HMC General Secretary Visit

We were delighted to welcome the General Secretary of HMC, Dr Simon Hyde, to Shiplake College recently. HMC (or the Heads’ Conference) is an association of Headteachers drawn from some of the world’s best schools. Currently 300 Heads in the UK are members of HMC and a rigorous accreditation process helps to ensure and maintain quality, with all HMC schools committed to outreach and partnership work.

HMC is a Heads' association and therefore it is the Head, not the school, who is the member, although the quality of the school qualifies the Head for membership. Former Shiplake Headmaster Nick Bevan was first accepted to be member in 1998, a membership which was extended to his successor Gregg Davies, and to Tyrone Howe. All HMC member schools are regularly inspected and accredited against both qualitative and quantitative membership criteria in order to ensure that the HMC kite mark continues to exemplify quality, innovation and excellence in education.

On his visit Dr Hyde, a former HMC member and school governor, met with the Headmaster and senior staff, spoke with the out-going and new Heads and Deputy Heads of College, and had a tour of the school. He says “Thank you for your kind hospitality throughout my visit to Shiplake College. The staff and students made me feel extremely welcome and it was so encouraging to see all you and your team are achieving for your students and school community. Glorious sunshine, a fantastic tour and the opportunity to meet some great young people made this a memorable trip.”

Mr Howe adds: “It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to show Simon around our school and introduce him to some of our pupils. We are grateful to Simon and his team at HMC who work hard to promote the independent school sector, maintain relations with partners and stakeholders, such as the Department for Education and examination boards, and also actively encourage partnerships with maintained schools and local communities to be inclusive and widen access.”