WFA NEWS
Message from the Headmaster
Dear Old Whitgiftians,
What a joy it has been to be back here at Whitgift! What a privilege to be made so welcome! What a stunning school Whitgift is, has been, and forever shall be, with its fantastic teachers and support staff, and with such friendly, committed and talented students!
Please forgive the three exclamation marks – I think they are needed to help me express the exuberant vitality of this generous community. I see boys coming on site at 7 in the morning, and others leaving clubs, sport, music and drama late in the evening. My colleagues and I watch teams play rugby, football, hockey and anything else you can mention –yes, that does include padel (where we are now national champions) – at the highest level. The boys often give me a friendly greeting or farewell, even though they hardly know me. How well that easy courtesy and openness reflects on Whitgift as a school – and how much it means to us as teachers and support staff.
This message to you is a shortened version of the letter I sent to parents before Christmas telling them my thoughts about this wonderful School. There is not space for me to tell you all the highlights here, although Dom Edwards will provide many later in this newsletter, but you should know there is a huge amount to celebrate about the education (in the broadest sense of the word) which boys are receiving at Haling Park. I hope the experience you had at Whitgift mirrors in some way the experience our current boys have here.
What next for Whitgift
My thoughts are ever turning towards the future for Whitgift, and I hope we ensure between us that everything is in as good a state as possible for when Mr Toby Seth arrives as permanent Headmaster in September 2025. Mr Seth spent a day at Whitgift recently, meeting all teaching staff in the Common Room, and, in smaller groups, senior colleagues and the senior prefect team. The visit was very well-received by everyone. I have personally found Mr Seth a pleasure to work with, and a great help as we make decisions in readiness for his first year.
No school can improve without self-analysis. Soon we shall have an ISI inspection, and that will help us address this question. I have also asked all teaching and support staff to fill in questionnaires about the things they admire and enjoy here, and the things they wish could be different. We have begun to consider positive ideas for improvement arising from their comments having spent a part of our INSET day looking over aspects of the school pastoral system.
The imposition of VAT on school fees, the loss of business rate relief, and now the increase in National Insurance with an unexpected lowering of the trigger point have all put great pressure on independent schools’ finances. Fortunately, Whitgift is a strongly built ship making its way through these unexpectedly rough waters. Nevertheless, it is not an easy time, and I am focused on trying to ensure the School spends what it needs to, but not what it doesn’t. At the same time, we can see that the numbers applying
for independent schools may well reduce for the next few years, partly because of the declining birthrate, but also because of costs. When I first taught at Whitgift there were under 800 boys on the campus; now it is over 1500. The governors are weighing up whether we could gradually reduce this number and help ensure the campus is optimal for the boys we educate here.
One of the most significant impacts of our prudence with parents’ fee income in the coming years to minimise cost increases will be that our ability to offer bursaries will be affected. We continue to welcome applications from bright, motivated boys from backgrounds which mean independent school fees are not possible but are simply able to offer fewer bursary places at the moment. It is our hope that this will change in the years to come, but only if we increase our ability to fund bursaries from the Whitgift For All bursary fund in addition to the John Whitgift Foundation bursary grant which itself has been frozen for some years. Your help towards this, no matter the amount, will help to maintain the incredible socio-economic diversity of the Whitgift student body.
You will no doubt hear more from me before my departure in the Summer, but I finish where I started: I am impressed on a daily basis by the special place that Whitgift is and am immensely proud of my association with the School.
Andrew Halls Headmaster (Academic year 2024-25)
WHITGIFT FOR ALL NEWS
Andy Marlow Assistant Head (Partnerships and Development)
To echo the Headmaster’s sentiments, Whitgift continues to be a fantastic place, and I see colleagues, many of whom will be remembered by more recent OWs, working exceptionally hard to provide the pastoral care, academic excellence and co-curricular experiences which will transform the lives of our students.
Thank you to those who are currently actively involved in the life of School, through networking opportunities with current students, attending reunion events, and by donating to the Whitgift For All bursary fund. By doing these things you are giving back to the Whitgift community, making the Whitgift experience a better one for our current students.
Here are a few ideas of ways you can be involved as an OW:
Events
Please do keep an eye on the alumni pages of the Whitgift website and social media for invitations to upcoming events. We had a fabulous OW Dinner last October at the Queen’s Club in Kensington, as well as reunions in Hong Kong and New York. We have varied opportunities for OWs to connect with one another planned this year, both at School and elsewhere. An upcoming highlight is our Spring Lecture with General Sir Peter Wall (OW 19651973) - please see back page for booking details. You are also most welcome to visit for sports fixtures,
book tickets for productions and concerts, and simply pop by (please contact alumni@whitgift. co.uk to arrange timings) to visit. Whitgift remains your school, and you are welcome as part of the community for your entire lives.
Whitgift Connect
I hope you are aware of our social media platform Whitgift Connect. This is a fantastic way to (re)connect with other OWs and we have over 1200 users on the system. It is also something we are promoting to current Sixth Form students, as it offers a safe (in the modern world this has to be at the forefront of our thinking for digital communications) environment for OWs to connect with current students. Can you offer work experience, internships, job opportunities, mentoring to either current or Old Whitgiftians? Do you simply want to ask if anyone is still in contact with a friend with whom you have lost touch? If so, please do login and post your thoughts. This is a space for YOU to remain connected with each other and School.
1596 Society
a member of the 1596 Society. In doing so, they will receive an invitation to a special donor event each year at Whitgift, hosted by the Headmaster. For those under 30, you can become a member of the 1596 Society by donating £15.96 per month for a year. Please do consider helping in this way.
Leave us a gift
We will periodically (and unapologetically in the current financial climate) ask for support for the Whitgift For All bursary fund through our communications. Thank you for those who continue to support this work. Did you know, however, that anyone who donates £1596 or more in one year becomes
We appreciate that many OWs won’t be in a position to support bursaries at Whitgift currently, but did you know that it is possible to leave a gift to Whitgift For All in your will? We are very grateful to those who have already committed to doing so and I invite anyone who is interested to contact me at alumni@whitgift.co.uk
I hope you enjoy reading the stories about current events at School as well as news from OWs in this issue and look forward to seeing many of you in the coming year.
ANNUAL OLD WHITGIFTIAN DINNER
FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER 2024
The Headmaster was delighted to welcome OWs to the Annual Dinner in the elegant surrounding of the Queens Club in London back in October.
The event attracted OWs from the 1950s right up to recent leavers who were treated to a drinks reception and a delicious 3-course dinner. It was a fantastic evening full of chat and merriment, as old boys reminisced about school days and caught up on news. Both Andrew Halls and Nick Edwards (OW), Chair of Governors addressed the room, noting the wonderful lifelong connections Whitgift brings before an impromptu rendition of Carmen
The next Annual Dinner will be held on Friday 10 October 2025, so please save the date. Why not get a group together from your year group?
Are you a member of a club in London? Or do you have an association with a venue that you think would work well for the dinner? If so, please do get in touch at alumni@whitgift.co.uk
OW DRINKS HONG KONG
The annual OW Drinks Reception in Hong Kong in October was a great success.
Once again Tim Hancock (OW 1964-1971) was exceptionally generous in hosting the event at the prestigious Hong Kong Club where Assistant Heads
Adrian Norris and Andy Marlow welcomed around 25 OWs living and working in the Hong Kong area. It’s always fantastic to see OWs based around the world, John Chisholm Director of International Education is visiting Japan from 27 February to 2 March, so if you are living or working in Tokyo and would like to meet up do let us know at alumni@whitgift.co.uk
OW NYC DRINKS
Thanks to Dave Drinkwater (OW 1976-1983) for organising an OW get together at the recently opened Grand Street Social in Lower Manhattan.
The evening coincided with John Chisholm, Whitgift’s Director of International Education visiting New York and he was so pleased to see old faces and hear where life has taken them since School. If you are in the NYC region and would like to connect with others based across the pond, please get in touch alumni@whitgift.co.uk
UPPER FIFTH REUNION 2024 17 OCTOBER 2024
Peter Warren (OW 1947-1956)
Our 72nd anniversary reunion was held this year at the Kingswood Arms in Banstead, Surrey and abounded, as ever, with first class food and fellowship and we drank a toast to our absent colleagues along with our sadly missed deceased members. (Convenor's Note: only after our Reunion did it become apparent that with four deaths in the previous 12 months, this had truly been the "annus horribilis" in our existence. We trust it remains so!)
