Arriving at Radley in 2004 for an interview he’d landed by accident, Rob would probably have been the first to tell you he wasn’t expecting to stay here for the next 20 years. Now one of the longest serving Heads of Department, Rob told me what makes Radley special to him and why there’s still plenty of things that keep life fresh and exciting.
In 2004 I had a teaching and research post at the University of Oxford, having worked before that at HM Treasury. My wife Claire and I were living with my mother-in-law in Abingdon, so of course I’d been through Radley many times on the bus, but I never realised the size and scale of the campus. When I came for my interview I walked straight across G Social’s garden, much to the consternation of then G Social Tutor, Harry Hammond!
That was the first time I’d ever set foot in a public school and immediately everything looked different, from the resources and buildings to the food. When Warden McPhail apologised to me for not being able to offer me a house quite yet, and explained I would get to coach Games, I was sold!
How has the Politics Department changed?
When I arrived, there were 24 boys studying Government & Politics A Level. Currently there are 134. The subject has grown in popularity, I think in part due to a good team of dons.
In 2004 the department was run by the esteemed John Power who was 70 years old and had a reputation as a left-wing firebrand; first at the Cowley Car Plant and later as Mayor of Oxford. John retired in 2006 and was replaced by Tim Lawson. Student numbers continued to grow but in terms of dons, I think we have had the most stable department in that no one has left in the last 12 years!
What appeals to you about teaching the subject at A Level?
It’s a living, breathing subject – I joke about the number of times my prime minister hand-out has changed in the last five years.
For the last four years we’ve been working with the renowned US polling expert, Frank Luntz, who has arranged some amazing experiences for us in the US and London, as well as being our ‘Academic in Residence’ at Radley. This has given the subject a boost and helped inspire the lower-school boys to consider studying
Politics at A Level. It’s fair to say Frank quickly became besotted with Radley, saying ‘I think I have found education perfection. It’s called Radley College and it’s a boarding school near Oxford, England’.
What has made you stay at Radley?
The mix of academic, pastoral and sport has always appealed to me. My specialism is US government so to be able to teach that for the last 20 years is almost unheard of and as a Head of Department, the growing focus on academics in recent years has been significant.
I have very happy memories of 17 years spent in F Social and 10 years involved in RCBC. I rowed at university, and I thought I was pretty good until I got here! Now I play football and tennis which is great fun.
When I arrived at Oxford University from a state school in Hackney, my teacher came to visit me at New College and encouraged me to appreciate where I was and spend my time looking up and around. I try to remember that piece of advice all these years later – remember what you have; remember to look up once in a while.
Can you pick a highlight from your time so far?
A couple of years ago I took my kids to the Puppy Show on Mansion Lawn and bumped into an OR, Marcus Gibson, who was one of my first students in 2004. He still remembered my lessons and my tangents and stories like it was yesterday. That meant far more to me than he would have realised.
On a professional level, Frank Luntz inviting us to his Condo in Washington, D.C., a short walk from the White House last year. When I say us, I mean 60 boys and dons on a Politics trip! Frank turned CNN on and we were watching the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. As I’m watching Kevin McCarthy on the TV, I turn to see him walking up the stairs in front of me from Frank’s basement. Surreal. It turns out he is great friends with Frank and lives with him when he’s in Washington.
What keeps things fresh for you?
I do get very excited about our annual trip to Washington, D.C. – it’s a fantastic trip and the highlight of my working year. I’m also really lucky to have a team that makes my work fun.
