Our distinguished Visitor, Chairman, Governors, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

I start by welcoming Alison Mitchell, whose impressive biography you can read it ’s programme. All I can say is that, as a lover of sports, especially , I am extremely jealous of what she does for a living! Last summer, I had the idea of inviting Alison while working away in my office, listening to the BBC’s iconic Team commentating on the Lord’s test against . Not only were her observations and analysis first-rate, but she wasn’t afraid to challenge Geoffrey Boycott, a man who, like many producers, seems to think that if you haven’t played at the highest level then you can’t commentate or even have an opinion! If only education was like that… but I digress. That Alison has bucked that trend makes her success notable; even more so, she is the first woman to commentate regularly on 'Test Match Special', a great achievement, one that matters and sets a significant example. So, Alison, welcome and we look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Sadly, Alison is a part-time Leicester City fan and not an Arsenal fan, so I can’t gloat. I say that because, as those of you for whom this is not your first Speech Day will know – because I start with it every year - that I am a Tottenham fan. The last two Visitors have been Arsenal fans, but this year, for the first time since 1995, Spurs have outperformed Arsenal. Talking of Arsenal, you may well be familiar with the problems that their manager, Arsene Wenger, has faced this

1 season – they have been well-documented in the press and highlight some of the challenges of leadership, particularly after 20 years at the helm.

He’s a had tough few months: 67 years old, based in Islington, north London, not entirely in touch with reality, and, as put it, “white-haired and wiry, with an expression suggesting a bee-sting trauma. Critics accuse him of refusing to speculate about his own future beyond the end of the season, maintaining he is staying right where he is, despite everyone else saying the opposite and a growing speculation that he’s content to finish fifth.”

I am, of course, talking about Jeremy Corbyn.

So, what did Mr Corbyn do to try and deflect some of the criticism? By jumping on the political bandwagon, of course, and attacking the independent sector. He recently announced plans to fund free school meals by placing VAT on private school fees, characterising the idea, typically, as the rich bailing out the poor.

The addition of 20% to fees would, I believe, lead to the closure of a significant number of independent schools; the great majority of parents make enormous sacrifices to afford the fees and our schools are not cash-cows. While many wouldn’t shed a tear at their demise, there is another, pertinent point for the Government to bear in mind. 500,000 children are educated privately in Britain. The ISC (the Independent Schools Council) estimates that that saves the British

2 taxpayer in the region of £4bn a year. At a time when state school budgets are being cut, when there is a crisis (and I don’t use the word lightly) in the recruitment of teachers in some core subjects, and when class sizes in many state schools are now around the 40 mark, the closure of independent schools would return large numbers of pupils to an already overstretched state sector.

That notwithstanding, there is a wider issue here. Why do so many politicians still feel the need to attack the independent sector? Too many of them make lazy, unfair and unhelpful assumptions and make reference to toffs and ivory towers. In reality, there are huge numbers of state and independent schools working closely and effectively in collaboration for the benefit of all children. It's frustrating that this gets so much less acknowledgement.

A year ago, standing here, I outlined the reasons why we had agreed to take part in the ITV documentary ‘School Swap – the class divided’. Those of you who heard me, may remember that one of the reasons was to represent the independent sector and highlight the excellent work that it does and its willingness to engage with the state sector. Our sector continues to receive strong criticism from many sides and we have few friends in the press.

Another outcome of the television programme was to raise national awareness of the transformational power of boarding; indeed, you may recall that Jo Ward, my opposite number at Bemrose said at the

3 end of Episode 2 (and then repeated herself when we appeared on the BBC One Breakfast sofa):

“I’ve gone from thinking every independent school in the country should be abolished to thinking every school in the country should be a boarding school.”

That was some change! Boarding can indeed be transformational; it is also teaches independence and what I call social learning, not least learning to be part of a community, something bigger than oneself, an ever-more important trait in an increasingly narcissistic and introspective world. I am very proud that boarding continues to thrive here, but as a school, we face the same pressures as all boarding schools. It is expensive, society’s views of boarding are undoubtedly changing and the impact of Brexit remains unclear.

Earlier in the year, HMC, the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, of which organisation we are a member school, proposed creating up to 10,000 new school places a year in boarding schools for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This would, I believe support social mobility, which has stagnated in the UK, and help the Government reach its target of more good school places. The places would be co-funded by independent schools and the government, which would provide only the allocated state funding per child. As my fellow head, Patrick Derham at Westminster, has said:

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This scheme, like so many in our schools, is not about choosing the brightest pupils but about providing genuine transformational opportunities for those who need them most. We all want all young people to flourish and to be authors of their own life stories.”

