co-education. Many have followed in the intervening years, and attested to the virtue of the decision once made. As can be imagined the transition was not an easy one, but the Headmaster steered a steady and determined course through choppy waters, fulfilling his promise of leadership and responding to the demands of changing times. Change inevitably brings the need for other farreaching decisions, and the shift away from boarding and the increase in girl boarders within the declining total meant that the House structure had to be matched with the demands imposed upon it. Decisions were taken, and although often not universally acclaimed at the time, have proved to have been precisely what was needed. Thus the years that followed have seen a steady rise in public esteem, and enhanced reputation for academic achievement and sound management. Even with the recognised success Robin Pittman knew that there was no room for complacency. If the vital boarding element was to be retained, and the position to be maintained, then much thought and energy needed to be expended. 'Marketing' became the new religion, and numerous initiatives were spawned by the newly-formed marketing committee. It was an exciting and challenging time to be a Headmaster and Robin Pittman rose to the task with unstinting energy. The boarding decline was indeed arrested with no small contribution from a hardworking team of Housemasters presiding over vastly improved boarding houses. Although this side of the school's affairs was of great significance the many other facets of school life were by no means neglected. The Headmaster was a hard taskmaster who set high standards and demanded no less of others. The response of the staff was enthusiastic, and the rewards in terms of steadily improving teaching facilities and year on year excellent examination results are a testament to the policies being adopted. The Scott and Grove Blocks, the magnificent Chilman Building, Linton House, the Art Department, and the new day School House are just some of the lasting memorials to Robin Pittman's stewardship. The quality of music would rank very high on his list of cherished memories, and his delight in sporting success, or a work of drama performed with passion and intelligence by his pupils, was obvious for all to see. In all of Robin Pittman's many decisions and problems wrestled with over the years, his loyal wife Laura was always in the background, giving tireless support, encouragement and advice. She has earned the gratitude of the whole school community. Robin Pittman has achieved much in his ten years as Headmaster. Any school, if it is to be successful, cannot be allowed to stand still and his direction throughout a period of unprecedented change has been a model for others to follow. Competition from other schools, examination and curriculum changes, ever-rising expectations and social mores, will continue to be challenges. Happily he will enjoy his retirement close enough to witness the many ways in which the school will continue to build on the firm foundations he so conspicuously laid. D. H. Hamilton
R.N.P. VALEDICTORY To capture the essence of a Headship is an impossible task, even one so clearly successful as that of Robin Pittman's. Ten years on from the September in which he took over from the temporary headship of the much respected David Cummin, it is given only to those who experienced the difficulties that preceded him to know the measure of his impact. Mr. Pittman had already cut his teeth with seven years as Headmaster of Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School in Bristol. It was perhaps there, or even during much earlier National Service days, that he developed Edmund Burke's adage that "....good order is the foundation of all things....", and he quickly found in York that he had inherited a very loyal staff who also believed in good order, and a school with a proud tradition that he set about exploiting. An early interview with a local newspaper revealed his thinking at the time. Describing himself as a "modified traditionalist'' he likened his approach to that of a new broom that would sweep the school, with its 1300 years of histoiy, towards the twenty-first century. This, he explained, would mean respecting the school's past whilst attempting to keep up with the demands of ever-changing times. Tradition Robin Pittman saw in philosophical terms as respecting positive virtues whilst changing those things that had to be changed. The threefold aim he outlined at the time has indeed stayed at the forefront of the subsequent ten years — to pursue academic excellence, to foster self-discipline and responsibility, and to give the necessary leadership. Perhaps having taken a few weeks to survey his new challenge Robin Pittman took time to reflect upon his classical education and murmur the words of Virgil in The Aeneid, "Hos successus alit; possunt, quia posse videntur" (Success nourished them; they seemed to be able, and so they were able). Thus he set about his task with relish, giving that self-belief back to the school, and establishing leadership that would allow a fundamentally sound institution to be nourished by its success. Initially Mr. Pittman identified those areas of real strength in the school — a thriving House system, a good record of examination success and a rich variety of extracurricular activities. To this he quickly added a tutorial system which involved all the teaching staff in closely monitoring the academic progress and pastoral care of individual pupils. However, there were matters of more fundamental significance which he had to grasp. The middle 1980's was a time of falling numbers of boarders throughout the country, and St. Peter's was not exempt from this trend. It was judged that the boarding ethos of this school was something that added character and opportunity for all its pupils, and something well worth striving to maintain. It was perhaps this stimulus above all others that heralded another of the momentous change that have characterised the thirteen centuries of St. Peter's School. But it was also the vision of the Headmaster, who saw considerably in advance of the Heads of many similar schools, the value and merit of 37
