Dear pupils, parents, colleagues and former pupils
We are living through an unusual period of time and have recently witnessed some tragic events that have rightly caused many people to reflect on the ways that we as people and societies interact.
This week I have received a letter with over 600 signatories, including present pupils, Old Malvernians and parents, asking us as a College to reflect on how we have dealt with the important matters of diversity, unconscious bias and racism in the past, to consider how we can do this better now, and to examine the way in which Malvern College teaches, or overlooks, black history.
I have also been shown some social media posts that refer to painful memories of individuals who have felt hurt, overlooked or ostracised during their time at the College, on account of their race. As a school, we do not tolerate victimisation of any sort whether on the basis of race, religion, sexuality or gender; I am extremely sorry that such experiences should have occurred to anyone at this school, and even more so if we did not deal with them properly at the time.
Malvern College prides itself on, and benefits greatly from, the breadth of the pupil and family body that attends and supports the College. We endeavour to celebrate diversity, and promote equality and inclusivity; however, we still have room for improvement. I am aware that similar questions are being asked of independent schools across the country and believe this is an important opportunity for all institutions to address this matter headon.
For real change to take place, for it to become long-lasting and fully embedded in the culture, the whole community of staff, pupils, OMs and parents will need to be committed and involved. It is therefore of great importance that such a significant number of our present pupils, from all backgrounds, have not only read and put their name to this letter but also used the existing channels in the College to add their voices: some have contributed to our pupil ‘Thrive’ group on these matters and others have contacted senior members of staff to raise their concerns. We have also recently received requests from staff for training in these issues, which I will of course approve.
I am pleased to report that pupils are becoming involved more in various areas of College decision making and we as staff are getting better at listening to their thoughts and suggestions. They are already expressing a desire for a greater school-wide acceptance of difference and suggesting how the subjects of race, black history and the damaging impacts of unconscious bias could be included within both the academic curriculum and super-curriculum, and across the many other activities in which pupils and staff engage. We have made some positive steps within the academic curriculum, the PSHE / Life Skills courses and the super-curriculum, with both external speakers and internal pupil-led societies; but we could do more. My colleagues and I invite and welcome the perspectives of the BAME community to help us reflect on everything we do. We will endeavour to ensure that our school is a place where a holistic education includes a critical examination of privilege and race issues, and where minorities are welcomed and supported as sensitively as all other students throughout their time here.
Finally, as I hope everyone reading this will know, any pupil currently at the College who witnesses unacceptable behaviour from either pupils or staff should contact their Tutor or Housem, in the first instance. Any pupil is also welcome to approach (instead or as well) any of the following: Head of House, Head of Year, Designated Safeguarding Lead (Mrs Bijl), the Senior Deputy Head (Mrs Angus), Deputy Head: Pastoral (Mr Faulkner), the Chaplain or myself. Similarly, anyone employed by the school affected in this way should feel encouraged to speak to their line manager, the Director of HR, the Bursar, a trusted colleague or myself. If a former pupil wants to tell us about any aspect of their experience at the school that they feel we should know about or act upon, then please write to Mrs Descher, PA to the Headmaster, at Malvern College, College Road, Malvern, WR14 3DF.
Yours sincerely
Keith Metcalfe
Headmaster