In this episode, we sit down with Polly Rumbold, Head of Development, Alumni Relations and Whole School Events, and talk about celebrating our 141st Founders’ Day. We talk about our church service at St Mark’s Church, our hymns, the traditional iced buns and the importance of marking Founders’ Day each year.
In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Surbiton High School’s new Principal, Matthew Shoults. We get to know a bit about his background, what brought him into teaching, his first impressions of Surbiton High School and his thoughts on what makes a worthwhile 21st century education.
In this episode, we sit down with the senior school librarian, Joe Humphreys, and we talk about one of our new charity focuses for the next few years: The Cold Feet Foundation, Nepal. The goal of this charitable endeavour is to support a school that has very little to its name. In the episode, Joe describes the lack of funding, lack of resources, and lack of suitable space for teaching & learning, including classrooms with mould growing up the walls and holes in the floor, a library with no ...
In this episode, we sit down with Jon White, Academic Mentor, and talk about degree apprenticeship schemes – an alternate route in higher education. Jon’s career prior to coming to work for us included 25 years at a major IT company, where one of his roles was overseeing young trainees and degree apprenticeships. In this episode we talk about why some students might be more suited to this style of learning, which is more hands-on and practical and away from traditional classroom methods, and als...
Fun fact: learning French, Spanish or German is a 100% applicable life skill if you go on a trip to Europe. So why don't we take our language skills in the classroom and put them to use on the continent! In this episode, we hear from Mme Paul and Señora Reyner about the importance of trips in the MFL department: what we offer at Surbiton, how these trips dovetail with other subjects, and we also share our blue-sky ideas for our perfect MFL trip.
In this third and final episode in our AI series, I sit down with Byron King (former VP from the Boy’s Prep, now working at Study Hall, an EdTech AI company), and we discuss our predictions for the future of education with AI. Some of these ideas are within grasp and others are a decade, if not more, away; but one thing is for sure, education is changing on the horizon and it is an exciting journey ahead.
In this episode, I sit down with Byron King - former VP for learning and teaching at the Boys’ Prep, now working at Study Hall, an AI EdTech company. In this episode we talk about the specifics of what we have been up to from 2023 to 2024 when it comes to AI innovation in the classroom and sharing knowledge and best practice amongst all staff.
In this episode, we look back over the past 20 months (2022 to 2024) and we shine a spotlight on the early days of exploring AI solutions in the classroom. This is the first episode in a three-part series that showcases Surbiton High School’s practical research in AI.
Every two years the Music Department runs a music project called the GradeOneathon, which sees students teach teachers an instrument up to a grade one standard. This year we had 20 students teaching 20 teachers a range of instruments, including piano, cello, violin, flute, saxophone and harp. This episode was recorded on a Saturday morning amidst the teachers’ ABRSM exams. You will hear last minute tuition, frantic practising and expert advice being given from the students to their teachers.
In this episode we follow all of the prep that has gone into the mock election at Surbiton High School in summer 2024, including voter registration, voter ID, party political broadcasts, an episode of Question Time live, and of course, a secret ballot in the quad.
In this episode, Principal Rebecca Glover reflects on her seven years at Surbiton High School, including navigating the crisis management of an unexploded WW2 bomb, steering the school through the pandemic and the switch to remote learning, as well as the day-to-day and year-to-year events that make each year both challenging and special.
In this epsiode, we sit down with Head of Classics, Olivia Adams, and hear what Surbiton High School has to offer in terms of studying Latin, Ancient Greek and Classical Civilisations. In the second half of the episode, Classics teacher, Claire Speers, and two Sixth Form students share their favourite topics from their Classical Civilisations A Level course.
23rd April 2024 is Shakespeare Day! In today's episode we sit down and talk with Ms Huntley of the English Department and Mr Humphreys from the library and talk about the impact Shakespeare has had over time. This year's episode focuses in the importance of the first folio edition of Shakespeare's collected plays. 401 years ago, Shakespeare's plays were collected together for the first time in a single volume, including 18 never-before-published plays, some of which have gone on to be among his ...
