It’s been another week of Christmas entertainment! Today we had a wonderful Christmas lunch, Turkey, pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts – everything that one could possibly have wished for on such an occasion and all beautifully prepared by our wonderful Kitchen staff. It is perhaps a good moment to mention them – in fact all year they have worked tirelessly to provide us with nourishing and tasty food and they have always done so with a smile. We have been doing so well on the sports pitch and in the classroom this year. I’m sure these successes are partly because of the nutritional value of our food. Of course, many of you will know the old phrase, “We are what we eat!” and judging by the quality of our food, we should be a quality school!

At this time of year, every day brings something to savour. On Tuesday and Wednesday I was able to watch Form 3 and 4’s production of Goldilocks, a witty re-telling of the old story by Roald Dahl. In it,
Goldilocks is revealed as a “delinquent” and is eventually chased away by a vicious Baby Bear. Every line was beautifully delivered and all the children’s performances were full of vitality. The vast majority of the production was sung and we could hear every word. I loved the way in which a group of neatly- blazered, attentive young boys had been transformed into a troupe of actors costumed in bear kit, fabulous wigs, policemen's uniform and colourful 19 Century doublets. They were able to transport us immediately to the world of a fairytale. This power to allow an audience to imagine they are elsewhere, is something which children love to command, and I was delighted to be at its mercy!

In the Cathedral today we had the pleasure to listen to The Revd Kirsty Borthwick who is the College Chaplain at Christ Church, with pastoral responsibility for the undergraduates, other students and staff. Almost every college in Oxford has a chaplain and Christ Church is no exception, despite all the many other priests in the Cathedral. The Revd Borthwick spoke to us about St Martin of Tours who famously showed compassion to a beggar by cutting his military cloak in half in order that the beggar might shelter from the bad weather. The cloak represented St Martin’s status as a high-ranking soldier and so its destruction was an important symbol of his putting compassion before status. In order to illustrate this story she asked me to pass over my gown – which I did willingly, not knowing the story she was about to use it to illustrate. I have to confess I grew nervous about the implications of the story as she began to tell it, my gown firmly in her hands. Fortunately for me she handed it back in tact, before I had to make a decision about whether I could manage without it or indeed have to wear only half of it in the future. It is always easier to approve of these parables or illustrations from the lives of saints if one is not called to make the same sacrifice oneself!

It has been a delightful end to the week! Pre-Prep and Nursery had their annual Harvest Festival in the Cathedral - one of my favourite occasions. The Nursery sang “Mr Sun” an enchanting song about the transforming nature of our closest star upon the crops which were being celebrated, while the Pre-Prep performed a short play about a hen who keeps asking the other animals on the farm to help her in the baking of a loaf of bread. The other animals all refuse to help her so she answers, wearily, “I’ll do it on my own then, ” an admirable demonstration of self-sufficiency. Eventually the loaf is completed without the help of the other animals. “Would you like to help me eat the loaf?” asks the hen. This time the other animals respond in the affirmative. But the hen’s response is consistent. “Well I’ll do it on my own!” We were all able to reflect upon the benefits of helping out - along with the hen’s hard work.

I’m particularly looking forward to the arrival of the newsletter this week as I will be able to fully appreciate what has been going on at the School! Normally, of course, I have been swimming in the river and experiencing all the activities which occur but, confined as I am to my house, I have missed out on all the excitements which the week will have brought. Of course I have had online windows into the world of the school - meetings with people sitting in the meeting room, for instance, and I have seen pupils pop in or heard noises from outside in the corridor, but I really have realised how much I miss the comings and goings and the activities which have been going on. Those write ups and photos which Mrs Messenger will send out in the near future will bring it all to life in the most vivid way. I now know what so many of you mean when you say I look forward hugely to Friday evening and the arrival of the newsletter! Perhaps this is the right moment to thank Mrs Messenger for the care she takes over the letter and the colourful ways in which she has so successfully made it her own.

We had a delightful Open Morning on Saturday. A large number of interested families came and they all made clear that they liked the school they found. As ever, the thing that impressed them the most was our Form 8 pupils who behaved with charm and intelligence.