Stephen Spurr

Stephen Spurr
Headmaster, Westminster School
In office
2005–2014
Preceded by Tristram Jones-Parry
Succeeded by Patrick Derham
Personal details
Born 1953
Education Sydney Grammar School
Alma mater University of Sydney

Dr Stephen Spurr (born 9 October 1953) has been the Group Education Director of Inspired, an international education company, since September 2014. A British teacher, classicist, and academic, from 2005 to 2014 he was the Head Master of Westminster School[1]

Prior to that he was Headmaster of Clifton College (2000-2005) and House Master and Head of Classics at Eton College (1984-2000). Before Eton he was a university academic, lecturing on Greek and Roman literature, history and archaeology.[2] [3] [4][5][6]

Education

He was educated at The King's School, Canterbury and Sydney Grammar School. He studied Classics at the Universities of Sydney and Oxford, culminating in a DPhil dgree in Ancient History from Oxford. He was awarded a postgraduate Fellowship at Harvard University, the Ancient History Prize and Cooper and Pelham Scholarships at Oxford, and a Rome Scholarship at the British School at Rome.[7]

Views

He was popular among his pupils, who affectionately called him 'Stevie'. They liked the view that Dr. Spurr holds about how to spend time in the holidays: he believes in the three 'R's - rest, revision, reflection. In 2004 Spurr stated that A-level exams may fail talented pupils, especially in the Humanities; and Westminster consequently switched to Cambridge Pre-U exams in 9 subjects, which he described as "so much more stimulating to teach and learn" and a much better preparation for study at university.[8] He has also always been a great proponent of scientific education.[9] In another two subjects his Westminster pupils followed International A-levels, which, together with the Pre-Us, enable comparison with the best schools world-wide, since Spurr aims to educate pupils not only for successful entrance to top ranked universities but also to become engaged global citizens of the future. Since working for Inspired, he has also come to appreciate the value of the IB curriculum. From 2006-2013 Spurr was the Chairman of ISEB, the board that produces and regulates the Common Entrance examination, where he always insisted on breadth of knowledge, academic integrity and rigour. According to Tatler magazine, Spurr also believes in academic research for its own intrinsic sake.[10]

At Eton, Clifton and Westminster, he consistently looked to identify and encourage academically ambitious pupils in the state sector, through extensive fund-raising for bursary programmes and by establishing the Eton-Harlesden Summer School in 1986, the Clifton Summer School in 2001 and, in his last year as Head Master at Westminster, he set up the Harris-Westminster Sixth Form Academy,[11] a joint project between Westminster School and the Harris Federation, which opened in 2014 and was judged Outstanding in its first Inspection by Ofsted.[12]

He has always considered that British education needs to take careful notice of the best international standards, and this is a theme on which he has given talks in the UK, Italy, Singapore, the US and China - where he linked Westminster school with Beijing No 4, the top academic school in Beijing. Developing his belief in the growing importance of international education, on leaving Westminster he joined Inspired as Group Education Director in September 2014 helping the company to grow successfully from its original bases in South Africa and Australia to its current size of 41 schools and 31,000 students on five continents. He is the Chair of Governors at Inspired's two schools in the UK (Reddam House Berkshire and Fulham School) and is also governor of the Royal Ballet School and Tonbridge School. With his wide ranging experience he speaks regularly on the future of education, combining the best of traditional British pedagogy with the highest international standards and the latest advances in digital learning.

Personal life

In 1982 Spurr married Susanna Armani in Rome and they have a son and a daughter.

Scholarship

In addition to articles, interviews and talks on education, and to scholarly books and articles, particularly in Latin literature and Roman History, and publications in the field of Egyptology (while at Eton he was also Curator of the Myers Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art),[13] Spurr is known as a translator of Italian, and was awarded a Times Literary translation prize in 1991.

References

  1. ↑ SPURR, Dr (Michael) Stephen, Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2011; online edn, Nov 2011, accessed 14 Dec 2011]
  2. ↑ Dr Spurr retires as Head Master of Westminster School
  3. ↑ ‘Tatler Schools Guide 2017
  4. ↑ http://www.stgeorges.ch/images/downloads/tatler-coverage.pdf%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D ‘Tatler Schools Guide 2017]
  5. ↑ http://www.internationalschoolofeurope.it/sites/default/files/news_il_giornale_di_monza-22-11-2016-interview-with-dr-spurr_0.pdf ‘’Il Giornale Di Monza 22-11-2016]
  6. ↑ http://www.toscana24.ilsole24ore.com/art/oggi/2016-12-13/siena-scuola-internazionale-sede-120822.php?uuid=gSLAqxO87B ‘’Il Sole 24 Ore 2016-12-13]
  7. ↑ Dons Life - Tea at Claridges and dinner at Westminster Archived 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ G. Paton, "A-levels fail brightest pupils warns top headmaster", The Daily Telegraph (London, 27 August 2011)
  9. ↑ The Times: 10 Ways to enrich your child's science education, 2012
  10. ↑ Tatler Schools Guide 2013
  11. ↑ The Times: Top public school offers pupils from poor backgrounds academy route to Oxbridge "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Sixth form that turns poorest into scholars is top free school". The Times. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Egyptian Art at Eton College
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