EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST WITH THE HEAD
Mr. Will Goldsmith FROM BEDALES SCHOOL, HAMPSHIRE In this episode of Education Corner Podcast we spoke to Mr. Will Goldsmith, Head of Bedales School, Hampshire. Will discussed the school’s informality and community ethos, as well as how they are preparing students for the future and the lasting impact of a holistic education.
Will’s journey to education began with his time at an international school in Kuala Lumpur, before attending a state boarding school and allboys’ boarding senior schools in the UK. Will told us: “I think it’s always interesting to understand the educational experience that educators have themselves.” He describes working in education as a vocation: “It is very much a vocation for me. It is one which can sometimes be quite all-consuming, but for me happily so. I do use the word ‘vocation’ deliberately because, unlike many people in the 21st century, my career is something which is a constant.” Will’s teaching career, like his own education, has been varied; he first worked in state schools both in London and beyond, and then grammar schools, before moving to the independent sector. Will came to Bedales in 2021 as Deputy Head, before taking on the permanent headship in 2022: “I came to be Head at Bedales because I fell in love with the place in terms of both its ethos and its approach, 6 0 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | W I N T E R 2 024
and what I love about the intellectual understanding of education that is hardwired into the place, but also its spirit.” Bedales was founded in 1893 - as an alternative to the more strict and traditional schools of the era - by John Badley, contemporary of the likes of Steiner and Montessori. Badley’s own experiences at all-boys’ boarding schools impacted his decision to found the school. Will described how some of this remains in schools to this day: “The amount of control and authority that is exercised within schools is at a very high level, and the amount of agency or individuality that is open to young people is at a very low level.” Badley also advocated for “heart learning”, which Will described as: “The creative, the emotional intelligence that we know is really important, that understanding of the connection with other human beings.” This remains a core part of life at Bedales, alongside “hand learning and the practical application of learning.” This more informal approach continues today, with no school uniform and teachers being addressed by their first names. Will feels that the approach at Bedales prepares children for the modern world of work: “In most other professions, in most other occupations, the suit and the tie or the blazer are very much items of clothing of the past.” He told us: “It allows [the
