Annually The Society of Heads publishes the Observations booklet which is a series of articles from our member schools celebrating a chosen theme. This year the theme matches our Annual Conference theme "Human Flourishing". In the run up to our conference we will publish three of the articles per week.
In the late eighties, at the age of ten, my future felt clearly defined: I was going to fly Harrier jets with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. When I learned that a childhood history of asthma would make that impossible, the dream was shattered and I was forced to take a very different path. Years later, when Christine Cunniffe gave me the opportunity to establish an aviation programme at LVS Ascot, that boyhood aspiration was rekindled and I jumped at the challenge. What began with a modest investment in Microsoft flight simulation software quickly evolved: from an after-school club, to curriculum-embedded flying lessons, and most recently to the launch of our aviation scholarship. Today, several students are actively working towards their Private Pilot Licences while still at school. Working with a local flying school who have a pipeline of present and former pilots from the forces and/or commercial airline world who are eager to ‘give back’ has helped keep the programme affordable. A crucial aspect of the initiative is that it is accessible to all.
The impact on students has been remarkable. Participants are developing a sophisticated blend of technical and cognitive skills spanning flight handling, meteorology, navigation, and aeronautical decision-making. Some may pursue careers as pilots, whether commercial or otherwise; others may progress into wider aviation, engineering, or STEM-related pathways. Many will not move into aviation at all—and that outcome is entirely expected and appropriate for them. The programme’s real value lies in the transferable competencies it cultivates: advanced problem-solving, disciplined communication, situational awareness, resilience, and self-regulation. These attributes are increasingly critical in a complex, high-stakes, and rapidly changing world.
The programme has also demonstrated strong cross-curricular integration and has engaged both male and female students at notably high levels. Encouragingly, improvements in behavioural indicators across the school have coincided with increased participation—an association that is difficult to dismiss as coincidental. Students who previously struggled with engagement are now mastering complex systems, posing precise analytical questions, and sustaining focus over extended periods. Observing our aviation scholars in discussion with a visiting British Airways pilot and former LVS pupil was particularly striking; the intellectual confidence, professional vocabulary, and curiosity on display were unmistakable.
Watching students take to the skies—some for the very first time—has been deeply rewarding for students, parents, and staff alike. Some have made an incredible journey from classroom low-level disruptor or disengaged recalcitrant to highly focused, confident individuals. Following that shattered dream, I allow myself to occasionally share, vicariously, in their sense of euphoria when taking to the skies. Their achievements reaffirm a central educational truth: when learning is demanding, purposeful, and aspirational, young people do not merely participate—they flourish, and in doing so, redefine what they believe themselves capable of becoming.