Another week has flown by and we are gathering ourselves for the much anticipated school exams! My heart goes out to our CE candidates whose French orals begin today – this is the real thing!  They are so well prepared I hope and trust no-one freezes up because of nerves. 

On Wednesday evening Rachel and I fly out to Bermuda where I am giving a generic presentation about the merits of boarding in the independent school system. We hope to capitalise on the interest being expressed about Windlesham.  We are very much looking forward to meeting up with some past and present families as part of our trip.

When we return in the early hours of Monday morning we will be straight in to the run up towards half term.  I have always been of the view that the most important aspect of exams is finding out what you do not know.  We put great store in going through the exams in detail so that the children of all ages and ability can learn from their mistakes.  It is extraordinary how much knowledge can be retrieved in most, if not al,l subjects. The point I will be making to the subject teachers and the children in assembly is that next week’s lessons become the most precious of the year!

It was disappointing not to have more young golfers for our Windlesham Open Championship on Sunday but those who did play could not have had better conditions and I don’t believe our 9 hole golf course has been better.

Dr Anthony Seldon, the Master of Wellington College, was our guest speaker in our Sunday service and he made my day by starting his address by saying “Windlesham’s setting is the best of any school in the country”.  Praise indeed and good reason for all those associated with the school to appreciate how lucky we are.

I am so pleased the glorious weather of last week has extended into the bank holiday.  It made sense for us to extend our long weekend so families could all be together.  I spent the best part of last week attending the annual Boarding Schools’ Association conference which this year, conveniently for us, was held in Brighton. 

Like all the prep school heads attending the conference I was delighted that the Chairman of the  B.S.A. challenged the Senior Schools’ Heads over their obsession with academic selective entry almost at all cost.  Christian Heinrich went on to extol the virtues of allowing prep school children to enjoy and savour their childhood.  Like us at Windlesham, his school allows children to climb trees and have a sense of freedom.  My only retort being that as a predominantly day school his pupils do not have much time during the day to make the most of these opportunities; another reason why I promote full boarding so strongly.

It was a very good conference and I took much heart from the desire to promote the virtues of a boarding education and the obvious fact that Windlesham almost stands alone in the Prep School world given our very strong full boarding numbers.

Next on my agenda is to chair this week’s Oxford Group Meeting at Radley College.  I hope much good will be gained from reflecting on the mood of the B.S.A. conference.

It was indeed very touching to return to school last Thursday and be given such a warm welcome back by the children and staff alike. It was quite a sight with a sea of 8 year olds immersed in the Windlesham Challenge.  For many of the children from the ten schools, being in the woods and making pizza in our open air pizza oven would, I expect, have been the highlight.

We have had a marvellous start to the summer term helped by enjoying lots of sunshine.  After ten days, I can honestly that say all our new children are well settled and the school as a whole is in excellent heart.

We have just about recovered from the ‘Parents of Windlesham Have Got Talent’ show.  It was a fantastic effort on the part of a good number of parents.  Needless to say, there was talent in abundance but I think the whole event will be long remembered for bringing everyone closer together and it is very clear that lots of new friendships have been forged as a result.  Rachel and I look forward to giving the winning act a slap up dinner in our apartment in a few weeks’ time.

The first full week of any term is always so important and I am delighted with the work ethic and general demeanour that has been set.  We wish our Eton scholarship candidates all the best for their exams – there cannot be a more exacting few days for 13 year old boys.

Like any prep school headmaster, the sound of bat on ball is the hallmark of the summer term and our 1^st XI look very promising, as indeed do our senior girls’ rounders team, given their convincing win in the first round of the national JET competition.

We had something of a national feel this Saturday in hosting 34 senior schools for an exhibition whilst combining this with Open Morning.  Once again the sun shone so the wow factor was very prevalent.  Much to my delight, we had a lot of visitors and the show was very well attended.  It was lovely to receive so many compliments from the exhibitors about the general atmosphere and how impressed they were by our children and the parents!  All in all, a hugely successful day.

