LOCAL PROFILE: WILL PHELAN
himself what this looks like here and also what other things he could be doing in the future – it’s best to do this after you, the parent, have made an initial visit. By joining us at one of our open days, you can see the school in action and meet some of our pupils. We recommend doing this from Year 4, as your child’s Year 5 can become very busy with visits, and it makes the experience more relaxing if there are fewer time pressures. Stamford School has been educating boys since 1532 and Stamford High School has been educating girls since 1870, so we really feel that we know what makes boys and girls tick, and what motivates pupils who come here. We have an excellent academic record, consistently achieving strong exam results, with the overwhelming majority of our leavers going on to their first choice of university. We feel we can bring the best out of each child, whatever their academic ability, talents and interests, and introduce them to new ones, but we are careful to stretch pupils rather than stress them. We tap into the individual – something that is helped by our small class sizes – and we foster a love of learning. As a prospective parent, you can rest assured that we would want you to feel as close to the school as possible. We aim for what we describe as a close triangular structure between parents, pupils and teachers, creating a ‘team together’. And if you should ever need to think about boarding, we offer a range of day and boarding options to suit the busy, ever-changing family lifestyle, including our Monday to Friday flexible boarding programme. The poet WB Yeats wrote that ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,’ and one of our key ‘values’ at SES is precisely that – lighting fires. I would want to capture your son’s imagination and inspire him. We want him to be excited by learning at a boys’ school, with all the benefits of being in class solely with boys, but with girls nearby and joining the boys in many activities outside the classroom. We’d tap into his interests, whether they were in music, drama, sport and a myriad of other exciting things that make a Stamford education so fulfilling, and we’d explain to him that we’d be able to offer him a host of opportunities to fly with those things, in addition to trying a whole raft of new ones. Are bursaries available? Our ongoing aim is to ensure that ambitious children, irrespective of financial background, have the opportunity to receive a Stamford education. We have a long history of social inclusivity and supporting local children, and we want to continue to provide this. Means-tested bursaries are financial awards made by the Stamford Endowed Schools to pupils of all backgrounds to help pay for up 100 per cent of school fees. Anyone interested in these bursaries should contact the school. How does the gender separation work and what are the benefits? We provide co-educational teaching in the junior years and Sixth Form, with single-gender teaching for ages 11 to 16 – what we like to call ‘single-sex academic mixed education’. It is a diamond structure, with pupils between the ages
of 11 and 16 benefitting from the all-girls and all-boys teaching environments and the over-arching mixed-gender environment when not in class. We recognise that girls and boys at this age learn differently, study differently and have different pastoral needs. We address this with our single-gender approach before bringing boys and girls together again to study at Sixth Form. Throughout their senior school life our pupils enjoy mixed-gender co-curricular activities, such as debating, music, CCF, the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and various sports, so gender separation is not a negative issue for them. Our diamond structure gives our pupils the best of both worlds. In the Sixth Form, classes are mixed, and this does mean that pupils have access to a wider selection of subjects – currently 26 subjects at A Level plus two BTECs. The Sixth Form has a collegiate feel, with pupils enjoying the increased independence and personal responsibility that is appropriate to their age as a stepping stone to the next stage of their lives, such as university. What measures are in place to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of your pupils? A strong network of support is essential if pupils are to achieve their best at school. Dedicated, trained staff are on hand to deal with any issues affecting students. On the pastoral side, pupils have a form tutor, plus a head of year, in addition to deputy heads and heads, all of whom support them personally as well as academically. We strongly believe that pupils are in a bespoke school that knows how to help them to deal with life’s ups and downs, and that really is a huge strength in terms of wellbeing. ‘The Team Around You’ is a key Stamford strength, with every individual’s team being slightly different. Your schools are right in the heart of Stamford. What are the pros and cons of this? The Schools date back to 1532, so they have evolved with the town. We’re the biggest employer in Stamford, and, as I mentioned above, we have a symbiotic relationship with the town. It’s a glorious place to be situated. What do you love best about your job and is there something of which you’re especially proud with respect to your time there? The best bit is that I get to interact with children of all ages, abilities and interests. I still love teaching (my subject is history) and I spend one day a week in each one of the schools. It’s also a great privilege to work with some brilliant practitioners. I always feel immensely proud when I see how our children have developed and how they’ve benefitted from an education here – that is hugely rewarding. I am also extremely proud of our unified strategy, which brings us neatly back to the core purpose of my role as Principal. Stamford Endowed Schools • 01780 750311 • admissions@ses.lincs.sch.uk • ses.lincs.sch.uk
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