Absolutely Education Prep Pre-Prep Spring 2022 by ABSOLUTELY Magazines

ABSOLUTELY EDUCATION PREP & PRE-PREP • SPRING 2022

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SPRING 2022

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LET'S GROW

Capital GAINS

Learning for life at Bassett House Prep

What London schools bring in added value

Read ON... How to boost literacy today

Happy Families

Smart parenting tips from an expert

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WHY SCHOOLS FOCUS ON THE ARTS TO DEVELOP TOMORROW'S PEOPLE

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S P R I N G 2 02 2

CO N T E N TS upfront

12 SCHOOL NEWS

Out and about in the world of education

16 LEARNING FOR LIFE

We visit Bassett House School, a prep with a firm eye on skills for tomorrow's people

23 WORKING TOGETHER

The Managing Director of Gardener Schools Group on why co-education is the way ahead

pre-Prep

26 TUNE IN, TURN ON

Switching on same language subtitles has the power to help children read without even knowing it

30 GREAT OUTDOORS

Sutton High Prep's new outdoor learning area is inspired by the wishes of its pupils

32 HAPPY PARENTING

We meet a man on a mission to help parents and children communicate better

38 MIGHTY OAKS

A forest being grown by Knightsbridge School pupils

Prep

42 CAPITAL GAINS

Going to school in the capital brings benefits

52 CREATIVE FLOW

We speak to independents about how they teach the arts and use them to build broader skills

62 SMART ARTS

King's InterHigh's approach to online arts learning

66 MATHS CHAMPION

26 4

Cuemath wants to teach the world maths

71 60 SECONDS WITH... ...Sarah Gillam, the Head of Hawksedown House School in Kensington

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S c h o o l’ s O u t

74 MAKING OF ME

Evolutionary biologist, author and TV presenter Ben Garrod talks about his Norfolk schooldays

76 TOP SPRING BOOKS

From a rediscovered Paddington to a tour of the world's great cities – our pick of spring reads

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81 STAGE FRIGHT

A new production of Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe is bringing the bard's drama to a young audience

82 PARADISE FOUND

Windjammer Landing in St Lucia is the perfect family pleaser – you can do as much or as little as you choose

90 PARENT POWER

A short guide to children's fashion sense for all us 'so last century' parents

F R O N T C OV E R Bassett House Prep School, 60 Bassett Road, London W10 6JP, 020 8969 0313 bassetths.org.uk Photo: Millie Pilkington

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CON T R IBU TOR S

Ben Garrod Evolutionary biologist, author and TV presenter

Ben Garrod is a Professor at University of East Anglia, and also an author and TV and radio presenter. In Making of Me, he talks about his schooldays in Great Yarmouth, his passion for the natural kingdom and a memorable incident involving a dead shark.

Fiona Henderson Head of Middle School, King's InterHigh

Eltham College is a coeducational day school in south London which welcomes girls and boys for entry in Years 3, 7 and Sixth Form. To discover more about the excellent range of academic and co-curricular opportunities on offer to students, visit our website or book a place at our Whole School Open Morning on 17th September 2022. Book your place: www.elthamcollege.london/ opendays

Fiona Henderson comes from a fine art background and is an arts educator with over 20 years’ experience. She talks in this issue about the innovative approaches used to teach drama, art and design online to students of King's InterHigh.

Manan Khurma Teacher, engineer and founder of Cuemath

Manan Khurma trained as an engineer at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi before switching over to his first passion – mathematics. He says maths is a human right and, in this issue, discusses why it's so important to teach it in a way that inspires.

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FROM THE

EDITOR

pring brings hope for more settled times, and so it was a delight to visit Bassett House Prep in Notting Hill recently. Here is a school embedded in its community and with an exciting curriculum that puts learning for life front and centre (page 16). Every parent wants their child to succeed, but it's often the intangibles that make all the difference in that regard. As Head Kelly Gray noted, whatever school they go to, children need someone to: "catch them". In that spirit, we are doing our bit to publicise the way in which switching on television subtitles helps catch them young and build literacy skills (from page 26). The research is persuasive and the fact that children are absorbing words while watching their favourite shows, is part of the brilliance – another part is the fact that TV and tablet watching now becomes time well spent. Schools in London have culture on tap – but also access to expertise and resources to inspire young people. In Capital Gains, we spoke to school leaders to ﬁnd out more (from page 42). We also caught up with a range of independents to see how they use the creative and performing arts to build both transferable skills and resilience (from page 52). The arts also build conﬁdence and self-belief – children need these two things more than ever right now.

L I B BY N O R M A N Ac ti n g Ed i to r

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Up Front

LEARN I NG FOR LI FE AT BAS SET T HOU SE SCHOOL p . 1 6 • WORKI NG TOG ETH ER p . 2 3

MINDFUL PLAYTIME PUPILS AT BLACKHEATH PREP Page 12

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SCHOO L N EWS Poetr y pleaser

FA I R Y TA L E TRIUMPH

Schoolchildren, care home residents and Chelsea Pensioners celebrated the spoken word at a Poetry Together tea party at the Royal Geographical Society. Founder Gyles Brandreth and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall joined the event, which was organised by Dukes Education. Poetry was followed by tea and Victoria sponge cake made to The Duchess of Cornwall’s recipe.

The Disney classic Beauty and the Beast came to the stage at Gordon’s School, Surrey with three sell-out performances. This wholeschool musical, complete with outsized teapots and talking clocks and candles was a magical celebration of the talent of the school’s Drama Department, both on the stage and in the production team.

Top Story

Girls’ birthday This year is the 135th anniversary of Sydenham High School GDST, which opened its doors to 20 girls in February 1887. Founded by four pioneering women – remembered in the school’s House names – Sydenham High overcame early prejudice against women’s education to grow into a thriving through school for some 700 pupils. It will be marking important moments in its history this year.

WO O D L A N D C E L E B R AT I O N

CULINARY ADDITION

St Benedict’s has planted 120 trees to mark its 120th anniversary. Wild cherries, supplied by the Woodland Trust, were planted in the school grounds and also at a local partner primary school. The chair of governors planted the first tree, at a ceremony attended by pupils from St Benedict’s Eco Society. Parents have also donated almost £700 to Restore our Planet’s ‘Trillion Trees’ project.

Hallfield School in Edgbaston, Birmingham marked the launch of its food technology classroom by inviting Michelin-starred chef, Andreas Antona of Simpsons Restaurant to the prep. Antona talked about his career during a special assembly, and this was followed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony and a pizza making and food tasting session.

MINDFUL FUN Blackheath Prep celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week with activities including classroom yoga, Dress to Impress day, Mindful Monday and Talking Thursday. The focus across the week was on encouraging pupils to ask for help and know where to get it. The school has a raft of innovative wellbeing initiatives already in place, including an in-school pupil counsellor post, in partnership with Place2Be.

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Up Front

NEWS

MARINE TEAM Laura Hall, Head of Queen’s College Prep in Mayfair, has brokered a partnership with the Royal Marines Reserves as part of a revised curriculum. Year 5 and 6 girls have visited Wandsworth Barracks for boot camp-style fitness, followed by abseiling, shelter building and close combat training. Speaking after the first session, Lt Colonel Oliver Todd said: “They proved themselves to be confident, courageous and, most of all, resilient”.

GREEN THEME Dulwich College held an Eco Week in November, just after COP26 ended, to champion both eco awareness and sustainable change. From ‘loving our leftovers’ to reuse and recycle initiatives around the school, it was all hands on deck to create positive change. Students also got involved in practical local improvements for the whole community, including building bug hotels.

New Head Hazlegrove Prep School has appointed Ed Benbow as Headmaster, taking up his post in September. He is currently Deputy Head at Cothill House, prior to which he was at Pinewood School. A Maths teacher by training, he’s also a keen coach of rugby, cricket and hockey. This is a return to home ground for the new Head, as Benbow grew up near to the school and was educated at Perrott Hill and Sherborne.

Great egg race RHS Garden Wisley is hosting a giant Easter Egg Hunt as part of holiday activities – a chance for children to spot larger-than-life hand-painted eggs among the plants and trees. There are also planting and craft activities for children. Activities are included in garden admission (free to RHS members and under 5s). rhs.org.uk

PHOTO: RHS/ADAM DUCKWORTH

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CO-ED D EV E LO P M E N T S After admitting girls into Lower Prep and Lower Sixth in 2021, St Columba's will welcome its first cohort of 11+ girls from this September. To support this switch, the St Albans school has opened a completely refurbished Sixth Form Centre that allows pupils to experience university-style working. New music, sports and IT facilities are being added, along with an additional studio theatre.

Charity boost Conifers School in West Sussex is championing three smaller charities that support mental and physical health as part of its ‘pay it forward’ initiative. The South Downs prep will run fundraising and awareness events with men’s suicide prevention charity James’ Place, assistance dog provider Canine Partners and The Sussex Snowdrop Trust, which assists local children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.

GREEN S H O OT S The King Alfred School got students involved in planting over 150 new native saplings around their wooded grounds this spring. The school thankfully only lost one large tree in storm Eunice, but this project will make sure there are trees and hedgerows for generations of students and wildlife to enjoy.

Head role Katharine Woodcock takes up the role of Headmistress of Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park in September 2022. Currently Head of Sydenham High School, her career includes spells at Oakham School, Rutland and Queen’s College, London. Charles Fillingham, current Head of Francis Holland, becomes Executive Head of Solihull School.

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Up Front

NEWS

Theatre stars

TIME TEAM The 1st Eight at The Leys School in Cambridge was the fastest crew in the Novices’ time trial at the Fairbairn Cup. Originally organised for the University of Cambridge by Jesus College Boat Club but now open to all comers, this annual race covers a 2,700m course along the Cam between Jesus College Boathouse and Fen Ditton.

Francis Holland School students took over the Adelphi Theatre for a performance of Made in Dagenham. The performance, featuring Years 7 to 13, attracted an audience of over 500 to watch the musical about the Ford sewing machinists’ equal rights strike of 1968. Amazing props included a real-life Ford car for the musical number ‘Cortina’.

Showcase award Colchester High School has become a Microsoft Showcase School, one of 53 in the UK. The co-ed school has invested substantially in EdTech skills and devices. Headteacher Karen Gracie-Langrick says: “We were especially delighted that Microsoft recognised how the school’s use of technology has given pupils a ‘voice and choice’ in their own learning”.

JURASSIC THRILL

G R OW I N G SCHEME

Pupils at Felsted School in Essex had the opportunity to travel into a Jurassic landscape using green screen technology and making videos of themselves with dinosaurs, as part of a workshop with a team from Teach Rex. As well as starring in videos that brought prehistory to life, the children had the opportunity to interact with a T-rex called Jam.

Students at St Dunstan’s College have marked the start of the Platinum Jubilee year by planting trees on the school grounds – they will add more than 70 saplings to the school’s two sites in Catford this year. Headmaster Nicholas Hewlett says: “Our whole community, along with future generations, will be able to enjoy the new trees”.

DA N C E O F F Dauntsey’s Lower School Dance Show offered an opportunity to show off both pupil talent and dance styles, from ballet and tap to street. The theme was the Olympics and highlights included Third Form Dance Scholars, who delivered a rhythmic gymnastics themed dance, and Girls Not Invited – an all-boy dance group that created a routine about motocross.

