Framlingham College’s head of prep explains his vision

“I moved here about two weeks before term started and I’m really enjoying living on the school site with my family.”

Mr Roche’s own children have enrolled in the Prep School too, joining Years 5 and 8.

“The most reassuring thing is that both of my children are incredibly happy here,” said Mr Roche. “Framlingham College is such a friendly, child-centred community.”

Mr Roche has a breadth of experience across the sector, working in independent and state schools. Most recently, he was senior housemaster at St Edward’s, Oxford, and was also the chair of the education committee at The Hawthorns Prep School in Surrey.

“One of the things that I've learned along the way is that good schools are built around positive and open relationships. Not just between the children and the adults, or the children and each other, but also between the school and the parents. That's how you foster the most positive community you can.”

Set in stunning surroundings, the College offers a host of enrichment opportunities for young people (Image: Framlingham College) As head of prep, Mr Roche will oversee the development of children aged two to 13. With such a broad age range to cater for, he explained that he believes strongly in upholding Framlingham College’s holistic approach to education, preparing pupils for a seamless transition into senior school and beyond.

“If we think about the age of the children here and we think about the world that we're preparing them for, none of us know what that future workplace is going to look like.

“What’s important is that we provide the tools they need as people – that strength, confidence, resilience and open-mindedness required for good citizenship. Character development is such an important aspect of education in a prep school.”

The full, weekly and flexi boarding options at Framlingham College Prep School give young people the opportunity to further develop their social and emotional skills. Mr Roche’s office is located right in the centre of the main building – an original Tudor house where the boarders also live. He believes that to get the boarding and pastoral environment right, “you have to live it alongside the children”.

The boarding options at Framlingham College give young people the chance to develop their social and emotional skills (Image: Framlingham College) The school provides a variety of exciting co-curricular opportunities including evening and weekend activities for boarders and other pupils who may also wish to take part. These include the recently launched ‘Ignite’ Saturday morning enrichment programme, as well as evening discos, paintballing trips, cinema and shopping visits, murder mystery nights and trips to the Suffolk coast.

When it comes to learning, Mr Roche is very proud of the school’s innovation in its 7-9 curriculum, where he said “we are free from the burdens of senior school testing” and can be genuinely creative with the educational offering.

"As an all-through school, we are able to provide a shared and seamless learning journey from prep to senior, through a curriculum that both develops skills and character, and deepens knowledge in an innovative way.

"Most importantly, that blended approach is fun for the children.

“Within the classroom, we are always looking at how we can adapt and respond to the individual, and how we can encourage them,” he said. “But of course, this doesn’t just happen in the classroom and there are so many other opportunities here.

Framlingham College strives to create a positive community with a focus on holistic education (Image: Framlingham College) “It's about a holistic education – it’s about nurturing the children, getting alongside them, finding out what makes them tick and encouraging them towards new passions.”

Looking ahead to the end of the year, Mr Roche’s aim is to realise his vision for a positive and inspiring school environment that encourages pupils to reach their full potential.

For more information, please visit framlinghamcollege.co.uk