MUCH like the contestants settling into Mastermind’s famous black chair, Britain’s schools show off their skills in a wide spectrum of specialist subjects. Simon Head, Headmaster, explains Chafyn Grove’s areas of expertise…


What are the academic areas, sports or pastoral provisions which you feel set you apart from the crowd?

Chafyn Grove is one of the first schools to invest in the Prince William Award, run by former service personnel. It’s a structured course for children up to 14 years old, dedicated to developing inner strength.

All of our Year 7s have a two hour instructor-led session once a week. There are tasks and activities which challenge the children to exercise vital traits such as Resilience, Empathy and Self-control amongst many others. These ‘soft-skills’ have always been properly valued by the Forces and I’m delighted that there’s an ever growing emphasis on them in schools. I’m pleased to support this scheme, and help our pupils master these cardinal life skills.

Mastermind has a General round too! Here I proudly mention our Reading Passport scheme. An appetite for reading is one of the most powerful habits to encourage at a Prep school.

All of our children have Reading Passports, a booklet containing maps and routes across continents. You cross borders by reading books. Where you encounter a landmark like Kilimanjaro or the Golden Gate bridge, the English teacher recommends a book off the beaten track.

When you traverse a continent you get given a reading book in assembly and Reading colours are available for true Globetrotting pioneers. The response has been brilliant, and more children – of all levels – are reading more.


Find out more about Chafyn Grove at chafyngrove.co.uk

Related Posts