What do you do at the School and when did you join?
Hello! My name is Ed Tolputt and I am Head of Sixth Form; I joined the Cokethorpe staff in September 2020 (the calm between the storms…) and have not looked back.
And what was it that first attracted you to the School?
My interview took place over two days. On both days, I had an informal (but observed) group discussion with a mix of Sixth Form students; I was struck by how thoughtful, kind, and different they all were. We spoke about hobbies, about ambitions, about likes and dislikes. The students were such fun company, and continue to be: without doubt, the highlight of my job is time spent in the company of the students in the Sixth Form Centre.
What do you look forward to most when coming to work?
Students aside (see above), it is the pre-school ‘hello’ and chat with my two close colleagues: Mr Gale and Mrs Cooper. We are a good Sixth Form team – the three of us are quite different, allowing us to be more than the sum of our parts. And, above all, we get on well.
If you could pick three highlights of things that you have done since becoming Head of Sixth Form, what would they be?
Firstly, not one single highlight but four connected events: the Peacock Ball for each of the leaving cohorts. The event itself has always been great fun, but – more so – it is the chance to reflect upon and celebrate the journey of each of the students. It is an evening of laughter and recollection, and a reminder of what we do: support the students to become confident, articulate, grounded and happy young adults. As they leave the marquee to begin the next stage of their lives, I feel a
mixture of shared pride and sadness.
In the second summer of the COVID pandemic, the Sixth Form Team (helped by a number of current students) devised a three-day conference for the soon-to-be Lower Sixth. It was billed a ‘Conference of Curiosity’, and included break out sessions (run by departments with titles such as ‘Curiosity by Nature’ given by the Biology Department and ‘Maths but Knot as you Know It’ given by the Maths Department). We invited visiting speakers, including Ian Lesley (author of Curiosity), and hosted a Q&A Carousel with various guests with various interesting careers (a judge, a DJ, an F1 engineer, and so on). It was a very happy occasion, spent with interesting and interested young pupils, who – having endured the drudgery of lockdown and Teacher Assessed Grades – were so keen to be involved in something wholesome and meaningful. A third and final highlight would be the focus on leadership within the Sixth Form community, through various introductions, including the Tutor Partnering programme and the Sixth Form Leadership Grants. My mission is to teach students that good leadership is about what you do and not about who you are. When they go to university, no one is going to make them Head Girl or Head Boy, but some may decide to set up a society, or direct a play, or organise a ball. And so, in the Sixth Form, I am trying to give them the space and opportunity to develop these skills. With the Tutor Partnering programme, all Sixth Form students are assigned to a tutor group in the lower years – from Reception Class in the Prep School up to Third Form in the Senior School. Once a week, the Sixth Form student attends the tutor period of their partner group, and leads the session. The students are thrown in at the deep end – some sink, some swim, and some soar out of the water. But they all benefit a great deal from the experience, as do the younger children. Five Sixth Form Leadership Grants are awarded, in the February of Lower Sixth, to students who promote leadership through all that they do – those students who demonstrate initiative, independence, and – of course – hard work. The selected students are expected to impact the School community – this year they organised a RAG week for both Senior School and Prep School. I look forward to further developing a culture of ownership and responsibility in the Sixth Form, over the coming years.
Have you always taught, or did you have another career before finding your passion?
Before teaching I combined acting/singing with freelance structural engineering. I enjoyed the balance and variety of leading a double life, professionally, although at times it could get confusing.
What do you do in your free time?
Holidays are mostly spent on the move – I am restless by nature, and enjoy the variety and challenge of travel. Weekends are mostly spent skulking around the local cafes of east Oxford with one or other of my children (ideally not both – they tend to squabble). We are lucky to live within a strong neighbourhood community; my teaching background is boarding schools, and so weekends remain precious and novel.
Tell us something we might not know about you?
I enjoy long-distance pilgrimage walks to Santiago de Compostella in north west Spain. I have walked several routes, including from France, from Portugal and from Seville (in southern Spain). It is a great holiday; sometimes alone and sometimes with my wife, Sophie.