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Learning for

LIFE

Bassett House School is a London prep known for its well-rounded education – and now with a fresh vision for giving children skills for tomorrow’s world. Absolutely Education visits to ﬁnd out more Wo r d s L I B BY N O R M A N

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Up Front

FO C U S

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS ARE A SCHOOL STRENGTH

“ I T D OE SN ’ T M AT T E R WH I C H SC H O O L YOU ’ R E I N A S A CHI L D, YO U ST I L L N E E D SO M E BO DY TO CATC H YO U – TO N OT I C E YO U A N D TO CATC H YO U ” BASSETT HOUSE’S NOTTING HILL NEIGHBOURHOOD IS A REAL LONDON VILLAGE

he first thing that strikes you about Bassett House School is its neighbourhood. Tucked away in that Notting Hill enclave between Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road Tube stations, not far from Portobello Road, this is – in classic estate-agent speak – a London village. But in this case that’s the right description. Thriving local shops and cafés, tree-lined roads and tended front gardens speak of a community that cares. “I think that’s one thing that makes us quite unique – we really do feel like this village school in London,” says Headmistress Kelly Gray. The school encompasses three sites, all within a short walk. There’s the handsome four-storey Upper Years building at 60 Bassett Road. This is the original site, opened in 1947. A school-purposed rebuild happened in 2001, but from the outside it’s entirely in keeping with its stately Victorian neighbours. Just around the corner in St Helen’s Gardens is the recently opened Early Years building, with bright play and learn areas plus basement drama and music facilities for the whole school. This faces St Helen’s Church and St Helen’s

Hall. The Hall is where assembly, gym and lunch happen, and with classrooms, garden space and art room. The fact that pupils share turf with the local church and are on first-name terms with its vicar – known to all as Reverend Steve – adds to Bassett House’s welcoming atmosphere. Kelly Gray says it’s the first thing prospective parents remark on. Gray joined as Headmistress in September 2021 and brings a breadth of experience unusual within the independent sector. She was previously Deputy at Ecole Française de Londres Jacques Prévert, where she spent five years, but her career spans leadership and teaching roles across state schools. This includes an early stint at an inner-city Leeds school. “That was a baptism by fire, and the place where I really learnt my craft – you had to.” Her very first teaching role was in Slough, at another school where families struggled to make ends meet. She moved from there to Thomas’s, Kensington. The contrast was stark, but it revealed a truth that Gray still holds dear. “I realised from jumping across that it doesn’t matter which school you’re in as a child, you still need somebody to catch you – to notice you and to catch you.” SPRING 2022

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THE NEW EARLY YEARS’ BUILDING HAS COSY PLAY AND LEARN SPACES

This fits perfectly with Bassett House’s philosophy. Catching children young and nurturing their enthusiasm for learning was its founding principle. It started out, quite literally, from the ground up – a six-pupil Montessori nursery within a family home. This was 1947, the year Maria Montessori’s London training centre opened, putting it in the vanguard of modern educational thinking. “Bassett House was talking about a child-centred curriculum long before the Department of Education,” says Gray. “We still have that Montessori approach in the early years.” It has grown into a thriving prep and pre-prep, but the constant is its ability to produce well-rounded and engaged learners. “What they do brilliantly at Bassett House – they did it long before I came – is to take the children’s natural talents and inquisitiveness and then polish those to a high shine.” Joining Dukes Education early last year gave Bassett House added might. Now it is part of a family of 17 London independent preps and seniors (plus five outside the capital) and 25 nurseries. This brings a 18

“ W E ARE COMMI T T ED TO G I VI NG THAT SENS E OF AW E AND WONDER , C REATING T H OS E NEU ROLOG I CAL PAT H WAYS NEEDED TO MAKE MEMORI E S FOR LIF E ” formidable hive mind to resources, training and – critically – through-school options at 11+. “There’s this huge sense of comradeship and wanting to help one another,” Gray says. “There’s no hoarding of resources – of expertise or of staff – it’s all there for the greater good.” The CPD training Dukes offers runs the gamut from first aid to the university-accredited Senior Leadership Programme that she recently embarked on herself. “The CPD programme is world class and offered at no extra cost, which means you can use those resources to benefit the pupils.” Pupil benefits is something taken very seriously here – from wraparound care and after-school fun to ‘Club Croissant’ twice a week for the school’s native French

speakers. The cohort is a “melting pot” culturally, with parents from across the UK, Europe and beyond. This enriches school culture but, says Gray, there’s a core element they share. “These are all parents who are passionate that their children receive the very best education, but in a school that is a greenhouse, not a hothouse.” The “greenhouse” approach is at the heart of the Bassett House teaching style. “Our role is to foster a lifelong love of learning, not stymie it from the word go. If you turn them off learning by 11, the chances are you turn them off for life,” says Gray. “Children perform best when they have a rounded, grounded and balanced diet of all of the things they love and need.” The school believes in maximising

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Up Front

FO C U S

HEADMISTRESS KELLY GRAY

learning connections. “Life doesn’t come in little boxes of discrete subjects. There are all these cross-curricular opportunities – something our teachers do really well. They squeeze the juice out of that learning so they have made every moment matter.” This opportunity to light the spark happens in many ways. “Children make potions as part of their literacy learning, watch chemical reactions and carve up hearts as part of their science. It’s about creating that spark for learning and engaging in conversations that continue out of school.” It’s not only about showing links, but also presenting ideas in ways that stick. “Of course, we have this really robust and rigorous curriculum underpinned with a strong progression framework of spelling and grammar. That’s a given, but it’s not what children remember,” says Gray. “I’ve seen the Fire of London taught via textbooks and worksheets. Then I’ve taught it myself by building a model village, setting it alight and having the Fire Brigade come and talk about the conditions that made it spread so quickly. And that’s the kind of teaching that – if you’ll

BASSETT HOUSE OFFERS SMALL CLASSES AND LOTS OF ONE-TO-ONE TIME

excuse the pun – lights the fire in children. We have a staff committed to giving that sense of awe and wonder. They create those neurological pathways needed to make memories for life.” The school uses London culture as a classroom – be it checking out the Magna Carta at the British Library or immersive learning at the Science Museum Wonderlab. Bassett House’s curriculum is renowned for Arts teaching and enrichment. “Creativity is something Bassett House does

SPORT IS CO-ED – ENCOURAGING RESPECTFUL AND EQUAL RELATIONSHIPS

really well.” A tour of the art room shows exceptional work but, more than that, a spirit of bold experimentation. There are lots of chances to make music and drama happen in its regular shows and performances. Even the staff join in, for the staff pantomime is a much-loved annual tradition. “The children just love seeing us make fools of ourselves!” Kelly Gray says it’s important to do things children can relate to – things on their level. Recently, knowing there was a pyjama party for younger pupils, she surprised them. “I sneaked pyjamas and slippers into school, put them on and walked into their classroom saying: ‘did someone say pyjama party?’. They loved it. Five minutes out of my day, but small things have a big impact.” Hot Chocolate Fridays are another case in point. Randomly selected pupils from different year groups are invited into the Head’s office. Other teachers drop in, quite a lot of biscuits get eaten and everyone chats. Gray says it’s remarkable how much children open up in these encounters. “They create strong foundations, helping to ensure that if something is bothering a child, they are willing to approach any member of staff.” Of course, any successful relationship between school and pupil requires buy-in from the whole family. “Our number one aim is that the children go on to the very brightest future. It’s quite a bold aim, and SPRING 2022

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if you’re going to achieve that it requires a partnership.” To ensure that, the admissions process is made transparent. Interested parents can dip their toes in via a Zoom event. From there, they book a parent tour. “I conduct tours personally. Other than making sure that the teaching and learning here is excellent, there’s no more important job than finding out what they are signing up to – and what that ‘Bassett buzz’ is all about.” This partnership extends to working together for a smooth 11+ journey – always a front-of-mind concern for prep parents. “The conversations start early,” says Gray. Year 4 teachers start to assess the best fit for each individual pupil and the Senior School Fair each autumn is a chance for all families – but especially Year 3 and above – to see options and meet prospective schools informally. Parents and pupils are also invited to talks by senior school Heads, forums that are about demystifying the process. “Our children go on to great London schools – Godolphin & Latymer, St Paul’s, Queen’s College – but our goal is to get each and every child into the right school for them. Our Form 5 and 6 teachers are incredibly knowledgeable about schools in the area, not just academically but pastorally. Parents appreciate the conversations, the candour and the complexity of our teachers’ understanding.” The best onward path can’t happen without the right support during the prep journey. “If

THE HOUSE SYSTEM AND PEER MENTORING SUPPORT CHILDREN

“I T ’S MORE C RU C I AL T H AN EVER T H AT W E T EAC H YOU NG P EOP LE ADAPTABI LI T Y, T ENAC I T Y AND T H OSE OT H ER VI TAL LI FE S KI LLS” BASSETT HOUSE NURSERY PUPILS

a child isn’t happy, they cannot learn,” says Gray. “Everything we do at Bassett House is wrapped in this blanket of safeguarding.” The male Head of Sport and PE also heads up pastoral care and is, she says, “wonderful” at ensuring all children are supported. He’s had great success opening channels for boys – who usually find it harder to ask for help – by running a weekly ‘communication station’ before school to help with any communication or anxiety difficulties. “It’s so important that boys understand themselves and can articulate how they feel.” Not every young child can articulate their problem, and that’s why Bassett House has a pupil plan in place as soon as children join that stays with them through to Year 6. There are pastoral check-ins at least once a week with form teachers where children talk about how they are feeling. Termly pastoral audits involving teachers and senior leaders discuss every child. The children’s

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BOLD EXPERIMENTS ARE ENCOURAGED IN ART

BRINGING GLOBAL AWARENESS TO LIFE IN GEOGRAPHY

own buddy and house systems are valuable extra layers of peer-to-peer support. Gray says COVID and global uncertainty have brought greater recognition among educationalists that pastoral care must be pre-emptive, not reactive. So too teaching and learning, and Bassett House is redesigning its curriculum to meet tomorrow’s challenges. “Our new curriculum that we’re building right now is all about skills for future leaders. At the very heart are those rigorous and robust frameworks that make sure pupils’ core subjects are rock solid,” says Gray. “But politically, culturally, environmentally, economically, this is a changing world for children – an uncertain future. It’s more crucial than ever that, as educationalists, we keep evolving, and that we teach young people adaptability, tenacity and other vital life skills.”

The framework that Kelly Gray and her team are weaving through every part of life at Bassett House covers off six main strands. Alongside Creativity and Digital Literacy, it includes Global Citizenship – building links with local and global schools and fiscal awareness through projects such as The Fiver Challenge. Skills for Future Leaders includes sports and service leadership, as well as areas such as school councils, a lecture programme and Doctor and Lawyer for the Day activities. Emotional Intelligence is already embedded, with clear guidance on areas such as respect (for instance, sport is co-ed so that children build respectful relationships). In the new curriculum, there is added focus on debating the big issues (whistleblowing, Black Lives Matter, for example), as well as local and family challenges in the wake of the pandemic. Sustainability is another strand, with a school eco-council, focus on incorporating COP26 goals into school life, plus Green and nature-led activities. Kelly Gray has no doubts that this big-picture approach is the right one for a generation facing a future of uncertainty. “As much as anything, it’s about teaching them how to be a human being in this world – it’s as fundamental as that. We had a Year 6 leavers’ event not so long ago and one young man, who’s gone on to great things now, said: ‘At Bassett House they teach you English and Maths but, more important than that, they teach you how to be yourself’. I don’t think I could put it more eloquently myself.”

At a Glance BASSETT HOUSE PREP SCHOOL FOUNDED: 1947 HEAD: Kelly Gray, since September 2021 GENDER: Co-ed NUMBER OF PUPILS: 109 DAY OR BOARDING: Day AGES: 3-11 POINTS OF ENTRY: 3+, 4+, and occasional in-year admissions ADMISSIONS: Non-selective. Early registration advised from birth. Offers on a first come basis. Any questions, contact registrar@bassetths.org.uk RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Non-denominational FEES: Preschool, per term, mornings only – 1,856-£3,160 (occasional/regular afternoon attendance available); Pre-prep, per term – £6,320; Prep, per term – £6,585 ADDRESS: Bassett House School, 60 Bassett Road, London W10 6JP bassetths.org.uk

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Up Front

INSIDER

WORKING TOGETHER The Managing Director of Gardener Schools Group makes the case for co-educational schools in helping to prepare young people for future life and work

he ethos of the Gardener Schools Group (GSG) promotes a nurturing environment – we encourage a growth mindset, instil resilience and stress the importance of empathy for others. Underlining our philosophy is the belief that boys and girls should be educated together. Whenever I meet potential parents at our schools I tell them, ‘The world is co-educational’. We live in a time where the role of sex and gender has never been more keenly felt. When a child starts school, one of the most important things they do as a four-year-old is socialise by playing with others. Why remove half the population? If you want children to feel naturally comfortable with other people, this should begin at school. Many arguments against co-education are made by girls’ schools. Girls do better in STEM subjects, for example, in single-sex schools. Acknowledging this, it is important to promote these subjects to girls specifically and to stress they are not ‘boys’’ subjects. Another argument is that girls and boys learn in different

A mixed school prepares you for university and work – it is our job to consider the future our children will be living in

Wo r d s T H E O B R E H O N Y

STUDENTS AT KEW HOUSE SCHOOL, PART OF THE GSG

ways. This, however, is overly simplistic. Everyone learns differently, regardless of sex. This learning could be kinetic, visual, aural or a combination. We ask our teachers to know their pupils and differentiate their teaching approach to suit individual needs. If you create a culture of equality and tolerance from the start, if girls are perceived as leaders and ‘leaning in’ is a natural part of learning, everyone benefits. I cannot say for certain, but the problems highlighted across schools by Everyone’s Invited may have been on a lesser scale if this had been the starting point. Increasingly schools are moving from single-sex to co-educational, although, surprisingly, in the capital there has been a dearth of co-ed senior schools in comparison to the rest of the country. In the last eight years, the GSG has responded to a growing demand from pupils and parents and founded two coeducational senior schools in Kew and Maida Vale. Nurseries are typically co-educational,

so why do some pupils then go on to single-sex schools until university? Certainly, attending a mixed school will prepare you for university and work life in a way that single-sex schools cannot. There are, of course, remaining bastions of single-sex education and some of the best schools are among them. That said, it is our job to consider the future world our children will be living in. We firmly believe a pillar of success for all young people will be the ease with which they relate to others.

