Up and Running - Moreton Hall

Culture & Events

Up and Running

Principal Michael Brewer catches up with My Shrewbury’s editor Katy Rink to reflect upon his first few months at Moreton and shares how he’s delighted to be at the helm of a school with such a strong reputation, nationally.

I took up post mid-July and had the benefit of seeing how busy and vibrant Moreton Hall is in the Summer, with clubs and activities ongoing throughout that time. Of course, the real fun began in September when pupils and colleagues came back en masse for the start of the academic year!

Moreton Hall is a close community made up of parents, pupils, and staff who share a passion for our school. Indeed, links with our alumni are incredibly strong, including several who are current parents or colleagues, showing the life-long bonds that Moretonians form here.

Our school has a superb reputation nationally, so it was a great honour to be considered for, and then appointed as, Principal. One of my educational passions is boarding, and this is right at the heart of the Moreton experience, as recognised by the award of TES Boarding School of the Year in 2021.

Moreton Hall is my second headship, having previously been Head of Thetford Grammar in Norfolk for five years. I am an English, Philosophy and Religious Studies teacher by training and at heart. I am also passionate about the processes of teaching and learning; I have co-written textbooks and teaching guides, contributed to PGCE programmes, and I regularly inspect independent schools.

First and foremost, I want to listen to the school: the pupils, parents, and staff between them are what makes what we call the Moreton Magic, so my role is to hear and amplify that.

Moreton Hall lives by values that I wholeheartedly subscribe to. Our goal is to be joyful, learn, and live fully. We are a slightly unconventional school, one which operates on a shared understanding and mutual trust, rather than reams of rules, and I think as a parent (of two girls who are happily ensconced in the Moreton community), as well as an educator that this is excellent preparation for life beyond school.

I have family in Mid Shropshire so know the area from visits and holidays. For outdoor opportunities, which my family and I adore, the whole county is blessed, with the dramatic North Shropshire landscapes that surround Moreton’s 100+ acres being especially exciting to live amongst.

I have broad interests and I like to be active. Moreton is a gloriously busy place – there is so much going on, from our Jenner (Medical) and Bronwen (intellectual curiosity) societies to Sport, Drama, and Business activities that are all nationally recognised for their excellence, and so much more in between. It is truly impossible to be bored at Moreton!

I am a keen runner, I run most days and will be entering my third marathon in April next year. I really believe in the mental health benefits of running; I really hope to encourage pupils, and maybe colleagues, that think running is not for them to give it a try. My mantra is that it doesn’t matter how far or how fast you run, only that you run.

We are a close community driven by a heartbeat of ambition in which pupils are supported and guided to be the best versions of themselves. My goal is that Moreton Hall continues to be the best version of itself!