Independent School for Boys 3-13 & Girls 3-7
Independent School for Boys 3-13 & Girls 3-4
We hope you enjoy reading these weekly blog posts by our Headmaster, Mr Richard Murray.
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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.
One of the great pleasures of my week is to attend Pre-Prep Assembly which occurs every Friday. Most of the assembly is spent celebrating pupils’ work and chosen pupils are given certificates for something they have done particularly well during that week. The variety of achievements is very striking but generally the reaction to them on the part of the pupils is the same – delight! In fact these certificates have such cache that today one of the pupils following the announcement of the recipients of the certificates, asked, in a loud voice: “What about me?” Doubtless a certificate will be forthcoming shortly! I am delighted that the certificates are so sought after!
Despite the fact that I have been a teacher for a long time, the beginning of the year never fails to
excite me. It was a real joy to arrive on Brewer Street this Wednesday to see some expectant pupils
already in position outside the school waiting to be let in.
Pre-Prep and Nursery came to the Cathedral this morning. We were very fortunate to have preaching today an old friend of the School, The Revd Charlie Kerr, Diocesan chaplaincy advisor. He set the place alight with his lively and entertaining sermon.
I can rarely remember it being so hot for so long. It reminds me of that magnificent opening passage to Charles Dickens‘s great novel, Little Dorrit.
As I write, I am sitting beside the Solent, the sun gleaming on the sparkling waters. In front of me are boats of every description, sailing boats, tankers, ferries rushing across to the Isle of Wight, the sunniest place in England, and a little old coracle.
I am, at present, in the departure lounge of the ferry terminal at Caen, Normandy. We are waiting for the arrival of the ferry to take us back to England. The past three days have been a truly memorable experience for me and overwhelmingly moving.
We are delighted to be able to announce our Senior School awards for this year. They are as follows:
These are a tremendous set of awards at some very serious schools and encompass three different types of scholarships.
I’m still on a high! I have just spent the afternoon in the Cathedral at the House Music Competition. Our adjudicator was the excellent Mr Wilderspin, Head of Music at St Paul’s School in West London. He spoke about each individual finalist with great insight, and warmth, deploying humour wonderfully.
I was very touched by the pupils’ attitude towards V.E. Day. Given that this happened 80 years ago, it cannot have meant very much personally to any of the pupils. And yet almost all of them arrived, wearing red, white and blue, and in our assembly, Mr. Harrison gave a moving summary of what VE Day meant.
The extraordinary 19 Century Oxford poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, in a sonnet entitled Spring, wrote:
“Nothing is so beautiful as Spring
When weeds in wheels grow long and lovely and lush.”
It’s wonderful to be back. There is no better time in a school year than the beginning of the Summer term with so much to look forward to.
