Commemoration, 1956

The deluge of rain throughout the Friday night and its resumption on the Saturday morning inevitably filled us with foreboding. Commemoration without the cricket match and the boat races and the social opportunities which go with them must forfeit much of its attraction, and as we trooped out of the Clifton Cinema after the Speech Day Ceremony we were not unreasonably apprehensive. However, all ended well. The skies cleared; a new wicket was prepared (though doubtless it would not have been approved by Test Match captains)• at 3 o'clock the O.P. XI set about its business of ' extricating itself from the ignominous position in which it had found itself at the close of play the day before; and the large gathering of spectators was able to enjoy a carefree and entertaining game in conditions which, if not ideal, were not unpleasant. Though an untimely shower prevented a finish that might have been exciting, and the C.C.F. concluded the proceedings with its impressive display rather earlier than had been scheduled, none the less we felt that the afternoon had been a success. The Old Peterite Dinner, held for the first time in the School dining hall (an experiment which proved an unqualified success), followed in the evening.

The proceedings at the prize-giving in the Clifton Cinema followed the familiar pattern. The value and enjoyment which we derive from this function must depend largely, of course, on the qualities of our guest speaker, and our belief that the choice of Mr. Hugh Lyon, M.C., formerly Head Master of Rugby and now the Director of the Public Schools' Employment Bureau, would prove admirable was more than justified. Mr. Lyon's was one of the more noteworthy addresses we have had on this occasion. He was welcomed in the now traditional Latin oration, this time delivered by D. M. Walker, the senior Classical scholar, and we would congratulate Walker on the way in which he performed the difficult task of conveying to his audience, the bulk of whom could only follow in the printed English translation, the vigour, dignity, and expressiveness of the original.

Mr. Lyon's address, as we expected, was devoted to the question of careers for boys leaving St. Peter's and schools like it. Rejecting the sordid association of the word "career" with its unattractive derivative "careerist", he contended that a career could and should be a vocation—"a calling in life", he explained, "to which you are meant to devote yourself, your energies, your talents, your tastes; and for every one of you there should be a career which you can make your vocation. Naturally at schools of this type from time immemorial there have been recruits going out to what are perhaps the greatest vocations of all, to the Church, to medicine, to teaching, to the service of your country at home and overseas. But you will perhaps forgive me if I mention another type of vocation, which sometimes is neglected. I have for the past years come, almost for the first time, 6

into close touch with the world of industry and commerce, and the more I have done that the more I have been impressed with what it is not exaggerating to call the national urgency for more young men of a quality that a school like this produces, to find their vocation there. I feel that in the past the business world has suffered many disadvantages, not least of them being perhaps the ignorance and prejudice which has been all too prevalent in some schools of this type. But I know that a man of good quality can there find not only a life full of interest, and responsibility and service, but a life which will be one where he has real human interests from first to last, and there are, I expect, many of you who if you give it thought could find there your vocation, and in that capacity do service to your country; and if you are going to do that, and are going to do it well, you have to be laying the foundations now, and so in a way we come back to the present."

Mr. Lyon went on to say : "What is it you can be doing to prepare yourselves best for any sort of vocation whatever it may be? Well, first, I would say, get as much out of this School as you can. You are on a good wicket here, try and bat till the day's over. Stay here right on, your full time, if they will have you, and suck the orange dry. Try your hand at some of these very many outside activities that are there waiting for you to enjoy. That, I think, is the first thing, and then, of course, your life here, if it is going to be worthwhile, must be based upon the right foundation. Your Head Master said 'that in the best schools the school is centred on the School Chapel'. I am quite sure that is true. If your lives aren't built on that foundation then the service you render will be inefficient, unworthy. You need to be men of integrity. Men who give to the utmost of what they have, and in that connection remember that if you do stay on that extra year at school, you will not only be getting a great deal, you may be giving a little back, for all that the school has given you."

Mr. Lyon's address, which was enlivened by a rich sense of humour, had the twin merits of brevity and clarity. Further, he achieved his aim of "trying to say a few things and not making you forget everything by trying to say too much". We are grateful to him for a speech which by its very simplicity and directness cannot have failed to impress his audience. A vote of thanks to Mr. Lyon, proposed by Professor Davison, was carried with enthusiasm.

The Commemoration Service on the Sunday morning was, as always, a moving experience. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Canon T. H. Tardrew, who is a member of the governing body.

The following was the programme for the three days :-

FRIDAY, 27th JULY. 11- 0 a.m. School v. Old Peterites Cricket Match. 6- 0 p.m. Old Peterite Club Annual Meeting. 7-30 p.m. Concert in Big Hall.

SATURDAY, 28th JULY. 11- 0 a.m. Speeches and Presentation of Prizes by 2- 0 p.m. Cricket Match (2nd day). 2-30 p.m. Boat Races, School v. Old Peterites. 4-30 p.m. Tea. 6-45 p.m. A Display by the Band of the C. sounding of "Retreat" and the "Sunset". Exhibitions of Arts and Crafts in the Art Room and of Hobbies in C Classroom. 7-30 p.m. Old Peterite Dinner at The School. SUNDAY, 29th JULY. 8-15 a.m. Holy Communion. 11- 0 a.m. Commemoration Service. Preacher : The Rev. Canon T. H. Tardrew. Hugh Lyon, Esq., M.C. C.F., followed by the Naval Ceremony of

THE HEAD MASTER'S REPORT

In the course of the Speech Day proceedings the Head Master gave his usual report on the activities of the School in the past year. Apart from his review of the work and of activities outside the classroom, the details of which are regularly reported in "The Peterite", Mr. Dronfield gave a lucid exposition of the general policy of the School and commented with his usual incisiveness on many of the problems which confront Independent Schools today.

