Dr Christopher Stevens

Ian Allsop asks Dr Christopher Stevens, headmaster at Bradfield College, to reflect on the school’s 175^th anniversary

Many independent schools rightfully boast a proud heritage. This year, Bradfield College, a co-educational school for pupils aged 13 to 18, in the village of Bradfield, Berkshire, is celebrating its 175^th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Bradfield 175, a book written by Oliver Gent, an English and classics teacher at the college, has been published. It’s a fascinating collection of photographs and commentary from the college’s history.

The college was founded as Saint Andrew’s College, Bradfield by the Reverand Thomas Stevens in 1850, with a view to the long term. He oversaw the establishment of a distinctive campus in harmony with its beautiful rural setting, making use of local materials and craftsmen.

In the foreword to the book, current headmaster, Dr Christopher Stevens (no relation), says the images “witness the changing of seasons and the changing of society but also demonstrate that enduring power of place and of the people fortunate to know it”. He says that “like the many trees that are the feature of our campus, Bradfield has grown, spread its branches and changed subtly each year, but so much pupil activity remains instantly recognisable”.

Stevens is stepping down at the end of the summer term after 10 years and, as well as looking back over his own time at the school, 175 years is a great opportunity to reflect on the college’s history and success, especially at such a critical time for the sector. And he is also aware of the lessons that can be learnt from that reflection to ensure the school remains successful for another 175 years.

“It has been fascinating to reflect on the college’s remarkable ability to adjust to changing times and to renew itself physically and outwardly whilst remaining true to its purpose and value,” he says. “The key lesson for the future is the readiness to accept that while times will change, the principles of great education endure. Bradfield is no longer an overwhelmingly male community following a narrow curriculum and living in ‘splendid isolation’, but a vibrant co-educational community looking forwards and outwards.

“It is a school where staff, pupils and parents work in partnership, where regular – analogue and digital – contact with home is valued, where the curriculum is contemporary and the food is great. While much of this would shock Old Bradfieldians of days gone by, the joy of learning, the myriad opportunities beyond the classroom, the inspiration of enthusiastic experts, the close friendships formed within and beyond the pupil body, and the beauty of the place are enduring features of their alma mater.”

When asked how the college ensures it remains faithful to the original founding vision of the school, he simply states: “We respect our statutes, read and refresh our history, curate our archives and talk to our predecessors.”

A lot of independent schools have something they can claim makes them ‘unique’ so they stand out from their competitors. For Bradfield, Stevens says it is its feel, ethos and atmosphere, which can only be fully experienced during a visit. “Bradfield is praised by parents and pupils for being a relaxed, unpretentious but purposeful school where pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves and to be themselves.”

The book stands, as Stevens says in his foreword, as a piece of social history “portraying in microcosm a world that becomes more diverse, more open and more outward looking, and that sees girls and women take their rightful place”. So, was there anything that particularly surprised him when going through what must have a been a vast wealth of archive material?

“Although clichéd to say, the constancy amidst the change was remarkable. Although one might make explicit visual links between scenes past and present, such as parading soldiers or untouched scenery, it is the implicit immutability that struck me. Despite the progressive flow of technology, infrastructure and educational philosophies, one sees the unchanged goal in every facet – to educate to the best of our ability in what we trust to be the highest edification. The Greek Play lives on almost identically; students delight in the snow as they always have; the fields by the river are still full of football, cricket and resounding rifle-fire; the black and white classroom buzz is undiminished. Bradfield is a great school because it stands on the shoulders of such legacy, but with its eyes firmly fixed forwards.”

Looking ahead, he regards VAT on fees as part of a bigger affordability challenge “which has seen increased costs in multiple areas, including compliance, staffing and infrastructure, taking the cost of the education we offer beyond the reach of many people – both new and ‘traditional’ customers”.

He continues: “Maintaining the exceptional quality of our offer while retaining our inclusive ethos and staying true to our values and foundational vision is very hard against this backdrop. Seeking new revenue streams to augment fee income is a strategic priority to facilitate this. AI is an opportunity, not a challenge.”

Stevens’ own teaching career started by being a part-time tutor and lecturer in Italian at Oxford University, while completing his doctoral research into the work of writer and poet Giovanni Boccaccio. He was also a director of a study centre in France, and undertook multiple research visits and a year teaching in Italy.

From 1997 to 2011 he was house master at Uppingham School in Rutland, before becoming second master at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the school and co-ordination of the management team.

He joined Bradfield in 2015 and says he was attracted to the role due to it being a wonderful community in a special place. “Its current reality is self-evidently steeped in its heritage, but my appreciation of that has deepened immeasurably over the decade since I first read a formal history prior to my interview.”

During his tenure, the college has seen steady improvement in exam results (Last year 80% of pupils achieved A*-B) and been rated excellent in all categories by a 2022 ISI inspection. The roll has grown from 750 to 840 pupils. The college now has an annual income of £45 million, annual fundraising has doubled to £1 million, and capital expenditure of £5 million annually has seen numerous major projects completed and a backlog of repair and maintenance addressed. Additionally, an ambitious digital strategy has been implemented and a virtual reality platform incubated and spun out as an independent company. A new Year 9 curriculum and alternatives to GCSEs have also been launched.

For Stevens, leadership means making a positive difference. “It has become more about growing leaders, rather than growing as a leader. The role of head has become more complex as schools have become more complex, and the landscape more challenging. This entails learning and modelling the need to learn.”

In terms of his relationships with pupils, staff, parents, governors and his bursar he says they are not managed, but built “upon care, authentic interest, and open conversation. This requires a significant investment in time, of which there is never enough, and better listening skills than I was born with – a work in progress. Proactive time-management is essential – filling your own diary before people fill it for you is a good rule of thumb to ensure balance between competing demands. Time spent with pupils is the easiest to justify and always rewarding, but all too easily the area which suffers at the busiest times.”

Stevens summarises the school neatly in the book, drawing on his love of Italian literature, by quoting what Tancredi says to his world-weary uncle in Lampedusa’s The Leopard. “Sometimes everything has to change in order for everything to stay the same”.