Milton Keynes Preparatory School Nurturing
happy children with a love for learning
One of the school’s mottoes is Ready To Lead T e Way, and for Simon Driver, Headmaster at Milton Keynes Preparatory School, that means so much more than simply relying on an excellent academic record. Going so much further and deeper than good exam
results, the school believes the emphasis should be on guiding children through the early stages of their education, ensuring they are happy, engaged and fulfi lled because, from there, learning is a natural and enjoyable process. Simon took over as Headmaster in 2016, stepping
into the role that had been held by the school’s founder, Hilary Pauley, since she opened her fi rst nursery back in 1975. Simon was more than familiar with the school, having previously been Head of Sport, Assistant Head and Deputy Head, and felt no real urge to bring about radical change. Under his leadership the school, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year, has continued to grow and fl ourish.
“I knew the school very well by the time I took over as
Headmaster, and my approach in the early days was to wait and learn what works well and develop it from there. Change needs to be thought out and considered, and it must be what’s good for the school, not just something that fi ts in with what I want. “One thing that I heard, time after time, from parents,
new parents or from visitors to the school was that its academic reputation was very strong. T at’s obviously good, and what we want, but just as importantly for me was to show that we are doing far more than that. “First and foremost, it is about happy children,
engaging them in learning and helping them develop the personal skills to become fully rounded young people and adults. When children are happy and engaged in what they’re doing, they just get on with lessons or activities and enjoy them.” Simon puts that engagement down to two key
elements of school life. Firstly, and somewhat unusually at primary level, the school believes in having specialist teachers throughout. Even in Nursery and Early Years, children have specialist teachers for music, computing and sport. From Year 3, that widens out to specialist teachers for most subjects. “All pupils have a form tutor who remains their focal
point,” said Simon. “It’s important that children have someone they can talk to, someone that they trust, to go to about anything. Most of us have memories of that one inspirational teacher that made all the diff erence to us. “But we also think that getting used to seeing diff erent
Simon Driver
faces, learning from diff erent people, is an important part of school life. It means that it’s not so much of a shift as they move up the school, and it’s certainly important to prepare them for when they move on to the next stage of their education when having diff erent teachers for every subject is the norm. “In addition, they are learning from teachers who are
immersed in their subjects and while children are always going to have subjects they like and don’t like, having teachers that are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about what they are teaching really motivates the children.” T e second key aspect of school life that engenders
engagement is the wide range of opportunities for children to learn beyond the classroom. Regular school trips are organised, and the school benefi ts from its own Ecological Studies Centre. Additionally, an extensive programme of lunchtime and after-school activities offers further avenues for exploration and enrichment. Sport also plays a signifi cant role, refl ecting the school’s 'healthy body, healthy mind' philosophy. T e number of pupils competing at county and national levels across various disciplines is a testament to the high quality of the school’s sporting provision and in this area.
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