Ben Evans, his wife Alex and their two boys, have now arrived and settled into life at Windlesham following Ben’s appointment on the retirement of Richard Foster, Headmaster at Windlesham for the last 13 years.
Windlesham’s vibrant and nurturing community have given Ben and his family a warm welcome.
He explains: “In a short time I’ve learned that Windlesham House is a very unique and special place. Both staff and pupils are warm, kind and enthused by everything they do, so it has been easy to feel at home here.
My immediate goal is to continue to get to know the children and teachers and to understand the character and personality of the school’s richly diverse community.
As we move towards the future, my goal is to provide a truly unique educational experience that goes far beyond the delivery of the simple curriculum.”
Having spent eight successful years as Headmaster at Hertfordshire prep school, Edge Grove, and prior to that, as Head of The British School in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ben is excited about the scope of opportunity his new headship role will bring and to be joining a school steeped in tradition, while progressive in culture.
He has high aspirations for every single pupil at Windlesham and is passionate that children have the freedom and opportunity to enjoy every minute of school life:
“Starting a new school is always exciting and even though making this transition during a pandemic has had its challenges, in many ways, it’s also given me a much deeper understanding and robust knowledge of the school’s processes and procedures, far more quickly than would normally be the case. We have to ensure the safety of the whole school community and so a number of stringent changes have been necessary to ensure that happens.”
The term ahead will be different to those before and the team at Windlesham have been working hard to comply with government guidance to ensure pupils feel settled and in a strong position to start the new academic year:
“We want to give back and support our community while continuing to provide a first class education for our pupils. After such a long period of school closure and a busy Summer behind the scenes preparing for the start of the new academic year, we have all been delighted to hear children’s voices around the school again this month, with our staff, pupils, parents and visiting alumni and other friends of Windlesham all contributing to a happy, supportive environment and community.
We don’t know what more challenges the future holds but we are ready to work positively together to deal with whatever comes next, at all times ensuring our children develop a passion for learning and the ability to cope calmly and confidently with change, equipping them with the essential skills and strengths they will need for the rest of their lives.”
There has been extensive coverage of Ben’s arrival at Windlesham, a few examples include:
BSA Boarding School’s Association
SchoolNotices
West Sussex County Times
Crawley Observer
Shoreham Herald
Mid Sussex Times
West Sussex Today