Absolutely Education Hong Kong

EDUCATION

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FIT FOR A PRINCE

London’s best preps

HONG KONG EDITION

Pitch Perfect

AUTUMN • WINTER 2017

Girl power in sport

CLUB RULES Is secondary transfer fair?

Plus…

IN PRAISE of the IB

WWW.ZE ST.LONDON

TIME TO SHINE

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EDUCATING TOMORROW’S PEOPLE TODAY

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Every Heathfield girl has verve! A character trait that we encourage as your daughter grows and develops into a confident young woman.

As well as providing an excellent academic education coupled with top-class pastoral care, we help your daughter understand her unique strengths, live her ambitions, celebrate her talents and spirit and develop as the best version of herself. Live life like a Heathfield girl.

SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Wednesday 4 October 6.30pm WHOLE SCHOOL OPEN MORNING Saturday 14 October 10am to 12 noon To book, email registrar@heathfieldschool.net

Boarding and Day for Girls 11-18

heathfieldschool.net | +44 (0) 1344 898343

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Opportunities abound at Uppingham

As a full boarding school we believe the complete immersion in education gives our pupils the richest and most profound experience of school.

The value of an all-round education, in which each individual and their talents come first, is fundamental to the Uppingham experience.

Our pupils leave equipped with broad experiences and a contemporary outlook, ready for whatever challenges they will take on across the world.

Reg Charity No. 1147280

To learn more about the School please contact our Registrar, Charlie Bostock uppingham.co.uk +44 (0)1572 820611 admissions@uppingham.co.uk

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CONTENTS AUTUMN/WINTER 2017

EDITOR

Amanda Constance

UP FR O NT

A DV ERTISING M A NAGER

Andy Mabbitt

13 NEWS

What’s going on in the world of education

SENIOR SA L ES E X ECU TI V E

Hayden Taylor

19 HOW TO BE A GOOD TEACHER

HE A D OF SPECI A L IST

Leah Day

Advice from former super-head, Barnaby Lenon P R EP

22 FIT FOR A PRINCE

Where else might Prince George have gone to school?

by Eleanor Doughty

22

A RT DIR ECTOR

Phil Couzens

SENIOR DESIGNER

Pawel Kuba

DESIGNER S

Catherine Perkins, Rebecca Noonan

28 A HELPING HAND

Are guardians a saving grace or an unnecesary expense? by William Hume

PRODUCTION M A NAGER

Chris Couchman

30 WISH YOU WERE HERE

FINA NCE DIR ECTOR

When is the right time for prep-school children to take their first trip abroad?

Alexandra Hvid

PA TO THE DIR ECTOR S

Kerry Hollingsworth

34 SECOND BEST

Lisa Freedman investigates the ins and outs of senior school transfer SENIO R

39 RISE OF THE ROBOTS Is today's curriculum relevant?

Schools discuss tomorrow's world

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58 48 TOMOROW'S TEEN

How to support young people in an uncertain world, by Adam Pettitt, Headmaster of Highgate

58 BAG A BARGAIN

State boarding is the country's best-kept secret, says Eleanor Doughty

DIR ECTOR S

Greg Hughes, Alexandra Hunter

PUBL ISHING DIR ECTOR

Sherif Shaltout

For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: advertising@zest-media.com Subscriptions are available simply by emailing marianne@zest-media.com

ZEST MEDIA PUBLICATIONS LTD 197-199, City Road, EC1V 1JN 020 7704 0588 ZEST-MEDIA.COM

Zest Media Publications Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Zest Media Publications Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters.All rights reserved.

@ABSOLUTELY_MAGS ‘ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES’

S CHOOL LE AVER

74 IB ALRIGHT

80

In praise of the international baccalaureate,

by John Claughon

77 JOIN THE LEAGUE

What the top US colleges are looking for,

by Dr Kat Cohen S CHOOL’S OUT

80 PLAYING LIKE A GIRL It's all about girl power on the pitch, says Millfield's Andrew Pembleton L AST WORD

F RO NT COV E R

100 ANTONIA BEARY

The cover depicts pupils at Christ's Hospital, a co-ed boarding school in West Sussex, England.

Christ's Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 0LJ christs-hospital.org.uk

Headmistress of Mayfield School, Sussex

2017

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WE WANT THE BEST FOR YOUR DAUGHTER TOO A Cheltenham Ladies’ College education is about more than academic excellence; it’s about making mistakes and learning from them; it’s about winning magnanimously and losing graciously; it’s about wellbeing for life, and it’s about looking ahead and meeting the challenges to come.

We may not be able to predict the future, but we can certainly give your daughter the skills to flourish, whatever it brings.

Open Days: Monday 27th November 2017 and Thursday 22nd February 2018 Find out more: www.cheltladiescollege.org

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02/10/2017 09:25

We l c o m e

From the

EDITOR

H

ow do we raise our children for a world we don’t know?

For jobs that haven’t yet been invented. What does this actually mean for them? And how do we manage teenagers and their phones – what Adam Pettitt, Head of Highgate School, calls “those infernal machines”.

Like many I feel a sense of disquiet about my childrens’ uncertain future; their world is already so radically different to my own. I’m also guilty of having a fairly Luddite attitude to technology. My parenting style is fairly hale and hearty – my one and only parenting tip probably boils down to, “Let’s go for a long walk”.

This summer, I left my three

Many schools say it is this creativity that must be nurtured in our children if they are to compete with robots in the future. In this issue we asked a number of schools if their curricula were relevant for this brave new world. How are they teaching tomorrow’s pupils today? Read what they say on page 39. British inventor James Dyson wants to create the engineers of the future, so he's opened his own university.

You can read about it on page 70.

How do we understand and support the emotional needs of tomorrow’s teenager? Adam Pettitt has some wise words on page 48.

And change isn’t just going to come in the shape of robots, social attitudes are shifting fast, too.

Sports that were once traditionally 'boys only' such as rugby and

“I WAS REMINDED THAT TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THE END OF CREATIVITY, IT CAN BE THE START” children aged 6,10 and 13 at their granny’s house while I went to work. They spent days planning a production which was performed on my return. My 13-year-old was the sound engineer. Using bluetooth he hooked up his phone to his granny’s radio – usually firmly turned to Radio 4 - and using Apple Music he created a soundtrack that included opera, grime and pop. Now I realise this isn’t cutting edge stuff, but it was seamless, professional and actually quite brilliant and reminded me that technology doesn’t have to be the end of creativity, it can be the start.

cricket are becoming very popular among girls.

Read about the girls playing sport at Millfield on page 80. Another sport seeing a great resurgence is Fives (page 82); it's breaking away from its public school origins, and - guess what?- girls can play it too.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

A manda Constance EDITOR 2017

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• B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N ’ S •

CON T R IBU TOR S

Adam Pettitt Head of Highgate School

Adam Pettitt has been head of Highgate since 2006. He is also a governor at the London Academy of Excellence Stratford and Deputy Chair of the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham. He writes about 'tomorrow’s teenager' on page 48.

What subject do you wish you’d studied at school?

I wish I had learnt to read music; I might get less grief from my children who marvel at my ineptitude singing.

Lisa Freedman

Journalist and education consultant

The best school?

The one offering the most choice.

Lisa Freedman is an experienced education consultant and analyst, who writes regularly about English education in the national press. She is currently completing her PhD at the UCL Institute of Education. She writes about secondary school transfer on page 34.

What subject do you wish you’d studied at school?

IT - so I wouldn’t feel so dependent on (and so patronised by) my children!

We are a highly successful co-educational school for 10 -18 year olds.

Choose from the IB Diploma Programme or A-levels.

Dr. Kat Cohen

We offer boarding and day places.

Founder & CEO of IvyWise

Dr. Kat Cohen is the founder and CEO of IvyWise, an independent university admissions consultancy. She frequently speaks to banks, corporations, and schools about the university admissions process. She writes about what the Ivy League wants on page 77.

What subject do you wish you'd studied at school?

I would have loved to master molecular gastronomy, as I’m a real foodie!

Call our Admissions team to join one of our open mornings or arrange a personalised visit

01572 758758 admissions@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk

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m fro n g 18 di 7ar s Bo age

Millfield and Millfield Prep would be delighted to invite you to a personal visit - find out more at millfieldschool.com/admissions

Biologist Harpist Netballer millfieldschool.com/everyfield

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Unlocking their Potential An outstanding school for boys and girls aged 3-18.

Come and visit us: •

Exceptional academic results at A Level and IB

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Boarding available from Age 7 on campus

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Idyllic 80 acre site with our own farm

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Overlooking the cathedral city of Canterbury

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Within 55 minutes of London and key airports

Senior School 01227 763 231 KC.indd 1

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We l c o m e

From

ACADEMIC ASIA

H

ong Kong remains top of the leader board, alongside mainland China, as the region sending the most students to UK boarding schools each year. It was a British colony from 1842 until 1997 and it is still a world centre for trade and finance. Some say that much remains the same in Hong Kong but when it comes to education there have been significant changes in recent years.

Form 4 students in Hong Kong (Year 10 in the UK) started studying the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) in September 2009. The HKDSE follows the same system as mainland China and there are no public examinations until the students reach the end of their secondary education at the age of 17/18. Because this reduces

however, remain stable because of the uncertainty surrounding the new education system and the reputation and benefits of a British education.

The landscape does continue to change and families have more choice now than ever before. Those British boarding schools who have consistently recruited from Hong Kong now face increasing competition, not only from many more British schools now regularly visiting the region, but also from American and Canadian boarding schools who are marketing strongly. There is also much more choice available here in Hong Kong with a growing number of international and satellite schools opening both at senior and junior level. 2018, for example, will see three more British schools opening campuses in Hong Kong.

In a world where most businesses are very commercially driven, I want to ensure that

“THREE MORE BRITISH SCHOOLS ARE OPENING CAMPUSES IN HONG KONG NEXT YEAR� the secondary education programme by one year, the Hong Kong government added one year at university level which leads to a four-year course.

In recent years, more Hong Kong families have decided to send their children to the UK from an earlier age as they have reservations about the changes that have been imposed.

UK schools did benefit for many years from the OEA (Overseas Education Allowance) which was awarded to civil servants who wished to educate their children overseas. This is now slowly being phased out. The numbers attending UK schools,

educational agencies and consultants assist families to make the right choice for their son or daughter. Each child is different and parents may have very fixed views about whether they want GCSE/A-Level or IB or co-education or single sex. Let's celebrate the fact that we have all these options but also strive to ensure that whatever the decision, it is the BEST one for the child.

Battie Fung

MANAGING DIRECTOR ACADEMIC ASIA

2017

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ol ho !

S c 18 er 0 m r2 m fo Su es w rs Ne cou

A School for Every Boy and Girl Established in 1847, Taunton School has long been one of the leading providers of private education in the UK, educating International students for more than 20 years.

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One-year GCSE/Pre-IB course at Taunton School International with over 23 subject choices, including Design & Technology and Dance

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Intensive English courses for students aged 7-14 at our International Middle School acting as a ‘stepping stone’ into mainstream education

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Maximum class size of 10 students

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Disciplined and supportive environment with subject specialist teachers and caring pastoral staff

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Academic Summer School courses throughout July and August

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On-site medical facilities providing 24-hour medical care

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An IB World School with a choice at Sixth Form, of A Levels, International Baccalaureate (IB) or BTEC

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No exeat weekends

Contact us Admissions +44 (0)1823 703737 Admissions@tauntonschool.co.uk

Summer School +44 (0)1823 703232 SummerSchool@tauntonschool.co.uk

For more information visit www.tauntonschool.co.uk/International CHALLENGE · NURTURE · INSPIRE TAUNTON.indd 1

An outstanding education, for life.

02/10/2017 09:43

Up Front SCHOOL NEWS P . 14 HOW TO BE A GOOD TEACHER P . 19 BEST PREPS P . 22

SET SAIL

Eight sixth-form pupils from Dauntsey's School have completed a challenging trans-Atlantic race.

The pupils spent 30 days in the North Atlantic, sailing the school's tall ship, the Jolie Brise (pictured) from Halifax in Nova Scotia to Plymouth.

2017

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Festival fun

GIRL P OW E R

Families and friends enjoyed the inaugural St Edmund’s festival, at St Edmund’s School in Canterbury. The aim was to deliver a summer arts festival for both the school community and the people of Canterbury, one that celebrated the expressive arts. Acts included concerts, poetry recititions, cabaret, and a Mad Hatter’s tea party, topped off with fireworks.

Marymount International School pupil Mallika Jhamb has been accepted for a place at Stanford University in the US, following the launch of her ENERGISE (empower, inspire, encourage girls in science) campaign aimed at motivating girls to pursue STEM subject. Mallika said: “Getting to Stanford would not have been possible without the academic nurturing at Marymount."

To the summit

Glenalmond College performed a sell-out performance of Everest Calling at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A double cast meant pupils had to learn several roles. A world premiere by summiteer Matt Dickinson, the director, cast and crew found that their ‘Everest' was getting a show ready for the international audience in just four, very intense, days.

“I wouldn’t have got to Stanford without Marymount”

ON SONG The Eaton House Schools group have opened a new prep school in Elvaston Place, South Kensington this term.

New Headmaster Huw May, who is moving across from Eaton House the Manor Pre-Preparatory School, has a special interest in music; he has already commissioned a childrens' choral cantata written by composer Martin Neill.

HEADING WEST Millfield head girl Holly Jackson is one of the increasing number of pupils to apply for university places in the United States. In the last two years, over 65 pupils have achieved university places from US universities. Holly is pictured here celebrating her acceptance to Yale University in Connecticut.

“With my actor friends who went to Eton I’m like: ‘How do you feel so at home in the world?’ I have envy about it.”

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UPFRON T / NEWS

To p t r y Malvern College pupil James Scott has played in a run of international rugby matches this season, first in the England U18s win over France in March, and later against Ireland, Scotland, and against a Canada U19 team. Scott joins the Worcester Warriors this September.

BESPOKE BEDS New Forest prep school Walhampton is pioneering a new approach to dormitory design with bespoke bunk beds handcrafted by the school’s carpenter. “A standard bunk bed just gives the children a bed to sleep in, but our new design gives them a sense of comfort with nooks and crannies to put their belongings in. They feel as though they have their own cabin to snuggle away in.

SHAPING UP Mayfield School in East Sussex has announced that ceramicist Dan Stafford will be its new artist in residence from this September. Stafford will have the opportunity to develop his work at Mayfield in the pottery studio, as well as teaching girls and adults from the school, and local community.

TA K E I T OUTSIDE St Lawrence College have started a new 'outdoor adventures' curriculum this month. Activities include scavenger hunts, orienteering, geocaching, assault courses, team challenges, crafts, bug hotels and den building.

Ellen Rowe, head of the junior school said: “We are excited to be teaching our pupils to adopt a positive attitude to challenge and adventure.”

Ta k i n g t h e l e a d Pupils at James Allen’s Preparatory School have won the top prize in the London Special Leaders Award, organised by UCL. The competition asks pupils to submit inventions that will change the world.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Sperotto who was overall winner with her robotic worm invention.

“Education is what

survives when what has been learned has been forgotten” P S YC H O L O G I S T B F S K I N N E R

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“If we ghettoise this crucial part of our development, or allow it to become the province of male techno-nerds, we are at risk of radically dividing our society into the digital haves and have-nots.”

J A N E L U N N O N , H E A D O F W I M B L E D O N H I G H , O N E N C O U R AG I N G G I R L S T O TA K E U P C O M P U T I N G

2017

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“We shall be educating international students from anywhere and everywhere in the world, aged 11-16, providing a genuine global environment within the context of the English language and a British boarding school.�

Geoff Cocksworth, International Director

Opening in September 2018 To register interest or for more information please contact: grc@international.kings-school.co.uk | +44 (0)1227 595744

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02/10/2017 09:40 19/09/2017 11:13:41

UPFRON T / NEWS

To p n o t ch

BAC K TO T H E OLD SCHOOL

Former head of Emanuel School in Wandsworth and a past chairman of London HMC Mark Hanley-Browne has been named CEO of the Alpha Plus group, an education group comprising 19 nurseries, schools and sixth-form colleges.

Simon Reid, formerly principal of Gordonstoun School, has succeeded John Franklin as head master of Christ’s Hospital in Sussex.

Reid has worked at Christ’s before.

Between 1993 and 2004 he held various posts including teacher of English and boarding house master.

Reid said: “The bond with Christ’s Hospital and its values, which I formed during my first period at CH has drawn me back once again, this time with the honour to serve as headmaster.

“In my immediate predecessor, John Franklin, I have a tough act to follow.

John’s tenure saw the school make considerable advances, with major improvements on the campus, an enhanced strategic and financial footing and greater connectedness to the wider community, nationally and worldwide. Most of all, he kept the school true to its original mission.

“I am looking forward to meeting the challenges ahead with commitment and dedication.”

YO U ’ R E HIRED

We l l D o n e Kent College Canterbury students and staff celebrated another record year for A-Level results, with over 80% passed at grades A*-B, a 100% pass rate and almost half of all grades at A*- A. IB outcomes were also the best the school has achieved placing the school in the top 10 Independent IB schools in the UK. The results enabled access to top universities in the UK and further afield. All students gained places at their universities of choice including Oxford and Cambridge. These IB and A level results secured UCAS points with an average of over 160 per student: the equivalent of A* A* A.

A student from Framlingham College has beaten more than 3,000 applicants to secure an apprenticeship at the prestigious Lloyd’s of London.

Emma Greenard, 18, was subjected to a rigorous application process with interviews, psychometric tests and gruelling assessment days. Emma had to draw on the life skills and personal qualities instilled by Framlingham; namely grit, good manners and great interpersonal skills.

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“If the kids don’t like something, we don’t make them eat it. It’s not prep school in the Eighties. Having said that, I’m not going to cook six different things for them because they decide they don’t like pasta.”

T O M PA R K E R B O W L E S O N M E A LT I M E S AT H O M E

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”What is so special about Christ’s Hospital is the extent of the resources on offer: 24/7 teachers, supported prep sessions, an extensive range of activities including societies like the medics group to help with university applications, as well as all the sports facilities.”

“When you start at Christ’s Hospital don’t be afraid to join in, it only takes one hobby to spark a commitment for a lifetime. With all the facilities nearby and the staff living on site we have the luxury of pastoral care and academic rigour going hand in hand. I don’t think any other school could prepare me better for university.”

Christ’s Hospital is a full boarding schools and all our pupils stay at school twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week. On Saturday mornings there are lessons followed by a weekend programme of sport, co-curricular activity and entertainment.