THEO BREHONY Managing Director Gardener Schools Group SPRING 2022

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Hawkesdown House School

A Preparatory & Nursery School for boys and girls aged 2 to 8, Kensington W8

Please contact the School Office to arrange a private tour with the Headmistress 27 Edge Street Kensington London W8 7PN 020 7727 9090 admin@hawkesdown.co.uk www.hawkesdown.co.uk

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LITERACY

TUNE IN,

TURN ON Turn on the Subtitles (TOTS) is campaigning for what could be a gamechanger for children's literacy. And all it takes is one small adjustment – read on Wo r d s L I B B Y N O R M A N Illustration KAI NICHOLLS

hat if you heard that one simple act, costing no money and seconds of your time would improve your child’s reading? That’s what the Turn on the Subtitles (TOTS) campaign is all about, improving children’s literacy. Here in the UK, doing this is simply a matter of turning on same language subtitling (SLS) so that they absorb words while they are watching their favourite shows. TOTS founders Henry Warren and Oli Barrett MBE both work in education. Warren is former Director of Innovation for Pearson and a specialist in education technology – current projects include African education

platform Watobe. Barrett describes himself as a ‘serial founder’ and his projects include Tenner, the schools’ enterprise challenge, and also – in earlier times – being part of the launch of Bob the Builder. TOTS came into being when Barrett sent Warren an email link to an article in The Guardian. This cited research about the benefits for literacy when you turn on TV subtitles. Returning to the article a few nights later, Warren noticed that one of the people cited was a professor in Hawaii. “I thought, ‘well it’s a late night here, it will be a reasonable time in Hawaii – I’ll give him a call’. So, I rang this somewhat bemused professor and proceeded to grill him. He was very patient with me. And by the end of the call, I was thinking, ‘If these numbers work this is insanely powerful’.” The professor in Hawaii told Warren SPRING 2022

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Everybody has the same kind of reaction, a head-slap kind of reaction – an ‘of course this works’ reaction

that the person he really needed to talk to about subtitles was Dr Brij Kothari, based at University of California, Berkeley but often in India. Henry Warren tracked down Brij Kothari in an Indian village working on a randomised control trial. Over a crackly line, Warren found out more, then pushed for research evidence. “Immediately I regretted that because I remembered that I don’t actually know the difference between good and bad academia.” What turned up was a whole lot of evidence. “I had this mountain of papers and no idea what to do with it.” So, Henry Warren had a chat with Dame Julia Cleverdon and the team at the National Literacy Trust and passed the mountain on to them. Six weeks later they came back to say this evidence was remarkable – and 28

TURNING ON SUBTITLES MEANS CHILDREN READ WITHOUT KNOWING IT

why did no one know about it? This was exactly what Henry Warren and Oli Barrett had been thinking. There’s lots of evidence to prove why subtitles work, but here’s one blinding example to capture the impact. Official statistics here in the UK tell us that children watch an average of 12 hours of television a week. (Warren suspects that’s a conservative estimate.) Let’s say it is 12 hours of TV per week. Once you put subtitles on, your child will, over the course of one year, read the equivalent of all the Harry Potter books, all of Lord of the Rings, all of the Narnia books and the complete His Dark Materials trilogy. And they won’t even realise. “That’s why it works – it’s sheer immersion,” says Warren. One key here is the fact that children are watching high-value content – things they love – and so are receptive to learning. Subtitles have an impact on all ages, but they are especially powerful in the earlier stages of reading acquisition. Another fact is that we can’t avoid reading the subtitles – eye tracking research across all age groups has shown it’s impossible not to take in words. Think about that and you can see why subtitles could be a gamechanger, not just for UK families but

globally. “We know what impact low literacy levels have on children longer term. We know that if your literacy levels are low when you leave school you are three times more likely to be incarcerated, three times more likely to be hospitalised, even three times more likely to die young. It literally is a case of life and death,” says Warren. Getting the word out about the impact of subtitles became just that for Warren and Barrett once they’d had the green light from the National Literacy Trust team. “Initially, we thought, ‘well this is not really our thing – we’ve both got day jobs – but what we can usefully do is synthesise this evidence base and hand it over to the broadcasters’. So, we did all that and also published a letter in The Guardian, and waited, and then... nothing happened.” Warren and Barrett decided to step up a gear. After meeting again at a conference, they escaped to a café in High Street Kensington and scribbled out ideas, including a campaign name, ‘Turn on the Subtitles’ or ‘TOTS’. They decided to give it a year or so, alongside their day jobs, with a threepronged approach. “The first element has been to tell parents about this and raise awareness about subtitles among the general population. We knew that most people

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didn’t know anything about this – I certainly didn’t and I’ve been in education for 20 odd years,” says Warren. “And everybody has the same kind of reaction, a head-slap kind of reaction, an ‘of course this works’ reaction.” Another prong of the campaign has centred on persuading broadcasters to make same language subtitling (SLS) the default for all programmes aimed at children aged 6 to 10 – they can help for other ages, but this is the key target group. The third seeks to inform governments and politicians, so that they can then use their influence. The awareness-raising campaign for parents launched last year. Stephen Fry fronted it and other high-profile figures backing it included Sandy Toksvig, Lenny Henry and Sanjeev Bhaskar. TOTS’ campaign attracted 37 million impressions on Twitter, front-page coverage on Reddit and stories in most of the major press.

“The launch went remarkably well, considering we had a budget of about £80 for the whole thing,” says Warren. From there, broadcasters began to get on board. Sky was the first – meaning children can now watch their favourites, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Scooby-Doo, with subtitles built in. Netflix is running a pilot, Amazon has committed to one and the BBC has been undertaking research. A number of major education players – Pearson, GCSE Pod, Oak National Academy and Twinkle – have been getting the message out to schools and backing the campaign. TOTS has also been doing a lot of work with YouTube (important because of its popularity with young audiences). It is working to get the user experience

LITERACY

Over a year, your child will read the equivalent of all the Harry Potter books, all of Lord of the Rings, all of Narnia and the complete His Dark Materials trilogy

element on YouTube changed – manually generated subtitles, not auto subtitles are critical here – and also has its own channel in conjunction with Moonbug Literacy. “That is going gangbusters,” says Warren. “Just short of half a billion views a month currently. It’s hard to say exactly how many children we’re impacting, but conservatively we’d say about 400 million.” When it comes to political might, a major breakthrough so far is India, where the government has changed the law so that by 2025 half of linear broadcast content (traditional live TV) will have to be subtitled. TOTS is continuing to talk to the major broadcasting players – especially those in the United States, where the reception has been very positive. It would also like to do more awareness raising across Africa, where Henry Warren already works and knows the huge hunger for literacy and education. “We’re talking about 1.4 billion people, and at the moment literacy levels are quite low across the piece, but linear TV is growing very fast.” Ultimately, the goal of TOTS is to give the power of subtitles to as many children as it can. So, what can UK parents do to help? Tell your friends about the TOTS campaign but, even more importantly, make that simple adjustment to your own children’s TV and tablet watching. “All you have to do is go to services they watch – Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer – and turn on the subtitles,” says Henry Warren. “You only have to do it once. It is, quite literally, the most impactful ten seconds you’ll ever spend as a parent.” turnonthesubtitles.org SPRING 2022

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THE SWITCH TO OFFERING OUTDOOR CLASSES WAS INSPIRED BY STUDENTS

Great outdoors

Sutton High Prep School is taking class outside, with a new purpose-built space inspired by its pupils’ desire to connect with nature

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LE A R N I N G S PAC E S

Small adjustments – wellies have now become part of the school uniform – accommodate the switch to outdoor learning

ome rain or shine, Sutton High Prep School, Surrey will teach all pupils outside in a purpose-built outdoor classroom at least once a week. This change was inspired by its children, who said that walks they took during lockdown had made them calmer, happier and more able to concentrate. They also said that they wanted lessons that connected more with the environment and nature. Sutton High Prep has begun the multi-millionpound extension to its buildings informed by these design ideas from its 4 to 11 year olds. “Just prior to the pandemic, we initiated a teaching programme called Brains Matter, in which

TEACHERS ARE EXPLORING HOW OUTDOOR ELEMENTS CAN BE USED TO ENRICH THE CORE CURRICULUM

every morning children were asked to chart their emotional barometers and understand how and when their moods change and why. We also had weekly assemblies about how the brain works,” says Headteacher Anne Musgrove. “This stood the girls in great stead when the pandemic hit because throughout lockdown, they were able to notice when they felt better and why – and it was invariably when they were outside, immersed in the environment.” This knowledge translated into action when physical school returned. “When pupils returned to school and we were at the beginning of our planning stages for the extension, it became clear that they were now unhappy with being stuck inside all week. Combined with the obvious mitigations to the spread of Covid that being outside presents, along with the benefits of increased exposure to natural sunlight and vitamin D, it seemed like the obvious thing to pivot more towards outdoor learning,” adds Anne Musgrove. The plan is that at first children will all have at least one lesson a week outdoors. These will happen in all weathers so small adjustments – wellies have now become part of the school uniform – accommodate the switch. While they are there, they will also be able to learn plant and wildlife names, conservation skills and meteorology. “As teachers research how they can use the environment to enrich more formal teaching, from maths and biology to history to art, they will use it more frequently.”

Sutton High Prep believes this extension is a golden opportunity to positively contribute towards children’s health and wellbeing. With some sobering statistics being delivered in the aftermath of the pandemic, this makes sense. Other factors contribute to good health too – being in the great outdoors is an antidote to children’s sedentary lives. The Look Out, as it will be known, will be an outdoor terrace that accommodates up to 24 children. The floor will have a graphic paving system for outdoor maths, while planters will feature fruit and vegetables grown by the children and a compost making facility will be close by. The building project, to be completed in September, will also include more indoor classrooms, but only natural materials will be used to replicate a feeling of being in nature as much as possible. As part of that, the school is moving away from bright colours and increasing focus on more calming decor that includes plants and greenery. Indoor classrooms will open directly onto a newly planted woodland area, with free flow between the areas. “As 20th century educationalist Margaret McMillan, who was light years ahead of her time, once said: ‘The best kept classroom and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky’. I think it took the pandemic to make us think more about these words,” says Anne Musgrove. “The result is an education that incorporates and works within nature because that’s what makes pupils happy.” SPRING 2022

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Happy PARENTING Parenting is not child's play, as Nadim Saad would be the ﬁrst to admit, but his company has strategies and tools that make it a whole lot easier. We ﬁnd out more Wo r d s L I B BY N O R M A N

adim Saad is recounting the experience of a friend – he’s laughing. “So, this guy works for a major international bank, and he’s managing a team of around 100 people. Then when he arrives home after a day at the office, he’s faced with this two-year-old going, ‘NO, Daddy!’.” The feisty non-compliance and implacable conviction of a tiny toddler overwhelms one great big adult – an all-too-familiar scenario played out in homes up and down the land. Here, in a nutshell, is one of the biggest issues for parents. We may be at the top of our game in our professional lives and know exactly how to manage complex situations at work, but that doesn’t translate to family life. We come into parenting feeling almost as innocent as the newborn placed in our trembling hands, and the sense of responsibility – the feeling of not being equipped – overwhelms nearly all of us at some point. This is where The Happy Confident Company comes in. Nadim Saad and team have taken strategies proven to work in business and applied them to parenting. This has some very obvious benefits when you’re explaining the principles. “Anyone who has

worked in a business environment, worked as part of a team, immediately thinks: ‘I have to do this as part of my job – It’s so logical – how did I do anything different?’,” he says. Saad speaks to lots of parents – working with corporates, schools and individuals – and very often one of the first comments he hears is: ‘now you’re going to make me feel guilty’. Guilt is common, but we have bigger issues to contend with. We all come to the business of raising a brood with baggage. Our tendency is to replicate the approaches from our own childhoods, and that includes tactics our parents used on us that never worked. This is also one reason parenting remains an all too frequent battleground among couples. Saad says that three quarters of couples have conflicts around parenting style and, guess what, in over half the arguments the issue centres around discipline. Some parents get into ‘good cop, bad cop’ roles that make both sides unhappy and children confused. It’s worth understanding a little more about Nadim Saad’s own experiences as a parent as these have underpinned The Happy Confident Company’s approach. The father of three children, he’s refreshingly honest about his past failings – describing himself as the authoritarian one in the family dynamic.

