Jon Trafford has been appointed as the new headmaster of Kingswood College following the amalgamation of the positions of college head and school head.
Jon Trafford has been appointed as the new headmaster of Kingswood College following the amalgamation of the positions of college head and school head.
The position, which became effective as of September, is Trafford’s second at Kingswood College as he previously held the post of head of the senior school. He takes over from former college head David Arguile.
Trafford has taught at schools around the country including The International School of South Africa, Michaelhouse and Chesterhouse where he was the foundation headmaster. He said he is humbled by the privilege of being assigned to the task of headmaster at Kingswood and that he is relishing the experience so far. "Sometimes I take a walk into the Memorial Hall and see all the photos of the former heads of school and it is very humbling. Obviously the position comes with huge expectation but I am so privileged to have been given this opportunity," he said.
Trafford, a former Michaelhouse pupil and qualified history, economics and geography teacher, says he is "not planning any sweeping changes" to the school but rather a continuation of "what’s here already. We need to nurture the feeling here. A hundred years of history sets the tone and I want to take that and build on it," he said.
"We pride ourselves on being a family school and instilling good values in the pupils. It is also a benefit that we are small, as pupils get involved a lot more because they are required to do so," he said. Trafford also said it is important that Kingswood doesn’t become exclusive in light of it’s high standards. "Our vision is to be recognised as a centre for excellence in terms of education but also to not be perceived as exclusive. We have an important role to play in local and the broader communities. I think Kingswood has been a leader in terms of representation as we have always had the view that we need to be a South African school and embrace a cross-section of all the communities of the country."
In terms of discipline Trafford says he is not "a great believer in the precedent" set so far because every situation is unique and requires careful consideration. "There’s got to be a human side to discipline because things aren’t always black and white," he said. He added that expulsion should be considered as a last resort only once all other avenues have been explored. "There are all kinds of circumstances around an event which might have provided mitigating factors and all these things need to be taken into consideration when deciding on how to deal with an offence," he said.
Trafford said he is enjoying being part of the education system during a time when shifts and advancements are taking place. "What you’re seeing now in terms of teaching is a two-way learning stream. Pupils are also teaching us things about technology that make things interesting," he said. He said plans are underway to upgrade teaching facilities to make them "much more interactive". "We need to incorporate resources and technology in classes. I am a great believer in making technology work for us," he said.
Trafford, whose catch phrase is "teach smarter", says his "whole philosophy is built on having passion for education. You will invariably be good at the things you enjoy the most and that is what we need to project here at Kingswood. If people feel passionate about what they are doing they will achieve all sorts of things."
