Last week, Norwich School  had the privilege of a visit from Dr Simon Hyde, General Secretary at HMC.

HMC (or the Heads’ Conference) is an association of Headteachers drawn from some of the world’s best schools. Founded in 1869, it was the world’s first Heads’ association, and its name derives from the annual meeting of members at ‘Conference’.

Currently, 300 Heads in the UK and Ireland are members of HMC, with another 60 international members. HMC schools educate over 250,000 students in the UK (or roughly half of all independently educated pupils). Our schools vary in size and structure, from world famous boarding schools to outstanding day schools, often set in our great cities. A rigorous accreditation process helps to ensure and maintain quality and HMC schools are all committed to outreach and partnership work.

HMC exists to serve and support its members, to represent their views and to exemplify excellence in education. Its Head Office team is led by the General Secretary, Dr Simon Hyde, a former member and school governor.

Much of the strength of HMC derives from the participation of members and their schools in the association’s work. HMCPD provides extensive and high-quality training for senior and middle school leaders and runs conferences for deputy heads, heads of sixth form and the heads of junior schools.

The association is active in developing and maintaining relations with a range of educational partners and stakeholders from government to examination boards. It works to encourage and share innovation both within and outside the independent sector as well as to promote and protect the independence of our schools.

During his visit, Dr Hyde was able to talk to a number of our staff and pupils about some of the important matters for the school, including EDI and Partnerships. He also enjoyed a tour of the school conducted by our fabulous L6 school ambassadors, Maddy and Chester, and was able to meet with the Head. We were proud to showcase our pioneering work around equity, diversity and inclusion; WoLLoW (World of Languages and Languages of the World); the PPD Curriculum; and partnerships.

We very much look forward to welcoming Dr Hyde back in the near future.