In the past many schools had a collection of songs which they sang together to foster communal spirit and to reflect upon various aspects of school life. Most schools no longer have a tradition of singing but at Harrow it continues. This is partly because of the fact that, during the Second World War, Churchill, a former pupil of Harrow, was heard singing one of the songs in his bath by another former Harrovian. Churchill was encouraged to return to his old school for the songs, which he duly did. He found the whole experience incredibly moving and he always claimed that it helped him to maintain his conviction, despite the terrible odds, that his country would stand firm in the face of tyranny. In memory of this, the songs performed at Harrow at this time of year are known as the Churchill songs. One of those songs, called 500 faces, tells of a young boy arriving for the first time at Harrow. He sees himself surrounded by the faces of all the other boys, almost all of whom are older than him. He is, of course, very nervous, but it does not take long before he realises how fortunate he is to be at the school. The song is sung by the best treble in the first year. This year the role was taken by one of our former pupils, Martin Dancer, hence why I had been invited. In front of the whole school, the whole staff, and many distinguished guests, including members of the Churchill family, he sang beautifully and with utter confidence. Many people felt that it had been one of the best performances of the song. I was a very proud former Headmaster. This was a very visible example of one of our former pupils having an impact on his senior school, but I know that in so many schools CCCS boys are playing an important role.

I am feeling rather exhausted! I have just come back from one of the most efficient leaflet drops in the history of Oxford. I help with the Community Service element of the enrichment programme and today we had a short talk from one of the staff at the Gatehouse centre, set up to give help to the many homeless in Oxford. And there is no doubt that they need help. Our speaker told us that, on average, six homeless people die on the streets of Oxford every year. We then set off for the Grandpont area, where our job was to deliver as many leaflets as possible. I have never seen so many leaflets delivered in such a short space of time. The boys were in platoons of five, running at speed between houses. Bang, bang, bang, bang bang - the leaflets shot though the letterboxes. When we got to my house, I asked who wanted to deliver the leaflet – they all did! When I return home, I suspect I will find a pile of leaflets which I will now be able to distribute amongst my neighbours. The boys are keen to go again!

I was reflecting upon what a tremendous group of staff we have at the school. Some have been here a very long time. Mr and Mrs Wilson, the string teachers, have been here longer than anyone else. One of the boys highlighted this to me at lunch. He said: “Mr Wilson has been at CCCS longer than it is possible to imagine!” Despite the decades that he has been here, I suspect that the timescale is within the sphere of human imagination! As ever, may I thank all our peripatetic music teachers who play such a vital part in maintaining our musical excellence.

I had the pleasure again of taking a Rugby team on Wednesday. It was the Form 6 B team against MCS. The opposition arrived looking as if they were part of the New Zealand Rugby Squad in their black kit. I told my team, to whom I had recently taught mediaeval history, that they should think in terms of the Battle of Agincourt – a small force of English soldiers taking on the whole might of the French army on French soil! In the event, unlike the victorious English force at Agincourt, we did not win, but we came very close, only losing by 12 tries to 8. I was very proud of the boys who kept going to the end, who tackled with determination, and who kicked, passed and ran with real commitment and success. What a “happy band of brothers!”