My daughter loves Matilda the Musical. Many of you will be familiar with the recent big-screen adaptation, even more of you will know the Roald Dahl novel on which it is based. It tells the story of Matilda Wormwood a precocious five -year-old with a love of books, a remarkable intellect, and the gift of telekinesis. She is clever, brave, and determined to overcome the obstacles in her life.
In recent months, debates about free speech have been a prominent feature of public life. Universities have restricted or cancelled speakers because of their views on the war in Gaza; protestors have been arrested under public order legislation for chants and placards deemed inflammatory; and social media platforms have suspended accounts for comments that, while falling short of inciting violence, are judged offensive or misleading.
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The start of term has been overshadowed by tragic news that Noel Tapper-Gray, our Head of Careers and Volunteering since April 2020, passed away unexpectedly over the holiday, just a few days short of what would have been his 64th birthday on Christmas Day.
People often ask me whether I enjoy my job. My standard reply is that being a Head Master is like most roles; there are parts I love, parts I enjoy, and parts I really don’t! Thankfully, the moments of joy far outweigh the more challenging ones. Last Friday evening was a perfect reminder of that.
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The world is changing so quickly that all schools have a duty to innovate – to ensure that young people are equipped to thrive in a complex and evolving world.
It has been wonderful to hear this week about the extraordinary array of educational visits that took place over the half-term break. From two trips to Finland, a Year 8 and 9 Hockey tour to Jersey, a Third and Fourth XV rugby tour to Biarritz, a Sixth Form trip to Paris, to a CCF camp in Leek – each offered its own distinctive experience, yet all offered new challenges, fresh perspectives, and lasting memories.
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During October, schools, libraries, museums and other public spaces across the UK will celebrate Black History Month. On Wednesday we gathered as a school to mark this.
The summer holidays already seem like a dim and distant memory. To my mind the most valuable thing about the long holiday is that it allows us to step outside our normal routines. Term time is full — lessons, homework, sport, music, CCF, drama, House events, exams. It is busy and structured. But in the summer, there is space.
This week something quite extraordinary happened in the world of politics. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama unveiled his new cabinet. Now that in itself might not seem particularly unusual – after all, political leaders reshuffle their cabinets all the time. Sir Keir Starmer, for example, has made several changes to his own government in recent weeks. What makes this announcement remarkable is that one of the ministers in Albania’s new government isn’t human.
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I am often asked to justify Warwick’s status as an all-boys school. Popular wisdom casts them as relics of a bygone era – breeding grounds for misogyny and privilege, perpetuating patriarchal norms. In my opinion, the opposite is true. An all-boys school offers us an opportunity to have honest conversations about what it means to be a man in today’s world.
The start of a new school year always brings a mixture of excitement, anticipation and nerves. Something that is true for one group in particular.
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One of the most difficult, and yet vital, tasks for any school is to prepare young people not just for the world as it is, but for the world as it may become. That world is never static. And today, change feels faster, deeper and more complex than ever.