FEELIT! HELPS CHILDREN UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS

His style was, he recalls, similar to the strict approach of his own childhood. He also didn’t have much faith in parenting manuals. “I was the kind of guy who thought, ‘I do that OK so why would I do anything different’,” he says. There were several things that led to Saad’s decision that he wasn’t doing OK. First were

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PA R E NTI N G

THE HAPPY CONFIDENT COMPANY’S NADIM SAAD

watershed moments with his children that set seeds of doubt. This then sparked further exploration of parenting theories. Ultimately, he began working on his own patterns of behaviour (including undertaking Hoffman Process therapy), to reappraise his approach. “I realised all my reactions were creating a lack of safety for my children. When you can be this loving parent one minute and then suddenly switch to shouting it causes issues.” What happens when parents are inconsistent – individually or as a couple – is that children don’t know where the solid ground is. Then they don’t feel safe. Developing that sense of safe ground – via tools and strategies that can be used as a family – is what The Happy Confident Company does. With psychologists as part of the team, it has developed parent-child online courses. There are journals designed for young children up to teenagers, with exercises to help them express themselves, build self-belief and regulate feelings. Then there’s a brilliant

game called FEELIt!, suitable for wholefamily play, that helps young children learn the names of different emotions. It employs the approach of ‘name it to tame it’ coined by psychiatrist Dr Dan Siegel. Now similar principles are being developed as a FEELIt! programme currently being piloted in schools. Saad believes families change outcomes by changing behaviour patterns. So, what are some business-style strategies that help? First is giving children a sense of agency over their own lives through choices. “It’s giving children the impression that they are driving their own lives, but with our help, coaching

and support,” he says. This strategy is all about questions. “Replace commands as far as possible with questions. With younger children (from as young as 18 months), you can present simple choices. Would you rather leave the park in five minutes or ten minutes?” Of course, as they grow, these choices become more complex, but always framed by parents. Another thing Saad recommends is to give children a sense of responsibility for their behaviours. “About 95% of what we say to our children on a daily basis is something we’ve said hundreds of times before. So instead of telling them every time to wash

“ W E MAY BE AT T H E TOP OF OUR GAME I N OU R COMP LEX WOR K ING LI FE , BU T T H AT DOE S N’ T T RANSLATE TO A S MOOT H FAMI LY LI F E ” SPRING 2022

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Devonshire House Preparatory School

Outstanding prep and pre-prep in Hampstead, with its own nursery

Open Mornings: Thursday 28th April and Tuesday 10th May 2022 To register for an open morning please visit our website or contact Admissions

Tel: 020 7435 1916 Email: enquiries@dhprep.co.uk Website: www.devonshirehouseschool.co.uk DEVONSHIRE_HOUSE_ABS_FP_PREP_APR22.indd 1

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PA R E NTI N G

“ M OST CO U PL E S H AVE CONFLI CTS A R O U N D PA R E N T I NG ST YLE – I N OVER H A L F T H E A R GU MENTS T H E I S S U E C E N T R E S AROU ND DI SC I P LI NE ” THE JOURNALS HELP YOUNG PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND DEVELOP SELF-BELIEF

their hands before coming to the table, you ask them, ‘have you done what you were supposed to do before coming to the table?’.” So what about when children don’t do as asked? “You can remind them. Then you can add a consequence, but they choose the consequence,” says Saad. (Interestingly, children usually come up with much harsher punishments than parents would.) What’s important here is that they are not being berated or cajoled but shown

how to do the right thing, what happens when they don’t and the route to better outcomes. “There are a lot of parallels with business leadership,” he says. “It’s about creating a sense of purpose.” He adds that children invariably want to be good – and crave parental approval. Another great tool for ensuring a more harmonious life at home is regular family meetings. Rather like business meetings, these discuss the successes, the challenges, and then

the strategies for tomorrow. “First of all, it’s about feeling good as a family – sharing compliments and appreciating each other – and then problem solving,” says Saad. “Everyone, even from the age of three, can come up with ideas for how to deal with things better as a family.” One thing all these family strategies do is improve children’s sense of connectedness, which is vitally important to their sense of safety. They also help to minimise meltdown moments – what Saad describes as ‘fight or flight’ mode. The well-timed and appropriate question or calm discussion reconnects a child with the thinking part of their brain. “Our role as parents is to connect our children to their pre-frontal cortex, the part which continues developing until the age of 24-25, because that’s what allows long-term thinking, that’s what enables them to become more responsible.” Nadim Saad believes we are moving towards a much fuller understanding of what children need, and the pandemic has shone a light on the importance of open discussion of feelings. He hopes the pilot of FEELIt! in schools builds on this systemic shift. And his response to all those guilty parents out there is simple. “Don’t go down into the guilt cycle. Let’s all do the best we can – everyone doing the best they can at every moment.” With The Happy Confident Company’s approach, we now have tools and strategies to do even better. happyconfident.com SPRING 2022

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Where Bright Minds Excel

Please join us for one of our Open House events at our Belgravia or Clapham sites. To find out more, please scan our QR code or contact Miss Sam Feilding, Head of Admissions, on 0203 917 5050 for details. Boys’ Schools 4-13yrs & Girls’ School 4-11yrs

Celebrating 125 years of excellence

3-5 Eaton Gate, London SW1W 9BA 58 Clapham Common Northside, London SW4 9RU EATON_FP_ABS_ED_SPRING_APR22_v2.indd 1 Absolutely21 Full Page 210mm(w) x 260mm(h) 03.03.22.indd 1

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PA RTN E R S H I P

diagnostic services. We also provide a rapid access service for many specialities, and same day appointments are available.

SAFETY AND SUPPORT ARE TOP PRIORITIES AT THE PORTLAND HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Children FIRST Clinical Nurse Manager at The Portland Hospital Angela Chan explains more about its health care for babies, children and families What ages does the paediatric service at The Portland Hospital cover? We offer the full breadth of services for children and young people aged 0-17. As the UK’s largest private children’s hospital, we have exceptional resources. Our care is delivered by leading consultant paediatricians and specialist surgeons, alongside an expert team of nurses and healthcare professionals. What consultancy and treatments are available to children and families? As part of HCA Healthcare UK, we provide both complex and acute children’s healthcare through a comprehensive paediatric network. This complex medical care and surgery is supported by our children’s wards and Paediatric ICU.

We are also internationally renowned for our maternity and women’s health care – so this is a centre of excellence dedicated to supporting family health. How do families get advice or a second opinion for a child’s injury or condition? The Portland Hospital’s team of specialists combine unrivalled expertise and an abundance of compassion to support you. Importantly, we have the technology and facilities to treat your child or young adult. From preparing them for investigative procedures and treatment, through to theatre, recovery and beyond, we go the extra mile to ensure that babies, children and adolescents in our care feel understood and cared for. Our imaging department provides a wide range of

What about concerns where parents need a rapid diagnosis and treatment? The Paediatric Urgent Care Centre (UCC) here at The Portland Hospital provides a service from 7am to 8pm every day of the week. This service covers urgent conditions – including minor ailments or injuries that parents feel need attention and advice. We offer care and treatment across all medical specialities, including minor head injury, reflux, wound care, minor burns, earaches, fever, acute sore throat, vomiting and diarrhoea. This is currently an appointment-only service, but we know how important it is to get help and reassurance fast – we are usually able to offer same-day appointments if you call us. How do families access your specialist paediatric consultant services? It’s a straightforward process to arrange a consultation with one of our Specialist Paediatric Consultants by visiting our website for advice and bookings. You can also speak to one of our team in our Contact Centre to discuss an appointment. How do you reassure children and families who feel anxious? Our first priority is keeping everyone in our care safe. From infection control protocols and temperature checks to staggered hospital appointments, every measure is taken to ensure you feel supported and secure. We pride ourselves on offering the highest standards of care, always going the extra mile to make parents and children feel comfortable within our hospitals and facilities. Above all else, our purpose here at The Portland Hospital for Women and Children is to deliver extraordinary care to our patients and their families. Urgent Care Centre for Children, Ground Floor, The Portland Hospital, 234 Great Portland St, London W1W 5QT 020 3993 2255 • portlandhospital.com AUTUMN / WINTER SPRING 2020 2022

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Mighty OAKS

A parent at Knightsbridge School explains the inspiration behind a mighty oak forest being planted in Scotland and made up of acorns grown and nurtured by school pupils Wo r d s : H A R R Y S C R Y M G E O U R

s for many of us, the Covid pandemic and the various lockdowns gave me a chance to slow down and reflect, and I have been lucky enough to do much of this surrounded by trees. After my mother died, in the spring of 2019, I started to get involved with the running of a farm in Scotland. I spent much of my childhood on this farm, but it wasn’t until successive lockdowns – finding myself walking around this collection of fields and woodlands, marvelling at the unfurling of spring in front of me – that I began to truly fall in love with it.

I realised how little I knew about agriculture and forestry. I could do the basics but couldn’t really tell many different tree species apart. I found a useful app and began educating myself and I can now proudly distinguish an English Oak (Quercus robur) from our more native Scottish variety (petraea). In the second half of the 20th century, most commercial forestry in the UK focused on fast growing non-native softwoods like Sitka, Norway spruce or Douglas fir. In 2020, we embarked on a new forestry plan focusing on 38

planting native species, particularly broadleaf or hardwood trees. We also aim to turn an extra 100 acres of farmland into forest, which will mean planting some 150,000 trees over the coming years. This year, we will plant 60,000 saplings, sourced mainly from local tree nurseries. The idea for a Knightsbridge School forest started when my son joined the school. Like many parents, I feel that connecting children to nature is more important than ever. I see the way my son develops and grows, running in the woods. The first seeds of this idea were planted by Magoo Giles, the Principal at Knightsbridge School (KS). I showed him a picture of an acorn growing in an oak vase. I was planning to donate it to my son’s classroom and Magoo asked me to come back with one for every classroom at the school. These are very special vases, designed by my friend, Ed Spurr, that allow you to see the early stages of a tree’s growth from germinated acorn to sapling. You not only witness the development of the stem of the tree and its first leaves but also the exploratory root that

“I N 5 0 YEARS’ T IM E , I F A T REE H AS G ROWN I N T H E MI ND OF A PUPIL , T H EY CAN T RAVEL U P TO SCOT LAND TO FI ND T H EI R TOW ER ING OAK T REE AND LIE I N I TS S H ADE ”

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would otherwise be obscured below ground. Once the tree has reached a certain size it can be removed from the vase and potted in a planter until it is strong enough to plant outside. The idea is simple: KS pupils gather acorns from Hyde Park every year, germinate those acorns in their classrooms and, after a couple of years, those new oak saplings are transported to Scotland and planted, gradually building a KS oak forest over the coming years. By having an acorn growing in each classroom the children can

feel connected with the process of germination. They can watch the miracle of life take place right in front of them. This spring we are potting the saplings that have grown already. KS is very keen to involve its partner schools – Ashburnham and Marlborough primary schools – so next autumn our plan is to give every class at these schools an acorn vase so that they, too, can grow their own oak saplings for the KS forest. Once we have planted the first saplings in a couple of years’ time, we will share a digital mark (GPS

Fe ature

location) so the pupils can check on their trees if they want to. Maybe, in 50 years’ time, if a tree has grown in the mind of a pupil, they can travel up to find their towering oak tree and lie in its shade. Knightsbridge School has become, in a tiny but real way, a nursery for a forest. In just a few years, the trees will be a substantial little woodland. I have no doubt that these oaks, grown amongst the laughter of children at KS and its partner schools, will become the healthiest and strongest trees we plant.

SPRING 202 2

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A NURTURING PREP & PRE-PREP THAT DELIVERS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, OUTSTANDING SCHOLARSHIP, & STRENGTH OF CHARACTER.

