INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE APRIL 2015 | ISSUE 30
Independent
EXECUTIVE
APRIL 2015 | ISSUE 30
FORWARD THINKING
FOR FEE-PAYING
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
Lifting the curtain
One step ahead of the inspectors
Country living
Winning around budding thespians
with a top notch theatre facility
Top tips on what to prioritise when
the inspectors come knocking
One head tells us about life at a
forward-thinking rural prep school
GOING CASHLESS | STEPHEN PERSE FOUNDATION | CADET FORCES
A BALANCING ACT
One head’s views on embracing technology
whilst simultaneously preserving tradition
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CONTENTS
14
THE MONTH THAT WAS…
06
News
10
Grey matter
Ben Evans on how we can embrace technology
in education whilst simultaneously preserving
tradition
12
The big ask
We asked our readers why they think cadet
forces are important for schools and their pupils
LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE
PROCURE AND PLAN > CASHLESS SYSTEMS
14
Case study
We speak to head Tricia Kelleher about recent
initiatives that have seen numbers and results
soar at the Stephen Perse Foundation
18
Interview
Beachborough School’s head Jeremy Banks
on the beneﬁts of curriculum collapse, the
educational value of sausages and the intimate
wisdom of Kung Fu Panda
22
Case study
We speak to the bursar of one Dorset school to
ﬁnd out how they became one of the greenest in
the country, thanks to a ground-breaking new
funding model
PROCURE AND PLAN > CASHLESS SYSTEMS
38
CASHLESS SOCIETY
While some schools are taking the leap without any qualms others are more
reluctant to get involved. No, we’re not talking 1:1 tablets or the IB, but
a more behind-the-scenes trend: online payment systems. Austin Clark
speaks to those in the know about the beneﬁts of going cashless
eemingly everywhere we turn Britain is ditching cash
in favour of cashless payment. In fact, according to
Barclaycard, the number of cash transactions completed
in Britain has fallen by a massive 5.6 billion in the last
ﬁve years as the cashless society moves closer.
“Consumers switching from cash to card payments is an
increasing trend that cannot be ignored,” adds Colin Swain, global
head of product at Kalixa, a payment processing company. “Our
latest survey of 2,000 consumers in the UK revealed that 82% of
consumers prefer to use cards for purchases over £20.”
With this in mind, isn’t it about time schools joined the cashless
society and looked at ways of introducing online payments?
S
THE BENEFITS
“The administrative overhead of collecting money from parents for
the likes of school trips, lunches and uniforms can be signiﬁcant,”
comments Kirsty Cumming from Schoolcomms. “Just keeping a
record of who has paid how much for what can be considerable and
that’s before you’ve physically dealt with the cash and cheques.
Online payment systems remove all these headaches for schools.”
Geoff Jones, marketing director at ParentMail, adds: “One of the
many challenges for schools is trying to compete with parents’ busy
diaries and ever-changing lists of priorities. Every now and then
things slip our minds and, as a parent myself, I understand how
frustrating it can be to arrive at the school gates and realise too late
that you’ve forgotten the permission slip for an upcoming school trip
while the last of your cash was eaten by the parking meter! Cashless
payments simplify everything and streamline the process. Sometimes
it’s easier to get access to the internet than it is to access a cashpoint
when you’re on the move! Cashless payments are increasingly
becoming the norm so it’s a natural progression for schools and other
businesses to take advantage of the technology available to make the
payment process as easy as possible.”
32
SIGNIFICANT ADMIN SAVINGS
Rob Munro, school business manager at St Michael’s C of E (VC)
Primary School in Bournemouth, says that a newly introduced online
payment solution has made payments convenient for parents while
saving administration staff 15 hours per week that were previously
spent counting cash. The school introduced a pre-ordering service for
school meals, a trip management and payment service and a general
payment collection solution.
“The school’s governing body was keen to bring cash payments
to an end in line with our school expanding from two to three-form
32 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
18
entry,” explains Rob. “This coincided with a number of parents
enquiring about an alternative method of payment to cash
and cheques.
“My main objectives when selecting the new system were to save
time and to introduce a more efﬁcient payment solution, one which
meant I could be more accountable for the income and expenditure
across the year. The pre-ordering for the meals’ service was selected
to deal with the increased number of meals we were anticipating per
day and to meet the need for a more convenient payment method for
parents – the existing system involved them queuing up outside on
Monday mornings. Trips and other payments were becoming difﬁcult
to manage; we pride ourselves on running a large number of trips for
our children but it was important to show the associated income so
each could be budgeted accordingly.”
Rob says that online payments have modernised the school
and parents can now make payments from the comfort of their own
homes rather than wasting time queuing in the morning when they
may need to get to work – a move that has encouraged parents to pay
more promptly.
“Additionally, I can now interrogate payments in ﬁne detail to
get a real time picture of what the income is rather than waiting for
cheques to clear or a bank run to be made which took my admin staff
away from their primary functions. Being able to print off a ‘realtime’ list of transactions has all but eradicated any discrepancies
The online solution has saved
approximately 15 hours a week
for my administration staff,
which equals 24 days a year
over whether payments have been made by parents or not. This,
combined with a reduced amount of time needed to reconcile cash
and cheques and less need to undertake banking runs, means that
the online solution has saved approximately 15 hours a week for my
administration staff which equals 24 days a year. The time
taken to process the school meal payments and prepare the order
for the catering company has reduced from two days to 15 minutes
because all the meal selections and ﬁnancial information is already
populated online.
“The administration time for processing trip payments has also
been drastically reduced. Previously, it would take an hour from
PROCURE AND PLAN
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 33
24
Inspection
We ﬁnd out what to prioritise when the
inspectors come knocking
26
Performing arts
Winning around budding young thespians with
a top notch theatre facility
32
Cashless systems
Austin Clark speaks to those in the know about
the beneﬁts of going cashless
ICT MATTERS
ON THE COVER
10
Inde
|
Lifti
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the
Win
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with ng arou rtain
a to
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tch
thea ing thes
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pen
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XE
One
CU
Top step ah
tips
ead
the
insp on what of the
ecto
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ecto
rit
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knoc ise wh rs
en
king
ent
TIV
E
APR
FO
IND
EPEN
Coun
One try liv
ing
forw head te
lls
ardthin us ab
ou
king
rura t life a
l prep
sc
Ben Evans, head of Edge
Grove School in Hertfordshire,
believes we should be embracing
technology in education whilst
simultaneously striving to
preserve tradition. Here, he
explains why this isn’t too tall
an order
36
ICT news
38
Wireless
We speak to IT network managers about their
experiences of wireless procurement
42
Insight
The most recent trends and developments in
the fast-moving world of education technology
44
Techno Geek
Dughall McCormick, local authority consultant
and chair of the board of management at
NAACE, on the potential of computer games in
the classroom
AND FINALLY…
46
A BA
LANC
One
he
whils ad’s vie
ws o
t sim
n
ult
ING A
CT
60 seconds with…
Judith Carlisle, head of Oxford High School,
talks theatre, the dangers of perfectionism and
Samuel Pepys
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Editor’s comment
Being a city-dweller, I’m often asked whether I ever see
myself upping sticks and swapping manic rush hours and
overpriced cocktails for muddy walks and country pubs.
The answer’s probably yes – despite the words of Samuel
Johnson, who sagely observed that once tired of London,
one was almost certainly tired of life. Someone else who,
like me, has eschewed this phrase is Jeremy Banks, head
of Beachborough School in Northamptonshire. In 2006 he
left the capital to embrace life in a rural school where pig
husbandry is part and parcel of student life. Find out more
about his experiences on page 18.
Whether you’re based in a city, town, village or hamlet,
one element of school life remains unswervingly the same:
inspection. It’s the phone call that no one looks forward
to, and can send a tingling shiver down the spine of many
a head and bursar – no matter how prepared they feel
for these beady-eyed visitors. Find out what you should
prioritise when the inspectors come calling on page 24.
Elsewhere, we ﬁnd out how to impress budding
young thespians with a brand new theatre facility (p26),
explore the beneﬁts of going cashless (p32) and gaze
into our crystal ball to predict the most likely trends and
developments in the fast-moving world of education
technology (p42).
As ever, your feedback is welcome so please do get
in touch on [email protected] with any
comments. See you again in May!
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INDEPENDENT NEWS
PREP SCHOOL ATTENDED BY PRINCE
CHARLES RECEIVES DAMNING
OFSTED REPORT
School inspectors have delivered a damning verdict on the private prep school Hill House in
London, which could result in it being closed over serious and signiﬁcant safety concerns,
according to the Guardian.
Ofsted inspectors found the £14,000-a-year, 900-pupil independent school, once attended
by Prince Charles, to be lacking in basic safeguards, and roundly criticised it for poor quality of
teaching and management.
“The health and safety of both pupils and adults in the main school are severely
compromised. The health and safety policy is not being implemented across all sites. No one has
overall responsibility for health and safety or has had suitable training,” the Ofsted inspectors
noted, attaching a long list of concerns, including ﬁre exits that “represent an ever-present danger
to pupils and staff”.
Ofsted inspectors also said: “Leaders and proprietors do not have the capacity to secure
essential improvements. They are not taking any
action to secure effective teaching. They do not
know if pupils are making the progress of which
they are capable.”
Severe failures of management, safeguarding
and health and safety leave schools vulnerable
to being shut down if they fail to improve.
A DfE spokesperson said: “It would be
wrong to take any decisions until we have
studied the ﬁndings, but all options remain
open – including closure. We have repeatedly
demonstrated for all types of school that we will
not hesitate to take tough action if required.”
IN PICTURES
On Friday 13 March Eugenia Davidson and Megan Adamson from St Mary’s School for Girls in Colchester
sported colourful wigs in support of Red Nose Day. They also brought in Red Nose Day-themed cakes to
sell at break-time, raising £173.89 in total over the course of the day.
Eton head says singlesex schools ‘preserve
innocence’ for longer
Single-sex schools allow pupils’ innocence
to “last a little longer”, the head of Eton
has said.
According to Tony Little, “pretty graphic”
sex education is now necessary at age nine
because of growing social pressures, although
he believes that teaching girls and boys
separately means they could “be themselves”
until a later stage.
Mr Little is to be chief education ofﬁcer
of the Gems Education network of schools in
Europe, the US and Africa, after 13 years as
the boys’ school head.
Speaking at the Global Education and
Skills Forum, organised by the Varkey
Foundation, the charitable arm of Gems, in
Dubai, Mr Little said he was not a particular
advocate for single-sex or co-educational
schools, adding that there were other, more
important things than this.
“What does strike me is that in a singlesex environment, particularly at the age of 13,
14, 15, there is an opportunity for both boys
and girls to be themselves for longer. To be
‘boyish’ for longer, to be young girls,” he said.
“One of the real challenges we face as
parents and particularly in schools, and this
has accelerated in the last few years, is the
growing apparent sophistication of children
at a younger age. The need even at the age of
nine now, for pretty graphic sex education
because of the pressures that are being put
on girls particularly, from the age 11 and
upwards.”
He added that the “sad thing” is that
detailed sex education is now needed.
“I guess what I’m saying is in a single-sex
environment, you can allow innocence to last
a little longer,” he said.
