Chris Skelton

I began my career working in two London state primary schools which provided me with an ideal foundation in teaching across a breadth of subjects and an opportunity to begin to develop my own educational viewpoints and values. Much is written about standards in state schools, but I have benefited through first-hand experience some of the cutting-edge practice that goes on, much of which I have embedded in my current and previous roles. Ensuring that Newland House offers a modern educational experience for all of our pupils, based on up-to-date educational research, will be right at the top of my list of priorities.

I am currently the Academic Deputy Head at Newton Prep but previously worked as the Deputy Head at Dulwich College Junior School with overall pastoral responsibility. It was here that I really understood how important providing the right pastoral care in a school is. Newland House has an excellent reputation in this regard and I am a firm believer that if you create an environment where children feel happy and secure, they will thrive in every aspect of their school life.

Newton Prep is similar to Newland House both in terms of the age range of the children and also in a shared commitment to developing the whole child and maintaining a balanced curriculum, despite the pressures that come from the senior school transfer process. My educational philosophy in many ways is a simple one. It is about ensuring that the core business of a school, in providing excellent teaching and maximising the learning opportunities that children have, ensures that they all at least reach, and many exceed their potential, and that this is at the heart of all that is done. This is something that you will hear me speak about on many occasions in the future and I do not apologise for keeping this at the very centre of everything that I will strive for when in post next year. In order to fulfil this, children's personal development will continue to be prioritised. In today's world which continues to change at an ever-increasing pace, we need our young people to be adaptable, to be able to collaborate effectively, to think critically and most of all to be resilient. This will continue to be a feature of what we offer at Newland House.

Chris Skelton