AN INDEPENDENT BOARDING SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 11-18 www.christs-hospital.org.uk 01403 246555 | hello@christs-hospital.org.uk Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 0LJ Registered Charity No. 1120090 | Trustee of Christ’s Hospital Foundation – Registered Charity No. 306975

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UPFRON T / OPINION

IF YOU CAN, TEACH The former head of Harrow and current chairman of the Independent Schools Council on how to succeed in the classroom

L

BARNABY LENON

ast year I visited a number of schools in England and wrote about them in my book, Much Promise. I define a very good teacher as one whose pupils make more progress than they would with the average teacher. I know that parents sometimes think about other things – such as whether their child likes the teacher, how well the teacher cares for individuals, their communication with parents. But to me these are secondary issues. When I was headmaster of Harrow I always said to new teachers, ‘although we place a great emphasis on pastoral care, please remember that you are not social workers.

You are here to make pupils learn.’ So that is what I believe – put first things first.

So the best teachers have the following characteristics, in order of importance: Good teachers are able to control their pupils. This comes top of the list because without good discipline nothing can be achieved. To maintain good discipline you need some basic tools. You need to really

“Being good at controlling a class is simply good acting”

believe that you are the boss and they are the children. They are going to obey you and, as long as the school has systems which will back you, if there is a problem with a pupil you will always win. You are not going to shout or be petty or punish the whole class. You are going to be clear about the rules which apply in your class, you are going to expect high standards. Above all, you are going to be intolerant of pupils talking without your permission, and of late or feeble work. Being good at controlling a class is simply good acting. Good teachers are those whom pupils will respect - and slightly fear if necessary.

The best teachers love their subject and have excellent subject knowledge (the two go together). It is the reason that some schools are happy to appoint an excellent graduate in a subject like Physics even if they don’t have a teaching qualification.

Good subject knowledge matters not only because at the top of the ability range you need to be able to stretch pupils but also because teachers with good knowledge tend to make lessons for younger children more interesting.

Good teachers test their pupils regularly. How you do this depends on the age of the pupils, of course. But for anyone over the age of eight there is no reason why you would not test them regularly, increasing in frequency in the run-up to exams. This is important because you, the teacher, needs to know what your pupils have grasped and not grasped, and the pupils have to be forced to memorise knowledge in order to place it in the long-term memory.

Good teachers are very A B OV E hard working, putting a huge He knew how to effort into preparing lessons, teach: Mr Chips marking work and giving extra time to children who need it. They are generous with their time. They are able to manage stress. They are passionate about their school and their pupils, keen for all to do well.

They are driven by the moral imperative of teaching – the opportunity to transform lives.

Finally, they need to have high expectations of their pupils. This is a characteristic of all the best teachers.

Excellent teachers believe that it is pupil effort and teaching quality which determine how well a child does, not just the ability of the child. The less able will get there in the end.

MUCH PROMISE: Successful Schools in England by Barnaby Lenon, £15, out now 2017

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Study | Explore | Succeed

For more information or to arrange a visit contact: 01822 813193 admissions@mountkelly.com Mount Kelly . Parkwood Road . Tavistock . PL19 0HZ . UK www.mountkelly.com MOUNT KELLY.indd 1

03/10/2016 16:47

PR EP/ OPINION

Talking

HEAD

BE KIND

Ben Thomas, Chairman of the Board at Thomas's London Day Schools - which welcomes Prince George this term on what makes a good prep school education

I

n narrow terms, a prep school’s remit is to prepare its pupils thoroughly for the academic entrance and scholarship examinations of their chosen senior school. At Thomas’s, though, we believe that the best prep schools have a much wider responsibility than this. We believe that we are preparing children not only for their senior schools, but also for the life that lies beyond them.

During their time with us, we aim to give our pupils an education which is both rich and broad. To this end, we place a strong emphasis on the highest academic standards, set within a broad curriculum.

From their first day in school at the age of four, whilst primary responsibility for their academic and pastoral progress falls to their form teacher, our pupils will also be taught by specialist teachers in Art, Ballet, Computing, Drama, Modern Foreign Languages, Music and PE. It makes for a busy and purposeful learning environment.

We embrace in our teaching and learning the advances of technology, which will undoubtedly form such an important part of these children’s lives. At the same time we have recently found the need to counteract some of the downsides of unregulated screen time by introducing a formal programme of outdoor learning. This begins with 'woodland adventures' in reception and leads up to a week’s residential trip in each of years 5 and 6 at Thomas’s Daheim, our dedicated centre for outdoor learning in the mountains of Upper Austria. A further programme of clubs, speakers and extra-curricular activities serves to enrich

"We challenge our teachers to find six positive comments for every one negative"

'6:1', six positive comments for every negatives. Try that one at home!

As a result, we expect our pupils to make impressive progress as a consequence of their own hard work, the best efforts of their teachers, the judicious support of their parents, and the encouragement of their peers.

CORE VALUES

As we approach a time of growing automation, certainly within our pupils’ lifetimes, we believe that the things which make us uniquely human will become more important than ever. These include creativity, collaboration, communication and a core set of values, which are at the heart of our pupils’ education.

Our school values lie at the centre of everything we do.

They are on display all around A B OV E the educational each school and are referred to on a daily Pupils at Thomas's experience of our basis in lessons, assemblies and, often, by are taught to care pupils. the children themselves in their free time. for each other Our most Our values include kindness and courtesy, important school honesty and respect, perseverance and rule, which applies to every member of the independence, confidence and leadership, school community is 'be kind'. When my humility and being givers, not takers. parents started the first school, in a tall, Ultimately, we aim to send on into the thin building in Cadogan Gardens, it was, world not just well-educated young people, 'be kind and don’t run'. but young people who intend In each school we aim to make a positive difference to engender an ethos of to the world that they will help kindness, encouragement and to shape. understanding, in which pupils’ It is our hope that Thomas’s strengths are developed, and pupils will leave their school their weaknesses supported, with a strong sense of social so that each child is challenged responsibility, set on a path without being inhibitied. We to become net contributors BEN THOMAS believe in targeted praise as the to society and to flourish as Chairman of the Board greatest motivator – and set capable, conscientious and Thomas's London Day Schools our teachers the challenge of caring citizens of the world.

2017

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FIT FOR A

PRINCE Prince George has started prep school at Thomas’s Battersea, but what other establishments might have made it on to the HRH shortlist?

ELEANOR DOUGHTY

it’s a real family affair. Headmistress Eleanor Dixon is the daughter of Anita Griggs, headmistress of the girls’ school, so there’s plenty of integration and a real feeling of togetherness. The boys have a bewildering 19 subjects to study, including Mandarin in Year 6, and History of Art throughout, which is a bonus too rarely offered. We approve.

The Hall

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n leafy Belsize Park stands The Hall, where parents must register before their son is one year old. The young chaps play rugby, football and cricket, and study Classics before whooshing off to all the best schools. It’s not just Eton, Westminster and St Paul’s for these boys, but academic schools all over town, and the rest of the country, too. Pupils at The Hall live ‘distinctive lives’, says headmaster Chris Godwin, which sounds right up our street.

WHERE IS IT? Earls Court, SW5 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys, days only, 4-11 WHO IS IN CHARGE? Headmistress

Eleanor Dixon HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? A B OV E

WHERE IS IT? Hampstead, NW3 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys, day only, 4-13 WHO IS IN CHARGE? Headmaster

The Hall

£6,480 per term

falknerhouse.co.uk

RIGHT

Falkner House

Chris Godwin HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Reception and Year 1, £5,980 per term; Year 2 and above, £6,162 per term

hallschool.co.uk

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Falkner House

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alkner House gives you two for one: there’s a boys’ school AND girls’ school, a mile from each other. The girls' school is long established and much-loved.

The boys' school is brand new, having just opened this term. At the boys’ outpost in Earls Court, it’s co-ed two to four, and boys only four to 11, and

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Sussex House School

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ussex House is a school for the public school set: Sussex House (rightly) boasts that 70 per cent of its leavers go off to Eton, St Paul’s, Winchester and Westminster, which is pretty outstanding. This high percentage of high achievers is surely down to the opportunities afforded the children: there’s a lot of drama (theatre, that is) going on, sometimes with as many as eight productions a year; serious sporting japes, including fencing, and music coming out of your ears. It’s also where Daniel Radcliffe went to prep school, so they must be on to something.

WHERE IS IT? Cadogan Square,

SW1X WHO IS IT FOR? Boys, day only, 8-13 WHO IS IN CHARGE? Headmaster

Nicholas Kaye HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

£6,200 per term

sussexhouseschool.co.uk

Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School

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f you’re looking for a solid local school, Ravenscourt Park ticks the box. The boys and girls toddle off to Latymer, Francis Holland and Goldolphin & Latymer after Ravenscourt has finished with them.

And by finished, we mean “make wonderful beyond belief”, because there’s a huge amount to do: judo, lacrosse, ski trips, rugby… you name it, Ravenscourt offers it. Plus, there’s an actual park nearby (there’s a clue in the name) which means there’s plenty of room to run around – rare in London and not to be sniffed at.

Eaton Square School

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on’t turn up on Eaton Square looking for Eaton Square School, because it isn’t there – it’s round the corner, on Eccleston Square. And very nice it is, too. At Eaton Square it’s all go: the boys and girls study French, Latin and Mandarin, and go on ski trips in their spare time. A new senior school opens this term at 106 Piccadilly, which will educate the luckiest children from 11 to 18, meaning that there’s no change in the direct debit EVER. WHERE IS IT? 79 Eccleston Square,

Belgravia WHERE IS IT? Chiswick, W6 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys and girls,

WHO IS IT FOR? Boys and girls,

day only

day only, 4-11

WHO IS IN CHARGE? Headmaster

WHO IS IN CHARGE?

Sebastian Hepher

Headmaster Carl Howes

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

£5,625 per term

Reception - Year 2, £6,875 per term; Year 3 to Year 8, £7,090 per term

rpps.co.uk

eatonsquareschool.com

A B OV E

An Eaton Square pupil

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“A wonderful place to grow a rooted sense of self, and joy in life and learning�

Good Schools Guide 2016

Weekly boarding | 1 hour from London To book a place on an open morning or to arrange an individual visit, please contact Janie Jarman, Registrar.

T 01730 711 733 E jjarman@bedales.org.uk Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 2DG

www.bedales.org.uk

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Garden House School

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ou might think you don’t know Garden House, but you do.

You’ll have seen the tiny girls bouncing along the King’s Road wearing their velvet-collared coats and thought, where does THOSE lovely children go to school? Garden House is where, a very sweet prep school around the corner from Sloane Square, where the boys and girls are taught separately but hang out at break time and do extra-curriculars together. Principal Jillian Oddy offers everything from dawn chorus to robotics to her charges, and they all skip off to smart London day schools and boarding schools further afield WHERE IS IT? Chelsea, SW3 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys and girls, 3-11 WHO IS IN CHARGE? Christian

Warland (boys headmaster) HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

A B OV E

A Bassett House pupil BELOW

A St Paul’s Junior production of Oliver

St Paul’s Juniors

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he artist formerly known as Colet Court has now (properly) merged with its big brother St Paul’s, and has become St Paul’s Juniors. Ta-dah! And it’s still as brilliant as ever, with a creaking waiting list, so get in there for prep school to avoid the race for the few places they offer for big school at 11.

It being St Paul’s, the academics are outstanding, and boys get to study engineering alongside their regular subjects. Plus, there’s tennis, cricket, rugby, football, swimming, water polo AND gymnastics, so there will be nothing your son can’t do.

ST PAUL’S JUNIORS IS AS BRILLIANT AS EVER WITH A CREAKING WAITING LIST

Kindergarten, £4,500 per term; preparatory, £7,000 per term; junior school, £7,150 per term; upper school, £7,200 per term

gardenhouseschool.co.uk

Bassett House School

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very child can learn to fly'. So says Bassett House, a charming co-ed school in North Kensington, founded with just six pupils in 1947. It’s got two sister schools – Orchard House in Chiswick, and Prospect House in Putney, so there’s a house wherever you are. A bit like Soho House. They believe that different children learn in different ways, so there’s a bit of Montessori looped in alongside regular methods of teaching to spice things up a bit. There are also coding clubs, yoga and a barbershop group on offer alongside your traditional subjects.

WHERE IS IT? North Kensington, W10 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys and girls, day

WHERE IS IT? Barnes, SW13 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys from 7, day only

only, 3-11

(boarding at senior school) WHO IS IN CHARGE? High Master Professor Mark Bailey HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? £6,476 per term

Philippa Cawthorne Nursery, £2,895 per term; reception, form one and form two, £5,790 per term; forms three to six, £6,040 per term

stpaulsschool.org.uk

bassetths.org.uk

WHO IS IN CHARGE? Headmistress HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

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the most inspiring classroom in the country

+44 (0) 15394 46164 www.windermereschool.co.uk admissions@windermereschool.co.uk

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Wetherby PrePrep school

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h, Notting Hill.

Home to one heck of a carnival, a certain Richard Curtis film set, oh, and Wetherby pre-prep, the smartest in the land. This is an ultra-hip and brilliant outpost in the middle of W2, where even the littlest boys get involved with the big school events. They’ve got French teachers and music teachers even at Nursery level – that’s how good it is – and the boys trickle off to Wetherby prep in Westminster, before they pack off to Wellington, Harrow and Westminster, if not to their own Wetherby senior school in Marylebone. A Wetherby boy is one for life.

WHERE: Pembridge Square, W2 WHO IS IT FOR? Boys, day

only, 2-8 WHO IS IN CHARGE?

Headmaster Mark Snell HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Little Wetherby, £3,280 per term; rest of school, £6,865 per term

wetherbyschool.co.uk A B OV E

A Wetherby School pupil BELOW

Eaton House pupils

Eaton House Belgravia

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here are quite a few Eaton House schools across London, so bear with us. There’s Eaton House The Manor preprep, for boys; Eaton House The Manor prep, also for boys; Eaton House The Manor girls’ prep school, plus Eaton House The Manor Nursery, all on Clapham Common, AND Eaton House The Vale School, in Kensington. But this one is Eaton House Belgravia preprep on Eaton Gate, a gem of a

school for boys of four to eight.

It’s non-selective and chess is on the curriculum, alongside reasoning, history, geography, library studies and music. Plus, the full complement of games, of course. There’s a prep school opening in Belgravia this term, so no need to move schools until it’s time for big school.

WHERE: Eaton Gate, SW1W WHO IS IT FOR? Boys,

day only, 4-8 WHO IS IN CHARGE? H eadmistress Annabel Abbott HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

£5,130 per term

eatonhouseschools.com 2017

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A HELPING HAND Are guardians a saving grace or an unnecessary expense?

WILLIAM HUME

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he vast majority of UK boarding schools will insist that overseas parents nominate a guardian to act locally on their behalf – this is to ensure the ongoing wellbeing and safety of international students both within and outside of their school. As many schools state in their admissions policy, a guardian can be a friend or a relative, usually adhering to certain criteria such as being over 25 years old and living within reasonable distance of the school.

For parents without a suitable UKbased adult to rely on, there are a range of guardianship agencies available. It must be noted that the person or organisation is nominated as an educational guardian and not a legal guardian.

Guardianship is an unregulated industry, there is no license needed to set up as a guardianship agency, therefore the choice of guardian is crucial but how can parents select an appropriate agency?

Even if parents decide to use a relative or friend – can they rely on that person 24/7

A guardian must be available to a student 24/7 if required? In the absence of legislation, parents can rely on AEGIS (The Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students), a voluntary organisation which regulates the standard of care for international students studying in British schools. It is much needed, as, to date, there is no regulatory governing body setting any form of pastoral standards.

The roles of a guardian are varied and many. From dealing with homesickness, organising airport transfers and homestay during school holidays to troubleshooting in the event of an emergency. The guardian 28

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must demonstrate that they are capable of being available to a student 24/7 and able to promptly arrive in person in the unlikely event of an emergency. If they are not, is there appropriate backup?

Over the years, guardians have been challenged by flight cancellations due to fog or more notably the Icelandic volcano erupting or, the SARS epidemic in which students had to go through a period of quarantine when arriving in the UK before returning to their boarding school. In all of these cases, guardians were tested to find suitable accommodation arrangements before students could continue with their onward journey.

Parents may feel that the services of a guardian are an unnecessary expense but a reliable guardian can give parents, schools and students the peace of mind that, no matter what, they have a responsible adult to support students physically and emotionally through their education.

A B OV E

Guardians provide parents with peace of mind

My advice to any parent is get to know your prospective guardian, perhaps via Skype or face to face in the UK. The guardian will play a vital role in supporting students, usually over many years, it is worth taking the time to find out about their capability and care in looking after students.

Guardianship is an insurance and assurance to parents that they have someone they can rely on to look after their most prized possession, their children.

W I L LI A M H U M E Director White House Guardianships

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beat the right start Harry Stebbings, Venture Capitalist and Felstedian

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Wish You Were Here?

Year 6 trips to Ghana, Uganda and even Nepal.

Ski trips for eight and nine year olds. We hear a lot about globe-trotting prep pupils here at Absolutely Education but sometimes we think that some of these trips do seem to be a case of ‘too much too young’. Here some prep schools give their thoughts on when prep school pupils should take their first trip abroad

FIONA WOMERSLEY Member of the Pastoral Team Beaudesert Park School

A

s with so many things, the age at which a child is ready to embark on a school trip abroad is very individual.

A child whose family goes abroad a lot might be very relaxed about travelling, whereas one who has 30

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never been on a plane or a ferry might find the travel part alone quite overwhelming. Similarly, homesickness strikes some and not others, although younger children tend to suffer more.

Here at Beaudesert we play it safe. While we organise all manner of school trips within the UK for children from nursery age upwards, trips abroad are available to children aged 11-12 in Years 7 and 8, before they move on to senior school. By that stage they’re more likely both to really, passionately enjoy a trip

“Why jet off to farflung parts of the globe when there are amazing experiences to be had in the UK?” abroad and, crucially, benefit from it in terms of their education. There have been wonderful Classics trips to Italy and Greece, French department trips to France, and Easter holiday skiing trips, amongst others.

Ground rules need to be clear from the outset – especially when it comes to things like taking devices and money. They generally don’t have much time for either anyway as we like to keep them busy and make the most of the opportunity. A busy day also paves the way to a healthy appetite and a good night’s sleep for all concerned.

One final point; bigger isn’t always better in our books. Why spend parents’ money and everyone’s time jetting off to far-flung parts of the globe when there are amazing sights to see and experiences to be had right here in the UK?”

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PR EP / TA LK ING POIN T

learning to speak, live, eat, drink and breathe France. With senior school pre-testing now mostly taking place by the end of Year 6 Cothill boys spend either the autumn or spring term of Year 7 at Sauveterre – at an age when languages can still be learnt with carefree abandon. This is no holiday let, but an extension of Cothill, where the children are taught in French and return with both a fluency in the language, and a passion for the entente cordiale – even if Brexit might make us think differently. The Gers is certainly a wonderful place to live and work; ABOVE it not only gives the

Beaudesert Park pupils scaling the heights in the UK

children an understanding of what it means to be French - playing for local football teams, buying lunch in the markets and spending time with neighbouring families - but it also instils a self-confidence and a desire to explore beyond the boundaries of our own island. At the Château de Sauveterre, the Cothill boy discovers freedom, beauty and independence, and returns to England a more broad-minded and confident individual, better able to appreciate his place in the wider world. Talk to a Cothillian about their time in the Gers, and watch their eyes light up as they remember the best of times.

