Harrow Songs

What an amazing evening! Being in a full Speech Room and hearing those songs makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time. Last night, though, was extra special. We were so proud of our Old Boy who sang the solo in Five Hundred Faces. It must have been the most daunting experience to do the whole thing from memory but he was brilliant! If we were proud, imagine how his parents and grandparents must have felt! A truly unforgettable event.

Churchill Songs at Harrow

Rather a late night last night watching the start of the Ashes. I was boyishly excited but rather deflated after Andrew Strauss's third ball exit.

Anyway, I am rather more excited about the prospect of going to Harrow tonight for Churchill Songs. One of our Old Boys is singing the solo for Five Hundred Faces which is a huge honour for him and makes us feel very proud!

Prep schools conference

At a very interesting conference at Wellington today. I don't usually
like this sort of thing but it does give me the chance to take a step
back and think about what we are doing. There are also some inspiring
speakers such as Rob Andrew and Ranulph Feinnes.

Theatre Trip

I am really looking forward to the trip to the Theatre Royal in Windsor today. It is such a lovely theatre. We are taking the whole school to see 'The Haunting', an adaptation of Charles Dickens' Tales of the Unexpected. It should be great fun.

Football

It's just not fair. Game ended 1-2. Their equaliser was miles offside.
The refereeing was quite appalling. I feel so sorry for the boys. They
didn't deserve that.

Football

1-0 half time. Don't take it away now!

Football

I have a great feeling about today's game. Trying a new shape. Come on
the 'Dale!

Independent Schools Show

The schools show was a great success. Friday was quiet but picked up a little in the afternoon. We were then very generously invited to a champagne reception hosted by the organisers.

Saturday morning felt much busier. I then gave a talk on the benefits of boarding just before lunch which I hope went down well. At least there were far more people in the audience than last year!

The afternoon was very busy at our stand. The show ended at 4.30pm and we still had several families coming up to talk to us about Sunningdale. 

Every year we debate whether or not we will be going back the following year. We certainly shall but I do think that there are one or two things they could do to improve the show. I think it needs to be a real advertisement for the sector as a whole and not simply a recruitment exercise. If that is to be the case they need somehow to attract all the major players. Several very well known schools were notable by their absences. I am thinking of Eton, Radley, Rugby, Sherborne, Winchester and all the major central London schools. I think it would be much more popular if they were all there as it would add weight to it. Some of the top schools (such as Harrow, Stowe, Wellington, Shrewsbury, Bradfield and others) were there but it needs more of them. I also think that we should not expect the visiting parents to pay for entry. The exhibitors should cover the cost.

Anyway, just a thought..........

Our stand at the Independent Schools Show

Football results & Trafalgar Day

Sadly, the matches yesterday did not go as planned. It was disappointing as the 1st XI were as good as they were and just really under-performed. I think there is a lack of confidence in the side at the moment and we need to sort this out before we run out of matches.

Today is Trafalgar Day and we are all off to Trafalgar Park. We are going to learn about the battle itself, the history of the house and I believe there will be a falconry demonstration as well. I t should be great fun.

Long Leave

Long Leave (our half term) is coming up at the end of this week. I think we are all looking forward to it but it is terrifying how quickly it has come. The start of term seems like yesterday. I suppose it is because we have been so busy that it has flown by. 

Many schools now have a ten day or even two week half term. I don't see us doing that. The boys are working very well this term and the momentum is building nicely. I would not want to have a two week break and have to start all over again. In my opinion it is far better to have a longer break at Christmas. Christmas is always so busy and the extra time after New Year makes all the difference.

Football v. Cothill

I am very excited about football against Cothill today. I have a good feeling about the 1st XI. They have improved a great deal this term and a win is on the cards! Let's see.

Sunningdale / Summer Fields Meeting

Big day today. 70 headmasters from the top boys' prep and public
schools are coming to Sunningdale for a meeting. As well as hearing
four excellent speakers, there will be plenty of opportunity for all
present to discuss key issues affecting the sector.

It is also a chance for Sunningdale to show how we are doing and to
make sure that we put on a good event.

Great Football Win

Yesterday afternoon an U12 team took on Bishopsgate whose top year was away so no 1st XI game was possible. This was a chance for us to look at next year's top team so the match was eagerly awaited.

