Episode 6

full
Published on:

2nd Jul 2026

The Bright Side of Education

Welcome to the Downe House podcast, where you can learn more about life at Downe House School. In this episode, we’re reflecting on the recent Academic Conference we held at the school, focusing on the Bright Side of Education. Among the many topics discussed was the importance of play and joy to bring out the best in our students. Joining Simon Jones on the podcast are Matt Godfrey, Deputy Head who heads up the conference, Amanda Constance, Editor of The Week, Independent Schools Guide and Walter Kerr, Co-Founder of Oppidan Education, an innovative mentoring organisation for students.

Transcript
Speaker:

A: Welcome to the

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:

Downe House podcast, where you can learn

more about life at Downe House School.

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:

In this episode, we're

reflecting on the recent academic

4

:

conference we held at the

school, focusing on the bright

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:

side of

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education.

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:

Among the many topics

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discussed was the

importance of play and joy

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to bring out the best in our students.

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Joining

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Simon Jones on

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the

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podcast are Matt Godfrey, deputy

head, who heads up the conference,

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Amanda Constance, editor of The

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Week Independent Schools Guide,

and Walter Carr, co-founder

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of Oppidon Education, an innovative

mentoring organization for students

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That was

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SJ: Well, we've got three

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guests

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on

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the podcast

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here today, but we're

going to start with Matt.

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Uh,

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Matt, welcome

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back

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onto the podcast.

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It's great to

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have you here.

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Thank you for your time.

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We're

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gonna jump

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straight into it.

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The Downe House Academic Conference.

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This year's theme was all

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about the

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bright side of education.

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Tell me, why do you, why did you feel

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that

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this was the

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right conversation for schools

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to be having right

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now?

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M: Well, I think a number of

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things, but mainly that,

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There has actually been a

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little bit of doom

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and

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gloom,

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I- within the school

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sector in

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recent years,

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For lots of reasons

particularly in the independent

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sector with the imposition of

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VAT on fees and o-

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Increasing regulation of one kind or

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another.

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I

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think

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that,

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Has put pressure on

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the sector.

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I know that the

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state

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school sector also has been

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feeling

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pressures of one kind or another.

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And we just didn't wanna lose,

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Focus of the fact that really

what brings us all into

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education

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is, is the joy of learning.

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And so much that goes on in

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schools is

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absolutely

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wonderful and should

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be celebrated.

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So, i- i- i- In some--

to some degree, th-this

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year's conference was

designed to lift spirits,

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To lift spirits, but also to share

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best practice and to

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just shed light on some

of the really wonderful

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things that are going

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on

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in

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schools ir- irrespective

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of the

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pressures that

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are, are are landing on us at the moment.

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SJ: So give us a few examples about

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what some of these things are.

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I, I understand

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you talked about celebrating

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the good

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stuff, I

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think you called

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it.

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what what, what

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kind of

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examples were you

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talking about there?

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M: Yeah.

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well, looking at,

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um,

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just to

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give a couple of

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examples.

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Um, so

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another,

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uh, pressure that's been on schools, and

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it's one

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that's

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close to my heart,

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is, is the study of the

humanities, particularly

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English, which

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has, uh, become less

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fashionable in

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recent years,

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Due in

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part

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to the dominance of STEM

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subjects.

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And so one thing

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we wanted

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to do is

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to

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remind people of the joy of

those subjects, And particularly

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English

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literature.

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And we

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were fortunate to have Rebecca de

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Pellegrom come in as

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one of our

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speakers.

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She's, uh,

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pretty high profile

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in the

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world

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of, uh, literature studies, and she's a

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distinguished former teacher,

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and she's now a real

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advocate

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for that subject.

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So she wanted to share some of the best

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practice she has seen, and,

uh, that did attract a lot of

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attention and uh, a

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lot of

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hope that,

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uh, we can

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That we can

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reinstate,

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uh, English literature and

other similar r- humanities

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subjects back on the agenda.

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So that would

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be one

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example.

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I think, uh, another thing,

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That lots of schools are doing really

well, and something we pride ourselves

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on at Downe House is, is

relationships, particularly with,

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with,

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parents.

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Um, and

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you

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know,

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it, it is

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the

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case that when you send your,

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uh, child to a school it really helps

if schools are communicating and

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nurturing the parent body as well

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as, as, well as

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the pupil body.

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And so, um, someone I've

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known for a

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long time, Cathy

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Ellet, who works in a all-girls

school in London, and who

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is familiar

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with boarding schools as well was able to

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come and shed light on, on

what schools can do to really

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engage parents positively in the

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experience of independent and, uh,

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well, all

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schools really.

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SJ: Fantastic.

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Very, very good indeed.

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And now some of the

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people who are

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listening to this podcast

recording right now

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will

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have

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been at the event itself, so they'll be

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very familiar with

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how it all

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looked.

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But for the

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sake of people who

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weren't

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there, tell

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me roughly how many

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speakers there

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were

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throughout the day

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M: Yeah, so, so

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the

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event is topped and tailed with

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a, a, a large audience.

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So all

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delegates

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congregate at the start to

hear a panel discussion.

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And so this

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year we, we,

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Had Emma

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McKendrick, our own headmistress,

alongside Alastair Lan, the

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headmaster of

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Harrow.

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As you know, our

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two schools have recently

launched a partnership,

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so

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that

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was rather

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good timing.

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But also thrown in the

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middle of those two was

a wonderful and very

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successful businesswoman called Nicki

Murphy the C-CEO of a large PR and

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marketing company called The

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River Group.

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and and i-i-in some ways,

she was there to hold

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the

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heads to account and to

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say, "Well, that's all very well,

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you

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saying that

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you're

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trying to achieve X, Y, and Z.

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Well, as an employer, this is what

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we need."

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And

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happily there

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was

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some confluence between what the

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schools were trying

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to achieve

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and

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what she said the

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workplace needed.

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so so we start with all,

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Nearly 200 delegates listening

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to the panel discussion.

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Then we break off

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into optional breakout

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groups, so the delegates

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choose which

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talks they're going to.

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And there's breakout session one before

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lunch,

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then

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there's lunch.

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And then

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there's another

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breakout session after lunch.

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And then at the end, we

all congregate again,

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all

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delegates together in the

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auditorium, and

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this time,

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We were fortunate to

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have as our keynote speaker Miranda

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Hart, the comedian and actress

who also happens to be an

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alumna of our

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school.

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And she gave the most

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wonderful,

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uplifting, funny but also very

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insightful

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talk i-in terms of

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what

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she felt,

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The bright side of education

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should include

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SJ: Fantastic.

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Well, it's really

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good to hear

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that.

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Matt, don't go anywhere at all.

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We're gonna

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jump across

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to our other two guests on

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this podcast

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recording, and we'll come back

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to you shortly.

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Amanda,

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first of

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all, uh, editor

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of The

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Week Independent Schools

guide, great to have you

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here.

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now, Amanda,

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you spend your time looking across a

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huge

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number of different schools.

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What would you say struck you the

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most about the

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conversations that were taking

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place

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at

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the

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conference?

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A: I think honestly, Matt and the whole

team at Downe have done an extraordinary

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job in creating what is essentially

a CPD conference for teachers, but

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making it broader and more exciting.

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There's just a real buzz of energy

about it, and it's not just me.

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A lot of people said,

"Are you going to Downe?"

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They said, "Oh, great.

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It's so great."

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And I just feel that they've managed

to create, you know, in not m-

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very many years, a really exciting

conference that appeals really

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quite broadly for a lot of people.

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And yeah, and I think the conversations

there, very much on the bright side theme.

