Boarding School Magazine - Autumn 2020

Boarding School T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E B O A R D I N G S C H O O L S ’ A S S O C I AT I O N AUTUMN 2020

Diversity: a head’s perspective BSA Boarding Awards 2020 Crackpot or cracked pot? Dr Christopher Thurber, Phillips Exeter Academy & Nick Fair, Westminster School - part II

3

Andrew Gray Communications and Partnerships Manager Boarding Schools’ Association

From the editor Welcome to the autumn edition of

cases of the virus sadly begin to

Awards continued, with the winners

joined BSA, this seems like the

world. I sincerely hope, as I’m sure we

conclusion. You can find out who won,

Boarding School. Having recently ideal opportunity to introduce myself as BSA’s new

Communications and Partnerships Manager, and Editor of this

magazine. I’m very much looking

increase again in many parts of the

all do, that by the time I’m writing my introduction for our next issue, that things will once again be looking brighter.

Thanks to the pandemic, this

you as possible face-to-face,

usual between editions, so this issue

hopefully in the near future when circumstances allow.

Even though I’ve only been here a

short time, it has quickly struck me how brilliantly the entire boarding

family has pulled together to support each other during the ongoing

coronavirus pandemic. It’s been

particularly inspiring to read through the content you’ve sent in for this edition and see first-hand how everyone is responding to the

magazine has had a longer break than is a particularly busy one. Since the new academic year began, we’ve

managed to hold our first-ever virtual ‘Annual Conference for Heads’, which took place at the end of September.

One of the highlights of the event,

page 14.

everyone earlier this year with his

tireless efforts to raise money for the

NHS, on pages 22-25, we pay our own

tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore, and share the story of how his grandson

Benjie, a pupil at Bedford School, has won recognition for his role in the

incredible fundraising phenomenon.

I hope you enjoy reading through this

heads from our member schools and

continue to be here to offer any help

‘diversity’, was hearing from four

their thoughts on this subject. You can read more about this, beginning on page eight.

Holding the conference online did

in. As I write this, tougher restrictions

a physical ceremony for our BSA

are returning across the globe, as

finalists for each category, from

which was based around the theme of

challenges brought by these

increasingly strange times we’re living

plus all the highly commended

And after winning the hearts of

forward to working with you all,

and hopefully meeting as many of

being unveiled at the event’s

unfortunately mean we couldn’t hold

issue. Don’t forget that the BSA team or support you may need, so please

don’t hesitate to contact us if you do

need our assistance, and please keep sending your contributions for this magazine to us at

bsa@boarding.org.uk.

Awards this year. However, the

The Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) champions boarding excellence and delivers boarding support worldwide. The BSA represents more than 600 independent and state boarding schools in the UK and overseas. BSA services include professional development, government relations, communications, media, publications, conferences and events.

Front cover: Captain Tom and his grandson Benjie

Contents 03

From ThE EDITor

05

FEArlESS ForTITuDE

07

From ThE ChAIr

10

hEADS’ ANNuAl CoNFErENCE

16

BSA BoArDING AWArDS 2020

24

ToP NATIoNAl AWArD For BEDForD SChool PuPIl BENjIE

30

loCkDoWN: BrING oN ThE BorEDom

33

hoW you lEArN, NoT WhAT you lEArN, mEANS EvEryThING IN A GloBAl CrISIS

ANDrEW GrAy CommuNICATIoNS AND PArTNErShIPS mANAGEr

roBIN FlETChEr, ChIEF ExECuTIvE, BSA AND BSA GrouP mArk lAuDEr, GrouP ChAIr, BSA 2020

Dr ArIC SIGmAN

ChArloTTE WEAThErlEy ASSISTANT hEAD, kNIGhToN houSE

38

vIrTuAl oPEN DAyS

42

muST hAvES

44

hEADS oN ThE movE

45

GoING From STrENGTh To STrENGTh

46

CrANlEIGh’S Co-ED ANNIvErSAry

50

WEll-rouNDED, SuCCESSFul AND uTTErly FulFIllED

SImoN BIrD - DEPuTy hEAD Dr ANDrEA SAxEl - DEPuTy hEAD PASTorAl CrANlEIGh SChool

jEmImA EDNEy, hEAD oF BoArDING AND Co-CurrICulAr, CITy oF loNDoN FrEEmEN'S SChool

60

I lovE BoArDING

62

DIvErSITy

66

hrh ThE DuChESS oF CorNWAll oPENS TEAChING CENTrE AT TuDor hAll SChool

70

DESTINATIoN: GIrlS’ BoArDING PArT II

81

INTErGrEAT EDuCATIoN GrouP

82

CrACkPoT or CrACkED PoT?

johN mAxToN

Dr ChrISToPhEr ThurBEr, PhD, PhIllIPS ExETEr ACADEmy, ExETEr, NEW hAmPShIrE, uNITED STATES AND NICk FAIr,WESTmINSTEr SChool, loNDoN, ENGlAND, uNITED kINGDom

86

BSA mEmBEr lIST

88

mArkETING mAGIC PoST CovID

Boarding School Magazine

To subscribe: T. +44 (0)207 798 1580 E. bsa@boarding.org.uk

Editor Andrew Gray, Communications and Partnerships Manager andrew.gray@boarding.org.uk Contributor Chantelle Howell-Walker, Member Services Coordinator chantelle@boarding.org.uk

Advertising Aileen Kane, Chief Operating Officer aileen@boarding.org.uk

Boarding Schools’ Association 60 St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4JS

Images courtesy of Clayesmore School

5

Robin Fletcher Chief Executive BSA and BSA Group

Fearless fortitude It was FDR who helpfully reminded

90 per cent of their boarders, with

The resilience, fortitude, imagination,

fear is fear itself. Those are pretty

deferring their return.

BSA member schools throughout this

us that the only thing we have to

useful words for boarding schools

only seven per cent delaying or

and their staff in what is

So, having got students back, the

challenging and extraordinary year

to arrive each day, mainly concerning

continuing to be the most

in the history of boarding.

When we all became aware of COVID19 in February, the boarding

conversation soon turned to cases,

public health advice, sending students home, closing schools, learning

through lockdown, government rules,

challenges since then have continued again cases and testing and self-

overseas would not send their sons or daughters back to school. And yet,

come September, most schools in the

UK at least welcomed back more than

school medical staff.

normal as soon as possible. But that

or getting the right certificates to go back home without having to quarantine on arrival.

marathon run at a sprint. Timely it

scenario parents from the UK or

care shown by heroic boarding and

term, or safely staying with guardians,

students staying at school in half

quarantining returning pupils. others, was that in the worst-case

enormous levels of genuine pastoral

Everyone is exhausted, everyone

Make no mistake, boarding schools,

The existential fear, among all the

year has been matched only by the

isolation and local lockdowns and

discounted fees, partial reopening, planning for the autumn and

tenacity and adaptability shown by

would like everything to get back to

day is not here yet and we have yet to see the prime minister announce the

end of the war to jubilant crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

like the whole world, are involved in a

Until then we must all continue to grin

might be that 2020 is the 80th

without fear, and with whatever

anniversary of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, but that’s little comfort if

your school is facing the public health equivalent of trying to evacuate a

narrow beach under enemy attack or

scrambling to tackle bandits in the sky at 12 o’clock.

and bear it for however long it takes – support BSA, Sacpa and BAISIS can provide along the way.

7

Mark Lauder Group Chair BSA 2020 Headmaster, Strathallan School

From the Chair Half term offers a chance to pause

we were due to follow in Edinburgh,

article in this edition of the Magazine.

the first time for most of us since

and you were spared any possibility of

supported the Heads Conference –

and take a breath – perhaps for

July – is welcome. 2020 has been a year like no other, and not what I anticipated when taking over as

Chair in January! To quote one of my favourite poets, Burns: “The

minus dinners, tartan and piping –

the Chair’s speech being influenced to any degree in its delivery by that

famous orator in Edinburgh of the Scottish Reformation John Knox!

best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men

The conference, attended in the end

plans to a degree did go ‘agley’

hear much on a range of topics that

gang aft agley.” This year all our and Coronavirus has been

anything but “a tim’rous beastie.”

That said, we have as a sector once

again shown ourselves to be resilient, adaptable, innovative and creative and we have stepped up to the

challenge. BSA was the first of the

major associations to run a virtual

conference in September, after the

by 140-plus delegates, was able to

have, due to the global pandemic and events through and since lockdown, become even more pertinent. BLM,

LBTQ+, decolonising the curriculum, Chaplaincy and religious diversity,

grateful and impressed by the BSA team’s support in moving the

conference and its important theme of ‘Diversity’ online, maintaining a

programme almost identical to that

in our schools, has already taken

place. Congratulations too to all our

BSA award winners, announced at the conference close. A huge thank you

too must go to iSams, our Conference sponsor, for helping to make the

Conference possible and for the hardworking BSA team who did all the hard work to deliver it.

impressed and most grateful as Chair

topics to hear about.

last May. While I was especially sad its warm hospitality, I was both

Inclusion Conference, open to all staff

much more, were valid and helpful

question “what’s currently in your in-

in person to the Scottish capital and

conference the first BSA Diversity and

And speaking of hard work by BSA

Safeguarding in a Diverse World and

This was perhaps illustrated by the

not to able to welcome fellow Heads

thank you – and that since the

Managing COVID-19 in boarding,

inevitable cancelation of the in-person conference scheduled in Edinburgh

I am pleased too that so many of you

Head’s Panel session which asked the tray?” The contributions from Mark Ronan, Joanna Wright, Kate Martin

and Gavin Horgan touched on a wide range of issues that all reflected

diversity in schools and education generally, and I am delighted that

their contributions to the conference have become the basis of the lead

staff, I continue to be hugely

for the work the BSA has done since January in weekly briefings and

support over the pandemic – the

team has served our sector and our schools fantastically well. Not only

that, the response to the difficulties of the pandemic for the BSA itself has

been deftly managed by the team and their ability to adapt to the fast-

changing requirements of lockdown, virtual working and virtual training

and conferences has been a lesson in how to do this well.

>>>

SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

VirtuAl one dAy ConFEREnCE:

BSA Group:

12

THURSD AY

NOVEM BER 09:00-1 6:30

annual Safeguarding conference We hope you are able to join us for BSA Group’s annual Safeguarding conference, focusing on the latest trends and headlines in safeguarding and child protection both in education and the wider safeguarding world.

Running for the fourth consecutive year, this conference highlights the importance and increasing relevance of safeguarding and child protection in the delivery of care and support for young people.

Safeguarding is no longer simply a policy to be written, it is a cultural shift that all organisations and schools need to make and keep current on.

Audience: DSL, DDSL, Safeguarding Governor, Safeguarding Trustee, Senior Leadership Team Speakers secured to date include: • Ann Marie Christian, Child 1st Consultancy • Marcus Erooga, Safeguarding and sexual abuse Consultant Researcher & Trainer • Simon Bailey, Chief Constable at Norfolk Constabulary and National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead on Child Protection • Karl Hopwood, Independent esafety expert UK Safer Internet Centre advisory board • Dr Elly Barnes, CEO Educate and Celebrate • Sophie Rees, HR Director, St Paul’s School • Steve Bailey, Chair, SACPA • Dale Wilkins Director of Safeguarding, Standards and Training, BSA

Topics include: • Diversity and inclusion: a safeguarding perspective • Lessons learned: abuse in residential schools • Grooming • LGBT+ and safeguarding • KCSIE updates

V

Visit https://www.boarding.org.uk/media/calendar/event/7009/Virtual-conference-Annual-Safeguarding-conference/ to book now.

9

GROUP SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WITH INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

>>> More impressive still has been, in

training and advice services too.

her Conference in May on the theme

delivery of the BSA’s strategic

website – and look out for the newly

excellent! I hope will be able to be in

spite of the difficulties, the ongoing objectives and its own diversification.

The launch of Sacpa in January; the

merger with BAISIS in June, and the development of the BSA’s own

Details can be found on the BSA

scheduled ‘BSA COVID Conference –

Lessons Learned and Planning Ahead’ due to take place on November 18.

of ‘being world class’, which sounds person and if so, I look forward to catching up with you there if not before.

Certified Guardian and Agent

Finally, as my year as Chair draws to a

It has been so good to be back in

initiative launched in the Conference

and the Executive Committee and the

challenging the preparations and

schemes alongside the School Places in September, has taken the BSA to

become the BSA Group and, as well as welcoming new partners and staff, I am pleased to see the BSA ‘offer’ of

services and support thus expanded

and even better tailored to the needs

of a fast-changing and evolving world in boarding education right now. I encourage you to use these new

services and to support the ongoing

work of the BSA by engaging with its

close, I want to thank the BSA Board

fellow Heads, Bursars and education professionals who serve on these

bodies, both for their support in a

difficult year and for their unstinting

support for the work and objectives of the BSA to promote excellence in

boarding. I wish Bex Tear, Head at Badminton School and Vice-Chair

(elect) of the BSA Group, well as she takes over the reins in January, not

only for the year ahead but also for

school with pupils, no matter how ongoing management have been, and I hope you have a successful

conclusion to this term. In the

meantime, thank you again for your

support of the BSA this year, and my best wishes.

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Diversity. During the conference, we put together a panel of heads from four of our member schools to give us their thoughts on diversity in boarding.

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1 11

Joanna Wright Head King Edward’s Witley

United by Diversity since 1553, King

I boarded at a state boarding school

Schools make the difference when they

same Royal charter as Christ’s

white pupils. Nicknamed the Boat Girl –

tokenism for what it is, and are honest

Edward’s Witley began with the

Hospital. Our founding mission was to create a House to lodge Christ in, to be a foundation for life for

vulnerable pupils with a boarding

where there were, as I recall, no nonan indicator of my age. I have

represented “diversity”. As a female,

ostensibly non-white Head of an HMC

see themselves clearly, recognise about the prejudice that is more

prevalent than we may care to imagine.

School, I see that things are changing.

