Academic Principal’s Blog 25 April 2025

Posted on 24/04/2025 by jameswilding

Firstly, may I give all of our parents, guardians and supporters a warm welcome back to school for the Summer Term. To those 14 new children and their families joining Claires Court this week, I can assure you of the sincerity behind this introduction, and I look forward to meeting with you somewhere on campus sometime soon. Whilst the world outside remains fraught with complexity and confusion, we have every intention of staying fully focussed to provide the best we can for our children, young people and adults. 

Please read my tribute to the best teacher I have ever had, James Reason, who taught me Psychology at the University of Leicester. Perhaps his greatest claim to fame was his explanation of why things fail, storytelling at its best, using the Swiss Cheese model; a metaphor for analysing and preventing accidents that envisions situations in which multiple vulnerabilities in safety measures – the holes in the cheese – align to create a recipe for tragedy. I do my best to keep many layers in place and reduce the number of holes to the minimum! 

Our regular weekly bulletins aim to provide sufficient information to allow our school community to know what’s happening in the days and weeks to come. We know that if we send out too many communications, these can be overwhelming, but by having different channels of communication, we can not just inform but affirm and celebrate too. That’s why the website news pages and school App are really helpful – when they work! Sadly, all META (for example) has to do is tweak its API and our news may not break through at all, so this does require pretty constant vigilance on our part as those pesky APIs seem to change relentlessly!

The major Parent Teacher celebration this summer is our PTA Cocktails & Canapés event to be held in the magnificent surroundings of Moor Hall in Cookham on Friday 5 June. The ongoing contributions to the PTA via their various fund-raising events and activities continues to support our awards and accelerate our developments and facilities in school. I cannot thank our parents, guardians and staff community enough for their generosity with inspiration, perspiration and (it must be said) money, and to that I add our PTA chairs and trustees, whose stewardship guarantees the funds ‘reach’ the target.

The Easter break, for watchers of Netflix, was dominated by the screening of “Adolescence”, a British television psychological crime drama series centering on a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is arrested after the murder of a girl in his school. It’s no surprise that schools have been focussing on the growing burden placed on our children through their engagement with social media. To meet this specifically at Claires Court, we have refined over many years our twin strategies of “Girls on Board” and “Working with Boys” which have opened up ongoing dialogues with our young people, not just “one offs.” 

In light of the above, I do commend to parents our dedicated health channel, https://clairescourt.uk.schooltv.me, which provides a wealth of support and information for parents. Published today is our Special Report: Social Media & Comparison Culture.

Young people today are growing up in a world where exposure to other people’s lives is constant. Through social media and other platforms, they are regularly presented with curated highlights – from flawless holiday photos and academic milestones to the latest fashion trends and fitness achievements. This continuous stream of idealised content fuels what is known as comparison culture, where self-worth is often measured by how someone stacks up against others.

For children and adolescents, who are still figuring out who they are, this culture can be particularly damaging. Constantly comparing their appearance, achievements, or social standing to friends, influencers, and even strangers can lead to unrealistic expectations and a skewed sense of self-worth. This relentless need to measure up can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and anxiety – undermining both confidence and emotional wellbeing. Here is the link to that special report:

https://clairescourt.uk.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-comparison-culture

‘Ut Omnes Unum Sint’ – the school motto – declares “Let All be One”. Here’s hoping the highway ‘elves’ remember to keep all the local roads open in school time, because our work is made all the harder by those wretched traffic lights that keep popping up to break the traffic flow! 

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The best teacher I ever had – Professor James Tootle Reason RIP 4 February 2025

Posted on 23/04/2025 by jameswilding

The very nature of Humans is that we make mistakes, and most of the time, not deliberately.

During the early introduction of ejector seats, the list of instructions to the pilot was firmly glued to the canopy. When identifying why pilots were involved in too many errors when using the said emergency escape, the accident investigators pointed out that Step 1 of the instructions, “Release Canopy” was the cause, because not only did the canopy fly off, but so did the rest of the instructions as well!

One of my inspirational teachers at Leicester University was Dr James Reason, who taught the module of Psychology known as ‘Man in Motion’, and because of him I chose in due course to become a teacher too. Just because Mum and Dad were teachers causes many to imagine that I had no choice other than to choose this vocation. The reality is far from that, and it was Dr Reason’s ability to tell stories, make difficult science accessible that gave me the inspiration to do the same, and hence became a  Maths and Science teacher.

Jim moved on to Manchester for a professorship, and amongst other notable achievements, it was his Swiss Cheese Model for the description of accidents that helps explain that accidents will happen only if multiple barriers fail, thus creating a path from an initiating cause all the way to the ultimate, unwanted harms assets, the environment, property and of course human life itself. 

