The Elizabethan 2020 - Westminster School Annual

THE ELIZABETHAN

Abbey address

by Patrick Derham

This is my 20 th Abbey Address and it is my last. What should a Head Master say on such an occasion?

Whatever it is, I am sure it should be brief.

In your time at Westminster, you have been equipped to go further than simply travelling beyond Little Dean’s Yard. You have benefitted from an exciting, exacting, enriching and ennobling education. I believe Westminster has prepared you to face a world that demands a global flexibility – the preparation to deal with a dynamic in which there are clashing truths, cultural complexities and ancient animosity. The values and ethos of this School have set you on the right road. It is a direction that I hope will take you soaring aloft in a world of challenges and opportunities, and I want to share with you this morning four brief reflections.

First, you have been given the gift of a Westminster education. Use the voice you have developed to speak up, to speak your own mind and to draw out others around you. But more importantly help those who cannot speak up for themselves. As we heard in the reading: “speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy”. One of the key lessons you have learnt is the importance of empathy: imagining to be someone other than yourself, which I believe is at the core of our humanity. It is the essence of our compassion. It is the beginning of morality.

One of the great privileges that your education here has given you is the opportunity to have experienced success in other ways as well as the academic. For your time here, you have been surrounded by excellence in every sphere of human activity. Indeed, you may well find that life after School seems rather flat in comparison. And you will go into a society where the general feeling is that the person who dies with the most toys is the winner. But I’m proud of Westminster, and you should be too, because I actually believe we are a community that knows that success is not just to be measured in exam grades or bank balances, not just in what we have but in what we give, not just in what we buy but in what we create, not just in how we lead but in how we serve. And service in the true sense of the word is what makes a formal education worthwhile. The big idea of a Westminster education is the open eye, the open mind, the open heart.

Secondly, you have learned well the lessons of uniting knowledge and goodness. Go and give yourself to your communities and to this world, and in the process, do so for others and not for yourself alone. Matthew Arnold wrote in his Essays in Criticism : “We are here on Earth to do good to others”. That sentiment is one that I would ask you all to embrace in the remainder of your Westminster years and beyond.

And, thirdly, remain connected with each other and to this School. Take the connections and special friendships that you have formed at Westminster with you, and nurture them in years to come. The Greek philosopher, mathematician and religious scholar Pythagoras put it beautifully when he said,

“Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life”.

Finally, I believe that the values you have learned here are designed to help you rise above the shallow and the superficial and to resist the seductive charms of the selfish, consumer-led society, which is all around us today. I want to finish by sharing with you a challenge I gave to the school community in my first Abbey Address in 2014. I said this: “Be your own person and hold fast to the values that you will learn here. Be realistic but remain idealistic, expect life at times to be difficult and disappointing, but always remain positive and cheerful, listening for the beautiful sounds, looking for the ennobling sights, seeking to discover, to see and perceive, to hear and understand, to know and believe”.

© Dean and Chapter of Westminster

Overseas experience

by

Being an international boarder at Westminster is guaranteed to be a thrilling experience.

Sharon Chau (PP), Suzie Huang (QS), Pomme Kashemsri (BB) and Tony Zhao (BB)

Many of us spent the summer before coming here attempting to visualise the precise peculiarities of such a place – a British boarding school, at best Hogwarts sans the magic; at worst, an exclusive environment full of people who walked and talked like the cast of Downton Abbey or Blackadder

Two years later, I’ve realised my misconceptions were unfounded –this Brave New World was far more Lord of the Flies – in a good way, of course. I still remember the first day, being greeted by a burly Head of House who insisted on personally carrying my luggage up the stairs. There have been other highlights as well, from belting out bangers in our Common Room, courtesy of (D)Jai Gandhi, to the informal and often spontaneous boarders’ outings all around London, especially Chinatown.

My fondest memory of all is the Saturday Karaoke night organised meticulously by Ms Franco (who approached me at the beginning of

this term with a set plan for all the weekend activities, which requires god-tier levels of commitment). The night was chaotic (again, in a good way), with Mr Lutton’s rendition of Jerusalem so brilliantly British it almost turned my blood into tea, and Ms Wagstaff who really stepped up to deliver our favourite hymn. Dr AK, who graciously permitted our invasion of LL and even warmed us up with Bob Marley, deserves our full appreciation as well. On the very next day it turned out, to my pleasant bewilderment, that I was rewarded the ‘Best Videos’ title –notwithstanding a lack of physical prizes, the clout we have gained from being recognised at such a ‘prestigious’ event was more than enough (I regret not putting it on my personal statement).

It may be hard for those who have spent so long here to appreciate or understand, but something that has ensured the far-too-short two years that most overseas boarders enjoy

here remain unforgettable is not just academic or sporting success. It’s this sense of companionship and community that is hard to explain, the kind that can only be found in 8.00pm kitchen gatherings or quiet Sunday afternoons spent reading in the shared space we’ve come to call home.

At the risk of cliché, I have also felt that one feels they are a part of something larger when in Westminster.

It is this strange feeling of impermanence, the idea that the same ethos of community and belonging will still exist years after moving on, when the Fifth Formers who arrive when you are in Remove are themselves in their final year here. That being said, I am not sure if anyone ever ‘moves on’ from Westminster; I know I will struggle to when the time comes.

Why I’m not proud of Pride

by Dominic Bramley-Carr (HH)

I’ve been lucky growing up in the Westminster bubble. As a school, we foster an atmosphere of understanding and individuality that encourages the expression of sexuality and gender.

Our Pride Society, which I’ve been fortunate enough to co-lead for the last two years, is demonstrative of the open, thoughtful and caring attitude that is maintained throughout the School. During Pride month, we always make sure to make a statement of support, whether it be the raising of the flag or the Library’s fantastic displays of LGBTQ+ literature. However, outside of the Westminster world, Pride has become something different.

“If you want a bank you can be proud of, look no further”. This is what I think of when I think of Pride. Growing up inspired by overt unapologetic expressions of gender and sexuality, I wonder where it got so confused and commercialised. The last time I went to Pride, I noticed that nearly every float was lacking in anything particularly positive or queer-friendly and instead consisted solely of logos. Comparing this to the first march in 1970, 50 years ago, it seemed like a shell of everything that has been fought for. I struggled with how to feel because I knew I should be grateful for the ability to enjoy an open celebration of my sexuality and my community, even if it was undercut by a slight atmosphere of exploitation. So many people around the world are desperate to express their sexuality, let alone go to an entire parade dedicated to doing just that. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still issues closer to home. In fact, it launches us into a far wider discussion around the controversy of queer cultural appropriation.

A difficult topic to grapple with, queer cultural appropriation refers to people who aren’t part of the LGBTQ+ community adopting aspects of queer culture for their own. It manifests itself in different ways depending on different people’s experiences.

For some, it may be about the invasion of queer spaces or the use of language and slang originating in queer culture. I’ve struggled with people attempting to enforce their opinion on queer issues. Here, the issue lies in people trying to establish their voice on the matter as equal to those who are directly affected by it. I was conducting an interview around people’s experiences growing up LGBTQ+ and I got into an argument with a friend who said that I should include a straight person in it. It wasn’t the idea of talking to a straight person that annoyed me but the idea that I should have to give them a platform equal to that of a queer person to talk about something they inevitably cannot understand. Although I can see how this may seem narrow-minded, it comes from a place of being told how I should act, dress and live by people who would never experience what I have to go through as a result of who I love. They most likely will never have slurs shouted at them on the street or feel like an outsider to society because of what gender they are attracted to or identify with, so how can they deserve an equal voice on queer issues?

