Dear Parents and Guardians,
I approach the end of my first year at Whitgift with a sense of gratitude and humility. I am grateful to my colleagues, our parents, our former pupils, our governors, the John Whitgift Foundation and, above all, to the boys we are proud to educate here at Whitgift. All have supported me through different ways and means and, if, as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, perhaps then it takes a school community to raise a new Headmaster. My feelings of humility stem from the privilege it is to hold this post here at Whitgift. Not a day goes by without me feeling both grateful and humble, and I thank you for whatever part you have played in my first year here.
Of course, it is not just my first year here at Whitgift. For many others, pupils, staff, parents and governors, this is their first year, and I congratulate them on the contribution they have made. Incredible achievements, memorable moments and much learning have taken place; far more than a single missive can fully capture.
This term has built on those that have gone before. Examinations have dominated much of the past few weeks, and I commend the boys on their behaviour and approach and trust that they will reap the rewards of their efforts on forthcoming results days. Parents may be interested to know that examination boards are trialling online examinations, but there are no immediate signs that we will move away from handwritten exams for the majority in the foreseeable future.
I hope that the experience of internal exams for the rest of the School has helped to prepare pupils for future assessments; we have refined our training of staff and pupils in study skills and revision techniques this year, through the work of Mr Piggott, Director of Learning and Innovation, and the Learning Support Department. AI’s involvement in this has been productive and thought-provoking. Looking ahead, the dates of the Trinity term in 2027 mean that internal exams will take place in the week before half-term – this will require a different approach from boys and teachers alike.
I have been delighted with the response from colleagues, boys and parents to our newly produced strategy. Different members of our community have latched onto different aspects of this work, but the vision for boys to ‘Become More’, as well as the sense of shared identity and values appear to have landed well. We are now at the stage where we are translating these conceptual ideas into practical reality, and this is being driven by a series of departmental plans throughout the School. Watch this space for how these will have a positive impact on your sons’ experience. My consistent response to all who ask, ‘What would you change about Whitgift?’ is that there is a huge amount that is already fabulous about our School; there is also a great deal we can do to improve these incredibly strong foundations. In almost every walk of school life, I can see opportunity, and it is this opportunity that our strategy is designed to grasp.
It was encouraging to hear the newly appointed School Captain Team drawing on this strategy in support of their applications. I congratulate the successful group of young men who were chosen to represent their peers and should also thank Tom Cadwallader and his fantastic team from this past year. Their passion and understanding for Whitgift are to be commended, and their legacy will live on in a meaningful way.
Our co-curricular activity has been as hot as the recent weather. The First Form Play programme reached an impressive conclusion, and boys benefited from theatre trips to The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, War Horse and Stranger Things. The term culminated in a magical Junior School production of Peter Pan in Big School, a celebration of creativity, collaboration and theatrical ambition. The performance reminded us of the joyous and precious nature of childhood and, for several of the cast, it was practically their first time ever on stage. Maybe fairy dust is real.
The musical calendar began with a memorable visit to Windsor Castle, where our choristers sang Choral Evensong in the magnificent St George’s Chapel. Visiting and singing in such a significant and inspiring setting was a special experience for the boys and staff, and we are already looking forward to our next ‘royal’ occasion, performing in Westminster Abbey next April.
Two large-scale concerts followed. ‘After Hours’ was our first event performed entirely by jazz ensembles. Students worked with a trio of professional jazz musicians during the afternoon and then performed with professional backing in the evening. The Great Orchestral Classics concert featured the Chamber Orchestra with Senior Strings and the Wind Ensemble. The orchestra supported exceptional solo performances, and we salute those performers who played for the last time for Whitgift. After squeezing in one more excellent Piano Teatime Concert, our season closed with an excellent (if hot!) teatime concert from our Music Scholars.
The Trinity term has once again seen Whitgift pupils excel across a wide range of sports, competing in almost 600 fixtures across 12 sports, achieving success at local, county, regional and national level. These accomplishments reflect not only the depth of talent within the School but also the commitment, resilience and enthusiasm of our students and staff.
We celebrate national and regional finalists in three different age groups in cricket, with great success for our younger boys. In athletics, we have achieved superb outcomes at both individual and team level, and our tennis, badminton and golf players have been inspired, with champions, finalists and semi-finalists across seven different year groups. Fencing has once again provided exceptional individual achievements on both the national and international stage, with success at the British Youth and South-East Championships as well as the Spanish National Championships. We look forward to the culmination of several national competitions in July and to building further on this success in the year ahead.
Much of the above was celebrated in style at our end of term Celebration of Whitgift Life and my thanks go to all those involved in this joyous occasion.
With our Summer School and Community Summer School both swinging into action shortly, the months of July and August at Whitgift are busy. Development works include a major upgrade to our golf provision, increased viewing provision for our hockey spectators, tarmacking of our main car park and finishing off the work already begun to refurbish our music classrooms and tuition rooms. Much else aside is planned, all under the watchful eye of our dedicated estates and grounds teams.
Finally, I am delighted to announce our newly appointed Chief Operations Officer, Jane Barnett-Roberts, who was the unanimous appointee from a very strong field of applicants. Jane joins us having spent over 20 years working for the John Lewis Partnership, and we are confident that her strong operational knowledge and strategic vision will help drive Whitgift further forward.
Good luck to all those receiving public results for GCSE, A Level and IB examinations, and thank you and bon voyage to those Whitgift boys and colleagues embarking on trips to Greece, Munich and China. I hope you enjoy a wonderful summer break, and I very much look forward to welcoming you back at the start of next term.
Yours sincerely,
Toby Seth
Headmaster