As published in The Old Thomasonian in Spring 2026.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to reconnect with former pupils, parents and members of staff at Thomas’s alumni events, most recently at a splendid gathering at Bonhams in March and also at individual school events before that. Three observations come to mind. First is the realisation that we continue to be a strong and joyful community.
For 25 years as a prep school Head, first at Thomas’s Kensington and then at Thomas’s Battersea, I thought I was educating young children. What I failed to appreciate at the time is that we were in fact forging a community which would exist not only during our time together at school, but also for many, many years afterwards. Strengthened by ties of friendship and bound by the memories of shared experiences, the Thomas’s family is one to which we will all, always belong.
Secondly, at these events there has been a great deal of laughter. In part, these are squeals of delight, as long-forgotten memories and half-remembered moments come flooding back to the surface amid snatches of nostalgic conversation. But also, there is the gentle mockery of self-deprecation, as we laugh at ourselves and at the way we were ‘then’. Particularly as parents, ‘then’, we often held on awfully tight. Small matters took on disproportionate importance, such as our child’s level in the reading scheme, the Maths set in which they really ought to be placed, or their inclusion in the U9 B Netball Team… Now, we have lived a little. In some cases, we have seen our children, our friends, perhaps ourselves come through tremendous challenges with extraordinary resilience and we have reached the realisation that, if our children have reached adulthood with their health and happiness, then that alone is something for which we should be grateful. We have, in short, gained perspective.
Finally, meeting so many former pupils has been extraordinarily affirming. For those of us still involved in the schools, hearing the many and varied career paths that our alumni have taken, seeing them return as kind, confident, capable (oh so capable!) young adults, learning of the many, many ways in which they are giving back to their communities – all of this has been the most tremendous encouragement to continue to offer the kind of education in which we all so passionately believe: one that champions kindness, community and childhood, provides a breadth of experiences which will develop into lifelong passions and equips our pupils with self-knowledge, inner strength and intellectual curiosity.
This commitment to a kind, broad and creative education seems as important and relevant today as it has ever been. One of the great harms of the UK independent system of high-stakes senior school entrance exams at the age of 10 or 11 is that it encourages a shorthand amongst anxious parents of very young children which divides schools and pupils into being either ‘academic’ or ‘not academic’. Schools which prepare their pupils endlessly towards the test are deemed to be ‘academic’, while schools which place an equal emphasis on creative and performing arts, sport and outdoor education can be talked down as being ‘not academic’. Yet many of these same parents are also selecting graduates to join them in the workplace. As our Thomas’s alumni prove, the graduates who are selected not only have the grades, but are also able to speak in public with confidence, to collaborate with others with kindness, to bring creative and imaginative ideas to real-world problems and to do so with curiosity, compassion and integrity. These are all skills and attributes that they learned through a broad and creative curriculum.
In other words, it is never a case of ‘either/or’, either ‘academic’ or ‘not academic’. The next decade will see AI transform the workplace as never before. As machine learning advances at an ever-increasing pace, eats our jobs and challenges our normal, the attributes that make us uniquely human will take on more importance than ever before. To provide the strongest foundations, the best education must therefore strive to be ‘both/and’, ensuring that pupils leave school not only with outstanding academic outcomes, but also with the confidence, character and adaptability to succeed in the world.
All of this we have tried to capture in the new version of our vision and values, which is set out below. It is hard, though, to explain to the parents of very young children that this is the education their children need most, when it will be at least another 20 years before they fully realise why. Perhaps we should simply invite them to the next gathering of Thomas’s alumni. Then, without doubt, they will understand.
Our vision is that every Thomas’s pupil flourishes as a compassionate contributor to society and a courageous shaper of the future. To realise this vision, we:
- Champion kindness, community and childhood
- Provide a breadth of experiences that develop lifelong passions.
- Equip young people with self-knowledge, inner strength and intellectual curiosity.
Together, these commitments create the Thomas’s culture of joyful excellence, in which our pupils achieve outstanding academic outcomes and the confidence, character and adaptability to succeed in the world.
Ben Thomas
Principal and CEO, Thomas’s London Day Schools