I am hugely proud of the fact that boarding here at Warminster we have several children who come from difficult backgrounds and whose fees are paid either by benefactors or by an enlightened local council. Depressingly, the biggest critics of the HMC proposal have been social workers and it is hard to avoid the conclusion that it stems from ideological prejudice or poverty of aspiration for the children with whom they work. As Goethe put it:

“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”

Proud as I am to be headmaster of a boarding school, I am also proud of the fact that we have an equal number of day pupils. Three weeks ago, I attended the Boarding School Association Heads’ Conference and there listened to a fascinating presentation entitled ‘The Boarding Effect – steering with others in mind.’

It was based on a research project that had tracked 20,000 pupils over five years, in a mixture of day, boarding, state and independent schools. Its analogical premise was that our minds have an engine, which generates speed; a big IQ engine can process lots of data

5 quickly when the road is straight (i.e. in a formal classroom or examination) environment. However, we also need good steering cognition in order to drive well on bumpy roads – in other words, to navigate through life and relationships. The presenter also claimed that the evidence of his research showed that good steering cognition contributes about 15% to academic success and, more importantly, is vital to good mental health during adolescence and in the development of emotional intelligence. Currently, too much of education policy is focused on driving fast rather than steering and, as we all know, clever people who drive fast with poor steering can collectively make mistakes.

Falling out of this argument is the increased need, therefore, to focus on teaching children to steer (as well as drive fast - that still matters). The research found that children in boarding schools – and this is the most important bit for us – not just the boarders, but the day pupils in a boarding school too – are 15% more socially agile and emotionally responsive. Linked to that, the evidence suggests that pupils in a boarding school are more sensitive to the needs of others, more likely to consider others and thus more likely to develop into good citizens. It comes back to the social learning I mentioned a moment ago – tolerance, patience, understanding, listening to the ideas of others and the willingness to change one’s mind. We have had, this week, a desperately sad reminder of how critically important those qualities are.

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The final reason for our involvement in School Swap was to highlight the opportunities that exist for state and independent to work in collaboration. Despite the expedient rhetoric of many ill-informed politicians, such partnerships are flourishing across the land: 88% of ISC schools now have some form of partnership with a state school. I am very proud of our meaningful working relationships with several local state schools. Earlier this year, I chaired a meeting in my office of local heads, primary, secondary, state and private to discuss our intention to set up, from September, an ISSP – an Independent State School Partnership here in West Wiltshire. I am delighted that there are eight schools which want to be part of it.

So, like the vast majority of my colleagues, I want all politicians to recognise the contribution that independent schools make to the UK economy and society, and not to propose measures which will inhibit our excellence or ability to extend the work we do in partnership with state schools. Given that all of us in this hall, I assume, share a belief in the importance of the role of independent schools, I would ask you to play your part, where possible, to likewise bang the drum and promote the views, importance and contribution of the sector and of boarding.

Academically, the focus this year has been on engagement and, as you know, engagement grades have replaced effort grades on the pupils’ reports. Effort is still expected, of course, but equally so is contribution, attention, curiosity, interest, enthusiasm and positivity

7 that pupils show in class or in their learning. This is a culture change, made more difficult by the spoon-fed nature of modular exams, now changing to linear ones, in recent years. I am grateful for parental support as we encourage the pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and to think for themselves, to listen to other points of view, to argue and test their opinions and, above all, to stand up for the freedom of speech. Recently, during my Monday morning Assembly, I discussed these ideas during a talk on the emergence in recent months of the term ‘Generation Snowflake’ to disparagingly describe the young adults of the 2010s, viewed as being less resilient and more prone to taking offence than previous generations”

I asked them, collectively, whether the term applies to them; I am delighted that there has been a lot of discussion about this since – some pupils agreeing, some disagreeing. Of course, it is unfair to generalise about any age group and many young people, certainly many of the pupils here are, I would suggest, far more tolerant, open-minded, altruistic and, dare I say, it, sensible than my generation were.

Nevertheless, the debate underlines the responsibility that we have as a school and as parents to prepare our children not to need us anymore and to leave as young adults well-equipped for the fluid and ad-hoc 21st century world. As I read the other day:

“The key 21st century skill is being able to react intelligently when you find yourself in a situation for which you haven’t been specifically prepared.”

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I think that is spot on and I like to think that we do that pretty well as a school, largely by the emphasis on a rounded education, on character and on the idea that it’s ok to fail – what matters is how one reacts.