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There were a lot of really

positive conversations.

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Because I think it's really important

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that schools do set the tone.

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You

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know, We've just seen a

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prime minister who talks himself

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out of a

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job

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from the very

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beginning.

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You know, we need to not

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be

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doomy-doomy.

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we

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need

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to say, "This is

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where we want to

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be.

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This is what we can be."

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So I think it was

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just…

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I think, you

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know, if you call it the bright

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side

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of education, and you

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gather together

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fantastic speakers and a

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great bunch in the

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audience.

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you know, I think from

the very beginning panel

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discussion,

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it just set off a really…

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Nicky Murphy was,

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like, an absolute blast of

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real-world savvy,

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and she just set the tone for sort

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of what

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was a very

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energetic, inspiring day full

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of

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SJ: Fantastic.

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Great to

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hear so

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much

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positivity coming

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from the day.

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Amanda, in your experience

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of,

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of

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dealing

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with schools do you, do you

think that schools in the UK

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generally are too modest about

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telling kind of positive stories

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about themselves?

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A: Yes, a thousand times over.

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Yes,

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and

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yes

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again.

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I think schools tend

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to

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be- Far too siloed.

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I think they often, quite

understandably, ve- get very caught

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up with their particular audiences,

wheth- whether that be their internal

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audience of

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teachers and

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parents.

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And they forget to

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quite

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frankly, you know, show

off and, and, toot their

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trumpet for what

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they do

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well.

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I think it's very

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difficult

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in

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this

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country because everywhere else,

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the world considers our

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education system the

gold standard, but yet

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here we're sort

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of constantly being

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cut off at the knees.

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So it's quite hard to

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constantly…

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You know, I work with…

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I work

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for The Week, but I also

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work within

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comms with

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other schools,

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so I see both sides of it.

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And I know how hard it

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is to get a positive news story

about the independent education

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sector into the press.

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It's hard work.

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So you are battling

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a not particularly friendly outside

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world.

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But I

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don't

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think

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we should stop

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tooting that

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SJ: great.

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to hear that.

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really is.

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And when you

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do

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visit these schools, what would you

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say

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are

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some of the

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characteristics

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that distinguish truly

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outstanding schools

from merely successful,

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if I can

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call it that?

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A: It's…

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Do you know what?

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It's so, so obvious.

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It's leadership.

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Oh.

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It's extraordinary.

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It's leadership.

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I think some of the most…

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I'm- I work with a group

of state primary schools in

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Hackney,

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and

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they're honestly the

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most outstanding

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schools I've

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ever come across, and that's because they

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have superb leadership.

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And I think that

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goes

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across

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everywhere.

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You really…

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I don't

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think there's any…

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That's why I find

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schools so exciting.

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I don't

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think

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there's

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any other

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sector where one or two or

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three people

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define

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the energy and direction of a

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school.

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and I think

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Downe

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has got it in spades.

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I think it's got amazing

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leadership and it's

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got energy, and you really feel

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that.

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SJ: Well, nice

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shout-out

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there to

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Emma Kendrick.

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Well, Amanda, don't

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go

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anywhere at

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all.

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Let's

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jump across

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to Walter Walter

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Carr, you're the

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co-founder of

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OptIn Education.

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I understand that you've been involved,

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Well, your

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b- your

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company's been involved

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every

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year

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at

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each

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of the academic

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conferences at

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Downe House.

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Is that right?

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W: Yeah, we're super fans.

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We are, we are unbridled super fans.

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We've been four times, I think.

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We were fortunate to be invited

to be one of the panel speakers,

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I think, a few years ago, talking

about character education in schools.

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But we were there this week as,

as layman with my co-founder,

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Henry, and we had a lovely

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time.

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SJ: Very

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good.

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Very, very

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good.

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Oppidon

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Education, tell us

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what you actually

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do

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W: We're a mentoring

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business.

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We

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believe all

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kids should have

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mentors.

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Adults have

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mentors, children should too.

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So

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whether you call them role models

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or

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coaches,

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There's a, there's a

pervasive need at the moment

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for really strong role

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modeling

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in young people.

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Mungo Dunnett, one of the great panel

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speakers

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that Matt and Tara invited,

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talked about

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it being a difficult time to be a young

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person,

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and the c- chief

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concern across

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all

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the backgrounds and contexts

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we see

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is

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is

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is

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a question of

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who they are and what is the

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image I want to portray.

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Identity

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is everything

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for

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kids.

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And we

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believe anyway that mentoring helps,

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Children work out

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that ident- that identity.

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So that's what we do.

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SJ: So

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what is it

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then…

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I

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mean, it, it's

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interesting you talk

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about

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identity there.

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What, what

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would you

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say is one of the

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things

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that makes you feel

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optimistic

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about

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young people today?

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W: Great

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question.

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I

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mean,

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The

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tone of the

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talk

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was so

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important,

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just to

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step back a bit and provide

some context to that question.

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It

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is not bright in

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education, and there's a

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there's

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a,

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increasingly pervasive

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deficit

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model approach to comms in

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schools,

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and it's really bad

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for the self-esteem of

young people and teachers.

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And I think what

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the Downe House talk did

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was

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step

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back and say, "Actually, there's

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lots to

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be,

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Positive about."

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And I think it's

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really

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important.

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I

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mean, you--

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Amanda talked about it,

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but we talk on the morning of

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a prime

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minister

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that has that

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has

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let a

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narrative,

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Get in the way of his progress.

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Narrative leaves

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marks,

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it's sticky fingers and unless you

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deal

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with

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it,

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It,

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it it deals with you first.

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In terms of

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what's to be

629

:

excited about as a young

630

:

person,

631

:

I think,

632

:

They

633

:

are-- they apply themselves

across a range of

634

:

different things

635

:

much more than we

636

:

did.

637

:

Alastair Lan

638

:

talked

639

:

about application as much as A

levels, and I think kids are much

640

:

more keen to

641

:

apply

642

:

themselves.

643

:

They're much

644

:

more aware

645

:

of what they need to do to

646

:

be,

647

:

Individually

648

:

stand

649

:

out-- to stand

650

:

out

651

:

more.

652

:

So that might

653

:

be m-m-more focused around

654

:

entrepreneurship or,

655

:

A a great

656

:

propensity not to sleepwalk through their

657

:

education.

658

:

So yeah, I think

659

:

children

660

:

are,

661

:

for

662

:

good or bad, much more

663

:

aware

664

:

of the expectations levied upon

665

:

them

666

:

SJ: And then,

667

:

of

668

:

course, a lot of schools

669

:

tend to talk

670

:

about things

671

:

like,

672

:

you know,

673

:

wellbeing and

674

:

resilience and

675

:

courage.

676

:

and

677

:

you know, I'm, I'm wondering

678

:

whether

679

:

whether

680

:

there's one thing to

681

:

talk

682

:

about it and another thing

683

:

to really

684

:

instill

685

:

these values,

686

:

these qualities in young

687

:

people.

688

:

Do

689

:

you see

690

:

many

691

:

schools actively embracing this

692

:

and really making a

693

:

difference

694

:

with their

695

:

young people, or

696

:

do you

697

:

see mostly schools

698

:

talking about it and

699

:

there

700

:

not

701

:

being a

702

:

huge difference?

703

:

W: Mm-hmm.

704

:

well

705

:

it's

706

:

well above my

707

:

pay grade to talk about what

708

:

schools are doing, and I

709

:

wouldn't wish

710

:

to

711

:

comment on, on, anything individual or

712

:

wider.

