This Wednesday, I spent the morning with Robert Hardman, journalist and author, providing insight on how independent schools are meeting the multiplicity of challenges brought on by a change in government, taxation, employer costs in a wider landscape of falling birth rates and demographic change. 

Robert left us circa noon to travel over to meet with Mark Steed, Principal of Stamford Endowed Schools, a much older foundation but one with similar challenges of going co-educational, in their case throughout the organisation. Robert’s interest was sparked by Mark’s letter¹ to the Daily Telegraph on Monday, in which he announced the closure of the school’s German department and cancellation of Latin teaching at A-level, directly caused by the introduction of additional costs of VAT and NI. The article was due to be published in the Daily Mail this Saturday, but is now scheduled for 22 March 2025.

Over two hours talking to one of the country’s leading writers was of course both a great privilege as well as responsibility. Robert had done his research on our school really well, read my recent blogs and quickly got to the heart of what the school stands for. He was interested in both what parents thought of the school and asked for in terms of demands and future plans. Our parents’ honest, supportive, yet critical, eye helps us every year prepare tighter and more focussed plans for the future. Whilst he knew of our broad appeal and growing reputation both for academic success and sporting excellence (now a top 100 sports school in the UK), he quickly appreciated just how much we have worked with Maidenhead and the wider community. The town has been helped of course by the regular presence in the LSH Vitality Index top 10 for places to work and live (link) and the clear importance we attach to working with the council, the Chamber of Ccommerce, the arts and sports communities, not just winning awards, but providing a home for much needed activities in term and over the holiday breaks.

My reputation being the longest serving headteacher in the country sparked wider discussion on my colleagues in leaderships specific efforts, for example on how the needs of juniors for an active childhood with academics being mixed with forest school and sport; Robert spoke to our Junior Head Boy and Head Girl, replying coherently to him on what they enjoyed and what they looked forward to – morning work followed immediately by… the 6 aside football competition in which they were both playing for Claires Court Juniors against teams from 17 local schools that very afternoon! Recognising our lead in the use of digital technologies, he was particularly keen to hear of our growing push to take our children ‘off-grid’ and help parents consider more urgently the need for a ‘Smartphone-free childhood’. My own article on the positive use of AI in schools and the cautionary tales around endorphin release were published in the ISA National Journal this week (here).

Harry and Amaya visibly demonstrated the growth of our boys and girls into independent, well-spoken, thoughtful young people, very evident on Wednesday morning through their conversation and conduct (and captured by a newspaper photographer who just kept snapping); I’m looking forward to see which photos make the national press because these days it’s all about telling the story visually. I’m with Mark Steed in making sure the public readership of the national press realises that what Claires Court and Stamford offer comes with enormous financial sacrifice to parents. We were very clear to the press that the children should not be used in the conflict caused by the rapid introduction of huge new taxes that will call into question the viability of school subjects, programmes and of the institutions themselves. 

With the help of the two junior pupils, our staff and our Head of Marketing, I think we were able to convey the magic of the triangle we work in: parents, teachers and community with children at the heart of all that we do. Of course, the central point of the meeting was to highlight the great damage being visited across the education sector by the reckless and precipitately introduced taxation levies to a sector that has brought excellence to English education, now transported across the world through the development of similar schools on all four continents (over 400 opening each year).

That soft power, bringing the strengths of our style of education delivered in the English language, doesn’t match military power but has undeniably immense influence (55 world leaders educated in the UK). These are definitely diamond-hard times for us all, yet using that same metaphor, we can take best advantage by understanding the strengths of the ‘gems’ we work with in our school; being both the children and adults working for common cause, the flaws we find we know add interest and value and help set us well to face the future.

The Government is killing off Latin in schools” (“Letters”, The Daily Telegraph, Monday, 10 March 2025)

SIR – The Government’s policies are not only closing Latin departments in the maintained sector (“Et tu, Keir? Starmer accused of hypocrisy over school Latin ban”, report, March 8).

Independent schools, faced with the loss of charitable business rate relief and higher employer national insurance contributions, are being forced to cut costs. Sadly, many schools can no longer afford to offer A-level subjects with a small uptake, and many are closing these departments. The imposition of VAT on school fees aside, the Autumn Budget put more than £900,000 of additional costs on to our budget for next year here at Stamford.

We are closing the German department and will no longer offer Latin A-level. We have battled hard to keep Latin GCSE. The Government’s approach to British education is nothing short of vandalism.

Mark Steed
Principal and CEO, Stamford School
Stamford, Lincolnshire