Packwood: Pioneers of a Childhood that is Nurturing and Contemporary
WORDS: William Goldsmith, Packwood Head
Speaking to a group of thousands of young Catholics in Kraków in July 2016 as part of World Youth Day, the late Pope Francis gave a rousing call of action: “Take courage. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t fear failure or falling down. What you should be afraid of is a life where you never take risks, where you never leave the couch, where you just coast through life without ever really living.” The frequently used saying, ‘couch of happiness’, was coined at this event where Pope Francis commended challenge and action over comfort and passiveness.
If, as I contemplated the start of the summer term, I was worried the typical Packwoodian would squander away the opportunities of a glorious summer at Packwood, I needn’t have been. By the end of the first day of term, I had witnessed the rush on the golf course, cricket nets, mountain biking trail, plenty of trees to climb (and fall out of) and the river for our keen fishers. And this has continued over the last ten days: just about every inch of our 80-acre estate has been explored and made use of.
Packwood’s vision – Pioneers of a childhood that is nurturing and contemporary – was clarified in January this year, but in reality this has been the very essence of a Packwood education since our founding in 1892. We firmly believe that a truly nurturing childhood prepares a young person for the realities of modern life. We view this nurture to be both a safety-net and scaffolding. The safety net to enable children to make mistakes, experiment, explore and take time to figure out their interests and what makes them tick; the scaffolding to enable them to soar and surpass what they believe they are capable of. We are extremely proud of our informal atmosphere here at Packwood that enables the children to climb this scaffolding, knowing there is the safety net, but they will be unfussed and unhurried on their journey up.
We believe in an unfussy and unhurried schooling at Packwood – the world is busy enough without us creating a frenetic environment for our children. Much of this comes from unstructured time: the world needs curious minds, broad perspectives and agile mindsets. This doesn’t come from a set of instructions or a predictable playbook. It germinates from the freedom, space and simplicity of time.
Encouraging the young group in Kraków to choose becoming “protagonists of change” over “vegetating”, Pope Francis set an example to billions across the world. The Packwood Way constitutes three core values – tenacity, respect and humility. Three values that guide our children to explore their own scaffolding of life, with a true safety net underneath them.
Packwood is a leading independent boarding and day school for children aged 4-13. Its idyllic location in rural Shropshire, close to the Cheshire border, provides the ideal environment for experiential learning, growth and discovery.
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