What makes a good school?

As we prepare for the Open Morning held tomorrow, Saturday 28 April, my thoughts are drawn towards what outsiders see when they visit a school. If I were to summarise in three words what I consider to be the three main ingredients of a good school, it would be the pupils, the teachers and the school environment.

If I think back to my experiences both as a pupil and a teacher, what I remember most about the schools are the pupils. We establish close bonds and friendships with our fellow classmates; who we rub shoulders with will have a profound impact on our futures. What a wonderful opportunity we have at The Mount, Mill Hill International to bring together pupils from such a wide variety of languages, backgrounds and cultures and our lives are enriched by the presence of such diverstity, helping us see the world from different perspectives.

Teachers are the beating heart of a school and relationships formed with our teachers have a lasting impact. I remember the exact lesson that I become hooked on English literature. We were studying Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and the English teacher opened my eyes to the power of language with that novel. Inspirational teachers transform learning. Our teachers craft lessons to enage all the learners and their never-ending task is to fine-tune their teaching to inspire pupils to love their subject as much as they do.

The physical location of where we spend our time has much influence on our psyche. The Mount, Mill Hill International has newly refurbished premises with bespoke learning environments and facilities. That the pupils can sit on comfortable chairs with a classroom structure designed for partcipation rather than passive learning is actually part of our vision for teaching and learning! Being in the green belt area of London and having land around the school is a privilege few London schools have and we are delighted that we can enjoy the great outdoor space.

I therefore look forward to welcoming all our visitors tomorrow and hope that they can see for themselves the ingredients of a good school in operation.