Last week, pupils and staff at Windlesham House School played their part in making a difference as they took part in their sixth annual World Awareness Week raising awareness and vital funds for charities supporting vulnerable children around the world.

The week  featured a packed programme of special events and speakers visiting the school. The speakers talked about the life-changing work of charities such as The Point Foundation, Young Pioneers, Starehe Future, The Trussell Trust and CRED Foundation. These organisations provide support and opportunities for vulnerable children in some of the poorest and most marginalised communities around the world.

Tuesday was ‘Make A Difference Day’  where pupils and staff dressed in clothing linked to countries in each of the five continents as part of a link to this special year when we will see London host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Luke Lancaster an extraordinary young entrepreneur who founded ‘Young Pioneers’ to provide education programmes and leadership training for rising young leaders, gave an inspiring talk on Wednesday and again in the Conference on Friday.

The week culminated in a special Youth Conference for schools with Mr Tim Loughton, Minister For Children and Families, Catherine Bearder South-East MEP, Luke Lancaster and Paul Sanderson MBE, Woodard School Chaplain and Chair of Trustees for CRED Foundation.   The event  focused on social responsibility informing and inspiring young people to be a force for good in their schools and communities in our Olympic year and to make a difference in the world as ‘Tomorrow’s Leaders’. Over 250 young people and teachers from 40 schools across the region attended.

Paul Sanderson regularly leads trips for our pupils to schools and community projects in developing nations. In 2010, a group from Windlesham volunteered for a week at St Joseph’s School in India and in local community projects and another team will be venturing to India with Paul this October to visit education projects and hand over our fundraising for the school which is supported by CRED.

The week gave us a fantastic opportunity to learn about life around the world and the major issues of our time such as global poverty and climate change and how we can all make a difference and play a part in being a force for good in our world.
Find out more about the charities we are supporting:

Young Pioneers http://www.youngpioneers.org/

CRED Foundation http://www.cred.org.uk/

The Trussell Trust http://www.trusselltrust.org/

The Point Foundation http://www.pointfoundation.co.uk/

Starehe Future http://www.starehe.org/

Siam Care http://www.tearfund.org/en/get_involved/go_overseas/partners/thailand_sia

See coverage in The Worthing Herald: http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/news/education/windlesham_house_school_take_part_in_world_awareness_week_1_3532063

The Year of the Dragon!

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, a group of our Mandarin speakers went to Roedean school on Monday.  We were treated to a delicious Chinese lunch complete with fortune cookies, and then went to the theatre to perform some speeches and songs.   Our Windlesham team came first in the Mandarin  speaking competition in London last year, so we reprised that speech and sang some songs.  All the children did really well.  We then watched some of the older girls from Roedean, who all learn Mandarin for two years.  They showed us the animal zodiac masks they had made, and performed a traditional dance with scarves.

We had a great time, were made very welcome and we would like to thank Mrs Wu for organising the event so well.

We have enjoyed an excellent start to the new calendar year and with just over ten days  behind us I am able to say with some conviction that all the new  children and members of staff are very well settled . Our new Head of Marketing ; Lucy Thornton is certainly on the button and has impressed us all . The new Junior Teachers have also earned the respect of the staff which is most encouraging and really bodes well for the months ahead .

Our CE candidates have started their Mock Exams  today and I like to think they will all be encouraged by their results . If we do need to exert a bit more pressure on anyone we have time to do so and  as we all know the best way to improve yourself in any sphere of live  ; in any subject  ; is to learn from your mistakes !!

      I was questioned by a new parent the other day as to how we measured our academic standards and felt I could say with considerable confidence : please contact any of the leading Senior Independent Schools and see what endorsement they give us .  Windlesham really prides itself in getting children into their first choice schools and what is more they go on to do extremely well  academically and socially because of the foundations we have laid into each one of them  .  Our aim with  each and every  child in this school  is to instill a love of learning and I honestly believe we do this through our wonderful nurturing ethos .

I must stop to sign off  a host of Alphas :   children who have  been sent to  see me by their subject teacher because they have done a very good piece of work . I feel bound to smile as these are children who are developing a love of learning !

Windlesham’s walled garden features on the front cover of Prep School magazine’s Spring Issue with a full write up on page 73.  Read the article at  www.prepschoolmag.co.uk

We are holding an open morning on Saturday 25th February from 10am to 12pm.  Come and see what Windlesham has to offer you and your family.

