The importance of sport and artistic culture in a true education

Richard Townend, Headmaster of Hill House International School, on providing a breadth of opportunity...

Hill House, situated in Chelsea the original Bohemian centre of London always filled with actors, composers, painters, poets, designers and inventors, continues that tradition with its highly regarded style of educational philosophy that “a child’s mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled”. 

We believe that a true education is one which excites pupils by the breadth of opportunity it offers. In addition to the core curriculum subjects delivered by inspired teaching equal weight must be given to those cultural and sporting activities which are so essential to the development of the whole personality and character of a child. That can only be achieved when a pupil is meaningfully engaged in the discovery of the richness of our cultural heritage in art, drama and music. To do that a school needs to invest in highly skilled teachers with a passion for their subject, the imagination to convey their enthusiasm to their pupils, inspiration in the way they present their subject and individuality in their approach to each of their pupils.

Teaching Drama builds a child’s confidence and self-esteem which is so essential today in a life where the success of an interview opens doors to opportunities in every profession.

Teaching Art in all its forms joins us to our cultural heritage and fires the imagination.

Teaching Music to every child, not just those with natural talent, will keep the performing arts of opera, ballet and concert alive for future generations with increased leisure time and be a joy to those who will love to perform at amateur or professional level.

And Sport in all its forms not only brings good physical health but also good mental health with its essential requirement of dedication to team effort, commitment to rigorous training and a spirit of comradeship – all skills which will be of benefit in every aspect of a person’s life.

To fulfil our philosophy at Hill House we have a team of specialist Art and Drama teachers, twenty-one Music teachers, and fifteen Sports teachers. 

Of course all this costs a great deal of money but it is an investment in a child’s future which will bring rich rewards beyond measure and give them the promise of an exciting and enriched life whatever path they choose to follow.

This article first appeared in the 2020/21 edition of Which London School? & the South-East, which you can view in full here: