A n interview with Ian D ohert y, Chair of Governors
Why did you decide to join the Governing Body of
Sevenoaks School in 2010?
Although my background is in business in Northern
Ireland, I have always been involved on a voluntary
level in education. For example, I have been on a
couple of grammar school boards in Derry, and I have
also been on the board of the Senate of Queen’s
University in Belfast. I’m just one of those people that
likes being on committees and boards, particularly at
a non-executive level, because you can give guidance
and support. So when Dr Ricks called me and asked
me whether I would be interested in becoming a
Governor at the school, I wasn’t hard to persuade!
What are your roles and responsibilities as a Governor?
I think it’s very important to remember that
Governors don’t run a school – that’s the job of the
Head, the Bursar and the staff. On the other hand, we
do have the responsibility of ensuring that the school
is safe, properly resourced and financially sound.
Usually, as a Governor, you play your part in individual
areas of school life. So for example, I was the
Sevenoaks School Governor responsible for health and
safety for many years. I had to give to my colleagues
on the board an assurance that the health and safety
of everybody in the school, from the gardeners to the
students to the teachers, was being systematically
and properly looked after. One of my tasks involved
analysing lists of reported injuries – looking for
trends to see whether a particular type of injury was
becoming more or less frequent.
Of course, my responsibilities have changed since
becoming Chairman in 2018. At the moment, I am
very much involved in Horizon 2032.
Could you expand a little bit more on what
Horizon 2032 is and what it will entail?
Before explaining Horizon 2032, I think it is
important to understand the educational philosophy
and progressive outlook of Sevenoaks. As well as
providing excellent teaching in specific subjects, the
school ensures that students leave with the sort of
intellectual preparedness that will stand them in
good stead later in life – enabling them to develop
into inquisitive, outward-looking, independent-
thinking adults.
Horizon 2032 will be a statement of this educational
philosophy and an outline of all the developments –
physical and pedagogical – that will need to take place
in order for us to deliver it. I cannot give any specific
examples as of yet, but what I can say is that Horizon
2032 will focus on developing the school’s teaching
resources to ensure that pupils are surrounded by top-
quality, inspirational staff. We will also focus on the
school’s physical assets – we want this to be a campus
fit for the rest of the century.
How does Sevenoaks intend to maintain its
international ethos following Brexit?
We are currently building two new boarding houses
to help us bring in new students from abroad. Our
ultimate aim is to increase the total number of
boarders by over a hundred.
I don’t personally see Brexit as a terrible worry for
the school because our internationalism and outward
focus is already ingrained in us. For example, we have
fully embraced the IB – this perfectly emphasises
the school’s international focus because the IB is a
qualification that exists all over the world.
Dr Ricks will be leaving the school this summer.
Do you think that a new Head will mean a new direction
for the school?
Although every Head will lead the school in their own
way, I think that in a broad sense the school’s direction
is already set, with Horizon 2032 – we know what we
are about educationally. However, it is also true that
we do not know what the future will throw at us. We
are living in a very different world to the one in which
Dr Ricks became Head 17 years ago, and there is no
doubt that my single most important contribution
as Chairman will be selecting a new Head who will
successfully lead the school in these times of change.
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2018-2019
Juliette Imbert, Upper Sixth
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