Shaping the future at The Green – Sherborne School

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Alex Pearson is used to making an impact. Recently appointed as Housemistress of The Green, she has a track record of shaping educational cultures, with a particular interest in pastoral care.

A Historian by specialism, with a first-class honours degree from Manchester University, Alex was promoted early in her teaching career to become a Senior Year Head at a leading boys’ school in Barnet, North London.

After this, she moved to be Pastoral Leader of a Free School, gaining a distinction in an MA in Leadership in Education along the way. Her research for this qualification focused on the effectiveness of tutoring in pastoral care. She has already brought that expertise to bear in her role as a Tutor in The Green since September 2018.

Now, she is ready to step up to the role of Housemistress, with a start date of September 2020. She says she will draw on all her knowledge to enshrine the House’s ethos and contribute to the formation of its boys.

“It helps that I’m already a part of the community within The Green,” Alex says. “I like to think I have a good rapport with the boys and my colleagues in the staff team, as well as an understanding of the atmosphere in the House and the good work that’s already being done there.”

Alex appreciates the close-knit team of colleagues with whom she works: a team she will be leading next year. “We share a commitment to the wellbeing of pupils,” she says, “We’re keen to work together to ensure The Green remains a place of intellectual vibrancy, strong relationships, kindness and exemplary pastoral support. As a House, we have always prized all-round success, and I hope this continues.”

One thing that Alex thinks will be important is the dynamic of being a female teacher overseeing the House. “I think this is good preparation for the boys, who will have to form meaningful relationships with women in the workplace, including those in authority,” she says. “I hope we can model good relationships to help prepare them for such a future.”

Naturally, Alex wants to build on The Green’s culture of care and mutuality. It is one of the things that attracted her to the role. “I regard the ‘uncle’ system of sixth formers looking out for third formers very highly,” she remarks. “I’d like to build on this by establishing closer links between the third and fourth forms, so that newcomers to the School have peers in the year above them to ask for advice as they settle in.”

Alex is keen to see residents of The Green modelling positive behaviour in every aspect of their lives. “It’s important that our boys have a sense of the needs of the world around them. I’ll be encouraging charitable activities and engagement with the local community. I want them to develop a global conscience and a desire to make a positive impact on the world beyond School.”

Such a mindset has undoubtedly been formed by Alex’s previous experience in education. “I think I bring a bit of edge as a result of my varied background,” she says. “That’s been manifested in my teaching since joining the School in 2017, and in my approach to tutoring.”

Now, Alex’s robust intellectual acuity allied to a deep pastoral concern for the wellbeing of pupils and her deep and broad experience in education will enliven the culture of The Green. As she concludes: “I am keen to further The Green’s wonderful ethos as a place of warmth, compassion, kindness and commitment. It’s an exciting moment in my career, with a big role that I’m delighted to be taking on.”

The Green is one of Sherborne’s eight boarding Houses with a ninth, Westcott House, opening in 2021.

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