Jonathan Anderson, recently arrived Headmaster of Campbell College, considers the challenges facing education when society and culture are shifting
What does it mean to lead a school today when the ground beneath us keeps shifting? That question has shaped my first months as Headmaster at Campbell College, having returned to Northern Ireland after nearly three decades away. The landscape here is distinctive, shaped by its own histories, structures and expectations, but the pressures facing schools are strikingly familiar – financial uncertainty, cultural shifts and political scrutiny.
Across the UK, independent education is undergoing significant change. VAT dominates the headlines, casting uncertainty over the sector’s future. Too often, the debate is reduced to slogans: independent schools as symbols, not communities. But behind the rhetoric are families, staff and young people who will feel any changes directly. Planning strategically in such an environment is challenging, particularly when the ground itself is moving.
Northern Ireland’s educational structure is different. Independent schools play a smaller role here, yet they are part of a broader ecosystem under similar strain. The debates may take different shapes, but the underlying questions are familiar – what do we value in education? Also, how do we sustain communities in changing times and ensure schools remain places of stability when everything around them seems uncertain?
One issue that crosses every border is technology. The debate over mobile phones in schools has become almost a national obsession. Banning devices can feel like decisive action, and sometimes it is necessary. However, it doesn’t address the deeper challenge of preparing young people to live well in a digital world. There is a striking paradox here – adults worry about children’s screen time while modelling many of the same behaviours. Unless we address that contradiction honestly, school policy alone will never be enough.
“Schools remain extraordinary places, living communities where tradition and innovation meet”
At Campbell College, these broader debates are not theoretical – they shape the rhythm of daily school life. What strikes me most in these first months is the potential. Schools remain extraordinary places, living communities where tradition and innovation meet. In our early strategic conversations, we’ve focused on how schools can remain steady in a shifting landscape, reviewing how we support pupils’ wellbeing, how we communicate with families, and how we ensure our values are reflected in both policy and practice. Strategy cannot be a static document on a shelf; it must be a living response to a rapidly changing world.
The challenge is not to resist change, but to engage with it intelligently. That means listening carefully, thinking clearly, and acting with purpose. Coming home after nearly 30 years, I’ve been reminded of Northern Ireland’s educational strengths: strong community ties, deep loyalty, and a sense of shared purpose. Combined with thoughtful leadership and openness to change, these qualities become powerful assets in a time of national uncertainty.
There are no easy answers. But this moment, unsettling though it may be, offers a chance to think in fresh ways about what education is for, and what kind of schools we want to build for the future.
Campbell College campbellcollege.co.uk
Further reading: A Sevenoaks School alumnus on the enduring value of a British Education
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