Diplomacy – Whether to Grin & Bear it?

Posted on 19/09/2025 by jameswilding

Current events around the world, and with specific reference to this week’s visit of the President of the United States as well as peace talks around the Gaza crisis and the war in Ukraine, reminds us all that progress around problems (and finding their solution) can’t be made unless all parties are included in the conversation. As the general title of my blog suggests (A Principled View), should not we all call a spade a spade to remind people of the work that has to be done? Perhaps not, and that’s where Diplomacy comes in! It’s as unwise to gloss over the challenges as it is to call out that it’s a ‘bloody shovel’.

Over my time as a headteacher, I’ve carried to staff meetings a small figurine, see below, identifying that, as often as not, someone has had to ‘suck it up’, go the hard yards and ‘Grin & Bear It’. It’s been really useful to carry this ‘GBI’ statue, some times associated with a bottle of pop or Amazon voucher, because when all said and done’, a colleague or team has stood up and carried a significant load, unexpected to either their job description or pay grade. Inevitably this is the diplomatic view to take, to appreciate the support has been given and to recognise the pain and inconvenience that came with it.

I don’t support that King Charles and the Royal Household had too many options when last Summer the Prime Minister encouraged him to invite ‘The Donald’ for the Royal Visit just witnessed. Over the 2 days of Red Carpet, treatment, including the fly past, the parachute jump, the Castle banquet and umpteen photo calls, it’s clear that both King and President have confirmed the that the close relationship between both countries is of vital importance, and probably not just to us, but the wider world as well. Sure there were legitimate protests around the country, for some the sycophancy, for others the blind eye being turned to previous acts, to yet more the failure to act with determination to stay the hand of Putin or Netanyahu spoke of ‘empty promises, never to be fulfilled.

Sir Winston Churchill had an alternative view on Diplomacy, highlighting that if the outcome of such discussions were to be a victory for the ‘home team’, then the work to be done had to be result-focused. The reality of our country’s situation at the time was that Neville Chamberlain glossed over the problem; after signing the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler, which allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion, Chamberlain declared “Peace for our time” on September 30, 1938, after signing the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler, which allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion. We know how that went, as a year later, the Second World War broke out! See the poster at the bottom, which expresses Churchill’s approach really well.

In whatever life you lead, be that private or public, and wherever you are in the hierarchy of life itself, being sure your voice is heard is really important. You can measure the quality of the people you are working with by whether they are open to listening and hearing your point of view. It’s the nature of life that the parties could disagree, yet the quality of the discussion will always highlight the there has been clarity of purpose and that the respect for both parties has been maintained. Prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the American political activist, in support for Trump’s MAGA campaign expressed some pretty extreme views which many would take great exception to. I’d watched his various debates with students from the Cambridge Union, exceptional short exchanges of views, from which I suspect we’d have to declare a draw when time was called. What I do respect is that Kirk was prepared all the time to debate the issues, to pursued and take the hit if he lost the argument on the day.

Kirk’s murder was completely unacceptable, as all such crimes across the world are. The subsequent further polarisation of views clearly show we are now further away from developing a consensus around the way our collective societies should behave. I am deeply concerned by the extreme left’s Fabian views of the direction of travel they wish, that being the peaceful takeover of our values led, meritocratic, democratic society and its replacement by a socialist society, believing that all private property is theft and that we are best being ‘nationalised’ to a common view point. Their coat of arms carries a ‘Wolf in Sheep’s clothing, so we need to very afraid, because their activist sit at the heart of the current Labour government,

Opinion polls show that more generally that the voice of the right wing is now dominant, with Reform led by Nigel Farage leading the way. The promises they bring are as likely to be as hollow as those that Labour expressed as they sought power (save the NHS and Smash the Gangs) or as they were by the Brexiteers a decade go as they sought to persuade us that leaving the EU would save us billions, to be directed to save the NHS and permit our economy to grow so much more rapidly. The reasoned middle way has ‘disappeared’ for the time being, and it seems we are returning to the potential bankrupt ideas of the 1970s and 1990s.

So why am I writing this political take in an Academic’s blog usually reserved for Education matters? It’s quite clear that the expected nursery and school provision of services to parents and children are now hitting the ‘requirements to change’, without reasoned discussions or even inclusion of the related parties affected. Changes to VAT, funding for nurseries & Ofsted inspection reports, new education acts to renationalise state academies and review the SEN funding for those with additional needs to reduce the current spend dramatically are all taking place WITHOUt consultation. The latter are not manifesto promises, yet the DfE snowplough moves relentlessly onwards and the politicians defending them publicly defend their ‘improvements’, in the the face of the sector’s growing anxiety that the outcomes are going to be so much worse for the children in our care.

As senior, sector professional, I will keep calling this out. At its best, the Department for Education has done and will continue to develop a system for education the envy of the world. Yet, with politicians changing the rules daily, trumpeting like Chamberlain did 60+ years ago that all is well, keep calm and carry on, to be fair, I’ll side with Winston Churchill. I just hope there is someone out there in authority that wants to listen to me.

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Making Sense of the World of Marginal Gains…

Posted on 12/09/2025 by jameswilding

Most of the readers of my blog will be very well aware that things get better step by step. My first car bought whilst I was at Leicester University, in the summer of 1972 was a Ford Popular 100E (1960 model as in photo below), replacing my Honda 75 motor scooter. Travelling the 100 miles each way to Uni to get home on the Honda, open to the elements in a dreadful winter was no fun at all, so replacing that with a car, with some heating and room for 3 friends was life changing. The ‘Pop’ was by all measures a dreadful car, not capable of going faster than the scooter, and when travelling up hill, the windscreen wipers would crawl to a halt, running as they did on the air intake manifold. As for acceleration, 0-60 mph was only possible downhill, and over 30 seconds. Where GB car ownership now is beyond any recognition of those times, who knows what we will be in 50 years from now, yet it’s likely to be approximately the same space and size for 4 or 5 humans to use.

The same can be said of so many sports; in my times, GB sports have moved from participation to world leading, and these improvements have not occurred by luck, but through the careful and systematic research, starting with the question ‘Why?’ David Brailsford ‘reinventing the wheel’ is nicely described in this Harvard Business Review , in which he explains how the ‘podium principles’ for success were broken down into strategy, human performance and continuous improvement. In Bounce (2010), Matthew Syed gives so many examples on why practice makes perfect, not least by repeating the mantra practice makes perfect! Because GB sport has learned these lessons, in almost all areas of sporting endeavour we are right up there, hence our place as number 2 in the Olympics.

You won’t be surprised to hear that critics of the classroom suggest that it has not changed over the past 200 years’ designed as it was for the industrial age to create automatons for the factory floor. Images of the Victorian classroom are placed alongside those of the 21st-century classroom, where now in the AI age it is suggested that little is to be learned by gathering knowledge; what we need are the many and various transferable skills to meet the multiple challenges of the post-industrial world, where machines will replace all of our working careers. Such ideas are worth exploring, testing and indeed seem enticing. At the time of my graduating, us new young things were enticed by the idea that our improving wealth would give us more leisure time, happy families and a world of ‘perfect’. So we know how that’s worked out – not!

