PETER Hogan has been a regular guest on Radio 4, an assistant publicity manager of a theatre, an adviser to the CBI and, for a while, even made his living as a professional piano player.
But first and foremost, he is a teacher – which is why he was delighted to have been appointed the new headmaster of Loretto, Scotland's oldest boarding school.
With only 540 pupils, the Musselburgh school is small enough for the headmaster to ge
t to know every pupil by name – which is just the way Mr Hogan likes it.
"Children are still the same wherever they are – they are great to be with – and there is no better thing you can do than teach somebody something," he says.
After two months in post, he is still familiarising himself with the quirks of the ancient institution – whose former pupils include Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, Norman (now Lord) Lamont, who was chancellor under Margaret Thatcher, and Andrew Marr, the broadcaster.
Mr Hogan's new home is in the west wing of Pinkie House, a 16th-century stately home, currently unused because of difficulties over fire and safety regulations. Finding a way to use and maintain the building is one of the many challenges he faces in his new role.
Mr Hogan, 47, was previously the head of Llandovery College in Wales and says the size of Loretto was one of the things that attracted him to the new position. "I spoke to one of the previous headmasters and he said it is one of the few schools where a headteacher can still be a schoolmaster," he explains. "I was lucky enough to be offered jobs by some larger schools – but I realised I did not want to go."
Like any venerable institution, the school, set on five sites over 85 acres of land on the edge of Musselburgh racecourse, has its own language and culture.
Senior pupils' achievements are rewarded with a cravat known as the "red and white", younger pupils are known as "the Nippers" and "double" refers to a daily meeting in the chapel between the headteacher and the whole school. The name is said to come from Victorian head Hely-Hutchinson Almond, who required pupils to sprint to the chapel "on the double".
Mr Hogan says: "It is a lovely tradition. It is very friendly and open, quite relaxed. If anyone wants to make an announcement from the floor, they can do."
At a recent double, he addressed pupils on the possible merger of Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB. "I said to them, I don't think we appreciate yet how important this week has been," he says. "This is going to affect all of them in some way or another – and they should remember it."
As an economics teacher, Mr Hogan is a believer that young people should be educated about the practicalities of finance. "About 15 years ago, I approached the CBI and said you are not doing enough to teach young people about money management," he says. "At that time, there was a big explosion in personal investment post privatisation."
That initial approach led to the establishment of Pro-share – a share-buying game for final-year pupils, which at one point had 32,000 sixth forms in England, Ireland and Scotland taking part. "It was a not-for-profit organisation funded by sponsorship. My point was: when do you expect people to understand about their own money. I have always been convinced that relying on the banks to inform us about money management is like getting Boots to instruct us on healthcare."
His views on education and personal finance led to him becoming a regular contributor to Radio 4, and he believes the issue is one all schools, not just those in the private sector, should consider.
But Mr Hogan believes boarding schools have a unique opportunity to support the personal development of pupils. "Boarding is changing," he says. "It went through a difficult time in the 1980s when it became unfashionable – largely, I think, because schools had not changed with the times. But it is becoming more attractive – particularly for sixth formers. Flexible boarding is also growing – the kids love it, and for parents it is an alternative to babysitters. We have flexible boarders who have their own room who stay for three or four nights a week."
Mr Hogan's 14-year-old daughter is now at Loretto and "loves it", but his son, who is 17, has decided to stay at his school in Wales.
"Both of them were very happy at their old school and my son has boarded there for three years already," Mr Hogan says. "My son decided to stay with his friends. It's hard to have him 500 miles away. It's nice for him – but hard for me. He has got a sense of independence, which is a good thing. But it also means I know what it is like to be the parent of a boarding pupil – which is quite unusual when you are running a boarding school."
Boarders at Loretto finish regular lessons at 3:30pm then continue with planned activities, including drama, art, music, sports and homework, until 6:30.
"I think the curriculum here is fine," he says. "This isn't a particularly selective school, but 75 per cent of our sixth formers get A and B at A Level. But this isn't an exam factory. It is the other things that give us the edge – I have a book written by an American author called Straight A's Never Made Anyone Rich.
"Education is about creating people – not just about teaching subjects – that is where the government has got it wrong. We have the highest levels of mental health problems in this country and yet we are putting young people under more and more pressure. It's about children getting a good education, a good cross-section of experience but also a really good understanding of themselves.
He continues: "I think the best boarding schools are quite family orientated – you want to get to know everybody."
In the school chapel, Mr Hogan points out a bust of Dr Hely-Hutchinson Almond – the Victorian educationist whose principles are in evidence today.
It was Dr Almond who decreed Loretto pupils should not wear ties in class and that there should be no school bell, and who laid down a regime of fresh air, exercise and choral singing as part of their education. Although his insistence on daily cold baths is now a thing of the past, he was, in his way, a pioneer of holistic education – a tradition Mr Hogan is happy to continue.
He says: "Loretto has always been about mind, body and spirit. It has always been about encouraging mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing – it is about people leaving our school with a certain hue about them."
The full article contains 1151 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