Queer cultural appropriation is clearly visible in this version of Pride. Under a facade of celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, companies use it as

marketing, as a demonstration of how accepting they are. They exploit queer people for commercial gain and yes, as much as it’s better than nothing, we shouldn’t settle for it. Pride is not a holiday like Valentine’s Day, and it is not something to be hidden under a bank’s logo. As much as I want to share my culture and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community on a wider scale in society, we cannot invalidate the trauma that countless people have gone through by letting this culture become something commercial and superficial.

For more on what the Pride Society has been up to, see the report in the Academic section.

Interview with the Dean

The Dean of Westminster Abbey, The Very Reverend John Hall, retired on 1 November 2019. Head Boy Louis Negri (BB), Head Girl Hannah O’Connor (GG) and Captain of the Queen’s Scholars

Abigail Wallace (QS) spoke to him about his career and his time at Westminster.

© Dean and Chapter of Westminster

Interview with the Dean

Louis: So first question, when you first arrived, what was your immediate impression of Westminster School?

Dean: So this was December 2006, and Stephen Spurr was Head Master and Gary Savage was the Under Master. My cousin was at Westminster School years ago, so I was aware of Westminster School, I was in awe of Westminster School because I thought this is an interesting and very important, very great connection with the Abbey. Of course, I came towards the end of the first term, so the Sub-Dean had put in the new Queen’s Scholars. I thought this is an amazing, wonderful place. So, I got to know Stephen Spurr first of all, and he was before your time, and Stephen Spurr was a very deliberate, very careful, cautious sort of man and he became a very good friend so that was a good start. Of course, I had to meet the Queen’s Scholars, and that all happened quite quickly, and Frances Ramsey was Master of the Queen’s Scholars at the time, so I got to know the Queen’s Scholars first really, and gradually got to know the place a bit better.

Hannah: You have also attended and been part of many school events and traditions, such as the Greaze, Commem, and also the Election Dinner – do you have a particular favourite?

Dean: Well the Greaze is immensely good fun I think, and there’s a brilliant image of George V and Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York coming to the Greaze. That’s in the 1920s I should think and the boys are piled up like that, I mean it’s amazing and Queen Mary is looking on rather sort of superciliously, but with a smile. She was rather amused by it. Now, it’s much more sanitised, so just the 30 people or whatever it is and they’re all jostling for the position and everything else. There have been moments when someone has had to have been pulled out of the ruck, because it’s too much and they may be asphyxiated or something. So that’s quite fun. We moved Big Commem and Little Commem to alternate years,

because we used to have Big Commem every three years and Little Commem every two years, and that meant that some Sixth Formers, especially girls in the Sixth Form, would never experience a Big Commem – so we changed that. I love the Commem. 17 November 1558, that’s the moment of Queen Elizabeth’s succession, so it’s always around that time and it’s a very solemn, rather grand sort of occasion. It reminds us of the history of the School in connection with Elizabeth I, and of course before that, so that’s good. The Election Dinner is phenomenal. It’s been through various stages and it’s not always been nice as a matter of a fact. It’s been charming but there was a time when the satire was a bit sharper than it is now, and it was at the time, I felt perhaps just slightly too cutting and now it’s nicer. One of the really amazing things about Westminster School is, I think at one time it was quite arrogant and intending to be arrogant, whereas when we had the last ISI inspection of the School, they said the thing that was amazing was how kind everyone was, and that kindness was sort of a normal thing around the School. And I’ve seen that change and I think that’s wonderful. Of course part of that was, we decided this some years ago when Stephen Spurr was still here, that everyone should do something, some form of community service, which we decided to call civic engagement, so that everyone would get out, not necessarily for the whole of their time, but for part of their time, into primary schools and old people’s homes or whatever the great range of stuff. Phab obviously is an amazing thing. So, I think all that contributes to that spirit of kindness.

Abigail: This is a slightly lighter note, did you have any particularly funny memories of the School or your time here?

Dean: One of the things I’ve always remembered is the sense that during the Fire of London, there was a call to protect St. Dunstan in the West. There’s this great church in Fleet Street, and the fire was moving up Fleet Street and the Dean woke up the King’s Scholars and they got buckets

of water and they saved the Church from the Flames. Now of course, that’s ancient history but we’ve seen some extraordinary occasions. So when the Queen came for the 450 th anniversary in 2010, you’ll remember 21 May 1560 is the reestablishment of Westminster Abbey and the School together, because it wasn’t until 1868 that the School was separated. That was marvellous, it was a big occasion and the School was assembled and the Queen walked around through Little Dean’s Yard and unveiled the statue of Queen Elizabeth I. A not entirely uncontroversial statue of Queen Elizabeth I and I think, well I know, that we sent a photograph of it to Buckingham Palace so that the Duke would have seen it beforehand. So when the Queen removed this enormous purple veil over it with a tug, it was there in view, what we didn’t want was the Duke of Edinburgh saying “EURGH!” “How Horrid!” or something like that, so that was a particular moment. The Queen said to Stephen Spurr that this sculpture was so much more interesting than any of the others seen of Queen Elizabeth, which I thought was rather kind really. But also the Queen came when we opened the Sports Centre in Vincent Square, she walked around and met loads of people, so we had people doing displays around the place and we had people pretending to do sport, climbing up the walls playing this game and that game. She really enjoyed it, that was another great occasion. Obviously, the Queen’s Anniversary 2013 – were you involved in that?

Louis: No sadly, that was a few years before my time.

Dean: It goes so quickly doesn’t it – time. Anyway, so those great occasions. But actually little occasions – I think September Saturday is brilliant and it’s a great addition to what goes on.

Louis: Gunge-ing the teachers is always fun.

Dean: Yeah all that. No one’s ever suggested gunge-ing me happily. It’s too late now.

Louis: There was an idea of that actually, just a rumour.

Dean: There were suggestions. Of course, the other thing I love is the extreme silence when I am inducting Queen’s Scholars. The fact that the whole School just seems to take it immensely seriously, and it’s quite a slow process because one after another comes up and it’s always the same formula and yet the whole School is respectful.

Hannah: I always enjoy that service, well the two I’ve been to anyway. Speaking of the Induction, you may know that you are endearingly known amongst the pupils as “Ego John Hall” – how do you feel about this nickname?

Dean: Ah yes I’ve heard that. It’s, well, very nice. You could say I’m being rather egotistical, but it’s what I say. So it’s rather nice to know that that’s caught on in some way or another. From the beginning I was told it –from quite early on I was known as Ego John Hall.

Abigail: So having addressed the Abbey and all the things you’ve found interesting during your time at the School, have there been any specific messages that you had really hoped to convey to pupils and has this changed for different cohorts?

