Review of the Year

Below we print extracts from the Headmaster's Commemoration Speech:

Philosophy

A significant and enjoyable part of my job as Headmaster is to meet prospective pupils and their parents and to show them round the School. Two rather tricky questions are often put to me. I am sometimes asked, "What are your views on discipline?'. I resist the temptation to say out of perversity that I am against it, and I go on to talk about a structured and happy environment in which crime and punishment fortunately do not loom large. A harder nut to crack is the second query, 'What is your School philosophy?'. Here I share the view of John Rae, mentioned for the second time this morning and the writer of the recently published Delusions of Grandeur, an autobiographical account of his Headmastering years. Like him I am not particularly strong on theories and am essentially more a pragmatist, hoping that my day-to-day decisions across a whole spectrum of responsibilities go towards producing a School that is both successful and purposive. I tell my parent-questioners that my philosophy adds up to this: high academic endeavour and achievement with teaching of quality; a full and rich life outside the classroom with many opportunities for our pupils to realise their best potential in sport, music and much else; a happy School atmosphere which can only be achieved within a framework of discipline; and something more — that moral purpose conveyed by our Christian traditions and worship and by a staff concerned and caring for every individual boy and girl. How then has the last year measured up to these demanding ideals and standards?

Academic Results

First the academic sphere. Last summer our public examination results at both A-Level and G.C.S.E. were better than ever. The A-Level pass rate of over 9 5 %, with 51 % of grades at A and B, and a G.C.S.E. pass rate of 92% were outstanding, and it was no surprise that we emerged 160th in the Financial Times league table of 1,000 top state and independent Schools, far above all our significant regional competitors. In addition eight pupils have gained Oxbridge places, with Christopher Braganza being given a choral award to Clare College, Cambridge. Another indicator of our academic standing has been the continuing development of the Alcuin Library, its greater pupil use, its enhanced stock, its computerised systems, and the considerable input of our full-time librarian, Avril Pedley.

Sport

As to our extra-curricular life you would not thank me for a dry recital of matches won and concerts performed. However, I believe that all that is attempted here should be done wholeheartedly, and it is good indeed to record splendid success in a number of areas. Our rugby football results continue to improve, and I congratulate Paddy Stephen and his players for a season with as many matches won as lost at first team level. A particular achievement was our victory against Bradford Grammar School in last autumn's Under-17 Competition. I subsequently received the following letter from L. W. Bentley, past president of Yorkshire Rugby Football Union:

I should like to congratulate your under-17 rugby XV squad and the staff responsible, not merely for winning the trophy at the first attempt, but for their overall behaviour on and off the pitch, their very high standard of play, courage and determination and their exemplary sportsmanship Supporters of rugby football were as enthusiastic and proud in recognition of your team as you must be at St. Peter's.

That says much for the standards of Peterite sports in general and the spirit in which they are played.

Our cricketers are also achieving success with a strong eleven commended more than once in the columns of The Daily Telegraph and with two centuries scored by Richard Musgrave and two by the team captain, Michael Davies. Indeed Michael's 167 against Bradford Grammar School was the highest score in the School's cricketing history. South Africa last December was a memorable experience and excellently conceived and put together by David Kirby. It was an equally rich experience for my wife and myself to meet up with the team for some of their matches, two of which were played against elevens from the townships. The beauties of Hilton College in the heart of the Natal Midlands; the shanty towns stretching to the horizon outside East London and the other big cities; a day's cricket played in the shadow of Table Mountain; the rubbish dumps next to wealthy suburbs being scavenged by destitutes and cripples; the sophistication of Cape Town and its waterfront: a welter of experiences and memories which will give all of us who were out there a compelling interest in the fortunes of that beautiful country as the events of the coming months unfold.

Our rowing also remains strong; entries and successes at various regattas have been legion; and we congratulate the VIII on once again having been selected and having competed at Henley.

The Arts

The musicians have also had a busy year, and standards of choir, band and orchestras have never been higher. The recent Associated Board exams, with fourteen

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distinctions and nine merits, is testimony to this. North America now beckons — 5.00 a.m. next Wednesday. Andrew Wright has our congratulations on his achievements and our good wishes for the tour which will surely be a marvellous experience for the seventy members of the party. Why not give them a warm sendoff, not necessarily on Wednesday morning but by coming to the pre-tour concert in the School this coming Monday evening at 7.30 p.m.?

I must mention Ian Lowe's powerful production of Othello with fine performances from many but especially from Christopher Braganza and Jack-Patrick Weatherall.

Outdoor Pursuits

I would add three further illustrations of our resourcefulness and energy: renewed interest and activity in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, with thanks here to John Owen-Barnett (only the other week a third year pupil, having completed his DoE first aid course, acted heroically before the ambulance arrived in resuscitating and caring for an elderly person who had collapsed in the street); David Hughes's mountaineering and hill-walking club with an active programme and amembership embracing present pupils, parents and Old Peterites; and Peterswalk '93, ably organised by John Shaw, with £12,000 raised for York Against Cancer and cheerful (and for some painful) participation of all 480 boys and girls in the twenty-mile trek along the river from Boroughbridge to York. The whole picture — the team games, the individual sports, the musical and drama disciplines, the cadet camps, the clubs, the holiday expeditions, the sponsored walks when the School invariably rises to the challenge — all these and more contribute to a full and satisfying educational experience.

