The Surbiton High School podcast is a series that gives you an inside look at the School, staff and pupils who make Surbiton High School one of the most successful and enduring independent schools in the country. Episodes follow the Senior School and the Girls’ and Boys’ Preparatory Schools with the aim to share what life at Surbiton High School is really like, focusing on breadth of curriculum, sports, arts and the traditions of the School that make it what it is.
Episode Descriptions
- Episode 1 – ‘Off to a Flying Start’ – with Principal Rebecca Glover (Senior School)
Starting a new year is an opportunity for a fresh start and to turn over a new leaf. In this episode, Principal Rebecca Glover gives her insight into the best way to start a new school year, whether you’re in Year 7 or Year 13, and shares her thoughts about the year ahead (2022-23).
- Episode 2 – ‘Putting the Right Foot Forwards’ – with Tracey Chong & Louise McCabe-Arnold
Starting a new year in primary school is a big thing. Starting a new chapter of your life in Reception is even bigger. In this episode, Louise and Tracey (the Heads of Surbiton High Girls’ and Boys’ Preparatory Schools, respectively) share their thoughts on the best ways to prepare children for a new year at school, or for their first year of school entirely.
- Episode 3 – ‘Talking about bereavement with children’– with Tracey Chong & Louise McCabe-Arnold
Bereavement can be one of the most difficult topics to cover with your child. Following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, your children may be filled with questions about death. In this episode, Louise and Tracey (the Heads of Surbiton Girls’ Prep and Boys’ Prep, respectively) draw on their combined experience of talking to pupils, parents and colleagues about death, and share their thoughts on the best approach with young children.
- Episode 4 – ‘Taking education beyond the curriculum The Co-Curricular Fair
An education that is narrow provides limited opportunities. At Surbiton High, we believe that a broad education provides the full spectrum of opportunities. That is why we run over 150 clubs (co-curricular societies) at lunchtimes and after school, with everything from ‘Intro to Archaeology’ and ‘Beginners Italian’ to the full range of sports: hockey, football, netball, etc. In this episode we take you to the Co-Curricular Fair where you can hear for yourself the clamour and drama of several hundred students joining the clubs that will define their time at SHS.
- Episode 5 – ‘The value of picture books’ – with Tracey Chong & Louise McCabe-Arnold.
From Eric Carle’s ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to Julia Donaldson’s ‘Room on the Broom’, picture books are one of the most formative and magical experiences in a child’s educational development. In this episode, Louise and Tracey (the Heads of Surbiton Girls’ Prep and Boys’ Prep, respectively) share their love of picture books and their thoughts on it’s importance as a cornerstone of language and learning.
- Episode 6 – ‘The importance of Grit’ – with Tracey Chong & Louise McCabe-Arnold.
According to a tremendous amount of research from a range of education academics such as Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth, grit and resilience are two of the most important virtues that impact educational development. So, how do we build a sense of grit and resilience in our own children. In this episode, Louise and Tracey (the Heads of Surbiton Girls’ Prep and Boys’ Prep, respectively) share their thoughts on grit, how to build it, how to sustain it, and the role it plays in life-long learning.
- Episode 7 – Senior School: The Surbiton Literature Society ‘Lit Soc’ celebrates 10 years
Books are magical things that communicate experiences and bring people together. In a corner of the library, surrounded by hardbacks, paper backs and cups of tea, for 10 years Ms Huntley and Mr Humphreys have been bringing students together for an hour each week to talk about novels, non-fiction, poetry and plays with students from Year 7 to Year 13 – and even some Old Girls who come back every now and then. Lit Soc is a safe space from which students explore the world through the lens of literature.
- Episode 8 – Senior School: An inside look at our MFL department
Bonjour bienvenue, willkommen to the Surbiton High School Podcast. In this episode we celebrate the European Week of Languages with a range of international cuisines from our canteen and students singing Euro pop hits in multi-lingual karaoke. Later on in the episode, we shine a light on the incredible work done by our Modern Foreign Languages Department, led by the enormously talented and passionate polyglot, Mme Paul.
