Jean Rhys, the author of my latest read, ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ is celebrated by a blue plaque just round the corner on Paultons Square and the 180 blue plaques in Chelsea have become a topic of great interest to the children as they grapple with our latest initiative to rebrand the House system. The blue plaque tradition, one of the oldest schemes of its kind in the world, has changed ownership many times over the years, with the responsibility for its longevity passed from the Royal Society of Arts to the London County Council to the Greater London Council and then to English Heritage, which has held this prestigious position since 1986.
The children have researched, debated, presented their favourite blue plaques and voted for who they believe should be the three people to represent the school Houses going forward. It is an exciting development for the school that has purposefully involved the whole school community.
Responsibility is not only experienced through such projects, it begins with each child’s arrival at school with the new requirements to distance, wash hands and sanitise throughout the day. While novel at the start of term, the pupils have adjusted very well to such practices. They are demonstrating a commitment to personal responsibility which includes following guidance on how to remain safe and fostering the strength to make the right choice when faced with a challenge. The latter is a key life skill; they will be presented with many choices throughout their lives that will influence their wellbeing, achievements and success.
Having a sense of responsibility towards one another and learning starts early and is encouraged from Nursery where independent learners and thinkers are nurtured. As the children progress through the school, opportunities to develop leadership qualities are promoted through membership of the school’s Development Groups as well as sports, science, maths and general knowledge teams. A facet of this responsibility is taking on a specific role within the school in Year 8 by becoming an ambassador and working to promote a specific area of school development continued growth.
It would seem that the children need our perpetual steering to enable them to take responsibility for their belongings and it is encouraging to see the prep school pupils setting a good example and acting as role-models in their interactions with others.
These invaluable experiences are clearly a blue-print for child’s entire learning journey with the wisdom of responsibility at the centre of their development.