Head of St Pauls Girl’s School

[jeanne16]

Anyone else find the article about the forthcoming book by Clarissa Farr about her time as Head of SPGS extraordinary. She complains that parents are too pushy and that independent schools are too focused on getting the top academic results.

Since that is an exact description of St Paul’s itself, it seems odd to complain about it.

Yes, I will probably buy the book.

Kind of sad how that school has changed.

Did you go there, Wayland? Do you have any children there now? In which ways do you think the school has changed? I'm curious as a former Paulina with a child there now (I haven't noticed much change in some areas and a lot in others - the vast majority of the change I've seen has been positive eg pastoral care).

Glaciferous To answer your questions:

Did you go there, Wayland?

No, I did not.

Do you have any children there now?

No, I do not.

In which ways do you think the school has changed?

Like with most private schools, the fees have increased to the point where only the very rich can afford them. This means the talent pool from which the school can select has declined, and so they don't only get the best and brightest the way they used to. While the school will still make some effort to admit some students on bursaries, someone must pay for them. And so they will be admitting many girls who can pay the full fees (now £26,000 a year) even if they are not of the highest academic ability. And so the range of abilities they will have to cater to will have increased. It will be more difficult for them to tailor their academic regime to only the ablest.

Ultimately a school cannot simultaneously cater to the richest and the brightest. This, in my opinion, is why we need to reintroduce proper state-funded grammar schools that could cater to the brightest without having to worry about whether or not they could pay the fees.

I'm curious as a former Paulina.

No jealousy at all here. SPGS was very close to the school I attended. I knew some girls who were there. They all studied hard and earned their success. That being said, it was a very good exemplary school nonetheless. It enjoyed some very effective highmistresses in the past, such as Heather Bridgstoke, Janet Gough, and Elizabeth Diggory. But it takes just a decade or so of mediocre leadership for a school to slip in quality and focus.

with a child there now

Hope she's doing okay and that she graduates with top marks, considering the fees they charge.

(I haven't noticed much change in some areas and a lot in others - the vast majority of the change I've seen has been positive eg pastoral care).

Changes to any school can be subtle and gradual and can take place over a considerable time period. You generally won't notice a steady change in teaching practices, behavioural standards, or academic rigour if you only see things from one day to the next. But judging from what various people have told me, things have changed at St Paul's, mostly as a result of a steady shift in the nature of their student intake.

I think I'll just wait for Patrick Dereham's which may actually be worth reading.

So long as the Communist Party doesn't censor it

When SPGS gets the best academic exam results every year, it's quite hard to argue it isn't a bit pushy and focused on academic results, tbh. It's also impossible to argue that its academic results won't be a huge draw to pushy parents obsessed with academic achievement, the result inevitably being that there will be more pushy parents at the schools obtaining the best results than there are elsewhere.

There is plenty of evidence on Mumsnet of people arguing that if someone has a child who is not coping with the pressure in schools like this, and who is unhappy with the school's reaction to their child's stress response, that they are simply the wrong sort of person for that school and it is not the school's fault their child lacks robustness. Tbh, this indicates to me that pushy people are maybe not always very good at identifying their own characteristics or the characteristics of their chosen schools. But hey - you're not obliged to send your children there, so that's OK.

Oh, so @Wayland is just basing his or her opinions on walking past quite frequently. And scattergunning opinions not backed up by any actual facts about SPS and SPGS on other threads too. Luckily, as I have past and current experience of the school, I can make up my own mind and disagree pretty strongly with pretty much everything Wayland has said. I do think these types of post, free of any kind of facts or evidence, are enormously unhelpful to everyone not least those who make them who just end up sounding strange.

Also, "No jealousy at all here." is just seriously odd.

I can’t help feel its a bit disingenuous, a ploy to sell books. She could have changed the culture if she wanted to. Sure there are pushy parents but its a bit much for her to be complaining about pressure.

It is people like Wayland that perpetuate a lot of ill feeling and misconceptions about Spgs with myopic viewpoints and no first hand experience. After we accepted the place for Dd we were terrified we had made the wrong decision based on all the negative remarks we received, largely from people with no girls at the school. The reality is nothing like it reads on these forums.

I agree with the other parents here; there is another indie school that is praised to high heaven on MN but I know several parents and they have many and wide-ranging complaints! But it’s always open season on SPGS - and Paulinas - (and rarely are those criticising, actually school parents themselves).

Hope she's doing okay and that she graduates with top marks, considering the fees they charge.

Also, just one more thing.

I didn't send my daughter to St Paul's because I wanted her to get top marks - because I honestly believe that wherever she had gone to school she would have done well and achieved what she needed to achieve to get on and begin whatever she wants to do next. That is the kind of person she is. I wish I had half her drive and ability to get things done!

I sent her there because I thought she would really really enjoy it. And so far, that is working out extremely well.

No idea who all these Paulinas are who are so keen to tell everyone where they went to school.

I know more than a few Paulinas amongst my DCs' classmates' mothers. The speed and alacrity with which they drop the name appears to be inversely correlated with what they have achieved since they left high school.

