Absolutely Education Spring 2026

EDUCATION

FOCUS ON

WHERE OUTSTANDING PERFORMING ARTS TRAINING MEETS ACADEMIC RIGOUR

STRENGTH Creative

PLUS HOW A GROUNDING IN THE ARTS DEVELOPS ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR CAREERS AND LIFE

READING CHAMPIONS Why getting into books underpins strong academic outcomes

SIXTH FORM MOVERS A smart guide to swtiching schools for the critical final years

CONTRIBUTORS

Corinne Bailey Rae

Singer/songwriter and children's author

Corinne Bailey Rae, an English Language and Literature graduate from Leeds University, rose to international stardom with her eponymous debut album in 2006. With four critically acclaimed studio albums, two Grammy Awards, two MOBO Awards and two Mercury Prizes, she has sold over ten million albums worldwide. In this issue, she talks about her new book celebrating the idea behind "Put Your Records On", a joyful 2006 song that helped launch her career and has garnered over a billion live streams.

Fergus Llewellyn

Headmaster, Cumnor House Sussex

Educated at Sherborne and University of London – where he studied English – Fergus Llewellyn started his teaching career at King's Bruton and Haslemere Prep before spending a decade as Head of English and Drama and Housemaster at Cheltenham College. He joined Cumnor in 2000, a er spending five years as Head of St Andrew's Prep School, Turi, Kenya. In this issue, he talks about the vital importance of teaching children how to tell truth from fiction in an increasingly complex world of rolling news and information.

Ruth Davis

Director of Global Futures, Tonbridge School

Ruth Davis studied Economics at London School of Economics and supports young people's Higher Education and careers ambitions at Tonbridge via her role as Director of Global Futures and Head of EPQ. She is an AQA EPQ Moderator and an IB Examiner and curriculum developer. In this issue, she discusses why careers education has to pivot during a time of seismic change in the professional world. And the only way to do that is to help young people look to the long-term future not the next destination.

CONTRIBUTORS

Benjamin Hall

Journalist and writer

British-American journalist Benjamin Hall attended Ampleforth and City of London School before studying at Duke University and receiving his degree from Richmond American University of London. He has covered conflicts around the world and joined Fox News Channel in 2015. He wrote two bestsellers, Saved and Resolute, a er he was critically injured while on assignment in Ukraine in 2022. He lives with his wife and their four daughters in London and, in this issue, tells the story behind his first children's book.

Lucy Upton

Paediatric dietician and nutritionist

Lucy Upton is a paediatric dietitian and nutritionist with over 15 years of experience helping families navigate children's nutrition. She has been a guest on BBC Breakfast, collaborates with leading children's and food brands and speaks at events such as The Baby Show. Her book, The Ultimate Guide to Children’s Nutrition, gives advice and practical strategies for the first five years of a child's life. In Ask the Experts, she gives guidance on navigating the surprisingly common issue of fussy eating in older children.

Daniel Martin

SMT Associate: Digital Learning and Innovation

Emanuel School

Daniel Martin was a student at Emanuel and, a er studying Physics at Birmingham, took time out coaching full-time with both the university and West Bromwich Albion’s Regional Talent Club. Making a return to the classroom, he took his PGCE, joining his old school as teacher in 2021 and becoming Joint Head of Physics two years later. Wearing his other hat as Lead on Digital Learning, he describes how pupils and staff take a positive approach to using AI in a way that serves both pedagogy and learning.

CONTRIBUTORS

Antony Spencer

CEO, Mill Hill Education Group

Antony Spencer joined MHEG in 2020, following a six-year period as Principal of St Lawrence College, Ramsgate. He has also held senior roles at Cli on College and Denstone College. A PPE graduate from Queen’s College, Oxford, prior to moving into education he qualified as an accountant with Ernst & Young. In this issue he joins a ‘Head to Head’ with the leaders of two schools that have recently joined the family of independent schools to add his take on the benefits of school mergers.

Ruth Lauren

Author

Ruth Lauren is a West Midlands-based author, qualified teacher and Dungeons & Dragons obsessive, with several successful children’s books under her belt. These include Prisoner of Ice and Snow, chosen by the American Booksellers’ Association as top debut of the season. In this issue she talks about her brilliant new arrival, explaining how she dreamed up the irresistible combination of wizardry and magicide and why she chose to put neurodivergent characters right at the heart of the intrigue.

Ann Meisner

Principal, MPW Cambridge

Ann Meisner was educated in the UK and Zimbabwe and read Theology at University of Nottingham before completing her PGCE at Wolfson College, Cambridge. She held a number of roles at Oundle School, most recently as Deputy Head Pastoral. With exams and tests approaching for so many young people, in this issue, she talks about the ways in which parents can gently support their children through the choppy waters of revision season – encouraging them to work more effectively and maintain wellbeing while retaining knowledge.

From the EDITOR

Still, today, in public and private discourse, you will hear some people describing creative subjects as soft, flu y – not equal to their STEM neighbours and not capable of delivering the skills for 21st-century careers. Our spring issue explores this strange myth in some detail – hoping to set the record straight.

No better place to start than at ArtsEd, our cover and Focus feature. It is a quite unique London institution, which is rated Outstanding for its vocational performing arts education and delivers rigorous academics. It was a pleasure to visit,

(page 130). Her recollections of school music-making are compelling – no one can doubt the influence on her future life. Everything starts with literacy, and in Reading champions (page 50) we speak to schools about how they reel children into the wide world of words and pictures. Their approaches are inspiring – underpinned by the belief that there’s a book out there for every child. It was also inspiring to take things up a level in Creative thinkers (page 76), speaking to schools about the ways in which the arts support critical thinking, group working, resilience and the ability to ponder life’s really big questions. Not so soft and flu y then, especially in a world where AI and social media tend to condense – often presenting complex issues simplistically.

“THE ARTS SUPPORT CRITICAL THINKING, GROUP WORKING, RESILIENCE AND THE ABILITY TO PONDER LIFE'S REALLY BIG QUESTIONS – NOT SO SOFT AND FLUFFY THEN”

and anyone who imagines that creative subjects are not demanding just needs to stand in its entrance to feel the palpable sense of energy and motivation among its gifted students. Read more on page 28.

We talk to the CEO of Restore the Music, a charity that is supporting not just children’s music teaching but also school engagement and outcomes. (page 38). The importance of its work resonates for anyone who can remember the days when instruments and music lessons were given freely. While Restore the Music is proving its worth through positive outcomes, you will find another example in our Books lead interview with Corinne Bailey Rae

It was a pleasure to speak to journalist Benjamin Hall about his book for very young children (page 60). Fittingly, it centres on spreading the news, and he has a clear-eyed view of why we need to help children get back to traditional sources. And Ruth Lauren has delivered what I suspect will be one of my children’s picks of the year (page 140). With wizards, mystery and – great word –magicide, it is a delicious treat for young and old. Whatever you are reading, watching, acting or playing this spring, enjoy!

Libby Norman EDITOR

SPRING 2026

CONTE

16 SCHOOL NEWS

What’s going on in the world of education

22 CO-EDUCATION MILESTONE

Alleyn's is marking a half-century of welcoming girls into its community

28 CREATIVE ENERGY

We visit ArtsEd to find out more about its Outstanding vocational training in performing arts and the strong academics that underpin its students' future success

35 THE AI TRAIN

Emanuel School on embracing the benefits of AI for both teaching and learning

38 MUSIC MAKER

Restore the Music is bringing creative opportunities to schools around the country

43 LIFELONG LEARNERS

Concord College on why teachers, not just students, need to keep on growing their knowledge

50 READING CHAMPIONS

How schools are drawing children into the wonderful world of books from their earliest years

60 GOOD NEWS STORY

Journalist Benjamin Hall's first children's book is all about getting the news out there

SENIOR

76 CREATIVE THINKERS

Four schools tell us how arts subjects embed key thinking skills for career and life

81 LIBERAL APPROACH

The Head Master of Rugby on why a liberal education remains our best bulwark against catastrophe

85 DRAMATIC POWER

Reed's School on why drama is much more than the action on the stage

88 HOMESCHOOL POSITIVES

Done properly, education in a homeschool setting can be education at its finest

92 PARENTS' GUIDE TO STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS

Spotlight on leading schools that o er boarding benefits with excellent state education

99 ASK THE EXPERTS

Your education questions answered SIXTH FORM

106 SIXTH FORM MOVERS

What students and parents should know before they switch at 16 to a UK Sixth

111 ALUMNI CONNECTION

Malvern School on the role models and active support provided by alumni networks

127 EXECUTIVE SKILLSET

Why Wellington College prioritises the skillset needed for work and life

From

Mariana

Pamella

Sherif Shaltout

Up Front

FEMALE HEAD

Oakham has appointed Lucy Pearson as Head, the fi rst female in the Rutland school’s 440-year history. An Old Oakhamian and Head Girl, and England cricketer, she was Deputy Head at Wellington College, led Cheadle Hulme School and, most recently, was Director of FA Education at the Football Association. She joins in September,

“Oakham’s next Head – its fi rst female lead – was once Head Girl of the Rutland school”

North star

Queen Ethelburga’s College, part of Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, was named Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence in the North by The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026 for the fi h-year running. The associated league table puts it fi rst in the north for both GCSE and A-level results.

PLAY TIME

Reed’s School’s Junior Production of Peter Pan , presented in a fast-paced new version by Evan Placey, was a celebration of creativity and teamwork. Highlights included a scary crocodile, lively musical numbers with the pirates and Lost Boys, fight scenes and a cleverly designed boat that delighted the audience

NATURE QUEST

St Clare’s, Oxford’s new Summer Teenagers: Merrist Wood programme provides a nature-led alternative to city study. The rural Surrey campus with farm and animal centre lets students explore Immersive English or Leadership and Sustainability through hands-on learning, outdoor activities and cultural excursions.

First class

The first ever class of threeyear-olds will join Felsted School in September, when the school’s Pre-Reception opens. The early learners will join the Pre-Prep department of the co-ed independent in north Essex in a new learning environment, purposedesigned for the age group and offering morning or full-day sessions.

“The act of truly listening is a rare form of courtesy, yet one of the greatest signs of respect we can o er”

ROWAN ATKINSON

On call

Gordonstoun Senior School pupils are now supporting HM Coastguard with arranging a response to emergencies and searchand-rescue incidents across the north-east of Scotland. It is the fi rst school in the UK to provide this type of assistance and a team of eight trained pupils aged 17 and 18 will be on call 24/7 to provide support with communications and logistics.

Birmingham arrival

MPW Birmingham has appointed Adam Cross as its Principal. He joined the college in 2003 and has been Vice Principal since 2010. He is also co-author of two titles in MPW’s ‘Getting Into’ series, Getting into Medical School and Getting into Dental School

EQUINE LEAD

New Hall School in Chelmsford has appointed Rebecca Kennedy as its Head of Equestrian. Last May, the school opened a Learnto-Ride centre, including two Racewood simulators, arena and stables. Originally from the Isle of Arran, Rebecca Kennedy is a British Horse Society Coach and was previously Head of Equestrian at Gleneagles Hotel.

SOMETHING THEY SAID

SCHOOL ALLIANCE

St Dunstan’s Education Group and West Lodge School have announced a merger, eff ective from the end of August. The schools share southLondon heritage, with locations in Catford and Sidcup. “West Lodge is a superb school, and I have no doubt that we will enjoy learning from one another,” says Group Head Nick Hewlett.

UNIVERSITY LEAGUE

MIT topped the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences and Business & Economics, also retaining number one university slot. US universities came top in eight subject rankings, with the UK leading in three. China joined the top ten in Computer Science and Physical Sciences and has seven top ten places.

“Stories help us transcend the things that we don’t know how to let out of ourselves”

“ EDUCATION IS THE PASSPORT TO THE FUTURE, FOR TOMORROW BELONGS TO THOSE WHO PREPARE FOR IT TODAY”

SPEAKING FOR GIRLS

Berkhamsted Girls marked International Women’s Day with an event called: ‘More than just a bake sale’. Houses were tasked to fi nd out about a girl across the world whose human rights have been affected and then action their research and advocate for their chosen issue. The event culminated in a chapel service.

Film prize

DLD College student Gleb Glazunov was awarded a top prize at the 12th annual Eduqas Moving Image Awards, held at the British Film Institute, in the Short Film category. Called ‘Shadow of Paradise’, the short was fi lmed in Russia and features a young man who returns home and is haunted by a strange spectre.

SPORT CHAMPION

St Albans School has appointed Christy O’Donnell as Director of Sport. It comes at a pivotal moment as the school welcomes the fi rst cohort of Year 7 girls this September. Vicky Sandell, Assistant Director of Sport and Head of Girls’ Games, is leading on the design of new girls’ kit following consultation with students and parents.

HEAD ARRIVAL

Stephen Campbell becomes Head of The King Alfred School from September, succeeding Robert Lobatto, who is retiring this summer. The new Head’s experience spans educational settings in the UK and internationally. He is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Pymble Ladies’ College, Sydney.

One to watch

Vicky, an ACS Hillingdon student taking Maths, Biology and Chemistry, is finalist in the Everywoman in Technology Awards ‘One to Watch’ category, celebrating emerging female talent. It’s the second consecutive year one of the school’s students has been shortlisted.

New partnership

Framlingham College is to join Mill Hill Education Group, in a partnership designed to build on the College’s strengths and support its continued success long into the future. The announcement was made with unanimous agreement by the Governors and fully supported by the Principal and Head of the Prep School.

UNIVERSITY ACTION

Following an out-of-court settlement between UCL and Student Group Claim, more than 35 universities have been sent letters warning of former students’ intention to seek damages for nondelivery of learning during Covid. UCL has not admitted liability in its settled case, involving some 6,000 students.

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“I BEGGED MY MUM FOR A SECOND-HAND PIANO... IT WAS THIS RATTY, TATTY THING. I WOULD SIT FOR HOURS AND HOURS DOING COVERS”

OLIVIA DEAN

LONDON MARATHON

Staff at Sarum Hall School held a sponsored half-marathon walk from Big Ben to Hampstead to raise funds for their chosen charity, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. It was initiated by three staff members who wanted to personally contribute. The school community has already exceeded its initial £10,000 fundraising target.

Careers workshop

Abbey College Cambridge welcomed professionals to a careers event designed to help students explore pathways beyond their A levels. Held at the Homerton Gardens-based school, the a ernoon delivered practical insights into a wide range of future pathways, including academic and scientifi c research, technology and gaming, sports photography and events management.

SPECIALIST SUCCESS

Hartpury University and Hartpury College in Gloucestershire have seen sustained growth across both further and higher education courses, with a current student population of almost 4,700 from more than 60 countries. Hartpury was granted university status in 2018 and has seen increasing demand for its specialist options, including veterinary and land-based courses.

Pet welcome

Beech Hall School in Cheshire marked Children’s Mental Health Week by hosting visitors from Inspiring Animal Therapy. Pupils interacted with everything from rabbits and guinea pigs to gecko, bearded dragon and a snow corn snake called Forest. The aim was to help children understand how connecting with animals supports wellbeing.

Dive buddies

A group of Year 6 and Year 8 pupils from York House in Hertfordshire enjoyed a week-long scuba diving trip to Malta, having achieved their PADI Scuba Diver or Junior Open Water qualifications at school. Planned by the Outdoor Learning Lead, the trip offered brilliant underwater experiences, with seven dives over four days.

FASHION HIGHLIGHT

Heathfi eld School’s annual fashion showcase, held over two evenings, welcomed 250 guests to enjoy NEXUS, a fashion showcase featuring close to 100 original garments designed, constructed and modelled by students. Heathfi eld has attracted highprofi le supporters, including stylist Charlotte Stockdale,

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“THE UNCREATIVE MIND CAN SPOT WRONG ANSWERS, BUT IT TAKES A VERY CREATIVE MIND TO SPOT WRONG QUESTIONS”

ANTONY JAY

Co-education MILESTONE

Marking a half-century of welcoming girls, and its award of Co-Educational School of the Year 2025, Alleyn’s reflects on a decision that transformed the school and showed that pupils learn best when they learn together

Educational progress is rarely linear. More often, it advances through moments of conviction, when institutions choose to look beyond convention and respond to the needs of the society they serve. At Alleyn’s, one such pivotal moment arrived 50 years ago.

Founded in 1619 and inspired by the philanthropic vision of Edward Alleyn, the school has long seen education as a force for public good. Edward Alleyn’s belief in access, aspiration and community benefit shaped the educational landscape of Dulwich, and that progressive vision has continued to inform Alleyn’s values and decisions ever since.

This academic year, the school marks a defining modern milestone in the 50th anniversary of becoming fully co-educational. The anniversary coincides with Alleyn’s being named Co-educational Independent School of the Year at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2025 –

recognition of five decades of experience and leadership in inclusive all-gender education.

Alleyn’s journey towards co-education began in September 1975, when the first girls joined the Lower Sixth. One year later, Alleyn’s welcomed its first fully mixed intake into the First Year (Year 7), thus embedding co-education across the school.

It was a decision rooted not in fashion, but in principle – a belief that education should reflect the world young people inhabit, and that pupils learn best when they learn alongside one another. Half a century on, that conviction has been widely a rmed.

According to the Independent Schools Council, 83% of independent schools are now fully co-educational. This shift reflects today’s widely held belief that mixed gender learning environments foster confidence, mutual respect and social development to prepare pupils for life beyond school.

At Alleyn’s, the positive impact of coeducation is evident, not only in ethos, but in outcomes. In 2025, 81% of A level students achieved A* or A grades, with

41% of all exams awarded the top A* grade. These results reflect academic excellence, but also a culture in which pupils are united by a shared sense of belonging. Each pupil is encouraged to flourish as an individual within a connected community, supported and inspired by peers who have diverse talents, interests and perspectives.

Life was very di erent back in 1975, and for those who experienced the earliest years of co-education, the transition was both challenging and transformative. Entering what had long been a maledominated environment required resilience as well as confidence. Yet for so many of those pioneering girls, the experience proved deeply formative.

Rowena Ceccaroni (Dutton’s, 1982) recalls an environment that valued breadth and excellence alike. “At Alleyn’s, students who excelled in sport, drama, and music were admired just as much as those who shone academically. Everyone was encouraged to explore their individual talents while supporting others in overcoming their weaknesses,” she has recalled.

The pace of change at Alleyn’s has often been measured not just in policy, but in people. In 1982, the school appointed its first female School Captain, Katherine McQuail, a moment that was both symbolic and quietly radical. Reflecting

“IT WAS A DECISION ROOTED NOT IN FASHION, BUT IN PRINCIPLE – A BELIEF THAT EDUCATION SHOULD REFLECT THE WORLD YOUNG PEOPLE INHABIT”

on its significance at the time, she said: “It has taken 100 years for a girl to be appointed School Captain. It would not surprise me if it took a second hundred years before we have a woman as Head and perhaps a third before we have one as Archbishop of Kent”.

In fact, Alleyn’s moved considerably faster than Katherine McQuail predicted. In 2019, the school appointed its first female Chaplain, an important step in broadening representation within pastoral and spiritual leadership. This was followed, in January 2021, by the appointment of Jane Lunnon as Alleyn’s first female Head. Widely respected within the sector for her clarity of vision and principled advocacy for co-education, Lunnon’s appointment marked a further milestone in a story defined by purposeful evolution.

Together, these moments reflect a wider commitment to ensuring that leadership at Alleyn’s increasingly mirrors the diversity of the pupil body. In doing so, the school has reinforced the principle that representation

matters, not only in the classroom, but across every level of school life.

Today, the ethos forged over five decades of co-education continues to shape daily life at the school. Jane Lunnon describes co-education as fundamental to Alleyn’s identity. “We remain committed to making this school a space where everyone has opportunity and a voice. I am proud of the way our pupils respect each other, work together and enjoy each other’s company.

That commitment to co-education prepares them for life beyond school, cultivating respect, equality and understanding.”

The 50th anniversary of co-education at Alleyn’s is seen by its first female Head as both a moment for reflection and rea rmation. It is a celebration of what has been achieved over the past half century, and a renewed conviction that all pupils benefit –and learn best – when they learn together.

“EACH PUPIL IS ENCOURAGED TO FLOURISH AS AN INDIVIDUAL WITHIN A CONNECTED COMMUNITY, SUPPORTED AND INSPIRED BY PEERS”

Creative

ENERGY

Combining

academic rigour with exceptional vocational training in the performing arts, ArtsEd is a unique education proposition – proof positive that creative education builds confidence and achievement. Absolutely Education finds out more

Walk into ArtsEd Day School & Sixth Form and you can’t help but feel energised. Young people moving confidently and with a sense of purpose, the distant sound of dance rehearsals, someone executing a perfect-pitch high note on their way to an academic class. There’s a buzz. Students are all dressed in smart black tracksuits bearing the school logo – comfortable and ready for an active and academically stretching school day.

The school inhabits a decidedly cool 20th-century building in Chiswick, a short walk from Turnham Green Tube. There are smart 21st-century additions, including a purpose-built theatre, extra performance and rehearsal spaces and a lovely rooftop terrace. The vibe is thoroughly modern but the roots run deeper. The school is over 100 years old, growing out of two institutions established by education pioneers Grace Cone and Olive Ripman. Their approach was to blend academic rigour and vocational arts training to prepare young people for bright futures. That founding spirit lives on, palpably reenergised under the leadership of Headteacher Peter Middleton, who joined

“The purpose of auditions is to look for what students can become – it's actually about looking for potential”

in 2023. He read Chemistry at Oxford and has worked in leadership roles across stellar independents, including Cheltenham College and St Edwards Oxford. Prior to taking on the Head role at ArtsEd, he led Welbeck College and Kensington Park School.

The school’s latest ISI report in 2024 resulted in a coveted ‘Significant Strength’ for performing arts. Other areas were singled out for high praise, including curriculum and strategic planning, motivation of students, the school ethos and pastoral care. It is a glowing school report. Further confirmation came from an Independent Schools’ Association (ISA) award for Excellence in Performing Arts in 2024.

While the arts strength is evident, this is most definitely not a stage school. Far from it. Vocational training takes up about 30% of student time – Peter Middleton points out that this equates roughly to the time mainstream independent school pupils spend on sport and other active learning. The remaining 70% is academic. “We don’t fill all the spaces that we have because we do not take every child to fill up a quota,” he adds.

Admission is a three-part process, with pupils accepted in Years 7, 8 and 9. The vocational aspect is one part, with Years 7 and 8 auditioning in either Dance or Drama stream. At Year 9, they can pick either of these streams or opt for the Musical Theatre stream. There are group auditions twice a year, as well as individual taster days where a potential incomer spends a day with their year group.

The purpose of auditions is to look for what students can become. “These are designed not to see how good they are – whether they are a polished diamond or rough diamond –it’s actually about looking for potential,” says Peter Middleton. While some of the ArtsEd cohort already have an agent and tread the West End boards, many more do not.

Potential talent in the performing arts is the first test, but it’s equally important to

ensure young people will be able to thrive in class. Maths and English tests students take at admissions are designed by ArtsEd – so nothing like 11+ or ISEB – and ascertain potential academically. “They will all be doing a minimum nine GCSEs, and the maths and English tests we set are designed to see if they will access the breadth of the curriculum,” adds Peter Middleton.

The final part of admissions is the interview, which parents also attend. “We want the parents to be able to ask questions but also understand what we are all about.” It’s critical that parents are committed, but this won’t be a sustainable school journey if they turn out to be more committed than their child. The three-part process is rigorous, certainly, but has the very

simple purpose of ensuring every student really wants to be here and is able to manage the pace, the excitement. And excitement there certainly is. A high-energy tap dance rehearsal in one room, a drama run-through next door. But enter another room and you’ll find a maths, science or French class or a small group refining scriptwriting skills. Students power

through busy days balancing highly active lessons and rehearsals with focused classes to give them a thorough academic grounding. You soon understand why the tracksuit is a good idea – ArtsEd sta discussed changing it a while back but the ‘keep’ vote from students was overwhelming.

Central to the whole ArtsEd vision is that children are presented with many opportunities, but no pathways are closed o . “What this is about is opening doors – it’s not about closing doors,” says Peter Middleton. At 16, with GCSEs under their belt, students move on to ArtsEd Sixth Form (after taking a further audition – no special pass for them) or head o to either a mainstream sixth form or specialist Year 12 institution such as at Rambert.

Director of Performing Arts Natalie Bareham is clear about the added value of the ArtsEd pedagogical approach for young people who are talented but – by the very nature of age and stage – still exploring their options. “In this environment they see quite quickly how they are in relation to others, the range of work that’s out there. They get a much faster, more realistic sense of what the industry is and what working within it is.”