Certainly, at my school, we’ve adopted all the podium principles suggested by Brailsford, embraced most of Syed’s psychological and philosophical standpoints, and in every area of our school lives, we’ve seen the marginal gains arise for the children. We’ve learned the lessons of too much screen time; we know that children must learn how to be bored, how to build resilience by failing and enjoyed/admire hugely seeing the extraordinary successes of 18 Ukrainian refugees over 3 years, with little knowledge of the Roman alphabet and spoken English on arrival to the UK, be able to graduate to secondary school, sixth forms and Universities with academic results that most families would say ‘I’d take that!’

I was intrigued this week when watching a short BBC news clip on Otters, once considered vermin and almost exterminated by vicars and game keepers up to the time I was at Uni. Now they are welcomed back into rivers across the countryside, with some care of course, because they’ll eat you out of fish House and Home in a trice. As with humans, otter pups are intensely curious, and they need be stimulated and enabled to roam, through which they learn all the necessary skills for successful adulthood. It’s just the same for children. Before the age of 5 or 6, learning happens most successfully by play, in a cohort, working together and learning how to socialise. You check out Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to see how success starts, understand the steps taken here, each won through marginal gains. From then onwards, the way we organise our higher thinking skills requires some formalised teaching, not least to keep the child’s emotional development in harness with their intellect – see Bloom’s taxonomy for more on this. Originally shown as a pyramid, I prefer Bloom’s intellectual development in the shape of a 20th-century light bulb because when working with others, we know when our own or their light bulb moment happens – a marginal gain switching on the ‘wow’ and ‘wonder’ and ‘I get it’ moments!

Whether Bloom, Brailsford, Maslow or Otters, it’s clear the adult coach has their place to steer improvement to happen Yet necessary to that struggle is peer group socialisation, intervention when that’s not going right, teaching to lift the child over the knowledge and skills barriers that are counter-intuitive, ‘parenting not friending’ when managing the household and above all, not putting one’s brain on the shelf and letting others, including AI, carry the load and not bother learning the skills ourselves. I’m intrigued by the latest research that highlights that children need to learn to write physically before using a modern keyboard and computer. Back in the day, whether using paper & pen or typewriter, you had to think about your writing before hardcopy simply because, whether be ink from the pen or the ribbon, once on the paper the mark was permanent. Now, you don’t need to trouble yourself because the screen is a friend to correction. Using such a modern screen, it seems the child can’t remember what they wrote 2 or 3 sentences before, and within about 10 minutes after the work is complete, the work done has been completely forgotten.

Taking the time to do things well encourages the world of marginal gains, and such practice makes perfect, and after much repetition, practice makes permanent. From brain surgery, through cycling to table tennis, it turns out it’s never about talent (5%), it’s perspiration (95%) – fired of course by curiosity and the desire to improve one’s own performances and seeking, if not a podium finish, at least the self-actualisation of a job done well. And most of the time, that needs a peer group of about 20, of people of about the same age and interests. As indeed the ancient Syrians knew 9 centuries ago, as we’ve discovered from the archaeologists uncovering the ruins of their towns, they found classrooms. And that clearing of the dirt to reveal the evidence beneath can only be done, brush stroke by brush stroke, with common purpose and understanding, that classrooms were just big enough to house a teacher and 20 learners. Well, who knew that?

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Claires Court: Resilience, Vision, and Futures 2025

Posted on 28/08/2025 by jameswilding

As we reflect on the past year and look towards the promising horizon of “Claires Court Futures 2025,” it is with immense pride and profound gratitude that we present this annual report. Claires Court’s journey has always been one of ambition and adaptation, a spirit that has been tested and triumphed in recent years. Just five years ago, our ambitious plans for a new campus at Maidenhead Thicket faced national planning hurdles, swiftly followed by the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, with our school community navigating closures and the transition to online learning for extended periods. Yet, it is precisely in overcoming these adversities that the true strength and resilience of Claires Court has shone brightest.

The remarkable achievements of our students, particularly those who began their secondary education in lockdown – our “Pandemic Year 7s” now flourishing at GCSE, and those in Year 13 whose school careers were equally interrupted – stand as a testament to their unwavering spirit and our dedicated support. We are thrilled to report that our GCSE and A-level results have not only recovered but have risen back to the highest levels we could possibly expect. Beyond academic excellence, our pupils have garnered national recognition across athletic pursuits, performing arts, and community involvements, showcasing a holistic development that truly defines the Claires Court experience. This success reinforces our fundamental belief that while we maintain a strong reputation for fostering elite scholarship, we equally regard each child as an individual with immense potential, nurturing their strengths and even uncovering “unknown unknowns” that ignite lifelong passions. This ethos was powerfully demonstrated by the successful integration and remarkable progress of Ukrainian refugees into our school community, many of whom arrived without knowledge of the Roman alphabet or English language, yet three years on, have passed public examinations and matriculated for further and higher education. This is the strength of Claires Court: not to deselect or decline, but to welcome children, because ‘their place is here’.

Our vision for Claires Court Futures 2025 extends to a significant reimagining of our existing campus to meet the specifications for a fully balanced program for boys and girls. We are committed to offering ‘Diamond provision,’ ensuring high-quality facilities that are commensurate with our high aspirations, though not necessarily identical in every respect. A cornerstone of this vision has been the successful unification of our Junior boys and girls onto a single campus at Ridgeway. We are incredibly proud of the two years they have spent working together, fostering a junior community that feels fully cohesive and vibrant. Furthermore, we have meticulously modelled and adapted the junior curriculum to encompass not only key features of literacy, numeracy, and physical development, but also a rich array of creative aesthetic and outdoor learning activities, including our popular Forest School. Myriad summer activities across all our sites further underscore the school’s flourishing state. Looking ahead, we have secured the necessary planning permissions for the final steps in developing our Senior School boys and girls facilities, particularly in music, drama, and physical education capacities, and now focus on securing the finances to complete these crucial enhancements.

The School’s commitment extends far beyond the campus walls, actively forging relationships and making a significant impact within the wider community. Our co-curricular, before and after school, and residential programs have expanded to their fullest extent, providing unparalleled opportunities for our students. We have cultivated strong partnerships with many of Maidenhead’s major sports clubs, Norden Farm Arts Centre, and the National Sports Centre, Bisham Abbey. We are particularly excited about our next steps: partnering with Redroofs School for the Performing Arts to introduce Level 3 BTEC qualifications in Musical Theatre, Dance, and Drama into our Sixth Form, broadening our reach and offering diverse pathways for artistic talent. Our support for the development of new waterways linking the River Thames to Maidenhead town centre, and the establishment of our own kayaking and canoeing centre – accessible also to adults for acquiring waterman skills – exemplifies our dedication to community enrichment and skill development. Internally, we have proactively addressed considerable societal challenges, working across all age groups to highlight and change behaviours, calling out misogyny, and teaching children from all backgrounds to aspire, develop ambition, resilience, an interest in others, and above all, to serve their school community and the wider nation. It is inspiring to see our students contemplating futures in public service, the military, and critical fields like artificial intelligence and medical sciences.

Claires Court recognises the limitations of a narrowly focused English curriculum that often prioritises academic achievement as the sole measure of success. While we excel in this, we embrace a broader, more holistic approach. Beyond traditional A-levels, we offer a diverse array of respected co-curricular and co-academic programs, including the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), BTEC National Certificates and Diplomas, and other Level 3 qualifications such as Food Technology from the Welsh board. Our goal is not solely to prepare students for Russell Group universities and the professions beyond, but also to keep their artistic and creative flair alive, preparing them for a wide range of foundation courses, university degrees in advertising, fashion, theatre, or commercial activities, and valuable apprenticeships. This open and welcoming approach, embracing boys and girls from different backgrounds, enriches our community life. Our young people can no longer prepare for just one career, and need a far wider palette of skills and interests to assist in making their way successfully in the futures they will face.