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CREATIVE FLOW p . 52 • SMART ARTS p . 62 • MATH S CHAM PION p . 6 6

CAPITAL BENEFITS NORTH BRIDGE HOUSE PUPILS PLAY ON HALLOWED GROUND Page 42

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NORTH BRIDGE HOUSE PUPILS

CAPITAL

GAINS

London is a hub for culture, civic life and business, so going to school here brings added value. We explore some of the beneﬁts of a capital education Wo r d s L I B BY N O R M A N

ometime around March 2020 it felt as if the world was tilting on its axis from urban to pastoral. All talk was of a move to the country, the pursuit of open spaces and a quiet life of baking sourdough. But, as life settles back onto a more familiar plane, the streets of our first city are looking busy again. London schools and their pupils carried on through the worst of pandemic times, and educators did a superb job keeping pupils feeling secure, as well as intellectually stimulated, in a city that suddenly felt unfamiliar because of the silence. It is worth remembering that many of our top national performers – both independent and state – have long been located in the capital. These schools tap into more than the obvious resources; there are some surprising advantages when you're close to the heart of the metropolis. So, as the buzz returns to London, we gather perspectives on what a capital location brings to enrich school life and learning.

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F E ATU R E

PRINCE’S GARDENS PREP PUPILS

CULTURE ON TAP

When you go to school in London you're never far from a cultural treasure. For Prince's Gardens Preparatory School, the treasure chest is spilling over. Located in a quiet square in Kensington, it is only a five-minute walk (even for the smallest pupil) from the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A. This means that trips to the great national museums are not an occasional expedition but a regular and immersive experience that can be fitted into an afternoon. The team at Prince's Gardens use this ever-changing display of themes and objects to inspire all sorts of learning activities. It also helps to embed classroom teaching because an adventurous afternoon outing makes any topic come to life in fresh ways. Recent examples include a visit to the V&A to support a Year 1 topic on Islam. Children looked around the Jameel Gallery and focused on masterpieces such as the Ardabil Carpet. Then they went back to class to create their own versions of this ancient masterpiece. Year 5 pupils recently headed to a lesser-known repository, the National Army Museum in Chelsea, to get deeper insights into their RPPS HEAD CARL HOWES

topic of World War II. They were able to analyse artefacts and discover what the objects were used for – all enhancing their understanding of the realities of a momentous time in global history. For Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School (RPPS), located in west London and part of the Gardener Schools Group, WWT London Wetland Centre and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are a stone’s throw away, allowing pupils to take science and nature lessons out of the laboratory and into the real world. To enrich the RE curriculum, pupils have visited the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, the Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon, and St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith. While the school regularly makes the short journey to the major museums, galleries and theatres, this quarter of London is its own distinct 'cultural village'. For instance, when it comes to theatre, the Lyric in Hammersmith is within walking distance and other brilliant local hubs – including the Rose in Kingston and Orange Tree in Richmond – offer a wide range of drama opportunities. Local is also something that North Bridge House taps into. The six schools in the group, covering nursery to 18, are in north London cultural hotspots – Hampstead, Canonbury and Regent's Park. This makes them close to central treasures but also means stellar places on their doorstep. This is something that North Bridge

Trips to the great national museums are not an occasional expedition but a regular and immersive experience that can be fitted into an afternoon

House takes full advantage of. Its pupils in Hampstead can walk in the footsteps of literary and artistic giants just by taking an enrichment walk around the neighbourhood (just count the blue plaques), and with Burgh House, Keats House Museum and many other gems to tap into for study and cultural enrichment. North Bridge House Canonbury has developed strong links with the Estorick Collection (specialising in modern Italian art) and recently Year 12 not only went to see a new exhibition but took a special tour narrated entirely in Italian. Younger pupils used the same exhibition to inspire artworks. This 'insider's viewpoint' is one of the great bonuses of London school life – special relationships are formed and, be it a local or national cultural institution, these can be used to enhance students' learning experience and cultural awareness. SPRING 2022

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An Independent Prep School for Boys & Girls aged 3-13

Dolphin School inspires a love of learning that lasts a lifetime … Please visit our website to learn more, or contact Kate Spooner admissions@dolphinschool.com www.dolphinschool.com 0118 934 1277 Waltham Road, Hurst, Berkshire, RG10 0FR DOLPHIN_PREP_Spring22.indd 1

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F E ATU R E

NORTH BRIDGE HOUSE HAS CENTRAL LOCATIONS

CULTURAL LEARNING FOR RAVENSCOURT PARK PREP

Pupils go white-water rafting at The London 2012 Olympics site and play cricket at hallowed Lord’s SPACE TO ROAM

While London is busy and built up, it's unusual for any city for its multiple parks and green spaces. And some of the best of them are on the doorstep for North Bridge House. Hampstead Heath is well-used by its Hampstead schools, which also have an exceptional sports hall on site, while Regent's Park is playtime location and sports 'home ground' for fixtures for North Bridge House Prep Regent's Park, as well as being handy for the Canonbury Senior. Pupils also make use of the other exceptional activity spaces that London offers – for instance, Canonbury pupils go white-water rafting and mountain biking at

world-class London 2012 Olympics facilities in the Lea Valley and Prep pupils play cricket at hallowed Lord's. Ravenscourt Park Prep has a generous playground and sports hall, but alongside Kew Gardens and London Wetlands Centre, it has privileged access to a plethora of exceptional west London green spaces, not least the borough flagship Ravenscourt Park right next door. This Green Flag park offers 20 acres of space to roam in its walled gardens, wildlife and play areas and paddling pool. There's even a beach here for the summer. School sports, including tennis and basketball,

can take place in the park, along with fun events such as whole-class picnics. Prince's Gardens Prep has Hyde Park – one of London's finest green spaces – right on the doorstep, but also an amazing two-acre private walled garden that is the pride of the school. Safe and secluded, and with shade from fine old trees, it is used for forest school for the youngest pupils and play and learning throughout the year for everyone. Children keep wellies at the school so that every day can be an outdoor day. The garden is a resource for everything from Stylist Club (using natural materials to create fashion) and Gardening Club, to birdwatching, painting and science and nature lessons. SPRING 2022

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F E ATU R E

SPECIAL VISITORS AT RAVENSCOURT PARK PREP

REAL-WORLD IMMERSION

One huge advantage for all London schools is the free flow of ideas and privileged access to a huge breadth of resources, thanks to so many expert voices in cultural, civic and business life in the capital. This is something that touches schoolchildren from their very earliest years – whether it's taking a school trip round the corner to buy seeds and plant pots (something North Bridge House Nursery pupils do), learning an instrument guided by a recent Royal College of Music graduate (Prince's Gardens Prep) or hearing from leading TV presenters as part of journalism week activities (Ravenscourt Park Prep). This is where the 'buzz' of being in the capital comes into its own. Put simply, it's easier to find willing experts to enrich school learning if they happen to live and work close by. At Ravenscourt Park Prep, the team make full use of the wealth of expertise. For example, as part of its entrepreneurial week activities, small business leaders have talked to Year 6

Privileged access to so many expert voices in civic and business life is something that touches London schoolchildren from their very earliest years

pupils about turning an idea into a viable business. The school finds the concentration of business and university voices a real asset when it comes to developing themes PRINCE’S GARDENS PREP and presenting information in PUPILS GET OUTSIDE engaging and salient ways. Prince's Gardens Prep runs special career assemblies with guest speakers as part of 11+ preparation, inviting members even develop their own advocacy skills. Prep of the parent body and experts the school has School pupils also have a collaboration with reached out to. The menu of careers discussed ZSL London Zoo, enabling them to go behind is diverse, just like the student and staff body. the scenes, talk to experts in zoology and Similarly, North Bridge House Schools’ consider what more we can all do to conserve careers forums for Prep and Senior pupils wildlife and preserve our environment. tap into the expertise of the parent body Then there's resilience – something that – their wide-ranging jobs and connections is front of mind for all parents and educators give students a broad vision of local, national since the pandemic. It's a hard one to quantify, and global opportunities. The net can and there's no doubt that London students' be cast even wider via alumni. A famous immersion in a fast-paced environment art dealer attending a careers fair and exposes them to more ‘noise’, but it also gives then treating pupils to the sight of a real them added awareness of others, perhaps Picasso or Hockney as part of insights on more independence, and certainly a sense of working in the commercial art world is an the big wide world beyond the school gates. unforgettable way to imagine possibilities This, in turn, can help to build something beyond the more obvious career paths. every child needs: a growth mindset. "In order With all London schools, the exposure to believe that all pathways are open to them, to so many influences builds awareness. a child needs to see that ‘people like me can do North Bridge House Schools believes that that’. This means that schools need to ensure this also helps to open young people's that the topics that they teach, the books in eyes to interests they can take further their library, the displays in the corridors and and sustain for life, not just careers. the speakers that they invite into school, all Litter picking in nearby parks may reflect a fully diverse society," says Carl Howes, seem a small act in support of the local Headmaster of Ravenscourt Park Prep. "The community, but also inspires children beauty of being in London is that it makes it to think further about topics such possible to do this really well, thanks to the as resources and environmentalism – richness and diversity that the city offers.” SPRING 2022

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OPINION

ART SPARK

Hollie Slaughter of Lyndhurst House Prep discusses art's value in developing not only practical skills but also understanding of our own emotions

he arts are a part of our daily lives at Lyndhurst House. Whether it is admiring the displays around the school, appreciating, and talking about art in assemblies, making art during lessons and club activities or dropping into Creative Space during morning break, here everyone is involved. Art is an important part of the curriculum, and we also believe it makes life more manageable and enjoyable. It offers us a chance to make sense of the ever-changing world around us, giving us freedom to express ourselves and develop a deeper understanding of our emotions. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to our break times here at Lyndhurst House. A creative act such as crafting or drawing can help focus the mind. While many of the boys cannot wait for their chance to kick a football with their peers, others feel much more refreshed by the calming effects of painting or other creative arts, and we value that. Creative Space runs every morning break, allowing our boys an opportunity to come in and draw, paint, sculpt or get crafty. We have had a blast learning how to use sponges, sticks, bubble wrap, bottle tops and pretty much anything to create abstract expressionist work. We have learnt what colours complement each other and which ones muddy our work. We have also learnt how to make incredible pour paintings – we even got into the swing of things and splatter painting using a pendulum hung from the studio ceiling. Our Painting Club is rooted in art history. For instance, the boys learn about the original abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, as well as the lesser-known wild and wacky ways of modern-day painter Callen Schaub.

ART AT LYNDHURST HOUSE PREP

Art allows our boys to have a deeper understanding of their emotions and be open to innovative ideas and fresh experiences

Once a week, budding artists gather for Art Scholarship Club and determine their own theme to pursue. The club is designed as an exploratory space for boys who are particularly interested in visual art – seeing it as a firm basis for their future studies – and who are committed to improving and developing their art understanding and skills. The Art curriculum is carefully

crafted here, ensuring boys learn various drawing, painting, sculpting, designing, printing and mixed media techniques. We also ensure we expose them to essential knowledge and cultural capital. Art adds meaning and helps us understand our world, therefore it is an integral part of our philosophy at Lyndhurst House. It allows our boys to have a deeper understanding of their emotions. It increases their selfawareness and also enables them to be open to innovative ideas and fresh experiences.

H O L L I E S L AU G H T E R Head of Art Lyndhurst House Preparatory School

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OPINION

A good co-curriculum is about developing key skills of teamwork and leadership that will serve young people well at university and in the workplace

ARCHERY, PART OF THE FLOREAT CAROUSEL

Learning FOR LIFE

Lee Garwood of Farringtons School, Chislehurst discusses the benefits its Floreat programme has brought to student life and learning

t is a rare school that does not at least make passing reference in its mission statement to educating the whole child. But never has this independent school raison d’être been more important than it is now. Academic achievement matters, but parents know intuitively that happy, confident and articulate young people emerge from our schools thanks to a rich and varied co-curriculum. The Floreat Activities programme here at Farringtons School offers a hugely diverse menu of creative, sporting, more traditionally academic and wellbeing-focused pursuits. This is offered for all students in Years 7-12 within the existing timetable structure of a busy day and boarding school, ensuring equal importance for the co-curriculum. From beekeeping to mindfulness, scuba diving to public speaking, our aim is to create,

stretch and challenge, ensuring students are exposed to a wealth of opportunities. Floreat – translating as ‘let flourish’ – came about following an extensive curriculum review amid the 2020-21 Covid confusion. No substantial curriculum time was lost by any subject area across the school, allowing the scope to reimagine the co-curriculum. “This was a chance to be bold and ambitious and to give students something completely new as part of the school day,” says Farringtons’ Headteacher David Jackson. The ambitious gamble has paid off in terms of student buy-in and parental satisfaction. In what is a situation mirrored across the country, many parents report that the challenges of the pandemic have led to reduction in the available time for them to enrich their child’s interests beyond school. They know that our children, now more than ever, need to be engaged in pursuits that broaden horizons and enrich

souls – and enable them to let off steam. Years Seven and Eight spend two periods of 55 minutes on Friday afternoons immersed in their Floreat Carousel. Through half termly rotations this offers activities as diverse as the STEM Crest Award, First Aid, Music Technology, Podcasting and Archery lessons. “Like lots of young people up and down the country, what our students really missed was daily school life and the chance to try new things. Floreat has so quickly become part of the language and fabric of the school. Students understand its value and look forward to their weekly slots,” says Ruth Azulay, the school’s Floreat Coordinator. The Farringtons Floreat programme offers choice and independence, a chance to make mistakes and to learn from them. At a time when the school environment can feel more high stakes than ever, a good co-curriculum is about more than just a list of clubs and societies. It is about developing key skills of teamwork and leadership that will serve young people well, both at university and in the workplace.