This means, of course, that some children who shone in dance, drama or singing at

their last school recognise that this is not the ultimate path for them. Sometimes a greater passion emerges on the GCSE journey. Whatever they end up deciding, as Natalie Bareham points out, this blend of academic and vocational brings bonuses.

“The arts training has benefited them in all ways – the resilience, the teamwork, the empathy, the problem-solving, the confidence, the communication. And, while they may not want to progress with the pathway, they’ve come to that realisation on their own and have developed other skills to prepare them for the world.”

Director of Teaching and Learning

Charlotte Swingler agrees. “The skills you learn here, like being able to speak in public and work as a team, are really going to stand you in good stead in any kind of work sphere you may move on to.”

Keeping doors open is where ArtsEd’s specially designed curriculum (as per that 2024 ISI report) comes into its own. There’s a lot to squeeze in to every school day, so the GCSE programme stretches, running over three years rather than the standard two in order to allow plenty of time for both vocational and academic skillsets to grow.

Academics is often the key question prospective parents have, says Charlotte

Swingler. “Parents’ main concern is obviously qualifications their child is going to leave here with – we have leant into that.”

Alongside the elongated GCSE programme, there are a whole host of initiatives to keep ArtsEd students on point.

Review Weeks before every holiday support knowledge retention, and a comprehensive handbook for each GCSE subject helps students stay on track with course content – also acting as a really useful revision aid. Class sizes here are small (smaller still at GCSE and A level), and there’s plenty of one-to-one time both in class and outside it. Charlotte Swingler describes this as a “little and often” approach to helping children stay on track.

“We have regular catch-ups, rather than leaving it to summer exams,” she adds.

“Because we’re a small school we’re able to highlight issues much quicker than a big mainstream schools might. We know all our students by name and sta confer a lot.”

There are some popular additions (with parents and students), notably lunchtime academic clubs – drop in clinics to help students in areas they are finding tricky, from complex calculus to conjugating verbs.

Then there’s ‘20-Minute Lock In’, a recent addition where students embark on a sustained period of writing to combat the fine motor skills depletion common among a generation more used to texting. Charlotte Swingler says it’s really helping with handwriting and typing – and spelling, also su ering due to predictive text.

One great thing for ArtsEd’s academic team, says Peter Middleton, is that they regularly see students in a whole di erent light – which helps with understanding and engagement. He recalls a new Maths teacher’s awestruck reaction to watching her class shine in a gruelling evening show, then finding them all fresh as daisies and ready for her 8:30am maths test the next day.

What is implicit in an ArtsEd education

is unusual discipline – not imposed from above but generated by students themselves. Their performance schedule is gruelling. Year 7s perform a pantomime in their very first term and from then on in they will take to the stage regularly. There are 70 to 80 di erent show evenings a year, with a di erent focus for each term. The logistics are impressive. For instance, the annual Musical Showcase

late in the autumn term runs to five shows and last time round involved 240 di erent individual performers over two-and-ahalf hours. These were professionally staged, impeccably rehearsed numbers –everything from “Greatest Show” to “Old Devil Moon” and “Born This Way”.

As students embark on their Sixth Form years, it becomes ever more professional, with BTEC and A-level performance

“The skills you learn here, like being able to speak in public and work as a team, are really going to stand you in good stead in any kind of work”

requirements. But all students have the opportunity to perform in ArtsEd’s stunning theatre – a professional-quality space sta ed for shows by West End technical teams. It’s a special space, beautifully designed. ArtsEd students also take up residence in other theatres (next term it’s the Pleasance) to refine their talent in di erent settings.

While agents may attend shows, the school has firm policies and a safety-first approach

especially stringent when it comes to allowing students out of school for work. There’s an industry liaison point here, so opportunities can be vetted and checked. In addition, students have to draw up their own impact assessment – what being absent would mean for this rehearsal, that test, and so on.

“Young people are better o in school, so if a student has the opportunity to do some work they have to put a form in,” says Natalie Bareham. The team are especially wary around exam season, also considering the professional value of the experience and the student’s current academic progress. This is, of course, an incentive for students to be disciplined and stay on track. “It gives them a bit of push to be on time with their work.”

ArtsEd doesn’t recommend agents, but does expose older students to agents’ panels – known and trusted industry professionals willing to pass on wisdom and give pointers on how the performer-agent relationship works. “We want to demystify it, help them understand what they will do for you and what they won’t,” says Peter Middleton. Pastoral and careers support for students is key throughout the ArtsEd journey, and ramped up still further in Years 11 and 13, when decisions have to be made about the

onward journey. There is specific assistance with the extra elements such as showreels and audition tapes.

This is a school where young people learn resilience while they are young. For instance, they regularly audition for school shows and performances and may often not be picked. ArtsEd doesn’t give feedback except in general group terms. It would be impractical because so many students audition. “And it’s also preparation for the real world,” adds Natalie Bareham.

Most ArtsEd students who stay on at Sixth Form embark on the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma, a two-year course equivalent to three A levels. It’s highly regarded in the industry and welcomed by higher-education institutions. Last year 70% of the cohort achieved D*D*D* (Distinction*) grades –

“What is implicit in an ArtsEd education is unusual discipline – not imposed from above but generated by students themselves”

equivalent to three A* grades at A level. “That puts us right up there with the best in the country,” says Peter Middleton.

The starry alumni list testifies to the success of the ArtsEd training – while the number who return to share their insights with the next generation of talent shows the a ection alumni feel for their school. There are many star names

and rising stars, but also a whole host who won’t be so recognisable outside the industry but are carving glittering careers in music, in choreography or technical and production roles. Some go on to more academic careers – finding a love of English Literature or Theatre Studies during their time here.

“Last year, all but nine graduating

AT A GLANCE

ARTSED DAY SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM

• Founded: 1919

• Principal: Professor Louise Jackson

• Headteacher: Peter Middleton

• Gender: Co-ed

• Number of pupils: tbc

• Day or boarding: Day

• Ages: 11-18

• Points of entry: Years 7,8,9 & Year 12

• Admissions: Audition, entrance test and interview

• Religious affiliation: None

• Fees: From £7,900 per term; audition fee £75

• Address: 14 Bath Road, Chiswick, London W4 1LY

artsed.co.uk

students went straight on into the industry or into other work or into degrees or conservatoires. “The other nine were applying for places at Drama Conservatoires, which like students to be 19 on application,” says Peter Middleton. “That tells you we are respected, we are relevant, and there is a high level of onward transition into the industry. That is exciting and gives a real buzz to what we do here.”

That buzz is perhaps because young people here are so focused on their future. “They are industry focused, and that wake-up call comes to them very early in their education,” says Natalie Bareham. Peter Middleton believes it’s also down to the approach. “The heart of it comes back to the ArtsEd curriculum, where both the academic and vocational coexist in a symbiotic relationship.”

The fact that students combine academic qualifications with industry-ready skills makes ArtsEd a unique proposition for talented young people who want to explore their creative side, test their talent and keep all doors open. Whatever they decide to do, it’s time well spent. “There are the qualifications on paper, but the wider bit is huge,” says Peter Middleton. “It’s something that is unquantifiable but will set them up for life.”

THE AI TRAIN

Daniel Martin says boarding the AI train was mandatory for educators, but the direction at Emanuel School is positive

For many schools, managing pupils’ use of AI has felt like being on a train they didn’t decide to board and cannot get o . With free large language models so readily available, pupils look to these platforms regularly to reduce their workload, generate ideas and deepen the quality of their learning. This can be both beneficial and detrimental – we have entered a new era in education and cannot go back. Schools must now educate students on how to use AI in a safe, ethical and educationally beneficial manner, but how are we to do this? I believe the answer lies in positivity.

It is impossible for schools to guide their pupils on e ective AI practice if members of the teaching sta do not understand for themselves what this means. At Emanuel School, our AI journey began with empowering sta . We wrote and published an AI guide on how to write prompts and what was acceptable AI practice (this is available for free on the school website under the name ‘Your MAIT’).

We also founded a new sta group, ‘Tech4Teachers’, which meets once every

half term to show-and-tell how AI has been beneficial to our pedagogy. The benefit of this was not only allowing sta to reduce their workload and plan for more engaging lessons with AI’s assistance. Teachers now fundamentally understand what draws our pupils to these platforms, how they can add or detract from their understanding and what tools work for which function.

Our second phase has focused on making it clear to pupils when AI use will genuinely improve their long-term learning and when its use would be considered unethical, dangerous or damaging to their education. While it would be easy to approach pupils with a long list of ‘don’ts’ and the threat of various sanctions, we decided instead to root the message in positivity. If pupils are going to use AI, let’s get them using it in the best way possible. The publication of a student guide (AMAISE), and several assemblies, have allowed pupils to understand the context, assess the risks and positives for themselves and practice using AI beneficially.

“If pupils are going to use AI, let’s get them using it in the best way possible – assess the risks and positives for themselves and practice using AI beneficially”

Our recent prompt writing competition for Y10 and Y12 saw 95 entrants. Pupils submitted exemplar prompts from a range of subjects, utilising ChatGPT as a tutor, revision assistant and facilitator to their learning. In seeing our pupils model innovative and mature methods of using AI, we have validated that our approach is working and have been able to recirculate best practice to the wider school. AI is part of everyday life in our schools and pupils will use it. As educators, we now have the responsibility to guide them in the right direction. When deciding to approach AI with positivity, we empower sta and students with the skills needed to use AI beneficially. This creates classrooms where best practice is established, discussed and implemented. While our ride upon the AI train remains mandatory and inescapable, we can have an impact on the destination by creating opportunities for pupils to benefit from a powerful educational tool, the likes of which has never existed before.

DANIEL MARTIN SMT Associate: Digital Learning and Innovation Emanuel School

Building CONFIDENCE

Girls' education is hands-on at Mayfield School, with forward-thinking approaches that build both self-belief and confidence

Education should prepare pupils for life, not just for exams. For girls, in particular, this means building the confidence to speak up, to work collaboratively and be resilient. This forwardthinking approach helps girls develop critical thinking, and a deeper sense of how their learning can be applied beyond the classroom.

At Mayfield, a Catholic day and boarding school for girls aged 11 to 18, pupils are supported to move from theory to action and, in doing so, they learn to trust their own judgement. Life skills programmes o er structured opportunities to develop independence across the board – from decision-making and financial awareness to digital responsibility, and personal wellbeing. Active, reflective learning improves retention of knowledge, strengthens problem-solving skills, and builds self-belief – all of which enable wellbeing and long-term success. Crosscurricular projects strengthen these skills. By

combining subjects such as science, philosophy & ethics, geography, and communication within a single collaborative project, Mayfield girls learn to negotiate roles, manage time, and adapt when unexpected challenges arise.

Participation in the Model United Nations gives pupils the chance to apply their collaboration, leadership and criticalthinking skills, while group projects, debates, and enquiry-based tasks encourage girls to listen carefully, challenge ideas respectfully, and contribute ideas confidently.

“We see time and again how powerful it is when girls are given the confidence and the space to lead”

Such experiences closely mirror the realities of modern workplaces. “At Mayfield, we want girls to understand that making mistakes is a normal and healthy part of life. Through challenge, reflection, and trying again, they become fearless in decisionmaking and grow in confidence.” says Headmistress Deborah Bligh.

In an all-girl setting, without the social pressures that sometimes inhibit participation, Mayfield pupils take intellectual risks, becoming assured communicators. Debating and public speaking are central to this process. Pupils learn to analyse information critically, consider multiple viewpoints, and respond thoughtfully under pressure. Just as importantly, they learn that their voice matters.

“We see time and again how powerful it is when girls are given the confidence and the space to lead discussions, challenge ideas and express themselves with conviction,” says Deborah Bligh. “These experiences help them develop skills for life and will stand them in good stead, whatever career path they choose.”

Creative subjects provide plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning, and their value extends beyond artistic expression. Subjects such as Art, Ceramics, Textiles, and Food and Nutrition require planning, precision, experimentation, innovation, and reflection. Pupils test ideas, respond to feedback, and constantly refine their work. School productions are equally demanding – whether on stage or behind the scenes –requiring teamwork, time management and personal accountability.

Enrichment activities develop skills in di erent contexts. Academic competitions, STEM challenges, innovation projects, specialist clubs, and entrepreneurial opportunities encourage girls to stretch themselves, set goals, and manage successes and setbacks thoughtfully – invaluable lessons for the journey beyond school.

“We want our girls to aim high, but also to understand that progress is rarely linear," says Mayfield Headmistress Deborah Bligh. "Learning to cope with uncertainty, to reflect and to adapt is just as important."

Music Maker

Watch any toddler take to the dance floor or teenage band in rehearsal and you just know this brings something special – something beyond the immediacy of notes and rhythms. But the sad fact is that there is a severe shortage of music making in many schools, making teaching music almost impossible. In some, they lack even the basic resources for engagement.

Bringing live music making back into schools is a mission for Restore the Music, and it has plenty of proof of the impact on student outcomes

Restore the Music has been on a mission, since 2013, to deliver the tools and the inspiration to redress that – focusing on some of the most music-depleted parts of the country. The first pilot project was, says CEO Polly Stepan, a wake-up call for her on how bad things were. "We hadn't actually realised the extent of the problem – we literally had no idea," she says. She grew up enjoying the benefits of a full musical education at Wimbledon High School. "There were no limits to the musical opportunities that I could access." She studied piano and clarinet

and enjoyed orchestra and choir tours. In common with most school children of her generation, she saw music as a birthright. After a first career as a commodity broker, she stepped back to raise her twin children and, when she began to think of what to do next, it was a colleague – knowing her love of music – who pointed out the huge problem in schools. "Our model is so apt for today," she says. "Increasingly, we need a language that all young people can speak, that everybody can access, that unifies, that brings harmony and delivers all sorts of skills."

"Often the brains of students drawn to DJing are also numerically highly proficient, which makes them hugely employable"

Restore the Music works with schools in areas of high deprivation –50% free school meals is the entry point, but it rises to 95% in some areas. Originally it was piloted and embedded in London, but as it has gained traction it has expanded to Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

The thinking here was that it makes more sense to deliver in areas of denser population, and all these cities also have strong musical heritage. "It's much more sensible to build hubs within the cities where you have a denser footprint and the impact of the

investment within these schools is far greater," says Polly Stepan.

"And schools then start to collaborate."

When schools start working with Restore the Music, they get an initial package of musical instruments and resources. From there, they can come back and request specialist instruments and support – for instance for a brass or jazz band. "We've delivered just about every musical instrument there is," she says. The impact of tapping into local heritage and children's own cultural heritage and interests can be immense. From

brass to steel pan bands to gospel choirs, there are many inspiring music making collectives thanks to these packages.

Music technology is a big area where Restore the Music is supporting schools, and it is working up some interesting data about the correlation between musical and numerical proficiency – especially in DJing, where beatmaking and ratioing (aka phrasing and beatmatching) are essential skills. "Often the brains of students drawn to DJing are also numerically highly proficient, which makes them hugely employable," says Polly Stepan. "The problem for employers these days is that these are the children they can't reach – often these are the students who are highly disengaged from education."

This is the overriding purpose of Restore the Music – helping students engage with education and achieve in school – and it has an impressive impact report, published last year, showing how the schools it supports have improved educational outcomes through music. "Our three goals are attendance, engagement and attainment. What we're able to do is build those pathways, bring the children into education, and the ripple e ect of a positive music department across the whole school means that the levels across the whole school improve."

Restore the Music's work has drawn in generous supporters – from Warner Music, Universal Music and Sony Music Social Justice Fund to Bowers & Wilkins, The Childhood Trust and The Fishmongers

"They play every single piano as loud or as quiet as they want. And the Steinway people are relaxed and happy to see them enjoying themselves"

Company. One of the earliest to come on board was Steinway & Sons. That was the call Polly Stepan made when she had a blank notebook in front of her and the seeds of a plan.

"It struck me that throughout my childhood playing piano – and I got to Diploma level – I always wanted a Steinway. That was my dream, a Baby Grand. I didn't get it, but I thought if I wanted one that's going to be other kids' dream, too."

Steinway couldn't have been more open, or more generous in fuelling kids' dream. Early and ongoing support has morphed into annual masterclasses for primary and secondary children, held at its Marylebone showroom. "Often these kids are learning on keyboards. I've got a kid in Greenwich who is learning Rachmanino on a keyboard," she says. "They run round the showroom and they play every single piano as loud or as quiet as they want. And the Steinway people are relaxed and happy to see them enjoying themselves."

A telling moment on the power of playing on proper instruments came at the end of one session when a little boy pointed at the

price ticket on a Steinway and asked if it said £1,000. Polly Stepan helped him count the extra zeros. Enthusiasm undimmed, he said: 'One day, I'm going to buy a Steinway'.

Alongside the corporate, charity and trust supporters, are Restore the Music's Ambassadors. Andrew Levy of The Brand New Heavies, Cary Powell of The Libertines and PMR Records' A&R manager Sachin Johal have, she says, championed Restore the Music ever since they discovered its good work for music.

There are also Junior Ambassadors, paying it forward as mentors and examples to younger children. All are taking music to a higher level – and who knows where that will lead. "We've followed their journey and, out of all the students, these have been the most engaged." she says. "They represent everything I want Restore the Music to be."

Thanks to the networks Restore the Music has developed, it has associations with cool venues – Band on the Wall in Manchester and The Lower Third in London, for example. It is always looking out for more partners –more people to join the bandwagon. "We're always trying to find ways to collaborate with partners on initiatives that make sense and add another dimension," she says. "We can't do everything, but we can be a facilitator and an introducer as we're regularly in touch with so many schools."

Polly Stepan points to the value of music –in and of itself but also as teacher of so many transferable skills for life and career. It helps children build teamwork, listening skills and the ability to work at speed processing multiple strands of information. "Music was invaluable in my career," she says. "And music brings joy."

restorethemusicuk.com

Lifelong LEARNING

Daniel Wilson of Concord College on the importance of encouraging sta and students to continue to grow and develop as learners

Albert Einstein said: ‘Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death’, a view that is central to the ethos of Concord College. We believe that both students and sta should be intellectually curious and seek to continuously challenge themselves.

Pupils here are encouraged to follow their passions and conduct their own research through courses such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), as well as extracurricular activities and subject-specific discussion groups ranging from Medicine to Engineering to Economics. Similarly, our sta are supported in continuing to challenge themselves and remain curious, in both their teaching and their learning.

Students can’t help but be inspired by educators who are clearly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the topics they teach. This desire and drive to continually learn, adapt and improve is what makes teaching such a distinctive and rewarding job.

The best teachers are those that seek out the current research and evidence – on both their subject knowledge and the methods that help students learn. At Concord, this is encouraged through whole-sta and departmental working groups, as well as regular discussions about recent studies focusing on teaching and pastoral care.

This desire to explore and enrich is perhaps best exemplified by the Teaching and Learning Research Group, which meets throughout the school year to scrutinise

“Students can’t help but be inspired by educators who are clearly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the topics they teach”

research on a key aspect of teaching. It has focused on a range of topics, from how best to assess students and the most e ective ways to provide feedback that aids improvement to scientific studies on how students learn and retain new information. This cross-curricular group encourages teachers to challenge their own thinking, share best practice and conduct their own research on methods that meet the needs of their students. The group uses research to define what good teaching looks like and inspires others to develop their teaching.

Many of the most experienced teachers are also the most passionate about continuing to develop their own education – and I count myself among them. Almost 25 years after I left university, I returned to undertake a Master’s in Teaching and Learning at Oxford University. Walking into that first lecture was both daunting and exhilarating. I found myself in a room full of professionals who loved their subject and wanted to pass that passion on to their students. To have the time and space to study research, discuss evidence and network with teachers from across the world was rewarding and reinvigorating. Sharing my experience has helped inspire colleagues to continue their own studies through diplomas –including in boarding, pastoral care, teacher development and leadership.

When I think of teaching, I am reminded of a quote often attributed to an ageing Michelangelo – ‘Ancora imparo’ – which translates as ‘I am still learning’. It is the ongoing pursuit of knowledge that enables teachers to best help students succeed.

DANIEL WILSON

Assistant Principal (Professional Development and Learning) Concord College

HEAD TO HEAD: School mergers

With more independent schools merging, Abbot’s Hill Head Sharon Schanschie , Westbrook Hay Head Mark Brain and Mill Hill Education Group CEO Antony Spencer discuss the collaboration between their schools

“For me, stability and opportunity seem to be the most obvious triggers for the trend around group mergers”

Why do you think so many independent schools are merging at the moment?

Antony Spencer: There is a combination of factors. Certainly, the financial imperatives, such as the imposition of VAT on independent schools, and the need to secure longer term stability, form part of the wider narrative – although this is the more negative side of the lean toward mergers. On the flipside, there are many positive reasons schools consider this route, since collaboration can bring multiple benefits. It is something the state sector – in particular, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) – have been very good at for many years.

Sharon Schanschieff: I wholeheartedly agree with Antony here. Independent schools have perhaps not been as forthcoming building collaborative relationships in previous years. For us, joining the Mill Hill Education Group strengthens our ability to thrive in what is a changing and challenging educational landscape.

It ensures we can continue to deliver a high-quality education while benefiting from the support, resources, and expertise of a larger network. And whether that is support around regulatory pressures or shared best practice, being part of a wider family of schools o ers tangible benefits.

Mark Brain: For me, stability and opportunity seem to be the most obvious triggers for the trend around group mergers. Schools are aware that they need to work smarter and futureproof their survival during what have been turbulent times for the sector. From falling birth rates to rising pressure around justification of fees, schools need to protect the quality of the education they deliver to their pupils.

Antony Spencer: I also think it is important to distinguish the di erence between a charity merger which seeks to collaborate in a bid to meet certain charitable objectives, versus a profit-led merger which is more financially driven.

What do you see at the main benefits for schools of becoming part of a group?

Sharon Schanschieff: Being part of a wider family of schools o ers benefits such as shared best practice and being able to reach out via cross-school collaboration, as well as the obvious economies of scale. It’s a step forward that allows us to grow while staying true to who we are. We still stand as an individual school, but if we are looking for specific expertise or an additional resource, for instance, we have access to a wider pool of experience within a supportive environment.

Mark Brain: For me, a key benefit is the camaraderie and support from fellow Heads within the Group. Being Head of a school can be a lonely existence at times and being able to pick up the phone and speak with a likeminded Head

“If we are looking for specific expertise or an additional resource, we have access to a wider pool of experience within a supportive environment”

is invaluable. Likewise, having access to collaborations across departments –from safeguarding and medical support to pastoral care and communications – can have a real impact day to day.

Antony Spencer: From a group perspective, the benefits of a shared culture are really valuable. This allows e ective collaboration across all our schools, across a diverse pupil roll. The full impact can be di cult to quantify, but we are already seeing improvements in the quality of education we are able to provide.

There has been speculation from the sector that schools risk losing their own identity if they merge – what is your take on this view?

Mark Brain: Finding the right match is important in terms of retaining your identity as a school. Ethos, purpose and core values are high on the agenda when considering any kind of collaborative partnership. Day to day, from the child’s perspective, school doesn’t look any di erent. The uniform is the same, and so on, but every now and then there will be something like a large-scale group sports event or creative arts experience that becomes possible because of the merger.

Sharon Schanschieff: It has to be the right fit for your school. Mill Hill places its students at the heart of everything and that resonates with our own school ethos. Importantly for us, our identity and values remain unchanged – we are still very much Abbot’s Hill School, but it is great to be able to share ideas and aspirations and to be able to visit each other’s schools, too.

What are the potential benefits to pupils and families of these kinds of mergers?

“Collaboration is something the state sector – in particular, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) – have been very good at for many years”

Sharon Schanschieff: Having access to wider academic partnerships for teaching is a key benefit for pupils, as is having an enhanced range of co-curricular activities. It means we are providing our children with even more opportunities for new experiences than before.

Mark Brain: Peace of mind for parents is probably one of the other main benefits. Having the support of a bigger organisation provides the stability needed to thrive and grow. Prospective parents who are looking to move their child from nursery into a school of choice want reassurance that the school will still exist long term. Another bonus is that a lot of smaller schools are not able to justify something like ski trip to the Alps, whereas jointly as a larger group this is far more achievable – both financially and logistically.

Finally, since you merged, what has been the biggest positive for you?

Sharon Schanschieff: Collaboration

and stability. Having knowledgeable people around me that I can speak to at any time for insight, or even just for a second opinion, has been amazing.

