Saturday 28^th November 2011

On Saturday afternoon the parents and staff played a very competitive hockey match against each other on Campbell field. The parent’s team was managed by Neil Munn and they played in a very smart white strip. It was fabulous to have David Turner back who kindly umpired the match with Rebecca Higham. It was a fast paced game which involved plenty of quality passing from both sides and although it was very close from the outset, the staff had the edge due to Mark Duncan controlling the midfield section of the pitch with real authority and a great deal of skill. It definitely was end to end stuff and it must be said the parents were a little unfortunate not to score a goal. With the light going rapidly towards the end of the second half and one or two tired sets of legs the final whistle was blown and everyone headed up to pevensey for a well earned cup of tea. I sincerely hope this tradition continues next year. Well played everyone !

Windlesham House School scooped the prestigious Outstanding Community Initiative award at the Independent School Awards 2011. The judges described the school’s Odyssey weekend as “inspiring”, “amazing” and “spectacular”.

The category was very closely contested, but the judges were unanimous in choosing Windlesham  for this particular award. Around 300 guests from among the cream of the sector saw Richard Foster collect the award from sponsors Close Brothers.

On Friday 11/11/ 2011, around 11 minutes to 11 o’clock, the Staff and students  of Windlesham House (all wearing their poppies) assembled at All Saints’ Chapel in the heart of the school for the annual Act of Remembrance.  Mr Foster, the Headmaster, welcomed everyone and explained the sad history of Armistice Day and its evolution into Remembrance Day, and reminded all present of the millions who were lost in both World Wars and the conflicts since then.  In order to make the symbolism of the poppy clear he called upon Val Hernandez-Tavera, George Barbieri and Kate Aston to read Don Crawford’s poem ‘Please Wear a Poppy’.  After this moving recitation, Mr Foster explained Windlesham’s proud association with servicemen and women in the past and referred to the time when Canadian forces were stationed at the school.  Archie Haines-Moss and Robbie Owen then read out a selection of names from the Windlesham Roll of Honour which brought to mind many families represented in the congregation.  The ‘Last Post’ was performed beautifully by Mr Banks on trumpet and Grace Day on the euphonium and there followed a period of silence, with heads bowed, in respect for the fallen.  Miss Clark closed the proceedings with a verse from Laurence Binyon’s poem “They Shall not Grow Old”.

For the past two weeks Scholars’ Evening guest speakers have been ladies who launch.  At the first meeting of November Mrs Kate Griffiths-Lambeth addressed the members on the concept of business leadership (her credentials were impeccable and she has launched a good many businesses after an impressive legal education at Cambridge).  Her talk covered a multitude of aspects including psychometric testing at the interview process (looking at which animals best represent us), qualities we expect to find in a good leader, and the idea of the ‘leadership pipeline’.  This pipeline, she explained, begins with a leader learning to manage him or herself, then going on to manage others, then proceeding to manage managers, and finally mastering the management of entire enterprises.  Mrs Griffiths-Lambeth asked members to identify famous leaders from their chequered and faltering beginnings.  We were all surprised to learn that these suspect individuals would eventually turn out to be celebrities like Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson, President Barack Obama and J.K. Rowling.  There were good questions raised about the difficulties women faced in the marketplace in the world of business and how managers now due things like dyslexia.

On the 8^th November the Scholars’ Evening forum welcomed the Mayor of Worthing.  Her Worship the Mayor, Cllr Ann Barlow, experienced what was more like a press conference than a speech.  Hands were seldom down yet the Mayor was able to deal with each enquiry and use it to deliver the wisdom that she wanted to impart that evening.  She used a ‘box of chocolates’ analogy to remind everyone that all people are individuals, sometimes wrapped in an image, but each with their own needs and agendas.  Once again, she urged her listeners to look inside themselves for the values they most prize and then to engage in networking to mobilise the community.  She revealed that her first civic action occurred when she was only 12 years old, and she was proud of the fact that she had not stopped since then working to make a difference at the local level.  Despite being entitled to ranks, rituals and respect, she displayed a warm openness which had the pupils eating out of her hand literally and metaphorically.

Both of these doyens of business and civic leadership had encouraged the students to begin by mastering themselves if they wish to take the lead in society.  They were both excellent role models and inspirational speakers.

On Tuesday 18^th October, SG and the Drama scholars went to Chichester Festival Theatre to watch a spine tingling play called Sweeney Todd, written by Stephen Sondheim.  It was a little more modern than the original, set in the early twentieth century.  The stage setting was interesting to see as we waited for the play to start. Some actors were already on stage, setting the scene. A semi-circle of seats surrounded the stage which meant that the actors would not always face you.  There were three stage levels: the first main stage was round and quite small, the second stage was set further back and could be elevated and rotated to slide out and turn sideways (this was Sweeney’s Barber shop), and the third part of the whole stage was just two little platforms or balconies set high up at the back and large enough for a few people to stand on.  Overall, the set was actually quite minimalistic.