R.S.V.P. to Lucy Thornton: lthornton@windlesham.com

The first debate of 2012 got underway in the MFT Theatre on Sunday evening, 15^th January.  The motion was: ‘This House believes that the British monarchy should become a republic’.  After the rules for debate were highlighted the first speaker for the Proposition, Minna Howorth, rose to make the first of six speeches from the podium.

Minna made the definitions of monarchy and republic quite clear and used a good analogy to make it graphic.  She made a strong case for the abolition of the hereditary system, questioned whether England was a free country if there was no chance of being king or queen and wondered how Australians felt about a head of state with no pet koalas.  Royal invoices and vices also made her a staunch republican.  Ludo Milne countered with references to royal patronage of numerous charities and the ‘feel-good’ injection the latest royal wedding brought the country and the world.  He felt the part the Queen plays in tourism, knighthoods and the church were all beneficial and added that she was a great role-model.

Rory Law continued to extol the virtues of republicanism and amused the House with tales of Æthelred the Unready and his Danish disasters.  He argued for a move to be in line with Europe and powerful republics around the world, and maintained that elections would always bring a better chance of better leadership.  Toby Johnston took humour to an even higher level with a speech alluding to everything from royal revenues for the UK, Gummy Bears, The Queen’s head, regal titles of golf clubs and the ineptitude of foreign republics and their citizens (who fail to use British escalators properly and who have unattractive castles).

Many children rose to address the House from the floor (several of them from countries like Russia, Spain and France) and put their points of view forward for consideration.

Grace Day concluded confidently for the Opposition and summed up her team’s position effectively.  She reminded everyone that the UK was a democracy already and that there was no need to replace the ceremonial monarch.  Otto Pyper commended his team and challenged the soundness of a National Anthem made for royalist theists. He refuted several points made from the Opposition and the floor and warned the House that, if it weren’t for Mrs Simpson, Britain may have had a very pro-Germany monarch on the throne in World War II. He called for a fair toss of the coin and not one with the Queen’s head on both sides.

In the end the motion was soundly defeated and it was clear that the Windlesham senior guards had saved the Queen.

Well done to the following children who spoke from the floor as well as those above:

BADER: Ollie Milne-Skillman; Lily Margaroli;

DRAKE: KitTod; Ellie Whiteside; Gaia Mizzi; Eddie Gunning; Christina Echevarria

GRENFELL: Teddy Maloney;

HUNT: Poppy Winsor; Callum Owen

RALEIGH: George Barbieri; Robert Gaherty; Palmer Nix; Val Hernandez-Tavera; Miron Kiselev

Other volunteers were Callum Owen and Charles Moody-Stuart.  A special thanks  goes to Charles Moody-Stuart who agreed to replace Rory Law if his voice gave way!

On Tuesday night a group of our aspiring Music Scholars took part in a workshop  given by Mr Sandy Chenery, Director of Music at Brighton College and Mr Neil Carter, Head of Brass and Woodwind at Brighton College.

Both Mr Chenery and Mr Carter worked with pupils who performed on their instruments and discussed questions that pupils might be asked in an audition situation. Pupils in turn asked them questions about the life of a Music Scholar and what sort of things might be expected of them should they win a place. The pupils were very impressive, playing with confidence and character, and found the experience of playing to an ‘audition panel’ invaluable in the lead up to their upcoming auditions.

Our thanks go to Mr Chenery and Mr Carter for taking the time to visit us at Windlesham.

Well done to all who took part!

Windlesham’s chess team made the best possible start to 2012 by winning the Brambletye prep schools tournament.

In a field of six strong chess-playing schools, the victory was particularly pleasing! Rory Law had an outstanding afternoon, winning all four matches whilst neither Otto Pyper nor Hamish Milne-Skillman lost a match either, just drawing a few very close games. Jake Olszowski held his nerve well to win three games too.

Well done all, this is the first time we’ve won this event!

I write this as we begin in earnest to prepare for our start of term next week . My family and I have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday together and look forward to 2012 with a great deal of excitement .  Amongst many other things happening at Windlesham in the months ahead  ; our daughter is to be married here  in April and it promises to be a very special occasion for us .  We are thrilled that almost all the Chapel choir have agreed to come back to school a few days early to be part of the service as the marriage is all taking place in our wonderful  school chapel .

 Enough on the personal side . As always we  are really look forward to welcoming the children back to school and cannot wait to catch up on all their news .

 Let us hope the weather is kind and everyone stays fit and healthy ; we should be in for a very busy but very successful term .

My sincere best wishes to you all .