Personality, motivation and complementary skills are key considerations when choosing a head boy or girl, says Ben Vessey, Headmaster of Canford School
What makes a good head of school"
A lot boils down to a balance of personalities. Cosmo and Daisy, our current heads of school, are both brilliant, but in different ways. One is perhaps a little quieter and reflective, the other is more ebullient and ?out and at it?. That sense of having complementary skills for me is a really important factor.
We?re not just considering high-profile achievers. For us, they work very much as primus inter pares, (first among equals) and operate as a part of a group. Sometimes what you want are people who haven?t had an easy ride and have really had to work, so they can empathise more readily with other souls who need a different perspective. How do you recruit heads of school"
We don?t have a separate application process for our heads of school. I make the selection in consultation with the housemasters and housemistresses from the 18-20 prefects we have appointed. Daisy came up top of the pile on every single measure that we had from pupils and staff, and had a very strong application as well, while with Cosmo it was his personality and leadership skills that shone through.
What does the role involve"
Our heads of school chair the student council meetings and we send them to the Heads of School Conference at Wellington College. I also meet them every Monday. I love the sens...