I met Professor Reason much more recently, when his grandchildren joined the junior school, and now the last is completing their A-level studies with us in the Sixth Form. My tribute to James Reason appears now because he passed away on 4 February, having suffered a short illness. He was 86. Such was his fame that the Times newspaper (amongst others) carried his obituary, and his daughter tells me he would have been delighted to have been alive to have read them! Perhaps the best can be found here in the New York Times, which carries a photograph of Jim as I remember him at University or on the CBS news channel live. 

Youtube carries the Professor in action, buying the Swiss cheese in his local shop:

I quote from his obituary – “In the Chernobyl nuclear accident, he identified latent conditions that had been in existence for years: a poorly designed reactor; organizational mismanagement; and inadequate training procedures and supervision for frontline operators, who triggered the catastrophic explosion by making the error of turning off several safety systems at once.” 

“By analyzing hundreds of accidents in aviation, railway travel, medicine and nuclear power, Professor Reason concluded that human errors were usually the byproduct of circumstances — in his case, the cat food was stored near the tea leaves, and the cat had walked in just as he was boiling water, and thus made a cat food cuppa — rather than being caused by careless or malicious behavior.

That was how he arrived at his Swiss cheese model of failure, a metaphor for analyzing and preventing accidents that envisions situations in which multiple vulnerabilities in safety measures — the holes in the cheese — align to create a recipe for tragedy.”

In his own field, Professor Reason was as notable as any in research, and given the inevitable reality that we humans will continue to make errors, his name is worth remembering!

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Academic Principal Review of the Spring Term 2025

Posted on 03/04/2025 by jameswilding

Everyone in school looks forward to the second half of the Spring Term; not only are the dark days of winter behind us, but we still have everyone in full productivity mode, to the extent that this School Principal finds himself invited to all and everything, which is of course a great pleasure. Those who manage my diary remind me that I have work to do as well, hence my absence from some events (the Parent Questionnaire tells me that it was once noticed) for which I will always apologise – the offence was never intended!“Ut Omnes Unum Sint” is the school’s motto, meaning “So that all may be one”, being as we are one school that covers the age range from 2 to 18. Because we are appropriately separated across our three sites for age, stage and gender, providing information that covers all that we do is best left to our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and our own app. It’s genuinely fair to say that all the year groups are having their day in the sun and not just because of the good weather we’ve enjoyed recently. 

A Term of Growth

This term, we’ve all witnessed extraordinary moments of growth. Our pupils and students  have excelled in the classroom, on the sports fields and water, in creative pursuits and with some great efforts working in the community, making a real difference with their charity work and fundraising. The Claires Court App captures so many moments – from the Nursery exploring how best to use PE equipment to an individual player’s best moments winning the UK county tennis cup for Surrey – to show progression over 16 years! 

Divisional Highlights

The Juniors have been mastering the acquisition of academic skills together; particularly impressive is the obvious and visible joy of reading and writing, re-enacting the Battle of Hastings and so much more. The extended playing fields, swimming now in the open air, use of the new Junior Astro, and performing together quite brilliantly in Bugsy Malone, all go to show just how exciting coming to school is! With the support of the PTA, we have added a Flexi tent to provide both a cover and focus for our summer activities. With other really generous donations, it means that we have already been able to invest in new stage curtains for our drama events with an even better sound system to follow.

Life at Senior School for our young people very quickly grounds them in how to tackle common tasks and challenging coursework, because in whatever way their modes of learning are tested, they will need great research skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with others. Year 7 have just completed their forensic challenge, determining who had stolen the Axolotls (boys) or sports trophies (girls). In terms of what’s gone particularly well, the new Food Studio at Ray Mill Road East and its Technology counterpart at College Avenue have become a major focus in recent weeks, as the various year groups called in staff ‘volunteers’ to test their practicals; thank you for some great breakfasts and evening meals I have enjoyed at school! 

With 166 in our Sixth Form, incredible developments continue apace there as well; for example two of our A-level economics students have now got work at the Bank of England with one taking the opportunity to pursue work experience (and has sat in on the Monetary Policy Committee discussions about bank base rate) whilst the the other has landed an internship there for next year. The photo below shows the new study pavilion opening at the start of next term, acting as a separate examination hall for the summer exams and study and recreation facilities for the rest of the year. Our student leaders have developed specifically close relationships with the Thames Valley Hospice, the plan being to use their ‘upcycling’ skills to furnish the pavilion every summer once the exams are over, introducing them to the joys of setting up living accommodation for university and beyond. 

Looking forward

You, our parents, need to be celebrated too and every year we arrange events to bring as many people together as possible. This year we have ‘Cocktails and Canapés’ at the CIM in Cookham on Friday, 6 June.  This event is organised by the PTA, not just to raise funds, but also to bring the whole parent body together from Nursery to Sixth Form.  We’d love to see as many of you there as possible so to book, please use this link here. 