Alas, it was a small turn out this year with just 4 OWs attending (the lowest since the 1970s - when in our early forties business and family commitments rightly took priority in life). However, as each of us are some three years past the peak for the deaths of UK males of our generation, it is perhaps
unsurprising. Any disappointment was lessened by virtue of having our Honorary Member present.
Our lively conversation ranged from the Scilly Isles for visitors and leaseholders, to UK school education today - is it fit for life in the second half of the 21st century? And to the social history of the Elephant and Castle neighbourhood to merits and otherwise of car ownership and the world of theatre.
As mid-afternoon loomed and we drew to a close, I believe I heard words “reductio ad absurdum” uttered. Perhaps, at least for us, real-life gatherings may have had their day? But I think not. If we had thought that in the 1970s, we would have missed some 50 years of fellowship in conversation and dining, and you our readers, would have missed our annual reports!
God willing, we shall meet again. Watch this space!
So here we are from the left, clockwise: John Hamilton, Kenneth Rokison, Peter Warren, Brian Halfacre, Angela Warren.
OW JEREMY HARGREAVES
RECOGNISED IN THE NEW YEAR’S HONOURS LIST
Congratulations to Jeremy Hargreaves (OW 1987-1992) who was appointed MBE in the New Year’s Honours List.
Jeremy, a freelance consultant and non-executive in public services, with a background in the NHS, local government, education and consulting, has been at the heart of Liberal Democrat policymaking for over 20 years. During this period, he has devoted thousands of hours of his time as a volunteer. He has been Chair of the Lib Dem European Group (LDEG), a parliamentary candidate, chaired party policy working groups on taxation, public services and wellbeing, and is Vice-Chair of the Party’s Federal Policy Committee (FPC).
Well done to Jeremy for this recognition of his outstanding contribution to public life.
OW RORY BURNS AWARDED TESTIMONIAL YEAR
Whitgift was thrilled to hear Rory Burns (OW 2001-06) has been awarded a Testimonial Year by Surrey County Cricket Club.
Showing huge promise from an early age, Rory joined Surrey as an U9 and played all the way through the age group pathway. He has been captain since 2018, winning
OW JB GILL STRICTLY FINALIST
Congratulations to JB Gill (OW 1998-2005) for making it all the way to the Strictly Come Dancing Final.
JB Gill and his dancer partner Lauren Oakley performed their Showdance to a Motown Medley, a Viennese Waltz to Let’s Go Fly A Kite from Mary Poppins and a Samba to Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes ending the night with an impressive combined score of 119 out of 120. However, it was comedian Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell who were declared
four County Championship titles in seven years, and has scored more than 11,000 First-Class runs for the Club. He has also played 32 times for England, scoring three centuries.
Burns led Surrey to a hat-trick of titles from 2022-2024, scoring more than 1,000 runs in 2024 as he became the second most successful captain in the Club’s 180-year history outright. Only
winners and lifted this year’s Glitterball trophy.
After 13 weeks of dancing, JB admitted that he "laughed and cried" during the process, while enjoying "every last second".
The singer's partnership with professional dancer Lauren Oakley began in week seven after former partner Amy Dowden had to pull out of the competition due to a foot injury.
JB will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour at venues nationwide until 9 February 2025, after which we wish him a wellearned rest!
Stuart Surridge, with five, has won more County Championship titles for Surrey.
Rory Burns said “Having been part of the Club for 25 years, I’m honoured to have been awarded a testimonial by Surrey. The Oval has always been home for me and I’m very grateful for all the support that I have received whilst I’ve been here”.
Alec Stewart, High Performance Cricket Advisor at Surrey CCC, said: “No-one is more deserving of this honour than Rory Burns. Rory is a leader of the highest calibre and very few men have had the impact on the Club that he has”.
Whitgift is hugely proud of Rory’s continued success and congratulate him on this welldeserved recognition of his contribution to the Club, both as a player and a person.
BACK FOR A SECOND YEAR! JOIN US FOR AN OW EVENING OF CRICKET AT THE OVAL
Following the success of the 2024 sell out event, we are pleased to announce we will be hosting our second Evening of Cricket at the Kia Oval on Friday 20 June
2025. The evening in support of Whitgift For All will be hosted by Simon Beck and the Whitgift Cricket Department and gives OWs a great opportunity to enjoy the Surrey v Middlesex T20 match whilst catching up with old friends. We have exclusive use of the John Major Room with a dedicated bar and terrace. Last year was a fantastic evening, but tickets sold out fast, so if you’d like to join us book your tickets at www.whitgift.co.uk/my-whitgift/ alumni/events
1596 SOCIETY
Named after the School’s founding year, the 1596 Society recognises our donors who give over £1,596 a year. To find out more, please contact alumni@whitgift.co.uk or call 020 8633 9922.
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE
Leaving a gift in your will is one of the most personal ways of supporting the School. We will recognise your generosity by inviting you to membership of the Founder’s Circle. To find out more, please contact alumni@whitgift.co.uk or call 020 8633 9922
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Emma Helbert Alumni Relations Officer
In 1990 Pradeesh Sriskandarajah (affectionately known as ‘Sris’ or ‘Six Cans’ by his classmates) and his brother Satheesh joined Whitgift School, unwittingly laying the foundation for a family legacy that spans decades.
Pradeesh’s father originally travelled from Sri Lanka to the UK to study Agricultural Engineering at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). After graduating, he was offered a promising opportunity in Durham, followed by a mechanical engineering role at London Transport, prompting a move to London. With his career firmly established, he returned to Sri Lanka to marry and then settled in the UK with his wife.
Initially residing in Tooting, Pradeesh attended Emanuel School in Clapham Junction. However, with a subsequent move to Sanderstead, his brother applied to Whitgift, and Pradeesh followed suit. Their younger brother joined Whitgift a few years later.
As the eldest in a large extended family, Pradeesh’s father witnessed many relatives settle in London, where they also chose Whitgift for its academic excellence. The family’s daughters attended schools within the foundation, with some boys also opting for Trinity.
Fast forward to today: Pradeesh’s eldest son is in Second Form at Whitgift, and his youngest son has recently taken the 10+ exam. If successful, he will become
the fifteenth member of the Sriskandarajah extended family to attend Whitgift School – a remarkable record!
We recently caught up with Pradeesh to learn more about this extraordinary Whitgift dynasty and here is an overview of each family member:.
Pradeesh Sriskandarajah
Years attended Whitgift: 1990-1995
Highlights at Whitgift: Mason’s House Captain, Senior Prefect. Played Chess, Hockey, Cricket and 1st XV Rugby for School. Went on to play Sri Lankan Expat 7s. Coached Rugby at Old Whits and now helping with the current U13s at Whitgift.
University: Cardiff University to study Mathematics Operational Research & Statistics followed by a Masters in International Banking & Finance at International Business School.
Career: Financial Services: Investment Banking & currently in Private Equity
Satheesh Sriskandarajah
Years attended Whitgift: 1990-1997
Highlights at Whitgift: 1st Team Fencing Captain (went on to be Fencing Captain at university). Public school Sabre Champion, 2nd in U18 British Epee Championships. Selected for England in Four Nation Championship. Represented GB in World Cup circuit.
University: University of Manchester (BSc Chemistry), UCL (MSc in Audiological Science)
Career: Senior Specialist
Audiological Scientist (Guy's & St. Thomas)
Jeyathesh Sriskandarajah
Years attended Whitgift: 1998-2006
Highlights at Whitgift: 1st XI
Cricket and Fencing
University: Kings College London (2007-2012)
Career: Dentist
Kugajeevan Vigneswaran
Years attended Whitgift: 1996-2003
Highlights at Whitgift: Fenced for Whitgift
University: St. George’s, University of London: MBBS
Career: Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.
Harrisan Mohanarajah
Years attended Whitgift: 2005-2013
Highlights at Whitgift: Founded the South Asian Music Society at Whitgift and collaborated with the school orchestra to perform a fusion piece.
