A sharp suit, a sports car, a business brain and a media pundit: as headmasters go, Arthur Godsil is more Richard Branson than Mr Chips. After more than 20 years in the driving seat at St Andrew’s College in Booterstown, “the God” is stepping down.

In that time he has always cut a confident swathe through public discussions around exams, bullying, drug use, truancy and parenting.

It’s as much a part of the system as any other school in the country, yet, under Godsil, St Andrew’s sits at the back of the bus: alternative exams, unorthodox discipline codes and novel approaches to drug use and truancy have set it apart from the crowd and made it Dublin’s school of choice for many.

Godsil is retiring early, with a plan to take his unique view of schooling to a wider audience. His dream, he says, is to one day set up a school of his own. “I’m going early because I want to stay in education, perhaps in a consultancy role, with an international focus,” says Godsil.

He’s not giving away much more than that, apart from a distinct air of excitement about the potential his retirement offers him.

Godsil has been very critical of the Leaving Cert system, which he believes should be retired too. He was responsible for developing the International Baccalaureate at St Andrew’s, and about 70 students a year now choose this international programme over the Irish version. He has gone on record to accuse the system of producing students who need to be “deprogrammed” for third level.

“In our current system, we tend to focus on fixing weaknesses. How often do we look at a report card with a string of A and B grades but, sadly, focus on the sole D grade? The system is focused on weaknesses rather than strengths. The International Baccalaureate recognises the strengths of students, requiring them to choose only three subjects at higher level from the six they must study, but all higher and standard levels attract the same points rating.

Focus on strengths

“We all live our lives utilising our strengths. I know nobody whose career revolves around his or her weaknesses. In St Andrew’s we concentrate on developing students’ strengths through our personalised learning programme.”

Godsil gives the example of a student who was struggling across a range of subjects. “He said that the only subject he was good at and enjoyed was geography. To his surprise, I said that we should focus on that. He thought that that was the one area he didn’t need to work at. By giving him more support in the subject he was good at, he moved from a C grade to an A grade. He’d never had an A before, and the confidence that that gave him has improved his overall attitude to school and led to greater success in other subjects.

“The traditional approach is the opposite: take for granted the strong subjects and put all the focus on their weaknesses. Why sit an exam that you know will produce a poor outcome?”

In print, Godsil comes across as a crusader, but in person he is softly spoken. Like his image, his office is not headmasterly: it’s the tastefully lit, polished-wood retreat of a CEO. He likes to create a climate of respect, as he describes it, and has never given a detention in his years of teaching.

“I don’t like to talk about discipline or misbehaviour. I prefer to talk about school climate. We try to foster a culture that allows children to behave in a way that is positive, supportive and comfortable. I like to think not of imposing sanctions but of trying to change behaviours. Handing out punishments can create resentment.”

Godsil admits that it takes time to convince everybody that natural discipline will work. “This approach requires constant modelling and consensus building. There are always some who believe in making examples of student misbehaviour. I happen to disagree and see the benefits of a different approach.”

Godsil believes that St Andrew’s benefits enormously from its international outlook. This has developed partially because the student body is so diverse. It’s also down to Godsil’s interest in international trends in education.

“You need to see what’s coming down the road. Involvement with international education gives you an insight into the future. In 1990 in Ireland the challenges facing schools were not universally understood: catering for student learning styles, the application of new research into how the brain works, accessing the curriculum through ICT” – information and communication technology – “and the demands of social change. Internationally, however, they had been recognised, and schools were putting measures in place to deal with them. You have to be progressive and keep looking to the future.”

Vivid outlook

His past colours his outlook just as vividly. Godsil started working in his father’s motor retail business when he was just 13. For 10 years he worked in sales and marketing, all the while keeping up his school work and going to college.

“College costs money, so I got a job coaching rugby in my alma mater, the High School, to help pay my way through college, and I loved it. That’s when I decided to train for teaching. Initially, Dad was disappointed – but he came around!”

Despite Godsil’s decision not to go into the auto trade, he carried his business instincts into St Andrew’s, where he got a job teaching English and history.

“I was very ambitious in the job. I wanted to train the senior rugby team, but I couldn’t unseat the coach at the time, so I set up the Model United Nations programme instead, which is now one of the largest and most effective cocurricular programmes in the college, attracting upwards of 800 international and Irish delegates to our annual conference at Easter.