RIGHT A Cothill pupil harvests grapes at Sauveterre

DUNCAN BAILEY Headmaster of Cothill House

C

othill first grasped the opportunity to embark on its European adventure in 1989. A large rose-red château in the south of France, near Toulouse, was identified as an ideal place to introduce prep school children to the delights of rural France and was soon purchased by the far-sighted principal of the Trust. It is still the jewel in Cothill’s crown, and one of the best ‘value-added’ opportunities in prep-school education.

From the start, boys spent an entire term immersed in the culture,

“Cothill boys go to Sauveterre at an age when languages can still be learnt with carefree abandon” 2017

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“The south coast is as exciting for the children as South Africa, and a lot less stressful for all concerned”

REBECCA LYONS-SMITH Headmistress St Swithun's Junior School

M

ALASTAIR SPEERS Headmaster Sandroyd School

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ducationally you have to ask what the real purpose of these trips are when everything they really need, at this age, is right here in the UK. Geography trips can go to our varied countryside, coastlines and cities. We have an abundance of historical sites to visit, and pupils from around the world travel to experience London’s museums and galleries, which are on our doorstep!

There really are only two reasons to take prep-aged pupils out of the UK. One is for language emersion, and this should ideally include staying with host families, during the holidays, to ensure pupils have enough time to actually practise speaking the language. From our experience at Sandroyd we’ve found that, maturity wise, children who are

ark Twain told us that ‘broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.’ Travel clearly broadens the mind, and broadening the mind is the raison d’être of all good prep schools.

At St Swithun’s, our children from reception to Year 3 go on lots of trips to take advantage of all that our local area has to offer and to broaden their cultural horizons. By Year 4 we think our children are ready to experience the first tentative steps away from home on a residential trip, and believe this experience is just as exciting for the children if we take them to the south coast as it would be if we took them to South Africa…and a lot less stressful for all concerned! By Year 6 our children are at an exciting juncture in life; many will soon start boarding, or catching a bus to school. We think this is a perfect time to support their developing sense of their global context ABOVE Sandroyd pupils on a by taking them on an overseas trip – in geography field trip the knowledge that they are both socially in the UK and emotionally mature enough to get RIGHT the most from the experience, because A St Swithun's pupil we have been gently widening their gets active horizons since the day they came. in Years 6 and above are best able to cope with, and therefore benefit from, an immersive French trip.

The second reason to take pupils overseas is to access something that isn’t readily (or perhaps reliably) available – such as skiing. We offer our annual skiing trip to the Alps for pupils in Years 5 to 8, as we know many families want their children to learn how to ski from a young age and sometimes the school trip is the most cost effective way of doing this.

Ultimately, rather than getting caught up in an impressive tally of excursions which look super on a school prospectus yet terrifying on the school bill, it’s important to consider the purpose, or benefits of school trips for the children.

“Impressive trips might look super on the school prospectus but terrifying on the school bill” 2017

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LEVEL PLAYING FIELD? Some parents fear that when it comes to secondary transfer, success boils down to being at the ‘right’ prep.

Absolutely Education investigates

O

LISA FREEDMAN

ne of the more shaming moments of my parenting years – almost as bad as the time I got caught in the act of sending my oldest to school with the nits – was the decision to enter my younger son for the Eton admissions test, without ever intending he should go there.

Call it a professional experiment if you’re being kind, or certifiable behaviour if you’re not, but I wanted firsthand experience of the entry process to one of the world’s most-coveted schools. Though I come out very badly from this tale, Eton definitely does not. My son, who attended our local primary school and arrived unprepared for assessment and unaccompanied by a school report, was, nonetheless, offered a place.

Parents who send their children to state primaries or prep schools without a solid link to leading secondaries often worry they’re making a big mistake.

They fret that, when it comes to 11 or 13 plus, their offspring will be left behind, not only academically, but in terms of Masonic, behind-the-scenes negotiations which give carefully coached applicants from top-of-the-range prep schools a head start. I can confirm, however, not only from my own adventure, but from long experience as an education consultant, this is emphatically not the case. Schools who declare they’re looking for potential, genuinely are.

St Paul’s School in west London has been a magnet for the brightest for over 500 years, and remains committed to ensuring the boys they select to deliver their stellar results (41 to Oxbridge last year) are drawn from as wide a pool as possible. To ensure that no unpolished diamond gets overlooked, they now offer a segregated entry point for state-school applicants in year five.

"We recognise that state primaries offer a different education," says Maxine Shaw, head of St Paul’s Juniors (formerly Colet Court), "and are generally not gearing their pupils up for entrance exams."

At this stage, St Paul’s sets written tests (in maths, English and reasoning) and interviews selected candidates before offering ‘deferred places’ for entry in year seven, with guaranteed progression to the senior school in year nine.

"State-school applicants are not restricted to year five admissions. They can also apply for 11 plus and 13 plus in the ordinary way, but testing at this point takes a lot of the pressure off year six and gives us time to provide extra classes in subjects which boys may not have studied before, such as Classics."

City of London School for Girls, another league-table topping school, which admits about 50 per cent from the state sector, does not provide alternative exams, but does design its 11-plus papers thoughtfully.

"We try to make the English exam as general as possible," says registrar Rachel Kearney. "The written pieces, for example, are very open ended, and everyone will have had experience of comprehension and creative

“We recognise that state primaries offer a different education”

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ABOVE Passing the baton: a St Paul's Junior pupil

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Schools used to winning these scholarships (often the junior departments of their related senior BELOW schools) are also Maxine Shaw head of accustomed to preparing St Paul's Junior boys to Olympic standards. Those without similar concentrations of the highly able may not consider it part of their brief to train their pupils in a similar way.

Of course, parents themselves can always intervene, and, while leading senior schools claim they’re able to spot the tutored child, it would be naïve to assume at least some additional preparation will not help ease the process. Parents, however, should be realistic. A child at a state primary school, for example, should – without coaching – be working comfortably near the top of the class. (The recently abolished level five was a useful indicator, now you may have to make do with ‘working beyond the expected level of attainment’.)

Getting in is one thing, of course – being comfortable in a challenging new environment is another. But most parents report a highly positive outcome. "My Today, as always, secondary schools rely daughter moved from our local primary to heavily on the applicant’s school report, and a leading girls’ independent in September, may, however unconsciously, give more weight and she just loves it," says one. to accounts from heads they know well.

In fact, the schools are usually pretty "If I’m concerned a pupil has not done as good at choosing the child that will fit – well as we expected, I don’t hesitate to pick whatever the educational background they up the phone," said the head of a well-known come from.

London prep (who preferred to remain anonymous). "Because they trust me, they’re usually be prepared to listen."

Pre-testing – much maligned in some quarters for passing judgement too early – has helped mitigate cries of cronyism.

In 2000, for example, Eton introduced a computerised IQ test for ten-year-old applicants precisely because of their concerns about traditional methods of recruitment.

Wellington College in Berkshire now also assess for 13-plus entry in year six. Here, the ISEB Common Pre-test (in English, maths and reasoning) is used in combination with a day of ‘collaborative, problem-solving activities’ and interviews – think Magic Circle Law firm or Civil Service fast track – which allows them to take ‘a whole-child approach’ to entrance (and admit 20-30 from the state sector).

Where both those from state schools and minor prep schools can really lose out, however, is in the race for scholarship glory.

The scholarship exam at leading schools like Eton, Westminster and St Paul’s requires LI SA FR E E D M A N academic sophistication well beyond the norm. "Maths, for example, can be at the runs the education consultancy At The same level as GCSE," says Maxine Shaw.

School Gates, attheschoolgates.co.uk LEFT A St Paul's Junior pupil

“St Paul’s and City of London both feel strongly that it’s at interview where they can discriminate between the brightest sparks and the carefully coached” writing." The school uses the written papers as a first edit, when it meticulously scrutinises which candidates come from where.

"We have about 75 places available, with about 750 applicants. Usually, we can’t differentiate at all in the top 50 – they come from a whole range of schools – but for the 400 or so in the middle, we look particularly carefully at state-school applicants, siblings and August birthdays before deciding who to interview. Here, we’ll pay close attention to girls who’ve got high marks in the hardest part of the papers, looking to see how well they’ve handled problem solving."

For both St Paul’s and City, the written papers act only as a minimum benchmark, and both feel strongly that it’s at interview where they can really discriminate between the brightest sparks and the carefully coached.

"What we’re looking for is the yearn to learn,’ says Maxine Shaw. ‘We try to give the boys some new problem to see how their mind works, discover where logic takes them. The conversation tells us whether they’re going to love being here."

In some ways, it can be more beneficial nowadays to go to a state primary than to an independent prep with little history of sending pupils on to leading schools. While the major schools (with a careful eye on the Charity Commission) now do their utmost to ‘broaden access’, they, assume, perhaps unfairly, that all prep schools are created equal.

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Queen Anne’s School Independent Day and Boarding school for girls 11 - 18

Full boarding places available Close to Heathrow, London and M4 Queen Anne’s School, Caversham, Berkshire RG4 6DX + 44 (0)118 918 7333 www.qas.org.uk Registered Charity QUEEN ANNES.indd 1 0000_ABSOLUTELY_HONG_KONG.indd 1

30/01/2017 30/01/2017 18:08 16:20

SENIOR / TA LK ING POIN T

TO M O R R O W ’ S

WORLD Jobs that haven’t been invented yet. Robots taking over from humans. How are schools educating the future workforce? Here an AI expert and a number of schools give us their point of view

E

arlier this year, Shamus Rae, lead partner for Innovation at KPMG was invited to speak at a conference organised

by Lord Wandworth College and Frensham Heights, alongside Dr Nick Baylis of Cambrige University. The conference, entitled ‘The Rise of the Robot: Is our curriculum relevant?' addressed how and when the rapid growth and advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact the workplace and therefore what practical life skills our students will need to learn at school to prepare them for what will be a massive – but inevitable – shift in their working lives.

Rae is spearheading the programme to digitally transform KPMG. As the AI advisor on several government committees, he is highly regarded as one of the leading business experts in the coming wave of disruption. Here he discusses some of the changes and challenges affecting today’s pupils. And a number of schools tell us what they are doing to educate tomorrow’s workforce today.

SHAMUS RAE

Lead Partner for Innovation at KPMG:

We’re now at the start of a revolution, as cognitive systems enable the transfer of millions of tasks and functions once considered inherently human into the digital domain. The shockwave of this will be perhaps most deeply felt by today’s younger generation as they graduate from school or university and look to join a workplace that will be radically different.

The ramifications are huge, as cognitive systems usher in a new class of digital

“Cognitive systems will usher in a new class of digital labour” labour that can both enhance human skills and replace human functions all together.

As one famous economist described the impact of ‘singularity’: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the digitalisation of the world is like an asteroid heading towards us that will hit between 2029 and 2050, reshaping the workforce of the future.”

‘Singularity’ is basically when computers are learning and creating without human intervention and will be better than humans in everything you could possible think of.

They will be self-programming in a way we do not understand.

We are already creating systems that have learned and can beat us at Go, an Asian game that has more potential moves than there are in atoms in the physical

universe. We have systems that can look at photographs and are better at face recognition than we are. By Christmas, we will be able to get into a car and it will drive itself and it won’t be long before we’ll go to the doctor and be triaged by a computer rather than a human.

There’s a system that has watched 150,000 surgeries, thousands more than any individual could hope for, and can prompt a surgeon in a real time operation; shortly you will be able to buy a phone that can identify consumer goods on sight and will tell you what it is and where to buy it. In Copenhagen, robots now act as teaching assistants in some schools and it won’t be long before Japan has nursing robots. Many of us today happily shop remotely and think nothing of interacting with the computer systems involved.

So, if so many traditional careers are under threat, what kind of people are companies now looking for? Actually, the people we want are changing. We want people who understand technology obviously but more than that, we want people who are creative. We want people who can think outside the box, who can learn and be stretched really rapidly – who can become true experts. We are finding ways to find these people and will spend a lot more time and energy investing in them.

This is why I protect my children’s creativity – and why I commend schools for bringing the debate and working to ensure they they, and perhaps, even more importantly, parents, realise that education today needs to be much more than the ever-narrowing government curriculum and a string of A*s. They need to understand what the future looks like for the next generation and focus on producing resilient young people with character, courage and creativity.”

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“As Uber shows, we live in an age where a simple, well-executed app can have a seismic impact”

TIM BENSON

STEAM Co-ordinator Kingston Grammar School

D

igital making as an educational endeavour is rapidly gaining momentum, with schools such as Kingston Grammar School aiming to revolutionise their STEAM curriculum.

As giants such as Uber show, we live in an age where a simple, well executed application can have a seismic impact on traditional industry. In the classroom, innovations such as the credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer are making it easier and easier for students to develop exciting tech without expert intervention.

One KGS student recently developed a motion-sensing photo booth that tweets your photo on demand!

A recent study by innovation foundation Nesta, ‘Young Digital Makers’, showed that this movement towards digital making as a core activity is long overdue, with 82% of students surveyed showing an interest in digital making.

I hope to give all students at KGS the opportunity to become digital creators, giving them opportunities to learn specific technical skills such as coding through exciting and challenging real-world projects, from robotics to cyber security.

In developing both our curricular and co-curricular opportunities, I believe we can develop a pathway for our students to enter higher education as confident, creative and skilled problem solvers.”

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ADAM WILLIAMS

Headmaster of Lord Wandsworth College

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e’ll all be obsolete in 20 years' is often a tongue-incheek response to the September morning INSET on technology. Yet education will never disappear – in fact, one might argue that the pupils of today, who sit eagerly in front of us with iPad and skinny latte in hand, have never needed us more.

Lord Wandsworth College pupils are already being taught Film Studies from California and it will be the diversity of time and place for learning that will take us onwards. One of our classes joined up for joint Biology lessons with a school in Ghana as we compared and contrasted experiments in differing biomes. Teaching walls will allow pupils’ debates to flourish across time zones

“One of our classes joined up with a school in Ghana for joint Biology lessons on differing biomes” and virtual worlds will be commonplace.

We seek learning that brings real-world problems into the classroom as we cast off the shackles of an ancient Victorian education system. We should be inspired by schools such as High Tech High in San Diego; project-based learning and a clear understanding of data interpretation still requires lashings of emotional intelligence and a strong moral compass.

It is an exciting future for us all and even though our school sits nestled in 1200 acres of rolling countryside on the edge of London with tractors and ploughs keeping our landscape in check (tracked by satellite, of course), the future shines bright for our pupils.

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12/10/2017 10:54

SENIOR / TALKING POINT

“Oundle pupils are the fi rst in the country to be able to 3D print in any material”

JON BAKER

Head of Design, Engineering and Technology Oundle School

BELOW In the lab at Lord Wandsworth College

LUCY BROOK

Digital marketing director Westonbirt School

S

tudents need to think on their feet, have agile minds, be able to propose and deliver a solution to a problem and think creatively. Schools are already well equipped to teach these skills but how much programming and computing should there be in the curriculum? In 2014, the National Curriculum changed to require computing to be taught from the age of five onwards. At Westonbirt School, boys and girls from this age in the prep school learn to program with basic code on iPad’s.

At GCSE, students apply programming techniques to real world situations, learning not only the fundamentals of programming but also programming languages from scratch. Critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving skills will be key and

“Robots must be invented,serviced, programmed and managed, creating new job opportunities” these are taught at A-Level, along with defining requirements, implementing new technologies and finding solutions.

Senior girls at Westonbirt are taught to embrace robotics and new technologies and to view rapid technical developments as opportunities. Whatever the jobs are in the future, it is the core skills and adaptability which will enable today’s students to slot into this ever-changing landscape. No-one knows whether robots will be looking after us or, we will we be looking after the robots but they must be invented, serviced, programmed and managed creating a new and vast opportunity for the deployment of technical skills. Those who enter the job market with enthusiasm, a thirst for knowledge and a desire to succeed will surely find this unknown landscape an exciting place to be.

A

t Oundle we are fully embracing the new curriculum for Design and Technology which launches for both GCSE and A- Level this September. The recently opened Patrick Engineering Centre houses the very latest in manufacturing technologies and we are the first secondary school in the country, possibly the world to have the ‘in house’ facility for pupils to ‘3D print’ (rapid prototype) in any material from the entry level FDM technologies (ABS, Nylon and PLA), to large format Multijet UV cured clear resins and rigid plastics to the exotic direct metal printing (laser sintering) of titanium, stainless steel and aluminium. These autonomous production methods are aiding pupils to create concepts and engineered components previously thought of as impossible.

Pupils at Oundle are now experimenting with Arduino microcomputers to control articulated robotic arms through software coding to perform tasks akin to those found in the automotive industry and space exploration. Lessons have come some way since the delivery of theory related to a 555 IC based timing circuit 15-plus years ago, and quite rightly so. Let the robots rise!

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“We value the combination of the academic and creative”

ANDREW FISHER Headmaster Frensham Heights

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t Frensham Heights, we have always known that education must go beyond a curriculum that has its origins in a long gone era. Innovation and progress have always brought new challenges to the next generation challenges that may require more than a string of academic A*s.

So, yes, we want our students to reach their potential academically but equally important is the development of personal skills: teamwork, empathy, leadership that is naturally won and does not require a badge or trophy, questioning skills, the right to challenge decisions and the ability to do so constructively.

We truly value the combination of the academic and the creative – in fact we do not distinguish subjects in this way. We don’t want to churn out students who have lived their school years to a prescription of one size fits all. We want our young people to be passionate in their beliefs, confident in themselves, able to embrace change and new technology.

We teach students to be empowered by their digital safety and to use technology responsibly. We are committed to developing an e-portfolio for all our students, mapping their personal, digital, academic and creative journey and giving them a tool that demonstrates every aspect of their skills.

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BELOW Brighton College's new creative learning centre

THOMAS GODBER

Head of Creative Learning Brighton College

“Brighton College's new creative learning centre will be entirely devoted to experimental teaching”

righton College has a new Hopkins-designed creative learning centre; a new 22-classroom central hub for maths, economics, history and politics, the top floor of which will be devoted to experimental teaching.

Pupils will sit on chair/desk combinations on wheels to allow for speedy changes of layout when their teacher switches to group work. The chairs will be flexible so that children can gently rock, known to improve concentration. There will be specialist lighting design to match different teaching approaches and cameras and recording equipment will be fitted into the suite to allow for assessment both of children’s reactions to different teaching methods and teachers’ styles of educating.