Dean: Well I think that – that’s a very interesting question – what I’ve done when I’ve addressed the School at the beginning of term is try to pick up something that has been going on at

© Dean and Chapter of Westminster

Interview with the Dean

the time, so I probably haven’t had a clear coherent message. What I would love to be able to say, and I may have said it in some other sorts of ways is you’re an immensely privileged lot of people. You come with this very great intellectual ability, which is true across the piste generally speaking –not everyone of course all of the time, but broadly speaking you are, as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie says “la crème de la crème”, so that is in fact the case. So then, how do you want to apply this enormous range of gifts that you have for “the greater good of the state”, as Elizabeth I said. Are you able to think of ways of making society better, to make life better for other people in some way? There’s a clear tendency for very bright and able people to be thinking of going into money, or being an accountant, or working in the finance industry and making lots of extra money, and living in a big house and it’ll all be very nice. None of which I decry in any way at all, but the question then is can you make the world a better place? And are you keen to want to make the world a better place? And if that is possible then I think that’s really important.

[*Abigail’s phone rings, playing the James Bond theme tune* Dean: Is that James Bond?]

Louis: It’s interesting that you should say that – do you think that Westminster is unique in that sense that that is the message we have conveyed to us – in your experience?

Dean: It’s probably not unique but I should think Patrick Derham should be pretty keen on that sort of thing too. He’s very keen of course to increase the number of bursaries, so as to make all that the School offers more widely available to all the people that couldn’t afford those enormous fees that we unfortunately have to charge. And that’s a very good egg. So it’s not unique here but I do think the Common Room is full of some really really good people. That all contributes in that sort of way.

Louis: You’ve had the intimate pastoral role presiding over the school community. Have you ever felt as though we are your parish?

Dean: That’s very nice. The role of the Dean is quite demanding. There are quite a lot of responsibilities. The Abbey itself, when I was first here we had 200 staff and now we have 350 staff, we’re doing much more than we used to do when I was first here. I created five years ago the Institute, Harris Westminster Sixth Form five or six years ago. So there are a lot of things. The Institute connects with our neighbours around Parliament Square. So, we’ve got a lot of extra things that we’re doing, and I’ve often felt that I would like to have more involvement with the pupils at Westminster than in fact I have. So it’s been limited quite largely to the Queen’s Scholars and to senior figures. I’ve very much enjoyed the Monitors’ Dinner, which you have not yet had but will have, and taking the Monitors and the Heads of House up to see the roofs

has been enormous fun and the leaving Queen’s Scholars as well. So, there are a number of things that I’ve been able to do, which I’ve very much enjoyed doing and you sort of sense a connection. The idea of the School as a parish? Well I feel very strongly that the School is a part of corporate life here and that we need to keep that connection. A lot of Westminsters don’t have a religion particularly, or there are a variety of different approaches to religion, but I think that the Abbey connection gives them something which is particular – obviously it’s historically extraordinarily powerful, with all the residences around monarchs and people who are buried there or memorialised (almost 4,000 people have been buried or memorialised). So, every now and then you get a sense from someone that they have really valued that connection, even though they haven’t completely understood it or it may not have been central, but it’s been marginal and fascinating. I like that sense.

© Dean and Chapter of Westminster

Hannah: Because you were speaking quite a bit about partnerships –particularly with Harris – what do you think your proudest legacy will be after you’ve left? You’ve overseen the partnership with HWSF, the foundation of Westminster Schools in China and also the first female Queen’s Scholars.

Dean: Yes, well I’m absolutely delighted that the Queen agreed very happily that girls could be QSS, and she did formally approve it. She wrote a letter, which I read out at the first induction of female QSS and that’s a marvellous development. The China project I think is potentially very exciting and I think of it as sort of a soft-power relationship. Clearly we have bursary money in mind, but nevertheless the soft-power relationship between a very good school here in England, one of the best schools in the world frankly, and schools in China – that could be very fruitful for the future because China clearly in 50 years’ time is going to be

the greatest power probably – who knows? So that looks to me like a good basis for the future. You know I was Chief Education Officer for the CoE for eight years before I came here, and I’ve been involved in education in all sorts of ways for a long time. I think probably my proudest thing of all is Harris Westminster and I am very very glad that we achieved that.

Hannah: Following on from Westminster Schools in China, to what extent do you think it is possible to translate the Westminster values of a leading and liberal education to a mainland Chinese context, where there is a set curriculum to be followed?

Dean: As I understand it, the set curriculum is five-14, but we’re going to start a bit earlier and go on quite a bit later. So the opportunity certainly from 14-18 is to develop a liberal and intellectual curriculum really broadly speaking connected to where we are. How that eventually will work out in practice of course is yet to be seen because it is being developed at the moment. The fact that Rodney Harris is there now as Principal with all his connections – he and I were at the same school incidentally and he’s been at Westminster for a long time –so he’s taking all that over there. We’re expecting to have a mix of Chinese and British teachers in the school there, so there’ll be a sense of developing a liberal and intellectual approach – which obviously is what we prize here. That will be interesting, because we’re not planning to educate expatriates, we’re planning to educate Chinese children. When I went out earlier this year and we did the first footings, later there were 700 people who came to a report in the hotel where I was staying, and these were potential parents. So there’s obviously already excitement at the prospect of opening the School in September.

Louis: Okay, light-hearted question here. Do you have a favourite hymn?

Dean: Ah, yeah I probably do. I like – there’s a particularly eucharistic hymn which is Lord Enthroned in Heavenly Splendour, which is a glorious sing.

Louis: I love that one.

Dean: You like it? Great, excellent.

Hannah: Louis is the chorister amongst us.

Dean: Is that right? Where were you a chorister?

Louis: Westminster Cathedral.

Dean: Oh you were at the Cathedral, oh how very good. So you’d have sung Lord Enthroned in Heavenly Splendour very often.

Louis: We sang all the Catholic ones, but when I joined here I discovered the hymn as it’s Anglican to sing the hymns. My love of hymns has come from this school really.

Dean: Oh really? Isn’t that good. Have you been to a Sunday Eucharist here? Because the Queen’s Scholars all come in and it’s quite a jolly thing really.

Abigail: It’s a really interesting service. I come from a Catholic background as well and it is vastly different. They obviously share very similar threads but it’s really interesting.

Dean: We and The Cathedral are very good friends. I know all the clergy there well. And on the 15 October, when the Queen comes, for a very great service, the Cardinal and Father Tuckwell are coming.

Louis: On that topic, in all honesty, what is your opinion of our singing as a school?

Dean: Well I think the choir is extraordinarily good. But I think the thing is that the choir, when I was first here, didn’t sing regularly in Abbey services. Tim Johnson was Director of Music before Tim Garrard and that began to develop the tradition of choral music becoming more important to the life of Westminster School. Actually, what the choir sings at Abbey is really splendid. I’m not sure everyone participates in the singing of hymns quite to the same degree as they might. But I think

Interview with the Dean

Jerusalem at the end of term – everyone joins in with that one alright.

Hannah: Singing Be Thou My Vision in Compline is so lovely.

Dean: Compline is the most extraordinary thing. I was very pleased to go to Compline the other evening with the Queen’s Scholars. It’s very powerful and it’s very moving. What is wonderful is the character of the singing. It’s really good, really impressive.

Abigail: What lies ahead for you in your retirement?