THEY SAID
“Historically there’s been a concern that state school pupils were overlooked
by Oxbridge, so it may come as a surprise to many to hear that there is now
a widespread belief among parents of privately-schooled pupils that their
children will not be treated equally by admissions tutors”
Lucinda Fraser of Oxbridge Applications on the fact that increased numbers of parents are moving their children from
private to state school in order to secure a place at Oxbridge
06 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
INDEPENDENT NEWS
EXCLUSIVE £29,000-A-YEAR
BOARDING SCHOOL TO
SCRAP ALL FEES
A £29,000-a-year boarding school will scrap all
its fees this September to become one of David
Cameron’s latest free schools.
The Royal School Wolverhampton, whose
former pupils include the Monty Python
member Eric Idle, will become a state school –
with no fees required to attend.
The boarding school was one of 49 new
free schools announced by the Prime Minister
in March as part of a major expansion of the
policy which allows schools to be set up by
community groups including parents, charities
or teachers.
The Royal School Wolverhampton is the
latest of several private schools to scrap fees
and take state funding via the free schools
programme.
The most prestigious was Liverpool
College, while others included William Hulme
Grammar School in Manchester, Queen
Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn, and
Chetwynde School in Barrow-in-Furness.
Pupils at the school who don’t board
currently pay fees of £13,230 – but this will
fall to nothing from September. Families of
children who board will see their fees drop
to a boarding charge of between £10,000 and
£14,000 a year.
The school, in grounds of 25 acres,
currently has 538 pupils, of whom 139 are
boarders. As a state school it will expand
to 1,200 children, with boarders dropping
slightly to around 110.
Free schools were introduced in 2010 to
allow parents and community groups to set
up their own schools. They are independent
from local authorities but must still undergo
Ofsted inspections.
Supporters say they help to drive up
standards by creating competition with
existing schools, but Labour has opposed
their creation in areas with a surplus of
places where they are not needed.
The new plan to open at least 500
free schools by 2020 will mean an extra
270,000 places being made available.
PRIVATE SCHOOL OBJECTS TO NEW
MCDONALD’S NEARBY AS IT WILL
‘PUT OFF POTENTIAL PARENTS’
A historic £7,000-a-year private school is
blocking a new McDonald’s because of fears
that parents will not want their children to be
taught near the fast food giant, The Telegraph
has reported.
Governors of the 400-year-old
Haberdashers School are ﬁghting the building
of the new restaurant just 100 metres away
because it would “dissuade potential parents”.
They are appealing against a proposed
shopping centre in Monmouth, South Wales,
near their Agincourt pre-prep school for three
to seven-year-olds – whose families pay £2,265
per term.
The governors said the proposed
McDonald’s, Costa Coffee, Marston’s public
house and a Pets at Home store would be
“inappropriate” and would lose the school
money and teaching jobs.
They said: “We are concerned that such
a highly visible and inappropriate sited
development in such close proximity to the
school would be likely to have the detrimental
effect of dissuading potential parents from
sending their children to the school. Any
reduction in pupil numbers could result in a
reduction in the staff employed by the school.”
The governors highlight the concerns of an
increase in trafﬁc, road safety for pupils and
overspill parking in the school’s car park.
Haberdasher’s Monmouth School –
whose motto is ‘Serve and Obey’ – was
founded under James I in 1614 as a grammar
school for boys.
It was rebuilt in 1865 and now boasts
single-sex boarding schools for boys and girls,
with annual fees of £25,000, as well as a prep
school and pre-prep school.
Gary Whitcombe, former Monmouth town
councillor, said the shopping development by
Avenbury Ventures LLP would give the rural
town a boost.
Mr Whitcombe, 77, said the shops and
restaurants would create 147 “much-needed”
jobs for local people.
He said: “I have spoken to many people
who support the scheme. There are no jobs
here and many people are forced to travel to
other areas to work. This would be a huge
boost for the town and another restaurant will
give people more choice.”
The developer said the scheme will create
147 jobs while redeveloping a vacant site.
The application has yet to be
considered by Monmouthshire council’s
planning committee.
NEWS IN BRIEF
An Oxfordshire primary school
is celebrating its best ever results
after getting a helping hand from
a private school. Dry Sandford
Primary has worked with nearby
Cothill House prep school for eight
years and this year recorded its best
ever exam results.
Underage students at a boarding
school were allowed to get drunk
during a supervised trip, a tribunal
has heard. It was alleged that
they drank alcohol at an Indian
restaurant with three staff members
from Moorland High School in
Lancashire. Deana Hall, 53, claims
she was made a scapegoat, and was
unfairly dismissed from her job as a
house parent following the incident.
A school lab technician claims
she was verbally abused and
humiliated while working at one of
the country’s top boarding schools
where she overheard a pupil say
women should “stay at home in
the kitchen”. Hannah Miller, 38,
worked as a laboratory technician
in the Tonbridge School Physics
Department from January 2005 to
June 2014.
A head has described the “utter
shock and betrayal” he felt on
discovering a long-serving teacher
was a paedophile. In the Thorpe
Hall School newsletter, Andrew
Hampton revealed how he was taken
in by deputy head Martin Goldberg,
who was found dead at his home in
September by police.
A fee-paying prep school closed
unexpectedly last month, leaving
the parents of 30 pupils devastated.
Liquidators moved into Vernon
Lodge Preparatory School in south
Staffordshire on Thursday 5 March
and told pupils and staff to leave by
the end of the day.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
LOCAL SCHOOL NEWS.
If you have a story to share,
please get in touch on
[email protected]
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 07
INDEPENDENT NEWS
MAJORITY OF TEACHERS BELIEVE
FOCUS ON EXAMS HINDERS
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Teachers increasingly believe that moral character is being squeezed out of children’s
education, new research has shown.
The report, Character Education in UK Schools and The Good Teacher: Understanding
Virtues in Practice, call for moral virtues to be put at the heart of British education.
According to the Jubilee Centre’s research, 80% of school teachers feel that schools’
focus on academic attainment is hindering students’ character development.
And despite 60% of British teachers reporting that they teach a subject relating to
their students’ personal development, only 33% have had any speciﬁc training to support
students in this area.
Many teachers who took part in the study, which examined the views of over 10,000
students and 255 teachers, recommended that schools provide more ‘free space’ where
students could be themselves, without having to think about exam scores.
The Good Teacher Report also found that over a third (37%) of teachers believe that
they do not have enough time to do their job to a standard they believe is right. Many point
to the impact of increasing workloads and the narrow focus on exams and inspections.
According to teacher educators interviewed by researchers, British training courses
spend little time reﬂecting on the teaching of moral virtues, because the focus is always on
meeting standards and on the technical aspects of teaching practice.
The research also found that there is a positive attitude towards teaching moral
character within the education sector. Most British teachers consider moral education to be
an integral part of their job.
Professor James Arthur, director of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, said:
“Academic attainment is, of course, important, but the moral character of a child matters
more. Research shows that a good grasp of moral virtues, such as kindness, honesty and
courage can help children to ﬂourish as human beings, and can also lead to improvements
in the classroom.”
EXAMS PUT CHILDREN UNDER ‘VILE, CRUEL
PRESSURE’, SAYS WELLINGTON HEAD
Sir Anthony Seldon says children should not
be told school days are the best of their lives
because they are under “intolerable” pressure
to perform, The Telegraph has reported.
Sir Anthony, the head of Wellington
College, said adults should not tell children
that school days would be their happiest time,
running the risk of leaving them demoralised
and fearing the future.
Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival,
he told an audience that education authorities
had played a “cruel, vile trick” on children by
convincing them exam results were the only
way to validate their worth.
08 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
He said he advocated mindfulness lessons
built into the school day, and encouraged
pupils to ﬁnd their own unique intelligence.
Sir Anthony added: “I think that we have
done terrible things to children in the interests
of careers of headteachers and teachers and
school league tables and government statistics
and international comparisons. What we
should be trying to get every child to do is do
their best and recognising that exams are not
all important.
“It is a cruel, vile trick to make children
believe that the only validation of their worth
is the ability to pass exams.”
Give students sanctuary
from technology,
says private school
spokesman
Schools must be “privileged places” that give
students time and space away from being
“bombarded with data” and technology,
the country’s biggest group of independent
schools has said.
At a time when an increasing number of
schools are giving students their own tablets,
Dr Kevin Stannard, director of innovation
and learning at the Girls’ Day School Trust,
believes that schools should act as a refuge
from social media dominated modern life.
Speaking in TES, Dr Stannard said it
was important for schools to strike the right
balance between preparing their students
for the working world and teaching them
to engage in a “deeper” understanding of
subject content.
In their haste to keep pace with
technological change in other sectors, schools
must not overlook their primary aim of
providing students with the skills to focus
and concentrate, he added.
“In a modular, multitasking, rapidly
mutating world, where young people are
bombarded with data, schools must stand
out as privileged places that put value on
sustained reﬂection and considered debate,”
he said.
STATS
&
FACTS
80%
The percentage of teachers
who believe that a relentless
focus on exams is hindering the
development of character in British
schoolchildren, according to research
carried out by the University of
Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre for
Character and Virtues
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THE MONTH THAT WAS > GREY MATTER
A balancin
g act
Ben Evans, head of Edge Grove School in Hertfordshire,
believes we should be embracing technology in
education whilst simultaneously striving to preserve
tradition. Here, he explains why this isn’t too tall an order
Ben Evans is head of Edge
Grove School in Hertfordshire
n my opinion,
technology should
be used in school
to make learning
and the curriculum
more accessible to all abilities
as well as more interactive,
innovative and exciting. These
advancements should also
help teachers provide for all
styles of learning; kinesthetic,
visual and auditory. Of course,
the downside of over-using
technology is that it could lead
I
to the loss of essential skills
such as handwriting, spelling,
presentation – and reading!
So it’s vital that technology is
introduced to pupils in the
right way.
Schools need to make
sure that technology is
introduced carefully to ensure
that traditional skills are also
integrated into the process.
Every teacher should ask
themselves the questions: ‘What
technology can I use to improve
learning and how?’ ‘Have I used
a range of different methods
throughout the day, week and
term?’ ‘Am I able to ensure that
all pupils are engaged in their
learning or are they using the
technology to hide in class, play
games or randomly surf
the internet?’
MAKING CURRICULUM
TOPICS ACCESSIBLE
A teacher’s planning must
identify the learning objectives
and outcomes and then the IT
introduced, to ensure those
objectives are achieved and
that the outcomes are as high
as possible. Our curriculum
10 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
is based on the principles of
discovery, application and
communication – technology
can be used to good effect to
achieve all of these aspects
of learning.
Likewise, iPads can be used
in the classroom to fantastic
effect by carefully choosing
apps that meet the above criteria
and by teachers observing each
other and regularly meeting
to reﬂect on their lessons,
and teaching and learning
outcomes. You may not get it
right the ﬁrst time but that’s
okay because you’ll learn from
the experience – technology
is always a learning curve no
matter how advanced you are.
The apps make the curriculum
topics accessible, aid teacher
explanations and encourage
independent and group work
to ﬁre pupils’ interest and
enthusiasm. They should not
simply be used to type up work
or research.
Further uses include
assessment of pupils by
collating their work from
their iPads to the main class
whiteboard and using this
to form lesson plenaries and
conclusions. Additionally, using
apps for them to record their
results in different formats (TV
presentations/radio broadcasts/
PowerPoints) and explain
various topics ensures that the
‘communication’ aspect of our
curriculum is covered.