713

:

From

714

:

my context in the

715

:

after-school market,

716

:

Children sort of slightly

717

:

laugh at

718

:

us, to be perfectly honest,

when we talk about wellbeing.

719

:

they, they, they, they're

aware that they are

720

:

the

721

:

kind of

722

:

recipient of this

723

:

theme, and they

724

:

laugh at

725

:

us when they

726

:

talk…

727

:

when we

728

:

talk

729

:

about Andrew Tate and they

730

:

go, "Look, we're far too

731

:

aware of This This is

732

:

not something

733

:

that we,

734

:

that we,

735

:

that we even associate

736

:

ourselves with."

737

:

And I

738

:

think

739

:

I think sometimes perhaps

there's a failing in the

740

:

education sector

741

:

to think that these are

742

:

not the, the the,

743

:

kind of

744

:

children

745

:

There's a, there's perhaps

a tendency, I think,

746

:

sometimes, to patronize young

747

:

people

748

:

into thinking

749

:

that

750

:

that

751

:

that that, they aren't big enough to deal

752

:

with

753

:

them, to deal

754

:

with these issues

755

:

themselves.

756

:

But again, that's,

757

:

that's just a wider

758

:

theme.

759

:

I…

760

:

Children hate the word

761

:

wellbeing.

762

:

Ask any young

763

:

person.

764

:

they

765

:

can't stand

766

:

it.

767

:

So we don't really talk about wellbeing

768

:

in

769

:

our, in

770

:

our small

771

:

sector.

772

:

I don't know if that's a

773

:

controversial

774

:

opinion,

775

:

but

776

:

may leave

777

:

that

778

:

there.

779

:

SJ: It's

780

:

fantastic to hear

781

:

this.

782

:

It, it really

783

:

is.

784

:

In

785

:

fact,

786

:

I'm

787

:

gonna take

788

:

this back.

789

:

Before

790

:

we

791

:

talk about the conference

792

:

directly

793

:

again, Matt,

794

:

if I

795

:

can take

796

:

this

797

:

back

798

:

to you, how do

799

:

we avoid,

800

:

Within Downe, just within education how

do we avoid patronizing young people?

801

:

M: I,

802

:

think Walter

803

:

picks up on a

804

:

very

805

:

important

806

:

point

807

:

there.

808

:

Nobody,

809

:

irrespective of

810

:

age, likes to be

811

:

patronized.

812

:

I think,

813

:

I

814

:

think a

815

:

nuanced

816

:

approach is

817

:

is always

818

:

good with

819

:

these things.

820

:

I

821

:

think

822

:

if by wellbeing

823

:

we, we mean,

824

:

self-confidence,

825

:

and we

826

:

mean,

827

:

An

828

:

enjoyment of what you're

829

:

doing and an

830

:

awareness

831

:

of the world

832

:

around

833

:

you,

834

:

then,

835

:

There is a

836

:

certain amount you

837

:

can impart

838

:

in a classroom setting.

839

:

But

840

:

a

841

:

lot

842

:

of it

843

:

is to do with

844

:

giving them

845

:

opportunities,

846

:

To do

847

:

things

848

:

and to feel a

849

:

sense of

850

:

achievement.

851

:

And

852

:

you know,

853

:

we're very

854

:

fortunate

855

:

at Downe with-- there's a long

856

:

history of

857

:

that

858

:

sort of

859

:

character

860

:

education, and

861

:

The boarding environment

862

:

affords many

863

:

opportunities.

864

:

So, you know, one of the

865

:

most,

866

:

Wonderful bits of feedback I

867

:

always get

868

:

from the conference every

year is the involvement

869

:

that the girls

870

:

have in it.

871

:

You know, whether it be welcoming

the people as they arrive,

872

:

or

873

:

whether it's them

874

:

asking

875

:

questions to some of the

876

:

people who, who

877

:

speak, or whether it's,

878

:

Joining

879

:

lunch and talking to some of our

880

:

delegates from other

881

:

schools and listening to other

882

:

perspectives.

883

:

You know, they, they like to be

884

:

involved, and I

885

:

think one of the

886

:

ways you

887

:

can

888

:

improve the

889

:

wellbeing of

890

:

any person,

891

:

irrespective of their

892

:

age,

893

:

is

894

:

develop a sense of belonging,

895

:

a sense of agency in whichever

896

:

community they

897

:

are

898

:

w- they

899

:

are in.

900

:

And

901

:

you know, that's-

902

:

That's

903

:

probably…

904

:

I w- I would say it's true.

905

:

we

906

:

we

907

:

we don't use the

908

:

word

909

:

wellbeing too much if we

910

:

can avoid

911

:

it here.

912

:

we we have a program

913

:

called Learning

914

:

for Life which sort of

915

:

incorporates

916

:

what has become known

917

:

as wellbeing, but

918

:

also has some rather more

919

:

practical

920

:

applications as

921

:

well.

922

:

So

923

:

I

924

:

think Walter and I

925

:

are closely

926

:

aligned on

927

:

this.

928

:

Yeah, than perhaps we

929

:

knew before the

930

:

podcast.

931

:

Yeah.

932

:

SJ: Very good.

933

:

That's, That's

934

:

great to hear, Matt.

935

:

W: Walter

936

:

No, I think I think

there was an example at

937

:

the end of

938

:

the

939

:

first panel

940

:

talk,

941

:

You had,

942

:

One of

943

:

your sixth form students

944

:

come up to

945

:

do

946

:

a,

947

:

a kind

948

:

of

949

:

presentation to thank the

950

:

panel guests,

951

:

and I

952

:

think it was almost the loudest

clap of the whole morning

953

:

because

954

:

there was this possibly

955

:

nervous,

956

:

Girl who was

957

:

doing

958

:

a,

959

:

a,

960

:

a, you

961

:

know, very big

962

:

thing in front

963

:

of, you know, big

964

:

speakers and

965

:

she

966

:

dealt with it amazingly well

967

:

And that agency,

968

:

It will last with her

969

:

forever.

970

:

It's a small

971

:

two-minute

972

:

talk,

973

:

but

974

:

I think

975

:

those things

976

:

are really

977

:

special to see.

978

:

I

979

:

was, I was almost quite emotional.

980

:

I was so

981

:

behind her to make

982

:

it

983

:

a

984

:

success

985

:

and

986

:

and yeah,

987

:

so just a small

988

:

a small moment

989

:

where

990

:

she'll feel

991

:

really, really

992

:

confident

993

:

off the

994

:

back

995

:

of that.

996

:

M: Yeah.

997

:

One, one, can may may I

add something to that?

998

:

'Cause I

999

:

guess

:

00:15:41,554 --> 00:15:41,894

I felt

:

00:15:41,934 --> 00:15:42,054

the

:

00:15:42,054 --> 00:15:42,574

same as,

:

00:15:42,644 --> 00:15:42,954

Walter

:

00:15:42,964 --> 00:15:43,584

then witnessing

:

00:15:43,584 --> 00:15:43,794

that.

:

00:15:44,094 --> 00:15:44,704

But I think,

:

00:15:44,754 --> 00:15:45,414

You know, obviously it's

:

00:15:45,414 --> 00:15:46,174

a conference for

:

00:15:46,174 --> 00:15:46,754

education

:

00:15:46,754 --> 00:15:47,574

professionals,

:

00:15:48,224 --> 00:15:48,354

And

:

00:15:48,354 --> 00:15:49,784

it's become well established as

:

00:15:49,784 --> 00:15:50,224

that.

