Phil Sturt - Head, Mowden Hall School
Tell us a bit about your background and career so far.
I was brought up in Lancashire, where I attended Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School before moving to Nottingham University to study BSc Genetics. Shortly after university, I joined the British Army, where I was commissioned into The Royal Artillery, serving with 39th Regiment RA in Afghanistan, before moving to 5th Regiment RA.
I joined the teaching profession in 2011, starting my career at Durham School, where I went on to run the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, was a Senior Housemaster and taught GCSE and A Level Biology.
In 2022 I made the move into the Prep sector, joining Mowden Hall School as the Assistant Head (Pastoral Care), before being appointed as Head in January 2025.
What do you hope to bring to your new Headship at Mowden Hall?
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead a school such as Mowden Hall. The school is in a strong position both in terms of pupil numbers, but also in relation to its ethos.
At Mowden we understand the significant importance of character and values for children – this is what we are really known for – and so of equal importance to a strong academic education is the need to ensure that children take opportunities to test themselves. This can be on stage or in the concert band, to push their own boundaries on the sports field or in the swimming pool but also to have great fun each and every day in our incredible 50 acres of beautiful countryside! We want happy children, because happy children have the confidence to test themselves in the classroom and not be scared to fail.
So, what do I hope to bring to this role? To be honest, my overriding hope is that this strong message of our values and “style” OD education gets to as many people as possible, as the offer we give at Mowden is incredible. The more children that can experience it the better!
Tell us about your team at Mowden Hall.
I tell prospective parents that I see Mowden Hall as an extension of their family. I want children to see coming to school as an opportunity not only to learn and have fun, but to feel safe testing themselves and pushing to reach their goals. Whilst the incredible facilities help in so many ways (seriously, they are breath-taking), it is our people that make the place so special and I am not just talking about the teachers. I would put money on nearly every member of staff here, be that Grounds, Domestic, Boarding or Business staff (not to mention Academic) knowing every child in our community. They make it their business to build relations with them, so that they can recognise when a child is feeling sad or needs a bit of help but also for those opportunities to praise success as well. Prep School staff have a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on a young person’s life and I am incredibly proud of how well we do it here.
What are your priorities for your first year?
Building trust is central to the success of a Headmaster. Parents bestow on me the responsibility to ensure that their child is both educated and develops as a young person in a safe environment.
I know that what we have here is special and that any child that joins us will benefit immensely from there time at Mowden – I am not concerned about this – what I want to ensure is that both the children and parents trust me to lead this place in a responsible, but visionary manner to ensure that we really do make the most of their time here during these special years of their life.
What is your proudest achievement in education, so far?
Supporting Mowden Hall to achieve the Wellbeing Award for Schools last year, meaning that the school is recognised for everything that it does to support everyone in our community.
How has the world of education changed in the last decade?
There has been a significant shift towards recognising the importance of mental health and wellbeing throughout a child’s education since I started in the teaching world. I think that this is caused by two separate factors.
Firstly, we are much better at recognising and identifying those children who require extra support. They do not necessarily need a diagnosis as such, but a little extra support to learn how to better-understand their emotions and how to communicate their concerns.
Secondly, the outside world is so much more challenging for young children. I remember as a child always being told by older generations that “it was a lot harder in my day”. I genuinely believe that this current generation of children will find it tougher than I did, and so it is imperative that as a Headmaster I enure that they are prepared for that future.
For me, pastoral care and a focus on mental health and wellbeing should be seen as the foundations on which we build a child’s education. Get the foundations solid, through strong support and development of character, and the potential for success is huge. If we get it wrong, and focus too heavily on academic success at an early age at the expense of a holistic education, that “academic building” will simply collapse under the pressure of public examinations and life in general at a later stage.
What is the best piece of advice that you have been given in your career?
PPPPP….Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!
At times, we need to be able to “wing it”, but those risks are mitigated by preparing well when we can and building reserves of go-to resources.
An ability to be flexible and respond quickly to changing circumstances is always a great strength in this line of work too!
What has been your biggest challenge in your career?
When I joined Mowden Hall, I wanted to make sure that our youngest children feel as much a part of our community as everyone else, so I offered to teach Year 2 Science once per week. I would bring the children to the Science Laboratory (yes, with high tables and stools to sit on) and teach them their syllabus, but in a different environment. I have been to war,I have taught Oxbridge candidates A Level Biology and I have raised two children of my own (alongside my wife!) but I can confidently say that Year 2 Science on a Wednesday morning has been the biggest challenge of my career, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!
Do you have any heroes or mentors?
Not really, and I get asked this a lot. What I do have however are traits in people that I aspire to have myself.
Honesty, hard-working, empathy and a sense of perspective are traits that I see in so many people young and old that I continually work to maintain myself and impart on the children in my care.
How do you unwind outside of work?
I run a lot (not necessarily very quickly, but frequently) and I also engage in battle with the local slug and snail population surrounding my vegetable patch. I am contractually obliged to say that I unwind by spending time with my family (!), and I thoroughly enjoy that time. As much of it as possible is spent being active and outdoors.
www.mowdenhallpst.org