The spring term opened in January with flurries of deadening snow and as one would expect, our boys made the most of the opportunity!

 

Inspirational leadership came from our new term’s Head Boy, Joe Froud (8M), who along with willing accomplice, Fred Johnston (8M), invented the DCPS version of dog-sled racing in the snow-packed playground! I suspect and hope that, in time, this new sport will become something of a DCPS winter tradition!

That initiative aside, well done to Joe, his prefect team (which included new prefects: Fred Johnson, Henry Kitchen, Matthew Lewin, Tom North, James Redshaw and Ferda Ustun) and the senior boys, for their leadership over the term.

 

The landscape of Narnia maintained the icy theme as the senior play, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,’ played to audiences immediately after half term. The cast was superbly professional and the stunning backdrop, make-up and costuming brought the magic of the story to us all. My particular thanks to Mrs. Tucker, for whom this play brought down the curtain on many years of tireless endeavour and invention on costuming. I did not have the pleasure of seeing the other productions, but believe me the furry feet and tails were an absolute highlight of this show! 

 

As we progressed through March the weather warmed, the school shed its winter coat, a momentum took hold and smiles grew wider.

 

A St. Patrick’s Day assembly in the Nursery, led by Mrs. Rachel Chambers, ably supported by a quartet of green-clad mothers, was the catalyst for a spring returning to my step. With ‘tiddly-de’ music and scenes from ‘Riverdance’ on the big screen, we all had to jig about, arms straight by our sides! A sure way to chase away the winter, and look remarkably silly!

 

Mrs. Chambers came to the fore again as a soloist at our Spring Choral Concert, held on Thursday 18^th at All Souls’, Langham Place. It was a marvellous occasion, with boys from our school choirs joining the adult Choral Society in performing some of the most challenging and beautiful choral pieces ever composed, including Fauré’s ‘Requiem’ and ‘Gloria’ by Vivaldi. My thanks to Mr. Philip Brooke for his inspirational direction and to Mr. Kit Perona-Wright for his stunning accompaniment. A special mention must be made of James Pye (8A) who, as senior chorister, had attended every rehearsal despite the disappointment of not being able to sing due to his voice changing. His dedication was rewarded for that evening he made his debut as a tenor in the adult section.

 

The next morning I had the joy of hosting a break-time treat of fruit juice and biscuits for Mr. Santamaria and the boys from 1S. For their assembly, Mr. Santamaria’s class very cleverly reworked the Michael Rosen’s classic picture book, ‘We Are Going on a Bear Hunt’ into, ‘We Are Going on a Headmaster Hunt.’ Several days later they embarked on their search and although their prey proved elusive they eventually hunted me down and got a little something in reward.

 

Saturday morning was dominated by soccer and there was a fantastic turnout of teams and supporters for the fixture of the term, Prep versus College. Our senior boys’ teams played with great spirit, but it was left to the team of the season, our Under 12 ‘A’s, to crown a great day of competition with a well-crafted win, taking their ‘stats’ to Played 7: Won 6, Lost 1. Things look promising for next year’s soccer season!

 

Congratulations to Bonar McGuire (8A) who has been selected to represent London Independent Schools in the ISFA championships later in the year. In achieving representative sporting honours, Bonar joins George Gibbs (8J) and Joe Froud who represented the South of England versus the North of England in the final trial for the English Prep School Barbarians XV to tour Ireland this holiday. George made the final squad, whilst Joe was first reserve.

 

Staying with sport…well done to both swimming squads (Year 4 to 6, and Years 7 and 8,) for winning their respective London Schools’ Leagues. Trials have already been held for the IAPS National Championships and I suspect we will be very strongly represented in all age groups and in all events. We wish the boys and Mr Chudzynski, our swim coach, who, over the course of the year put in many hours of stamina and technical training, every success in the Nationals.

 

Congratulations to Julian Chan Quee Lin, whose nationally-ranked performances in the pool drew offers of a Sports’ Scholarship from both Whitgift and Dulwich College. Julian has accepted the offer from Dulwich College. As a Sports Scholar, Julian joins George Gibbs, who earlier in the term won the Rugby Scholarship to Millfield.  

And it is not just in sport that we excel, we are hoping once more for national success and recognition for our ‘Big Band.’ Under the tutelage of Mr. Street, our Assistant Director of Music and Head of Brass, the Big Band is again making headlines. In the ‘Music for Youth’ auditions at The Festival Hall, Southbank, their performance of the ‘70s classic, ‘Car Wash’ (originally made famous by Rose Royce) had the adjudicator comment ‘Wow, so very impressive!’ The Big Band now go forward to the National Final of the ‘Music for Youth’ to be held late in the summer term and perhaps another invitation to play in the Royal Albert Hall may follow! At the time of writing we are also hopeful of success for our Chamber Strings who participated in the same competition. We wish both music groups every success.

