Jeremy Quartermain joins Bradfield at a challenging time for the independent schools’ sector. We asked him some key questions to gain insight into his plans for headship and the College’s next strategic cycle…
WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS FOR BRADFIELD COLLEGE?
‘Bradfield College is an outstanding school in so many regards and I am conscious of the responsibility of building upon the impressive legacy of my predecessors. I am intensely ambitious for this school and its pupils. Since I was appointed Head, there has been plenty of time to listen, reflect, and engage in strategically important conversations and I am confident that all Bradfieldians will be genuinely excited by the contents of the forthcoming five-year strategic development plan. It will set out an ambitious programme that will enable us to become increasingly outward-facing and internationally minded as a community, within the context of the economic and social challenges of our time. Most importantly it will have the provision of outstanding teaching and learning at its very core.
It is my aim that all pupils will feel inspired and encouraged in all aspects of their school life. I am absolutely determined that children should fulfill their potential no matter what their starting point in life.
FOR ME, IT IS ALL ABOUT ADDING VALUE AND ENSURING THAT CHILDREN ARE SUPERBLY WELL PLACED TO LEAD PRODUCTIVE PROFESSIONAL AND HAPPY PERSONAL LIVES
I want Bradfield College to enhance its reputation for sporting excellence, creativity in the performing arts and progressive approaches towards learning. I do not think that schools should endeavour to develop a specific type of pupil. I hope that all pupils will leave us as confident, compassionate and creative young people, who feel empowered by virtue of their formidable communication skills and strong desire to understand the world around them.
It is our responsibility to ensure that we continue to thrive well into the future. A headship of a decade or more is still comparatively fleeting when measured against the illustrious history of an institution which stretches back in time to the mid-Victorian period. When I do pass the baton on, it is my hope that Bradfield College is thriving in every regard and full of happy pupils and staff pursuing their dreams in the bucolic beauty of the Pang Valley.’
WHAT ARE THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FACING HEADTEACHERS TODAY?
‘Gosh, where to begin? Obviously, there is the fallout from the imposition of VAT on school fees. Affordability is a very real issue, and parents have every right to expect value for money. The challenges presented by the global pandemic were immense but I do think that we now face an existential threat which is both societal and political. We have not always been desperately good at communicating our social relevance to the world around us. The independent sector needs to become more outward facing and more cognisant of the negative ways in which we may currently be perceived by much of society and resolutely determined to succeed in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.
NO INSTITUTION HAS A DIVINE RIGHT TO EXIST IN PERPETUITY, IT IS UP TO US TO PROVE OUR IMMEASURABLE WORTH TO SOCIETY
We are in a unique position to enrich society and become compelling engines of change. We are not the problem, but we do have the potential to be a part of the solution. We must value freedom, and we should make optimal use of our independence.
It is difficult to prepare children for an unknowable future. School curricula need to evolve to take account of emerging knowledge and skills requirements. Fortunately Bradfield has already made innovative steps in this area with the introduction of the Faulkner’s curriculum that explicitly introduces and inculcates critical thinking, self-regulation, presentation skills, digital literacy and complex problem-solving before pupils start the formal exam-based curriculum.
HELPING CHILDREN TO BECOME KIND, CONFIDENT AND EMPOWERED YOUNG PEOPLE IS OUR GOAL
Our most important challenge is to respond to the exponential rise in mental health problems. Nowadays, we tend to be over-protective of our children in their physical environment whilst allowing them to roam free in a digital world fraught with dangers. Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation advances the theory that the rapid deterioration in adolescent mental health is attributable to the ubiquity of mobile devices. Bradfield’s mobile phone policy promotes the safe, respectful and responsible use of mobile devices and has age-group discriminated usage restrictions in place that give pupils increasing responsibility for device usage as they become more senior.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF LEADERSHIP?
‘I would be very hesitant to describe my leadership style as I would much prefer all members of the Bradfield community to have the opportunity to form their own opinion of me. What it means to be an effective leader is something that I often contemplate and I have read many books on the subject by the likes of Simon Sinek and David Marquet. Additionally, I look to the world of sports for inspiration and reflect on impressive leaders whom I have had the opportunity to work for or alongside.
I hope that I show compassion to those who are experiencing personal difficulties and my door is metaphorically, and often physically, open.
I LIKE TO FEEL CONNECTED AND I AM VERY HAPPY TO ROLL UP MY SLEEVES AND DO WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE AT A PARTICULAR MOMENT.
During the pandemic [at Rossall] we furloughed the ground staff, so I taught myself to drive the tractor and started mowing the fields. I have to say that I found this surprisingly rewarding. Above all else, leaders need to possess real moral courage. We are here to serve our pupils and their families. Schools underperform when leaders choose to take the path of least resistance and do what is expedient rather than what is right.
YOUNG PEOPLE DESERVE THE VERY BEST AND IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT WE PROVIDE THIS
Read more about Jeremy Meet our New Head – Bradfield College
