Reigate St Mary's certainly seems to compare very favourably with parents' own school experiences, and I am delighted to hear that. I think it essential that any credible school today should be virtually unrecognisable from those of yesterday.
The pace of change in the world is such that any school that doesn’t work hard to keep up is quite simply failing its families. That's why, in an education system that tends to rely on what has come before, rather than adapting to what is around the corner, I am very proud of our contemporary, agile approach.
Another thing that we regularly hear from visitors as they explore our Forest School, Library or Lego Robotics room is a humbling awareness of how lucky these children are.
I agree; RSM pupils are undeniably privileged to be benefitting from all that is on offer here, and from the exceptional support and care that our extraordinary teachers provide.
Yet these young people are also facing a whole host of new challenges and pressures which I don’t envy.
With those in mind, I believe that it is our job to ensure that children move on from RSM armed with a modern, relevant and personalised toolkit which will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
Please do visit us to see us in action.
Marcus Culverwell, RSM Headmaster
RSM: educating the next generation
We place more emphasis on financial literacy than fronted adverbials. and value imaginative ideas over immaculate handwriting.
School life at RSM is constructed around contemporary educational psychology, with up-to-date priorities central to all our decisions.
Our uniform has become progressively more streamlined and practical, while our curriculum evolves all the time to include topics such as financial planning, STEAM and philosophy.
While academics – the traditional IQ – are robust and impressive, we also pride ourselves on the time we spend fostering the children’s emotional intelligence and educating their character.
How do we teach?
We have moved far away from the 'chalk and talk' method where lines of children passively receive and memorise information. Going into an RSM classroom, you may struggle to see the teachers because they are rarely at the front of the class; instead they might be cross-legged on the floor or sitting with the class at their own low tables; delivering the learning at the children’s level in all senses.
Learning at RSM is designed and delivered using modern and agile methods. We review and adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of each year group at every stage; reinforcing and revising where necessary, but moving onwards if the children are secure and ready for the next topic.