Education Corner podcast

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 

 We interviewed Ms. Josephine Lane 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."

We interviewed Miss Joanne Croft 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."

We interviewed Mrs. Jane Lunnon, leading and first Headmistress of Alleyn's School, about their global approach to learning and how they have supported the chidlren 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."

We interviewed Mr. Lee Elliot Major 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."