Last Saturday saw the latest instalment of Pilgrims’ Parley, our now-established series of discussions that brings together panels of leading figures from the South’s independent senior schools to explore some of the big questions shaping boys’ education today. This session - What does a successful boy look like today? And are we measuring the right things? - proved especially resonant, not only for its breadth, but for the sense that the landscape our boys are growing up in is shifting probably more rapidly than ever.  

The conversation ranged wide and far; from the balance of qualitative and quantitative reporting, to the evolving UCAS process, to the changing ways employers assess candidates. Employers are now leaning heavily on scenario-based tasks and value-led assessments; universities are rethinking how applicants present their achievements and potential. In short, the world is asking young people not only what they know, but how they think, collaborate, adapt, and communicate, and how the can evidence that. These skills are difficult to measure with tidy numbers, but they matter enormously. 

One theme that we certainly heard plenty about was the increasing emphasis, both at university level and in the job market, on the qualities that lie beyond grades. 

It was also heartening to hear our panellists champion the Humanities, languages, and creative subjects at a time when increasing numbers of pupils seem to instinctively gravitate toward Maths and the sciences. These disciplines, they reminded us, cultivate nuance, imagination, empathy, and the capacity to articulate complex ideas - all vital in a world that increasingly rewards those who can connect dots rather than simply accumulate them. 

Equally important was the recognition of the rich learning that takes place through extra-curricular and co-curricular life. Whether on the stage, the river, the sports field, or within an expanded academic offering, boys build confidence, collaboration, resilience, and self-knowledge. A particularly thoughtful point concerned encouraging boys not only to reflect on what they have learned but on how they learned it and how they can better learn the next thing: Which activities stretched them? Which approaches deepened their understanding? Which moments helped them grow as teammates, friends, or leaders, and how do we (and they) record and evidence these? 

For us at Pilgrims’, the Parley series serves a dual purpose. It invites parents into the wider conversation about what lies beyond prep school, and it helps us consider our own offering with clarity and purpose, looking at the full educational arc, from the rudiments established in Pre-Prep, through the Lower Prep years, all the way to the academic challenges that lie in Year 8 and, ultimately, to A Levels, university, and adulthood. It reminds us that foundational years matter profoundly; they must give boys more than results - they must give them a will for exploration. 

And perhaps this is the most important message for us all: academic results matter, but equally so does the person a boy becomes on the way to achieving them. Saturday’s Parley offered valuable pointers for parents as they consider that balance, and it reaffirmed our commitment to nurturing boys who are not only capable, but curious; not only skilled, but grounded; not only successful, but truly flourishing. 

A warm thank you to all who joined us, in person or in spirit. For those who were unable to attend and are interested to see more, I hope you find as much inspiration in the recording as we did in the room. 

Link: Pilgrims' Parley: What does a successful boy look like these days? 

(Further information on future Parleys can be found in the accompanying SchoolPost message to parents.) 

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One success I recently had the pleasure of experiencing was receiving the entries for this year’s Headmaster’s Christmas card competition. I was delighted with the number of entries and the high quality and great effort of those who gave some of their half term to producing a design. I’m delighted to announce – and show – the winning entries below, who have received Headmaster’s Show Ups. There were many other super cards that received a ‘highly commended’ and all the boys will enjoy a congratulatory tea before the end of term. 

I wish everyone a great Exeat, especially the Year 8s, who have been working hard during their internal exam week this week! 

Tim Butcher
Headmaster