Back to school: Starting afresh

As a new school year begins, Charlotte Phillips asks local educational leads about their thoughts, learnings, plans and hopes for 2025/26

Top image by Chris Reeve Photographer

For pupils, parents and teachers, September means one thing: back to school. Whether moving up a year or starting at a new school, it’s a time of change that can come with a whole range of emotions, from excitement to apprehension. 

While families may be focused on the immediate challenges of sorting out school uniform and planning the logistics of the school run, education leaders in our area have been in back-to-school mode for months, thinking through how to make everything about their educational offering – from new subjects to brand-new facilities – as good as it can possibly be. 

In fact, as Ellen Hesse, principal of Abbey College Cambridge, points out, contemplating the future is a never-ending preoccupation. “It’s always at the back of my mind. We review our school development plans formally every term.” That entails taking a clear-sighted look at the college’s goals, deciding on next steps and reviewing the timescale. “We have a dynamic document, and it informs us about what we need to start thinking about for the following academic year,” she says.

Unsurprisingly, she is already well into planning for September 2026 and beyond, so families looking for places in the future can get a clear sense of the college’s vision when they visit.

Challenges: accepted

While ensuring maximum parent appeal, of course, schools also need to consider wider challenges, from the realities of tough economic conditions – including the recent addition of VAT to school fees – to working out just how to prepare pupils of today for the increasingly technology-dominated society of tomorrow. 

“We must provide the absolute best for students, as parents work incredibly hard and sacrifice a lot to send their children to independent schools,” says Claire Petrie, head of Kimbolton Prep School. 

Like other school leaders in our area, she cites AI – with its potentially seismic impact on so many aspects of our daily lives, including future employment prospects – as a top priority, not just this year but into the future. The challenge of equipping today’s pupils with the skills to give them the best chance of success later in life is one schools are tackling head on. 

“AI isn’t something that’s going to go away. We’re all going to have to learn to make the best of it,” says Abbey Jones, senior deputy head (11-18) at Stephen Perse Cambridge, where a working group has been looking at how to help teachers and students harness its power. This might mean being open with students and explicitly incorporating AI in class-based tasks or homework. “It’s about closely monitoring what’s going on with AI and keeping your finger on the pulse.”

And, while AI is a powerful tool, John Maguire, head at Bishop’s Stortford College, acknowledges that it has its limits for now, though it’s rapidly evolving. “We’re waiting for the tech to catch up. Equally, we can recognise how it’s going to transform education,” he says.

Forging ahead

Challenging though this might sound, schools aren’t simply undaunted, but are brimming with ideas and innovation for the new school year, with a growing emphasis on developing learning skills from a young age to give pupils the ability to understand and interpret information in a way that will stand them in good stead, not just during their school years, but into adulthood.

At Stephen Perse Cambridge, a wealth of clubs, activities and talks showcase individual subjects or bring seemingly very different disciplines together in interesting ways – history and economics, for example – to present familiar subjects from a completely new angle. It’s all part of developing fresh ways to “excite students and pique their curiosity beyond the curriculum,” says Abbey Jones. “It’s about ensuring that extension opportunities are as varied and frequent as it’s possible to make them.”

A new prep school curriculum at Bishop’s Stortford College, from September, focuses on independent learning and the development of higher-order thinking skills, encompassing everything from comprehension through to analysis and evaluation. It’s a different approach and an integral part of the process, to make sure that pupils have the reassurance they might need along the way, says John Maguire. “We have a phrase we use: ‘comfortable being uncomfortable’. Students shouldn’t always feel like they have to know everything, but should be happy being uncomfortable,” he says. The school’s role is to build up their confidence. “They know they’re not being judged and that they have a strong safety net below to scoop them up.”

Another initiative at Bishop’s Stortford College is an ambitious languages programme. The mission is for every child to study languages all the way through their school career, starting at age three. The programme is set to include language clubs and business language courses on top of the traditional A- and AS-levels in sixth form, so no pupil, regardless of commitments and aspirations, misses out.

A similar focus on innovation for pupils in years 5 and 6 at Kimbolton Prep includes an introduction to engineering, as well as emphasising creative thinking, teamwork and critical analysis. Meanwhile, Abbey College Cambridge offers parts of its popular sixth form programme to younger pupils, to hone their skills in research, critical thinking and collaboration. Budding medics in year 9 might study an (imaginary) patient history, learning to think like a doctor and work out what questions to ask to gain more information.

“We’re encouraging them to think as if they were these professionals, building up their subject knowledge,” says Ellen Hesse.

The future is bright

School leaders also exude positivity when it comes to investing in the future, from a new sixth form centre at Bishop’s Stortford College to the addition of a preschool at Kimbolton Prep, opening early next year, where three- and four-year-olds can enjoy a gentle introduction to ‘big school’ complete with swimming lessons, a forest school, PE and music lessons, before moving up to reception the following year.

Schools are also keenly aware of the good they can do by helping others. Some initiatives support the local community, like Kimbolton Prep pupils serving meals to over-65s or Abbey College Cambridge students helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their educational potential. Meanwhile, Bishop’s Stortford College will host a futures and universities fair in early 2026, potentially attracting up to 4,000 visitors from state and independent schools and colleges.

Starting – and continuing – the new academic year with impressive innovation, schools stress that ensuring students benefit from a first-class education remains top of the agenda. “The starting point has to be how we can nurture each individual student,” says Abbey Jones at Stephen Perse Cambridge. “The key is working out how, even in a school of our size, every student can still feel seen and supported throughout their educational journey.”

Smooth transitions

How you can achieve as stress-free a return to school as possible after the long summer holidays

• Help children transition into the school routine by gradually adjusting sleep and waking times so they’re fresh and raring to go when term starts.
• To avoid a last-minute panic, get supplies, equipment and uniforms ready well in advance.
• Keep conversations around the new school year positive, highlighting the new experiences and friendships it will bring.
• If your child is moving schools, connect with other families who can share their experiences and help them feel at home.
• Because children can regress by up to two months over the summer, keep their reading and interests simmering over the holidays, but aim to make these activities fun and relaxed.

Open days 2025

The Perse School

Upper School and Sixth Form: 27 September

Pelican School and Prep School: 4 October

Abbey College Cambridge

15 November

Bishop’s Stortford College

20 September

Kimbolton School

Senior School: 20 September

Pre-School and Prep School: 3 October

Sixth Form: 13 November

Stephen Perse Cambridge

Early Years and Junior School: 13 September

Senior School: 27 September

Sixth Form: 16 October