THINK TWICE
We shouldn’t and mustn’t
ignore the beneﬁts that
technology brings to the
classroom but at the same time
we should always challenge
it and ask: ‘Is it beneﬁting our
pupils’ leaning?’ ‘Is it enhancing
the achievement of the learning
objectives?’ If not, think twice
because schools shouldn’t be
using technology at the expense
of traditional skills – that would
be counterproductive to say
the least. Used in the right way,
technology is a huge asset as
many schools have seen, and
we’re certainly fortunate to
be teaching in such exciting
times with so much
technological capability
available to really enrich the
way that we educate.
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THE MONTH THAT WAS > BIG ASK
Can you feel
the force?
At the end of last year the government
abandoned plans to reform school cadet
force funding after outcry from independent
schools. We asked our readers about their
experience of cadet forces. Do you think
they’re important for pupils, and should they
be expanded to more schools?
12 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
THE MONTH THAT WAS > BIG ASK
Matthew Watts
Bursar and clerk to the
governors
Thorpe House School, Gerrards
Cross, Buckinghamshire
Simon Davies
Headmaster
Eastbourne College,
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Thomas Garnier
Headmaster and CCF
representative for HMC
Pangbourne College, Reading,
West Berkshire
We don’t have a cadet force as we’re too small
and don’t cover the relevant age range, although
as a former army ofﬁcer I’d be delighted if we did
or could. Instead we have an established Duke
of Edinburgh programme and have entered a
partnership with the local scouts to run beavers and
cubs in a group that includes boys from the school
and outsiders.
From my experience the Combined Cadet
Force (CCF) allowed me to take part in all sorts of
activities (ﬂying and parachuting, even though it
was with the Army) that I would never have done
otherwise and take others (shooting, adventure
training) to levels other organisations could not. I
also found that CCF activities (especially going on
instructor courses) made me far more conﬁdent,
most notably when giving presentations. However,
because I went to Sandhurst straight from school
at the age of 18 it’s rather hard to say how much
the cadets formed who I am, how much joining the
regular army did and how much was inherent!
The only thing I’m very much against is
compulsory CCF. There’s an old expression that a
volunteer is as good as a pressed man, but I’ve heard
horror stories about the pressed men completely
destroying contingents!
We have had a thriving CCF in existence since
1895 and with an establishment of 335 cadets
across the three service sections (the Army section
being the largest with 240 cadets), ours is now one
of the largest contingents in the South East not
including the military schools.
Our CCF is compulsory for all of our Year
10 pupils (second year at college) and thereafter
pupils may elect to stay on and develop in roles
of leadership or may move into other community
service-based service opportunities.
We’re hugely proud of the fact that one of our
former pupils and governors, Sir David Richards,
has been Chief of Defence Staff, another old boy
and former chair of governors Sir Ian Forbes was
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
and our current chair of governors Sir Kevin
O’Donoghue retired as Chief of Defence Materiel –
all of these individuals having had their ﬁrst taster
of military life in our CCF.
Dr Alan McMurdo
Principal
Thomas Deacon Academy,
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
In my last two schools we had cadets. It
was something I was quite happy with in
terms of ethos and being satisﬁed that it
wasn’t a happy hunting ground for armed
forces recruitment.
It’s about giving children opportunities,
a structured leadership programme, and
boundaries and experiences that give them
independence, self-reliance, and all those
sorts of things. The educational argument I
didn’t have a problem with.
CCF is about
giving children
a structured
leadership programme”
A great model for expansion of CCFs is to
encourage partnerships between independent
schools and state schools. At Pangbourne we
established just such a partnership last academic
year with the Deneﬁeld Academy in Tilehurst,
near Reading. We hope that the partnership will
grow as students and staff at Deneﬁeld see the
beneﬁts to those who are taking part.
Our partnership has started small, with 10
cadets and a member of staff from Deneﬁeld
joining our own CCF each Thursday and
attending ﬁeld days each term. They use our
facilities and we’re able to share our expertise
and facilities and culture with them. There are
clear beneﬁts to us as well in that prejudices
among our students and their students have been
broken down.
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 13
LEADERSHIP > CASE STUDY
A lesson in
reinvention
In 2007, Perse Girls was a seven to 18 traditional girls’ school with a falling
roll of 600. Jess Pike speaks to principal Tricia Kelleher about recent
initiatives that have seen numbers and results soar – and an exciting digital
resources venture that has garnered media interest from around the world
14 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
LEADERSHIP > CASE STUDY
he word ‘reinvention’ conjures up all sorts of images:
Madonna on the cover of a glossy magazine pre-Brits
tumble or David Beckham striding down a catwalk for
H&M. Both A-listers have, unwittingly or not, come a
long way since pointed corsets (Madge) and questionable
cornrows (Becks). But rarely do we associate reinvention with ‘things’,
which is odd considering the fact that organisations and institutions
are just as capable of shrugging off bad press and reinventing
themselves as us human beings. Take, for example, the Stephen Perse
Foundation in Cambridge.
Back in 2007 the girls’ school (which incidentally inspired the
ﬁctional St Trinian’s) was riding high at the top of league tables and
basking in the warm glow of success. But it was also suffering from a
drop in numbers – despite having capacity for 750, there were only
600 girls on roll.
Fast-forward to 2014 and the Independent School Awards, where
the Stephen Perse Foundation won not one but two accolades –
Independent School of the Year and Outstanding Strategic Initiative,
both reﬂecting a signiﬁcant change in fortune: there are now 1,050
students on roll (both boys and girls) and the school has expanded
across six different sites. The number of pupils is projected to rise over
the next four or ﬁve years to 1,300.
So how did they do it? How did a school beset by a falling roll
manage to wipe the ﬂoor with some serious competition at the
Independent School Awards? What was their strategy and how did
they make it happen?
T
SCARCITY BREEDS CLARITY
Tricia Kelleher, who’s been principal of Stephen Perse since 2001,
is warm, open and willing to let us in on her trade secrets. Stateeducated, she found herself quite accidentally in the private school
sector after graduating from Oxford and completing a PGCE
at Nottingham in 1985. The sector’s obviously made an impression
because this is where she’s remained since those early days of
teaching History at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls in
Hertfordshire. “Oh, I really enjoy it,” she says. “It’s all about teaching
and learning, and, yes, I imagine I’ll keep working in the sector until
retirement beckons.”
When Tricia joined in 2001, the student demographic was far
more provincial than it is today and a lot less ethnically diverse. “Now
we’re a sort of global soup,” she says, “and we really enjoy having
young people from around the world. This is due, in part, to the fact
that Cambridge is a pretty globalised city, and very diverse. Now our
catchment area goes from King’s Lynn and Hitchin to beyond Europe.”
Tricia’s ﬁrst few years at the school were clouded by the fact that
the brother school went co-ed and begun to take girls, forcing the SLT
to mull over their overarching vision for the school and its future. “We
basically had to decide what it was that would make us the school
of choice in Cambridge,” explains Tricia. “My personal mantra is
‘scarcity breeds clarity’ and falling numbers made us think very hard
about our strategic direction.”
After some musing the SLT decided on their ‘reach’ strategy
– which essentially involved expanding the school’s reach, from
one single-site seven to 18 girls’ school to a multiple-site, three to
18 coeducation school. “We’ve extended out reach beyond the two
central sites in the middle of Cambridge and now have six schools in
and around the city; in addition to acquiring a pre-prep, we’ve merged
with a prep school in Saffron Walden.”
This Stephen Perse Foundation umbrella of schools has, at its
historic heart, the old Perse girls’ school, where Tricia’s based; a short
It’s extraordinary how technology
removes all the barriers
walk away is the junior school, the sixth form college and one of the
pre-prep schools. According to Tricia, the idea for this expansion was
driven in part by the school’s governing body (comprising heads of
global business as well as academic scholars) and forward-thinking
bursar Jenny Neild. The governing body played an integral part in
challenging the SLT and ensuring the expansion went ahead in the
right way. “We knew pretty quickly that we’d have to get a sense of
direction and identity, and were very clear about what we stand for
and the approach to learning. Our vision is to be a globally aspiring
school – that’s what we’re about, that’s our journey.”
The governing body questioned every proposed move – from
taking on the prep school in Saffron Walden to offering IGCSEs as
part of the curriculum. “They looked at the ﬁnances involved and
the ﬁnancial vulnerability of the school during a time of change, and
forced us to think about how we’d manage that. They really were
fantastic,” says Tricia.
THE NEW IT CROWD
Whilst the former brother school’s decision to begin accepting girls
was what ﬁrst forced Tricia and her team to start looking at how else
to add some shine to their offering, they were also determined to ramp
up their technological prowess, as well as build on their ﬁnancial
assistance – both elements that Tricia believes led to the Independent
School of the Year award in 2014.
“We’ve always been a very digitally savvy school,” she says,
“and we were keen to ensure that we have a big footprint not
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 15
LEADERSHIP > CASE STUDY
just locally and nationally, but globally too. What we worked out
early on was that a good digital strategy would unlock pedagogy
and unlock the way children traditionally learn – and in 2011 we
decided to implement a 1:1 tablet provision to enhance this.”
As an early adopter of what came to be seen as a pretty gamechanging initiative there were deﬁnite obstacles to overcome,
namely involving infrastructure. Whilst it initially seemed that
what the school had in place was sufﬁcient, it soon became
apparent when users start connecting that the wireless density
wasn’t sufﬁcient or robust enough. However, after some tweaking
the problems were ironed out – and Tricia now speaks at events for
other school leaders about their savvy approach.
“It’s extraordinary how technology removes all the barriers
– nobody’s looking at us and thinking: ‘Oh, you’re a posh
independent school’ because we’re not – they are looking at
us because we’re doing things differently. And as much as we
champion the use of technology in the classroom, we’re also
very clear about the fact that it’s still but a tool; it helps us think
differently about pedagogy, which is always the most important
thing for students.”
Such was Tricia’s lofty vision for digital transformation that the
next step in the school’s story is a clear divergence from the norm:
in January 2015, the Stephen Perse Foundation published 12 digital
textbooks for IGCSE biology which are available to download free
online – the ﬁrst school in the country to make available textbooks
covering an entire exam syllabus. On the ﬁrst day of the iBook
being published, there were 3,000 downloads – a ﬁgure that has
now risen to over 17,400.
BREAKING DOWN STEREOTYPES
If anything’s dismantled the much-talked about state/private
school divide, it’s the sharing of these digital resources, which
has been praised in both local and national media. The books,
which were designed by one of the school’s biology teachers,
have also piqued the interest of local and national state schools
– and silenced independent school critics lamenting the lack of
collaboration between the two sectors. “Digitally it doesn’t matter
where you are in order to cultivate a positive relationship with
state schools,” Tricia points out. “Not all schools are able to share
their facilities due to where they’re based, but all schools can share
digital resources.”
With the general election looming, Tricia – like many heads
– is understandably concerned about ammunition directed at her
sector. “The issue is that everyone seems to think all independent
schools are like Eton, and that’s a real problem,” she says. “Every
private school is very different.”
