Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope this letter finds you well and that you and your families are looking forward to a well-earned rest over the festive period. It has been a real pleasure to meet many of you at functions, fixtures and performances this term. I have taken even greater joy in witnessing the quality of Whitgift boys’ contributions, alongside those of my colleagues, over the past three months. You will be relieved to hear that I have no intention of attempting to list even a fraction of these achievements; if I did, this letter might well rival Santa’s ‘naughty and nice’ list in length.
It is enough to say that the boys have made my first term truly extraordinary. I use that word deliberately, because the standard of their achievements and the spirit behind their efforts deserve recognition. Whatever area of school life they contribute to, and at whatever level, I have been consistently struck by their approach, energy and breadth of interests. Just last week, I was impressed by the maturity and intellectual curiosity shown by 8F, the latest of the Spanish classes I have ‘taken over’ for a week. I am grateful to the teachers of Second Form Spanish for granting me this opportunity.
There are innumerable highlights from the term, but those that stand out include the invigorating Power Up concert, the equally outstanding performance of Jekyll & Hyde, and, most recently, the joyful Christmas Concert and Carol Service. At a more low-key level, the First Form plays, House Drama, the Charity Concert and our teatime music performances have brought me great happiness. On the sporting front, the boys’ performances in various rugby cup competitions, and the memorable evening match under lights against Epsom College were true highlights. So too was the first game on our newly laid Edridge pitch, and the superb achievement of reaching two national indoor hockey finals at both U16 and U18 level, with the former running out National Champions. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the boys’ enthusiasm for fencing, swimming, water polo, basketball, racket sports and, of course, the Mario Kart competition. Rarely has such intense rivalry been witnessed online. Our Careers Convention, Culture Day, Meet the Tutor evenings and our celebration of World Mental Health Day all reflected the strength and importance of our community, which I have felt deeply over these past weeks.
All these events (Mario Kart aside, perhaps) reflect qualities at the heart of a Whitgift education. The diligence required in rehearsals and training sessions, the courage to appear on stage or on the pitch, and the willingness to work collaboratively with peers are examples of these. The support shown by friends, families and teachers has been equally inspiring and I extend my thanks to everyone who has contributed to the term’s successes, whether in a major or modest way.
We have celebrated notable individual and group achievements across academic, artistic, sporting, musical and wider co-curricular domains - moments of real magic emerging week after week. From university successes, both domestic and international, to mathematics competitions, golf triumphs, architectural challenges, sublime chorister performances and a poignant poem written and performed by one of our own boys for Remembrance Day, Whitgift pupils have excelled. Beyond the school gates, we have been delighted to receive messages from members of the public commending our students’ conduct in theatres, thanking them for their efforts in returning valuable items, and praising their willingness to assist those in need while travelling to and from school. These moments speak volumes about the character of the young men we educate, and I congratulate and thank them for these often-unnoticed acts.
Just as the boys have impressed me, so too have my colleagues, who work tirelessly to support and challenge them. This includes our dedicated support staff and our talented and indefatigable teachers. Together, they create an experience for our students that is exceptional in both breadth and depth. The sheer variety of opportunities available is only matched by the boys’ eagerness to embrace them. These experiences would not exist without the sustained commitment of my colleagues, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work. I am also pleased we have made two vital new appointments, and we look forward to the contributions that Mr Oz Bhatti (Deputy Head Pastoral) and Dr Matt Edwards (Deputy Head Academic) will bring to their areas.
My own understanding of Whitgift has evolved considerably in recent weeks. Much of what I expected has been affirmed, but a few surprises have also delighted me. The number of ties on offer is higher than anticipated, though very welcome. Compared to my prior experience, the ratio of fields to boys to sporting success is surprising but nevertheless very much in our favour. The strength of our community is something that has come as a very welcome surprise, and this is no more evident than amongst our boarders. Their various ‘family’ events and competitions, lively social media presence and wonderful welcome to me into Founder’s House and to many for their fireworks display are features that reflect the warmth that pervades Whitgift; the way in which all the boys contribute to this is particularly special.
As with all organisations, there are things we can do even better! We can continue to amplify pupil voice, define and take pride in what it means to be a Whitgiftian, empower tutors yet further, and inspire the boys to apply their intellect and capacity for hard work with even greater confidence in the classroom. In an age now being shaped by AI, this latter point is increasingly important, and I look forward to the progress we will make together so that the boys develop into the very best versions of themselves.
We are working more closely than ever with the John Whitgift Foundation, recognising the strength and opportunities that come from meaningful cooperation. Whitgift’s reach and reputation are considerable, and building on this, locally and further afield, will benefit both our own community and those beyond it. I am grateful to my Executive Team for their contributions to our strategic work so far and thank colleagues and parents for their input into this process. Colleagues will be spending our training morning on Friday 12 December reflecting on Whitgift’s identity and values, and your responses to our recent parent survey have already proven invaluable to our strategic planning.
Over 850 families replied, and we are hugely grateful to all of you for your input. I will write in more detail at the start of next term (the survey results are very hot off the press), but I am pleased to provide an initial summary at this stage.
We were delighted to hear that the overwhelming majority (93%) of respondents said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with Whitgift. 87% said that their expectations had been met and we were so pleased to hear that your overall willingness to recommend the School to others was extremely high.
The factors that led you to choose Whitgift were the quality of teaching and the overall atmosphere, with over 98% of parents agreeing with this. Our excellent academic standards, alongside the strong sporting and co-curricular provision were listed as major aspects of the School that you and your sons enjoy. You were most satisfied with the facilities and the breadth of the curriculum and we were very pleased to read that our communication is generally well received, with few areas of dissatisfaction.
You are eager for us to continue investing in our academic success as well as supporting the recruitment and retention of staff, and we very much share that ambition. Finally, and encouragingly, the word most commonly employed to describe Whitgift was ‘excellent’. As I say, I will be in touch in more detail in due course, and we look forward to folding your views into our strategic planning process.
It is this process which will form the basis for our future development, and whilst it is still relatively early in my tenure, I am confident that our next steps will include all of the below:
- a vision to inspire and captivate the current and future Whitgift community
- a set of shared values - the principles to underpin our behaviour and decision-making and that we want our community to embody
- a core of focussed strategic objectives that will drive positive change in all major areas of Whitgift life
- a site-wide masterplan with new facilities linked directly to our strategic objectives
I very much look forward to your support in this venture.
In closing, I should like to wish good luck to the intrepid ski racers heading off to the slopes of Andorra and, whatever your plans for the festive period, I wish you an enjoyable break, and a Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely
Toby Seth
Headmaster