We place a high priority upon each child assuming increasing ownership for his or her own learning. We do not make use of merit systems. Instead, we simply get on with teaching and learning, allowing a stimulating curriculum to serve as its own reward. The importance of self-education also has implications for the teacher’s role. He or she is not the showman, or the fount of knowledge, but a mentor or guide whose role is to help pupils engage with the curriculum for themselves. It is the content which satisfies.

The importance of books

We consider it essential for every child to enjoy books, whole books (not just extracts) – and lots of them. Why? Because the most careful thinking the world possesses is found in books, and books are the best tool for self-education in adult life. We consider it essential that a child develop the patience to engage with a sustained argument or narrative, if he or she would become a careful thinker. Our digital age, by contrast, is characterised by distraction. Universities are increasingly commenting upon their students’ limited attention spans and inability to read whole books. Pupils who are brought up in a culture that prizes books and who are confident and capable readers will stand out. We give Infants and Juniors a new book each year on their birthday, as a way of encouraging them gradually to build and take pride in their own library.

In June each year we have a ‘Screen Free Week’ to encourage families to think about the amount of time that is spent on screens and to make extra time for other life enhancing activities, including reading.

Attentive listening

Another unique emphasis at Heritage is upon what we call narration, which we make particular use of in our Infant and Junior Schools. The idea is that a teacher reads aloud from an engaging text, such as a narrative history, a Bible story, a