Dean: I’ve got little voluntary jobs already lined up. In 1927, the organist here founded the Royal School of Church Music, which is aimed at encouraging choirs to sing in parish churches all over the country. It’s both Anglican and Catholic and is for everyone. It’s quite a good thing. It has not necessarily got quite as powerful an impact as it had at one time, but it is potentially good. On Saturday I was down in Salisbury Cathedral handing out awards for the Royal School of Church Music. Including giving the Master of the

Queen’s Music the fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music. So that’s one job which’ll go on for a bit. I’m also on two school boards that run independent schools and academies. One of those is the Woodard Board, which runs quite a number of independent schools and also has some academies, and the academies need to be improved. So there’s work to be done there. And the other one, which I’m going to join in January is United Learning Trust, which has some independent schools but has 70 academies around the country and is very interesting and very good. Then I’m going to live in Chichester, where my parents lived in their retirement and where they’re buried at the Cathedral. I’m going to help out a bit at the Cathedral. I think I’m a Canon at the Cathedral already. I think the Bishop of Chichester has various ideas of things for me to do in Chichester as well. So, I’m not going to be idle. I’m also supposed to be writing a book.

Louis: About what?

Dean: For SPCK, which is a Christian Publisher from the 17th century on the story of Christian Britain. This is no small task.

Louis: You could probably do it in a month.

Dean: I think three or four years.

Hannah: Finally, in one or two sentences, what piece of advice would you most want to give to a new Westminster pupil and also an outgoing Westminster?

Dean: A new Westminster pupil has got to make the best of all the opportunities that they’ve got because there are so many. The range of opportunities outside the normal curriculum, in the co-curriculum, from debating to playing music, to being in drama to playing sport. It’s an enormous range and I don’t think there are many schools with such a wide range. Obviously people need to choose what they want to do, but they need to get into it and really enjoy it and make the most of it. I think in terms of those who are leaving, I hope by now there is a maturity of understanding, there’s an intellectual capacity that has been developed and developed. Alongside that, I really hope there is a sense of wanting to be and to do something really good and to make a difference for good in the world.

© Dean and Chapter of Westminster

HOUSE REPORTS

College

by Abigail Wallace

In September, College returned to find a new kitchen had been added to our common room. While there have been some drawbacks, namely the exponential increase in washing up for our Fifth Form and Lower Shell, as well as the extreme shortage of biscuits due to the newfound popularity of the place, the positives have outweighed the negatives. The unique community spirit of College has flourished this year. The common room has been a witness to danceparties, debates, pillow forts, bake offs, and has allowed pupils (old and new) to come together.

This year saw a spectacular performance in House Football, with our boys managing to break past the group stage! We managed to reach the semi-finals in House Debating, House Climbing, and the Inter-House Quiz. Most notably, College came 1st again in House MUN and so retained what we elect to call ‘The College Cup’.

The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly cut short our Lent Term. Fortunately, the lucky Fifth Form, Matron and Mr Mann still managed to fit in a few days in Alston before the School closed. College adapted quickly to being online. Compline continued to run, but instead of congregating in St Faith’s Chapel, we came together virtually on Zoom. College also came 1st in the Phab 2.6 Phestival after we completed a whole-house 2.6-hour Compline.

And so, we have come to the end of a most strange year. This year we are saying goodbye to the world’s best Matron, Mrs Brotherton. The corridors of College will truly not be the same without her. But we hope to be able to come together in person, when it is finally safe, to celebrate her and to celebrate the year we’ve had.

Grant’s

by Arthur Pickering

The atypical end of this past year in Grant’s certainly adds a degree to how memorable and busy our months together physically have seemed. The year started off with a reprisal of the Grant’s Dog Show at September Saturday, this time in collaboration with Busby’s so it could be done on a greater scale. After this success, it was only natural that more would follow, such as in the fields of Fifth Form Cross Country, the House Quiz, Chess and General Knowledge. Holistically, the atmosphere in the House was warm all year, both within and between the boarding and day communities – ne’er has the front room been so busy in my memory. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic did bring an end to our physical House community in mid-March, the House spirit continued through regular Tutorials and contacts with Matron, Mr Fair, Mr Smith and the Tutors through the media of Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Nonetheless, the return of the physical Grant’s community is hotly anticipated by all involved. Special thanks must of course go to Mr Fair, who has led the House well through the difficulties that have arisen in 2020. As we Remove leave the House and carry the House spirit on to our diverse futures, this last, highly eventful year in Grant’s shall surely be etched into our memories.

Rigaud’s

by Thomas Kemball

It has been a pleasure to spend my final year at Westminster completely embroiled in Rigaud’s. As I sit in my room, I remember how I felt this September, as I watched nervous, yet flirtatious Sixth Formers huddled in groups: apprehensive of what the year had to hold, whilst the even more nervous and much less flirtatious Fifth Formers sat inside, hiding behind their phones. I knew as I, along with Ellie, Sophie and Isky, began enforcing awkward conversation on the new pupils that 2019 / 20 was going to be a great year. Despite relatively recent occurrences, I can say that it really lived up to the hype. I have been quoted before saying that Rigaud’s may not be the coolest House and I think since being the Head of House, I can say that it is. The Remove song was a very special highlight, our rendition of Summer Nights will be a cherished memory indefinitely. Despite the intrusion of COVID-19, we managed to salvage House Football success for the girls, the

Towpath win (great successes from Sophie Sargent in 2 nd place and Matthew Kemball in 1st) and the Bringsty Relay win, added to the House Shooting win (props to Isky and Johnny). These events have been important moments, but this is not just a tale of sporting success, the times spent in the Rigaud’s kitchen also mean a lot to me. I’m sure many Rigaudites can relate to the secret double-dipping into the chocolate spread as well as the occasional TikTok. These moments may not seem like much, but what mattered was that we were doing them with our friends and as a community. The Monitors, Peer Supporters and I are excited to hand over to Nevin, Sara, Willem and Fenya as well as the rest of the House for many more happy, fun-filled years to come. I want to say thank you to all of you, the Tutors, Matron and Dr Kov for making this year special. As the world seems to be falling apart, thoughts of Rigaud’s are bringing me a lot of comfort. Ipsu Razu!

Busby’s

by Finn Bannister

While we may not have had the chance to continue our masterful Sports Day dynasty on the field, (we won by default and no one can dispute this), 2019 / 20 did have some real highlights for the House. Chief among these was the House Concert – famously said to be the best ever by the Head of Music. In a culmination of many months of hard work and more than a little complaining, what emerged was a dazzling night of singing, dancing, and even technicolour lighting courtesy of Nikita. The Remove song, Don’t you (forget about me), would prove rather presaged after the early goodbyes only a few weeks later, while personally Never shall I forsake thee to the tune of a certain Rick Astley song will go down as a classic.

As Head of the BPA, Jai seemed to have set us on course to finish the pool competition for the first time in my five years at Westminster, with his strict deadlines proving a silver bullet. However, a certain spanner fouled up the works leaving us on the semi-final stage for another year. I’m sure next year will be the year!

In September, we welcomed a new Housemaster, Mr Bradshaw, who really hit the ground running. The measures to help with sleep were not entirely popular with the lower year boarders, but his energy and boundless enthusiasm helped ensure that Busby’s retained its title as the best House at Westminster – although we may have set a new record for kitchen closures, an impressive feat considering some past years.

