Favourite subject when you were at school
I absolutely love History. My imagination as a child was vivid, and I had an exceptional teacher who made history something interesting and something relevant. A love of History in itself developed a fascination with theology and politics. It demonstrated how all we learn is so inter-related.
Favourite teacher when you were at school
Mr Polden, my English teacher. Debonair, witty, with a rich Irish brogue, he read poetry to us that made our ears feel like we were eating fudge. He made Shakespeare come alive, laughed incessantly, was eccentric in the right ways and clearly cared. Quite a character.
Favourite children’s character from a book or film
It would have to be Mole, from Wind in the Willows. He’s modest, humble and thoughtful. He tries new things, and is ambitious, yet at the same time doesn’t forget his own roots. It is the best character from a perfect book although ironically, it has greater relevance when read by adults than by children.
Best school memory
Too many to choose from! Probably the day I was appointed Head Boy at Prep School. Nothing has ever surpassed that, both in terms of the feeling of being honoured, and also excited. Seeing my parents’ beaming faces that day is a memory that will never leave me.
Is there anything you wish you had studied at school that you didn’t?
I would love to have done further study in Theology and Philosophy. I love thinking, and love stretching my mind. There’s always a place for that in what we do.
What is your proudest achievement at your current school?
Our recent ISI Inspection, which turned the school completely around from the situation I inherited. There is nothing better than being tested by external agencies in what you believe is right, and found to be without fault. It’s a magnificent achievement by a superb team of teachers at the College.
What are you looking forward to this coming year?
We’re about to embark on an exciting development plan, with investment in teaching, learning, buildings and facilities both for the Junior and the Senior School, and sport. It’s an exciting time for the College and its pupils.
Ian Thorpe Headmaster of Downsend School
Favourite subject when you were at school?
Games (outside the classroom) and French (inside it).
Favourite teacher when you were at school?
Mr Knight, our Director of Sport, who had been a British Lion rugby player.
Favourite children’s character from a book or film
I loved Danny, from Danny the Champion of the World, as he encouraged me to believe in myself, whatever the odds.
Best school memory
Winning the International Schools Sports Tournament at Tennis, aged 16.
Is there anything you wish you’d studied at school that you didn’t?
I wish I’d known more about meta-cognition then: learning how to learn. All too often education is about forcing square pegs through round holes, and I would have loved to know more about how I, as an individual, learned back then.
What’s your proudest achievement at your current school?
Watching our children represent their school with such pride. Whether singing as a Choir in places like Belgium, winning Surrey Cups and National Swimming Titles or guiding parents at Open Mornings, they are the perfect ambassadors for Downsend, the stars of the show, certainly!
What are you looking forward to this coming year?
I want to complete a project which will deliver a new multi-million pound Creative Arts Centre to Downsend.
Alison Cordingley Headmistress at Fosse Bank School
Favourite Subject when you were at school
As now, I enjoyed whatever I was doing at the time. Had I to choose a favourite, then probably sport. I was no great athlete, but through encouragement to practise and improve, I relished playing in hockey and netball teams.
Favourite teacher when you were at school
I loved each teacher in turn at primary school but at senior school my biology teacher was a favourite. She was the first teacher to suggest that we pupils were part of the learning process and that we had some control over what and how we learned.
Favourite children’s character from a book or film
At primary school my favourite character was Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. To me she seemed a very exotic person. Having lived in India with servants she was transported to a different life in England where she had to be independent. And it has a happy ending.
Best school memory
One of my best school memories is when I was aged five and in the Reception class. One of the other girls in the class was absent on the day we had to cut out our self-portraits. I was asked to finish her work because “You are so good at cutting out.” It reminds me as an adult, how easy it is to make a child feel proud with a kind comment.
Anything you wish you had studied at school that you didn’t?
Technically I did study Latin but failed to understand its relevance and by my second year at senior school I was relegated to the class which read Winnie the Pooh in Latin rather than grasping the grammar. I wish I had persevered at the time but I enjoyed learning Latin properly much later, after I had left school.
What is your proudest achievement at your current school?
I am proud of our eleven year olds who are going to the best senior schools this September. It is pleasing that our pupils will be going to their new schools as confident, independent people, ready to embrace change and challenge and that these traits are a result of their experience at Fosse Bank.
What are you looking forward to this coming year?
We began taking two year olds this year and their presence really focused my mind on the many benefits of children learning in the open air. Following our official affiliation to the Forest School Association we are rolling out provision for Forest School sessions to all our children as part of the curriculum. I intend to join in on occasion!
