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What is the point of an all through school?

Notre Dame School Cobham, of which I have recently become the Prep Head, has embarked on a new era by becoming one school for pupils aged 2 to 18. We are now taking girls straight through one school...

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Why are Feast Days important?

In common with many other faith schools, Notre Dame School has a feast day to celebrate its foundation, in this case on the 15 May, the anniversary of the sainthood of St Jeanne de Lestonnac who opened...

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What use is a forest school?

It was my privilege last week to spend some time outside with 3 and 4 year old pupils at Notre Dame Forest School. This initiative, guided by Forest School Leader Ms Stephens, and the rest of the Owls...

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Why is education for girls important?

One of the aims of global education is to improve the lives of all who are touched by greater and wider learning. For many this brings the chance of more fulfilled lives and can open opportunity for...

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Why is learning a musical instrument good for the brain?

Today’s blog was written as a report for me by Julie Shaw, Head of Music in the Prep section at Notre Dame School, and it is so good I thought I would share it with you all. At this time of the year at...

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Moving On

This week I made an address at the Ceremony of Achievement that marks the last days of our Year 6 girls as they leave for their Senior Schools. Several people asked me if I could put it here on my blog...

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What are the rights of your child?

Childhood might be a time when children have an inalienable right to have fun, to be carefree, to be supported regardless of what they do or say, to get away now and again with avoiding doing what they...

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What did she get in the test?

In our lives today we are all subject to review and audit. It has become so much part of our culture that what we used to think of as our daily work has become something under endless scrutiny, and...

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Do I need to get a home tutor?

One of the most frequent questions asked at parents' evenings these days is should I get her a tutor? Although I believe that suitably qualified tutors can be helpful for children with specific...

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Why is it important to be cool?

This week it was my great pleasure to take Senior Girls’ assembly, from Year 7 – sixth form. Usually more used to speaking to children aged three to eleven, I decided the best way forward was a thought...

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How do we implicate children in their own learning?

This week I have been reading a variety of views about a learning and teaching strategy called mantle of the expert, an approach first proposed by Dorothy Heathcote in the 1960s. My first introduction...

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Why is it important to be bored?

“A spirited mind never stops within itself; it is always aspiring” Michel de MontaigneThere have been many articles in the popular press this week about allowing children to be bored. I thought it...

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Why should I be a brave learner?

After speaking to the children at assembly for several weeks about bravery, I was delighted to have a return match from a class who shared their own stories of bravery with us all, and were clearly...

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Why shouldn't I quit?

“Oh, I’ve quit,” is one of the most disheartening, and sadly one of the most common things that teachers have to hear from their pupils. Usually it is in regard to a voluntary club or activity, which...

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Why should I read?

Reading is the most important educational skill any child can have. Throughout history and across many cultures, to be able to read is to be educated. Furthermore, to access a school curriculum, the...

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What should I look for in a quality education?

Every parent wants a quality school for their child; a school offering high academic attainment, excellent pastoral care, outstanding facilities, and opportunities for each child to stand out from the...

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Advice for the future learner :from a Head Teacher.

This was my address to Year 6 girls and their parents this week at the Ceremony of Achievement - our prize giving, reflection, final assembly and celebration. Today is a special and emotional and...

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Why are children so demanding?

Last week I listened to a short article on the radio about biological imperatives. This explained that human children are genetically programmed to want, desire and demand far more than they need. This...

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What can we do to fill the days?

As we approach this Christmas Season I have rewritten a previous blog with some recommendations for what you can do to keep your children’s brains ticking over while you all enjoy yourselves during the...

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Why should we celebrate Feast Days 2015

Happy Feast of St Jeanne de Lestonnac to you all. This saint  opened her first school in Bordeaux in 1607, to educate girls. The Order of Company of Mary Our Lady, which she founded, opened my school,...

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Why are my child's grades lower than expected?

In my work as a Head Teacher I often encounter parents who are nonplussed that their child's teacher does not see the standard of work at school they can see at home or with a private tutor. Sometimes...

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How Should I Read a School Report

At this time of year parents tell me they become anxious about what might be contained within the school report, so I thought it useful to write a blog outlining what the school creates these reports...

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What does a school expect from homework?

I am often asked about the purpose of homework at Prep level, and more specifically why it cannot just be completed at school?These are very good questions. Family life is on the one hand so precious...

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What is the role of the Head? When should I contact the Head?

The Head is the lead professional in the school.Heads are accountable for the educational, social, and financial outcomes of the school. They are effectively the chief executives of a large and complex...

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Why a mixed Pre-Prep in a Girls-Only School?

Girls-only education offers fantastic benefits for girls aged 7 – 18, specifically because it avoids gender bias of several kinds which work against them in mixed junior or senior school classrooms:·...

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