We need to actively seek change – not

400, 1:8 is supported by our

It is a privilege to work in a boarding

because it is the right thing to do as

income.

opportunity to make a difference. We

need. With a pupil roll of nearly endowment rather than by fee

This sets our ethos - of welcome and

compassion rather than selection and privilege.

Our dual curriculum of IB and A Level appeals to our local and European pupils. Diversity of culture and

language is at the core of our being.

So on an idyllic rural campus in

school because there is such

are uniquely well-placed to build the right environment so that, young

people can learn how diversity is a fact of life be celebrated … learning can

and learning styles. We are working hard on how to think again.

young people as they prepare to go into the corporate and global world

hear the underhand comments, we

fear. To grow understanding the

culture must be all right to explore,

express and embrace the unfamiliar.

normal. Historically, schools have been

neuro – diversity, difference of thought

better world and be runways for our

recognised and spoken about without

race, socio-economic background,

important and less obvious, we have

philanthropic intent – to help create a

So how do we do this? We can create

school is right for difference to be

beautiful Surrey, we are a community

gender, sexuality, religion… and equally

institutions that were founded on

only happen if the culture within the

We may need to look at ourselves

where there is diversity: culture, nation,

to meet some political sensitivities but

differently – diversity is our new

and nurture school cultures where we notice the unconscious bias in

ourselves and in our colleagues, we address the unintended prejudice,

dispel ignorance, and only then can we

be genuine in our preparation of pupils for life beyond.

institutions built around uniformity

Diversity is a fact, a fixed state. We

people went to stop children from

and inclusion is the dynamic counter

and conformity – think of the lengths writing with their left hand. So we need ways to see ourselves honestly.

know that prejudice grows in passivity action to take us forward. Where better to learn this than in boarding schools?

>>>

>>>

We may need to look at ourselves differently – diversity is our new normal.

Images courtesy of King Edwards, Witley

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Mark Ronan Head The King’s Hospital School, Dublin

At the end of May, when the

In the days after George Floyd’s death, I

who spoke at a BSA Conference in

killing in Minneapolis came on our

speak with authenticity on racism as a

received insight and support to

television images of George Floyd’s screens, it triggered a sequence of

events at our school in Dublin that we had not anticipated.

For context, The King’s Hospital is a

Church of Ireland School situated on

really struggled to know how I could privileged white male with a

Cambridge economics degree who will

Also, we are working with the Anti-

born of Asian heritage, for her advice.

University (DCU), which holds a

contacted my sister-in-law, Scottish What she said to me resonated

population growth in the last decade,

your school community because those

with an increasing diversity resulting

from immigration into Ireland. This is also reflected in our student population.

colleagues at the start of this term.

not be subject to racism. So, I

the western edge of Dublin. It is an area that has seen significant

February. She has provided well-

strongly: ‘You must live to the values of values know no colour, no gender and no sexuality’. That reassured me that I could speak about my abhorrence for

racism and any form of discrimination.

bullying Centre at Dublin City

UNESCO chair in anti-bullying. We are planning a three-year long term

student-led research project, where the students will work with researchers from the Anti-bullying Centre.

The former student that I met said to

me: ‘This will take time to change and we need to work hard to embed that change’.

The death of George Floyd prompted

During the summer, I engaged with a

on social media their experience of the

now working with us to introduce a

We are at the start of a journey and we

a similar group that he experienced at

to a diverse and inclusive community is

former and current students to share racism within our school community.

As a school, we pride ourselves on a

commitment to diversity and inclusion:

former student of the school, who is

diversity and inclusion group based on the Boston College of Law last year.

one of the main reasons why I pursued

I also met four Form 6 girls who shared

Hospital when it arose.

within school. This prompted us to

the Principal’s post at The King’s

are determined that our commitment

the lived experience of all our students.

with me their experience of racism

engage with Nikki Cunningham-Smith,

>>>

34

Kate Martin Head Mowden Hall School

>>> When Mark (Mark Lauder -

Headmaster of Strathallan School

and BSA Chair) kindly got in touch to chat about the conference, the theme of diversity was one that resonated with me - to be very honest, it was also nice to talk

about something other than COvID! Thinking about diversity, for me my

starting point was my own education, and then my career. I grew up in the north of England and my own

I can recall too many examples of the

Throughout my career I have been

school being treated differently -

different schools - I started my career

few children from different races in my mostly as a result of ignorance. In my first teaching job, I remember a

member of staff facing intrusive

questions in the staffroom for not

eating lunch during Ramadan. The

majority of staff just didn’t understand.

He dealt with this with such patience and understanding - a highly

impressive role model for us all.

education was wholly in local state

Of course the beauty of education is

education and was taught by some

minds of their pupils. In the sixth form

schools. I enjoyed school, had a good excellent teachers, but thinking back I am struck that I went through my

entire education having only white British teachers. Our classes were

made up primarily of white British children.

Now, I am not in any way complaining about my own education, but it does provoke the question - if my own

interaction directly impacts how I feel

about myself, society and its attitudes

towards so many different areas, then

by not having access to racially diverse teachers, was my education missing something?

that the very best teachers widen the I moved to an excellent state

comprehensive school in Durham, and it was here that one particular teacher

truly challenged my somewhat narrow minded views, through literature. We studied Grace Nichols and Maya

Angelou alongside Shakespeare and

fortunate to teach in a wide range of as a PE teacher in a 11-16 local

authority school, and have since taught in the independent sector – single sex, coeducational, day and boarding, and since 2011 at Mowden Hall School. I have definitely felt in a minority at times - I have attended senior

management conferences and been the only female delegate, and I felt during one interview my own

education in the state system was perceived very negatively. At the

conferences I attended I felt very

welcome, and I am aware the majority of my colleagues were horrified at the realisation that this particular group

was so male dominated. Overall, being the only woman attending was fine

actually - for me it made no difference.

Austen, and the discussions we had in

From a diversity point of view, I think it

world through different eyes and

to be a new Head and I am wholly

class encouraged us all to look at the consider different

viewpoints. I still love Grace Nichols

poetry and ‘I know why a caged bird sings’ remains one of my favourite

novels. I think everyone should read Bernadine Evaristo’s novel, Girl,

Woman, Other, which is refreshingly diverse and gloriously challenging.

is a very interesting and positive time committed to maximising the

experience our education system

provides. Addressing the theme of

diversity will be one of my personal objectives this year, and also be an

integral part of our strategic plan at Mowden Hall.

34

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Gavin Horgan Headmaster Millfield

As the Head of Millfield, I am lucky

My own background in education has

which has been determinedly

place on a full bursary at a boarding

enough to be in an organisation diverse since its foundation 85 years ago.

The school was founded in 1935 with six India princes and four non feepaying students from the local

community. Children come to Millfield from 70 different countries; they are neurologically diverse, sociologically diverse, economically diverse and

ethnically diverse – and that is what makes up the Millfield mix.

At this time, though, it is easy to focus only on COVID and the inevitable phenomenal challenges that

organisations are facing. However, I

been determinedly diverse. I gained a school, which transported me away

from a bleak mining village in south

west Scotland. I am in no doubt that

that transformed my life opportunities.

I have worked all over the world, in

international education, and in state

education here in the UK – in central London and in Hampshire. I have clearly seen the need for us to

understand white privilege and to

challenge racism at every opportunity we can. We need to be explicit in our

approach to this, and in our teaching;

that is what our students expect of us and that is the opportunity we have been given.

believe that we have a once in a

Prejudice grows in passivity and, too

school cultures. After all, our

enough in asserting what we stand for

generation opportunity to set and reset communities have been away from our campuses for six months and many of

our students were new to the school at the start of this year. The Black Lives Matter campaign, from last term,

showed us clearly that our alumni

wanted more from us when they were at school and we have an opportunity now, like no other, to respond to that.

often, we are not active and explicit

as organisations and as individuals.

Winner

BoArdinG SchoolS’ ASSociAtion

o n n A

AwA R D S 2020

soc s A ’ s l oo h c S g al in u d n r n a o A its t a The B s d war a l a u ann

First held in 2018, the BSA Awards celebrate the achievements, hard work, and dedication of schools and individuals to boarding. This year’s awards were the biggest yet, with four new categories being introduced: Supporting Junior Boarders; Supporting International Boarders; Most Original Activity during National Boarding Week, and Best Community Work via our ‘On Board’ Initiative.

Highlights of this year’s awards included Reddam House Berkshire winning in the Boarding Innovation

Award category for its work to ensure a seamless transition from physical to virtual environment in the

wake of COVID-19. Wellington College took the top prize in the Wellbeing and Mental Health Initiative Award after successfully holding its first-ever ‘Community Mental Health Day’ earlier this year, while Mowden Hall was rewarded in the Most Original Activity during National Boarding Week category after a organising

an exciting range of events for students including a Giant Boarders’ BBQ, an Outdoor Obstacle Course, a

relaxing Movie Night, and a “Step Up Day” sleepover, where Year 3 pupils were invited to ‘sleep-over’ for

the night.

The winner of this year’s Stephen Winkley Award was Peter Hardy, former second master at Bryanston School. Peter joined the school as an economics teacher and spent 43 years – 29 as second master – at the Dorset school before his retirement earlier this year.

Nominating Peter, Bryanston School headmaster Mark Mortimer, said: “I cannot believe that there are

any who have done more in the cause of boarding than Peter Hardy. Few people, in any organisation or walk of life, are genuinely irreplaceable. He is. Bryanston as a school has made – and makes – a significant

PleaSe See over for a full liSt of the w

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17

its f o s r ne n i w n e ce v a e l l p e k e th too d h e l c i i e h v er. n ,w b u s m d n e o a t i e t Sep cia rH o 3 f 2 e d c an ren Confe tually on 22 vir

contribution to boarding and to the education system in Britain. Peter Hardy’s part in that contribution has been immense. I cannot imagine a worthier, more deserving recipient of this award.”

The longest-running BSA Award, the Stephen Winkley Award is named in honour of the former BSA Chair (2003), and Headmaster of Uppingham (1991-2006) and Rossall Schools (2008-2013).

Alongside its 10 main awards, BSA also handed out a very special award, the Khadija Saye Photography Award, named in honour of the former Rugby School boarding pupil and respected international photographer, who tragically died in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The award went to Tia Samuel, a

photography student who recently graduated from St Mary’s School, Cambridge, and is now studying

photography at University. Tia impressed the judges with her dynamic ‘Glass Ball Landscape’ photograph, taken from the top of a building in Cambridge.

Robin Fletcher, CEO of the Boarding Schools’ Association and BSA Group, said: “Our annual awards are our opportunity to showcase everything that’s great about boarding – the tremendous work carried out

by all schools throughout the year, and the tireless efforts and commitment of staff who devote their lives

to supporting boarders.

“The standard of this year’s entries in all categories was incredibly high. On behalf of everyone at BSA, I’d like to extend our congratulations to all of the winners and finalists, and thank everyone who took the

time to send us their submissions this year.”

winnerS and highly commended finaliStS

>>>

>>>

NATION AL B

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BOARDING SCHOOLS’ ASSOCIATION 2020

AWA R D S

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Best Community work via BSA ‘on Board’ Initiative Award Winner: Sedbergh School

Highly commended: Sherborne Girls & Sherborne School and Marlborough College, Malaysia Boarding House Extension or Refurbishment Award Winner: Sunningdale School

Highly commended: St Andrew’s Prep, Eastbourne and Bede’s School Boarding Innovation Award Winner: Reddam House

Highly commended: Brighton College and Pangbourne College Boarding Research Award

Winner: Marta Gallego-Bermudez (Letovo School)

Highly commended: Burford School and Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Most original activity during national Boarding week Award Winner: Mowden Hall

Highly commended: Pangbourne College Stephen winkley Award

Winner: Peter Hardy (Bryanston School)

Highly commended: Rachel Foster (Windlesham House School), Jan Goldsmith (Cranleigh School), Pete Bellenger (Brighton College) and Michael Carslaw (St Leonards School) Supporting International Boarders Award Winner: Loughborough Grammar School

Highly commended: Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate and Janet Thomas (Scarborough College) Supporting Junior Boarders Award Winner: Perrott Hill Prep School

Highly commended: Farleigh School, Julie Gillam (St Ronan’s) wellbeing & Mental Health Initiative Award Winner: Wellington College

Highly commended: Cottesmore School and Sedbergh School working with Vulnerable Children Award

Winner: The Royal School, Wolverhampton

Highly commended: Christ’s Hospital School Khadija Saye Photography Award

Winner: Tia Samuel, St Mary’s School, Cambridge

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19

Peter Hardy, who recently

retired as second master at

Bryanston School, was chosen as the winner of this year’s Stephen Winkley Award.

>>>

>>>

Tia Samuel was named winner of the Khadija

Saye Photography Award for her dynamic ‘Glass Ball Landscape’ photograph (attached), taken from the top of a building in Cambridge.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhh

We dont like to shout about ourselves but http://www.s

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhShelleys

shelleys.co/welcome-to-hi-lite/ changed that forever!

Top national award for Bedford School pupil Benjie

25

£3 Bedford School PuPil Benjie ingram-moore, the grandSon of the inSPirational caPtain Sir tom moore, haS Been lauded for hiS work on the Phenomenal £38.9million fundraiSer for the nhS throughout the coronaviruS Pandemic.

38.9

27

million

He has now been unveiled as the

winner of the Rising Star category in the 2020 Independent School of the Year awards. Benjie was unveiled as the winner during a virtual

Independent School of the Year awards ceremony in early October.

Benjie played an important role in his

Grandad walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, with the aim of raising £1,000 for the NHS. Benjie, a

Lower Sixth student at Bedford School, said: “I have been absolutely blown

away by how life has changed over the past five months or so.

I hope to be able to push on from here with the Captain Tom Foundation and continue Grandad’s legacy.

“During this time, I was lucky enough

to go to Windsor Castle and meet the Queen for Grandad’s investiture and

meet the likes of David Beckham and Michael Ball, which is just incredible.

They are all experiences I never thought would happen.

“Thank you to absolutely everyone who helped me on this journey. Having

been preparing to sit my GCSEs, this isn’t close to anything that I had

expected this summer, but it is an

absolute pleasure to have won this award.

