AdrianPalmer

I am in my seventh year as Headmaster of Wycliffe Preparatory School. Wycliffe is a co-educational, day and boarding Preparatory School of just over 350 children aged from 2 to 13+.

Our day pupils come from a variety of surrounding villages and nearby towns; many using our morning bus service. We have over seventy boarders, who have a very active life forging friendships.

We are a thriving school in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. We are still the only Prep School in the country with NACE accreditation, which, through inspection, is a national recognition of the way we challenge the more able children in the classroom.

My philosophy of education is very simple and it forms the basis on which I run the school. I believe that happy children are far more likely to achieve their potential both inside and outside the classroom.

The journey through education that the youth of today have to travel is a very long one and I feel it is important that the journey should therefore be enjoyable.

Once happy, my expectation of the children is that they give of their best in everything that they do. If the effort is right the achievement will take care of itself. In the Prep School world, the role of the head’s spouse is absolutely fundamental and cannot be under estimated.

An understanding, tolerant and patient spouse is crucial to the head being able to do the job properly. My wife, Julie, is fully involved in everything that goes on in the school, teaching when and where required, supporting pupils, staff, parents and me!

In order to be a successful school it is important that we know all the children by name and exactly what it is that makes each of them tick. Once we know this we offer them a vast range of experiences to prepare them for life in general.

What happens in the classroom is, of course, very important but we need to develop the children as individuals in their own right. The role of sport, music, drama and art cannot be underestimated in this.

We also encourage good manners and interpersonal skills which will stand the children in good stead for the rest of their lives.

The Trustees continue to invest significant sums of money in the school and two very exciting developments have recently been announced. From the start of the Spring Term the Year 8 pupils will have a centre for themselves which will prepare them very well for the move to the Senior School.

By September, the Pre-Prep (5 – 7 year olds) classes will be accommodated on the Ryeford site which is wonderful as they will have easier access to our fabulous facilities, such as our swimming pool, and this means we will have the majority of the Prep School family much closer together, with our wonderful Nursery staying in its own location.