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Philosophy

“We’re successful because we are designed for boys,” according to Headmaster, Ross Scrymgeour.

“It’s not just a marketing slogan, it’s something that permeates everything we do. There has been a feminising of the education system and boys are disadvantaged by that.   An example; Bullrush is a game that everyone in my generation has played.  Today it’s frowned upon because kids can get hurt.  So the result is that many don’t allow it.  Our approach is to teach the boys to tackle and be tackled, but don’t ban the fun.”

“Roughhousing is important for boys.  It’s part of being a male.  It has learning advantages as well.  If a boy can let off steam during break, he’s going to be better behaved in class and achievement in the classroom is our main goal.”

Mr Scrymgeour said there was a common perception that girls are more emotive than boys. “Actually that’s not true. At an emotional level the genders are just different.  Boys have egos that need protecting.  Disciplining, or making a fool of a boy in front of his peers is damaging.  He’ll ignore the message and resent the humiliation.  Far better to take him aside and speak firmly.  That way he’ll take notice.”

“Discipline is part and parcel of the Hereworth culture, but don’t expect the boys to accept it at face value (as girls might).  Boys are naturally impulsive and will break a rule without really thinking about it.  It might sound old fashioned but they need to be taught about rules, boundaries and consequences.

“Boys understand fairness and they like ‘evidence’.  If a boy’s just come off the rugby field it’s far better to praise him for a great ‘steal’ in the lineout that led to the first try, than just tell him he had a good game.”

“Boys will thrive in a competitive environment and we tap into that.  All boys have tests, all know where they come in class and each boy has a percentage grade for each subject which is an important part of the twice yearly reports.  In much of the education system gradings are fuzzy.  I don’t agree with this. Apart from anything else the boys know who’s best at English, Maths and so on.  Not rewarding excellence damages their natural desire for fairness.”

“We often discover, retrospectively, that parents’ send their boys to Hereworth because they want them to be motivated to learn. We deliver on that because we push the right buttons.  As the parent of a new student said to me:

“I’m not sure why, but he (the son) now does his homework without being reminded, he looks people in the eye when he meets them and he answers questions with a yes, not a yip!