Messahe from the Headmaster OU
A Message from the Headmaster
Richard Harman, Headmaster
It’s an interesting time to be running a Public School. Those of you who are responsible for the livelihoods of many others will perhaps understand some of the challenges which we face in moving forward in an era of almost unprecedented economic insecurity. I find myself constantly recalling the catch phrase of Ben Zander, OU, who spent several days with us exactly a year ago, speaking to the entire school on how to respond positively to life’s difficulties. Rather than spoiling for a fight, or sinking into gloom, Ben encouraged us to embrace every setback or problem as a challenge, to throw up our hands and shout ‘how fascinating!’ How fascinating it is indeed to look for and to look after what endures in a time when even rock solid institutions are under threat. In my third year at Uppingham, I am encouraged by the times we live in to look deeply at what it is that we do particularly well, and what it is that we must prioritise and hold on to above all else. The spirit of this school is astonishing, and that spirit is generated and nurtured in the boarding experience. In my third year, I’m now willing to bet that we do boarding better than any other school in the country. The sense of community and belonging that each house generates, the quality of interaction and care between adults and pupils, particularly within the house and around those tables at lunchtime, is probably second to none. If you get a chance to see the new school promotional DVD – clips of which will soon be on the website – I think you’ll agree that the connection between staff and pupils appears again and again as an essential part of our ‘educational DNA’, to use a much bandied about term which actually was invented here at Uppingham. It was Lord Adonis, the Government minister, who popularised that phrase as he went
about the business of developing the Academies programme, and we were very pleased to welcome him as our Guest of Honour at Speech Day this year. It was a chance also to celebrate the establishment of the Uppingham Collegiate, by which we are linked in partnership (though not direct sponsorship) with a number of Academies in Leicester, Northampton and Grimsby, which in turn are supported by prominent OUs. The Housemaster of West Bank, Steve Allen, is co-ordinating this work at our end and we very much hope that this exciting initiative will continue to bear fruit. It means that Uppngham is engaged in the wider educational world in a practical and positive way that helps to spread our values and ethos ever wider. We believe in what we do here so strongly that we are going to continue to celebrate, invest in, and develop further what we already do well. I want every parent in the country who considers boarding to consider Uppingham, and I want them to be impressed with what they see when they look around. I also want to ensure that every child, insofar as it is humanly possible, enjoys boarding at Uppingham and to that end we are increasingly vigilant and imaginative in the endless work of encouraging good neighbourliness in the young. We have recently rolled out, training in counselling for staff, who are then training sixth form pupils as peer counsellors, and I am excited about the potential of these trained pupils to pick up on problems the adults might be missing. I have also invested time and resources into leadership training for our pupils. Many of you have extensive experience of leadership, the seeds of which I hope were planted in your time at School. The high point of our leadership development last year was the aforementioned visit of Ben Zander, who spent a weekend at Uppingham (prior to addressing world leaders at the economic forum in Davos; they certainly needed to hear his message about the Art of Possibility!). He very graciously gave of his time and huge energies in various arenas, addressing every one of our pupils and staff, conducting our orchestra and encouraging pupils to have a go as well. Over meals in West Deyne he was able to lay a few ghosts to rest. I cannot recommend highly enough the potential value of coming back to your old school as an adult. Especially when you give of who you are now, you can put to rest any anxieties about who you were then. Despite achieving remarkable examination
results this year, we know that some of our academic facilities will need investment in the coming years and it is the need for improved facilities in Science and also in Sport that drives my vision for new development on the Western side of the school. The vision is for a series of ‘Western Quads’ to mirror the lovely 19th Century quads at the heart of the school, and this is a vision which inspires not only the whole School community, but the entire town. We have been so lucky to have the tireless energies of the Uppingham Foundation, the OU community and the Trustee body behind this project. And I have been very fortunate as Headmaster to have had a seamless transition of Chairman of Trustees; I am absolutely delighted to be working with Stephen Dorrell at such an important time in the School’s history. The first stage of the project – a new Sports Centre, Leicester Pavilion and associated changes to sports fields and parking– went through the planning process successfully, and the Trustees have given the go ahead in principle. By September, individual donors had pledged around £9 million to the project. How fascinating, then, that this project is due to kick off precisely as the economy looks most perilous! We are watching carefully and constantly revising our figures as we calculate the best time to begin. Plans for the Sports Centre are on display on the OU website; do have a look at the future of Uppingham there. And do your best to ensure a vibrant future for this great School in any way you can – by encouraging your friends to have a look for their children, by sending your own, by sharing your wisdom and talents with us in many different arenas, and of course by making whatever contribution you can to our vision. Please do read the tributes to Colin Williams elsewhere in this issue. He is I think, the epitome of the great OU – a man who has given back so much to his school, but, I hope and believe, has also received a real sense of purpose, and has enjoyed both a rewarding sense of involvement and a good measure of fun in the process. I so greatly appreciate the chance to meet you, at dinners, at Speech Day, at sporting events, and sometimes just by chance. You are the great band of ambassadors for Uppingham School, and I am sure you are embodying the enduring values you learned here, in the face of the anxieties of the moment. In fact, it is those very values that will see us all through whatever challenges
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