A collaborative Microsoft Surface Hub has been installed, too, which allows pupils and teachers to write on it, like a traditional whiteboard, as well as allowing real-time chat with subject experts (perhaps an economics expert explaining interest rates or an MEP live from Brussels), accessing the web when they want to or any other software the teacher wants to use.

We are throwing out some of the old, traditional notions that children have to sit in straight lines and listen for hours on end. I, like the headmaster and other member of senior management have done before me, will be looking at teaching styles from across the globe and bringing best practice back to Brighton, using this amazing new space to do so.”

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“We construct a Bedales education on a foundation of relentless curiosity”

KEITH BUDGE Headmaster Bedales School

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minously, we are told, companies such as Google and Facebook are scaling up their investment in AI systems to billions of dollars a year. Academics have argued that society is not facing up to the implications of these developments in AI and robotics, and in 2016 the Future of Life Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, urged policymakers to explore the risks that come with intelligent machines.

So, what does this mean for education?

Most relevant at Bedales is our commitment to teaching students to think for themselves and to develop their capacities to carry on learning. This is encouraged through a broad and inspiring curriculum that of course includes maths, the sciences and optional coding but is also rich in the arts and humanities, exemplified through our own Bedales Assessed Courses which replaced dull and unchallenging GCSEs. Predicting the future is difficult; however, it is a safe bet that a capacity for independent creative thinking and problem solving, an enjoyment of working with others and understanding other cultures, and a relentless curiosity will have enduring currency. We construct a Bedales education on these foundations, which we see as a preparation for living rather than simply working. This may be the edge we humans will always have over machines – whatever the future may hold.

“Bryanston is undertaking an innovative project to help pupils understand big data”

ANDY BARNES Director of Technology Bryanston School

B

ryanston is undertaking an innovative project to help pupils understand how big data and location services relate to their lives and how the development of AI will offer both opportunity and risks.

In partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a pupil on the school’s IB Diploma programme, Bryanston has developed a campus navigation system based on the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Meridian platform. Using a mobile app, pupils around the campus can be guided by a series of beacons.

At various points in their journeys messages are triggered and delivered via the app, similar to proximity marketing.

Pupils can view the resulting tracking information, which demonstrates how data is gathered, analysed and then profiled to trigger the various messages and marketing campaigns they have seen via the app. These real-life examples help pupils understand how data is captured and analysed in their everyday lives.

The conversation then continues in the classroom with discussions on machine learning and how learning algorithms can be developed to utilise such data sources and predict behaviours. Pupils are encouraged to look at the ethical implications and discuss the impact of these on both themselves and in wider communities.

“We encourage independent learning by teaching students not what to think but how to think”

TIM LELLO

Headmaster Babington House School

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e encourage independent learning by teaching students not what to think but how to think. Creative problem solving, complex-thinking skills and an innovative approach all provide students with the vital skills to look for opportunities and take a sideways look at an emerging job market.

Providing top of the range tablets and laptops enables pupils to exploit the ever-changing world of information and communications technology and also teaches young people how to use an increasingly sophisticated virtual world responsibly. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths need to be balanced with music, sport the arts and humanities subjects so as to foster creativity and imagination.

Traditional subjects such as History are increasingly pertinent in a world bombarded with fake news and circumlocution, where young people need to be able to distinguish between opinion and fact. Teamwork is going to be a vital skill in future jobs where employers will need efficient groups working together to deliver projects of increasing complexity. And positive communication skills are becoming more important and should be actively taught in schools.

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With an ethos based on traditional values, Merchiston encourages self-reliance and independence, as well as respect for and tolerance of others. Our main objective is to motivate pupils to try their hardest and to strive to achieve the highest levels possible in all areas firstly academic, then cultural, sporting, leadership, and simply living together as part of a community.

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Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

LOVE MUCH School is not just an education, but a way of life, says Tracy Kirnig, Headmistress of Prior’s Field School

O

ne hundred and fifteen years ago, in a corner of Surrey, Julia Huxley first opened the doors of Prior’s Field. A scholar of English Literature from Somerville College, Oxford, and a gifted teacher, her ambition was to create a pioneering school for girls.

Great Britain was a radically different place in 1902. The world wars were yet to come, as was women’s right to vote. It would be another year before the Wright brothers made their first sustained flight of a powered aircraft. Did the visionary Julia Huxley conceive that future alumnae of her school would number airline pilots, and caseworkers to MPs, as they do in 2017? A tantalising thought.

What is well documented, however, is her groundbreaking approach to education.

She believed in three fundamentals, which remains at the core of our philosophy today: nurturing independent thinking,

“Learning beyond the classroom has always been a priority”

been revoked?” – an issue that affects people now, and will do so for years to come.

Confidence underpins future achievement, so we encourage our young people to pursue their talents, and have a go at new things. These may be futuristic: the geography department inviting Google Expeditions to school enabled pupils to “climb Mount Everest” through virtual reality. But they can also be every day activities: performing for a RADA examiner, making an electric guitar, setting up their own sixth form business.

Our girls learn to hold true to themselves, their work ethic, their friends and humanity. They chase their dreams.

Learning beyond the classroom has always been a priority, as has philanthrophy, and a social conscience. In the last few months, students slept A B OV E encouraging out in school grounds, raising funds for a Girls get stuck in individual talent, local night shelter for homeless men and BELOW allowing freedom women; performed music for local nursuing Google Geography to learn beyond home residents; and presented £1,800 the classroom, and to Great Ormond Street Hospital, raised engaging with the outside world. through RAG day.

Whatever future awaits our current Our sixth formers leave Prior’s Field as pupils, original thought will be key. At well-balanced individuals determined to Prior’s Field, all departments encourage make a positive difference to the world they girls to think for themselves. will shape. Prior’s Field’s only ever male Our debating club motivates girls to pupil, was Julia’s seven-year-old son Aldous engage with complex issues such as “should Huxley, who later became a novelist. After we imprison only violent criminals?”

Julia’s death, Aldous wrote to a friend: “You Sixth formers have risen this never knew my mother – I year to the challenge of an wish you had. I have just been extended project qualification reading again what she wrote (EPQ), which required to me… ‘Don’t be too critical of intensive research linked other people, and love much'. to their intended degree, or I have come to see more and a subject about which they more how wise that advice feel passionately. Topics was… it’s a whole philosophy include “Why has the second of life.”

TRACY KIRNIG amendment to the United What better attribute with Headmistress States Constitution, the right which to equip our young Prior's Field to keep and bear arms, not people for any future?

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02/10/2017 09:30 12/01/2017 09:29:38

Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

BRIGHT FUTURE

Andrew Hunter, the Headmaster of Merchiston Castle School, on preparing his boys for tomorrow’s world

I

t is a fact that this generation are soon to enter a rapidly changing employment market which is dominated by technology and service industries. As such, it is essential that young people today are well prepared for the unfamiliar industries of tomorrow. The key to this lies in both a focus on developing the skills and attributes transferable to any existing or emerging industry, and the flexibility of thought to identify the opportunities that this transferability provides. The world of education has largely, and understandably, been focused on attainment for many years, and top grades followed by a prestigious university has long been seen as preferred outcome of a successful education. What is now clear is that this is not enough: employers across all sectors decry the absence of skills fundamental to independent learning or the workplace, and so an evolution of learning in schools is required to ensure that our learners are truly ready for the next stage. What does this evolution really mean in a modern, forward-thinking school with a global perspective?

"Top grades followed by a prestigious university won't be enough in the future" At Merchiston, it means a commitment to providing pupils with opportunities to develop key skills across the total curriculum, ensuring that these are embedded as a key component of learning, and underpinning attainment at the highest level possible. Equally, it means developing a shared vocabulary to articulate progressive skills development and to identify

A B OV E

successes. We have around an opponent’s defence in rugby; an developed our own elegant counter in a debate. skills framework, These examples highlight how so many drawing on best school activities can be distilled down to practice and underlying skills development, something applying it within our context with a global which has perhaps been undervalued in the outlook. recent past.

In a single-sex environment, such as ours, In an employment environment there is no stereotyping of subjects, as can developing at an ever-increasing pace happen in a co-educational environment, of change, it is more crucial than ever with boys veering towards the sciences that these opportunities are cultivated, and girls towards the arts. There is also promoted, and valued by both educators no such divide when it comes to activities, and learners. Only by doing so can we exemplified by the fact that 130 boys sing in ensure that our young people are ready to our choral society. contribute to the world of tomorrow.

We like to try and get people Our motto might be 'boys to think outside box – and first but my aim is to produce as teachers, we do the same. boys who are 'gentle men'.

While creativity is most As I’m fond of saying to boys obviously developed in subject during assemblies: “I need areas such as art, design, and to remind you of two facts. music, to focus so narrowly At university you will be is to ignore the opportunities sitting alongside academic provided more widely: the and ambitious females. And ANDREW HUNTER designing of an elegant secondly, remember that it is Headmaster chemistry experiment; the more than likely that your first Merchiston Castle School beauty of a play crafted to get boss will be a female.”

Boys will be boys: sparks flying at Merchiston

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Future Imperfect?

The Headmaster of Highgate on how best to support developing teenagers as they face an uncertain world A DA M P E T T I T T

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eeting parents of children just about to start out at my school, I try to acknowledge the butterflies in parental tummies by saying that if we could give one thing, and one thing only, to our children it would be happiness. We know that we can’t guarantee that, and that to promise it is to set up false hope; what we can do, however, is to take decisions about our children and about how we’ll support them which will make them more, rather than less,

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able to lead happy lives. It’s the kind of warm-up line which few can disagree with.

You’ll need to chart not only the journey through adolescence, but also pick your way through anxiety-inducing headlines about new and different challenges facing our children for which we as parents are, it appears, uniquely ill-equipped: the challenges of an uncertain world.

These uncertainties fall into three categories: social, and let’s take that to include emotional and mental health; technological, or the effects of screens and social media; and work, or how and if our children will find their way to secure, fulfilling employment.

At Highgate we teamed up with the children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, to organise a conference on ‘The Developing Teenager’. Aimed at teachers, school leaders and counsellors, the sessions brought together clinical experts working at the sharp end of mental health, gender identity and tech addiction to answer questions from those in schools who structure and deliver pastoral care. We wanted to hear from experts whether we’re doing enough, whether we’re facing epidemics, whether we need new tools to face new problems.

Thus it was reassuring to hear that analogies between physical health on the one hand and mental and emotional health on the other stand up. That the essential ingredients in the recipe for good mental health are to hand: undisturbed regular and sufficient sleep; hobbies and activities, including exercise; loving relationships; work-life balance well modelled by adults; and that problems can be fixed – therapy works.

Reassuring too, to have confirmed that our hand-held devices are addictive, but that their addictive qualities can be tempered and managed if we establish rules, just as we do for alcohol or drugs (eg keep the infernal machines out of bedrooms, including yours). That adults are just as exposed to these dangers as teenagers, and have to silence the siren voices of the mobile phone if we want our children to find us credible. That we may not be digital natives, but we need to know enough about gaming, settings and social media use to establish and negotiate rules and monitor them and to do this – as we do with good sex and relationships education - before the horse has bolted the proverbial stable door.

But we were keen too to probe the new uncertainties – the rise in children and young people querying their gender and seeking gender re-assignment; the bullying which LGBT+ pupils encounter routinely at school; the wonky relationship young people have with food and their bodies. Facts and expertise helped us, and took us back to realising that schools have phenomenal opportunity to liberate and inoculate the young from prejudice by the way they treat and treasure humanity in all its guises. And

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12/10/2017 11:01

SENIOR / OPINION

parents need to model what will mean and bring happiness to their children. Stop fussing about grades, important though they seem, and imagine what we want said about our children as people, and model those wonderful attributes in the way we live our lives.

And so from uncertainty about this and about that to another uncertainty, that of where all this will lead to.

I have often wondered what it is about talking about work and employment which produces such lip-curling indifference from teenagers, but doesn’t it make sense when you put work under the pupil’s microscope?

While we see work as the logical follow-on from the liberating excitement of becoming independent, from the young person’s

no absolute about getting hired.

But the exciting truth is that impartial adults – ie not your parents and not teachers – have a wonderfully and disproportionately powerful impact on young people. The same parents appearing as speakers mobilise and energise hitherto sceptical 14 year olds: after the summer exams in Year 10, Highgate kicks off its employability programme in earnest, and pupils spend two days quizzing professionals from the creative industries, engineering, medicine, academia, industry, entrepreneurship, tech, law, business, and then try their hand at half a dozen sixth-form subjects to get a feel for how study might marry up with employment. And the young A B OV E people get it. They get that Adam Pettitt what will make a difference with pupils is ‘what I’ve done myself, the L E F T & FA R LEFT sense that I am self-propelled, Highgate pupils that I’d do what I was told, my perspective it’s yet more discretionary effort would be talk from adults, parents directed towards someone else, and teachers, from whose I would take nothing for granted, influence they want to break and I’d not behave as if anyone owed me free. They want to break free, not anything; that my mind and body language, join our ranks; their energies are directed and not just my mouth, smiles.’ towards identity forging, being part of a It’s important that parents don’t feel that, new generation, and our job is to persuade just because you’re not (as) young you don’t them that what makes you fit in, what have counter-cultural advice that isn’t still makes you popular with your peers, doesn’t valid; we may not be the ones to give it, but make you employable; what appeals to your we can model it. peers may be unappealing, risible even, And uncertainty is the price we pay for to an older generation. You will need to fluidity, for opportunity, for negotiables, make the empathetic leap into the shoes of for things that change and for innovation; people older than you to get yourself a job; security – or certainty – has a price, too. you’ll need to work out how you’re read as An uncertain world doesn’t need to be an a person; you’ll need to realise that, unlike anxious one. qualifications and university places, there’s

STOP FUSSING ABOUT GRADES... AND IMAGINE WHAT WE WANT SAID ABOUT OUR CHILDREN AS PEOPLE, AND MODEL THOSE WONDERFUL ATTRIBUTES IN THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES 2017

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02/10/2017 12:07 09:24 29/09/2017

SENIOR / INSIDER

ABOUT A BOY What does it mean to be a man in the 21st century? We must help our pupils work that out, says the deputy master pastoral at Dulwich College

I

ndividual wellbeing plays a crucial role in allowing children to thrive and succeed, and educating for wellbeing is an approach to pastoral care that must be active, positive, universal, informed and communitywide. Mental health, particularly that of young men is rightly receiving plenty of media attention and at Dulwich College we recognise that boys’ wellbeing presents a particular challenge in the 21st century.

We are all asking the question, “What does it mean to be a man in the 21st century?” Gender stereotypes are confusing – boys are aware we have shifted from men being the providers of 'money and muscles' but what do they need to be?

At Dulwich, from the earliest of ages, we encourage boys to be thinkers, listeners and to ask questions. We guide boys to be emotionally literate, role models and to challenge stereotypes. An example of this questioning of stereotypes can be seen at our well-attended knitting society, which gives boys the opportunity to craft their own tie (while listening to The Archers) or

“We have a very wellattended knitting society where boys craft their own ties” at equality society which, amongst other talks, debates and discussions this year, has hosted Laura Bates discussing the Everyday Sexism Project and two transgender pupils reflecting on their journey of change.

Pupils at Dulwich will have approximately 100 hours of timetabled wellbeing lessons from year 7 to year 13 specifically focused on supporting and improving wellbeing.

Our programme covers an extensive range of topics including friendship, bullying, mindfulness, resilience, financial literacy, emotional literacy, campaigning, sexting,

FIONA ANGEL

pornography, mental health, drugs, domestic survival, consent, sexual health and careers.

These are all areas we believe are important in equipping boys for the world beyond Dulwich.

The boys complete a detailed wellbeing survey, the results of which help us edit, rethink and redesign what we are offering to ensure we remain relevant and develop courses that answer the questions they are asking and are important to them. Our upper school wellbeing programme was designed after conducting a survey amongst alumni asking what they wished they had known when they were at school.

Alongside this we run regular learning forums at which boys discuss issues related to their general wellbeing. This has included, for example, the use of mobile phones on campus: 'How much is too much – are mobile phones getting in the way of us talking to each other?' and which resulted in a new campus-wide 'not in transit' rule.

Crucially parents are kept informed of the topics we cover and are invited to regular parent forums to ensure messages A B OV E

Year 7 pupils at Dulwich College

at home and at school are consistent. This year we have covered: digital parenting, understanding the teenage brain and managing teenagers and parties. Colleagues regularly write articles for the website that inform parents of wellbeing issues. The underlying principle of the series of articles called Parenting Matters is that we can support parents, and that when parents support us, we are at our strongest.

Strong pastoral care and academic success are interrelated and we aspire for all our boys to be emotionally physically and spiritually healthy. Perhaps this is exactly what it means to be a man in the 21st century.

FIONA ANGEL Deputy Master Pastoral Dulwich College 2017

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SENIOR / OPINION

Talking

HEAD

HOW TO BE GOOD It’s as easy as ABC, says Chris Townsend, Headmaster of Felsted School

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n a recent assembly at Felsted, I spoke to pupils about the significance of “active good behaviour”. Most people are good most of the time, and some are good all of the time, especially when your measure of good behaviour is “not doing anything wrong”. In a society in which we are encouraged to push the rules to the limit in order to get the best for ourselves, it is not surprising that people are so easily persuaded by this definition.

In fact, many would take it one step further, and talk about “not getting caught”. But for a society to thrive – and schools are all micro-societies – you must seek active, not passive, good behaviour.

The difference can be easily demonstrated in a school. We would all agree that dropping litter is poor behaviour.

“Passive good behaviour” is demonstrated by the person who does not drop litter, but “active good behaviour” is shown by the person who sees the litter, picks it up and puts it in the bin (or even better recycles it!) Similarly, a new pupil joins the school, and is excluded by the children. This is clearly poor behaviour. If I walk away from the situation, I am not doing anything wrong, so am being passively good, but if I go up to that person, include them in my friendship group, and help to resolve the problem, I am being actively good.

Perhaps most importantly for a school, how does this transfer to the classroom?

The pupil that calls out and disrupts the learning of others is showing poor behaviour, while a silent classroom may well be full of people who are being passively good, atnd just avoiding causing trouble. In the learning environment, the demonstration of “active good behaviour” is the learner who engages in the lesson, asking and answering questions, engaging

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A B OV E

in debate, leading and appreciated. the learning of Within a community, it is relatively themselves and easy to be passively good – to avoid being others, and helping in trouble, and to keep your nose clean. to develop the best However, the real measure of the person, ethos possible. and of the community of which they are At Felsted, developing this culture of a part, is whether they are prepared to “active good behaviour” is really important. be actively good. To stand up, and challenge It is essential that we celebrate the pupil those who are getting it wrong. To have who provides emotional support to a fellow strong values to which you will adhere pupil who is struggling with confidence. whatever the expectations of others.

