An Interview with Dr Cotton

Portsmouth Point's Senior Editors, Joe Brennan, Alex Gibson, Cordelia Hobbs, Douglas James, Katie O'Flaherty and Ellie Williams-Brown interview PGS'  new Head, Dr Anne Cotton.

1. How have you enjoyed your first few weeks at PGS? What is your favourite aspect/experience? To you, what makes PGS unique?

I have loved being here. PGS is so welcoming and has such a strong sense of community – the genuine warmth is what has stood out to me. I think that, because the school site looks in on itself, it really does add to that sense of unity and togetherness. The other thing is the all-round strength of PGS, from the level of pastoral care to the incredible wealth of co-curricular options; there is so much opportunity and such a sense of energy. I don’t have a favourite moment so far, but I was struck by a story the School’s Archivist, Mr Sadden, told me. He said he had recently been showing an OP around the school, almost 90 years old and now living in Australia. The visitor wanted to meet some of the pupils and spoke to a few who he happened to meet in the Quad. Mr Sadden was so proud of how naturally the pupils engaged with the visitor, how forthcoming and considerate they were.

2.   What is the biggest change at this school in comparison to your old school?

The biggest difference is the fact that PGS starts from the age of 2 ½; at my previous schools, the youngest pupils have been 7. It’s lovely. My personal belief is that everyone should spend time in the Infant School. There is so much to learn from the attitude of children aged 2 or 3 years old - if they fall down, they get straight back up again. This can help us understand the importance of resilience, of learning from failure, as pupils move up the school.

3.   What did you enjoy most during your own time at school?

I spent a lot of time doing music, which was my main co-curricular interest - singing and playing the cello. I learned a huge amount from the Head of Music at my school, Elizabeth Rolfe-Johnson. She was rather scary, with incredibly high standards (she wouldn’t settle for anything less), but at the same time she was a really warm person and I remember her with a great deal of affection. Working with her, as part of a high-quality ensemble, was inspiring.

4.   How would people communicate in a perfect world?

This is an interesting one. It makes me think of the biblical passage, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face”: When you’re face-to-face with someone, you communicate through more than just words; we read faces and body language naturally to see emotions and reactions. For me, there’s no real substitute for that kind of direct communication: the ability to ask questions and to explore what someone really means.

5.   What is the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it?

Topsy and Tim. My children are quite small (3 and 5) and they are allowed one short programme of TV a day. I enjoyed reading Topsy and Tim when I was younger. I think it can still teach us life lessons. In the most recent episode we watched at home, Topsy and Tim lost their helium balloon, and learned that when something like that happens, they should just take a deep breath and carry on. PGS is a helium-free site, so we won’t have to worry about that here – but I’m sure it will come in useful at some point.

6. If you could choose three other people (from the present and/or the past) to have a dinner party with, who would you choose and why?

This is an incredibly difficult question. Virginia Woolf? I don’t know. I think the genuine answer, for me, would be my family. A lot of us don’t spend enough time with our families; it is important to have that time together.

7.  What is your favourite work of literature, film and piece of music – and (in each case) why?My favourite piece of music is Bach’s St Matthew Passion. I love Bach and I have known this particular piece for years; it is such an incredibly profound and varied musical work. As for books, it would be something by Plato, probably The Republic or Phaedrus. What I love about his work is that there are no clear answers, which is what makes him so thought-provoking: every time you re-read him he takes you somewhere different and raises new questions. Film? It’s got to be Shaun the Sheep. I first saw it on a big outdoor screen; well, that’s my vision for the Quad, really - a big, outdoor screen playing Shaun the Sheep…..

8.   If Plato’s cave turned out to exist, what event would awaken you from your dream?

This is really about an event that draws you towards reality. For me, it wouldn’t be just one event; acquiring the self-knowledge that Plato talks about is a really long process. Challenging yourself is very important, placing yourself in new situations that encourage you to think about yourself and those around you in ways that you might not have done otherwise. These challenges, these new situations, can take so many different forms: travel is an obvious one, or a new environment, at school, university, or at work – anything that encourages you to think about yourself, about the world, in a different way.

9. What is the greatest challenge you have faced?

It has got to be learning to drive. Seriously, I was quite bad – I still am. I only passed third time. I’m not too great when it comes to coordination. My family used to get out of the car to watch me park because they found it so funny.

10. What is your vision for PGS?

At the moment, I am working hard getting to know the school, talking to a lot of people – pupils, parents, staff, OPs – to deepen my understanding. These conversations will help me understand what the school wants and needs. My sense of what that will be hasn’t crystallised yet, but it will definitely involve an emphasis on all areas of school life – academic, pastoral, co-curricular - as well as the way we engage with our community, which I believe is central to the life of the school in all sorts of ways, and also to our founder’s vision.