AGM 2017 “W
The Head’s Report
hile this is my first official Head’s Report to the SOSA AGM, it is actually my
second appearance at the SOSA AGM and Reunion. My family and I were delighted to attend the event last year when I was briefly ‘wheeled out’ by Michael Goodwin!
It has been an action packed first year here at
Sibford, one which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I can say with assurance that I have received a warm welcome from all parties not least the SOSA family. Michael leaves a tough legacy to follow after his 12 years of headship. The school is in good shape, nicely poised to look forward adventurously to the future. Interest in the school remains very high and we were delighted to welcome another 23 prospective families to our Open Morning earlier on today. It has been busy! Before I talk more about the school and future plans it would be polite to introduce myself to you more fully. My educational journey has involved 10 years working as a teacher of History and Outdoor Education in the state sector and a further 14 years in the independent sector – including five at our sister Quaker School, Bootham in York. In 2014 I took up my first headship at Greensteads International School; a British Curriculum, co- educational, 2-18 age range school, set within the Rift Valley of Kenya. Leading a Quaker school is both an honour and a privilege. There are only a handful of Quaker Schools in the UK and opportunities to apply for leadership roles are few and far between. To this end, one month into my headship in Kenya, when the role of Head at Bootham was advertised it was far too early to even consider an application. However, a year later on, the job at Sibford was advertised … and the rest, as they say, is history. My wife Jill and our three children had become quite used to the wonderful community and warm climate in Kenya. A new house was being built for us and we were fortunate to have a fabulous lifestyle. So, as you might imagine, it wasn’t an easy task that I had (not least in mid-winter) to convince my family that it was the right time to make a move to Oxfordshire. Hard decision as it was, I had no doubt (and am pleased to report that I have been proved right!) that
Toby Spence is pictured with wife Jill and children Oscar, Eliza and Isobel.
there is a different type of warmth here at Sibford. It’s a warmth that I have found throughout the community, a ready welcome and a desire to welcome into the community. With new students I often talk about the ‘arms of
Sibford’ reaching out to envelope new members of the community. It really is a very special school. During my first term I met personally with just about every staff member employed by the school. They gave me a fascinating insight into the life, workings and pace of the school. Only the minibus drivers were upset that I hadn’t been to see them first!
SOSA, however, is the one group who, so far, I
haven’t got to know as well as I might have liked and who I’d like to get to know better – starting this weekend! I’d like to thank Ashley and Harriet for their warm
welcome to the SOSA community and for explaining how it works – including the infamous Rockets. I am told that I will have the pleasure of performing ‘Rockets’ later on this evening… yes, I am just a little scared! Apart from my interest as Head, there is a good
reason why I hope to have a close relationship with SOSA as I have a family connection. As one of his final legacies, Robert Brearley Oddie,
Sibford’s second Head, supported the setting up of an Old Scholars association. Most of the other
The Sibford Rocket / 15
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