It is not always cool to be keen in school is it? I remember well my own school days when appearing eager to answer questions and strive for one’s best in class was a social taboo, at least if you wanted to be accepted by the in-crowd. Receiving praise in front of others could severely dent one’s social standing. Far better to opt for a cynical shrug, or not bother to try at all.

Not so at HSW. I currently teach a number of classes every week and I am so very impressed by the children’s eagerness to do well and join in our discussions. Their books are beautifully presented, they are bold and talkative in class and they appear free of a painful self-consciousness so often found in the jungle of crowded classrooms elsewhere.

There are many things I am so very proud of at The Hall, but perhaps this is one of the elements of our culture that brings me the most satisfaction. It is indeed socially acceptable to be keen here.

This is no happy accident. It is the culmination of a lot of deliberate work spent establishing a kind culture in which our students feel able to strive for success, safe in the knowledge that they will not face mockery or jealousy from their peers when the spotlight of success shines on them, or derision when it doesn’t. There is no resentment here – the unwanted gift given to you by a cynic.

Many schools have a culture of competition. We prefer personal bests. Ambition is welcome here – strongly encouraged in fact – but the trick is to create space in our school to enable everyone to carve out their own path and realise their own individual potential – free of comparisons with others that can be self-destructive and rob us of our self-worth. Keenness – or ‘botheredness’ as I prefer to call it – is infectious here. After all, if you don’t care then you don’t bother, and we want everyone to bother trying because we know it is always worth it when they do. At the heart of caring is self-worth and self-discipline. And I can honestly say, as a teacher myself, the students in front of me each week do seem bothered about doing well. They really do. Their self-discipline shines unabated. I only wish such botheredness had been fashionable when I was at school – in a different century, a different millennium.

Have a great weekend everyone and a well-earned rest.