ST MARTIN’S SCHOOL

MORE THAN AN EDUCATION - A WAY OF LIFE

As an independent, diverse, co-educational boarding school,
St Martin’s is especially valued by parents who seek for their children an academic environment in which Anglican Christian standards are reflected. Students of all faiths and denominations are admitted.

An Open Letter to the St Martin’s Community: Pupils, Parents, Alumni and Staff

We have received and taken cognisance of the open letter from our past and present students and need them to know that they have been heard. The letter does not pertinently identify the signatories to it, we are therefore unsure of whom we are engaging with.

We have considered the contents of the document with great care and given it the attention it deserves. This is a grave matter that we intend to take seriously and deal with sensitively over the weeks and months to come.

We re-affirm our policy of a zero tolerance of racism, prejudice, homophobia and any form of discrimination, and confirm that, as a school, we are committed to making our school free of these scourges. To this end, the first steps we will be putting in place are as follows:

A transformation committee consisting of students, parents, teachers, alumni, support staff and members of Governing Council, will be set up and will engage in face-to-face dialogue on the matters that have been raised. This committee will meet regularly and lead the process of protecting multiculturalism at St Martin’s School.
Externally facilitated diversity/sensitivity workshops will be regularly organized for our staff and students.
The formation of a student discussion forum, which had been previously announced and planned, will be expedited and the first meetings will be held within the next few weeks. This forum already has a draft constitution and guidelines, and these will be debated and formalized with our students in preliminary discussions.

With positive, ongoing deliberations amongst the various stakeholders on all these issues and, indeed, others that may come to the fore, we are confident that St Martin’s will go from strength to strength.

The famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is certainly apt in this situation: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” We thank you, in advance, for your supportive input.

Best wishes

Tiffany Krupke
(Chair of Governing Council)

Thomas Hagspihl
(Headmaster)