University: Queen Mary’s University of London
Career: Equity Trader
Anushan Mohanarajah
Years attended Whitgift: 2008-2016
Highlights at Whitgift: Music Scholar. Dance choreographer for the Indian Bollywood performance at 2015 Sixth Form Charity Show
University: St George’s, University of London - Biomedical Science
Career: Financial services - Senior settlements Analyst
Sathiyan Vimalarajah
Years attended Whitgift: 2003-2011
Highlights at Whitgift: Music, especially playing the flute in Concert Band
University: Imperial College
London – Mathematics
Career: Actuary
Kajanesh Ratneswaran
Years attended Whitgift: 1997-2005
Highlights at Whitgift: Fenced for Whitgift, went on to fence for U21 British National Team.
University: Kings College London – MBBS
Career: Consultant Psychiatrist
Culadeeban Ratneswaran Years attended Whitgift: 1998-2006
Highlights at Whitgift: Fenced for Whitgift
University: Kings College London – BSc (Hons) MBBS MRCP (UK) AMInstLm PGCert (MMed) FHEA
Career: Financial Advisor (CEO)
Maiyuran Ratneswaran
Years attended Whitgift: 2000-2008
Highlights at Whitgift: Fenced for School and the British National Team
University: Imperial College London – MBBS Career: A&E Registrar
Yurdhan Sivathas
Years attended Whitgift: 2011-2020
Highlights at Whitgift: Played Hockey for the 2nd Team and member of the School choir University: City UniversityMathematics with Finance and Economics
Looking to study Optometry 2025
Gavin Murugan
Years attended Whitgift: 20122020
Highlights at Whitgift: Japanese and stage performances. Continued both at university.
University: Imperial College London. Final Year Integrated
Masters Student in Chemical Engineering
Steven Ramesh Rajavinothan
Years attended Whitgift: 2002–2010
Highlights at Whitgift: Public speaking and debating (taught both at School for 6 months in 2014/15)
University: Warwick (PPE); BPP Law School (GDL & LPC)
Career: Underwriter of litigation risks. Formerly a litigation and arbitration lawyer
And finally…
Arjun Sriskandarajah
Current Second Form student and competing in the U13A Fencing team and U13B rugby team!
Do you have long line of family connections with Whitgift? We’d be delighted to hear from you at: alumni@whitgift.co.uk
Pictured left to right: Satheesh, Jeyathesh and Pradeesh
GREG FOOT
RAINFOREST LAB LECTURE
THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER
Award-winning broadcaster Greg Foot visited School to take part in the annual STEM Fair and present an academic enrichment lecture on his recent travels to the Tambopata Research Centre in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.
The lecture was open to OWs, parents and students and Greg gave the audience an inspiring peek into this remote region of the world and demonstrated the urgency of its conservation and preservation through showcasing four important local projects led by conservation biologists. His high energy presentation took the audience up a 40m Shihuahuaco tree to install artificial nests to protect the dwindling macaw population from
CHRISTMAS CHEER
AT THE GORING
Simon Beck
Registrar
The fabulous Whitgift Choristers returned to The Goring in the heart of Belgravia this Christmas to entertain guests during Afternoon Tea in the beautiful Goring Lounge and Cocktail Bar.
The choristers led by the brilliant Choirmaster Justin Miller, once again received huge praise from all attending and the boys loved the opportunity of performing in such elegant surroundings.
Huge thanks to The Goring staff for their generous hospitality and giving the Whitgift community
parasites and predators; deep into the jungle to record primate calls and film jaguar activity and on a nighttime expedition to discover new insect species in a quest to better understand the biodiversity of the Amazon.
The talk included stunning footage taken on his trip and gave
such a wonderfully warm welcome. We are delighted that the Whitgift Choristers have been invited to return next year, and we look forward to sharing the date nearer the time. Early booking is recommended, if you would like to enjoy this festive treat.
students a flavour of the diverse and exciting careers available through studying science and its vital role in the conservation of our planet.
If you’re interested to know more about these projects visit www. wiredamazon.com and www. rainforestexpeditions.com
We are delighted to add that the WFA Bursary Fund also benefited from the event with some generous donations from both guests and The Goring.
BUSINESS BREAKFAST
THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER 2024
The latest Business Breakfast was themed around careers in law. The event saw a dynamic group of 15 professionals including solicitors and law partners, speak with students over a freshly prepared breakfast.
The guest speaker, Alex Forzani (OW 2001-2009) from 4 New Square – one of the leading commercial barristers’ chambers delivered a short keynote address. He is renowned for his expertise in commercial disputes, particularly those related to banking and financial services, as well as public law cases.
FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS AT WHITGIFT
WSPA WINTER FAIR
On Sunday 24 November 2024, Whitgift hosted its first Winter Fair in over 20 years. Big School was filled with independent businesses offering everything from clothing and candles to cakes and artwork. With proceeds going to Whitgift For All, the event was a great success, drawing an excellent turnout in support of bursaries
The breakfast served as an invaluable platform for students considering a career in law or pursuing a Law Conversion Programme to chat with professionals and to get advice, enriching their understanding of the legal profession and the pathways available to them.
From next month our Networking Breakfasts format will change and
for future students. Huge thanks to the WSPA committee for their tireless efforts in making this such a special event and we look forward to the next one.
HORTICULTURE CLUB
WREATH-MAKING
Whitgift’s Horticulture Club held their annual wreath-making workshop, supported by the Gardening team and Mr Nicholls (Teacher of Biology and OW). Using foliage sustainably gathered from the School grounds, students created beautiful festive wreaths to mark the season.
we will invite external speakers with interesting careers to talk to the boys at our lunchtime club ‘Future Forwards’ which runs fortnightly. The first event will welcome parent Christian Darkin, Head of Creative AI at Deep Fusion Films, who will talk about his career in digital animation and the ethical use of creative AI. If you would like to help current students with career decisions and could give an hour of your time to share information on your line of work, please get in touch at alumni@ whitgift.co.uk. Please also join Whitgift Connect, so students can make contact.
CAROL SERVICE
The festive spirit continued with the Carol Service at Croydon Minster on Wednesday 11 December 2024. All Second Form students attended, bringing the community together for a reflective and heartwarming end to the Michaelmas Term.
END OF TERM TRADITIONS
On the final day of term, staff welcomed students up the School drive with cheerful carols, continuing a beloved tradition. The term concluded with Founders House enjoying their annual Christmas dinner, followed by a Christmas lunch for all students on the last day of term and a staff lunch the following day. Huge thanks to Whitgift’s Catering team for these memorable meals.
BOARDING AT WHITGIFT
Interview by Emma Helbert Alumni Relations Officer
Compared to some schools, boarding at Whitgift is still relatively recent, with Founders House having celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2023. We caught up with John Chisholm, Director of International Education and Jae Chang, Acting Senior House Master to find out what boarding at Whitgift looks like a decade on.
How did Boarding come about at Whitgift?
It was Dr Christopher Barnett, Headmaster at the time, who saw the opportunity. Whitgift’s catchment area had become much wider with many students commuting a considerable distance. He realised that many of the busiest students, including top sportsmen, musicians and drama students would benefit from cutting out their long journey after training or rehearsals by staying at School. The White House on Brighton Road had fulfilled this function for a while, but with increased demand, he felt a proper boarding house was required. Additionally, he wanted to open Whitgift up to an international audience, looking for a first-class UK education close to London with top on site facilities. Founders House opened in May 2013.
What benefit does boarding bring to the wider Whitgift community?
Our boarding community tend to be a talented lot. You only have to look at the Honours Boards to see they are a high calibre of students. They tend to be a high achieving,
focused bunch, which encourages other students to follow suit.
The boarders also bring international diversity to the School. The mix of nationalities, cultures and languages helps makes Whitgift the interesting place it is. Whitgift is also a partner school for Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation which places high achieving boys from very challenging backgrounds into both state and independent boarding schools to help them realise their full potential and flourish. We are delighted to have welcomed several gifted children into Founders House through this programme, all of whom have fitted in brilliantly to the boarding family.
We offer Weekly Boarding and Full Boarding. What is the split between weekly and full boarders?
