OmnibusOmnibus December July 20142013 OMNIBUS The termly newspaper of Wilson’s School WILSON’S GOT TALENT? Oscar Taperell tells us about this year’s ‘Wilson’s Got Talent’ event. Wilson’s Got Talent? Who would’ve thought it!? Where These two were joined by a pair of maths teachers, namely ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ has Ant and Dec, we have Mr Ng; Ms Tattersall (her second time as a judge) and Mr Elwood where BGT has Simon Cowell, we have Mr Carew-Robin- (new to the game). son; where BGT has Susan Boyle, we have Michael Ahearn. As the panel were deliberating on the winners, Satchit Sri- And at lunch-time on 7th May, hundreds (literally!) of Wil- kanth and Jack Robertson from U6 gave David Bowie a run sonians poured into the main hall in search of raw talent… for his money as they played a fantastic song. Another U6, And they weren’t disappointed! Jaian Patel kicked things off Jack Taperell, performed some rather unusual (but astound- with his moves, and not once did the audience’s attention ing) magic, using all five of his senses. I could see that act ‘break’ from his dancing. Yet this plucky Year 8 had fierce coming. competition, as Kyriacous with his superb Zorba’s dance And now, ladies and gentlemen, a drum roll for the results: and Luke Stokes with his new and improved dance routine both did brilliantly. 1st place: Oscar Taperell 2nd place: James Watters As always, amazing singing acts are expected at Wilson’s 3rd place: Michael and Eruba Got Talent and that was certainly delivered. The marvellous Michael and Eruba would almost certainly reach No. 1 if Yet although students were thoroughly annoyed that the a single was released, whilst Sai Prabhu left us all wanting event didn’t eat into Period 5, all felt a sense of satisfac- ‘MORE?’ with his rendition of ‘Consider Yourself’ from tion to know that the £1 entry fee went to the charity the musical ‘Oliver’. Two great bands also took to the stage, Kids’n’Cancer. Overall, £378 was raised for the charity, with ‘The Blueberry jam’ delivering a delicious performance which supported Wilsonian James Carpenter recently. and ‘Mind The Gap’ showing they had ‘train’ed for a long time beforehand. All those who proclaim men unable to multi-task have now been proven utterly wrong by Andy Deng (an audacious Year 7!), whose graceful playing of the violin - and skate- boarding! -left the panel speechless. Oscar Taperell (who could that young chap be, I wonder?) then came on stage dressed in explorer attire, confounding the audience as to what (life) on earth his act might be. But the audience’s funny bones were soon well and truly tickled, as this fake David Attenborough did a sketch on ‘Life at Wilsons’. Although there were no huge buzzers for the judges, the panel all did excellently. Mr Carew-Robinson gave some pretty ‘punny’ comments on the acts, whilst Harry Perkin, the head boy, lent his years of experience to the discussion. 1 OmnibusOmnibus DecemberJuly 2014 2013 D.M. Charnock, Magister, Floruit 1999-2014 finally become fully selective in 1995 and the newest intakes were very promising indeed. Our better facilities and our excellent grounds, added to our already well es- tablished reputation as a fantastically competitive sports school, now began to have strong traction in the admis- sions stakes. To add to the good fortune, the fragile finances of the school were also about to take a turn for the better as the 25 year rent review of the old school in Camberwell came up in 2000, and the income shot up from a paltry £16,000 a year to a handsome £250,000. Well, I can at least claim not to be a fool if only because Every Year 7 boy undertakes in his first few weeks at I haven’t made a mess of it. Boys sometimes ask me, school a piece of work that is designed to develop his what does a Headmaster do? The implication behind skills in evaluation of historical significance. The task is the question is one that makes me smile, but it is a good to consider the careers and achievements of a number question. The answer, of course, apart from being a of different Headmasters of Wilson’s School to assess decision-making machine, is that the most important their significance for the school and to place them in job of a Headteacher is to employ good teachers and rank order of importance. It is a clever task and one establish a first rate staff. If I am to claim any one which the boys enjoy, if for no other reason than that it achievement in my years as Head, it is to have recruited gives them an opportunity to tweak the nose of the pre- a superb team of teachers and administrative staff. sent, soon to be former, Headmaster and put him well When I leave at the end of this year, there will remain in his place, some way down the list. I have never had on staff only three teachers (all excellent) whom I have any cause to disagree with the boys’ usual assessment not appointed. Everything that has been achieved has that my tenure, in the great scheme of things, has not been achieved only with the teachers, the support staff been one of the more significant ones: there are many and of course the boys and could not have been others with a much greater claim. After Edward Wilson, achieved without them. I am genuinely very proud of the Founder, it is Norman Friskney, who rescued the the school we have made together. Our vision has been school from almost certain closure by moving it from a common one, as has our endeavour. Camberwell to Sutton in 1975, who usually tops the list, and rightly so. The Wilson’s of 15 years ago was not a school I would My main reflection, after a tenure of 15 years, (in itself very much like to have attended. It had virtues of a distinctly average achievement compared to that of course: there was some great teaching; the sport was William Jephson,1803-1843, who was appointed at the wonderful; there was clearly a strong Wilson’s sense of age of 21 and continued to run the school, almost into identity and pride and pleasure in holding the name of oblivion as it happens, for forty two years,) is that while Wilson’s. There were some wonderfully clever students I may not have been the most significant of the school’s and some outstanding academic achievements. The Headmasters, I have certainly been one of the luckiest, CCF was excellent and embodied the motto of the for I took over the school at one of the most propi- school in the impressive way it continues to do today. tious moments in its history. I remember the outgoing There were some wonderfully distinctive characters. Headmaster, Chris Tarrant (1995-1999) saying to me, in But it was a school in which too many went to the wall a rather unnerving aside, that “only a fool could make both academically and socially, in which too many didn’t a mess of this”. He was right. Coming into Sutton in fit in, were bullied and were not well cared for. It was the 1970’s the school had had to struggle long and hard a school which had a justified reputation for not being to establish itself. It had started as the Johnny-come- good at pastoral care and, as a result, behaviour was of- lately of the grammar schools, number three in the ten less than impressive. It was a school in which there list of the three boys’ grammars, but by the mid 1990s was some poor teaching and a good deal of compla- those days were finally behind it and it was biting at the cency. (Continued on the following page) heels of the other grammar schools. The school had 2 OmnibusOmnibus December July 20142013 The Wilson’s of today is certainly one that I would love to have had the opportunity to go to. It is a deeply We chatter excitedly as we walk through the school, inclusive community in which all can flourish and in searching for the right venue to attend the biggest show of which all have a contribution to make and in which all Wilson’s School- ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Is it in the drama are very well cared for. It is a school in which there suite? The lecture theatre? The main hall?! The canteen? is a deep admiration of and aspiration for academic I, along with the rest of the cast, hurry around school to excellence and in which teachers and students together will strive for nothing but the best. I am thrilled by the find the right venue. When we finally find the right place fact that it is a school in which music is now as strong (which takes us up to 3:45) we are warmly welcomed into as sport and in which English and philosophy and his- another day of exhausting yet enjoyable rehearsals with tory are as successful and respected as maths and the the experienced and talented theatre performer ‘Mr Ka- sciences and economics. And by the fact that Wilson’s vanagh’- he’s certainly the heart of the show, the director boys have lost none of their edge and sense of fun: and the captain. As the boys (well, some of them) confi- that they remain fiercely, proudly competitive on the dently approach Wallington Girls (who also accompany us sports field, that they love the thrill of victory but also in this entertaining show), others sit around on the floor take defeat like gentlemen.