After 43 days of the Autumn term, I am delighted to close this half with my first Half-Term report on my sole role as Academic Principal. Below you will find some lovely stories, some examples of #CCMakingHistory, new on our current and upcoming physical site improvements and developments and to close, some commentary on the 100+ days under the new Government and the 80 days of ‘VATnoise’ since Rachel Reeves announced her decision on a 1 January 2025 implementation of a new tax solely for parents with children at Independent schools to pay.  This is a Part 1 newsletter, with Part 2 to follow at the close of half-term reporting back on the host of sporty and cultural things taking place in the school, some of which are still to happen over the next fortnight.

The header image of Mr Hope and our incoming Sixth Form scholars taken at their Celebration assembly with parents on 17 October was inspired by the image of Franz Benz and his employees posing outside the Manheim motor factory in 1897, wherein the first internal combustion engine was being mass manufactured. I wonder whether any then could have imagined the extraordinary and world-changing impact that technology would bring, and I asked this generation of Sixth Formers, empowered now of course by the new emerging tools of Generative AI whether they are going to rise to the challenge of repurposing those tools to their advantage, and as a consequence ensure they controlled ‘tech’ and not the other way round. 

Last weekend, some 1200 or so members of our school’s community attended the 2024 PTA Fireworks event, sort of Claires Court’s Oktoberfest, with added sparkle and fundraising thrown in. The PTA Foundation sits alongside the school’s work, its aims and objectives are advertised on the school’s website, and the trustees and elected representatives from the parent body work incredibly hard to enable such events to happen and sometimes, as a consequence raise additional funds for the very specific projects identified by the two committees (Juniors & Nursery, chaired by Mrs Gabi Williamson and Seniors & Sixth Form, chaired by Mrs Nicky Kelly). The Trustees, chaired by our President, Mrs Phyllis Avery MBE are meticulous in the care they take to ensure that the funds raised by the charity are not covering works/projects that should be funded by the school. Sometimes the trustees will approve to accelerate the development of facilities and provision that would otherwise need to wait their turn sometime in the future, or as in the case of the ongoing support they have given to our refugees from Ukraine, where no other obvious source of finance is available.

This term, our Combined Cadet Force is 3 years old, and a new vibrant part of our school life is very clearly established from Year 8 through to Year 13. The CCF is an educational partnership between the Ministry of Defence and schools that include an Army section, its purpose being to develop leadership skills, personal responsibility, and self-discipline in young people. It also aims to prepare cadets for their role in the wider community, and there is no greater honour for any cadet themselves than to be selected by the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire to be one of his 4 cadets to support his work on behalf of the King in our county. I have every hope that next year we will have some excellent candidates to offer for this role, something for us to look forward to. This week, I attended the Awards presentation at Sandhurst by Andrew Try, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire, accompanying many of the local dignitaries, Mayors, Civilians and Military, and it’s a great honour to be present every time!

As this half-term concludes, I can report that we have 950 pupils on roll, with a 96.3% attendance rate, recognisable strong both within our sector and the wider Education sector. One of the most important reasons why our school community is ‘healthy’ is of course because of the support families give, the affluence of background being a major factor. In addition, we have made as sure as we can that the other supporting factors are readily available, including strong pastoral care, great nursing and emotional literacy support, counselling services and the support of visiting clinical psychology services. What enables children to be healthy above all is coming into school knowing that it is a really safe space for them, that physical activity, screen-free time and achievable goals every day. In establishing the feature that #CCMakingHistory is a real thing, steadily throughout the school images highlighting that are appearing in corridors and walls. 

Our weekly bulletins always highlight the successes of course, but there are some things we do that are utterly world-class. Throughout the Juniors, we now have Generative AI embedded in every teacher desktop, specifically Merlyn Origin designed to be completely safe in the school environment. We have 10 sports that we now coach with a view to reaching international standards, and few day schools can boast court, field and water sports as strong as at Claires Court. We are so delighted that our cricket fields at Taplow and Ridgeway are now accredited for Thames Valley League cricket, that we share our facilities with so many of our area’s sporting clubs. It is for these reasons we have been nominated for the ISA Award for Outstanding Sport (Large School) 2024, read more here. For me, what’s more important than the outcomes is the process by which they are achieved, and the ongoing physical development of our school facilities remains a vital component of our success. The building of a new multi-use-games-area for our Juniors guarantees an even better surface for children to acquire speed, agility and quickness skills, whatever the weather, and I look forward to the MUGA opening for use towards the end of this term.

Anyone who ever asks me why they should send their child to Claires Court will always be met by the starting point that we are an ‘academic centre of excellence’, in which we teach well, by which children are given the skills, knowledge and opportunity to develop the agency they need to make a huge difference as young adults when they enter the world of work. Our latest academic results at GCSE and A level highlight just how well we do, given of course that parents and children select us, and not the other way around. Writing at publication time of state selective 11+ results, where 80% of the population will be deemed not good enough for grammar schools, I celebrate the successes of my staff and students in achieving so well at GCSE, A level, and University entrance. I am delighted to confirm that we return to be a partner school for Bucks 11+ assessments from 2025, and at the same time continue to encourage the excellent local prep schools around to see us as the most obvious partner school for onward education from 11+ or 13+. Despite that happens elsewhere in the world, Claires Court knows full well its job is to shine, be a beacon of excellence for RBWM and the villages around, and 6 weeks in, the new Academic year is indeed going well.

I’ll close as promised on the planned imposition of VAT on our sector by the Labour government in their forthcoming budget on 30 October. Those who follow me on Linked-In will know just how closely I have been working with other school leaders to challenge the core premises that underpin Labour’s case. The latest guidance published last week by HMRC is an object lesson on how NOT to explain in simple terms what schools need to do. In the 5 questions HMRC asked in its foreshortened consultation, it had to prove that VAT was readily applicable to the 4 nations of the United Kingdom, and within England its effect would not adversely impact upon the state juristrictions. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland authorities have made clear it is not readily applicable in their schools, and Norfolk also declared just how damaging such an immediate imposition would be to their services. 

Legal cases against the plans have already been launched, and private schools have been firmly advised by our associations that we should do nothing until the proposals are announced. Those schools that have gone early, already registered for VAT will have to impose the tax from November 1 come what may, as advised by HMRC. All of my work in the background has been to provide the necessary information, challenge and support to the sector, and I am realistic in how little that might mean to the government, yet optimistic that my voice has emboldened our association and the sector as a whole. This government unpicks Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Rights (1948) at its peril; the parents’ right to choose the type of education is inalienable and sacrosanct.