New Zealand’s Springbank School - Freedom and Rigour

Like many parents, Sophia and Bob Warren were ambitious for their four sons’ education and so the teacher couple decided to take action, starting a thirty year journey that has resulted in the establishment of one of New Zealand’s best regarded independent schools, Springbank School.

Springbank is located in the north of New Zealand’s north island with the Bay of Islands at its doorstep, magnificent. Regularly, the Outdoor Adventure course takes the kids out of the classroom, they surf, dive and kayak and learn about the bush.

“Call us biased, but we believe that the Bay of Islands is one of the most incredible places in the world to live. We take advantage of our natural resources, ensuring our students have the opportunity to take part in a range of outdoor experiences. Our senior Outdoor Adventure programme is purely practical - students undertake weekly excursions and the personal growth and confidence developed is out of this world, and our students have an absolute blast in the process,” says director Mike Warren.

“The Cape Brett Challenge involves our students camping on Urupukapuka Island, swimming to the mainland (which is approximately 1.6km), then donning packs and tramping the Cape Brett track, with is a particularly challenging 17.5km tramp over steep terrain. It is a physically demanding challenge in a magical setting, and the completion of the challenge is deeply fulfilling,” Warren says.

Springbank started with an initial 15 students, operating under the mantra ‘Learning for Life’, developing each student’s abilities within a genuinely safe, supportive environment and with high expectations and a focus on a strong work ethic. It’s been described as serious but relaxed.

Sophia Warren says the principle of achievement is fundamental, “We have always had higher expectations of our students and what they are capable of.”

Other parents saw what the Warrens were doing and got on board, the original two-classroom block on 10 acres - has expanded into a campus encompassing 17 classrooms, a large gymnasium and climbing wall, outdoor sports turf and sports fields, library, science lab, and a fitness trail around the property.

Two preschools now thrive on campus alongside the school. The Headstart programme for five-year-olds provides a unique, highly successful transition to school enterprise.

Co-founder Sophia Warren stepped aside as school principal 11 years ago and son Mike, who was a foundational student, stepped into the role. Mike now serves as the director and owner of the school, where his own three sons are students.

“Because Springbank School’s governance has remained within the Warren family, we have been able to ensure that the school’s original values continue to be upheld and remain strong and consistent for years to come. Also, with three out of the four Warren children now having their own children attending Springbank, it is pretty special for Bob and Sophia to witness 11 of their grandchildren thriving in a school environment that they founded on the same property in which they raised their own family many years ago,” Mike says.

The Springbank mantra, ‘Learning for Life’ has evolved into a focused approach called the Springbank Way, building capability, character and confidence in every student to prepare them well for life beyond school.

Since inception, Bob and Sophia Warren have had a clear set of values which have been the backbone of Springbank School’s success. These values are Springbank’s Three Cs - Capability, Character, and Confidence. The Springbank Way is simply a set of actions that fulfil those school values, which have remained the same over the school’s lifetime. 

The Springbank Way has now been formalised into categories which staff and students refer to each day:
High Expectations - staff have high expectations for their students, and students have high expectations for themselves. They set aspirational goals and work hard to achieve their personal best. Students develop a strong work ethic through a range of academic, sporting, and physical challenges.
Learning for Life - students build physical fitness and develop life-long healthy habits through daily fitness sessions. They build leadership skills by initiating sporting events, community fundraisers, volunteering, and enterprise activities. They have built character development into the curriculum, which teaches students all about positive character strengths and provides opportunities for them to cultivate a range of character strengths.
Attitude is Everything - Springbank has developed a school culture of honesty and integrity, taking responsibility for actions, pride in oneself and school, practising gratitude, having a positive, solutions-focussed attitude, and believing in oneself.
Positive Relationships - The school is a supportive community of staff, students, and whanau (collective family). Staff and students are kind, caring, and empathetic. Springbank people value one another as individuals and are inclusive. Staff and students have a strong culture of mutual respect and collaboration.  

Since 2008, Springbank has offered the International Cambridge Curriculum from Year 1 to Year 13. The globally recognised examinations at Year 6, Year 9, and Years 11 to 13 are a valued international benchmark for the school.

Springbank has won several awards for Top in New Zealand, and punches well above its weight in terms of academic achievement. For a relatively small school, students can choose from a wide variety of subjects, including marine science, psychology, business studies, design technology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, physical education, ICT, English, art and design, geography, history, and outdoor adventure.

Cambridge provides rigour, flexibility, and global portability. Staff and students enjoy their stimulating teaching and learning relationship, and parents respect the international benchmarking capacity. More than 2,220 universities in over 90 countries formally recognise Cambridge qualifications.

“Whilst the Cambridge International curriculum is very well-structured and it prescribes what to teach, there is no restriction for teachers regarding how to teach. Therefore, each teacher can bring their own pedagogical strengths to their classroom and deliver content in a way that works for their cohort of students, making adjustments to accommodate individual learning needs. Whilst we expect our teachers to lead the learning and undertake direct instruction, there are still opportunities for project-based, inquiry-style learning.

“We also have a strong focus on the development of character strengths, which is weaved into the curriculum,” Warren says.

Current Springbank School principal Tina Hallowes joined as a trainee teacher in 1998, she says, “I found the education I received surpassed anything I had experienced in teacher-training programmes, especially regarding high standards and expectations for the students’ behaviour. It actually set me up for life as an effective teacher.

“Springbank believes in its students and in their capacity to shape the world. Attitude is everything, and we celebrate education as something cool, where it is cool to achieve. There has been a real energy and vitality about Springbank from the early days.”

Wearing his proprietor’s hat, Mike Warren endeavours to keep the school’s fees at a level that hard-working parents can afford. Operational efficiency and careful management enable this. Rather than building expensive specialised facilities, area amenities as the local heated pool can be utilised.

He says, “Ultimately, we want to create a community of students who are community-minded, entrepreneurial, and confident to build businesses both locally and nationally. In fact, my brother Chris, who was also a foundational student, has just been awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Service, in 2023, as Executive Director of NZS Group.

“A lot of our families have the choice to live and work anywhere in the world, and they choose to stay in the region and send their children to Springbank. We are making a real difference in education.”