognise and label feelings – also building emotional intelligence”
eading for pleasure is a habit that starts o in the home, and there is endless evidence that learning to do so early in life is central to a child’s development and future success. Indeed, a 2012 report by the Department for Education showed that reading has more of an impact on education outcomes than socio-economic status. Of course, the benefits of reading extend well beyond the classroom – it is an important way for children to learn to understand the
world, exercise their creativity and develop vital emotional and interpersonal skills.
Unfortunately, there are still plenty of barriers preventing children in low-income families from being able to develop as readers, barriers exacerbated further by the pandemic and current economic situation. Research by the National Literacy Trust shows a concerning trend towards a decrease in book ownership, with one in five children in England not owning a single book. This means that initiatives that widen access to books have become more important than ever.
One such initiative is Doorstep Library, a community-focused charity that o ers a home-based service to families in
some of the most disadvantaged areas of London. What first started over a decade ago with a single project involving a small team of volunteers in one borough has now expanded to 20 projects across five – Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing, Westminster and Lambeth. As of 2022, Doorstep Library is reading regularly to 500 children from 250 families, and it has ambitious plans to expand its work still further.
Some of these families discover the service through door-to-door campaigns and others are directed via referrals from schools or through word-of-mouth recommendations. Doorstep Library has a team of 130 reading volunteers,
A grassroots London charity, Doorstep Library is helping young people to discover the wonderful world of books and reading for pleasure
and they are trained to read alongside children aged 0-11. This service used to be exclusively face-to-face, however, Doorstep Library launched ‘Online Reading Corner’ successfully during the pandemic and has continued to o er online reading visits ever since. The programme takes a highly personalised approach and aims to have families visited by the same volunteer each week. Many of the volunteers have been reading with the same family for years, with some having helped multiple siblings to enjoy reading for pleasure. Each week during term time, one of the volunteers will arrive armed with a stack of books, all of which have been personally selected to not only reflect the age range and
ability of the child but (arguably more importantly) their personal interests and passions. Volunteers find that selecting books based on what the child is naturally interested in has a hugely positive impact on how engaged and enthusiastic they are about the process of reading – and continuing their reading journey. Most children Doorstep Library works with begin choosing these books for themselves as they become more confident readers, or they may get hooked on a particularly gripping series. Volunteer and child will read these books together for around 20-30 minutes and volunteers also leave behind a selection of books for the children to read on their own or with their parents.
By modelling a positive side-by-side shared reading experience, the charity aims to create a connection with reading that continues beyond the volunteer sessions. The overarching goal of Doorstep Library has always been to impact the entire family’s relationship with reading and make it a bonding experience for parents and children. This approach works, with the large majority of parents involved reporting that they look forward to joining in with the weekly sessions. Volunteers also frequently observe an increase in parents continuing to read with their children between sessions, and families also say they subsequently
enjoy reading together.
For families involved, one unique thing about the Doorstep Library project is that it doesn't involve any assessments or tests. The aim of the reading sessions led by volunteers isn’t necessarily to build any particular skills – it is purely focused on reading for pleasure. That is not to say that the children’s reading abilities don’t improve, and volunteers and parents alike report a significant improvement in the children’s vocabulary, their focus and concentration, their reading level and – most importantly of all – their interest in books.
Currently, Doorstep Library also lends young readers more than 20,000 books a year – helping them to find the books and stories they love and, hopefully, setting them on course for a lifetime of reading regularly and enjoying all that this can bring. Considering what we know about the positive impact that reading for pleasure has on children's futures, the work of Doorstep Library seems more important than ever right now.
For more about the work of Doorstep Library, visit doorsteplibrary.org.uk.
“MANY OF THE VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN READING WITH THE SAME FAMILY FOR YEARS, WITH SOME HAVING HELPED MULTIPLE SIBLINGS”LEFT Volunteers model a positive shared reading experience
My Nametags o ers fun and practical labels to suit every type of clothing and kit, saving time, money and waste
Labelling uniforms and equipment is a must. Most schools and nurseries insist you do this, but it’s also the only way to avoid often identical items going into lost property cupboards or home with the wrong child. Losing a favourite teddy bear can be heart-breaking for your child, and if it’s a blazer or school shoes it’s costly for you – and the environment.
My Nametags, the UK’s number one choice for labels, did a study of the scale of the problem and discovered that the typical child loses nine items permanently each year. That’s a lot of stu wasted, but school jumpers, books and stationery are the top three that go missing. The good news is that the right label can stop those important possessions – including teddy – from going astray.
There is a label to suit every item your child takes to school or nursery, and they take just seconds to apply. Ministickers are great for pencil cases and other small equipment, while Maxistickers ensure school bags and lunchboxes can be identified easily. Iron-on nametags are ironed directly onto garments in seconds and mean jumpers, blazers and sports kit come home again.
Whatever style you choose, the good news is that it will not budge. Stickers and
Iron-on labels from My Nametags have been designed and thoroughly tested to withstand washing machine, dryer, microwave and daily wear and tear – even in the hands of a small child. Colour stickers are also antibacterial, with a protective layer to kill bacteria and ensure the item, and your family, stay safe.
With My Nametags, you have a brilliant choice of colours and designs. These range from black and white and primary colours to Hello Kitty and Mr. Men and Little Miss designs. If you want to have fun, why not design your own labels? You can pick background, colours and script and then add your favourite motifs – from trains to flowers and unicorns.
My Nametags is trusted to keep families and their possessions together, in fact, their labels are now used in 130 countries around the world, as well as across the UK. Labels are dispatched quickly and represent excellent value (from £13.95 for 56 labels). Many nurseries and schools have also signed up to the My Nametags fundraising programme, which enables a PTA or ‘Friends of’ group to receive 24% of every order total. It’s easy to sign up and earn extra funds for your school or nursery on the My Nametags website.
To find out more about My Nametags, visit mynametags.com
Liz Brown, Headteacher of Reflections Nursery, on the history and guiding philosophy of its Reggio Emilia approach to Early Years education
Unlike Montessori, the Reggio Emilia approach is not well known in the UK. Pioneered in Emilia Romagna, northern Italy after World War II, it is now gaining popularity worldwide. Reflections Nursery and Small School is an early adopter – one of the only Reggio School settings in the UK.
Loris Malaguzzi was a young teacher when he met a group of women determined to build a school. It grew from a shared ethos that the next generation, their children, would grow up as free thinkers who would fight against injustice and inequality. Malaguzzi joined the women and became instrumental in the development of the Reggio Emilia approach.
It is a democratic educational construct where educators and children are partners in the learning process. At its core was Malaguzzi’s belief that social learning precedes cognitive development, so environment has a key role to play in the process of learning, as well as creativity. The seven key principles include an ‘emergent curriculum’ based on the child’s individual experiences and interests. There is a focus on community and teachers are partners. Children’s learning is documented, and parental participation is vital.
At Reflections, our approach is rooted in Malaguzzi’s belief that all children are capable thinkers and learners as well as creative communicators and conversationalists. The possibilities for their ‘languages’ include drama, painting, dancing, playing, questioning, singing, dreaming and experimenting.
The environment is our third teacher, a space for providing numerous opportunities and experiences.
In one of our Ateliers you may find resources such as light boxes, digital overhead projectors and ‘provocations’, in the form of objects that inspire children to question and create theories between themselves. We allow the children to follow a self-guided curriculum.
The principles of respect, responsibility and community
are promoted. Children work in small groups and the adult will o er open-ended questions or discussions – allowing the children to teach each other. This develops children’s ability to research, listen to opinions and develop confidence in sharing their own ideas. Children develop their own theories to make sense of the world and we explore these theories together. We listen to their ideas and take them seriously – and facilitate their research through ‘project work’. Whereas topic work is planned by adults, and with a determined outcome, project work is guided by children’s own interests and questions. We document these projects with notes and photos to show the children, other educators, and parents. This tells the story of the project and gives the children authorship of their work.
At Reflections, we see the Reggio Emilia philosophy during these early childhood years as an approach that can embed the foundations for learning and, in turn, shape how children proceed through their educational journey.
These foundations enable them to become capable and curious learners for life.
“Malaguzzi believed that social learning precedes cognitive development –environment plays a key role in learning”ABOVE Exploring at Refl ections Nursery
Scientists are our hope for the future, so how do schools bring STEM to life and give young people the practical skills and creativity they need to take their skills and knowledge further? Absolutely Education investigates
At Northwood Schools, science is central. The four linked schools – Broomwood Hall Lower and Upper, Northcote Lodge and Northwood Senior – give students extensive access to both facilities and expertise from the early years. There are three labs across the prep schools, plus a dedicated Design and Technology space with state-of-the-art machinery.
Immersive and hands-on are the order of the day here from the start. So, whether it’s digging in dirt, steaming wood or designing and building a bridge, the aim is always to feed curiosity and teach practical investigative skills. For instance, at Northcote Lodge, the science fair tasks boys to create a hypothesis then conduct a suitable experiment, write up the results and present findings to visiting judges from Northwood Senior.
The schools run dissection clubs to enable children to understand the intricacies of biology, bringing science to life with real organs. Children also design and build rockets and bridges to put engineering and physics to the test. Visiting scientists and engineers give talks and there are trips to exciting museums – the Old Operating Museum and Science Museum among them – as well as science days at senior schools.
Northwood Schools believes in the power of cross-curricular learning – whether it’s
building buggies in DT or Rube Goldberg instructions in Art or Lego robots and 3D designs in Computing. During book week the science labs become hives of Harry Potter potions and there’s a wildly popular and deadly serious crosscurricular CSI day at Northwood Senior.
At this grisly science event, students solve a ‘whodunnit’ using blood spatter analysis, fingerprinting, hair analysis and chromatography – even working out the height of the culprit from shoe sizes.
At St Catherine’s, Bramley, there are nine fully equipped Science Labs in the Senior School and a new (opened 2019) WonderLab in the Prep. With these excellent facilities, the school takes its work beyond the school gates too, running ‘Super Science Summer Workshops’ for children aged 8-10 from a local state school. The children join St Catherine’s science teachers and Lower 6 science mentors in the WonderLab to get hands on, building flying machines, exploring materials using slime and
investigating life through maggots. St Catherine’s Sixth Form girls thinking of STEM degrees and careers can join a four-term engineering project involving the technical build of a Lotus ‘Seven’ kit car. This project gives them the opportunity to explore construction materials, mechanics and suspension geometry, as well as engine technology. Blended study is also a feature here. For instance, one current student is studying Computer Science, Art and Maths at A level, along the way exploring concepts of control and communication in Art inspired by Tony Oursler and Jim Campbell. She is heading on to study Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics. There are clubs for the individual sciences and this year students entered the British Physics Olympiad experimental challenge. A large group of Sixth Form students recently took part in the Schools’ Analyst Competition in Chemistry, working in teams to use four analytical techniques and find the best ingredients for fish and chips! Live science events are designed to be fun. For the Physics Rollercoaster, U5 girls go to Thorpe Park. They experience the rides but are also set tough challenges
“Whether it’s digging in dirt or dissection, the aim at Northwood Schools is to feed curiosity and build investigative skills”
by the school’s Head of Physics – from the transfer of potential energy to kinetic energy, gravity, velocity and speed.