:

00:15:50,294 --> 00:15:51,464

But the girls

:

00:15:51,484 --> 00:15:51,964

like

:

00:15:51,994 --> 00:15:52,964

to think that their

:

00:15:52,974 --> 00:15:53,424

school

:

00:15:53,424 --> 00:15:54,164

has become

:

00:15:54,444 --> 00:15:54,974

a hub for

:

00:15:55,004 --> 00:15:55,794

educational

:

00:15:55,794 --> 00:15:56,454

discussion

:

00:15:56,494 --> 00:15:56,624

and

:

00:15:56,624 --> 00:15:57,254

innovation.

:

00:15:57,654 --> 00:15:58,144

You know, they are

:

00:15:58,144 --> 00:15:58,874

quite proud

:

00:15:58,874 --> 00:15:58,944

of

:

00:15:58,954 --> 00:15:59,274

the fact

:

00:15:59,274 --> 00:15:59,514

that

:

00:15:59,934 --> 00:16:00,314

some

:

00:16:00,334 --> 00:16:01,224

teacher is coming as

:

00:16:01,224 --> 00:16:01,594

far

:

00:16:01,874 --> 00:16:02,484

away as

:

00:16:02,534 --> 00:16:03,854

as Scotland, and sometimes

:

00:16:03,854 --> 00:16:04,254

we have

:

00:16:04,544 --> 00:16:05,504

overseas delegates

:

00:16:05,534 --> 00:16:05,954

coming.

:

00:16:06,334 --> 00:16:07,064

And why are they coming

:

00:16:07,064 --> 00:16:07,174

to

:

00:16:07,174 --> 00:16:07,634

Downe House?

:

00:16:07,634 --> 00:16:08,444

Because they've seen,

:

00:16:08,474 --> 00:16:08,924

oh, there's

:

00:16:08,984 --> 00:16:09,634

interesting

:

00:16:09,634 --> 00:16:11,224

stuff going on at Downe House,

:

00:16:11,564 --> 00:16:11,744

and

:

00:16:11,744 --> 00:16:11,824

the

:

00:16:11,824 --> 00:16:12,234

girls are

:

00:16:12,234 --> 00:16:12,754

interested

:

00:16:12,754 --> 00:16:12,884

in

:

00:16:12,884 --> 00:16:13,164

it.

:

00:16:13,324 --> 00:16:14,384

Unfortunately, I can

:

00:16:14,434 --> 00:16:14,554

only

:

00:16:14,554 --> 00:16:14,944

limit the

:

00:16:14,944 --> 00:16:15,274

number of

:

00:16:15,274 --> 00:16:15,654

girls

:

00:16:15,924 --> 00:16:16,474

who attend

:

00:16:16,474 --> 00:16:16,724

some of

:

00:16:16,724 --> 00:16:17,504

the talks, but

:

00:16:17,824 --> 00:16:18,164

but they're

:

00:16:18,164 --> 00:16:19,504

interested in what these people have to

:

00:16:19,504 --> 00:16:19,694

say.

:

00:16:19,694 --> 00:16:19,854

They're

:

00:16:19,854 --> 00:16:21,724

interested in why English is

:

00:16:21,734 --> 00:16:21,964

less

:

00:16:21,964 --> 00:16:22,274

popular

:

00:16:22,274 --> 00:16:22,474

as a

:

00:16:22,474 --> 00:16:22,904

subject

:

00:16:22,904 --> 00:16:23,184

now,

:

00:16:23,484 --> 00:16:24,124

Than it used to be.

:

00:16:24,124 --> 00:16:25,174

They're interested in

:

00:16:25,404 --> 00:16:26,124

in how

:

00:16:26,454 --> 00:16:27,034

Schools can

:

00:16:27,034 --> 00:16:27,454

engage

:

00:16:27,454 --> 00:16:27,734

people

:

00:16:27,734 --> 00:16:27,864

in

:

00:16:27,864 --> 00:16:29,164

politics with the voting

:

00:16:29,164 --> 00:16:29,574

age going

:

00:16:29,574 --> 00:16:29,774

down to

:

00:16:29,774 --> 00:16:30,274

16.

:

00:16:30,294 --> 00:16:30,414

That

:

00:16:30,414 --> 00:16:30,934

was another

:

00:16:31,364 --> 00:16:31,834

talk we

:

00:16:31,834 --> 00:16:32,194

had.

:

00:16:32,484 --> 00:16:32,774

You know,

:

00:16:32,774 --> 00:16:33,124

they,

:

00:16:33,384 --> 00:16:33,564

they're

:

00:16:33,564 --> 00:16:33,784

quite

:

00:16:33,834 --> 00:16:34,394

interested

:

00:16:34,394 --> 00:16:35,394

in why

:

00:16:35,394 --> 00:16:36,594

or even if parents should

:

00:16:36,604 --> 00:16:37,014

have more

:

00:16:37,014 --> 00:16:37,094

or

:

00:16:37,094 --> 00:16:37,934

less involvement

:

00:16:38,274 --> 00:16:38,494

in

:

00:16:38,494 --> 00:16:39,414

their education.

:

00:16:39,704 --> 00:16:40,014

So

:

00:16:40,324 --> 00:16:40,994

you know, they…

:

00:16:41,394 --> 00:16:41,794

I love

:

00:16:41,824 --> 00:16:42,754

to talk to the girls.

:

00:16:42,754 --> 00:16:42,804

they

:

00:16:42,874 --> 00:16:44,044

they say, "Well, what's going on today,

:

00:16:44,044 --> 00:16:44,354

Miss Gover?

:

00:16:44,354 --> 00:16:44,924

What exactly is

:

00:16:44,924 --> 00:16:45,394

it all about?"

:

00:16:45,394 --> 00:16:45,554

When

:

00:16:45,554 --> 00:16:45,664

I

:

00:16:45,664 --> 00:16:45,854

say,

:

00:16:45,854 --> 00:16:46,364

" Well, we've got

:

00:16:46,364 --> 00:16:46,914

nearly 200

:

00:16:46,914 --> 00:16:47,584

people coming

:

00:16:47,884 --> 00:16:48,244

to our

:

00:16:48,264 --> 00:16:48,994

school

:

00:16:49,254 --> 00:16:49,684

to hear

:

00:16:49,704 --> 00:16:50,314

interesting

:

00:16:50,314 --> 00:16:50,594

people

:

00:16:50,594 --> 00:16:51,424

talk about interesting

:

00:16:51,434 --> 00:16:52,054

things,"

:

00:16:52,494 --> 00:16:53,314

they think that's pretty

:

00:16:53,314 --> 00:16:53,704

cool.

:

00:16:53,886 --> 00:16:54,506

SJ: Fantastic.

:

00:16:54,656 --> 00:16:55,116

Matt, that's

:

00:16:55,116 --> 00:16:55,316

really

:

00:16:55,316 --> 00:16:55,526

good.

:

00:16:55,696 --> 00:16:56,476

Um, Amanda, I'm gonna

:

00:16:56,476 --> 00:16:56,816

take it to

:

00:16:56,816 --> 00:16:57,136

you for

:

00:16:57,136 --> 00:16:57,176

a

:

00:16:57,176 --> 00:16:57,736

moment.

:

00:16:57,786 --> 00:16:58,576

Just thinking about

:

00:16:58,576 --> 00:16:59,415

this conference,

:

00:16:59,936 --> 00:17:01,236

clearly it was called The Bright Side of

:

00:17:01,236 --> 00:17:01,836

Education.