We are 65% full boarders and 35% weekly boarders. Some traditional boarding schools are seeing a big shift to weekly boarding which often means full boarders are left with a handful of students around at weekends. At Whitgift there is a buzz and sense of community seven days a week. We also offer
occasional boarding for boys who may need to stay at School on the odd night, often due to cocurricular commitments.
What are the facilities like for the boarding boys?
Founders House is a lovely space. It’s light and bright and benefits from being a purposebuilt boarding house, rather than a converted building. In the Third and Fourth Form boys are in rooms of three, with Fifth and Lower Sixth students in twin rooms and Prefects and most Upper Sixth boys enjoying their own room. All the rooms have ensuite facilities. There is a kitchenette on each floor where boys can prepare drinks and snacks, as well as a large TV room and Games room with a pool table, table tennis and other entertainment.
Food is a major focus for many teenage boys! Tell me about the types of meals and snacks available to the boarders. With many international boarding students how do you cater for different tastes and cultures? Boys definitely like to eat! It can be challenging to cater for all tastes, but we listen to the boys’
Founders House
feedback, and they regularly meet with the catering team to ensure the menu is varied and appealing. During the week all meals are taken in the Dining Hall in School, but recently boys voted for a Brunch option at weekend to give them a lie in!
We have lots of snacks available, but some students bring a lot of tuck from home as well. It’s not unheard of for boys to arrive with two suitcases – one for clothes and one for snacks!
For some boys it must be quite an adjustment getting used to the new way of life boarding brings. How do you help boys settle in and deal with any homesickness?
The best way to get the boys settled is to pack the first few weeks with activities. Keeping the boys busy ensures they generally adapt well. Homesickness is natural, but the pastoral care is really strong. Each boy belongs to a vertical Tutor Family which includes a Boarding Tutor, a Prefect and boys from across all the year groups to provide support.
The Senior House Master and one of the Deputy House Masters live in Founders House, plus additional residential and non-residential Tutors; a Matron and two Assistant Matrons help give round the clock care for the students. Founders House has a very kind, friendly atmosphere and the boys look out for each other. We only have capacity for 112 boys, so everyone gets to know each other quickly.
What do you think are the benefits of boarding?
Often boys start boarding because
they are so busy with sport, music or drama before and/or after school and reducing their travel time makes sense. Boarders aren’t micromanaged but are encouraged to be more independent and self-disciplined and often become highly organised. The older boys are great role models for the younger ones and academically the boarding students tend to shine. There is definitely a culture of working hard and wanting to do well and that rubs off on most of the boys.
Many boarders would say the strong friendships they make is a major benefit, with lifelong bonds created through the shared experience of boarding.
Is boarding fun? What do you all get up to when the day boys have headed home after School?
It’s great fun! After homework is done there is plenty of time to hang out in the games room to play table tennis or pool, or head to the Sports Hall to shoot some hoops, have a swim or use the gym.
In the summer we often put on a barbeque or have a rounders or volleyball match to make the most of the long evenings.
And how about the weekends? What sort of activities are available to boarding students? Saturday tends to be a day where boys are involved in sports fixtures or music or drama rehearsals. After that, they want a bit of down time to relax after a busy week at School so they might choose to play some computer games with friends or watch a movie.
On Sundays we all go on a trip. Dependent on the time of year that might be a visit to Bluewater for Christmas shopping or a day at the water park. Some of our sixth formers might choose to go into London for the day. We are so lucky to have all the capital has to offer on our doorstep, so we are never short of new things to do with the boys.
Can you share any fun memories of your time involved with boarding?
So many great times. The giant inflatable obstacle course was particularly good fun (and competitive) and the annual fireworks night we host is always a highlight.
If you are interested to know more about boarding for your children or grandchildren, please get in touch with John Chisholm j.chisholm@whitgift.co.uk
Boarders Barbeque
SCHOOL News
NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL –TRINITY TERM 2024
Dominic Edwards
(OW 1988-96)
Teacher and Housemaster (Mason’s)
‘You see, George, you’ve really had a wonderful life.’
Just before the 2023-24 school year came to an end, Whitgift welcomed representatives from Tatler because they wanted to highlight the School in their list of top UK public schools in their 2025 guide. The guide was published just before the new school year started in September and it provides a snapshot of the ‘wonderful life’ available to the boys here, highlighting the beauty of the grounds and buildings in a stunning photoshoot, and praising the diversity of opportunities on offer in a highly complimentary article: "At the end of the last academic year, Head Chris Ramsey moved on to a new position and will be much missed, but Interim Head Andrew Halls will have the world at his fingertips. Toby Seth, from Pocklington School, will take over in 2025, inheriting the forward-thinking gem." It certainly has been a delight to have former teacher, Andrew Halls, back at Whitgift and, I am glad to say, this delight has been reciprocated by Andrew, who has been overwhelmingly positive since his homecoming, never missing an opportunity to laud pupils and staff for all the excellent work they are doing. I, like Andrew, started at Whitgift in the 1980s (although as a boy; I’ve only served 24 years as a member of staff so far!) and I am also incredibly fond and proud of the School – something I hope comes across in the ‘snapshots’
of Whitgift Life I have provided in these pages over the years.
‘What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.’
To start off this term’s review, I thought I would highlight the wonderful range of assemblies the boys have enjoyed. At the end of September, the iconic Premier League Trophy found its way onto the hallowed Big School stage. The reason for this was to celebrate First Form student, Jeriah Boateng, a U12 Academy player at Brighton & Hove Albion who won the Premier League Young Academy Writer of the Year competition. As part of his prize, the Premier League brought the prestigious trophy to Whitgift, giving the School a rare opportunity to see it up close. In the assembly for Lower First to Second Form students, Jeriah was presented with his award and a printed copy of his competition entry. Jeriah continued his creative journey, expanding his winning entry into additional chapters, which have now been published as his own book Back in Time. Moving into October and this time it was the Third Form who enjoyed the privilege of a celebrated guest in their Big School assembly. In celebration of National Poetry Day, Whitgift welcomed Matt Abbott (poet, educator and spoken word performer) who spoke to the boys about his journey into poetry, highlighting how it became his passion, despite not being his original dream. This was followed by a session with Lower First and First Form students where
Matt discussed his book A Hurricane in My Head, a collection of poems that explore themes such as friendship, bullying, and technology - topics that often involve counting the moments and experiences that shape us. Moving on a couple of weeks and the school kick started its now annual World Mental Health Day with an assembly featuring Young Minds, the UK’s leading mental health charity for children and young people, who work to ensure that no young person feels alone with their mental health struggles. The charity provides vital support and resources, advocating for better mental health care and early intervention. Finally, November saw Whitgift host its ever-popular Literary Festival, in which a diverse group of authors and performers descend upon the School for a day of creativity and inspiration for Lower First and First Form students. Chris Bradford (known for his Young Samurai series of books) was the headline act for the day and his assembly certainly got things off to a hair-raising start, captivating the pupils with a live samurai sword demonstration! With inspirational assemblies like these, who knows: maybe our boys will shoot for the moon themselves some day!
‘Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people.’
At Whitgift, we do everything possible to ensure the boys make the most of their youth. Here’s an incredible sporting statistic from this term for you: there have been more than 900 fixtures played, meaning 1,163 pupils have represented the school in competitive games – a 77%
participation across the School.
In the Junior Years participation rates are close to 90%! In rugby, the 1st XV have had one of their best seasons in recent times. After a tight loss away to Sedbergh in the first match of the season, they have just gone from strength to strength, registering some colossal wins, including 52-15 against John Fisher, 54-13 against Dulwich and 40-8 against St Paul’s. Their run in the National Cup came to an agonizing end under floodlights on Big Side in a titanic 10-10 draw against the current cup-holders, Harrow, who went through by virtue of being the away team. At the time of writing, National Cup dreams are still alive for the U14s and U16s, though, who have both recorded an equally impressive series of victories to progress into the latter stages of their competitions next term. The indoor hockey season has seen Whitgift continue its remarkable success in the sport, with no fewer than four national trophies having already been secured: the U13s and U15s earlier on in the term, and the U16s and U18s in spectacular fashion at the end of term when the School hosted the events to great acclaim as we have done for the past few years. Always looking to seek a new challenge, in September the School entered a team for the first-ever nationwide schools’ tournament for Padel, the fast-growing new
sport that is essentially a hybrid of tennis and squash. With nothing to lose, they only went ahead and won the whole thing, just pipping Millfield to the post in a nervewracking final and hence adding yet another national trophy to the list of sporting accolades.