That said Tricia and her SLT are fully aware of the importance
of keeping fees affordable and avoiding pricing any parents out of
the market. “We work very hard to ensure our stafﬁng’s right,” she
explains, “because that’s such a large component cost, and we’re
also very mindful of the impact of any fee rise on parents.”
Next on the horizon for the Foundation is further engagement
with schools around the world (“We hope to become a leading
publishing house for schools”) and a big building project (“…just a
twinkle in the eye at the moment”). Tricia’s currently preparing for a
meeting with the head of a Danish secondary school, who’s keen to
explore the possibility of building shared online learning spaces, and
discuss how more digital textbooks would be funded and released.
“That’s the vision,” smiles Tricia. “It may well be that other schools
start to follow our lead and share their resources, which would be
great – a real global staffroom, if you like. After all, if you’ve got
something to share, it seems odd to keep it to yourselves.”
Tricia’s approach to leadership is nothing if not holistic, and
whilst she covers fundraising, technology, bursaries and outreach
during our conversation, she’s keen to emphasise the importance of
resisting slotting such topics and ideas into silos. And with the two
Independent School Awards now under her belt, I think it’s safe to
say that this approach is deﬁnitely working.
16 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
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LEADERSHIP > INTERVIEW
Country
living
18 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
LEADERSHIP > INTERVIEW
Headmaster Jeremy Banks is in his second year of headship at
Beachborough School in Northamptonshire and relishing all the
role has to offer. He tells George Carey about the beneﬁts of
curriculum collapse, the educational value of sausages and the
innate wisdom of Kung Fu Panda
Our raison d’etre is far more than just passing children
on to the next phase of their schooling – it’s about
developing the character and personality that will
prepare them for a world that’s completely different to
the world in which you and I grew up,” says Jeremy
Banks, who’s thoroughly enjoying his second year as headmaster at
Beachborough School in Northamptonshire. Elaborating, he says:
“In my view it’s exactly what the senior schools want: children who
have a love of learning. Our creative curriculum sits alongside our
academic aspirations – we want a place where learning is fun and
school is exciting.”
While still something of a ﬂedgling in terms of headship, Jeremy
has a wealth of experience, the majority of which was gained during
a 10-year stint at Dulwich Prep in south London. His time there
included a four-year spell as assistant director of studies followed
by a role as housemaster, both of which have informed his passion
for educational excellence and pastoral care. It was at this point
that he realised the next step in his career would require a change
of scenery. He recalls: “The headmaster of Dulwich Prep at the
time, sat me down and told me to ﬁnd a school that was completely
different to Dulwich Prep. He told me to ﬁnd somewhere where
there was ‘a job to do’. I was appointed deputy head, pastoral and
co-curricular at Beachborough in 2006.”
“
MOVING TO THE COUNTRY
So what was the ‘job’ that needed doing at the school? “At that time
Beachborough had a reputation for being a family-orientated, gentle
prep school with good sport, drama and art but it needed a degree
of rigour, routine and order that was absent. My job was to put
systems in place, create greater accountability and better protocols,
and generally get the good work that was being done organised and
compliant – a model of good practice.” Despite the problems that
could have faced as a new boy coming in and stirring up school
life, Jeremy remembers nothing but cooperation and encouragement
from his new colleagues, who were willing to adapt to the changes
required of them. “Change needs to be managed carefully, so there
were challenges in those ﬁrst few years but I was very lucky to have
the support of the staff room and senior management team on that
journey, and it’s one that we’re still on today,” he says.
And so it was, after a successful tenure as deputy head that
included a lot of “hard work and fun”, that Jeremy made the
step up to the hot seat, keen to put his own stamp on the school.
“Taking up the headship I very much positioned myself to the
chairman as someone who would maintain our reputation in all
those lovely rural prep school areas but make sure that the quality
of the teaching was world class and as good as it could be. These
parents are spending a lot of money and compromise can’t be on
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 19
LEADERSHIP > INTERVIEW
the agenda; it needs to be brilliant.”
Part of that process has been continuing the “cultural shift”
that he started as deputy head, including handing more autonomy
to the children in certain circumstances. “We’ve introduced some
pretty forward-thinking strategies into our teaching,” he says. “Peer
assessment is now a common part of our practice and we now have
lovely initiatives such as our Year 3 and 4 learning logs that involve
the children completing mini research projects. We’re making
the children more a part of their learning journey, if you’ll excuse
the cliché. There’s been a real shift in expectations, with a greater
dialogue about the quality of teaching.”
SELLING SAUSAGES
During our conversation Jeremy repeatedly refers to the sheer range
of opportunities offered by a rural prep school, and they don’t get
much more countriﬁed than pig husbandry, something that offers
experience to pupils in more ways than one. “My predecessor set
up the farm and we rear the pigs from April to August. Volunteers
from Year 5 and 6 look after the animals, check the water and
monitor their welfare morning and night. I require that they take
responsibility, they’re not simply helping out,” he explains.
After a trip to the abattoir, the pigs continue to enhance school
life as the young enterprise group sell the sausages to the staff as
well as local pubs. He adds: “It’s this kind of opportunity that will
give our pupils something that makes school special and we like to
think, whatever it is, that we’ll ﬁnd the thing the child likes best. It’s
all about breadth of curriculum and having the farm sits comfortably
alongside our Year 8s putting on a Shakespeare production or our
music department going on tour to Bruges; it’s about opportunity and
character development, and hopefully having fun as well.”
Despite the strength and depth of the school’s curriculum, once
a term it’s collapsed to make way for a week of themed activities
referred to as ‘enrichment week’. A recent activity tied in with the
tributes to the Great War on its 100th anniversary and featured a
realistic above-ground trench, placing a little corner of the Somme
in rural Northamptonshire. “It was used for everything from art
to drama and English during that week. I think perhaps the most
poignant experience was the children in their boiler suits and
wellies on a drizzly November afternoon, writing letters home sitting
inside the trench. We posted the letters to a local primary school
and those children then came here, sat in the trench and wrote their
own letters back to us. All the children met each other afterwards,
discussed what they’d been doing and enjoyed a meal together
at Beachborough. It was a lovely positive that came out of our
enrichment week,” he enthuses.
With other enrichment weeks covering topics as diverse as Africa
and ﬂight, there’s plenty to keep his students inspired. “Children
Children don’t always learn well
when subjects are taken
in isolation
20 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
don’t always learn well when subjects are taken in isolation and the
opportunities for cross-curricular links through enrichment have
been fabulous and have really enhanced learning.”
In addition to the wide range of activities on offer at the school,
Jeremy’s background in pastoral care means that he keeps a keen
eye of that side of student development. “In assemblies I’ve talked
about ‘7:11’ breathing; breathing in for seven seconds and out for 11.
Getting those breathing exercises right could help the children before
they go into an exam or if they’re having a tough day or could help
them recalibrate themselves prior to afternoon registration, before
they start the rest of their day.”
What’s more he enjoys taking tutor periods and introducing
pupils to the work of eastern philosophers like Sun Tzu and Kung
Fu Panda. Jeremy explains: “There’s an excellent deﬁnition of
mindfulness in Kung Fu Panda that I read out to a class of Year 5s a
couple of weeks ago: ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but
today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.’ We discussed it and
they closed their eyes and did breathing exercises. We talk a lot about
mindfulness and that sort of thing has a big inﬂuence on how we do
things at Beachborough.”
PROVINCIAL PRIVILEGES
Having now taught in prep schools at both ends of the urban/rural
spectrum, Jeremy has no doubt as to where his heart lies. “I taught
in a large urban prep school and I’ve now been in a smallish rural
prep school and I know which I prefer,” he says. “I say that both
as a senior teacher and as a parent. The setting is wonderful, the
opportunities are very broad and yet we also strive for best practice
in the classroom.”
To make his point, Jeremy tells me about a literary lesson with
a difference: “Our middle set Year 7 class were studying Lord of the
Flies and the English teacher took the class out to our wood and
taught them how to build a ﬁre and skin a rabbit. Then she stood
back and let those children build the ﬁre, skin the rabbit and cook it.
They weren’t allowed to eat it but it gave the leaders a chance to lead
and the followers a chance to be followers, and I would suggest that
those children gained a greater understanding of a challenging novel
through this opportunity that simply wouldn’t be available in an
urban prep school.”
So what has his time at the helm taught him? “The leadership
of a school involves a considerably greater remit than perhaps
you might expect,” he reﬂects. “I’m on the parish council now
and parents ask me my opinions on everything from education to
the community. I’m required to demonstrate an understanding of
budgetary issues as well as marketing strategies; this is the breadth
of the job that I knew existed... but I guess I’m only now appreciating
the real challenge of headship.”
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LEADERSHIP > CASE STUDY
CRITICAL
MASS
LEADERSHIP > CASE STUDY
With the recent addition of two colossal biomass boilers and energysaving features such as LED lightbulbs, St Mary’s Shaftesbury is
addressing its energy needs in a whole new way. Bursar Malachy Doran
tells George Carey about the changes and the huge beneﬁts on offer
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE SCHOOL AND THE
CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN TERMS OF ENERGY PRODUCTION
AND CONSUMPTION?
The core of the school is a private house built in the 1880s, which
became a hotel, then a convent with a school and it’s now a school.
Luckily it’s not listed so we were able to put in modern classrooms,
swimming pools, a sports hall and the like. But the core of the
school is the original house and what we had was multiple sites
with either oil or gas boilers that were all heating and providing hot
water for different parts of the school. It wasn’t integrated in any
sense and also because of the incremental development of the site
it wasn’t particularly well coordinated. If you’d asked me to design
a school, I wouldn’t have started with that. I think most of our peer
schools would recognise that position. We have 19 boilers, that are
19 potential points of failure and some are 30 or 40-years-old, while
the associated ancillary equipment is quite old with things like belt
driven pumps, which I think went out with the arc. There are two
main challenges: one is the operating cost of that particular design,
which is extremely high and dependent on oil and gas, and the
second aspect is the maintenance element, which is
very challenging.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE INVESTOR-FUNDED, SHARED
SAVINGS MODEL THAT’S MADE THE ADDITION OF THE
BIOMASS BOILERS POSSIBLE?
It’s a product of the US energy efﬁciency business. The difference
between the UK and the US is that there is very limited if any
public funding for energy innovation in the US set against the
UK, where you’ve got renewable heat incentives. They’ve brought
huge experience in the US area – where generating the funding
for investment had been entirely commercial – and brought that
experience and the funding model together and applied that in a
different environment in the UK where there’s public money to
incentivise businesses and individuals to be more responsible about
energy consumption.
The division of beneﬁts from public funding is at the heart of
the model, whereby they take the feed in tariff beneﬁt and the RHI
beneﬁt, which the school would otherwise get as part of the funding
model for their investors. The remainder comes from the beneﬁt
of reduced fuel consumption so there’s a gain share mechanism
between the school and the company.
WHAT ARE THE GREATEST BENEFITS FOR THE SCHOOL?
There are no requirements for upfront capital investment. The cost
of the project is about £2m, which the school has not had to pay for
but it shares the operating efﬁciency in reduced fuel consumption
and it bequeaths its feed in tariff and renewable heat incentive
(RHI) beneﬁts to the company. It’s that model that allows the school
to have the reduced operating costs and also certainty about future
investment and maintenance because that’s part and parcel of the
deal. I haven’t had to plan for the replacement of boilers for the
next 19 years, which is huge.
