From the head

tHe PerSe Summit 12 teAm in lAdAkH.

iam always struck by the length of the queue at platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross railway station. Even at the peak of the commuter rush hour, more people can be queuing for their Hogwarts Express photo opportunity than for the 17.44 to Cambridge. This is evidence, if it were needed, of the socio-economic influence of the creative industries and the power of human imagination. The government estimates that the creative industries are worth £84.1 billion per year to the UK economy, and have a growth rate twice that of the economy as a whole. In 2016 British films, music, video games, fashion, arts, crafts, creative writing and publishing generated £9.6 million per hour.

The wealth created supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, and is an important source of philanthropy.

The biggest benefactor to medical research at the

University of Edinburgh is one Harry Potter. Schools are vulnerable to urban myths, and on the Cambridge dinner party circuit The Perse is often said to be ‘the maths and science school’.

I am proud of The Perse’s strong record in maths and science (not many schools have two Nobel Prize winners for science) but I am equally proud of our excellent record in languages, the humanities, and of course creative subjects.

I am delighted that this edition of OP News has a focus on creativity. In a world which is becoming increasingly digitised, and where artificial intelligence will change the job market forever, creativity is an important source of employment, wealth, entertainment and human understanding. The skills of communication and improvisation learned in drama, the creativity and originality produced in art, the musicality and entertainment provided by bands and orchestras, the flair of creative writing in English and the imaginative programming that creates games in computer science are all an essential part of a creative education at The Perse.

With the Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre and Pelican Gallery now fully open, the creative subjects have a flagship building worthy of their central role in education, the economy, and human development. I hope to see you at a school play, concert, or art exhibition so you can sample and enjoy Perse creativity in action.

With best wishes,