Editor’s Letter

In August the papers were full of smiling pupils clutching their exam results. Now we’re in September, when children and teenagers across the country are taking the next steps in their academic lives, be that starting school, switching to a new one, or moving on to university or college. Navigating today’s education system can be mind-bogglingly complex for parents, so I hope this magazine will help to stimulate debate and shed light on new developments. For this issue we have given Spectator Schools a light facelift, introducing some new columns. In Talking Heads we meet Keith Budge, headmaster of Bedales. And in My School Trip Katy Balls tells of her drama-filled outing to Peru. Brexit has, of course, been the talking point of the year, and on Ross Clark examines what it could mean for education, while Rhiannon Williams explores why, and how, British schoolchildren stopped learning foreign languages. Delving deeply into what makes schools tick, on Laura Freeman examines what makes the perfect art room (hint: it’s not just swanky facilities), and Mark Palmer looks at how pastoral care has developed over the years.