The changing of the guard

In 2019, Matthew Fosh (The Head Master’s 1971 2 ) retired as Chairman of the HDT after ten years, handing over to Jim Glover (Rendalls 1978 3 ), who takes us forward into the next ten.

What have been your motivations for supporting the work of the HDT? Matthew: Generations of old boys, parents and friends of the School have done what they can in many different ways to build and make stronger this great School. As Chairman of the HDT it has been my way of trying to do just that, as a representative of the 1970s’ generation.

You took over as Chairman in 2019, what are your reasons for taking on the role? Jim: Having been privileged to have been asked to be a Governor, it was not long before I realised how important a role the HDT plays in the funding of significant projects around the School. It also plays an equally important role in providing funds for our bursary programme and so it felt like a place where I could play a positive role.

What have been the highlights during your tenure as Chairman? Matthew: As always with a team effort, it’s all about the people. Watching the HDT team achieving its goals and then seeing the boys benefit so richly from those goals, has been reward beyond measure.

You are becoming Chairman at an exciting time for Harrow, as we prepare to celebrate, in 2022, 450 years since the foundation of the School. What are you most looking forward to in your role? Jim: There is a talented team of people who work for the HDT and first and foremost I am looking forward to working with them towards some very ambitious targets over the next few years. The 450th anniversary of the School gives us a great reason for some extra-special events and for opportunities for people who care about Harrow to make their own contributions to the celebrations; current parents, the Harrow School community of teachers and nonteaching staff, Old Harrovians and former parents. There will be opportunities for all those people to celebrate this significant milestone, and we hope to persuade as many of them as possible to help us with our ambitious plans for the future. programme across year groups both inside and outside the House system. As you progress through the different year groups, these bonds become stronger and more cohesive so that, by the time you leave, these relationships are extremely strong and, in some cases, last a lifetime. Friendship and loyalty were and still are hugely important to me.

What is your favourite Harrow Song? Matthew: I must confess that my total favourite is Five Hundred Faces. By the time one is in the Removes, one is already far too cool for the song’s wondrous sentimentality, but as the years have gone on, ‘Yet, as the years go by...’ I have found it simply too delicious to resist: hankies regularly required. Jim: Silver Arrow, which, although relatively short, seems to have a rather impressive way of bringing to life some simple but hugely important themes. Hope, history, teamwork, loyalty and leadership all feature in the song, and being able to finish with that incredible rousing final half of the last verse at full volume is always special.

What lessons or values have you taken forward in life from your time at Harrow? Matthew: The abiding lesson I learned from my time at Harrow was ‘the individual and the team’. Life is almost entirely lived in teams, and allowing the ‘individual’ to flourish while supported and complemented by the other strengths of the team is at the heart of Harrow’s great traditions and values, and had a lasting effect on me. Jim: Definitely an appreciation that in order to succeed you need a good team of talented individuals around you. I think the School promotes this really well through its very wide-ranging co-curricular How has Harrow changed since your time here as a boy, since the time your sons were here and, Matthew, even in the ten years you have been Chairman of the HDT? Matthew: So much has changed, so much has stayed the same. Since the 1970s, the quality of pastoral care has been transformed, academic standards and aspirations have improved beyond recognition, and the School has an understated selfconfidence little in evidence 50 years ago. What has not changed in the past 50 years, nor indeed in the past ten, is the challenge of maintaining this extraordinary institution – and that challenge now passes to the next generation of old boys, parents and friends of the School. Jim: Harrow remains an incredibly popular choice for many parents, and its ability to keep up with the dynamic changes happening around us in the 21st century is testimony to its ability to remain relevant and attractive to a market with significant choice. Its ability to blend that modernity with its particular and important traditions make it a pretty unique place to spend five years of your life and, having had the privilege of meeting a large number of recent Harrovians, I feel this mix of old and new produces wonderfully impressive young men.

Left: Matthew Fosh (The Head Master’s 1971 2 ) and Jim Glover (Rendalls 1978 3 ) Top: Jim Glover in 1982 Bottom: Matthew Fosh in 1975