In an ever-changing world, we are committed to educational innovation, particularly through the thoughtful integration of technology. We have invested significantly in developing our adult teaching faculty, with experts like Victor Allen, Marlyn Hawes, and Finn O’Regan providing training to ensure our staff remain at the cutting edge of educational practice. Critically, Claires Court has embraced Artificial Intelligence at the heart of our work, utilising tools like Merlyn Mind at Junior level and Google Workspace, Gemini, and NotebookLM at Secondary School. This strategic adoption of AI has empowered our staff to manage their workload more efficiently, develop new and innovative learning methods, and ultimately benefit our children. We are proud to have made a significant contribution to its adoption in the UK, USA, Eire, Europe and the Middle East. Furthermore, recognising the current crisis in adolescent mental health, we are steadfast in providing an environment with sufficient time in the working day that fosters genuine friendships and social interaction, helping children navigate the complexities of growing up in a digital age, learning to trust, communicate, compete, and forge effective pathways into adulthood.

Looking to the future, we acknowledge the considerable challenge posed by austerity and taxation on families’ ability to fund independent education. To ensure Claires Court remains affordable to the vast majority of parents seeking a broad, holistic education for their children, we are forging strategic partnerships with community groups to bring additional revenues into the school. In terms of new recruitment of children for the future, our goal is to attract enough boys and girls each year, aiming to keep our maximum class size at 20 and GCSE groups at around 16. It’s an important balance we need to strike, with classes large enough for competition, small enough for individual attention, and with full agreement that the core values we stand for are adopted by all. We also offer flexible entry and exit points, from a few years in Reception or Junior School, a full secondary education commencing from Year 7 as well as a warm welcome for children switching from middle schools that graduate at the end of Year 8. Adding transition programmes for external students that need to flesh out their GCSE qualifications, and creating Foundation program years beyond Sixth Form to allow students to perfect skills in arts, theatre, dance, and sports have commenced well, and these can only enrich what Claires Court stands for as a leading centre of education. Both Principals of Claires Court, my brother Hugh and I, remain incredibly ambitious for our school. We carry our responsibilities with utmost fidelity, profoundly supported by our outstanding heads, deputies and senior leadership teams across all three sites, who manage the day-to-day running of our exceptional education. Their commitment to the future is as serious as their dedication to the past, and we continually test our success through the invaluable insights of external visitors, who help us identify areas for even greater improvement. The boys and girls of all abilities know their place is here with us. With the continued support of our community, our talented staff, and our forward-thinking strategies, we look forward to the future with huge enthusiasm, confident that Claires Court will continue to flourish and shape exceptional young individuals for many generations to come.

James Wilding
Academic Principal
26 August 2025

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“Be Curious, Not Judgemental” – Walt Whitman

Posted on 11/07/2025 by jameswilding

At the close of this Academic Year 2024-25, I’ve sought to summarise the lessons I’ve learned over the last 12 months, In Blog 1 advised “Speak truth, build and give trust”, Blog 2 “Show up on time, know the text and have an idea” and to close “Be Curious, Not Judgemental”. The quote is attributable to the American poet, Walt Whitman, yet I gathered it from a wonderful scene from Ted Lasso, in which the American football coach surprises a pub audience that he can play darts really well. The endearing point of the scene is that, as so often in life, those who think they know often underestimate the skills and talents of those around them, or in his case, of a foreigner from the US knowing anything about the pub game of darts, let alone being able to throw triple 20, triple 20 and bull in a set of 3. Fortunately, you don’t need to subscribe to Apple TV, the scene in question is here.

As I have written to parents in my end of term letter, here, my brother and I could not be more proud of Claires Court’s achievements, where the support of our parents and guardians lies at the heart of every occasion. Outside of the limited catchment area of our day school in the Eastern Thames Valley, few know of the school, unless they move in one of our common circles of influence. Therein lies the rub, because it is expected that such schools have only one or 2 areas in which they shine, their chosen specialities. Claires Court covers the age range 2-18, so it might be thought that we don’t work to scale, yet with 981 on school roll as school closed yesterday, taught by 173 teachers, with additional learning support, nurses, school administrators and all, that’s a powerful faculty that do understand teaching, learning and welfare very strongly indeed. 

Newspapers like judging schools, providing league tables and the like, yet have no mechanism at all how to judge schools that choose not to select their entry on ability. I feel a little uneasy to highlight that the Telegraph rates Claires Court as ‘poor value’, suggesting that’s because we don’t have a squash court, golf course, stable or theatre, and apparently, to cap it all, we don’t row. Of course, I have written to ben.butcher@telegraph.co.uk, the journalist concerned, but as with Labour MPs, I’ve had no reply and expect to get none. This is no lonely lament; it’s true for all the inclusive independent schools in the country, including Millfield and Royal Hospital School, which I mention because we’ve been in competition with them recently in national finals for tennis and sailing, respectively. Of course, I’d love to find us named in the ‘Tatler’ or ‘Muddy Stilettos’ awards of the year, but that requires us to pay a very large sum of money, and that get’s ‘trumped by the school’s leading key value of Integrity. We continue to promise our parents to keep our costs down, and to spend all we can to maintain the quality of provision, teaching, learning and access to both opportunities and support as necessary. Many years ago, Australia produced a value-added measure for its schools, which showed how successful a school’s students were 4 years on. Did the progress the young people made during their education get maintained as they left university? For us, that’s an indicator we follow really carefully, and from September 2025 plan to add post-Uni support for our alumni, because even if the majority graduate with 1sts or 2/1s, there is no guarantee of a job afterwards.

The EdTech community are curious, and follows what we do at Claires Court with considerable interest. First school in the UK to the cloud with what is now known as Google Workspace (2012), then first in the World outside the US with Merlyn AI in the Junior Classroom (2021), it’s going to be a real challenge for the school to move forwards with promoting a SMARTphonefree childhood whilst embracing all the lessons that need to be gathered around Agentive AI and how to use those tools intelligently. These seem very similar to me to the challenges provided by the arrival of the motor car over 160 years ago, when in 1865, the Liberal government of Lord Palmerston passed the Locomotive Act, soon to become known as the Red Flag Act, with the extraordinary stipulation that any self-propelled road vehicle had to be preceded by a person walking at least 60 yards ahead, carrying a red flag.  With all the benefits of hindsight, the Red Flag Act, according to one writer, “effectively stopped innovation in powered road transport in Britain for over a quarter of a century”.

In common with other thinkers in this area, I’ve been very aware of the dangers of TV, video games, phones & tablets upstairs in children’s bedrooms for decades. Circa 2000, I suggested to parents that they leave a basket at the bottom of the staircase in which the family phones were deposited rather than follow everyone upstairs. It prove to be particularly helpful, because the text messaging that preceded WhatsApp, Snapchat and Messenger were already proving to be toxic, and the kids needed to escape even then! As a school we’ve chosen to leave X as a vehicle, and we know that some 50% of our parents already shun social media, other than the local social groups on WhatsApp or Signal. It’s fair to say that no-one trusts Elon Musk, owner of X, but I do have a high regard for Meredith Whittaker, President of the Signal Foundation, which owns the Signal App. In March this year, she spoke about the real danger of adults just giving permission to AI to unite all their applications using their AI assistant, describing the user as being willing to put ‘their brain in a jar on the shelf’. To reduce the need for parents to use interactive Social Media, we post Flickr albums too on the school website, because everyone does like a good photoshoot!

