education » Haberdashers' Adams School

Haberdashers' Adams school welcomed its 21st Headmaster Gary Hickey who has taken over from Michael Barratt. Gary has been Deputy Head at Adams’ since 2009 and, as All About Newport discovered, has a very clear vision of the future for the school.

Gary was previously Deputy Head at Ercall Wood, and seconded for a period to Abraham Darby Academy as Deputy Head. Before joining the teaching profession Gary was an award-winning theatre director and professional musician who has directed over 40 plays and two full-length films. As a composer he has released two CDs of original music as well as working as a session guitarist.

A former finalist in the national Teacher of the Year awards, he was awarded a Special Commendation for “extraordinary work in drama” (National Teaching Awards 2000) and also granted a Bursary for Good Practice (2001) by the Department for Education. He has been invited to lecture at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) on the current role of Drama in education, and has studied with professional directors at both the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2010 he was invited to deliver a lecture on Raising Achievement in Boys at Harvard University in Boston, and earlier this year was awarded a teacher Fellowship by Cambridge University.

A slightly unorthodox background one might think for a Headmaster at one of the UK’s most academically successful schools. However Gary has a clear vision to maintain the school’s high levels of academic achievement whilst returning the school to its founder, William Adams’, original concept which was to educate local boys and to offer opportunities to those from a deprived social background. The school and the society it serves has changed a great deal since then but Gary believes the school still has a role in helping the most able pupils achieve their potential whatever their family circumstances or background. “I passionately believe in the power of the grammar school system to aid social mobility. Adams’ is a fantastic school with inspirational teachers and amazing facilities and I’m incredibly proud of all of it and all of our pupils. However the school can only be a force for good in terms of social mobility if as many bright local boys as possible are able to benefit from the quality of education we provide. I believe these proposals will enable more local children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend.”

Whilst William Adams wanted his school to educate ‘local’ boys there has never, in the school’s history, been a formal catchment area. The new admissions policy proposes a catchment area that mirrors that of Newport Girls’ High School. If approved the policy means that boys who live within the catchment area will still need to reach the required standard in the Entrance Exam but will receive priority for places over those who live outside of it.

The current admissions policy already gives priority to ‘looked after children’ and those who are eligible to receive free school meals. This means that a boy who reaches the required standard in the test and falls into either of these categories will receive priority over all other applicants. However the school has found that very few of these children apply. To counter this problem the school is proposing a new Assistant Head role with the aim of reaching out to local schools and families to encourage bright boys to apply to the school.

Gary explained “to outsiders the school may appear old fashioned and possibly some families don’t feel confident enough to apply. The new Assistant Head will go into local primary schools and talk to staff, parents and pupils about Adams’ and the education we provide. They’ll explain the admissions process and be a link between the primary schools and Adams’. We already use an entrance test which cannot be ‘coached’ for as this would give an unfair advantage to families able to afford coaching and I believe this new appointment will further level the playing field for all bright children whatever their background.”

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