L E E G A R WO O D Assistant Head, Curriculum Farringtons School

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CREATIVE

FLOW

The right mix of creative teaching builds empathy, collaboration and reﬂection – as well as supporting wellbeing. So how do schools develop children’s enthusiasm and ability across the arts? We speak to leading independents to ﬁnd out

OAK H AM SC H OO L

THE ARTS ARE CENTRAL TO LIFE AT OAKHAM, WITH OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES

connected curriculum is the approach at Oakham, along with a broad foundation to enable children to discover their passions. Art, Design Technology, Drama and Music lessons are all on the weekly timetable until the end of Year 9. “The arts aren’t tucked away in a corner; they’re integrated into everything we do and are shared widely across our campus,” says Leo Dudin, Deputy Head Academic. “Through our International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP), we give pupils context to their work,” he adds. An example would be a recent project around immigration. This saw pupils illustrating the journeys refugees often have to make when leaving their country, and it became a compelling way to bring a ‘live issue’ into sharp focus. Notably, most Creative and Performing Arts teachers here still practise in their area of expertise. Exceptional facilities – and the fact that this is a co-ed school – means students also have what Leo Dudin describes as “breadth of opportunity”. 52

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C R E ATIVIT Y

QUEEN’S COLLEGE, TAUNTON ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO DEVELOP SKILLS AND PERSPECTIVES

House theatre productions take place in the school’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre – and pupils performing may range from Drama Scholars to acting beginners. The same happens across other disciplines. “Virtuoso musicians play concerts one day and novices take to the stage the next; and in Art and Design Technology, degree-standard exhibitions are on display while newcomers explore the challenges of ceramic sculpture, paint or electronics,” says Leo Dudin. There’s an extensive activities programme – everything from Street Dance to engineering sessions in the DT Department. Director of Art Elinor Brass has no doubts about the value of creative opportunities. “Art helps students to find their voice and to understand who they are, what they connect with, what they don’t. It presents a freedom to explore new things, things that have not been made yet.” Events and trips are also an important element in arts delivery. “We tap into both local and wider resources,” says James Robinson, Oakham’s Deputy Head Co-curriculum. This includes trips to galleries and exhibition spaces, plus an annual visit to a great supporter of the school’s work – fashion designer, Sir Paul Smith. In DT, recent outside experiences have included a trip to Morgan Motor Company and, more locally, Rutland Plastics. At the annual Oakham Students Arts Festival, pupils direct and perform plays, and there are annual trips to Shakespeare’s Globe to give students wider perspectives. There are also exciting cross-curricular opportunities to explore, says Leo Dudin. The school is currently working on an interdisciplinary project combining DT with Biology and History to review the history of medical devices. “This is the first of its kind at Oakham School and demonstrates how certain subjects can go hand in hand with the arts and can complement each other well,” he adds.

“Art helps students to find their voice and to understand who they are, what they connect with, what they don’t. It presents a freedom to explore”

QUEEN’S CO LLEG E , TAU NTO N

he Art facilities at Queen’s College, Taunton are designed to feed a creative mind. The school has a bespoke Art Department building offering an elevated view of the school grounds and flooded with natural light. The team here are practising artists, which also helps to inspire students. The curriculum is broad, and the school has a strong track record of helping young talent head on to specialist universities and colleges, including Central Saint Martins. A robust co-curricular programme includes ceramics and theatre prop making, supporting work going on across Drama and Music Departments. Working with other academic departments adds

further variety and insight. Head of Art Rebecca Cade says a recent collaboration with the Biology Department produced wonderfully detailed photographs and sketches of hearts. Visiting local artists offer workshops and insight, sharing their experiences with students. Somerset Arts Week presents further opportunities for contact with professional artists, while visits to galleries present wider perspectives. Students also display their work to a public audience – end-of-year exhibitions are particularly well attended. Rebecca Cade believes the value of Arts education is also in the breadth it presents – giving students’ awareness and knowledge of the exciting world beyond school. That, in turn, encourages their own endeavours. “Young people gain so much from studying the arts – they learn to think in a different way, developing a deep appreciation of the visual. This further encourages analytical skills, which can be applied and enjoyed throughout life in so many ways. Creativity feeds possibilities and innovation,” says Rebecca Cade. SPRING 2022

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“Ralph Steadman has given his name to RIC’s arts scholarship competition”

THE ARTS ARE FRONT AND CENTRE AT RIC

ROC H E STE R I N D E PE N D E NT CO LLEG E (R I C)

t RIC, in Rochester, Kent, the arts are front and centre, as evidenced by its recent ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Fine Arts, competing against almost 600 independent schools from across the UK. The judges’ summing up described RIC as: ‘an inspiration to the whole sector’, also noting the way in which visual arts and personal development permeate all aspects of school life. Proximity to London and other vibrant arts centres such as Margate – and the school’s location in a part of the world well known for its artistic bent – give lots of scope for students here to see the potential across the creative fields. But a key factor in the school’s approach is the way in which 54

Art is treated as a core subject from Years 7 to 9. After that, young people have lots of opportunities to take their skills further and specialise at GCSE and A level – with courses including Textiles, Ceramics, Graphic Design and Photography on the list, alongside more mainstream creative arts options. While everyone at RIC has the opportunity to develop creative pathways as careers, the school also focuses on the benefits the arts bring. For instance, therapeutic pottery workshops were introduced for both staff and students last year to help everyone feel grounded, while online art competitions helped young people maintain a sense of community and togetherness during periods of remote schooling. RIC staff and student cohorts include many prize-winning artists (and all art department members are practising creatives), but the school continually refreshes the way teaching and learning are delivered to keep pace with a fast-moving arts environment. In 2019, it introduced A-level Digital Media & Design, and this has quickly become

one of the most popular subjects. Digital Arts are now offered from Year 7 and span digital photography, moving image through film and animation, and mobile and multimedia applications – including games design. Illustrator Ralph Steadman has given his name to RIC’s arts scholarship competition – the third award was made in September 2020. This competition offers a two-year full scholarship for A levels at RIC to a local student with outstanding creative potential who otherwise would not be able to access independent education. Rochester College takes its role in the town community seriously, showcasing student artwork in community hubs and hosting an annual summer show and exhibition at local gallery spaces. This enables students to contribute – they even curate the photography hanging in the local Pizza Express and a popular local barber’s shop. The school is a keen supporter of Rochester’s 2025 City of Culture bid and its landmark campus entrance, The Flying Pig Musical Gates, is as celebrated locally as the many students who go on to make their name in creative fields.

STUDENTS MAKE REGULAR TRIPS TO CREATIVE HOTSPOTS

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CREATIVE ARTS ARE POPULAR AT QUEEN ANNE’S

QUEEN ANNE’S SC H OO L

he arts are an integral part of the curriculum throughout Key Stage Three and Four at Queen Anne’s School in Caversham. Students take lessons in Music and Music Technology in an impressive MAC suite. Drama takes place in a purpose-built theatre, The Performing Arts Centre. Students have the opportunity to take part in a vast array of co-curricular activities, including ceramics, print making, music lessons, music theory and life drawing. Music is a particularly strong element at the school, with 15 music ensembles and choirs each week. QAS Fest and Arts Week happens at the end of every academic year and bring together drama, art, music and dance via a drama production, art display, daily concerts and a professional concert by composer Graham Fitkin. The week culminates with an open-air

performance by various bands and soloists and with a range of fun activities that everyone can get involved in. The school’s proximity to London, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon means students can visit theatres and galleries every term. Building these opportunities into subjects and areas they are studying also gives enrichment opportunities to broaden understanding. A-level Art students recently visited St Ives for a weekend of painting and gallery visits, while Music scholars are soon off to New York to take part in a joint art and music tour, supporting their GCSE and A-level work, but also offering memorable performance opportunities. The school believes that students benefit from wide and broad exposure to the arts in all their forms – and keep an eye on trends affecting young people. For instance, reading is experiencing a real period of popularity at the moment, with social media platforms encouraging a new generation of bookworms. Tik Tok’s BookTok or Instagram’s #shelfie are bringing books to the attention of young people in new and exciting ways. Head of Teaching and Learning Anna

C R E ATIVIT Y

Spellman is a huge supporter of this particular social media trend. “Reading literature is an absolute joy: it’s one of life’s great pleasures and I believe, more than ever, it provides a calm in an often hectic, noisy world,” she says. “I think we are succeeding in teaching them that reading matters and it is to be enjoyed!” All students at Queen Anne’s value participation in music, art, drama and dance and aim high. The Scholars programme across music, drama and art exposes them to professionals in the field, as well as to larger audiences. Recently, a QAS art student achieved ‘Best in Show’ at the Foundation Art Exhibition, while several music students have recently taken their music diplomas. Students regularly enjoy lectures and seminars given by staff from university music faculties. This September the school will host the Scriabin 150 Music Analysis Conference, attended by academics from around the world. More generally, there is a real love among students when it comes to making music. “You can’t walk through the Quad without hearing sensational music pouring out of the music practice rooms and, whilst teaching in the Space, I often observe our pupils running with enthusiasm towards the PAC,” says Anna Spellman. “In how many schools do pupils run to get to their lessons faster?”

MUSIC IS A VIBRANT ELEMENT OF SCHOOL LIFE

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EMANUEL SC H OO L

manuel School in Battersea has a strong tradition in the arts. “Our last ISI inspection reported that ‘pupils’ creative achievements, notably in art, drama and music, are exceptional’, and this is down to the huge variety of creative opportunities on offer to pupils,” says Julia Johnson, Director of Teaching and Learning. Arts highlights include the annual musical – this year, School of Rock. This show featured a cast of around 90 pupils on stage, with a further 20 in stage management roles and a live orchestral accompaniment from pupils. Arts teaching is comprehensive across the board. For instance, a team of 22 visiting professional teachers deliver approximately 350 individual music lessons at the school every week. “We are particularly proud to be situating ourselves at the forefront of contemporary music by offering DJ-ing lessons and music production masterclasses with industry professionals. If you wish to create a club remix, Emanuel is the place to learn how!” says Julia Johnson. In art, achievement is facilitated by the aspirational approach, which encourages experimentation with a wide range of media and with reference to both artists down the

SINGING PRACTICE AT EMANUEL SCHOOL

EXPERIMENTATION IS ENCOURAGED IN ART

ages and contemporary practitioners. One of the biggest benefits as far as Emanuel is concerned is that arts provide a space for young people in a challenging, fast-changing and often stressful world. “One of the most important experiences which pupils derive from their involvement in the arts is ‘flow’, the term Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined to describe a state of complete absorption in a task, and the resultant feelings of happiness and self-efficacy which derive from this,” says Julia Johnson. One pioneering approach at the school is that pupils become teachers via its award-winning Primary Ambitions project. Every year, over the course of 20 weeks, 270 local primary school pupils attend Emanuel to be taught by Lower Sixth students. With 18 courses offered – from filmmaking to DT – it’s an enriching experience for everyone involved. Emanuel offers lots of access to London’s cultural riches, with regular trips to galleries, museums and performance spaces. Pupils can participate in drawing masterclasses, and have the opportunity to display their own artwork at London galleries alongside the work of their peers at schools in the United Westminster

& Grey Coat Foundation. While the Emanuel music tour is scheduled to touch down in Paris this summer, closerto-home opportunities include ‘Night at the Musicals’ at the Clapham Grand, where its school choir is accompanied by a professional West End band. There are also rock and pop concerts at the Half Moon in Putney and Omeara in London Bridge, while budding DJs take to the decks at Ministry of Sound. Many leavers go on to pursue their passions in the arts, but Emanuel’s approach reaches out to all pupils. Cross-curricular opportunities abound in activities such as Coding Club or the ‘Maths Art’ competition. “Another phenomenal intersection of visual and verbal artistry is emu, a magazine written, designed and edited by pupils,” says Julia Johnson. Students also show their creative bent via Emanuel News – bulletins they create and distribute via the school’s social media channels. “These pupils will be entering a world where creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and communication are key to being able to adapt in a rapidly-changing workplace,” says Julia Johnson. “The artistic projects they enjoy so much are essential training for this environment.”

