The Week Independent Schools Guide, Autumn/Winter 2023

The long summer holidays are over and it’s the start of the new academic year. As the autumn term gets underway we’re delighted to present the latest issue of The Week Independent Schools Guide.

Schools never rest on their laurels so our Autumn/Winter edition is packed to the gunnels with inspiring stories about education across the UK. This time round we’ve been finding out about the rise and rise of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM as it’s better known), the support that’s available for dyslexic pupils and the benefits of schools developing a broader global outlook. As Downe House’s Marya Akhtar told our writer Julie Henry: “Taking pupils out of their comfort zone opens their eyes and gives them different perspectives. They have a better understanding of how the world works and their place in it.”

Vicky Bingham takes up her new role as headmistress of North London Collegiate School this term and she has written a fascinating piece explaining why girls’ schools are needed more than ever. “Far from being an anachronism, girls’ schools are drivers of change,” she says. Meanwhile our regular school debate focuses on whether it’s best for children to move to senior school at 11 or 13. Our experts, Brighton Girls head Rosie McColl and Taunton School headmaster James Johnson, offer their wisdom and advice to parents wrestling with the decision.

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Like our sister publication, The Week Junior, we’re passionate about reading so we’ve asked teachers and librarians across the country to recommend the best books published in the last three years. Their choices will inspire even the most reluctant of readers, but my own picks would be You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine by Yeva Skalietska and Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại – both exceptional reads. Incidentally, look out for The Week Junior Book Awards – the winning titles will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in London on 2 October.

Continuing the literary theme, we were thrilled when the brilliant Jacqueline Wilson agreed to be our Back to School interviewee. The award- winning author of more than 100 children’s books (my favourites are The Lottie Project and The Story of Tracy Beaker) fondly remembers her schooldays – and her primary school teacher in particular, Mr Townsend. “He was the first person who made me think I might be able to write and I’m deeply grateful to him,” she says. “He was a glowing example of what a teacher should be.”

Finally, don’t miss our exclusive annual guide to the best independent senior schools in the UK. We hope you enjoy the issue – and have a happy and productive autumn term.

Emma Lee-Potter is the editor of The Week’s Independent Schools Guide.