Read our latest thoughts and insights on educational issues from our Leadership Team.
Do paper maps matter? The value of the struggle and Co-curricular life
By Matthew Shoults – Headmaster
I recently found myself in something of a confessional. Chairing a meeting of fellow head teachers, discussing AI and learning, I admitted that while I was an afficionado of traditional Ordnance Survey maps, I had more recently found myself reaching for the OS App on my phone when engulfed in clouds in the Highlands. Although fairly confident with map and compass in zero visibility, I was nevertheless glad to reach for a little extra reassurance to get myself back to terra firma.
Bringing learning to life in the digital age
By Kate Bevan – Head of Junior School
Many Heads, myself included, will have spent some of the summer break ruminating on artificial intelligence and its implications for education. Whilst elements of it have been around for years, the great leap forward that generative AI represents is transformative. As a prep head, how do I now conceive of the world we are preparing our pupils for? What do they need to know, and what skills do they need to have, to thrive in this new paradigm?
Leadership for all?
By Matthew Shoults – Headmaster
In recent weeks I was interviewing students in Year 12 applying to be on the Head Girl’s Team, and it was encouraging that almost 30 students put themselves forward to fill only six positions. It is part of our culture to encourage girls throughout the school to take on leadership roles.
But it does beg some questions…….
It really is the little things that make a difference
By Rebecca Irwin – Deputy Head, Pastoral
There is a real tension in how we talk about mental health. We need to listen to young people when they speak about their mental health. We need to take them seriously. What they are experiencing is real. The language they use is articulate and describes how they are feeling…….
Should we all be studying Computer Science degrees to prepare for an AI future?
By Matthew Shoults – Headmaster
A number of cries of despair voice themselves on a repeated basis in British education and employment over how we get young people ready for the future. These cries fall into three camps. Firstly, students should study the right degrees to be employable, but too many students are studying the wrong subjects; various studies of earnings potential suggest that many degrees may simply not be worth studying…