“I hope to be able to push on from

here with the Captain Tom Foundation and continue Grandad’s legacy.”

Benjie, who set up a Twitter account

which gained a following of more than 75,000 in a week, secured a much-

>>>

29

>>>

“

coveted spot on The Michael Ball Show on BBC Radio 2 and messages of

support from celebrities including

Dame Kelly Holmes, Lord Sugar and

Jason Donovan. He also worked with

his family to gain the support of BBC Breakfast and Piers Morgan at Good

Morning Britain for Sir Tom’s exploits.

For Sir Tom’s 100th birthday, Bedford School’s Great Hall was turned into a sorting office, with more than 100 pupils, parents, staff and Old

Bedfordians volunteering to set aside

envelopes and separate gifts, cheques and donations. They then created a

spectacular display of cards which led to visits from press from around the

world who wanted to see the display and speak to Benjie.

James Hodgson, Head Master of

Bedford School, said: “Benjie is an

incredibly modest, humble young man with a strong determination to succeed.

“He is consistently reliable and when given extra responsibility, will always perform the task to an exemplary

standard, going above and beyond what is asked of him.

“It is these qualities, as well as his

ability to build positive relationships,

that have led him to the success that he has had fundraising with Sir Tom and his family for the NHS.

“We are incredibly proud of Benjie; he has always been a rising star. It’s an absolute delight that he has been

recognised in this way with the Rising Star award.”

We are incredibly proud of Benjie; he has always been a rising star. It’s an absolute delight that he has been recognised in this way with the Rising Star award.

LOCKDOWN: BRING ON THE BOR If the lockdown had lyrics, for many children the chorus would be “I’m bored”.

Dr Aric Sigman www.aricsigman.com

We’ve developed a keen sense of

The adrenaline-flooded 1980s and 90s

our lives and many are exhibiting

sensory deprivation re-emerged in the

entitlement for variety and choice in withdrawal symptoms in the face of

the sudden restrictions and reductions in everyday choice and novelty

imposed upon us by lockdown.

In the Cold War 1950s, boredom

enjoyed greater respect in certain

circles. The military became interested in how it could be used to brainwash

and torture the captured enemy. The journal Scientific American published ‘The Pathology of Boredom’ and research began on ‘sensory

deprivation’ and ‘physical isolation’

minimising external stimulation. As the brain was thought to function by reacting to outside stimulation,

scientists believed that if outside

stimuli were removed, the brain would essentially enter into a type of

comatose state or ‘dreamless’ sleep.

Yet they were surprised to find that ‘The mind does not pass into

unconsciousness, the brain does not shut down... the isolated mind

becomes highly active and creative’.

saw the rise of paid-for boredom as

form of flotation tanks, and retreats

began to replace isolation chambers.

Today, scientists across the world are organising the 4th International

Interdisciplinary Boredom Conference for later this year. And now we have a

national physical isolation experiment with an enforced reduction of stimulation.

While there are many negative aspects to our current state, there are hidden benefits – especially for children. The restrictions of lockdown offer

liberation: being shut in opens a different set of doors.

We may be looking at a once-in-alifetime opportunity to pause for

reflection thanks to the very lack of

variety and stimulation we bemoan.

This is not a neo-Victorian radical

traditionalist call for a return to the

past but a straightforward apolitical health and development matter.

A tyranny of options

We and our children have cultivated a

perpetual thirst for ceaseless novelty in many areas of our lives, which we

expect to be satisfied instantly in ways unthinkable even a decade ago – from

newsfeeds and alerts for our curiosity, Deliveroo and Just Eat for our palates, Netflix for our need to see the next

episodes now, Amazon for next-day

delivery, to hook-up apps for new or

better partners for marriage… or just for tonight.

Consumerism and consumption have gone far beyond material goods to

include, more than ever, experiences,

including virtual experiences. Window shopping for houses, holidays,

romantic partners, or peering into the lives of others including celebrities

online, is available to all without taking

a step outside our door. We’ve become gluttons for novelty and choice, and an

expanding world of options, and so too have our children.

All of this has left little time for the

necessary emotional housekeeping for good mental health as navel-gazing,

31

Global boredom

Although I publish medical papers on child health practices, travel provides an oblique second opinion, a reality-

check on our assumptions about the norms and values of the day in our

culture, by being very far away from it.

Over the past three decades, I’ve

travelled abroad extensively often

REDOM

volunteer teaching, to observe child health and development in more

obscure cultures. This has led me

around the world to places such as

North Korea, Turkmenistan, Republic of Congo, Bhutan, Timbuktu, Mongolia,

Borneo, Tonga, Myanmar (Burma), Irian Jaya (West Papua), Laos, Iran, Vietnam, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Far Eastern

Siberia, Sumatra, Uganda, South Korea, Cambodia, Chile, Philippines, Jordan,

Japan, China and India and others. My observations have proved invaluable, daydreaming and even reflection are

The American Academy of Pediatrics

Yet this is precisely what children

to boredom warnings – children aren’t

looked at askance as a waste of time. especially need more, not less of.

Children need time to process and

integrate their daily experiences and emotions in order to make sense of

their day, their life, relationships and the world around them. And they’re just not getting enough of it.

Children also need the opportunity to be bored – it’s a health and

development requirement. Most of us

have already learned that life does not consist of a never-empty bowl of

cherries. Our children need to learn

this, and the earlier the better for their wellbeing. By experiencing tedium,

they develop strategies to escape it.

What they mustn’t learn is that the solution to boredom comes from

outside themselves – ‘buy this, watch

that, drink this, smoke that’ – requiring

attention to the external. While parents can indirectly help from the sidelines, we must not feel obliged to ‘cure’ our children’s boredom.

(AAP) has been issuing what amounts

getting enough of it, stating ‘A body of multidisciplinary work contends that boredom stimulates creativity’. Our

culture has increasingly embraced the notion that children must not be

‘under-stimulated’. Many middle class children are carefully exposed to further stimulation through the

scheduling of extra-curricular lessons,

classes and activities. The AAP recently issued a clinical report urging us to back off: ‘Parental guilt has led to

competition over who can schedule

more “enrichment opportunities” for their children… there are risks’. And psychologists have referred to the times when children don’t have

anything scheduled for them as

‘undesignated moments’. The free,

unstructured play and just messing

about that are vital for mental health are now at a premium.

revealing universal patterns that have convinced me of some fundamental principles in child health and

development that transcend time and

space and are not subject to the whims of fashion.

One of the main observations that sings out isn’t an eastern versus

western mindset but rather an inward versus outward cultural mindset.

Cultures that value a place for thought and inner reflection offer benefits to mental health. In so many of the

societies I’ve visited, children who we

may deem impoverished are often rich in something we’ve lost: the ability to withstand a lack of novelty and an inner ability to resolve boredom.

Bertrand Russell considered boredom as ‘a vital problem for the moralist, since half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it’.

Now is our opportunity to exploit our tedium and monotony. We must

venerate, not fear, the world’s most

uninspiring state as a vital experience for our children’s mental health by

allowing them to experience the gift of boredom.

33

how you learn, not how you learn, what you learn, not what you learn, means means everything in everything in a global crisis a global crisis Charlotte Weatherley Assistant Head Knighton House

Every dystopian novel is not predicated on the main

In our little community,

lockdown will not be a

their mathematical know-how. The main characters of

with the vocabulary of how

future attitudes to learning.

character’s ability to lecture on the comma splice or the genre live by engaging in a dynamic relationship with their own nature; the attitude and beliefs with which they encounter and adapt to difficult

circumstances. From the characters in Ray Bradbury’s

‘Martian Chronicles’ adapting to the new reality of life on Mars, to the harsh challenges to self-belief and optimism faced by Meg and Charles wallace in

Madeleine L’Engle’s ‘A wrinkle in Time’, what they know is that how you learn means as much, and in a crisis a great deal more, than what you learn.

The lockdown state of the globe has put school, by which I mean the physical space inhabited day to day by teachers and pupils, into pause mode. Reassuring parents with the

cry of ‘distance learning’ as our new normal, teachers have been hard at work mastering online platforms and signing

up to megabytes of free online resources in order to make

the transition from school to no school seem like no biggie.

But while teachers have responded with extraordinary speed to seismic changes in their working life -

demonstrating again why no one is in teaching for the cash, only ever for the children - in such testing times, we must accept that it is helping our children to a knowledge of

themselves and the way they learn which will get them

safely and positively through this crisis. And, if we are lucky, emerging with such wonderful self-knowledge that they

might keep the rest of humanity from the oblivion towards which it has been so casually heading.

pupils are already familiar they learn; so, optimism, independence, self-

evaluation are terms with which they are very

comfortable. All our learning is predicated on concepts

(the learning dispositions) providing the strong

foundations on which to

tackle your times tables or

your knowledge of how the semi-colon engages the reader. The COVID-19

outbreak has not changed that. What the crisis has done is reinforce their

importance at such a time

and reinforce what we do not want the period of lockdown

to be: the period of lockdown will not be spent solely in

front of a screen; the period

of lockdown will not be spent competing with Mum and

Dad for a device; the period

of lockdown will not be spent trying to connect and finding

you cannot and the period of

permanent blight on all their So, what will our learning be?

It will be a series of tasks

clearly linked to how they

learn and set against real life

assessment; our learning will involve children self-

evaluating and parents

evaluating too; and our

learning will be a little bit

competitive – ‘cos that’s fun

and motivating. All the tasks are practical and reassuring at time when no school

means gone the routine of

daily contact with teachers

and friends and the stability of lessons and playtime; however much it may

sometimes frustrate and enrage, these challenges

remind pupils of all that they love about where they learn.

Our pupils’ days will be

divided into challenges, some skills based, but many which are not. We also have a You Tube channel (fondly called

>>>

KH TV) which we will be

populating with How-To clips over the holidays, in time for

family viewing in the summer term. We are encouraging

pupils to keep a record of all their challenges (more

opportunities for points and prizes there) and we are

setting up a weekly session

on Teams for tutors to chat about progress and what’s

next. Pupils will receive the information about

challenges, assessment and self-evaluation in booklet

form, carefully organised into what would be the normal

weeks of our summer term calendar. The assessment

criteria has four levels, from Stage 1 level up to Jackpot (level 4) and we hope to

engage children and parents in evaluating the progress of

each challenge they attempt; in folders which each child has available to keep a record of their work,

teachers will be able to view all their data online.

how you learn, not what you learn, means everything in a global crisis

>>>

35

The assessment criteria for

ResponsibilitySelf-evaluation

Responsibility and independence

a pupil will ask for help but will not

community; for example, ask if you can

for example, become the person who

Co-operation at Level 1 recognises that recognise the synergy innate in a cooperative relationship; the Jackpot

(Level 4) reads ‘develops and works

with a household member on a joint

challenge, allocating tasks and taking the challenge forward.’ Challenges

encourage children to go back to their

From home, do something for your put messages on your local/village

website or put up posters in the village

hall, encouraging people to be positive.

Think about the skills you learned this term about posters and how to have maximum impact.

learning and even to have another go

Independence and method

expressed in language with which they

section of the garden and plant seeds –

at a challenge; the challenges are

are familiar and show our incredible

knowledge of the concerns, passions and talents of our pupils. We cannot know what education will look like,

after the virus has run its course, but we can know that our cohort of

children will have a set of learning

dispositions (or dispositions in the making) which will adapt them to whatever is all our new normal.

A selection of our challenges are listed below.

Empathy and personal organisation Write to someone every day for the

period of the school closure; this could be a different person or the same

person. Use a really sharp pencil/ink pen, focusing carefully on your

handwriting, particularly the joins of your letters.

Co-operation and collaboration

For the period of the school closure,

work with someone in your family on a shared project – keep a diary together or make a scrapbook of this unusual moment in the world’s history; find

something to investigate – take photos

or draw, the changes in your garden or the surrounding countryside. Talk to

each-other about what each of you will do and how you will organise the project.

Ask Mummy or Daddy if you can have a

Take on a new responsibility at home – plans the menus for the family meals; ask Mummy and Daddy what

responsibility you can take on to help all the family. Think about your

strengths and weaknesses and how you can effectively realise this new

responsibility; push yourself when you

think you are flagging and what to give up.

do the research yourself on what you

Personal organisation, resilience and

from plants you already have in the

Learn spellings for our Owl Spelling

should plant and how; ask for seeds

garden or packets from last year. Think about the classification of your plants and vegetables; design a leaflet that

put them into their correct families and gives the important information about them. The Royal Horticultural Society website might be helpful here:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/growyour-own/vegetables

Experimentation responsibility

Build something out of cardboard –

keep loo rolls and make fun animals or make something more complicated.

Teach someone else – think about what sort of teacher you are; do you need to

responsibility

Challenge - Bronze, Silver or Gold. Use the Look, Cover, Write and Check

method or try teaching the spellings to someone else so you learn as they do.

Sit the challenge online next term; dates coming soon.

Independence, evaluation and personal organisation

Learn the times tables you still find hard; write out the tables on sticky

notes and stick them around the house – say them aloud whenever you see

them. Test yourself and go back to the beginning if you make a mistake.

improve your instructions?

Independence, evaluation and

Experimentation openness and

Use Atom Learning at least once a

resilience

Train your dog some new moves; train yourself to give doggy massages and learn for fun with these training tips: https://tug-e-nuff.co.uk/blogs/ news?page=1https://tug-e-

nuff.co.uk/blogs/news/six-reasons-togive-your-dog-a-massage Go back to

the training and try to improve it – don’t expect it to be perfect – accept small wins and build on them.

personal organisation

week; look at your scores and try to

improve on them. Your tutor will also be looking at your scores and

encouraging you to go back over the

areas where you did not score so well.

Try to set targets for yourself.

37

SchoolPlaces

We’ve teamed up with Bulldog Publishing to launch Schoolplaces.org, a dedicated live information resource for schools, parents, and education agents.