St Catherine’s Sixth Formers will visit CERN Control Centre in 2023 (following on from the last trip of 2019) to see the Large Hadron Collider. Closer to home, L6 psychologists had the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes visit to meet St Catherine’s alumna and director of the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging Professor Cathy Price. They were able to see the world’s most advanced brain scanner to date – the OPM – and understand more about how it uses magnetic fields. Researchers expect this to be the next leap for brain scanning technology because it can scan people’s brains while they are mobile.
At Oakham, there’s a a ‘hands on’ approach to learning science subjects and using methods which challenge students’ thinking, as well as developing creative and technical skills. With state-of-the-art spaces and labs, STEM core subjects are taught from Year 6 onwards.
Inquiry-based projects are introduced early on using the FOSIL framework, which encourages pupils to investigate topics and theories for themselves.
Tim Weston, Head of Design and Technology at Oakham School, says: “A great thing about our STEM subjects is that they all have experimental aspects which pupils really respond well to”. He says one thing students enjoy is the idea that nothing is ever completed – it can always be improved. “It keeps them coming back to a piece of work or a theory and seeing how they can progress it further.”
Showing links and overlaps between subjects encourages engagement and horizontal curriculums help to identify when content and skills can be developed further. Leo Dudin, Deputy Head Academic at Oakham, says it’s about encouraging pupils to “think creatively, critically and reflectively” in all areas. “In Years 7–9 our curriculum is based around the acclaimed IB Middle Years Programme,” he adds. “The IB MYPaddresses our pupils’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical wellbeing and gives them the opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and
skills they need to manage complexity.” Collaborations between Art and Biology –and even DT, Biology and History to review the history of medical devices in World War I – show how this cross-disciplinary learning can work to enrich learning in multiple disciplines. That project included a talk by BLESMA, an armed forces charity for limbless veterans. Students were then tasked to design key medical devices that might be used to evacuate casualties.
Students have opportunities to participate in a wide range of challenges and extracurricular projects. For instance, groups have participated in the TeenTech Awards, the Middle School take part in the UK-wide Biology Challenge and the Sixth Form compete in Biology, Chemistry and Physics Olympiads. School science clubs are a mainstay, and the school o ers the Physics Gold CREST.
In the Upper School, Oakham supports the extension of ideas through multiple science societies and activities such as
“At Oakham School in Rutland, a focus on cross-disciplinary learning works brilliantly to enrich students’ understanding across multiple disciplines”ABOVE Firing imaginations at Brighton College BELOW Understanding bones at St Catherine’s, Bramley
film nights and quizzes. Further Biology, Chemistry and Physics sessions are o ered, along with specialist groups. For instance, DocSoc is a long-established group to support aspiring health care professionals. Another project available to 16+ pupils is the Industrial Cadets Gold Award, which sees pupils working on real-life problems with a company. Students have the opportunity to engage first hand with mentors in projects led by industry experts.
Recently named Top School in Britain for STEM subjects by The Week magazine, Brighton College has long been a pioneer of progressive science teaching, linking subjects in inspiring ways. The Week noted that: ‘Its stunning new School of Science and Sport is evidence of its commitment’. Designed by OMA architecture practice, the building includes 18 universitystandard labs, breakout spaces, ‘bio lab’ greenhouse on the roof and cinema-style auditorium for live science events.
The school, which o ers co-education for ages 3-18, has a science-led approach from the start. Specialist teaching begins in prep years, and by the time students step up to senior level, they cover the three core sciences separately, along with related learning in IT, Coding and DT.
Beyond the curriculum, there’s a full suite of clubs and activities – from Medical Society and Dissection Club to Physics Crest, Sound Recording, Lego Robotics and Games Programming. The Women in STEM webinar series, featuring events with female academics, was launched late year by Heather Justice, Software Engineer and Mars Rover Driver at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. This series was also opened to girls at local state schools.
Every type of STEM competition is entered by pupils – major awards include the British Physics Olympiad and the Corpus Christi College Schools Science Prize for Materials Science. Students have also attended the International Olympiad on Astronomy competition in India and every year a team compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition in Turkey.
“There’s a full suite of clubs and activities at Brighton College, from Medical Society to Lego Robotics and Games Programming”
At Mayfield School, science is brought to life in a variety of ways and with emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking, problem solving and teamwork. For instance, in Year 7 and 8 the school runs a themed cross-curricular day each term. “Girls are taken o timetable to explore topics in greater depth and bring to life the links between subjects,” says Head of Lower School Claire Baker. Recent examples have included Earth Day, Moon Camp, Code Breaking, and the Cookie Project.
During the two-day Moon Camp, girls worked as a team to design and pitch an idea for a base on the Moon. “Each member of the group took on di erent responsibilities and aspects of the challenge, with some conducting scientific experiments to evaluate window designs to withstand the lunar environment, and then exploring the challenges of living, working, eating and exercising in a low gravity environment,” adds Claire Baker.
Some girls used 3D CAD software to create a model of part of their moon base,
while a third sub-group used their creative skills to produce artwork and logos to build a brand identity. Girls learned about communication and teamwork and finally had to pitch their proposed Moon Camp to a panel of judges. Events such as this, bring the curriculum to life and help students to develop their soft skills, as well as their scientific knowledge.
As girls progress, so does the level and pace of scientific challenges. The school’s Innovate programme, led by David Warren, was introduced in 2019 for Year 9 girls. For their first project, students develop a prototype electronic device to help tackle the challenges presented by a climate or environmental issue. For the second project, they use 3D design and manufacturing to create something to combat a real-world issue. This might be, for instance, a product to assist those
with a disability or medical condition.
At Sixth Form, Maths and Sciences are the most popular A-level subjects. Head of Sixth Form John Doy says almost half the current cohort of 60 are going on to study maths- or science-based courses. Mayfield encourages girls to think about science, whatever their ultimate goal, and many choose eclectic A-level combinations – for instance Chemistry and Ceramics. Such choices can be career enhancing and rewarding. One recent alumna, now studying Engineering at Cambridge, produced an A-level project for Art that evolved from a set of scientific drawings of flora and fauna.
Located in Cobham, Reed’s o ers a wealth of science facilities for its students, with 16 science laboratories. There’s also the school’s flagship FutureTech building, a multi-use facility supporting the STEM programme. It contains an electronics studio, computer suite and workshops for DT.
The school takes that view that, since pupils’ lives are far more dominated by technology than in the past, the curriculum must reflect that reality. FutureTech recognises the importance of these emerging technologies. Along with the three traditional sciences, Reed’s o ers a triple set of technology subjects – Computing, Electronics and Engineering at GCSE.
A FutureTech programme is embedded within the curriculum – all Year 9 pupils experience a wide range of cross-curricula STEM topics that improve practical and problem-solving skills. The course covers six topics, which vary annually but have included areas such as Robotics using the Vex IQ, Coding with Sphero, Engineering of Airplanes, Building the Modern Home, and Technology in the
“During the twoday Moon Camp, Mayfield girls worked together as a team to design and pitch an idea for designing a base on the Moon”ABOVE Mayfield pupils solve a technical challenge BELOW Reed’s students have a wealth of science facilities
Tour de France. The topics not only engage pupils with ‘real world’ applications, but also foster independent learning and bring an exciting glimpse into subjects not o ered at GCSE and A level. Lectures from external STEM experts extend knowledge and understanding and are shared with students across the school.
The extracurricular programme at the school includes clubs such as Robotics, Greenpower Challenge, McLaren Challenge, Land Rover 4x4 challenge and Technology. At Engineering Club, Sixth Form students have the opportunity to conduct a series of engineering projects and activities to prepare them for a variety of university courses.
There are plenty of other opportunities for Reed’s pupils to experience live science. The Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge is entered by all pupils in Years 7 to 9. There are visits to Bletchley Park and science Olympiads to provide academic stretch. The school also enters Surrey SATRO – challenges using knowledge from across the STEM curriculum. Reed’s students are regular visitors to outside centres of excellence, including the Royal Institution in London and the Rutherford Appleton Labs at Oxford.
St Dunstan’s has a long tradition of investing in science – its original school governors wished it to ‘have special reference to technical education’. This was in 1888, a time when most public schools focused on Latin and Greek. It soon earned endorsements and was visited by delegations who wanted to learn more about its unique approach.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the investment continues, with the new stateof-the-art STEM Centre for Excellence and Innovation. Students from Year 7 onwards receive specialist teaching in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Design Engineering. It includes practical resources for active science projects and experiments, each with a full-time technician attached to assist in theheuristic(hands-on) approach the school still favours for teaching STEM subjects.
Mathematics is housed within the STEM Centre to facilitate cross-curricular projects, which always come to the fore during the St Dunstan’s Festivalfortnight at the end of each academic year. This is when students go ‘o -piste’ with quirky project-based learning that bridges di erent subjects. “A key outcome for STEM education at St Dunstan’s is for students to realise the ‘live’ nature of these subjects, and for them to become
scientists, engineers, and mathematicians actuallydoingthesciencein a practical way,” says Deputy Head Academic Jonathan Holmes. He adds that the freedom o ered as an independent school, in particular for Years 7-9, is an opportunity to challenge young people to discover how their knowledge links back to the real world.
St Dunstan’s supports enthusiasm for science with conventions and events. It recently held its first ‘Where can mathematics take you?’ careers event, drawing in an array of industries – from finance and architecture to digital music and games development. There are plenty of external trips and events to reinforce the relevance of STEM – from a Year 8 Chemistry trip to the L’Oréal Institute to learn about commercial materials science to trips to London Zoo for zoological clubs. The Biology Department’s in-house animal science club is also hugely popular, with students caring for live animals as part of their extended learning.
“Reed’s flagship FutureTech building is a multi-use facility supporting STEM, and contains an electronics studio, computer suite and workshops for DT”LEFT & RIGHT St Dunstan’s College has a long tradition in science teaching and a cross-curricular approach
Iwas delighted when Abberley recently won the Tatler award for ‘Best Prep School’. This has led me to reflect on what it is that makes prep schools like ours such wonderful places for children to learn and to grow up in, and what it is that enables the vast majority of our pupils to become so happy, accomplished and confident. The key to success, I believe, is our holistic approach to education.
Academic life is central, obviously, and good schools seek always to innovate and move forwards. At Abberley, we have introduced individual iPads for our senior pupils for use alongside high-resolution screens in the classrooms. This technology has opened a new world of opportunities. The focus for good prep schools is increasingly on developing skills for life and encouraging creativity, problem solving and collaboration, rather than just the acquisition of knowledge.
