COVER STORY ‘We need to instill in every child that while they can have fun here, our focus is really on academic achievement’ Students are excited by this year’s Design Technology projects which help “kids think outside the box,” says Headmaster Staunton. Pictured is Design Technology’s Philip Heap with a year 9 class added 23 staff in critical areas over the past year, following up on deficiencies and shifting faculty responsibilities and roles to forge a stronger administration from the top down. Among newly-created positions were director of Athletics (see story on page 29), and director of Human Resources. Academic excellence remains chief among the School’s mission goals. “We need to instill in every child that while they can have fun here, our focus is really on academic achievement,” says Staunton. “It’s a very tough world out there; it’s a very competitive world out there. We want to enable our kids to stand on their feet—and, first and foremost, to get into a college or university of their choice. Not to instill in our kids how important it is to push themselves would be an injustice.” While he admits the Board of Trustees has been frustrated by average GCSE pass rates of 75 percent or lower in recent years, he envisions Saltus “returning to a golden age of higher student achievement. There’s no reason in the world we can’t be at 90 percent—and I believe we will be there in time.” Towards that end, the Centre for Learning has ramped up its mandate this year. Among a long list of initiatives, director Neil Cooper has launched enrichment and extension programmes for students in both Upper Primary and Secondary departments; used integrated learning software to promote reading and literacy in Lower Primary and identify older students with learning issues; instituted curricula assessments to track pupil progress; and implemented an online system to map curriculum skills and goals across grades and departments. The School is also establishing an entrance requirement for its two-year Saltus Graduate Years (SGY) programme. Year 10 students are now being informed they will need a minimum of five GCSEs with grades of C or above. “Plus, behaviour records, attendance records, proof of good attitude, advisor comments,” Staunton says. “But if they don’t have that minimum academic requirement, they’re not getting in.” Currently, 120 students are enrolled in SGY1 and SGY2, but under the new regulations, the School predicts that number could drop by a third going forward. Imparting a strong value system to all Saltus students has been another critical goal for Staunton, who admits having to “clean house” on his arrival. At least 15 students were asked to leave the School last year due to their disruptive behaviour. Last fall, dare to Care, a Canadian anti-bullying organisation, carried out a week of workshops and presentations to all teachers, students and parents. In January, Staunton expelled eight Year 10 students for S A LT U S M A G A Z I N E 26 CYNTHIA LANCER-BARNES