February 11, 2026

August 31, 2023 4:49 PM

Q&A with Ben Horan of Prior Park College

The Catholic Herald

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What did you do prior to becoming headmaster of Prior Park College and how long have you been in the role?

I joined Prior as Head in 2019. Before that I was at Merchant Taylors’ School in London, where I was the senior deputy head for five years. I was head of History at Eton between 2004 and 2014. My first teaching role was at St Benedict’s School in Ealing.

What is your subject, and do you still teach at all?

I’m a History teacher and yes, I still teach. I take one Lower Sixth and one Upper Sixth class for a paper on the Crusades. Being in the classroom is the best part of my day!

What attracted you to the school?

I had heard of Prior before I came, but I didn’t know it all that well. When I first visited, I was blown away by the sense of community that existed here. The way the young people here spoke about each other and about the school was unlike anything I’d seen at a school.

What achievement are you proudest of since joining the school?

Probably not losing that sense of community through the pandemic.

What makes Prior Park College different and sets it apart from others in the area?

I don’t know of any other school that talks of love in such frank terms as we do here. It really does sit at the centre of school life, informing all our decisions.

What are the school’s key values, ethos and vision?

Our values are Curiosity, Generosity, and Courage – which we try to incorporate throughout the day-to-day of our school life. Our mission talks of a school “with love for the young people it serves at its heart”.

How do you incorporate the Catholic Faith into school life?

The Catholic faith is central to our school life. Every student gets some time each day to pray and reflect upon the day ahead of them. We have regular chapel services, congregational practices and whole school masses in our beautiful chapel. It is the heart of our school.

What are the school’s strengths – particular subject areas and extracurricular?

I’m always slightly wary of this question, as it can often lead to a school being pigeonholed as “sporty” or “musical”. I think Prior’s greatest strength is in giving students the opportunities, the challenge and the love to develop into the person they were meant to be.

What is the admissions procedure? Are there any feeder schools? Scholarship or bursary schemes?

Applicants complete assessments and interviews. Many of our 11+ candidates come from the Paragon School, which is our idyllic prep school a few minutes away from us. We have a range of academic and special talent scholarships available, and means tested bursaries are available.

I joined Prior as Head in 2019. Before that I was at Merchant Taylors’ School in London, where I was the senior deputy head for five years. I was head of History at Eton between 2004 and 2014. My first teaching role was at St Benedict’s School in Ealing. I’m a History teacher and yes, I still teach. I take one Lower Sixth and one Upper Sixth class for a paper on the Crusades. Being in the classroom is the best part of my day! I had heard of Prior before I came, but I didn’t know it all that well. When I first visited, I was blown away by the sense of community that existed here. The way the young people here spoke about each other and about the school was unlike anything I’d seen at a school. Probably not losing that sense of community through the pandemic. I don’t know of any other school that talks of love in such frank terms as we do here. It really does sit at the centre of school life, informing all our decisions. Our values are Curiosity, Generosity, and Courage – which we try to incorporate throughout the day-to-day of our school life. Our mission talks of a school “with love for the young people it serves at its heart”. The Catholic faith is central to our school life. Every student gets some time each day to pray and reflect upon the day ahead of them. We have regular chapel services, congregational practices and whole school masses in our beautiful chapel. It is the heart of our school.  I’m always slightly wary of this question, as it can often lead to a school being pigeonholed as “sporty” or “musical”. I think Prior’s greatest strength is in giving students the opportunities, the challenge and the love to develop into the person they were meant to be. Applicants complete assessments and interviews. Many of our 11+ candidates come from the Paragon School, which is our idyllic prep school a few minutes away from us. We have a range of academic and special talent scholarships available, and means tested bursaries are available.

What did you do prior to becoming headmaster of Prior Park College and how long have you been in the role?

I joined Prior as Head in 2019. Before that I was at Merchant Taylors’ School in London, where I was the senior deputy head for five years. I was head of History at Eton between 2004 and 2014. My first teaching role was at St Benedict’s School in Ealing.

What is your subject, and do you still teach at all?

I’m a History teacher and yes, I still teach. I take one Lower Sixth and one Upper Sixth class for a paper on the Crusades. Being in the classroom is the best part of my day!

What attracted you to the school?

I had heard of Prior before I came, but I didn’t know it all that well. When I first visited, I was blown away by the sense of community that existed here. The way the young people here spoke about each other and about the school was unlike anything I’d seen at a school.

What achievement are you proudest of since joining the school?

Probably not losing that sense of community through the pandemic.

What makes Prior Park College different and sets it apart from others in the area?

I don’t know of any other school that talks of love in such frank terms as we do here. It really does sit at the centre of school life, informing all our decisions.

What are the school’s key values, ethos and vision?

Our values are Curiosity, Generosity, and Courage – which we try to incorporate throughout the day-to-day of our school life. Our mission talks of a school “with love for the young people it serves at its heart”.

How do you incorporate the Catholic Faith into school life?

The Catholic faith is central to our school life. Every student gets some time each day to pray and reflect upon the day ahead of them. We have regular chapel services, congregational practices and whole school masses in our beautiful chapel. It is the heart of our school.

What are the school’s strengths – particular subject areas and extracurricular?

I’m always slightly wary of this question, as it can often lead to a school being pigeonholed as “sporty” or “musical”. I think Prior’s greatest strength is in giving students the opportunities, the challenge and the love to develop into the person they were meant to be.

What is the admissions procedure? Are there any feeder schools? Scholarship or bursary schemes?

Applicants complete assessments and interviews. Many of our 11+ candidates come from the Paragon School, which is our idyllic prep school a few minutes away from us. We have a range of academic and special talent scholarships available, and means tested bursaries are available.

I joined Prior as Head in 2019. Before that I was at Merchant Taylors’ School in London, where I was the senior deputy head for five years. I was head of History at Eton between 2004 and 2014. My first teaching role was at St Benedict’s School in Ealing. I’m a History teacher and yes, I still teach. I take one Lower Sixth and one Upper Sixth class for a paper on the Crusades. Being in the classroom is the best part of my day! I had heard of Prior before I came, but I didn’t know it all that well. When I first visited, I was blown away by the sense of community that existed here. The way the young people here spoke about each other and about the school was unlike anything I’d seen at a school. Probably not losing that sense of community through the pandemic. I don’t know of any other school that talks of love in such frank terms as we do here. It really does sit at the centre of school life, informing all our decisions. Our values are Curiosity, Generosity, and Courage – which we try to incorporate throughout the day-to-day of our school life. Our mission talks of a school “with love for the young people it serves at its heart”. The Catholic faith is central to our school life. Every student gets some time each day to pray and reflect upon the day ahead of them. We have regular chapel services, congregational practices and whole school masses in our beautiful chapel. It is the heart of our school.  I’m always slightly wary of this question, as it can often lead to a school being pigeonholed as “sporty” or “musical”. I think Prior’s greatest strength is in giving students the opportunities, the challenge and the love to develop into the person they were meant to be. Applicants complete assessments and interviews. Many of our 11+ candidates come from the Paragon School, which is our idyllic prep school a few minutes away from us. We have a range of academic and special talent scholarships available, and means tested bursaries are available.

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