However, for most parents considering a school like ours, excellent academic provision and outstanding pastoral care are ‘taken as read’. It is the breadth of education beyond the classroom that appeals to so many. Sport remains a key part of our o ering as it teaches pupils the value of committing to a team, to be gracious in defeat as well as in victory and the need to practise and persevere in order to enjoy success. Music, drama and public speaking are given high status and children have opportunities to enjoy art and time in the workshop, as well as activities such as bushcraft, fishing,
Children are able to discover their passions and their strengths and the confidence this brings spills over into all areas of their lives. Boarding is another important part of what is o ered by many great prep schools, who provide a home-from-home for pupils, and with sta often living on the school site with their own families. Through boarding, young children become more independent and learn to be part of a community of people who consider the needs of others alongside their own.
Today’s children are bombarded with messages through the media and time spent online – often focused on celebrity culture. It is easy to see how a child’s moral compass can become confused, so the best prep schools focus on the shaping of character. We have placed a set of core values known as ‘The Abberley Spirt’ at the heart of all that we do and these values – Integrity, Kindness, Collaboration, Courage, Adventure,
Ambition and Respect – provide a common reference point for our community. They are woven through the fabric of our school; they are modelled by our sta and they inform the decisions that we make.
A truly holistic education requires each child to be known and cherished for who they are, and it is only possible thanks to the dedication of remarkable sta who ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure that every child succeeds. In schools like ours, teachers may see a child in the classroom, on the stage, on the sports pitch and in the boarding house all on the same day and so they develop the true understanding needed to help a child reveal and then unlock their full potential.
It is thanks to this holistic approach to education that children emerge from the best prep schools not only with impressive exam results but as rounded individuals who are confident, kind, interesting and ready to go on and thrive at their senior schools and beyond.
JONNIE BESLEY Headmaster, Abberley Hall School
The Head of Abberley Hall School in Worcestershire discusses the power of the holistic education that is o ered by prep schools
“Children are able to discover their passions and their strengths and the confidence this brings spills over into all areas of their lives”ABOVE Pupils at Abberley enjoy holistic education
The beginning of this school year marked an exciting addition to the learning landscape of London, Cavendish Education and my career as Headteacher of a new prep school – Burlington House Prep. The school takes pupils from seven to 13 (Years 3-8) and, most excitingly, is for children with a specific learning di erence such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. The new prep school is an expansion of the current successful senior school, The Moat – now renamed Burlington House Senior. With the new prep school just a seven-minute walk away from our Fulham base, the two schools are able to share outdoor space as well as a fabulous indoor sports hall.
One of my personal education heroes Ken Robinson once said: “Education needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardise education, but to personalise it, to build achievement on
discovering the individual talents of each child”. Burlington House aims to do just that, providing a unique, supportive learning environment where pupils with a specific learning di erence can progress and flourish. Every child is respected as an individual, with their own valuable strengths and talents, alongside learning challenges.
Our schools are, as we describe them: ‘mainstream in structure but specialist in nature’. Our pupils may need additional support to help bridge the gap between their performance and their potential. Therefore, every aspect of the education provided at Burlington House is designed to support pupils as they meet the challenge of bridging this gap. Provision for speech and language and occupational therapy are both integrated within the curriculum and small class sizes guarantee high levels of attention from our empathetic sta .
Having taught in mainstream and independent primary schools, internationally and, more recently, in a specialist setting, I have witnessed the importance of a nurturing environment where a child
feels understood and so ready to learn. Self-belief, confidence, the ability to reflect on mistakes and a growth mindset are just some of the foundations of a child’s learning. They need a safe, happy environment so that they are motivated to learn.
Children with specific learning di culties often have an incredible sense of creativity, as well as an aptitude for many subjects, but they may also face di culties with reading, writing, spelling and numeracy, as well as organisational skills or speed of processing. I envisage every child to be on a journey at Burlington. Not every child will reach the same destination at the same time, but we will help them to discover their strengths at their own pace. For some children, delays to literacy or numeracy development lead to frustration, anger or a reluctance to learn and this can lead to false belief about their real ability which, down the line, will a ect them socially and emotionally. Once a false belief is ‘set’, it can be di cult to reverse – and that is why early intervention is key for an individual. At Burlington House, we are championing the individual.
“Every child is respected as an individual, with their own valuable strengths and talents, alongside learning challenges”ABOVE Students at Burlington House Prep
The Head of newly opened Burlington House Prep on its mainstream approach to help children with specific learning di erences to thrive
Dr Ranj Singh has won over the nation on breakfast TV, Strictly and CBeebies, yet he still puts in the hours as an NHS paediatrician. Absolutely Education finds out more
By LIBBY NORMAN
Dr Ranj Singh follows in a fine tradition of medics who also entertain the nation (Harry Hill, Graeme Garden, Jonathan Miller, to name just three). He can sing and dance really well, he acts and now he writes books. Yet he still finds time to be a doctor (these days part-time) working as an NHS clinician specialising in paediatric emergency medicine. It is, he says, a terrific ice breaker when worried families turn up at his London hospital to find ‘that man o Strictly’.
Singh doesn’t see media work and medicine as strange bedfellows. “A lot of medics – even though they are highly academic people in a very vocational job – are multi-faceted. I went to university with people who had many di erent skills: writing, performing, music, dance, you name it. So, we are multifaceted, and that for me lends itself really well to paediatrics. You have to have that approach as you’re dealing with kids, families, communication and complex medicine.”
His desire to be a doctor started really young. Indeed, he settled on medicine shortly after the typical childhood astronaut phase. “Ever since I was a few years old I just had a fascination with the way things work. I used to take all my toys apart, much to my parents’ frustration,” he says. “Also, I always had this desire to help people – I wanted to make things better for people.”
He was an able student, acquiring his first GCSE at the tender age of eight – although there was a cunning plan behind this precocious achievement. “My parents were very keen that we were able to read, write and speak Punjabi so they used to send us to a Sunday school. So, the exit strategy – the deal – was if I got my GCSE in Punjabi I didn’t have to go. I didn’t particularly like going to school on a Sunday, so I applied myself. I thought, ‘I’m going to get this GCSE by hook or by crook’.”
When Singh “scraped a pass” not only did he earn time o on Sunday but also kudos at school. He recalls the headmaster almost falling o his chair when he showed him the GCSE certificate. “Other kids were getting certificates for swimming and sports. I really wasn’t a sporty kid, so I didn’t get all those rewards in assembly. I just wanted to be presented with a certificate!”
While Singh was always dedicated to getting good grades – he says you have to be on such an academic pathway – he also had performing in his bones. “Music was the very first thing I was told I was good at,” he says. His singing got him picked for the school choir and he won second place
at Kent Music Festival. “That was the first ever certificate I got, so music was always something that was special to me,” he says.
“While I was a really creative kid, that was something I put to one side and had as a hobby.”
His path into medical school was easier than the transition to real-world medicine. “It was a complete culture shock. Studying medicine is very di erent to practising medicine and that first year was a baptism of fire,” he says.
“I thought, ‘this is completely di erent to what I expected and I’m not sure this is the right thing for me. I’m not getting that sense of achievement and satisfaction that I thought I would’.”
Having decided on a six-month sabbatical, Singh was clearing his mind by redecorating his parents’ house when he was asked to interview for a paediatric role. He got the job, which meant house decorating at speed, but the payback came in the realisation he’d found his passion. “I suddenly got this sense of, ‘this is why I became a doctor’,” he says. “It was fascinating medicine; every day was interesting. I was working with amazing people – paediatric teams are just the best people – and all of a sudden I felt reinspired. I was destined to be a paediatrician after that.”
Paediatrics was the perfect fit, not least because there is a creative side when you are working with children. They may be frightened, and they often can’t tell you what’s wrong. For children lucky enough to encounter Dr Singh at his London hospital, there’s a friendly and very empathetic manner. Little wonder then that his ability to engage with young people took him beyond the hospital. CBeebies viewers learnt that doctors are there to help on Get Well Soon, a fun factual programme for very young children. He co-created this with Kindle Entertainment and it first aired in 2012, picking up a BAFTA in 2016.
Dr Singh soon came to prominence for adult viewers too, as the resident medic at ITV’s
“It is a terrific ice breaker when worried families turn up at hospital to find ‘that man o Strictly”
LEFT & BELOW Dr Ranj Singh still works in NHS paediatric care –his books reach out to the audience he knows
All Dr Ranj books
ThisMorning, and with multiple appearances over recent years on everything from Good Morning Britain and Inside Out to 5 News and BBCMorning Live – even Cooking with the Stars, where he showed he’s no slouch in the kitchen. Other media work includes contributions and columns for NetDoctor, Al Jazeera and Attitude. He has become, in short, one of those doctors trusted to dispense sound advice to the nation. But his performing ability has been the big surprise. While he hoofed like a pro on Strictly, the voice he revealed in ITV’s All Star Musicals in March 2021 was a revelation and led to a one-o West End show in aid of Make a Di erence Trust Theatre Fund. He has loved these opportunities. “It’s given me a chance, I guess, to be the fuller me!” During Covid, Singh stepped back to focus on being a doctor, but also made time to help spread health messages. “Doctors working in the media
have done this for a very long time – albeit it has been more traditional platforms in the past,” he says. “Now, in the age of social media, we found that information, and particularly misinformation, spread very rapidly and could have a massive e ect. That job of putting out factual and sensible information – dispelling those myths – became even more vital. For me, that’s hugely important because it’s helping people to make better decisions.” Whether it’s reminding parents about the importance of the measles vaccination or adding calm good sense to di use the latest health scare, @Dr Ranj provides a welcome antidote to the viral spread of conspiracy theories and wild rumours.
Books for young people have been a natural progression. “Kids and young people are who I work with. They’re the ones I know how to communicate with. I thought to myself: ‘I want to write books that they find helpful and useful, that they can turn to for information or reassurance’.” Singh chose a subject close to his heart with How to Grow Up and Feel Amazing: The No Worries Guide for Boys “There was a need for a modern, up-to-date guide for boys and young men going through a very challenging time in this world.”
Brain Power followed this and was written
“Kids are pretty good at working out who they are – we’ve got to let them explore and discover for themselves”
to help counter some of the mental health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic. Then came picture books for young readers. A Superhero Like You was written as a thank you to front-line workers. “Also, a reminder to little ones about all the joy and positivity out there, even in a pandemic-stricken world. A Superpower Like Mine is a step on from that and is designed to inspire little ones to think about themselves and their own inherent superpowers and human skills that they can discover, build on and nurture.”
Singh sees the much-publicised mental health issues among young people as something that had been building for some time and came to a head during the pandemic. “I feel like we are being forced to deal with it. If there’s any silver lining from the pandemic, it’s the hope that we will perhaps take mental health a bit more seriously going forward when it comes to kids and young people.” He believes parents and carers have a vital role here. “You don’t necessarily have to have all the answers. I know people panic because they think they have to be a therapist all of a sudden, and I always say: don’t. Your job is not to be a therapist as a parent or a carer. Your job is to be a conduit – to create a safe space.”
