Heads of School Speeches

My first thought was, this isn’t good. Then I found out Shay Sainsbury received the same email as me… this definitely isn’t good. So the two of us anxiously went to Dr Greene’s office in the morning to find out the news that we would be the Head and Deputy Head of School. Who would’ve thought it. Ellis and Shay. Little and Large. Dumb and Dumber.

I joined Clifton five years ago with an abundance of expectation, but very little awareness about the journey ahead of me. What quickly became clear was the huge range of activities on offer and the encouragement from teachers and other pupils to give everything a go, regardless of your ability. Take me for example, I can’t swim but was still allowed to be in the water polo team. I can’t act, but was given the opportunity to perform as Uncle Bryn from Gavin and Stacey. This leads me to the second thing that stands out about Clifton: the House system. One thing I will miss most is the camaraderie and spirit shown in the huge number of inter-House events. This is what makes the school so special. I feel very privileged to have had the experience of being a boarder here and I want to thank all the boys in Moberly’s for putting up with me in the House. Many of my best memories are based around my House, such as teaching KB how to pass a rugby ball. It’s a shame we don’t have another five years to teach him how to catch it in the first place! Boarding isn’t just a chance to move away from your siblings, but it teaches you to stand on your own two feet. You learn a lot about different cultures as Clifton is so impressively diverse. I think this is shown by the three Heads of School being Chinese, Russian and, most importantly, Welsh.

Ever since I joined Clifton, it’s fair to say that I’ve been extremely prone to injury. I think I’ve spent more time on crutches at this school than I have off them, but at least it’s given me an excuse to be late for lessons. But putting injury to one side, the main factor in my decision to choose Clifton was because it would enable me to satisfy my love for sport. There is such a range of sports on offer here and you’d be foolish not to make the most of them. The memories we, as a year group, have made on the sports field over the years will last a lifetime.

There are so many valuable lessons sport teaches you: teamwork, leadership, confidence and resilience. Learning to bounce back from injuries or, in my case, get injured again. That feeling of winning a game in the last play, that moment in which you’re celebrating with your teammates. In my opinion, this feeling cannot be matched. The hunger and desire felt after one of Mr O’Sullivan’s pre-game speeches would get you up for anything, except perhaps Chapel on a Saturday. I’d like to thank Mr Salter and Mr Grewcock who have been instrumental in my development, not just as a rugby player but as a person; it must’ve been a coincidence how the school’s disciplinary record has improved ever since Mr Grewcock joined.

Throughout my time at Clifton it’s been great to see the growth and rise of girls’ sport. This year at the Rosslyn Park Rugby Sevens competition, the boys’ first team, as well as the U14s and Prep School team, were all standing along the touchline cheering on the girls’ first team. For me it felt like a historic moment in Clifton’s history. It epitomises what Clifton is all about and gives a sense of the family feel of the school. The support we give to all our sports teams is a real strength of our community and the nights I’ve spent up at Clifton Rugby Club at the Ryan Bresnahan Memorial Matches really show this spirit.

I would like to thank Mr Catchpole, Mr Lobo, Mr Harris, Lisa and Nia in Moberly’s. As we can all appreciate, looking after 60 teenage boys can’t be easy, but I truly believe you do a great job of turning young boys into gentlemen. I’d also like to give recognition to a group of staff whose contribution to running this school is so important but can easily be taken for granted: the cleaners, caterers, grounds staff and estates team. Your hard work and kindness does not go unnoticed and is appreciated by all of us. And my final thank you has to go to my parents. When I rang my mum to tell her the news about me being the Head of School, her first response was, ‘Are you sure they have the right Ellis?’. Thank you both for always having confidence in me. I hope I’ve made you proud. Lastly, I want to leave everyone with a final thought: wherever the future is taking you next year, be it university, a gap year or a few more years at Clifton, always look at the bigger picture and make the most of the opportunities you’re given, especially here, as when you leave you don’t want to have any regrets.

Ellis Davies (MH)