- Episode 9 – What does an outstanding Careers Department look like?
The years we spend in education in our youth are miniscule when compared to the 30-40 years we spend working and building our careers in adulthood. However, education forms the foundation for all future development. At Surbiton High, the Careers Department work with students from Year 7-13 to ensure that students are exposed to opportunities and supported every step of the way in their career journey. Led by Terry McDermott, Director of Careers and Head of Oxbridge, (winner of the United Learning Support Worker of the Year Award 2020 for his work across United Learning Academies creating programmes to support entry into the most competitive universities), the Careers Department work tirelessly to ensure students know where they want to go – and get where they want to go.
- Episode 10 –Senior School: Legally Blonde – School Musical Promo
In this episode we give you an insight into all the hard work that has gone into making this year’s musical, Legally Blonde, a huge success. Tickets are still available at the following address. https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/surbiton-high-school-presents-legally-blonde-the-musical/new-wimbledon-theatre/
- Episode 11 –Behind the scenes at the musical: Legally Blonde
In this episode we take you behind the scenes at Legally Blonde to show you the hard work and talent that has gone into producing Surbiton High School’s 2022 musical. Listen to the band rehearsing and hear interviews with the musical director, Petina Morris, and a number of students in the cast and crew. Oh my God, you guys! Just one week to go!
- Episode 12 – ‘Reading with your child’ – with Tracey Chong & Louise McCabe-Arnold.
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein,
Literacy is access to knowledge. Getting your your child into reading in an enthusiastic, but non-pushy way is the key to starting their education career. In this episode, Louise and Tracey (the Heads of Surbiton Girls’ Prep and Boys’ Prep, respectively) share their thoughts on reading strategies with young children.
- Episode 13 – Duke of Edinburgh – more than just hiking boots, gaiters and flasks of hot tea.
Known throughout the UK as the foremost programme for introducing young people to the great outdoors, the DofE programme at Surbiton takes hundreds of students on a dozen expeditions each year. In today’s episode, we talk with Graham Johnson, Head of Duke of Edinburgh and Outdoor Education, who tells us that it’s about much, much more than just hiking boots, gaiters and flasks of hot tea.
- Episode 14 – Surbiton High School in the Community
Led by Stuart Bird, Surbiton Outreach is the department in the school that makes sure we are living up to one of our key values: community. Over the years, Stuart has created educational programmes with neighbouring schools, including student mentoring, adult education lectures, arranging talks and lending out science resources to local schools. Each year Stuart arranges ‘Soul in the Community’ which sees hundreds of Surbiton pupils helping out into local senior citizens’ homes, youth clubs and parks to support the community in which our school is based. In this episode, we catch up with Stuart Bird and Bee Huntley on the Thames riverside, where the school is landscaping part of the Queen’s Promenade.
- Episode 15 – Christmas Special Episode
In this episode we give you a look at Christmas celebrations at Surbiton High School: the traditional, the social and the charitable. This episode includes an interview with Principal Rebecca Glover, interviews with Y7s about decorating their form rooms and Sixth Formers running the charity hot chocolate and karaoke event for students in the main hall.
- Episode 16 – Prep Schools: The Quiet Child
Some children are confident, others are shy; some extroverted, others introverted. But what do you do to make sure a quiet child is getting the most out of their educational environment? What do you do as a parent if you are an extrovert and your child isn’t? Or vice versa? In this episode, Louise McCabe Arnold and Tracey Chong (the Heads of Surbiton Girls’ Prep and Boys’ Prep, respectively) share their experience of working with children across the whole extrovert-introvert spectrum.
- Episode 17 – Senior School: What are SCOPE Days?
Surbiton Copes Days – otherwise known as SCOPE Days – are days where the entire school is taken off timetable for half a day to focus on PSHE and RSE, as well as team-building in forms groups, and generally building and reinforcing positive relationships in the school community. Guest speakers are brought in from outside of school to talk about difficult topics like drugs, assault, homeless, social services and many more. The day happens twice a year and has a tremendous impact on student wellbeing and contextual knowledge of the wider world.
