Education Corner Podcast

Miss Laura Whitwood speaks about the benefits of attending the Junior School, the Forder Programme and their Stuart curriculum and work that takes place with the local Lewisham community.

"We don’t want you to ever be able to spot a St Dunstan’s pupil, other than the fact that they’re really brave, bold, true to who they are and they embrace their individuality. They love that they have differences from others across the school. I think that that is a real benefit of St Dunstan’s, as it sets the children up for a really positive future."

Mr. Christian Saenger speaks about life at Dumpton School, their positive mindset and approach to learning. He also discusses their recent work related to Emotional Intelligence and the RULER initiative, character learning, the Dumpton Way and theDumpton Diploma.

" The ‘RULER’ approach has been embedded throughout the school. It’s just been such a wonderful thing to see the impact that it’s had. Firstly, I think in just changing the culture to one where children feel they really can talk about emotions." 

Mrs. Maren Kelly speaks about how science is an integral part of the curriculum for the Prep and Senior schools, the many STEM based clubs they offer, the importance of teaching science to girls and recently being awarded the Primary Science Quality Mark.

"We hope that many of the girls who will study science and discover their love of science will go on to being the next generation of girls who will help cure diseases or clean the oceans, or maybe even discover a new planet."

Mrs. Suzie Longstaff, Principal at London Park School Clapham as of Easter 2023, and the newly appointed Head, Mr. Paul Vanni, speak about the new London Park School, Clapham that will run through to GCSEs and is based in two buildings overlooking Clapham Common, with all the benefits and outdoor space this brings. They are going to open a Sixth Form partner school, London Park Sixth Form, in Belgravia in September 2024/5. 

"We want our students to be powerful agents of change. Changemakers is the word that we use. It is about soft skills, but it is also about real world knowledge and understanding from the curriculum. "

Mr. Guy Sanderson speaks about Eltham College’s history and some of the changes and challenges the school has addressed in the past ten years and Mr. Gideon Hammond speaks about how the college is addressing equality, diversity and inclusion and their recent ‘Every Name Matters’ initiative. 

" We focus on Eltham College’s five R’s: respect, relationships, responsibility, resilience and readiness. The idea behind this is that if we can put those at the centre of what we do, then our actions are based on thought and reflection, which keeps us balanced for daily life and helps us engage with each other in a much more positive way. "

Mr. Kevin Doble speaks about the recent merge of the Broomwood Schools’ Group enhancing cohesion and synergy for both the children and parents. He also discusses points of entry and the importance of children being allowed to play, make mistakes and develop resilience (alongside meeting academic standards) to be able to thrive at secondary school and flourish as young people.

"Children are only children once; they have this one childhood and this one opportunity to do things for the sake of it. It is the role of the school to give them the opportunity to have that access, whilst at the same time providing the scaffold to help employ those experiences into opportunities to grow, but also to demonstrate ability and understand how they’re going to get to whatever the next stage is."

Mr. Andrew De Silva speaks about the importance of child centred learning and his work as the Chair of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools’ EDI group looking to ensure that independent schools are fully supported. He also discusses the admissions process, facilities and ethos at the school.

"Don’t come to the school for our facilities, come to the school because of the relationships that the teachers have with the children, and the tools that help those teachers impart knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and skills. Yes, that’s helped by the facilities, but the real reason to come is that we can ensure your child makes social, emotional, and academic progress, which is all we want from our children." 

Miss. Amy Wallace speaks about the benefits of attending an all girls’ school in Kensington, her new role as Principal, their ethos of ‘kindness and courtesy’, spirit of individuality and her vision for the school going forwards.  

"That’s something I’m really taking forward as I’ve joined, this idea that we’re aspirational, we’re aiming for the very top, but everybody’s “very top” will look different. Everyone’s top and dream is equally valid and worth celebrating and aiming for."

Mr. Nick Hewlett speaks about the ethos and St Dunstan’s , St Dunstan’s Diapason and the broad renaissance education that they offer children from many different socio - economic backgrounds. He also shares his thoughts about EDI and how to ensure that independent schools are able to continue to thrive going forwards… 

"Societal relevance is the big one for me. We need to ensure that we don’t become obsolete or dug into a trench of identity that doesn’t resonate with society as a whole. I think that that is a huge risk of the independent education sector."

Victoria speaks about her experiences as a Black student from a disadvantaged background and her determination to overcome the many challenges she faced from her school years through to her gaining a place at Cambridge, despite the many challenges that she faced. She offers advice to other young people and offers a positive and insightful insight into the many charities and support networks that are available and how having resilience and determination can lead to success despite the many challenges that young people may feel that they face.