It is crucial that teachers, and other “Active good behaviour” is not something pupils as well, recognise the efforts of a that just happens. It requires constant pupil who represents the community as a reinforcement, at every opportunity: in youth representative of the parish council. every assembly, every tutorial and every Pupils who run fundraising events need lesson. It needs to become a habit, a part of to get the same kudos that is the culture of the society. traditionally given to the 1st Most of all it needs to be at XV fly-half, or the lead in the the heart of the school’s values, school play. tied in to kindness, tolerance Even the pupil that carries and respect. the books for a friend on At Felsted our aspiration is crutches, who tidies the mess for our pupils to be to be the at the end of a lesson, or picks best that they can be in all that up and returns the tracksuit they do, and for that reason, CHRIS TOWNSEND left by the sports pitch, I believe that they must all Headmaster needs to know that this small seek to display active good Felsted School additional effort is worthwhile behaviour at all times.

Good eggs: Felsted pupils learn how to make a difference around school

2017

12/10/2017 11:03

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PROMOTION

Top Marks NTK Academic is celebrating top UK exam and IB results

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tudents at NTK Academic Group achieved outstanding results in the 2017 GCE AL, I/GCSE, and IBDP exams; an accomplishment that bears testimony to NTK’s position as Hong Kong’s leading educational services provider.

Andy Liu, a top NTK student, scored a total of 1779/1880 and averaged 99% across 18 GCE AL modules, including four A* grades in Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Additional Further Mathematics. Andy’s total score is the highest of any student in the UK who took the Edexcel GCE exams this year, giving him a number one ranking.

Andy is exceptionally keen on mathematics and self-learned university level topics in Pure Mathematics. During his study at NTK, Andy was able to gain a deeper understanding of advanced concepts. Andy’s teacher believes that while Andy is an extremely intelligent student, his phenomenal results would not have been possible without huge dedication and hard work. Andy is now close to his dream A B OV E

“Andy Liu’s score is the highest of any student in the UK ”

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of studying at Cambridge.

BELOW NTK students IB student Angela performed equally Stanton with NTK well in the 2017 I/ founder Mr TK Ng GCSE exam, with a large number of students achieving nine A*s or above.

In addition, eight NTK students scored the maximum 45 points in this year’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma exam.

Angela Stanton is one of NTK’s top IB students who achieved 45 points and was awarded the IB Bilingual Diploma. An aspiring mathematician, Angela is now pursuing a Mathematics degree at the University of Cambridge. Angela said, “My tutor taught me a lot of sophisticated maths that I didn’t know before and with his help, I achieved a Level 7 in the IBDP exam.”

Angela’s advice to students is that everyone should study consistently. She recalls her disappointment after scoring NTK student Andy Liu

only 29 points in the six subjects she took for her mock exams. To turn things around, she spent nearly 12 hours a day at NTK for three weeks doing revisions. She was particularly impressed with NTK’s Easter drilling courses, which are a combination of lectures and intensive practice.

In a congratulatory message to the class of 2017, NTK’s Founder and Managing Director Mr TK Ng said: “For 21 years, NTK has proudly offered students a pathway to the world’s top schools and universities.

Our students’ remarkable results are a testament to the hard work, perseverance and diligence they have shown over the years. I hope that as they embark on their future studies, they will develop the mindset and sensibilities that prepare them to contribute positively towards society.”

To learn more about NTK’s winter intensive courses, please visit www.ntk.edu.hk or email enquiry@ntk.edu.hk

2017

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w: badmintonschool.co.uk 26/01/2017 17:21

Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

THE RIGHT TOOLS Ceri Jones, Headmaster of Caterham School, on the schools Learning to Learn programme

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aterham School has long featured amongst the United Kingdom’s top schools across a range of measures including examination results, pastoral care and pupils going up to Oxbridge. We are, of course, proud of our consistently strong performance (not to mention the happiness and unique sense of community here). It is not just the top flight results that mark our school out, but how those top grades are achieved - through Caterham’s unique approach to learning and teaching which has a special focus within the school. This focus, which intertwines with our wellbeing programme, ensures that our pupils leave for top universities with skills and strategies that underpin life-long success.

Here at Caterham we teach pupils how to be excellent learners. All pupils have weekly lessons in how to learn which go beyond simply learning how to take notes and traditional methods of learning. Our Learning to Learn programme means Caterham pupils build a specific skill set, a mental ‘tool kit’ where they discover how they learn best, how and when to employ different learning approaches and how to be their own ‘coach’. Our teachers are trained to understand and respond to different learning styles, and encourage pupils to stand on their own two feet for learning.

This award-winning approach, which is unique to Caterham, ensures that by the time they go off to university, Caterham pupils have a well-established ‘internal scaffolding’ that sees them thrive in independent university life, and beyond in the world of work.

“Our pupils have a well-established internal scaffolding that sees them thrive”

A B OV E

Another key to the School’s success RIGHT is that Caterham On the cricket pitch has embraced innovation and digital in a way few other schools have. The recent opening of the Innovation Centre is just one example.

The Innovation Centre is a ‘common room for tech’ – a supported space full of the latest equipment for pupils to develop skills competitions, are coding for Virtual Reality including coding, virtual reality, greenplatforms and are developing apps for screen film effects and editing. The centre education companies. extends computing learning above and Caterham has a dedicated approach to beyond timetabled lessons – it is open and digital learning and is one of only a handful staffed during breaks, lunch of UK schools to be formally and after school for pupils accredited as an Apple with the on-hand support Distinguished School. The and guidance of Caterham’s priority is to blend the very computing staff. best of what digital can bring The centre opened in to learning with the best of a September 2016 and the traditional UK education. The popularity and resulting school has also established a growth in pupils’ skills has best practice programme to CERI JONES exceeded all expectations. integrate the use of iPads by Headmaster Pupils have become finalists all pupils alongside traditional Caterham School in prestigious IBM coding teaching methods.

Caterham pupils

2017

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Bargain T Boarding Rigorous, traditional, academic and far cheaper than their public-school cousins.

They’re the best kept secret in education: the state boarding school ELEANOR DOUGHTY

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hink boarding school and you would be forgiven for jumping immediately to an image of the most famous schools in the country, a wash of Range Rovers on exeat weekends, bonkers uniforms and archaic, exclusive team sports. But not all boarding schools conform to the stereotype. Some even let their pupils wear mufti and call their teachers by their Christian names.

But beyond Bedales and Bryanston, Bradfield and Benenden there’s a new other genre of boarding school that many are yet to discover – and you don’t even have to pay for it.

What is this witchery, you ask? It’s simple: the state boarding school.

There are 37 state boarding schools in England, from Devon to Hexham. They even have their own association, the State Boarding Forum, part of the Boarding Schools Association. And they come in all shapes and sizes: three are free schools, such as Eton-sponsored Holyport College (see below); 12

2017

12/10/2017 11:23

SENIOR / BOA R DING

are comprehensives and ten are grammar schools. Of these grammar schools, six appear in the Sunday Times’ top 100 schools in the country. Against the listing on the State Boarding Forum’s website for the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, is written: “high academic standards and traditional manners and courtesy expected”.

Some take boarders during the week, and others full time. The Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover (£12,996, a year, military families encouraged but not exclusively so) is a full boarding school, with no day pupils.

Clearly, there are financial benefits. In some cases, the product is the same, if not better than the local public school. At Reading School, the all-boys grammar school founded in 1125, which last year was ranked 11th in the country for its A level results according to the Sunday Times, fees are £11,248 per year – a bargain, by any measure, for a highlyacademic school (89.7 per cent A*-B in 2016, and 93.8 per cent in 2015).

And Reading fields cricket, rugby and football teams, and teaches

Classics, like any public school worth its salt. It’s a steal compared to the £12,354 a term (£37,062 a year) required for entry to Eton College, the world’s most famous school, just 20 miles away (94 per cent A*-B in 2015, if you’re interested). Parents of boys leaving school in 2015 would be right to ask whether the extra £25,000 is worth the .02 per cent.

And that’s before you’ve even bought any uniform.

To that end, as public school fees edge closer towards the £40,000 a year mark, we present to you a selection of state boarding options, if boarding is non-negotiable but the chequebook isn’t.

OLD SWINFORD HOSPITAL

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stablished in 1667, Old Swinford Hospital (OSH) is one of those proper, old boys’ schools with proper Latin mottos (‘Ut prosim, vince malum bono’, or ‘overcome evil with good’, though girls are now welcome in the sixth form. It's

“Holyport College in Berkshire shares some of Eton’s facilities” LEFT Sixth form pupils at Old Swinford Hospital BELOW Pupils at Holyport College

non-selective (apart from flexiboarders in year 7) and there’s no catchment area, so, parents, fill your boots. They say: "For us, it’s not just about chasing exam results, but also about encouraging pupils to develop character by instilling in them values.” Headmaster Paul Kilbridge is a former pupil of British Army schools and has made sure that OSH is a secure “home from home” for boarding pupils with parents in the forces. What a good egg.

Where • Stourbridge, West Midlands Notable alumni • Philip Davies, MP for Shipley A-Level grades 2015/16 • 70.1% A*-B Fees per year • full boarding, £11,400; overseas, £11,550; flexi, £5,700

2017

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ABOVE Playing Foozeball at Sexey's BELOW Pupils at Wymondham College

ADAMS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

HOLYPORT COLLEGE

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elective grammar school for boys 11-18, admitting girls at sixth form. Adams, one former pupil says, is “very much like a public school in so many ways”. It’s boys all the way to Year 11, when the girls flood in from the local high school for sixth form to endure two years of bubbly Adams boys before vanishing off to Russell Group universities.

For boarders, it is a little Shropshire idyll, as headmaster Gary Hickey says. “Boarders start their boarding life at Longford Hall, a Georgian mansion set in 100 acres with magnificent views of the countryside.

Parents are stunned by the beauty when they visit.”

Where • Newport, Shropshire Notable alumni • Jeremy Corbyn A-Level grades 2015/16 • 80% A*-B Fees per year • full boarding, £11,400; overseas boarding, £15,000; occasional boarding, £60 per night

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tate boarding is a very well kept secret in England’s educational landscape,” says Holyport headmaster Walter Boyle.

And his is a peculiar hybrid: a free school state boarding school for boys and girls, sponsored by Eton College, with whom it shares some sporting facilities. The sixth form opens this September, so as yet there are no hard results to show how good they are academically. Nevertheless, Boyle brandishes his Ofsted report, published in June, with a full house of 'Outstandings'. The intake is “mixed,” he admits; there’s no entrance exam, and children come from both the local area of wellto-do Holyport, and further afield from Maidenhead and Windsor.

Where • Holyport, Berkshire Notable alumni • As yet to be seen (school opened in 2014) A-Level grades 2015/16 • See above Fees per year • full boarding, £12,109

“Boarders at Adams Grammar are housed in a Georgian mansion set in 100 acres”

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SENIOR / BOA R DING

CRANBROOK SCHOOL

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e’re a bit quirky around the edges,” says headmaster Dr John Weeds of Cranbrook, his co-ed school, 15 miles from Tunbridge Wells. In its schools guide, Tatler, described Cranbrook as having “all the bells and whistles of an independent, without the price tag.” Indeed, Cranbrook is the best of both worlds; one sixth former last year told of how his older brother had been sent to megabucks public school Tonbridge, down the road. But for him, his parents had seen (financial) sense and chosen Cranbrook, for a third of the price.

Pupils play hockey, tennis, rugby and cricket and leave sixth form self-confident and ready to face the world. Dr Weeds says: "We are very grounded, and I think that comes with being part of the grammar school network.”

Where • Cranbrook, Kent Notable alumni • Harry Hill A-Level grades 2015/16 • 73% A*-B

WYMONDHAM COLLEGE

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sked what makes state boarding special, principal of Wymondham College Jonathan Taylor said: “very high standards of education, a very real, inclusive and grounded experience of boarding.” It’s hard to argue with that. Wymondham is coed and was established in 1951 on the site of a Second World War hospital.

In its earliest days, the pupils were taught in Nissen huts; nowadays, the only one that remains is the chapel.

They run CCF, Young Enterprise and World Challenge programmes.

For the 650 boarders, there are six houses, but these are mixed – shock horror. It’s been this way since the 1970s and it’s not stopped working just yet: sleeping accommodation is separate, but boys and girls can mix naturally in the social and work areas.

Where • Wymondham, Norfolk Notable alumni • Norman Lamb MP A level grades 2015/16 • 60.9% A*-B Fees per year • full boarding, main school, £10,500; full boarding, sixth form, £11,196

SEXEY’S SCHOOL

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nce you’re past the name (yes, that is what it sounds like) Sexey’s is absolutely top notch. It’s co-ed and most pupils choose to board termly, so if you’re signing up for Sexey’s you know that our child is getting the best possible boarding school experience. School isn’t empty at weekends, thank goodness, because there’s plenty to do: skateboarding, cooking, mountain biking, kayaking and scuba diving to name but a few. And the pupils love it – not least because of the three all-singing, all-dancing (co-ed) boarding houses where they stay with the houseparent throughout their time at Sexey’s and make lifelong bonds. Plus there’s rugby, hockey, cricket and the opportunity to join the air training corps.

Where • Bruton, Somerset Notable alumni • Douglas Macmillan, founder of Macmillan cancer support A level grades 2015/16 • 62.2% A*-B Fees per year • termly boarding, £9,825 Fees per year • years 9-11, £12,726; sixth form, £15,270

“Reading School, founded in 1125, ranked 11th in the country for last year’s A-Level results”

For more info: stateboarding.org.uk

ABOVE Harry Hill was a pupil at Cranbrook School BELOW Adams Grammar School

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12/08/2016 10:14

Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

START YOUNG Lee Glaser, Headmaster of Taunton School, on the benefits of British boarding for younger international children

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ost often, international students join British boarding schools for Sixth Form or for the start of GCSE courses, so from around the age of 15+.

However, students who come to the UK at an earlier age, and join at a more ‘standard’ UK entry point such as into Year 7 (age 11) or into Year 9 (age 13), really do benefit hugely and reap the rewards later.

At Taunton School, we have international students that join us as young as age eight so that by the time they begin their senior studies, they are well integrated, they have developed their academic English, mastered study skills, are settled and familiar with the environment, which in turn results in better grades and progression to a sought-after university destination.

This early start is a good investment that will pay off in the long term. Research shows that younger children learn quicker

"Research shows younger children learn quicker and soak up information" and soak information up more quickly than older children, in terms of language development and learning skills particularly.

Even if their English needs significant work, intensive English courses can provide a crucial stepping stone into the mainstream British education system. As students get older, learning styles have become a little more entrenched and students are more set in their ways.

There are three boarding school options: An international school, a mainstream British boarding school or a school that offers the best of both worlds providing an international study centre within the

A B OV E

mainstream campus. teachers can provide a tailored approach A school like to each individual. For example at Taunton Taunton School School International, there is a maximum provides intensive and of 10 students in a class. This results in a personalised tuition whilst also maximising more successful and rewarding learning integration and exposure to British experience for pupils because the teachers students. At Taunton School International have the time to make sure that everyone in Middle School our younger international the class understands. students join us from age eight, up to age Fluency in English helps with career 14. They usually arrive with low levels of prospects in our global society and English and receive intensive and expert understanding a variety of cultures aids tuition in English as well as other academic relationship building. subjects. Most are with us for one or two The return on your investment is the terms but can stay for up to two years if type of adult that your child becomes as required. They then progress a result of them attending to Taunton School Prep or a British boarding school.

Senior School with which They will develop social skills, they are already familiar and life skills, etiquette, social comfortable with. responsibility and global Most boarding schools awareness. Students who have offer a wide range of sports, attended British boarding activities and trips to schools become independent, entertain, inform and broaden bold, courageous, audacious, LEE GLASER the experiences of the children resilient, confident, Headmaster and there is generally a good enthused, and interesting Taunton School staff to student ratio so that young adults.

A Taunton pupil

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12/10/2017 11:41

• • • • • • • • •

Pupils leave Rendcomb College as articulate, confident and resilient young people able to deal with life’s challenges

230 acres of stunning Cotswold countryside A Level results 2016; triple A average GCSE results 2016; half of grades A or A* 95% of pupils secured their chosen university Leavers destination 2016 include; Oxford, Bath, Exeter, Imperial College London, King’s College London and Liverpool Personal Tutoring System Science Laboratories that reach the gold standard of teaching New 3.3 million pound Performing Arts Centre 90 minutes from London Heathrow

For further information visit our website www.rendcombcollege.org.uk or call Mrs Chrissy Laycock, Head of International Recruitment on: 0044 (0) 1285 832 325

Your adventure starts here RENDCOMB COLLEGE.indd 1

30/01/2017 15:27

Talking

SENIOR / OPINION

HEAD

BRIGHT MINDS Adam Williams, Headmaster of Lord Wandsworth College, says it is questions, not answers, that truly matter

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n February 2017, it was widely reported that geologists claimed to have discovered a new continent to the East of Australia: Zealandia. At 4.9 million km2 of land mass, 94% of which is underwater, Zealandia would be the world’s smallest (and 8th) continent. It broke away from Australia 60 to 85 million years ago and then slowly sank back into the Pacific Ocean. It is bold statements such as these, statements based on years of detailed research, curiosity and a creative approach by our scientists that sets our minds racing with more questions than answers. Maps and projected images entice us further to think, to postulate and to become embroiled in the what ifs…

One could choose many a reference point, but in this world of the more mundane and predictable passage of passing exams, it is an absolute pre-requisite for us, as teachers, to seek out the inspirational, stretching and bending of our exam courses well beyond the specification and into the realms of research. We must aspire for our pupils to greet our teaching with a chiming chorus of “but why?” “but how?” or “sir, I’ve been thinking”. We call this our plus two (+2) at Lord Wandsworth College, encouraging pupils to stretch themselves to an academic level two years ahead of where they currently are and providing staff with a mandate to do the same. Embedding such behaviour in schools means all become role models and all can aspire for the +2 at their level.

Schools are becoming ever better

at engendering relationships with university research, business, and professional networks - just in time too, for ‘we’ll all be obsolete in 20 years’ is often a tongue-in-cheek response to a September morning INSET on technology and the future. And yet, for all these changes, education will never this. One cannot overstate the importance disappear – in fact one might argue that the of inspiring curiosity and creativity in the pupils of today have never needed us more. generations to come: it is non-negotiable.

Pupils can ‘plug in’ and be taught A-Level We seek learning that brings real-world Film Studies from California as part of the problems into the classroom as we cast MOOC world for example, and it will be off the shackles of a Victorian education this diversity of time and place for learning system, rather, be inspired by schools such that will take us onwards. as High Tech High in San However exciting these new Diego. Project-based learning technologies are though, our and a clear understanding tech-savvy pupils require of data interpretation still us, as educators, to ensure require lashings of emotional learning is collaborative intelligence, a strong moral and inspires creativity and compass and a need to be both curiosity. Lord Wandsworth a mentor and coach.

