Meet the Head: Leighton Park School

This issue we caught up with Mr Matthew Judd at Leighton Park School in Reading. Leighton Park sits in a wonderful green space near the centre of town and has a long history.

When did you start at Leighton Park, and what did you do before?

I have been at LP since 2018; I’ve always known I wanted to work in education, ever since I was a fundraiser as a student for education charities. I attended a state comprehensive but have only ever taught in independent schools. As a consequence, I never lose sight of the benefit of private education; the commitment to music (which I adore) drama, sport, trips and all realms of cocurricular.

I previously taught at schools quite different to Leighton Park; that is the joy of this job for me. I have been Principal of a Sixth Form College and latterly was Head of the Prep and Pre Prep, as well as Second Master of Haberdashers’ Aske Boys.

Can you tell us a little about the history of the school?

Leighton Park was founded as a Quaker school in 1890. One of the founders was George Cadbury, so we have a fondness for chocolate – our Year 7s even design their own chocolate bars as one of our interdisciplinary projects. Fast forward 130 years, and we welcome students of all faiths and none, but the gentle, forwardthinking Quaker values still inform everything we do.

What makes Leighton Park unique?

We’re not alone in being a values-led school, but we distinguish ourselves by giving our Quaker values currency and purpose. This follows a long history of Quakers living out their values. Amnesty International, Oxfam and Greenpeace were all formed, in part, by Quakers, and famous Quaker businesses like Cadbury and Rowntree became successful due to their forward-looking approach of treating employees and suppliers fairly.

We also give our values purpose through our award-winning STEAM (Science,