Simon Barber, headmaster of Ludgrove School talks to Anne Cuthbertson about balancing tradition with 21st-century life

A recent, and closely fought, debate at Ludgrove School was: ?This house believes that technology is ruining childhood?. While the motion wasn?t carried at the Berkshire all-boys prep, pupils concluded that tech was a good thing ? it just needed to be handled right.

We?re a traditional, 21st century school,? explains Simon Barber, the headmaster. ?We believe in manners and treating others as you wish to be treated.?
The small family school of 185 pupils is a happy place. The school?s mantras are simple: Be Kind and Be the Best You Can. ?Boys haven?t changed a great deal in 50 years,? Barber says, ?but society has.? What?s the policy then on mobile phones" ?We don?t have any,? says Barber. Boys staring at screens is ?not what parents signed up to?. Instead, reading a good book runs through the veins of the school.
Younger pupils are read a bedtime story by Barber?s wife, Sophie, every night, and keen readers are encouraged to become ?book champions?. There?s a newspaper in the classroom every day (the boys often turn straight to the sport section) and a current affairs quiz every Friday.

Boarding means ?more time for fun and friends?. This can mean exploring the woods of the 130-acre grounds, which ?allows boys to be boys?, says Barber. They take part in bushcraft and other outdoor skills, dissection club, pottery, carpentry, and coding.
It?s eas...