In short, every division has shone brightly this term. The examples above, and so many more, showcase the depth of talent and commitment here at Claires Court. I will always admit there are bumps in the road, not least caused by the government and its imposition of new taxes and employment levies. I was present outside the Royal Courts of Justice this Tuesday morning to support the parents’ groups and their challenge against the unfair imposition of VAT on tuition fees, as well as to show solidarity to the Independent Schools Council, who are also contesting this appeal on behalf of the 1400 schools it serves. However, I am deeply proud of my colleagues in leadership and more broadly our staff; we have worked tirelessly to foster an environment where academic excellence and personal development go hand in hand, and it’s a joy to see your children thrive as a result. 

Enjoy the coming break—I’ll be reflecting in my blog (www.jameswilding.blog) on Professor James Reason, my Psychology tutor at University, who first taught me that most disasters arise from small issues; he sadly passed away this February and whose grandchildren I still have the privilege to educate, and whose storytelling was inspirational. 

Reminders

  • Summer Term: Begins on Wednesday 23 April 
  • Holiday Club: Book via the Parent Hub.

Thank you for your support, and to our staff for their tireless work. 

Wishing you a joyful Easter!

Warm regards,

James Wilding

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In an era of ‘fake news’ the role of trained and professional journalists has never been more important. Wes Streeting Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, MP for Ilford 

Posted on 28/03/2025 by jameswilding

I will have been one of many millions this week who chose to watch and listen carefully to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement on Wednesday, to glean as best I could what the near and medium term economic future for the country looks like. The pundits reporting on the success or failure of her speech span from “She didn’t spook the markets” through to “If you want to look at a recipe for disaster, that is it.”  Clearly we all wish that Rachel Reeves has got it right, though I know I have to do much more than just keep my fingers crossed!

My headline this week highlights that, even when in power, politicians make the point about the value of political journalism and the need for some objective review by their parties of what Government says it is currently doing.

Rather handily, and it does help me make my point quite nicely, on Wednesday our work at Claires Court featured significantly in the Daily Mail in an article written by the distinguished veteran journalist, Robert Hardman. You can read that article here, and with the online version, I also feature with Harry and Amaya, Junior Head Boy and Head Girl, on the lawn at Ridgeway. The interview was two weeks ago which seems a very long time now, given the ongoing pressures emerging as 2,500 independent schools continue to fathom as best they can the morass of consequences from the changes in taxation law, business rates and national insurance contributions streaming in, without a great deal of sense emanating from central and local government. As example of that, read here this week’s letter sent by ISBA and ISC to James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury, MP for Ealing and on BBC Question time last night, https://schl.cc:443/gO.

Harman’s article is very well written, though the number of schools set to close nationally is now 22 and rising. As a journalist he meets all the criteria that Streeting lists in the quote that leads this blog. The article’s publication arrives just in time as the High Court at the Royal Palace of Justice is to hear the case against the imposition of VAT on education – and the Government’s defence of it – between 1 and 3 April in London.  The action has been lodged by the Independent Schools Council, a parent group, “Education Not Discrimination” and a third group representing faith schools.  The Government is gearing up for a fight, spending tens of thousands of pounds a day to employ four senior barristers (King’s Counsel) to defend their tax, ironically all four privately educated themselves. You can read more about the case here, written up by Tony Perry, the parent who started the battle last spring.

I copy below some of the passage that relates to Claires Court from the news article, published in the Daily Mail on Wednesday, 26 March.  

Britain’s longest-serving school head, James Wilding, is a mine of experience whose advice was frequently sought by previous governments of various administrations. A teacher for 50 years and head for 44, he shows me his thoughtful emails to Ms Philipson’s office both before and since the election, asking for an opportunity to explain how the private sector can work more productively with the State. He eventually received a stock ‘thank you for your correspondence’ reply but nothing more.1

Despite the clear voice I have had on the matters of working with the incoming government for well over 18 months now, it’s not actually diverted my attention from the day job, working in school, engaging with my colleagues and students to maximise the opportunities available to them. At every level over the last 5 days, amazing achievements have occurred, not just #CCMakingHistory for the individuals but collectively and collaboratively engaging with academics, rugby sevens, football tournaments, tennis championships and perhaps above all performing Bugsy Malone at Juniors, the Senior Girl’s dance show and the music making at the Seniors’ concert too. The school’s website and app covers all these successes as the stories break, and Hardman might have actually added more than just Sailing and Tennis to the list of the best things we do! Fast on the heels of the Junior Astro Turf opening, we are seeing the rapid completion of the Sixth Form study pavilion at College in time for the start of the summer term.