He’s been open in the past with his own journey as a gay man from a Sikh background. His advice to parents of children who may be
struggling with identity or confused about growing up is straightforward. “Give them a space to explore who they are safely and be able to come to you when they are in trouble. Also, acknowledge the fact that children are very open-minded and they get diversity – let them learn about it,” he says. “There are so many resources out there to help, and so many helplines for parents if they are panicking. But kids are pretty good at working out who they are and settling, eventually, on what they want to be. And we’ve just got to let them explore and discover for themselves.”
The doctor hasn’t hung up his stethoscope or his pen, nor indeed his mic and dancing shoes. With more books for children and young adults planned for next year, there’s also been a Celebrity Cruises gig over summer and he’s in pantomime – “which
I love” – towards Christmas. And he’s still pursuing his first-love career, putting in the hours in the emergency room of a London hospital and helping children. “I still get to exercise that part of my brain and do my bread and butter. It’s the thing that drives me, the bit that gives me a sense of purpose.”
All this begs one question: does Dr Ranj Singh ever have down time? “I always said I’d love to do a job that doesn’t feel like work, and I feel like I’ve finally found that. I’m very, very fortunate,” he says. “Of course, having space and time away from it and having a bit of self-care and allowing yourself that structure is really important too. But for me this is not work, it’s life.”
A Superpower Like Mine is published by Hachette Children’s (£6.99).
“If there’s any silver lining, it’s the hope that we will perhaps take mental health a bit more seriously going forward when it comes to kids and young people”ABOVE Ranj Singh has more books planned for next year PHOTO:
Southbank International School on teaching entrepreneurship and global thinking at a young age
Developing financial acumen and a savvy business brain at a young age are increasingly important elements in modern education. At Southbank International School, children as young as grade 2 (age 7 and 8) get involved in learning about entrepreneurship.
Children focus on how people work together to create products for the community – and with a big focus on interconnection. To make the experience immersive, children work in teams to start a small business together. They decide on a product that they can sell to their target market (which is their parents).
There is emphasis on considering audience needs and wants, and the children do their own market research. Teachers find this a fantastic way for them to learn how to formulate questions. At Southbank, everything is cross curricula and data gathering work feeds into maths learning.
Next the groups think about marketing. There is a talk by a member of sta or parent to help them decide how to communicate their message and then
create an advert. Experts are enrolled throughout the product development phase to give constructive feedback.
Finally, the product goes into production, with each team member assigned their own tasks. They form a production line and make the right number of pieces as per the order forms. Deciding on a suitable price during the market research phase and collecting money (further maths work) are important parts of the process. They also decide on a suitable charity or environmental cause they want to support.
Throughout the entire project there is a lot of reflecting on IB Approaches to Learning, particularly focusing on communication and
collaboration skills. Everything is seen through the context of the IB – striving to educate students to think beyond themselves and consider their responsibilities in the world. Entrepreneurship is also introduced through extracurricular activities. Clubs such as Action Through the Arts o er an opportunity to work together to make a di erence. For instance, Southbank International pupils recently made a video on climate action and also created a book for refugee children coming to London from Afghanistan – children drew pictures and the words were translated.
Last term, children (ranging in age from 5 to 9) decided it would be a good idea to fundraise to support young people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The group settled on key chains and bookmarks – determining costs to make units and a fair selling price. The project raised an impressive total of £373 to buy book boxes for Ukrainian children to be given as gifts on arrival in the UK. Children typically spend 10-12 weeks working on Action Through the Arts projects, and all the work involved orientates around entrepreneurship, and there is always a focus on making money not for themselves but to 'give back'.
“THE WORK ORIENTATES AROUND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND CHILDREN FOCUS ON MAKING MONEY TO ‘GIVE BACK’”
Julian Reed of The King Alfred School describes the positive impact of its interdisciplinary projects
There is a growing feeling that the current education model is failing our students as their needs, and ultimately the needs of employers, are shifting rapidly. By making learning more creative and challenging – and giving students more ownership – we can give them both a more rewarding school experience and invaluable foundations as they transition through secondary school and beyond.
At The King Alfred School the students in Year 7 have been reaping the benefit of curriculum changes inspired by education in Finland, Singapore and globally through the International Baccalaureate. A third of their timetable is dedicated to Interdisciplinary Enquiry (IE) projects, which bring together three subjects and use cross-curricular learning activities to answer overarching questions such as ‘How did early humans survive?’ or ‘Is space tourism ethical?’.
This approach requires students to apply skills and knowledge learnt in one discipline to the context of another, more closely mimicking the workplace and developing an approach which is the hallmark of a sophisticated cognitive level. Each project culminates in a miniexhibition or presentation. Parents and sta have been invited in to witness students presenting ‘communal identity’ collages, survival shelters, space research articles,
migration ‘zines’, slave trade memorials and microcrop-growing systems. These presentations provide impetus and an audience to the end of each project and give students a real sense of achievement as they learn to explain, reflect and take responsibility for their work.
Speakers and practical experiences help to enhance their learning and the outputs are often built around realworld situations. Speaking after the first IE finished, one student reflected: “I learnt a lot about collaboration and teamwork. It isn’t always easy, but we realised you don’t have to all be doing the same thing to make it work".
When students looked at the question ‘How do we feed an overpopulated world?’, they began with a Biology trip to Kew Gardens, where they participated in a workshop about reproduction and pollination. They then met an urban farmer who showed them how to plant pea
shoots before experimenting with di erent variables to increase yield and quality of crops (using Maths to work with the data).
In Design Technology, students worked on designing and building structures to grow their crops in and learnt more about commerce by negotiating a deal with the school caterers to buy the resulting produce.
The learning experience better reflects the outside world, and so does the assessment process. Involving students in designing the success criteria, selfand peer-assessment means they are continually celebrating their progress and identifying areas for further improvement.
Our experience has been that the time students spend developing and assessing interdisciplinary academic skills gives them the tools and confidence to approach the next stage of their academic careers as curious, reflective and self-reliant learners.
“Projects give a sense of achievement as students learn to reflect and take responsibility for their work”
JULIAN REED Assistant Head (Director of Years 6-8), The King Alfred School
Teaching the skills and know-how for entrepreneurship adds huge value, whether or not a young person decides to carve a career in business. We find out how schools develop that can-do attitude – alongside social responsibility – both in and out of the classroom
At Cranleigh School in Surrey, entrepreneurship is introduced in imaginative ways. Year 9 pupils consider financial planning, profit/loss and marketing via the Egg Drop Challenge. This involves teams thinking out of the box to get the best result. In addition to formal classroom sessions, all pupils attend regular talks by established business owners and entrepreneurs. Business knowhow themes are broadened to include a set of topics key to developing responsibility. Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs have a very di erent landscape to work in, and Cranleigh’s overarching vision is underpinned by three pillars focusing on thinking, being and giving –these encourage students to think beyond the test, consider who they are and understand the importance of giving back. Each of Cranleigh’s eight boarding houses run a charity event to make as much money as they can. In addition, as a response to the war in Ukraine, the school’s Charity Committee organised donations from the whole community, resulting in a very large lorry transporting thousands of items. This initiative was entirely pupil driven. Pupils interested in entrepreneurship gravitate towards Business Studies, and many also take Economics. Pupils in the Lower Sixth are also encouraged to take part in Ivy House, a development programme
RIGHT
to encourage individuality and leaderships skills, looking directly at any individual challenges a student faces. There is also a practical approach to developing financial acumen. Amanda Reader, Joint Head of PSHE says: “In the Sixth Form, PSHE sessions take a more grown-up approach, looking at finances, credit cards, mortgages, payslips, student finance and budgeting”. These are essentials for both business and onward life. Responsibility is vital to developing future business brains and Upper Sixth students are all given responsibilities in-house or on sports teams as captains and vice-captains. With several student-led committees, including Cranleigh Being Alliance, Charity Committee and Eco Committee, there are plenty of areas where pupils can take on roles where they give back and also develop skills useful to an entrepreneur.
Cranleigh is a leader in developing the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) –Director of Learning, Teaching & Innovation Dr John Taylor was among pioneers of the qualification and is a Chief Examiner. The EPQ allows pupils to develop an idea with the support of mentoring tutors and regular meetings to iron out roadblocks. The project culminates in a 10-minute presentation. This qualification not only helps to develop individual interests, but also problem solving, research and critical thinking.
At Queen Anne’s School
(QAS), Caversham, girls are introduced to entrepreneurship in a variety of ways. Outside the classroom, Tycoon enterprise competition is run with U4 girls for two terms. The best groups get invited to Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace for the awards ceremony and QAS girls have been finalists a number of times, winning a £3,000 category prize in 2018-19. There’s also a popular Tenner Challenge run for L6 girls. Personal financial acumen is developed as students progress. A workshop with U4 (Year 9) students is delivered as part of World of Work day. A number of external speakers visit the school to talk to the Sixth Form about tax, mortgages and other financial matters essential to their onward lives. QAS sta also provide sessions on how student finance works –alumni and local graduates come to give ‘on the level’ advice.Within Economics lessons, the school teaches some areas of personal finance through class discussions – also covering big-picture topics such as Consumption. Students appreciate the taster lessons in Economics and
“Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs have a very different landscape to work in, and Cranleigh’s overarching vision is underpinned by thinking, being and giving”
Business run ahead of their introduction as full subject choices at A level.
In Business Studies lessons, finance from the business perspective is covered as a whole topic, while entrepreneurship comes into topics such as leadership. Social enterprise and corporate social responsibility are major topics, revisited continually and linked to current a airs.
Entrepreneurship is developed in a specifically designed leadership course for all QAS Senior Prefects (o ered to all students in the Lower Sixth as well). This innovative course uses industrystandard leadership training tailored to what the students need to know at the start of their careers, especially with regards to emotional intelligence, situational leadership, managing e ective meetings and time management.
The school says that all girls enjoy the challenge of its enterprise competitions. There’s a rich vein of entrepreneurship with social responsibility here, with students taking part in the Micro Tyco Innovate Competition every year. QAS girls won the English round last year and came second globally. In this competition, students learn about UN Global Sustainability Goals and then design, pitch and implement ideas.
Last year’s team focused on food waste and worked with the school catering team to reduce it in the Sixth Form Cafe. QAS is also a ‘Using Less Stu ’ school, which means that all students (and sta ) makes a pledge each term to use less of something and progress is monitored.
At Emanuel School in Battersea, twin themes of entrepreneurship and responsibility are introduced early on, so that children can develop their understanding.
Year 8 pupils are introduced to areas of business and finance by learning about their own personal finance first. This includes topics such as budgeting, savings and responsible financial decision making. In the spring term, pupils’ learning progresses and they have one lesson a week to understand the approach taken by groups to develop non-profit solutions to a social or environmental issue.