‘That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!’
On Monday 11 November 2024, the Whitgift community gathered at the War Memorial for the annual Remembrance Day service, led by The Right Reverend Peter Price to pay tribute to those who lost their lives. The congregation included Lower First and First Form students, Old Whitgiftians, care home residents, and staff, all sharing in this solemn occasion. The Corps of Drums and Combined Cadet Force (CCF) displayed their customary
precision, handling the Flag Party duties, with flags lowered to half-mast in respect, while Sam Warren (Fifth Form) played The Last Post, creating a moment of reflection. Wreaths were laid by Old Whitgiftian Richard Blundell for the OW community, Miss Saer for staff, and Vatsa Dubey (School Captain) for students. Following the two minutes of silence, the flags were raised, marking a poignant conclusion to the service. Sam Hubber (Lower School Captain) and Vatsa Dubey gave reflective readings, and all present joined in hymns before the Flag Party and Corps of Drums concluded the ceremony with their departure.
‘Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel's just got his wings.’
There might not have been actual bells ringing, but things were certainly Christmassy in
Corps of Drums at the Remembrance Day Service
FROM THE ARCHIVES SCHOOL News
Croydon Minster during the School’s annual Carol Service at the end of term. As ever, the music department, led by the choristers and supported by the entirety of the Second Form, put on a fantastic show that spread Christmas joy to all who went. Earlier on in the term, the music department brought cinematic magic to Big School with the Night at the Movies concert. Stephen Henderson (Director of Music) explained “We wanted the audience to feel the excitement associated with cinema: popcorn, sweets, fizzy drinks, dim lights in the auditorium, bright colourful lighting and smoke effects on stage.” The programme featured Disney classics including The Bare Necessities performed by A Capella, and When She Loved
Me and You’ve Got a Friend in Me, beautifully sung by the Lower First Form. Other highlights included James Bond themes with Skyfall performed by The Blue Shirt Boys and No Time to Die by Big Band. Whitgift Brass added to the excitement with a medley from The Lion King. The concert concluded with a heartfelt performance of This Is Me from The Greatest Showman, featuring the Lower First Form, A Capella, and students from Old Palace of John Whitgift School. Reflecting on the students’ dedication, Mr Henderson added “The boys worked hard to prepare and present a complex and challenging programme and the praise from a delighted audience suggests this hard work really paid off.”
‘Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.’
If you haven’t got my carefully placed film references yet, then BAH HUMBUG to you! What have you been doing at Christmas for the past seventy odd years? Yes, that’s right, the School’s winter drama production this year was none other than It’s a Wonderful Life. Director of Drama, James Hammond, has put on some incredible productions in recent years which have been lauded within these pages, but he really outdid himself this time, transforming the Performing Arts Centre into a fully immersive Bedford Falls, with the audience incorporated into the set, be it as guests at Martini’s Bar, customers at Mr Gower’s Drug Store or
Night At The Movies
eavesdroppers outside George and Mary’s beloved homestead. This allowed the audience to feel that they were truly part of this classic Christmas tale in which a man feels discouraged and wonders what life would have been like had he never been born in the first place. To make it even more of a challenge for the performers, James had some of them operating cameras, filming every scene live as it was performed and transposing it onto conveniently positioned screens around the room to make for an even more immersive viewing experience and to pay homage to the original film. The cast were superb, with Felix Warren (Upper Sixth) and Daniel Montgomery (Fourth Form) standing out in particular as George Bailey and his guardian angel, Clarence, respectively. By the time Auld Lang Syne was being belted out at the end, there were genuine
tears being shed by audience members – and no, they were not due to fake snow getting in the eye (all part of the immersive experience!), they were due to the heartwarming spell cast by the actors and crew during this magical performance.
Merry Christmas, Puntabout!
Merry Christmas, Bigside! Merry Christmas, you lovely old Big School!
Pardon me for the artistic license, but I couldn’t think of a better way to segue into the final paragraph, which focuses upon an early Christmas present the School received in mid-December when the Sunday Times published its Parent Power schools’ league tables. I am pleased to say that Whitgift was placed the 7th best independent boys’ school in the whole of the UK, and the 3rd best London school with a boarding provision for boys. In a list
featuring 730 UK schools of every type, Whitgift leapt ahead of Tiffin School, one of the UK’s leading grammar schools, to be placed 48th best school of any type across the UK. Our performance in A level, IB and GCSE made us the 7th best boys’ independent school in the whole of the UK. As well as finishing 27 places above Tiffin School, Whitgift finished comfortably ahead of most other London boys’ or co-ed independent schools including Trinity, Emanuel, Eltham College, Merchant Taylors’, Caterham, RGS Guildford, Dulwich College and Epsom College.
Vincit Qui Patitur!
school News
WHITGIFT
HOCKEY – STICKING OUT FROM THE CROWD
Interview by Emma Helbert Alumni Relations Officer
With two more national titles secured this term, hockey continues to soar at Whitgift. What’s the secret of their success? WFA News caught up with Director of Hockey, Karl Stagno to find about more about the man who has elevated Whitgift to the highest echelons of school hockey in the UK.
Karl, tell me about your route into hockey
I grew up in Gibraltar where, like most kids, I was playing football. It’s the same all over, football dominates kids sport and unless you are introduced to something else – that’s what you do. However, when I moved to senior school aged 12, my football team disbanded and as a keen sportsman I was looking for what’s next. I lost my dad when I was four years old, but my Mum and grandparents often talked about how he played hockey. My older cousin Nathan was also playing, so when I heard there was a House Hockey competition at my new school, I thought I’ll give it a go. Nathan gave me some of his old sticks and I just started practicing on the carpet with a hockey ball. I was always super competitive, so I trained like mad as I did not want to be mocked for not being good enough. So that’s where it started and I got good very quickly, but I started really late. Hockey is an early maturation sport, so 13-14 is later than most.
With a lot of sports, you have to train with a team to really
improve, but with hockey you can go to an astro with a stick and ball and spend hours on your own and make really big inroads into your game. I improved fast and ended up loving it as I was competing well, and it felt good.
Do you remember your first coaches?
Yes, I do, and I am still in touch with them and their families. I belonged to a club called Eagles Hockey Club and it was a really tight knit supportive unit. We’re all still great friends and regularly chat on a WhatsApp group.
What brought you to the UK?
I’d visited the UK a few times and got to know the Kingston area pretty well. I was playing at a high level playing for the national side in Gibraltar and it was my now wife, Cathie, who encouraged me to go and play in the UK. I was working in the finance sector in Gibraltar – that’s what you do there! I was 16 when I started and by 19-20, I was sure this was not for me! I decided I wanted to study Sports Science, So, I moved over and started looking for a hockey club. I was approached by Teddington who were in the Premier Division at the time, but shortly after starting with them Surbiton noticed me. They were in Division One but convinced me that as a young player I would have a better chance of making a name for myself with them. So that was it, I was living, studying and playing in the UK and loving it.
So how did you go from playing to coaching?
Whilst playing at Surbiton we started the Colts section with our coach Jon Royce, and I was doing
Dr Karl Stagno
a lot of coaching with the juniors. The Director of Sport at Kingston Grammar approached me and gave me a paid job coaching part time. I was making quite a bit of money and life was great! I had very few outgoings, so I probably felt more well off then, than I do now!
Towards the end of my degree, I got a call from my lecturer saying I was in line to get a First Class Honours, and that Kingston University would like to offer me a place for four more years to do a PhD. All I could think was four more years of hockey – so I was thrilled! My wife to be had finished her degree and the plan had been to get married and move back home, but she was enjoying London life, and we agreed I’d stay and do my PhD. I didn’t need to be at the university to do my research, so it gave me great flexibility to play, coach and study. One of my best friends was playing for Great Britain at the time and was heading out to Sydney for the Olympics. He was in a bit of a predicament as he had a contract at RGS, Guildford as Head Hockey coach,
but couldn’t honour it due to his Olympic commitments, so asked me if I would take over from him. So, I did, on a part-time basis, never thinking it was going to be my career, as at that time I was planning to continue with academia and become a university lecturer.