The burgeoning Busby’s zoo grew even larger this year, with Westminster’s favourite dog, Luna, and Miss Loosemore’s adorable cats, Wilfred and Crackle, summoning up the courage to explore the House even with people about. The Fifth Form enclosure could do with a deep clean though…

Liddell’s

by Asha Bakhai

Our Matron, Ms Rawlings, is waiting outside with a contagious smile while she hands me a mask and some gloves. I’ve come to pick up my belongings after almost three months in lockdown. No-one expected our year to end this way, but once you are inside Liddell’s you can’t help but be reminded of how lucky we are to be a part of this community. There is the morning race to the toasters and the fight for the cleanest butter-knife. The chocolate digestives, which we guard from jealous non-Liddellites (Matron being the first line of defence) and Dr AK’s top bant and scooter keeping us entertained. Competitively speaking, 2020 was a year of seconds. They often say “no-one remembers who came in second” but it is quite the opposite for Liddell’s. We were the people’s champion. No-one wants the try-hards who were blessed with sporty genetics or College who were blessed with big brains to win, so in our minds (and I’m sure in everyone else’s) we were the winners. Nicolas Halley lead the incredible Chess team

to grab second place. Our Girls’ football team put the Boys’ team to shame by securing second place after being defeated by Hakluyt’s in penalties, and our General Knowledge team, led by Rishi Sharma, did spectacularly in the new Schools Challenge. Although Sports Day couldn’t go ahead (I’m sure we would’ve come second), we showed our spirit through the 2.6 Phestival with Alex Strassberg Alonso swinging 2600 times, Shuhan Chen lighting 260 candles for the NHS and Dr AK running a marathon, to name just a few. Throughout the year, music has brought us together, whether it was Henry Bishop freestyling on the piano or Ethan Saw giving a spectacular harp performance at the Liddell’s House Concert. Liddell’s is such a diverse, beautiful House and despite 2020 being a year full of challenges and uncertainty, this spirit allows us to see it as the year we have been waiting for. A year when we work for change, appreciate our friends and family and come together.

HOUSE REPORTS

Purcell’s

by Zoe Smith

Despite our ‘distant’ location, Purcellites remain steadfast that Purcell’s is “[our] fire, the one desire”. This was poignantly conveyed in this year’s House song, I want it that way, movingly performed with perfect pitch and replete with expressive choreography. Highlights of the concert were diverse and numerous, ranging from a soulful rendition of Pink Floyd’s Wish you were here to an energetic Bollywood dance routine. Special thanks go to Jonathan Watts, Tom Merrington and the person in the framed photo on the balcony above the stage in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, (you know who you are).

Not simply content with mastering music, this year Purcellites demonstrated enviable sporting prowess through a number of team successes, coming in 1st place in the Senior Boys’ Bringsty Relay, 1st place in the senior section of House Swimming, 1st place in the senior section of the Towpath with 3rd place overall, and 2 nd place in House Rock Climbing. Outstanding individual performances include Tara Sallaba taking 1st place in the Girls’ section of the Towpath, and Herbie Bingham coming 4th in the Towpath and 1st in both 50m Freestyle and 25m Butterfly in House Swimming, setting a new school record in the latter.

This year the much-loved tradition of Pizza Quiz Night was hosted by the one and only Theo Ruppel and proved a particularly close battle of wits. As is the spirit of friendship fostered by Purcell’s, each team was given a lovingly handmade certificate to remind them of the importance of enthusiastic participation. Safe to say, responses varied.

The introduction of One World Week enabled an international-inspired movie night during which Purcellites were treated to Crazy Rich Asians complete with East-Asian snacks and sweets. Not to be confined only to special initiatives, Purcell’s held another inaugural joint movie night with Rigaud’s, which was once again accompanied by enough snacks to feed a small nation.

Purcell’s has had a truly brilliant year, which has been made all the more enjoyable by our wonderful teachers. A big thank you goes out to our Housemaster, Doc, who brings her constant humour and warmth to all corners of the House, the domestic goddess that is Matron with her kind words and positivity, and all the House Tutors. Even throughout the separation, Purcell’s House spirit still remains very much in full force, and despite these uncertain times, I am confident that Purcell’s will return even stronger than before.

Ashburnham

by Nouri Ezaz-Nikpay

Ashburnham has had a fantastic year, especially considering the unusual end to normal school life. From hosting the day Houses’ celebration of food for One World Week, to winning House Rock Climbing, our triumphs as a House are too many to list (special mention, though, to our Junior House Football champions for taking home the cup!) Most importantly, we put Milne’s in their place, beating them in all running events. Our successes are not restricted to sporting events, however, but as always, the concert was a fantastic display of talent, with Oliver’s improvised – and somewhat unexpected – solo of Staying Alive at the beginning of House Song topping it all off.

Online School has meant that we missed out on the first Ashburnham House Play, a pupil project led by Abhay. The hard work was not unnoticed and once we are back in our corner of Dean’s Yard, I’m sure the busy rehearsal schedule will be set in motion again. Still, the Ashburnham community is as alive as ever, albeit virtually. The 2.6 Phestival, in particular, has shown the other Houses that Ashburnham is a force to be reckoned with. A shout-out goes to the Sixth Formers who organised a whole range of virtual activities for the House, including Pictionary,

Wren’s

by Marwan Miah

There has been no stopping Wren’s this year.

Secret Santa made an appearance before the Christmas holidays –a new tradition maybe? Our House movie night at the beginning of the year was also a first for Ashburnham, where the classic Ocean’s 11 was enjoyed by all year groups over pizza and snacks. Advice to anyone holding an Ashburnham House event: bribe with food! Although we still share a knife with Milne’s and our mugs seem to vanish as quickly as we get new ones, we boast a new candy floss machine, which made its debut at September Saturday alongside the popcorn machine.

It is impossible to condense a whole year into a few hundred words, but central to all House life is Mr Walton, whose meetings always ensure that Ashburnham is a community built on kindness, and this year was no exception.

As per tradition, we kicked off the year with the induction of our new Wrenites at the annual Christopher Wren’s Birthday Party Talent Show in October. The autumn dreariness was quickly forgotten as a dazzling display of hidden talents took to the stage. Whether it was singing, magic tricks or gymnastics (yes, I know!), each performance was characterised with Wrenish excellence and reminded us all that even half a corridor can have great character. Our House spirit grew to all-time highs at our first House Quiz / Pizza Night in two years, which saw Wrenites in all years coming together for some great laughs, as well as the chance to be crowned Wren’s Trivia Champions. Team Bends took home the title, winning by a sizeable 0.5 points. The House Concert, the one time in the year we are allied with Dryden’s, and yet another fantastic celebration of Wren’s musical prowess, was headlined by none other than Arjun Seth’s band, Subcontinental Spice.

As our House spirit grew, so did our dominance in House Station. Ollie Haddad started our string of sporting successes with (as we’ve come to expect) a 1st place finish

among the seniors at the Towpath. At House Swimming, Wren’s collected fresh silverware as we came out on top as overall Champions for the first time in seven years. And although we were not overall champions, we took home prizes for best performances in House Shooting and Junior House Rock Climbing.

Unfortunately, House Football did not have the same fairytale ending. In the first round, our 1-0 lead against Busby’s was lost to an equalising header in the final second of play. Our stroke of bad luck carried on in penalties, resulting in a tough loss. But we Wrenites keep our heads held high! Our Badminton team sought to avenge the heartbreak of House Football and did so in spectacular fashion. Wren’s emerged as House Badminton Champions after a thrilling finals match against Busby’s, which went down to the wire (oh, how the tables turned).

In December, we wished Ms Choraria well and sadly said goodbye as she went on maternity leave. Ms Choraria left Wren’s in the safe hands of our interim Housemaster, Ms Clarkson, who brought an amazing energy and big smiles with her. Both have been outstanding Housemasters and I know we Wrenites are truly appreciative of them.