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ST CO LU M BA’ S SC H OO L

t St Columba’s School in St Albans, there is a strong emphasis on showcasing the breadth of creative opportunities. “We have done our utmost to use the extracurricular programme to inspire and educate students,” says Art Subject Leader Kelli Seagrave. “We have had artists in school to demonstrate skills and practices in their line of creative visual work, including Sonia Leong, Martin Impey and Jenny Saville.” Art students go on regular field trips to working artists’ galleries and other fine art trails and events. The

St Columba’s approach is that this is a subject that enhances students’ achievement across the board. “It enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, lateral thinking, complex analysis and critical thinking skills,” says Kelli Seagrave. “No matter what career you choose, those who can arrange, present and display material in a way that is aesthetically pleasing have an advantage.” Rebecca Barley, the school’s Subject Leader for English, sees huge value in students’ study of both language and literature – not least clarity and questioning and challenging ideas. She also notes the value of literature for drawing out empathy and for: “being able to respectfully acknowledge differences”. With good links to London, St Columba’s takes advantage of all that it offers in terms of cultural events,

“St Columba’s art students go on regular field trips to working artists’ galleries, and also participate in other fine art trails and events”

C R E ATIVIT Y

as well as tapping into more local resources. “All of these activities are to help students appreciate the relevance and importance of English in the ‘real’ world,” says Rebecca Barley. There are a variety of arts events that punctuate the year. House Public Speaking offers students the opportunity to deliver a speech on a subject they are passionate about – from political to personal. “They rise to the occasion each year magnificently,” says Rebecca Barley. The inter-House Eisteddfod every April brings together the entire Senior School, culminating in ‘The House Shout’ – a singalong in the main school hall. The school recently appointed its first Head of Drama and has launched Drama & Theatre Studies at A level. Regardless of their dramatic leanings, students are encouraged to get involved in the hugely popular annual school production. This gives the opportunity to act, sing and dance or contribute backstage. Recently, the school made its first film, The Wind in the Willows, created with a professional film crew and with a world premiere at the Odyssey independent cinema in the heart of St Albans.

FILMING FOR THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS AT ST COLUMBA’S SCHOOL

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PUPILS AT SYDENHAM HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CURRICULAR AND COCURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES

SY D E N H AM H I G H SC H OO L G D ST

ydenham High School believes the importance of arts subjects cannot be underestimated, building confidence and creativity and acting as a vital channel for self-expression. Pupils access opportunities through timetabled lessons and as part of its co-curriculum. The school embeds creative thinking beyond traditional arts subjects. “Our tailor-made Body, Mind & Soul co-curricular programme is bursting with opportunities for pupils to think differently and develop new skills,” says Headmistress Katharine Woodcock. The bespoke Socrates Programme of lectures and workshops for Years 7-10

gives the opportunity to independently research a topic and produce an artefact or write a short dissertation about the learning journey. This could be designing costumes for a West End show or coding a new app. Lectures from experts in industry open pupils’ eyes to a variety of topics and future careers. Throughout the year, Sydenham builds in opportunities for artistic expression – from one-day film schools to lunchtime recitals and pop-up art exhibitions. It also celebrates a ‘Piece of the Week’ and ‘The One to Watch’, encouraging pupils to take pride in every piece of artwork, while The Summer Exhibition showcases pupils’ work over the course of the year. The school is a Patron of Sydenham Arts and was one of the hosts of its Artists Trail last September, with pupils displaying their work alongside established artists. When it comes to the more testing creative aspects of the arts, pupils embrace the challenge. Last year

C R E ATIVIT Y

they created their own pieces of digital theatre entitled ‘Opening Up’, as pandemic restrictions eased, and this year pupils spent a day off timetable to write, record and edit their own short films. Pupil-led activities are a vital part of the mix here – from assemblies to installations, pupils have an opportunity to share their perspectives. The inaugural SydFest last year encouraged pupils to take part in a wide range of themed activities. Taking place across four different venues, the day gave pupils the chance to join an immersive art project, write and perform poetry, improv drama and comedy and participate in festival-themed sports. One huge benefit Sydenham High School sees in arts activities is selfdevelopment, as young people learn how to express themselves and be more creative. The school’s ‘Cloud’ spaces enable innovative teaching thanks to their writable walls and desks, while a new designated Voice Box room helps pupils to develop public speaking skills. Exposure to outside experiences is particularly highly valued. “We think it is incredibly important to allow our pupils to engage in experiences outside the classroom as this enriches their learning within the classroom,” says Katharine Woodcock.

“Sydenham High School’s bespoke Socrates Programme gives the opportunity for independent research and presentation” SPRING 2022

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C R E ATIVIT Y

ST CATHERINE’S ARTS SPACES BELONG TO STUDENTS, SAYS ALEX PERRY-ADLAM

ST CATHERINE’S SCHOOL , BRAMLEY

t St Catherine’s, creativity is viewed as a vital part of education, giving students opportunities to express themselves iin n a safe environment where mistakes are part of the learning process. Head of Art Alex Perry-Adlam believes that experimentation without fear is an enormous part of the value of arts teaching. “This skill encourages resilience and enables students to be fearless learners who are not shackled by the thought of failure, but instead are excited to see the different outcomes that can be created,” he says. The school has facilities that enable it to teach a wide range of techniques, from painting and printmaking to photography, sculpture, animation and ceramics. “In all areas, the individual style of the students is key,” he says.

“There is no ‘house style’, no set ideas, but rather a strong sense of tradition and of teaching the drawing, painting, observational and 3D skills that are needed to express ideas.” What’s more, the arts spaces belong to the students. “The doors are always open at lunchtimes and for after school clubs, which include crafts, ceramics, photography and history of art. We actively encourage everyone to find some creative expression that they can participate in to allow them an outlet beyond the more ‘academic’ curriculum subjects. That is what the Art Department is about, a creative hub.” Creativity is viewed as a vital skill for students – also one that permeates beyond departmental confines. Problem solving is a key skill that students learn, along with reviewing and refining their ideas and thinking aesthetically about concepts. Recently, students have made

works to be displayed in the chapel as part of their exploration of links between the church, patronage and Renaissance art. Maths and sciences often inspire and inform their work and the Art Department creates links across academic subjects. St Catherine’s views exposure to artists and events as part of the mix. “Artists’ workshops and trips overseas to visit major European Galleries are just some of the ways we enable our students to gain a greater depth of understanding,” says Alex Perry-Adlam. The school’s summer exhibition is a celebration of all creative activities, and the school has welcomed several Artists in Residence, enabling students to learn directly from a professional. “These experiences can be life changing for the students as they spark imagination and make them aware that they can shape their whole career,” adds Alex Perry-Adlam.”

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SMART ARTS Creativity involves collaboration, so how can schools manage arts teaching remotely? Fiona Henderson explains how it's done at King’s InterHigh

ing’s InterHigh is an online school, but the arts play a vital role in children's education. We have an everexpanding arts programme for every stage of their learning and offer a broad range of courses, including Drama, Music, Art & Design, Photography, Media and Film. Lessons are delivered live and cover concepts, content and skills – teaching not only art making and different art forms but also understanding of materials and tools. Many are project-based courses, requiring students to engage with the process through conceiving, planning, making and refining. Teachers assist by working alongside students on camera with live demonstrations, just as you would in a physical classroom. Our Drama course is new this year and it has been wonderful to see children perform as groups and individuals. Our theatre club presents its first online production this spring

“ T E ACHE R S A SSI ST ST UD E N TS, WO R K I N G A LO N G SI D E T H E M O N CA M E RA W I T H L I V E D E M O N ST RAT I O N S – J UST A S YO U WO U L D I N A P HYSI CA L CL A S S RO O M ” 62

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ARTWORKS PRODUCED BY STUDENTS OF KING'S INTERHIGH

INSIDER

may present additional challenges, but these are never a barrier and produce surprising and ingenious ways of connecting and collaborating – and exceptional outcomes. Arts involvement fosters a sense of self and wellbeing. Some students who join us have suffered with anxiety when attending physical schools and don't like to speak up in other lessons. Yet in the arts, they find their voice. King’s InterHigh teachers also engage students with real-world settings and challenges. In one annual project and competition our art students design products for Tate Modern's shop. We have interactive sculpture trails and, as one of 70+ Inspired schools, our students also have in-person opportunities such as global arts events and competitions. The success of what we do is reflected in the fact that over half the school are currently enrolled in one of more of our arts courses – Creative and Performing Arts is one of our most rapidly expanding departments, and alumni of King’s InterHigh include Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey and many other actors, models, singers and creative entrepreneurs. Our teachers support students' efforts and know that successful outcomes come down to ownership and ensuring students feel connected, have perspectives that are valued and the encouragement to find their voice through the medium of their choice. This, in turn, brings resilience – also the commitment they need to take their unique talents further.

“ WORKI NG ONLI NE W I T H I N A G LOBAL COMMU NI T Y MAY P RE S ENT ADDI T I ONAL C H ALLENG E S , BU T T H E S E ARE NEVER A BARRI ER”

and students have been rehearsing and collaborating live online. For the performance, they record their individual elements, and these will be stitched together and presented as a performance. We also offer art, sculpture and choir clubs, alongside film and theatre. Film is becoming very popular, and we run termly Film Awards where we showcase screenplays and films. There are also inter House drama and poetry competitions. Arts are valuable because they are usually inquiry-based in structure, engaging students with live briefs to connect to their lives. There are numerous examples of our practical approaches. We might, for example, ask students to create their own musical instrument and then perform to the group. In photography live lessons, they could be tasked to go away and play with effects using daylight around their home. Students give and receive feedback, consider their audience, collaborate to develop skills and understanding, and rehearse together for performances. What we have discovered over many years is that working online within a global community

FIONA HENDERSON

Head of Middle School King’s InterHigh SPRING 2022

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PA RTN E R S H I P

Study SMART

Cult Furniture give their expert advice for ensuring your child’s study space offers smart style and room to grow

our child’s bedroom has to work hard as they grow – taking in everything from hobbies and craft projects to online chats with friends, homework and revision. Smart study spaces grow with them, providing an inspiring backdrop to work, play and rest. First, think colourway. Give your junior study space a sophisticated senior look with a bold feature wall (a cool backdrop for video chats) or opt for a clean and neutral colour palette so they can add and adapt artworks and details as their tastes change. Invest in a desk that does it all – brainstorms for homework and group projects, space for games and room to stretch out comfortably. Drawers or slots to tuck away stationery, phone and other life essentials are key. Remember our design mantra: clear space equals clear mind. Go bold and luxurious on the chair. Cult Furniture’s brilliant office and dining chairs come in a wide range of styles and price points. Comfort is king, but beyond that design

essential, you’ll find fabulous tactile textures – including bouclé and velvet – to make sitting down to study a pleasure. A pack away pouffe will earn its keep when friends come round. Don’t forget the office accessories. Clean storage designs – including our popular and timeless rattan and cane – let them tidy away their ‘stuff ’ and store old toys and games they can’t bear to part with yet. Add some of our task and ambient lights and colourful or graphic prints and your child’s study space is ready to take them all the way through to their late teens. Find furniture, accessories and inspiring styling ideas when you visit Cult Furniture’s fashion-forward Wandsworth showroom or shop with us online. Use the Absolutely Education code CULT10 online or at Cult Furniture’s showroom for a 10% discount on all orders.