I had started to apply for academic jobs when Dr Cox the Headmaster of RGS Guildford (and former Second Master of Whitgift) approached me and offered me a full-time job. It was teaching academic PE as well as PE. By this time, I was almost 30. I was the Player-Coach for Surbiton in the Premiership, and I felt I had to make the decision as to which route I wanted to take – go into academia or become a teacher. Ultimately, the benefits of working in a school and coaching
was the most compelling option. The only thing holding me back, was I didn’t have a formal teaching qualification, which would be a problem if I ever wanted to return to Gibraltar or go into the state sector. Amazingly, he enrolled me onto a Graduate Teacher Program course which took two years to complete but meant I would end up as a qualified teacher. I learned how to teach whilst working at RGS Guildford and thoroughly enjoyed it for about 6 years. However, RGS Guildford was a mainly Rugby school and whilst Rugby was not really strong, it seemed to me the Hockey was not supposed to get stronger than rugby. This frustrated me – it felt like rugby always overshadowed hockey even though we were enjoying successes. I made the decision to move on to Portsmouth Grammar School.
They played hockey for two terms which excited me, and as a co-ed school, we felt it could be an option for our two daughters. However, we underestimated how much we would miss the fantastic support network we had built up in the Kingston area and both Cathie and I felt lonely there.
By some amazing twist of fate, come February Half Term I found out that the Head of Hockey position at Whitgift was going to be advertised. I knew Aly Osborne well from the school’s hockey circuit and I knew this was the place for me! Back then Whitgift had enjoyed some hockey successes. The U16s had won an indoor title and the U14s had won an outdoor title, but Aly had ambitions for Whitgift to do better and was looking for four Heads of Sport for rugby, hockey, football
U16 National Indoor Hockey Championship Final
and cricket. So that was it, I joined Whitgift on a teachers contract in 2011 and have had 13 very happy years here.
Whitgift have enjoyed enormous success in that time. Many independent schools must have talented students and dedicated coaches, so what do Whitgift do differently?
We have great facilities and great coaches who solely focus on hockey and that makes a difference, but the most important thing is the programme and where hockey sits within the sports programme. The fact that boys can choose to play two terms of hockey from the beginning of their time at Whitgift is key. As I mentioned, hockey is an early maturation game, so the earlier they start the better. Being able to work with boys for two terms consistently over a number of years enables them to fine tune their skills and I am able to squeeze out every ounce of them to play as a team. If you said to me tomorrow, the boys
are going to play rugby first term and hockey second term, I firmly believe we wouldn’t win anything again.
The other thing is the undying nature of just working incredibly hard. When Covid hit, the hockey season was wiped out, but rather than thinking ‘oh well, it’s the cricket season now’, we arranged a block of Sunday fixtures for every year in the School against local hockey clubs. It meant my staff and I were working seven days a week, but we didn’t mind as we love the game, and we all want the boys to fall in love with the game. Rolling up your sleeves and working a bit harder makes a difference and I truly believe that extra effort in the Covid period was a huge contributing factor to our recent successes. Human beings look for a quick fix. ‘Oh, they must win because of their sports scholars’ or ‘they just bring the best players in’ – the genuine answer is the boys and coaches put in hours and hours of training and the results come.
Just recently we organised a whole Sunday of fixtures against a German team, so we played Saturday, and we played Sunday and the same the weekend after. So that’s it, we work hard.
OWs Zach Wallace and Jack Waller have gone on to great things and are playing hockey for Great Britain, but do you find many boys keep playing hockey after school?
The most important thing to me about our programme is that when the boys are 25, they are still calling me for advice. That we’ve instilled a lifelong love of it – that’s success. I’ve got 17 OWs playing in the Premier League, another 30 playing in the division below. 20 playing for Old Whits. When I finish my little huddle with the boys before a final and I walk back to the bench and look up at the stand to see 10 OWs watching – that’s what I do it for. I have so many messages of support from boys I used to coach because they love the game and still keenly watch how Whitgift are doing.
Finally, what life skills do you think hockey brings?
Of course, teamwork, confidence, resilience, but I talk to them a lot about effort. I don’t care about skills errors, but if you are giving me an effort error because your choosing not to run, or not to work or to turn up late, then that’s a problem. It’s the magnitude of their effort that I am concerned about, not if we win or lose, because if a boy is giving me 100% then he is on the right path. That’s what matters in life.
U18 National Indoor Hockey Champions
OLD WHITS RUGBY NEWS
Chris Sills
Old Whitgiftians’ rugby has emerged from a period of turbulence with aplomb. The clubhouse continues to enjoy renovations such as revealing the original parquet flooring in the bar and complete replacement of the tap systems to ensure only the freshest beer (including Guinness!).
On the pitch the 1st XV weathered a tricky start to the season to end before Christmas with 5 wins in 6. This included a spirited defensive display sealing an away win at John Fisher in subzero temperatures. New captain Jordan Lewis is confident that 'The Jazzers' can improve upon their fifth-place position as we look towards the second half of the season.
The Wanderers (2nd XV) is also enjoying somewhat of a renaissance thanks in no small
part to the efforts of OWRFC’s Sam Barriball and his organisation with counterparts at Old Walcountians. I am sad to report that Sam departs these shores for pastures new temporarily this year, we will miss his calm, friendly presence at the club no doubt. We can take comfort from Daniel Lewis stepping into the role of 2nd XV captain. This marks the first known time in the club's history that two OW siblings fill the roles of 1st and 2nd XV captains - a great credit to the Lewis brothers.
The junior section enjoyed a hugely successful annual tournament in memory of OW Seb AdeniranOlule and the charitable foundation that shares his name. Walking rugby for injured and more senior players enjoys its first full season, playing on Saturday mornings and enjoying a rich social aspect. Similarly, our nascent girl's rugby section continues to grow in partnership with local clubs in the area.
As always, I'd like to extend a warm invitation to anyone reading this. We'd love to see you down at Croham Road to play, watch a game, join in a supporters’ lunch. Please email me to find out more on seniors.chairman@ oldwhitgiftianrfc.club
Renovations underway at Croham Road
Past and current players from the 1st XV and Wanderers XV
SPORTS NEWS
OWGS NEWS
Peter Gale, Hon. Sec. (OW 1963-1969)
Most of the final action in the 2024 season took place in Norfolk. Apparently, this is the country’s driest county, although that reputation proved very difficult to justify over our two visits in September and October.
The Grafton Morrish is a scratch foursomes tournament open to any schools within the Headmasters’ Conference. It began – for your correspondent – with the not-so-gentle sound of a 50mph northerly rustling the roof tiles and horizontal rain lashing the window of his room. Several layers of windproof and waterproofs later, we arrived at the clubhouse of Royal West Norfolk GC, which is sometimes cut off by the highest tides and looks somewhat forbidding as it appears on the coastline in the gloom of an early (7.40am) start. A certain sense of hysteria was noted in those within the clubhouse; everyone amused at the ridiculousness of trying to play golf in such conditions, which, even if the rain relented in time for the start, caused the Brancaster sand dunes to deposit much of their content into the eyes of the players. I cannot remember seeing so many provisional balls being hit (by both sides). It was chaotic. Bags of clubs and trolleys were being blown over time and time again. The opening drives of both Whitgift and Malvern had to be retaken, both having been aimed left towards the sea and finishing 100 yards right; Whitgift lost the hole to a seven. It was brutal,
all the more so when the rain reappeared mid-round.
All three of Whitgift’s pairs –Harrison Sellers/Jack Raison (photo); Max Stanley /Toby Kemp; and Matt Webster/Nick BaxterBrand - made a shaky start, and the scoreboard (had there been one) would not have looked kind to Whitgift during the outward half. Things got better at the turn; having been 4 down after 9 holes, Webster/Baxter-Brand started a recovery, as did Sellers/ Raison, who had been 5 down after 8, but then won two holes on the bounce. The middle match however, was closer throughout.