Over the next few days, Rachel and I are attending the B.S.A. Conference which conveniently for us is being staged in Brighton this year.  Let’s hope we are inspired and come back to Windlesham bubbling with new ideas.

The sun is shining, the children are all back and the place is buzzing again.  We enjoyed a very smooth and happy first day yesterday.  As I said in my newsletter to parents and indeed reminded all my staff, there is no better place to live and work in than an English Boarding Preparatory School in the Summer Term.  Biased I may be but it would be hard to beat Windlesham when it comes to setting and atmosphere.

To endorse this sentiment we generated a special welcome back for all the boarders by having a BBQ on Wednesday evening.  It was a delight to see such a sea of happy faces catching up with their friends and members of staff – everyone clearly genuinely pleased to be back at school. How I wish these people who dismiss the merits of boarding could see this for themselves!

We welcomed 17 new pupils into the Prep School yesterday morning and I was made to feel very proud of our hosts and senior buddies as they put to rest the minds of both the new children and indeed their parents.  I think everyone can recall their first day at a new school. One is knotted up with nerves and excitement.  I like to think at Windlesham we go out of our way to make this experience as painless as is possible.  The jury is always out as they say so I will make sure we get feedback from the new families over the next few days. 

I looked out of my study yesterday afternoon and watched a group of Under 8s having their first cricket coaching session with the backdrop being the last green of our nine hole golf course.  The blossom on the cherry trees by this green has just started; our stunning grounds are surely about to look their very best ever. On top of all this, we have discovered a pheasant nesting in a flower bed right in the middle of the school; nature really is at work at Windlesham. 

Back to school for the Summer Term brings with it lots of excitement and outdoor fun and games as I have alluded to but it is also a vital time on the academic front.  The whole school have exams to face in a month’s time and it is of course Common Entrance straight after half term.  A number of children are still preparing to sit their academic scholarships so the work ethic throughout the school needs to be at its very best – the rallying call I made in our first assembly.

On Saturday evening the Windlesham parents are going to be entertaining us all with their range of talents.  It is their ‘Windlesham Has Got Talent’ show and my goodness, have they taken up the challenge!  Rachel and I have been witness to all sorts of secret rehearsals; it promises to be quite an event. I for one cannot wait!

What a memorable last week of term.  Rachel and I hosted a Drinks Reception on Sunday for past parents which was a hugely enjoyable occasion.  It means such a lot when you catch up on news of past pupils and it is really gratifying to be reminded of how much Windlesham means to them all.  This was further brought home to us when we attended the Prefects  Drinks at Marlborough College on Monday night.  We were very touched to be invited by our three prefects and felt immensely proud to have, this year, more prefects at Marlborough than any other feeder Prep School.  Our alumni gave us such a warm welcome and were such great company throughout the evening.  It was reassuring that their personalities had not changed at all but my goodness what impressive young adults they have become; it was very uplifting.

In the midst of writing my end of term reports and seeing every tutor group in my study for a review of the term I dashed off yesterday to support our senior girls in their second Sussex Cup Final this season.  This time it was hockey on the full size astro pitch at Eastbourne College.  My heart went out to our girls as the final whistle went and we again had to accept runners up medals after going down 1 – 0 to a very good Ardingly team.  To their great credit our girls held their heads up and were very gracious towards the opposition as indeed I would expect of them.

I feel bound to say that I become increasingly more eager to have our own new astro pitch up on Campbell field.  It would make such a difference to the standard of our hockey which I can only applaud given the short season and wet conditions we have endured.  The astro pitch is the first phase of our Capital Development Plan and thanks to a couple of very generous pledges the dream looks like becoming a reality.

I am now off to organise my Easter egg treasure hunt for the whole school which goes ahead this afternoon, providing of course packing has been done really well!

The end of a really hectic term is in sight!

I wish you all a very Happy Easter.

 I have been reminded that I have not kept up my new year’s resolution of a weekly blog.  Sincere apologies.