Blue Bake-Off and an Arcade Games Tournament.

Dryden’s

by Isabella Sanai

What a year! It all started at September Saturday. Dryden’s Pong had a special prize this year, in bear form. Jeffrey (named in honour of a certain recent Drydenite) sat patiently reading The King’s Nurseries (much to Mr Edlin’s delight), surveying the Yard scene, as he waited to be won. Luckily the victor who took home the spoils was one of our own – congratulations to Luca! The good weather held up again for the Towpath, in which Dryden’s flourished, and the Bringsty Relays brought great success for our Girls’ team, who placed second overall. The mud and the nettles were definitely worth seeing the bright scarlet Dryden’s t-shirts zip down the last hill to (almost) victory.

But no, the sporting success didn’t stop there, and Dryden’s celebrated total victory in House Football, for the second year running. It was a marathon of games leading up to that memorable final against Milne’s, and of course, there was cake to celebrate the following morning.

In February’s joint House concert (which we so kindly shared with the inferior half of the corridor, aka Wren’s), we saw a vibrant array of musicianship, from classical piano to classic Indian Bollywood. The House itself this year has certainly been buzzing and there’s been a really special sense of community shared by all years, which was especially visible during the run-up to Christmas. I will truly miss the

Hakluyt’s

by Amelia Sellors

eccentricity of Dryden’s, which runs through each and every individual, and is cultivated by our tremendous Housemaster, Mr Edlin. It takes a lot to faze a Drydenite – despite my accidental efforts of decorating the House four weeks too early for One World Week. I will always cherish the invincible Dryden’s House spirit; the silver lining, and something that truly cannot be rivalled.

Sadly, we say farewell to two of our Tutors this summer, Assistant Housemaster Mr Brown and former Housemaster Mr Hemsley-Brown, both of whom will be much missed. But that House spirit will endure, and I wish Olivia the very best of luck as the next Head of Dryden’s.

It was a new year of Hakluytians forced to climb the never-ending stairs each day. Hand in hand with a new Housemaster and team of Tutors, the new members made sure to leave their mark (and a mess) all through the House. Every day, one would be forced to scale the mountain of bags ever-rising next to the front door to get to the common rooms. Up the stairs, a hyper-competitive game of table football awaits, often added to with real footballs. The Hakluyt’s environment could be summed up in one word: busy.

September Saturday went successfully as the infamous chocolate fountain left hyper children dotted around Yard. One World Week made room for some

new House decorations in the form of a world map, reflecting the cultural and geographical diversity of our pupils. With social gatherings throughout the year, including Alston for the Fifth Form and pizza nights for the Upper School, we kept a high spirit and sense of community even through the trials and tribulations of a ‘normal’ Westminster school year.

Mr Kingcombe brought hopes of a new reign of sporting supremacy from Hakluyt’s. Sadly, it was not meant to be. However, Hakluyt’s continued to do what we do best: get awfully close to winning. The Senior Boys managed to get through almost a whole game with the practically professional Milne’s (seriously, did they bring in professionals?) with a grit and determination that impressed far more than winning. We also came in with a close 2 nd in House Shooting, 3rd in Junior House Swimming and inters Towpath, and narrowly lost the quarter-finals of General Knowledge, with our team putting us all to shame with the most obscure facts. We did bring home a victory in Girl’s House Football with the help of Mr Kingcombe’s ‘Ferguson-style’ coaching, even if it resulted in a few injuries along the way.

Now, it feels remiss to not mention the elephant in the room. Hakluyt’s during the COVID-19 crisis has pulled together, even through the un-ideal medium of Zoom. With weekly quizzes, pupil-led discussions and regular House meetings, we are all perhaps too familiar with the Zoom logo. I have been really heartened to hear of pupil activities off-screen as Hakluytians have risen to yet another challenge with numerous charity efforts, helping those in need. From learning new languages to continuing sweat-inducing Station under the tutelage of Mr Page, each pupil has worked hard to maintain a sense of normalcy in these strange times. Hakluyt’s House character and infectious spirit will never be muted, not even by a pandemic.

Milne’s

by Jit Shetty

This year in Milne’s, we have a new Housemaster at the helm: the Head of Wellbeing, Mr Smith. He has been nothing short of incredible. His reassuring presence coupled with his enthusiasm have created an amazing environment for staff and pupils alike: an environment in which Milne’s has flourished in so many ways.

The House spirit has never been better, with pupils from every year group constantly eager to get involved. As usual, the House Concert held on 17 January (a day before our founder A A Milne’s birthday) was a very successful and light-hearted evening. All the pieces were superb, and it was a great platform to watch a lot of our younger, hugely talented musicians, such as Arran Syed-Raja, perform. There was also a cameo from some Remove pupils who produced their own imitation of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody music video. It was creative to say the least!

In terms of inter-House competitions, the General Knowledge team was in fine form, beating the mighty College on their way to a pulsating final against eventual winners Grant’s. They fell just short but did us all proud. The senior House Football team were their consistent selves, also reaching the final. Our admirable House Chess team, through sheer out-of-the-box thinking, went further than ever before, finishing third overall. Whilst Bringsty didn’t go our way, the Milne’s girls turned in a most impressive performance. And of course, it was a treat to watch our courageous Milnite, Mukund Verma, tackle and tussle his way to the title of Greaze Winner 2020.

We have had a wonderful group of Fifth Formers and new Sixth Formers join Milne’s this year. They have added so much within such a short space of time. Two of our new Sixth Form girls, Sarah Itam and Eli Peng, founded our first ever House newsletter, The Honey Tree. One of our Fifth Formers, Rishik Vishwanathan, has given us a masterful piece of Winnie the Pooh artwork, which will

stay with the House for generations to come. They are all lovely and have contributed massively to the buzz. I hope they have enjoyed their first experiences at Westminster.

It’s a massive shame that this year had to end so abruptly for us all. The camaraderie has been immense. A terrific team including Peer Supporter Shihab Ahmed, Monitor Gracie Oddie-James and House Monitor Eashan Kapoor has been taking charge of Milne’s over the past year. They have been brilliant role models. Our best wishes go to the new Big Four: Oliver Li, Liesel Cobb, Inesh Sood and Sarah Itam.

As a House, we wish Mr Lewis, our Assistant Housemaster, all the best in his new role as Head of Classics at Winchester. His hunger and excitement for general knowledge and intellectually-stimulating party games in particular will be sorely missed. Through these times of uncertainty, I hope our Milnites will continue to remain a close-knit group and enjoy their remaining years at Westminster School. Thank you so much everyone and we wish you all happiness in the future!

SALVETE

Angie Bootman

Polly Brownlee

Jack Chapman

Pernelle Lorette

Rob Morgan

Andrew Mulholland

Carol Tempestilli-Sarti

Lucy Freeland

Matthew Perrins

Michael Heighway

Lydia Timpson

Solly Hardwick

Stephen Mitchell

Sophia Neuhaus

SALVETE

Angie Bootman

Angie recently moved from Germany to join Westminster as a German Assistant. After having studied English and Pedagogics, she worked at a secondary school in Cologne, definitely the coolest city in Germany. She has had a passion for the UK since spending a year in Cumbria, and she decided to move to London to explore all the culture the city has to offer. She spends some of her free time at the theatre, visiting street markets, at vegetarian restaurants, and most of it on public transport.