Happy School

You will recall that the third pillar of my rather rickety philosophical structure is the happy School atmosphere within a disciplined framework. Perhaps Headmaster's are not best placed to take the School temperature, to pronounce as to whether the School's pupils are content or not. Suffice to say that my working life is not dominated by problems arising from disciplinary lapses or victimised students. No School can ever complacently claim that no pupil is ever bullied and that no offence against its rules is ever committed. But I do not believe that we would achieve our results (results in the broadest sense of the word) if indiscipline were rampant and if too many boys and girls were 'creeping like snail unwillingly to School'. I hope, to adapt John Major's phrase, that we are a School at ease with itself. If this is so, then how is it achieved? I believe that it comes from the care and consideration of us the staff: attempting to treat our pupils with a respect for them as individuals, making clear to them what we believe is important in standards of decency and behaviour, exercising our authority with firmness when necessary but with fairness and understanding at all times.

Values

What of the fourth support — the significance of our Christian tradition and the transmission of spiritual and moral values? I must mention first in this context the visit to us earlier in the term of Lord Coggan, former Archbishop of York and of Canterbury. Despite his fullness of years his strengths are as apparent now as in his time of office: a compelling address to the whole School in morning Chapel, and an inspirational sermon and presiding over our Confirmation later on the same day. His impact was electric, and this surely says something also of our pupils who do not treat Chapel and what it stands for with disdain. The two hundred who take Communion or receive a blessing at our Sung Eucharist and the care with which our Chaplain's words are heeded are significant signs of our pupils' commitment to and consideration of things beyond the temporal.

Here we are touching on other matters of relevance. Where do young people pick up their sense of right and wrong? How much is this the task of the School? How much comes from formative years, from family, from peers, from the media — TV, cinema, newspapers? John Patten seemed to be saying a few months ago that the problem should be tackled by strengthening Religious Studies syllabuses. I recognise his concern but would be cautious in considering such a prescriptive remedy. Young people learn differences between right and wrong as much by example as by precept: the notion of preaching to pupils what is right and what is wrong can be counter-productive. I do not think that morality can be 'taught' by specific teachers in particular curriculum subjects. It is hopefully 'caught' through the relationships which characterise a School's quality of life as a community: relationships between pupil and pupil, pupil and teacher, teacher and parent. The teachers, and I necessarily as Head, set the tone, the moral framework within which our pupils grow and develop. This moral atmosphere, this sense of community, is what the School can contribute to their moral development. Knowledge, skills and values are, at least to some extent, conveyed through the curriculum. Biology, courses in personal and social education, Religious Studies, English Literature, History, Geography, and more, all play their part. But values are also picked up at home and in society as well as at School. I hope, however, that a School environment such as ours here can reinforce these values. Our Christian tradition and worship underpin them, and we, the teachers, have a huge responsibility in attempting to convey them by example, with understanding and respect and, indeed, with love.

As I said earlier, pragmatism rather than philosophy is my stamp. To sum up the year: we have a School which is full at all points and with a competitive entry; we have a flourishing boarding community which this September is expected to expand rather than to contract (absolutely against the marked trend nationally of boarding decline); we have excellent public examination results; we have a busy and successful extra-curricular life; we have good standards of discipline and generally happy pupils with little victimisation by one of another and considerable tolerance within the student body of the odd ball and eccentric. All this reflects standards of teaching and pastoral care of a high professional order.

Flies in the ointment?

Are there then any flies in the ointment? I hope that our boarding side will continue strong in spite of social changes and contraction of the armed forces, both of which could constitute a long-term threat. Also we cannot be complacent about the lure for some of 16-plus education in the maintained sector with its easier, more casual routines, its fewer demands and obligations for students and the absence of tuition fees. Fortunately any threat to our sixth form from this quarter is more than met both by the quality of the educational experience which we offer and by significant recruitment into the St. Peter's sixth form from elsewhere. It is important in considering such a potential threat that we do not compromise on what we stand for and what we achieve. We have something popular, worthwhile and distinctive to offer, and I believe that we shall retain our strong appeal at the 16 to 18 stage with our different, more demanding and successful sixth form experience.

The Staff

Reflection on the professionalism of teachers is a suitable cue for me to head homewards. We are fortunate at St. Peter's that none of our teaching staff is leaving this year. I pay tribute to their skills, their concern for their pupils and their dedication to this School and what it represents. Our achievements are due to them and they have my heartfelt thanks. My thanks also to our Second Master, Don Hamilton, for all his counsel and support; to the Master of St. Olave's, Trevor Mulryne, for his positive and sensitive leadership of our flourishing Junior School; and to our Bursar, Brian Jelbert, for his careful, efficient and effective management of our financial and related arrangements. I acknowledge also how much we owe to our administrative, catering and maintenance staffs and thank them warmly for their full commitment to the School and its well-being.

There are also one or two other special thanks to give: Darren Richmond who has helped us valuably in various capacities this year before he embarks on his graduate teacher training; to Debbie Westgate for so efficiently running our girls' games during Wendy Newton's absence; and to Jim Mooney who has been a pleasant and effective member of staff during Liz Stephen's maternity leave.

The Ending

Now at last the brilliant ending. In fact, it may be regarded as somewhat low-key, but it is nonetheless relevant as a summing-up of this School's purpose and achievement. Last September I received a letter from a pupil about to begin a worthwhile 'gap' year before university. It was only two sentences long but said much:

As I depart abroad I feel that I must write to thank you and the other members of staff for making my time at St. Peter's so happy and fulfilling. I really do appreciate all the help I have been given, and I look forward to the future with confidence knowing that I am well prepared for the outside world.

Ladies and gentlemen, if Schools, like businesses, now need mission statements, then, to use some further jargon, that will do nicely.

The preacher at the Commemoration Service in The Minster was the Reverend Colin Semper, Canon of Westminster and formerly Head ofB.B. C. Radio Religious Broadcasting.

The guest of honour at Prize-giving was Sir Marcus Fox, M. P. for Shipley and Chairman of the Conservative backbenchers' 1922 Committee.