Schoolplaces.org is designed to help agents and families easily find available school places, all in one location. And it’s also the ideal platform for schools to showcase themselves and let parents and agents know what they are offering. if you’re interested in getting your school listed on Schoolplaces.org, please email hello@schoolplaces.org.

Click here to download a copy of the school places media pack.

Virtual Open Days fulneck School recently hosted its first ever virtual open day. after just a few short weeks of very intense planning, it was a huge relief to deliver what felt like a really successful event. But there was a lot to learn, in a very short space of time. here’s what we can share from our experience for others planning similar events.

“

We wish everyone planning their own virtual open days the very best of luck.

39

>>>

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A virtual open day might not be

interested in joining us. They create

We chose to combine the two and had

us.

keen to retain this feeling, rather than

Principal and Vice Principals, alongside

right for every school, but it was for We are a small school with a very

personalised approach. We rely on

bustle, noise and excitement. We were opting for one-to-one meetings.

meeting families face-to-face, to

It’s important to weigh up a live

stand out – our staff and our

From the start, we knew we wanted to

demonstrate what makes us really atmosphere. For us, it was important

to have the opportunity to still connect with families directly.

We are also a growing school and our open days are an opportunity for

attendees to see the other families

a mix of live presentations from the re-purposed video footage of the school, with updated voiceovers.

versus pre-recorded approach

It helps to use a platform both staff

try and facilitate a live approach, so

We used Zoom to host the session

that parents could chat to staff exactly as they would at a normal event.

However, we knew we didn’t want to

broadcast live from an empty school. It could feel flat and empty and wouldn’t show us off to the best of our abilities.

and users are familiar with

because it felt like the most commonly used platform amongst our audience

and we were confident it would give us the functionality we needed.

41

We were also able to utilise its breakout room option to split

attendees into sub-groups in the second half of the session. This

enabled us to tailor content to the

audience across the Early Years, Junior, Senior and Boarding areas of our school. It also enabled us to host

smaller, live Q&A sessions, with a

member of our admin team facilitating the questions in each breakout room.

Practice definitely makes perfect

There is always room to improve

dress rehearsal for the event! With an

agents, thanking us for the opportunity to get a sense of our environment in an

We had five practice runs and one

un-tested format it was important to

make sure we all understood how the

technology worked and who would be

responsible for which elements. It also

Overall the day went really well and we had some lovely feedback from families and unprecedented set of circumstances. We now have a format we hope will provide

an added service in the future, in particular to our international agents. And most importantly, we have generated new enquiries from it.

helped us plan for glitches – such as

It wasn’t completely perfect though and we have a few learnings we need to take

to incorrect breakout room.

hopefully, we will continue to get better from here. We wish everyone planning their

what to do if attendees were allocated

forward for next time. The important thing though is we’ve done it once and own virtual open days the very best of luck.

Social distance floor graphics

must good value for money

printportal.shelleys.co/products

A look At the lAteSt

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£Poa

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43

haves

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£25

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BoArdinG houSe AcceSSorieS for 2020

School Socks

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Minibus Checks

£Poa

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A FREE AP schools P to help record a manag e minib nd us from C ASTLE M checks INIBUS

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Heads on the move Abbotsholme School

Simon Ruscoe-Price

Beechwood Sacred Heart

Nicholas Waite

Bosworth Independent College

Jason Lewis

Bishop’s Stortford College Bruton School for Girls

1

Cardiff Sixth Form College

2

Kathy Crewe-Read

Jane Evans1

Tom Arrand2

3

CATS College, London

James Slocombe3

Dover College

Simon Fisher4

Cumnor House School 4

Fergus Llewellyn

EF Academy, Torbay

Rob Tasker

Ipswich High School

Mark Howard

Gordonstoun School

5

Richard Devey5

Kingswood School

Andrew Gordon-Brown

Luckley House School

Areti Bizior

Ruthin School

Paul Wallace-Woodroffe

Mowden Hall School

6

Queen Ethelburga’s

Kate Martin6

Jeff Smith

Sevenoaks School

Jesse Elzinga

The National Mathematics and Science College

Dr Andy Kemp

St Paul’s School

The Royal School Haslemere

Sally-Anne Huang Pippa Smithson

Truro School

Andy Johnson

Warwick School

James Barker

Windlesham House School

Ben Evans

Twyford School

Wellington Prep School

Andrew Harvey Victoria Richardson

45

going from strength to strength

The following schools have joined the BSA this year.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Amadeus International School, Austria British International School, Lagos Complejo Educativo Mas Camarena, Spain Darul Uloom London School Hall Grove School, South East International School of Milan, Italy International School San Patricio Toledo, Spain NUCB International College, Japan Rong Qiao Sedbergh School, China Sela Qui International School, India Sotogrande International School, Spain St Louis School, Milan, Italy (Full Overseas) Swiss International Scientific School, Dubai The Hun School of Princeton, USA Windsor High School at Albany, Bahamas.

Our Boarding Orchard continues to expand in the UK and overseas. We would like to thank the following schools for joining since last term: • Bishopstrow College

• CATS College Canterbury • Stonar School

• Strathallan School

• St Edmund’s School, Canterbury

• St George’s School for Girls, Edinburgh • Warminster School.

For more information on how to join the BSA or the Boarding Orchard,

please visit our website www.boarding.org.uk or email bsa@boarding.org.uk

Cra Co-Ed anni

47

Simon Bird - Deputy Head Dr Andrea Saxel - Deputy Head Pastoral Cranleigh School

anleigh’s iversary

here’s an experiment for you: a wealthy philanthropist enlists your help designing a new school. She makes it clear that you have free rein. money is no object; all you have to do is conceive the very best educational establishment. Think about it for a moment; imagine the possibilities. Almost immediately, an important question emerges: is it single-sex or is it co-ed?

If you try this at home, I mean if you

really try it, it’s incredibly difficult to find rational reasons to excuse segregating

the sexes. Yes, there are some fantastic

single-sex schools out there, but they’re not fantastic because they are single-

sex. Historical, logistical, and financial pressures may ensure a rear-guard

action fought by a few hardy single-sex

schools, but it’s a dwindling component of the boarding sector, and rightly so.

Increasingly, traditional justifications that ‘girls have a different learning

style’ or that ‘hormonal’ boys get too Images courtesy of All Hallows School

distracted by the opposite sex in the classroom seem patronising and

anachronistic. How ironic too, that the societal upheaval of the #metoo

movement should have been recruited as a marketing ploy by single-sex

schools: as if a return to Victorian

divisions between the sexes is any kind of solution. All of which is why an ever greater number of the last bastions of

single-sex education are jumping ship.

And also why you probably can’t name any schools to have gone in the opposite direction.

Cranleigh School first opened its doors to girls more than 40 years ago, and

this year we celebrate 20 years of full

coeducation from 7-18. We’re proud of

our set-up. It works. It’s fundamental to who we are. We have an equal number of girls’ and boys’ Houses, and,

crucially, equal numbers of male and female House Staff sat at the table when whole-school decisions are

taken. Virtually the entire fabric of the day is coeducational: lessons, Music,

Drama, Chapel, Debating, meals, Duke of Edinburgh, Scholars’ Society,

Prefects, Student Council, Dance. So too, many House competitions, a

>>>

One thing that most of us can agree on in education is the importance of positive role models, whatever their gender

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surprising amount of sport,

– what if the two best candidates are

a wealth of former pupils prepared to

trips and so on.

be unconscionably woke? Twenty years

benefit of their experiences to inspire

academic clinics, lectures, overseas Affiliation between a boys’ and girls’ House ensures a strong and shared sense of pride, helps develop social

ties, and keeps siblings close. Tightlyknit relationships between

both girls? Does it matter? Would that is a long time to work through such

questions. And it’s a reflection of how

second-nature coeducation is to us now that even asking such questions seems like a snapshot from another time.

Housemistresses and Housemasters

One thing that most of us can agree on

and an unshakeable bond of unity

positive role models, whatever their

ensure an equality of pastoral care that is then reflected in the pupils themselves. We, not them.

We’ve learnt a few lessons along the way too, and made some mistakes.

Having female Sixth Form Prefects in charge of Fourth Form boy bedtimes (a late 1990s experiment) wasn’t a

great success. Nor, less predictably,

was mixed chess. To avoid at all costs is the sense that the opposite sex are an uncomfortable addition, an extra.

And don’t underestimate the time it

takes for full co-education to become embedded, and not just with the

students: staff attitudes may take longer to update than the online

prospectus. The constitution, culture and language of a school, developed

sometimes over centuries, can take a

long time to change, like an oil tanker turning around. You may have a new cohort of boys or girls but do the

attitudes and habits of the school really reflect that?

And what about the terminology?

Do you need a specially appointed

Senior Mistress? Does that guarantee the girls a degree of protection, an

SMT champion for all things female, or does it confirm the girls as an

exotic off-shoot of real school life?

Should the boys have their own Head of Sport? As for Senior Prefects

in education is the importance of

gender, and we have been blessed with

give up their time and pass on the

future generations: I once sat where you sit now, a connection that resonates

with our youngsters. Increasingly the

sex of those speakers ceases to matter – the (male) newspaper editor, the

(female) fighter pilot. They are all just

Cranleighans, citizens of the world, and

the fixation on co-education melts away.

Now we can just talk about education.

well rounded, successful and utterly fulfilled I grew up in the 80s and 90, a time that is

I know more than a little bit about boarding

years for boarding. Boarding has, for

in a small prep school in the South East of

not always remembered as the golden some years now, occasionally been in

the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and from this has grown a one-sided

view of boarding schools, their staff, and even the parents that send their Jemima Edney Head of Boarding and Co-Curricular City of London Freemen’s School

having begun my boarding life aged seven

England. This was the start of a journey that took me through my school years and later into a career in boarding schools and now into boarding leadership.

children to board. This is far from

I came from a musical family, and showed

to the outstanding work that has gone

chose a school that would best support my

balanced, and gives little consideration on in recent years to hugely enhance the experience for boarders today.

So I am on a mission to to tell my own very positive stories of boarding and I hope it may encourage others to share theirs.

some early signs of talent, so my parents

development, despite a 45-minute journey from where we lived. There were schools

closer to home of course as growing up in

the heart of Surrey meant that there was a huge choice of excellent state and

independent schools I could have joined.

“

51

I thrived at boarding school and I loved

boarding. I couldn’t (and still can’t) understand

why any child would turn down the opportunity to spend all day and all night with your friends

But my parents were principled enough to put my seven-year-old needs before their own ease of life. As a mother of a six year old myself now, I understand how hard my parents must have found it to take that decision, what a wrench that would have been for the family, and how selfless it was of them to set me on the right path at the expense of having me at home every day.

I thrived at boarding school and I loved boarding. I couldn’t (and still can’t) understand why any child would turn down the opportunity to spend all day and all night with your friends in a Mallory Towers (I considerably predate Harry Potter) adventure. My days were filled with music, sport, play and more play (and I suppose some lessons, but I don’t remember so much about those). A couple of years later, when my parents moved up to Scotland with my father’s job, boarding was a blessing for us all. I didn’t have to transfer schools, so the upheaval of moving country was

opportunities that were at my fingertips at boarding school.

I emerged as a well-rounded, successful and most importantly, utterly fulfilled 18 year old with tons of ability and experience. I was, and remain, immensely grateful for the opportunities afforded to me by those schools, and to my parents for putting aside their natural yearning to have me at home, in place of doing the very best for me through those challenging childhood and adolescent years. counterbalanced with the security of staying in the same school with the friends and teachers I trusted and relied upon. I learned to get on with people – children and adults, I learned to play with children older and younger, to look after and be looked after, I learned to be bored and find entertainment. I was able to develop incredible musical skills I would not have found anywhere else and it turned out that I was also rather sporty. I flourished.

When my prep school days were over, I moved on to another boarding school. Much larger, with more musical and sporting opportunities and of course, a greater focus on academic success. Having already boarded for five years, I breezed into the school and instantly became busy with evening sports training, weekend fixtures, early morning rehearsals and late-night concerts. Had I not been a boarder I dread to think how many miles my parents would have clocked up just trying to get me to half of the

Boarding had a huge impact on my life, and made me who I am, so it is perhaps no surprise that I came back to boarding life for a career. The market has changed in recent years and I come across many adults who know nothing about boarding life, or whose only understanding comes from recent media coverage. I believe it’s time to have the other side of the story heard – that boarding can be, and very often is, a hugely positive experience, that provision and care in boarding in 2020 is outstanding, that boarders are not children cruelly neglected by their parents – quite the opposite – they are the products of families who have put their child’s education first.

I can’t speak for every boarding school, but I can set out for you the reasons why I believe boarding in 2020 is a wonderful – no, outstanding – opportunity to develop wellrounded, successful and utterly fulfilled young people.

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1

2

3

I thought boarding in 1984 was pretty good – I would never have imagined some of the luxury and flexibility afforded to our boarders here at Freemen’s in the 21st Century.

Long gone are the days of the dormitory. Our boarders are in rooms of 3 in Year 9, 2 in Year 10-12 and single rooms in Year 13. Pupils from Year 10 upwards have study desks in their rooms, as well as there being a prep room for pupils in Year 9 and 10.

There are computers and printers available for use, a fully stocked kitchen for Year 11 and above, a lounge/kitchen for Year 9 and 10, TVs, gaming zones, laundry facilities, a wellbeing area, board games, a music room and acres of outdoor space. On the campus there is a fully equipped sports hall, swimming pool and music school. The buildings are modern, warm, light, happy spaces. Many of our leavers come back from university to tell us that their rooms are nowhere near as spacious, or that all freshers are in shared rooms. They are grateful they have had the chance to learn to cook and do their laundry themselves, as plenty of others arrive at university without a clue.

What child doesn’t love a sleepover, a residential camp or a school ski trip where they get to be with their friends day and night? Yes, there are times when they would like to be at home with their parents, especially when things aren’t going their way, or they are physically under the weather, but the vast majority of the time, children love to be with their friends 24-7. When I asked 12 of the boarders in my current boarding house for their comments on boarding at the school, every one of them said they love the relationships they build up with fellow pupils, often from different year groups, and they value the relationships they build with staff. They genuinely enjoy being part of a big community where they learn from one another, through cultural sharing, through supporting one another academically and emotionally, and they learn how to develop safe and respectful relationships with key adults who work tremendously long hours to keep the boarders safe and happy.

