The launch of Whitgift For All

The weather could not have been better for the formal launch of Whitgift For All on Saturday, and huge thanks to all the staff, students and OWs and their families who came to the occasion. WFA’s Chairman, Lord Freud, rightly described this as the most important piece of philanthropy since 1596. Education is a fantastic gift, and for the vast, vast majority, Whitgift is or will have been a place where they forged friendships, discovered passions and were set up for life.

There can’t have been a more significant moment to be launching WFA either: this last week has seen the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge’s much-criticised remarks about independent school applicants, David Abulafia’s response (David is to speak at Whitgift in September – watch out for the date!), the Education Secretary’s robust words in support of great schools, and Robert Halfon’s challenge to schools like ours. Well, as I said on Saturday, we have never been an ivory tower of privilege, and we don’t ever want to be. After 425 years of reliance on Whitgift’s gift, our challenge to all Whitgiftians, current and ‘old’, and all friends of the school, is to do what we all can to give back.

If it sounds serious, I don’t apologise … but the occasion was anything but sombre. The sun shone, and we were treated to music from the Jazz Quartet (fresh from their performance at the excellent Friday Soirée) and some superb scenes from Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. Alongside a fine crop of student actors was our very own Teacher of Drama, Mr Wilson in the role of Hector. Of course he spoke the final words from the play which sum up what we mean by all of this. Don’t be selfish. ‘Pass it on, boys. Pass it on.’