In his observation on the curriculum the Head Master had much of interest to say on the difficult problem of reconciling education in the widest sense with the demands of vocational training. He believed that in actual fact the two were not mutually exclusive and that it was possible to give a boy a wide general education and at the same time keep an eye on his probable career. It was our endeavour so to arrange the curriculum that no irrevocable decision as to a boy's Sixth Form course need be made until he had passed the "0" level stage—and Mr. Dronfield insisted, at St. Peter's School, 'all boys pass and do not by-pass this stage'. It was inevitable, of course, that a boy who took a third language, either Greek or German, must begin at the IVth Form stage and in consequence devote less time to other subjects. But this need not preclude his taking a Science course at a later stage in the VIth Form. He believed that the boy who had an interest in and a flair for the Classics or Modern Languages should be given the opportunity to indulge them at any rate to "0" level and that at this stage too much importance should not be assigned to the claims of his possible career.

It was, however, Mr. Dronfield explained, after the "0" level stage had been passed that the problem of specialisation became acute. It was still possible for the clever boy, he believed, to take Classics, Modern Languages, History, or English up to standard high enough for admission to the University and then, if desired, switch to a Science course. In this connection the new Transfer Scholarship scheme inaugurated by the I.C.I. was of particular value; and it was significant that at recent conferences between Industrialists and

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Educationists it had been the former who had deplored excessive early specialisation. However, despite such shifts in the wind (further illustrated by the decision of some universities to accept as Medical Students good boys who had been brought up at school in humane studies in the belief that such entrants would be well able to cope, after they get to the university, with the small amount of science really necessary for pre-medical training) it remained none the less true that it was the university entrance requirements which called the tune and that for the present we must adhere to the more traditional preparation for certain professions via the Science Sixth.

In this matter of providing a general as well as specialist education in the VIth Forms the Head Master strongly commended the proposed introduction next term of two new two-year courses, one in "The History of Science" for boys on the Classical and Modern sides and the other in "Economic History of England" which can be taken by the Mathematical and Scientific boys. Both these courses would lead to examinations at the end of two years and would do much to correct the lack of balance implicit in specialised VIth Form courses. For he believed that the complete education of a boy "should be based on as high a standard of specialist achievement as is possible for him in one of the principal groups of subjects but that in addition his general school experience and training should teach him to know what to look for in a work of art or a piece of music, to know something about the government and economics of the presentday world, to express himself clearly and confidently in public, to develop a liking for poetry and literature and, above all, to meet and tolerate men of all races and languages".

In his observations on our building and development plans, the Head Master drew a distinction between what was possible by our own revenues and resources and what could only be achieved within measureable time as a result of aid from outside. In the former category were the new classroom block, the renovation of the Chapel, and the important additions to the Grove boarding house. The purchase of a house in St. Peter's Grove would enable us in the course of the next year to modernise and make addition to the Manor which adjoined this newly-acquired property. In the same way the acquisition of a house in The Avenue which accommodated some of the Junior School boarders had enabled us to convert the first floor of St. Olave's into a Sanatorium which was more than adequate for our ordinary needs.

Our major programme of development, Mr. Dronfield said, must await the greater success of the Appeal launched a year ago. That, up to the present, had reached the satisfactory total of nearly £21,000, but it was clear that large donations from industry or commerce or from individual benefactors would be needed to reach our target. In this respect it was unfortunate that our own presight two or three years ago in spending our available resources on providing first-class

laboratory accommodation had precluded us from benefiting by the new Industrial Fund to help science-teaching in the Independent Schools. While no-one could criticise the promotors of that fund for adhering strictly to it purpose the fact did correct an impression which seemed to be abroad that such a fund solved all our financial difficulties.

Finally, before passing to his detailed review of the work and activities of the past school year, Mr. Dronfield had something to say about the recent increase in the School fees. He deplored the necessity for it and assured parents that every effort was being continually made to control expenditure and to keep our fees down to the minimum compatible with the maintenance of our high standards, particularly on the strictly educational side, and the provision of all reasonable facilities for the boys to develop outside the classroom. Much, he said, was said and written about the possibility of State aid either for Independent Schools or for individual parents, and he felt it was not his province to comment on it, except to reaffirm our determination to preserve our independence, not for the sake of independence, but because we believed that in that way we could make our best contribution to the educational system of our country.

PRIZE LIST

Norman Crombie Memorial Prize - - E. S. Portlock Archbishop of York's Prize for Classics - - D. M. Walker Dean of York's Prizes for Latin Prose :

VIth Form - - - C. W. Jose

Below VIth - - - J. R. Humpherson Stephenson Greek Prize - - - - C. W. Jose Whytehead Memorial Prizes for Divinity :

VIth Form - - - - D. M. Walker

Below VIth - - - F. D. Lavender The Toyne European History Prize - - R. F. Coates The Head Master's Prize for Mathematics P. J. Netherwood The B.M.A. Medal for Science - - G. F. B. Mitchell The Jack Brittain Memorial Prize for Middle School

Essay C. D. Ibberson The Frank Pick Prize for Design - - J. N. Russell The Old Peterite Club Reading Prizes :

VIth Form - - C. R. Clough

Below VIth - - - - - A. H. Crowther The Yorkshire Agricultural Society's Prize - M. Kay Modern Languages Prize - - H. C. Wright Senior Essay Prize - I. E. F. Morton Physics Prize - D. J. Oldman Chemistry Prize E. C. Sedman Geography Prize - - F. D. Lavender Music Prizes :

Piano - P. S. Roe

Instrumental K. Wilson Art Prizes :

Senior - J. N. Russell

Junior - - - - W. R. Bytheway General Knowledge Prizes :

VIth Form - - - B. W. H. Carter

Below VIth - - H. R. L. Purse 10