Too often we assume children in boarding schools come from very affluent families who don’t even blink at the £30,000 per year bill landing on their doorstep. Those of us in the profession know this is a very long way from the truth. Many of our parents give all they have to send their child to our schools, but a growing number of parents are not paying boarding fees, or are contributing smaller amounts.

These children may come from families unable to look after them throughout the year, or may have a home environment not conducive to academic or emotional success. Some schools, including the wonderful state boarding schools, take care of ‘looked after’ children, those who are in the care of the local authorities rather than a family. For such children, life at boarding school offers consistency, an opportunity to settle, to build relationships and gain qualifications to take them out of the vicious cycle they may have be born into.

the luxury

These days boarders have a great deal more freedom and flexibility. The mobile phone is a mixed blessing, but one of its positive features is the way it enables pupils and staff to stay in touch, so visits to town or friends’ houses, whilst more closely regulated in terms of safeguarding, are easily monitored by boarding staff and parents. A delayed train or cancelled bus no longer results in panicked phone calls reporting missing children, as they have themselves messaged to explain. Once all the correct processes are followed to ensure boarders remain in safe company and parents are happy with the arrangements, they have relative freedom away from the school site in their free time.

children love it

Some children need it

The inclusion of such a diverse range of children, from the ‘have nothings’ to the comfortably wealthy, creates a wonderfully rich (no pun intended) atmosphere in the boarding environment. It increases mutual tolerance and respect children take into adult life. Everyone gains something from this experience.

Sometimes I think divide in social class or wealth is a big deal to an adult, but in my experience, children just see other children – someone to play with, to learn from and build friendships with.

>>>

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4

5

lots of children (and parents) benefit from it Families move, as mine did, and with the increase of the global market, impact of Brexit and offices moving overseas, the number of families moving from their home towns is increasing. The armed forces have long been placing pupils in boarding schools to afford that level of consistency when the family is relocated. These days a huge number of pupils are affected by relocation and disruption of their schooling and friendships, which simply isn’t necessary for those at boarding school.

Schools are full of very busy pupils, some of whom leave home at 6:00am or earlier, arrive at 7:00am for swimming training and stay after school for various activities only finishing their school day (not including homework time) at 5:30pm. Then they have to travel home, spend ‘quality’ time with the family, and do homework before they can even think about relaxing for the evening. Boarding life removes a huge amount of that pressure and stress from daily life.

Boarders can roll out of bed minutes before their first commitment of the day, they have no travel time, they have plenty of opportunity to catch up with friends and significant adults after school and during supper. They can help one another with homework and then relax with their friends over a cup of tea and snack. Some of our day pupils have become boarders for exactly these reasons, particularly during the important exam years when losing several hours a day to unpredictable travel arrangements begins to take its toll.

Schools are also full of very busy parents. Many children come from families where both parents work full time. Often parents choose to work so they can afford for their children to attend the best schools. It is not a case of neglecting them, or sending them away so adults can focus on their

Broaden the choice careers, but rather careers supporting the child’s education, and giving them the best start they can. Modern boarding encompasses a full range of options, from the full (only go home at holidays) boarding option to the ad hoc (occasional night here and there) boarding option. In between is regular flexi, where a pupil will stay for two or three nights each week, and weekly boarding, where they go home every weekend. The variety of boarding packages on offer in many schools means there is a boarding option to suit every household.

We live in a world where we no longer settle for the best a town, region or even country has to offer; we want the best in the world. When we shop, most of us don’t restrict ourselves to the tomatoes grown locally, because we know those grown in warmer climes are bigger, sweeter and juicier.

Boarding opens up the educational market so parents can choose the biggest, sweetest and juiciest from anywhere in the world. Fortunately for us, most of those schools are in the UK, and this is why we see large numbers of international pupils joining our boarding communities. Those families have looked beyond their local schools, beyond the borders, to give their child the very best education they can. Got a musical child? We’ve got a school for that. A sporty one? There’s a school for that. A particularly academic pupil? There’s another for them. Want to be in a city, the countryside, by the sea, near an airport, in a warm place, a cold place? The world has a school to suit every child; why settle for the limited offering your town provides?

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6

Pastoral care for boarders is better I may come across as a little biased here, as it is my job to provide the pastoral care for the boarders, but I would hand on heart say that, although pastoral care for day pupils is nothing short of outstanding, pastoral care for boarders is better.

Here’s why: My boarding staff see each child in their care at breakfast, if not before, every day of the week. It is their job to notice if a child looks particularly tired, unkempt, unhappy or unwell. And it is their job to reason why. Did they stay up too late, have they forgotten to hand their laundry in, have they fallen out with their friends, or a girl or boyfriend? Then the pastoral demons creep in – have they been gaming late into the night, been chatting to strangers online, are they gambling, drinking, selling revision guides on the black market?

And this is all before breakfast. Then we catch up with tutors before morning break, to draw parallels with their recent academic profile. We see the children again at lunchtime and

after school, we watch them interact with their peers, and notice whether they struggle to stay focused on their homework. We cross reference the day’s rewards and sanctions lists and finally take the opportunity for a caring chat at the end of the day, when a child might be feeling most vulnerable, before saying goodnight. It’s our job to take even the smallest of concerns seriously – for every child in the house – and to consider the worst at every stage. Considering the what-ifs, no matter how far-fetched, is critical in strong pastoral care. 99% of the time it is entirely precautionary, but any potential problems are raised, considered, discussed, analysed and documented. Boarders are with us 24 hours a day, and we never relinquish that level of care.

I have a daughter who is now six, so not much younger than I was when I started to board. Will I consider boarding for her? Absolutely. Will it break my heart? Absolutely, but if I think it will give her the best start in life, I won’t hesitate. Am I worried about giving her the opportunity to

board? Not in the least, because I know any unhappiness, unkindness or unusual behaviour is going to be picked up in a flash and, if necessary relayed to me by well-qualified, trustworthy, caring adults who have the best interests of my child at heart.

In many respects boarding in 2020 is a world apart to when I arrived as a seven year old in 1984, but the principles I was so lucky to have embedded in my boarding schools remain the same: care, kindness and love; respect, happiness and friendship; experiences and fulfilment.

I am confident I am not alone in my experiences of boarding. There are hundreds of excellent schools out there keeping children safe, happy and fulfilled every day, and they and all their staff deserve to be celebrated.

And we deserve to be proud of a profession that does so much to support young people to be the best they can be, wherever in the world or society they come from, and set them up for a well-rounded, successful and utterly fulfilled life.

BSA Certified Agent – 2020/2023

The BSA Certified Agent scheme is designed to improve the working relationship between high-quality agents and education consultants working with BSA boarding schools.

This rigorous scheme is a clear demonstration of the quality and intention of the agents and consultants who join and provides unrivalled assurance to BSA boarding schools that they are dealing with top-class agents who have the highest standards in recruitment, safeguarding and student placement.

57

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Academic Asia (China) Academic Families (worldwide) Certified Agent and Certified Guardian Barbara Glasmacher Internationale (Germany) Better School! Internatsberatung (Germany) BOSSS UK (China) Britannia StudyLink (HK) Chamberlain Educational Services (Hong Kong and China) Cherry Education Consultancy (China) Connexcel (China) Certified Agent and Certified Guardian Crest Education (China) Dickinson School Consulting (Germany and worldwide) ITEC (Russia) J3 Group (HK) Mark Brooks Education (Ghana, Nigeria, worldwide) Overseas Personal Development Services (China) Rise Smart Overseas Education Centre (Hong Kong) School Britannia (France) The Independent Education Consultants (worldwide) The Watanabe Office (Japan) UK Education Guide (Middle East, worldwide) UK Tuition Services (China).

{

The following organisations have successfully obtained BSA Certified Agent status

BSa certified guardian Scheme 2020/2023 the BSa and our member schools are looking to work with the best educational guardians and our certified guardian Scheme is an assurance of professional quality. this training and certification programme provides assurance to BSa boarding schools that they are dealing with educational guardians who have the highest standards in safeguarding of children, safer recruitment and training of staff and host families, and careful liaison with parents and schools. the scheme is a clear demonstration to BSa boarding schools of the quality and intention of the educational guardians who reach certified status.

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• Abby Plumb Education Guardian Service • Academic Families Certified Agent and Certified Guardian • Amber Education • Belgravia Guardians • Berkeley Guardians • Connexcel certified Agent and certified Guardian • Cotswold Guardians • Elite Anglo-Chinese Services • English Country Guardians • Guardians International Support • Hostlink UK • Regent Guardians • St George’s Guardians • Study Links • The Guardian Family Network • UK Guardians • UK Tuition and Services.

{

The following organisations have successfully obtained BSA Certified Guardian status

Images courtesy of Vinehall

A BOARDER FROM THE ROyAL ALExAnDRA AnD ALBERT SCHOOL TELLS US OF HER ExPERIEnCE OF COMInG TO THE UK. My name is Jada, I’m 13 and 11 months old and three years ago I joined the Royal Alexandra and Albert School as a boarder. At only 10 years old it is not surprising that I felt scared. All I could think was all of these people, different, races, different religions; how will I ever make friends? And then this really amazing lady came up to me and said: “Don’t think of it as scary; think of it like travelling, but without a plane.”

That’s really what our school is: it’s the world at your fingertips, it’s a daily dose of a new culture every day. In my Boarding House, I have friends from all around the world. Friends whose families live thousands of miles away and friends who can pretty much see their house from the window.

What other school gives an opportunity like that?

Boarding creates a different kind of love, a sense of familiarity, even though everything is so different. It’s like a sleep over every night with your friends. Boarding also makes you an allround better person. It teaches you skills that you can’t learn in a class such as communication, real life problem solving and self-dependence.

In my House, we really are like a big family. My Head of House and the boarding tutors are always there when I need them. When I first started boarding, I thought I’d probably go home every weekend, but I don’t actually, because there is so much to do here at weekends and I don’t want to miss out! Whether it’s going on a trip, film and pizza in the House or just catching up with my prep, there’s always things to do.

Boarding at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School was the best decision for me and I would recommend it to anyone who asked.

“Don’t think o think of it lik but without

ilove

of it as scary, ke travelling, t a plane.”

61

D

diversity Imagine yourself flying through bright

sunshine above an unbroken blanket of

Former British Airways pilot, and current Modern Language teacher at Kilgraston School in Perthshire, John Maxton describes the diverse nature of his career and the need to be flexible, even when you think your flightplan is sorted.

soft, fleecy clouds.

Heading-off on holiday or flying down to Manchester on a business trip?

No, you are the Captain of the British Aerospace ATP 64-seater, heavy

turboprop, having reached the pinnacle of your aviation career. It’s what you

aeroplanes, and it was on these that I

operated. Basically, we set-up and ran a mini-airline for Nigeria which operated along the west coast of Africa.

It was during this period that I contracted Cerebral Malaria.

Frequently, this condition can be fatal

and, although I recovered, the condition returned with sufficient severity in 2003 to warrant the Civil Aviation Authority taking away my medical certificate

(which is reissued every six months).

Becoming a co-pilot was a faint

possibility, but I decided that a career change was the best option.

have been working towards since

The definition of ‘diversity’ is ‘the state

building and years of painful training

to have at your disposal. A situation,

childhood; all that model aircraft

has brought you to this point. You are

very happy in your job; in fact you could honestly say you are one of the few

people in life who would probably be in this seat with no salary involved!

Imagine then that you are actually on

your last flight, ever. Your whole life is about to change, with serious

implications for your own future and that of those closest to you.

of being diverse’ and it’s a valuable skill which appears at first glance to be

negative, can be ‘rebranded’ into an

unexpectedly positive outcome. Being

told that, for medical reasons, I could no longer continue my passion, was a

crushing moment. Initially, I felt anger and frustration, closely followed by a

sense of failure and loss. Very quickly I became the classic ‘fish out of water’,

not knowing where or to whom I should turn.

This is exactly what happened to me in

However, these feelings were transient

Helicopters in Nigeria from 1995-99 on

resounding bang, I began to reassess.

2003. I had been employed by Bristow fixed-wing flying operations in support of Shell oil and gas exploration in the

Niger delta. The company had several helicopters, but only six fixed-wing

and as that door closed with a

The pilot in me kicked-in. It was time to land on a different runway.

63

The Dalai lama’s quote: “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck,” has, for me, always struck a chord.

>>>

>>>

Having previously completed over

11,300 flying hours (nearly a year and a quarter in the sky), I suddenly realised that my airborne hankerings had

actually been vanquished, replaced with a deep sense of gratitude for having

survived a sometimes dangerous, and always exhilarating, 23-year flying period.

Looking at my school, university and

post-graduate qualifications, together with skills and experience gained as a

pilot, I realised there was in fact quite a good foundation on which to launch a new career.

My degree was in German and I was a Training Captain with two former

employers - Loganair and Bristow

Helicopters - and I had a diploma in

European Marketing and Languages.

As a pilot you are at the front of your class, dealing on a daily basis with a range of different nationalities and

backgrounds and often speaking in myriad languages.

Great similarities to being a teacher at a boarding school.

So, with a renewed tailwind, I decided to re-kindle my languages background and embark on a one year PGCE teacher-

your own working life. My fellow

teacher might be looking forward but

group, all looking for a new direction.

horizon. Tiny situations can erupt very

students were an eclectic, ‘diverse’, Despite the years of neglect, I was

pleasantly surprised to find that my

language skills were still up to the task.

My unconventional career path ‘landed’

me in beautiful Perthshire, at Kilgraston

diplomatically, in the bud.

trusted with the responsibility of taking

previous guise; a diverse group of

people, all bringing their own strengths and experiences, set on a clear route

passengers, it is a great privilege to be a young person’s skill and delivering it safely to exam day.

forward and coming together under

I greatly appreciate that, while my

It is a great pleasure to walk the school

turbulence, I have had a very pleasant

one roof to enjoy their mutual journey. corridors and hear myriad spoken

languages and to marvel at the truly

international nature of our community.