:

00:17:02,086 --> 00:17:02,426

Strange

:

00:17:02,426 --> 00:17:03,336

question, but if you were

:

00:17:03,356 --> 00:17:03,886

editing a

:

00:17:03,886 --> 00:17:04,316

special

:

00:17:04,316 --> 00:17:04,996

edition and

:

00:17:04,996 --> 00:17:05,195

it was

:

00:17:05,195 --> 00:17:05,935

called The Bright Side

:

00:17:05,935 --> 00:17:06,046

of

:

00:17:06,046 --> 00:17:07,776

Education, what stories would

:

00:17:07,776 --> 00:17:08,256

deserve

:

00:17:08,346 --> 00:17:08,465

the

:

00:17:08,465 --> 00:17:09,036

front cover?

:

00:17:09,117 --> 00:17:09,337

A: oh

:

00:17:09,337 --> 00:17:09,686

God.

:

00:17:09,696 --> 00:17:10,007

Well,

:

00:17:10,027 --> 00:17:10,137

I

:

00:17:10,137 --> 00:17:10,497

mean,

:

00:17:11,027 --> 00:17:11,436

Miranda

:

00:17:11,446 --> 00:17:11,817

Hart

:

00:17:11,817 --> 00:17:11,957

would

:

00:17:11,957 --> 00:17:12,176

get,

:

00:17:12,186 --> 00:17:12,547

you know,

:

00:17:12,547 --> 00:17:13,607

she'd get the cover and at

:

00:17:13,646 --> 00:17:14,487

least three

:

00:17:14,487 --> 00:17:15,217

DPSs.

:

00:17:15,307 --> 00:17:15,567

She

:

00:17:15,567 --> 00:17:15,946

was just

:

00:17:15,946 --> 00:17:16,247

so

:

00:17:16,247 --> 00:17:16,857

much…

:

00:17:17,186 --> 00:17:17,517

She was

:

00:17:17,517 --> 00:17:17,666

just the

:

00:17:17,676 --> 00:17:18,377

most brilliant

:

00:17:18,387 --> 00:17:19,007

keynote

:

00:17:19,077 --> 00:17:19,646

and

:

00:17:19,857 --> 00:17:20,166

so

:

00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:20,387

much

:

00:17:20,396 --> 00:17:20,896

more than I

:

00:17:20,906 --> 00:17:21,327

thought she

:

00:17:21,327 --> 00:17:21,517

would

:

00:17:21,517 --> 00:17:21,887

be.

:

00:17:22,247 --> 00:17:22,426

So

:

00:17:22,426 --> 00:17:22,967

she would, she

:

00:17:22,967 --> 00:17:23,127

would,

:

00:17:23,127 --> 00:17:23,237

I'm

:

00:17:23,237 --> 00:17:24,287

afraid, dominate.

:

00:17:24,317 --> 00:17:24,467

But

:

00:17:24,517 --> 00:17:24,587

I

:

00:17:24,587 --> 00:17:25,217

mean, I only went to

:

00:17:25,227 --> 00:17:25,446

two of

:

00:17:25,457 --> 00:17:25,757

the other

:

00:17:25,757 --> 00:17:26,357

talks,

:

00:17:26,426 --> 00:17:26,987

And

:

00:17:27,406 --> 00:17:28,247

Chloe Combi of,

:

00:17:28,337 --> 00:17:28,867

w- who I'm a

:

00:17:28,867 --> 00:17:29,237

huge

:

00:17:29,237 --> 00:17:29,557

fan

:

00:17:29,557 --> 00:17:29,887

of,

:

00:17:29,897 --> 00:17:31,037

I just think she

:

00:17:31,037 --> 00:17:31,767

manages-

:

00:17:32,665 --> 00:17:32,805

She

:

00:17:32,805 --> 00:17:33,355

manages

:

00:17:33,355 --> 00:17:33,455

t-

:

00:17:33,465 --> 00:17:33,725

she

:

00:17:33,725 --> 00:17:34,295

knows

:

00:17:34,305 --> 00:17:34,525

that

:

00:17:34,535 --> 00:17:34,995

of which She

:

00:17:34,995 --> 00:17:35,895

speaks more than

:

00:17:35,895 --> 00:17:36,855

most people

:

00:17:36,855 --> 00:17:37,215

really when

:

00:17:37,215 --> 00:17:38,305

it comes to Gen Z And

:

00:17:38,305 --> 00:17:38,875

Gen A.

:

00:17:38,905 --> 00:17:39,675

And I just

:

00:17:39,685 --> 00:17:40,255

loved,

:

00:17:40,585 --> 00:17:40,705

I

:

00:17:40,705 --> 00:17:41,025

loved

:

00:17:41,025 --> 00:17:41,135

her

:

00:17:41,135 --> 00:17:41,835

sort of finishing.

:

00:17:41,835 --> 00:17:42,315

She always

:

00:17:42,315 --> 00:17:42,735

talks

:

00:17:42,745 --> 00:17:43,085

so

:

00:17:43,115 --> 00:17:43,885

interestingly

:

00:17:44,205 --> 00:17:45,105

on, around

:

00:17:45,115 --> 00:17:45,215

the

:

00:17:45,215 --> 00:17:46,225

future and around the

:

00:17:46,225 --> 00:17:46,785

generations

:

00:17:46,785 --> 00:17:46,955

that are

:

00:17:46,955 --> 00:17:47,275

coming

:

00:17:47,275 --> 00:17:47,835

our way.

:

00:17:48,365 --> 00:17:48,615

She's

:

00:17:48,615 --> 00:17:49,005

always

:

00:17:49,225 --> 00:17:49,725

completely

:

00:17:49,725 --> 00:17:50,685

positive, and the way

:

00:17:50,685 --> 00:17:50,875

she

:

00:17:50,875 --> 00:17:51,425

finished,

:

00:17:51,835 --> 00:17:52,355

Her speech

:

00:17:52,355 --> 00:17:52,935

was about,

:

00:17:52,945 --> 00:17:53,075

you

:

00:17:53,075 --> 00:17:54,245

know, AI and managing

:

00:17:54,245 --> 00:17:54,645

AI

:

00:17:54,645 --> 00:17:54,715

and

:

00:17:54,715 --> 00:17:54,785

the

:

00:17:54,785 --> 00:17:55,545

future and blah, blah, blah,

:

00:17:55,545 --> 00:17:55,805

blah,

:

00:17:55,805 --> 00:17:56,165

blah.

:

00:17:56,165 --> 00:17:56,355

And

:

00:17:56,355 --> 00:17:56,645

she just

:

00:17:56,645 --> 00:17:56,985

said at the

:

00:17:56,985 --> 00:17:57,155

end,

:

00:17:57,155 --> 00:17:57,265

"You

:

00:17:57,265 --> 00:17:57,575

know,

:

00:17:57,965 --> 00:17:58,715

so

:

00:17:58,715 --> 00:17:59,755

what if there's

:

00:17:59,755 --> 00:18:00,375

change?"

:

00:18:00,795 --> 00:18:02,005

And I really, this really

:

00:18:02,005 --> 00:18:02,675

resonated with

:

00:18:02,675 --> 00:18:02,955

me

:

00:18:02,955 --> 00:18:03,325

because I

:

00:18:03,345 --> 00:18:03,895

feel

:

00:18:04,195 --> 00:18:04,225

that

:

00:18:04,275 --> 00:18:04,495

us

:

00:18:04,505 --> 00:18:05,885

oldies are really

:

00:18:05,885 --> 00:18:07,155

doomy and gloomy about AI,

:

00:18:07,155 --> 00:18:07,765

and I feel that

:

00:18:07,765 --> 00:18:08,505

we feed it down

:

00:18:08,505 --> 00:18:08,595

the

:

00:18:08,595 --> 00:18:09,345

food chain

:

00:18:09,365 --> 00:18:09,665

too

:

00:18:09,665 --> 00:18:10,225

much.