- Episode 18 – Senior School: What makes a good assembly?
In this episode we take you inside our Main Hall where every day starts with an assembly. At Surbiton we deliver assemblies that are led by our core values of Community, Courage, Creativity, Respect and Inquisitiveness, which every year group attends once a week. Each week a different member of the Senior Leadership Team shares a ten minute reflection on something relevant either for the time of year or on the wider world. In this episode you’ll hear from students and from Senior Vice Principal, Matthew Close, about what makes a good assembly.
- Episode 19 – What is The Green & Silver Club?
In this episode we talk with Polly Rumbold (Head of Development, Alumnae Relations and Whole School Events Coordinator) about our alumnae association, The Green & Silver Club. The club is more than a network to connect together past students, instead it links past and present students and staff to create an intergenerational Surbiton High School community. In the second half of the episode, we hear from 90 year old alumna Beryl Ba (née Birchmore) who attended the school from 1943-1949 and went on to pursue a career as a Christian missionary in Senegal.
- Episode 20 – Choosing your GCSE options
Choosing your GCSE option subjects is one of the first moments in your academic journey where you get to shape your future identity. In this episode we spend time with Y9 as they learn about GCSE option subjects from Y10s who are six months into their GCSE courses. Students representing each option subject get to do a one-minute elevator pitch explaining why they chose the subject and what they love about it most. We also talk with Head of Year 9, Holly Christophers, about the extensive work that goes into supporting students in making the right decision for them.
- Episode 21 – Founders’ Day (Our 139th year!)
Surbiton High School opened its doors on 25 January 1884 with 11 girls and the aim of providing access to ‘a superior education for girls along the guiding principles of the Church of England’. In today’s episode we take you to Founders’ Day. You will hear about the history of our founding church, St Mark’s, and how it and the school have been shaped and changed over the past 139 years. You will also hear a poetic speech from one of our Sixth Formers, about life at Surbiton High School through the years.
- Episode 22 – The Public Speaking Competition 2023
Public speaking is something we all have to do at some point in our lives, whether it’s a wedding speech or a colleague’s farewell, however, it often comes up as a commonly held phobia. At Surbiton High, each year, the Public Speaking Competition sees over 500 students across Years 7-9 compete to win the Public Speaking Cup. In the first round, students must write, research and perform their own work independently on a topic of their choosing. Once they are through to the second and third rounds, they must work collaboratively in their year groups until the final teams of three are selected that are comprised of one student per year group for each House team. In today’s episode we learn a little bit about what goes into preparing for the Public Speaking Competition and we give you recordings of the Austen House Team’s winning contribution.
- Episode 23 – Meet our Scope Day external speakers
In this week’s episode, we bring you interviews with our external Scope Day speakers. Each Scope Day we arrange for experts to come in and talk to our students about looking after their mental health and emotional well-being, as well as a range of difficult subjects such as sexual assault, drugs & alcohol and staying safe at music festivals. In this episode, you can hear from: Deana Puccio from the RAP Project, about awareness of sexual assault and issues relating to consent; Henry Hudson from the People Change Minds Project, about coming out as gay and how to be an ally and an inclusivity leader; and Zoe Shuttleworth from IT Happens, about issues relating to drugs & alcohol, including vaping and spiking. These impactful talks act as an extension of our robust PSHE and RSE programme, allowing for deep dive into difficult territory.
- Episode 24 – Meet the Politics Department
In this episode, we sit in on a Politics lesson with Year 12. Recorded in November 2022, the class had been following Liz Truss’ premiership closely. They started writing and researching while she was still PM, focusing on her controversial budget, however, they had had to pivot their research into a post mortem after Liz Truss resigned, just 49 days after taking office. In this episode, you’ll hear from students who’ve just been studying Politics A Level for 6 weeks.