It has been another very busy school year, but I don’t intend to reel off a long list of events or activities. Apart from time, the reason for that is the success of ‘Heads-Up’, our fortnightly electronic newsletter, which provides a continual update about what is going on. I very much hope that you all find time to look at it. Emma Brumby, our Head of Communications, does a superb job of producing it and highlighting the huge amount that goes on here. Emma is also the driving force behind the School’s enthusiastic embrace of Twitter, another, more immediate source of pupil news. I do hope you’ve had the chance to watch our latest short film, Speed of Sound. If not, it’s on the front page of the website. I think it’s wonderful, mainly because it is an authentic portrayal of the School as a community. I would like to thank collectively some other key members of that school community. The point about being part of a genuine community, which I believe we are, is that everyone has a part to play. As I say to every set of prospective parents visiting the School for the first time – and on many days, I will have a meeting with as many as four or five – that they are sitting in my office and quite possibly thinking ‘What is their son or daughter going to get from Warminster School’. I’m sitting there, on the other hand, thinking ‘What is he or she going to BRING to Warminster School’.

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Recently, in a talk in church, Mr Philips, Head of Geography, used a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle of the school to illustrate the importance and inter-connectivity of every member of the school community. He threw bits of the puzzle all-round the congregation and explained that everyone’s piece contributes to the whole, no matter its shape, size or description. It was a clear and well-made analogy. And my point is that it’s not just pupils and staff; it’s the Governors, it’s the Parents’ Association – the WSPA, it’s Old Verlucians, our former pupils and it’s you, the parent body as a whole. Every one of us here today plays a part in making this school what it is, and I want to thank you all, whatever the nature of your support. It is priceless. In an era when people are bombarded with information, word of mouth communication is more valuable than ever. Interest in this school continues to rise, as do the number of prospective parent visits. I am keenly aware that ambassadorial, articulate and supportive parents who share the School’s values and educational philosophy are a key reason for that. Thank you. My hope is that, like the staff and pupils, you are proud of your School.

However, there is one particular parent whose service I want to acknowledge today. The WSPA, the Warminster School Parents’ Association, does a wonderful job of supporting the School and fundraising for items for the pupils that are not essential but ‘nice to have’. As a body, it is tireless in its efficiency and enthusiasm and the events it runs for parents are great fun, as evidenced by their

10 popularity. Incidentally, while I have the floor, may I plug their Midsummer Night’s Dream Ball on 1 July – there are just a few tickets remaining. For the past four years, the Chairman of the WSPA has been Robin Stone and it is no exaggeration to describe his leadership as magnificent. He steps down shortly, and on behalf of the School, I would like to thank him and present him with a small token of appreciation.

Worryingly, there is, at present, no parent who has expressed an interest in replacing Robin as Chair. Please could I make a plea that, if at all interested, you speak either to Robin or contact the School for more details. Length of time as a school parent or experience of parent committees is not required, only enthusiasm, humour and energy. The WSPA provides great support to the School and I would be mightily disappointed to see it stall.

As I said a moment ago, I meet prospective parents most days and often they bring their children with them. I always give the children an opportunity to ask me questions, trying to encourage them to ask about the school. I am usually, but not always, successful. Some of the questioning is relatively straightforward – twice this year I’ve been asked does the school serve sausages for lunch? That is an easy one to answer – yes, sometimes even toad in the hole. I have also been asked - Are your assemblies boring? I dodge that one. When asked - What do you all day? I tell them that it is difficult to explain and that the staff ask me the same question. In a similar vein, one

11 young lady asked if she could tell me a joke. ‘Sir, why don’t headmasters look out of their window in the morning? I looked blank. It’s so they have something to do in the afternoon’.

Last Tuesday, however, I was asked by a prospective pupil – what is it about Warminster that you are most proud of? That was easy. My answer was that I am most proud of the achievements of our pupils, the way in which they conduct themselves, who they are, how they treat one another and how they interact with visitors. Yes, achievements, attainment and success matter, be they academic, sporting, artistic or musical, and there have been many this year – as the programme indicates - but more importantly, the boys and girls here are friendly, optimistic, kind, considerate and supportive of one another. As I said last year, I thank them all for the ambassadors and role models they are. So much of the feedback from visitors to the School makes mention of their cheerfulness, their enthusiasm and good manners. I never tire of receiving it.

The school inspectors visited in March and while I was pleased, of course, to pass the regulatory and compliance aspects of the inspection, I was far more pleased with the verbal feedback. The inspectors were at pains to emphasise the friendliness, cooperation and professionalism of all the staff they met and made particular mention of the warmth of the relationships at the School, both between staff and pupils and between pupils themselves. The lead inspector described the atmosphere around the School as ‘relaxed,

12 friendly but purposeful’. They also emphasised the quality of pastoral care and the dedication and commitment of staff in delivering it. However, as you may have read in last night’s newsletter, may I assure you that we are not complacent. We certainly don’t always get things right and, as an organisation, we are always trying to improve the way we do things. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have a concern, question or observation you would like to make.