College’s inaugural coding It is an exciting time for us ADAM WILLIAMS competition, sponsored by all and I am sure the future Headmaster the world-renowned Red Hat shines bright for our +2 Lord Wandsworth College organisation, was testament to pupils.

A B OV E

Lord Wandsworth College pupils

“We encourage pupils to stretch themselves to an academic level two years ahead”

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The

M A K ING of Me

Philip Reeve

Earlier this year the award-winning author of the Mortal Engines quartet appeared at the inaugural Hanford Literary Festival.

Here he reflects on his schooldays in Brighton

remember him ever telling me off or jeering at me the way his predecessor did, and I’ve always been grateful for his tolerance!

Where did you go to school and when?

I went to several schools in Brighton, from 1971-1984 Q

A

Q

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What were your schooldays like?

Mostly fairly happy, I think.

Q What sort of school was it? What was its ethos?

A My primary school, St Luke’s (which is still there) was very good. It was a wellestblished school (my mother went there, too). I seem to recall it being fairly laidback - there was no uniform, for instance: I think that was phased out just before I started. There was a strong tradition of music and drama, led by a teacher called Pat Holford and the music teacher, Mrs Taylor: they produced an excellent play each summer, which I enjoyed having a chance to take part in.

I was sorry to leave St Luke’s, and sorrier still to end up at Stanley Deason, a large comprehensive 40 minutes walk from home. Stanley Deason had quite a rough reputation, and if you Google it now all you find is a Guardian article from the Nineties with the headline, ‘Is This The Worst School In Britain?’ But once I’d settled in it was fine; there were some good teachers, it didn’t feel like the worst school in Britain.

After that I moved on to a Sixth Form college, Varndean, for A-Levels. That felt very grown-up.

Did you love it or hate it?

I’m sure there were times when I hated it, but I enjoyed a lot of it.

Q

A

Q Did you have a favourite place at school?

A The library, of course!

Where did you sneak off to?

Stanley Deason was next door to East Brighton Park, a fairly large and wild park.

I used to go out at lunch time and wander down to the tea rooms there, have a cup of tea, eat my packed lunch, and read a book.

I’ve always liked a bit of solitude, and it’s hard to come by in a school.

Q

A

Q Who was your favourite or most influential teacher?

A That’s hard to say, there were lots.

I adored Miss Ellis, who was my class teacher when I was seven. She used to sit us down and read a story at the end of each day. I remember her reading us The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, which introduced me to the Narnia books, great favourites for a while. I always liked my English and History teachers, because those were favourite subjects. My art teacher at Stanley Gosling, Mrs Gosling, was a big influence. My first PE teacher there was a stereotypical bully, and because I was rubbish at all sport I fell foul of him a lot and had a pretty miserable time in PE lessons. But after my first year he left and was replaced by Mr Waller, who was just as much of an alpha male but who took one look at me, realised I wasn’t cut out for sport and made allowances - I don’t

Q What was your proudest achievement?

A In my final term at St Luke’s my class teacher, Mr Guildford, encouraged my friend Steven Saunders and I to develop a silly spoof of Star Wars we’d written into a class play, which we ended up performing in front of the whole school. It was very sporting of him, especially since we’d cast him as the villain, Daft Ada.

And your least?

I did pretty poorly in maths. I think the danger of knowing what you want to do from an early age is that you just concentrate on that. I always knew the arts were for me, and thought maths was something difficult and dull, which I needn’t bother with. But actually it would have been useful to be numerate, so I wish I’d made more effort.

Q

A

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PROFILE

school roof, from where you seemed to be able to look out over the whole of Brighton, all the way to the Downs. It was a lovely, sunny afternoon in the summer of 1978, and it feels like yesterday.

Q Would you send your own children there?

A If I still lived in Brighton I’d happily send my son to St Luke’s or Varndean. Stanley Deason, having changed its name once or twice in an effort to shake off its reputation, sadly closed in the late Nineties.

What did you enjoy doing at school?

I was slightly stage-struck - I’d worked out early on that, if you’re shy, the stage is exactly the place you want to be. So I always enjoyed getting involved in school productions.

Q

A

What was the most trouble you got into?

A I was a very timid kid and frightened of getting told off, so I was very rarely in trouble. When I was, it was always for very minor things. I rather regret that now, I wish I’d had less respect for authority and had a few elaborate transgressions to look back on.

Q

Q What is your most vivid memory of your schooldays?

A It’s mostly the ancillary things, like the walk home, or hanging about in the playground. In my last few days at St Luke’s, Mr Guildford took a group of us up onto the

Q How did school influence the person you are today?

A I’m not sure it did! I think most of the things which influenced me were those I discovered for myself. But I’m sure various teachers and librarians nudged me in the right direction along the way.

Q Did you ever imagine as a schoolboy that you’d be a successful writer?

A I day-dreamed about it, but it didn’t really feel achievable. By secondary school I’d decided I was going to be an illustrator, which seemed slightly more realistic.

What are you doing now?

Living on Dartmoor, writing a second sequel to my novel Railhead, and working with illustrator Sarah McIntyre on some more of our books for younger readers.

Q

A

Q How would you sum up your school days in five words?

A Why would I want to?

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11/07/2017 15:21

SCHOOL LE AV ER / TOP TIPS

APPLY YOURSELF Here are some tips on completing your university application with the least stress and most success possible SARAH CHARTERS

RESEARCH THE SUBJECT AND COURSES

With over 37,000 courses to choose from, you could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed, but you must choose the right one for you. A carefully curated reading list will help you to get to the heart of a subject so that you can be certain that you want to study it for the next three years or more.

Reading also gives you lots to discuss in the personal statement and at interview.

Once you have chosen the subject, you then need to investigate the content of the degree courses. Even courses of the

same name will differ between universities so it’s important to look at the content carefully. For example, although courses in Business Studies, Business Management and Business Enterprise all have a common theme, there will be significant differences in the modules offered and you need to be interested in a substantial number of them.

Look also at whether there are options such as studying abroad, working abroad and industrial placements in the UK. The most detailed information on the content of a course is usually found on the department’s website.

Bikes lined up at Cambridge University

RESEARCH THE UNIVERSITIES

With 127 universities listed in this year’s Sunday Times Good University Guide, there is something for everyone. You can apply to five universities and once you have a shortlist, you should try to attend an Open Day at each one. If this is not possible, speak to people who have been there and use the internet to make sure you are clear on things such as the location of the campus, the size of the city/town and the accommodation options.

Finally, consider the universities in terms of their reputation amongst employers. Research by the company High Fliers shows that the three universities most targeted by graduate employers last year were Warwick, Manchester and Bristol.

BE REALISTIC

Make sure you know your predictions.

It’s generally not worth applying to any university where the standard offer is higher than your predicted grades. It’s tough to accept, but you will be rejected if the reference and predictions show that you are not likely to reach the standard conditions, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

MAKE A PLAN(NER)

To stay on top of your research, make a planner of some sort. I give my students a document to fill in as they go through the process in order to record things in one place. For example: research on courses, reflections on Open Days, books read, work experience, gap year plans, school clubs and societies, skills gained during extracurricular activities. There are so many things which you do which could be useful not only for the personal statement but also whilst considering what subjects and topics interest you and it’s easy to forget some of them. Recording them all in one place will help you stay on top of things.

“Don’t apply to a university where the standard is higher than your predicted grades” THE PERSONAL STATEMENT

This is the bit which students worry about most - remember it is only one part of the application. That said, it needs to be good.

Briefly, ensure that you focus on the academic.

Explain why you wish to study your chosen subject. How did you first become interested in it? What areas or topics particularly interest you? What are the current issues of importance in the subject? Give evidence of your interest by way of books, lectures, trips, podcasts and journals. Don’t tell: show! Once complete, check the spelling and grammar and make sure that someone reads it over and gives you feedback.

APPLY IN GOOD TIME

Don’t leave things to the last minute.

Properly done, the process takes up a considerable amount of time and energy. In order not to let the process hinder school work, I suggest starting in June with a view to completing in September.

SARAH CHARTERS A former deputy head of an independent day school in London. She now runs Sarah Charters Education Support 2017

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TITAN OF TECH After badgering the government for years about the engineering skills gap, inventor James Dyson decided to do something about it. So he’s opened his own university JASMINE ROBERTSON

T

his September, the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology welcomes its first undergraduate students.

25 students will enrol at Dyson’s Research and Development Campus in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, for a four-year programme that will see them combining a full-time salaried role in the Research, Design and Development team alongside studying for a Bachelor of Engineering Degree delivered by WMG 70

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University of Warwick. At the end of the four-year period, students can expect to graduate debt-free and take up a technical graduate engineering role with the company.

The institute is the brainchild of billionaire inventor James Dyson who is looking to double Dyson’s engineering team by 2020. He is investing £15million over the next five years to tackle the dearth of skilled engineers in the UK. Dyson plans to offer the brightest aspiring engineers an alternative to a traditional university degree. James Dyson

says: “Our students will be mentored by practicing scientists and engineers – world experts in their field – who will teach alongside academics from Warwick University. Rather than hypothesising about what it is like to be an engineer from the lecture hall they will find themselves in the risk-filled world of inventing new, real-world technology which is used all around the world.”

Dyson explains that the UK must do more to produce more engineers.

“Everybody believes that life in the industry is carrying on as it was,” he explains,

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / TECHNOLOGY

“James Dyson wants to double his engineering team by 2020” “but what’s happening globally is that the technology race is speeding up. To be successful globally, you’ve got to have better technology than the Chinese, the Koreans, the Indians, the Japanese, the Americans, everybody. And, of course, technology is getting much more sophisticated. We are a hardware producer, but electronics and software cost us more than the hardware in our products – even in things like an electric motor. So, we need three times as many engineers to do a project now than we would have three or four years ago. We literally have to treble our engineering workforce in order to stand still.”

The programme will cover the fundamentals of engineering in years one and two, and delivers more specific electronics and mechanical engineering content in years three and four. Student may also get the chance to spend time in Dyson’s Technology and Design Centres in Singapore and Malaysia.

The students will earn a salary throughout, and with the prospect of earning a full graduate wage on completion of the programme. It will be the highest level, part-work, part-study programme in the UK – two LEFT and a half times the learning Research and development at Dyson experience of a normal ABOVE university.

The campus cafe, complete Not surprisingly, entry with jet fighter requirements are tough: BELOW The new campus

applicants will need to have at least three A -Levels, including Maths and an additional Science or Technology subject and be expecting to achieve grades AAB or above to apply - or at least 340 UCAS points.

So far the Dyson Institute has attracted applicants with offers from Oxbridge, Imperial and Russell Group universities.

Students studying at the Malmesbury site will have access to the recreational facilities on the Dyson Campus including a multi-sports facility – the Hangar – as well as the cafés and restaurants on the campus which are led by Joe Croan, the former Head Chef at Marco Pierre White’s Michelin starred restaurant L’Escargot.

Universities Minister Jo Johnson says: “Few organisations embody the spirit of great British invention quite like Dyson

- constantly pushing at the boundaries of innovation, and home to some of the world’s best engineers. The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology will not only offer students the chance to study on cutting edge degree level programmes, it will also play a vital role in educating the next generation of much-needed engineers.

Our reforms in the Higher Education and Research Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, will ensure students can choose from a wider range of highquality specialist institutions that can seek their own degree-awarding powers and meet students’ diverse needs; providing employers with the skilled graduates that will drive future productivity and the economic prosperity of our country.”

For more information or to apply for 2018 visit: dysoninstitute.com 2017

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / OPINION

Talking

HEAD

Generation Global

C

Our digitally literate, resilient pupils are ready for whatever challenges the future holds, says Eve Jardine-Young, Principal of Cheltenham Ladies’ College

an schools ever really prepare students for the changing and uncertain future ahead of them?

The key lies in ensuring that schools are directly connected to that world, so that the advice given to students is up-to-date and responsive. Relationships with industry, employers and the careers departments of universities are valuable partnerships to ensure communication flows both ways.

Developing in our students the ability to navigate a landscape of unprecedented choice is also crucial, because making good decisions requires an ability to discern and evaluate options, as well as the tenacity to see things through.

Preparation begins long before, but the first really big decisions they make are their course and subject choices in the sixth form.

“The most important thing is that pupils leave their sixth form empowered”

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education and careers options, particularly before and during the sixth form.

Having learnt to study independently, and gained confidence through their co-curricular pursuits and personal achievements, these pupils finally set their heart on somewhere that they can see themselves living and studying over the coming years. As they head off for university, are we confident they have developed the basics skills to prepare them for higher education, and then for the world of work?

I believe the answer is yes, but not simply because of qualifications and achievements. It is A B OV E because of the skills they develop, and the At Cheltenham In the classroom determination and flexibility needed to Ladies’ College, BELOW reach these goals. we are entering At a careers event When Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, our tenth year addressed the graduating class of MIT of providing the this year, he urged them to place their IB alongside A-Levels. At the start of this humanity and their values at the centre process, teachers are occasionally still of their relationship with technology. As asked, “which one is better, IB or A levels?” we continue to create new technology, This depends on the individual student. and thereby evolve the nature of jobs, it Universities understand and respect both is difficult to imagine exactly where our qualifications, so there is no advantage in students might be in 10 or 20 years. doing one over the other. It comes down But they are more than ready because to whether a pupil will enjoy the breadth they are the most digitally and global perspective of the literate and globally informed IB, or whether they wish to generation to have ever lived. specialise in a specific area of It is their resilient attitude, interest through A-Levels. The tolerant and passionate most important thing is that opinions, and adaptable pupils leave their sixth form approach which, as we experience more self-confident continue to create previously and empowered because of unimagined careers, will their strengths in independent EVE JARDINE-YOUNG enable them to thrive in the learning.

Principal world of work, no matter what As schools, we support Cheltenham Ladies College new challenges it brings. our pupils with their higher

2017

12/10/2017 12:01

Academically , Caterham is up there with the big guns...all achieved without any undue stress.

Parents praise the committed, passionate teachers as ‘great role models’.

If Caterham isn’t on your list already, it most certainly should be.’

TATLER SCHOOLS GUIDE

Great results, large, leafy grounds, good facilities, polite, charming and well-informed pupils. It’s on the up and pulling ahead of the pack now.

GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

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Free Your Mind A decorated former super-head argues that only the IB provides the broad education required to create truly global citizens JOHN CLAUGHTON

T

he International Baccalaureate, born not in Geneva nor in The Hague but in Oxford, will be 50 next year and, as that birthday approaches, it could claim to be the world’s most successful post-war educational initiative. After all, free from government support or control or interference, it has covered, if not conquered, the world. If you were to be setting up an international school anywhere in the world, you’d have to find a good reason not to have the Diploma as your 16+ curriculum.

Many British schools setting up overseas do exactly that.

And there are plenty of good reasons to do IB, ideas that clearly have efficacy around the world. It’s an education not a print-out with some results. It has a mission, to make a peaceful world and to encourage respect for each other’s opinions. It aims to create qualities in its students, to make them, amongst other things, caring, principled, balanced, thinkers. It is designed so that students not only learn content across a breadth of six subjects but also develop the skills of problem-solving, team work, communication and organisation. And, after

all that, it requires all students to be active and creative and to serve their communities and it really is international, not least in the sense that universities everywhere in the world really value it, much more than the ever-changing and somewhat faded ‘gold standard’ that is A-Levels.

Of course, those global arguments are just as true in the UK, but there are specifically local reasons that should make the IB even more attractive. First of all, there are the voices of key institutions which continue to sing in harmony about the need to end the specialisation of the last century and provide a broader education. In 2014, the Royal Society’s review of 16+ education had the following recommendations: "The A-Level system should be slowly changed to a baccalaureate type system in which a broader curriculum (including core English, mathematics and the Extended Project qualification) is provided for all post-16 learners.

"England must, as soon as possible, formally adopt a framework for key competences which includes: communication in English and in foreign languages, competence in mathematics, science and technology and digital competence, learning to

“In this posttruth universe, the capacity to think and argue is more precious than ever”

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learn individually and as part of a team, personal, interpersonal and intercultural competence, including an understanding of codes of conduct and the importance of business ethics, a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, creativity and cultural awareness."

That’s exactly, and I mean exactly, what the IB Diploma does.

Naomi Climer, the President of this country’s largest engineering professional organisation, the Institute of Engineering and Technology, specifically recommended the IB in 2016 and engineers are keen to emphasise that engineering may require Maths and science, but it also requires imagination, flair, communication and teamwork.

Secondly, British universities are making it increasingly clear that they are actively recruiting IB students. They can’t actually say they prefer IB students in an A-Level world, but that’s what their actions mean. After all, their data suggests that IB graduates are better prepared for

2017

12/10/2017 12:02

SCHOOL LE AV ER / IB

ALL PICTURES IB pupils at King Edward’s School, Birmingham

university, do better and do more whilst they are there. That’s why King’s College, London reduced its maximum offer from 38 points (out of 45) to 35, why Leeds did the same, why Birmingham went even further, from 38 points to 32, and why others are following suit. Schools that do IB have strong evidence that their students are getting more offers, better offers and more accessible offers than ever before.

Since all of this is so, there is a seeming paradox in the UK, or rather two seeming paradoxes. The first is that the number of UK schools offering the IB has declined substantially in the last five years. The second is that, in schools that do offer IB alongside A-Levels, fewer students choose to do IB than the schools or their heads and teachers would want – unless, of course, they are at one of the few schools that only offer IB, like Sevenoaks or King Edward’s School, Birmingham, in the independent sector, or Dartford Grammar School or Hockerill or Tonbridge Grammar School in the state sector.

These seeming paradoxes can be explained, however. The most significant reason for the decline in numbers is simply and sadly financial: many state schools, faced with substantial funding cuts, especially in the Sixth Form have been forced, with heavy hearts, to narrow their curriculum back to three A-Levels. As for the limited take-up for IB in schools that continue to offer it, there remain in our educational system and mentality some dead weights which deter students and their parents from leaving A-Levels behind.

Parents tend to conservatism and don’t want to risk the future of their Great Hopes on something new and students are not easily persuaded to keep on doing Maths or English or a language or a science when they aren’t great at it and when there is a simpler and easier route to the same university destination. And, so the centuryold British dispensation, of specialisation at 16, of the Two Cultures described by CP Snow in 1959 stumbles on into the 21st century that wants and needs more.

However, even in the face of paradox, I do believe that this is a time of hope for the IB in this country.

