May 2013
1 post
5 tags
Summer Holidays or more School Days?
Just as I was enjoying the sunshine (and hopefully you were too) the last few days of a restful and restorative Easter Holiday, the press was full of Mr Gove’s latest protestations about the length of school holidays and why they should be shortened.
It’s a theme that appears in the press with a degree of regularity and it’s easy to see why. School holidays are long, and most parents work, so...
March 2013
2 posts
5 tags
The Value of a Good Education
A good school does much more than educate its pupils in the three R’s. At The Elms and Trent we often speak about educating ‘the whole child” and I believe we do this very well indeed.
Just taking the Lent Term, our children have had numerous opportunities to play sport, star in plays, go on visits and residentials, dress up, ride ponies, make masks and ascend the Eiffel Tower! Our children...
6 tags
February 2013
1 post
The Pursuit of Happiness
The world can be a pretty gloomy place at times and the worries and stresses of being an adult are all too easily passed onto our children without us really knowing we are doing it.
Whilst children, especially as they get older, should be aware of the world around them, they should not be burdened by it. Getting the balance between motivating our children, encouraging them to have high...
January 2013
1 post
Should schools teach lessons in manners?
In the wake of the Head of a leading public school calling for a new General Certificate of Character Education (GCSE), Mr Morrow asks ‘Should schools teach lessons in manners?’
Schools are subject to constant demands from politicians to address the ills of society at large:
Riots on the streets of Britain? Schools should teach more about social cohesion. Obesity crisis? Schools should teach...
December 2012
1 post
1 tag
Should all independent schools sponsor academies?
The reaction to Lord Adonis’ admonishment of independent schools for not sponsoring academies rumbles on.
Earlier this month the former Minister for Education commented that Trustees of private schools should look at their charitable values as a “matter of conscience and duty”.
Ever since the threat from the Charity Commission, challenged in the High Court by the independent sector...
September 2012
2 posts
2 tags
Winning Ingredients
Every year, members IAPS (Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) gather to learn from each other, share information about the ups and downs of life in the prep-school world and generally take some time away from school to think strategically.
As I’m sure those of you who have ever attended a training course or conference appreciate, they are a mixed bag of the truly exceptional,...
4 tags
A Question of Sport
So it’s back to school, end of the rainy season, and hello to an Indian Summer. As well as providing a feast for the eyes and soul, the London 2012 Olympics fuelled much debate about the divide between those athletes educated in the state versus independent sector.
So what is all the fuss about?
Well, the nub of the debate centres around the success of those athletes educated in the independent...
July 2012
2 posts
Where does the time go?
Another school year is now at an end! Where does the time go?
Today we said farewell and good luck to our wonderful Year 6 children; most of whom will be continuing their journey on this campus over at Trent College.
We send them on their way with a fabulous legacy: belief in themselves and a love of learning. I look forward to seeing them grow and develop over the coming years and who knows...
Olympic Values for All
In a year in which we celebrate the 2012 London Olympic and Para-Olympic games, I want to turn my theme today to the core values that lie at the heart of these events: Friendship, Respect, Excellence, Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality.
Friendship
Relationships are at the heart of any successful school. Visitors and prospective parents are always taken aback by the friendly...
June 2012
3 posts
The Virtual World
I am a huge fan and user of modern technology. I recognise the opportunities it brings to organise one’s life, give access to a vast array of information and mis-information via the Internet, and its potential to revolutionize learning for all. Advances in technology do not always mean progress. This is especially true when considering the potential harm of social media, which I am learning first...
The Day School Where You Can Spend the Night!
Trent College has a proud history of being a boarding school, and whilst the fashion for boarding versus being a day pupil has waxed and waned over the years due to various social and economic circumstances (including the Harry Potter phenomenon!) boarding is once again on the rise.
Parents and children who may consider boarding as an option for their family are very welcome to attend the...
Pageantry and Splendour
Life is a mixture of the remarkable and unremarkable, the mundane and the exceptional. Schools echo life, but they are life heightened and magnified, which is why I enjoy being part of the community which is The Elms and Trent College. Hardly a week goes by without some special assembly, competition, concert, play, sporting event, etc, etc… Working at The Elms is life in the fast lane! Unlike our...
May 2012
2 posts
Going the Extra Mile!
Sometimes in a busy life, it can be difficult to sift the ordinary from the truly inspirational. One of the privileges of having a very efficient PA is that my desk is very rarely swamped with paper. One piece of paper I was glad made it through to my office was an invitation to attend the 15th Annual Education Conference at Brighton College last week. An invitation I was only too pleased to...
Why Teachers should teach in the Independent...
Recently I spoke to final year graduate teachers about why they might wish to consider applying for a teaching position at an independent school.
Pulling subject material together for this speech really focused my mind once again on why the independent sector has so much going for it for teachers and the knock on effect that has on the quality of education children receive at independent schools....