Sweeney Todd was a black comedy production and it was quite moving.  Even though it was extremely funny in parts, I would say it was rather disturbing because the idea of Sweeney cutting people’s throats is extremely sinister.

The two main actors were Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton.   Benjamin Barker or otherwise ‘Sweeney Todd’ was played with authenticity and great stage presence by Michael Ball, who has been in many plays and musicals including Hairspray.  He was definitely the right person for the role. Mrs Lovett, played by Imelda Staunton, was amazing in her role.  She was really strong in character and her voice was, at times, unbelievably high which made me cringe.  This was the same with Johanna (the daughter of Sweeney).   The other main characters were:  The Judge, Johanna, Anthony and the little boy. The love story between Anthony and Johanna is a sub-plot and gives the audience hope that something good might come out of this bleak and miserable situation.   The character of the judge is cold hearted and cruel and we don’t have any sympathy for him because we see him as a villain.

Sweeney Todd, who has been imprisoned for fifteen years, comes back to London to become a barber again.  He finds this pie shop on Fleet Street which has not had a customer for ages.  Mrs Lovett who owns the shop says that it sells the worst pies in London.  She also tells him that his wife had been killed and a Judge had adopted his daughter. We begin to understand that Sweeney is going to seek revenge.  Sweeney wins a competition and opens a barber shop on the floor above the pie shop.  He comes up with an idea that since meat was so expensive, he starts to kill the people with his barber’s blade when they think they are going for a shave and they end up as meat in the pies.  The first victim is the man Sweeney won the competition against and he has a young boy who helps him.  This man actually knew Sweeney as Benjamin and this was the reason for his death.  The boy starts to live with Mrs Lovett but he does not know about the murder of his master.  Gradually, whilst this boy lives with Mrs Lovett he notices that strange things are happening in the barber’s shop and finally works out what Sweeney is actually doing and kills Sweeney himself. Sweeney’s murder brings an abrupt ending to the play and surprises the audience.

Overall, I thought that this musical was sensational. The music and singing brought a light touch to the play and the comedy element was clever.

Toby Hurry SG Form

I am currently in Moscow, where it is a little cold -1, on a trip with Richard Cairns, Headmaster of Brighton College.

We are holding a joint reception this evening for current parents and prospective parents from both Brighton College and Windlesham.

I will be back in school tomorrow evening and look forward to seeing all the children on my return.

On Wednesday 14th September the All Party Parliamentary China Group (APPCG) hosted the UK Confucius Institutes’ National Conference in Parliament. The Conference was hosted in conjunction with the Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine (CITCM).  The purpose of the conference was to facilitate discussion and an exchange of ideas and best practice about the teaching of Chinese language and culture in the UK, and the long term sustainability of this work. The conference also provided an opportunity to inform and update Parliamentarians’ understanding of Chinese culture and the work that Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms do in the UK. The conference was opened by APPCG Chairman Mark Hendrick MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle MP, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming and Deputy Director General of Hanban Wang Yongli.  Hanban is the Office of Chinese Language Council affiliated to China’s Ministry of Education.

The conference, entitled “Sustainable Development of Confucius Institutes in Britain”, attracted nearly 170 people, including directors, teachers, educationalists and parliamentarians.

According to Wang Yongli, Confucius Institutes have developed quickly around the world since their launch in 2004 and development had exceeded expectation.

China’s Xinhua (New China) news agency reports that by July 2011, 350 Confucius Institutes and 430 Confucius Classrooms had been established in 103 countries and regions.

The model has earned wide recognition, Wang said, adding that more than 260 universities or institutes worldwide are waiting for their applications to set up new Confucius Institutes to be approved.

But, Wang acknowledged that there were many challenges to be confronted, such as teaching quality and teaching materials.  He argued that teachers should use new techniques and methodologies to make Chinese teaching more productive.

In fact, teaching materials have massively improved during the last decade or so with a plethora of interactive products available.  Programs such as the BBC’s Real Chinese have proved a boon to those keen to learn a language that is currently spoken by a quarter of humanity.

Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK, said in his speech to the conference that the sustainable development of Confucius Institutes was a necessary task to ensure there are solid foundations for the spread of Chinese language teaching.  He added that it was necessary to constantly look for better approaches for promoting the development of Confucius institutes.  There are currently 11 Confucius Institutes in the UK and as well as promoting the study of Mandarin Chinese, the institutes offer a range of scholarships and exchanges.  In addition, there are now 34 UK Confucius classrooms under the program with many more planned.  Confucius classrooms are local hubs aimed at supporting the stimulating and innovative teaching and learning of Mandarin Chinese.  Although the majority of Confucius Classrooms are at the secondary level, more and more primary schools are teaching Mandarin Chinese across the UK.

James Glasse

Head of Classics

On Thursday 13th October six children from MJW were very lucky because we went to the Sherborne School for a special Code Cracking DNA day. It was a very interesting and enjoyable day. During this event there were a series of codes to crack in a number of subjects including Maths, Languages, History and Science.

