The island’s independent school plays a vital role in the economy and business, says its principal Joss Buchanan.

The sons and daughters of people in traditional island industries such as finance and banking along with leading medical staff attend King William’s College.

And in recent years there’s been a growing number of youngsters who are the offspring of people who work in the thriving e-gaming sector at firms such as PokerStars.

Mr Buchanan says that without the independent school on the edge of Castletown some business people ’would choose not to work here’ and that would set up a challenge to recruit.

The principal spoke to Business News as the college, which opened in 1833, looks at raising its profile as it stresses its value in the island.

Mr Buchanan says the presence of an independent school is often a ’key factor’ when families are considering relocating, particularly high net worth individuals, professionals and senior executives.

He told Business News: ’I am aware that there are different views about independent education but at the end of the day for certain individuals, for example consultants at the hospital, to have the option of sending their child to the independent school is actually critical.

’It is extremely important and in many cases is a decisive factor as to whether they decide to move to the island or not.

’If you don’t have at least one independent school in the island then I think that a lot of businesses and professions would find it a challenge to recruit.’

role

He agreed the role of the independent school cannot be underestimated and it plays a vital role in the business fabric of the island.

Some 630 pupils are educated - that’s 370 at the college itself, 170 at the Buchan and 90 in the nursery - 90% of whom are island residents. This represents about 7% of the childen in the Isle of Man. Mr Buchanan said the 7% figure is an identical figure to what goes on in the UK in terms of the independent school sector.

’So we are replicating what is going on across in terms of numbers and if we weren’t here that would be difficult for many families.

’Some would choose to send their families to boarding schools across but some would choose not to work here.’

Asked if there is a threat to the future of the school, Mr Buchanan, who lives on the school site, replied: ’No there is not but I think it is always challenging running a school like this, that our overheads are substantial, that we have no catchment area as such and we need to recruit every single student into the school.

’We also need to persuade every single set of parents that it is the right decision for them and that it is worth investing in their education and, given that there are good options elsewhere in the island, that I think is always going to be challenging.

’It is about choice and we are different in the sense that, for instance, we have the International Baccalaureate diploma instead of A levels, we have boarding and we place a huge emphasis on the extra-curricular side such as the sport, music, the drama and we have a cadet force.

’All those aspects we take very, very seriously.

’But all the time we have to make this case with parents that this is as good as any independent school in the UK.’

promoting the island

The school also works with the Department of Enterprise in promoting the island as an attractive destination and the school’s off-island marketing is as much about the island as the school itself, said Mr Buchanan.

Mr Buchanan has been at the college since 1997 and has ’done most jobs in the school’. He came as a history and politics teacher and then for a number of years he was head of sixth form and then deputy head on the academic side but as been at the helm for just over four years.

Mr Buchanan believes the college’s reputation is now as high as it’s ever been as a result partly of the way the island has so far coped with the Covid-19 crisis.

He says it brought out a community spirit in the island as seen when some of the international boarders were taken in by families with close links to the school.

All in all Mr Buchanan believes a flourishing independent school is very important for the island.