:

00:18:10,665 --> 00:18:10,935

And

:

00:18:10,935 --> 00:18:11,385

you know, she

:

00:18:11,385 --> 00:18:11,965

said, So

:

00:18:11,965 --> 00:18:12,285

what?"

:

00:18:12,355 --> 00:18:12,555

We've

:

00:18:12,605 --> 00:18:13,055

Always

:

00:18:13,055 --> 00:18:13,455

dealt with

:

00:18:13,455 --> 00:18:13,985

change.

:

00:18:14,435 --> 00:18:14,575

You

:

00:18:14,575 --> 00:18:15,085

know, every

:

00:18:15,085 --> 00:18:15,865

decade there's, you

:

00:18:15,865 --> 00:18:16,055

know, And

:

00:18:16,055 --> 00:18:16,915

I, I chatted to

:

00:18:16,915 --> 00:18:16,935

her afterwards.

:

00:18:16,935 --> 00:18:16,965

You know, in

:

00:18:16,965 --> 00:18:16,975

the

:

00:18:16,975 --> 00:18:18,255

'80s we all

:

00:18:18,265 --> 00:18:18,615

thought we were

:

00:18:18,615 --> 00:18:19,185

gonna die in a,

:

00:18:19,185 --> 00:18:19,365

in

:

00:18:19,365 --> 00:18:19,515

an

:

00:18:19,525 --> 00:18:20,465

atom bomb for a while.

:

00:18:20,465 --> 00:18:20,595

You

:

00:18:20,595 --> 00:18:20,685

know,

:

00:18:20,685 --> 00:18:20,975

It's, it,

:

00:18:20,975 --> 00:18:21,145

there's

:

00:18:21,145 --> 00:18:21,885

this constant

:

00:18:21,895 --> 00:18:22,205

threat,

:

00:18:22,245 --> 00:18:22,795

there's constant

:

00:18:22,795 --> 00:18:23,215

change.

:

00:18:23,755 --> 00:18:24,525

I f- I find

:

00:18:24,525 --> 00:18:24,755

young

:

00:18:24,755 --> 00:18:25,015

people

:

00:18:25,015 --> 00:18:26,285

incredibly inspiring.

:

00:18:26,285 --> 00:18:26,405

Like

:

00:18:26,405 --> 00:18:26,755

Walt was

:

00:18:26,755 --> 00:18:27,525

saying, they're across

:

00:18:27,525 --> 00:18:27,685

so

:

00:18:27,685 --> 00:18:28,365

many things.

:

00:18:28,785 --> 00:18:29,145

So

:

00:18:29,155 --> 00:18:29,695

I would definitely

:

00:18:29,695 --> 00:18:30,275

dedicate

:

00:18:30,285 --> 00:18:30,335

a

:

00:18:30,335 --> 00:18:31,115

big interview to

:

00:18:31,145 --> 00:18:31,615

Chloe and

:

00:18:31,615 --> 00:18:31,685

her

:

00:18:31,685 --> 00:18:32,075

thoughts.

:

00:18:32,085 --> 00:18:32,245

And

:

00:18:32,245 --> 00:18:32,435

then

:

00:18:32,455 --> 00:18:33,045

actually,

:

00:18:33,605 --> 00:18:33,725

I

:

00:18:33,725 --> 00:18:33,905

loved

:

00:18:33,905 --> 00:18:34,125

the other

:

00:18:34,125 --> 00:18:34,415

talk I

:

00:18:34,415 --> 00:18:34,595

went

:

00:18:34,595 --> 00:18:34,615

to.

:

00:18:34,615 --> 00:18:35,455

I was really

:

00:18:35,475 --> 00:18:35,775

sad

:

00:18:35,775 --> 00:18:35,875

to

:

00:18:35,875 --> 00:18:36,025

miss

:

00:18:36,025 --> 00:18:36,345

the talk

:

00:18:36,345 --> 00:18:36,395

on

:

00:18:36,395 --> 00:18:36,945

English lit.

:

00:18:37,145 --> 00:18:37,335

That

:

00:18:37,335 --> 00:18:37,605

would go

:

00:18:37,605 --> 00:18:37,785

in

:

00:18:37,795 --> 00:18:37,975

even

:

00:18:37,975 --> 00:18:38,095

though I

:

00:18:38,095 --> 00:18:38,395

wasn't there,

:

00:18:38,545 --> 00:18:38,965

without a

:

00:18:38,965 --> 00:18:39,285

doubt,

:

00:18:39,285 --> 00:18:39,785

'cause I've written a

:

00:18:39,795 --> 00:18:40,395

lot about the

:

00:18:40,395 --> 00:18:41,215

demise of English

:

00:18:41,245 --> 00:18:41,535

lit.

:

00:18:42,035 --> 00:18:42,185

But

:

00:18:42,185 --> 00:18:42,365

then

:

00:18:42,365 --> 00:18:42,715

I w- I,

:

00:18:42,715 --> 00:18:43,035

really

:

00:18:43,035 --> 00:18:43,235

loved

:

00:18:43,255 --> 00:18:43,355

the

:

00:18:43,355 --> 00:18:45,425

piece and I can't, I've

forgotten her name, the

:

00:18:45,435 --> 00:18:45,645

head

:

00:18:45,645 --> 00:18:45,805

of

:

00:18:45,815 --> 00:18:46,295

futures or

:

00:18:46,295 --> 00:18:46,745

AI or

:

00:18:46,745 --> 00:18:47,675

whatever at

:

00:18:47,675 --> 00:18:47,685

Downe.

:

00:18:47,685 --> 00:18:47,765

She

:

00:18:47,765 --> 00:18:47,925

was

:

00:18:47,925 --> 00:18:48,405

brilliant.

:

00:18:48,745 --> 00:18:48,925

Just

:

00:18:48,925 --> 00:18:49,115

with a

:

00:18:49,125 --> 00:18:49,845

really

:

00:18:49,895 --> 00:18:51,135

practical

:

00:18:51,325 --> 00:18:51,655

what

:

00:18:51,655 --> 00:18:52,315

teachers can

:

00:18:52,335 --> 00:18:52,905

do

:

00:18:53,285 --> 00:18:53,415

to

:

00:18:53,415 --> 00:18:53,715

help

:

00:18:53,755 --> 00:18:54,455

AI help

:

00:18:54,465 --> 00:18:54,715

them in

:

00:18:54,715 --> 00:18:55,255

the classroom.

:

00:18:55,255 --> 00:18:55,675

It was just

:

00:18:55,675 --> 00:18:56,365

a really great

:

00:18:56,385 --> 00:18:56,955

how-to

:

00:18:56,955 --> 00:18:57,495

session.

:

00:18:57,915 --> 00:18:58,435

So

:

00:18:58,475 --> 00:18:59,055

you know, I would

:

00:18:59,085 --> 00:18:59,245

I would,

:

00:18:59,285 --> 00:18:59,525

have the

:

00:18:59,525 --> 00:19:00,305

mixture, mixture

:

00:19:00,305 --> 00:19:01,165

of practical

:

00:19:01,445 --> 00:19:01,825

and sort

:

00:19:01,825 --> 00:19:02,775

of inspirational,

:

00:19:02,805 --> 00:19:03,165

and then

:

00:19:03,185 --> 00:19:03,395

a bit

:

00:19:03,395 --> 00:19:03,625

of

:

00:19:03,785 --> 00:19:04,525

stardust with

:

00:19:04,525 --> 00:19:05,045

Miranda.

