Berkshire


<p>Oliver Knight doesn’t do status quo. The Pangbourne College head, who arrived from the state sector with a reputation for straight-talking and shaking things up, is on a mission to rethink what independent education should look like today.</p>



<p>Forget hot-housing and shiny gimmicks. Think evidence-based teaching, outdoor adventure, and children who can hold their own in the real world. Much of it stems from his own experience: a teacher who introduced him to climbing as a teenager, and a moment in the Alps that changed how he saw challenge, risk and resilience forever.</p>



<p>We sat down with Knight to talk disruptive thinking, ditching phones, the power of the outdoors – and why the future belongs to what he calls the ‘unautomatable child’.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2560" height="1707" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-scaled.jpeg" alt="PANGBOURNE COLLEGE HEAD OLI KNIGHT WITH PUPILS" class="wp-image-88275" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-re-not-your-typical-independent-school-head-what-s-your-backstory-and-what-brought-you-here">You’re not your typical independent school head. What’s your backstory – and what brought you here?</h4>



<p>I’ve spent most of my career in inner-city state schools, in some pretty complex environments. I was dealing with safeguarding issues, pupils with huge gaps in learning, and very real challenges outside the classroom. So, coming to Pangbourne couldn’t be more different. But that experience has really shaped what I’m trying to do here.</p>



<p>I’m probably less polished than some independent heads. I tend to just say what I think, but that’s because I’ve seen what really works in education, and what doesn’t, and the pupils are always at the heart of the decisions I make for the College.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-ve-been-described-as-a-disruptor-what-exactly-are-you-trying-to-change">You’ve been described as a disruptor. What exactly are you trying to change?</h4>



<p>I want to shake the sector up a bit. There’s a tendency in independent schools to rely on selection – bringing in highly-tutored children and then assuming the outcomes will take care of themselves. That doesn’t interest me.</p>



<p>I’m far more interested in what we&nbsp;<em>add</em>. Can we take a broad intake and get exceptional outcomes through brilliant teaching? That’s the challenge.</p>



<p>So, we’ve brought in a clear model of instruction, based on the science of learning. We train staff every week. Every teacher is coached. Everything is about getting better, all the time.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-that-sounds-quite-academic-but-you-re-also-anti-hot-housing-how-do-those-two-things-sit-together">That sounds quite academic, but you’re also anti-hot-housing. How do those two things sit together?</h4>



<p>They sit together perfectly. You don’t need to be a hothouse to get great results. You just need to be great at teaching. We map out core knowledge in every subject – what every child needs to know – and we make sure they learn it to fluency. That frees them up to think more deeply and confidently. It’s not about pressure. It’s about clarity and consistency.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-ve-talked-about-creating-the-unautomatable-child-what-do-you-mean-by-that">You’ve talked about creating the ‘unautomatable child’. What do you mean by that?</h4>



<p>AI changes everything. It can already pass exams, write essays, and do huge amounts of cognitive work. Schools need to focus much more on the things they&nbsp;<em>can’t</em>&nbsp;do. Teamwork. Leadership. Emotional intelligence. Moral judgement. Resilience. Grades matter; they open doors. But once you’re through those doors, they’re the least interesting thing about you.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-that-where-your-focus-on-outdoor-education-comes-in">Is that where your focus on outdoor education comes in?</h4>



<p>Completely! The outdoors is where you learn the stuff that’s hard to teach in a classroom. When you’re cold, tired, a bit uncomfortable – maybe slightly scared – you find out who you are.&nbsp;</p>



<p>So, we’ve built it into the timetable. Pupils are doing problem-solving, teamwork, high ropes, bushcraft, all of it. We’re even building a mountain bike track. It’s about managed risk, not risk avoidance. And helping children realise they can cope with more than they think.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1920" height="2560" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-scaled.jpeg" alt="Head Oli Knight Pangbourne College mountain climbing" class="wp-image-88276" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-600x800.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-750x1000.jpeg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-300x400.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/Head-Oli-Knight-Pangbourne-College-mountain-climbing-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-that-clearly-comes-from-a-personal-place-for-you-where-did-your-love-of-the-outdoors-begin">That clearly comes from a personal place for you. Where did your love of the outdoors begin?</h4>