“I ran film-society nights at the weekend and organised charity 24-hour fasts and rock concerts. I was always thinking – and as a young and ambitious man I believed – I could run the school.”

He applied for the position of principal of Newtown School in Waterford – “too soon”, he admits – and didn’t get it. Undaunted, he applied for the top job at St Andrew’s at 36 and succeeded. He took his leadership role very seriously from the start, he says. “There are three things about running a school – administration, management and leadership – and the greatest of these is leadership.”

Among those who put their faith in Godsil are Irish celebrities, international businesspeople and diplomats from all over the world. The resulting cultural diversity (66 nationalities are represented at the school this year) is a strength, says Godsil. He also believes that international coeducation provides a rich curriculum of its own.

However, at €6,000 in fees a year, St Andrew’s is not conducive to rich socioeconomic diversity. “This is not a disadvantaged school,” he concedes. “We do have people here who certainly have no issue with where the next euro is coming from. Having said that, we also have families who have difficulty paying the fees. That’s why we have a bursary scheme, which has been instrumental in assisting parents continue with the education of their children in the college.”

Original ethos

Bursaries notwithstanding, private schooling in Ireland is not generally accessible to low-income families, Godsil admits. But he is keen to point out that St Andrew’s was founded by members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland to provide an appropriate education for that community and adheres to its original ethos.

On the issue of university entrance, Godsil is critical of schools that he claims are dining out on 100 per cent university transfer rates when they are screening out certain students from the beginning.

“You have to ask questions about a school that sends every single student to college. There must be at least one student in a cohort of 100 to 200 students that cannot achieve university entrance. That requires a very controlled admission system.”

Raising standards is all about teachers in the final reckoning, he says. “The public attitude to teachers has been influenced by the recession to a certain extent. There’s some resentment around the idea of job security, working hours and holidays. But it’s very hard to find a more important job. I wouldn’t worry too much about the buildings. Prioritise investment in the teachers and everything else will follow.”

Now that he’s leaving, will the climate change? Godsil is not claiming St Andrew’s as a one-man show. “The climate of respect in this school has been achieved by a team approach. It wouldn’t work if it was all top-down. The power is devolved throughout the school. Andrew’s is unique. That won’t change.”

If I were Minister for Education: Five key changes

Radically change or retire the the Leaving Certificate:"Guessing the content of a paper is not a good model for assessment. I believe the students deserve better. The CAO system is based on supply and demand. If enough students in a particular year apply for a particular course, then the points for that course will rocket. Why is it not possible to have a matriculation for entry to each third-level course? Why should a student enter a system not knowing what points he or she needs? It's like asking Usain Bolt to run the final of the Olympic 100m and, having finished, telling him that it is actually 120m and, sadly, he didn't make it!"

Decentralise:"Devolve more of the organisation of schools to boards of management and fund them appropriately. As schools serve different communities, and as one size does not fit all, schools should have the freedom to self-evaluate. You gain success by allowing teachers and management to devise their own solutions. This should be supported with a quality accreditation process based on international best practice – a process now being introduced by the DES in the form of SSE."

Invest in information technology:"ICT is a tsunami heading for education and many other aspects of society. It is estimated that 25 per cent of secondary schools will introduce one-to-one iPad or tablet programmes for first-year students in the next academic year. Greater investment in terms of the rollout of e-learning is essential. The introduction of 100MB broadband by the department is welcome, but bringing this facility to schools is only the beginning. The internal structure of schools requires updating with provision of wifi. In addition, the development of directed continuing professional development for teachers, the provision of hardware for teachers and the introduction of evaluative pilot schemes are all necessary."

Restore the ex-quota allocation of full-time guidance counsellors to schools:"Counsellors are often the first port of call for students in trouble. I understand the need to cut costs, but guidance counsellors need to be brought back as ex-quota staff. In light of emerging research relating to youth mental health in Ireland, it is now more important than ever to invest in this critical school support. In fact, I would increase the allocation in this regard, which would be a significant advance in the support of our young people, particularly those most vulnerable. I'm sure we could redirect some of the billions we spend supporting financial institutions or exorbitant pensions to this aspect of student support."

Refocus the curriculum:"Content learning is not the way forward. A certain amount of content is required, but it's more important that students have the skills to use content rather than just duplicate it on paper. Part of the solution is to provide greater access to the curriculum for students by redirecting it around their needs."