A Message from the Head

The school offers all-round education which many would regard as being of singularly high quality, with conventional success being achieved in all areas of school life. Academic results are exceptional, with large numbers of scholarships won annually and a near-perfect record of Common Entrance success. Sports teams and individuals achieve remarkable success and, by any measurement, the Art, Music, Drama and Design Technology produced by the children is of the very highest quality too. Whilst excellence is pursued, the school is nevertheless devoted to the notion that every child is as important as every other one. Indeed, an exceptionally wide range of opportunities allows every child to find those things he or she will be good at, and the best facilities in the Prep School world give the children the chance to develop those talents. The approach to motivating and getting the best out of the children is based on the positive reinforcement of good work and good behaviour with a philosophy which centres on praise, encouragement, enthusiasm, fun and affection rather than criticism, fear and punishment.

At the heart of every good school though is a good staff, and this is where the secret of Port Regis' success lies, rather than the fine buildings and beautiful grounds, important though these be. We all love to be associated with an enterprise which is both successful and happy and part of an organisation where hard work is appreciated and recognised. Port Regis provides all this and more to a highly motivated and cohesive body of men and women, who devote themselves to the education and wellbeing of the children during the term time.

The school is distinctive in many ways, not least in the high quality of its boarding provision and the large number of children who choose to board. The success of this aspect of the school defines in many ways the hard work of the staff as well as the happiness of the children, because long gone are the days when children were sent away to board against their wishes by parents who felt the need to toughen them up for purposes of Empire or the like!

The school does much more than deliver conventional success however – indeed, without the cultivation of goodness in children, all other objectives are rendered worthless. The school takes very seriously its responsibility to provide its children with a proper moral education and a clear understanding that, whilst each one of them is important, so is everyone else, and the traditional core values of consideration for other people, kindness, courtesy, honesty and good manners lie at the heart of the school’s purpose. As a result the school fulfils the promise inherent in its designation, a "Preparatory School", one which prepares children for what lies ahead, and this allows its children to go out into the potentially uncertain waters of adolescence with some certainties to hold on to, not least a proper confidence which enables them to stand tall, be adventurous and ambitious in their decision-making, and to feel no need to bully weaker brethren, nor engage in tiresomely attention-seeking behaviour nor angry confrontation with authority. Port Regis children have learned how to learn and so engage positively with the prospect of a lifetime of work which awaits them. They have also acquired a well-rounded competence as well as a perspective on life which allows them to feel at ease with their fellows, with those in authority over them and with themselves.

If you would like to visit the school, Elizabeth and I would be delighted to welcome you and show you round.

Benedict Dunhill - Headmaster