I’ve spoken before, and indeed Hardman refers to this in his article, about the importance of partnerships and collaboration. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working in depth with the leading performing Arts school out of London, Redroofs School2 here in Maidenhead, to establish a direct link between what we offer in terms of education, and what they offer in terms of Performing Arts. We are both really excited about the possibilities we are creating for the future, and we are introducing such opportunities to start with next term, with Miss Ellie Mayling joining our staff to extend the range of LAMDA opportunities for Juniors and to support our drama and music work. Our longer term plans are to consider the establishment of both BTEC Performing Arts at Sixth Form, and if possible, a Foundation Arts programme beyond Sixth Form to help students prepare for audition for the most competitive assessments of them all – to ArtsEd, GSA, Guildhall,  Mountview and RADA.

To be in government is clearly the greatest responsibility of them all, and beyond my aspirations certainly. What is important though, if I can misquote Wes Streeting a little, is that “In an era of ‘difficult news’ the role of trained and professional politicians has never been more important.”

And where their training or experience might fall a little short, they need to consider taking the opportunity now, as David Blunkett, David Milliband, Estelle Morris, Charles Clarke and Ruth Kelly did during their time at the Department of Education to work with our sector. Blunkett and Millband were incredibly talented and committed politicians to the cause of Education. Many of Blunkett’s reforms are still with us, the Literacy and Numeracy hours, his focus on SureStart to raise standards for EYFS and his expansion of Higher Education recognisably attracting many of the most talented students from across the world to the UK. Now Baron Blunkett, he does admit that perhaps the Labour Party’s mistake in office in 1997 was to abolish the Assisted Places scheme, through which children whose families could not afford private school fees could nevertheless be supported by government subsidy to access the opportunities available in such schools. 

Next week sees the Spring term close, with all the excitement that comes with the forthcoming Easter holidays beyond. The Royal Courts of Justice may spend a very busy three days hearing the arguments for and against the discrimination case brought against the government. As Parliament is sovereign, if the government loses the argument, the Court will send the matter back to Parliament to resolve, and the actions required to align two centuries and more of education legislation setting it apart from government influence (and thus exempt from taxation) will take some sorting out. In the meantime, this seasoned, trained and professional school Principal will do his best to ensure that Claires Court children and young people continue to flourish, making the most of all the opportunities they can.

1 During the Blair-Brown years, both DfE and the Labour government genuinely lived out the ‘Education, Education, Education’ mantra. Over this 12 year period, I was regularly invited to work with the government of the day, representing ISA in my capacity from time to time as the National Chair of our Association, the Chair of Inspections and the Chair of Professional Development. We were asked to contribute in every way we could to partnerships and cross-sector collaboration, and yet despite this ‘cost’ we were given complete respect by Labour politicians then in power.

2 Claires Court Alumni whose skills in Performing Arts were honed at Redroofs include Gary Russell (70s), Adam Stafford (80s), Lee Martin (stage name Mathieson – 90s), Allie Bastien (00s) to name but 4. 

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“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Attr. Albert Einstein

Posted on 20/03/2025 by jameswilding

Whether the inventor of 20th-century physics actually said the above is of course neither here nor there. What’s true to understand is that ‘if we are what we repeatedly do’, then it’s best we as humans don’t keep doing that thing otherwise World War 3 is just around the corner. Oops, I didn’t write that. Einstein’s contribution to modern Physics is quite extraordinary, in so far as he invented it, single-handedly, either on a chalkboard as shown, or using only pen and pencil. Einstein was a true genius, and there are few men and women we can actually say that about. We commemorate his contribution to the world via the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. However, Albert himself appreciated the genius of Marie Curie for winning 2 Nobel Prizes, Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911 – the answers for our problems he argued as follows: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.

Once again, it’s time for all that lead Claires Court in its various enterprises to take stock of what we have been able to achieve over the last 12 months, both by asking our parents and guardians how they feel we have done formally through the annual questionnaire and through the regular meetings of our parent/teacher committees and through their AGM take stock there as well. The whole purpose of our questioning approach to our work is to ensure we take the best as victories, learn from the failures too as best we can, and work with our staff, parents and pupils to adapt and change our plans to adapt and flex for the future that lies ahead. In short, I am pleased to report that the outcomes are really very positive

Interested parties can read the summary of our Parental Feedback here – link. Both the Principals and Heads have held follow-up meetings with those giving constructive feedback, and we appreciate that those sessions are held with our duty of candour on display. Schools cannot get everything right for all parties all the time, and as the Academic Principal, I can honestly say that what catches us out most often are ‘events dear boy, events’, as Prime Minister Harold MacMillan made so clear over 60 years ago. The same is true for most leaders and organisations. Events Happen. When they do a lot of things are at stake: lives, livelihoods, reputation. Last year, we had due cause to celebrate the very positive outcomes achieved from the visit by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, whilst at the time we were having to manage the closure of Cookham Bridge and the chaos that brought to arrivals and departures across the schools.

