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View from the Top: Charlie Minogue on Independence

By Charlie Minogue, headmaster of Moor Park School
12 October 2021

For the third instalment of our new thought leadership initiative: View from the Top, Charlie Minogue, headmaster of Moor Park School, tells us why he believes truly independent schools are so important...

Does any parent of a four-year-old really know what their child will need from their senior school at 13? With the landscape of independent schools changing, the value of true independence in a prep school has never been more relevant.

Increasingly, prep schools are becoming affiliated with senior schools. This may work strategically but causes problems for parents as my opening question illustrates. So-called 'independent schools' are sometimes not what they seem, and parents should be aware of the advantages of choosing a truly independent school for their child.

One of the most satisfying and important facets of my job is advising parents on the right senior school for their child. This decision can be bewildering but truly independent prep schools, such as Moor Park, build strong relationships with the full range of senior schools countrywide. This means I can give objective and unbiased advice, focusing entirely on the needs of each child and their family. Our status as a truly autonomous prep school is something to cherish and should be viewed as a strength.

Our ability to respond swiftly and decisively to change, challenge and opportunity is a benefit that should not be over-looked. We have shaped our curriculum and teaching to prepare children, deliberately, for a fast-changing world and in this process, I have only answered to those in the Moor Park community, making development more dynamic.

True independence, therefore, is something for to celebrate as, together, we plot the most appropriate route for each individual child and family.


 
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