So, inline with staying curious, I’ve kept a close eye all year on Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, who continues to ignore my calls for engagement and collaboration. Her latest pronouncement on getting children ready for school, which requires “4-year-olds to sit still so they can learn”, shows a breathtaking ignorance of the Early Years Foundation stage, and has once again opened up howls of disbelief from experts in the field. I quote parenting specialist Kirsty Ketley, who makes this crystal clear: ‘The issue isn’t that these kids aren’t ready for school, it’s that schools often aren’t ready for them. It’s not just that they can’t sit still.  It’s that so many of them don’t know how to play. They can scroll an iPad and smartphone independently, but when it comes to real, independent, curious, creative play… no idea. We’ve taken away the space for it. We’ve filled every moment with screens, schedules, and adult direction and then wonder why kids can’t settle in Reception. And for neurodivergent children? It’s even tougher. If we’re serious about school readiness, we need to bring back unstructured, imaginative play, build classrooms that work for all children, not just the neurotypical ones, and above all support parents instead of judging them.

We have whole books written in recent years to assist us in the field of education, perhaps the best one in the field (if a little dated) is Daniel Willingham’s “When can you trust the experts? How to tell Good Science from Bad in Education”.  Where all the advice books fail is to assist parents in getting out of the swamp once they are stuck in the middle, without a boat or paddle. That’s been particularly difficult as the emergence of really anxious children is now at such volumes that children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are overwhelmed. The key is always to work together, to find common ground, build future enthusiasms and not be dictated to be the ‘it’s not fair’ initial reaction of the child. Life truly is not fair, and we have to be realistic. In England, we always have an opportunity to reset the child-school relationship at the juncture of primary and secondary, and it’s in this area that senior schools can be particularly insensitive, loading children with 3 hours of homework a night and expecting parents to carry the burden. Where parents can be particularly helpful is in the encouragement of reading, and if not of text only, with picture books too, and to supplement those by listening to tapes, made just as easy now as in the last century using Yoto players for example. Whether reading or listening, there is a benchmark time of 20 minutes that allows for vocabulary to pass from short-term memory into the long-term, and that builds attention spans and concentration. Likewise, where schools have given up teaching handwriting, suggesting that the keyboard makes handwriting irrelevant, they are having to put into place handwriting recovery plans because the very act of fine motor control helps build neural networks across the brain that increase the child’s agility to recall information and manipulate objects in 3 dimensions. It’s no accident that my school has stayed closely involved with managing dyslexia in the classroom. It’s not an SEN but a different way of thinking, and many dyslexics, as they move into adult life, find their creative ways of thinking are highly valued. 

And finally, of course, I am proud that our Year 9 boys made national news last week through the saving of a man’s life on the River Thames, an unexpected addition to their successful DofE Bronze Expedition award. Critics of our sector blame us because many state school children don’t have the same opportunity to learn these practical skills, and attach yet another ‘privilege’ label to us as a consequence. As the headlines in the Yachts and Yachting magazine made clear this month, this is where Claires Court truly understands why being a really active partner in the local community, investing in and sharing facilities and opportunities, puts that criticism in the bin, by running a regatta for all comers over the weekend. 

Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson and her Labour constituency MPs refuse to visit schools like ours, stating that they are there to provide support for the state sector only. So they will stay ‘Judgemental’, of schools like ours, of families like ours, of communities like ours, and ignore the many and varied opportunities that a collaborative partnership could bring to benefit all. As with the Red Flag decision 160 years ago, whilst this government remains in power, they will effectively stop innovation in children’s education, health and welfare for the foreseeable future and damage the young people they purport to represent for their lifetime.

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“Show up on time, know the text and have an idea.“ – Tom Hanks

Posted on 04/07/2025 by jameswilding

In this second of my 3 blogs written to summarise my world of work over the last year, I am building on the core words of advice I set out last week for politicians to consider: “Speak truth, build and give trust”.  It’s quite clear that there is conflict around the globe, and the tensions within our own country and society are very evident too. When the Chancellor of the Exchequer is sat in the House, tears streaming down her face, she became easy prey for the pundits, and that’s not fair. We have no idea what is going on in people’s private lives, and I admire her for sticking to her promise to support the Prime Minister at Question Time. Being absent would have been even more damaging to her professionally.

Tom Hanks has expressed on a number of occasions the reasons for his success, being a simple philosophy of life given to him (at age 20) by the director Dan Sullivan – you can see that here. My audience of parents, educators and fellow professionals will have seen the Hanks’ advice for life expanded by so many and in every walk of life, I won’t expand it further. But what’s important is to understand that it’s not just a ‘turn up’ motto – much more ‘know what you’re about and add value’ instruction.

The full professional information on schools can be found on the Get Information About Schools government website, GIAS, and the info on Claires Court Schools Ltd. can be found here. As the listed Headteacher/Principal is James Wilding, there is no escaping my responsibilities, and you’ll know I take them very seriously. Over the past 10 days of arts, athletics, cricket, drama, music, social events and sport, it might be easy to suggest I haven’t been worrying about the academics, but the truth is of course I do. Whatever else, parents will choose our school because we have a clear curriculum designed to educate, inspire and bring out the best for each child as well as for the cohort as a whole. We cannot escape our responsibilities to generate the ambition to collaborate, to highlight that there is a greater good to be achieved and that in reaching for the stars, we’ll generate future leaders willing to play their full part in times to come. 

School ‘climate’ is everything, and I am deeply proud of both the way our values underpin everything we do and yet in terms of forward thinking, both in our approach to learning and the use of new digital tools, we’ve always been on the pioneering edge of what do next whilst retaining the best. The letter we have sent to all Claires Court families about supporting the Smartphone-Free-School approach across the Royal Borough will come as no surprise to our own parents, as we’ve been navigating that approach for many years now, and without asking parent to embrace the cost of a pouch as well. All Tolkien fans will know that Gollum’s fascination for his ring is likely to become just the same when students use ‘pouches’ yet keep their mobile near them; it’s far better that they see such devices either left at home or put in a common class bin, because separation is very much part of the therapy needed. It’s far too easy to ‘doom scroll’, and that’s not an addiction young developing minds ever need to acquire. 

Of course, we’ve got to be realistic, and for purposes of medical health and tracking, mobiles will continue to have their uses, and for the time being, the adult world can no longer work without one. Yet once boys and girls enter our school and feel the energy of their fellow pupils and staff, they do quickly understand the imperatives we place on doing the right thing right, and rules are followed well. Above all, they appreciate that almost anything is possible given the opportunities available to talk, chat and build human relationships. Take the Year 7 & 8 drama festivals this week, for example. Parents who’ve never seen ‘Trestle Masks’ in use could not have imagined their girls performing Macbeth, Hamlet, The Tempest or Romeo & Juliet with such control on stage, or their sons being able to perform Commedia dell’Arte or slapstick comedy as an ensemble.

