Principal’s Welcome

27/06/2025

Dear Westholme Family, 

The Taylor Open Day odyssey continued last weekend with a trip to York. You will be relieved to hear that I am starting to come to terms with the concept of my little girl leaving home and starting her own exciting journey! 

I had expected university life to be different to what I experienced in the mid-90s, but two aspects surprised me. Firstly, it now seems to be the norm to take your parents with you to an open day. When did that change? It would have been the ultimate humiliation to be seen with your parents in my day.  

The second thing that struck me about both Leeds and York was the lack of emphasis on examinations. York had none at all in the Politics Department, unless you include an online open-book test. The range of assessment methods and incorporation of AI already in place made me question whether the GCSE/A Level system is preparing students for what comes next. 

How long, I wonder, until the practices of universities filter down into schools? Change is coming. 

Earlier this week, Pearson, parent company of the EdExcel exam board, announced a strategic partnership with Google. Omar Abbosh, Pearson’s CEO, commented that “AI has the power to transform education, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all model to support each student on their unique learning journey.” Tara Brady, President of Google Cloud, emphasised the equipping of teachers “so they have greater capacity to focus on inspiring curiosity and preparing students to thrive.” 

How children’s progress is later measured will depend, I suspect, on what we can agree is worth measuring. 

Back to the present, we have the Prep and years 7 to 9 prizegiving events to look forward to next week. Both events will give me an opportunity to talk about our renewed vision, mission and values as we embark on our Strategy 2030. Don’t worry if you’re unable to attend or your child isn’t in those year groups; full communication is on its way before the end of term. 

I can’t finish without mentioning the cast of, and production team behind, The Importance of Being Earnest. Performed over two nights, the students brought the Oscar Wilde classic to life to the delight of the audience. Well done to everyone involved. 

With best wishes for the weekend, 

Paul Taylor 

Principal