NEWSLETTER – 23 January 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,

For years the terrace in front of Browhead has been a tranquil space of hallowed turf. Now, since we have come together as an all-through school on one site, it has become a place for children. In the summer months it is frequently filled with laughter so it was both a surprise and delight a few days ago to see pupils using it in the midst of Winter. They were building tents in preparation for the upcoming Duke of Edinburgh bronze expedition.

This happens every March and many staff go out in support to help with the supervision over the weekend. Mr Reedy leads the event but it is very much up to the pupils to find their way. The staff are there in case help is needed but this is about building real world, practical skills.

A very well-intentioned gentleman called Stephen Wells from Todmorden wrote to me this week, believing we were Windermere Grammar School. He had found a 1904, leather bound, gold stamped edition of Tom Brown’s School Days which had belonged to the school. He wanted us to have it. This particular copy was presented as the Form III English prize in 1907.

I have never read the book but out of curiosity started to read the preface. It was quite a shock. It contains a letter from a reader concerned about bullying in English schools. It was terrible and I am glad to say that era is firmly in the past. However, what took me by surprise were his solutions to the problem. We would recognise nearly all of them as modern day strategies.

He also spoke of an approach which I think encapsulates our Round Square ethos. I quote: “A groom who tried to cure a shying horse by roughness and violence would be discharged as a brute and a fool… But the person who thinks a child of delicate and nervous organisation can be made bold by bullying is no better.

He (the child) can be made bold by healthy exercise and games and sport; but that is quite a different thing. And even those games and sports should bear some proportion to his strength and capacities.”

Understanding each child’s character well and giving them outdoor experiences which stretch them but are still within their capabilities, builds their confidence. 125 years apart, I think we believe in the same values. When a good idea in education lasts that long, it is a tradition worth defending.

Kind regards,

Frank Thompson

Head of Windermere School