WHAT DO THE PHYSICAL CHANGES INVOLVE?
Of the 19 existing boilers I think we’re still operating two, so have
replaced 17 with heat exchangers. In the various boiler houses around
the school beside the redundant boliers, we have heat exchangers. We
have those in place of boilers and separately a single heat generation
source as opposed to many and that source is two 496KW biomass
burners. We have around a mega watt’s worth of heat generation.
Looking at input costs only – not maintenance, depreciation or other
factors – we’ve achieved a 50% saving.
WHAT OTHER CHANGES ARE THERE?
We’ve got 220KW of solar panelling, which should deliver about 20% of
the school’s future electricity requirements. We also have an air handling
unit for the swimming pool, which controls the temperature and
humidity of the non-water environment and, actually, if you think about
it it’s the interface between water and air that dictates how successful a
pool is. It’s a much better environment and will reduce the maintenance
costs for the building.
We’ve also replaced almost every bulb in the building with a luxfor-lux equivalent LED bulb, so that’s about 1,600 lightbulbs. We’ve
improved the valve insulation signiﬁcantly for various parts of the circuit
and crucially we’ve got smart metering so we can see at any point in time
who’s using what and how much they’re using in terms of electricity.
This helps greatly with feeding back into the school educational
environment and the sustainability agenda and the behaviours of the
pupils; we can have competitions between houses, for example, on who
can save the greatest amount of energy and we can measure what they’re
using rather than just asking them to turn down lights and radiators.
HAVE YOU MADE ANY CULTURAL CHANGES AROUND ENERGY
AT THE SCHOOL?
In parallel with this we’ve also made big efforts to reduce waste and
increase recycling. We’ve done that with a separate partner. As the
girls see it, it’s all part of the same thing, about social conscience and
environmental awareness. We’ve signiﬁcantly changed the balance
between waste for landﬁll and waste for recycling. We’re not there
yet and I want to push the ﬁgures even further but that has certainly
impacted on the pupils’ space.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SCHOOLS
CONSIDERING A SIMILAR CHANGE?
Come and have a look, we’d be delighted to show you! A colleague
nearby has already asked to come and see the school. We had a big
open day last September where we invited quite a lot of people to
come and look, which our partner ran for us. I would advise bursars
to go in with their eyes open and think through all the consequences
and be prepared for challenges. It was quite a challenge but it’s
worked. It’s been very positive.
We’ve replaced almost every bulb
in the building with an LED bulb
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 23
PROCURE AND PLAN > INSPECTION
O
N
E
ST
EP
A
H
EA
D
Even the most ship-shape senior leadership team will feel nervous at the
sight of an inspector at the school gates. Here, Alice Sholl ﬁnds out what
to prioritise when the inspectors come knocking
24 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
PROCURE AND PLAN > INSPECTION
nspections – they never seem to come at the right
time. No one likes their school being put under the
microscope or their leadership skills being scrutinised.
But there are a number of ways for the procedure to
go quickly and painlessly, and (dare I say it) even
enjoyably. If an inspection results in your school being given the
gold standard you’ll want to shout it from the rooftops, and the
likelihood is that prospective parents will want to know more. So
who better to turn to for advice than top-rated schools as well as the
inspectors themselves?
Handcross Park in West Sussex is a co-ed prep school that
has recently been given a top rating by the Independent Schools
Inspectorate (ISI), and headmaster Graeme Owton knows that this
deﬁnitely wasn’t down to luck alone. Last year the school wasn’t
only awarded a top rating overall, but achieved this in every area
– “an achievement we’re justly proud of and one that made all the
preparation worthwhile”, says Graeme. He believes that while it
wasn’t easy, the staff made it possible – not only by kicking into
action once they got ‘the call’, but by being ahead of the game well
before. Once the telephone call from the ISI ﬁnally came, every staff
member knew what they had to do to ensure every bit of evidence
was in place for when the inspectors arrived.
I
READY AND SET
It’s all well discussing a fantastic outcome, but how were the
staff at Handcross Park so prepared? One way to be ready was to
always have it on the immediate agenda – Graeme says that the ﬁrst
thing they did at Handcross Park was ensure that inspection and
compliance items were a regular feature on various meeting agendas
before they had so much as a hint of an upcoming inspection. He
also set up termly compliance and inspection committees, which
dealt with regulatory requirements across the school; by making
individual staff members take responsibility for their speciﬁc areas,
the school had its own inspection dream team. “If these systems
are in place, it takes so much of the stress out of the process in the
build up to any inspection.”
It’s key to involve your staff in every way you can, and this
means everyone. Sue Goff, headmistress of Alderley Edge School
for Girls in Cheshire, says that all staff can and should contribute
to the preparation, but also to the inspection itself. For those in
middle management, it can offer the opportunity to take extra
responsibility for a subject or year group, and from governance
and leadership to teaching and pastoral care, Sue reminds us that
every staff member relies on one another “… so support each other
and make sure that every section is fully prepared”. If you choose
to carry out a mock inspection, get as many people involved as
possible – they may feel more comfortable on the day if they’ve
done it before.
WORKING TOGETHER
As your staff team assembles for action, it can easily feel that the
inspectors are the enemy. But try to banish this thought and work
with your team of inspectors, or as Sue says, “adopt the policy of
‘show and tell’ not ‘hide and seek’”. Graeme says that part of their
focus was to make the process as straightforward as possible for
inspectors. This included making their evidence transparent, and
ensuring that all policies and systems were cross-checked and
referenced against the inspection criteria. By making the inspectors’
lives easier, there was more time for them to focus on important
matters at hand. “It meant that their paperwork could be completed
more efﬁciently, giving them more time to watch lessons, speak to
children, staff and parents, and really ﬁnd out about what makes
our school tick.”
Exams might feel more like your pupils’ territory, but don’t
Adopt the policy of ‘show and
tell’ not ‘hide and seek’
underestimate the power of revision for staff. The ISI has a variety
of resources readily available, so use it. Dr Stephen Coyne,
independent consultant and current ISI inspector, emphasises
that a member of the SLT should read the ISI framework in detail
and familiarise the team with its content. “This task is not to be
underestimated, as the paperwork is lengthy and the advice changes
frequently” – so if you’re an ISI school, check out the ISI’s frequent
updates too, which can be published as often as three times a year.
UP TO DATE
Another part of this ‘show and tell’ technique is to make sure that
all your policies are up to speed and compliant, says Sue. “There’s
very little ﬂexibility in many of these policies and regulations and
there are certain words and phrases that have to be there, so make
sure your policies are robust.” She recommends that your staff are
familiar with them, particularly those relating to child protection
and safeguarding, as it’s likely that staff will be asked about them
during the inspection week itself. And if you want this to be truly
fool-proof, have the latest and most up-to-date version of these
policies on the website for the
inspection team to look at – it
leaves a far better impression
than if it’s out of date.
Staying ahead of the
Top
curve is key, says Dr Coyne.
Tips
He believes that one common
mistake that SLTs make is not
informing the ISI of updates
in school information (such
Follow up any
as exam results or the staff
recommendations
list) – every September. If this
doesn’t happen, it’s possible
listed in your last
that inspectors will arrive
inspection
with the wrong timetable or
staff names, which he says “is
Ensure your school
a very bad start, and gives a
is up to date with
very poor impression of the
its regulatory
school”. Like Sue, he says this
is particularly important with
compliance
the safeguarding policy, and it’s
Don’t underestimate
essential that your safeguarding
ofﬁcer updates this because it
the self-evaluation
changes regularly and needs to
form
be updated carefully. “Imagine
the headlines in the local paper
The more
if this crucial area of regulatory
information you give
requirement was found wanting
the better
by inspectors!”
As with any test, if you’re
Honesty is key
fully prepared you’ll have
nothing to worry about. This
Emphasise the
goes for every member of staff in
importance of
your school too, so don’t forget
questionnaires to
that you’re all in it together.
From carrying out mock
pupils and parents –
inspections to buckling down to
inspectors will want
some revision, feeling prepared
to hear their views
is key, and if you feel conﬁdent
on the school.
on the day the chances are it’ll
go swimmingly. Good luck!
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 25
PROCURE AND PLAN > PERFORMING ARTS
A
space
to
be
seen
and
heard
An impressive theatre can be an integral part of any successful
private school – not only will it win around budding young
thespians but it will also wow parents and prospective parents in
the process. George Carey ﬁnds out how to go about making sure
you get the right theatre facility for your school
26 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
Creating music and drama
spaces for education that raise
standards without exceeding
budgets.
anne minors
performance
consultants
Early planning & acoustic advice
> Moulding the vision
> Case for secure funding
> Controlled construction costs
Supporting young performers
> Intimate Hall
> Confident students
> Increased artistic standards
Sustainable details
> Low running costs
> Operational efficiency
> Enhanced artistic reputation
Tel +44 (0) 208 877 5860 / [email protected]
www.ampcstudio.com / www.soundspacedesign.co.uk
Ruddock Performing Arts Centre
King Edward’s School, Birmingham
PROCURE AND PLAN > PERFORMING ARTS
he end of February saw the serial solemnitude of the news
fall by the wayside as media outlets were dominated by
the glitz and glamour of the Oscars. Leading light of the
night was old Etonian Eddie Redmayne, who walked
away with the best actor award for his arresting portrayal
of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Such stirring scenes
can’t help but excite the next generation of budding actors and where
better to hone their skills than at school? But of course it isn’t just
performers that must be nurtured; the performing arts arena, which
encompasses lighting, design, direction, production and costume, is a
huge growth area in independent schools, with institutions competing
for the most impressive facilities. So whether you’re lucky enough to
have several performing arts sites or one versatile space, what can you
do with the space you have to create an inspirational environment
that will cater for creative pupils, no matter what their discipline?
T
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
“One of the key things to start off with is who will own the space,”
says Andy Hayles, co-founder of theatre consultants Charcoalblue.
“Is it the head of drama or the head of music? Acoustically the
requirements between those two departments are completely different
and it’s the fundamental question in performing arts design. Schools
will say to us: ‘We’ve got the school play and then A-level drama do
all their pieces, then LAMDA, the school orchestra and the school
musical… and we’re also hoping to teach opera singing and we’d like
to do it all in the same place, please. And also the ﬁlm club would like
to show art house movies on a projector, so it needs to sound alright
with a pair of speakers on the stage’”.
He adds: “The venues have to work far harder than any
professional theatre space would. It would be very rare to go and see
the London Philharmonic on your local theatre stage. It’s possible to
do those things in the same theatre space but there would have to be
fairly heavy compromises to one or other if you do.”
It’s this clarity of purpose that Mike Elliott, senior consultant at
Anne Minors Performance Consultants, advocates: “It depends on
exactly what they’re trying to achieve and I think that’s what helps
make a successful space – getting a school to have a clear vision about
what they want to use it for; now and in the future. These spaces can
be moulded around that desire. It can be a new space or an existing
one that’s redesigned and you can have rooms that have a number of
different jobs to do; rehearsal rooms can open up and help increase
the size of the foyer or practice rooms can be dressing rooms in the
evenings, but that takes quite careful planning from the beginning. For
instance, placing the practice rooms close to the toilets and with good
access to the stage so that performers aren’t crossing the foyer.”
