I enjoy conducting enrolment interviews. It is great to get to know students before they start with us and I also appreciate understanding why parents are showing an interest in our school. Usually parents share several reasons, such as positive word of mouth, proximity to where they live and high standards of discipline and care.
Just this week, a father said that he is keen for his child to join us because our academic performance and overall reputation has consistently improved each year. This is always encouraging to hear because I want to develop a school culture where we celebrate our successes but also recognise our weaknesses and areas for improvement and, most importantly, take realistic steps to be better than we were.
Many new parents share about the importance of a holistic education. They will make comments such as “Academic results are important; however, social, emotional and spiritual development is also important”. Parents and other adults connected with our school community often talk about the importance of Christian values. Even though they may not be Christians themselves, they firmly believe that these values must Influence all areas of school life because this will develop their child's character.
Recently our Head of Junior School, Dr Kaye Chalwell, and our Head of Student Opportunities, Mr Luke Adams, attended an outstanding conference on character education. Following on from this conference, Mr Adams will lead a project next year on character education at our school. He has described it as a journey towards building a vibrant community grounded in virtue and purpose . While I am thankful for the work we are already doing in this regard, I am confident that this project will have significant benefits for our students.
