The Surbiton High School Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Surbiton High music student, Mahoor in the Senior School and talk about her new composition 'Symphony of Persia'. The episode includes an interview with Mahoor followed by the full piece. It was performed live in front of an audience of over a thousand students across four assemblies in June 2023.

In this episode, we meet with Kavita Patel, Vice Principal for Staff Development, and talk about how we train and develop our staff to provide students with the best learning environment possible.

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Hammond-Hall, Head of Instrumental Music, and learn about how music lessons and ensembles work at Surbiton High School. In any given week, there are hundreds of one-to-one music lessons from dozens of instrument teachers, not to mention carefully selected and arranged ensembles and choirs that rehearse and perform the year round. The school also offers a R...

In this episode, we sit down with Director of Music, Vikki Newman, and talk about all the things that make our Music Department special, from our verticalisation of choirs and ensembles to our Rare Instrument Scheme. All music in this episode is performed by Surbiton High students and was recorded live on site.

A student performance on clarinet.

In this episode, we sit down with Melissa Geiger, Deputy Chair of Governors overseeing Finance and a Trustee of United Learning. She has an illustrious background in Tax & Finance and is currently a Partner at KPMG and member of the UK board. We talked about what makes Surbiton High School Special, her role as a governor and reflections on the 2023 ISI inspection.

In this episode, we go on the annual Year 7 residential to PGL where the students have the opportunity to make new friends, build their team work skills and face-down challenges together. Assistant Principal for Pupil Development and Wellbeing, explains why we start our Year 7 students’s Surbiton journey with this trip.

Continuing our Excellence Series, following our 'Excellent in all Areas' verdict from ISI, Spring 2023, in this episode we talk with Charlotte Demetz, Assistant Principal for Compliance, Health & Safety, about getting the basics right behind the scenes at Surbiton High School.

In this episode, we let you inside one of the most exciting pedagogical experiments of 2022-23. A year in the making, The Empire Day Project, is part of Director of Drama and Dance, Chris Griffin's, 'My Place in the World: Past, Present and Future' project which has been running with Year 8 since September. The idea of the project is to look at lessons from the past and present in orde...

In this episode, we give you a quick look at what it's like to be at a Surbiton High School Sports Day. You'll hear from House Leaders, Heads of House, veteran Year 12s and rookie Year 7s at their first Sports Day.

In this episode of the ‘Excellence Series’ we sit down with Stuart Murphy, Assistant Principal for Pupil Development and Well-being, and discuss the importance of pastoral support in Secondary Education and how we deliver excellence in this field at Surbiton High School.

In this episode of the Excellence Series, we meet with Assistant Principal for Learning & Teaching, Paul Reeves, and discuss what makes excellent classroom practice. The episode covers a range of familiar and innovative strategies, our philosophy for excellent Learning & Teaching and a discussion about AI technology and its place in the classroom.

In Spring 2023, Surbiton High School achieved 'Excellent in all areas' in its ISI inspection. In the Excellence Series, we give you a look behind the scenes at the different departments and processes that make our school one of the most successful Independent schools in the UK. In this episode, we look at what makes an excellent Sixth Form. We talk with Director of Sixth Form, Jon Owen, ab...

In Spring 2023, The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) visited Surbiton High School and awarded it 'Excellent in all areas'. In this 'Excellence Series' we take you behind the scenes of one of the most successful schools in the country in order to give you an insight into the hard work that goes into making every day excellent here at Surbiton High School. In this first episode...

In this episode, we sit down with Ade McKeon, the Chair of the Local Governing Body. A career business executive and CEO, Ade has worked across some of the biggest UK brands in the food and drinks industry with extensive experience in P&L Management and a proven track record of improving financial performance with innovative operational processes, systems and structures. Ade talks us through t...

Grab your gaiters! In this episode, we go on a trek across the Surrey Hills with some Y10 students as they take part in a training weekend for DofE. They have to learn how to navigate using a map, use teamwork to get across muddy fields, set up their tents, cook a substantial meal on a camping stove and keep a cool head when things don't go according to plan. We have interviews with staff who&...

In this episode, we talk with Stuart Bird, Head of Outreach, about the next live online episode of Pop Talks. With exam season approaching like a bullet train, POP! Talks is back with Revision SLAM!  Whether you, your children or your students are priming up for revision time, whether GCSEs, A Levels, degrees or beyond, this online talk features an expert line up of insightful, stellar speakers wi...

In this episode we give you a glimpse behind the scenes of the Surbiton Science week. The week sees a range of activities that shine a light on the different fields of science, with a particular focus on the unsung female heroes of science. Each morning, our Sixth Form Science Ambassadors deliver a science-focused assembly to several hundred students at a time, there are Chemistry experiments and...

In last week’s episode we heard from Ms Jackson, Head of Politics, and her Year 12 Politics students on the premiership of Liz Truss. In this week’s episode, Mr Gunning, Acting Head of Politics, and his Year 13 students will be taking us through their dissection of the US midterms and what it means for the 2024 Presidential race.

In this episode, we sit in on a Politics lesson with Year 12. Recorded in November 2022, the class had been following Liz Truss' premiership closely. They started writing and researching while she was still PM, focusing on her controversial budget, however, they had had to pivot their research into a post mortem after Liz Truss resigned, just 49 days after taking office. In this episode, you'll he...

In this week's episode, we bring you interviews with our external Scope Day speakers. Each Scope Day we arrange for experts to come in and talk to our students about looking after theirmental health and emotional well-being, as well as a range of difficult subjects such as sexual assault, drugs & alcohol and staying safe at music festivals. In this episode, you can hear from: Deana Puccio from...

Public speaking is something we all have to do at some point in our lives, whether it’s a wedding speech or a colleague’s farewell, however, it often comes up as a commonly held phobia. At Surbiton High, each year, the Public Speaking Competition sees over 500 students across Years 7-9 compete to win the Public Speaking Cup. In the first round, students must write, research and perform their own w...

Surbiton High School opened its doors on 25 January 1884 with 11 girls and the aim of providing access to ‘a superior education for girls along the guiding principles of the Church of England’. In today's episode we take you to Founders' Day. You will hear about the history of our founding church, St Mark’s, and how it and the school have been shaped and changed over the past 139 years. You will a...

Choosing your GCSE option subjects is one of the first moments in your academic journey where you get to shape your future identity. In this episode we spend time with Y9 as they learn about GCSE option subjects from Y10s who are six months into their GCSE courses. Students representing each option subject get to do a one-minute elevator pitch explaining why they chose the subject and what they lo...

In this episode we talk with Polly Rumbold (Head of Development, Alumnae Relations and Whole School Events Coordinator) about our alumnae association, The Green & Silver Club. The club is more than a network to connect together past students, instead it links past and present students and staff to create an intergenerational Surbiton High School community. In the second half of the episode, we...