As the headline photo shows from the Girls’ sports day, that’s not just one athlete showing she can hurdle, but a race-full. The boys’ tennis team claimed 3rd place in the National Schools Tennis finals this last weekend, beating Millfield. We’ve had 3 crews at Henley Royal Regatta this week, the boys’ eight and 2 quads, and they fully look the part – and we have the Brit champs to come! 

It’s simply not just about competition, and being the best. There are times when I am genuinely blown away by the spontaneous acts of our students, when throw into emergency situations and they react so amazingly well. Take the example of the Year 9 boys who encountered a drowning man in the river 2 weekends ago, whilst on their Bronze Award paddling expedition. Whilst paddling south of Wallingford, midway through their expedition, they heard a call for help from a capsized canoeist. The struggling man had flipped his canoe between two moored river boats and had drifted between a raised jetty. The boys immediately rushed to his aid and radioed Mr Wragg and Mr Campbell-Starkey to let them know.

First on the scene were two students, Harrison McNamee and Felix Gregan.In the time it took for Peter Campbell-Starkey to paddle over to the exhausted man, Harrison had already exited his boat and helped the man cling to the jetty. The boys also fashioned a makeshift stirrup using a rope, allowing the man to keep his head above the water. You can read the whole news article here.

All students involved successfully completed their Bronze DofE expedition, a testament to their resilience and values instilled by the programme. The boys’ bravery was also recognised by Head of Seniors, Steve Richards, who awarded them all the ‘Claires Court Compass Award for outstanding achievement’ at assembly.

The various graduation assemblies are still to come of course, though our eyes are still on the prize. 81 Year 12s Future Focus week from Monday has them pursuing those possible Tom Hanks’ triggers: “What possible career ahead might work best for me!” CEO of Transform Society, James Darley is leading the thinking across the following ideas:

  • AI in selection – included in the session the context of gamification;
  • Career Resilience – a key skill that ALL students need – explains what it is and gives some coping strategies for when you get knocked back;
  • Future of Work – a fascinating session where they are shown what is being predicted as the future of work and get students to give feedback via Mentimeter
  • Graduate Market – the reality of the graduate market – where the jobs are and what you need to do to get employed in the future!

Year 13 life at Claires Court comes to a close with 86 students pretty much aligned for where they might be showing up in the Autumn. In addition to winning undergraduate apprenticeships at the Bank of England and L’Oreal, I can highlight 40 different University destinations, including the great cities of Bath, Birmingham, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Southampton and… San Diego! Their highlights reel from school will carry all the other stripes that come from taking the opportunities here, whether that be DofE awards, LAMDA and Music grade exams or of course the natural kindness that sits as the central marker of a young adult that can truly make a difference!

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“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare – Measure for Measure.

Posted on 26/06/2025 by jameswilding

26 June 2025

As we reach the conclusion of this academic year, I’m writing 3 blogs to summarise all the joys, fears, pains and hopes that have populated  my world of work as Academic Principal. This first is largely a wrapper around an email I wrote this week to our 3 local MPs in Maidenhead (Lib Dem), High Wycombe (Labour) and Beaconsfield (Conservative). As you can read here – https://schl.cc:443/gZ – I’ve highlighted to all 3 that our local education ecosystem (state, private & otherwise), built up over the past 7 decades is now facing extraordinary if not existential threats from the government. I’ll leave you to read the detail, but  I feel I have tried to place in the hands of our local MPs some facts and realities that might help arm them when speaking in Parliament to those that have forgotten how to tell the truth. I’ve already had one ‘holding’ reply, but positive in terms of reaching out to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Philipson. Bridget is already aware of my concerns and multiple offers to help, but has declined to engage to date.

Education works when those involved, whether teacher or learner, feel confident that the process being pursued  is worth it. Claires Court Athletes learn how to run, how to challenge, how to believe and so dip their head as they cross the line, even when they’re 8! It’s Sports Day season, I’ve seen enough already to know it’s true. Change the sport, use a hard or soft ball, racquet or bat, blade or rudder and we are still there at the top of the game. Yet none of this is possible unless we try.

It’s post GCSE (Wednesday ) and A level (Thursday) Prom week, a thing that did not exist when I was young. Friendship’s hard, they need work, effort, and having a common aim has encouraged pretty much the whole 2 cohorts to join in making a celebration happen, the assessment ‘job’ done. Meeting on the 2 evenings in question (Moor Hall, Cookham & Wycombe Heights GC respectively), I’m seeing young people and their teachers aggregate with all full respect for each other, and display a mutual, perhaps extraordinary gratitude for travelling in company with such success.

The current Year 11 cohort’s secondary education commenced in #lockdown, an impossible time yet of course normal for them “doesn’t everyone start secondary school this way” normalising perhaps the absurdity of the uniqueness of the event. In both groups I met with both young men and women who had joined 3 years ago from Ukraine, knowing not our language, culture or even alphabet. Now, academically strong, they can look forward to settling into Sixth Forms or University. “Surrey” sparkled one, “the offer is BCC and I’m on for AABB”. A leader of our tennis squad in Year 13, having won his match up on day 2 of 4, this taking our squad into the semifinals of the UK schools LTA cup was down to celebrate with his friends, facing an early Uber tomorrow at 5.30am. His face shone “Sir, if we win tomorrow, we get to go to Brazil for the World Finals!” Oh but to dream this big!

As Oompah, I enjoy all the benefits of the grandchildren, but can give them back at the end of the day. I’m immensely grateful for the pioneering work of younger parents and Mrs Kirby, Head of Juniors and my colleagues there, who’ve not just braved the concept of creating the possibility of a SMARTphone-free childhood, but pioneered the use of AI in the classroom too. It seems a paradox to unite both ideas, but we must. Born of a generation that watched their families smoke themselves to death, I never wanted that for mine. As Sam Altman (CEO, ChatGPT) makes clear, “It’s weird that even knowing ChatGPT, Gemini etc. exist has created blind trust in AI , and that’s what is causing it to grow so fast – People want fast answers, even if they’re wrong!”

Like many very experienced educators, I’ve seen the cohorts of adults over time go through ‘school’. I was one of the ‘baby-boomers’, my teaching began with the ‘latchkey’ generation, my children now perhaps sit as core ‘millenials’ as they were taught by me and lately of course we’ve seen the start of GenZ looking at nursery. Whilst the entire group may share a common love of say Robbie Williams and “Angels”, there’s likely to be staggeringly different views over drinks, foods, medias and technologies. There always has been such differences, such as those in my childhood not allowed a telly, but they’re nothing like as polarising as they are now. ‘Schooling’ by its  very name describes that growing up requires conforming to a norm, not pick’n’mix. ‘Helicopter’ parenting shifts the dial and the arrival of ‘Snowploughs’ is already creating havoc ‘Stateside’, and the exam boards in the UK report growing disputes over the ‘fair’ interpretation of their access arrangement rules.

William Shakespeare would be 461 if he was still alive. In his works, almost every ill of the present day can be found, and whether comedy or tragedy, that old man continues to inspire the generations to come. In ‘Measure for Measure’, the synopsis makes Angelo rule as a religious tyrant, try to manipulate a nun to sleep with him, is foiled, and ultimately punished. It sounds a tragedy, is a comedy, and has an epic series of moral conclusions that bear study in 2025. Those in current political life across the world would do well to check out the Bard. As the quote makes clear, if we can speak truth, build and give trust, the likelihood is that fear and anxiety will truly ease. I’ll conclude with a poem by another man, John Donne writing during the same time as William:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

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The High Court decision on the TAX change by the Government (part 2)

Posted on 19/06/2025 by jameswilding

Claires Court is one of over 1400 private schools who form part of the Independent Schools Council.