Mark Brain: Being part of a group like this has strengthened our school without changing who we are at the heart.

Antony Spencer: From a group perspective, it’s fantastic to be part of a genuine two-way relationship whereby we can learn from and support each other. To counteract some of the negativity surrounding school mergers, I would add some food for thought. No school is truly independent – all schools have limitations and red tape to navigate, and that’s regardless of whether they stand alone or are part of a collaborative group. I would say that by merging with the right partners – partners who share the same ethos and guiding principles – schools aren’t really giving up much, but they potentially stand to gain a great deal.

Reading

champions

All children love stories, but not all are drawn to books. So how do we stimulate their interest, build reading skills and nurture a mindset in which turning the page to find out more is a pleasure not a chore? Two schools share how they champion reading

Dulwich College Junior School

Boys are often seen as more reluctant readers than girls, but at Dulwich College Junior School, they overturn that assumption – and it all centres on the library. “Parents and pupils often tell us that there is a ‘magic’ in the Junior School library,” says Junior School Librarian Hazel Forbes. “There is most certainly a certain magic in books and reading,” she adds. But the team here don’t leave discovering the magic to chance and have clever strategies for embedding positive ideas around books and reading as early as possible.

Even before joining the College, children and their parents are invited along to the library for an introductory evening. Parents are also asked to send a photo of their child reading during the summer holidays. Photos are then

displayed outside the library so that pupils feel welcome – this is their space. There are practical ways in which this welcome is reinforced, with Library Induction Sessions and generous opening hours (8:30am-5pm every day). “It is a popular place for our pupils to come and sit, rest and relax – they have a variety of books and activities to choose from,” says Hazel Forbes. Forget the three Rs, at the Junior School Library they live by six of them – Read, Return, Renew, Reserve, Respect and Relax.

“We believe there is no such thing as a child who does not read. It is simply a question of finding the right book”

Once Dulwich College Junior School pupils get to Year 3, they are introduced to the ‘Rumbustious Reading Challenge’. For this, they are asked to read eight books and will get rewards for each milestone. Once four books are read, the children are presented with a certificate by the Head of the Junior School at a whole school Celebration Assembly. Around 70% of pupils complete this challenge, with many reading all eight books.

Children are given plenty of agency to inspire their skills as both readers and critics. At the start of every library lesson, there are Book Talks, in which children talk about what they are reading, if they are enjoying it and, if so, why. Peer-to-peer recommendations are welcomed, and Year 6 librarians take their role of helping younger children select books at lunchtimes and breaks extremely seriously.

“We also recommend di erent genres and new authors and encourage children to take a chance and read the first 30 pages,” adds Hazel Forbes. With stock updated constantly to ensure the latest and greatest is on the shelves, the team are firm believers in choice determining outcome. “We believe there is no such thing as a child who does not read. It is simply a question of finding the right book.” There is material to entice SEND readers and those who don’t gravitate towards the more typical fiction and chapter book formats.

Book Week is a big deal at Dulwich College Junior School, with a whole host of activities. The school welcomes authors to speak to di erent age groups, plans workshops and has a dress-up day, where children come as a favourite fictional character. There is also ‘Drop Everything and Read’ day, where the whole school pauses to sit and read for a few minutes. And the annual short story House competitions are designed to inspire readers to put pen to paper and become writers. While marking that annual celebration is important, author visits take place throughout the year. The school works closely with its local

independent bookshops to set these up and other nearby schools are often invited along to these events. “The children love meeting real authors,” says Hazel Forbes. “In the past year we have welcomed Alexander Armstrong, Hamza Yassim, David Baddiel, AF Steadman, MacKenzie, Serena Patel and Greg James.”

The weekly school newsletter includes children’s book reviews, as well as forthcoming events and news on all things bookish. Dulwich Junior School also gives parents bespoke book recommendations, drawing on what their children have previously enjoyed. This is especially useful to keep the reading going during school holidays. As are holiday Reading Challenges, with pupils asked to read for ten minutes a day. There are prizes in the mix and parents often report that children read for much longer – sometimes it turns into a whole family reading session.

The importance of the library can’t be underplayed here, helping children to catch and keep the reading bug.

“As librarians, we are constantly reading, recommending, listening, and personalising suggestions while being aware of new books, following trends and authors on social media and in the news,” says Hazel Forbes. “This is a vital part of keeping the library buzzing and up to date.”

Moor Park

At Moor Park in Shropshire, they believe that reading starts long before children even decode their first word. “Books are not simply tools for learning, they are gateways to imagination, language, confidence and connection,” says Headmaster James Du eld.

“Literacy is not a single skill or a standalone lesson. It is the foundation upon which all learning is built,” he adds. “In an increasingly digital world, the ability to read deeply, write clearly and think critically has never been more important.”

In Early Years, children are immersed in stories from the outset. Classrooms are full of picture books – from traditional tales to modern favourites –and story time is a hugely popular daily ritual. There is plenty of storytelling within and beyond books to support early phonics and help children on the journey to reading for themselves.

Visits to the school library – a wellstocked standalone space – are seen as vital for inspiring future readers. Pupils can visit during break times and there are comfortable spaces to sit and browse the options. This is in addition to libraries in each class stocked with age-appropriate books covering di erent areas of interest. “Giving children the freedom to choose their own books helps them feel ownership over their reading and turns it into something personal and enjoyable rather than simply a classroom task,” says James Du eld. There is a firm belief at Moor Park that every child can become a

confident reader, even if the journey looks di erent for each individual. Simple approaches, like encouraging children to carry a book with them at all times and handing out bookmarks, help support that connection with books. Early identification of barriers to reading and SEND support are seen as critical. There are targeted interventions – including multisensory phonics, one-to-one reading time and adapted texts – led by the Head of Learning Support in close liaison with families and teachers.

“The aim is always to develop independence and a sense of achievement,” says James Du eld. “Success is sca olded carefully so pupils experience progress without feeling overwhelmed. Above all, our inclusive ethos ensures that children feel safe, understood and valued. By combining high expectations with personalised support, we help every child at Moor Park see themselves as a reader.”

Special events such as author visits,

“Giving children the freedom to choose their own books helps them feel ownership over their reading and turns it into something personal and enjoyable”

World Book Day, National Poetry Day and National Storytelling Week are celebrated, transforming reading into a shared and celebratory activity. Author visits make the creative process real and this, says the school, encourages children’s deeper questioning about characters, plots and endings.

Parents are encouraged to become part of the reading journey, so that it is viewed as a pleasure out of school, not a chore. There is plenty of guidance on shared reading, plus book recommendations. “We also celebrate reading at school through events, book fairs, and family reading challenges, creating a strong home-school connection,” adds James Du eld.

Pupils, of course, play a vital role in helping reading to stick, with mentoring and peer-group behaviour influencing how books are views. Children from every year group read together regularly, with older pupils modelling positive reading habits and enthusiasm to inspire younger ones. This cross-age approach at Moor Park helps to build a genuine sense of shared enjoyment and community that champions the value of books and reading, for life and not just for school.

Talking HEAD

Buildin g INSPIRATION

The Headmaster of Royal Russell Junior School on the excitement of its new state-of-the-art building set within the school’s 110-acre campus

Delivering a new building project is an inspiring moment for any school community. Years of planning, research and design culminate in the first opening of the doors to our young people, families and colleagues. At Royal Russell, as the New Junior School reaches completion, excitement is rising.

Our community is looking forward to the many benefits our new home will bring –state-of-the-art design, enhanced teaching and learning, improved wellbeing, a strong sustainability commitment.

While the true heart of any school is its people and shared values, purpose-built facilities play a vital role in how those values are lived. Our principles of being open, courageous, distinctive and ambitious are strengthened when the physical environment enables them to flourish. Children have been part of this building journey from the outset, watching the project take shape and gaining a unique learning experience along the way . When they step into their completed Junior School, the sense of connection and ownership will be tangible.

“When they step into their completed Junior School, the sense of connection and ownership will be tangible”

gymnasium and music centre – demonstrate our commitment to providing a rich, rounded education. Classroom design maximises flexible learning and gives teachers the freedom to create warm, inspiring environments.

Wide corridors and open circulation spaces allow for small group work and breakout activities as part of everyday practice. These shared spaces encourage independence, collaboration and a culture of being mindful of others – themes that are woven through the entire school experience.

Generous outdoor spaces, particularly in Early Years, support continuous provision and free-flow learning. The Junior School's location in our beautiful campus strengthens pupils’ connection to nature and encourages stewardship over our surroundings.

The impact of physical surroundings on child development is undeniable. A school building must support engagement, opportunity, security and comfort. The New Junior School has been meticulously planned so that its orientation, layout, insulation, natural light, solar gain, internal temperature and use of space support progress and wellbeing. Security has also been carefully considered, with controlled access points for both the building and the wider site.

Clear wayfinding, thoughtful signage and a purposeful colour palette help pupils navigate independently. Specialist areas – including a new library, drama studio, science laboratory, art and design suite,

Sustainability has been a driving force, reflected in minimised energy usage, photovoltaic energy generation and high standards for ecology, biodiversity, wholelife building performance and green spaces.

Importantly, the new building sits in harmony with its setting. Nestled alongside our listed Aston Webb buildings, architects Jestico + Whiles designed by balancing modern e ciency with sensitivity to this natural and historic environment.

Now the result is clear: an inspiring new home for our community, brought to life through the clear articulation of why a Royal Russell education will make a di erence in our young people’s lives.

LANGUAGE ADVANTAGE

The Head of MFL at St Catherine’s Prep School on the far-reaching benefits of learning other languages from an early age

Learning a language from a young age is more than just acquiring vocabulary and grammar; it’s about shaping the brain, expanding empathy, and unlocking a lifetime of opportunity.

Children’s brains are uniquely wired for language acquisition. During the critical period of early development, they absorb sounds, structures and patterns with astonishing ease. Studies show that bilingual or multilingual children often outperform their monolingual peers in tasks involving problem-solving, multitasking and memory.

Learning an additional language also strengthens the brain’s executive functions, laying a foundation for academic success across disciplines. It reinforces, deepens and develops skills in language-learning at school generally, with many opportunities for cross-curricular work in primary language studies, maths, and humanities.

At St Catherine’s, we aim to encourage all our pupils and students to see themselves as plurilingual. We are explicitly preparing our pupils for their lives in a diverse world beyond school. Children naturally find this exciting, and we wish to harness and cement this outward-looking perspective.

We have vibrant language departments in both the Prep and Senior schools, with active links between both, enabling girls to learn from each other and follow role models. We celebrate languages and culture across the world, with special activities at the beginning of every academic year.

Our Sixth Form linguists have led a range of informal language clubs in the Prep School, creating a wonderful space where Prep and Senior girls come together to share phrases from their own languages including, for example, Welsh and Ukrainian. We have also welcomed visiting family members to share childhood storybooks and cultural traditions. School Language Monitors help with structured role plays to support learning and lead in our school entries to external language competitions.

“Children’s brains are uniquely wired for language acquisition – they absorb sounds, structures and patterns with astonishing ease”

It has been inspiring to see the younger students not only embracing these opportunities but working hard to participate and acquire new knowledge. Ongoing crossyear group exchanges naturally open up conversations about cultural traditions, giving the girls a deeper appreciation of the rich diversity within our own school community. Language is a key to understanding culture. When children learn another language, they don’t just learn how to speak; they learn how to see the world through di erent eyes. They gain insight into traditions, values, and perspectives that may di er from their own. This fosters empathy and tolerance, as well as promoting independence and confidence.

Children learn to take risks, to experiment, and to accept mistakes as they grow in proficiency and understanding.

The benefits extend far beyond childhood. Children who have acquired additional languages tend to have better communication and interpersonal skills, deeper relationships with people from di erent backgrounds, and even delayed onset of age-related cognitive decline.

Perhaps most importantly, learning a language early teaches children that communication is more than words – it’s connection. It shows them that the world is vast and varied, full of voices worth listening to. In a time when division often dominates the headlines, raising a generation that can speak – and listen – across boundaries is a powerful act of hope.

Talking HEAD

Screen-free SPACE

The Head of Sidcot Junior School Cath Dykes on how home and school can unite to help deliver childhoods where screens are tools, not masters

This spring, the Department for Education (DfE) publishes long-awaited guidance on screen use for underfives. This marks a pivotal moment for educators and parents. Recent DfE research reveals a startling reality – the average two-year-old now spends over two hours a day in front of a screen. The conversation is shifting to how we can protect the sanctity of a screen-free childhood.

The government’s upcoming guidance is expected to reinforce a philosophy we have long championed at Sidcot Junior School. We know that sedentary screen time can displace the activities that build essential neural pathways. When a child swipes a screen, they are a consumer; when they build a den, they are an architect.

“When a child swipes a screen, they are a consumer; when they build a den, they are an architect”

At Sidcot Junior School, we view the digital landscape not as an enemy, but as a tool that must be introduced responsibly. But for our youngest learners, the most vital 'hardware' isn't a tablet but a pair of muddy boots, a paintbrush and an open field. We operate a mobile-free environment to ensure social times remain truly social. By removing 'digital noise', we create space for students to discover passions –whether in the art studio or on the sports pitch – and build the increasingly vital soft skills that allow them to develop into great learners.

While we champion a 'back to basics' approach, we recognise that technology is an integral part of the modern world. The solution is not total avoidance, but a responsible, age-appropriate introduction.

In our youngest year groups, screens are strictly a teacher-led educational resource, used purposefully to enhance the curriculum. As children progress to Year 6, we transition them toward digital independence.

Pupils learn on their own devices within a highly monitored environment. This allows them to master essential computer skills while learning digital responsibility. By the time they leave us, they view that device as a tool for creation and research, rather than a source of passive entertainment.

The most e ective antidote to 'screen creep' is a robust outdoor provision. Located in 150 acres of Somerset countryside, Sidcot is able to o er just that. Our students engage in weekly Forest School sessions from PreSchool onwards. Outdoor time isn’t a break but another classroom, fostering resilience, imagination, and sensory integration. However, schools cannot work in a vacuum. A partnership between parents

and educators is vital to safeguard a child’s development. We recognise that the school holidays are often the most challenging time for parents to maintain these boundaries.

In a recent poll we undertook with Ocean Adventurers, 65% of parents said they rely on screens simply to ‘get things done’. This is why we have partnered with Ocean Adventurers to launch the O ine Adventure initiative. This provides a toolkit of screen-free activities and support, bridging the gap between term-time structure and holiday freedom.

We must empower our children to become the masters of technology, rather than its subjects. By prioritising play and adventurous exploration, we aren't just protecting childhoods but building the cognitive and emotional foundations they need to thrive in a digital future.

Let’s give our children the gift of being bored, the joy of getting muddy, and the freedom to look up, not down at a screen.

STORY good news

When journalist Benjamin Hall put on a new hat as a children’s author, a family mascot became central – so too themes about personal responsibility and honesty

LIBBY NORMAN

Benjamin Hall is frank about the challenges of writing his first ever children’s book, Read All About it!. Yes, he may have been a journalist for many years, reporting from some of the most dangerous places on the planet. And when, in 2022, he su ered devastating injuries in an explosion outside Kviv, he not only survived to tell the tale but did so in two New York Times bestsellers – Saved and Resolute

None of this quite prepared him for distilling big ideas into such a very few words in a story that young children can relate to. “Can I just say it’s very, very, very di cult,” he says. “I’m a journalist and if you give me facts and I speak to a few people I can put it together. Even the books I wrote before, the non-fiction, the same idea. But when you have such a short few pages to create a story that hopefully flows and has morals and a character – it was di cult.”

Not that he didn’t enjoy it. It was a closeto-home idea that came about when he

was talking to his publisher HarperCollins about a hedgehog gifted by his children, his companion on every foreign assignment.

“Wherever I was reporting round the world, wherever I was covering wars, I had this little hedgehog,” he says. “I had it in my pocket and I always used to travel with it.”

A reminder of home and his daughters, certainly, but it became more than that. “Then when I was in these really bad places, I wanted to tell my children what was going on but they were really young at the time. I thought

“Wherever I was reporting round the world, wherever I was covering wars, I had this little hedgehog”

the hedgehog would send home these really small snippets of where I was, what I was doing and what the hedgehog was doing with me.” It was a way of making things relatable for his three young daughters (he now has four daughters) but grew into a means of communicating in a reassuring way across miles and time zones.

That little hedgehog was with Benjamin Hall in Kviv, tucked into his body armour, when the explosion happened. “Even when I was trying to be evacuated to hospital, I had this hedgehog in my hand, and it just reminded me of so many amazing things. It gave me the strength to think about my children – it reminded me of home.”

Evacuated to a military-base hospital in America, he had a gruelling recovery journey ahead. Communicating with his family back home in London was essential, but he and his wife Alicia didn’t want his facial injuries to upset the children. “It was the hedgehog who started to send these stories and videos home at first. I didn’t want them to see my face. The main thing for us is that we didn’t want them to be overly traumatised – we didn’t want them to see something that might really haunt them.”

It’s not hard to see why HarperCollins felt the family mascot made a good hero. And there was no doubting what the story would centre on because Benjamin Hall is a journalist to his bones. Hedgehog not only has a father who is a newspaper editor, but in his own quest to save the

animals in the forest from the bear he makes sure he gets the news out there. “One of the reasons that I wanted somewhere in the story to talk about his Dad being a journalist, and how the news, the truth, can save the animals and the forest, is because I think journalism is more central now than it has ever been,” he says. With the ongoing march of AI, social media and all the rest, he knows news gathering’s primary purpose needs to be made clearer – separate – from the rest. “That very basic idea of journalism, which is of someone going out there to see what is happening with their own eyes, that is what journalism must be about. Our kids must be encouraged to do that.”

As a reporter, Benjamin Hall is clear on his role, and as a parent and seasoned bedtime-story reader to small children, he’s keen on books with a point – a positive life lesson. “I want parents to be able to say: ‘what did you learn, why did the hedgehog do that, why do you want to stand up if people are doing bad things to you?’” Hedgehog does the right thing, but in doing so he believes he has broken his father’s golden rules – crossing the river, talking to strangers and losing his bag. Benjamin Hall felt this transgression for the right reasons was an important plotline. “You have to stand up if something is not right. It can be as simple as helping someone across the road – we have to remind kids

of that.” All’s well in the end and Hedgehog becomes hero of the hour, and front-page news. It’s a fitting starring role for a furry mascot who supported the Hall household in so many ways.

Benjamin Hall is full of admiration for his family’s courage over the months he was in hospital. “I’ve got the most incredible wife. Through the most di cult moments, our priority was the children – that their lives weren’t disrupted, that they stayed going to school. They kept their life going.

“Kids in themselves are incredibly resilient. They can pick themselves up. They can get through some of the most di cult moments,” he says. “One example of that was that my wife and I weren’t sure when we were going to tell them I had prosthetic legs. And some people had said that’s a real hit for some children.” In the end, his wife told them the news – simply saying that Daddy now had robot legs. “And they were like, ‘Oh, OK’ – all that worry that we had!”

The Hall family story of working through the most di cult of times chimes with another key message of Read All About It! –the strength of working as a team. “We get through things because we work together with other people – and you can’t do it by yourself,” says Benjamin Hall.

Read All About It! by Benjamin Hall, illustrated by Martina Motzo, is published by HarperCollins (£14.99).

Talking HEAD

Truth in EDUCATION

In today’s complex online world, we must coach pupils to help them distinguish truth from fiction, says Cumnor House Sussex Head Fergus Llewellyn

Like many people across the country, I loved watching The Traitors series earlier this year. Edge-of-your seat moments, great intrigue, high levels of dramatic irony – it contained all the ingredients of must-watch TV. Yet underpinning it are issues that are relevant to what we are all exposed to in modern life. Trust. Manipulation. Friendship. Honour. Conviction. And above all: truth.

From a young age, children have always had to learn that the world is not perfect and that things are not always what they seem. I am dreading the moment that my daughter finds out that the tooth fairy is not real. This kind of thing is not new. What is new is the proliferation of lies, misinformation, disinformation and the sophistication of the manipulation children now experience through social media and AI.

To simply observe the way in which reactions to events in Trump’s America

have been so starkly di erent and so compellingly expressed is to see this issue writ large. Relative truth and absolute truth, or indeed relative truth and absolute lies, have become so entangled that a young mind is going to find it harder and harder to navigate. We need to teach our children about the truth more than ever.

At Cumnor, we see this as a threefold problem and, while I cannot claim to have solved things by any stretch of the imagination, we have begun a journey to be more overt in our teaching about truth. The first issue can be summarised by ‘know your enemy’, or as Sun Tzu once wrote, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles’. Explicit teaching to educate our young people in how social media algorithms work, as well as working with our parents to help them set clear boundaries at home, are well established at Cumnor.

Looking ahead, we are developing a range of o -timetable, practical activities, such as giving our children the opportunity to take part in ‘be an influencer for a day’ simulations to give them real-world experience of the pros and cons of running a business on social media. We are also expanding our programme of speakers to include digital ethicists, data scientists and journalists.

The second skill is not new – but more vital than ever before – namely, critical thinking. This starts right from a young age when we help children to di erentiate

fact from opinion or fiction. It includes developing more sophisticated reading skills and a critical mindset that allows them to ask the right questions and create a healthy scepticism about the information they receive.

One of the key components of our Year 7 and 8 curriculum, Kudos, centres on self-reflection. This is not simply reviewing the outcome of a project, but actively noting what was challenging, the dynamics of working with others, adaptations for next time and new targets. Cumnor pupils build familiarity with regular reflection from an early age. Year 3 sees the introduction of STEER Tracking, a digital mental health tool used to delve beneath the surface and support wellbeing. Pausing to be more aware of ourselves and our own biases or influences – to really think – is vital. Finding the time for reflection in an outcomefocused world is important. E ciency is highly prized, but not always helpful.

The third is perhaps hardest to achieve, but possibly the most important – and that is creating a culture of passionate curiosity for the truth. Watching The Traitors, admittedly only a game, you are struck by the vehemence and determination of the contestants as they seek the truth, the deep disappointment when they get it wrong, and the joyous celebration when truth is

“Relative truth and absolute truth have become so entangled that a young mind is going to fi nd it harder and harder to navigate”

revealed. Schools have had this culture in various fields – including scientific enquiry, philosophical debate, historical source evaluation and geographical data analysis. Last term, one of our phrases for the week was ‘The only thing that can be improved upon is the truth’.

FERGUS LLEWELLYN Headmaster Cumnor House Sussex

Ultimately, for culture to shift, it has to come from the top, and a curriculum development project is underway at Cumnor to meet this aspiration. This is not about scepticism or distrust, but empowering with understanding and educating for truth, wisdom and responsible citizenship. Our world is far from full of grace and truth right now, but our children deserve practical measures that can help them try and achieve it.

THRILLING HISTORY

Dr Matthew Glencross of York House School on a history project with a deliciously local flavour and thrilling extras

Our pupils have been commemorating the 300th anniversary of the passing of Charles Finch, the original architect of York House. The main Grade II listed building was built in 1712 by Finch on the site of a dwelling thought to have dated back to Tudor times. Finch is said to have inherited the estate from his uncle and, after some considerable demolition and construction work, he built the main portion – then known as Red Heath House

Pupils have learnt much more, having discovered that the school site was once far larger that its current 50 acres, with around 480 acres of meadows and a further 90 acres of woodland. The size of the site was evident from old maps stored in the school archives. These also show a basement, suggesting the footprint of a far larger residence with twisting tunnels below.

I began to wonder what Charles Finch would make of the school that now inhabits his former home, the Manor of Red Heath. I also wondered what he would think about the changes we have made to the site, so I tasked our pupils to write their own individual letters to Finch. They were

asked to tell him about their school and to imagine the former uses of the rooms in which they now study.

The pupils came up with a raft of thoughtful ideas, including the fact that the front door is rarely used today as an entrance, but that the entrance hall itself is now the main foyer and is still the first thing a visitor sees when they arrive here. Likewise, the pupils thought that Finch would be pleased to know that school leavers still walk out of that front door and onto the drive for the last time as part of their traditional York House graduation ceremony.

Many other school traditions were mentioned in the letters. This site has had its fair share of pupil, and sta rumours over the years, the most notorious being the History

“This site has had its fair share of pupil, and staff, rumours over the years, the most notorious being the History Room Ghost”

Room Ghost. The room, located on the first floor, used to be a bedroom with a walk-in closet but now only exists as a small annex in the corner. One pupil wrote to Finch: ‘Did you find it hard sleeping in the room knowing there is a ghost?’. While Finch lived before the Victorian era and its obsession with the ‘other side’ the pupils imagined he would have heard many spooky tales during his lifetime.