Changing career actually gave me a new lease of life, allowing recently toppled gyros to reset.

Admittedly, in my late forties, I was the are your first steps towards rebuilding

early and nip any problems firmly, and

There were many correlations to my

morning. Maintaining good ‘flight logs’ is

everyone’s journey is unique and these

crew, a Captain needs to spot them

As with flying an airliner full of

much in vogue and keenly supported.

The pilot’s mantra of “Prior preparation

oldest student on the course, but

quickly and, for the sake of the whole

School, where language learning is very

training course at the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House.

he or she needs to understand the full

prevents particularly poor performance” is something I still chant to myself every as vital in the classroom as it is at the

end of a journey, while being vigilant is another crucial skill. Like a Captain, a

career has encountered a bit of

flight and am delighted to have reached this destination. Diverse skill-sets can often be applied to a very different

direction and I’m extremely pleased to be flying with a new crew.

The Dalai Lama’s quote: “Remember

that sometimes not getting what you

want is a wonderful stroke of luck,” has, for me, always struck a chord.

65

AdVertoriAl

Best practice to supporting parents during school closures During a school closure, it is more important than ever to stay connected with parents. Schools need to ensure that regular communication does not become a burden for all involved; teachers should not be spending inordinate amounts of time emailing updates to the families, and of course parents do not want to be “spammed” with emails. So how do we improve parental engagement?

generally, parents want to know: ••• What is my child learning?

••• What progress is my child making?

••• Is my child happy?

rob eastment head of Product marketing

how can i support my child’s learning?

All of this information is already available and being used by teachers and students as part of the teaching and learning process. The trick lies in how we can help parents to still be part of this “learning conversation”.

After listening to schools it is clear that they have to consider mobile technology has gone a long way to helping resolve this

an extensive array of different devices being used both in

problem, with parents now able to connect with their child’s

school and at home. For this reason, Firefly is pleased to

school in ways that best suit their digital habits. Whether on

announce that the latest version of our parent app is now

their phone, or a tablet, parents can get the information they

available for Windows, Apple and Android devices. This will

need. In addition, schools have also begun to use tools which

make parental engagement even easier so schools and parents

can translate messages between teachers and parents who

can work together and help students continue on their

experience language barrier communication challenges.

learning journey especially when there are school closures.

HRH The Duche Cornwall opens Teaching Centre Tudor Hall Scho Wendy Griffiths, Headmistress, welcomed HRH The Duchess of Cornwall to Tudor Hall School outside Banbury on

January 29, 2020. Her Royal Highness visited the school to formally open the £6.2 million Teaching Centre and meet pupils, staff and the wider Tudor Hall community.

The Teaching Centre is the most ambitious addition to the

facilities at Tudor Hall to date. It houses teaching space for the core subjects of mathematics and English as well as

specialist facilities for the creative arts subjects of textiles, ceramics, food and nutrition and photography and will be used by every girl from Year 7 to Upper Sixth.

Her Royal Highness had the opportunity to meet pupils

from Tudor Hall, Carrdus School, Tudor Hall’s prep school

and William Morris Primary School, Bretch Hill, Tudor Hall’s partner school.

After meeting the pupils, Her Royal Highness formally

opened the Teaching Centre by cutting a ribbon made specially for the occasion by the school’s Textiles

Department. She then toured the building meeting staff and pupils as they enjoyed lessons in the new teaching space.

67

ess of s e at ool

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69

It was a real honour to meet the Her Royal Highness and have the opportunity to show her how the Teaching Centre embodies the Tudor Hall philosophy of supporting all areas of academic interest, housing not just the core subjects of mathematics and English but also the creative arts. wendy Griffiths

Headmistress

Destinat Girls’ Bo part II

71

tion: oarding Images courtesy of Queen Margaret’s

Queen Anne’s School

Queen Margaret’s

Queen Mary’s School

Head - Julia harrington

Head - Sue Baillie

Head - carole cameron

Number of boarders - 204

Number of boarders - 179

Number of boarders - 68

Number of students - 458

Number of students - 261

AN INNovATIvE EDuCATIoN For AN EvEr-ChANGING WorlD’ or ‘kIND hEArTS, FIErCE mINDS AND STroNG SPIrITS

Queen Margaret’s is a place where girls are

through loving life and enjoying learning,

undertake a journey on which they will

every endeavour. the stimulating and

the river thames, Queen Anne’s School,

emotionally. Girls are supported in every

Set in 35 acres and just a short walk from caversham, is an independent boarding

and day school for girls between the ages

of 11-18. the cutting-edge curriculum and outstanding teaching is underpinned by Braincando, the psychology and

neuroscience research programme

founded by headmistress Julia harrington.

WhErE GIrlS AIm hIGh AND ExCEED ExPECTATIoNS

Number of students - 205

given time, space, trust and support to

grow and thrive intellectually, socially and aspect of their School life by dedicated

staff who want them to fulfil their potential, have great fun whilst doing so and forge lasting friendships along the way.

‘uT SErvIAmuS’ IN orDEr ThAT WE mAy SErvE

Queen Mary’s strives for excellence in varied curriculum is delivered by a

dedicated team who bring out the best in each child. Whatever their passion, from

canoeing to chemistry, Queen Mary’s size, ethos and flexibility provides a truly individual education.

73

Queenswood School

Rodean School

Royal High School Bath

Head - Jo cameron

Head - oliver Bond

Head - kate reynolds

Number of boarders - 235

Number of boarders - 315

Number of boarders - 130

Number of students - 460

IN horTIS rEGINAE

A leading boarding and day school for girls

Number of students - 625

roEDEAN – A Truly holISTIC EDuCATIoN

aged 11-18, situated in 120 acres of idyllic

roedean’s 630 girls thrive in a school

cross. Beyond excellent academic value

in which co-curricular pursuits

parkland just 20 minutes from king’s added and exemplary pastoral care,

Queenswood is renowned for creative arts and sport, and is the uk’s number one school for girls’ tennis.

which offers a genuinely holistic education, complement rigorous academic study.

Girls grow up at their own pace, confident, curious, and happy, they excel in the Performing Arts, and play sport

overlooking the english channel, and have

space to develop their talents and passion. roedean produces independent young

women who will make their mark in the world.

Number of students - 775

GIrlS mAkING ThEIr mArk

the royal high School Bath (rhS) is a

leading independent day and boarding

‘through-school’ for girls aged 3-18 in Bath providing outstanding, girl-centred,

contemporary education. the school is

one of 23 schools and two academies that are part of the uk’s leading educational

charity - the Girls’ day School trust (GdSt) - specialists in girls’ only education for 150 years. in 2020 the royal high School Bath opened their outstanding, contemporary

new Steinway Music School, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to every rhS pupil.

Rye St Antony

Sherborne Girls

St Catherine’s Bramley

Head - Joanne croft (Acting)

Head - dr ruth Sullivan

Head - Alice Phillips

Number of boarders - 40

Number of boarders - 450

Number of boarders - 135

Number of students - 300

Number of students - 489

ThE PrIzE IS A FAIr oNE, AND ThE hoPE GrEAT

Number of students - 640

‘lET uS Go oN….’ (hEBrEWS 6:1)

rye St Antony is an independent school

Sherborne Girls is an independent day and

located adjacent to the beautiful Surrey

developing young people’s talents to help

founded in 1899, it has been at the

catherine’s has been educating girls

for girls aged 3-18 and boys aged 3-11. them achieve academic success and

personal happiness is at the heart of what we do, igniting curiosity and building

confidence to take on new challenges. the opportunity to board means that rye

becomes a second home for many, and our small class sizes and family

atmosphere give every pupil a real sense of belonging within the rye community.

boarding school for girls aged 11-18.

forefront of girls’ education in Britain for over 100 years and we are proud to be one of the leading full-boarding girls’ schools for all-round personal

development and academic fulfilment.

hills, yet within an hour of london, St

successfully since 1885; it is a vibrant and busy academic school. Six School houses

underpin the pastoral system, encouraging every girl to feel part of the community.

on-site facilities are impressive, facilitating a broad extra-curricular programme.

75

St Francis College Head - Bronwen Goulding

Number of students - 350 Number of boarders - 50

Cor uNum, ANImA uNA oNE hEArT, oNE Soul

St George’s School for Girls Edinburgh

St George’s School Ascot

Head - Alex hems

Number of students - 270

Number of students - 760 Number of boarders - 50

yES ShE CAN

Head - liz hewer

Number of boarders - 100

vINCENT QuI SE vINCuNT (ThEy WIll CoNQuEr Who ovErComE ThEmSElvES)

Set amidst the green residential

St George’s combination of individual

A vibrant boarding and day school for girls

the world’s first garden city, St. francis’

make a difference. offering a modern,

academic education in a supportive and

environment of letchworth Garden city, college stands tall in this enviable location. our academic achievements are

outstanding and we have a solid tradition of academic rigour. however, we believe

that academic success should be balanced with personal success in everything the

girls do. the boarding house has a lovely family atmosphere supported by

experienced boarding staff and academic tutors.

attention, small class sizes and flexibility family-friendly boarding model, we are the only all-through girls’ school in edinburgh.

our ‘yeS She cAn’ approach, embodied in the abundance of strong female role-

models and wide ranging opportunities

helps inspire every girl. examinations are in both english and Scottish qualifications.

aged 11-18 providing an excellent

caring environment. Set in 30 acres of

stunning grounds, only 30 minutes from central london, its friendly atmosphere, small classes, strong pastoral care and extensive opportunities for individual

development make St George’s stand out from the crowd.

St Mary’s Calne

St Mary’s School Ascot

St Mary’s School Cambridge

Head - dr felicia kirk

Head - danuta Staunton

Head - charlotte Avery

Number of boarders - 290

Number of boarders - 375

Number of boarders - 87

Number of students - 360

CAlNE GIrlS CAN

founded in 1873, St Mary’s calne provides

Number of students - 390

FrEEDom oF SPIrIT, SINCErITy AND A ChEErFul DISPoSITIoN

Number of students - 652

EmPoWErING GIrlS SINCE 1898

an exceptional, all-round education for

St Mary’s School Ascot is a leading roman

located in cambridge, St Mary’s School

providing an education that will challenge

between 11-18. We are a small school on a

an inspiring pathway to some of the most

girls (11-18). St Mary’s is committed to

and inspire its pupils, as well as helping

them to achieve consistently outstanding exam results (ranked 2nd independent

secondary school in the South West - The Sunday Times Parent Power, 2020). St

Mary’s is the first independent school in the uk to be awarded the Platinum Science Mark Award.

catholic boarding school for girls aged

beautiful 55-acre site where the girls work hard as part of a compassionate and

friendly community. our superb facilities and excellent staff enable the girls to mature and flourish, to achieve

outstanding academic results and reach their long-term goals. We are proud see them grow into independent young women of conscience and spirit.

offers the best of a British education and

prestigious universities and careers in the world. Boarders join us from year 5 and live in our exceptional boarding house,

which overlooks cambridge university’s beautiful Botanic Garden..

77

St Swithun’s School

St Theresa’s School

Talbot Heath School

Head - Jane Gandee

Head - dr claire McShane

Head - Angharad holloway

Number of boarders - 227

Number of boarders - 80

Number of boarders - 40

Number of students - 518

CArITAS, humIlITAS, SINCErITAS

St Swithun’s is a renowned independent day, weekly and full-boarding school for girls set in 45 acres overlooking the

hampshire downs on the outskirts of

Winchester, yet only 50 minutes by train from central london. it offers excellent teaching, sporting and recreational facilities.

Number of students - 640

St teresa’s is a thriving day and Boarding School for girls aged 4-18, situated in 55 acres in Surrey, with excellent transport links.

Small enough for each girl to be known

individually, yet large enough for vibrancy and diversity, we have a record of

exceptional pastoral care and outstanding

academic results, adding remarkable value to our girls.Although academic endeavour

is at the forefront, we espouse an ethos of roundedness, intellectual curiosity, and mental resilience.

Number of students - 600

hoNour BEForE hoNourS

named as one of the most innovative and influential independent schools in the country. (i25 excellence in education

Awards 2019) our boarders benefit from

outstanding teaching that will enable them to access top university courses globally, wonderful pastoral care and unique ‘future-focused’ skills training. the

experienced boarding staff provide a caring, safe, relaxed and family

environment where all girls are nurtured and supported according to their individual needs.

The Mary Erskine School Head - linda Moule

Number of students - 778

Number of boarders - Girls only: 9

The Royal Masonic School for Girls School

Thornton College

Head - kevin carson

Number of students - 415

Number of students - 1011 Number of boarders - 104

mITIS ET ForTIS (GENTlE AND STroNG)

the Mary erskine School is one of the

rmS GIrlS ThINk DIFFErENTly

oldest all girls’ schools in the uk, formed in

founded in 1788, royal Masonic School for

with outstanding academic results and the

short walk from rickmansworth train and

1694 and based in edinburgh, Scotland,

opportunities for every girl to reach her full potential and become the best she can be. our family-centred, co-educational

boarding experience provides first class facilities coupled with excellent pastoral and academic support.

Girls is situated in 300 acres of parkland, a tube station, just 30 minutes from central london and 25 minutes from heathrow.

Academic results and co-curricular

opportunities are as impressive as the

facilities. rMS combines the very best of British education with a truly global outlook.

Head - Val holmes

Number of boarders - 61

oNE oF ThE uk’S ToP NoNSElECTIvE SmAll SChoolS

At thornton, every Girl is encouraged to develop her talents to the full, not only in the classroom but through a board co-

curricular programme which makes use of our modern facilities, including an award

winning science building and purpose built expressive arts studio and 25 acres of beautiful grounds.

