Trips, traditions and community

I hope everyone had a good Half Term, after a shortish first half. It was an incredibly busy fortnight for trips: language trips to Japan and Spain, sports tours to South Africa, Portugal and the Netherlands, a Geography field trip to Iceland, a History trip to Berlin … an astonishing range, for which many thanks to my colleagues. It’s such an important experience to travel and learn at the same time: I know the boys on these trips will have benefited enormously. 

Of course the dark, damp and comparative cold always strikes one at this time of year, and there’s a lot to be said for making a special effort to be cheerful with each other, rather than hunkering down in the approaching winter. Visitors often remark on the way Whitgiftians greet each other and adults, and we put a high premium on it - it really does help!

This time of year does also bring with it a series of special events: our Act of Remembrance, which has been unchanged for decades, and rightly so; the Fairfield Halls concert; a rush of drama and music. We are also delighted to be hosting an event to mark Diwali on November 13th (already sold out!) and to share messages from children in our partner school in Hyderabad. Then of course, finally, the Carol Service, which this year actually ends the term. Here, though the service is unchanged, we do think a scheduling change will work better: rather than expecting boys to go home and return for an evening service, it will be at the end of the day: we will transport the boys attending, and of course parents are welcome and, I hope with lifted spirits, we will end the term at the end of the service!