All schools that teach IB know that it really is an education and that it does what it says it does. The ‘international’ part of IB may become even more significant in this ever-changing world and in this post-truth universe, the capacity to think and argue will become more precious than ever. The schools that offer only the IB are doing great, indeed ‘exceptional’, things: just go to ISI’s inspections and take a read of the recent reports on Sevenoaks and King Edward’s, Birmingham. The volume of the educational debate on breadth will grow louder and, as far as I can see, the return to linear A-Levels is forcing schools into a narrow and small curriculum in which all that matters is three A-Level scores because that’s all that universities want.

There is more in heaven and earth than is dreamt of in this philosophy, and time, and the IB Diploma, will prove that.

J O H N C L AU G H TO N Development Manager International Baccalaureate Schools and Colleges Association.

2017

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / I V Y LE AGUE

JOIN THE

LE AGUE How to get into America’s top universities D R K AT C O H E N

I

vy League universities can fill their classes at least twice over with students that have perfect standardised test scores and highest marks in all of their classes. These schools are extremely competitive— for context, Harvard University admitted only 5.2% of students who applied this year.

Which means UK students who would like to attend an Ivy League need to start thinking about the admissions process early, and should work with an admissions counsellor who understands the ins-and-outs of the US admissions process.

The good news for UK students is, international students can be highly desirable to selective US universities like the Ivy Leagues, because A) international students add diversity to campus and B) international students pay full tuition, which is important as many schools can be needs blind for US applicants.

UK students should also know that they won’t be put at a disadvantage simply because the UK and US grading systems differ. Selective universities like the Ivy League will have international readers who are able to assess international transcripts accurately.

To help students get started, here’s some information about how US universities assess applicants, and additional components that UK students should start paying attention to now:

“Top colleges are interested in much more than your academic skills”

Dr Kat Cohen

U

HOW TO GET IN

S universities use a ‘holistic’ approach when deciding which students to admit. Grades and SAT/ACT scores are still the most heavily weighed factors in US admissions, and most selective schools won’t even consider an applicant unless they have the right grades and test scores. Once it is clear, however, that a student’s academic profile matches the school’s criteria, admissions officers then consider a range of additional factors like a student’s essays, background, extracurricular activities, summer jobs/internships, and demonstrated interest, to determine which students they want to join their incoming classes.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

S

elective American universities are interested in much more than your academic skills. They’re looking to build future leaders who give back to their communities in many ways. So you should be thinking about how you can make an impact on your community through avenues like civic engagement, community service, athletics, arts or whatever your interest are.

We recommend students choose two-three core interests and pursue them wholeheartedly for at least four years before applying to university.

If an activity isn’t offered at your school? Create your own club or 2017

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Harrogate Ladies’ College Giving girls the confidence to take on the world on their own terms GCSE and A level programmes

75% of pupils received offers from Russell Group universities

Extra-curricular activities and weekend trips

Safe and supportive environment

Scholarships available

Top UK boarding school for girls aged 11 - 18

Call +44 1423 537045 or email admissions@hlc.org.uk to find out more

hlc.org.uk Since 1893

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SCHOOL LE AV ER / I V Y LE AGUE

might sound cliched to a reader.

In addition, many schools require students to fill out several supplemental essays, so it is essential that students do their research and create a well mapped-out plan in order to finish all essays on time—with multiple rounds of edits and reviews under their belt.

Students applying from the UK are also encouraged to emphasise their diverse backgrounds, and explain why they want to study in America.

DEMONSTRATED INTEREST

S “International students can be highly desirable to the Ivy Leagues”

find free online courses to take to further your knowledge in a particular subject. Taking initiative and showing leadership can be impressive to admissions officers.

SUMMER JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS

S

tudents are expected to use their summers productively—whether this means working, finding an internship or hands-on research opportunity, or pursuing an independent study of their own making.

Jobs and internships should last for at least four weeks in order to be notable, and should relate back to students’ core interests.

Travelling with family, or lounging on the beach, unfortunately doesn’t gain students favour with admissions officers.

Universities want to admit curious and ambitious individuals who choose to keep learning and growing even though traditional school is out for the summer.

W

COMPELLING ESSAYS

ell-written, thoughtful and compelling personal statements are really important in US admissions.

According to a recent National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) State of College Admissions Report, the essay is in fact the most important “soft factor” that colleges consider.

The personal statement is the component in which students have the most control and is the best opportunity to let universities get to know them. Students should aim to reveal something new about themselves in their essays that can’t be determined by glancing at their resumes.

We encourage students to work with their admissions counsellors on their essays, as this can be one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of the US application.

Particularly important to UK applicants is learning what topics or phrases

elective US universities like the Ivy Leagues care about their yield rates and want to admit students they think are likely to attend if admitted. Therefore, demonstrating your interest in a school can help your chances of admission.

Ways to demonstrate interest in a school include: visiting campus in-person and taking a tour and/ or meeting with contacts from the admissions office, contacting the international student office for information, engaging with the prospective school on social media, and attending any international student events.

Students planning campus visits should do so when students are on-campus to get a real sense of the community and surrounding environment. Also, make sure to sign up for official campus tours at least a month in advance, as these sessions can fill up quickly.

H

STANDARDISED TESTS

igh standardised test scores are necessary if you want to be admitted to an Ivy League school.

Both the SAT and ACT are offered internationally, and can be taken as many times as you need, although at IvyWise we advise students not to take them more than two times.

Students should choose one test to prepare for based on initial diagnostic exam results—something we can help administer—and then work with a tutor and do individual studying. These tests are highly coachable, so the more you study and train, the better you are likely to do.

D R K AT CO H E N CEO and founder IvyWise, an international university admissions counsellor 2017

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JOLLY GOOD SPORT Encouraging girls to play games is important, not just for performance, but for their wellbeing, says the acting director of sport at Millfield School ANDREW PEMBLETON

H

ow to keep girls active and engaged in sport and physical activity, when the statistics show that girls age 14 are twice as likely to drop out of sport as boys, is a real challenge. At Millfield, girls’ sport is as high profile as boys’ sport.

Here, we look to keep girls involved in sport by widening the breadth and opportunity of sport on offer. Of the 27 sports at Millfield, all of them are available for

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girls. In fact, the only sport not available to both genders is the female sport of netball.

Maintaining momentum in the main core sports, alongside a wider wellbeing programme, has seen positive results. Every girl takes part in games activities at least twice a week.

We also pay particular attention to the fact that girls require a different coaching and environment approach to boys. A study entitled ‘How women want to be coached’ by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, highlights that girls prefer to focus more on personal improvement

rather than internal competition, and are motivated developmentally by discussion and understanding of the individual and team dynamic.

For those wanting to take their sport seriously, or pursue the sport professionally, the opportunity to train, and sometimes play alongside the top boys' teams, brings benefits for both parties and raises the profile of girls in sport across the board.

These collaborations have multiple benefits, and the opportunity to take part in traditionally male sport options have proven popular with our girls.

2017

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SCHOOL'S OUT / GIR LS SPORT

“Of our 27 sports, the only one not available to both genders is the female sport of netball” Within specific sports, girls’ cricket has seen a dramatic rise in popularity over the past decade. In the past year, the number enrolled in the sport at Millfield has jumped from 39 to over 70. Millfield currently has two female squads, at U15 and Senior XI level, with a huge cohort rising through the ranks from Years 9 and 10.

The female players have separate tailored squad sessions from the boys, but some sessions are open to both genders, and a number of girls play in the boys’ team in the summer term. Last year, the girls’ teams played 14 fixtures against other schools, county and university teams.

With over 70 female cricket players, several have aspirations to play professionally. For those looking at that pathway, there are many ways to expand their chances to play. The England Cricket Board (ECB) LEFT Chance to Shine scheme aims A pupil playing cricket at to get more girls participating Millfield and works with schools such ABOVE as Millfield. 2017 leaver Emily The girls' football team Bayliss, 1st XI Captain for 2016-17, is part of the Women’s been selected to play for Emerging Players Programme Wales U15s and played (EPP), as is Harriet Dimdore-Miles in the boys U14 1st team last who plays for Somerset U15s and Millie year. She says: “I love football Quaintance who is part of the Berkshire because it’s an exciting, tactical sport U15 team. that combines teamwork, skill and speed.

Emily Bayliss says: “Girls’ cricket has I don’t mind playing with the boys because grown at an overwhelming rate in my it’s more physical and that practice helps me time at Millfield and I hope it continues when I play with the girls.” to progress in such a way. I would love Girls’ golf has also gone from strength for girls’ cricket to get to a stage where I to strength in recent years. Pupils Emily would be able to return to play for an Old Price and Mimi Rhodes are leading the Millfieldian Women’s team against the way with international call-ups. Director of Senior XI girls.”

Golf, Karen Nicholls adds: “Former pupil, Millfield football took a step forward Sophie Keech, really helped pave the way last year, recruiting a female football for girls’ golf as an international title winner. intern, Harriet Freeman, who played in We currently have five girls representing the Chelsea FC youth team. This academic Millfield regularly, all playing off handicaps year, Millfield is entering a girls’ team into of five and below.” the Somerset Schools Football League, Launched last year, girls’ rugby is a new ISFA and ESFA for the first time, made addition as a club. The girls currently have up of girls from across all year groups. one session a week, with 22 players from In addition, Year 10 pupil Ellen Jones has Year 10 to Upper Sixth involved. The aim

is to enter a team into the Rosslyn Park 7s competition next year. Director of Rugby, John Mallett says: “We are anticipating that girls’ rugby will grow over the next few years and girls’ rugby sevens will become an important part of the broad sporting opportunities on offer at Millfield.”

The sport of the term system allows a variety of choices to be made by the girls themselves, so they enjoy a mixture of sports of their choice. Our core sport programmes in netball, hockey, swimming, tennis and golf are going strong, with Millfield girls competing well nationally and representing their countries at national and international level.

A commitment to increasing sport engagement for all girls needs to be a priority for all schools, both today and in the future, not only through maintaining a core games programme, but also through creating a culture of embracing the importance of wellbeing.

2017

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High Fives The traditional public school sport of Fives is expanding beyond its public school origins A M A N D A C O N S TA N C E

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estway Sports Centre in North Kensington is possibly the last place you would expect to find a sport closely associated with our most historic public schools. Hunkered beneath the A40 flyover, its location growls of grimy, urban inner city – and that was before the sports centre became the focal point for the relief effort for neighbouring Grenfall Tower earlier this year. But here, amid the scrawling graffiti and hum of traffic, Eton Fives is played daily by enthusiastic locals.

Youngsters like Ryan Perrie, who was a student at nearby Burlington Danes Academy. He ended up first playing Fives at Westway simply because he was late for his tennis lesson. Fast forward a decade and Perrie is one of the UK’s top ten players and he’s made his career out of the sport, teaching it at Berkhamsted prep school.

The Westway Sports Centre has the only public Eton Fives courts in England.

Until now the sport has been confined to the public schools that have built courts, where old boys and new boys (and recently girls) are able to play. There are a few state schools that play the sport: RGS High Wycombe, ST Olave’s, St Bartholomew’s in Newbury and ‘Eton’s’ free school Holyport College – but they are few and far between.

“It is a source of enormous frustration to us that the vast majority of our courts are in schools so we can’t open them to the public,” says Gareth Hoskins, Secretary of the Eton

Fives Association. But this is set to change as the Fives community tries to expand its sport beyond public school walls.

The EFA have just launched the Five Star Project, a seven-year strategy to create new centres for Eton Fives across the country.

“We are looking to produce a huge increase in the number of courts and players through clubs, schools and universities,” says Hoskins. “We want more state schools playing.”

The Eton Fives courts at the Westway have been a real beacon for those at the EFA with an eye on expanding the sport.

Built as a flagship project in 2002, the courts have been an unqualified success, with local children as young as ten taking part. The Westway now has a Fives coach and assistant coach, made possible with a three-year, £105,000 grant from John Lyon Charity and Sport England and tasked with an ambitious programme of widening

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ABOVE Boys playing Fives at Eton

the game to appeal to local schools, youth clubs, disabled groups and ethnic minorities.

So what exactly is Fives? Most cultures in the world hit a ball against the wall with their hands. Fives is just that, it’s often described as ‘squash with gloved hands’. There is evidence in this country of it being played since medieval times when peasants hit a ball against their local chapel walls. The origin of the word ‘fives’ is uncertain, but it probably refers to the fingers, as in ‘a bunch of fives’. The name has been used since the 17th century.

There are three forms of the Fives game in this country, each named after their originating schools: Rugby, Winchester and Eton. The differing rules for the games are defined by the different court shape (see At a Glance, overpage), but broadly the object

of the game is to return the ball above a certain height or to stop it bouncing twice.

Rugby and Winchester Fives, with their simpler, more straightforward court shape, place more of a premium on power and fitness. Eton Fives has a little more subtlety and nuance, because of the wide variety of angles, hazards and ledges. “It’s strategically quite different,” says Hoskins.

“The unique architecture of an Eton Fives court just makes it a bit more interesting and a bit more fun.”

The shape of the Eton Fives court with its distinctive buttress, derives from the side of the chapel at Eton College, which was supported by buttresses that formed bays in which the boys could play. Most bays required simple rules, but the one at the

foot of the chapel steps was different: the steps’ handrail formed a hazard. A landing between the two flights of steps extended the playing area. This bay is the model on which Eton Fives courts are based.

Eton’s first courts were built in the 1840s and it was during the Victorian era that all three versions of the Fives game formalised their rules and started to compete against each other . The first match between schools was on February 12, 1885, when Eton visited Harrow, with Eton winning.

It wasn’t until the 1930s that Eton had its playing heyday when as many as 50 courts at the school would be full with players.

Fast forward to the 21st century and Fives is again flourishing at independent schools.

Pupils at Alleyns school in south-east London have played Rugby Fives since 2017

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the end of the 19th century. The school currently boasts both the boy and girl U13 National Champion. Inter-school competitions are frequent and highly competitive. Arch rivals to Alleyns are currently Winchester College, who, Rob Ody, head of Fives at Alleyns, grudgingly admits “are in the ascendancy”.

Ody, says the appeal of Fives is its “accessibility”. “It’s just a ball and your hand”, he says, unlike a sport such as cricket “with all its kit and rules”. Fives is simple and easy and anyone can play. And it’s incredibly good exercise, much like squash or badminton.

Ody thinks it particularly appeals to the child who isn’t drawn to mainstream sports,

“the child who might want to try something a little bit different”. Gareth Hoskins agrees and says the Eton Fives team at Westway have already had great results with autistic students. He tells of a boy with high functioning autism who took up Eton Fives a few years ago at the sports centre. He now plays every weekend, organises leagues and events and “its helped transform his life”, says Hoskins. Part of the reason for this, he thinks is that “he likes the simplicity of the game – it’s sociable without being too large a group and it’s not a team sport.”

Fives great plus points is that it is easy to play and accessible to anyone aged 8-80. It’s a really inclusive community says Ody. “It’s very welcoming, they really want children

of all ages and standards to be involved,” says Ody. In recent years the sport has seen enormous growth in the girl’s game.

“The women’s game is expanding hugely,” says Hoskins. “You go back 25 years and just by the nature of the schools where courts were the game was mainly male dominated.”

“Eton Fives is a fantastic game for girls,” says Hoskins, “as it places emphasis on skill and placement rather than brute force.”

Teamwork is also an integral part of the Fives game, particularly with Eton Fives, which can only be played in pairs. “It’s to do with the geography of the court,” says Hoskins, “you simply can’t win on your own.”

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FIVES AT A GLANCE

There are three different types of Fives, each named after their originating schools – Rugby, Eton and Winchester.

• The basics of each game are similar: wearing gloves, you use both hands to play the ball around the court and win rallies when your opponents cannot return the ball above a bar on the front wall or before it has bounced more than once.

expensive to build because of the intricate architecture.

But John Reynolds, thinks he might have found the answer to the problem.

He is developing a ‘flatpack’ Eton Fives court with the help of a German company who make squash courts. They are adapting the pre-fab technology to create Eton Fives and Rugby Fives courts that can arrive on the back of a lorry. Because they are made in a factory, they can go up in a week so it slashes the costs.

This is the “holy Grail” says Reynolds, “getting the cost down so people don’t gulp and swallow at the price”. As a ballpark figure, three traditionally built concrete Eton Fives courts will cost TOP around £250,000. Reynolds says This year's winning he’s “hoping to halve that”.

Fives players at Reynolds’ first ‘flat pack’ Alleyn's School courts are going up at Skinners LEFT Academy in Manor House, The Fives game is More and more girls are taking up Fives Hackney as we speak. He hopes also unusual in that they will just be the first of many even at the highest courts to go up at state schools. “It’s level, the players too good a game to keep to the private referee themselves. This sector, he says. “allows players to be generous Gareth Hoskins says that the reaction with each other,” says John Reynolds, 11 from children outside of public schools to times winner of the Kinnaird Cup (Fives’s Fives has been overwhelmingly positive. national trophy). Reynolds started playing “The kids do genuinely love it,” he says.

Fives at City of London school as a boy “They have no prejudices, they just think and remains a driving force in the Fives – ‘I get to whack a ball around for fun,’ community. He believes the lack of a referee because it’s so simple. There are versions of is integral to what makes Fives such a this game in every playground around the “terrific” game. “The onus on behaving world.” properly is on you, you have that privilege,” Indeed, he says, many children find its he says. He believes it the sport is hugely public school origins “aspirational” and he character building because of this; “I would says there is enormous optimism within go so far as to say that it’s made me a more the Fives community about spreading the civilized human being.” games popularity.

The major stumbling block to widening “It’s such a great game. Sport can make the Fives game is the cost of the courts. It’s such a difference and we think we can be a cheap and easy game to play… but only if part of that.” you have access to a court, which are very

• The real difference is in the shape of the court. The simplest is Rugby Fives, played in something that looks almost identical to a squash court, while a Winchester Fives court has a small buttress on the left-hand side wall which adds an extra dimension to the game, sending the ball flying off at odd angles when it’s struck.

• In both cases, singles and doubles can be played and the best players combine powerful but accurate hitting with delicate touches that can wrong-foot an opponent.

• Eton Fives, however, can only be played in pairs as the court is modelled on the steps of Eton College Chapel, where the game originated. The courts feature a number of ‘hazards’ such as a step in the floor and a large buttress protruding from the left-hand wall, but no back wall.

• It is these features, particularly the buttress which provide a target for shots, leading to the need for very precise positioning and swift reflexes – not least the ability to react to an odd or unexpected bounce. Compared to the other variants, Eton Fives focuses more on deft touches, but demands swift reactions as the ball can come off the various obstacles at very bizarre angles.

Eton Fives Association: etonfives.com • Rugby Fives Association: rugbyfivesassociation.net • jprcourts.com 2017

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UK Education Expo 2017 HONG KONG Saturday 21 October 11.00 • 18.00 Sunday 22 October 11.00 • 18.00

A total of 24 leading UK boarding schools and colleges will participate at Academic Asia’s 56th UK Education Expo. This is the perfect opportunity to meet with senior staff from a range of excellent institutions. Academic Asia continues to provide a very personal service and interviews and assessments can be arranged on both days. Admission is free and there will be educational seminars on a range of topics. We very much look forward to welcoming you to the Expo.

