OUR VALUES

In any organisation – be it a school, a company, or even a family – strong and clearly expressed values create identity, focus, unity and drive, answering the questions ‘what do we belong to?’, ‘what’s important to us?’, ‘what holds us together?’ and ‘why do our collective efforts matter?’ At Harrow, our Values help us to make decisions from day-to-day that mean we behave and perform better, inspiring us to try harder as individuals, so that collectively we thrive.

Courage encourages us to innovate and take risks, inspiring change for the better. It means challenging adversity and complacency, making the most of opportunities, putting fear of failure to one side and staying the course, even when it is difficult.

Honour is about doing the right thing, having the highest standards and leading by example. It involves taking responsibility and, ultimately, is what makes us worthy of the trust of others.

Humility asks us to recognise that one's self is a work in progress and that struggling with one's weaknesses is essential to growth. Humility increases our awareness that talent and achievement alone, however impressive, are not sufficient to succeed as a human being – and that none of us is at the centre of the universe.

Fellowship means building binding, constructive relationships that help us all to make a positive contribution. This is resonant with our belief that the strongest relationships of all are based on faith, hope and love.

Our four Values link closely to our Christian foundation and the principles of ‘Godliness and good learning’ established by our founder, John Lyon. In our context, their meanings are replete with much more than their dictionary definitions, just as the word ‘Harrow’ means more than just a school. Outwardly, they give a sense of the distinctive quality of Harrow School, and express what we think is important. A school that values courage, honour, humility and fellowship is a school at its best: one deserving of the name ‘Harrow’ and one to which we aspire.