A message from the Head of Primary School
Dear Parents and Carers
Recently I was fortunate to listen to a presentation from Mr Ben Walden, who runs workshops on the topics of Presence and Communicating, skills we would like all of our St Mark’s students to develop during their schooling here. Mr Walden has amazing skills in this area, developed throughout his career on stage in London's West End, including at Shakespeare's The Globe theatre. Ben really highlighted the importance of children developing the confidence and skills to be able to communicate effectively and, if their chosen career necessitates, to develop real presence. He noted that this was an area that he believed was in decline.
Much of Ben’s commentary matched my own thoughts about where education sits in developing these life skills. Much is learnt at home from an early age when parents ask their children to introduce themselves and speak up when required to in social settings, but school is also a place where these skills can be both developed and practised. From reading aloud in class, delivering oral presentations and performing on stage in assemblies, to participating in the IPSHA public speaking competition and, of course, our biennial musical, student’s oracy talents are developed and built upon.
Last year, to increase the opportunities for students, we hosted our first Verse-atality competition where students had to memorise a poem to deliver to their class or peers. This was highly successful at a class level, as well the showcase finals that were held in the Performing Arts Centre. I am certain that this year’s performances will be even better now that the students know what to expect.
Confidence is an official School Value at St Mark’s and the development and refinement of communication skills and presence are integral to the development of this trait. Mr Walden highlighted that 70% of what people take away from a presentation comes from the tone that was used when delivering the message. We want our students to be able to confidently communicate with others and graduate our school not just with abundant academic knowledge but also the life skills that will allow them to be successful as adults. Learning to talk clearly and confidently is a great start for this.
Kind regards
Mark Douglas
Head of Primary School