A poor first half saw us concede two goals despite having most of the possession. There was a lack of commitment and urgency and we gave the ball away far too easily. A late penalty reduced the deficit just before half time. 

After a stern half time talk, the attitude was completely different in the second half and two early goals put us ahead. A third followed and the game looked safe. Bishopsgate did not give up, though, and in the last ten minutes we were under great pressure from some excellent attacks.

It was a good lesson in what it takes to win and I hope that this will show in this weekend's key games against Woodcote House.

Ryder Cup

I was offered a pair of tickets to the Saturday of the Ryder Cup next weekend and had to turn them down because I am away for the weekend - gutted!!

Parents' Forum

Today's Parents' Forum at St. Columba's Church in Knightsbridge was very interesting. It was a very good opportunity to talk to parents as they set out on the whole school journey. Most parents there had very young children or were even expecting children and they had the opportunity to listen to speakers representing different types of schools.

Two of the speakers were representing London pre-preps and I had the chance to make the case for the prep schools, in particular boarding prep schools. I talked about the advantages of being in the country as opposed to the town, the advantages of single sex education and also I had the chance to talk about boarding schools.

There was a chance for discussion afterwards and I hope that the parents present found it useful.

Independent Schools Forum

Tomorrow should be an interesting day. I am going to London to speak at the inaugural Independent Schools Forum in St Columba's in Pont Street. I am not quite sure what to expect. I hope there is a good turn-out. I am going to speak about boarding, town v. country and single sex education. I hope there are plenty of questions!

Britain's Youngest Boarders

The reaction to the programme has been unbelievable. As soon as it began on Wednesday evening, the texts and emails came flooding in and the website saw the most incredible activity - so much so that it very nearly crashed!
We have had a huge number of enquiries and masses of people saying that they want their children to start straight away.
The most amazing thing is all the messages we have received. Parents, old boys and former teachers have all been in touch and also a huge number of people unconnected with the school who have written in saying the most lovely things.
It has all been so exciting and I have to pinch myself to make sure that it has all really happened!

Broadcast Day

So today's the day for our programme to be aired on BBC2! I must confess I am pretty excited. I hope that the reaction is good. I am looking forward to finding out how many people watch the film. They will let us know tomorrow morning I believe.

What I hope more than anything is that people realise how much fun boarding can be and how much the boys enjoy it. I know that there will be those who are against it and will always be against it but if this opens a few more eyes to the possbility it will have been worth it.

Hands tied by EU

Very frustratingly we have had to cancel our geography field trip to the school's house in France this weekend because of a ridiculous EU law that states that it is now illegal for teachers to drive minibuses in France unless they have a specific licence which appears to be something similar to a coach drivers licence! This is so frustrating. It is becoming more and more difficult to organise interesting educational outings and trips which enhance the pupils' learning and also provide them with a broader view of life than we are able to provide within our walls. Even for the teachers to drive in England we have had to buy a new bus with two fewer seats so that teachers who passed their driving tests after 1997 are able to drive it. Are they somehow worse drivers that those who passed before that date? I doubt it.

Tiny Treasures!

I have just been handed a new book called Tiny Treasure in which 8 Sunningdale boys have stories published. They are fantastic!! I am so proud of them and everybody should buy this book!

Evening Standard Article

Apparently I was mentioned in gossip column of the Evening Standard yesterday and quoted as 'moaning about the Archers  having a go at boarding'. Very funny as although I was certainly at the awards ceremony mentioned, I never said anything about the Archers as, sadly for my mother, I never even tune in to the Archers!

Oh, no award by the way!!

First football matches of the term

So looking forward to matches this afternoon. It is a beautiful day and the boys are really excited about them. It could be a bit of a baptism of fire as they have only had a few practices but I suppose it will be the same for our opponents.

Fingers crossed for the results! Watch this space .........

Daily Mail article

This morning is the weekend section of the Daily Mail, there is an article about the upcoming BBC 2 documentary. It makes quite interesting reading.

My response to the article would be to say that Nick Duffell's comments, while valid in their own way, present one side of boarding. What the article fails to mention is that for every one child that does not respond well to boarding there are hundreds for whom it is a fantastic experience.

I would also say that you would find pupils that have not enjoyed their school experience in every sector of education, be it boarding or day, independent or state.