Since Finch built the manor, much of the site has changed. Where there were once the furnishings of a house, there are now school desks and books. Where grand parties were once held, pupils now attend assemblies and lessons. One of Finch’s former courtyards is now home to the school’s computer suite – a vivid example of the changes brought by time.

There are still some similarities though, as one pupil explained: ‘We still keep animals, Mr Finch’, referencing our school’s outdoor learning fields and smallholding. It is not too big a stretch to think that Finch would have looked out to see sheep grazing.

Although the house that Finch built is no longer a home in the traditional sense, it is a thriving community. For this, I think he would be proud.

DR MATTHEW GLENCROSS Head of History York House School

READING ESCAPE

The Head of Prep Reading and Librarian at Haberdashers’ Elstree on how parents can help their children make the great escape into books

In a world dominated by screens and technology, books can easily be overshadowed. Yet building a genuine love for reading is vital for development and imagination. One of the most e ective ways to encourage children to pick up a book is through shared reading experiences.

Children who are read to by their parents are significantly more likely to develop an interest in reading independently. Beyond tangible educational benefits, this shared time encourages escape into stories, creates lasting memories and deepens the parentchild bond. In fact, multiple studies have revealed that the brain waves of parents and children can sync during reading, highlighting the intimate connection through this shared activity.

Parents can also turn reading sessions into a fun joint activity. For instance, taking turns reading or assigning di erent characters to each other can enhance engagement. Children may relish the opportunity to create the voices of their favourite characters. This not only boosts their confidence in reading aloud but also allows them to immerse themselves more deeply in the narrative.

Understanding what excites your child paves the way for a more meaningful reading journey. Whether that is a novel based on a film they love, the autobiography of their favourite footballer or subscribing to a comic or magazine, identifying and acknowledging what kinds of stories children enjoy tends to spark curiosity. Creating a ‘book club’ atmosphere at home can also deepen a child’s relationship

“Multiple studies have revealed that the brain waves of parents and children can sync during reading”

ABOVE

with reading. Gather drinks and snacks and create a warm space where family members discuss what they are reading. This can lead to conversations about dialogue, characters, plot twists and endings, encouraging children to think. Asking questions like ‘what was your favourite part?’ builds comprehension, as children learn to organise and articulate their thoughts. Incorporating reading into daily routines without presenting it as a chore can help to normalise it as an enjoyable pastime. It is important to avoid associating reading with punishments – such as banning screens or devices in favour of reading a book. Leaving various age-appropriate books and magazines around the house can encourage spontaneous reading. Visiting local libraries to borrow new books can also provide a fresh influx of stories, and children will enjoy discovering new materials.

LIBRARIAN RECOMMENDED

• For ages 3-5, Danny McGee Drinks the Sea, by Andy Stanton and Neal Layton, is a whimsical, rhyming wonder. The story’s premise of a boy betting his sister that he can drink the entire sea

captures young children’s imaginations and invites lots of giggles.

• For ages 5-7, Wigglesbottom Primary: The Popcorn Puppy, by Pamela Butchart and Becka Moor, o ers relatable characters in a laugh-out-loud narrative. When Lauren brings her new puppy to school, the resulting chaos is both entertaining and accessible for newly independent readers.

• For ages 8-12, I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii AD 79, by Lauren Tarshis and David Shephard, blends history and fiction in a brilliant graphic novel. It captures the dramatic eruption of Mount Vesuvius through the eyes of Marcus, who tries to escape, in a book delivering tension, jeopardy, emotion and fantastic detail.

• For reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+, Blitzers, by Alastair Chisholm, explores contemporary themes, including peer pressure and technology. Its accessibility makes it a brilliant choice for engaging readers who avoid traditional texts.

CLARE ZINKIN Head of Prep Reading and Librarian Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools

Making MUSIC

The Director of Music at St George's Ascot on the importance of delivering exciting musicmaking opportunities at every age and stage

Music is widely celebrated in education, yet too often it is discussed as enrichment or wellbeing alone, rather than as a discipline that develops intellectual rigour, professional habits and human connection. From my perspective, music’s most important evolution lies in harnessing these qualities to prepare pupils for life beyond school.

At St George’s School, Ascot, what stands out is not only the range of musical outcomes, but the way di erent pathways coexist. Music lives comfortably across every level of school life – from Year 7 pupils developing rhythmic accuracy in the classroom to advanced musicians preparing repertoire and writing original compositions. It is present in informal lunchtime groups, in formal concerts, in boarding house common rooms, in Chapel services, and in individual recording projects.

For music to have a lasting impact, it must be accessed and owned by pupils, with pathways that allow breadth and stretch. This matters as we do not want music education to become polarised – elite performance at one end and surfacelevel exposure at the other. The middle ground is where the magic happens, as

“The middle ground is where the magic happens, as pupils encounter graduated challenges, sustained commitment and increasing responsibility”

pupils encounter graduated challenges, sustained commitment and increasing responsibility. A lunchtime musical theatre club or a student-led vocal ensemble may appear informal, yet both demand rehearsal discipline, attentive listening and accountability to others. The pupils in these groups may be di erent to those seen in our orchestras or solo recitals, but their musical development is no less meaningful.

In many of these situations, music’s power is developmental as much as it is artistic. When pupils choose how and where they engage, confidence follows. They begin to see themselves as contributors, learning that their voice matters within a collective.

That confidence flows into other areas of life and continues to benefit them long after they leave school.

For pupils on a more advanced pathway, preparation is both structured and highly individual. Scholars are supported to develop their particular strengths, and they emerge as technically confident performers, fluent composers, capable users of professional technology, and reliable ensemble musicians.

Participation in high-level groups, such as the Chapel Choir or a jazz ensemble, teaches

the rigour of working to professional standards within a collective. Another often overlooked aspect of music education is the value of intergenerational music-making. Performing alongside professional musicians, contributing to large-scale productions or recording in our professional-standard studio lifts school music into something far more authentic and enjoyable. For some, this opens pathways towards conservatoires, university music courses or choral scholarships, but for many others it builds transferable skills that support entirely di erent futures.

Leadership and aspiration grow naturally in these shared musical spaces. This sense of continuity extends beyond school. Alumnae returning to sing, rehearse and perform are not doing so out of obligation, but because they remember the discipline, trust and shared purpose of making music together. Music becomes a thread that connects generations.

From performance to professions, music prepares pupils not just to succeed, but to contribute meaningfully. When we merely access music, its power is limited. When it challenges us, and stays with us, music becomes education at its most rigorous, human and enduring.

Talking HEAD

Wild and wonderful

Ben Evans of Windlesham House in West Sussex on the pleasures – and benefits – of a diverse co-curricular programme

Having access to a varied range of co-curricular activities in school helps to develop a child’s character. These o -timetable sessions allow children to safely take risks and try new things, developing both their physical and emotional skills. By taking part in new activities, children often realise what they are capable of achieving – learning that they can do more than they had thought. This positivity feeds back into risk taking and self-belief in the classroom and in other aspects of life. As well as building self-esteem, co-curricular activities stimulate children to think creatively, see things di erently and approach problem solving in alternative ways.

“Having a range of unusual activities stimulates children to think more widely, to challenge themselves both physically and intellectually”

Co-curricular activities such as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) and Combined Cadet Force (CCF) foster belonging and identity, which are crucial in these formative years. Ultimately, this is about providing every child with opportunities to thrive. Children who don't shine in class or on the sports field have myriad opportunities to do so here.

Many schools now o er more choice than ever. School location may bring extra benefits,

with some able to provide sailing, surfing and climbing. But outdoor pursuits, academic skill enhancement, creative arts and popular games are all on the menu. For example, First Lego League and Warhammer o er those with problem-solving, strategy and technical abilities a way to improve their skills.

Increasingly, schools are looking for clubs attractive to pupils from around the world and those that develop skills parents would like their children to learn – diving courses, clay pigeon shooting, polo, archery and fencing are all becoming popular. These sit alongside a trend for clubs developing more traditional skills – from weaving, knitting and crochet to ballroom dancing. Nothing is o the table provided the school has the space, can a ord the equipment, and can get the necessary risk assessment approved.

Having a range of unusual activities stimulates children to think more widely, to challenge themselves both physically and intellectually, to problem solve and master their fears.

They develop skills and strategies that they will take with them into their adult lives. With the landscape of careers changing rapidly, the children of today will need to be prepared to try anything and to adapt over the course of their careers. Learning to try new things without fear will be vital in the working landscape that they will enter.

Extra sports are most commonly requested at Windlesham House. We have introduced Flag Football, which has been extremely popular. We also receive requests for sports such as basketball, golf and horse riding. Clubs that involve technology – for example, coding, Lego, Vex Robotics and stop motion animation – remain extremely sought after.

We are also seeing a trend of children wishing to spend co-curricular time inventing their own games and enjoying the freedom of playing in the woods. In essence it is those activities that are not always possible at home which are most appealing.

Talking HEAD

Understanding AuDHD

The Head of Holmewood School – part of Cavendish Group – on the overlap of ADHD and autism, and how to support young people through self-awareness

AuDHD is a term sometimes used to describe the experience of having both ADHD and autism and reflects how traits of neurodivergence are interwoven. These characteristics do not operate independently – they interact, overlap and sometimes pull in di erent directions.

A helpful way to understand AuDHD is through a Venn diagram, with autism in one circle and ADHD in the other. The overlapping middle is AuDHD. For each individual with both diagnoses, that middle section looks di erent. Some children and young people show the ADHD drive for speed, spontaneity and novelty, while also having an autistic need for predictability and calm. Others experience intense focus (often called hyperfocus) but find transitions between activities exhausting. In

“For parents, AuDHD can help explain why their child copes brilliantly one day and unravels the next”

some cases, autistic hyperfocus may lock onto a single interest, while ADHD attention shifts rapidly between tasks.

From the outside, this can look ba ing. It might be the child who creates a detailed dinosaur dossier at 6am but cannot finish two sentences at school at 10am. Or the teenager who can game for 12 hours straight yet struggles to load the dishwasher.

For parents, AuDHD can help explain why their child copes brilliantly one day

and unravels the next. It can also clarify why school may describe a pupil as distracted, while at home they appear able to focus for hours (or vice versa).

This apparent inconsistency is a common feature of AuDHD. As one young person at Holmewood put it: “My ADHD keeps writing cheques that my autism just can’t cash.” ADHD can lead a young person to impulsively say yes to the task, plan or promise, but when it is time to deliver, the autistic side may be overwhelmed. This is not about motivation or e ort; it is about capacity under specific conditions.

Supporting an AuDHDer starts with understanding the individual child or young person: what motivates them, what drains them, and what helps them to regulate. Building self-knowledge is

particularly important. When young people begin to recognise which traits trip them up and which unlock their focus and creativity, adults, too, can anticipate challenges. Self-awareness also gives everyone a shared language for what is happening, making it easier for young people to explain how they feel and what they need. In essence, this is about understanding what sits in the middle of that individual’s Venn diagram. Motivation in AuDHD is best understood as circumstantial. It is rarely about whether a young person can do something, and much more about under what conditions they can do it. Helping an AuDHDer connect deeply with the 'why' of a task is often key to successful completion. Practical strategies to support motivation include linking tasks to interests, using body doubling (another person there while a task is completed independently) and o ering structure with flexibility. Urgency and rewards may be helpful when used thoughtfully. Crucially, rest and breaks are part of strategy, not a reward for finishing. When adults take on the role of positive strategy suggester and motivational support, something shifts. Often, task completion becomes the quickest route for a young person to regain autonomy. In a nutshell, we do not want children and young people with AuDHD to stop writing cheques. Instead, we want to help them understand their own capacities and conditions, so that the cheques don’t bounce.

THINKERS CREATIVE

In a world of short-form information and swift judgements, how are schools using the arts – iterative, collegiate and reflective – to develop the necessary creative and critical thinking skills for life in the 21st century? We speak to four leading independents

RMS for Girls

At RMS for Girls in Hertfordshire, there’s a strong Art-based approach to helping students develop their own perspectives and opinions and consider bigger-picture issues. “In the realm of Visual Arts, we possess a rare and vital window into the contemporary world. It is a space where ‘fixed answers’ disintegrate into deeper questions,” says Head of Visual Arts Maxine Nichols.

For example, an art-based exploration into student riots produced dramatic, and deeply personal work, which was then supported by a deep dive into the mechanics of messaging using historical sources as diverse as WWII propaganda posters and modern investigative reports about political incitement.

The Visual Arts department champions ‘slow research’ to encourage students to step away from screens, ask di cult questions and find solutions. There is focus on original sources – be it a museum or the archive in Warner Brothers Studios

“We aren’t just teaching them to make objects. We are teaching them to be architects of change who can navigate a world that is constantly shifting”

helping girls to, as Maxine Nichols puts it, “treat the world as a primary text”.

In the art rooms, students soon learn a ‘wrong’ choice or a failed approach is never a dead end. Across the creative sphere, active and open-ended discussion and teamwork are enabled to stretch a subject. “Unlike subjects with a fixed syllabus, the arts are driven by human intervention,” says Maxine Nichols. She believes one of the most significant benefits of all iterative subjects is that they build resilience – and with visual arts subjects, that creative journey is often on permanent show. “Displaying ‘works in progress’ builds the confidence to be critiqued and the stamina to keep evolving in front of an audience,” she adds.

“Iteration forces a student to question – it is a consistent loop of action and reflection, and this is how a truly unique personal perspective is forged. We aren’t just teaching them to make objects. We are teaching them to be architects of change who can navigate a world that is constantly shifting.”

Hurtwood House

At Hurtwood House in Surrey, Art, Drama and Music taking centre stage for many students, with over 50 professional-quality stage productions a year. All of this is set within a rigorous academic environment, and many students combine arts and sciences subjects at Sixth Form.

Doug Quinn, Head of Performing Arts for many years and a member of Hurtwood’s Senior Management Team, sees huge value in arts subjects – not only for themselves but for what else they bring to students’ understanding of the world. “Art, Drama and Music are inherently iterative and subjective, encouraging students to experiment, reflect and refine their ideas through process rather than aiming for a single ‘correct’ answer. In doing so, students develop critical thinking as they evaluate their choices, consider intention and meaning and learn to see failure as a valuable part of growth.”

He believes the sheer abundance of creative opportunities at Hurtwood help to support

student understanding of complexity. “The arts hold a mirror up to nature and society, helping students interpret the world around them and understand their place within it.” He also points to the ways in which arts and humanities subjects face complexity head on, and require students to consider di erent perspectives, interpretations and contexts.

Many Hurtwood students undertake the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) alongside their A levels, building invaluable research skills for university and career – and last year every EPQ student was awarded an A*. Head of Life Skills and EPQ Coordinator Jane Collier believes the nature of this qualification encourages students to build essential critical thinking and creative thinking skills by looking beyond the obvious and easily accessible answers. “We teach students how to conduct academic research using sources such as academic books, articles, journals and archives,” she says.

In previous years, students have visited universities to gain a greater understanding of how to access material and then develop e ective research strategies. “We also teach students to conduct primary research, including understanding ethical considerations such as informed consent, anonymity and responsible data collection,” adds Jane Collier. “Together, these experiences help students develop strong independent research skills and a deeper understanding of how knowledge is gathered, evaluated, and recorded over time.”

Heathfield School

At Heathfield in Ascot, older and newer forms of knowledge gathering sit side by side, especially in the visual arts. This is, in part, because of shifts in the curriculum, with generative AI becoming part of both the GCSE and A-level Art curriculums.

“Tools such as rapid conceptualisation and virtual prototyping enable students to develop ideas quickly while expanding their creativity and craftsmanship,” says Head of Art and Design Angela Farrugia. “We believe that technology and craftsmanship can coexist. Together, they represent a new level of creative power. By learning how to embrace AI as a tool, students can celebrate innovation while honouring the strengths of both traditional practice and technological advancement.”

She sees arts and humanities subjects as a means to open up di erent perspectives for students, helping them to see ‘grey’ areas and develop an appreciation of often contrasting information or understanding. “Active class, team, and group discussions play an important role in helping students explore ideas from multiple perspectives,” she says.

“Through discussion, students learn to articulate their interpretations, listen to others, and thoughtfully challenge or build upon di erent viewpoints. This process encourages them to think more deeply around a subject, sometimes reaching a shared understanding and, at other times, learning to respectfully agree to di er.”

The school encourages students to recognise that everything they see around them began with a creative idea and an iterative process – from the houses they live in to the clothes they wear and the vehicle they travel to school in – and in their future they can become part of such a process. “At Heathfield, we believe it is both our privilege

“The arts hold a mirror up to nature and society, helping students interpret the world around them and understand their place within it”

and our responsibility to nurture that same spirit of imagination in our students,” adds Angela Farrugia. “We encourage them to see possibilities, to question what already exists, to innovate, and to recognise that they have the power to shape the world around them.”

St Edward’s Oxford

At St Edward’s (Teddies), there’s a robust approach to introducing young people to the idea that not everything they read is true. “We’re teaching complexity and

encouraging a culture of independent thought at St Edward’s and therefore responsibility,” says Sub-Warden Academic David Flower.

There’s a particular focus on not relying on the instant answer. “We have a saying ‘no default to device’ that you will hear at Teddies. Just because a knowledge source, such as Google or AI, is instant, it doesn’t mean it is better. In History we use archives, books in the library, original accounts. Sources that you can feel, look at and touch can be more memorable, and give context to the information,” he adds.

“We speak a lot about how learning happens. Sometimes it can be repetitive and feel laborious, learning can feel like hard work, and that’s because it can be, but we know there is still a value in repetition and retrieval amongst other learning methods,” says David Flower. “The danger with instant information is in reading something and believing you know it.”

Learning to disagree respectfully is another lesson taught across arts and humanities subjects. “The best work of this kind has rules and expectations,” says David Flower. “Pupils respond well to learning debating techniques and the Model UN society is a great example of this. How do you successfully put forward an argument you may not agree with? Is there a way to find some common ground between two camps who are largely in

ABOVE Independent study time at St Edward’s Oxford

“We explicitly teach students to recognise red flags: bias, misuse of authority, lack of context and selective and manipulated data”

disagreement? These skills help our pupils with their critical thinking.”

Critical thinking really comes into play in Sixth Form, when St Edward’s IB Diploma pupils take the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) –and it is also invaluable for the EPQ that sits alongside A level. But students are prepared for all this complexity in earlier years. “We explicitly teach students to recognise red flags: bias, misuse of authority, lack of context and selective and manipulated data,” says Paula Díaz Rogado, TOK Coordinator and Spanish Teacher. “An activity our students love is when we ask students to ‘prove’ famous wacky conspiracy theories. Counterintuitively, this is a powerful exercise in understanding how data can be manipulated and how confirmation bias operates.”

She adds that TOK teaches students to consider things that aren’t written down and voices that haven’t been heard. “We

also highlight that recollections may vary not only because individuals disagree, but because some communities have historically been heard more than others.” Another area highlighted in this strand of the IB Diploma is other means of communicating perspectives. “We, for example, explore anti-war art from Francisco Goya to Pablo Picasso, Banksy and Marina Abramović, asking how artists communicate truths that cannot easily be expressed through data or equations,” says Paula Díaz Rogado.

“Artistic subjects are naturally iterative: students draft, perform, reflect and revise. Through this process, they develop resilience, self-critique and a personal voice. Finally, we encourage students to see the arts not simply as a reflection of talent, but as a way of understanding trauma, collective memory, resistance and, ultimately, what it means to be human.”

Talking HEAD

Liberal APPROACH

The Head Master of Rugby School believes a liberal education remains our best bulwark against catastrophe

In 1920, H.G. Wells warned that:

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe". In 2026, that statement has lost none of its charge. Wells recognised that catastrophe – political, social or technological – is never far from the human story.Our century carries its own palette of uncertainties – climate, geopolitics, and the unpredictable power of artificial intelligence.

Wells’s insight is twofold. The possibility of disaster is a constant companion. Education remains our most reliable defence. The question is: what kind of education equips young people not merely to survive in such a world, but to shape it for the better?

I believe the answer can only be a liberal education. A way of teaching that encourages a mindset that is curious rather than dogmatic, open rather than fearful, reflective rather than reactive.

“A person whose mind is open, whose instincts are humane – that is the purpose of a liberal education”

Human beings are fallible. Improvement in any field comes not from certainty but from curiosity and compassion. We live at a time when certainty is shouted from every corner of public life in stark messages that brook no dissent.

In his 2019 book A Thousand Small Sanities, Adam Gopnik describes liberalism as a tradition that rejects cruelty, values sympathy, trusts in reasoned reform over

rigid dogma, and believes in the power of open institutions to form free minds. This is what we pursue at Rugby School.

Our educational model is broad. We believe – and experience shows – that young people learn to think more clearly when exposed to a range of influences. A day at Rugby will include lessons that are discussions with teachers and fellow students based on independent study undertaken the night before. Human interaction really does accelerate learning. There will also be activities outside the classroom, beyond the formal curriculum. Sport is timetabled with more than 25 options. Our musicians rehearse and perform at a level that demands discipline and creativity. Our drama productions bring together students in a shared endeavour that builds empathy and confidence. Our partnership programmes connect students with people of all ages and experiences.

And, as well as A levels, we o er the IB Diploma Programme. All of this is made possible by being a full boarding school.

Professor Francis’ recent curriculum and assessment review, and the Government’s response, recognised the significance of enrichment activities, including civil engagement, arts and culture, sport and physical activities, and the development of wider life skills. However, it was decided these should be extras rather than an integral part of an excellent education – a disappointing display of closed minds. A liberal education is not about accumulating facts. It is about forming habits of mind: the ability to listen, to question, to weigh arguments, to imagine alternatives. These habits matter because they encourage a humane way of thinking.

AI, for all its promise, risks narrowing human judgement unless it is paired with genuine critical thinking. Politics increasingly rewards outrage over reflection, and online life, too, often drives us into narrower identities and smaller worlds.

Wells feared that catastrophe might outrun education. Our best response is to provide an education that develops the whole person, building intellect, character and imagination. A person whose mind is open, whose instincts are humane –that is the purpose of a liberal education. This is what schools like Rugby aim to provide every day. And, in a world that feels increasingly brittle and dangerous, it is more important than ever.

Talking HEAD

Confident THINKERS

Head of Pangbourne College Oliver Knight on why respecting young people's intelligence helps them to achieve more

At Pangbourne, we believe that pupils who are treated as if they are intelligent actually become so. If they are taught demanding content and are expected to explain and find connections as well as memorise and repeat, they learn more quickly. They come to think of themselves as learners. They are able to bounce back in the face of short-term failure and develop the resilience required in meaningful learning.

When young people are trusted with challenging ideas, they begin to see that thinking deeply is not something reserved for others but something they can do. Critical thinking is not a set of skills and strategies that can be directly taught, practised and applied to any topic. Pupils require deep knowledge of a subject in order to think creatively or critically about it.

“If a pupil believes they can do something, they will work harder and achieve greater academic success”

There are no shortcuts to this expert thinking. To 'think like a scientist', a pupil must know the facts, concepts and procedures that a scientist knows, not just be able to recite information. Similarly, to think like a historian, mathematician or writer requires immersion in those disciplines. As pupils gain understanding, they begin to ask better questions, draw connections

between ideas and approach problems with greater confidence.

It is therefore important to develop a culture of hard work in and out of lessons to allow pupils to move forward as learners and achieve beyond their own perceived capabilities. When e ort and curiosity are valued, pupils begin to understand that intelligence is not fixed but something that can grow over time.

At Pangbourne College, we provide an academic education alongside an ethos of adventure and risk. Through this, our young people acquire the knowledge, skills and character necessary to act with confidence in imperfect situations. Experiences beyond the classroom – whether through sport, outdoor learning or leadership opportunities – also encourage pupils to reflect, adapt and think for themselves.

Confidence is also a big factor in keeping pupils engaged with their education and the world around them. For us, there

is only one 21st Century skill – the ability to act intelligently when faced with a situation for which you have not been specifically prepared. Developing this requires knowledge and character, as well as the willingness to persevere when answers are not immediately obvious.

To enable this ability to act intelligently, we have designed Pangbourne College around four core components: Academic Rigour, Exploration, Community and Leadership. These components combine to ensure that all our students develop the attitudes, skills and behaviours that underpin success at school and work. They enable our pupils to set themselves apart from peers and safeguard themselves in a working world of increasing automation.