<p>At school. I had a teacher who introduced me to climbing, and that was it. Then as a teenager, I remember being in Switzerland and seeing a climber heading off towards the Eiger. I had no idea what he was doing, but I remember thinking,&nbsp;<em>he knows something I don’t</em>. That stayed with me.</p>



<p>Climbing’s been a huge part of my life ever since. I still train, still climb whenever I can. And what I love about it is there’s no opting out – you have to keep going. That’s where you learn resilience. Not in theory, but properly. And that’s what we’re trying to give pupils here – those moments where they discover what they’re capable of.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-re-also-taking-a-very-firm-stance-on-phones-even-in-the-sixth-form">You’re also taking a very firm stance on phones, even in the sixth form?</h4>



<p>Phones are designed to distract. They’re addictive; they pull attention away from what matters. Why would we want that in a learning environment? The idea that sixth formers should have them as a ‘privilege’ – I don’t buy that. It’s like saying they can suddenly handle something that’s been designed to hijack their attention.</p>



<p>We want pupils present, focused, engaging with each other – not disappearing into a screen doom scrolling.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-yet-you-re-embracing-ai-where-s-the-balance">And yet you’re embracing AI. Where’s the balance?</h4>



<p>It’s about using it intelligently. You can’t automate relationships, teaching or leadership. But you&nbsp;<em>can</em>&nbsp;use AI to strip out low-value admin. For example, our testing is automated. Teachers don’t waste time marking things a machine can do; they use the data to adapt their teaching instead. That’s where AI is powerful: as a tool, not a crutch.</p>



<p>Because the modern child needs a modern system. We consolidated our boarding houses to make an enhanced and more vibrant community for our boarders.</p>



<p>Pastorally, we’ve gone further. We now have specialist pastoral leads in our day Divisions (Houses) whose sole job is pupil care. They don’t also teach or coach – they focus entirely on wellbeing. Children’s lives are more complex now. Schools need to reflect that.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-ve-also-shaken-up-traditions-like-making-the-house-system-co-ed-brave-move">You’ve also shaken up traditions, like making the house system co-ed. Brave move?</h4>



<p>If you’re building a community, it should reflect the real world. The College has been co-ed for over 30 years, and making the Divisions (the House system equivalent) co-ed has strengthened that sense of belonging. More people get involved; more people care. It’s about honouring tradition but not being trapped by it.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sixth-form-is-another-area-you-re-rethinking-what-s-different-here">Sixth form is another area you’re rethinking. What’s different here?</h4>



<p>We’re trying to make it genuinely useful. Alongside A-levels, we offer micro-credentials, like first aid, self-defence, cooking, and next year, an AI course. And we’re big on degree apprenticeships. I think they’re one of the most exciting routes available, but still misunderstood. The old path – school, university, job – isn’t the only one anymore. We want pupils to find the&nbsp;<em>right</em>&nbsp;destination, not just the traditional one.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-success-look-like-for-you-at-pangbourne">What does success look like for you at Pangbourne?</h4>



<p>I want us to be known for doing something genuinely different – and doing it well. A broad intake. Excellent teaching. Strong outcomes. But also, pupils who are resilient, grounded and ready for the real world.</p>



<p>If we can combine the best of the state and independent sectors and create young people who can thrive in a fast-changing world – that’s success. And if that ruffles a few feathers along the way… I’m okay with that.</p>



<p><em>Read Muddy’s latest review of <a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/pangbourne-college-west-berks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pangbourne College</a>.</em></p>


In the age of AI: meet the head creating ‘unautomatable’ children

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