Formerly senior deputy head at an independent school in north Yorkshire, Christian San Jose, together with his wife Rosie and three young children, relocated to Wycliffe College over the summer holidays and his first day as headmaster began on GCSE results day in August 2024.
SoGlos chatted with Christian to find out how he's settling into Gloucestershire and what's coming up at the Stonehouse-based school.
How are you settling in at Wycliffe College and how is your first term as headmaster going?
There's lots to learn and lots to pick up. I'm getting to know a new community and the names of around 600 pupils and 300 staff, but I'm getting there!
It's refreshing coming into a new school and it doesn't take long to become more familiar. One thing I've been really enjoying is the chapel service we have every morning. The whole of the Senior School walks past me on the way in and then on the way out and I must say 'good morning' about 250 times! But it means that I see and connect with everyone every day, at least a couple of times, which is positive.
I've got three children, they're fairly young — in Years 2, 4 and 6 — and they attend our prep school. You always worry about your children and how they're settling after a big move, but they have absolutely loved it. It's as if they've never been to another school — they're so engrossed and challenged by what they're doing at school; and we've had sleepovers already and birthday parties with new friends.
For me, our community is everything. I've worked in boarding schools since I left the army, so I've always worked in a community where staff are resident on-site. That's why I love the job and that's why my family love it, too, because you become part of the school very quickly and it becomes part of your life.
What attracted you to Wycliffe initially?
It was lots of different things! From a professional point of view, I was looking to take up a headship and what really struck me about Wycliffe was that initial reaction that it was the right school for me. The people, the pupils and the general feel of the school.
We're a small close-knit community but we're incredibly diverse — and that really struck me as well. We have lots of pupils of different nationalities, religions and backgrounds; we are a very diverse school and that's reflective of the society our pupils are going to be part of after school.
Another point is the groundedness and normality of Wycliffe. I didn't go to an independent school myself, I went to a state school, but I am a huge fan of independent schools for the quality of the education they provide.
Wycliffe is very down to earth; we've got lots and lots of day pupils whose parents chose Wycliffe for what it offers; and that keeps us in touch with the local community. Wycliffe offers a successful blend of the traditional and modern, combining a broad curriculum and forward-thinking ethos. We keep the individual at the centre — something which can be integral to unlocking a child’s potential and setting them up for their future.
What's your vision for the future of the school and do you have any exciting plans?
That's a question that I've been asked by a lot of parents and what I'm doing at the moment is spending time listening and gathering thoughts. I'm meeting the staff, I'm talking with parents and alumni — we call them Wycliffians — and I've been asking them three questions: 'What is one thing that you think the school does really well? What is one thing that you absolutely think we should protect at Wycliffe? And is there anything you think we should stop doing?'
So I'm gathering thoughts at this stage as we enter a strategic review for the next five years. Parents trust us and invest in their children's education and they've got to know that what their children are getting is a good, rounded, solid and thorough academic education first and foremost, with everything else as part of the whole.
It's about children being curious and being able to think critically about the world, and not being binary in one's views.
I want Wycliffe to continue be known as a school for local pupils as well as international pupils — it's the way that we mesh the two together that's one of our great strengths. That adds so much to a young person's education as living, working and studying with people from other cultures brings them huge advantages, but also being rooted to the local community, too, is really important.
We're also looking at how we improve our access to local pupils. I'm committed to looking at what we can do and to opening up some opportunities to local children who have talents that can be nurtured here.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing private education today?
It's ever more important for independent schools to be outward facing and transparent. I speak from experience here, having never stepped inside an independent school before I started working in one.
I want Wycliffe to be better known and to show that we're just trying to do our best for the pupils. People have preconceptions about independent schools — we don't walk around in gowns all day or speak Latin to each other! We encourage everyone to take a look behind the doors of our college.
What are you enjoying about Gloucestershire so far and where are your favourite places to visit?
We have hit Stroud farmers' market quite hard! There's a doughnut stall there that gets a big thumbs up from my family — they are, I think, the best doughnuts I've ever had.
We've really enjoyed getting up to Standish Woods and and running around and playing with the kids and the dog.
We went to Gloucester Quays the other day to play padel — we had an introductory session and that was brilliant. I've also enjoyed going down to the canal over in Saul — the Wycliffe boat house is located there. I've walked up and down the canal a few times and there is a really good cafe there on the bridge.
My son has joined Stroud Hockey Club — they train at Wycliffe — which he's loved and he's played in some local tournaments so far; and my littlest one has joined the local Rainbows group at Whiteshill. There's loads to do here.
Whether you are looking for a nursery, pre-prep, prep or senior school, Wycliffe College offers tours for families to view its state-of-art-facilities and see what an independent school can offer. Call Wycliffe College on (01453) 820411 or visit wycliffe.co.uk.
