Mr. John Franklin, who was born in Queensland, Australia has been appointed to be the next Headmaster of Christ’s Hospital, following the announcement that our current Headmaster Peter Southern will retire in July 2007 after 11 very happy and successful years at CH. India Martin, this year’s editor of The Blue and I went to interview Mr. Franklin to find out more about his past, present and his future at Christ’s Hospital…
Our first bout of questioning concerned Mr. Franklin’s childhood in Australia, the aim being to discover what, if anything he intends to bring to CH from it. Born the son of a lecturer at one of Australia’s largest agricultural colleges, Mr. Franklin grew up “… essentially on a University Campus.” His mother was also an educator and he believes that it is “in his genes to be a teacher.”
As a boy, he came in contact with many overseas students. He remains a strong believer in the benefits of a multi-racial mix in schools and feels that Christ’s Hospital could benefit from the inclusion of a small group of students from an international background in order to provide a broader perspective for the current pupils.
When asked what aspects of the Australian educational system he thought transferred well to the UK system, a measured answer led to the conclusion that since, “the ‘good’ schools in Australia are very much like the ‘good’ schools in England” (with CH presumably being one of the very best), he does not plan to inject anything particularly Antipodean into the structure of the school day. Instead, his aim will be to provide strong leadership and to ensure that all that CH offers is of the very highest order. CH is and must remain a highly successful school; one to which current students are proud to belong and others aspire to join. Those without ambition need not apply!
Mr. Franklin is a communicant Anglican and believes that formal worship is an important part of life at CH; he is supportive of the chaplaincy and plans to take an active part in Chapel when he joins the CH community – perhaps preaching from time to time. In this way, he intends to make sure that Christian values underpin all aspects of Housey life, whilst also encouraging tolerance of other faiths and beliefs. Compulsory Chapel seems likely to remain in place and the Chapel choir will continue to flourish! How this will affect the running of CH beyond the Chapel remains unclear, but it can be assumed that the school’s original mission, as set out by Edward VI, is safe in his hands.
It appears that the musical life of CH outside Chapel will remain unaffected by Mr. Franklin’s arrival, given his avid support for music in his current school. The Blue is happy to report that Mr. Franklin very much looks forward to seeing the Marching Band, Choirs, Orchestras and other ensembles in action. The role of music as a key component of life at school will be maintained and where possible, extended under his leadership.
As well as this, Mr. Franklin believes extra-curricular activities such as sport and the other creative arts to be “absolutely essential” both in the formal and informal life of the school and says he is looking forward to working in a school where sport, art, drama and music play such a key role in everyday school life. Moreover, the myriad of community-based projects that make our school nationally renowned seem safe in his hands.
As an Anglophile, Mr. Franklin is intrigued by CH’s long history and sense of tradition and he places great store in our unique mission of providing a first rate education on a means tested basis. However, my impression was that this was a man who would not be scared of confronting the real challenges that this mission laid at his feet and the need to be imaginative and perhaps radical in our approach to making ends meet. He has a touch of the business man about him and I wonder whether this aspect of his personality was particularly appealing to the interview panel. It is no secret that the school will be spending millions over the next few years and this expenditure will provide the Senior Management Team and new Governors with a huge challenge.
Once the tape had stopped rolling, I decided to press further into his statements about preserving our school ethos and, perhaps aware he was no longer on show, Mr. Franklin admitted that he is willing to consider an increase in the number of full fee paying students in order to protect our ability to continue to offer the vast majority of our pupils a means tested place at CH. I also formed the impression that he would not be averse to recruiting a proportion of the said students from overseas. My thoughts were drawn to the possibility of us developing an international boarding house. What this will do to the general ethos or social mix of the school is open to speculation, but it seems to be an issue that is bound to provoke comment, both adverse and supportive.
When questioned about his views on full boarding, he told us that he had no intention of changing the way this part of Housey life runs, in spite of changes that he has made recently at Ardingly College, where he has done away with Saturday lessons. However, when questioned in a similar vein about the demise of the Archaeology Department at Ardingly, he answered that it was a matter of “great sadness” not to have an Archaeology Department – so Mr. Fleming seems safe too!
Mr Franklin believes strongly in the importance of modern languages at school and was open about his interest in the teaching of Spanish and Mandarin, seeing them both as languages that have an important place in the modern world. This, therefore, may be one of the first new initiatives that he will introduce into the curriculum at CH.
A great believer in the International Baccalaureate, (otherwise known as the IB), he considers that GCSEs offer a “reasonable preparation for the Sixth Form”, but is also of the opinion that “…the more intelligent students need to be extended” and expressed surprise that, “CH takes three years to get to GCSE…” What this means for the younger students of the school is debatable, but could mean that we are in for a more intense GCSE course, with options left open until the end of the LE.
