Chronicle Summer 2023

14 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

– making sure that we are keeping up with the changing world into which our pupils will leave. Artificial intelligence, disappearing professions, social media, mental health, changes in assessment – everything seems to be in flux at the moment, and our biggest and most important challenge is to help our pupils to navigate their way through all those changes. You’ve just launched Project 160 to increase the number of pupils being awarded free and subsidised places, and you’re launching the Cup & Dagger regular-giving club to contribute to the costs of the initiative. Tell us a bit more about why you fund bursaries? It’s just the right thing to do. All of us at Teddies, pupils and staff, have huge privileges. We work in amazing buildings, in an extraordinary location, and with great

people – and we should never forget how lucky we are. We should also want to share all of it with other people who don’t have the means to pay the school fees. It would be selfish to think otherwise. But there’s an important element of self interest, and concern for society too. The world’s a diverse place, and to be successful professionally and fulfilled personally our pupils will need to be able to live and work not just with people from privileged backgrounds, but with people from all walks of life. So our school community needs to be diverse in every way – in the mix of talents, interests and backgrounds of the children who join. More broadly, I think there’s a real danger of too much separateness in society, of losing the sense of togetherness that makes for great communities, locally, regionally, even nationally. That’s where the value of

diversity in a school really lies – it fosters the openness of outlook, the willingness to take people for who they are rather than where they come from or what their parents do for a living. It gives pupils the attitudes of mind that we want them to have when they leave. Even more than opening up facilities and getting pupils into partnership work, that’s the essence of public benefit. It’s what every school should be about. Which of the many positive comments about Teddies in the recent Good Schools Guide review mean the most to you? Well I obviously like the line about the “standout headmaster”! More seriously though, my favourite comments are not about all the new initiatives in the School, they’re about the people who work here – “inspirational” and “brilliant” to describe the

MY TEDDIES EXPERIENCE

Reuben Oladele Currently studying BA Sociology and Criminology at the University of Birmingham

I came to St Edward’s for the Sixth Form from a state school in London, and boarding was a new experience for me. I really enjoyed the House community and the way you become like a family with all the people in your House. The welcoming atmosphere made it much easier to be away from home. I particularly valued the supportive relationship I had with my Housemaster. In the classroom, I had the opportunity to study the IB, which I did not know anything about before as it was not on offer at my previous school. It was great to have a wide range of subjects to choose from and the teaching was excellent. I appreciated the positive relationships I had with my teachers. My experiences at St Edward’s – living away from home, being in a co-educational environment, and

studying the breadth of subjects through the IB programme – have all been excellent preparation for university life. I am starting to plan my study-abroad year in the USA, which I hope to do next year. My plans for the future are to train as a detective after completing my degree. I feel very lucky to have been given the chance to study at St Edward’s where there were so many opportunities. My advice to anyone considering applying for a bursary is to be yourself, and not to put pressure on yourself to be anything else. Everyone who is offered a place at St Edward’s is valued individually, and you

each benefit from and contribute to school life during your time there.