BBC Documentary

On Wednesday 22nd September, BBC 2 will be showing a programme called "Britain's Youngest Boarders". It was filmed at Sunningdale during the Michaelmas term last year and it tells the story of what it is like to start at boarding school.

The whole school saw the programme on Thursday evening and I think they were pleased with it. I think it gives a fair representation of life at Sunningdale and I will be very interested to see the reaction of the wider public. I am sure that there will be those who say that they would never send their son to boarding school and that is their prerogative. I do hope, though, that people who watch the programme will realise that boarding is so different from how many people, unfamiliar with it, perceive it.

Start of Term

I am so excited to have started back at school. The boys are on terrific form and they all seem to be looking forward to what lies ahead this term. I love hearing what they have been up to in the holidays and what they are most looking forward to this term. For some it is the football season, others are looking forward to the carol services or Bonfire Night and for some, the highlight of their term will be 'Bust Up' our Christmas party!

There is no doubt that it is going to be very busy and that is so important in a happy and productive school.

The end of the holidays

I write this on the train from Dorset to London on my way to see the first day of the Lords test. It strikes me that this is the last week of the holidays as I will be at my desk from Monday.

The summer holidays are always fantastic and we have had a wonderful time but I always think that when we get to this stage I am ready to get back to work.

I love the Michaelmas term. September is always lovely, the grounds look spectacular in Autumn and December is full of so many great events.

This term we have a particularly exciting start as the programme about the school will be broadcast on BBC 2 at 9 o'clock on Tuesday 14th September. The title is "Britain's Youngest Boarders". Make sure you all watch it!!

A* Sunningdalians

Last term two boys sat German GCSE at the age of 13. This is an achievement in itself. The results came out this week and I am delighted to report that both boys achieved the top grade of A*!

We are so proud of them and I hope that this will lead to more boys doing GCSE early.

Holidays

The blog has been a little sparse since the start of the holidays. I feel a little like someone turning up to confession, "It has been 14 days since my last blog!"

The end of term went very well but was, as always, tinged with sadness as we had to say goodbye to the leavers. They are now ready for new challenges and it is up to next year's top year to take up the baton and to lead the school.

We have a good deal to look forward to next year and I am already excited about the new term.

Another action shot!

Swimming Sports

Today is the house swimming and competition is fierce! The sun is out and it is a perfect day to be in the pool with all the doors open.

Raft building with leavers!

The Headmaster and Deputy Head are each determined for their teams to win the challenge!!

Fort

The new fort is now finished and is due to be officially opened today!

House Debating

The semi-finals of the house debating took place this evening. The head of English had chosen two excellent motions and the boys had prepared well.

In the first debate the motion was, "This house believes that sportsmen should be paid the same as sportswomen." Fox were speaking for the motion but they were outgunned by some good points from Girdlestone.

The motion for the second debate was, "This house believes that nothing is more important in education than reading." This was an interesting topic and probably more difficult to debate than it first appeared. We were slightly lost when it came to defining what the terms of the motion really were but both teams argued well and the initial result was a tie. The adjudicators then had the opportunity to ask questions and Sheepshanks were declared the winners.

This is such a good activity for the boys to take part in both as speakers and as members of the floor and everyone is much looking forward to the final for which the motion is, "This house believes that British troops should withdraw from Afghanistan immediately."

Fort!

The construction of our new fort is underway. I am not sure who is more excited - me or the boys!!

Charity Day

Charity Day was amazing! We were raising money for an amazing project in Mumbai, the Door Step School.

The stalls were fantastic; from 'splat the rat' to 'soak the teacher' (which really hurt!!!!!). We had Krispy Kremes, Dominos Pizza and some enormous inflatable obstacle courses and games.

The tombola stall was very popular as was the raffle which included nights in Paris, amazing wine and vouchers for butchers and restaurants.

The day ended with house tug-of-war and then all retired to watch the rather disappointing football in the cinema room.

The weather was amazing and I hope we have raised lots of money to help this fantastic cause.

La Vacquerie

Early start this morning to get packed and ready to go and catch the ferry. The trip has been a great success.

We are so lucky to have this wonderful house. It is such a great spot and I feel we need to use it more and more. We now send French, Geography and Science trips as well as the choir tour and a leavers' trip. I think a history trip is in the planning.

Camping at La Vacquerie

The tents at La Vacquerie.

