Like many of you, I used the Easter holiday as an opportunity to take a break. My family and I travelled to Quinta do Lago, Portugal, our first proper holiday together since the twins were born just over 18 months ago. I have a new camera, and I was keen to use it. I didn’t want to miss a thing: my children playing in the sand, laughing in a restaurant, or discovering the sea for the first time.

Curiosity is one of the values that form The Warwick Way.  Curiosity is the desire not simply to learn what we are told, but to explore ideas, and to pursue knowledge and understanding beyond the obvious. It is what drives people to ask questions that others overlook.  It pushes them to read more widely, think more deeply, and imagine possibilities that do not yet exist.

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. 

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.

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.

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.