The reason I’m here is that I have travelled down to Calshot, a spit at the bottom of Southampton Water, where our Form 8 boys have gone to an activities centre. Over the past four days, the boys have done a huge number of different things. They have been rock-climbing, skiing, kayaking, cycling on a velodrome and sailing, and they have negotiated a high ropes course. The variety of activities is extraordinary. Some found it very easy - they have done these things before. Others have never attempted any of the activities and so, for them, it was all much harder. But in all cases the boys have thrown themselves into everything and have been wonderfully supportive of one another. One couldn’t hope for more.

One of the boys put it rather well. Referring to one of the sessions, he said “Sir, I hugely enjoyed the activity which I had the privilege of partaking in!” I was very impressed by his habitual politeness and by the enthusiasm with which he had approached what he was doing. Even if rather more elegantly expressed than most, his reaction is not atypical of this group. We will miss them very much.

The Cathedral choristers spent a significant amount of this week in the Cathedral practising before, and then taking part in, two BBC recordings. The first will be aired on Radio Three in July. It features a piece of music written for the choir on the 500 anniversary of the foundation of Cardinal College, by the Master of the Kings Music, Errollyn Wallen. When the performance is aired, it will be the first time that this piece of music has ever been heard by anyone, anywhere. On Wednesday the recording was for Radio Four. Along with the Cathedral Choir and the Frideswide Voices, there was a huge orchestra in place and we were delighted by a succession of pieces written by the former Christ Church chorister and composer, William Walton. I cannot describe how electrifying the session was. The sound of the massed voices and a professional Orchestra playing Walton’s music was exhilarating. Every note that was played or sung was utterly life-affirming and I hope that all of you will take the time to listen to both of these recordings, the first that the choir has made in the last 7 years. We will keep you informed. The producer of the programmes spoke to us beforehand. He mentioned, quite calmly that the audiences for the programmes will be in the order of two million. No pressure then!

No sooner had I got back into the playground from the Solent when I saw huge crowds spilling out of the Walton Hall. Inside was a wonderfully colourful art exhibition and I’m delighted that so many came to see it. There was so much variety and inventiveness on show. I was particularly struck by the portraits, so many of which were particularly characterful – inevitable I suppose when one considers our boys! May I thank Mrs Elias and Mr Bagnall for all their hard work in mounting such a mouth-watering feast and for inspiring the pupils to produce such lovely work.

Exams have now been done and three busy weeks remain. I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all at the events still to come - the Friends and Family concert, Macbeth on the Meadows, Enterprise Day and, of course, Speech Day amongst other things. Who wouldn’t want to be in Oxford and indeed at CCCS at this time of year!

And it all starts tomorrow with Sports Day. The weather is set fair and we have a Pavilion to open. As the great 19th century English poet Robert Browning wrote: “God’s in his heaven; all’s right with the world!”