The boys are on great form and have been having a really good time. Today was 'parcours acrobatique' and shrimping on the beach.

I arrived with the two exam boys to see the BBQ alight and supper on its way!

Choir Recording

The chapel choir are busy recording this afternoon at Farnborough Abbey. The beautiful abbey church was founded in 1881 by the Empress Eugenie as a mausoleum for her late husband Napoleon III. The Abbey boasts a fine organ and an excellent acoustic for recording.

This is a new experience for most of the boys - it is incredibly hard work having to stand stock still and perform their very best for an entire afternoon of singing.

After all of their hard work, the choir will certainly be looking forward to hearing the finished CD.

Staff T20

Looking forward to sporting our new shirts for the staff twenty twenty games. Thanks to Taittinger!

England Game

Just boarded a ferry to take two leavers to France to join the rest of the group. They had to stay behind to take German GCSE.

The ferry leaves at 3pm, the same time as England kick off against Slovenia! We will find out the result when we get to France!

Media pressure

I wish the media would back off. I blame them for putting so much pressure on our sportsmen and women.

They are very quick to build people up and celebrate them as great before they have really achieved anything.

They are then even quicker to knock them when they don't live up to their overblown expectations.

Wimbledon 2010

Very occasionally I will be moved to blog about things other than school. This morning is one such occasion.

I have just dropped two boys off at a local girls' public school to sit their German GCSE. On the way back I was listening to the radio and heard a representative of the Lawn Tennis Association who had come on the radio to defend Britain's worst ever start to Wimbledon.

The LTA receive the most incredible level of funding. AEGON, the sponsors of the Queen's Club Tournament and th Eastbourne tournament give £5 million each year and they receive huge levels of funding from government and Sport
England. A new national tennis centre was built fairly recently at the cost of many millions of pounds and all for what?

The representative of the LTA  had the gall to say that Wimbledon was not important for most of our tennis players and what mattered was their performance throughout the year. How does he explain the Davis Cup fiasco? I would love to compare funding levels across different countries and relate that to Davis Cup rankings.

I do not believe we are a nation without talented tennis players. I believe that the fault lies with the LTA. It needs a large scale shakedown to get rid of a large number of people who are only interested in themselves. Yesterday's budget introduced large cuts in public spending - let's start with the LTA.

District Athletics

Lots of boys competed in the West Surrey District Athletics Competition today and they performed very well indeed. Three boys won their events and have qualified for the National finals in Birmingham. There were other second and third places and the day was a great success overall.

First day back!

After a great Long Leave we have come back to school and straight back in to the hectic life that is Sunningdale.

Today the leavers set off for their week at La Vacquerie. They are going to do all sorts of activities and camp out in the fields of the house.

A large number of boys were also competing in the district athletics championships. Three of them had to jump into my car straight after competing to meet up with the minibuses at Fleet services!

Exams start tomorrow so everyone is hard at work trying to learn those last few facts!

CE results

The Common Entrance results have come through and they are fantastic! I am so proud of all the boys. All their hard work has paid off. I am also really proud of all the teachers who have worked so hard to make this possible.

Long Leave

This week is our 'Long Leave' which is what we call our half term. Most schools had their half term two weeks ago but we have ours this week because the top year have just finished their Common Entrance exams. I have always felt that it would not be a good idea to send the boys home the week before their exams. They need to know that their teachers are on hand to help them and the sense of camaraderie as they prepare together certainly spurs them on. It also means that they can completely relax once they get to Long Leave knowing that the exams are behind them.

Sports Day

Sports Day yesterday went very well. The weather was kind enough, at least it didn't rain, and lots of parents, relatives and friends turned out to enjoy some fantastic athletics.

 

The highlight of the morning came in the high jump. Competition was strong but in the end the winner jumped well clear and ended up equalling the school record! An outstanding echievement.

 

Over lunch the pipers played brilliantly under their new teacher. A very larger crowd of spectators showed their appreciation.

 

The afternoon was no less competitive, particularly as all events were being counted towards the overall house competition.

 

After the boys had finished their athletics it was the turn of the visitors. This is always more about the fun than the winning although as the line draws near there are some determined faces!

 

The day ended with tea on the lawn before everyone headed off for a well deserved break.

Fantastic cricket win!

