Head to Head

“Following my postgraduate studies I was attracted to education and teaching due to my own positive experiences of school life. After 20 years of teaching and leadership in schools, in September 2007 I left my Deputy Head post at a Catholic secondary school to take up the same position at St Mary’s College.

“I was appointed Headmaster in July 2010; the first ‘lay’ Head to be appointed since the school was founded almost 90 years ago by the Brothers of Christian Instruction as part of their global network of some 400 schools in 24 countries and their mission to educate the young in a Christian setting.

“I feel very honoured to have been given this trust to continue the missionary vision of the founder Jean de la Mennais. It was, and still is, apparent to me that St Mary’s is an exceptional place. On walking onto the College site there is a special atmosphere that you can see on the faces of the students. You can feel it in their enthusiasm for everything that they do, the students are happy to be here.

“The pastoral support that we provide encourages and nurtures our students at every step and has built a community that cherishes mutual respect, develops moral values and ensures that every child feels special. These are the values that I continue to pursue and maintain and, with the current financial situation, I recognise the commitment that parents have to make to access this kind of educational provision, but the rewards are self-evident.

“Although league tables are not our prime concern or driving force, our students continually achieve outstanding results. The small class sizes and personal level of tutoring ensure that every child not just matters but is known.”

James Priory was born in Solihull and educated at King Edward’s School, Birmingham. He moved to the sixth form at Taunton School where he became Head Boy and was a distinguished debater, winning the World Public Speaking and Debating Championships.

He has a first class degree in English from the University of Oxford, where he was Proxime Accessit for the Newdigate Prize for poetry. He developed an interest in choral music as cantor in Lincoln College Chapel Choir, has performed and directed in a variety of dramatic productions and is an enthusiastic follower of sport. Kayaking has also become an interest from living on the south coast.

His first teaching post was at Bradford Grammar School, where after two years he became Head of Year 7, introducing the first girls into the school. He came to Portsmouth Grammar School as Head of English in 2000, and has subsequently become first Senior Teacher and then Assistant Head with responsibility for the Sixth Form. He is the first internal appointment as Headmaster for almost two hundred years.

James is a regular contributor to the educational press, and is on the Board of Conference and Common Room, the magazine of the Headmasters’ and Headmistress’ Conference. He is Chairman of the Portsmouth Festivities, a city-wide annual celebration of young people and the arts.

James is married to Helen, who also teaches English, and they have two daughters and a son.

“It seems as if I have always been connected to The Gregg.
My memories of my education were filled with a feeling of intense happiness, feeling ‘at home’ rather than ‘at school’ and the strong relationships with teachers and learning that were to shape my life. I was a student at the school myself and Head Girl in 1985. Having now worked at the school for some years, I am now familiar with the ‘Miss... I miss school’ sounds that our leavers make when they return to tell us about what they are doing!

“I was appointed Head Designate in November 2009, working closely alongside Roger Hart – Headteacher for 38 years. I started my job as Headteacher in September 2010 and rather unusually Roger now enjoys the benefits of working part-time as a drama teacher as one of my staff!

“Three months into my new post we were inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. I was thrilled with the report, which included comments such as ‘The team of pastoral staff offer outstanding nurture and support’ and ‘Relationships between staff and pupils, and between pupils themselves, are outstanding in a climate of openness and trust’.

“The last 12 months have been exciting, but extremely hard work! We have raised over £10,000 for charity, we have been drawing up ambitious plans for the development of our school accommodation and continually strive to move purposely forward in all that we do. One of our aims for the future will be to forge a strong link with a school in Africa. However, without doubt, one of the most important things that we intend to do is work even more closely with our students. The sustained coaching and mentoring conversations that we have with every individual really helps them to focus on their futures as well as making the very most of their academic potential.

“I have seen The Gregg through many eyes – as a student, a teacher and now as a leader – and I happen to think I have the very best job in the world! My passion and inspiration comes from this special place and the tight community of students and staff within it.”

“I came to King Edward’s in 2002 having studied History at Oxford before embarking on a career in industry. I then took on teaching appointments at Westminster, Cranleigh and as Director of Studies at King’s School Worcester.

“When I initially visited the school what appealed to me was not only the people (staff and pupils) and the ethos of the school, but also the vast array of opportunities that existed for pupils both in and out of the classroom.

“I was delighted to be joining a school that was already highly successful, but have enjoyed the challenge of moving the school further forward, particularly in the area of the creative arts and involvement with the local community. Our musicians and dramatists perform at high levels and nearly 200 pupils are involved with projects in the local community.

"The commitment to co-curricular activities has always been a feature of the school and during the holidays it is not difficult to find pupils in far-flung parts of the globe – from playing cricket in Sri Lanka to helping with our charitable project in South Africa. Closer to home, pupils might be taking part in Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, using our rural studies centre on Dartmoor or running a camp in Swanage for local children.

“Since I was appointed as Head, the Governors have overseen the purchase of 33 acres of sports fields and a complete refurbishment of the school buildings including extending the sixth form centre, building a dance studio and upgrading all of the science laboratories to provide facilities that are second to none in an independent day school. All this indicates our commitment to every area of school life.

“It is with regret that the opportunities that are available for our pupils are not available for all children and that is why we are committed to developing our bursary fund so that even more pupils who are academically gifted, but lack the financial resources required, will be able to join us.

“I believe that King Edward’s has a positive role to play in helping to produce young men and women who have achieved not only their academic goals, but have also developed a sense of responsibility for those around them.”

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