New Longridge Towers School headteacher will be 'relentlessly forward-looking'
A new headteacher has arrived in north Northumberland and set out how he wants his school to play a big part in students being ‘life-ready’ when they leave.
Jon Wilcox has welcomed children to Longridge Towers School near Berwick for the first time, having returned to the UK following most of a decade spent in New Zealand and Australian schools.
Originally from Cornwall and having taught as far north as Orkney, he takes over from Jonathan Lee – who retired in the summer following a decade in charge at Longridge.
Mr Wilcox was quick to praise the foundations in place at Longridge, but stated that he wants things to change and more people across the Borders and Northumberland to see Longridge as the solution for “distraction-free learning”.
“Taking on the leadership at Longridge is an incredible opportunity,” he said.
“My family and I have enjoyed settling into the area, and running the Dunbar parkrun up in East Lothian recently gave me that space to breathe, reflect and think deeply about why I’m here and what we need to build.
“I want to take the very best of global educational standards and weave them directly into the fabric of Longridge.
“So, if a parent sees their child struggling to concentrate, falling behind or feeling frustrated by continuous classroom noise and low-level disruptions, that is a clear signal something needs to change.
“When focus in the classroom is compromised, hard-working, ambitious pupils pay the price.
“At Longridge, I will be focusing heavily on creating protected, distraction-free learning environments. By combining clear, firm boundaries with our small class sizes, our teachers can dedicate 100 per cent of their energy to stretching and inspiring pupils rather than managing behaviour.
“Every child deserves the space to maintain deep concentration without interruption.”
Independent schools are experiencing a period of transition with UK Government changes to VAT and charitable benefits, and energy and maintenance costs rising in historic old buildings such as at Longridge.
However, Mr Wilcox says he sees real opportunity to do things differently and prepare children more effectively for a new world of work.
He said: “I believe that we are in a period of exciting transition. My goal isn’t to tear up what came before, we will honour and build upon strong foundations at Longridge, but my focus will be relentlessly forward-looking.
“The team here are focused on ensuring we deliver the right course for the right child at the exact right time. We are not interested in producing merely compliant students; we want to build ‘life-ready’ young people.
“Society and the workplace are changing at a staggering pace. We need to equip our pupils with the resilience, adaptability and critical thinking required to thrive anywhere in the world and, in short, make them truly awesome additions to their communities.”
He added: “I learned a lot of how we approach schooling in the UK compared to how they do in the southern hemisphere and there is a lot we can learn.
“It is about finding the right school for your children, rather than just following old trends.
“To anyone who harbours old critiques or had a disappointing experience of independent schools in the past, my absolute ambition is to disrupt those expectations.”