Guess what? We have had more fun and games in the some quite heavy snow.  A long walk in glorious sunshine with 150 12 and 13 year olds was most entertaining and very therapeutic.  Always amazes me how much you converse on a good walk; you learn such a lot with young people.

It is hard to believe two weeks have elapsed since half term.  The days just fly by when you are so busy and my goodness we have been inundated with prospective parent visits and a very full calendar. I am thrilled for those children who have gained scholarships, the numbers of awards are creeping up which is very satisfying.  Telling a child they have won a scholarship has to be one of the most memorable and special moments of being a Head.  I have to confess to loving the emotion that comes with announcing wonderful news like this.

Talking of good news such is the strength and academic ability of our current Twos (year 7) we have decided to have two academic scholarship forms next year.  I believe this is a first time ever scenario which speaks volumes about the quality of children we are attracting and indeed, the standard of teaching.

Outside the classroom we have enjoyed considerable success over the past two weeks.  On Wednesday afternoon our senior girls netball team played in the Sussex Cup Final and came a close second cheered on by an enthusiastic bunch of supporters. Well done all!   We had a wonderful Windlesham Rugby Sevens Tournament last week.  It was perfect weather conditions and the sight of our magnificent games fields awash with boys playing rugby to a very high standard was a spectacle to treasure.

We are going to keep normal lessons running right up to the last day this term and have a very busy final few days ahead of us – Fingers closed we all can stay on our feet,  such is the work hard,  play hard atmosphere within the school.  Happy St Patrick’s day I say because there is no nation who epitomises the ethos more readily.

It has been a whirlwind few days leading up to half term. I am delighted to have made some new appointments in the School Office and Marketing & Admissions Department and we look forward to welcoming the new personnel to the team next month. These are exciting times for the school given the level of interest and the number of parents signing up; we are well on course to have a new record number of boarders next term.

I have to confess to being immensely proud of the children who entertained us all last weekend in the finals of ‘Windlesham Has Got Talent’.  There was such a buzz in the audience and choosing the winner was very difficult given the all round quality. Just goes to show what I meant about lighting fires in my last blog. Rachel and I visited Wellington College last week to see a performance of ‘Phantom of the Opera’. Three of our alumni were in the cast and Martha Gray played the lead part of Christine. Her singing and acting would be good enough to grace the West End .  I vividly recall her in ‘Windlesham Rocks’ during her last year with us and she also happens to be a past recipient of  the ‘Spirit of Windlesham’ Award.  Again, I was immensely proud.

It will not be long before we choose the next ‘Spirit of Windlesham’, there will certainly be no shortage of contenders given the strength in depth of this year’s Twos . I am increasingly impressed by this year group and am really thrilled that our Director of Studies is of the view that we shall need to operate two academic scholarship forms next year!  That will be another first and really whets the appetite!

My goodness so much has happened since my last blog; it is hard to believe how much we pack into a week at Windlesham.  There have been some truly memorable events to share with you.

‘Music in the Library’ week:  amazing solo performances from children who would otherwise not usually sign up for an informal concert. Clearly, variety of venue is an excellent initiative.

52-52 score in a 2^nd XV rugby match:  you could only get a score like this in a Prep school rugby fixtures; that’s what team sport is really about.

Boarding Open Evening: the chance for day parents and indeed existing boarding parents to see the dormitories in action at bedtime.  We have done a couple of these before and the feedback was so positive we now do this every term.  I honestly believe the majority of parents have their eyes opened as to what a lovely, homely atmosphere is created in both the boys and girls wings.

 Parent Year Dinner in the local pub: a super evening and the chance for parents to get to know each other, which all helps to add to the family atmosphere we strive to generate.

Junior Public Speaking Competition: two representatives from each house speaking in front of a packed theatre; all their peers and a hundred plus parents.  You had to pinch yourself to remember these were only 10 year olds.  Not only was their delivery so impressive but the content of their speeches was astonishing, especially when one knows they have written them themselves.  I do not know how the Head of Drama and my wife Rachel were able to pick the winners but there was general agreement within the audience.  For my part, I felt I had to give each of the competitors a Headmaster’s Commendation, so proud was I of their performance.