The ISC Board met on Wednesday, 18 June. Below is the statement that was issued by ISC to all schools at 12 noon the next day. As you can see, the ISC Board has voted not to appeal against the judgment. You can find their explanation below my next 5 paragraphs of commentary.

My view is that the change in Tax treatment for Tuition fees makes no sense to the parents now having their fees increased, to the school finance offices that now have their work made perhaps 30% more complex so as to treat all the different shades of tax exemption and tax at 0% in order to calculate the tax to be paid to the VAT man and how much to claw back or indeed to the wider education sector that;s not going to see any of the money raised come their way.

The tax change is causing some great, historic schools to close, and where there are not local state sector alternatives, so the education authority concerned (and there are several) have to work out how they are to fill the gaps. The acceleration in closures has come, 4 last week, and this means that adults and communities have lost work, presence, pride in what they do and loss to local providers, retail and services. Many local authorities have no places for the displaced secondary children, and it was the local authorities that initially begged the government not to impose VAT too early that have to clear up their mess. And that’s more to clear up in addition to the incredible crisis in Special Educational Needs and Education Welfare services.

The government know that they may have won the specific case but not the deeper argument. There’s no crowing from the specific politicians concerned. 6,500 new teachers are not coming into the state sector, the significant transfer of pupils from private to state means the net cost of education to the government has grown and the madness of suggesting instead that it’s going to help the state to build lots more houses by the Prime Minister makes him look even more foolish.

For the past 10 years and more, the country has cried out for stable, sensible leadership from the government of the day. Instead, they gave us NHS and Education reform, they gave us Brexit, they’ve even tried to modernise the armed forces and build HS2. I look back to the successes of the London Olympics in 2012, and thanks to the Sutton Trust, we know that 24 of Team GB’s 65 medalists, or 37%, were educated at private schools. We can smile too that Queen Elizabeth (home education), Danny Boyle (Direct Grant) and Daniel Craig (Sixth Form Grammar) all were educated too in a manner this Education Secretary abhors. It’s the very success of the diversity in Education that the United Kingdom offers that has made our education sought after across the world – but sadly, one lesson this government is unlikely ever to learn.

The judgment in the High Court case, backed by the Independent Schools Council, was handed down last Friday. As you will know by now, the three judges ultimately dismissed the case, alongside two other cases brought by Education Not Discrimination and Christian Concern.

Since the judgment, the ISC Board has been considering its next steps carefully. There are grounds for appeal, though the advice received by lawyers has been that this would be an uphill battle.

After careful consideration, the ISC Board has decided against supporting an appeal.

We felt it was right that this unprecedented tax on education had its compatibility with human rights law tested. However, having now made our arguments in court, we did not wish to put further resource into an appeal that would, in general terms, tread the same ground. Our focus remains on supporting children, families and schools – something we are more easily able to do without the constraints of protracted court proceedings.

Although the outcome last week was not what had been hoped for, there were nevertheless many positives that ISC will be carrying forward from the judgment, both in public messaging and behind-the-scenes lobbying.

Independent education is protected

During the court hearings, government lawyers argued that human rights law did not stop the government from abolishing independent education in its entirety if it wished to (although there was no suggestion this was a current policy position). This assertion was firmly rejected in the judgment, which was clear that human rights law protected the freedom to establish independent schools.

Children’s rights were affected

The judgment reaffirmed that the right to independent education is protected under the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 2 Protocol 1), as is the right to non-discrimination (Article 14). It also affirmed that changes to the structure or cost of education can engage these rights. In the case of VAT, the Court found that the policy did interfere with the rights of pupils and, on the face of it,had a discriminatory impact on certain cohorts of pupils. Having reached that conclusion, however, it was ruled that such interference was lawful as it was within the “margin of discretion” that Parliament enjoys when making such policies.

Challenging inaccurate rhetoric

Throughout its submissions, the government repeatedly referred to the decision to levy VAT on fees as the abolition of a “tax break”. The High Court described this as more of a slogan than a legal description and chose instead to describe the measure as a “tax change”. This more neutral language strips away what the court described as “presentational” labels, with the focus instead on the substance of the measure and the impact on children and families.

An acknowledgment of diversity within the sector

The case considered the circumstances of a wide variety of claimants in different types of independent schools and with very different backgrounds. Two areas of particular concern – provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and the impact on Charedi Jewish schools – were given serious attention by the judges. Even though the Court did not mandate an exemption for these vulnerable groups, its acknowledgement of them, added to its highlighting of the systemic failures within SEND, validates what many in the sector have been saying for years.

A framework for holding the government to account

While the Court accepted that the government’s revenue forecast of £1.5 billion annually was based on a rational process involving the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), it did not delve into whether that analysis was comprehensive as well as rational. ISC will continue to hold the government to account – both publicly and privately – on the claims politicians have made and to challenge them where the rhetoric is not being matched by reality, action or funding.

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The High Court decision on the government’s decision to impose VAT on Independent School tuition fees was published at 10am on Friday 12 June 2025

Posted on 12/06/2025 by jameswilding

The challenge the High Court judges had to determine is best summarised by the poster statement below; the High Court has concluded that, despite the difficulties the Government’s VAT policy will cause schools and families, it has not breached the Human Rights Act.

I received several statements from the Associations to which we belong. Though the Court recognised that while the policy does engage the claimants’ rights under Article 2 of the First Protocol of the Act, A2P1 (the right to education), it also said that the European Court of Human Rights recognises that states have a broad margin of discretion in this sphere to make a series of policy choices about the organisation of the educational system, some of which are likely to be controversial. As a result, the High Court has dismissed all claims.

Please use the following links to read the judgment:
Summary of the judgment
Full text of the judgment

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is taking the lead on communications on behalf of the associations. All schools and their membership associations are disappointed with this outcome, not least because of the incredibly intrusive and insensitive introduction of the policy without careful consideration of its longer-term impact on individual families, schools and the nation’s wider education system. Irrespective of the validity of the policy, the government’s

From my position as Principal, in the short term, this decision does clear the way forward and enables us to have certainty for our wider business plans to expand the school’s activities wider into the community. Now we are permitted to rent out our facilities and build wider partnerships with many of our supporting sports clubs, defraying costs whilst at the same time as improving facilities is a win-win. A judgment supporting in part the claimants’ case would inevitably have caused the government to make an appeal, leaving us in limbo for a further 12 months or so. Everything we are doing internally is to review our various needs to bear down on costs whilst retaining the quality and reach of our education provision.

This in no way justifies the current government’s current deeply held conviction that private education should not exist, nor the casual reference to the (apparent) sums of money to be raised from the VAT claimed from our parents. From the initial claims (by the Chancellor) that the money would be used to recruit 6,500 teachers, to fund breakfast clubs in primary schools or now (by the Prime Minister that it will help build new houses for the future, funds paid by working families should be put to the specified use intended, not waved around like a ‘Loadsamoney’ windfall by a latter day Harry Enfield.

The high court judgement calls out the Labour government for using slogans rather than precise, more measured language.

