EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST WITH HEADMISTRESS
Mrs. Julie Lodrick FROM TUDOR HALL SCHOOL, OXFORDSHIRE In this episode of Education Corner Podcast, we spoke to Mrs. Julie Lodrick, Headmistress of Tudor Hall School, Oxfordshire. Julie discussed Tudor Hall’s generous community ethos, supporting pupils to aim higher and the benefits of all-girls’ boarding.
Julie’s own education set her on the path to her current role, she shared: “My parents had the opportunity for me to go to boarding school and I loved every minute of it.” Whilst at school, Julie took music lessons and found a passion and talent which led her to study and teach music beyond her school years. After university, Julie sang professionally for a while before eventually returning to teaching: “It was that lightbulb moment where I realised that what was missing was teaching - I really missed teaching.” After teaching music for several years, Julie worked as a Housemistress and then Deputy Head before becoming Headmistress at Tudor Hall. The influence of her own education and experience is crucial to Julie and she believes that: “I wouldn’t be here today, doing what I’m doing, if I hadn’t
“We encourage the girls to really move out of their comfort zone, learn how to take risks and fail well.”
had access to all of those phenomenal opportunities.” The school’s motto is Habeo ut Dem (‘I have, that I may give’) and Julie believes that this ethos is “very much at the core of every aspect of life” at Tudor Hall. This meaning goes beyond just the charitable and encourages the girls to embrace school and community life. Julie explained: “It’s about giving of ourselves, giving of our kindness and then also going beyond, giving of our time, giving of our talents, making the most of all the opportunities that are available here.” There are many charitable endeavours both within and beyond the school community, with Sixth Form students volunteering in local primary schools and care homes, in addition to a global outreach programme, ‘Tudor in Three Continents’, collaborating with schools in South Africa and India. Tudor Hall are conscious of the fast-changing future and world of work that their pupils will emerge into and work hard to prepare their students for this. Key to this is developments in technology such as AI. To navigate this, Julie believes that: “It’s going to be the human skills and characteristics that are going to be prized above all else, so we place a significant emphasis on the co-curricular.” The school’s large co-curricular offering includes over 100 activities per week and girls are encouraged to take part in a wide range: “We encourage the girls to really move out of their comfort zone, learn EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S PRI NG 2025 | 57
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