Ed Fielding has joined Surbiton High School as Deputy Head of Teaching and Learning at Surbiton High Boys’ Preparatory School.
What’s your background?
I am thrilled to be joining the community at Surbiton High School. After graduating with First-Class Honours in Primary Education, I had the privilege of teaching across various year groups and diverse communities in London.
In 2015, I embraced a new challenge by joining one of Asia’s leading independent schools in Hong Kong, where I served as Deputy Head and later as Head of Primary. During my tenure, our team achieved ‘Excellent’ gradings in all categories during an ISI inspection and received multiple ‘Commendations’ of excellence during our COBIS inspection for the quality of our educational provision.
I hold the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH), a key qualification for senior leaders within the UK educational context. Upon returning to the UK, I took on the role of Head of Prep at Fulham School, taking a key role in leading a new management team to enhance the school’s offerings, particularly for key 11+ and 13+ exit points and successfully led the school through a very positive ISI inspection. More recently, having settled in Surrey with my young family, this role at Surbiton High School is a fantastic opportunity to work in a highly regarded school in an area I love. I can’t wait to contribute to the continued success of Surbiton High School.
Why did you go into education?
My education journey began as a young tennis coach, where I discovered a passion for working with young people. I loved being instrumental in their progression, both in skill development and confidence. One of my key roles during this time was collaborating with schools across the Kingston Borough to enhance their sports programmes, working closely with staff and pupils within their school environments. This experience allowed me to witness firsthand the profound impact one can have during the formative years of a child’s education, inspiring me to pursue a career in teaching.
I am driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives and to contribute positively to society. Few roles are as impactful as helping young people realise their potential and become the best versions of themselves. Teaching is endlessly fascinating because every pupil, staff member, and family you work with is unique and constantly evolving.
Being part of a young person’s journey—helping them build self-confidence, instil strong values and morals, challenge their perceived limits, and facilitate those remarkable ‘lightbulb moments’—is truly a magical experience. It’s a privilege to play a role in shaping the future, and my passion for this work remains as strong today as ever.
What is your leadership style like?
I am a respectful, collaborative, and approachable leader who is committed to supporting everyone in the School community to achieve their best. I take great satisfaction in developing staff and facilitating their growth, and I believe that well-mentored, distributed leadership leads to the strongest outcomes in a high-performing school.
Managing a large organisation with diverse individuals involves navigating countless variables. Ultimately, our role is to ensure that our pupils reach their full potential, both in the context of the 11+ process and in achieving the broader holistic goals of our educational provision. As all effective leaders must, I adapt and flex my leadership style to suit the specific context and scenario, ensuring that we always remain focused on achieving our core objectives for the children in our School.
What made you interested in working at Surbiton High School?
Surbiton High is a truly special School. You can sense it the moment you walk through the door, and it’s immediately clear why it is regarded as one of the leading Schools in the country. The School is clearly filled with talented professionals who support a wonderful community of pupils and families. I was hugely impressed by everyone I met during the interview process, as well as by the pupils I interacted with during my lessons and panel interviews. The focus on outstanding teaching and learning, combined with a commitment to innovation, is closely aligned with my educational beliefs and where I feel I can make a significant contribution.
What are you most looking forward to?
The best part of my job, without a doubt, is working with pupils on rich and challenging activities in the classroom. I firmly believe that every pupil should be engaged in meaningful, varied, and stimulating experiences throughout every lesson, and I’m eager to get started with the boys at Surbiton.
I know how strong Tracey Chong, Head of Surbiton High Boy’s Prep and the wider staff team are, and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with them – combining my expertise with the outstanding practices already in place at the School. I’m also thoroughly excited to become an integral part of the Surbiton High community and to get to know the pupils and families who make this School so special. Please don’t hesitate to say hello when you see me around!
What are your thoughts on how AI will impact education in the future?
AI is a very hot topic across all sectors at the moment, and education is no exception. AI has already begun to impact education and will undoubtedly influence it in ways we have yet to imagine.
In the immediate future, adaptive systems, which are already being implemented in schools, will enhance the personalisation of learning provision. These systems will provide teachers, pupils, and parents with key data to pinpoint and support the next steps for each individual. From a curriculum content perspective, there will be an increased focus on digital literacy and teaching pupils the skills required to prompt and manipulate AI systems.
Examinations are also likely to increasingly utilise adaptive testing, which adjusts the difficulty of questions based on pupil responses. This means that pupils will need to become increasingly confident in navigating these types of assessments. The ISEB pretest, for example, in which many boys at Surbiton High will sit, is an example of an adaptive test. While we have yet to see these types of tests being used at formal examination points at ages 16 or 18, it is highly likely that by the time our children reach that stage, examinations will have changed dramatically.
As with all new developments in a school context, it’s essential not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” and to retain the outstanding elements of the current provision. It is vitally important to have absolute clarity about the intended learning outcomes in every lesson and to be clear about why any teaching method, tool, or technology, including AI, is employed to achieve those outcomes. Exciting times lie ahead with AI, but it is crucial that we proceed responsibly.
What are the educational challenges we are facing for young people today?
After a relatively static period in education, we are now facing a number of significant changes on the horizon, and navigating these changes will present unique challenges—and opportunities—for pupils in the coming years. With the new government and the announcement of their curriculum and assessment review, we can certainly expect a new national curriculum and altered expectations for pupils across the country.
As an independent school, we retain a significant degree of autonomy in how and what we implement, and while we are yet to see how these changes will materialise, it remains crucial that we ensure our pupils stay at the forefront of national standards. This comes at a time when some leading independent schools have either broken away completely from GCSEs or are considering doing so, meaning the curriculum landscape could shift considerably in the near future.
The technological landscape is evolving at an ever-increasing pace, which will present another set of challenges and opportunities for pupils. The rise of social media and technological connectivity means that we must now support children more than ever in terms of their well-being and mental health, while also equipping them with the tools and knowledge to use these technologies effectively, responsibly, and ethically.
What are your hobbies and pastimes?
As a father of three young children, my life is wonderfully lively, busy and full! When I get the chance, I enjoy playing any sport involving a racket, with padel being a particular favourite at the moment.
I work hard to keep fit by running, cycling, or going to the gym when I can and I enjoy modelling this around my children (junior park run is our current family challenge). I especially love travel and enjoy exposing the children to new places, food and experiences and seeing the world through their eyes!
Please join us in welcoming Mr Fielding to Surbiton High School.
Categories: Boys' Prep Boys' Prep School Staff Information