Headmaster’s Foreward

Headmaster’s Foreword

When the world seems topsy-turvy, stability is such a treasured respite. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was that dependable, solid foundation, and provided a sense of security as we were battered by pandemics, war, climate catastrophes, economic collapse, and much more. The steadfastness of Her Majesty’s reign has been extraordinary. It was an absolute joy to be able to share our tercentenary celebration along with her Platinum Jubilee - a double cause for celebration. 2022 will always remain in our hearts as the year we lost something and someone extra special, but her legacy will undoubtedly live on. This 300th year for Churcher’s College was similarly about celebration of what has passed, but also about a legacy for the future, as the school reinforces its connections with past and present to strengthen its charitable purpose for the future, guiding children through their formative years.

This momentous year has seen some memorable moments. The opening of the new Music School and Goodfield, housing Design & Technology, Maths, and Classics, was a brilliant and ambitious curtain-raiser to the year. Celebrations continued with the magnificent ‘300’ photo on Memorial Field, and the Junior School unveiling of their commemorative tree mosaic, culminating with the Summer Concert weekend at the end of the academic year. This was a weekend of connection and reconnection not only for those involved with the School, but also the wider community at the delightful Community Fair, which brought together the Mayor of Petersfield and forty local community groups. Well before Her Majesty The Queen encouraged the country to plant trees as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, we had begun the process of creating Tercentenary Wood, where all children, from Nursery to the Upper Sixth, and all the adults associated with the school, have planted 1,800 trees for generations in the future to enjoy. As the first year since 2019, when A Level and GCSE exams were actually sat, rather than simply calculated, this summer was certainly one full of anxious moments, but the strength of all here shone through with some extraordinary results:

A Level % A* % A* & A % A* to B % A* to C % A* to D % A* to E No. Candidates 2018 22.2 55.8 87.8 97.7 100.0 100.0 99 2019 26.3 63.2 85.8 96.8 98.8 100.0 113 2020 36.0 70.9 93.7 99.5 100.0 100.0 130 2021 30.8 70.7 91.5 98.9 100.0 100.0 122 2022 41.9 73.3 92.5 97.2 99.4 100.0 150

GCSE 9 9-8 9-7 9-6 9-5 9-4 9-3

2018 22.0 43.5 65.7 83.9 94.2 98.5 98.6 2019 26.0 49.8 71.2 88.9 98.3 99.8 99.8 2020 35.5 62.5 85.0 95.7 99.6 100.0 100.0 2021 30.3 56.4 79.2 93.5 99.1 100.0 100.0 2022 25.6 49.2 73.7 88.7 97.4 99.3 99.9

There is much to bemoan about the Covid times, but one ‘left-over’ that we have noticed this year is that the level of enthusiasm and involvement in anything and for everything has been higher than ever. One often doesn’t really appreciate what one has got until one no longer has it, and Covid deprived us of much, which we are now so grateful to have back. It is possible that our superlative exam results are a consequence of this realisation and new appreciation. The publication of this Churcherian magazine, a chronicle of the academic year just past, has coincided with the sad end to an era, but much as Her Majesty would want us to celebrate all she has achieved, and her huge contribution to all our lives, so this magazine is also a celebration of all that the children of Churcher’s College have achieved over this last year. Simon Williams