Perhaps most importantly for us, these four core components allow our pupils to leave us as rounded and interesting individuals, able to work in a multitude of teams and with the confidence to live an authentic life.

Dramatic power

The Director of Drama at Reed’s School on why live theatre not only deepens pupils’ cultural engagement but also their grasp of complexity

When parents ask me what makes an independent education truly transformative, I focus on the breadth of experiences that are on o er. As a drama teacher, I see every day how powerful it is when pupils step beyond the classroom and encounter culture firsthand. If we want young people to flourish in the world they are inheriting, we must give them opportunities to engage with it directly. We cannot prepare them fully for contemporary life if we only ever ask them to observe it from behind a desk.

When I take pupils to the theatre, I am not simply organising a pleasant evening out. I am inviting them into a living, breathing conversation. Sitting together in an auditorium, we experience the immediacy of performance – the risks actors take, the tension in the room, the collective intake of breath.

Afterwards, when we talk, I see their thinking shift. They question directorial choices and challenge interpretations. They draw connections between what they have seen and the social and political issues shaping their own lives. They witness how themes of identity, technology, politics and social change are explored in ways that textbooks alone cannot convey. Back in the classroom, discussions are richer, more nuanced and often more courageous because

“Not everything has a neat answer. Not every work of art o ers clarity. But learning to sit with complexity is one of the most important skills we can give pupils”

pupils have experienced the work, not just read about it.

A recent visit for GCSE Drama pupils to Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre o ered exactly that – a production brimming with wit and invention, where sharp writing and bold staging brought history into vivid conversation with the present. Likewise, the A-level pupils who encountered the Nederlands Dans Theater and Complicité co-production of Figures in Extinction were exposed to work that was urgent, visually striking and unafraid to wrestle with global questions such as climate and collective responsibility.

At Reed’s, we work hard to ensure that these experiences are not tokenistic. When I programme theatre trips, I think carefully about the range of voices and styles our pupils will encounter. For example, this academic year we have seen everything from classical texts reimagined for modern audiences (Bacchae at the National Theatre) and contemporary writing (Bengal Tigerat the Baghdad Zoo at the Young Vic) to 20thcentury classics (All My Sons in the West End) and autobiographical storytelling (Bog Witch at Soho Theatre). I find that these

encounters foster intellectual humility and curiosity. Not everything has a neat answer. Not every work of art o ers clarity. But learning to sit with complexity is one of the most important skills we can give pupils. From my perspective, hands-on cultural engagement is central to what we do at Reed’s. If we want young people to leave school confident, articulate and culturally literate – with the awareness, empathy and intellectual curiosity that will enable them to flourish – we must immerse them in the richness and complexity of the world they are about to enter and walk alongside them as they explore it.

Boarding FAMILY

Dr Peter O’Connor of Bishop’s Stortford College on how the family feel of boarding supports pupil wellbeing and underpins academic progress

When parents consider boarding, the conversation often starts with the practicalities – timetable, facilities, activities. Yet when families choose boarding, it is rarely because of a brochure. It is because of atmosphere – the laughter in the common room, familiar faces and the certainty that their child is known, valued and understood.

That ‘family feel’ can sound soft, but it is academically serious. At Bishop’s Stortford College, we see it daily. Learning is not a passive reception of information, but an active process shaped by environment, relationships and routine. When pupils feel anxious or isolated, they avoid challenge. When they feel safe and supported, they take the risks that real learning demands.

Belonging is, therefore, not a pastoral extra but a condition for scholarship. In a strong boarding house, belonging is built

in the daily ordinary – shared meals, shared responsibility – and in those small rituals that make a place feel like a home away from home. Stability matters because genuine learning requires pupils to stumble. They need to o er a halfformed idea, risk the wrong answer, and revise their thinking in public. Where psychological safety is high, pupils engage in ‘productive struggle’ rather than retreating. Mistakes become information, paired with timely, specific feedback.

Boarding also turns scholarship into something communal. In many schools, the bell rings and the learning community disperses. For boarders, it continues – a debate over dinner, an older pupil coaching a younger one, a group comparing approaches to an essay plan. Pupils deepen understanding when they explain, question and reconstruct knowledge with others.

Routine strengthens this further by creating space for the practice that makes learning last. The advantage is not simply more hours. Adolescents need help

“Belonging is built in the daily ordinary – and in those small rituals that make a place feel like a home away from home”

maintaining attention in a world of noise, and they learn best when e ort is paced, not relentless. A boarding routine creates gentle guardrails, with a settled homework window and sensible boundaries around phones. There are adults who model calm focus, plus a clear end point so pupils can switch o and sleep. For many young people, that consistent rhythm is what makes independent study sustainable. It also makes it easier for schools to spot the quiet warning signs – avoidance, perfectionism, drifting routines – and respond early.

The final boarding strand is character, and again the link to outcomes is direct. Boarders practise self-regulation in countless small decisions, from managing technology and starting work promptly to persisting through frustration. They also build metacognition – the habit of planning, monitoring and adjusting when a method isn’t working. This is particularly important in Year 9, when pupils are negotiating increased challenge alongside a growing desire for independence. A house community can o er an anchor, and support when confidence dips.

When boarding feels like family, it doesn’t just care but engineers the conditions that allow progress to compound. Pupils attempt harder questions sooner, recover from mistakes faster, and practise more consistently. Routines protect attention and relationships protect confidence. Over time, those small advantages stack up. Misconceptions are corrected before they settle, feedback is acted on while it is still fresh, and perseverance becomes normal. In that kind of culture, progress strengthens, deepens and accelerates, until ambitious learning feels not risky, but natural.

DR PETER O’CONNOR Senior School Deputy Head (Academic)

Homeschool POSITIVES

Despite the recent negative attention, Simply Learning Tuition founder and director Nathaniel McCullagh argues that, when delivered well, homeschooling can be education at its finest

Homeschooling is hitting the headlines right now. In the past few years, the number of families choosing Elective Home Education (EHE) has shot up across the country, causing concern in many quarters. The media are overwhelmingly framing this as a change for the worse. Annual figures published by the Department for Education shows there were 126,000 children choosing EHE on the October census date last year, up almost 13 per cent from autumn 2024.

Extraordinarily, the Department of Education only started collecting data on families opting out in the autumn of 2022, so data from earlier years isn’t as reliable but, according to figures obtained by the BBC through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, some 28,550 were being homeschooled in 2019-2020. A teacher turned elective home education o cer told The Times recently that she had a caseload of 239 families in 2019, adding: “Now it’s 700. The numbers are o the scale”.

There are many reasons cited for the increase. Some families feel they do not have a choice. These are the ‘last resort’ home educators, the families who have run out of options. For many in this group,

their child’s mental health is a major reason – 16% of those in last year’s census said mental health challenges were the reason for withdrawing their child from school. Mental health covers a wide range of issues – anxiety, bullying, or a child may have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) that their school is unable to meet adequately. Children with SEND index particularly high on homeschooling metrics. There is also an increasing number of young people who may refuse to attend school due to an overwhelming anxiety – what is now known as Emotionally Based School Avoidance or EBSA.

There are parents who may feel dissatisfaction with the school curriculum’s suitability – for instance parents who have a child who is gifted and talented. There is also a growing minority who reject mainstream education and want their children to be educated through a more ‘nurturing’ approach. Interestingly, 12% of those choosing EHE for their children on last October’s census did so for preferential or philosophical reasons.

The one unifying factor here is Covid. Homeschooling numbers in the UK surged upwards after the pandemic. Subsequent lockdowns crossed a Rubicon in breaking the contract between home and school, leaving us in a new reality. The children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de

Souza is “deeply, deeply concerned” by the rising numbers. “I don’t think it is a positive choice for many young people,” she says.

“Many of these children are the lockdown generation who actually were at home and have found it di cult to get back.”

While I appreciate those concerns and would concur with other educators that the best place for most children is in a mainstream school, we see home schooling in a more positive light at Simply Learning Tuition (SLT). Whether parents come to it by choice or challenge, we know it can provide an excellent education – the sort of education that has been provided to a small number of very fortunate students for millennia. A tutor and child in a personalised, one-onone environment can have profoundly positive consequences for the child and for their wider family.

First, it is important to establish what excellent homeschooling isn’t. It isn’t an overstretched parent taking

“There were 126,000 children choosing EHE on the October census date last year, up almost 13 per cent from autumn 2024”

their child out of school in the belief they are ‘saving’ them from mainstream education and can provide an adequate education themselves. It isn’t online learning when a child at home joins an online lesson with 50 other learners –this can work very well when carefully structured – but it isn’t homeschooling. To me, excellence must always be a teacher, in the home, working in person with a child. Our homeschooling is a

managed education programme.

We do not simply provide a raft of tutors to teach a child disparate subjects at home. We manage every aspect of their education, liaising with family and often the child’s school. We act as a replacement school, but in the home, working to each family’s timetable and synchronising every aspect of the child’s learning. It is expensive, but it provides an exceptional standard of education to enable children to achieve their potential.

We also never view homeschooling as the end goal. More often than not we are homeschooling a child with the express aim of ensuring their seamless return to school. If a family comes to us in crisis –the child has a long-term illness, SEND or behavioural issues – the programme will be centred on returning that child to school when they are fit, happy and ready to thrive in that mainstream setting.

We have supported many children whose families have chosen EHE because

they have wellbeing issues. In this situation, our specialist tutors will adopt an approach that supports emotional security as much as academic progress. If a child is recovering from illness or has mental health issues, we can provide a comprehensive team of therapists, including occupational therapists, SEND tutors and executive function coaches, who help them to reengage with learning at their own pace. This alleviates pressure while rebuilding confidence and self-belief. Over time, it can support a successful transition back into mainstream education and leave a lasting foundation of resilience, e ective coping strategies and personal agency. This approach can be life-changing for parents too. No parent can feel at peace if they have a child who is struggling; we can enable a child to not only survive but thrive and get back to meaningful life. We have seen the profoundly positive e ect this has on the whole family dynamic time and time again.

EHE isn’t always about overcoming challenges. Increasing numbers of families choose to home educate for positive reasons. Either they are globally mobile and their lifestyle is too peripatetic for a single school or they take time out to travel together, believing this to be a profoundly positive form of learning. We recently looked after a family who took a year o to explore the Mediterranean aboard a 39m yacht. A residential tutor travelled with their two boys (both with acute SEND), delivering a full-time education that enabled both to return to school with no learning gap following an amazing family experience.

We also look after gifted and talented children and those following elite pathways –whether they are film or sports stars. We understand the demands that a starring role can place on a child and the requirement for carefully structured programmes that fit in around training schedules, rehearsals, and international travel. Programmes can be designed to provide seamless continuity in both learning and performance.

As an example, we are currently supporting a 16-year-old GCSE student representing Britain as an Olympic-level show jumper. Travel, training and competition make conventional schooling impractical. The

“Increasing numbers of families home educate for positive reasons – their lifestyle is too peripatetic for a single school or they take time out to travel together”

student’s dyslexia requires pacing, strategy and confidence-building. Our hybrid programme combines in-person tuition in London with online teaching while travelling. A team of tutors are covering GCSE subjects in great depth, and sessions are actively managed and stacked around shifting schedules to prevent missed learning. A dedicated academic mentor coordinates tutors, parents and SLT, ensuring outcomes are met and the student feels supported. Homeschooling, done the right way, represents mentoring at its very finest. Time spent with an expert tutor enables learning that is personal, rigorous and profoundly human. This sort of education takes immense resource and isn’t available to everyone – but maybe we do need to reframe the discussion to consider when it can be positive, beneficial and practical option.

Leaders should take note: current homeschooling figures show that there is a for need for education to be delivered di erently for some young people. At SLT we see the positive results of homeschooling in the children who grow into intellectually curious, confident young people with a great belief in their own value and place in the world.

Parents’ guide to STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS

Tradition, setting and strong academics make state boarding schools an attractive option. We profile five leading schools

Duke of York’s Royal Military School

This state boarding school is steeped in history, having been founded in 1803 for the children of British Army soldiers in Chelsea. From there, Duke of York’s Royal Military School (DOYRMS) moved to its current home in Dover, Kent in 1909 – and these days it is open to those without military connections. This is a state boarding school that has no day pupils, although flexi boarding has recently been introduced and is proving popular.

Known as Dukies, the student cohort numbers around 500 – around 440 of these are full boarders and around 45% are female. Most students join at age 11 (Year 7), although there is some additional intake further up the Senior school and at Sixth Form. The proud military heritage lives on, with almost half of students coming from families with serving backgrounds. Other students join here from across the UK, and some are from expat families. The opening of flexi boarding saw a rise in a more local cohort from around Kent and neighbouring Home Counties.

Results here are excellent, with 88% of students heading on to university – 52% get places at Oxbridge and Russell Group institutions. High-level apprenticeships at firms such as Amazon Robotics and BAE Systems

“AT HABERDASHERS’ ADAMS, THE REPUTATION FOR HIGH ACADEMIC RESULTS IS MATCHED BY A RICH VARIETY OF ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES”

also prove popular for leavers. Head of Sixth Form Joanna Towers says DOYRMS students are highly ambitious in their learning and career goals. Individual learning is supported by small class sizes – below 10 at A level (and also below 20 at GCSE).

There are over 60 weekly clubs and societies, plus a high-performance sports programme delivered by specialist coaches. Sports facilities include the Olympic-standard athletics track and indoor swimming pool, and with lots of opportunities for outdoor fun and creative activities such as drama. Students can work towards an Arts Award in Dance, Drama, Art or Music. “All students are able to find something which they enjoy here,” says Chris Stanley, DOYRMS Director of Co-Curricular.

As with most other state boarding schools, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) and Combined Cadet Force (CCF) are a popular feature of life at the school. These sit alongside a wide range of outdoor trips, expeditions and leadership opportunities to develop life skills and wider knowledge.

Haberdashers’ Adams

Haberdashers’ Adams has been a free grammar school since it was founded by William Adams in 1656. The reputation for high academic results is matched by a strong House system and a rich variety of enrichment activities. There is a big focus on providing as many opportunities as possible to try new things, with over 60 extracurricular activities including a thriving CCF and an active DofE Award scheme. These sit alongside clubs – from sport and astronomy to debating, art and creative writing. Life is busy and fast-paced, with extensive facilities and over 100 acres of playing fields. Haberdashers’ Adams has just over 1,000 pupils. Around 100 are boarders (boys only) and boarding contributes much to the ethos of the school. Originally a boys’ grammar school, the Sixth Form went co-ed in 1993 and Year 7 followed in 2024. The school will become fully co-ed from September 2028. Entry here is selective via the 11+ for Year 7, with proprietary entrance tests for Years 8-10 and a minimum of 5

GCSEs at grade 7 for Sixth Form entry.

Many boarders are drawn here from reasonably close by – across Shropshire, Sta ordshire and the West Midlands, while generally day pupils are within a 45-minute radius. Boarders from London and Warwickshire often use of the good train line between Euston and Sta ord. Similarly, some are drawn from points further north and east, and with a few international boarders from Asia and the Middle East.

In 2025, 70% of pupils went on to Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge. Pupils also secure degree apprenticeships. The school has great links with its alumni, known as Old Novaportans, with many returning to o er careers advice and support to pupils. And, as a member of the Haberdashers’ family of schools, pupils and alumni benefit from belonging to one of the City of London’s oldest livery companies. The Habs Aspire mentoring programme is set to launch this September.

Junior boarders (Years 7-9) live at Longford Hall, a glorious Georgian mansion with views of the surrounding countryside. Senior boarders (Years 10-13) move to Beaumaris Hall, a modern boarding house metres from the main school entrance. Across the twin facilities, the school prides itself on o ering the best of town and country living. Boarders are cared for by a housemaster and his team of matrons and tutors, who work closely together to create a homely, welcoming environment.

Sexey’s School

Located near Bruton in Somerset, Sexey’s started life as a trade school for boys in 1891, although its foundations go back much further as the school was funded from the bequest of Hugh Sexey, Royal Auditor to both Queen Elizabeth I and James I. It grew over time into a much larger boys’ school, becoming co-educational back in 1977.

Boarding facilities were expanded in the 1980s and it moved over

to Academy status in 2011. It has around 700 students, and around a fifth of them are boarders.

Academically, Sexey’s consistently ranks among the top five in the county, with a curriculum spanning a wide range of GCSE and A-level subjects. Famous alumni down the years include Ned Sherrin, Douglas Macmillan James Brickell and Henry Bomby.

There’s a lively extracurricular scene, with lots of sport, drama, music and creative opportunities, plus DofE and CCF. The location, in rolling Somerset countryside, makes this a perfect place to enjoy the outdoor life and the natural environment.

The three boarding houses –Macmillan, Lisbury and Coombe – all feature house tutors, matrons and house parents and are designed with a home-from-home atmosphere to build close-knit friendships and enable personal growth.

The boarding cohort includes children of military families, those working overseas and UK-based families – the combination of a lovely rural setting and direct rail services from Bruton make it highly attractive.

Flexible boarding with part-time options is attractive to local families, giving younger students the option to stay over for two or three nights of the week, while sixth formers can stay for two or four nights. For full boarders, there are exeat weekends and a full programme of activities to keep them busy while they are at school.

“GORDON’S SCHOOL IN SURREY HAS A FIFTY-STRONG PIPES AND DRUMS BAND, WHICH LEADS THE STUDENT BODY EACH YEAR ALONG WHITEHALL”

Wymondham College

Sir Lincoln Ralphs, Chief Education O cer for the county of Norfolk, conceived the idea, of Wymondham College as a state boarding school with exceptionally high academic standards and the widest range of opportunities. It was established in 1951 on the site of a wartime US Air Force Hospital. Today, only one Nissen hut remains on the campus as a reminder of this heritage, and it is now the school’s chapel. Wymondham remains proud of the US links and history, and there’s a Heritage Trail round the site.

It’s a large school, with some 1,400 students and allocation of day places is via Norfolk County Council. Boarders are accepted from age 9. The admissions process for boarding is non-selective, but there is a suitability to board interview. The boarding house structure means students belong to a smaller community, where pastoral and wellbeing support ensures every child is known. Wymondham prides

itself on being a home from home, with specialist sta and a culture that is conducive to a family dynamic.

The student community is varied, with young people coming from all over the world. These days, there are also more local students from across the county, as well as national and military families. Onward destinations include Oxbridge, Russell Group universities, and degree apprenticeships. Medicine, veterinary and engineering are popular.

The College sees state boarding as bringing a diverse range of benefits – from the opportunity to mix with a diverse international cohort to the benefits of Outstanding education and boarding (Wymondham consistently has this in all categories). It also points to students’ rich opportunities, with over 70 extracurricular activities on o er every week – ranging from horse riding and paddleboarding to coding and baking. Sport is a big draw, with students competing against independents and more than holding their own. Sport is also a rich part of the mix at a more recreational level, and with coaching and facilities to support every child’s interests.

Gordon’s School

Gordon’s School in Surrey has a unique place in British history. It was established as the National Memorial to General Gordon at the insistence of Queen Victoria, opening in 1885 as a home for ‘necessitous’ boys. Where once it was run on military lines, it shifted with the times, becoming co-ed in 1990 and now attracting a good gender balance and just under 1,000 pupils.

There’s a lasting tradition of ceremony, and every student beginning in the lower years learns to march – instilling pride and belonging. The school also boasts a 50-strong pipes and drums band, which leads the student body each year along Whitehall in a Parade to the statue of General Gordon. It ranks among the most successful schools in the country, sitting in the top 5% for progress at A level. There are three main admission points – 11, 13 (residential boarding only) and Sixth Form – most students join at age 11 or 16. While it is non-selective lower down, five GCSEs, with grades 9 to 5 including Grade 5 in English and Maths, are required for A levels. Day boarder places are especially oversubscribed, so oversubscription criteria apply (the majority of day pupils are very local). For residential boarding, priority is given to students with parents in the Armed Forces, and students are drawn here from all over the world. Many students from Gordon’s head on to Russell Group universities. Apprenticeships have become increasingly popular, as have places at music and drama school. There have been notable recent successes with sports scholarships, and with a high-achieving alumni list.

All students benefit from an extended day, so day students can stay for supper and complete their prep alongside their boarding peers. With over 128 co-curricular activities to choose from, ranging from Brazilian Jujitsu to Mock Trials, there is something here for everyone.

Boarding is a nurturing and closeknit a air, and there’s a good blend and also a ‘critical mass’ to make life fun. “We are preparing them to go out into the world as confident, responsible, caring adults,” says Head of Boarding Sam Cooper.

BELIEVING Seeing Is

An open day is the best way to explore options, says UKSA , o ering a great way for parents to understand more and children to explore their ambitions and motivations

As a parent, you want clarity. At 16+, the decisions your child faces – university, apprenticeships, gap year or something less conventional – feel weighty at any time and more complicated than ever right now. When future career opportunities enter the conversation, you are often the first to pick up the phone, not your child. At UK Sailing Academy (UKSA), we regularly speak to parents long before we meet their sons and daughters. Some parents are planning a year or more ahead. Some are simply curious, responding to a spark of interest from their child. Perhaps a long-held love of the sea, perhaps inspiration from a television series like Below Deck, or the growing number of ‘day in the life’ maritime careers stories appearing online. That is why seeing firsthand what the options and opportunities are becomes so important.

UKSA monthly open days, held on Saturdays at our four-acre waterfront campus in Cowes, Isle of Wight, are designed specifically with families in mind. Those attending hear a presentation outlining courses, pathways and facilities. Open day visitors then split into smaller groups and the conversation begins to shift to potential pathways for each of the young people.

As they tour classrooms, accommodation, canteen and pontoons, it is often noted that UKSA’s setting feels more like a small university campus than a training centre. Parents are able to speak directly with course advisors about qualifications, medical requirements and funding options, with space and time in the schedule for detailed questions and honest answers.

“The open day gave us reassurance,” noted a parent who visited recently to find out more. “We arrived with lots of practical questions, but we left with a clear sense of structure, safety and progression. Most importantly, our

daughter left feeling it was her decision.”

That understanding and sense of ownership matters. Whether a child is considering a gap year, a direct route into a maritime career, or simply exploring alternatives to university, an open day allows them to test their motivation against the reality of training.

And at UKSA the training is rigorous, running seven days a week, with only occasional days o . It prepares young people for an industry that is demanding, professional and rewarding. This is one reason the team at UKSA encourage students to gain at least a year of part-time work experience beforehand – not necessarily maritime, but any role that builds resilience, teamwork and accountability.

From first enquiry through to a student’s first role, support is continuous. “What makes the di erence in the long term is a joined-up approach: training, careers guidance, and welfare are not

separate strands, but part of a continuous journey. At UKSA, we call this lifetime careers support,” says UKSA Industry and Careers Coordinator Lauren Saltonstall.

That support includes CV guidance and introductions to crew agencies, and with mentoring and advice as careers progress. It also means thoughtful pastoral care – support for additional learning needs and dietary requirements, and sensitive conversations around assisted funding where appropriate.

Choosing a post-16 pathway is not simply about the next step, it is about equipping young people with qualifications, confidence and direction. An open day is where that clarity begins. Seeing an environment, meeting the people and understanding the expectations makes it much easier to decide, with assurance, if this is the right course for your child’s ambition – whether that is building a longterm career, seeing the world, or both.

“We regularly speak to parents long before we meet their sons and daughters – some parents are planning a year or more ahead”

Ask the EXPERTS

Our

experts answer your questions on US university applications and strategies to expand the range of a fussy eater

DR KAT COHEN

Founder and CEO, IvyWise

QMy daughter, aged 13, already has her heart set on getting into a top US university. She’s been advised to start the groundwork now. Can you give pointers on how to begin preparing for an application that still seems a long way o ?

AAge 13 may feel early to be thinking about university, but it is actually an excellent age to begin preparing. While the UK university admissions process centres primarily on academic performance and exam results, the US process is more holistic. Admissions o cers evaluate both quantitative and qualitative factors, including transcripts and standardised test scores, extracurriculars, summer activities, recommendation letters and application essays.

US universities use admissions rubrics to evaluate applicant profiles, so understanding these frameworks is critical to long-term planning. IvyWise’s guidance is shaped by years of combined experience from former admissions deans and directors at some of the world’s most selective universities, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, UPenn, USC and NYU. We guide students

to build strong profiles throughout secondary school and, when the time comes, articulate them through clear, cohesive applications.