March 2012
1 post
The school places lottery – why gamble?
All parents know how important sending their child to the best school is and the enhanced life chances their child has as a result of an excellent education.
Over the coming weeks, parents up and down the country will be opening envelopes that either bring them great joy or devastating news in terms of their child’s next educational step. The lottery that is state education is a bureaucratic and...
January 2012
6 posts
Baby Boom!
I am delighted that, in response to demand from our own and prospective parents, we have embarked upon on a new chapter in the history of Trent College by opening a new baby and toddler unit as part of our Nursery, catering for babies from the age of 6 weeks and open 51 weeks of the year.
Over the past 12 years, The Elms has been building an enviable reputation for excellence in education. I am...
A Festival for Harvest
Harvest is a difficult concept for children to fully understand. In our 24 hour culture, with round the clock supermarkets stocking goods from all corners of the world, the traditional nature of gathering the harvest is alien to all of us. Many children (and some adults too) are far removed from the production of food. The cling-filmed wrapped vegetables and smart packaging for meat seem...
Back to school …
I remember as a child, looking forward to the long summer holidays, and being haunted by the “back to school” signs that appeared in the windows of the high street shops before we’d even broken up for school! If anything, this is even more a mark of the times today, where we have Christmas decorations in the shops in October and Easter eggs for sale on Boxing Day. I never appreciated that those...
Why do we need school libraries?
The headline in The Times Educational Supplement on Friday was “Books denied to 600,000”. The article proceeded to explain that the spending cuts were having a savage impact on the school library service, which provides books to more than 600,000 pupils in England. These are difficult times and Local Authorities face tough decisions in the coming years. I can’t help think that to make it more...
Entente Cordiale
At the time of writing this blog, I am travelling north from Dover back to The Elms in Nottingham on a coach with our Year 6 children returning from a week’s residential visit to Paris. It would therefore seem very appropriate that the subject for this week’s Head’s Blog is the value of such a visit.
Common sense tells us that learning is not limited to the classroom environment. Schools like The...
How to choose your child’s school
As a parent, there is nothing more crucial than choosing the right school for your child. Whilst every school will not suit every child, I am a firm believer that there is a school out there that will suit your son or daughter. The independent sector prides itself on offering variety. Schools come in all shapes and sizes and it’s important to find a school that will deliver for your son or...
September 2011
1 post
Payment by results?
Watching the local news yesterday evening, my ears pricked up when an item came on regarding a primary school in the East Midlands that has decided to pay Year 6 pupils £1 for every SATs revision session they attend prior to taking the tests. It was a Grumpy Old Man moment for me (I seem to have these rather more for some reason lately), as this headline seemed to be wrong on so many levels.
My...
July 2011
2 posts
Headmaster’s Speech to Parents, Speech Day 2011
It is my pleasure to share with you some of the many highlights of our school year.
We started in September 2010 with an outstanding ISI inspection report behind us. Not content with the many ringing endorsements we received, we quickly acted upon, and went beyond, all recommendations made to ensure that The Elms continues to provide the best possible start in life.
New for this academic year,...
Is There Room for God in School?
As the Lent Term gallops to an end, we prepare to participate in our Easter service and we look forward to the Easter Holidays, my thoughts turn to the much debated subject in the media about the place of religion in schools. Every time a new faith school is established, the ‘letters to the editor’ column is filled with argument on both sides about whether God, whatever you conceive him to be,...
May 2011
1 post
The Elms Library – A National Finalist!
As a Head, I haven’t been to many award ceremonies and walked the red carpet, but all that changed earlier this week! I was delighted to be invited to speak and make a presentation, along with Mirelle Hyde (Elms’ Librarian) and Annike Dase (Head of Library Services), in an award ceremony held in the City of London for the three finalists in the Library Design Awards.
The Elms Library had been...
March 2011
1 post
A Question of Sport
There are few issues which excite parents more than sport, or to be precise, whether their child is selected to play in a particular fixture! Schools, especially Games teachers, need to exercise the wisdom of Solomon on a weekly basis. I do not envy the games teachers at all and I am eternally grateful for their wisdom, fairness and judgement in balancing the need to put out a good team and secure...
January 2011
2 posts
Advent
The Goose is getting fat…
As we leave November and enter the season of Advent, school is a very special place to be. Not only are the children beginning to get excited about the 25th December, but they have much to look forward to in the last few weeks of term.
The Elms PSA Michaelmas Market was a tremendous success and marks the start of our countdown to Christmas. Over the next three...
Back to Basics - Planned National Curriculum...
You may have read in the news recently that the Government is planning to overhaul the National Curriculum and return “back to basics”.The National Curriculum, first introduced to state schools in 1988 as part of the Great Education Reform Bill (affectionately known as Gerbil), is the prescribed curriculum for England and Wales. Whilst it does not directly affect schools like The Elms in the...