79

Truro High School for Girls Head - Sarah Matthews

Number of students - 340

Number of boarders - 50

AmBITIouS DrEAmS, BrIGhT FuTurES

founded in 1880, truro high is a top-

performing day and boarding school for

girls aged 4-18. A short drive from the

beach, truro high delivers strong

academics alongside a full programme of

extra-curricular activities including sailing,

yoga, Greenpower engineering and dance.

All girls are individually known and

nurtured and encouraged to try new

things. Pupils develop an authentic sense

of wellbeing and leave bold, ambitious and

future ready.

Tudor Hall School Head - Wendy Griffiths

Number of students - 330

Number of boarders - 250

hABEo uT DEm

tudor hall is a thriving, vibrant, school which definitely ‘punches above its weight’.

Academic results are excellent. Girls are

not of one type, having been selected not just on their academic ability but also their

personal strengths, creating a community

where everybody recognises and

celebrates its members as individuals.

Woldingham School Head - Alex hutchinson

Number of students - 582

Number of boarders - 314

CoNFIDENT, ComPASSIoNATE, CourAGEouS

Set in 700 acres of beautiful Surrey

countryside, Woldingham is one of the

uk’s leading independent boarding and

day schools for girls aged 11-18. With

space to explore, roam and think,

Woldingham is a happy, supportive and

caring school enabling girls to thrive as

individuals and achieve excellent

examination results.

Wychwood School

Wycombe Abbey

Head - Andrea Johnson

Head - Jo duncan

Number of boarders - 30

Number of boarders - 573

Number of students - 120

Wychwood is a unique day and boarding school for girls aged 11-18 in central

oxford. We know each girl, their strengths and their weaknesses and there is

nowhere to hide. our small size means that we offer individual challenge and

pastoral care to a far greater extent than can larger institutions.

Number of students - 636

A WorlD lEADEr IN GIrlS’ BoArDING EDuCATIoN AND A PlACE WhErE ACADEmIC ExCEllENCE, EmPAThy AND INTEGrITy ThrIvE

ranked as the uk’s top boarding school

(Sunday Times), Wycombe Abbey is a worldclass girls’ school, delivering high academic achievement with a holistic, rewarding

educational experience and pastoral focus.

Wycombe Abbey offers a modern

approach to boarding with outstanding

facilities and wonderful surroundings of 170 acres of parkland..

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intergreat education group

At intergreat education group, international student welfare is always at the forefront of our minds. So when the CovID-19 outbreak reached the uk, our first priority was to ensure the safety of all students. As a member of The Safeguarding and Child Protection Association (Sacpa), InterGreat worked in partnership with the BSA to provide logistical support to the Chinese Embassy, helping them repatriate students to be with their families. A BSA newsletter shared InterGreat’s details and informed members they could contact us to organise flights back home for Chinese students. There was an immediate influx of requests from schools and guardianship organisations whose information we gathered on behalf of the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy.

InterGreat’s China offices then liaised with parents to ensure flights were booked correctly on the Embassy system and all of the logistics for the journey were in place. on arrival in China, all students are quarantined in a hotel for two weeks before being allowed to journey on to their hometowns. It was, therefore, important to ensure ongoing pastoral care was in place for these students during this difficult period. So far, in partnership with the BSA and the Chinese Embassy, InterGreat has arranged five flights and facilitated the homeward journey of 292 students. We have also delivered 271 health packs supplied by the Embassy to young Chinese students staying at schools or with boarding families, relatives and family friends across the uk. We would like to thank our partners at the Chinese Embassy, Sacpa and BSA for working with us to help our international community during these trying times.

In the second of this three-part series Dr Christopher Thurber, PhD, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire, United States, and Nick Fair, Westminster School, London, England, United Kingdom, take a look at:

Standardised testing, student mental health, and the future of boarding schools

Crackpot or In part one of this three-part series, we discussed the

significantly as they moved

students have low levels of

emphasis on standardised testing. Here in part two, we

Stage 3, the transition from

don’t know what to do when

deleterious consequences of contemporary education’s turn our attention to qualitative assessments that are less deleterious to students’ mental, emotional, and social health (MESH).

Quantitative backdraft

The fact that frequent assessment may lower students’

pleasure in learning is akin to digging up young vegetables in the spring to check whether their roots are healthy. You get data but also perturb the organism; performed too

frequently, you stunt its growth or worse. Said differently, test scores are not benign; they either buttress or dismantle

students’ perceptions of their own efficacy. They provide

valuable, but circumscribed, information that, when given too much importance or administered too frequently, becomes iatrogenic. In other words, the assessments inadvertently harm some of the people they were designed to help.

Widespread testing has, like university admissions

competition, motivated entrepreneurs. Private standardised test tutors and for-profit summer test-prep programs have proliferated. Here, too, we find iatrogenic effects. Although

expensively prepared students realize higher test scores, they also realize that numbers matter more than creativity,

kindness, or comradery. Worse still is the gradual fixing of

their mindsets as highly competent in certain domains and perpetually mediocre in others.

In a study conducted at the University of Bristol (Broadfoot, et al, 2004), researchers found that students’ views of their effectiveness and confidence as learners dropped

from Key Stage 2 to Key

primary to secondary school.

This finding is particularly

resilience and they often

they don’t know what to do.

troubling alongside a study

Dweck is also well-known for

Stanford University, in which

that mindset matters. When

conducted by Carol Dweck at a mixed-ability group of

students was given a maths test that took the form of a

booklet of problems (1999).

Some of the students were given the booklet with

problems inserted in the middle that were nearly

impossible to solve; other students were given the booklet without these

harder questions. Dweck

observed that students with the hard problems in the middle of the test did

significantly worse on

subsequent questions within their range of ability,

compared to those who had worked on the standard

booklet. The sub-group most

affected by the experience of extreme challenge was highachieving girls. In other

words, some high-achieving

her research demonstrating students are told that

questions are problems

rather than puzzles and that results will be scored rather than discussed, their

performance drops. Findings

like this leave one wondering what happens when schools, exam companies, and many families implicitly frame a

standardized test as one of

the most important indicator of a young person’s competence.

83

?

cracked pot Qualitative ignition

Most professional educators

Claxton then suggested a

significant change also feels

(Eschew the label non-

mission is to prepare

that could help respond to

action.

psychosocial skills. They all

agree that a pillar of their

students for the future, even if that future is uncertain.

Guy Claxton (2008) provided a litany of 21st-Century

challenges schools should

respond to: social regulation and anarchy; the decline of community cohesion; the effects of long distance

travel; the 24/7 pace of life and its impact on people’s

physical and mental health; the increasing North-South divide of the world; the

effect of the rise of women

on the place and identity of men; the effects of the

exposure of a variety of

chemicals on the body; the development of nuclear

technology in the Islamic world; caring for an increasingly elderly

population; increased

competition for scarce

resources; the decline of

some religions, and the rise of fundamentalism and cults.

number of competencies

these challenges and that

risky…and trepidation delays

schools’ curricula: human

From content to process

probability; empathy; risk

many of the competencies

could form the basis of rights; statistics and management;

negotiation/mediation; ecology; epistemology;

collaboration; literacy; global awareness; imagination;

ethics; healthy skepticism; body awareness;

neuroscience; resilience;

creativity; will-power; giving and taking feedback, and

relaxation. A prodigious and prescient list, to be sure, notably missing any

suggestions of standardised testing and the rote

memorization necessary to

Schools may claim that

Claxton encourages are

already woven into their

curricula. But Claxton’s point is that these modern

process and content could be exhilarating. Yet

skill acquisition and mental habits is embodied by the award-winning Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC).

different from the traditional

be memorized. For example, statistics, in Claxton’s view,

should be less about passing exams that require plugging data into memorized

formulas and more about creatively calculating risk

and responding thoughtfully.

of knowledge to function.

revolution in educational

a healthy combination of

than bodies of knowledge to

mental habits to be practiced

not even be measured in a standardized test. A

cognition.) The emphasis on

In their words: “The MTC

Of course, healthy habits of

valid fashion with a typical

require considerable

proficiencies are more

perform well. Indeed, many

of these competencies could

cognitive for these

the mind do require a fund

However, the primary fuel of cognitive alacrity is not facts

model is substantively

model of assessment that is typically organized around content-oriented courses,

Carnegie units for credit and A to F letter grades.” In its place, MTC has drafted a colourful eight-part pie

chart, where the size of each slice “signifies complete

mastery of a specific skill,

knowledge block or habit of mind as defined by the crediting high school.”

and figures, but curiosity,

The description goes on to

creativity, and perseverance.

supported by a technology

exploration, flexibility,

say: “MTC schools will be

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platform that allows the complete record of a

student’s credits, institutional standards, and

performance evidence to be submitted to col

admission offices for evaluation. This electron

Mastery Transcript will allow college admissio

officers to dive deep within a transcript to see

specific standards of the sending high school

actual evidence of student work and mastery

giving depth and transparency to the student record.”

Claxton’s ideal is at odds with the results of a

poll carried out for the Campaign for Learnin

2000, 2002, and 2004. This survey asked more

2,000 11-16-year-olds to name the three most common activities in their classrooms. Some

the sample (in all three years) said, “copying f board or book.” This was closely followed by

“listening to the teacher talk for a long time”

“taking notes while my teacher talks” (Claxton

p. 22). So it seems many professional educato only lip service to Claxton’s 21st-Century

competencies or Trilling and Fadel’s (2009) 21

Century Skills, the latter of which was genera

asking corporate executives what they most n in new employees.

These results highlight the importance of a sc implicit curriculum, defined as “the messages

conveyed by how the school is run”, and the s

null curriculum, defined as “what is not taught

(Eisner, 1994). The implicit includes everythin

the school’s architecture and furniture to tea

styles and disciplinary practices. The null curr

is most frequently manifest in two main area

intellectual processes and subject content. Fo

example, most schools over-emphasize writin

they do not make much room in the curriculu

other ways of expressing thinking) and they u

emphasize arts, culture, and social science (i.

do not include many topics that are as valid a maths and physical science).

Seen through Eisner’s lens, it becomes clear t although schools may purport to teach their

students many modern proficiencies, student

not learn these competencies unless they hav

experiences that leave them with a dispositio embody them, rather than just completing a

assessment on them. Today’s students and th professional educators entrusted with their

85

a

development cannot simply read about Claxton,

llege

as the flipped classroom, experiential learning, and

d

nic

on

e the

l and

y, thus

t’s work

a MORI

ng in

e than

t

60% of

from a

Trilling, and Fadel. Contemporary pedagogies—such self-paced online coursework—must immerse

students and teachers in an interactive space that

pushes not the limits of memorization but the limits

of originality, teamwork, and cross-cultural agility. In many parts of the world, the Internet has

supplanted teachers as the curators of information.

Successful teachers no longer defend and dribble information, they design experiences and

experiments during which students discover the

why and the what next related to that information.

Engaged in this way—both cognitively, socially, and emotionally, these students do commit lots of

content to memory, but as an epiphenomenon of a different approach to learning.

and

Boarding tomorrow

ors pay

in boarding schools in the UK and the US, compels

n, 2008,

1st

ated by

needed

chool’s

school’s

t”

ng from

aching

riculum

as:

or

Our combined 33 years of professional experience us to believe that boarding education plays a more important role than ever in exposing students to these sorts of dispositional experiences and

experiments. Great 21st-Century teachers and

professors are intellectual coaches who curate content as a sideline and instead ask polemical

questions, provide intriguing case studies, and above all guide encounters with information that nurture

new ways of interacting with others and the world.

It seems to us that boarding schools in the 21st Century are ideally-suited to provide what the

itinerant Ted Dintersmith (2018) refers to as PEAK

learning principles: purpose, essentials, agency, and knowledge.

ng (i.e.,

21st-Century educators must also understand and

under-

social health (MESH) needs. Once derided as “soft

um for

.e., they

as

that

ts will

ve

on to

written

he

nurture their students’ mental, emotional, and

skills,” these dimensions of emotional intelligence are now widely understood to be essential

ingredients of personal and professional success.

Artists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, managers,

scholars, and entrepreneurs must be culturally

agile, empathic, skilled at collaborative problem-

solving, deft at giving and receiving feedback, able to manage stress in healthy ways, and nimble at capitalizing on the character strengths of their

colleagues and themselves. Which brings us back to the cracked pot.

Dr. Christopher Thurber is devoted to educating leaders using innovative content that stirs thinking and compels action. An entrepreneur from a young age, Chris is the co-founder of ExpertOnlineTraining.com, the Internet’s most popular library of educational videos for youth leaders and of Prep4Schoo.com, which prepares Asian students for boarding school. He has been invited to deliver keynotes, contribute articles, and lead workshops at schools and camps on five continents.

