Reflecting on the milestone year to date of 2026, I find myself looking at the long arc of my journey alongside Claires Court. Earlier this year, I shared thoughts on “Making the Magic Happen”—observing those quiet, vital moments in our classrooms. More recently, in “Fifty Years and Counting,” I looked back at the evolution of leadership and pedagogy, mindful of the foundations laid by those who came before me. My brother and I know that we have found perhaps the most significant partner in  England to secure the future of Claires Court in the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC)’ a charity of great longevity and significant service to its own community and more broadly to Education, both in school and in adult life beyond. 

Maidenhead: A Shared Campus: My own growth is inseparable from the ecosystem of the Eastern Thames Valley. For 66 years, Claires Court has been part of the fabric of Maidenhead, and I have always viewed the town not merely as my home or a location but as a living campus. The relationships built here are a willingness of RBWM to host the paddling centre on Boulter’s Island, to the rowing and sailing clubs whose facilities I am grateful to share and the sporting clubs we helped found, with the Phoenix and Claires Court Sports Club in Taplow 43 years ago to Maidenhead Royals Cricket club, based on our lovely playing fields at Claires Court Juniors, at Ridgeway Maidenhead Thicket.

I have been a quiet supporter of ‘The Friends of Maidenhead Waterways Trust,’ and after the previous three years of helping clear Strande Water, it is a joy to see the “flow” return. The school always looks forward to our active participation in the Waterways Fun Day in September at the Chapel Arches centre—a testament to what happens when a town thrives. I am clear that while the school is a destination for many, it is our presence as a neighbour and a partner in the town’s sporting and community life that defines our true value.

Lessons from a “Silent Spring”: As someone deeply invested in Ecology, Psychology, and Digital Technology, I often return to the warning in Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring. Her work exposed the “bioaccumulation” of toxins that threatened our world, sparking a movement of awareness. Today, I feel a similar responsibility to ensure our children understand that “Their place is here.” To protect their future, I believe Education in schools must:

Prioritise ‘Forest School’: Not as an extra-curricular, but as a fundamental way to ground children in the natural world.

Cultivate Cognitive Capacity: To help students become critical analysts who judge by actions, not just words.

Spark Internal Momentum: So that they may eventually find their own path to becoming changemakers.

Turning Toward the Light: There is a simple truth in physics: when you turn toward the light, the shadows fall behind you. My intention as I move forward is to keep my focus aligned with that brightness. If I can maintain a steady, hopeful path, perhaps it helps clear the way for others to do the same, which in practice means keeping hold of the many hands that exist within our links to the town and our community partners, as well as reach out to grasp new opportunities where they exist to support the life and vitality of the area. Which is of course a great starting point, because as the Top-Ranked Vitality Index (2026 by Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), Windsor & Maidenhead was named the top-ranked location, retaining its status from 2025 and 2022.

I am not celebrating my own tenure; I am celebrating the opportunity to be a small part of a much larger story—one of lighting the way for the generations to come.

“In nature, nothing exists alone.” — Rachel Carson