Of course, there are certain concerns that have to be borne in mind
when making spaces multi-task, as Andy explains. “There are still
some fundamentals backstage that don’t change. With child protection
laws as they are it’s very difﬁcult to create a portable changing area,
because people need to be able to get changed in privacy, with
separate gender changing and sometimes separate ages within genders
as well. Usually we put in four or even sometimes six dressing rooms.
However, there are ways to get additional use out of those spaces
because of course they might only be used when there’s a production,
which might only be two or three times a term as opposed to
every night in a professional theatre. It’s possible to use them as music
practice rooms, for example, or as small meeting rooms.”
One of the key things to establish
is who will own the space
28 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
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PROCURE AND PLAN > PERFORMING ARTS
OUTSIDE INVESTMENT
With the incredible investment that a quality theatrical or musical
space requires, many schools are attracted to the idea of hiring out
their facilities to external groups. This is a great way to attract income
but still requires careful consideration for child safety. “Hiring to
outside companies is a way to get theatre companies in for the students
to see as well,” says Mike. “But that also needs careful consideration
in terms of the access; for instance, the areas that the company can
access and the areas the students can access and how that’s all staffed,
because it can be problematic. It just requires the right planning.”
Andy agrees that this approach can really reap rewards. “I know
bursars care deeply not just how much it costs to build but also
to maintain, so getting event income in can help contribute to the
upkeep,” he comments. “In order to have a programme of events and
for them to go well, there’s probably a person behind that making
it happen. It might be someone from the drama department who’s
passionate about getting theatre companies in or someone in the
development department who sees it as a key part of the school’s
marketing strategy to get locals in.”
Andy’s seen ﬁrst-hand the great beneﬁts of opening up facilities
to the public, especially if schools really commit to the process. “The
The performance space is the
ﬁrst place the students and
parents see
North Wall performing arts centre in Oxford is actually the school
theatre for St Edward’s School. It’s branded as the local performing
arts centre and it has its own entrance off the street as well as one from
within the school grounds. It’s north Oxford’s local performing arts
centre but it’s the school that built it and the school that programmes
the events; it’s a very impressive operation.” He adds: “You’re bound
to have an actor or two among your alumni, so get them in. You’ll be
surprised how many people will turn up, and not just parents. It puts
you in front of a whole raft of new people.”
For those concerned by the colossal sums being touted for building
and equipment costs, there’s some good news. Mike advises: “There
are options such as hiring, so you’re not committing to a particular
stock of equipment that’s going to age – the technology is moving
so quickly that hiring things in when you need them can be a good
thing. That might also apply to spaces and creating partnerships with
local theatres or other schools and sharing those kinds of resources.
It depends on the school’s vision for how much they want to do – in
some ways they don’t need any lights to put on a performance, they
just need a space, but obviously their vision for that might grow and
what the parents and students expect might have an impact on that
as well.”
PREMIUM PERCEPTION
There’s no doubt that an impressive facility can pay huge dividends
in the long term in terms of attracting and retaining pupils. Mike
recalls: “What we’re often told by the schools we work with is that
the performance space is the ﬁrst place the students and parents see
because it’s typically the gathering space for open days or parents’
evenings when everyone joins together in one room. I think it has a
role to play in that respect.”
Donning his paternal hat, Andy conﬁrms the incredible value that
the right facilities can add. “As a parent and someone for whom the
performing arts are important, a dedicated theatre space and dedicated
concert hall is the mark of a school that really takes its performing arts
seriously. It acknowledges that those two things are entirely different.
After all, you don’t hang an 18th century Renaissance painting
in a sculpture trail. That’s the sort of compromise these buildings
sometimes demand. I think the thing that gets parents through the
doors is the facilities ﬁrst and foremost, and then the events are a
rather nice bonus.”
30 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
lighter classrooms, brighter children
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“
I like this building
because it’s peaceful and
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out of the big windows. And I really like
the way it looks with all the wood.
David, school Site Manager
Pupil at Woolwich Polytechnic
”
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PROCURE AND PLAN > CASHLESS SYSTEMS
32 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
PROCURE AND PLAN > CASHLESS SYSTEMS
CASHLESS SOCIETY
While some schools are taking the leap without any qualms others are more
reluctant to get involved. No, we’re not talking 1:1 tablets or the IB, but
a more behind-the-scenes trend: online payment systems. Austin Clark
speaks to those in the know about the beneﬁts of going cashless
eemingly everywhere we turn Britain is ditching cash
in favour of cashless payment. In fact, according to
Barclaycard, the number of cash transactions completed
in Britain has fallen by a massive 5.6 billion in the last
ﬁve years as the cashless society moves closer.
“Consumers switching from cash to card payments is an
increasing trend that cannot be ignored,” adds Colin Swain, global
head of product at Kalixa, a payment processing company. “Our
latest survey of 2,000 consumers in the UK revealed that 82% of
consumers prefer to use cards for purchases over £20.”
With this in mind, isn’t it about time schools joined the cashless
society and looked at ways of introducing online payments?
S
THE BENEFITS
“The administrative overhead of collecting money from parents for
the likes of school trips, lunches and uniforms can be signiﬁcant,”
comments Kirsty Cumming from Schoolcomms. “Just keeping a
record of who has paid how much for what can be considerable and
that’s before you’ve physically dealt with the cash and cheques.
Online payment systems remove all these headaches for schools.”
Geoff Jones, marketing director at ParentMail, adds: “One of the
many challenges for schools is trying to compete with parents’ busy
diaries and ever-changing lists of priorities. Every now and then
things slip our minds and, as a parent myself, I understand how
frustrating it can be to arrive at the school gates and realise too late
that you’ve forgotten the permission slip for an upcoming school trip
while the last of your cash was eaten by the parking meter! Cashless
payments simplify everything and streamline the process. Sometimes
it’s easier to get access to the internet than it is to access a cashpoint
when you’re on the move! Cashless payments are increasingly
becoming the norm so it’s a natural progression for schools and other
businesses to take advantage of the technology available to make the
payment process as easy as possible.”
SIGNIFICANT ADMIN SAVINGS
Rob Munro, school business manager at St Michael’s C of E (VC)
Primary School in Bournemouth, says that a newly introduced online
payment solution has made payments convenient for parents while
saving administration staff 15 hours per week that were previously
spent counting cash. The school introduced a pre-ordering service for
school meals, a trip management and payment service and a general
payment collection solution.
“The school’s governing body was keen to bring cash payments
to an end in line with our school expanding from two to three-form
entry,” explains Rob. “This coincided with a number of parents
enquiring about an alternative method of payment to cash
and cheques.
“My main objectives when selecting the new system were to save
time and to introduce a more efﬁcient payment solution, one which
meant I could be more accountable for the income and expenditure
across the year. The pre-ordering for the meals’ service was selected
to deal with the increased number of meals we were anticipating per
day and to meet the need for a more convenient payment method for
parents – the existing system involved them queuing up outside on
Monday mornings. Trips and other payments were becoming difﬁcult
to manage; we pride ourselves on running a large number of trips for
our children but it was important to show the associated income so
each could be budgeted accordingly.”
Rob says that online payments have modernised the school
and parents can now make payments from the comfort of their own
homes rather than wasting time queuing in the morning when they
may need to get to work – a move that has encouraged parents to pay
more promptly.
“Additionally, I can now interrogate payments in ﬁne detail to
get a real time picture of what the income is rather than waiting for
cheques to clear or a bank run to be made, which took my admin
staff away from their primary functions. Being able to print off a
real-time list of transactions has all but eradicated any discrepancies
The online solution has saved
approximately 15 hours a week
for my administration staff,
which equals 24 days a year
over whether payments have been made by parents or not. This,
combined with a reduced amount of time needed to reconcile cash
and cheques and less need to undertake banking runs, means that
the online solution has saved approximately 15 hours a week for my
administration staff which equals 24 days a year. The time
taken to process the school meal payments and prepare the order
for the catering company has reduced from two days to 15 minutes
because all the meal selections and ﬁnancial information is already
populated online.
“The administration time for processing trip payments has also
been drastically reduced. Previously, it would take an hour from
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 33
PROCURE AND PLAN > CASHLESS SYSTEMS
the payment being handed in to it being completely processed – an
hour which is now freed up for other tasks. We run approximately
108 trips per year which means that, per year, we are saving three
weeks of staff time.”
THE MECHANICS
So how exactly do online payment systems work? When it comes to
school catering Geoff says most schools operate a system whereby
parents pre-pay an amount online via their account, for example £20.
“Primary schools will often work by pre-setting dinner costs against
each child; then each day, or sometimes weekly, they complete a
dinner register which automatically deducts the value of the meal from
the parent’s account,” he explains. “Once the parent’s account has
fallen below a certain level an alert is sent reminding them to top-up.
Some larger schools operate cashless catering systems and for these we
provide a ‘front end’, integrated with their system but allowing parents
to pre-pay online and again receive automatic alerts.”
Kirsty adds: “Schools can create ‘payment requests’ – for
example, for a school trip, where you can select how much, when
and who should pay. Parents then have a web or smartphone app
where they can see what items they need to pay for and make
payment using credit, debit or instant bank transfer. Most systems
provide email and SMS communication to make it easy to prompt
parents when there is something new to pay for, or to chase late
payers. The school gets a full view of all the payments being made by
parents and a suite of reports to easily reconcile the money landing
in their account with who has paid for what.”
IMPLEMENTATION
With many independent schools still reluctant to adopt a cashless
system because of fears that parents won’t be on side due to
concerns over fee payments, administration issues and security,
many educational establishments are dipping a toe in the water
by using a cashless model with their catering provision. If the trial
proves successful online payment can then be rolled out throughout
the school.
If you do decide to take the plunge and invest in an online
payment solution our experts suggest asking a number of questions
about the various options on the market.
“In addition to ﬁnding out about the reporting methods offered
schools should ask whether it’s simple and easy to set up and if the
solution integrates with other systems,” says Kirsty. “It needs to
integrate with your MIS to collect parent contact information, class
groups and permissions. All systems levy transaction charges – some
of the newer systems provide instant bank transfers, which can be
much cheaper than traditional debit or credit card payments and just
as easy for parents to use.”
When it comes to security, Kirsty says that parent authentication
needs to be secure but it also needs to be easy to use. “If the login
process is painful then parents simply won’t use it. And you need to
make sure that the system doesn’t require the school to send out the
usernames and passwords otherwise the time savings of collecting
money online can be used up managing user accounts. The best
systems manage all the parent authentication and user accounts
with no intervention required by the school. It’s very much worth
establishing what methods are in place to protect data.”
Clint Wilson, chief executive of ParentPay, adds: “The business
case for going cashless will be strong if schools maximise the number
of items they collect income for online. This can include payments
for school meals, clubs/childcare, trips, fees, room rental and extracurricular activities. Find out how much administration time is
currently spent on cash collection, then do a simple time/effort, cost
and beneﬁt analysis for going cashless.”
Geoff points out that it’s always worth asking other schools that
have been using cashless payment systems what their experiences
have been like before investing in a new system yourself. “That way
you can get a feel for which systems are more efﬁcient than others
from an unbiased source.”