During Maths there were many exciting problems. All the answers had a letter to go with and it spelt out a word. My team did quite well and we only missed about two numbers. There was also a similar thing to do with Algebra.

In between session one and two we watched the official opening of the new Science Block by Baroness Greenfield. The mayor was even there and seven TV cameras!

The Science project was exciting because we were discovering the DNA of a kiwi. This was a great experiment and while we were waiting for the DNA to heat up we did a challenge. Windlesham did very well on this Challenge and we won a big twisty marshmallow! Ellie Whiteside couldn’t stop making up words for the challenge and she was doing it all the way home.

After a delicious lunch there was a language session, and we were introduced to a North American Indian language called Chickasaw. We had to work out what the language said. We were given some clues though.

My favourite activity of the day was History. The staff at Sherborne dressed up as characters from Hitler’s time and we had to solve a mysterious mystery.

It was a fantastic day and I will never forget it.

I was a shame when we had to leave.

I would like to say thank you to Mr Westcombe for taking us.

Emily Ind

I was once again honoured to take Young Einsteins on the last Wednesday before half term with the title, ‘So you want to be the next Shakespeare?’ My intention was to inspire and challenge the children into writing their own stories or plays and judging by the enthusiastic responses and creations – I believe I succeeded. The children learnt about how books are created and published and then they attempted a mini story of their own. It was lots of fun and the children were a delight. Hopefully Mr Blake will invite me back next year…

Lucy Beedell

No schoolboy (or girl) of my vintage who ever studied Latin will have forgotten wading through dusty copies of Kennedy’s Latin Primer (invariably defaced to Latin Eater!) Yet the modern world has impacted on the way that the classics are taught and nowhere more so than at Windlesham House.  Nowadays pupils are more likely to be learning their grammar or vocabulary through interactive computer programs or games like ‘Fling the Teacher.’  We have moved on a bit from wax tablets and today’s Windlesham pupils may well be brushing up on their vocab through an interactive computer football or basketball game.  We have the technology…

Today’s students, not at all unreasonably, ask why they are learning Latin when it is no longer spoken.  What’s it all for?  To which this author would respond that English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian could at a stretch be described as Latin with a duff accent.  Over 50% of English words come from Latin and it would be a similar percentage for other European languages and not just Western European – Russian, Romanian, Czech and Slovakian are all heavily influenced by Latin.

Year seven student, Emma Matsumoto Prouten writes:

‘People tell me that you should know lots of languages in case you go to a different country and I think Latin will really help.  If you do Latin, it’s almost like a key or a cheat to all languages.’

Learning how words derive from the Latin root can dramatically boost one’s English vocabulary.  Some of the finest literature ever written is in Latin or Greek.  Learning Latin and Ancient Greek can help hugely to develop reading and comprehension skills.

Dorothy Sayers quoted in the National Review wrote:

‘I will say at once, quite firmly, that the best grounding for education is the Latin grammar.  I say this not because Latin is traditional and medieval, but simply because even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin cuts down the labour and pains of learning almost any other subject by at least 50 per cent.’

Nor can the influences of the ancient world be confined to linguistics – walk around the city of London and many of the older buildings are inspired by Roman or Greek architecture.  Much of the Western world’s legal system is based on Roman law and no surprise that the US upper house is modelled on (and called) the senate.  As for the ancient Greeks, they gave us the crown jewel of the modern Western world, a system that people around the world have been, and still are, prepared to die for…democracy.

Yes but where will it all lead?  We live in a hugely competitive world and what possible relevance can the classics have in the modern workplace?  A few ‘phone calls to companies’ human resource departments might provide some answers. Many companies love classicists for their logic, literacy, discipline and attention to detail, skills that are all as relevant now as they ever were.  Latin helps greatly to understand medical, mathematical, legal and scientific terminology.  Possible future careers for classicists include advertising, accountancy, management, teaching and education, finance, the civil service, insurance, computing, publishing, law, banking, journalism and medicine to name but a few.

Little surprise, then that several ex pupils from Windlesham plan to go on to study Latin at A level and maybe even beyond – Charlie Short, Charlie Fenn and Zi Yuan Qu from China to name but three… Charlie Short writes:  ‘I enjoyed analysing Ovid and contrasting the affairs and writing techniques of Sulpicia, Horace and Catullus – especially the short ‘Odi et amo’ ! I wish to continue Latin to A level.’

Greek philosopher, Socrates (469-399BC) wrote: ‘The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.’  As it happens, the motto of the City of London is in Latin: ‘Domine, dirige nos,’ (Lord, direct us) so last words to Boris Johnson, colourful Lord Mayor of our capital and great aficionado of the classics:

‘There is no finer subject.  I say that without prejudice to other subjects, which you can basically read in your bath.’

So, relax, lie back and think of Rome…or Ancient Greece.    Ends/

© James Glasse 2011

Head of Classics