Your daughter’s focus should be on profile building. This is the ideal time to discover genuine interests before gradually building depth and sustained engagement. US universities place far more value on long-term commitment and growth than on a long list of disconnected courses and activities. Our team’s approach would be to help her identify her interests and develop a strategic and actionable plan for her four final years of secondary school. If she is interested in STEM, for instance, we would recommend a course load that gears up to advanced

“US universities place far more value on longterm commitment and growth than on a long list of disconnected courses and activities”

mathematics and science courses by Year 12/13, as well as meaningful engagement with research opportunities and purpose projects. Additionally, it is important to plan ahead for standardised testing. Many highly selective universities – including most Ivy League institutions, Stanford, and MIT –require SAT/ACT scores. Even at testoptional universities, strong scores are advantageous. IvyWise’s guidance and targeted test preparation help students prepare e ciently and go into these exams with confidence. Our team has hands-on experience in enrolment management, evaluating thousands of applications and making tough admissions decisions. This means we help families plan strategically from the very beginning. Once it’s time to prepare applications, our counsellors come together in our ‘Roundtable’ process to review students’ materials. This means students benefit from the collective expertise and multiple perspectives of former admissions o cers.

With early, strategic guidance, your daughter can develop her profile and be fully prepared to present a compelling application when the time comes. ivywise.com

LUCY UPTON

Paediatric dietician and founder of The Children’s Dietician

QMy son, age 6, is limited in what he’ll eat and can panic when unfamiliar foods are put in front of him. I would like to gently help him expand his food horizons before he starts his new school next September.

AFirst, I want you to know that you are far from alone. Up to 50% of families experience food refusal at some stage. Selective eating can persist into the early school years and, for some children, even longer. One of the most important first steps is understanding your son’s ‘why?’. There is always a reason children struggle with new or unfamiliar foods. Exploring this with empathy removes blame from everyone. Common reasons include:

• Food neophobia – a normal developmental stage where they become more cautious around unfamiliar foods.

• Genetics – selective eating has a significant hereditary component.

• Temperament – children with a cautious temperament or higher emotional reactivity are more likely to be selective eaters.

• Early experiences – reflux, allergies or painful feeding can create lasting caution.

• Sensory di erences – some children

“One of the most important fi rst steps is understanding your son’s ‘why?’ There is always a reason children struggle”

are more sensitive to texture, smell or appearance.

• Responses to food refusal – if food refusal has been met with pressure, this may unintentionally reinforce the desire for autonomy or create anxiety. If your son seems to panic around unfamiliar food, this would signal to me that it’s not just preferences, it’s his nervous system stepping in. As parents, we naturally want to fix this, but if new foods trigger a fight-or-flight response, hunger often switches o . So, step one I’d suggest is creating safety at the table and helping him to feel back in control. Remove all pressure, persuasion or ‘just one bite’ approaches. Instead, focus on autonomy – for example, deconstruct meals in the middle of the table and let him decide what goes on his plate. Continue serving accepted foods, but not exclusively. Think of meals as including one or two of his accepted options alongside something slightly di erent. The goal here isn’t

immediate eating but repeated, lowpressure exposure.

Role modelling is super powerful for lots of children. They often mirror our (and their peers’) interactions and relationship with food. Eating the same meal calmly, showing enjoyment, and talking neutrally (colour, shape, taste) rather than emotively (‘it’s delicious’) can have a huge impact over time.

Make new foods less intimidating by reducing portion size or start with small changes. If your son eats plain pasta, could you try a di erent shape? If he eats chicken nuggets, could you try homemade coated chicken?

Progress won’t look like delving in to eat, but curiosity about a food. If food refusal persists, his range of foods drops to less than 15, or there is significant distress around mealtimes, please do reach out for a referral to a feeding professional for ongoing support.

thechildrensdietitian.co.uk

Paying it FORWARD

School community is at its best, says Eltham College, when it remains active and dedicated to helping generations to come

Community is at the heart of every school. Sta and students come together daily, united in their purpose of developing the skills and educational foundation which underpin a thriving society. A wider community – parents, carers, governors and more – lends support. For those within, that community becomes a source of identity. Your school, your form, your house, your team, your friendship group – all, for a time, play a role in defining who you are.

And then you leave. Your community becomes your university, your college, your industry, your family and friends. For many of us, that once all-important school community fades to insignificance – a distant memory of days when summers were longer and hairstyles, in retrospect, questionable. Unless that school community has shaped your life so positively and profoundly that you

feel a longing to pay the benefit forward by sharing the experience, knowledge and networks you have garnered since.

So it is at south-east London day school, Eltham College, where an extremely active and engaged online network of over 2,500 Old Elthamians in the widest range of professions provide support to current pupils and each other, especially those starting out in their career. No fewer than one third have o ered to help current and former students across areas such as work experience, mentorship and delivering talks as part of the Career Learning and Excellence programmes.

Within this group is a network of 'Elthamentors' – a dedicated team of volunteers who give their time to help pupils prepare for their applications to the most competitive universities, and to whom all sixth formers have access. Representing a broad spectrum of academic interests, these volunteers provide invaluable help with

“An extremely active and engaged online network of over 2,500 Old Elthamians in the widest range of professions, provide support to current pupils”

university and college choices – from suggestions for wider reading and admissions-test preparation to feedback on personal statements and hosting mock interviews.

The Elthamian Network also helps enable the week of meaningful work experience undertaken by all Year 12 students. Recent placements have been in areas such as as law, finance, engineering and medicine. Work experience has included stints with barristers’ chambers, Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Williams Racing and EY.

Meanwhile, the school’s annual ‘Speed Networking’ event sees some 50 former students, representing many di erent industry pathways and at varying stages in their career journey, return to the College to spend an afternoon advising pupils in Year 12.

Alumni support is a cornerstone of Eltham school life – not just in Sixth Form. Year 8 students, currently exploring architecture in their art lessons, were recently visited by two architectural practitioners at di erent career stages. The first, who left Eltham College in 1990 and now has his own established and highly successful firm, has acted as mentor since Sixth Form days to the second, who is currently in training.

As Ramon Baker, Head of Legal at a major bank and a highly active and supportive member of the Elthamian Network wrote, after speaking as Guest of Honour at the College Prize Giving last year: 'The values that Eltham College instilled in me –confidence, resilience, and ambition – have shaped every step of my journey so far'.

He added: 'To be invited back to share my story – and, I hope, inspire others to believe in their own potential – was deeply humbling. Thank you, Eltham College, for the opportunity, and for the foundation you gave me all those years ago. Here’s to continuing to build impact – and passing it forward'.

Sixth Form

SIXTH FORM MOVERS P 106 TIME TO PIVOT P 113 MIND BROADENER P 118 EXECUTIVE SKILLSET P 127

INSPIRED LEARNING

The new Zaha Hadid Sixth Form at Berkhamsted School. Page 123

Sixth form MOVERS

Jess Harris, Head of Quintessentially Education, on what to consider before choosing a UK independent school for those critical sixth-form years

UK independent school sixth forms have long been a draw for UK and international families. Parents and children are attracted by their strong university preparation, academic rigour and the cultural and enrichment opportunities beyond the curriculum.

Moving school at sixth form is an exciting and transformative step, but not without its challenges. There may be adjustments needed to manage the di erence in academic rigour, cultural expectations, living arrangements and personal independence. However, with proper planning, the final two years of school life can be profoundly enriching and provide the foundation for future academic and career success. Making the move at 16+ – whether from abroad or from another UK state or independent school – is a big decision. Here are Quintessentially Education's insights to help you make the right choice.

THE RIGHT SETTING

You will find a wide variety of sixth-form settings, each with particular benefits, so it's important to think about what will best suit your child and your family situation.

Boarding schools are often the most practical option for international families, but also a good choice for UK families living at some distance and those who want their child to enjoy wraparound care and a vibrant social life. They act as a home-from-home, with academic and pastoral support and fantastic extracurricular activities within a structured environment. Most UK boarding schools now o er weekly and flexi options – useful for those located in the UK or with UK-based relatives.

Day schools attract local families but may also suit international families who have relocated to the area or who have relatives close to the school.

International independent schools generally have a higher number of students from overseas, o er additional English-language or transition support

and may follow a di erent curriculum. You can choose from international boarding schools, such as ACS Cobham or ACS Hillingdon and international day schools such as International School of London (ISL) and Southbank International School. Some schools, such as Marymount International School London, have a mix of both boarders and more local day pupils. Tutorial colleges o er tailored teaching for students. Not all accommodate boarders but many do, including St Clares, Oxford, MPW and DLD College London. These schools are distinguished by o ering a more adult environment with small tutorial-style classes, good EFL support and special programmes for entering mainstream British education even at atypical entry points.

What to consider

• If you're looking at boarding, ask how many students are full-time boarders. You don’t want your child left there at weekends with most other students going home to family.

"Applications often open a year in advance – too many parents leave the application until six months beforehand, causing unnecessary stress"

• Find out the number and range of international students.

• Check how many new pupils join at sixth form – it may be harder to integrate if the number is low.

ACADEMICS AND PATHWAYS

Choosing the right academic pathway is a key decision. Most UK schools still study A levels in sixth form. There is, however, an increasing number of independent schools o ering the IB Diploma, which is a broader curriculum than the typical three or four A levels. BTEC vocational qualifications in areas such as sport and drama are o ered at some schools.

Whatever the academic pathway, consider if your child is ready for the learning style expected in independent school sixth forms. Teachers assume a high degree of self-motivation, resilience and intellectual curiosity. There is more expectation of independent study skills than in other settings. Check that your child’s prior studies align with entry requirements. Some UK schools expect a GCSE or IGCSE foundation in specific subjects, and bridging support may be limited. If your child has not already studied subjects aligned with the UK system (e.g. IGCSE),

Cultural concerns

Moving to a new school at sixth form – whether in the UK or from abroad – is a cultural shift. And in UK independent schools there are strong expectations around punctuality, responsibility, and academic seriousness. This is particularly true at sixth-form level, where students are treated as young adults to prepare them for the transition to further study and working life. Check on school behaviour expectations and disciplinary procedures and find out about pastoral support for students making a major geographic and/or cultural shift. Also ask about the extracurricular programme, particularly activities to help boost social engagement and friendships.

you may find gaps in background knowledge. These can usually be addressed with tutoring when identified in advance.

What to consider

• How does the school support students transitioning to an alternative curriculum?

• What is the typical class size and how is progress tracked?

• Find out how well the school has performed in exams over the years and not just recently (important given the disruption Covid caused to exams).

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Requirements vary but most selective schools require a strong academic track record – the equivalent of five or six GCSEs (including English and Maths) at Grade 6 or above and Grade 7 or higher in subjects to be studied – an entrance exam in these study subjects is also typical. Schools require English language proficiency, with proof via school reports or standardised tests if your child is not a native speaker and will interview and assess applicants either in person or online.

Preparing your child for the application process is critical, and thereafter, it’s all about timing. Applications often open a

year in advance, with decisions sometimes needed months before entry, making early planning crucial. Too many parents leave the application until six months beforehand, causing unnecessary stress.

If your child's English needs improving, hire a tutor at home or consider a preboarding school study programme for nonEnglish speakers. These are run by several well-known British schools and children can attend for a short summer course.

What to consider

• If a school say it has ‘provision’ for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) ask exactly what that consists of, and whether it will cost extra. EFL teachers should have a teaching degree/ diploma as well as an EFL qualification.

• Look into the specific requirements of each school you are considering to allow time for 'topping up' skills and amassing required paperwork.

WELFARE AND WELLBEING

For parents living apart from their child, wellbeing and safety is a priority. UK independent schools typically place strong emphasis on pastoral care, especially in boarding environments. House parents, tutors, counsellors and medical sta are usually on site or readily accessible. If a student is under 18 and their parents are not in the UK, a UK-based guardian must be appointed. Guardians act as an emergency point of contact, attend meetings if parents cannot be there and provide holiday accommodation when needed. Choosing a reputable guardianship agency is essential.

What to consider

• How does the school support students emotionally during the initial transition period and thereafter?

• For boarders, what are the contact arrangements with parents – especially during the settling in period?

STUDENT OUTCOMES

A major advantage of studying at a UK independent school is that the school aligns its structures and courses directly with university timelines, making the application to university more streamlined.

"A major advantage of studying in a UK independent school is that they align their structures and courses directly with university timelines"

Practical concerns

If your child is not a British passport holder, they need a Student Visa to study in the UK. Schools can guide you through this process but do ensure the school you pick has a CAS licence and is able to sponsor overseas candidates. Don't forget costs beyond tuition and boarding fees – including uniform, books and technology plus extracurricular activities and school trips. For international students, guardianship services, travel between home country and the UK and healthcare and insurance need to be factored into costings.

Strong careers guidance teams are a feature of most independent schools. They are hugely experienced at preparing students for UK university admissions via UCAS, but many also have considerable expertise (and success) in international university applications across Europe, North America and further afield. It can be helpful to think about potential onward destinations early – this may even influence your child's choice of sixth form.

What to consider

• Ask about onward destinations and how many students go on to top universities for competitive courses such as medicine, engineering, law and economics.

• Find out how the school guides and supports applications to the US and other non-UK higher education destinations.

Quintessentially Education o ers advice on independent sixth form choices, including pre-sixth form summer schools. quintessentially.com/education

Merchant Taylors’ is renowned for its outstanding academic education. Our mission is to truly know each pupil. We support them in exploring world-class opportunities, helping them discover and develop their unique talents.

find out

ALUMNI CONNECTION

The Advancement Director at Malvern College on how alumni networks o er both powerful role models and active support of student aspirations

There is a simple formula at the heart of every meaningful school experience. Choose a school and add academic learning, pastoral care and opportunity. Multiply that by friendships, co-curricular life, shared challenges and formative experiences. The outcome is not just a set of qualifications, but a former pupil who wears their school’s badge and colours with pride –and carries its values long after they leave. What endures is not simply what was learned in the classroom, but the sense of belonging that develops when young people feel connected to a community. When that sense of belonging is strong, alumni do not just recognise a crest or a name but the character, mindset and shared experience of others shaped by the same environment. That recognition creates powerful role models and, crucially, a desire to give back.

Across the independent-school sector, many institutions articulate their purpose in terms of shaping future citizens, leaders or role models. At Malvern College, this is captured in the ethos ‘Tomorrow’s role models, shaped today’. It reflects a broader truth – education is cumulative. Every lesson, rehearsal, match, performance and conversation adds another component to the outcome.

The role models pupils most readily connect with are often those who once stood exactly where they stand now. This is why alumni should not be viewed as a distant network communicated with periodically, but as a living extension of school culture. The most e ective schools integrate former pupils into the present through mentoring, careers education, shared stories and visible engagement. Alumni success, when framed properly, is not about celebrating accolades alone, but about demonstrating the values, curiosity and resilience that underpin achievements. Many schools can point to alumni working at the highest levels. From Oscar winners to Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs to diplomats, these individuals o er pupils tangible proof of what is possible. Yet it is often the quieter, more relatable connections – a shared subject passion, a familiar co-curricular pathway or a challenge overcome – that resonate most strongly. At Malvern, connecting current learning to alumni outcomes is a deliberate strategy. When a pupil undertook the ambitious task of building a Land Rover from scratch, it naturally echoed the legacy of Old Malvernian Maurice Wilks, developer of the original Land Rover. When alumna Danielle

“The role models pupils most readily connect with are often those who once stood exactly where they stand now”

Clementina Close appeared on Dragon’s Den with her skincare brand, pupils followed her journey through a cross-curricular project spanning science, design and business.

Belonging fosters generosity. Alumni who felt part of a community are far more likely to give back with time, insights and opportunities. Strong alumni networks now play a vital role in careers education. This is not just at the point of school-leaving, but through university and into early careers. In a climate where the value of traditional pathways is increasingly questioned, alumni provide continuity and credibility. They show that education is not a transaction, but a lifelong relationship.

When schools get the formula right –learning, multiplied by experience, grounded in belonging – the outcome is clear. Former pupils do not just remember where they were educated but actively help shape the next generation. That is why alumni are not simply a measure of past success, but a vital part of every school’s future.

REBECCA MERRETT

Director

TIME TO PIVOT

The Director of Global Futures at Tonbridge School on why careers education can’t stand still at a time when the professional world is being reinvented

One truth is becoming impossible to ignore: traditional academic credentials alone no longer prepare young people for the world of work.

We are witnessing a profound decoupling of academic prestige from real-world usefulness. Gone are the days when a place at a ‘good’ university reliably translated into a job.

This tension is felt most acutely in the independent sector, where success has long been measured by Oxbridge o ers, Russell Group progression, or rising numbers of Ivy League places. Yet a familiar paradox persists – the ‘gold standard’ graduate (9s at GCSE, four A*s at A level, a First from Oxbridge) falters in the first round of interviews, while a peer with more modest academic credentials progresses. The implication is clear. Strong grades do not guarantee professional readiness.

The pace of societal change makes this challenge more urgent. Technology is reshaping professions at speed, and within five years half of all jobs are expected to require di erent skills and qualifications. Schools cannot future-proof pupils for specific roles that may not yet exist, but they can equip them with adaptability, communication, creativity, ethical judgement and the confidence to navigate uncertainty.

So schools need to pivot. But how? First, we must redefine success beyond destinations at 18. Where pupils go after school matters, but who they become by 25 matters more. Long-term thinking encourages pupils to see education as preparation for a lifetime of adaptation rather than a single admissions hurdle. At Tonbridge School, this shift is captured in our ‘Think 25’ approach, which encourages pupils to reflect on future identity and contribution, not just next steps. This reframing subtly but powerfully changes conversations.

Second, we embed futures education into everyday learning. Careers education works best when it is not bolted on but

“If schools want their pupils to thrive, they must pivot from celebrating destinations to cultivating direction”

woven through the curriculum. Mapping learning to real-world contexts, building structured reflection into subject teaching, and developing self-awareness alongside academic mastery helps pupils understand how knowledge translates into professional value. Aligning this work with recognised frameworks, such as the Gatsby Benchmarks, brings coherence and consistency.

Third, prioritise real-world exposure. Work experience, mentoring and encounters with employers develop commercial awareness, confidence and communication. Schools can no longer rely on reputation alone to open doors – they must cultivate networks that give pupils insight into di erent pathways and sectors. Tonbridge’s use of alumni, parents and employer partners to create meaningful

encounters is one example of how this can be achieved at scale.

Finally, support pupils beyond the school gates. The transition from university into work is increasingly complex. Continued guidance during the early professional years helps avoid missteps and builds momentum. Schools that extend their sense of responsibility beyond results day send a powerful signal about what they truly value.

The point is not to abandon academic excellence. Rigour still matters. But prestige alone is losing its power in a skills-first economy. If schools want their pupils to thrive, they must pivot from celebrating destinations to cultivating direction, and from counting o ers to building capability. The measure of success is no longer where pupils go at 18, but who they become in the decades that follow.

RUTH DAVIS Director of Global Futures Tonbridge School

Vocational BOOST

Katy

Williams, Deputy Head of Pupils at Framlingham College, explains the growing popularity of BTECs

Figures from gov.uk show that in the 20222023 academic year approximately 240,000 certificates were awarded in England for Level 3 qualification, including BTECs. This had increased by a further 16.6% in 2024-2025 with just over 280,000 pupils enrolled in at least one Level 3 qualification.

Like many British schools Framlingham College has seen the popularity of BTECs increase – 64% more Framlingham pupils completed BTEC courses in the last academic year. One of the main reasons for their appeal is because they provide added choice for pupil’s futures. For some young people, BTEC qualifications are seen as a way to launch straight into work while still accumulating UCAS points if they decide to pursue further education or study abroad. For others, it’s the flexible learning, high level of independence and courseworkbased assessments which appeal.

“This combined BTEC and A-level route seems to make students even more attractive to universities and employers”

Education is not ‘one-size-fits-all’ and success comes in di erent paths. While in the past, BTECs were often seen as a route suited to pupils pursuing hands-on, vocational careers, today they are widely recognised for delivering practical skills and academic knowledge. BTECs provide a coursework-driven approach where students focus on individual modules and develop their skills over time.

At Framlingham, a large proportion of pupils choose what we call ‘a mixed profile’ of BTECs and A levels. This combined route provides a broad and adaptable skillset. We have found it seems to make students even more attractive to universities and employers, which increasingly value theoretical knowledge and academic depth alongside evidence of project-based learning.

We o er BTECs in Business, Computer Science, Music, Music Technology and Sports Science. Some are available as an Extended Certificate (equivalent to one A level), while others are o ered as a Diploma (two A levels), Our individualised ethos and varied curriculum allow pupils to choose combinations that suit their interests, talents and future ambitions.

Year 13 pupil Archie chose three BTECs and one A level. “As somebody with dyslexia who thrives on being busy and productive, a coursework-heavy study structure worked best for my style

of learning. BTECs o er consistency and openness, allowing you to work independently and build your final grade with assessments, rather than a conventional exam,” he says. “I think BTECs have increased in popularity because they remove exam anxiety and allow pupils to monitor their grades and receive regular feedback.

“They also help to enhance essential life skills such as independence, resilience and organisation – ready for university.”

Felix chose two BTECs and one A level. “I am not a huge fan of exams as I’ve found that they only test you on a narrow scope of what we learn in the curriculum. BTECs provide a broader way of learning,” he says. “For those considering BTECs, my advice would be to work consistently from the start.

“If you can get into a good habit of doing the coursework assignments on time early on in the year, it gives you a solid foundation.”

KATY WILLIAMS Deputy Head of Pupils Framlingham College

CAREER DIRECTION

Meredith McDill of St Clare’s, Oxford on the vital and growing role of tailored careers guidance in a rapidly shifting global landscape

Careers guidance has long been viewed as a practical add-on to education – a service to help students write personal statements, prepare CVs, or choose university courses. But in today’s rapidly shifting global landscape, its role is far more profound. E ective careers education is not simply about destinations, it is about direction, self-understanding, and the confidence to make informed life choices.

Each year, students leave school facing an expanding array of pathways. University remains a popular route, but it now sits alongside apprenticeships, international study, entrepreneurship, and structured gap years. Without informed guidance, these choices can feel overwhelming. With it, the possibilities become empowering.

One of the most striking observations from working closely with students is how early reflection shapes later success. When young people are given structured opportunities to explore their interests, values and strengths, their decision-making becomes more purposeful. Rather than choosing courses based solely on grades or external expectations, they begin to align academic

choices with longer-term aspirations. This process fosters motivation – students work harder when they understand the ‘why’ behind their studies.

Individual guidance is particularly powerful because one-to-one conversations create space for nuance. It may be a student unsure whether to study politics or economics, another weighing UK and US applications or a third considering medicine but worried about the demands. Tailored counselling helps students map options realistically while still thinking ambitiously. Importantly, it also normalises uncertainty. Not having a fixed plan at 16 or 17 is not a weakness – it is a starting point. Impactful careers education extends beyond meetings. A strong programme embeds skill-building throughout school life. Workshops on interview technique, presentation skills and professional communication equip students with competencies they will use repeatedly – at university, in internships and in employment. These transferable skills often prove as valuable as academic results. Exposure is another critical element. Encounters with universities, employers and alumni broaden horizons in ways classrooms alone cannot. Higher Education fairs, visiting

speaker programmes and career insight days enable students to ask questions and discover opportunities they hadn’t considered

Careers guidance also plays a vital role in equity. Not all students have access to professional networks or family experience of higher education. Schools can help level this playing field by providing reliable information, application support and advocacy. In doing so, they ensure that talent, not background, shapes progression.

Perhaps the most overlooked impact of careers education is the development of life skills. Navigating applications teaches resilience. Balancing academic study with service projects or leadership roles builds time management. Reflecting on strengths and setbacks cultivates maturity. By the time students transition to university or the workplace, those who have engaged deeply with guidance programmes often demonstrate greater independence and adaptability.

In an era where the future of work is evolving, preparing students for a single job is no longer su cient. We must prepare them for a lifetime of learning, re-skilling and change. Careers guidance, when delivered thoughtfully, does exactly this. It helps young people understand themselves, engage with the world beyond school and step forward with clarity and confidence.

Ultimately, the success of careers guidance is measured not only by university o ers or job titles, but by whether students feel equipped to build meaningful, flexible and fulfilling lives.

Perspective

MIND broadener

Despite ‘trip inflation’ concerns, Nicolette Liston of St Albans School believes a well-planned residential delivers unbeatable experiential learning

Overseas residential trips o er a form of experiential learning that simply cannot be replicated in a classroom. For many students, these journeys spark ‘lightbulb’ moments where theory becomes tangible. Geography textbooks come alive as they watch advection fog roll in o the Atlantic – an on-the spot illustration of temperature inversion. Similarly, lessons on global inequality resonate more clearly when they visit places without the comforts they are used to in the UK. Trips create conditions for deep intellectual curiosity and can prompt questions students would never consider within familiar surroundings.

