Headmaster’s Message | Wykeham Journal

Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What! You too?I thought that no one but myself …”

– C S Lewis, The Four Loves

I came away from that lunch both surprised and impressed that a boy of, at best, 14 years should have already acquired this degree of conversational skill and precocious consideration for others. I soon learnt, however, that this form of conversation — open, kind, curious — was typical of Wykehamists; and over time, I learnt how effectively some of our most distinctive practices (Div and House-dining foremost among them) cultivated it.

I am happy to say that Wykehamists today continue to be accomplished conversationalists: not in the trivial sense of filling in awkward silences, but rather as young people cultivated to be curious, to listen and to seek new perspectives. Lunch up to House is one of the joys of a Headmaster and conversations in my first term have ranged across geopolitics, the design of jet engines, remedies for social and political polarisation, the breeding of exotic cockroaches, various sporting contests and why all pupils should be required to learn Latin or Computer Science, or singing or golf (depending on the speaker).

Some of my most memorable conversations have been with our newest pupils, particularly those who have just entered VI^th Book. When asked what they are enjoying most, they have, without exception, volunteered the quality of teaching, remarking how it pushes them beyond the bounds of the curriculum or the expectations of examiners, and how it is taken for granted that they will share the passions of the historians or mathematicians or artists or linguists (et cetera) for their discipline.

For many this is a new and inspiring experience. One boy told me that he had come from a school where no-one was interested in learning (or, perhaps, dared to reveal their interest), and he had felt totally isolated from his peers. ‘I thought I was the only one, and then I came here and discovered that everyone was like me.’ (His shining eyes and broad smile have stayed with me.)

It is our aim this year to make over 140 bursary awards. This demonstrates the seriousness of the school’s commitment to widening access and is testament to the generosity of our OWs, our families and our many friends and supporters.

Culture is crucial in any institution, and we are fortunate that our ethos and culture of learning are so deeply embedded — a product, no doubt, of our long and storied history. Until that culture is available to all pupils in all schools everywhere, there is a particular obligation on us to ensure that as many as possible of those who would benefit from a Winchester education can do so.

Many of the pupils who are most appreciative of a Winchester education are recipients of bursary funding. Last year we provided 118 pupils with £3.8m of bursary support, representing a substantial increase on the 2012-13 figures of £1.4m of support offered to 76 pupils. This demonstrates the seriousness of the school’s commitment to widening access and is testament to the generosity of our OWs, our families and our many friends and supporters. There are now strong headwinds facing the independent school sector, with significant changes to taxation policy threatened, and it will be vital that this support is sustained when, as appears likely, conditions become more difficult.

It is important to note that the flow of benefits from our bursary programme is not unidirectional. The benefit to the recipients is obvious, but they bring into the div room and the House fresh eyes, diverse perspectives, a welcome boost to our intellectual, cultural and sporting ambitions, and a refreshing appreciation for the richness of our offering. No pupil is well served by education in a monoculture, and, just as we welcome the breadth of perspective which accompanies a wide spread of cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds, so we embrace diversity of socio-economic background, experience and opinion.

… just as we welcome the breadth of perspective which accompanies a wide spread of cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds, so we embrace diversity of socio-economic background, experience and opinion.

Also notable is how often our bursary recipients say that they came to know us through our partnership and outreach activities. These are programmes that have developed over many years, thanks to the vision and hard work of my colleagues, and their reach is greater than ever. Some of our newest pupils have told me that they would never have considered Winchester at all but for their participation in our enrichment opportunities. In addition to our Community Service programme (through which Wykehamists visit local primary schools to help with activities such as reading, science, music, French, Spanish and chess), the College is offering an increasing number of opportunities for those pupils to visit us for a variety of events. These include Maths lessons, talks, performances, and visits to the Treasury and our various Collections. Our Educational Partnerships programme also continues to expand its engagement with local secondary schools through a range of opportunities, thus helping — together with the primary school initiatives — to keep our doors wide
open and to encourage applications to the Sixth Form from pupils who have come to know the school, perhaps over a number of years, and for whom Winchester College has become demystified. Again, we see that the benefits of these partnerships flow in both directions — enriching the lives and education of many young people in a wide range of communities, and serving as a path for highly able young people to enter and strengthen our school.

Winchester is an institution with a remarkable continuity of vision and legacy. That William of Wykeham’s mission, six centuries later, is so clearly continuing to serve young people, both within our school and beyond its gates, is testament to its enduring value.

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Winchester College only exists as we know it today thanks to the generous support of those named over the next few pages, and the many generations of donors who have come before us, going right back to our Founder, William of Wykeham, in 1382. Our pupils past, present and future cannot thank you enough.

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