Any of you who have visited the Meadow will have seen the Pavilion which is on the verge of being handed over to us. All our hopes that it would add to the exceptional environment of the Meadow have been realised and its winning combination of tradition and elegant modernity are apparent to even the most casual observer. I am thrilled. As soon as we have full access to the building, I will be in touch. Please ensure that Saturday 14th June is in your diary. In the morning we will be hosting our annual sports day; that will be followed, deo volente, by the formal opening of the building. I look forward to seeing all of you there.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Cardinal College by Thomas Wolsey. This was followed, one year later, by the foundation of the Cathedral Choir which is, in essence, the date from which the School can take its origin. Half a millennium is a fair amount of time for an institution to have existed – it certainly puts our lives into perspective. Tradition is, of course, an essential part of our school as, at heart, those things which are required for human flourishing, love, care, moral courage, fellowship, curiosity etc are the same as they always have been and it is always good to know that the problems which we have as human beings have, by and large, been experienced and overcome in the past. Rarely do we have to face these things alone, either individually or as a society. As the great Oxford writer, thinker and theologian, CS Lewis wrote “We read to know that we are not alone.” Nonetheless another thing we learn by looking back into history is that no era is ever quite the same as any other and there are examples of problems and conditions which we are facing for the first time. A school must recognise both these things.

We must be fully aware that we live in an exciting world full of opportunities which were not available to people in the past and we must ensure that our pupils make use of such opportunities and that they are ready for the world which awaits them. We have already introduced modules based upon AI in our ICT lessons and increasing we are making use of the opportunities which such technologies provide. I was interested to see the notes of a recent meeting which had been written up using AI software – a most useful and extensive record of a fascinating discussion. It seems clear to me that the more understanding we have of AI, the more useful it will be to us.

I have always loved the fact that I teach in a school where discussion is central and much undertaken. For enrichment I am running a debating group and the enthusiasm with which people have signed up for it is touching – mastering the ability to debate is crucial to being able to influence others and to having an impact on the world. Equally one often finds oneself engaged in furious discussion about things which have less obvious significance. At lunch today there was a lengthy debate about whether one should spread the jam before the cream on a scone (as they do in Cornwall) or whether one should put cream on before jam (as they do in Devon.) One boy who was not from either Devon or Cornwall, nor indeed from anywhere in England, has solved the issue by cutting his scone in half, spreading one half with cream and one with jam and then sticking them together – a most elegant solution to the problem. Sometimes those with distance bring perspective to a seemingly intractable problem!