Welcome from the Head Master, Dr Gary Savage

Welcome from the Head Master

Dr Gary Savage

Dear Elizabethan Club members,

I write my first introductory note to you as Head Master at the end of a simply extraordinary year.

When it began, we were dealing with the two very important challenges posed by the continuing pandemic and by the Black Lives Matter movement. Then, in January, the second wave of COVID-19 forced us into a renewed period of fully remote teaching and learning, which only concluded in March – at about the same time we were confronted by the further challenge of Everyone’s Invited and the Westminster Testimonies. In addition, we have been seeking since January to understand how precisely the government would like us to assess pupils’ work for the purposes of GCSE and A Level this year. In each instance, we have sought to act with the integrity and probity which you would expect, notwithstanding the complexity and difficulty of the matters in hand.

It has not been easy, but I think we have made progress. ➽

The School is now open again, and, despite the continuing need for certain restrictions, the pupils are enjoying a recognisably Westminster education both inside and outside the classroom. The Governing Body have commissioned two independent reviews, one into racism and one into harmful sexual behaviours, which will be published later in the year, and whose recommendations will inform timely and robust improvements in some key aspects of the School’s policies, curriculum and training. I had already initiated last autumn, an internal consultation around our ethos and values, and planned for an internal review of our holistic curriculum, i.e. not just the academic but every aspect of the School’s work and the structures that support it. The independent reviews will now feed into these initiatives and help us to equip Westminster for the next period of its history.

I have every confidence that this will see the School and, most importantly, its pupils continue to flourish.

It was an honour and privilege to be asked to return to Westminster, after my four years as Under Master between 2006-10, as its new Head Master, following on from my former boss Stephen Spurr, and more recently Patrick Derham. Despite my ten years’ experience as Headmaster at Alleyn’s, these were mighty shoes to fill, and I felt that responsibility very keenly – even before the challenges of this academic year emerged. In navigating them, I have been helped by a fantastically capable and committed staff, hugely supportive governors, and wonderful pupils and parents, all of whom – in the best Westminster tradition – have not hesitated to offer keen insight and wise counsel along the way.

I have also enjoyed getting to know members of the Elizabethan Club committee and hosting a webinar for Old Westminsters earlier this year. I look forward to meeting many more of you in the months and years ahead, including some familiar (and only slightly older) faces from the noughties. In the meantime, you can rest assured that I shall strive to listen, learn and lead the School to the best of my ability through all the challenges to come, conscious of my responsibility as the custodian of a place at once ancient and progressive, and precious to so many.

Floreat.