It is a delight to welcome you all back to Ficino School for 2026. We have just under 30 new students joining us this year, including of course our new Year 1 families. It has been good to meet some of you and hear how well your children have settled into their new school. Some of the older students are already putting their hands up to answer questions in assembly; this indicates a certain level of confidence and a sense of already feeling comfortable in their new surroundings. This sense of community is very important, and it was pleasing to see so many of you at our Parents’ Evening last night. For those who couldn’t be there, the evening presentation started with the following headline from an article featured in the Guardian last Sunday:
“Schools that cultivate the mind but neglect spiritual education leave children unanchored in a challenging world.”
I would like to share another extract from the article.
“Young people are not asking for more tests or busier timetables. They are hungering for meaning and are asking us – through their questions and their struggles – to remind them of who they truly are.”
Who am I? is one of the most profound questions of all philosophical traditions. One of the slides presented last night included a quote from Mahatma Gandhi:
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
This year the children will be learning about the benefits of service. This is an extension of the Go and Grow Challenge of last year into Service and Growth for 2026. There is a strong tendency in people today to seek to understand themselves through introspection, but this excessive focus on ‘me and my problems’ only feeds the already problematic rise of anxiety and depression in society. As I am writing this, I can hear the laughter of children caught in the rain while performing their lunchtime duty of emptying the paper bins; the very antithesis of introspection.
Gandhi’s suggestion to look outward and find meaning in being of service is a much more fruitful approach. As was explained to the children in our assembly yesterday, simply giving attention to someone is an easy act of service that we can do all day long. This is one of the reasons we encourage eye contact when speaking with anyone; it is an act of service that immediately expands the child’s world.
One other important aspect of becoming anchored, and which is essential to the journey of self-discovery, is the ability to be inwardly peaceful. The children at Ficino practise the Pause for around 20 to 30 seconds at least a dozen times a day. This really does anchor them and strengthens their sense of self – when they can leave behind the machinations of their minds for a few short moments.
As our next newsletter will be on 27th February, I’d like to wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year. I look forward to chatting to everyone at the annual School Picnic on Sunday 1st March.