This year’s questionnaire captured parental views during the midst of the storm caused by the implementation of 20% VAT on school fees, whilst capturing a range of views on everything from facilities for Food & Nutrition, Design & Technology and Computer Science to Car Parking, Friendships and Gender matters. Given the age spread of the school, stretching from 2 to 19 for pupils and from 18 to 80+ for staff, parents & guardians, it’s a pretty complex Venn diagram of comments that we get to study, review and provide solutions for. As Academic Principal, I am currently working really hard (informed as best I can through my position as a Google Certified Innovator) to see how we can plan for the education of future generations through Claires Court by making the best use of AI, implementing technology changes both sensibly and rapidly, and yet providing for our children to be able to ‘go off grid’ and have a smart-phone free childhood.

In my leadership career, I have learned how to navigate through changes that include

  • removing corporal punishment as a sanction, let alone as a tool to improve learning;
  • forbidding the use of tobacco, whilst still endemic in the adult population;
  • changing young people’s attitudes to alcohol, weapons and fireworks, all considered suitable souvenirs to be brought back from school trips in Europe.

All 3 were of course issues of the last century, long since departed from any school development plan this side of the millennium! Of course I jest, yet it is noticeable that times are changing without what is now popularly referred to as ‘Impact Assessments’. When every motor car now seems to occupy a footprint 30% or more bigger than its predecessor, brought upon us by the need for yet more airbags, passenger protection and EV propulsion units. The last building I personally oversaw (before legislation changed) was 20 years ago, that being the construction of the Juniors’ Sports Hall, car parking and access road at Ridgeway which required just 3 professional documents from the school, the 4th being a summary of the correspondence with regards to the planning application and the approval certificate itself. The recent construction of the MUGA has to date required over 50 professional reports, taken 3 times as long and I haven’t yet completed achieving appropriate permission for the planting of 34 suitable trees as part of the Eco-diversity net gain plans. We know the lunatics have taken over the asylum when no consideration at all can be given to the planting of over 5000 trees we caused 3 years ago as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!

It takes such a long time now to acquire planning permissions, and at such a cost, that we have to embark upon the process as being part of a wish list, not actually something we can afford to do as a school with so many additional financial burdens being placed on both school and parents by budgetary changes by the government without due consideration as to the consequences. It is here where the growth and activity of the PTA, its charitable foundation and the work of its trustees and local chairs have been of immense benefit over many years, particularly now as they publish their accounts which show over the past 2 years adding well over £300,000 into the school’s economic activities. At their AGM on Friday 7 March, their current President and Chair of Trustees, Phyllis Avery MBE, made it abundantly clear just how dynamic and vibrant the association’s work continues to be. You can read her full report here and view Treasurer Simon Ball’s financial report to the AGM here.

Steve Rider managed the formal opening for the new Astroturf for Juniors really well, commentating on the various activities by young and old with all the aplomb of a seasoned sports journalist. As he made clear during the hour or so of activities, the new facility will do so much more for the range of other users we are now encouraging to be part of what we do across the schools. Over the next few months, without reducing opportunities for our own, we expect more than a thousand local children, young people and adults from the wider Maidenhead area will be visiting and paying their way to ensure the facilities in the longer term are able to be renewed and refreshed. One of the specific requirements for Sport England’s approval of our sporting developments is that our community partners are asked to contribute sufficiently in this way, which is very helpful in many ways. It certainly makes it clear that RBWM expects its community to be active and assist itself in staying healthy and well, and that schools such as Claires Court should not carry that burden alone.

Where we can do better next year, we sincerely hope we will. We can’t put everything right overnight, yet I will do my best still to ensure where we can we will. The wider political climate still is dire for education, health, care, welfare, business, the wider economy and world peace even, but as best we can at Claires Court, we will continue to celebrate that children can enjoy their childhood within our nurturing environment and at every level. Just today I have seen postings on the Year 2 footballers over in Henley at Rupert House, whilst actors and musicians alike are getting ready for Bugsy Malone and the Senior Music concerts next week. The Spring Term is coming to a fitting conclusion it seems with the sun shining and the warmth that comes with it cheering us on. Long may that continue, though Albert Einstein had something to say about that as well:

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Changemaking in this Diamond era – how to meet the challenge!

Posted on 14/03/2025 by jameswilding

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

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Acts of Purpose – why teachers come to school.

Posted on 06/03/2025 by jameswilding

It’s a year since our PTA AGM 2024, and we’ve just held our update for 2025. Over the past 12 months, during one of the more unstable periods of world history I’ve experienced, I’ve significantly changed my focus as a school leader, leaving the minutiae of running the secondary section of my school to another (thanks Steve) to focussing on the big picture work of being a school principal facing the many challenges now reaching the shores of Claires Court Schools Ltd. I’ll publish the AGM update after the event, because there’s an  incredible new facility opening as part of the celebrations tomorrow.

