EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST WITH THE HEADMISTRESS
Ms. Rachel Bailey FROM BENENDEN SCHOOL, KENT In this episode of Education Corner Podcast we spoke to Ms. Rachel Bailey, Headmistress of Benenden School in Kent. Benenden is an all-girls’ boarding school with a strong emphasis on inspiring future leaders and thinkers to shape a better world. Rachel discussed Benenden’s Complete Education, their supportive community and how they are preparing girls for the future.
Rachel told us how she came to education: “I didn’t really fall into education, but I’d always known it was probably likely to be in my future.” Her mother was a teacher and when Rachel herself began teaching in the 1990s, she described the feeling as: “The light bulb went on, I’d found my passion.” Rachel’s teaching career began at an all-boys’ grammar school, and she worked in the maintained sector for almost twenty years, “I just progressed up the ranks,” she explained. Despite not looking to move on from her previous headship at the Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rachel recalled: “The Benenden post came up and I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ It was a school that chimed with me again, educationally and in terms of the ethos of educating young women who were going to shape the future.” Rachel described her ethos for education as: “Education should be about inspiring and 54 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | W I N T E R 2 024
equipping students.” This is certainly present at Benenden, with emphasis on “learning to achieve balance in their lives.” Rachel elaborated on this: “We want to equip them, we do want to open doors for them. That means things like getting brilliant exam results, but it also means equipping them with skills and character traits that- when they go on into adult life, they are ready to take up challenges and they’re not fazed by that.” At Benenden, this means a focus on the process of learning, not just on exam results and outcomes. Rachel explained that this is particularly significant for girls, who tend to be more inclined to perfectionism, and are so put off by the fear of not succeeding that they may not even try - so, the school nurtures a supportive culture where pupils are not afraid to try new things. Rachel summises the ethos and aims of Benenden as: “It’s not just about exam results. It’s about those interpersonal skills. It’s about creativity, innovation, the team working together, problem-solving and being able to work with others, compromise, listen well, disagree well and build the confidence that goes with that. Essentially, we want them to be comfortable in their own skin, we want them to be able to articulate their ideas in a way that is genuine to them.” Equipping students for life beyond Benenden