13. The claimants, in their written and oral arguments, submitted that the challenged
provisions have the effect of imposing VAT on educational services, when such
services have never been subject to VAT before. The Government parties, by contrast,
refer throughout to the removing of an exemption or “tax break”. This was, in our view, more a slogan than a legally significant description. We prefer to speak more neutrally
of a “tax change”. The compatibility of this change with Convention rights depends on
its substance, not on any label attached to it for presentational purposes.

Perhaps and most importantly of all, the high court in its judgement has made it as clear as it can that the government cannot ban private education. I quote”

“Does a measure which impedes access to private education engage A2P1 at all?

  1. At one stage in the oral argument before us, Sir James for the Government parties
    submitted that the margin of appreciation accorded to states under A2P1 to choose how to configure their educational systems was wide enough to permit them to prohibit private schools altogether. That submission was, in our judgment, wrong. The Court in Kjeldsen drew attention at [50] to the importance attached by many contracting states
    (as apparent from the travaux préparatoires) to the “freedom to establish private schools”. That the right conferred by A2P1 includes such a freedom, subject to regulation by the state, can also be seen from the Commission’s decisions in Jordebø and Verein Gemeinsam Lernen. If it is not within a state’s margin of appreciation to prohibit private schools altogether, a regulatory measure which had the same practical
    effect would presumably impair the very essence of the right. We therefore consider that the Government parties were wrong to submit that A2P1 has no relevance at all to measures which affect access to private schools.

Here’s the Guardian’s summary:

“The high court has dismissed a wave of legal challenges against adding VAT to private school fees in the UK, saying the government’s decision was a rare example of Brexit freedoms.

The judges said that adding 20% to private school fees would not have been possible under EU law, stating: “This is therefore one respect in which the UK’s exit from the EU has increased the scope of parliament’s freedom to determine policy.” Other newspapers exist.

For the next few weeks, all in the education sector will have to take stock of what this judgement means, coupled with the spending review announced by the Chancellor on Wednesday 11 June. The full review indicates growing pressure on the delivery of special needs support in the state sector, aligned with a lower than expected investment in Education overall. The good news for Claires Court is that we have the last 4 weeks of term ahead, with a myriad of events and opportunities ahead for both children and adult to collaborate and celebrate the life our school community enjoys when it is in session. There are so many things in life that we can’t control, it’s best we ‘readiate the sunshine’ when we can and enjoy the warmth whilst it’s here.

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“Time passes, Lives change, but Memories last forever.”  Reflections on Thank a Teacher day.

Posted on 05/06/2025 by jameswilding

National Thank a Teacher Day is an annual celebration of teachers and support staff across early years settings, schools and colleges. This year it will take place on Wednesday 18th June 2025. Last year over 82,000 Thank a Teacher Day personalised e-cards were sent​ and we had a media reach of 60,000,000 including national coverage on BBC, ITV, The Sunday Times, The Daily Express and The Sun​ https://thankateacher.co.uk/nationalthankateacherday/

After our prep school years which lasted until the end of Year 8, my brother Hugh and I pursued our Senior School Education to University entrance at Douai School, Woolhampton, one of the great Benedictine monastic schools in existence in the 1960s-1990s. The plan had been for us to study much more locally at Beaumont College in Old Windsor, owned and run by the Society of Jesus, another monastic order known as the Jesuits. The school announced its closure in 1965, deciding to focus the community’s efforts on their other school in England, Stonyhurst in Lancashire. Given that Douai was in easy reach of Maidenhead Thicket via the 1/1A bus service to Woolhampton, and a 15 minute walk up the hill to Douai Abbey and its school, as well as, of course, by car, the decision to board locally was one our parents found easy to make.

I left Douai in December 1971, having stayed back a term after A levels to take Oxford Entrance exams to Pembroke College and to play Rugby for the 1st XV. As anyone of our age will relate, a boarding education anywhere in the country was both spartan and at times, notoriously physical by way of punishment to manage behaviour. My first year at the school included ‘fagging duties’ which meant attending to the Sixth Form at meal times to serve them food, as well as cleaning the prefects’ shoes and meeting their idle needs as they felt fit. What made this apparent reincarnation of Tom Brown’s violent school days acceptable was the incredibly strong pastoral care given by my housemaster, Father Bernard Swinhoe, of Walmsley House. Throughout my time at Douai, he kept his eye on me as he did on the other 80 boys in the House, and communicated particularly well to my parents on my conduct (good or bad) in school. For example, he wrote to my parents during my O-level Christmas term that ‘Jimmy has joined a smoking gang’; this did not actually come as a surprise to my parents, both at the time habitual smokers, but it did cause me to take stock and be reminded that I was not after all quite so invisible at school as perhaps I thought. And that warning certainly caused me to avoid further physical punishment at school.

My final 4 terms at Douai were spent even closer to Father Bernard; his seemingly massive interest in, and knowledge of, everything made him an ideal mentor for A-level General Studies; together with the Head of English, William Bell, I was scrubbed up well for the exams I needed to take for A-level and Oxford, as well as taught niceties of working in seminars via an evening dining club known as ‘Parnassus’. He took an enormous interest in my exploits on the Rugby field as open side for the 1st XV, and kept in touch with me during the 3 years at university beyond. Father Bernard’s perceptible joy at being asked to assist at my wedding during the hot summer of 1975 was perhaps his recognition of the strength of admiration I held him in. As his obituary written by a fellow monk from Douai makes clear, the way he lived his life and the way he formed relationships were indeed remarkable, and I am one of his many charges who will never forget how he made us feel, welcome and wanted. 

The abridged version of his obituary is below, the fuller version can be found here on pages 127-129 of the Douai Magazine.

If I were writing to Fr Bernard now, I’d add the following:

“Dear Bernie, above all of the many happy memories you helped create for me, it was your ability to keep the tuck shop fully stocked before film night, that you ran the best ‘smokes’ during the weekday evenings when we could come together and listen to the latest LPs that we had managed to buy from the Reading record shops, and above all, not to mock me too much when I forgot where I was and called you ‘Dad’. You saw my disappointment when I received the rejection letter from Pembroke, and made it quite clear that ‘Oxford’s loss was to be Leicester’s gain’. You never met the 2 sons that Jenny and I have brought up and now grandparent for, but they would hear your stories and completely agree that ‘Jimmy’ hasn’t changed much since, interested in everything and everyone, a chip of the same block from which you seemed to have been carved!”

We never had ‘Thank a Teacher Day’ during my childhood, and it’s a very good idea now that’s been around for 27 years. You can read more from their official website and as Michael Morpurgo makes clear,  ““For so many of us, it was someone at school who changed our lives, was at our side through hard and difficult times, lifted us up when we were down, helped us find our voice, gave us confidence when we needed it most, set us on a path that we have followed ever since.”

Father Bernard at the Tuck shop

Fr Bernard Swinhoe OSB, 1931-2020
Our much-loved Father Bernard slipped away into the hands of the Lord on Maundy Thursday night. It was no surprise; he had long been failing with gentle dementia, then a two-week stay in hospital over Christmas was followed by some weeks in a care home. What a fitting, peaceful end for a gentle, kind and sensitive monk. Charles Swinhoe was born in Rochester on 20 June 1931. His father was an army colonel in India, so he spent time there as a child. He was then some years at St. Richard’s Prep School at Little Malvern. He and his sisters and younger brother lived with their mother in a number of rented houses during the war years. Family was always important to him; mother, sisters and brother mattered a lot. In 1944, he came to Douai School, where he distinguished himself in many sports, captaining the rugby and cricket teams.