34 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
Most systems provide email
and SMS communication to
make it easy to prompt parents
when there is something new
to pay for
HR AND LEGAL > CHARITABLE STATUS
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28 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | AUG/SEPT 2011
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ICT MATTERS > NEWS
NEWS
PARENTS ARE WARY OF TECHNOLOGY,
SAYS INDEPENDENT HEADTEACHER
Some parents are unsure
about the increasing use
of technology in the
classroom and prefer
their children to use
pen and paper, a
leading independent
school head has said.
Tricia Kelleher, principal of
the Stephen Perse Foundation in Cambridge, said
that parents “want to see lever arch ﬁles with lots of
notes”, and often prefer old-school techniques to cuttingedge practice.
“They want to see neat learning that they recognise, because that
was their learning, but actually that’s not what learning needs to be for
tomorrow," she told the Sims Independent and International Conference.
Ms Kelleher said her school’s location in Cambridge – increasingly
known as “silicon fen” because of its growing technology industry –
reminded her and her colleagues on a daily basis of the need to prepare
students to succeed in the digital age.
The school has put technology at the centre of its approach and
provides iPads for all pupils, although teachers are free to decide how to
use the technology, if it all. It has also trained its teachers to create online
courses using interactive resources that are shared using iTunes U and
then made available for other schools.
Ms Kelleher said “character and thinking skills” were as important
for students as “knowledge and understanding”.
TEN PER CENT OF TEACHING TIME LOST AS
A RESULT OF INADEQUATE TECHNOLOGY
Teachers believe that inadequate IT is putting learning in schools at risk, according to
new research.
Brother UK spoke to 100 schools in the UK to ﬁnd out about the challenges they
currently face and how technology can help support their ambitions. They found that
80% of teachers need better access to IT to improve learning in schools.
Schools also recognised the value technology brings to learning environments –
both in the classroom and behind the scenes – with almost three-quarters saying IT
better engaged pupils with the learning experience.
Despite this, more than half of IT heads said pupils felt that the technology
available at school was old and out of date.
According to the research, many schools recognise the improvements that are
needed, with 94% predicting a major step change in the way IT is used in secondary
schools within the next ﬁve years. But four out of 10 still recognise that it is not
enough to provide pupils with the required learning experience.
On average, IT heads believe teachers could be 16% more effective in the
classroom if they had access to modern technology, and calculated that each teacher
lost an average of two hours a week through not having access to the right IT.
John Greenhalgh, head of public sector sales at Brother UK, said: “We know how
important education is. It plays a key part in making Britain a more prosperous nation.
But we’re entering an age where our young people are more tech savvy than ever
before. This means it’s even more important that school technology can match up to
their growing expectations."
John added: “It’s amazing to see that the average primary school teacher is
wasting 10% of their annual teaching time due to inadequate technology. Investing
in efﬁciency frees our teachers to focus their time and energy where it can make the
biggest difference to our young people.”
36 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
Raspberry Pi model
becomes Britain’s
bestselling computer
The Raspberry Pi is the bestselling computer
ever made in Britain, with ﬁve million of the tiny
machines sold since it was launched less than three
years ago.
At launch, the foundation behind the computer
hoped that it could sell “a few thousand” of the
devices. But they caught on as ways to power
educational projects and DIY computers, and the
company has since sold millions of the device.
Raspberry Pi costs less than £25, and was
originally made to teach UK schoolchildren to code.
But its popularity has spread, and the company
launched the second iteration of the computer at the
beginning of February.
The new version saw the tiny, credit-card sized
form packed with even more power. The foundation
hopes that the new version will help drive interest in
the computer, since it is now powerful enough to be
used as an entry level PC.
Passing the ﬁve million mark makes the
Raspberry Pi the most popular UK computer
manufacturer ever, the foundation said. That means
that it beats other iconic PCs made in Britain, which
were also popular in schools and served as part of
the inspiration behind the Raspberry Pi.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Children should be taught ‘digital
literacy’ as a core skill alongside
maths and English, a report by a
House of Lords committee has said.
According to the report, no child
should leave school without basic digital
literacy, universities should ensure all
graduates are ‘digitally competent, and
apprenticeships should have a greater
emphasis on digital skills.
Children at an infants' school in South
Derbyshire have had their digital
lessons cancelled after hooded thieves
smashed through two windows and
stole £1,700 worth of equipment.
Newhall Infant and Nursery School
fell victim to burglars who took just 60
seconds to break through two windows
to get access to the newly refurbished
digital classroom, stealing iPads and
digital notepads.
w w w. i n d e p e n d e n t e x e c . c o . u k
news
analysis
views
events
resources

Independent
EXECUTIVE
FORWARD THINKING FOR FEE-PAYING INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
ICT MATTERS > WIRELESS
THROUGH
THE WIRE
38 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
ICT MATTERS > WIRELESS
A reliable and far-reaching wireless network is an essential component to
any successful, 21st century school. Alice Sholl talks to IT managers who've
been there, done that and got the t-shirt to ﬁnd out what they settled for and
the challenges involved with infrastructure and implementation
ires are soon to be a thing of the past. First it was
blackboards that disappeared from the classroom, then
the clunky desktop computers, and now anything that
can’t connect wirelessly looks set to be history. From
tablets and mobiles to netbooks and phablets, the most
important thing is portability – the humble wireless network is now
king. Without a connection you know can rely on, your school will
be left in the dark ages, so it’s essential to ask yourself the right
questions and ensure you implement a wireless network you know
you can rely on.
This is something that David Horton, ICT systems manager at
Ballard School in Hampshire, certainly knows. Managing more than
300 devices in a school for children aged one to 16, he set up a
school-wide wireless network in 2011, extending it in 2014. Besides
the sheer quantity of machines, the school also hosts a complete
mixture of gadgets and brands – its ICT provision boasts 250
workstations, 40 laptops, an Apple suite and various collections of
Windows, Android and Apple tablet devices. Besides this, it also has
a cloud system and a BOYD policy for pupils from Year 7 to 11 – so,
as he explains, squeezing all of this onto one efﬁcient connection was
no mean feat.
W
A CHALLENGING PROSPECT
As you might predict, a school with this many devices on one
site needs more than your average wireless connection, as David
explains. “Most managed wireless networks these days are perfectly
capable of managing the core functionality of connecting devices
to the outside world,” he says, but “… where things become more
challenging is when we start to deal with a larger number of devices”.
At this stage there are lots of things to consider. For example, how
many devices will connect to a single access point at one time?
You’ll also need to contemplate load-balancing, the back-end wired
network, and the internet connection – the list goes on.
Despite its beneﬁts, don’t forget what going wireless really
involves. “The wireless network is, in its simplest form, a wire-free
extension of the wired network,” David reminds us. As you gain
the mobility and convenience, you sacriﬁce the speed of wired
connections, and you have to share your connection with other
devices nearby, which is where the challenge arises.
Any school that contains a large number of devices will have a
similarly long list of things to think about when deciding which type
of wireless network to plump for. Richard Smeeton, director of IT at
Loughborough Endowed Schools, has also implemented a BYOD
policy, and more recently a 1:1 iPad rollout to all staff and students.
He says that while it’s a fantastic teaching tool, “… the back end
network system is often taken for granted”. It’s difﬁcult to ensure a
system can handle such a large number of devices connecting at one
given time.
SEAMLESS SOLUTIONS
Richard knew that his wiﬁ system would have to be incredibly reliable,
so he decided that it was worth upgrading the internet bandwidth,
as well as the core network equipment and web ﬁlter. And, when it
comes to results, he says that the developments in the network “have
allowed the school to push forward with the 1:1 iPad deployment, and
ensure the expectations we usually have for technology outside of
school are met in all our classrooms”.
Implementing wireless on one site seems challenging enough, but
try doing so across three sites – Richard’s wireless provision extends
to the two others schools in his foundation, Loughborough Grammar
School and Fairﬁeld Preparatory School. But a connection of this
scale has actually brought its beneﬁts, which he says “provides very
fast downloads and high levels of uninterrupted use”. His current
system has a central wiﬁ controller with two high performance
web ﬁlters, which connect students and staff using role-based
permissions. “The most innovative part of the network design is the
seamless failover now in place between the two internet links,” he
says. “Not only do the two connections aggregate when both are
available, but they automatically back each other up.” In Richard’s
case, bigger has meant better to ensure that no connection is lost.
Another way to get around demand, David suggests, is to
implement a network that offers functionality and security settings to
help manage the devices which are connected “… from limiting the
bandwidth, through to deﬁning which applications users may or may
not use.” If you’d prefer to stay in control, it may be worth shopping
around for one that lets you sit in the driving seat.
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 39
ICT MATTERS > WIRELESS
Adding lots of devices to a network, be
it wired or wirelessly, will clearly place
additional burdens on the existing infrastructure
PREDICT THE FUTURE
But before choosing speciﬁc upgrades and
devices, it’s prudent to look at the kind of
connection required in your school. “Adding lots
of devices to a network, be it wired or wirelessly,
will clearly place additional burdens on the
existing infrastructure,” David says, and one thing
to do is predict where these loads will be greatest.
This can be quite a challenge, he says, and
because building construction plays a big part,
you really do need to have a full wireless survey
(if not two or three) done before placing any
orders. This way you can plan the infrastructure
accordingly.
It’s also important to consider the upheaval
that the initial setup can cause to staff and
students. Richard had to set up his network during
term time, which he found a challenge, as well
as completing it within timescale. “Due to issues
with cabling, it took over a year from ordering the
second connection to having it in place.” If you’re
expecting a lengthy bedding-in process, it might
be worth getting an extra leg-up – David says
that “... support is key, whether that’s in terms of
initial setting up, making future changes, or for the
occasions when things go wrong,” so you could
also look to your supplier for an extra safety net.
Whether your school’s big or small, or prefers
Apple or Android, you can set up a wireless
connection that suits you. But if you’re looking
to hook up a variety of devices on one network,
make sure you think carefully about what it is you
want and the various factors to take into account
– from the school building layout and connection
hot-spots to security settings. A seamless wireless
connection might be the answer to lots of your
problems, so just make sure that you ask yourself
the right questions. Good luck!
What
the
experts
say
Valerie Thompson, chief executive of the
e-Learning Foundation, reminds us to keep a
school’s unique needs at the forefront of any
plan. “The network should be compatible
with the broadband coming into the school,
the number of users likely to access the
network, and the potential growth in use
over the next few years,” she says. And don’t
forget just how frequently students will need
to access the wireless, and where they’ll do
so. “They’ll need to access the network across
the curriculum, the school day, and the entire
campus, including every classroom, corridors
and other common space, and playgrounds.”
A good connection is also a fair one, as
Gill Tica, wireless product manager at RM
Education, reminds us. “With the increasing
numbers and variety of wireless devices
being used in schools, you have to make
40 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
sure that each device gets its fair share of
the connection, regardless of the device
capability.” If one student feels that they’re
missing out more than their classmates,
or that the connection is slower than the
connection at home, it can exacerbate existing
behavioural issues and have an impact
on learning.
And ﬁnally, always stay one step
ahead. “Buy for tomorrow, not just for
today,” recommends Paul Hughes, wireless
specialist at Icomm Technologies. “Users
are increasingly connecting with more than
one device at any one time, and the size
of education establishments is growing,”
he observes, so it’s beneﬁcial to look for a
wireless system that’ll be able to scale up the
number of users and devices easily – without
having to replace the system altogether.