C U LT F U R N I T U R E 811-813 Wandsworth Road, SW8 3JH cultfurniture.com SPRING 2022

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O N LI N E LE A R N I N G

M at h s

CHAMPION

Cuemath aims to raise our maths game, teaching children to love this ‘global language’ – and it’s offering free tasters. We speak to founder Manan Khurma

nline tuition has exploded over the past couple of years – in large part due to COVID – but Cuemath stands out for several reasons. First of these is that maths is all it does: this is a dedicated platform to teach what its founder and CEO Manan Khurma calls “the language” of mathematical thinking. Secondly, it has attracted high-profile and powerful backers, including Google parent company Alphabet Inc. And third – good news for parents – it is making some of its content free this year in a bid to hook children on its approach. The style is visual and aims to teach, as Manan Khurma put it in a TedX talk in 2018: “the Why of math”. Khurma is a persuasive champion of maths. Speaking from his company HQ in Bangalore, he says: “The goal is to make them fall in love with it, to have them learn another language”. Making some content free this year is a way to raise Cuemath’s profile, but also show off its style. “We give a flavour of what we do and how we do it differently. For instance, fractions – why is the Cuemath way of doing fractions

better than what kids will typically learn in a school? We want them to learn from it. We don’t care if they don’t sign up for more classes (although it’s obviously great if they do) but it’s part of our mission to touch a billion kids.” Such was his own passion for mathematics growing up that he began teaching it as a side-line while he was still a student in Delhi. Khurma calculates he’s taught it to over 10,000 students personally over the past decade and a half, so Cuemath has had a long incubation. In fact, it began in 2013 as a system – offline via home tutoring initially – to teach in fresh ways, soon gravitating towards online methods. It engages children with the technicalities (the What) of sums, algorithms and equations, but also the principles that lie behind them (the Why). “The inspiration for Cuemath was to create a new way of math learning that starts from the very early years. The idea is to teach them in a very visual way so that they understand what they are doing,” he says. “They learn why something works, and maybe different ways to prove why it works.” Cuemath also provides context to show how maths underlies everything around us. For instance, Covid offered an opportunity for its students to understand more about SPRING 2022

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MATHS IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT FOR CHILDREN, SAYS CUEMATH FOUNDER MANAN KHURMA

an exponential spread – how the maths of pandemics works. Khurma says such grounded examples give meaning and make children more engaged, also more likely to discuss what they have learnt with family and friends. “It means a lot more than an abstract math class,” he says. What the system aims to provide, above all else, is maths confidence – and that includes the bravery required to test theories, explore and experiment. This includes, of course, getting things wrong – all part of the adventure. Khurma says that, as with any other language, early immersion is critical. He believes senior years are too late to give young people real confidence as mathematicians. “If they’ve lost the math battle, then they’ve lost it and even a very dedicated teacher may struggle.” Cuemath is not short of people to stop that happening. It has around 10,000 tutors, many of them females and all based in India. They work with some 300,000 students in India, as well as the UK, Middle East and North America. “They teach kids across the world. Families like the fact that they are getting this teacher who is really good at math and who understands and works oneto-one with their kid.” And here is one of the beauties of a platform focusing only on maths – it is a universal language and that makes Cuemath scalable. “The concepts are all the same,” says Khurma. “Some contexts may be

“ T H E G OAL I S TO MAKE T H EM FALL I N LOVE W I T H MAT H , TO H AVE THEM LEARN ANOT H ER LANG UAGE ” different, but the concepts are the same.” India’s store of tutors is a big company and cultural advantage. This is a country with a long history of producing brilliant mathematicians – from Brahmagupta to Ramanujan and beyond. It makes a difference when it comes to tutoring for the home market because there’s huge value placed on science and technology and maths is seen as core to that. “It has been larger in the psychic landscape of the country,” he says. “Remember that India has this huge middle class and parents think that being good at math and science is a ticket to a good job. It gives you mobility. That actually starts very early on, to the extent that parents in India will typically say that if you’re not scoring well at math then you’re not really doing well at school.” In Khurma’s book, Indian parents have a point. He believes that the mission to teach mathematics to all the world’s children is a critical one. “If you look at how the economy is shaping up, more and more you see that the jobs that are becoming valuable have math at their core. Whether it’s science,

machine learning, programming, coding or AI, you need to have a math mind.” Ultimately, Cuemath won’t just be about online teaching but an omnichannel approach, giving multiple opportunities to learn in a way that suits families. Khurma also envisages an education platform that employs machine learning to personalise lessons. “So, if you’re a child who is advanced at math and likes cricket – can I offer you content that’s advanced and in the context of cricket?” he says. With the backing of venture capitalists and Alphabet, Cuemath is on course to reach many more children. “What excites a lot of people is the size of the opportunity – a billion kids need to learn math,” says Manan Khurma. But ultimately, he and his company have an even bigger goal. “We believe that math is not just another subject you learn at school, it’s actually a life skill,” he says. “Math should be treated as a fundamental right for kids because it’s that important.” cuemath.com

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seconds with

I nte rvi e w

Sarah Gillam The Head of Hawkesdown House School in Kensington talks about her background and educational philosophy

What is your background? I am an experienced Head and have spent the last nine years at a co-educational prep school in London. This background has given me experience of the transfer process at 7+ and 8+. I also have an excellent knowledge of the independent schools within London and beyond. What excites you most about your new role at Hawkesdown House School? Hawkesdown House is an exciting school. In fact, it is a hidden gem, and I am thrilled to be part of its development and continue its success as a non-selective co-educational school, I would like Hawkesdown House to become the natural choice in this area of Kensington as it thoroughly prepares children for successful transfer into their next school. This is also a family school, with an open door to parents. We work as a team to ensure that all our pupils reach their full potential as learners while they are with us, and also achieve personal success in a kind and nurturing environment. All these elements are keystones of our approach and also instrumental to ensuring happy children who enjoy learning. What is your academic philosophy? As both a teacher and school leader, I have witnessed that children achieve personal success when they are within a nurturing, caring community that offers a range of different opportunities. Our approach is that each child should leave Hawkesdown House confident in his or her abilities; it might be academic success or success in music, drama or sport. These achievements, alongside the development of the whole child as a kind, caring and empathetic person, are very important. We have high expectations in every lesson and then support and scaffold as necessary to ensure personalised teaching for every one of the children.

What is Hawkesdown House School's approach and what sets it apart? Each staff member here at the school knows every child and we provide personal targets for them to aspire to so that they can achieve personal success and grow in confidence and academic strength.

SARAH GILLAM

Can you tell us about one pivotal moment in your career? There have been many pivotal moments in my career, but I never cease to be thrilled when a child has that ‘eureka’ moment. When they finally understand something – perhaps a tricky maths problem – and, using concrete material and judicious questioning, they solve it. Then you can see their eyes lighting up with understanding. That is always a magical moment.

What makes a great student? A great student is a child who is inquisitive and keen to ask questions about themselves and the world around them, whilst being sensitive and aware of others. From your experience, what makes a great school environment? It is a place where there is laughter and fun, and these are balanced alongside learning in a setting where children know they are valued and supported. Children feel comfortable to share and learn without fear of failure. A great environment also comes down to culture and ethos, involving inspirational work by a team who share the same values and vision and work together to ensure success.

“C H I LDREN AC H I EVE S U CC E S S WHEN T H EY ARE W I T H I N A NU RT U RI NG , CAR ING COMMU NI T Y T H AT OFFERS DI F F ER ENT OP P ORT U NI T I E S – EAC H C H I LD SHOULD LEAVE CONFI DENT I N H I S OR H ER ABILITIE S” SPRING 2022

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All our parents have one thing in common – they do not want their children to grow up too fast. Childhood is the precious time when imagination knows no bounds. Repton Prep is set in 55 acres of Derbyshire countryside. It is a magical place where children can be children and yet learn at the same time. A den in the woods and an English lesson, a picnic in the bluebells and a Science class – at Repton Prep, all of these experiences are learning opportunities. Our co-ed community of 440 happy pupils welcomes full and flexi-boarders from age 7-13 and day children from age 3-13.

WHERE CHILDREN STAY CHILDREN FOR LONGER.

reptonprep.org.uk To arrange a personal tour for you and your child please call us on 01283 707112 or email admissions@repton.org.uk

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School’s Out MAKI NG OF M E p .74 • STAG E FRIG HT p . 81 • FASH ION LES SON p . 9 0

BEAR GIFT OUR FAVOURITE BEAR RETURNS IN A REDISCOVERED MICHAEL BOND STORY. Illustration by R.W. Alley

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Ben

GARROD

Evolutionary Biologist, TV presenter and author Ben Garrod talks about inspiring schooldays in Norfolk, his passion for science and memorable close encounters with the animal kingdom Where did you go to school and when? I grew up in Great Yarmouth. My schools were all in or around the town, and I either walked or got the bus to them. What were your schools like? One school in particular was very cool. It was next to our local church and was an old monastery. In the wall of our playground were fossils and, because we overlooked the graveyard, I often used to watch birds and other animals while I was in my classes. Did you love school or hate it? I loved school. I got to see my friends, I liked most of the teachers, and I enjoyed nearly all of the subjects. I was also aware from an early age that for the sort of job I wanted, I really needed to do well.

particular who made me fall in love with science, but I think that’s sadly because of the way we often teach it in schools. Where were your favourite places at school and what did you do there? It was always either on the edges of the school field, where the ‘nature’ started, and where I’d find insects and different animals. Or maybe it was in the ancient assembly hall of my middle school, which always made me think I was inside the body of a huge whale and that the rafters high above me were the ribs.

What beliefs did your time at school instil in you? I think school helped me to work hard and to think about my goals. It made me realise that, if you have long-term plans for the work you want to do, then it can be a long journey and that you might need to start early. It also helped me understand that you don’t always need to be the very best at something in order to make it work. I was never the best science student, but that never stopped me becoming a biology professor. What was your proudest school moment? Well, in high school, I was out on a crosscountry run. It was early in the year and very cold. We used to run on the beach, and we were halfway through when I spotted a dead shark had washed up. It was very fresh and about as long as me. I wanted to see what it was like inside, so tossed it over my shoulder and ran the rest of my run with a dead shark on my shoulder. I got back to school and headed straight to one of my science teachers. That was quite an important moment in my journey to becoming a scientist. What was the most trouble you got into at school? Remember that dead shark? Well, the teacher wasn’t as happy as I had thought they would be. It was an important lesson

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. Who were your favourite teachers and how did they influence you? I was lucky enough to have quite a few great teachers who helped inspire my love of learning and the ability to constantly ask questions. I have to say that there was never anyone in 74

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School's Out

Q&A

THE DEAD SHARK WAS ABOUT AS LONG AS ME. I TOSSED IT OVER MY SHOULDER AND RAN THE REST OF MY CROSSCOUNTRY RUN

the amazing environments in which they lived, and I wanted to visit these places and see these animals for myself. I also loved watching wildlife documentaries and, like many young readers now, I was inspired by David Attenborough documentaries.

BEN GARROD

for me, in that, sometimes you might not make popular decisions and you need to be prepared to defend your actions. Were you ever 'too cool for school'? What do you think? I went looking for fossils and picked up dead sharks during PE? I was a long, lonnnnng way from cool. But so what? If you go to school to be cool, then you're kind of not getting the point. I may not have been the coolest, but now I get to work with wild animals, and dinosaur fossils, travel to amazing places, work with amazing people, write books, and make cool TV and radio programmes. What is your most vivid school memory, looking back now? Either the ‘shark in the PE lesson’ episode, or the first time I looked inside an owl pellet. One of my favourite teachers had brought in a few of these little round brown lumps and had explained they were the bits of animals the owl couldn’t digest and had sort of ‘sicked’ back

up. There were so many bones, including skulls, from the mice, voles and shrews eaten by the owl. It was fascinating to treat this as a detective investigation.

What projects and challenges are coming up next for you? Ha-ha, I’d love to tell you about some of my projects but, as ever, they’re pretty secret. But I can say there’s some really cool stuff coming up. My ‘Extinct’ series of books are still coming out, and I’m really excited to see what young readers think. How would you sum up your school days in three words? Happy, fun, inspiring.

When and how did your interest in biology and the natural world begin? Way before school. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was very young, and one granddad in particular took me to the beach a lot. We used to find feathers and bones and shells, and we’d try to identify them and think about why and how they ended up on the beach. These discoveries, and the stories behind them, definitely helped inspire me. What other key influences / passions shaped you when you were growing up? I have always loved reading and used to read and reread my animal books when I was little. I remember reading about all these incredible species and

Megladon, the sixth book in Ben Garrod's Extinct: The Story of Life on Earth series, illustrated by Gabriel Ugueto, is published by Zephyr. £7.99. headofzeus.com

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