My appointment as Principal at College Alpine Beau Soleil, Villars-sur-Ollon in 2013 was announced in The Times in an unexpected manner: a cartoon in the paper by David Haldane, instigated by my move from Roedean to Switzerland. And certainly in public perception such a move could provoke a wry smile. The quintessential move for a young girl from a previous era. To what extent did my experience live up to the cartoonist’s stereotypical projection?
Despite endless attempts to present it otherwise, Roedean has not been UK’s super ‘posh’ school; no royals were ever educated there and it has traditionally educated the daughters of middle-class families who relished the bracing climate of the south coast.
In contrast, I would accept that the move to Swiss private education does lead you into an elitist world, from cost alone, and Beau Soleil was no exception. The first adjustment that I had to make for this particular role was that I had moved into a different demographic: those who choose Swiss boarding schools generally have significant financial funds and come from a much broader span of countries.
The most numerous nationalities signing up at our school some ten years ago who came from Europe, were from Russia and Ukraine, (a significant challenge in 2014). Very few came from the Far East but we had a significant percentage from Mexico. Their reason for the choice of our school on the top of a mountain was its offer of a safe haven for children.
As the school offered both English and French medium curricula, we also drew in a significant number of
French-speaking students, particularly from North West Africa. For some of these students, the idea of an outdoor education programme was a revelation: the proposal to go on a 10-mile hike through the mountains was met with disbelief as “this is what poor people did”!
Being a bilingual school brought its challenges. Running two different curricula with the associated educational philosophies, regulations, inspection regimes and teaching perspectives took some getting used to. I had not realized how different the French approach to education was until I had to manage their approach to academic thinking, testing, and to special needs and educational provision. The British love for sports was something the French teachers regarded with huge amusement; although everyone, obviously, was up for the skiing!
Over my years in office, I hope I moved the dial at the school with regard to safeguarding. When seen from outside, this seemed to be a very British obsession but it is, as we would all agree, a crucial one. It was hard work to move forward a culture that had traditionally taken what seemed a somewhat laissez faire approach to all things regulatory; traditionally growing up in the Swiss Alps far from civilization breeds a very independent tribe of people.
Boarding was central to life at the school; we had no day students. I learnt a great deal about how important it was to create a sense of community through activities, food and feasts, and the ritual of regular outdoor challenges which drew together the whole community. Life on the top of a
mountain out of ski season could be quite quiet otherwise, especially for our sophisticated clientele. We were certainly grateful for the support and training that BSA provided to both our
boarding house parents and our French national teachers who had to learn quickly about the boarding tradition.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Switzerland and would warmly recommend a stint overseas to any individual. Beau Soleil College was by 2013 owned by Nord Anglia Education
and this brought an element of the UK to all we did, so the foreign culture shock was not so great. Indeed, having spent my childhood in East Africa and Pakistan, Switzerland really seemed a touch of luxury.
The key with any overseas appointment is to embrace the new and the different. To try to learn the language, and to work hard to make sense of the culture. I brought back from my time away a real love for the open air, the environment, for the wider cultural mix that our school represented, and a deep interest in the contrasts in educational thinking between France and the UK. I have been returning to Switzerland every year since I left as I developed a deep love for the countryside and the people. Day to day, I am fortunate enough to enjoy a different but still spectacular countryside at Ruthin School, set at the foot of the Clwydian Range in North Wales. There, I often find myself reflecting and drawing upon my experiences gained in previous schools including at Beau Soleil.
“The British love for sport was something the French teachers regarded with huge amusement”
Author: Frances King, Head, Ruthin School
Categories: Sector News