Room S221- S230 2 n d F l o o r, Ho n g Ko n g C o n ve n t i o n a n d Ex h i b i t i o n C e n t r e ( O l d Wi n g ) 1 HarbourRoad, Wanchai, Hong Kong

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UK SCHOOLS EXPO / EXHIBITOR S

Ashville College

L o c a t i o n : Harrogate, a picturesque and historic spa town in North Yorkshire.

He a d : Richard Marshall U S P : Ashville has a focus on

academic excellence, enabling our pupils to be prepared for life in an increasingly complex world, without ever losing sight of the individual child. Our commitment to an inclusive education, where individuals are valued wherever their talents lie, is at the heart of all we do.

Al u m n i : Jim Carter (actor), Jamie Donoghue (director), Eugen Weber (historian), Blanc Wan (pianist), Ian Swales (MP), Andy Gray (footballer), Arthur Balfour, 1st Baron Riverdale (industrialist)

Bede’s

L o c a t i o n : Senior School – Upper Dicker, Nr Hailsham East Sussex. Prep School – Eastbourne, East Sussex He a d : Peter Goodyer U S P : Bede’s has a unique

educational philosophy focused on educating the whole person.

Breadth of both academic curriculum and co-curricular ensures Bede’s can offer a personalised education to its pupils; celebrating children with a huge range of interests and talents, moulding school life to fit the individual rather than the other way round.

Al u m n i : International cricketer - Shai Hope; Luke Wells and Ollie Rayner – County Cricketers; Theatre Director - Jamie Lloyd; Premiership Footballer - Solly March

Bedford School

L o c a t i o n : Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK He a d : James Hodgson U S P : Bedford School offers boys

aged 7-18 years an outstanding education within a warm and friendly, truly international community.

A leading independent boarding and day school, Bedford’s academic success is demonstrated by a long history of impressive exam results at GCSE, A-Level, and in the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

Al u m n i : Alastair Cook CBE (England Cricketer), Lord Paddy

BEDFORD SCHOOL

Ashdown (Politician), John Fowes (Author), Simon Murray (Businessman and Adventurer).

Christ’s Hospital

L o c a t i o n : West Sussex He a d : Simon Reid U S P : Christ’s Hospital is a senior

school and one of only four coeducational full boarding schools in the UK. The advantage of full boarding is that all pupils stay at school 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On Saturday mornings there are lessons followed by a weekend programme of sport, co-curricular activity and entertainment.

Al u m n i? : Charles Lamb, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Edmund Blunden, Sir William Glock, Sir Colin Davis, Charles Hazlewood, John Snow , Joe Launchbury, Steve Hilton, Howard Davies, Roger Allam, Michael Wilding, Jason Flemyng, Susannah Fielding, Peter Hewitt, Clive Exton, Mark Thomas, Holly Walsh.

Colchester Royal Grammar School

L o c a t i o n : Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom He a d : John Russell

BEDE'S

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U S P : CRGS is committed to

academic excellence and has been the top performing school in the UK for nine of the last 11 years. Extensive enrichment and support enables 30 to 40 Oxbridge offers each year and offers from top international universities.

Outstanding boarding provision develops happy and confident young adults.

Al u m n i : James Acheson, Dr Laurie Bristow, Colonel Richard Kemp, William Gilbert

The College of Richard Collyer (Collyer’s) L o c a t i o n : Horsham, West Sussex He a d : The Principal is Sally Bromley U S P : Founded in 1532, Ofsted

Outstanding Collyer’s is one of England’s leading sixth-form colleges, offering many A-Level subjects. 2017 Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) figures show Collyer’s students who graduated from Russell Group universities achieved 90% first class/upper second class degrees, 8% higher than other sixth forms, 10% higher than state schools and 7% higher than independents.

Downside School

L o c a t i o n : 12 miles south of Bath, in South West England He a d : Dr James Whitehead U S P : Downside is a co-

educational school for pupils aged 11 to 18. Founded in 1606, it is one of England’s oldest and most distinguished Catholic schools.

Downside offers GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level and Pre U subjects, as well

KENT COLLEGE CANTERBURY

as Cambridge language exams and IELTS. Outstanding examination results are the priority. Pupils aspire beyond their academic expectations and join the top universities in the UK, the USA and Europe. The school provides outstanding pastoral support for the well-being of pupils and has a very strong sense of community.

77% of Downside pupils are full boarders and 24% are from outside the EU. There is a full programme of lessons, sport and activities at weekends. The school, set in 500 acres of beautiful countryside, is renowned for the quality of its music, drama and sport.

Al u m n i : Emmanuel de Merode (conservationist), Edward Fitzgerald

QC (human rights lawyer), Rocco Forte (Hotelier) Jared Harris (Mad Men, actor), Eugene Simon (Game of Thrones ,actor) , Philip Fowke (Pianist) Musician, Pete de Freitas (Echo & the Bunnymen), David Mlinaric (designer), Peter Morgan (creator of The Crown), Adam Zamoyski (historian)

Kent College

L o c a t i o n : Kent He a d : Julian Waltho U S P : An outstanding boarding and

day school in the city of Canterbury.

The school has a strong and fully integrated boarding community of children from all over the world.

Most school leavers go on to Russell Group and other top universities and each year a number of pupils secure places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Monmouth School for Boys

L o c a t i o n : Monmouth He a d : Dr Andrew Daniel U S P : We guide boys aged 7-18

through this crucial stage of their educational and emotional development. Just two hours from Heathrow, pupils make the most of the area’s wonderful country location and the excellent facilities on offer for sports, culture and the arts. With excellent A-Level results, 65% gain places at Russell Group universities.

Al u m n i? : Warren East MBE, (CEO Rolls Royces), David Hitchcock (MD JP Morgan), Eddie Butler, (sports commentator and former international rugby player), Lord Moynihan (Olympic medallist), Prof Richard Carwardine, (Head of Corpus Christi, Oxford).

Because it's a boarding school Downside has a very strong sense of community - 77% of its pupils are full boarders and 24% are from outside the EU MONMOUTH SCHOOL FOR BOYS

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UK SCHOOLS EXPO / EXHIBITOR S

Queen’s College

L o c a t i o n : Taunton, Somerset

England He a d : Dr Lorraine Earps U S P : The spirit and heart of this special community ensures the inclusion of every pupil across all ages and ability. Commitment to fulfilling the potential of each individual can be found deeply rooted in every member of staff, all of whom share a joinedup approach to each child’s personal educational journey.

Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe

L o c a t i o n : Amersham Rd, High Wycombe He a d : Philip Wayne U S P : With its origins in the 13th

century, the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1562. Much has changed in the 455 years since, but RGS continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the

leading state selective schools in the country. The 2017 public examination results for RGS boarders were once again excellent this year. At A-Level, 93% of boarders were graded A*-A. At GCSE 76% of the boys obtained A*-A and 100% of the boys achieved A-C. Al u m n i : Jimmy Carr (comedian and television presenter) Fergus Walsh (BBC medical correspondent) Professor Michael Ashburner FRS (biologist and Emeritus Professor of Genetics, University of Cambridge) Professor Ronald Laskey FRS CBE (Charles Darwin Professor of Embryology, University of Cambridge and Co-Founder of Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK) Matt Dawson MBE (England Rugby Union International, British Lion and World Cup Winner) Luke Donald MBE (professional golfer and former world No. 1)

Royal Russell School

L o c a t i o n : Croydon, Surrey He a d : Chris Hutchinson U S P : Our spacious private parkland

site, within one hour of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, is home to a community that places emphasis on the care and development of every student. Specialisms include Maths, Science, Computing, Media, Model United Nations and Sport, with a national trophy winning Football Academy.

Al u m n i : Professor Ali Ansari (Professor in Modern History, St Andrews University, Scotland) Tom Wright (architect of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.) Naoko Mori (Japanese actress with many stage, TV, and film credits.)

Stephen Perse Sixth Form

L o c a t i o n : Cambridge, UK He a d : Tricia Kelleher U S P : Stephen Perse Sixth Form

achieves exceptional A-Level and International Baccalaureate results by helping students to

become independent thinkers. It is a place that inspires intellectual curiosity, builds character and encourages social responsibility, enabling students to leave with an outstanding skill-set, ready for life in an ever-changing, global and digital world.

Tudor Hall

L o c a t i o n : Banbury, Oxfordshire He a d : Wendy Griffiths U S P : Tudor Hall is unique in so

many ways. It is a thriving, vibrant, full boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18, based in Wykham Park near Banbury.

The academic results are excellent, produced by young women who have been selected for places at the school not just on their academic ability but also their personal strengths. The girls are not of one type and this creates a community where everybody recognises and celebrates its members as individuals.

Worth School

L o c a t i o n : Sussex, England He a d : Stuart McPherson U S P : The path a life takes often

begins at school, and this is why Worth does not just provide education — we offer learning with heart and soul, and this gives Worth a difference of kind that sets us apart.

Al u m n i? Robert Bathurst (actor, Downton Abbey), Sir David Bell (former chairman, Financial Times), Tim Hutchings (former international runner), Ollie Jacobs (sound engineer/ song writer/producer Arkana, The Saturdays, Madonna, William Orbit), Sir Peter Jonas (former head of the English National Opera and assistant to Sir George Solti), James Longman (ABC Foreign Correspondent), Ferdinand Marcos (former President of the Philippines), Tom Mitchell (current captain England Sevens Rugby Team), Chloe Thomas (international catwalk model/Vogue Italian front cover), Nick Walshe (former Head Coach England Under 20 rugby team) and Andrew Stewart (former Red Arrows Team Manager in the RAF).

QUEEN'S COLLEGE

2017

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Inspired | Intellectual | Individual | Independent | Inclusive

Discover more about the Wellington Identity at wellingtoncollege.org.uk

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PROMOTION

A perfect gem An education at one of Ireland’s top schools for boys

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lenstal Abbey School stands out as one of the leading boarding schools in Ireland for boys aged 12-18.

Situated in County Limerick, in the heart of Munster, Glenstal Abbey is only 40 minutes drive from Shannon Airport and just over two hours drive from Dublin Airport.

Glenstal is a small school with small classes; there are approximately 250 students divided into groups mostly of 12 to 16 pupils, in line with the clear policy and academic vision of the school.

A Catholic school, Glenstal welcomes students from all traditions and sees itself as a partner with parents in the formation and nurturing of its students in a climate of learning.

Each student at Glenstal is encouraged to fulfill his potential. The school’s ethos is grounded in the values of reverence, respect and responsibility drawn from a long monastic tradition.

“Academia, pastoral care, sport, art and music are seamlessly woven into the educational fabric”

The Irish Department of Education and Skills recently completed a Whole School Evaluation on the management, leadership and learning at Glenstal Abbey School.

The report warmly endorsed the school’s academic, pastoral, sporting, art and music programmes: “All these aspects of the students’ experience appear to be woven into a fabric of care, support and pedagogy to nurture the academic, social and personal development of the students while in the care of the school.”

Glenstal has regularly topped The Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ survey over the last 10 years. These tables are based on the percentage of students progressing to universities in Ireland and the UK. There is no better way for parents to discover what life is like for a students here than to explore the school and its grounds for themselves.

A B OV E

Year 11 pupils at Glenstal Abbey

The annual boarding fee is in the order of €23,500 For further information about Glenstal Abbey School visit: glenstal.com email: admissions@glenstal.com or telephone +35361621044 2017

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OP Savills estate agents AW.qxp_Layout 1 09/06/2017 11:41 Page 1

Becoming the best we can be…

“The school is extremely successful in fulfilling its aims of providing an academically challenging and fulfilling all-round education” ISI inspection

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Leading Independent Prep School Co-educational Boarding and Day 2½ to 13 t: 01473 659225 admissions@orwellpark.org www.orwellpark.co.uk Orwell Park, Nacton, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0ER

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Colchester Royal Grammar School

CRGS was founded in 1206 and granted two Royal Charters, by Henry VIII in 1539 and by Elizabeth I in 1584. It has, therefore, a history of scholarship dating back to the sixteenth century. There is a unique ethos throughout CRGS, one which forms the foundation through which the students make the excellent progress that they do.

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Top school at A Level in the government league tables for nine out of the last 11 years The school was presented with the ‘Secondary School of the Year’ award at the Essex Education Awards in 2015

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Over 235 Oxbridge offers in the last seven years Over 60 medical offers in the last three years Boarding fees only £4,400 per term - there are no tuition fees

For further information visit our website www.crgs.co.uk

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Day, Weekly, Flexi and Full Boarding Co-educational • 3–13 years

Open Days Friday 13th October 2017 2.00 pm – 4.30 pm Saturday 14th October 2017 9.30 am – 12.30 pm Bank Holiday 7th May 2018 9.30 am – 4.30 pm For more information, please contact Katherine Cox, Registrar 01684 544108 • registrar@thedowns.malcol.org www.thedownsmalvern.org.uk THE DOWNS.indd 1

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REGI

Founded 1553

Flair discipline academic rigour

One of the country’s leading Day and Boarding Schools

ISI Inspection 2016 - Excellent in every category

We welcome individual visits, please contact us to make an appointment.

Outstanding results at IB and A level

01527 579679

admissions@bromsgrove-school.co.uk

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Academic excellence coupled with a wealth of sporting and extra-curricular opportunities Co-educational, Day & Boarding

930 pupils aged 13-18 500 pupils aged 7 - 13 09/10/2017 15:53

e l b a tt e g r o f Un St Catherine’s, herine’s, Bramley GSA Day & Boarding School since 1885 | 4 - 18 years | Guildford GU5 0DF | www.stcatherines.info STCATHBRAM.indd 1 Absolute Education01 October 2017.indd 1

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Voted in the top 5 boarding schools for girls in the UK. Study International, Oct 2015

MAIDWELL HALL

Boarding and Day for 7-13 year old boys and girls “Small enough for everyone to know each other but big enough to offer a first-rate, all-round education, the school encourages pupils to work hard, get lots of fresh air and have fun along the way.”

GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

THINK BIG State of the future HUB ready for April 2019 we are specialising in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, The Arts, Mathematics)

Talbot Heath Independent School for Girls aged 3-18

• £4619 per term tuition fees • £3563 per term Full Boarding • £3180 per term Weekly Boarding Call Kerry Wills to talk about a free taster night for your daughter!

Rothesay Rd | Bournemouth | Dorset | Tel: 01202 761881 talbotheath.org | Connect with us @TalbotHeathSch | Day and boarding

• Full Boarding/Day • Outstanding rural setting • Centrally located with good road/rail/air access Northamptonshire, NN6 9JG Tel 01604 686234 headmaster@maidwellhall.co.uk www.maidwellhall.co.uk

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Find your sport Senior School Open Morning Saturday 18 November 2017 10.00am–1.00pm

An independent co-ed school in Bath, England Pre Prep | Prep | Senior | 2–18 years www.monkton.org.uk Individual thinking. Amazing results.

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60

L A ST WOR D

seconds with

Antonia Beary Headmistress of Mayfield School, a Catholic boarding and day school in Sussex

Tell us about the ethos of Mayfield At Mayfield we believe in nurturing the unique promise of each individual girl, supporting and guiding her to achieve her full potential in everything she does. Our motto, Actions Not Words, inspired by our founder Cornelia Connelly and rooted in our Catholic foundation, encourages initiative, personal and social responsibility and a commitment to make a positive difference.

It is a myth that the sciences and the arts are mutually exclusive. To be successful as a scientist, you need to be creative and innovative and to be a successful artist you need discipline, logic and focus, skills usually associated with the scientific.

Q

A

What do you aim to instil in the girls?

We aim to instil in every Mayfield girl the confidence to find her strengths and develop them; a sense of intellectual curiosity and the initiative to learn more; an appreciation of the importance of making mistakes in striving for excellence; the resilience to cope with and overcome setbacks as well as the ability to enjoy successes, and the confidence to make a difference in a demanding and constantly changing world.

Q

A

Q How do you prepare them for the future?

A We encourage girls to challenge themselves both in and outside the classroom. Excellent qualifications are, of course, important and our girls achieve outstanding exam results each year.

However, many of the careers of tomorrow do not yet exist. Exam qualifications are not enough and we place great importance on furnishing the girls with the tools they will need to succeed in life: independence, resilience, confidence, leadership, enterprise, integrity, courage and ambition.

What are the favourite subjects at the school?

A Mathematics and the sciences are the most popular subjects and many girls choose to continue their study of these and related subjects at university: over one-third of this year's Sixth Form are destined for STEM-related university degrees, including a number of computer scientists, and mathematicians to top institutions including Oxford and Imperial.

Q

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B R I T I S H E D U C AT I O N

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The school also excels in creative areas; Mayfield has produced worldrenowned ceramicists and designers, award-winning actors, producers and musicians and national sporting champions.

A B OV E

Headmistress Antonia Beary

Why do you think this is?

As specialists in girls’ education, we have the expertise to focus our teaching methods in ways that inspire and capture the girls' interest and understanding, and this is undoubtedly reflected in the popularity of mathematics and the sciences. In addition, we challenge gender stereotypes and we nurture creativity in everything we do, inside and outside the classroom.

Q

A

“It is a myth that sciences and art are mutually exclusive�

Q Tell us about STEAM at the school?

A STEAM is thriving at Mayfield and our crosscurricular approach has stimulated intellectual enquiry, debate and critical thinking amongst the girls. We have recently created a new role at the school to lead and further develop this exciting initiative, such has been its success and growth in areas including robotics and coding.

Q Why do you think it's important to engage girls with these topics?

A It is well-documented that there is a STEM skills shortage in the UK so I believe it is important to engage all students, not just girls, with these subjects to meet the needs of our economy going forward.

We also encourage everyone to become involved in the arts; the benefits are vast, from boosting self-confidence (if you can sing solo in front of an audience, you can do anything!) to teaching the discipline that is required to learn lines or music.

How is Mayfield's USP? Our success in helping each girl identify and develop her talents and strengths. We achieve this through first-class pastoral care, which allows the girls to develop a positive image of themselves during those turbulent adolescent years, when girls particularly are vulnerable to self-doubt Q

A

Sum up Mayfield in five words.

Happy, inspirational, inclusive, purposeful, ambitious.

Q

A

2017

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A DISTINCTIVE ROUTE TO HIGH ACHIEVEMENT FOR YOUR DAUGHTER

‘EXCELLENT’ in all 9 areas ISI Inspection

Situated in rural Surrey, since 1902.

11+, 13+ and 16+ entry.

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admissions@ priorsfieldschool.com

04/10/2017 09:41

A large estate in the world-famous university city London Heathrow 45 minutes away Co-educational Full boarding www.stedwardsoxford.org

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13–18

30/09/2016 14:45