Concord College
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

As a research scientist working in universities, I did a significant amount of undergraduate teaching, which I really enjoyed. I realised that even though I found research exciting, I actually preferred teaching: my last university role was a Teaching Fellowship at Durham University in the Physics and Astronomy department, which was a good indicator of my direction of travel. Further progress as an academic in my field would probably have meant teaching less, and a gradual widening of the age groups that I was teaching through university outreach work with schools sealed the deal for me.  An absolute high-point of my career – and still true to this day – was sitting cross-legged on the floor of a planetarium showing the constellations to 4 and 5 year old children. So in many ways, it was these very young children who first inspired me to teach, though a significant number of slightly older students then and in the years since have continued being inspirational.  

I took on the role of Principal at Concord in September 2021, so I have not had a long time yet in post, but what an exciting and fast-moving time it has been already! I’m most proud of the fact that I feel that I genuinely appreciate what really matters in this brilliant, vibrant, unusual College community. It’s a very welcoming place and I’m immediately at home here, because I understand the mindset of our students – intellectual, hard-working, fun – and I know that they are supported by a brilliant team of equally enthusiastic, well-qualified and very caring staff. I am proud of how Concord has handled the pandemic – with 500 or so international students from 42 countries, all with varying travel restrictions, this could have been very difficult, but things have worked seamlessly, with a rapid, smooth transition to an online educational experience when needed and a transition back to in-person learning as soon as we were able to do so. Mostly, though, I am proud of our wonderful students and how they have handled everything that the world has thrown at them over that last two years with such grace and kindness. This very much is their achievement and I am proud to lead this wonderful community. 

A successful school is full of happy children who feel able to explore and enjoy all the wonderful things on offer, whether it’s in the classroom, performing in a concert or in our theatre, mentoring others or leading one of the numerous or very diverse activities we have here: all sorts of things from the Model United Nations to crochet club. The best schools nurture a child’s confidence and abilities, help them find their talents and interests and provide support for them to flourish – as who they are. At Concord, we share an understanding of the importance of hard work (we’d call it rigour), creativity in thinking as well as in practice and – most important of all – kindness. The latter isn’t just vital in such a diverse community, it’s vital for us all to be happy and successful people.  
 

There are three qualities, equally important: a confidence in themselves, a sense of purpose in what they want to go out into the wider world to achieve, and a strong moral compass. We are at our happiest when we believe in ourselves and care about what we are doing, and Concord is fortunate enough to be able to attract and cater for students who have the will – and the intellectual capabilities – to make real and lasting impacts to those and the world around them. We share a like-minded ethos but don’t forget that fundamentally, we are all individuals. All three qualities need to be nurtured because, after all, if we are in the business of preparing young people to go out and have a positive influence in the world, they need to be confident, have a sense of what they want to achieve and have a strong moral compass. 
 

Joyful – academic – international – kind - purposeful