While concerns about ‘trip inflation’ have understandably made some schools cautious, well-run educational trips remain both safe and deeply worthwhile. Travel without parents typically places more responsibility on pupils – but within highly structured, rigorously risk-assessed parameters. Children are supported by experienced sta , and with robust supervision ratios and strong back-up systems.

Reputable educational trip providers are acutely aware of cost pressures and have

worked hard to limit price rises without compromising safety or safeguarding. Schools, too, have adapted by stripping out non-essentials. They also negotiate lineby-line with providers to tailor experiences tightly to curriculum goals and budget constraints. In this context, overseas trips remain purposeful, thoughtfully designed, and far more accessible than the narrative may suggest.

Beyond curriculum links, overseas experiences foster humility, self-awareness and perspective. Students begin to understand how their own lives contrast with the realities of others around the world. The extended residential nature of the trips also cultivates independence. Managing personal belongings, keeping to itineraries, and navigating new cultural expectations all contribute to personal growth. Equally important is the social dimension, as students build new friendships across year groups and collaborate in unfamiliar environments. Immersive, challenging and memorable, overseas trips broaden horizons in ways that shape academic understanding and personal development.

Travelling abroad develops a sophisticated range of transferable skills essential for young people preparing for adulthood.

Communication skills grow rapidly as students interact across language barriers, whether using basic Arabic or French in Moroccan souks or relying on non-verbal communication to show respect and navigate cultural di erences. They may discover the challenge and reward of customs such as bartering, which demands confidence,

numeracy, critical thinking and cultural awareness. Problem-solving becomes second nature as students negotiate converting currencies or deciding what constitutes fair tipping for local services.

Time management and personal responsibility are also sharpened. For possibly the first time, students must safeguard their passports, pack for themselves and stay within weight limits for flights. Critical thinking is strengthened through real exposure to global issues – informal economies, water scarcity and the environmental impact of tourism. Students learn to question assumptions and reflect on the complexities of global interdependence.

Likewise, international travel pushes

students gently but firmly beyond their comfort zone, encouraging them to adapt to embrace new experiences with an open mind. Navigating busy places, unfamiliar foods, di erent social norms, and challenging climates teaches students how to manage uncertainty and provides safe opportunities for overcoming fears.

Resilience grows through the natural unpredictability of travel. Students also learn to take responsibility for themselves and one another – maintaining group safety, following guidance and supporting peers. Students realise that confidence isn’t about being fearless but about coping with discomfort and persevering. Such moments of growth endure, empowering students to face academic and social challenges and future workplace demands with more maturity.

For example, a recent overseas geography trip to Morocco o ered St Albans School Sixth Form students a transformative experience. The tour centred on academic exploration and cultural immersion, exposing students to spectacular landscapes and enabling them to observe geological processes, settlement patterns, and cultural diversity first-hand. Camel treks into the dunes, nights under starlit skies, surf lessons on the Atlantic coast, as well as haggling in Marrakech’s vibrant souks, brought geography to life in unforgettable ways.

The trip’s purpose was to deepen their understanding of landscapes, climate systems, and development issues.

Travelling from Marrakech across the Tizi n’Tichka Pass, students observed dramatic geological formations that

illuminated theoretical concepts such as orogenesis, strata and tectonic processes. Visits to Ait Ben Haddou and Essaouira highlighted settlement adaptation, cultural palimpsests, and the role of heritage in shaping identity and tourism. In the Sahara Desert, students trekked by camel to a Bedouin-style camp. The itinerary also exposed students to local economies, as they visited sa ron cooperatives, observed artisan woodworking, and explored Essaouira’s maritime-trade heritage.

Creative subjects also benefit from residential trips – travel experiences provide powerful stimuli for art, photography, creative writing, and project-based learning. Ultimately, residentials, planned well, act as intellectual catalysts, transforming abstract learning into lived experiences.

Such experiences encourage students to recognise their place in an interconnected world and understand the impact of their actions on other communities. By engaging respectfully with di erent cultures, students develop ethical awareness and a sense of responsibility.

Exposure to diverse values and traditions develops an appreciation of di erence without judgement. The independence and self-management required while travelling in this way builds both maturity and readiness for future opportunities, including gap years, higher education and international study and work.

NICOLETTE LISTON

Head of Lower School

St Albans School

TESTING TIMES

The Principal of MPW Cambridge Anne Meisner on helping students navigate exam revision with success

As exam season approaches, many parents ask the same question: how can I support my child without adding pressure? Schools provide subject expertise, but it is the routines and attitudes established at home that often shape how successfully students manage revision.

Wellbeing is the foundation. Students sometimes approach revision as an endurance test, staying up late and measuring productivity by hours spent at a desk. In reality, fatigue reduces concentration, memory and e ciency. Regular aerobic exercise improves attention, mood and stress regulation. Even 30 minutes of moderate movement can increase focus. Families can support this by encouraging consistent sleep routines and limiting late night screen use.

Exam anxiety is common. A degree of nervousness can sharpen focus, but di culties arise when students begin to equate performance with self-worth or catastrophise setbacks. Parents can help by keeping conversations centred on e ort, strategy and progress rather than outcomes alone.

Calm reassurance, perspective and practical guidance build resilience far more e ectively than repeated reminders about consequences. Without structure, revision time can be wasted. Students should aim to begin structured preparation at least six weeks before major exams. The first step is to list all subjects and identify weaker topics.

A weekly timetable should be realistic and visible. Many students benefit from dividing the day into manageable study blocks, working productively during two sections of the day and reserving one period for rest. One full day o each week can prevent burnout, provided the remaining days are used well. Plans should remain flexible. After each mock or assessment, students should review their performance and adjust their timetable accordingly. This strengthens independence and encourages ownership of learning. Finally, there’s revision. Rereading notes creates familiarity but not mastery, so revision must be active and deliberate. Students can identify knowledge gaps

“Parents can help by keeping conversations centred on e ort, strategy and progress rather than outcomes alone”

using past papers and class assessments. Topics should be broken into small sections and revisited regularly. New formats – mind maps, summary sheets or flashcards – can deepen understanding. Speaking answers aloud, teaching a topic to someone else and completing timed past paper questions all support recall and exam technique.

Marking responses carefully using mark schemes helps students to understand how marks are awarded. After each assessment, it’s helpful to analyse where marks were lost and why. Adjusting revision strategies in response is what turns e ort into measurable progress.

At MPW, these principles are embedded in daily practice. Regular invigilated assessments familiarise students with subject knowledge, exam technique and time management. Weekly one-to-one meetings with Personal Tutors provide structured opportunities to reflect on performance, refine revision methods and set clear targets. Our students are encouraged to evaluate how e ectively they revise and to share these reflections with tutors and families. We recognise that sometimes students need an additional boost as they head towards their exams – which is why we have been running Easter Revision courses for all students, not just our own, for over 35 years.

When wellbeing, structure and active learning come together, exams become manageable challenges rather than overwhelming obstacles.

Sixth success

The Zaha Hadid Sixth Form at Berkhamsted provides a purpose-built

and innovative place to learn and grow

Berkhamsted Schools Group opened the doors of its new Sixth Form building last March. This forwardlooking, purpose-built space was conceived and designed to reflect how young people learn, work and collaborate in the modern world. Nearly a year on, its impact on learning and attainment is clearly evident.

The Zaha Hadid Sixth Form Centre –named after the illustrious architect and Old Berkhamstedian – o ers a learning environment tailored to students’ needs as they transition from school to adulthood. The open-plan design

is in line with modern o ces, o ering extensive space for both collaboration and independent study. This allows students to work flexibly in a shared environment.

Teaching spaces are built around the Harkness model, with boardroom style tables bringing discussion, collaboration and student voice to the forefront of learning. The building’s varied meeting spaces have also created the opportunity to host careers discussions, weekly 1-1 tutor catch-ups and innovative lesson plans designed to extend learning.

This is especially evident on Friday afternoons, when students undertake

leadership projects and academic challenges as part of their ‘Stretch’ programme. Initiatives include running metacognitive learning sessions for younger years, prepping for Oxbridge debate competitions and building businesses with Young Enterprise. The new building is perfect for giving students the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning and development, while exploring what they love. Already, this new environment is proving its worth in helping to ensure exceptional student outcomes. Berkhamsted’s 2025 A-level cohort celebrated record-breaking results, with over a fifth of grades awarded at A* and over half at between A and A*. With last year’s record-breaking cohort only spending part of their scholastic journey in the new building, there is excitement about how Berkhamsted’s next generations will soar.

The space will continue to evolve with students front of mind. A soon-to-launch ‘Entrepreneurship Zone’ will host local entrepreneurs to work, mentor and inspire students. With previous students choosing coveted high-level degree apprenticeships at companies such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, BMW and the Civil Service, supporting futures in industry has never been more important. Berkhamsted Sixth – this innovative and forward-looking learning space – stretches students to excel academically, while also inspiring and equipping them to approach their future adventurously, however that may look.

Talking HEAD

Raising GIRLS

Alex Wilson of She eld Girls' GDST – Sunday Times

Top Independent Secondary School in the North 2026 –on the power of all-girls education

For nearly 150 years, She eld Girls’ has championed the power of all-girls education. Today we educate over 700 pupils from age four to 18 and our mission remains as relevant as ever – to create an environment where girls are free to find their voice, take intellectual risks and grow into confident, compassionate young women.

At the heart of all-girls education is something simple but transformative: belief. In a single-sex environment, girls learn without the weight of comparison or expectation. They raise their hands more readily, take centre stage in debates, lead on the sports field and pursue subjects without questioning whether they 'belong'. Research continues to show that in many co-educational classrooms, boys dominate discussion while girls hold back. Remove that dynamic, and something remarkable

“When girls are given the space to lead without limits or labels, they do not just imagine the future, they shape it”

happens – girls step forward.

At She eld Girls’, leadership is not reserved for a select few. It is woven through everyday school life. From the youngest pupils taking their first leadership roles in Junior School to Sixth Form students shaping school culture through a wide range of ambassador and prefect roles, every girl is encouraged to see herself as a leader. This philosophy is brought to life through our Girls of Steel character education programme, which develops

eight core character skills alongside academic learning. In a world where career paths are shifting rapidly and the future workplace is increasingly unpredictable, exam results alone are no longer enough. Resilience, adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration and empathy are now essential life skills. These are deliberately taught, practised and celebrated across our school.

Girls apply these skills in real, meaningful ways – leading assemblies, tackling complex problems in the science lab, running clubs, captaining sports teams and working on community and charity initiatives. They build portfolios that reflect not just what they achieve, but who they are becoming. Through this, leadership becomes less about title and more about mindset.

Crucially, all-girls education also nurtures confidence at a time when many adolescent girls experience a significant dip in self-belief. In a female-led learning environment, girls see role models everywhere: in the classroom, in leadership, in sport, in the arts. They grow up knowing that women lead,

innovate, create and succeed. Parents across the world are increasingly asking how schools prepare children not just for exams, but for life. The answer, I believe, lies in education that develops character alongside achievement, and confidence alongside curiosity. When girls are given the space to lead without limits or labels, they do not just imagine the future, they shape it. Our aim is to nurture young women of strength, empathy and purpose – leaders not just in title, but in character.

For families reviewing options for their daughter's Sixth Form, the all-girls environment o ers a powerful blend of academic rigour, personal growth and cultural confidence.

Studying A levels in a girlsonly setting allows young women to focus fully on their ambitions. Alongside outstanding teaching, they gain independence, global perspective and the self-belief to thrive at leading universities worldwide. This is not just preparation for exams, but preparation for life beyond them.

EXECUTIVE SKILLSET

Caroline Monaghan and Rachelle Kirkham of Wellington College on why it focuses on the critical executive functions needed for work and life

For almost three decades, ‘twenty-first century attributes’ have been a feature of education, and yet workplace surveys still report significant skillsgaps among school leavers and graduates. Whether education is seen as preparation for the workplace or, more broadly, as a pathway towards human flourishing, a brief glance at current unemployment and mental health figures for young people suggests that something is not working.

One challenge is that within the crowded mainstream curriculum, little time is devoted to developing the fundamental executive functions on which we all depend to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. We would never expect a novice musician, athlete or scientist to hone their skills without clear instruction, deliberate practice and feedback. Yet young people are frequently told to ‘be more organised’ or to ‘manage time more e ectively’, without any guidance on how to achieve these goals.

Schools like Wellington College were founded on the belief that there is more to education than exam scores. We understand that achieving a raft of top grades is of limited value if young people are unable to think

flexibly, adapt to change, make rational decisions or remain calm under pressure. This is why we place such emphasis on developing executive functioning skills – the core thinking and self-management abilities that underpin successful learning. By helping students plan, focus and adapt, we equip them not only to succeed at school, but to flourish confidently in life beyond Wellington.

To teach a young person to solve algebraic equations, we break the skill down into small steps, then model and guide through deliberate practice. The same strategy applies to help young people develop strong executive functions. We highlight the skills needed in specific tasks, divide the processes into smaller steps, model and sca old, with intervention strategies as required. Students need opportunities to practise, with supportive feedback so that the key neural processes involved can become automated.

The current erosion of task initiation, sustained attention and goal-directed persistence – caused by dopamine drifting on social media channels – makes an explicit approach to developing executive functions even more crucial in schools today.

This skillset matters profoundly because executive functioning sits at the heart of a successful transition from school to whatever comes next. The ability to plan ahead, stay organised, manage distractions, adapt when things change and follow through on

commitments is exactly what universities, apprenticeships and employers look for in young people stepping into the real world.

As students move beyond the structured environment of school, these skills become ever more important. They enable young adults to manage deadlines without constant reminders, balance competing priorities, communicate clearly, take initiative and recover when things don’t go to plan. In early careers, executive functioning helps young people show up prepared, solve problems, make sound decisions and earn trust.

In his 2008 book What’s the Point of School?, Professor Guy Claxton suggested that the aim of education is to equip students to ‘flounder intelligently’ when they encounter future obstacles. At Wellington College, we combine strong academic teaching with the deliberate development of executive functioning skills so that students build genuine self e cacy.

This creates the platform from which they can embrace new opportunities and flourish in their careers and in their lives.

RACHELLE KIRKHAM Assistant Head: Teaching and Learning

CAROLINE MONAGHAN Head of Life Beyond Wellington

Spring Books

SOUL

MUSIC

The Grammy Award winner Corinne Bailey Rae is marking a milestone in her musical career with a book to inspire the next generation to find music that moves them

Corinne Bailey Rae is marking an important anniversary this year. The single that helped launch her global career as a singer and songwriter is 25 this year. “Put Your Records On”, from her 2006 debut album, is a very special record for the artist and her audience, so it’s fitting that she has passed it forward in a book, hoping to inspire young readers to find their music.

She began thinking about the book while she was looking after her children. “I was breastfeeding the two kids and that was taking up a lot of time. When you’re feeding there’s just loads and loads of thinking time,” she says. “I was just thinking about music and emotions and how linked they were for me and how everything you’ve ever felt is in a song somewhere. I remember as a kid thinking, ‘how does Bananarama know how I feel?’” What she was mulling over was that sense of connection songs can give us – the realisation that someone else has been here. “It makes you feel less alone in the world.”

So, Put Your Records On is the culmination of a lot of hard thought – both for the story and the songs within it. The story is about a little girl called Bea who goes to visit her glamorous Aunt Portia every weekend. Then one day she is taken up to the attic – a wondrous room packed with rare treasures,

including a vinyl collection. “I liked the idea of this intergenerational story – to have a bridge from your world and your everyday to someone else’s.”

Aunt Portia adds a distinctive voice to this story – she’s had a rich and interesting life and she’s happy to share wisdom. As the story progresses, she becomes more magical, more exotic – her cape positively sparkles. “I had that. I’ve got loads of aunts that I really love – between my Dad’s sisters and my Mum’s sisters and the uncles that have married. They were shiny and exciting to me and they shared a lot of things with me,” she says. “So I loved the idea that this woman could be that for Bea.”

Growing up in Leeds, Corinne Bailey Rae remembers music as just a normal thing you did at school. “Everyone sang. There were music lessons when you picked up a percussion instrument and played.” She loved the violin, and was given bigger instruments as she grew, but it became more di cult. Then her sister brought home a classical guitar from school – at around the time Nirvana where getting popular. Music making

“I remember as a kid thinking, 'how does Bananarama know how I feel?’”

was there to see on MTV Unplugged, and that started something because she could deconstruct what was being played. “I saw bar chords visually for the first time. And I thought, ‘I want to try that’.” DIY and real, Corinne Bailey Rae was starting her music journey. “Indie was really important to me –that you could make this music yourself.”

It was a church leader who helped her acquire her first guitar. “He showed me an advert in the paper and it was something like £110 or £120 and I couldn’t a ord to pay that. So he bought it for me and I paid him back over about two years. I’d bring in £7 and he’d just say ‘oh, just buy me a pizza’. It was really good to have that instrument and just to feel the world was my oyster – to be set o on that journey.”

That combination – a generously supplied secondhand guitar, MTV Unplugged and Nirvana made Corinne Bailey Rae feel she belonged in music. “That grunge scene was

coming to the fore. It was so important for me. As a working class kid, to be able to say, ‘Mum, I’m not going to keep bugging you now about getting a £50 Nike rucksack, which you can’t a ord. Now I can go to the Army & Navy and I’m going to buy a blue canvas bag, bleach this bit and stick my old Brownie badge on it’. And suddenly I’ve got the coolest bag in school.”

Now, all those years on, in helping other children find their own inspiration, she’s chosen a shortlist of four songs in the book, each one describing a particular emotion and place in time. Harry Belafonte’s “Jump

in the Line” reminds her of the fun they all had dancing round the kitchen. “There’s a crazy energy to it,” she says. At the other end of emotion is “Bridge Over Troubled Water” – not the original but the powerful Aretha Franklin cover. “I wanted to have an Aretha Franklin because I connect so deeply with her voice,” she says. “She’s just one of the greatest singers of all time.” But that song is also important –she hopes it might be a “trail of breadcrumbs” for children who decide to check out the songbook of Simon & Garfunkel, and then maybe move on to Paul Simon.

Writing sparely comes more naturally for a songwriter – used to distilling down – and Corinne Bailey Rae’s English degree came into play. “It helped me put a focus on particular moments or particular phrases and keep it going.” But it wasn’t all straightforward. She credits her US Editor, Lauri Hornik for keeping things on track. “I’d send her these big drafts and she’d come back and say, ‘Remember, it is a children’s book – we don’t need all this description because there will be drawings’.”

It was Lauri Hornik who helped pair author and illustrator, after presenting a shortlist of three. “Instantly, I fell in love with Gillian’s work. She had done a lot in nature, she’d done a lot that I think is magical.” Indeed, Gillian Eilidh O’Mara’s textured and rich illustrations add much to the magic of this narrative, which transports readers from a cluttered attic room to somewhere truly magical.

Corinne Bailey Rae is also reader of the audiobook, something she found very moving. “I put a lot of time into it. I wanted to get the tone right. It was a really serious undertaking. I’m reading some kids to sleep around the world that I’ll never meet.”

Behind the book there remains the song, “Put Your Records On”, now the grand old age of 25 but freeze-framing a moment in time. It still resonates for the singer songwriter, capturing an emotion, a joy, from her own past.

Corinne Bailey Rae believes it’s important for children to know what music can do –helping us to navigate complex feelings, from joy to sadness, and know that other people have felt this way too. “Music just puts its finger on something in you that you didn’t know was there. It’s painful, but it’s healing, it’s beautiful, it’s transformative. I wanted to talk about that in kids’ language.”

* Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae, illustrated by Gillian Eilidh O’Mara, is published by Fox & Ink Books (£8.99).

TOP SPRING

MUST READ

Nature's Dance

by Núria Solsona PRESTEL, £14.99

In a slimline format, and including six spreads that fold out, Nature's Dance captures the choreography evident in the natural world. What may seem random is a pattern that helps species fulfil important tasks and, ultimately, survive. The book profiles sky displays of birds through the formation flight of geese and murmuration of starlings, before moving on to the waggle dance of bees, in-line antics of ants, spiralised swimming of sardines and the 'domino dive' of huddles of penguins. Beautifully drawn, it raises big questions for nature lovers and mathematicians alike.

4+ 6+

From a tour of world cities and a robot who forgets to recharge batteries to the life of insects and a pictorial history of great locomotives, our pick of brilliant spring reads

WHIRBY

by Molly Harris

illustrated by Jacob Souva HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN'S BOOKS, £14.99

Whirby is a robot who loves nothing more than going to school and taking part in his favourite subject gadgeteering – especially bot battles. The problem is, he gets so excited about a forthcoming competition he stays up all night practising his best moves and building clever contraptions to ensure victory. Then, when it's time to compete, he has completely run out of battery. This engaging picture book is for lovers of all things robotic – and with a valuable message about powering down every so often to rest and recharge.

THE SHADOW PONY

by Olivia Wakeford

illustrated by David Litchfield

HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN'S BOOKS, £7.99

An inspired choice for children who enjoy both animal stories and mysteries, Olivia Wakeford's novel centres on family bonds, the uncertainties of growing up, and discovering true loyalty. Evan hates change, and yet that's just what he's facing in a big way. His family is split down the middle and Grandad Harry hasn't been the same recently. Only his dog Okie Dokie remains constant friend and companion. Then Evan finds out that something from Grandad's past haunts him still – even as he is forgetting so much in the present.

VERY SPECIAL YOU

by Emma Dodd

TEMPLAR BOOKS, £7.99

Bestselling children's author and illustrator Emma Dodd delivers a delightful book about the power of a mother's love for their child – the latest in her colourful series celebrating the parent-child bond. With simple rhyming text and large-scale illustrations, some textured with gold, it describes the ewe's joy and wonder at her beautiful new lamb, perfect in every way, even when it's feeling a bit grumpy. This is a reassuring bedtime story and also a great pick for spring, with young lambs and their mothers much in evidence in the fields.

Koalas in Capes: The Zombie Chickens

by Terrie Chilvers illustrated by David O'Connell NOSY CROW, £7.99

Take one supervillain ostrich and a flock of zombie chickens de-mummified by evil Dr Colossus and you have a recipe for feathered mayhem across the city of Pawtonia. Thankfully, our two superhero koalas Bob and Archie have their capes on standby. The first in this new series has easy-read text with lots of illustrations by David O'Connell. Laugh-out-loud jokes and asides from Terrie Chilvers (author of Snails of the Unexpected and other treasures) come pretty much guaranteed.

BIG BRILLIANT WORLD

by

Matt Ralphs illustratedby Aysha Tengiz

BIGPICTUREPRESS, £12.99

This introduction to 12 great cities around the world will inspire young globetrotters. London, Paris and Rome are in the mix, along with more far-flung destinations, including Istanbul, Seoul and Mexico City. Aysha Tengiz' illustrations take you to the heart of each metropolis, while the text introduces useful words and phrases in home language, local foods, historical landmarks and notables – from famous artists to important alley cats. A book to pore over again and again, as there will definitely be a detail missed last time round.

TWO IS A CROWD

by Cath Howe illustrated by Miguel Bustos NOSY CROW, £7.99

The author of Ella on the Outside returns with a novel about school transitions, kindness, the complexities of family life and friendship. Although Hattie has always wanted a sister, when her Mum's goddaughter arrives it turns out to be no picnic – and could it even be they prefer Seren to their own daughter? Dad seems to have forgotten his promise to give her her own room, she's starting secondary school and everything seems to be imploding. So where does she fit in – and can she and Seren ever become friends?

The Birthday

by Britta Teckentrup PRESTEL, £11.99

This much-loved series returns with a tale about anticipation, community and a big surprise. It's Little Hedgehog's birthday and. although there's a lovely red balloon from Big Hedgehog, no one else is around to even say 'happy birthday'. As the day draws on, Little Hedgehog thinks everyone has forgotten and becomes sad. Arriving home at dusk, the hedgehogs discover a huge surprise party has been organised by all their friends. With gorgeous illustrations, this is a reassuring story about big feelings – and it makes a great birthday gift for a friend.

Breathe Deep

by Joanie Leeds

illustrated by Bárbara Quintino BAREFOOT BOOKS, £7.99

The Grammy Award-winning children's songwriter and singer Joanie Leeds has created this new singalong book to help encourage relaxation among the youngest readers. There's access to both an audio and video included with the book and Bárbara Quintino's vivid nature-inspired illustrations and the rhythmic text make this one to have to hand at bedtime or post meltdown. The soothing reminders to relax and breathe deeply, help to encourage a focus on the present. While excellent for embedding mindfulness, it's also a useful way of helping children practise their counting.