Could the mother-of-allcomebacks be on the cards? Unfortunately, no. Sellers/Raison eventually went down to a 3&2 defeat, whilst both matches behind them went down the 18th. Kemp/Stanley got back to level at 16, only for Stanley to be blown off balance during his tee shot to 17, resulting in a 1-down defeat. Webster/Baxter-Brand continued their recovery all the
way, eventually levelling things up on 18. So, a closer match than the scoreline suggests, but nonetheless a first-round defeat. Loretto ended up as Grafton Morrish champions.
The society’s autumn tour visited Norfolk too, in similar conditions. Admittedly the first day’s golf at Bungay was technically in Suffolk, by the slimmest of margins, but the weather was most definitely coming from its neighbour, and it was extremely wet, testing to the limit the waterproof qualities of the outerwear. The golf lasted merely the ten holes necessary to get back to the clubhouse, which was a shame because Bungay is a nice course, and a bit of a steal at a £33 green fee. Gorleston was not quite as wet as the previous day, probably because the wind was so strong that it blew most of the rain on to Bungay and beyond. With the previous day’s results rendered null and void, this was the first round to count towards any awards, but stableford scores varied between 17 and 30, indicating the difficulty most of the party found with
Harrison Sellers and Jack Raison
the conditions. Another nice course: definitely a test when the wind blows. Great Yarmouth and Caister GC on Thursday was a different proposition altogether. Built in and around the racecourse, the greens were generally good but, even allowing for the hollow-tining being done, some of the fairways resembled Big Side on a bad day in the 60s. Scoring however was better, because of the sunny and relatively calm weather, by
an average of about four shots compared to the previous day. Tony Mason was a deserved overall winner, hoovering up with scores of 30 points and 34 points on the two days, and emerging as overall winner and eclectic winner, as well as leading Cross’s to retention of the ‘house’ trophy. Virtually a clean sweep, although Martin Hayes showed his class in terms of the number of ‘nearest the pins’ that he won.
OW HOCKEY SHOWCASED AT THE NATIONAL PREMIERSHIP SUPER 6S
Simon Beck Registrar
Over the first two weekends in January, Whitgift hosted the Men’s National Indoor Hockey Premiership Super 6s again.
With 17 OWs playing for the top 9 Teams in England, the quality of the play was outstanding, none more so than with Wimbledon HC (coached by Whitgift’s Director of Hockey Karl Stagno), who were unbeaten and move through to the Grand Finals in Derby later in January as the hot favourites to become National Indoor Champions. Four of Wimbledon’s squad were also OWs, but it was the Sevenoaks v East Grinstead match which saw the biggest cohort of former pupils playing with 7 on the pitch out of 12 playing in just one game. East Grinstead’s coach Wes Jackson, who is also a Whitgift Hockey Coach, masterminded a good tactical victory which saw them also through to the Grand Finals.
Alasdair Grievson won the society’s annual knockout competition, beating Peter Kelley in the final.
And Whitgift have been drawn to play Radley in the first round of the 2025 Halford Hewitt, to be played at Sandwich on April 10th. Spectators welcome.
For any potential new members, regular updates on society golf, and the 2025 fixture list, can be found at oldwhitsgolf.com
OW James Beck playing for Sevenoaks v Wimbledon
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BILL WOOD INTERVIEW
Interview by Emma Helbert Alumni Relations Officer
Last November Bill Wood retired from his role as Head Archivist for a new life on the coast. Bill has done so much for Whitgift including his regular contributions to From The Archives in WFA News We, therefore, thought it only fitting, that we dedicate this issue to the man himself and met up with him to find out more about his life.
Bill, you are well known for having an interest in Croydon history. Was Croydon always home before your recent move to Kent?
Yes, I was born at home in Croydon in 1956. My family lived in Davidson Road, East Croydon backing on to the main London to Brighton line and the railway yards. I have very early memories of the Royal train passing through on its way to Epsom and hearing the goods wagons being shunted at night. We lived there until I was 6 years old, during which time I attended the Davidson Road School (a military hospital in WWI).
I then briefly attended Oval Road School (where Alan Cowing OW also attended) before the family moved to Coniston Road, Addiscombe where I went to Woodside School for the rest of my primary years. I have very fond memories of the place, especially going on some great local trips –Gowllands, the local optical works, R. White’s Lemonade factory and Woodside Brickworks. Strangely the Brickworks has a connection to where I am now living in
Kent. Ian Hanley, son of the owner of Woodside Brickworks (no relationship to the current Whitgift staff member!) told me that his family once owned a property in Birchington-on-Sea.
After that, I went to Stanley Technical (Trade) School for my secondary education as I loved technical drawing, woodwork, art and all things creative. I always loved gardening too. I wanted to become a Landscape Architect, but unfortunately, I wasn’t strong at Maths and Stanley wouldn’t let me take Art A Level without Maths A Level. I knew my Maths wasn’t up to it, so I looked at other options and tried Croydon Art College. One of the tutors there believed in me and allowed me to do an art foundation year which led to me being accepted at Camberwell School of Art and Design. It was a wonderful place with some fantastic tutors; Eric Ayres was my main tutor and he encouraged me to turn my hand to everything – screen printing, sign writing, calligraphy, etching and typography (good for learning how to read backwards and upside down), giving me great proofreading skills!
Tell us a bit about your family. I have two older sisters.
My mother was Irish; she came over from Enniskillen and ended up in the WRAF in WWII. She was a parachute packer at RAF Merryfield near Yeovilton.
My father was in the RAF and that’s how they met. He was training to be an air gunner, and was destined to go to Egypt, however, he never got to fly. It
was the latter stages of the war, and more air gunners weren’t needed, so he got transferred to Northern Ireland, with 210 Sqn as a Ground Observer. He was based at the Giants Causeway.
Co-incidentally, my mother was also due to go to Egypt, but last minute she was transferred to Northern Ireland. She went to the RAF Headquarters. She was lucky enough to meet General Patton, which was quite unusual, as there were strict instructions not to speak to high-ranking Officers, but somehow, she managed it.
You’re a man of many interests. I hear you have a passion for clouds and poetry amongst other things. Tell us more about your pastimes. My time at Croydon College and Camberwell School of Art and Design led to a lifetime interest in the crafts.
I’m also keen on creative writing and that was encouraged by a teacher called Mr McDermott. He was a staunch, upright man, rather like my predecessor at Whitgift -
Freddy Percy. Each term, we had to write an essay on a book we’d read. I remember writing an essay on The Old Man and the Sea and got completely carried away and handed in a 30-page review! He was so pleased with my effort that I was rewarded with a book token – I remember I bought a dictionary!
The poetry really started 4 or 5 years ago when Gabriella Forzani (daughter of Joy Forzani who has worked at Whitgift for a number of years) got me on to Instagram. I was hooked! I write directly. I don’t prepare, I just write what comes to mind.
I have always enjoyed local history and military history with a particular interest in The Battle of Britain and the Blitz.
Where did your interest in military history come from?
My Grandfather died when I was about 6 years old. He had a big pile of photo books of World War I images which really started my interest. Also, my parents often talked about their experiences in WWII. They both had great wartime stories. My mother had pictures of US Airforce friends which I found fascinating, and I am still trying to identify them to this day. Their stories inspired me to collect historical books, including many BBC Year Books from the 1930s to 1950s, as I’m particularly interested in that period.
My interest in the Blitz was ignited by my father’s story of a V Bomb going off whilst he was waiting for my mother at Waterloo one day. It led to me volunteering for the RAF Museum at Hendon
some years later, which allowed me to learn more and meet many of the people I’d researched. Group Captain Bill Randle was a director of The Battle of Britain and Bomber Command Museums at Hendon. We became great friends, and he told so many interesting stories. I met some of the Resistance heroes through my volunteering too. It really was a wonderful experience.
Tell me about your working life. After college, I worked for Gemini Publishing in a converted warehouse in Waterloo. The company produced two magazines –Parents and Psychology Today My job was layout artist. Going up the stairs on my first day at work I met the lady I was taking over from. She looked at me rather pitifully and said, ‘Good Luck!’ I soon worked out what she meant, as the Editor was an ogre. He would bellow in rage at the smallest mistake.