The electorate in the UK voted in a Labour government intent on raising funds to benefit the state education system by adding VAT to tuition fees from January, removing business rates relief from schools that are charitably constituted from April and clobbering employers with the lowering of National Insurance, raising its rate and increasing minimum pay rates. If that’s not enough, a further Act is being considered by Parliament which will change further the face of state education, introducing yet more change, churn and central control. In 2 weeks time, parliament will almost certainly be asked for approval to change more statutes to claw back money from the public spend to increase the public purse as the country gears up to face its international responsibilities in the light of decisions made by the new Republican President in the US.

Confucius (551–479 BCE) as a scholar and teacher and lived in a chaotic and violent time in China. He wished to see peace and harmony restored and a return to order. Despite the passing of time and the umpteen centuries, humanity has chosen hate, conflict and personal gain over love, peace and harmony. In 2025, we see even our perception of what is true being twisted on Live TV in the White House, an object lesson reminder of what went wrong in the 1930s when the League of Nations ignored the threat of the rise of Fascism in Europe. We do well now to remember what Confucius introduced all those centuries ago, that being the value of Teachers and the vocation we have when called to the classroom. 

I’ve 2 brothers, former pupils in their twenties whose time in schools assisted them in forming their choices for University and their career path beyond. After Uni, James went to Sandhurst to become a soldier, and last year James’ troop were tasked to provide a demonstration to the King of their bridging capability as part of His Majesties State visit to Germany, seen here talking to his Majesty. James is heavily involved with 23 Amphibious Engineering Squadron, Royal Engineers as a Lieutenant in charge of his Troop of 30-plus Men and Women permanently based in Germany, and was subsequently deployed to Poland as part of “Dragon24” and “Steadfast Defender” the biggest NATO exercise in 30 years. 

His brother Oliver followed on after A levels 2 years later, and chose a completely different route, inspired by biology and geography field trips here at school, he studied Marine Biology at Plymouth University and from there has made a successful career as a wild-life photographer – a more recent film being with Disney and National Geographic…. in ‘A Real Bugs Life’!

The Director had him appear in a very cold pond in the film as Disney/National Geographic actually wanted a Marine Biologist in the water, which saw him individually named in the credits!

Here’s a sample of the photographer’s skill:

More recently, Ollie has been working with Orcas and pilot whales who have similar social structures, forming strong, long-term bonds between mother and offspring, and he’s hoping to film them care-giving between the species, a real possibility.

Every day in school I run with my brother Hugh, I remain acutely aware just how complementary our skills are. Where I find the current direction of education so depressing is that the focus seems to be on levelling down not up, making more similar rather than valuing individuality and those best schools that do this, in the state or independent sector simply aren’t being visited by the current Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP, because we model a completely different way by which excellence can be achieved by valuing diversity not homogeneity. 

The story of brothers Wilding and Moore spans 50 years of course. They are but 2 of hundreds of tales I see every day in school, which cause my ‘hope arising’, my cheerleaders being the children in whom bright new lights are dawning. I’m with so many other national headteachers in standing for inclusion and wisdom in all we do. We are teachers; Confucius is known as the first teacher in China who wanted to make education broadly available and who was instrumental in establishing the art of teaching as a vocation. Please stand with us, work with us and listen. Teachers know stuff, we don’t need yet more Acts of Parliament, just more Acts of Purpose – whether that be in being in an army brigade or film crew – the world is both a safer and exciting place because of the skills they’ve chosen and put to such good use.

Confucius would indeed say “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart!”

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Special Report: Navigating AI Relationships

Posted on 26/02/2025 by jameswilding

I’ve recently written articles for Education press journals about our school’s own engagement with AI and its purposeful use in education, and in the research space I have become very aware of the growing concerns that parents specifically have for the amount of screentime they permit their children to have after hours. For me, there is a huge difference between TV screen time with family and Smartphone usage, which now enhanced by AI tools is bringing in worrying levels of addiction and isolation.

This special report provided by SchoolTV is a reminder for parents on what to look for and focus on. More generally, Special Reports not only address current day issues that are of troubling to parents and schools, but they also link back to previous editions of SchoolTV. This gives parents a more well rounded approach to understanding the issues concerning today’s children and young people. In turn, this should then assist parents in deciding which is the best course of action to take to deal with any matters of concern.

Access to Claires Court School TV is via the school’s parent hub on the website, one of the buttons on the central panel https://www.clairescourt.com/parent-information/parent-hub,

A Special Report: Navigating AI Relationships

Despite governments globally moving towards raising the minimum age for social media access due to mounting concerns about the negative effects on youth mental health and wellbeing, there’s now an even newer challenge on the horizon – the rise of romantic and companion AI bots. These virtual companions are becoming increasingly popular with young people, raising serious questions about privacy, ethics, and the future of relationships in the digital age.