Yesterday's fixtures were a tremendous success. The first XI cruised to a 100 run victory with some fine batting and even better bowling. We also won at nearly all other levels.

The boys have worked very hard on their cricket this term and it is great that their efforts are being rewarded.

U11 Tennis win

With the seniors tied up with Common Entrance, it was the turn of the U11 tennis team to take to the courts. Papplewick were our hosts and they have a strong reputation on the tennis circuit.

The U11 played brilliantly and ended up winning by a convincing 6 - 3 margin. Well done to all involved.

First day of CE over

Four exams have been done and all the candidates seem in pretty good spirits. Four more tomorrow and the back of Common Entrance is broken.

I have always advised the boys not to go through the questions with their friends after the exams as a sort of 'post mortem' but it is so hard to resist. I am sure it is a need for reassurance but inevitably the questions they talk about are the ones that they are least sure of and therefore the ones they are likely to have different answers for.

Still, they are on good form and ready for tomorrow.

Common Entrance starts today

All those weeks, months, years of preparation will be put to the test today and over the next four days as fourteen Sunningdale boys sit their exams for entry into their public school of choice.

They have worked so hard and all deserve success. They are certainly apprehensive but I hope that they now know exactly what to expect and I am sure that they will all do well.

Old Sunningdalians compete for Oaks

Old Sunningdalian Henry Cecil was not successful in the Oaks yesterday but another Old Boy, Ed Dunlop, did train the winner!

Good to see that Sunningdale is still at the top of the Sport of Kings!

Rocket photo

Here is the rocket from this morning!

Glorious day

I have had the most fantastic morning. The weather has been beautiful and I took the opportunity given to me by a cancelled meeting to walk around the school and simply observe.

PE lessons were going on outside and I saw two science lessons being taken on the grounds. In one of them boys in the senior half of the school were making rockets out of plastic bottles and foot pumps. They flew miles in the air! I wish that I had been able to do experiments like that at school.

The grounds were looking amazing and the smell coming from the trees and plants was heavenly. It brought back many happy memories of my own time at prep school. I remember distinctly the smell of the azaleas on the way down to the swimming pool.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every day was like this!

Web safety

This morning all forms were shown a short film about internet safety and this was followed by a discussion.

I think that this is such an important topic. Communication is becoming easier and easier, as is information sharing and although this brings huge benefits, it also increases the risks we are all exposed to. This is particularly true of children who, as always, are the most vulnerable members of society. I have always felt that social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Myspace put children at risk and I wish there was more that we could do to prevent children from being exposed to things that they are not ready for.

This morning's session was very useful and thought provoking and I hope that the boys will think carefully the next time they use the internet.

Lovely weather for cricket!

The sun is shining again and we are looking forward to matches this afternoon against St. George's, Windsor. Sadly the U11A match has been called off because of other commitments at their end but all other matches will go ahead.

Choir Tour to Normandy

The Chapel Choir has returned from its very successful tour to Normandy. Staying in the school's very own house near Bayeux, the choristers embarked on a four day tour of some of Normandy's most beautiful gothic churches and cathedrals. The boys were very well received by two full churches in Bayeux and Caen, and were invited to return whenever they wish. However, it wasn't all hard work and no play. The boys (and staff) enjoyed a day out at a theme park, played football on the beach, played some boules and visited the markets and historical sights of Bayeux. We look forward to the choir tour becoming an annual event in Sunningdale's calendar.

Last Week before Common Entrance

One week to go and the boys are working really hard in the final push towards Common Entrance. Now it should just be about fine tuning and making sure they peak at the right time.


It is a nervous time for them all and we need to give them all the support that we can.

Great Weekend

Boarding life at Sunningdale is as busy as ever. Most boys are here at the weekend so it is important that they should be busy doing something fun.

This weekend the choir have been in France singing in Bayeux and Caen, a large group of boys have been on a bushcraft survival course (where they skinned and cooked their own rabbits!) and we staged our own mini World Cup.

This is what life is like at a full boarding country prep school.

Bushcraft Survival

The boys have all returned safely, if a little exhausted! They learnt to skin and gut a rabbit amongst other things, and by all accounts they had a fabulous time.

The new Sunningdale School Blog

Welcome to the Sunningdale School Web Log.  This will become the source of daily updates to parents.  You can subscribe to this web log by clicking on the link above.