The delivery is designed to inspire and maintain interest so, at the start of the course, pupils take part in a ‘hackathon’. This acts as an introduction to an entrepreneurial way of thinking. It is a design sprint event to brainstorm ideas in a large group and find solutions to challenging issues. The team at Emanuel say that this is a really fun and exciting way to spike young people’s interest in creative problem solving – an essential skill for any successful entrepreneur. There are then lessons that focus on the qualities of leadership and teamwork. Children work together to think of ideas for a product or service that has the potential to alleviate issues relating to the environment.
Pupils learn from a selection of guest speakers who have worked with successful
social enterprises, and they also get the opportunity to hear first-hand the di erence that social entrepreneurship can make. In collaboration with a variety of departments, pupils then develop their own business plan and marketing campaign for a business idea that will solve a social or environmental issue. It involves market research to develop a branding, pricing and funding structure. The children also learn about the theory behind business objectives and mission statements, as well as understanding basic financial principles and break-even theory. Throughout the process, they are encouraged to focus business objectives around ethical and sustainable practices. In the Summer Term pupils find out about marketing and work together with the drama and film departments to develop a video to support their campaign.
While entrepreneurship takes place as part of timetabled activities, children are also encouraged to develop ideas for themselves. Over the Easter break, they undertake fundraising activities to support a charity focused around their chosen issue. Pupils can fundraise by completing an activity or volunteering a service. For example, they might ask people to sponsor them for reading several books or running a specified distance. The school encourages children to be as creative as they wish. The year culminates in an exciting showcase event when parents are invited to see pupils present their projects and ‘pitch’ their final business plans.
“At the Micro Tyco Innovate Competition, QAS girls won the English round last year and came second globally”
“Emanuel’s ‘hackathon’ acts as an introduction to an entrepreneurial way of thinking and is a design sprint event to brainstorm ideas”ABOVE & BELOW Pupils at Emanuel School focus on entrepreneurship with responsibility
Hurst College has dramatically increased its provision around entrepreneurship and business in the past decade. Brian Schofield, Head of Upper Sixth at Hurst, says it is responding to shifting aspirations among students. “With students more concerned about degree (or apprenticeship) options that genuinely add value, rather than simply serving as rites of passage, the popularity of business and entrepreneurship courses has accelerated.” Business Studies is now, alongside Medicine, the most popular degree choice among Hurst leavers. What is most notable, says Brian Schofield, is the rapid increase in the number of girls plotting a future focused on launching and running businesses.
Hurst now produces an annual student and parent guide, ‘Hurst Means Business’, that reviews which business and entrepreneurship degrees the school’s expert team consider most valuable. In addition, to help prepare students for such a career, entrepreneurship is interwoven into school life at all stages. For instance, students in Year 9 receive
training in the fundamentals of the financial system – this from the perspective of both personal money management and the global markets. In Year 10, all students undertake the school’s Enterprise Challenge to develop a sustainable, successful mini business.
The Young Enterprise programme is now so popular that Hurst runs two Year 12 teams. “They consistently dominate the county awards, thanks to the hard work of the students and their sustainable, ethosdriven approach,” says Brian Schofield. Also in Year 12, as part of Hurst’s ‘University of
Life’ programme, students receive training in financial resilience and self-reliance. Finally, in Year 13, as part of its Futurology lecture series that all students attend, guest speakers provide insight into the changing face of business, as dynamic forces such as artificial intelligence and ‘Big Data’ evolve.
Entrepreneurial spirit is highly visible within the sphere of charitable fundraising. Here, students are encouraged to launch as many social enterprises as they can think of, to hit Hurst’s typical student-driven fundraising total of £30,000 a year. From personalised Valentine’s cake delivery businesses to mini yoga-schools, an array of projects are launched and executed. Hurst has been placed in the top three UK fundraising schools for Movember in the past two years, raising £18,000 in the 2020-21 academic year alone – boys and girls participate, whatever the focus. Schofield says that perhaps the most important lesson Hurst has taken on board in the past decade is that interest in entrepreneurship among young people –social, financial, technological, or otherwise – is not at all gendered. “No-one talks about becoming a ‘businessman’ here at Hurst.”
“With students at Hurst more concerned about options that genuinely add value, the popularity of business and entrepreneurship courses has accelerated”
A new book for young people sets out to demystify money and help them unlock their entrepreneurial flair, and the timing is spot on
Talking to young people about money is tricky. Schools usually shoehorn personal finance within PHSE. For parents, it’s even harder – we want our children to understand its value, its pitfalls and the importance of securing their own future financial stability without alarming them. Despite best intentions, often we approach the subject with our own baggage (guilt, cynicism and anxiety included). What makes it more complex today is that all bets are o on old certainties – safe career trajectory, job for life, cast-iron pension.
Money has leapfrogged from business to front-page news this year – so a good time
for a financial heart to heart. A new book, Max Your Money, makes a great starting point for honest conversations. The book takes an international perspective and is aimed squarely at ‘tweenies’ and teens, pitching content at a level young people relate to. Its authors are old hands in the world of high finance. Larry (Laurence) Hayes runs an investment fund when he’s not writing books for children (including How to Survive Without Grown-Ups), while Rachel Provest is a family o ce and private equity director based in Singapore, and with a special interest and expertise within education.
Here’s some good news the book reveals. During their research, Hayes and Provest discovered a rich vein of optimism and entrepreneurial flair bubbling up among the young. “Larry and I were just amazed by the number of
case studies we came across of children in the target age group, from 11 upwards, who had started their own business and were running it brilliantly,” says Provest. “Having really taken the time to do the groundwork on this area, we’re convinced – and quite blown away – by the power of children to build their own businesses without that adult cynicism.”
Provest puts some of it down to the ease with which an internet connection enables young people to carry forward brilliant ideas, learning and researching as they go. “YouTube is the great educator these days.” She also believes young people see the business opportunities adults can’t spot. “Adults are almost in their shadow trying to keep up with the way they are thinking.” And thanks to crowdfunding and other new avenues of funding, the traditional barriers are down. “Historically, you had to have money behind you otherwise it was impossible to catch up – you never had that advantage – so very few children could get beyond that and be successful o their own back. Whereas now, there’s really nothing stopping children as long as they have a good idea. With that, it’s more important than ever to make sure that they do have this basic understanding – how do you understand a profit and loss account, what’s the bottom line, how do you budget?” says Provest.
This is where the book does a brilliant job. Divided into Earn it, Grow it, Use it, it o ers the kind of useful information every young person needs. For instance,
“With children there’s no cynicism there – no negativity – they just go into things with best and honest intentions”
it has a comparison of certain jobs and what they pay. (Who knew a Lego Master Builder can make £19 an hour and an English League 2 footballer makes £25?) Fascinating facts indeed, but the book goes deeper, including explanations about why some salaries are much higher than others, which jobs may disappear in the future and how to boost your earnings.
There’s advice on how to work out what sort of job would suit you, and how to
approach interviews. Also, how to negotiate a pay rise and know your own worth – a section many parents may also find useful. The book covers savings and investment, spending money wisely, e ective charitable giving and – in the most exciting part –testing your own brilliant entrepreneurial ideas like a business pro to see if they could be winners and then learning about other successful young entrepreneurs.
The authors got their own children involved as critical readers to ensure the text was clear and engaging. “If they didn’t understand what we were talking about we’d go back and try and clarify it a bit more. So that helped us ensure we had a form of bulletproof book that was definitely child friendly,” says Provest. One thing that surprised them both during their research was young people’s openness to business ideas and their ‘can-do’ spirit of optimism. “It’s wonderful because with children there’s no cynicism there – no negativity. They naturally don’t think that way, they just go into things with best and honest intentions.”
Read the book’s case studies of young entrepreneurs and you will agree that there’s something wonderful going on. From the super earner Ryan (of YouTube channel Ryan’s World), who earned $29.5m
in 2020 as an unboxer to the Argentinian ethical hacker Santiago Lopez who netted a more modest $1million plus, young entrepreneurs around the globe outline how they have spotted opportunities and gone for it. The Max your Money authors have a companion book on its way for young would-be millionaires and Provest is looking to use some of their research so far as the basis for a curriculum to help young people unlock their entrepreneurial talents.
One side benefit of Max Your Money is that Provest’s own daughter – one of the book’s critical readers – has taken its ideas to heart. Aged 12, she is now running a startup that utilises her digital skills and creative spark. “She makes TikTok videos for companies,” says Provest. “It started with a friend who needed help. It has gone from one to seven people. She sets their videos up for them, which is fantastic. I’m looking forward to retiring quite soon!”
“We were just amazed by the number of case studies we came across of children who had started their own business and were running it brilliantly”
RIGHT Rachel Provest BELOW Larry (Laurence) HayesMax Your Money by Larry Hayes and Rachel Provest is published by Welbeck Children’s Books, price £14.99.
One Monday last year, a Year 6 boy arrived for school clutching a parcel containing a fresh whole trout. He had caught it the previous day, had wrapped it in the weekend papers and was delivering it to me – knowing that I enjoyed fishing and cooking – because he thought I might “appreciate it”. In that moment, the problems lurking in my in-tray suddenly became easier to tackle. The day, and week, was o to a flying start. Where did this boy’s kindness come from?
Aside from a naturally pleasant disposition, it came from home, of course, and the values instilled in him by his parents.
It is no coincidence that schools emphasise their values so clearly – they understand their importance to parents.
At St Philip’s, for example, we encourage the boys to act ‘with joyfulness and kindness’ every day in every situation. We urge boys to make the most of their talents and take responsibility for their words and actions, and we seek to create a culture of kindness by living according to those values every day, modelling and promoting them consistently.
Developing this culture takes time and patience, but it is important work. Not only is this more authentic than any red-letter awareness day, it is also more e ective.
Children notice kindness and appreciate it,
and if they benefit from kindness they are more likely to treat others in a similar way. They are grateful to receive hand-written notes, for example, and are likely to write thank you cards in later life if they receive them in childhood.
St Philip Neri is the patron of St Philip’s – and, appropriately, the patron saint of laughter and joy – so he is our model here. “In dealing with our neighbour,” he said, “we must assume as much pleasantness of manner as we can, and by this a ability will win him to the way of virtue.”
After schools like St Philip’s, children are certain to be confronted with all manner of challenging situations in their senior school years. This is normal. It is the fate of all children as their bodies and minds develop with great speed – and quite often not in a conveniently parallel way – in the transition from childhood to adulthood via adolescence. If they are to navigate these wondrous but challenging years with any degree of success, they need to call on their values and make wise choices along the way.
They need to take responsibility for their actions and the e ect that they have on others, and this needs to become second nature.
It is interesting that the solutions to ‘modern’ problems were being discussed by men like St Philip in the 1500s. This is because the values he promoted – such as kindness, tolerance and respect for others’ views – are timeless and the base upon which healthy personal relationships are made. It is not overstating things to say that they are the foundation on which healthy civilisations are also built, and they must be preserved. Marcus Aurelius was more e cient with his words than St Philip but was delivering the same message 1,500 years earlier when he said: “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one”.
