Kent


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="998" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster.jpg" alt="Tonbridge School James Priory headmaster" class="wp-image-92519" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster-800x532.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster-1000x665.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster-400x266.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Tonbridge-School-James-Priory-headmaster-789x525.jpg 789w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>James Priory has been Headmaster of <a href="https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tonbridge School</a> since 2018. He may head up one of the most prestigious public schools in the country yet it&#8217;s his warmth, approachability and total lack of snobbery that makes him a popular choice with parents, staff and pupils alike. </p>



<p>Plus &#8211; as someone who benefitted from an Assisted Place himself &#8211; he is an embodiment of what the school stands for. So forget stats and school prospectuses &#8211; here&#8217;s the <em>real</em> questions we all want answered.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-the-top-three-things-to-tackle-in-your-inbox">What are the top three things to tackle in your inbox?</h3>



<p>1. AI and how best to educate our pupils to become intelligent users in the future.<br>2. Ensuring we continue to attract and develop the most talented teachers.<br>3. The forthcoming launch of our <a href="https://impact.tonbridge-school.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IMPACT programmes</a> starting with our summer programme this July.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thirty-second-elevator-pitch-for-your-school-sell-it">Thirty-second elevator pitch for your school &#8211; sell it!</h3>



<p>We are one of the top independent boarding and day schools in the UK offering a world-class education whilst also being at the heart of our local community. We believe in developing fine minds and good hearts by encouraging our boys to make connections, both intellectually and socially. We also inspire our pupils to think about where they will be at 25 and support them on this journey.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Our facilities, as you would expect, are amongst the very best in the country. What excites me the most, however, is the quality of people in the Tonbridge community: inspiring teachers who bring their subjects to life even beyond the classroom; talented and committed support staff who work hard to make the whole experience possible; supportive parents who enjoy sharing in the life of the School; and, above all, pupils who encourage each other and are eager to learn.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-were-given-a-1m-donation-for-the-school-right-now-what-you-d-spend-it-on">If you were given a £1m donation for the school right now, what you’d spend it on?</h3>



<p>I would expand the opportunity for <a href="https://www.tonbridgeconnect.org/pages/Foundation-Awards-Programme" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Foundation Awards</a> which, thanks to considerable support, have grown significantly and which benefit not only bright, talented individuals to study here but also the School community as a whole.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-your-own-childhood-school-days">Describe your own childhood school days.</h3>



<p>I really enjoyed my time at school and found it a lot of fun.&nbsp;I attended a state primary and was lucky enough to receive an Assisted Place which enabled me to join King Edward’s School in Edgbaston followed by a family move to Somerset, where I joined Taunton School in the Sixth Form. </p>



<p>English was always my favourite subject, but I also loved music, drama, debating and sport. Looking back, I realise I experienced different types of school: single sex and co-educational, day and boarding, which taught me that what matters most is the quality of the school not the type, but also that having choice is important in education.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-and-worst-teachers-at-your-childhood-school-and-why">Favourite and worst teachers at your childhood school and why.</h3>



<p>I think the best teachers, as someone much wiser than me once put it, make their pupils laugh but also make them think. I had a mischievous sense of humour as I was growing up and I feel I should apologise to my teachers for the number of times I got the giggles, something I am not immune from even now. </p>



<p>The worst teachers, therefore, were probably those who lacked a sense of humour. The best, like my Housemaster and A Level English teacher, John Carrington, struck the balance between laughter and thoughtfulness beautifully.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-was-the-common-theme-of-your-school-report">What was the common theme of your school report?</h3>



<p>I enjoyed using words but had to work harder to learn to use numbers.&nbsp;I’ve also always liked asking questions and establishing conversations, perhaps too often for some of my teachers!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-did-you-go-to-uni-and-what-did-you-study">Where did you go to uni and what did you study?</h3>



<p>I studied English Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-weren-t-a-head-what-would-you-be">If you weren’t a Head what would you be?</h3>



<p>Either an Anglican priest or a zookeeper. Both were serious interests when I was growing up and I like to think that being a Head is a fitting combination of the two!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-favourite-book-childhood-uni-and-now">Your favourite book &#8211; childhood, uni and now</h3>



<p>I loved CS Lewis’s <em>Chronicles of Narnia</em> series, especially <em>The Silver Chair</em>, which I bought with a book token presented to me at primary school, strangely enough, after winning a Shakin’ Stevens dance competition.&nbsp;I still look at wardrobe doors with interest.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>I discovered the poetry of Edward Thomas almost by accident when I was about to join Lincoln College, which happened to be Thomas’s alma mater. I love the relationship he explores between landscape and the imagination and was inspired to follow in his footsteps to Hampshire when I became a Head of English.</p>



<p><em>The Brendan Voyage</em> is a stirring tale about the recreation of a sixth-century voyage across the Atlantic by Tim Severin who I was delighted to discover learned to navigate as a rowing cox on the River Medway when he attended Tonbridge School.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-best-school-trip-childhood-or-current-you-ve-ever-been-on">What’s the best school trip (childhood or current) you’ve ever been on?</h3>



<p>I travelled to Sri Lanka with students last year to support the work of Child Action Lanka, an extraordinary charity with whom we have a long running partnership and who have created Child Development Centres across the country. Dancing with the community, in the shadow of an enormous fig tree on a stage we had helped to build, was a joyful experience.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-song-you-sing-at-full-volume-when-everyone-s-gone-home">The song you sing at full volume when everyone’s gone home?</h3>



<p>Growing up in Birmingham, I have always loved Fleetwood Mac.&nbsp;<em>Go Your Own Way</em> might be appropriate for the end of term when everyone has headed off for the holidays!</p>



<p><strong>What play, book and film should be on every child’s cultural bucket list?</strong></p>



<p>I would recommend Shakespeare’s <em>Henry IV</em>, Parts 1 and 2 as a fascinating insight into the transition to leadership. Dickens’s <em>Great Expectations</em> is one of the most atmospheric stories I know. Guillermo del Toro’s <em>Pan’s Labyrinth</em> is a dark but beautiful film about rites of passage, too.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advice-you-d-give-your-younger-self-and-your-current-students">Advice you’d give your younger self &#8211; and your current students?</h3>



<p>I would encourage everyone, including my younger self, to think about EM Forster’s phrase, &#8216;Only Connect&#8217;! I have always loved making creative connections between people, places and ideas.&nbsp;Our brains thrive on the ability to connect and I believe that being open to new ways of thinking is important if we are to flourish.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tonbridge School,</a> High St, Tonbridge TN9 1JP. Visit one of the regular&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/admissions/visit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Mornings or Mini Open Mornings</a>&nbsp;in 2026.</em></p>


Head’s Up! James Priory, Tonbridge School

You may also like