Polly Brownlee

Polly read Mathematics at King’s College London before completing Part III at Cambridge. After teaching for two years at Highgate School, she left the profession for a year to work for a tech startup, but quickly realised how much she missed talking about Mathematics with young people. Returning to Highgate and qualifying as a teacher, she was Head of Mathematics for two years before leaving for Westminster. Outside school she enjoys bouldering, wild swimming and fishing.

Jack Chapman

Jack read Chemistry at Christ Church, Oxford. His Masters year focused on the catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective addition of TosMIC to ketimines, an incredibly broad and widely applicable piece of scientific research. Jack joins Westminster from Sir William Perkins’s School after completing his HMC teacher training programme, where he gained his PGCE and QTS. He is an FA Level

One football coach and was the men’s crew captain of his college boat club. Outside work, he enjoys watching his beloved Everton return to its rightful place at the pinnacle of English football; he does, however, concede that the journey will take a few more years than he initially anticipated.

Lucy Freeland

Keen to stay on the winning side in the boat race, Lucy studied English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, before moving to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, for an MPhil in 19 th -century literature. After a stint as an editor for online travel publication The Culture Trip, Lucy undertook a PGCE and spent four years in the English Department at Lancing College, later becoming Assistant Housemistress and Head of Higher Education Overseas. Outside the classroom, Lucy can be found playing the piano and clarinet, gleefully (and all year round) planning for Christmas and deriving a strange meditative joy from The Archers Omnibus

Michael Heighway

Michael joins the Music Department from Sevenoaks School, where he taught for three years. Having read Music at Christ Church, Oxford, where he was the Organ Scholar, he worked as a head-hunter on just the other side of Parliament Square. Rather than the shrunken variety, the heads he hunted were those of university Vice-Chancellors and NHS Hospital Trust CEOs. He, however, couldn’t resist the lure of working in schools and music, and so retrained as a teacher at the UCL Institute of Education in 2016. For Michael, happiness is tuning his antique spinet and cooking dangerously spicy curries.

Pernelle Lorette

Pernelle joins Westminster as a French Assistant. After graduating with a BA in Dutch and German from Belgium and completing an MA in Linguistics in the Netherlands, she took a break from academia to develop her artistic side. After a three-year Dance degree, she became a dance performer, teacher and choreographer. She is now combining her dance activities, her teaching at Westminster, and her PhD in Applied Linguistics at Birkbeck University of London, investigating how emotions are communicated across languages and cultures. She also enjoys travelling, hiking and snowboarding abroad… as well as biking through the streets of London!

Rob Morgan

Rob joins the Biology Department from Harris Westminster Sixth Form. After working in the pharmaceutical industry for two years, following a Biochemistry degree at the University of Bristol, Rob undertook the Teach First programme. Placed at Fitzalan High School, Cardiff, Rob was a full-time teacher after only six weeks of training. Two years later, with PGCE and NQT complete, Rob left Fitzalan to join Harris Westminster Sixth Form. Rob quickly became part of the middle-leadership team and was Head of Garrett House for nearly three years and in his final year also took over as Head of Sport. This was a role that brought him closer to Westminster School, and he worked closely with Paul Barnes and Chris Kingcombe to develop the Football Programme for both boys and girls. Away from education, Rob is a passionate triathlete. For some reason, he enjoys completing Half Ironman distances and recently dipped under the five hour mark. He is hoping to complete a full Ironman over the next year or so. His other sporting passions are Reading FC and cricket.

Andrew Mulholland

Andrew never planned on becoming a teacher. He joined the Computer Science Department in September, having studied Computer Science at Queen’s University, Belfast. From there, he moved into software development and development operations. He has worked with several global IT companies including Google (Dublin) and Raspberry Pi (Cambridge). Prior to starting at Westminster, he worked as a software engineer. At 15, he won the PA Consulting Raspberry Pi Awards. At 16, he took over running the Northern Ireland Raspberry Jam, which to date has taught approximately 5,000 teenagers across Northern Ireland to code. He is still Chairperson and a coordinator. At 18, he became a tutor for Tech Camp. Finally, he has been heavily involved in FIRST Lego League robotics coaching. Outside the classroom, Andrew can be found maintaining various open source software projects, launching highaltitude weather balloons and outdoors with a camera, as a keen photographer.

Matthew

Perrins

After studying Engineering Science at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, Matthew caught the teaching bug during a year volunteering as a Physics teacher on one of the islands of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. Six years of teaching at Epsom College followed where he unexpectedly found himself coaching netball and leading biodiversity monitoring expeditions. His hobbies are mostly active: sports (jack of all, master of none), cycle touring, surfing, hiking, etc., but when seated he enjoys cryptic crosswords.

Carol Tempestilli-Sarti

Carol completed her A-level studies in Italy and lived there for eight years. She then returned to London to take up a degree in History with Literature and went on to complete a PGCE at Roehampton University, followed by an MA in Curriculum Design and Assessment from UCL. Carol has a keen interest in the neurobiology of learning and how assessment data are used to enhance learning. She has recently gained a Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing and is completing her studies on Exam Access Arrangements. Outside school, Carol enjoys dividing her time between Italy and London and spending time with family and friends.

Lydia Timpson

Lydia studied Mechanical Engineering and Finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She then went on to trade foreign exchange derivatives at Citibank, UBS and Lehman Brothers in New York, Singapore and London. After some time off (a year-long honeymoon travelling around the world, and subsequently three children), she embarked on a second career in teaching Physics and Electronics at an all-boys grammar school in Buckinghamshire. One of the many highlights was establishing and developing the robotics team, which then went on to compete and win at competitions in Southampton and Cambridge, coming in 1 st place in PiWars. In her spare time, she is amused by her children’s many forays into sport and music, including their passion for West Ham Football Club.

Solly

Hardwick

Solly recently graduated from Christ Church Oxford, where he enjoyed reading poetry, drinking wine, and playing croquet (badly). He comes from Tunbridge Wells and enjoyed seven years at a school called Skinners. Whilst at school he thought, for some reason, that shaving the back and sides of your head was the perfect look. He has since matured. At university, he enjoyed co-directing a very strange production of All That Fall by Samuel Beckett. Here he made wonderful friends, among them George Herbert (OW). He loves cooking, especially attempting Indian food. He also once taught in Nepal for six weeks. He is terrible at all sports. He would like, one day, to meet someone who loves Moby Dick as much as he does.

Stephen Mitchell

Stephen recently graduated from Homerton College, Cambridge, where he studied Maths, his particular areas of interest being Analysis, Topology and Set Theory. He joins the Maths Department after a brief stint living in Berlin, where he worked as a programmer. Stephen is also actively involved with the Boat Club, where he coaches one of the J14 octuples. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, cooking and watching rugby.

Sophia Neuhaus

Sophia joined the German Department as Language Assistant. Born and raised in Bavaria, she studied Liberal Arts in the Hague before completing a Master’s in Literary Translation at the University of Warwick. She loves to travel and has spent several months in Italy, Canada and the US. Alongside working at Westminster, Sophia works as a freelance translator and is an active member of the London Buddhist Centre. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Freud Museum and likes to read all kinds of things, especially turn-of-the-century and postcolonial literature.