Fortunately, the Psychology Today Editor Beverley Haines was a delight. An Australian lady with a fantastic sense of humour and she and her sub editor really looked after me.
One day the Editor said to me ‘the Art Editor is on holiday, it’s down to you to put together the next issue and it’s due on Friday!’ He didn’t just mean the layout, but also getting all the advertising artwork. So, I did as I was told but I really had very little experience and limited guidance. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t go well. On the Monday
I remember him storming out of the office and screaming ‘what have you done! There’s a blank page! This is a disgrace, and you can call the ad agency to explain’. I’d only been with the company nine months, but I thought that’s enough. With so little information I was expected to take full responsibility, so I resigned. He told me I’d never work in publishing again and that I certainly wouldn’t be getting a reference. Luckily for me, Beverley came to my rescue and wrote me a lovely reference (unbeknown to him of course!)
After that I got a job in the Design and Illustration Branch at the Home Office. The Head of Department, Frank Grove saw something in me and gave me the job based at Romney House in Victoria. One of my first jobs was doing a clear out in the basement. Little did I know that it used to be the underground store of the Civil Defence Headquarters. It was filled with maps, paperwork, glass slides, all sorts. It was right up my street! Only days before, filming had finished for the BBC TV Series Secret Army which was based on wartime escape routes and the French Resistance. The advisor for the series was none other than Bill Randle – my friend from the RAF Museum. I only found out years later, but such a coincidence.
Over the years, we did a lot of work for the Fire Service Training Centre at Morton-in-Marsh (which much to my excitement was a former RAF base). It was a good team but by 2001, we had diminished from about 20 to 5 having been taken over
FROM THE ARCHIVES
several times. Initially, we became part of the Stationary Office, before being taken over by an American company followed quite quickly by another take over. The final company was based in Cambridgeshire, and I was told I needed to move to an industrial unit outside Cambridge. I didn’t want to leave south London, so I resigned, but before I left, I saw an ad in the Croydon Advertiser for a job at Whitgift School who were looking for someone with experience in printing, scanning and computing – especially Apple Macs and being so close to home, it looked ideal.
I met Bob Johnson, Head of DT and Alan Walker, IT Systems Manager and yet again the interview really revolved around military history. There’s a common theme!
I then had to go and see the Bursar, Richard Hills who had an RAF background (so again we mainly chatted military, rather than my experience) I got a job offer that afternoon.
I started at Whitgift in August 2001. Initially, I was working for Alan and helped boys with their projects in the DT department. I really loved it. In 2002 the Headmaster asked me if I’d like to expand my role and work in the Archives in the afternoons as he knew I had an interest.
What was the Archive Department like when you arrived?
The archive was three small rooms at that time. There was a fire safety system in one of the rooms, but it was pretty basic and crowded. The Head Librarian, Tia
Bauer saw the importance of the Archive and championed it. We got together with Rita Boswell who had experience in school archives from her work at Harrow School and she introduced David Clifford who was working in the archive at Westminster School, and beforehand with Rita at Harrow.
To begin with it was a matter of pulling everything off the shelves to work out what we had. We were given the old Careers Room as our search room; the archive store was reinvented with the rolling racking we have now.
Do you have stand out moments from your time working in the Archives?
I am proud of the Mary Rose Exhibition we staged at Whitgift. I was just in the background but really enjoyed helping out. I had a range of duties, for example, I checked the daily humidification of the display cases, as the items on loan were incredibly rare and needed to be kept with huge care. I was lucky enough to meet Margaret Rule who was involved in the initial recovery of the Mary Rose. It was such a pleasure to meet her.
The biggest highlight was the World War I Exhibition held in the Performing Arts Centre in 2016. It was tremendous. It was open to the public and we welcomed 36,000 visitors from all over the world. I ended up looking after the shop and loved it. I was working 7 days a week, talking to visitors and I met so many interesting people.
Another wonderful moment was meeting entrepreneur and philanthropist, Melissa John.
There was an auction of OW John ‘Cat’s Eyes’ Cunningham memorabilia. She bought the entire collection. I phoned the Auctioneer, as I was keen to get a photo for our archive, as John was such a well-respected OW. The next day I got a phone call from Melissa John! We had a lovely conversation, and she asked me if I would be interested to have some of the collection on loan. I couldn’t have been more excited. So, I went to see the Head who was also over the moon. She came to the School for a special Open Evening, and she couldn’t have done more for us. As a gift, she gave Whitgift a wonderful replica set of John Cunningham’s medals made by the royal jewellers. It was quite something.
Geoffrey Munn the silver expert who appears on the Antiques Roadshow had a son at Whitgift and was very interested in OW and renowned silversmith Gilbert Leigh Marks. I helped him with information for a book he was writing which I enjoyed and interestingly, Geoffrey’s wife Carol was a descent of James Watney who owned the site Whitgift now stands on.
In 2005 Jim MacLean (OW 195761) came to visit me, his father was Don MacLean, RCAF, one of the Dambusters pilots and that was a real honour too.
We have so many wonderful artifacts in the Archive, but do you have a favourite?
I think the original wooden drinking bowl used by John Whitgift is exceptional. I also love a panel on the wall in the archive
research room which was made in commemoration of a former teacher. It is designed by OW Gilbert Leigh Marks - the eminent silversmith. It’s really special.
OWs often send in Whitgift related items to the Archives. Do you have any that stand out?
I was always grateful to receive items and saw some wonderful pieces over the years but was particularly taken with a Whitgift tankard found in a charity shop in Auckland, New Zealand. The shop volunteer, John Hartley wrote to me and asked if I would like it. It was silver plated and inscribed with Whitgift Grammar School 1886 with the School shield and motto below and had been awarded to a Herbert Sidney Moss as a long jump prize. I was delighted he went to so much trouble to send it me. I also had another gift from New Zealand - a wooden plaque sent over from the grandson of the late Rev. ‘Pa’ Mason. Again, so kind to send from so far away.
Tell us about your new life in Kent. With some more time on your hands, are you hoping to take up any new hobbies or join any clubs?
You won’t be surprised to hear I intend to continue with my research on Croydon history, but I would also like to spend time researching my own family history further and perhaps helping local residents with their family history too. There is a Heritage Centre in Birchington, so I am quite keen on volunteering there if they’ll have me. Lastly, I’d still be keen to help with both the Whitgift archive and alumni if at all possible. OWs have such a big part of my life and quite hard to leave behind.
Lastly, what are your thoughts on the Whitgift Archive moving forward?
The Whitgift Archive is such an important source of material which has to be kept, not in a dusty corner, but available to be seen. My dream would be to have the collection online for the boys and Whitgift community to see. I’d love for the Whitgift Almshouses and Whitgift House residents to have regular access and teaching staff to use the Archive more as part of their teaching. Understanding the past is such an important part of the present and future.
For anyone interested in following Bill’s poetry on Instagram, his username is billythefishofcroydon
We wish Bill a wonderful retirement and thank him for his devotion to Whitgift for the last 23 years.
In Memoriam
WITH SADNESS WE REPORT THE PASSING OF THE FOLLOWING OLD WHITGIFTIANS
OCTOBER 2024
David E Priest (OW 1944-1951) Died 14 October, Aged 89
NOVEMBER 2024
Colin Jekyll (OW 1947-1954) Died 24 November, Aged 88
DECEMBER 2024
John O Cutler (OW 1947-1951) Died 19 December, Aged 91
William G Woodward (OW 1946-1952) Died 23 December, Aged 90
Jeremy M White (OW 1964-1970) Died 24 December. Aged 71
JANUARY 2025
Michael D Smith (OW 1955-1963) Died 3 January, Aged 80
Forthcoming Events
DATE AND TIME
Under 30s Drinks
Wednesday 12 February 2025
WFA Spring Lecture with General Sir Peter Wall (OW)
Friday 21 March 2025
OW Reunion Lunch for OWs who left in a year ending 5 from 1945 to 2015
Sunday 18 May 2025
Evening of Cricket T20 Surrey v Middlesex
Friday 20 June 2025
VENUE
Horniman at Hay’s, Hay’s Galleria, London Bridge
Whitgift School
Whitgift School
The Oval
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