Hunter Hall is Cumbria’s only standalone independent school for children aged three to 11.
Under the leadership of head Paul Borrows, the school understands how integral personal, social and emotional education is to the development of a child.
As a team they are committed to ensuring that every child flourishes during their time at Hunter Hall; that they thrive at whatever they are doing, whether it’s in a
maths lesson, on the sports field or on stage.
Moving forward their collective goal is to interweave wellbeing throughout the curriculum, equipping children with the skills and strategies to prioritise and look after their own wellbeing.
As a new academic year dawns, Ella Tarrant, assistant head (wellbeing) and head of lower school and early years at Hunter Hall reflects on the power of school to nurture big dreams from an early age.
“Listening to children converse in my classroom, I often hear, ‘When I grow up, I want to be …’ This is usually followed by astronaut, princess, inventor… you get the idea – the sky is the limit.
“At an early age, children have what often seem like fantastical ideas for their future, full of hope, aspiration and pure joy. Yet as they move through school, children’s ideas change, becoming more sensible.
“I often wonder why this happens and whether schools play a role in changing children’s aspirations, making them more ‘realistic’.
“This is often done with the best of intentions, with schools and parents alike wanting to gently shield children from failure and disappointment.
“But schools should be helping children to hold on to those dreams and make them a reality, no matter how fantastical they seem.
“It was reading Nike creator Phil Knight’s memoir, Shoe Dog, in which he reminisces about contemplating his future when fresh out of college, that I began to think differently about schools and the potential they have to help children hold on to, and realise, their dreams.
“Knight knew that he had certain aspirations – money, a house, wife, kids – that had been ingrained in him by his upbringing, but he also knew he wanted more.
“He saw life as a game and he decided, whilst on a morning run, that he did not simply want to be on the sidelines (where it is safe), he wanted to play, to actively engage.”
