We are currently facing significant economic and political difficulties across the world, affecting many people. As we try to balance the UK’s books, we are struggling to provide the services we need. There are ongoing, deeply distressing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan; some old certainties of geopolitics are not certain anymore, and we need sustained, collaborative action to protect our environment. As we look outwards, the world feels more unstable and needy than it did in the recent past.
As much as ever, therefore, this context makes the purpose of school, and good education more broadly, more important. We aim to nurture outstanding young people, or, put more simply, to shape good human beings. The world needs a generation of thinkers, leaders and doers – people with character and commitment, energy and compassion.
This is what matters to us most as a school: ensuring every student has the chance to develop skills, character and values, make them their own, and learn to express them – whether they go on to take up significant leadership positions, or influence smaller communities to which they belong.
Curiosity is one such value for us. In the audit of skills most sought by graduate employers currently, the ability to learn quickly – and, closely related, to think critically – is rated very highly. It is a lifelong gift for a young person to know that they can walk into new places of study or work and be confident that they know how to learn.
Questioning is therefore an important part of school, both in being willing to answer and in learning to ask. If we – staff and students – know how to ask the right questions, then individual understanding grows, and learning can be a powerful collaborative experience. It is not surprising that the best teachers are usually those who ask the best questions, making them interesting ones too, and creating a hook for students that drives learning forward.
It is normal that some people are naturally more inquisitive than others, and we certainly see this across our student body. The good news, however, is that, like all learning traits, being curious is a muscle that grows with practice, so we want to offer students as many different, deliberate opportunities to build their capacity and confidence.
It is not just in the academic sphere that this happens, but also in the array of co-curricular activities, trips, and service to our wider community. As you will see in the news and social media stories we tell, curiosity comes in many forms at our school. If you are curious about us, please get in touch with our Admissions team to find out more.
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