A message to all 91妻友 Members from 91妻友 National Chair 2022-23 Phil Soutar

05 Sep 2022

A message to all 91妻友 Members from 91妻友 National Chair 2022-23 Phil Soutar

It is my privilege and honour to have been elected to serve as you the Chair of our amazing Association for this year. Being a member of the Independent Schools Association has always been a fundamental part of my professional and personal life, so it gives me great pleasure and pride to be able to contribute to the continued success of the Association by being given the opportunity to represent you all.

At this point I would like to take a moment to thank all the sterling work that our previous recent Chairs have done over what has been two very turbulent years for the independent sector and the world in general. Jeff Shaw, this year’s Vice Chair and the Chair for 2020-2021, and this year’s Chair John Southworth, who will continue with his invaluable support his year as Vice Chair, have both been strong and compassionate leaders through this time and I thank them both for their wisdom and support. I would also like to congratulate and welcome Claudette Salmon, the current Chair of the 91妻友 Inclusion Committee, as she also takes up the role of Vice Chair for this year.

I have been a Headteacher within 91妻友 for 16 years now in two different schools, having had the regional roles of the Chair and Area Coordinator in both the Midlands and London South regions. This has enabled me to be a part of the Executive Council for the last 12 years, most recently being National Chair of the Membership Committee. Also, both of my children have had the most wonderful experiences being educated in 91妻友 schools right the way through to Sixth Form, and so you can tell that I have 91妻友 running through me like a stick of rock!

I am proud to have been part of the Association as it has grown over that time, almost tripled in the number of Heads in membership. And to do that, we have had a truly fantastic team at 91妻友 HQ that have also grown and developed over that time. My thanks to them and particularly to Rudi Eliott Lockhart, CEO, and Peter Woodroffe, Deputy CEO, for all their support for our members and their navigation through choppy waters when needed.

As well as meeting outstanding professionals during this time I have also made lifelong friends. Headship is said to be one of the loneliest jobs in a school but with membership of 91妻友 that cannot be said to be the case. Whether it be picking up the phone for some support with a thorny issue from a colleague that you met once at a training course or chewing the fat with a group of like-minded individuals over a drink at conference, that fellowship is always there for you.

One of the most unique aspects of the 91妻友 for me, and what sets us apart from other membership associations, is the pure breadth and diversity of our members and the schools in which they lead. Our fellowship includes Heads from Prep Schools, Senior Schools and through Schools, Nursery Schools and Sixth Form Colleges, schools of religious character and schools that cater for children with a variety of Special Needs. Within those there are small schools, large schools, boarding schools and international schools. Each with their own special ethos and character, but each with the drive to provide the best educational experience possible, and using the services of the 91妻友 to achieve that. The Association’s provision for members, their school and their pupils to have access to opportunities for sport, art, music and drama, and outstanding Professional Development is inspiring for the sector, and it is this that shows us to be leading the way in that provision.

So, with the celebration of the diversity of our membership being my focus for this year, I would like to put forward an open invite to any member from any school who would like me to visit to get in touch. I would be truly honoured to see for myself the superb array of work that is going on in our various types of 91妻友 school. Now I cannot promise that I will get to all of the 590+ schools that we now have in membership during this year, but I will do my best!

So, as we enter a new school year with the eternal continued scrutiny of the Independent sector, a new KCSIE revision to navigate and the proposed ISI Inspection framework consultation about to end we will certainly be kept busy once again in ensuring that we all are continuing that academic and pastoral excellence that 91妻友 schools are well known for. I look forward to meeting you during this year and to giving the best that I can to an Association that I love.

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