ALEXANDER THOMAS Head Master St Philip’s SchoolThe Head Master of St Philip’s School on why timeless values such as kindness are so important in the modern world
“Children notice kindness and appreciate it, and if they benefit from kindness they are likely to treat others in a similar way”ABOVE Alexander Thomas and pupils at St Philip’s
s a parent and a teacher who has been part of key rites of passage in a child’s life, I recognise the significance of ‘liminal states’ – those moments where a parent and child stand on a threshold of a new start or transition. These include beginning school (that snapshot of the first day), moving to secondary school and choosing GCSEs and A levels.
Change is transformative and key to ongoing development. We want each of our girls to successfully navigate a period of flux and emerge secure and happy in their new phase. They should enjoy coming to school, feel known and valued within their community and energised by the change and the new possibilities this brings. The prospect can be more anxiety-inducing than the reality, so encouragement and preparation are key. For our 4+ and 11+ entrants at Sydenham High, we are firm believers in plenty of visits and taster and familiarisation sessions.
From something as simple as giving a child the opportunity to inhabit a new space and create the memory of a positive experience to our more structured induction programmes (which work to develop ‘tool kits’ to help each individual manage their experience) we are committed to devoting the time and attention needed. Communication with home is equally important – little things can
feel big during moments of change. Behind the cries for independence, older teenagers equally need support – sometimes more, in fact, as they prepare to make decisions which can be seen as more definitive. Solid foundations are built on dedicated career advice and one-to-one discussions of the academic options. Taster lessons and research are key for GCSE and A level, to avoid decisions based around short-lived criteria. An informed choice provides an increased sense of control over potential pathways and furthers self-belief. I believe in the importance of developing flexible and varied skillsets to prepare for the changing world of employment ahead.
Our bespoke sixth form enrichment programme includes building professional skills and voluntary work, as well as academic electives and EPQs to broaden critical perspectives and prepare for the transition to higher education or the world beyond. These are complemented by many developmental opportunities
o ered through the GDST network to connect pupils with a network of alumnae.
In addition to the benefits of educating our girls all the way from aged 4 to 18, I value ongoing relationships which recognise the character and aspirations of each girl and their development through childhood and adolescence to adulthood at their own pace, able to learn from mistakes and make changes. Committed, regular connections between all the sections of our school see pupils supported through academic and personal journeys by their ‘big sisters’ as well as sta , fostering the inner strength to be bold in their voyage of discovery.
Crossing liminal spaces can be extremely exciting and fill us with a sense of mastery, but we recognise that this can also feel unknown and daunting. Like Tennyson’s poetic vision of Ulysses standing on the shore of the untravelled world, and yearning for the “gleaming” opportunity, I see these as moments to be seized, but always fully supported.
Antonia Geldeard, Head of Sydenham High School GDST, on the importance of supporting key moments of change in our children’s lives
“Change is transformative – we want our girls to navigate a period of flux and emerge secure and happy”ABOVE Pupils at Sydenham High School GDST
The new Director of Music at Wells Cathedral School Alex Laing on how young talent and musicianship are nurtured and supported
Could you sum up your overarching vision as the new Director of Music?
Music should be celebrated by all and at all levels. This means everything from the high-profile successes on concert platforms and in competitions such as BBC Young Chorister of the Year to singers and bands appearing at Glastonbury, our two-year-olds learning music through play and all in our school community who love to sing together and support each other at concerts and events.
Wells is renowned for its cathedral choir but embraces all genres and styles of music making. How do you balance traditional and modern?
Traditional and modern approaches enhance each other at Wells. We are lucky to have a large music department that can support all genres equally and varied concert venues built over 700 years. Music is also spontaneous, with jazz appearing in marquees and foyers as well as on stage. We are one of the very first schools to appoint a Visiting Music Teacher for Songwriting to work alongside our traditional composition teachers. I have heard several tributes from our pop and jazz musicians that their music making has been enhanced by a grounding in classical traditions and techniques.
How are non-specialist musicians supported by the school?
Everyone at Wells has access to top-quality musical opportunities. Nonspecialist musicians outnumber the specialists, and many opt to take GCSE and A-level Music and Music Technology. Over 50 di erent ensembles and choirs at all levels cater for multiple tastes. Non-
specialists can perform at concerts or events alongside specialists or opt for occasions of their own, like our Going Solo series.
Wells seeks to explore the ‘interface’ between music and other disciplines. Could you explain key approaches here?
It is regularly reported how much music and learning an instrument support and enhance other disciplines. Practical music-making connects neural pathways and encourages thoughtful approaches useful for myriad other endeavours. Of course, our music and drama departments collaborate all the time on musical productions. Music and history combine yearly, with lectures and workshops putting music in historical context and vice versa. Learning an instrument has parallels with learning a sport, too. There are shared physical and psychological goals: awareness of posture, body-mapping, e cient and relaxed movement and strategies for dealing with performance anxiety. Wells puts on regular sessions enhancing these shared messages.
How does Wells support young musicians’ career development?
This is incredibly important to us, and we like to think that we are providing a model for others to follow. It is no longer realistic to expect to become solely a performing musician. We must all embrace much more varied and exciting musical careers. In addition to being accomplished players, we must now be entrepreneurs, teachers, presenters, administrators.
Wells puts on weekly Professional Practice seminars to focus on building these skills, as well as resilience and strategies for living with nerves and anxieties. Our musicians support each other brilliantly during lows as well as highs. This camaraderie also helps us to celebrate di erent skills. Wonderful technical performers may not be natural presenters. The peer-on-peer support networks allow our pupils to practise and teach each other in very constructive ways.
How does Wells share music with the wider community?
We regularly welcome pupils from other schools for free sessions, including instrumental skills and study days. We also give around 250 public concerts a year, including ‘Event on The Lawn’, which is organised and performed by pupils. Many concerts are free as part of our local outreach. Others are in aid of our activities in Sierra Leone, where we continue to support the building and running of a music school. We have a huge number of bursaries and scholarships and our goal is that anyone with talent can study here, irrespective of financial circumstances – we can’t always make that happen, but we do our absolute best.
“At Wells, our goal is that anyone with talent can study here – irrespective of financial circumstances”LEFT Wells Cathedral RIGHT Pupils have access to a wealth of music expertise BELOW Music Technology is a popular option at the school Alex Laing studied Music at Cambridge and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Alongside his role at Wells, he works for the Benedetti Foundation as conductor and tutor.
Roald Dahl’s feisty heroine, first brought to the stage back in 2010 by the RSC, remains a brilliant introduction to live drama for young people
Words LIBBY NORMAN
This is a really good time to go and see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical. Not only is the feisty, clever and rather weird heroine one of those characters that children instantly get, but there’s going to be an even bigger fan base once the much-heralded Netflix family blockbuster is released just in time for the Christmas season.
The trailers reveal that Emma Thompson is a shudder-inducing Miss Trunchbull who tosses children miles – you don’t have to be a bookie to predict a run on tickets for the West End show in the New Year.
The RSC has already turned its mind to the new crop of fans, recently updating its bank of educational materials to help teachers plan a proper theatre outing. The programme includes pre- and post-show resources that explore theme, characters, plot and the creative process of turning a much-loved book into a show. These usefully explore themes relevant across Drama, English, Music and even PHSE curriculums.
From September, the RSC also reintroduced its in-person workshops at Cambridge Theatre, giving school groups the opportunity to go behind the scenes and learn more about the dramatic process. Sessions are modelled on the
way real actors get to grips with productions, albeit tailored to age and stage. This is part of the RSC’s education remit, through its Associate Schools Programme. Here, it engages with schools up and down the country, targeting areas of structural disadvantage and trying to promote not only Shakespeare, but also the whole life-enhancing experience of live drama.
The RSC’s Director of Learning
Jacqui O’Hanlon has no doubts of the benefits to children and young adults. “Our own research shows that our approaches to learning support development of reading and writing skills, accelerate language acquisition, foster well-being, tolerance, empathy and resilience,” she says. “They also promote critical-thinking, creative, analytical, communication and problem-solving skills.”
But the play’s the thing (to borrow a good line, somewhat inappropriately, from Hamlet), and with Matilda The Musical the RSC really did strike gold. Netflix was smart enough to base its forthcoming film on the original, with the stage musical dream team of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin reunited on writing and music and Matthew Warchus directing. It was Warchus who brought the show to life originally at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon back in 2010, where it picked up the Critics Circle Award before transferring to the West End’s Cambridge Theatre in 2011 and then the Schubert Theatre in New York after that.
Critics have loved it at every staging – it gathered seven Olivier Awards in London (then a record for a single show) and five Tony Awards in New York, including Best Book of a Musical for Dennis Kelly.
It has since proved a hit across the world, and with far too many gongs to list.
Never mind critics, it is children who count as audience members and their enthusiasm makes it a brilliant family entertainment (the RSC recommends it for 6+). Attending a recent evening performance, I found the excitement among the mixed-age junior crowd made the whole atmosphere electric. I didn’t have a child in
tow, but the young American sitting next to me was an excellent study. He drank in the action on the stage as voraciously as he monstered his popcorn, concentrating intently and laughing at all the jokes bar one – leaning across to ask me politely what knickers are (Miss Trunchbull had a newt in hers at the time).
Of course, the whole point of Matilda The Musical is that children rule – it is absolutely their show. On stage, they are the smart ones, dealing with wicked, stupid and bullying adults (with a few honourable exceptions). They have the marvel that is Matilda. (There are several Matildas at any one time – Maisie Mardle was our diminutive heroine, and she was super talented.) The brilliant supporting cast of children are funny and act their socks
o . They have the best lines, the snappiest songs and by far the coolest dance moves.
Matilda The Musical may be pretty much a teenager in show years, but its universal appeal, and the sharpness of writing and design, means it still feels fresh. In fact, I left thinking that you’d struggle to find a more satisfying introduction to live theatre for kids from 6 to 16. Adults love it too, which is not always a given with West End shows. Long may the revolting kids of Crunchem Hall add fun and beautifully acted anarchy to the West End stage.
Matilda The Musical is at Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, WC2, with bookings now being taken until May 2023. Resources for schools are on the website; matildathemusical.com
“ The young American sitting next to me was an excellent study. He drank in the action on the stage as voraciously as he monstered his popcorn”
staging keeps children engaged
pupilsPHOTO: MANUEL HARLAN PHOTO:
Subscription activity kits promise hours of fun away from the screen, helping children pursue their hobby or passion – and delivering educational value
Words RACHEL HOGG
Perfect for your budding Master Chef, Foodini is a seasonal subscription box designed to inspire creative meals. Alongside the six vegetarian recipes and three drink recipes in each pack, you’ll find foodie know-how, including foraging, kitchen science and culinary skills guides. A recipe binder is included if you buy the six- or nine-month subscription and each pack has extras such as craft materials, meal planners and stickers. It’s a great way for kids to develop confidence in the kitchen and may encourage hesitant eaters to be more adventurous. foodiniclub.co.uk
There’s something satisfying about letting your child enjoy analogue fun in a digital age. While letterbox subscriptions are not a completely new phenomenon, their focus has most often been on reading. But as the market has grown (and the desire to give a gift that lasts), subscription kits have begun to expand, and you can now find cleverly designed kits for art, craft, gardening, cooking, and so much more.