 

Six instrumentalists have already tasted individual success and are to be congratulated for gaining music awards to their respective senior schools: Henry Kitchen (who has just been selected for the National Children’s Orchestra) on being awarded a Music Scholarship to Westminster School and to Oliver Ramsay-Gray and Nicholas Clanchy who have been awarded Music Exhibitions, again to Westminster; Ludo Stocker for his Music Scholarship award to Tonbridge; Ben Gruenberg and Ben Higlett for winning Music Exhibitions to Dulwich College.

 

Of the Year 8 boys who have already taken their exams for their senior schools I am delighted that many have had their endeavour, commitment and potential recognised through the offer of academic scholarships and exhibitions.

Many congratulations to Theo Forbes, Alihassan and Alireza Janmohamed, Freddie Neden, Lawrence Calman-Grimsdale, Billy Roberts, Chris Stone, Daniel Steele, James Redshaw, and Raffy Marshall who won academic scholarships to Dulwich College. Theo, who took the top award to Dulwich, was also offered an award to Alleyn’s, whilst Alihassan and Alireza were also offered scholarships to Trinity.

 

Congratulations also to Harry Churchill and James Pye, our two candidates to King’s School, Canterbury, who are both in receipt of Academic Exhibitions. Harry Churchill also won an Art Scholarship to King’s, as did George Popov to Dulwich College. Harry deserves special mention as one of his most recent pieces, an Auschwitz montage, has been chosen for entry to the Saatchi Gallery/Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for Schools 2010. If selected, Harry’s work will go on show at the Saatchi Gallery in the autumn.

 

Approximately half of the boys in the year group have now taken exams for entry to their senior schools and with very satisfactory outcomes. Much has been made of the change in the entrance procedure to Dulwich College for some of our boys. I am delighted with the change, which is proving challenging, but is also giving our boys an excellent opportunity to show their knowledge and understanding through the Common Entrance platform. It will be a few weeks before all the remaining boys take their exams and I am confident that their dedication to their studies will reap reward. I look forward to sharing the finalised senior school entry ‘picture’ with you later in the term.

 

One would wonder, given the academic challenge these senior boys are facing, how they find time for anything other than academic study; what a sad and flat school we would be were that the case! It certainly isn’t for this group of Year 8s as, in this term alone, boys have positively pursued, with enormous success and kudos, two outstanding initiatives; the launch of a DCPS monthly newspaper and the production of our own Monopoly board game, the profits from sales going to support Sparrow Schools in South Africa.

 

The last full day of the term was one of pensive excitement, as boys counted down the clock for the start of ‘Fun Day.’ For the uninitiated parent, this is when boys set up their own stalls, or devise their own games (the mind boggles!) to entice their peers to part with their monies - all for charity. It being my first ever experience of the ‘Fun Day’ phenomenon, I was slightly apprehensive. I need not have been…first up, a ‘sponging,’ as my head was the first to appear atop the mermaid’s body, then on to throw a few hoops and then, a spot of busking. It was a fabulous fun afternoon of which the highlight for me was the Sumo wrestling. Having been to the ‘Spring Basho’ in Tokyo on many occasions, for sheer spectacle, this was superb.

 

Cream eggs were very much to the fore on the last days: a whole box played a central part in Miss Collett-White’s Lower School assembly, fifty-two boys in Middle and Upper School were rewarded eggs for being ‘Good Citizens’ and ‘Good Eggs’ and then a hugely gregarious Easter Bunny was very generous in the Annexe, hiding eggs in every nook and cranny.

 

The school term concluded on Friday 26^th March with our traditional Easter Service at St. Stephen’s, without an egg in sight. My thanks to all, and particularly the boys who read, or sang with the Chamber Choir, and helped us focus on the truly uplifting Easter message.

 

Thus the hard working second half of term was brought to a very satisfactory conclusion in a flurry of energy, purpose and fun.

 

Having now completed one year at the helm (and enjoying every moment) I am absolutely convinced of the need to promote and nurture this unique fusion of energy, resourcefulness and fun that sets our school and our boys apart.

We will build on the quality we have, borne out by the appointment of two of our deputy heads, Mrs. Hill and Mr. Severino to the post of Master of Westminster Under School and Headmaster of St. Andrew’s, Eastbourne, respectively; two of the most prestigious schools in the country; quality abounds at DCPS.

 

We will re-establish core values and principles and we will re-design educational practice to enable every pupil in school to achieve their potential, to contribute to the success of the school and to feel recognised for doing so.

This will require change and I look forward to seeking your views and soliciting your support.

 

Quite simply, we are going to pursue excellence.

 

There’s much to look forward to, including the 125^th Anniversary celebrations. Let the new term begin!