That is quite funny. Although I might buck the trend, since I don't tell real life people where I went to school unless they ask (and which loon would ask a nearly fifty year old what school they went to) and also am not particularly high-flying!

I often found out from the quiet ones while discussing prospective senior schools. For every Old Paulina who really wants their DD to go to SPGS, I know another who really doesn't. They nearly all think it's a great school, but they don't all think it's right for their DDs. I've observed the same with many schools, e.g., Old North Londoners.

For every Old Paulina who really wants their DD to go to SPGS, I know another who really doesn't. They nearly all think it's a great school, but they don't all think it's right for their DDs.

Completely agree with this. And that's as it should be, for any school. There does not exist a school that is a great fit for every single child.

The previous Head of my DSs' Prep was a pupil at SPGS. This was the very first thing that she told us in her introductory speech at Speech Day at the end of the school year before she joined as Head.

It is indeed true that there is not a school that is a great fit for all and any children. However, make the personality and ability type in a school extremely narrow and I think you begin to miss out on the valuable life experience of dealing with other types of people and personality - without even realising it, because that is your norm and you are, obviously, happy with it.

Sorry walkaround I haven’t read back to see if you have a Dd at Spgs, but the one thing you are mistaken in saying is that the school attracts a very narrow personality type. Have been there 6 years & the one thing that is quite remarkable is the very different personalities.

Having girls that can work at accelerated levels opens the way for learning beyond the curriculum and creates a really stimulating classroom environment.

No, Girlgone, I don't have children at the school. As I work in a school, I'm just interested in how schools gain particular reputations! I know that the sort of intense experience provided by a school like SPGS must create feelings of great loyalty and affection in those who enjoy their time there. I also know that some negative comment will be unfair. It is working out to what extent a reputation might be deserved that is interesting.

It is hard to believe that there is not a big emphasis put on results at the school given the results it gets, though - it's all getting a bit mythical to argue the school is so much better in every way than any other school that it achieves its results without applying a lot of pressure itself on its students to achieve exam success. If nothing else, if you inspire that much loyalty and devotion in your student and parent body that they react defensively to, and take quite personally, any criticism of the school, you are creating a situation where they will put huge amounts of pressure on themselves to demonstrate they are worthy members of the community they so revere, and they will not find it easy to admit if it is not always positive for their mental health to do so.

I know from my own school experience just how easy it is to assume everything is as positive for others as it is for you. Many years since leaving my school, I am surprised by the number of people who tell me they were not particularly happy there and/or who found it unsupportive - I certainly didn't feel that myself and didn't notice it in them at the time as quite a number of them were very involved in a lot of school activities and seemed to be thriving. When there is a weight of expectation on you to be making the most of opportunities, to be seen to be resilient and to be achieving great results, it is not always easy to be honest about your real internal dialogue. So, whilst I am sure SPGS is a fantastic place for some, I still reserve judgement on where the balance lies between its detractors and supporters. I do know, like any school, it is not and can never be perfect, and that to refute all criticism can look like protesting too much.

Just returning to the original point of this thread that I started: I find it strange and slightly sad that it is Mrs Farr herself who is criticising and slightly mocking the parents and pupils of the school which she ran for so long. Surely she should have done something to change the ethos of the school while she was there, if indeed she had a problem with it.

However as others have said, she is trying to sell a book and these sorts of anecdotes are far more entertaining.

Jeanne16 we are jumping to conclusions that it is purely aimed at Spgs parents, which would be surprising as I don’t believe she would want to be viewed negatively. My guess it will be very generic ... and boring!

they react defensively to, and take quite personally, any criticism of the school

It's not 'any criticism'. I have my own criticisms of my time there tbh, though it was a positive experience overall. It's a constant unrelenting barrage of sneering and nastiness. I expect it is not that noticeable if you happen not to be on the receiving end. Other schools and their pupils/alumni don't seem to attract the same kind of thing. I wouldn't be surprised if the loyalty and affection might well be partly created by having this common experience of the sneering etc!

Also, re only mixing with a narrow range of people, I would hope that all Paulinas have plenty of contact with a wide range of people outside school, although it's probably true that many don't. I can confidently say that my daughter does as that happens to be important to me. She has also taken part in quite a lot of outreach stuff at school with local state schools and enjoyed it (and made friends).

It is hard to believe that there is not a big emphasis put on results at the school given the results it gets

I appreciate it is hard to believe, but in my experience it is true (DD has yet to hit the exam years so ask again in a few years). There is a big emphasis on doing your personal best as there was some time ago but comparing yourself to others is not emphasised at all.

@glaciferous I agree it will be boring and generic. Spot on. Plus a pinch of Henry James and good vocabulary so at least you will learn something (I mean, you will get the chance expand your vocabulary). Obviously any promised or anticipated gossip will try to expand the audience into the plebe and the curious like us (although I will definitely buy second hand and not in a hurry to read the book). But as you imply, chances are this book will come and go very quickly.
I am secretly glad she will finally get some feedback from the audience that she cannot "control".
Be careful what you wish for!

Sorry that was for @girlgone!

No worries! I agree that it will probably be quite boring.