For parents, this is a win-win situation. You can let your child explore their latest passion and build focus and creativity with self-taught projects. Meanwhile, you get to enjoy some quiet time knowing they are having mindexpanding fun away from their screen. Many companies o er one-o kits, so you can test the water, as well as plenty of added-value features such as online tutorials and projects. Also look out for sibling kits, meaning two kids share creative projects for a bit less money. Here are some of our favourite options for broadening young minds.
KIT: ARTFUL
COST: FROM £39.95
AGE: 12+
Artful is a great way to nurture an aptitude or interest in art. While a single box may be a good taster, a year’s subscription (£139.95 for four boxes) o ers a lot more fun, as every quarter young artists are introduced to a new medium and given tools to go create. With lino printing, calligraphy and watercolour in the mix, it’s great for adding to their skills and they are provided with top-quality art materials. Each box is accompanied by a magazine of tutorials and inspiration in a kit that will stretch and inspire the 16+ age group as well as younger children. artful.co.uk
KIT: KIWICO
COST: FROM £14.01 MONTHLY, PLUS SHIPPING
AGE: 0+
A grandaddy among the creative kit suppliers (it calls them crates), KiwiCo has shipped over 40 million boxes of mind-expanding play across the world and has an association with Seattle Children’s Hospital and an army of child testers. While its 0-24 subscription – with kits delivered bi-monthly – is a popular gift for babies, kits go all the way up to 14+ for scientists, engineers, DT and art fans. Whether they are learning to code, design, draw, make, count or build, your child or teen is sure to use their hands and their imagination in equal measure. kiwico.com
KIT: LITTLE HANDS LEARNING
COST: FROM £21 MONTHLY
AGE: 3+
The perfect thing for any budding bookworms, these boxes bring literature to life. The single boxes (from £27) make great one-o gifts and are a good way to test the water before you commit. Sibling boxes are also available via subscription or to gift. What’s great for parents of young children is the juxtaposition of reading with creative play. Each box contains a classic book for their library and four linked educational activities, ranging from baking to craft, nature exploration and storytelling. littlehandslearning.co.uk
COST: FROM £14.90 MONTHLY, BILLED ANNUALLY
AGE: 5+
Any Einstein and Marie Curie hopefuls are going to love this subscription box, a hit in the US and now available in the UK. There are STEM kits for children aged 5-10, with more specialist physics and chemistry projects suitable for 8+ to teens. From building a hydraulic lift (and learning about states of matter) to making pure water and understanding heat transfer, the maker-doer approach is backed by science and teaching knowhow. Kits can be shared, so great sibling or parent-child experiments await. melscience.com
KIT: HAPPY CRAFT BOX
COST: FROM £19.97 MONTHLY
AGE: 4+
The activities inside this subscription box will do more than just keep your child entertained, they can help support emotional wellbeing and happiness. Each month focuses on developing a new mindset skill – with activities inspired by art therapy, yoga, mindfulness and positive psychology – alongside a guide for those parents looking to support their child’s development. Kits are tailored for two age groups 4-8 or 9-12, and you can opt for single or sibling boxes. We like the addition of progress wallcharts and journals to encourage reflection on what’s been achieved. happycraftbox.com
KIT: MUD + BLOOM
COST: FROM £13.95 MONTHLY
AGE : 3+
This gardening subscription box for the preschool and primary age group will be sure to inspire lots of creative play outdoors. The boxes were designed by teachers, with input from forest school, Montessori and Steiner practitioners, and each contains a combination of seasonal activities such as seed planting, foraging, crafts that use natural materials and wildlife spotting. We like the sibling boxes, which can be gifted for two, and the more ambitious projects – from making a mini wormery to creating a pebble sundial. mudandbloom.com
KIT: CUBIE
COST: FROM £32.91 MONTHLY
AGE: 4+
This subscription box takes a little and often (10 minutes a day) approach to mastering maths and showing children just how creative and inspiring numbers can be. Cubie has been developed by a teacher and former private tutor, with workbooks designed in consultation with early and primary years specialists. This is what parents need to know, but for children, it’s the fun of receiving a new parcel by post every month with all they need for four weeks’ worth of Cubie fun – including pencils, rubbers and as well any other important tools that young mathematicians may require. cubie-education.com
Which Way to Anywhere, the new book from acclaimed author and illustrator Cressida Cowell, has had a long incubation
The latest out-of-thisworld adventure by the bestselling author and former Waterstones
Children’s Laureate
Cressida Cowell is bound to be big news. After all, Cowell has sold over 11 million books worldwide and is known to her readers for the magical characters and settings of How to Train Your Dragon and Wizards of Once. Of course, the former went on to become a billion-dollar blockbuster film and television franchise, introducing Cowell’s characters to millions more fans around the world.
Which Way to Anywhere has been described by the author herself as her most ambitious work yet, and it’s richly detailed thanks to her delightful hand-drawn illustrations – an element her readers know well. While the book is hot o the presses, she wrote the first lines long before she became famous as an author. As she puts it: “I’m a big believer that stories have a life of their own”.
Cowell says she originally had the idea for Which Way to Anywhere when she was pregnant with her first child, but it just needed time to develop. This turned into 25 years. Originally titled ‘The Alternative Atlas’, the manuscript lay gathering dust in her shed. But then everything changed. She says: “I started writing this story when my beloved hero of a father had recently died, and we all entered a pandemic. We were suddenly in our little family unit, facing something larger than all of us”. Cowell describes how the story found its shape and “came to life flying towards me on a sort of rescue mission”.
The themes are perennial, but with extra piquancy because of this context. “It felt like the right time to be writing a book about some children searching for their lost father and the entire family trying to rebuild itself,” she says. “And the great challenges facing the whole of humanity – and celebrating the power of human creativity in facing those challenges.”
Which Way to Anywhere tells the story of an imperfect modern family, composed of four
very di erent characters thrown together by their parents’ marriage. This dynamic is complicated by the addition of secret magical abilities and multiple additional worlds. However di erent they may be, the children become united in their mission to rescue their kidnapped baby sister. Cressida Cowell says: “It’s a story written out of love, and I hope it asks question and answers some”. With magic, action and a new cast of characters to get to know and love, there seems little doubt this epic tale will only swell her loyal army of fans.
Which Way to Anywhere by Cressida Cowell is published by Hachette Children’s Group, £12.99.
“There’s magic, action and a new cast of characters to get to know and love”ABOVE One of the novel’s main characters Izzabird O’Hero
The award-winning author talks about her school days at Croydon High, her passion for teaching and the VSO work that first inspired her love of travel
Where did you go to school and when?
I went to Croydon High School for Girls – way back in the 1950s!
What was your school like?
Croydon High was (is) an academically ambitious school for girls, with clear rules and aims. But it’s hard to exaggerate how di erent life was in the 1950s. I would say that we had far fewer distractions and were less stressed than modern children. I think we were rather earnest about our work and the world in general.
Did you love your time at school or hate it?
Bit of both, really. I was often o sick with various problems. I still have the diary I wrote. It’s full of anxieties over friendships and excitement over special school events.
What were your favourite subjects there?
I really liked Science, but that might seem a bit obvious. Maybe less obviously, I loved English (and especially creative writing), History and Geography – they all focus on the stories we can tell.
Where were your favourite places at school and what did you do there?
When I became a prefect, I could use the prefect’s common room. This felt terrifically grand, though in retrospect I don’t think it was healthy to create such an elite among the girls.
Who were your favourite or most memorable teachers and how did they influence you?
Oh, Miss Duncan! Miss Duncan... She once caught me reading Beau Geste under my desk during an English lesson. She just winked at me and told me to carry on reading. She taught me that reading was the best thing you could do and introduced me to a wide diet of literature.
What beliefs do you think your time at school taught you?
There was a strong emphasis on service to the community, leadership and taking responsibility. We were encouraged to think beyond ourselves.
What was your proudest school moment?
Acting in Richard 11. Every year the school performed an entire
Shakespeare play. I only had a small part, but boy, did I love it! I can still quote reams from the play.
What was the most trouble you got into at school?
I’m afraid I was a goody-goody swot. I don’t remember any more than a mild ticking o .
Were you ever 'too cool for school'?
Was anyone cool in the 1950s? It didn’t seem so then. But I passed my driving test when I was 17, and my mother let me drive the family car to school on my birthday. I parked ostentatiously outside the main door.
What is your most vivid school memory, looking back now?
Was it the time when my knicker elastic broke during gym, and my bloomers fell down? Or perhaps it was when Jacqueline du Pré, an old girl of the school, came back to play her cello for us.
When and how did your interest in writing and travel begin?
When I left school, my father urged me to apply to VSO to spend a year teaching
“WAS ANYONE COOL? IT DIDN’T SEEM SO THEN. BUT MY MOTHER LET ME DRIVE THE FAMILY CAR TO SCHOOL ON MY BIRTHDAY”
abroad before I went to university. I was posted to Malaysia and it was a lifechanging year for me. I nearly died of a snake bite, went trekking in the jungle, and found that I loved teaching. And I wrote long letters home to my family, trying to distil my new experiences into words.
I think it was way back then that I became fascinated in the lives and peoples of countries far from my own. Perhaps that year laid the groundwork for The Garbage King, set in Ethiopia, Kiss the Dust, set in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Welcome to Nowhere, the story of a Syrian refugee boy.
What other key influences / passions shaped you when you were growing up?
My family belonged to the Brethren, a strict and close-knit Protestant sect. We learned long passages from the old King James Bible, which left my mind
furnished with a lasting store of wonderful words and poetry. As I grew up, my outlook slowly broadened into an open, liberal view of religion and the world, but I never had to make a break with my close and loving family. It’s the beginning of that process that’s the subject of my new novel, The Misunderstandings of Charity Brown
What projects are coming next?
I’ve got no idea, and that’s the joy of being a writer. I’m still in the after-glow of having finished The Misunderstandings of Charity Brown, but any day now an idea for a great new project will, I’m sure, just burst into my head.
How would you sum up your school days in three words or phrases?
Hard work, friendship and the opening of my mind.
“We need to give young people the sense that there are relatively simple things they can do”ABOVE Cindy Forde
For young people, climate change is a tough subject. Adults present a set of challenges, not of their making, and focus on insurmountable problems. Too often this comes across as a vision of time running out. Bright New World, a new book by Cindy Forde aimed at the 8+ age group turns this narrative firmly on its head. With a big format, bold colours and wonderful illustrations by Bethany Lord, it o ers inspiring real stories and ideas for fixing problems. Hope was what inspired Cindy Forde because she believes a lot of environmental information o ers only downbeat messages. “Children subliminally get the message that this is a di cult subject, a sad subject – even a dreary subject,” she says.