After National Service as a commissioned officer with the King’s African Rifles in Kenya, he joined the monastic community in 1952, taking the name Bernard. He was professed in 1953, obtained an English degree at Oxford and was ordained priest in 1961. He was, however, always somewhat less comfortable as a priest than as a simple monk. His mastery of English stayed with him all his life, and he loved to painstakingly hone his writing. His sermons were always beautifully crafted and elegantly delivered. One of his brethren once cheekily quipped that his university degree was in punctuation. Quintessentially a monk and full of life, Bernard was quietly self-effacing. Deeply rooted in the Douai soil, where he belonged for 67 years (or 72, including school days) he is now buried in that earth. Stabilitas loci! He was faithful to the end to the community and to the round of Divine Office, the praise of God. In his last fading months at Douai, he especially loved sharing the night prayer of Compline. He naturally accepted his final lot in hospitals and care homes, remaining ever appreciative of the nurses’ attentions.

Bernard’s genuine self-deprecation was not false humility; rather, reticence, scrupulosity, and dissatisfaction with himself. Mindful of the dangers of self-satisfaction, to which most of us are prone, St Benedict in chapter seven of his Rule strongly insists on turning from this undermining vice. It has been said that “the secret of one person’s success is another person’s success remaining a secret; some people would not provide to be so pivotal in your life had they been more concerned with their own”. And this was Bernard’s humility, mixed as has been observed, with a measure of quiet roguishness. One remembers his merriment recounting somewhat scurrilous anecdotes heard in an august commission on which he sat. For one former pupil, Bernard “did not suggest or rely on a hierarchical relationship with us as boys, he displayed an openness both to his own uncertainties and to your possibilities”.

Bernard had the inestimable gift of being ever available and accessible to all, boy or fellow monk. He would repair your rugby boots, fix your watch, mend your lock and make you a key, fill a gap to play double bass in the school orchestra, bind the monastery books or paint the missing oil portrait of a long-deceased abbot he had never met. His natural curiosity about everything, how many interests, his enthusiasms and skills, his practical knack and unremitting generosity remained with him until the end. He has left a mark on us all.

Fr Bernard died quietly on 9 April, during the COVID-19 lockdown, and was buried simply in the monks’ graveyard, after a private Requiem celebrated by the community on 17 April 2020. May he rest in peace.
Peter Bowe OSB

To repeat, Michael Morpurgo makes clear,  ““For so many of us, it was someone at school who changed our lives, was at our side through hard and difficult times, lifted us up when we were down, helped us find our voice, gave us confidence when we needed it most, set us on a path that we have followed ever since.” I see this happening every day here at school, brilliant leading & learning relationships being forged between adults and children, and I do thank them (and my lucky stars) that I have so many teachers and support staff who have this vocation to make a difference to the lives of the children and young people they teach. If as a consequence of reading this blog, you feel moved to thank a teacher, please do so – it will really make their day!

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‘Death is swallowed up in Victory’ – The Reverend James Wilding 1781 – 1863

Posted on 22/05/2025 by jameswilding

During this term, and not for the first time as part of the Year 3 curriculum, they have been studying the history of Claires Court School, and as a consequence of their searches of old magazines etc. the year group asked to have their photo taken with the Principals, Hugh and James Wilding. It’s been a real pleasure to deepen the research resources for this topic, and clearly the project has gone really well. It’s interesting to appreciate why such collaborative work led by children of the ‘Big Question’ variety works so well. The children have choice on the research materials, retain almost total control on the ‘how’ they carry out their project, and yet there are very clear objectives on what a successful outcome might include  – it was they that demanded the photocall!

I chose the title for this blog because we are approaching the feast of Ascension Day, that day as written by 2 of the gospel writers, Mark and Luke, in which they record the event after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”

Of the many things we know about for education to be successful, children need to discover ‘stuff’ beyond their ken and use that curiosity to search, unpick, learn, forget and return to discover more and bit by bit ‘mastery of the topic’ will be built. It’s why teaching can be the most exciting of professions, which has nothing about easy wins, but about the potential epic fails that take the learner to the brink and then back again, keen and eager to study more. This is as true of 7 year olds as 70 year olds!

I have in my possession a family heirloom, a Gold medallion presented to my ancestor and namesake, James Wilding (below right). Dated with his birthday, 1781, James received this as a prize for his studies whilst at Magdalen College Cambridge. The coin carries the quotation that heads my blog, very much a Christian idea based on Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and quoted in the New Testament by another of the gospel writers,  that being that ‘Death is swallowed up in Victory’(Matthew 28: 1–10).

Given that most faiths and religions believe in an afterlife (only agnostics and atheists yet to be persuaded), it’s a simple idea really to understand that there will come a judgement day when a personal life well led, perhaps a personal sacrifice for the betterment of others will be rewarded, that Victory will come to all, even after death. In Christian theology, this is made very clear: “Death is swallowed up in victory” signifies the ultimate triumph over death. It refers to the final, complete defeat of death, not just as an end to earthly life, but as a victory that grants eternal life and immortality for believers. This victory is achieved through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who conquered death and sin, paving the way for humanity to share in his victory.

Coming to terms with any theology always takes the student to that ‘cliff edge of failure’, and of course, often causes clashes with the conscious knowledge of the practicalities of daily life.Yet, leaving those aside, areas of school activity would simply disappear if learning to fail did not exist. My grandson has yet to beat me at chess; aged 6, he’ll keep cracking on at after-school club and return every week or so to have another crack at his Oompah! We see this curiosity turn up time and again in school, most so in the Sixth Form where depth studies often mean just that. Subjects such as Sociology and Philosophy & Ethics (Religious Studies) permit students to challenge received wisdoms to a high degree, and that’s definitely to be encouraged!

I’ll close with a bit more on that other James WIlding, who was a teacher too, and from a family of teachers then as my brother Hugh and I are now. Below is a lithograph of that venerable Ancestor, the Reverend James Wilding MA, whose lifespan covered the late end of the 18th century, the Napoleonic wars, and well into the Victorian era, the development of railways and the wider industrial revolution, the abolition of salvery and expansion of the British Empire. The drawing appears to date from the mid 1820s.

James clearly was a remarkable man, as the following record suggests:

He was the son of James Wilding, who was a master at Shrewsbury School, and his son James went to that school for his education. He went on to Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was 15th Wrangler (a first in Maths!). Subsequently, he entered the teaching profession, in those days very much a respected role; as preceptor, he was an experienced practitioner who guided, supported, and mentored newly qualified professionals during their training. He was master of Cheam School, Surrey until 1840, when he became Vicar of Chirbury. The 1841 census records him as living in Chirbury Vicarage. He died in 1863, at a very good age for the Victorian era of 82.

I have 2 other artifacts presented to James, one being a scroll (plus a mention of a Silver plate) presented to him by 86 students at Cheam School to thank him for his stewardship of their studies in 1828 (sadly the piece of silver plate was stolen during my lifetime from the family home) and another silver plate presented to him by his congregation during his time as vicar in Wyre Piddle in Worcestershire in 1830.

As and when I have the time, I am really curious to find out the identities of the 86 scholars in the list below. They were the sons of important people at the time, well enough off to fund such a generous gift. I’m guessing there might be one or two seriously distinguished adults in the making then in his care, as of course there are now in 2025 in my care. Everyone has a chance for victory!

Cheam School in 1821 looks a grand place!

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