Learn more about Chris’s books, articles, videos, and in-person workshops by visiting https://DrChrisThurber.com

Nick Fair is an educationalist with over 13 years combined management and teaching experience at two prestigious public schools in the UK: Gordonstoun and Westminster, where he is in the sixth year of his tenure as a House Master. A champion of exploring innovative ways of teaching and engaging multiple stakeholders, Nick has successfully overseen important changes to the structure of the oldest boarding house in the UK. Learn more about Nick’s strengths and experience by visiting https://www.linkedin.com/in/ nick-fair-46687a23/

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Abberley Hall School Abbey College, Cambridge Abbey College, Manchester Abbotsholme School Abingdon School Abrar Academy Ackworth School ACS International School Cobham Adcote School Al Jamiatul Islamiyyah Albyn School Aldenham School Aldro School Aldwickbury School All Hallows School Amesbury School Ampleforth College Appleford School Ardingly College Ardvreck School Ashfold School Ashford School Ashville College Atlantic College Aysgarth School Badminton School Barnard Castle School Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School Bath Academy Battle Abbey School Beachborough School Beaudesert Park School Bedales School Bede's Preparatory School Bede's Senior School Bedford School Bedstone College Beech Grove School and Academy Beechen Cliff School Beechwood Park School Beechwood Sacred Heart School Beeston Hall School Belhaven Hill School Bellerbys College Brighton Bellerbys College, London Belmont School Benenden School Berkhamsted School Bethany School Bilton Grange School Bishop's Stortford College Bishopstrow College Bloxham School Blundell's School Bootham School Bosworth Independent College Boundary Oak School Bournemouth Collegiate School Box Hill School Bradfield College Brambletye School Bredon School Brentwood School Brighton College Brockhurst And Marlston House Schools Brockwood Park School Bromsgrove School (incl Prep) Brooke House College Brookes Cambridge School Bruern Abbey School Bruton School for Girls Bryanston School Brymore Academy Buckswood School Burford School Burgess Hill Girls Caldicott School "Cambridge Tutors College" Campbell College Canford School Cardiff Academy Sixth Form College Cardiff Sixth Form College Cargilfield School Casterton Sedbergh Preparatory School Caterham School CATS College, Cambridge

CATS College, Canterbury CATS College, London Chafyn Grove School Charterhouse School Chase Grammar School Cheam School Cheltenham College (incl Prep) Cheltenham Ladies' College Cherwell College Oxford Chetham's School of Music Chigwell School Christ Church Cathedral School Christ College, Brecon Christ's Hospital School City of London Freemen's School Claremont School Clayesmore Preparatory School Clayesmore School Clifton College Clifton College Preparatory School Cobham Hall School Colchester Royal Grammar School Concord College Copthorne Prep School Cothill House School Cotswold Chine School Cottesmore School Cranbrook School Cranleigh School Culford School Cumnor House School Cundall Manor School Dallam School Darul Uloom Dawatul Imaan Darul Uloom London School Dauntsey's School Dean Close Preparatory School Dean Close School Dean Close St John's Denstone College DLD College, London Dollar Academy Dorset House School Dover College d'Overbroeck's Downe House School Downside School Dragon School Dulwich College Dulwich Preparatory School, Cranbrook Durham School Eagle House School Earlscliffe Eastbourne College Edge Grove School Edgeborough School EF Academy Torbay Ellesmere College Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham Elstree School Embley Epsom College Eton College Exeter Cathedral School Exeter College Fairview International School Farleigh School Farlington School Farringtons School Felsted School (incl Prep) Feltonfleet School Fettes College (incl Prep) Five Islands Academy Foremarke Hall, Repton Preparatory School Forres Sandle Manor School Framlingham College Preparatory School Frensham Heights School Frewen College Fulneck School Fyling Hall School Trust Ltd George Watson's College Giggleswick School Glenalmond College Godolphin School Godstowe Preparatory School

Gordon's School Gordonstoun School Great Ballard School Gresham's School (incl Prep) Haberdashers' Adams Haileybury Hall Grove School Handcross Park School Hanford School Harrogate Ladies' College Harrow School Hatherop Castle Prep School Hazlegrove Preparatory School Headington School Heath Mount School Heathfield School Hereford Cathedral School Highfield School Hockerill Anglo-European College Holmewood House School Holmwood House School Holyport College Horris Hill School Hurstpierpoint College (Incl Prep) Hurtwood House School Ipswich High School Ipswich School (Incl Prep) Jamea Al Kauthar Jamia Al - Hudaa Jersey College for Girls Junior King's School Kensington Park School Kent College Nursery, Infant and Junior School Kent College, Canterbury Kent College, Pembury Keswick School Kilgraston School Kimbolton School King Edward's School, Witley King William's College, Isle of Man Kingham Hill School Kings Bournemouth King's College School King's College, Taunton King's Hall School King's Rochester King's School, Bruton King's School, Ely Kingsley School Kingswood Preparatory School Kingswood School Kirkham Grammar School Kitebrook Prep School Knighton House School Lambrook School Lancaster Royal Grammar School Lancing College Langley School Lathallan School Leighton Park School Leweston School Lime House School Lincoln Minster School Liverpool College Llandovery College Lockers Park School Lomond School Longridge Towers School Lord Wandsworth College Loretto School Loughborough Grammar School Luckley House School Lucton School Ludgrove School LVS Ascot Maidwell Hall School Malvern College Malvern St James Marlborough College Marlborough House School Marymount London Mayfield School Merchiston Castle School Mill Hill School Foundation Millfield Preparatory School

Millfield School Milton Abbey School Monkton Combe Preparatory School Monkton Combe Senior School Monmouth School for Boys Monmouth School for Girls Moor Park School Moorland School More House School Moreton Hall School Moulsford Preparatory School Mount Kelly School Mount St Mary's College Mowden Hall School Moyles Court School Myddelton College New Hall School Northbourne Park School Oakham School Ockbrook School Old Buckenham Hall School Old Swinford Hospital Orwell Park School Oswestry School Oundle School Oxford Sixth Form College Packwood Haugh School Padworth College Pangbourne College Papplewick School Perrott Hill School Peter Symonds College Pinewood School Plymouth College Pocklington School Port Regis Preparatory School Prestfelde School Princess Helena College Prior Park College Prior's Field School Queen Anne's School Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate Queen Margaret's School Queen Mary's School Queen Victoria School Queen's College, Taunton Queenswood School Radley College Ratcliffe College Reading School Reddam House Berkshire Reed's School Rendcomb College Repton School Richard Huish College Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory School Rikkyo School in England Ripon Grammar School Rishworth School Rochester Independent College Rockport School Roedean School Rookwood School Rossall School Royal Alexandra & Albert School Royal High School Bath Royal Hospital School Royal Russell School Rugby School Ruthin School Rydal Penrhos School Ryde School with Upper Chine Rye St Antony School Saint Felix School Saint Ronan's School Salisbury Cathedral School Sandroyd School Scarborough College Scarisbrick Hall School Seaford College Sedbergh School Sevenoaks School Sexey's School Shaftesbury School Shebbear College Sherborne International

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Sherborne Preparatory School Sherborne School Sherborne School for Girls Sherfield School Shiplake College Shrewsbury School Sibford School Sidcot School Skegness Grammar School Slindon College St Andrew's Preparatory School, Eastbourne St Andrew's School, Pangbourne St Bees School St Catherine's, Bramley St Christopher School St Clare's, Oxford St David's College, Llandudno St Edmund’s School, Surrey St Edmund's College & Prep School, Hertfordshire St Edmund's School, Canterbury St Edward's Oxford St Francis' College St George's School for Girls, Edinburgh St George's School, Ascot St George's School, Harpenden St George's School, Windsor St Hugh's School, Lincolnshire St Hugh's School, Oxfordshire St John’s College School, Cambridge St John’s College, Southsea St John's Beaumont Preparatory School St John's School, Leatherhead St Joseph's College St Lawrence College St Leonards School, Fife St Margaret's School, Bushey St Mary's Calne St Mary's Music School St Mary's School, Ascot St Mary's School, Cambridge St Mary's School, Melrose St Michael's School St Paul's School, London St Peter's Prep School St Peter's School, York (incl St Olave's) St Swithun's School St Teresa's School Stamford Endowed Schools Stamford Junior School Stephen Pearse Foundation Stewart's Melville College Steyning Grammar School Stoke College Stonar School Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst St Mary's Hall Stover School Strathallan School Summer Fields School Sunningdale School Sutton Valence School (incl Prep) Swanbourne House School Talbot Heath School TASIS, The American School in England Taunton Preparatory School Taunton School Teikyo Foundation School Terra Nova School Terrington Hall School Tettenhall College The Bluecoat School Birmingham The Chorister School The Downs Malvern The Duke of York's Royal Military School The Elms School The Hammond School The King's School, Canterbury The Leys School The Mary Erskine School The Montessori Place, Hove -don't want the magazine The Mount School

correct at time of print

The National Mathematics and Science College The New Beacon School The Oratory Preparatory School The Oratory School The Pilgrims' School The Prebendal School The Purcell School for Young Musicians The Read School The Royal Ballet School The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe The Royal Masonic School for Girls The Royal School, Armagh The Royal School, Dungannon The Royal School, Haslemere The Royal School, Wolverhampton The Thomas Adams School The Wellington Academy Thetford Grammar School Thornton College Tonbridge School Trent College Tring Park School for the Performing Arts Trinity School Truro High School for Girls Truro School Tudor Hall School Twyford School Uppingham School Victoria College, Belfast Vinehall School Walhampton School Warminster School Warwick School Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College Wellesley House School Wellington College Wellington School Wells Cathedral School West Buckland School West Hill Park School Westbourne House School Westbourne School Westminster Abbey Choir School Westminster Cathedral Choir School Westminster School, Westminster Westonbirt School Whitgift School Winchester College Winchester House School Windermere School Windlesham House School Wisbech Grammar School Wishmore Cross Academy Witham Hall School Woldingham School Woodbridge School Woodcote House School Woodhouse Grove School Worksop College Worth School Wrekin College Wychwood School (Oxford) Ltd Wycliffe College (incl Prep) Wycombe Abbey Wymondham College Yehudi Menuhin School

euroPe

A+ World Academy, Switzerland Aiglon College, Switzerland Amadeus International School, Austria American Collegiate Institute, Turkey Berlin Brandenburg International School, Germany Brillantmont International School, Switzerland Cabella International Sahaja School, Italy Château de Sauveterre, France Clongowes Wood College, Ireland College Alpin Beau Soleil, Switzerland College Champittet, Switzerland College du Leman International School, Switzerland Complejo Educativo Mas Camarena, Spain Glenstal Abbey School, Ireland Institut Montana Zugerberg, Switzerland International School Eerde, Netherlands International School of Milan International School San Patricio Toledo John F Kennedy International School, Switzerland Kilkenny College, Ireland King's College, The British School of Madrid, Spain La Garenne, Switzerland, Switzerland Laude Lady Elizabeth School, Spain Leysin American School, Switzerland Lundsbergs Skola, Sweden Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz, Switzerland Midleton College, Ireland Open Gate Boarding School, Czech Republic Rathdown School, Ireland Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket, Sweden St Columba's College, Ireland St George's International School, Germany St George's International School, Switzerland St Gilgen International School GmbH, Austria St John's International School, Belgium St Louis School Milan Sotogrande International School, Spain Surval Montreux, Switzerland The International School of Paphos, Cyprus The Kings Hospital, Ireland Villiers School, Ireland

reSt of the world

Avi-Cenna International School, Nigeria Brisbane Grammar School, Australia British International School Lagos British International School Phuket Bromsgrove International School, Thailand Brummana High School, Lebanon Chinquapin Preparatory School, USA Day Waterman College, Nigeria Dulwich College Yangon, Myanmar Dulwich International High School Suzhou, China Episcopal High School, USA Epsom College in Malaysia Fay School, USA Frensham, Australia GEMS Cambridge International School, Kenya GEMS Cambridge International School, Uganda Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School, China Harrow International School Bangkok, Thailand Harrow International School, Hong Kong Idyllwild Arts Academy, USA Imperial Grammar School, Australia Jerudong International School, Brunei Kincoppal-Rose Bay, Australia King Henry VIII College, Malaysia Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, Malaysia Lady Eleanor Holles International School Foshan, China Letovo School, Russian Federation Marlborough College, Malaysia Merchiston International School, China Methodist Ladies' College, Australia Michaelhouse, South Africa Miles Bronson Residential School, India MIT Pune's Vishwashanti Gurukul, India New School Georgia Nilai International School, Malaysia North London Collegiate School, Jeju, Korea NUCB International College, Japan Peponi School, Kenya Prem Tinsulanonda International School, Thailand Pymble Ladies' College, Australia Regents International School Pattaya, Thailand Rong Qiao Sedbergh School Rugby School Thailand School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA) Sela Qui International School, India Shattuck-St Mary’s School, Malaysia St Andrew's Prep School Turi, Kenya St Andrew's Senior School Turi, Kenya St George's College, Argentina Swiss International Scientific School Dubai, UAE The Banda School, Kenya The Doon School, India The Forman School, USA The Hockaday School, USA The Hun School of Princeton, USA The International School of Penang (Uplands), Malaysia The International School, Bangalore, India The King's School, Australia The Regent Secondary School, Nigeria Toowoomba Anglican School, Australia Wellington College International Tianjin, China Westlake International School, Malaysia Windsor High School at Albany, Bahamas Woodstock School, India Yew Chung International School of Qingdao, China Yew Wah International Education School of Guangzhou, China Yew Wah International Education School, Zhejiang Tongxiang Campus, China Yew Wah School of Shanghai Changning, China Yew Wah International Education School of Shanghai Lingang, China

We have been working closely both within and outside of the independent schools sector during the lockdown in terms of re-engagement with potential students (or clients) once the lock down begins to lift.

often many two heads are better than one so we have put together some ideas we have implemented with clients that have seen meaningful impact.

OS

E K T R I N A

G

G A M IC P

T COV I D

no doubt some may be familiar, others not so much but during this lockdown motivation can falter! it is easy to lose direction a little and there may be some ideas in this education specific marketing toolbox that has fallen by the wayside but used to deliver results, or some new tools you can utilise in your marketing plan.

Have you ‘Hybrid’?! - Something many people are struggling with is impact, email marketing is beyond saturated for example. from a school perspective enjoying the open day and the the impact that can have, along with a face to face meeting are where many parents are able to really engage with a school and it’s ethos.

Virtual tours go some way to show people what schools have to offer, but have you considered a hybrid for the follow up meeting? Sending an open day brochure, which you can then discuss and work through in a Zoom meeting gives you the best of both worlds to achieve the personal touch, answer questions and with the printed brochure, exemplify the tangible quality your school has to offer - literally placing your school values in their hands.

Adjust your Social Media messaging - from the current starting point - potential students and families are in a very different place to 12 months ago. the key addition to your school values will be the assertion of safety at school post covid19 - the expectation we would be bouncing back to normal has long since gone, so important clear messaging through social media feeds can tip the balance and reassure students will not only enjoy an incredible education at your school but safely in the current (new) climate.

M

video Welcome - could you utilise video more? stepping down slightly from a corporate video, is there opportunity to engage with parents and students with some realtime video, this can be edited easily and with minimal cost, again a quick way to show parents, students both new and old that you have social distancing in place, this can be followed up with a small booklet containing all the steps - your school’s critical plan for learning in this new era. emailed video link can drive traffic to a landing page - coupled with a follow up document - this can only further cement your school as going 'over and above'.

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