“The world is bright and beautiful. Children love nature,” adds Forde. “We really wanted to have that in the book, so that instead of environment being associated with everything that’s gone wrong and these very depressing images, the images inspire you both with the beauty of nature and with the fabulous creativity of humanity.”
She is critical of the trend to talk about a
future full of hair-shirt denial – believing the story should be one of evolution. “There’s huge abundance on earth, still. Earth is capable of sustaining large populations of humans and other creatures, it’s just that we need to shift our distribution.” She points to the “brilliant innovators” across science and other disciplines, already designing solutions. “The whole feeling now is that there’s this opportunity to transform.”
Bright New World covers a lot of ground on environmental issues – from food choice challenges and circular economy principles to the future of travel. This is not pie-in-the-sky idealism, but is supported by facts, figures and information, all underpinned by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). There are plenty of environmental heroes here, with cases to demonstrate that change for the good is happening. “We need to give young people the sense that there are relatively simple things that they can do. I don’t want to put the onus on the individual because to really change this trajectory we need systemic change, but systems are guided by the individuals who live within them.”
Forde comes from a science and environmental communications background,
describing her overarching role as that of storyteller. She was previously CEO of Cambridge Science Centre and, before that, Managing Director of oceans charity Blue Marine Foundation. More recently, she founded Planetari, an organisation focused on worldwide environmental education. This has Amber Nuttall and Jonathan Porritt CBE among its team of advisors – Porritt also wrote the foreword to Bright New World. The book is both inspiring and informative, o ering a clear roadmap to the future. It’s also part of a wider mission. Cindy Forde would like to see environmental education delivered more systemically – and positively – using UN SDGs as the bedrock, and Planetari is setting out to do just that. Bright New World is also part of this mission and she is designing additional material that she hopes will give educators resources that, alongside the book, will support lessons across the syllabus. As she says: “It comes from this place of not being afraid to look at the truth but to see that there is a much more positive way forward if we believe we can take it”.
Bright New World is by Cindy Forde (Welbeck Publishing, £18.99).
Historians and budding medics alike will be fascinated, intrigued and sometimes horrified by this illustrated history of modern-day medicine. With potions, quackery, medical scandals and triumphs in the mix, it covers more than just the science. For instance, the sections on wartime medicine, the fight for equality in medical training, malaria treatments through time and administering medicine in space provide valuable insights into societal and technological shi s. Lively text and great illustrations by Nick Taylor make this a useful reference and a gripping read.
From marvellous minibeasts
hair
secret
fascinating
a newly minted October witch
of trees, here's
pick of
reads for the dark nights ahead
by Dougie Poynter
illustrated by Amberin Huq
OWLET PRESS, £6.99
Commissioned by BRITA, and supporting Whale and Dolphin Conservation, this adventure is written by Dougie Poynter (McFly bassist and keen conservationist). It centres on Finn, who is accompanying his mother and brother Jesse on what he believes is going to be the worst holiday ever. But then the boys meet Skye, and she knows all the best secret lookouts for whales and dolphins. The book has easy-read typography younger readers will appreciate. They will also warm to the engaging central characters and life-a rming messages about what we can all do to save ocean life.
The debut novel by teacher and theatremaker Jennifer Claessen is just in time for the spookiest nights of the year. Young witch Clemmie is about to turn 12, and that's when (if her Aunt Clemmie's prediction is correct) stars will descend, bringing her one whole month of chaotic and exhilarating magical powers. While her female family live for October and their witches' powers, there are some who want the magic to last all year long. Clemmie and her coven are placed in mortal danger and a spine-tingling adventure ensues for the sisterhood.
Complex science is made accessible in this story of the history of our planet, told through the frame of a 24-hour clock. The clock starts with the formation of earth and whizzes through meteor bombardment (03:23), the Cambrian explosion (21:12), mass extinction (23:39) and the late arrival of early humans at 23:59:21 – that's 11 million years ago. This long perspective in a single day is supported by informative text and pictures and engaging bitesize facts. A useful geological time scale is at the back of the book.
PRESTEL, £10.99
Subtitled 'From Moptops to Mohicans, Afros to Cornrows', this book traces the history and high points of our obsession with adorning, dressing and showing o our hair. It covers everything from the hair sacrifices made by Hindus and the punks' adoption of Native American Mohican hairstyles to towering Rococo styles and the many di erent varieties of braids. Katja Spitzer's bold illustrations are combined with easy-read text describing the cultural significance of styles – and even hair colour – down the ages. We also love the inclusion of beard and dog fashion trends.
by Emma Carlisle BIG PICTURE PRESS, £12.99
Published in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Emma Carlisle's painterly drawings set the scene for a gentle reflection on the power of nature and the unique characteristics and sense of place created by the trees that inhabit our landscape. Home for birds and squirrels, places to climb and find shade, trees are also used for everything from violins to the books we read by the fire. The book explores themes of growth, mindfulness and connection with past and future, inspiring children to think about their connection to the natural world.
This is Caryl Lewis' first children's story in English but Martha, Jac a Sianco (2004) is on the Welsh curriculum – so an author with form. Marty lives with a mum who hoards literally everything. He worries about her and wonders if things will ever change. Then his Grandad gives him a special seed. This grows bigger and bigger until it takes him, his friend Gracie, plus Grandad, on a wondrous adventure. With a great central character and lyrical prose, Seed also has a satisfyingly happy ending.
by Dr Nick Crumpton illustrated by Gavin Scott NOSY CROW, £12.99
Bees die when they sting, centipedes have 100 legs and cockroaches are indestructible. These and other myths are exploded in this book. It's packed with facts about insects – which account for two-thirds of our animal kingdom, as far as we know – along with other arthropods (classifications are also explained). Vivid illustrations by Gavin Scott set the scene and the pacy text packs in information in a fun way. It's a brilliant reference for young explorers and includes a handy guide to the kit and techniques needed for your own minibeast investigations.
Written by the author of the novel Wicked, this book is likely to appear under many trees this Christmas. When their father doesn't come home from a nocturnal foodgathering expedition, Cress and the rest of the Watercress family are forced to move from their cosy warren to more perilous digs at the Broken Arms, in the base of an old oak tree. The story covers themes of family, loss and what home means. David Litchfield's delightful and richly coloured illustrations spring o the page to bring this loveable woodland community to life.
This engaging picture book also comes with a free smartphone audio book – great news for parents as this funny and noise-filled story is bound to need repeating. Told in rhyme, it centres on Park View Rise and its astonishingly cacophonous animal residents. When neighbours fall out and a fight ensues it's Kitsy Bitsy, the calm and organised cat on the ground floor, who saves the day. Vividly drawn by Melissa Crowton, the book includes wonderfully detailed drawings showing the whole high-rise community at noisy work and even noisier play.
by Lily Murray Illustrated by Jesse Hodgson BIG PICTURE PRESS, £15.99
From the mayfly to the immortal jellyfish, Lily Murray's Our Time on Earth explores the varied lifespans of the animal kingdom, and with facts to set young naturalists thinking. For instance, the female trapdoor spider can live to 43, but males live only five to seven years. Saltwater crocodiles typically live to 70, whereas the hardworking honeybee will have around seven weeks on this earth. It's beautifully illustrated by Jesse Hodgson, and engaging narratives about each creature leave you feeling awed at the complex and important lives of the creatures we share a planet with.
The author of Wolfstongue has created a magical successor. Willow sees her father Silas kidnapped by foxes and a huge and terrifying creature. She goes into the Forest after him and meets wolves who know where her father has been taken – the Tower. This city built by wily chief fox Reynard is kept running by life forms created with a Magical Clay that is running out. Silas won't help, so Willow must decide if she will save the Tower – to do so means venturing into the Deep Forest guarded by wolves.
by Paul Ian Cross illustrated by Steve Brown WELBECK CHILDREN'S BOOKS, £5.99
You make seven litres of mucus a week, have mites living on your eyelashes and filter enough blood through your kidneys each day to fill a fish tank. These and other gross facts are just the start. Paul Ian Cross goes for it on how we create poo, why scabs are formed and what bile is all about. Brilliantly readable, this book also explains everything from how the heart and lungs work to brain anatomy. There are fun quizzes, plus fascinating bodily facts guaranteed to disgust and amaze friends and family.
3+ by Frann Preston-Gannon TEMPLAR BOOKS, £7.99
As the first recipient of the Sendak Fellowship, Frann Preston-Gannon learned from a master Maurice Sendak. This is her third picture book, following on from the acclaimed I am the Seed That Grew the Tree. In this charming tale, told in rhyme, a spoilt rich child grows up having everything he could ever want except the moon. His plans are drawn up and giant towers built, but someone else wants it too. When the ensuing tug-of-war ends in disaster, only the children can put the fallen moon back in the sky.
Kingswood Prep School cultivates curious, confident, and kind independent learners. Right from the beginning our children develop a love of learning and a confidence in themselves, as specialist staff foster positive attitudes and a ‘can-do’ mindset through our holistic curriculum. Visit us to find out more.
rief and loss are complex emotions for adults, but even very young children can be a ected and may need help to process what has happened. While our natural instinct is to protect our chilren from all the upset, this can sometimes cause confusion or even fear, so it is better to help them address their feelings and put what has happened into context
Most children experience loss at some stage – perhaps a treasured pet, a family member or even someone in the public eye. One of the big things that adults often get wrong is language. Telling a very young child that someone or something has gone or is lost may make them wonder where they have disappeared to and if they will be found. Similarly, euphemisms such as gone to sleep and passed on can sound alarming to a child who has not yet got to grips
with these adult figures of speech. While it may sound harsh to your ears to even mention the word death, it is a good idea to use the plainest language you can.
Be ready for the follow-on questions that younger children will often ask – where bodies go, if food is still required, and so on. Older children may well talk less, but could have questions they have di culty in expressing –particularly if they see the adults around them upset. Don’t shut children o or stop talking about the subject when they are around – it is better to share. This may include explaining that you are sad and why. Similarly, it is far better to include references in conversation over the weeks afterwards and let children continue to open up about their feelings. This may take a while, so prepare to face questions or comments that seem to come from nowhere.
One of the best ways to help the process is to keep the loved one who has died present through physical reminders. Photos and memory boxes you create together may be helpful. These objects and symbols can help young minds to rationalise and process. If you are concerned that this isn’t addressing feelings adequately, there are many sources of support and help – from trusted teachers who know your child well to bereavement charities that o er specific support for children and also practical guidance for parents.
Death is hard to explain to children, so it’s no surprise that we struggle. Here’s what you need to know
“EUPHEMISMS SUCH AS GONE TO SLEEP CAN SOUND ALARMING TO A CHILD WHO HAS NOT YET GOT TO GRIPS WITH ADULT FIGURES OF SPEECH”
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This is where you light your fire find your magic learn to love your mind Bryanston is a leading co-education boarding and day school in Dorset for pupils aged between 3 and 18.