The rise of AI-powered relationships is offering a new frontier in human interaction. Initially emerging in the gaming world, AI companionship has evolved into mainstream culture, with apps providing personalised experiences that range from platonic friendships to romantic encounters. These interactions can blur the boundaries between real and virtual relationships, creating confusion and potential psychological harm.

Criminologists warn that children as young as 12 are accessing dating apps, often bypassing age restrictions, exposing them to sexual content and predatory behaviour. Researchers have also found that many adolescents are turning to virtual partners for validation, risking unhealthy emotional attachments that can affect real-life relationships.

As AI reshapes social dynamics, it’s crucial to stay informed and engaged. While AI can enhance education and creativity, it also presents challenges around privacy, mental health, and misinformation.This Special Report will help you foster an open dialogue and balanced approach to help young people navigate this evolving digital landscape.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback – via the heads, school nurses, school secretaries or via form staff of course.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://clairescourt.uk.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-navigating-ai-relationships

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“The day that changed my life” – Andrew Watson

Posted on 21/02/2025 by jameswilding

It’s Friday afternoon, 21 February 2025. Eight days ago, I attended Andrew Watson’s funeral service at St James the Less, Stubbings. The event was so oversubscribed that the church and parish centre (with a live broadcast) were full, and there was standing room only outside. The service was a remarkable showcase of his life, not just because of the size of the congregation but also because of the incredible epitaph his sister Victoria gave that brought home to us all the remarkable impact Andrew had made in the 54 years of life spent alive with us. Since Andrew’s service and following conversations with friends at the wake and elsewhere, I feel I can add just a little more to the notes Andrew might have made of his time at CC.

During Andrew’s time as a child, he attended Ridgeway (the name of our junior school back then) and then Claires Court Seniors, and I had the good fortune to teach him. Though he left to continue his secondary studies at Reading Bluecoat, in those days our Junior to Senior split took place at the end of Year 5, giving students the time to enjoy a full preparatory education to age 13, and thus sit and (hopefully) pass into the senior school of their choice after 3 years of separate specialist subject education. French and Latin were on the menu, where the standards required by the most demanding of schools at 13+ were close to the current curricular demands giving rise to a grade 4 at GCSE. Those 3 years of prep. school, still in grey shirts and shorts at the outset meant that the programme was demanding and left really quite a range of children unable to access the curriculum. By way of illustration, a typical longer History essay question might ask “Choose two significant events from the 20th century and explain why they were important.”

Andrew was no slouch, and at any given stage during his education with us, he would always show he was often the best amongst equals. That’s not the point of my writing this blog, no, not at all. The thing with Andrew is that there was always something more going on in the lesson than just his attention to the demands of the teacher. Some 25 years later, I came across the research “The Hidden Lives of Learners” written by Graham Nuthall and published in 2007. It’s a highly influential book in education, based on Nuthall’s extensive research into how students learn in the classroom. In short, Nuthall’s research suggests that teachers are often unaware of a significant portion of what’s happening in their classrooms from the perspective of the children within. Put bluntly, we only know the 5%, the rest is beyond our ken. While the “5%” figure is a popular takeaway message, it’s more of a powerful illustration of the gap between teacher perception and student experience than a precise measurement.

Nuthall’s work emphasizes that students are constantly constructing their own understanding, engaging in complex social interactions, and experiencing a range of emotions that teachers may not fully perceive. This “hidden life” of the learner encompasses their thoughts, feelings, motivations, and interpretations of the learning environment. Because of this, teachers might only be consciously aware of a small fraction of what each student is experiencing. This realization that there’s a vast and often unseen world within the classroom, comprised of the individual and collective experiences of the children as a group. Ross Morrison McGill highlights the 3 worlds Nuthall uncovered really well in this short video:

Working with classes 4 to 6 (now Years 6 to 8) back in the ’80s, boys like Andrew made it abundantly clear to us all that far more was going on than we considered in our adult vision. I remember one particular occasion when Kenelm England, Latin teacher and of a similar age to me lost his temper with his class. Known as Eggy to all, it was that day that Andrew suggested ‘Eggy had cracked his shell!’ Andrew’s theatre was the schoolyard, where umpteen different games and sports were invented to pass the time of day. When one game palled’ another would be invented to renew the competition.

Whilst during our adult lives, our paths rarely converged, I became very aware of Andrew’s impact on the family, company and sporting life. I hope to share with a wider readership Victoria’s Eulogy to her brother, but for now, I ask you to jump over to Andrew’s own blog, Watto’sWords. Andrew and his brother Nicholas who followed his steps into Claires Court, suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disorder that sadly and inevitably leads to a premature death. Despite the ever-present threat that lungs could fail, Andrew lived a life that daily brimmed to overflowing.

