Headmaster’s blog 25/11/22

I’d like to start by wishing a happy Thanksgiving to all within our School community who celebrated yesterday. This week, we actually welcomed back a number of recent alumni, currently studying in the US, who had taken advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday for a brief return to the UK and called in to see us in Marylebone. It was lovely to hear how they are getting on in the States and we look forward to sharing further news from our alumni in the New Year.

Prospective families on this week’s Visitor Morning ended their tour in our Drama Studio, where they were treated to a rehearsal of our Upper School play. Our young actors were receiving guidance a West End professional, so it was also an amazing opportunity for our boys to further prepare for opening night.

While further details of this workshop are here, I’d like to remind all current parents that tickets for Bus Stop can be purchased via RADA’s website here. Taking place on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th December, Bus Stop promises a fantastic evening of entertainment and I advise booking your seats now, to avoid later disappointment.

Alongside this co-curricular activity in drama, our boys have also been busy on the sports field, with more football and rugby fixtures taking place. I’m greatly enjoying reading our match reports, supplied by both staff and pupils, in our weekly newsletters. As well as celebrating the successes of our various teams, I’m always impressed at how gracious our young sportsmen are in defeat. Of course, losing doesn’t feel good but how you respond to loss, and pick yourself back up, says a lot about you. Through these match reports, and through discussions with sports staff, I can see that our teams take any losses as a chance to reflect on what they could have done better, learning how to improve and be stronger in the future.

Working together towards a common goal, whether performing on stage at RADA or knocking a ball through an actual goal, is a fantastically effective way to grow camaraderie and friendship. Through training and improvement, with support from Wetherby Senior teachers and with external visitors invited into our School, our boys are building valuable skills and experience which will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives. So, I look forward to reading more match reports over the course of this year, just as I look forward to watching Bus Stop at RADA in early December.