In this episode, we take you to Science Week at Surbiton High School. Arranged by the Science department, this is a week of experiments in the quad, guest speakers, the annual Science Fair and the Science House Quiz. This year, we were visited by alumnus, Charlotte Basilico, who now works at CERN, the "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire", or European Council for Nuclear Research. Charlotte came to speak to our Sixth Form about careers for women in STEM, and what it's like to work at th...
In this episode, we sit down with Director of Sixth Form, Jon Owen, and learn about the A Level Options process at Surbiton High School, including Year 10 subject 'taster' days, one-to-one interviews, careers guidance as well as answering FAQs about the relationship between A Level options and university choices.
In today's episode, we sit down with Dave Webb, our Composer in Residence and learn about how he composes bespoke music for our school community. In this episode in particular, it talks about the special music project he was commissioned with to celebrate the school's 140th birthday.
In this episode, we sit down with Principal Rebecca Glover and celebrate the 140th birthday of our school. We discuss the history of the school, the values and how the school has grown and been shaped over time.
In this episode we talk with Year 9 Head of Year, Alex Higgins, about how we support our Year 9s in picking their GCSE options. The second half of this episode will include a re-broadcast from last year where we take you on a tour of the Year 9 GCSE options marketplace, where year 10 students who have been studying their GCSE course for a few months advise Year 9s in a marketplace format about why they should pick certain GCSE options.
In this episode, we sit down with Surbiton High music student, Mahoor in the Senior School and talk about her new composition 'Symphony of Persia'. The episode includes an interview with Mahoor followed by the full piece. It was performed live in front of an audience of over a thousand students across four assemblies in June 2023.
In this episode, we meet with Kavita Patel, Vice Principal for Staff Development, and talk about how we train and develop our staff to provide students with the best learning environment possible.
In this episode, we sit down with Richard Hammond-Hall, Head of Instrumental Music, and learn about how music lessons and ensembles work at Surbiton High School. In any given week, there are hundreds of one-to-one music lessons from dozens of instrument teachers, not to mention carefully selected and arranged ensembles and choirs that rehearse and perform the year round. The school also offers a Rare Instrument Scheme which sees lessons on less commonly played instruments, like the viola and the...
In this episode, we sit down with Director of Music, Vikki Newman, and talk about all the things that make our Music Department special, from our verticalisation of choirs and ensembles to our Rare Instrument Scheme. All music in this episode is performed by Surbiton High students and was recorded live on site.
A student performance on clarinet.
In this episode, we sit down with Melissa Geiger, Deputy Chair of Governors overseeing Finance and a Trustee of United Learning. She has an illustrious background in Tax & Finance and is currently a Partner at KPMG and member of the UK board. We talked about what makes Surbiton High School Special, her role as a governor and reflections on the 2023 ISI inspection.
In this episode, we go on the annual Year 7 residential to PGL where the students have the opportunity to make new friends, build their team work skills and face-down challenges together. Assistant Principal for Pupil Development and Wellbeing, explains why we start our Year 7 students’s Surbiton journey with this trip.
Continuing our Excellence Series, following our 'Excellent in all Areas' verdict from ISI, Spring 2023, in this episode we talk with Charlotte Demetz, Assistant Principal for Compliance, Health & Safety, about getting the basics right behind the scenes at Surbiton High School.
In this episode, we let you inside one of the most exciting pedagogical experiments of 2022-23. A year in the making, The Empire Day Project, is part of Director of Drama and Dance, Chris Griffin's, 'My Place in the World: Past, Present and Future' project which has been running with Year 8 since September. The idea of the project is to look at lessons from the past and present in order to help students shape their conception of a bright future. The Empire Day Project is an experiential and imme...
In this episode, we give you a quick look at what it's like to be at a Surbiton High School Sports Day. You'll hear from House Leaders, Heads of House, veteran Year 12s and rookie Year 7s at their first Sports Day.
In this episode of the ‘Excellence Series’ we sit down with Stuart Murphy, Assistant Principal for Pupil Development and Well-being, and discuss the importance of pastoral support in Secondary Education and how we deliver excellence in this field at Surbiton High School.
In this episode of the Excellence Series, we meet with Assistant Principal for Learning & Teaching, Paul Reeves, and discuss what makes excellent classroom practice. The episode covers a range of familiar and innovative strategies, our philosophy for excellent Learning & Teaching and a discussion about AI technology and its place in the classroom.