7+

INSECTARIUM

by Dave

This handbook explores the wonderful world of insect life. With at least one million species, making up 80% of life on earth, there's a lot of ground to cover. The book is organised by group, beginning with ancient insects (dragonflies, cockroaches, and so on) and ending in an exploration of wasps, ants and bees. Painterly illustrations and informative text about the insects and their habitats make this a reference to return to and, while it's accessible for the 7+ age group, it will have a much longer shelf life.

FROM AI TO WI-FI

by Craig Steele illustrated by Terri Po TEMPLAR BOOKS, £9.99

We all use the internet, but how does it work? Written by a computer scientist and educator, this guide goes behind the scenes to give a breakdown of the technologies that increasingly power our world. Beginning with a brief history of the internet, it moves on to explore infrastructure, data transmission, programming language and the professionals who keep us connected. We particularly like the 'data blast' boxes that demystify key phrases and concepts and the sections exploring positives and negatives of the internet – from rescuing the missing to cybercrime.

LOCOMOTION

by Alastair Steele illustrated by Ryo Takemasa

BIGPICTUREPRESS, £10.99

Part of a series for transport bu s, Locomotion is beautifully illustrated by Ryo Takemasa and takes readers on a journey through the history of rail travel. Beginning in the steam days, it moves through diesel and electric, sky lines and mass transit – then on to the future of track and engine. Train fans will enjoy the sections highlighting great world journeys – from the Ffestiniog Railway in Snowdonia and California's Zephyr to Japan's Shinkansen. There's detail, too, on stations, the wartime role of railways, plus record breakers around the world.

Our Dreams

by Fátima Ordinola POST WAVE, £12.99

The latest picture book from rising star author-illustrator Fátima Ordinola (author of Our Love) centres on the delicious night-time ritual of settling down to rest. Readers are lulled with the thought that 'dreams arrive with the falling of night'. And this happens no matter who we are and where we lay our heads – with vivid illustrations of pandas, sloths, big cats, sheep and tiny caterpillars in dreamland. The restful palette and lush images are a treat, and there's a surprise gatefold of assorted animal slumberers right at the last.

9+ by

Georgina Taylor BIGPICTUREPRESS, £10.99

This richly illustrated book looks at the specifics of symbiotic relationships – the close relationships that have evolved among all sorts of organisms. From the monarch butterfly that feeds exclusively on milkweed to the bacteria that enables bobtail squid to put on a memorable lightshow, there are some wonderful examples. While some relationships are pretty clear cut, others are more convoluted. For instance, Brazil's hyacinth macaw relies on the toco toucan's energetic seed dispersal to ensure the continued growth of the only tree where the macaw likes to build its nest.

The M AKING of Me

Tom Schamp

The illustrator and picture-book creator on busy school days in Brussels, his early love of creating artworks and that glorious feeling of freedom in the bike shed

Where did you go to school and when?

In and around Brussels during the Seventies and Eighties of the last century.

What were your schools like?

I suppose we thought our schools were quite modern at the time, but in reality they must have still been very Catholic. And my high school was still boys only – no uniforms though.

Did you love school or hate it?

If my memory serves me well, I actually loved it, but that certainly had to do with the number of friends hanging out there with me – and with my natural sense of duty, of course ;-).

What were your favourite subjects at school?

History and language courses were certainly among my favourites. Maths and science a little less so... And gymnastics I enjoyed only when we were playing football with the less talented players!

Who were your most memorable teachers and how did they influence you?

I remember the older Greek and History teachers we had throughout our whole high

school career – mostly for the genuine passion they had for their field. But I probably have the warmest memories of the (then) younger language teachers – the ones from the May ‘68 days. They made us read more contemporary stu and taught us a thing or two about society in general.

Where was your favourite place at school?

Our high school had a swimming pool and I’ve always loved swimming, so that’s probably the place. Or maybe the bicycle shed, which I still associate with a feeling of complete freedom after a long school day – which was an illusion with a school bag filled with homework.

What beliefs did your time at school give you?

The Jesuits had this ‘Plus est en vous’ (More is in you) motto. So maybe it’s their responsibility I’m still thinking ‘more is more’ instead of ‘less is more’ while creating books.

What were your proudest school moments?

Probably the times I won drawing contests. And maybe also the school theatre

“I PROBABLY HAVE THE WARMEST MEMORIES OF THE (THEN) YOUNGER LANGUAGE TEACHERS – THE ONES FROM THE MAY ‘68 DAYS”

production in our last year of high school. This is when we made our own musical compositions for George Orwell’s Animal Farm and I also painted a lot of pieces for the set (in that same bicycle shed, as I recall).

What was the most trouble you ever got into at school?

I unfortunately have to admit that I had a tendency of being a bully sometimes. I know of a boy or two I really did hurt with words and a wrong attitude. I had the excuse of being very young still – but I certainly tried to make it up to them afterwards.

Were you ever ‘too cool for school’?

I would always adapt enough to the rules and to group pressure to blend in at school. I didn’t really see an alternative path.

When and how did your love of illustration begin?

Like most children I loved drawing, but after a while I saw the others quit. But I carried on and, as a teenager, I loved making leaflets and posters for the Boy Scouts, and posters for concerts and parties. Since I think I’d had it a bit with doing only intellectual activities, I decided quite early on that after finishing my very classical high school I would go for something more hands on.

What other key passions shaped you growing up?

I also loved to play and make music in bands with friends. But I felt my limitations much more in that field – working with others – and much preferred my ‘solo career’ as an image maker.

What projects and challenges are coming up next for you?

I’ll probably start thinking and working on a new book later on this month. First, I have to get two giant acrylic-on-wood paintings out of my studio!

How would you sum up your school days?

Probably the best representation of society I’ve had in my life. Ever since then, I’ve been more of an einzelgänger (lone wolf).

* Beauty of Letters: The Most Awesome, Brilliant, and Comprehensive Alphabet Book, by Tom Schamp, is out now (Prestel, £22.50).

Crime SCENE

Magic, crime and three children on the quest for justice – Ruth Lauren’s series debut is an otherworldly feast

Where do witches, sorcerers, sprites and the rest go on holiday? Why, Hotel Marvelo of course, a super-discreet and family-owned luxury retreat where – provided they hang up spell-making powers at the door – they can enjoy time out from hubble and bubble. It’s a brilliant conceit in a novel that delivers magic and mystery in cauldrons.

But how did the idea begin – because it is, let’s face it, out there? “The first inkling of Hotel Marvelo came to me when I was watching a John Wick film,” says author Ruth Lauren. The show she was watching featured The Continental, a place where hitmen went for R&R. It certainly was not suitable for 8+ viewers but did fire up a brilliant idea. “What if there was a hotel for worn out witches who just need a break? What if no magic was allowed in the hotel so overworked gri ns could relax? And what if a magicide happened in this supposed haven?” she says.

Ruth Lauren is no stranger to magical tales, and she works quickly – typically over three to four months from idea to completion and with no fixed map at the start. But she’s painstaking in pulling all that together. There’s a real sense of place in Hotel Marvelo – useful plans, maps of the grounds and forest, and a ‘who’s who’ of key characters to set the scene. The hotel internal plans, in particular, are a pleasure, giving wouldbe detectives a way of systematically navigating spaces and places integral to the crime scene.

“The hotel is as much a character as the Marvelo children are. It’s integral to the plot, so I wanted the reader to feel as though they’re right there, checking in to Hotel Marvelo,” she says. “A murder mystery is all about who was

where at what point in order for the case to be solved so I wanted readers to be able to picture Hotel Marvelo with as much clarity as possible.”

There are also background details adding a frisson of otherworldliness – the Wardings at the hotel doors and runes in the grounds to prevent covert magic-making among guests, plus accommodation to suit every wizardly preference – a turret for sibling witches to haunt, for instance, and ‘aquatic chambers’ for worn out sprites on vacay.

When the crime happens – to a hapless wizard dressed in pedestrian sports gear and enjoying spa time – the investigation begins. Detective Bianco from Magicide, a faun with neatly trimmed hooves, a smart suit and o cious manner, is quick to draw conclusions. Hotel Marvelo proprietors Ida and Caspian are carted o for further questioning. The Marvelos, after all, are the only ones who know how to circumvent the runes and Wardlings and perform magic in this space.

This leaves our three young protagonists with the task of solving the magicide to save their parents. Finnian, the oldest, is the methodical one, also most invested in the hotel, which one day he hopes to run – just like his ancestors. Juniper is fast

“The hotel is as much a character as the Marvelo children are. It’s integral to the plot, so I wanted the reader to feel as though they’re right there”

and fearless – sometimes a bit scatty – while their little sister Teddy doesn’t speak but is awfully good at detail.

The trio are part of a blended family – so recognisably normal in this otherworldly place – and also neurodiverse. “The fact that Finnian, Juniper and Teddy are so di erent and yet such a great team is created in part by their sibling bond and in part by their neurodiversity (Juniper is coded ADHD and Teddy coded autistic). The Marvelo siblings wouldn’t solve the mystery and (spoiler) save the day, if they weren’t a neurodiverse trio,” says Ruth Lauren.

“Finnian’s caution, logic and knowledge compliments Juniper’s full-of-ideas enthusiasm and energy. And neither of them would get anywhere without Teddy and the way she views the world, the details she notices and the connections she makes that no one else does.”

It is no coincidence that neurodiverse children are central characters. Ruth Lauren was diagnosed autistic shortly before she embarked on the story and her four children are also neurodivergent. “So I suppose you could say that creating diverse characters is something that it finally felt ok for me to do – in fact more than ok, something that I felt was deeply important. Kids need a variety of exciting, thought-provoking, engaging stories, with both neurotypical and neurodivergent characters, because in the real world that’s what the rest of their lives will look like.”

Just as Finnian, Juniper and Teddy have their foibles, so too Hotel Marvelo’s residents – the romantic yearnings of alchemist Miss Romunculus, the indeterminate age and wizardly status of concierge Mortimus and the weird sounds made by the longtime-guest banshee. It adds layers of fun and loads on the intrigue.

There’s rich use of language – with complex words for this age group – as Juniper regularly tries out spectaculars (almost Mrs Malaprop style) and Finnian then helps by confirming the exact right word. For Ruth Lauren, this is critical for a good story. “I often learn new words when I’m reading. So when I’m writing, I use a word because it’s the right one for the job,” she says. “Using words is a delight, and it can be a joy to find a delicious new word just as much as it is to read the next twist in a murder mystery.”

Words add rich layers, but this is at heart a classic story of magic, family and good triumphing over evil. The author makes no apology for that. “Decades later, I still want to visit Narnia, the Faraway Tree, The Hundred Acre Wood,” she says. “Those places, those adventures, captured my imagination.”

So too, Hotel Marvelo – this world’s wildest hotel experience. Who wouldn’t love to pack their bags, hang up their spell-making kit at the door and check in?

* Murder at Hotel Marvelo by Ruth Lauren, illustrated by Federica Frenna, is published by Piccadilly Press (£7.99).

School’s Out

“Visitors have the opportunity to create their own stop-motion sequences, as well as lighting a set and filming live-action-videos”

Animation

SENSATION

Young V&A’s exhibition about great British film maker Aardman Animation is a treat – an opportunity to get up close to Wallace & Gromit, Morph and other national treasures

LIBBY NORMAN

There is everything to love about Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends, the Young V&A’s major new exhibition.

For one thing, it’s about as multi-generational a day out as you can get in a museum. Grandparents and aunties can wax lyrical about the now truly vintage Morph (remember his first incarnation in Vision On?). Meanwhile, three generations can enjoy getting up close to Shaun the Sheep, the chickens from Chicken Run and, of course, those ‘cracking’ creations who delighted everyone, brought home a sidecar full of Oscars and other gongs and – so legend has it – worked wonders for sales of Wensleydale cheese around the globe.

Aardman, the Bristol studio, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, so it’s a really timely retrospective. Particularly welcome considering it lost a fair bit of its precious archive in a storage facility fire back in 2005. Thankfully, there is still plenty of treasure here on display, with over 150 exhibits, many of which have never been showcased before. For children – actually

for any age – it’s an eyeopener on the painstaking craft that goes into stop-motion animation. And, given Young V&A’s remit to keep things interactive, there are lots of practical ways to learn more about the elements involved in an animated film.

The first section of the exhibition explores developing ideas and storylines. Works in this section include development sketches for Morph and some of the original sketched incarnations of Wallace & Gromit. There’s also a hand-drawn storyboard for the train chase scene in The Wrong Trousers, while an interactive praxinoscope shows how images are stacked in quick succession to create a stop-motion sequence.

From here, the exhibition moves on to the business of model making, showing how characters, plots and miniature sets have been created. Highlights include Lady Tottington, the rocket from Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, and also the living room that is epicentre of Wallace’s inventive musings. The duo’s never-before-displayed motorcycle and sidecar is also on display, along with the galleon from 2012’s The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! – still the largest model Aardman has ever made.

ABOVE

Other sections of the exhibition explore how all the elements of animation fit together, including lighting, sound and voice acting –and with behind-the-scenes videos and a daily planner to demonstrate how a filming schedule works. Visitors have the opportunity to create their own stop-motion sequences here, as well as lighting a set and filming live-action-videos – a technique used by animators to block out realistic movement for an animated scene.

The final section of the exhibition looks at what happens after the production is wrapped, including adding music and special e ects. Have-a-go moments here include creating Foley sound-design additions, such as the noise of footsteps, drawing, and so on.

With a new Shaun the Sheep film scheduled for release in the autumn, it’s good to know that Aardman is still hard at work creating movies and shorts to delight all ages. Going behind the scenes in this depth to see the many strands that make up an animated film is a rare treat. So too the chance to get right up close to the models from some of our favourite films. And for children and teenagers, it shines a light on the accessibility of this form of filmmaking. Inspiring stu indeed or, as Wallace himself would say, a ‘cracking’ creation.

* Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is at Young V&A until 15th November 2026. An exhibition pass allowing repeat visits is £11; under 5s and V&A members go free, and concessions are available. vam.ac.uk/young

“For children,– actually for any age, it’s an eyeopener on the creative work and painstaking craft that goes into stop-motion animation”

A SLICE OF EDEN

One of the Dominican Republic's jewels, Eden Roc Cape Cana turns out to be worth those rave reviews – a total indulgence under the Caribbean sun

With its year-round summer vibe, gorgeous beaches and balmy cerulean seas, Dominican Republic has earned its stripes as the perfect sun-drenched retreat in the Caribbean. It's certainly an enticing thought, slipping away from London’s murky grey skies on a direct flight to the balmy embrace of the Dominican coast. Our destination is Eden Roc Cap Cana – a secluded, soul-soothing oasis just 15 minutes from the airport. It feels like we’ve landed in another world. From the moment we’re handed chilled drinks and led to dinner under a blanket of Caribbean stars, we know we’re somewhere special.

Eden Roc is the only Relais & Chateaux property on the island and was voted the No 1 Resort in the Caribbean in the 2024 Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. Impressive accolades – and something to live up to in a competitive field – so we're anticipating a very special time.

After a superb Asian-style dinner, our personal concierge awaits to drive us under moonlit skies to our Pool Junior Suite. It’s dreamy, with soaring ceilings, a plush four-poster bed and a huge bathroom with two showers (one alfresco). There's also a bathtub that makes us want to soak for hours. The grand cedarwood walk-in closet, accessible from two entrances, is large enough to be a whole bedroom.

Outside, our garden awaits. Verdant, secluded and surrounded by sheltering trees with a private pool glistening at its heart, it is flanked by elegant sun loungers made for lingering to enjoy the peace. There's also a vine-draped pergola with table and chairs for shady relaxation. This is a suite so spacious, so fabulous, we’re thinking we would like to move in permanently.

Our concierge lets us know that she and her colleague remain at our disposal around the clock before handing us the keys to a golf cart for our exclusive use – we're overjoyed. We soon get into the swing of being in the driver's seat, and love navigating ourselves

SCHOOL'S OUT / TRAVEL

around the resort, which sprawls across acres of palm-studded, verdant land.

Days start early with a dip in our private pool with the sound of birdsong as our swimming soundtrack. We jump into our cart and head down the hill past manicured fairways with glimpses of the sea beyond. Our destination is the Blue Grill & Bar with its fabulous selection of breakfast treats. This is the life, and the best way to set us up for another glorious Dominican day.

Those days feel quite busy in a relaxed sort of way. We explore the beautiful surrounding area in a colourful opentop Moke (lots of photo opportunities there). We enjoy rum and cigar tasting, cocktail making and a Dominican Mofongo cooking lesson. We shake o the last of any tension with an incredibly relaxing sound healing session, followed by rejuvenating massages in the spa.

In between times, we make the very most of the idyllic white beach and balmy ocean –when we can drag ourselves away from our private pool with shady loungers. Lunch is always a leisurely a air. We love La Palapa, positioned at the water’s edge and with the rhythmic murmur of the sea providing a soothing backdrop. There's a lovely poolside vibe at the chic Blue Grill & Bar. On occasion, we venture further afield, winding

“Our personal concierge awaits to drive us under moonlit skies to our Pool Junior Suite”

our way through the verdant fairways and greens of the Jack Nicklaus-designed Punta Espada Golf Course to dine at their restaurant. This o ers a panoramic tableau of emerald greens rolling gently toward the sapphire of the Caribbean beyond.

Eden Roc Cap Cana is like stepping into a dream you never want to wake up from. We're not at all surprised it is such a favourite among seasoned travellers, for it is a place where time slows down and every little detail feels just right.

Sun-kissed mornings filled with birdsong, lazy afternoons on the beach or hunkered down by our private pool, and exquisite food in gorgeous restaurants – they all add up to a special holiday. But what makes it extra special goes way beyond. It is the feeling of being completely, deliciously spoiled. That, for us, is the most wonderfully indulgent feeling in the world – also a recipe for a magical and memorable holiday.

edenroccapcana.com

GIUM Slow lane

A barge journey through Belgian waterways is slow travel at its best, revealing painterly landscapes and Europe's rich regional history

SANDY CADIZ-SMITH

Sailing any inland waterway is a uniquely tranquil way to experience countryside at a much slower pace. But on this rather special journey, we're heading through the heart of Europe by gliding gracefully along Belgium’s canal network. Belgium's canals – historic and important trading routes – traverse both Flanders and Wallonia, so the voyage o ers a refreshing departure from the usual frenetic pace of modern travel. Just like the trusty barge managing this journey, we are invited to decelerate and drink in life on the water.

Our journey starts at London’s King’s Cross, where we are whisked away on Eurostar to Brussels – a two-hour journey and no airport hassle. We transfer seamlessly to the MS Raymonde to start our CroisiEurope hotel barge trip. This journey takes us from Strépy to Ghent –uncharted water for us, but, as we soon discover, there’s a lot to see along the way.

We receive a hearty welcome from Hans, our multi-faceted Cruise Director, one of only six sta on board ready to take care of us. Hans turns out to be an excellent host. He's our source of information, storyteller, mixologist, and, unexpectedly, a talented singer.

The MS Raymonde is little but lovely. There are 11 compact cabins. Ours has plenty of cleverly designed storage space and a surprisingly large ensuite with shower. Onboard facilities include a restaurant, lounge bar, sun deck with loungers and a relaxation area with – to our surprise – a hot tub.

Barge life is all about serenity – you can't help but slow down. Most mornings are

spent cruising to our next destination, with afternoons to explore and evenings spent relaxing on board. We travel 152 kilometres and, at this delightfully relaxed pace, can take tours of Brussels, Mons, Oudenaarde and the beautiful Flanders capital Bruges. Along the way, we visit Chateau de Beloeil, Chant d’Eole vineyard, and Braeckman Distillery. There's also ample opportunity to taste Belgium's local delicacies, including chocolate, sparkling wine, beer, jenever, and gin. All excursions (and food and drinks onboard) are included in the upfront price, and everything, but everything, is organised for us. This makes travel about as stress-free an experience as it gets.

Canal cruising turns out to be fascinating. One of the highlights is traversing the engineering marvel of the Strépy-Thieu boat lift – an extraordinary feat of design and the second largest funicular boat lift in the world. That's not the only engineering marvel, as we navigate a complex series of locks on our journey through towns and woodlands. The precise mechanics of it all remain something of a mystery to me – even after Hans' and team's explanations – but it all adds to the feeling of adventure and it's a joy to experience. As is life onboard. We wait with anticipation for Hans to ring the bell that signals the start of cocktail hour. Chef emerges from the galley before every meal

to announce the day’s menu. The cuisine is consistently superb – impeccably executed classic French sauces, regional specialities and, at every lunch, a most delicious cheese course that quickly becomes a muchanticipated culinary talking point. There are quizzes to keep us engaged, along with ample time for reading, and refreshments on tap. On such a smallscale adventure, it doesn’t take long for friendships to blossom – it's a convivial journey with fellow ‘bargers’. And seeing landscapes at this stately pace is a wonderfully restful way to absorb the regional flavours of Belgium, with landmarks and vistas that feel as unchanged as this delightfully slow lane form of travel.

* CroisiEurope journeys aboard MS Raymonde for 2026 from £2,783. The sevenday barge trip starts at Halle and stops at Strépy-Thieu, Mons, Péronnes-lez-Antoing, Oudenaarde and Ghent. croisieurope.co.uk

From Pre-Prep to Sixth Form

Traditional Values Modern Approach

• A leading selective state grammar school

• Co-educational with boarding for boys

• Stunning boarding house

• Extensive sport and extracurricular activities

• Strong pupil welfare system

• Affordable boarding from per term

• Fees exempt from VAT

• Outstanding alternative to the independent sector

At EIFA International School in Marylebone, we welcome children from the age of 2 into our joyful and caring international community, where French and English are spoken naturally every day. Our Nursery provides a safe and warm environment, where young children begin their learning journey by embracing the values of diversity, bilingualism, and wellbeing.

Andy Nuttall

The Headmaster of The Downs Malvern on his background and educational philosophy

What is your background?

I grew up and was educated near Bath before reading Biology at Imperial College London. During my time at university, I was fortunate to receive an Army bursary, and my attachments to my sponsor regiment provided experiences that complemented my academic studies and broadened my perspective considerably.

These experiences ultimately led me into education. I went on to complete a Secondary Science PGCE and later a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management, beginning what has become a deeply rewarding career in teaching and school leadership.

What excites you most about your role?

The chance to influence young lives and provide children with opportunities to discover their talents is an ongoing privilege. Seeing children work, learn, play and perform with unbridled enthusiasm, supported by the whole school community, motivates us to continually improve the education we provide.

What is your academic philosophy?

I am a strong believer that children thrive when they are stretched from a position of security. If a child feels supported in their environment, they are far more willing to embrace challenge. Strong relationships inside and outside the classroom create that foundation.

Time spent understanding a child’s ideas, thoughts and motivations is never wasted, and the best teachers guide them so that they can take ownership of their learning and make the most of every opportunity.

Can you tell us about one pivotal moment in your career?

After four years of teaching, I stepped firmly outside my comfort zone and applied for a Head of Department role at The Banda School in Kenya. The experience was, without question, life-defining. Living and working in a di erent cultural context reinforced for me the universal importance of education and the power of schools to

bring communities together. It shaped my perspective as both a teacher and a leader.

What is your school’s approach and what sets it apart?

We o er many of the opportunities you would expect from a leading prep school, but what truly sets us apart is the strength of our community and the breadth of experience beyond the classroom. All pupils are free to pursue their personal interests and excel, which is instrumental in the high levels of success each pupil enjoys. Our connection to

our outdoor environment is critical in providing pupils with a healthy lifestyle for body and mind.

What makes a great student?

Being curious, positive and willing to have a go. The greatest progress comes from those who embrace challenge, welcome constructive feedback and work well with others. They are confident enough to be themselves and open-minded enough to keep learning, and that attitude undoubtedly contributes to an ethos of pursuing endless possibilities.

From your experience, what makes a great school environment?

A great school environment is about far more than buildings and facilities. It is about creating spaces where children feel ownership and a strong sense of belonging. Well-designed classrooms and strong pastoral care matter, but so too do outdoor areas where children can explore and collaborate. A rich childhood is shaped by imaginative play and meaningful relationships, with the freedom to grow in confidence within a supportive community.

“If a child feels supported in their environment, they are far more willing to embrace challenge – strong relationships create that foundation”