"Yes, grades are very important, but that being said, you want to come across as someone who is both interesting and interested. I think you gain so much in life beyond the lecture hall and beyond the classroom, so I think it’s really important to ensure students are well-equipped to be fantastic global citizens, and a lot of that takes place beyond the school gates, so we need to encourage young people to access opportunities."

Mr. David Mulae speaks about the ethos and values at Cranleigh School, his prior history working on EDI issues, the work taking place with ‘Flair’ partnered with an organisation called the ‘African Caribbean Education Network’ (ACEN) Cranleigh’s commitment to #BeTheChange and how Cranleigh are teaching the children to be themselves and to embrace the future.

"This sort of work around anti-racism, anti-sexism and anti-discrimination is all important in building an inclusive environment for pupils when they are here but discussing it in school means pupils can go out into the world and they can be the change that they want to see."

Mrs. Pippa Smithson speaks about their new Prep School building (which is on site with the Senior School), the advantages of being affiliated to the United Learning Group, preparing their children to be ‘future ready’ and how her role as an inspector for British Schools Overseas gives her a global appreciation of education.

"I think that this is at our absolute core, it’s a part of our DNA, ensuring that children are ‘future ready’. It comes from my absolute belief that education shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. It is there to prepare children for the next stage."

 Mrs. Grace McCahery speaks about The White House Preparatory School, which is also affiliated to Woodentops Nursery. The school is situated in Clapham, South London and was established in 1985. It provides a warm, friendly and inviting place for children to discover, learn and grow in confidence.  

"We are definitely a school where children can remain children, we nurture an environment where they can learn and grow and exceed their own ambitions and make friendships for life within a very wide school community. " 

"We wanted to move away from this stereotypical idea that women are just one thing. We’ve got women from a whole range of different backgrounds in there. We wanted the book to talk of both their research and their lives. We wanted to explore the different journeys that they have taken to this research. Each chapter gives the reader an opportunity to try out an activity or something related to the research that the chapter authors have undertaken. We explore their journeys, their different socio - economic backgrounds, we have women from really different backgrounds, some from working class backgrounds, some with a disability, some who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We wanted to bring the idea of research careers to young people at a much earlier age so that they have it on the horizon. " 

Ben Draper talks about his exciting tennis career to date, his early introduction to the sport through his parents and attending Reed’s School, in Cobham, with his younger brother, Jack Draper. Further to this he discusses his experience at UC Berkeley, USA, and also offers some top tennis tips for success! 

"Everyone is unique, and I think that these colleges want to hear your story. They are interested to hear where you came from. Don’t be afraid to put your achievements out there. "

- Ben Draper 

 Ms. Josephine Lane speaks about project ReMAKE. Recently, St Paul’s Girls’ School have taken part in Project ReMAKE and ReMAKE Educational, an outreach project that introduces sixth form pupils to ex-offenders. This gives both sides the opportunity to share experiences, debate ideas and, most importantly, learn.

"Our students have come to a real understanding of how important it is to be seen as a productive member of society. They want to have a sense of purpose and identity that is supported and that helps with the transition back into society."

Miss Joanne Croft speaks about the ethos of Rye St Antony, being apart of the Girls on Board approach, boarding options,  supporting the students’ wellbeing,  SEN and bursaries. 

" Our school is all about empowering the child to be the best version of themselves. It is about giving the child space to learn and love learning. It is about giving the child space to find their own talents, their own individual skills that they are good at."

Elizabeth Laird talks to us about her long-standing career as an author and the personal experiences that have led to her writing about topical issues related to refugees, plastic pollution and the inspiration for her latest book.

"Upon my return to London, I interviewed Iraq refugees to get their stories. I always feel that with books like that, I have witnessed some of the greatest stories of our time."

Dr. Joe Spence, long-standing Headmaster at Dulwich College, talks about the ethos and efforts being made to ensure they are a fully diverse and inclusive school for boys’ in London.

"Our job is to be allies, and that leads very neatly into trying to educate the boys to realise that feminism is not about women versus men. It is not a girls’ issue. It is very powerful to move forward in that space and that is where we are at the moment."

Mrs. Jane Lunnon, first Headmistress of Alleyn's School, speaks about their global approach to learning and how they have supported the children through the many issues that have arisen since the pandemic including: BLM, Everyone's Invited, gender equality and the digital advances that have been made since going online.

"We're looking for young people who are hungry for opportunity, who are curious and eager for the future and what it holds."

Mr. Lee Elliot Major speaks about his pivotal position at Exeter University leading the increased focus on inclusion and diversity. He also was able to discuss his recent book The Good Parent Educator.

"As a university, we want to educate and help young people from all backgrounds, so we have some ambitious targets for over the next 5-10 years as a part of the University strategy. This is mainly to try to enrol more state school students and more students from disadvantaged backgrounds."