As ever, there are a few staff who leave the Senior School at the end of term. Felicity Beck applied here in 2003 in response to an advertisement for a Food Technology teacher. She was offered a job to teach psychology! She is nothing if not versatile. That said, she has taught cooking as an activity throughout her years here. She quickly assumed the role of Head of Department and then, in addition, for the last 2½ years, she has coordinated the Creativity, Activity and Service component of the IB Diploma, an important role and one that she has executed with her customary enthusiasm and flair. Additionally, an excellent tutor, Felicity has given fourteen years’ service to Warminster School and made a consistent and significant contribution. A great many pupils have benefitted from her efforts.

Harry Serle joined the Common Room in April 2011, as a teacher of English as an Additional Language. He has made a tremendous contribution to this department; he has also spent six years as a resident tutor in St Boniface boarding house, another role in which

13 he has excelled. As my predecessor wrote, Harry is, in old-fashioned terms, quite simply ‘a great schoolmaster’.

Rajnee Gill also came to Warminster in 2011, in her case to teach mathematics. In her six years here she has done that superbly well; she has also spent time as a resident in Stratton House. She leaves for an exciting new challenge at Writhlington School, but she too will be missed by pupils and colleagues alike.

Sally Bonnell has, for many years, been an indispensable source of support and wisdom for her husband in his role as housemaster of St Boniface. Her contribution in the House has been enormous. For the past 18 months, she has also taught mathematics part-time, while training to become an Osteopath. Now that she qualified, she is relinquishing the teaching. I am very grateful for her assistance.

We also bid farewell at the end of term to Erin Gough, who leaves after three years at the School. She arrived as a Gap Student and followed that with two years as an outstanding Graduate Assistant. I am particularly grateful for her contribution to boarding and to hockey at the School. Goodbye and thank you also to the one-year Graduate Assistants: Catherine Simons in drama, Ben Coulson in music and James Wilson in sport. Likewise, Andrea Blanco-Gomez and Veronique Heroux, our two high-quality language assistants. Andrea has given much in her two years here, but all of those I have mentioned have done a fine job.

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There is one other member of staff whom I wish to mention this afternoon. I am delighted that he is not leaving the School, but Jonathan Bonnell steps down at the end of this term after an astonishing twenty years as housemaster of St Boniface boarding house. Unless you have first-hand experience of a boarding house, it is hard to quite comprehend how demanding and relentless a job it is to run one. To do it for ten years is impressive, to manage it for twenty is quite remarkable, the more so when you consider the enormous changes that boarding, pastoral care and technology (and thus communication with parents) have undergone since the mid- 1990s. As a housemaster, he has – in the best traditions of the role – shepherded countless boys (some of them now approaching forty) through challenging and tricky times, often far from home. He exemplifies many of the qualities that, as a school and as a sector, we try to instil in our pupils: putting the needs of others first, selflessness, kindness, compassion and a sense of the duty of service. At the same time, he is humble, funny and self-deprecating. Since my arrival here, I have introduced several new initiatives into boarding. Never once did Jonathan take umbrage, although he was quite prepared to offer robust and frank observations on occasion. For a headmaster, such advice is invaluable. Always, however, he left my office and then gave everything to implementing what I had asked.

Significantly, you may remember, he also helped raise national awareness of boarding because of his enthusiastic participation in ITV’s documentary, ‘School Swap’. He was the housemaster of the

15 state school boys and his tuneless singing and cheerful ‘wakey, wakey’ generated much positive comment!

Jonathan has also spent the past eight years as Head of Boarding at the School and that boarding continues to thrive here owes much to his dedication and service. I have already made clear how important I feel that work is. Two weeks ago I was privileged to attend the Boniface House barbecue and to watch his speech to the boys was to watch a pastoral master in action. He just knew them and gently teased them, while picking out their quirks, celebrating their successes and demonstrating how nothing has escaped him. As I said, he is not leaving, thank goodness, but I would like to ask him to come forward to receive a small token of appreciation for his dedication. I am also pleased to announce that the Governors have generously that the new Families Room near my office be renamed ‘The Bonnell Room’. A small, but fitting, tribute.

Alison Mitchell was voted the Sports Journalists' Association Sports Broadcaster of the Year 2013. She has both a fascinating and distinguished career and she is undoubtedly a fine role model and someone who exemplifies many of the qualities we try to encourage and develop at this school. I now invite her to speak to us before she presents the prizes.

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