Principal’s Welcome

Dear Westholme Family, 

Welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed a restful Easter holiday.  

The highlight of the break for me was undoubtedly watching Rory McIlroy win his first Masters golf tournament. It was certainly sporting drama at its very best. Rory’s work ethic, honesty and bouncebackability make him an excellent role model for our children. 

Celebrities like Rory can inspire young people, as we saw earlier this year when Tim Peake visited Westholme. They can also have a powerful and positive influence on society by using their fame to raise awareness or money for important causes.  When a personality as well-known as McIlroy or Luke Littler speaks out about mental health, for example, it can help break the stigma and encourage young people to seek help. McIlroy’s donation of his $4.5m winnings to Mencap will change people’s lives. 

In a sense, fame (or infamy) has never been easier to attain. Social media gives people an unprecedented ability to spread opinions on a scale that outweighs their actual knowledge or experience. The opportunity for malign individuals to influence young minds is one of the major issues of our time. 

I am sure that many of you will have watched the Netflix drama Adolescence in recent weeks. Amongst the many uncomfortable issues raised was the online radicalisation by Andrew Tate-style individuals. You will have noted from previous editions of this magazine that Westholme already works with local PREVENT teams to ensure that our children understand the dangers of an uncritical eye on social media. 

You may also have noted the response of the Prime Minister to watching the drama. I certainly agree with him that the issues raised have no “silver bullet” and are, in fact, cultural issues “we’re going to have to look more broadly, work as a society on this …” 

The Prime Minister welcomed the decision to make the drama available for schools to show for free. We won’t be doing that at Westholme. I am not denying that there is an issue to discuss. An opinion poll published by the BBC earlier this month reported that more than a third of Secondary school teachers had reported misogynistic behaviour from pupils at their school in the previous week. The fact that the show sparked a national debate is, I think, a good thing. 

I am uncertain that a sledgehammer approach to eradicating the issue will work. For most of our boys, who don’t exhibit these behaviours, there is a danger that they will feel demonised. On the other hand, if there is a minority of our population who are being influenced by the likes of Tate, I doubt very much that a one-off TV drama will change their minds. 

I know that many parents reading this are themselves involved in education. Some will choose to show the drama in their schools. In a context in which the school takes on many more aspects of parenting than we do, for example, I can understand the decision. 

If you haven’t seen Adolescence, it is brilliant and it is harrowing. But it is also drama. Many of our students, even those in the GCSE years and above, would not be prepared for what is depicted. Watching the programme as a family, with the immediate and intimate support that the family unit brings by definition, might be a better way forward. 

At Westholme, continuing to educate all our children that being respectful and kind to each other, creating a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged, will always be our priority. 

With best wishes for the weekend. 

Paul Taylor