Additional questioning revealed that Mr. Franklin would be quite keen to introduce the IB at CH as he did at Ardingly on becoming Headmaster there, but stressed that it would be offered as an option, alongside AS and A Levels. He commented, “A Levels have received very bad press lately…” saying that “with the opportunity to retake modules in each subject, people are inevitably doing better through so many chances to improve”. Was this an offhand dig at the “dumbing down” of the rigour of exams leading to inevitable grade inflation?
The introduction of the IB at Ardingly College has been, as far as Mr. Franklin is concerned, a great success, with half the Sixth Form body now opting into the scheme. I wondered whether this success would have led Mr. Franklin to believe in a total conversion to the IB, but his answer was that he would never force students to take a course they did not wish to. Academic choice is essential and he reiterated his point made earlier that it is this flexibility that will “make the students happier… and (therefore) more successful”.
On the matter of school discipline he seemed clear in his vision. “Good discipline is essential for a happy school…” he noted, adding, “and I am a great believer in setting clear expectations for students…” This may come as good news for most of the community, students and teachers alike, but how does Mr. Franklin plan to follow through with this implied promise of happiness through discipline? “Adolescents… like to know where the line has been drawn in the sand and also what will happen when they step over that line…” Mr. Franklin went on to explain that he will enforce the rules of the school with consistency, sympathy and, whenever possible, a touch of humour. Notwithstanding his willingness to insert humour into the equation, I did get the impression that he is perhaps more of a disciplinarian than we are used to and he may wish to impose a more categorical than situational response to disciplinary matters.
True to the nature of most, if not all CH students, Mr. Franklin would like students under his charge to develop, “tolerance for one another, a love of learning and a sense that anything is possible.” A “can do” philosophy permeates his thinking and is part of the message he will pass on to new students. His stated aim, which is to enable pupils to reach their full potential unhindered by past expectations and events, will please most of the CH community.
He went on to say, “I would like to think that students from my school could be dropped down into any community, anywhere in the world, and have the self-confidence and the ability to strike up an intelligent conversation and make a useful contribution to that community”. Mr. Franklin’s aim is to “ensure that every student feels that they are a productive part of a friendly, caring school environment where they can achieve their full academic potential and, that along the way, the school will see to their cultural and spiritual development.”
Does he expect students to carry with them the good name of Christ’s Hospital, and to never forget what we have learned here? The answer is an emphatic yes! Mr. Franklin admitted that he had applied to be Headmaster of CH because of this school’s uniqueness and also because “CH is the most noble of all schools… a very special school indeed”. He went on to comment that, “There are so many opportunities for a Headmaster to do good work at CH and to make a difference to the lives of the students there.”
Let us hope that he lives up to the expectations that a school of our size, history and national significance has of its leader. When questioned about this, Mr Franklin remarked, “Of course I look forward to taking over a school with such a proud history and with so many wonderful traditions and I am very excited by the prospect. However, Dr. Southern will leave very large boots to fill; he is an extremely successful and popular Headmaster, but I daresay that my successor at Ardingly will face a similar challenge”. This comment was followed by a wry observation that “Ardingly has given Christ’s Hospital three things in the last six years: A Deputy Head; a Senior Grecian and now a new Headmaster.”
Our final topic of conversation was the school’s relationship with the Old Blues. Mr. Franklin believes that “Old Blues, whatever their age, are an important part of the wider school community… and should feel welcome at the school.” This will hopefully lay to rest any worries which Old Blues or prospective Old Blues have about an unknown presence running our community.
In conclusion, it seems that the day to day running of CH will not change all that dramatically when Dr. Southern hands over to Mr. Franklin, other than the obvious loss of a popular and much loved figurehead for the school. Major changes to the school’s governance in 2007 and the retirement of some key senior teachers will inevitably lead to change, but this is not necessarily something we should be scared of. Tradition is all very well, but not if it gets in the way of forward thinking and positive progress.
It is still unclear how the new Senior Management Team will work together or whether or not we shall see the IB introduced at CH, along with more foreign students and an expanded fee paying population, or possibly even the introduction of Mandarin.
What is certain, however, is that Mr. Franklin will have his work cut out for him when he takes over from Dr. Southern in 2007, especially with the wider CH community. Early indications are that Mr. Franklin is a good choice for Headmaster, but filling the shoes of our “Big” Peter Southern will take some doing. I for one would like to wish him every success as he takes up this important challenge.
Interviewed by India Martin and Alexander Hayton.
Written by Alexander Hayton, Features sub-editor for the Blue.