The new principal of King William’s College is on a mission to grow the school.

Damian Henderson took the top job at the island’s private school – and the Buchan – in September.

The 45-year-old, a fluent Russian speaker who has lived in Russia for two years, has worked in four independent schools before he moved to KWC, starting in 2001.

He and his family moved to the island from Taunton School in Somerset, where he worked for eight years.

The first school in which he taught was Eton College, where Boris Johnson and David Cameron were educated. There he taught Russian and rugby.

So after a few months in the new job, how has he found it? What does he like?

‘The spectacular setting, this amazing school, the wonderful people. So far it’s been everything we dreamed it would be.’

His wife Caroline already has a high profile in the school.

Youngest daughter Madeleine, seven, has enrolled in the Buchan, while Theodore, 12, and Chloe, 13, are studying at ‘King Bill’s’, the nickname Mr Henderson uses happily.

A new head has not only to educate the pupils. He has been charged with growing the school roll.

‘The remit of the job is building back sixth form numbers,’ he said. ‘We took a wee dip largely on the back of Covid. We have to build up boarding too, so we’re pushing the boarding experience for island children as well as international students

‘We have tasters coming up for three different year groups. The priority is to give upper fifth [aged 15 and 16] what sixth-form life would be like. They can have a night boarding to see what fun that is.’

Between them, KWC, the Buchan and the nursery have 560 pupils. Ninety per cent of them are island residents.

What are the advantages of boarding?

‘I know that nowhere on the island is more 40 minutes’ drive away. Still the parents love it. The advert says “give the parental taxi service a break”.

‘It’s all about being part of the community. This school more than any of the other schools I’ve worked at has a wonderful community vibe. The boarding ethos penetrates the whole school already.’

Some boarders don’t stay every night. It depends on a number of factors, including after-school activities, which can finish late.

‘As they get older the actual time spent at home isn’t always quality time with parents. If they are just going to be doing their prep [homework] and going to bed, they might as well stay.’

He said the boarding school had a wonderful vibe. The pastoral staff were the key to that vibe, he said.

‘They are experienced,’ he said. ‘We have a very stable staff group who have been working here for a while. There is no substitute for experience. Mature staff tend to be better at pastoral care, regardless of whether they have their own children or not.’

He added that he had been impressed with the quality of the prefects and their peer leadership.

A buzzword in education circles is ‘pupil voice’, in which pupils have a say in the school.

‘The best schools have been doing that forever,’ Mr Henderson said. ‘The children say what they want to learn and how they like to be taught and the rules and regulations that they’d like to change. That’s always been strong here.’

There had been plans to build £6m sporting facilities, including a large swimming pool. But they didn’t get the go-ahead and the project will not be resurrected.

‘All new principals or headmasters will say they want to build this, that or the other. The priority won’t be capital expenditure in the current climate.

‘Who wouldn’t like to have a new swimming pool or a new gym? But we’re not starting anything yet.’

The emphasis is on building the sixth form and number of boarders.

Sixteen different nationalities attend the school, which employs 200 people and which has a budget of £10m.

An estimated £2m is pumped into the island’s economy.

The school also educates a number of bursary students on a means-tested basis.

Mr Henderson, who grew up in Kent, has met the heads of the state schools. A number of partnerships are being undertaken and he has volunteered to help them with Oxbridge candidates. Mr Henderson was a student at Cambridge.

‘I would love to build a better education system for the island as a whole for all the 12,500 children in secondary education, with KWC as part of that as an equal partner with the five island schools and collaborating cheerfully with them rather than pitting against them.

‘I think it’s tremendously unhelpful if the narrative pits independent education against maintained education. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to provide excellence in certain areas and we should never be ashamed of that. We want to see a thriving island with all of the children having the same access to a holistic education, with excellent teaching and exam results.’

He is hoping to have a good relationship with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture.

‘We don’t meet the stereotype of a 200-year-old school, with the big buildings and the uniform that seems to come from a different age.

‘You can see how people might think snobby, stuck-up, elitist.

‘I am not. I went to a grammar school, not an independent school.

‘I would hope that if people met the head would melt quite quickly when they met me.’

In terms of attracting wealthy people to live in the island, a strong private school can be a consideration.

The college is working with Locate, the government initiative that hopes to bring more people here.

‘That very top line of why would you relocate to the Isle of Man should include education for the marketing.

‘KWC is part of that and it may be that certain families would choose our school.’