:

00:19:05,444 --> 00:19:05,584

SJ: Very

:

00:19:05,584 --> 00:19:05,794

good.

:

00:19:05,814 --> 00:19:06,024

Very,

:

00:19:06,024 --> 00:19:06,194

very

:

00:19:06,194 --> 00:19:06,414

good.

:

00:19:06,554 --> 00:19:07,504

Matt, who was that person

:

00:19:07,504 --> 00:19:07,604

that

:

00:19:07,604 --> 00:19:07,874

delivered

:

00:19:07,874 --> 00:19:08,014

that

:

00:19:08,139 --> 00:19:09,459

M: Oh, that's Jane Basnett.

:

00:19:09,469 --> 00:19:14,149

She's a modern languages teacher here, but

she has carved a, a great avenue of her…

:

00:19:14,309 --> 00:19:17,729

She, she, she's also our digital

d- director of digital learning.

:

00:19:18,209 --> 00:19:22,849

And yeah, she really wanted to portray

a positive approach to AI, and she

:

00:19:22,849 --> 00:19:24,349

was one of our most popular speakers.

:

00:19:24,349 --> 00:19:25,419

Everyone wanted to hear her.

:

00:19:25,799 --> 00:19:27,159

She's spoken at this event before.

:

00:19:27,379 --> 00:19:30,745

I, I just wanted to reflect on one

takeaway from Miranda's speech.

:

00:19:30,745 --> 00:19:32,839

I would just agree with Amanda.

:

00:19:32,839 --> 00:19:34,409

I, I think everyone so enjoyed it.

:

00:19:34,409 --> 00:19:38,989

It was, it was of course extremely

funny, but it was also very insightful.

:

00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:44,227

And one thing I probably just

took away from it- Is she, she was

:

00:19:44,237 --> 00:19:48,027

focusing on the, the process of

education rather than the outcomes.

:

00:19:48,517 --> 00:19:52,307

So even though schools tend to follow

a sort of line of, you know, what are

:

00:19:52,307 --> 00:19:54,937

the academic results like and what sort

of person you're gonna be at the end

:

00:19:54,937 --> 00:19:59,247

of the process her focus on her own

personal reflections, particularly at

:

00:19:59,287 --> 00:20:04,757

Downe House, were the great joy and the

pleasure that she had had from those

:

00:20:04,997 --> 00:20:09,607

moments during education that didn't have

any particular tangible outcomes, but

:

00:20:09,607 --> 00:20:15,067

might have been just playing lacrosse in

a particular way or, or running across.

:

00:20:15,717 --> 00:20:19,237

Amusingly talked about the-- when

she arrived here, the smell of the

:

00:20:19,237 --> 00:20:20,807

pine trees, she really remembered.

:

00:20:21,117 --> 00:20:24,147

The, the fact that she used

to run barefoot on the grass

:

00:20:24,157 --> 00:20:28,107

sometimes, that was a sort of very

you know, clear memory she had.

:

00:20:28,137 --> 00:20:30,267

I mean, that's a peculiar

one to throw out there.

:

00:20:30,267 --> 00:20:35,597

But the point is, so much of her

benefit from coming to Downe House was

:

00:20:35,597 --> 00:20:39,367

experiential and, you know, the, the

sort of mood and the atmosphere of the

:

00:20:39,367 --> 00:20:39,757

place,

:

00:20:39,767 --> 00:20:39,797

and

:

00:20:39,807 --> 00:20:40,477

the memories she

:

00:20:40,477 --> 00:20:40,817

takes

:

00:20:40,817 --> 00:20:41,187

on.

:

00:20:41,787 --> 00:20:42,367

She was very

:

00:20:42,367 --> 00:20:42,787

candid.

:

00:20:42,787 --> 00:20:42,977

She

:

00:20:42,987 --> 00:20:43,217

said

:

00:20:43,217 --> 00:20:43,567

even though

:

00:20:43,567 --> 00:20:44,127

she's had a

:

00:20:44,457 --> 00:20:45,637

incredibly successful

:

00:20:45,647 --> 00:20:45,957

career

:

00:20:45,957 --> 00:20:46,047

as

:

00:20:46,047 --> 00:20:46,647

an actor,

:

00:20:47,017 --> 00:20:47,257

she

:

00:20:47,257 --> 00:20:47,727

never

:

00:20:48,097 --> 00:20:48,297

was

:

00:20:48,297 --> 00:20:48,867

successful

:

00:20:48,867 --> 00:20:49,227

acting at

:

00:20:49,227 --> 00:20:49,927

Downe House.

:

00:20:50,077 --> 00:20:50,257

She

:

00:20:50,257 --> 00:20:50,417

had a

:

00:20:50,417 --> 00:20:50,647

go,

:

00:20:50,697 --> 00:20:50,897

but she

:

00:20:50,897 --> 00:20:51,197

was given

:

00:20:51,207 --> 00:20:51,937

the bit parts,

:

00:20:52,237 --> 00:20:52,917

She wasn't

:

00:20:52,917 --> 00:20:53,247

particularly

:

00:20:53,247 --> 00:20:53,967

academic.

:

00:20:54,217 --> 00:20:54,887

She dropped her

:

00:20:54,887 --> 00:20:55,197

third

:

00:20:55,197 --> 00:20:56,907

A level because she didn't

:

00:20:56,907 --> 00:20:57,117

like

:

00:20:57,117 --> 00:20:57,197

it

:

00:20:57,197 --> 00:20:57,857

very much.

:

00:20:58,097 --> 00:20:58,267

So

:

00:20:58,267 --> 00:20:58,427

she

:

00:20:58,437 --> 00:20:59,087

didn't, she

:

00:20:59,087 --> 00:20:59,337

didn't

:

00:20:59,347 --> 00:21:00,117

think of herself as

:

00:21:00,117 --> 00:21:00,977

very academic or

:

00:21:00,977 --> 00:21:01,207

even a

:

00:21:01,207 --> 00:21:01,487

very

:

00:21:01,487 --> 00:21:01,827

great

:

00:21:01,837 --> 00:21:02,577

contributor.

:

00:21:03,067 --> 00:21:03,567

But

:

00:21:03,637 --> 00:21:04,287

of course,

:

00:21:04,767 --> 00:21:05,297

she felt

:

00:21:05,297 --> 00:21:05,457

in her

:

00:21:05,457 --> 00:21:05,917

heart

:

00:21:05,937 --> 00:21:06,367

that she'd

:

00:21:06,367 --> 00:21:07,097

had the

:

00:21:07,097 --> 00:21:07,647

most wonderful

:

00:21:07,647 --> 00:21:08,267

experience.

:

00:21:08,277 --> 00:21:08,517

So

:

00:21:08,797 --> 00:21:09,177

it, it's

:

00:21:09,177 --> 00:21:09,617

just that

:

00:21:09,767 --> 00:21:10,357

interesting

:

00:21:10,357 --> 00:21:10,667

focus

:

00:21:10,667 --> 00:21:11,037

away

:

00:21:11,037 --> 00:21:12,597

from the outcomes and much more on

:

00:21:12,597 --> 00:21:12,687

the

:

00:21:12,687 --> 00:21:13,397

process and the

:

00:21:13,397 --> 00:21:14,407

experience of being

:

00:21:14,417 --> 00:21:14,497

at

:

00:21:14,497 --> 00:21:14,867

school.

:

00:21:14,933 --> 00:21:15,083

SJ: Well,

:

00:21:15,083 --> 00:21:15,783

it's great to hear

:

00:21:15,783 --> 00:21:16,723

her story and great to have

:

00:21:16,743 --> 00:21:16,903

her

:

00:21:17,153 --> 00:21:17,863

back in school

:

00:21:17,863 --> 00:21:18,113

again.