In his diary entry, The day that changed my life! By Andrew Watson | May 18, 2018, Andrew highlights and celebrates the day when he was given a life-saving lung transplant. The entry makes compelling reading, perhaps a little more sombre now that, just under 7 years on, in early January this year, Andrew suffered from a relapse to his health, and died shortly afterwards 18/19 January. His parents Allen & Laraine Watson were incredibly supportive of our school whilst their boys passed through our hands, and we’ve stayed in touch professionally too, because Allen’s skills as a surveyor have assisted us in making a variety of planning applications thereafter.

A day in early May 2017………………….

It was early morning and the first intravenous drugs of the day were already making their way into my veins, when there was a knock on the door. It was unusual for another knock so soon; it was too early. I knew the routine as I had been in this solitary hospital room for ten weeks. Please read on…

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Half-way through the academic year, it’s Valentine’s Day and a good chance to be positive!

Posted on 14/02/2025 by jameswilding

As we enter the Spring half-term, everyone who works in education feels that the darkest days of winter are behind us and that the toughest new work of the year has been covered. 

The rounds of parent-teacher evenings and consultations have largely been completed, and lots of fruitful discussions have emerged. The added benefit of conducting the parental attitudes questionnaire to run alongside these means we have as good an objective take on the school’s progress being made over the first six months. 

What’s exciting about the moment is that for all elements of the school, we have anticipation being rewarded and yet much more perspiration to exert to pull off the major victories. 70% of the Sixth Form University offers are in, and many students aim at academic programmes that contain a vocational element, equipping themselves for the world of work they see beyond a degree.  For those that like to measure form, here’s a sample of what’s being aimed for through UCAS, and what the grades needed are:

Durham University A*AA – Chemistry, History

Exeter University – AAA – Geography

University of Leeds – AAA – Architecture

University of Nottingham – AAA – Industrial Economics

University of Manchester – AAA – International Management

Cardiff University – AAA – Law

University of Bath – AAB – Chemistry

University of Liverpool – AAB – Physiotherapy

Royal Holloway – AAB – Psychology

University of Edinburgh – BBB – Earth Science and Physical Geography

What underpins the quality of those offers is the strength of GCSEs already obtained.  As we’ve been working Year 9 through their option choices,prior to starting their GCSE programme in June, they must target the subjects they enjoy and in which they are prepared to work hard. The latest curriculum review being promoted through parliament echoes the points made by the Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw 10 years ago, encouraging the need for breadth and diversity in education at this stage.

Throughout our options the artistic, creative and applied programmes exist too, and for those courses prior to University offers a Foundation year is needed, to develop far more deeply the physical skills needed for craft-based options. For those really interested in technical areas such as engineering/computer science and financial services, apprenticeships prove to be very attractive alternatives for both students and employers, the former avoiding tuition fee debt, the latter recruiting young talent to be developed as the specific industry requires. It’s important to note that Claires Court is renowned for the quality of how we manage our provision, most recently being notified that we are now in Top 200 Sports Schools, a table created by School Sports Magazine.

The photo in the Header is taken 59 years ago, the Claires Court Pantomime that year  (1966) being Sleeping Beauty, the cast aligned on the Town Hall stage in Maidenhead. I play the part of Harry the Huntsman, the handsome hero, and appear in the brown wig, just above the longbow. My mother, Josephine, was the stage manager and costumier, and she had a real thing about wigs! My father, David was the scriptwriter and director, and the scripts those days often had double meanings, lost on the actors but enjoyed hugely by the parents in the audience for the night. I remember all the shows I was in, the rehearsals, the missed lines and the generosity of the audiences, great times it must be said and a reminder of how important the arts are to a school. 

Already firmly fixed in my diary is to attend the Year 5/6 musical production of ‘Bugsy Malone’, which as with all Junior productions directed by Mrs Emma Stevenson will be an absolute epic. Set in the Speakeasies of the Twenties during prohibition in the United States, it’s a school favourite, casting children playing adult roles in a whimsical, exaggerated version of the gangster world. It works on every level, highlighting the values of friendship, creativity and determination, and yet Bugsy Malone also gives us the chance to talk about the real-life consequences of behaviour like breaking the law!

Like the stage shows of the 60s and the 20s, here at school, we have so much enterprise and entertainment underway. The last elements of the Astro are being laid next week, officially opening on 7 March, alongside our PTA AGM. Thanks to parents’ generosity, we have new stage curtains being erected in the Junior Sports Hall, so they’ll be on show for the Bugsy run later in March. At College, as the photo below shows clearly, the foundations of the new Sixth Form Pavilion are being laid. Across the school, both the ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ sports are nearing league finals, heads and team championships, and we look in really good shape.

Junior Sports https://x.com/CCJuniorSports

Senior Boys Sport https://www.instagram.com/clairescourtsport/

Senior Girls Sport https://www.instagram.com/ccgirlsschoolsport/

Rowing https://www.instagram.com/clairescourtschoolboatclub/

Outdoor Education (including sailing) https://www.instagram.com/ccoutdoored/

Have a great half-term and see you on the other side!

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