On top of all this, we have welcomed one of my ex-pupils from S. Anselm’s to give a talk on a charity project he is helping with during his gap year.

Our Bursar’s daughter gave a polished talk at Scholar’s Evening about ‘Learning more about Primates’; she is studying Zoology at Cardiff University and has worked for 10 months on a project in the Limpopo.

Frances Osborne gave an inspirational talk to the seniors about writing and being an author.  It was all the more poignant since she was a pupil here herself.

On Wednesday evening, Raven performed at our first MFT event of the calendar year. A string quartet made up of young women with incredible talent and stage presence.  They have played in The Royal Variety Performance but never had a more appreciative audience than at Windlesham.  I know of two children who have merrily announced they wanted to start learning the violin as a result of last night’s performance.

Inspiring young people is the most rewarding aspect of running a school where children are in their formative years.  You can literally sense ‘fires being lit’ and if I have anything to do with it, these fires will continue to burn for the rest of their time at school.

It is very good news that the snow has now disappeared and we have been able to resume normal games and activities.  We all know the importance of young people being able to run off their energy and there is nowhere better than Windlesham to do this and in a very constructive way.  Even I, as Headmaster, was beginning to feel deprived of my early morning runs with our black Labrador in tow, or rather the other way round.

This last week has been dominated by interviewing for various non-teaching posts and, indeed, my giving our many scholarship candidates their own interview practice.  I love interviewing; there is no better way of learning more about people and often oneself.  Interviewing is all about the interaction between people in an effort to discover what an individual has to offer and, just as importantly, what their make-up is all about.  It is vital to try and determine their personality and I am always fascinated to learn how an individual has been brought up.

A person’s upbringing obviously starts at birth and continues right through till they gain independence from their parents.  No wonder I place such great store on this as a Preparatory School Headmaster.  A good upbringing is never dependent on wealth or possessions; it is all about core values in life: honesty, integrity, kindness, reliability and self-discipline.  The list is endless but these and the many other attributes that constitute a good upbringing must be taught and learnt.

It could of course be argued that this needs to be the backbone of good parenting.  Whilst never taking the responsibility away from parents, or indeed underestimating their influence, experience tells me that instilling these virtues into a child during their formative years is a key part of an all-round education at school.  The difference between a good school and a great school is that the latter naturally offers and delivers an excellent upbringing.

It goes without saying that by being an Independent co-educational Preparatory School and having a full boarding ethos, Windlesham has everything on tap.  I do not think we can have any excuses for not providing our pupils an outstanding all-round education and it’s the upbringing that these very lucky young people need and, indeed, should want.

Sadly, we were thwarted by the snow and sensibly called off the Netball Tournament and postponed the Senior Schools Show and Open Morning.  I know a lot of parents were disappointed but we have rearranged the latter two events for Saturday 27^th April.  Let’s hope the elements are kinder and we have a glorious Spring day.

I did the honourable thing and clad myself in my ski gear ready to face the 200 + children who stayed in school on Saturday.  Myself and several other staff became children all over again and needless to say, came off second best in the mass snow ball fight.  My goodness what are all these schools doing closing simply because someone might slip and hurt themselves; I would suggest staff and pupils are being denied an opportunity to bond and have a bit of fun together.

I see Libby Purves has written an article in The Times yesterday (January 21^st) in which she makes the valid point that ‘the virtues of courage, resilience and honesty are not taught on the exam treadmill or by modern worry-guts parent’.  I am not suggesting a boarding school environment is the answer to everything but it certainly is one sure way to have the chance of developing the above virtues naturally whilst also receiving an outstanding  academic education.

Life is actually very simple and a preparatory boarding school is the most wonderful environment to keep it that way.

As the new Chairman of the Oxford Group of Preparatory Schools, I have another opportunity to fly the flag and promote the advantages of boarding at an early age.  I am now on something of a mission and I have every intention of enjoying it and indeed being successful.