Heads You Win

Paul Mitchell - Cobham Hall School

Children are people, so schools should be about people – and it would be the people that I would look at to assess a successful school. Impressive students who meet you as you walk around a school and are willing to look you in the eye and speak in a friendly, polite and open manner are the kind I want to see.

I would want the staff to be equally friendly and open – with both students and parents. Without question, they should also be well qualified and experienced in their subjects. But I would also want to see if the teachers give extra time to the students for extra-curricular activities. At Cobham Hall, we are members of Round Square – an inter-school organisation which challenges students around the world to give their services to the community and develop their personal skills and ambitions. I like to see students stretching themselves and discovering more about themselves and other people. It's education for the whole community and equips our students for the 21st century.

The support staff, who look after the students' welfare out of the classroom, are a vital part of the community. A parent should want to see how well they know the students and how much they care: it does the students good to see people working with them at all levels. The boarding houses should be friendly and have a happy atmosphere. But if there are day students, they should still be very much part of the school. I'd want to see students encouraged to be included in after-school clubs and perhaps to stay for prep and revision time with the option of occasional boarding nights. I wouldn't want them to be disappearing at 4.30pm every day.

You should also observe how well the students mix amongst the ages. At Cobham Hall, we run a mentoring system so that a new pupil is allocated a ‘big sister' who looks after her. I also like to see democracy and at Cobham Hall we have a one man/one vote system for all staff and pupils in voting for the Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl each year. I also want to see students take responsibility. An impressive school has impressive students who are ready to face the world when they leave.

Cobham Hall School is an international and interdenominational day and boarding school for girls aged 11-18. www.cobhamhall.com