:

00:21:18,213 --> 00:21:18,383

I'm

:

00:21:18,383 --> 00:21:18,813

keeping an eye

:

00:21:18,813 --> 00:21:19,513

on time, all

:

00:21:19,523 --> 00:21:19,623

of

:

00:21:19,623 --> 00:21:20,153

you, because

:

00:21:20,343 --> 00:21:20,793

shortly we'll

:

00:21:20,793 --> 00:21:20,913

need

:

00:21:20,913 --> 00:21:20,933

to

:

00:21:20,963 --> 00:21:21,113

bring

:

00:21:21,113 --> 00:21:21,233

this

:

00:21:21,243 --> 00:21:21,743

to a close.

:

00:21:21,743 --> 00:21:22,093

But before

:

00:21:22,093 --> 00:21:22,213

we

:

00:21:22,213 --> 00:21:22,493

do,

:

00:21:22,753 --> 00:21:23,353

uh, Walter,

:

00:21:23,353 --> 00:21:23,443

I'm

:

00:21:23,443 --> 00:21:23,953

going to ask you,

:

00:21:23,953 --> 00:21:24,423

first of

:

00:21:24,423 --> 00:21:25,223

all I'm gonna ask

:

00:21:25,223 --> 00:21:25,423

you to

:

00:21:25,423 --> 00:21:26,013

finish this

:

00:21:26,023 --> 00:21:26,433

sentence.

:

00:21:26,433 --> 00:21:27,063

Actually repeat

:

00:21:27,063 --> 00:21:27,213

and

:

00:21:27,213 --> 00:21:27,803

finish: The

:

00:21:27,803 --> 00:21:28,313

future of

:

00:21:28,313 --> 00:21:29,153

education is

:

00:21:29,153 --> 00:21:29,563

bright

:

00:21:29,613 --> 00:21:30,373

because…

:

00:21:30,383 --> 00:21:30,433

Just

:

00:21:30,633 --> 00:21:30,893

have a

:

00:21:30,893 --> 00:21:31,143

quick

:

00:21:31,143 --> 00:21:31,573

think.

:

00:21:31,913 --> 00:21:32,033

The

:

00:21:32,033 --> 00:21:32,453

future of

:

00:21:32,453 --> 00:21:33,413

education is bright

:

00:21:33,413 --> 00:21:33,873

Because,

:

00:21:33,873 --> 00:21:34,203

What would you

:

00:21:34,203 --> 00:21:34,523

say?

:

00:21:35,043 --> 00:21:40,373

W: Because there is a teaching

body that is so, engaged in the

:

00:21:40,503 --> 00:21:42,053

future success of their children.

:

00:21:42,353 --> 00:21:44,993

Teaching is still an amazing profession.

:

00:21:45,073 --> 00:21:49,113

It's a sought-after profession, and I

think it is, as Amanda said, all about

:

00:21:49,123 --> 00:21:50,803

fantastic leadership and role models.

:

00:21:50,813 --> 00:21:53,352

So that's why, that's

why I'm excited about it.

:

00:21:53,789 --> 00:21:53,919

SJ: Very

:

00:21:53,919 --> 00:21:54,169

good.

:

00:21:54,219 --> 00:21:54,579

Walter,

:

00:21:54,579 --> 00:21:54,889

It's great

:

00:21:54,889 --> 00:21:55,129

to hear

:

00:21:55,129 --> 00:21:55,329

that.

:

00:21:55,339 --> 00:21:55,829

It really is.

:

00:21:55,879 --> 00:21:56,349

Amanda, if

:

00:21:56,349 --> 00:21:58,609

I asked you the same thing, the

future of education is bright

:

00:21:58,609 --> 00:21:59,229

because?

:

00:21:59,365 --> 00:21:59,735

A: Because

:

00:21:59,735 --> 00:22:01,275

I find, actually, I find…

:

00:22:01,305 --> 00:22:04,725

I have three children who are all

Gen Z, and I find them and their

:

00:22:04,735 --> 00:22:11,635

peers just so utterly engaged and

energized and really committed to

:

00:22:11,635 --> 00:22:13,055

making good change in the world.

:

00:22:13,178 --> 00:22:13,498

SJ: And

:

00:22:13,528 --> 00:22:13,788

Matt,

:

00:22:13,808 --> 00:22:14,398

if I ask you to

:

00:22:14,398 --> 00:22:14,588

do the

:

00:22:14,588 --> 00:22:14,768

same

:

00:22:14,768 --> 00:22:15,038

thing,

:

00:22:15,088 --> 00:22:15,638

uh, repeat

:

00:22:15,688 --> 00:22:16,668

and, and finish,

:

00:22:16,718 --> 00:22:17,208

The future of

:

00:22:17,208 --> 00:22:17,698

education

:

00:22:17,698 --> 00:22:17,828

is

:

00:22:17,828 --> 00:22:18,118

bright

:

00:22:18,118 --> 00:22:18,718

because

:

00:22:18,739 --> 00:22:19,059

M: because

:

00:22:19,059 --> 00:22:23,099

young people at their heart, they

want to learn and they want to engage,

:

00:22:23,109 --> 00:22:24,889

and they want to experience things.

:

00:22:24,999 --> 00:22:28,119

And you know, we're very privileged to

be in a position to help them do that.

:

00:22:28,813 --> 00:22:29,213

SJ: Well, it's very

:

00:22:29,213 --> 00:22:29,343

good

:

00:22:29,343 --> 00:22:29,433

to

:

00:22:29,433 --> 00:22:29,563

hear

:

00:22:29,563 --> 00:22:29,783

that,

:

00:22:29,833 --> 00:22:30,203

Matt.

:

00:22:30,283 --> 00:22:30,753

And it's great

:

00:22:30,753 --> 00:22:30,953

to hear

:

00:22:30,953 --> 00:22:31,383

from all

:

00:22:31,393 --> 00:22:31,623

of you.

:

00:22:31,623 --> 00:22:31,773

So

:

00:22:31,783 --> 00:22:32,263

Amanda,

:

00:22:32,293 --> 00:22:32,643

and Walter

:

00:22:32,683 --> 00:22:33,393

and Matt, thank

:

00:22:33,393 --> 00:22:33,843

you all for being

:

00:22:33,843 --> 00:22:34,023

here

:

00:22:34,023 --> 00:22:34,123

on

:

00:22:34,123 --> 00:22:34,203

the

:

00:22:34,203 --> 00:22:34,663

podcast.

:

00:22:34,663 --> 00:22:34,683

We

:

00:22:34,693 --> 00:22:35,443

really appreciate

:

00:22:35,663 --> 00:22:35,853

your

:

00:22:35,883 --> 00:22:36,133

time

:

00:22:36,133 --> 00:22:36,493

being here

:

00:22:36,493 --> 00:22:36,733

today.

:

00:22:36,763 --> 00:22:36,963

Thank you

:

00:22:37,816 --> 00:22:38,406

A: Thank you.

:

00:22:38,508 --> 00:22:38,688

W: Thank you.

:

00:22:38,868 --> 00:22:39,168

very much.

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About the Podcast

The Downe House Podcast
The podcast where we discover more about Downe House School. Whether you're new to our community or an old friend we'll be delving deeper, sharing stories and finding out what it really means to be a pupil at Downe House. There is no typical Downe House girl but there are seven key characteristics which girls develop through all aspects of school life which we call our Downe House DNA. If you have any questions please do contact the school through the main website.