The Flagpole

As we move towards the end of Lent and towards the great feast of Easter, I come to the end of my first term as Foundation Principal. Having been able to take a step back and look at all our schools from a different perspective has been exciting, interesting and also very enjoyable.

As an Independent Schools’ Inspector (ISI) I visit many other schools and whilst all schools have pictures of happy children and shiny facilities on their websites, this is not always the reality.  What is absolutely clear to me is that that our schools all have their own special character and shared identity, that “spirit of family” - based on shared values of kindness, courtesy, respect for others, valuing difference and diversity, compassion, forgiveness and friendship – is uniformly strong and is in the DNA of all our schools. Similarly, the sense of purpose, direction and amazing opportunities both inside and outside the classroom are genuine strengths of our schools. Events such as the recent Careers Fair, the school musical - The Addam’s Family and the Lenten Reflection Service - Out of Darkness display only too well the variety and depth of opportunity at the College. I was also more than a little excited to have a guided preview of the new Science Centre, along with over 100 donors recently; this is going to be a phenomenal addition to our campus.

One of the reasons for the quality of our schools is the quality of our Heads. We are fortunate to have such strong leaders who are passionate, energetic and caring. Our Heads also listen; to their staff, their pupils and their parents and they continuously strive to keep looking at ways to improve. I want to thank them here for all their hard work and particularly say well done to Mr du Toit in his first term.

So, what are the challenges for the Foundation? There are many of course, but one major focus for me has been (and will continue to be) to ensure that our schools continue to offer both great quality of education – academic, pastoral care, co-curricular opportunities – alongside great value-for-money.

Another key focus is how we take on the challenge of moving towards “net zero”. There is much we are doing but still much more needed to be done and we currently are looking at the following areas:

·         Carbon and Energy;  

·         Water;

·         Waste and Resource Use;  

·         Biodiversity;

·         Clean Air;

·         Construction and Refurbishment;  

·         Catering, Food Sourcing, Food Waste and Packaging;  

·         Daily Transport, Commuting, Educational Visits, Conferences and Meetings;  

·         Operations;

·         Strategic planning of campuses;

·         Training, Teaching, Learning and Awareness. 

We will publish a strategic vision for the Foundation in the new academic year; optimising our resources, sustainability planning and being as financially and operationally efficient as possible, will be key planks of our plans.

What about challenges for you as parents? Again, there will be many, I am sure. With my own children being 31, 29 and 25-years-old I am conscious of how challenging I found parenting and am very aware how much children’s experiences have changed in many ways over the past 30 years. As such I would ask you to reflect on two questions, which relate to their health and wellbeing:

·         Am I happy with my child’s relationship with digital technology?

·         Does my child get enough sleep?

If your answer to either of these is no, then there are many articles on these subjects for parents available, here is just one.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your support and hope you all manage to enjoy some high-quality time with your families over the Easter break.

With best wishes

Ed Hester
Foundation Principal