SIMON CORNS

Headmaster, Brighton College Al Ain

Q: What is new in the school for the academic year 2021/22?

A: The most important new things are the old things: we can now reintroduce Sport, Drama and Music and other extracurricular activities which we believe to be vital in ensuring our pupils are rounded human beings who develop in all of these contexts a sense of teamwork and build up their confidence, energy and resilience, making them healthier and promoting their wellbeing. These activities are fundamental, alongside the highest academic standards, to what makes a Brighton College education so special.

Q: How is the school coping with the new challenges presented by the pandemic?

A: The school has coped brilliantly with the challenges, rising to the occasion with officially commended Distance Learning and the highest of standards being maintained in the classroom. An innovative approach enabled teaching to be targeted and varied. We now look forward hugely to pupils being able to interact again socially and to engage in the fullness of school life which cannot be achieved online.

Q: What is the importance of having children back in a classroom setting?

A: From my perspective, nothing is more important than having the children back in school. I understand and respect the concerns harboured by a minority of parents and, at Brighton College Al Ain, we have continued to offer Distance Learning for the time being until these parents are happy to send their children to school again, but there is no longterm substitute for the social interaction that being at school entails. Healthy relationships, involvement in play, Music, Drama, PE, swimming and other sports are vital in the development of children’s confidence