Revision 309: principals letter september 12 · Aitchison Collection Explorer

I have written to boarding parents highlighting leave arrangements and the importance of observing calendar dates. When we finally compress one of the busiest school calendars into 186 days of schooling, it is always done bearing in mind the minimum contact hours that boys of all ages must have with teachers and classmates in order to cover curriculum outcomes and maximise academic success. This is not a random exercise. Boys must attend 90% of school or the probability of compromised performance increases exponentially. Over the past six years, I have studied carefully the correlation between absence and results. It tells a vivid tale. Not only do boys find it difficult to catch up, they lose momentum. One can almost predict results. Classrooms are a source of vital knowledge harvesting and focussed discussion. As such, boys either practise the skills of working collaboratively (which is a wonderful real life preparation) or they begin to work in what I refer to as the 'prison of selfhood'. Successful boys do not achieve in isolation and nor do they readily acquire crucial social and coping skills. Building confidence in school comes from the experience of trying. The situation is potentially worsened when boys are naturally a little introverted and making extra efforts to engage can be uncomfortable. A major value of school is it continually thrusts boys into situations that help them grow through interaction. Accordingly, leave from school is rightly vetted by Heads of School in the interests of each boy. Of course, we support time-off for close family marriages, illness and medical needs and exceptional family circumstances. Our humble advice is to sort routine medical and dentistry checkups in holidays, whenever possible. If you can, avoid planning big events near crucial examination preparations. Ideally, every boy should be at school 100% of the time. This is where they belong during term time.

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