How good is your wireless?
Put it to the test with
our FREE site survey*
A CRB cleared team will use best
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E
Y
G
OU
N
I
R
D
E
D
A
Flipped
learning, 1:1 and
BYOD – all ways in which
the classroom as we know
it has changed. Jess Pike
speaks to experts from the
edtech arena to ﬁnd out about
the most recent trends and
developments and ask how
they see the future
shaping up
42 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
H
PE
O
SC O
R
O
H
TE
C
R
ICT MATTERS > INSIGHT
ICT MATTERS > INSIGHT
t almost feels remiss to launch
into an article on the future of
education technology without
turning back the clock to the
classrooms of yesteryear,
where the only electronics on show
were bulky Amstrads with green ﬂashing
monitors and cumbersome operating
systems. Since then the technology
giants’ conveyor belts have been
delivering increasingly high-tech gadgetry,
and classrooms across the country have
been kitted out with equipment that would
have seemed positively futuristic only a
decade ago.
But are we as forward-thinking as
some of the technology might suggest?
Not necessarily, says Professor Stephen
Heppell, CEO of Heppell.net. “Compared
to other sectors, our steps from desktop
computing toward personalisation have
been slow,” he points out. “There are,
of course, plenty of BYOD or ‘bring a
browser’ schools and plenty of schools
that have embraced the power of studentowned smartphones, but in the health
sector it’s not the personal device that
matters so much as the personal data –
and that, for certain, will be the next big
leap forward in education.”
With healthcare data empowering
populations to take better care of
themselves, is education lagging behind?
“In education a 13-year-old has no real
idea of their progress compared to
13-year-olds three years before, or their
kid sister at age 10, or 13-year-olds in
Singapore or South Australia,” Professor
Heppell explains. “We collect data,
and schools are judged by aggregates,
but students have little information to
enable them to respond in the same
ways that individuals can in relation
to their wellbeing. It’s their data, their
performance, their hopes and dreams
– and technology will give them back
control of their ambition and their learning
lives. If we really want to see how good
our students can be we should help them
discover – through data analytics skills
– just where they currently are, and so
inform their own responses.”
I
FLIPPING OUT
For edtech aﬁcionado Russell Stannard
the biggest surprise of recent years has
been the enduring power of the ﬂipped
classroom. “The ﬂipped classroom
debate has gone on much longer than I
ﬁrst thought,” he admits. “I remember
going to the US in 2010 and everyone
was talking about it. But in my opinion,
ﬂipping your classes requires quite a
skilled teacher. You need to be able
to make the learning content in a tool
like TechSmith Camtasia or Adobe
Captivate. You need to think carefully
about the group-based, project-based
activities you want students to do in
tutorial time. Differentiation can also
be a challenge as you need to consider
students who haven’t been engaged with
the learning content at home. However,
the rewards can be great both for
teacher and students.”
For network manager and Naace
Impact award winner Karl Rivers, it’s not
ﬂipped learning but the Cloud that will
shape the way future generations learn.
“In 2015 we’ll see the ﬂoodgates open
for Cloud technology in schools,” he
tells me. “This year’s Bett show, for the
ﬁrst time, focused on how services like
Google Apps can have impact in the
classroom rather than convincing school
leaders that it’s safe. We’ll also see
schools become more comfortable with
storing their data in the Cloud as new
data protection guidelines for schools
come down from government.”
Whilst the Cloud will move centre
stage in the coming months other trends
– previously hailed as game-changers
– will start to be seen as old hat and
outdated. Take, for example, the virtual
learning environment. “The VLE is dead,
in my opinion” says Karl. “I spent a lot
of 2014 convincing schools that they
shouldn’t be spending thousands of
pounds on learning platforms. In place of
the VLE are a range of simple, free, online
Cloud services supported by the likes of
Google, Microsoft and Apple. If you’re
about to renew that learning platform
license for another year, stop and look at
the options.”
Karl’s verdict on the iPad is equally
emphatic; he predicts sales in education
will slow as schools become more
aware of the complexities involved with
managing large numbers of iPads. “With
more cost effective options becoming
available we’ll start to see a focus on
cross-platform services rather than enddevices – the majority of iPads will be
used with younger children.” However,
BYOD – already a mainstay of many
schools’ ICT strategies – looks like it’s
here to stay, with the savviest school
leaders biding their time before deciding
which device to plump for.
And – music to the ears of every school
leader – innovative, low cost hardware
and software, such as the Raspberry Pi 2,
sub-£100 tablets and Google Cardboard,
are here to stay and will play a big part in
moving technology away from the grey
world of Windows desktops. Indeed, low
cost technology will be so abundant that
its impact will become inextricably linked
to school leaders’ ability to adapt and
innovate rather than the number of zeros
in their annual budget forecast. While the
future may remain uncertain one thing’s
clear: when it comes to technology, only
the most open-minded, forward-thinking
and innovative schools will prosper.
Good luck!
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015 43
TECHNO
GEEK
ICT MATTERS > TECHNO GEEK
Follow us on Twitter
(@i_exec) for the latest
news updates and
insight into the issues
that affect leaders in
independent schools
Ahead of the game
More and more schools are waking up to
the potential of computer games in the
classroom. DUGHALL MCCORMICK, local
authority consultant and chair of the board
of management at NAACE, argues that the
naysayers should open their minds to a new
and dynamic way of learning
he newspaper headlines continue to
scream about the evils of computer
games and consoles. Whether it’s
X-rated content, the addictive nature of
gaming, or an emerging generation of
pale, tired young people growing up in the electric
glow of a screen, the perceived dangers are never
far from our attention.
Why then, would anyone think that there’s
any room for this in the classroom? To be honest,
it was ever thus; technology has always had its
naysayers and opponents, not least when the
pocket calculator ﬁrst arrived in school with its
threat to undermine the numeracy skills of an entire
generation.
When considering whether or not there’s a
place for computer games in school, we must
remember that we’re thinking about just another
resource, a tool for learning, and what matters here
is not so much the tool itself but the teacher. It’s
teachers who make the difference, not the tools.
The best teachers know how to deploy resources in
order to maximise learning and this applies equally
to computer games as it does to paper or paint.
T
A NEW DYNAMIC
So how are teachers using computer games to
enhance learning? Well, as with any other resource,
it varies. At one end of the spectrum, there’s a
fairly focused approach in which a speciﬁc app or
game is used for its own sake; an example might
be the use of Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training for
the Nintendo DS. This game can improve speciﬁc
mental arithmetic speed and skills and can be used
for short bursts on a frequent/daily basis.
44 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
At the other end of the spectrum, a more
complex game may be incorporated into a whole
term’s work. A game such as Super Mario Kart could
be used in just about every curriculum area; character
descriptions, posters, vehicle designs, average laptimes, music composition to suit the different tracks/
environments, commentaries and newspaper reports
are just a few ideas that spring to mind.
Between these ends of the spectrum, there’s
the game as a stimulus for talking, writing, art or
music. Immersive games and Apps such as Myst
(for PC), Epic Citadel (ios/Android), Endless Ocean
and Wild Earth: African Safari (Wii) provide fabulous,
rich environments that allow for gentle exploration
as a whole class – I’ve seen truly amazing creative
work result from such stimuli. How about a Roman or
Viking settlement created in Minecraft? Or the school
building? And if you’re after something a little more
pacy, why not get everyone warming up in PE with
one of the many dance titles out there?
THINKING BIG
The new computing curriculum demands more of our
learners in respect of computer programming and the
creation of games themselves. We wouldn’t teach art
without looking at some of the great masterpieces,
or music without listening to the classics, so if we’re
going to teach children how to create computer
games, let’s examine some examples.
As a ﬁnal thought, truly mind-boggling sums
have been invested in the development of computer
games and this has resulted in some astonishing
developments and new content. Think of the
consequences if such sums had been invested
in education
EXEC
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HR AND LEGAL > CHARITABLE STATUS
Feeling
charitable?
UTIVE
Staying ahead of
the competition
Under the 2006 Charities Act,
independent schools are required
to demonstrate that they offer
beneﬁts to a public beyond
their own fee-paying pupils. The
Independent Schools Council says
the requirements to show how
schools offer ‘public beneﬁt’ are
unfair, others say they don’t do
enough. Julia Dennison looks at
the issue and its impact on schools
In an era of state-run
independents, can private
schools still compete?
A guide to fundraising
Quick tips on how to boost
your school’s cash ﬂow
What does it take to be a
charity these days?
Brought to you by
EDEXEC
SEPT/OCT 2011
Feeling charitable
28 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | AUG/SEPT 2011
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and champion business and financial excellence within
the independent sector.
Every month we offer inspiring articles, sector news and
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AND FINALLY > 60 SECONDS
60 SECONDS WITH...
JUDITH CARLISLE,
Judith Carlisle, head of Oxford High School
for girls, talks theatre, Samuel Pepys and
the dangers of perfectionism
What makes you happiest?
Walking on Holkham beach in north Norfolk with
my husband, David, early in the morning on a
sunny day.
Tell me an interesting fact about yourself.
Before moving into teaching I worked in the theatre.
What was the last thing that happened,
professionally, that really surprised you?
How amazingly practical and resilient the girls
were when our mess tent blew down in a gale
whilst trekking in Nepal!
What’s been your greatest achievement at
the school?
Introducing the debate about unhelpful perfectionism amongst the students, the staff and the parents,
which is now leading to better understanding of
how we all learn.
What’s the most rewarding element of your
role?
Spending time with the girls, whether they’re in
reception or the sixth form.
What would you put in room 101?
Students starting a sentence with: “This is
probably wrong, but...”
What’s your favourite meal?
Fish and chips.
What do you do to unwind away from your
desk?
Go to the theatre – we see every production at the
Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford.
What’s your favourite book or ﬁlm?
Most recently, the biography of Samuel Pepys by
Claire Tomalin.
46 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015
If there was one thing about your job that you
could change, what would it be?
I’d like to have the time to direct a show in our
fabulous theatre.
What do you see as the biggest challenge
facing the independent education sector in the
next ﬁve years?
Keeping the introduction of new exam courses
in perspective.
What’s your greatest day-to-day challenge?
Fitting in any exercise!
Judith Carlisle
Head of Oxford High
School for Girls
Committed to Innovation,
Dedicated to style.
60% COOUTTTEOR N
Bringing Real Innovation to Schoolwear
The Problem
Parents love the non-iron and durability of polyester
but want the comfort of cotton.
Our Solution
is a unique ﬁbre. Developed
by the world’s leading mill and exclusively available
to Schoolblazer. The central polyester strands deliver
durability and non-iron properties. The outer cotton
strands sit next to the skin for comfort.
P O LY E S T E R
CORE
40%
Another Solution from Schoolblazer.
Schoolblazer was founded with a simple mission;
to bring real innovation in schoolwear through fabric,
design and service. Performance Cotton is just one
example of what makes us different: A relentless focus
on the customers’ needs and the drive and ability to
deliver a genuine solution.
Schoolblazer ethically sources the best fabrics from
across the world. Our designs are fresh, contemporary
and smart using bespoke colours patterns and styles.
Our revolutionary website allows simple online ﬁtting
and sizing choice with individualised name-tapes sewn
in free of charge.
Call 01832 280011 [email protected] www.schoolblazer.com
48 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | APRIL 2015