VALETE

Patrick Derham

David Hemsley-Brown

Will Galton

Geraldine Brotherton

Alex Granville

Jane Evans

Jamie Brown

Steve Curran

Dominic Jones

Kate Carberry-Long

Edmund Lewis

Will Stockdale

Patrick Derham

by James Kazi

Energetic, quick-witted and with a real gusto for all aspects of school life, it is little wonder that PSJD’s portrait will show him wearing Red and Black standing alongside his bike, on which he can usually be seen haring across London. Up early in the morning, darting in from Vincent Square long before the alarm clock of others has sounded, forensic reading of documents before the first email is emitted at 7.00am, meetings until minutes before Abbey and then the “usual” timetable of the day begins. A quick scurry round the corner for a conversation at the DfE before taking an early lunch with the Matrons up Grant’s, then on the bike to Putney before a governing body meeting at a prep school and then to somewhere else for a dinner at which he will probably be giving the keynote speech.

There are few Head Masters who will have seen service as a Head in three schools (Solihull, Rugby and Westminster) and held that responsibility for almost a quarter of a century. To have sustained such a level of energy and enthusiasm from 1996 right the way through to the publication of A-level / Pre-U results in September 2020 (including St Patrick’s Day 2020 when the School closed as a result of COVID-19), is incredible. For some Head Masters, the novelty would have worn off long ago, but PSJD’s unwavering commitment to Westminster, the pupils, the parents, the staff, the OWW and the Governing Body, has always been to the fore. It is little wonder that there is such respect for all that he has achieved and also a great deal of affection for his generous-spirited and kind ways.

The paintings above PSJD’s desk in his study were chosen with a historian’s eye, to echo the values of a School that he genuinely loves. The legacy of Elizabeth I is a significant one from which we all benefit, and PSJD’s strong sense of social responsibility has pervaded not just his time at Westminster, but his career, too. Even during his vacations, he has spent time

hard at work at the Future Hope charity school for vulnerable street and slum children in Kolkata; he himself has promoted the School’s diverse volunteering programme and a legacy of giving back in a “commitment to service”. His endeavours in developing Royal SpringBoard as well as IntoUniversity are predicated on his own sense of fortune and privilege that a bursary to Pangbourne College transformed his life. The award of an OBE in the summer of 2018 was an acknowledgement not only of his commitment to education generally, but for the significant work that he had undertaken in promoting social mobility. His legacies at Westminster in this regard will be two-fold: firstly the Platform and PlatformPlus programmes, which seek to fuel young people’s academic ambition and to allow their potential to flourish, whatever their context, and secondly the Ben Jonson Foundation, which was designed to ensure that the School becomes truly needs blind, so that any young person can gain an outstanding education based on merit alone. Many schools have alluded to it, but there are very few Head Masters who can speak with personal experience of the power of such benefaction and PSJD, with his Irish roots, is a silver-tongued speaker.

The work that he put in to developing the “China Project” and the establishment of Chengdu Westminster School were not mere “franchising”, but a desire to promote an educational philosophy and outlook. The benefits are wonderfully reflexive, as the financial support from the arrangement will feed back into Westminster School here in London and allow it to remain true to its charitable aims. Similar energies were seen in the undertaking to support the development of Harris Westminster Sixth Form (HWSF): the forging of links there was unquestionably a model of how to develop school partnerships, as both HWSF and Westminster have benefited enormously from the shared enterprises.

His range of experience of the sector has meant that he has been a significant voice in the educational landscape for quite a number of years.

His briefings to the School’s Governing Body about political challenges have been prescient, and both in the press and on the platform he has been a staunch defender of the potency of independent education. Indeed, he has been fearless and impassioned in going to where the debate is at. A staunch believer in the power of unity through the Independent Schools Council and an ally to the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA), he was especially proud to have been made a BSA Emeritus Member.

This is not to take away from the fact that PSJD has also shown an extraordinary commitment to Westminster as an educational establishment. He has given the School a clear strategic direction and supported the Governors in their endeavours. Indeed, at Governing Body meetings, it was not always clear as to whether it was the Governors holding the Executive to account or vice-versa. Never one to “wing it”, careful preparation and endeavour, albeit lightly worn, made sure that there was always a political eye on what was going on, and he was never afraid to ask the challenging question and then, typically, answer it. His leadership of the School has always been deft and clear throughout, as any of his Senior Management Committee will attest from their regular first-hand experience. He himself is an expert chairman and meetings are always rapid, purposeful and rigorous – there is never a lost moment.

His heritage is as a former Head of Department and Housemaster and he is a school master in all the best senses. An inspiring teacher of History who has sustained his commitment to the classroom, his presentations are riddled through with historical allusion to Gladstone, the Grand Old Man. Visiting Armenia to pay homage and to explore the educational vistas there with colleagues, acting as Trustee to the Gladstone Library and taking pupils from both Armenia and Westminster to visit (as well as to dance) at the Library, have all been keynote moments in the life of PSJD the History teacher. His strong sense of pastoral care comes from his own experiences as

a Housemaster and extends not just to the pupils, but also to his staff: his delight in celebrating people’s achievements, the personalised note or email and the annual birthday card have all been his hallmarks. And his grasp of procedure and policy has been second-to-none: little surprise given his formative training as an ISI inspector and experience as a Safeguarding Officer for IntoUniversity.

A strong sense of community has pervaded his approach. Sitting with the Fifth Form in College Hall and chatting over lunch, a caught word en passant across Little Dean’s Yard with one of the Blue Coats, a quick cup of coffee in the Common Room or mixing it with OWW at a drinks party, PSJD has been supremely personable: a recognisable, accessible and visible leader of the community. He genuinely likes people and the School has genuinely appreciated him for eschewing any pomposity, and being both warm and generous. Both Alison and he have been outstandingly kind in hosting staff – from drinks for new colleagues, to “Sausages and Sparklers” on Bonfire Night, and Christmas parties for children and young families. Alison’s infectious laughter and cheerful company are a tonic, leaving PSJD to top up glasses and add a spritz of conversation as he circulates the room. She really is the patient and devoted power behind him, sine qua non. Alison’s virtues were celebrated in a previous edition of The Elizabethan on her retirement in Summer 2019, but what must be noted is that they have been a quite brilliant husband-and-wife team.

PSJD regularly refers to the fact that the School is “no ordinary place”: he has loved it for that and, in turn, the School has loved him not only for allowing its uniqueness to flourish, but also for being “no ordinary Head Master”.

David Hemsley-Brown

by Tom Edlin

David arrived at Westminster in 1996, a decade since the acquisition of the Hooke Centre, and yet the Electronics and Technology Departments were still growing to their full maturity. Teaching across both, David brought energy, commitment and a highly practical flair – and in due course, as head of both, he instilled a unity, purpose and sense of positive expansion across the ground floor. More than anything else, David has always enjoyed his lessons – whether with a typical Fifth Form group mixing tech savvy, precocious theoretical knowledge with confusion at actually being asked to do something, or with the rapidly growing number of Sixth Formers taking Electronics in Options. With his background in engineering and his relish for everything from sports cars to vintage telephones, David has always shared his joyful sense of purpose with an immediacy that has served his pupils brilliantly. Beyond the lab and workshop, David was immersed in school life: a Tutor in Milne’s from its inception, taking swimming into uncharted waters of competitiveness, leading numerous expeditions and directing and producing several memorable plays.

When David became Housemaster of Dryden’s in 2010, he inherited a Tutor team including three former Housemasters, the Registrar, and a former Head of House. Luckily, in those days, Tutor team meetings were few and far between, and David’s management was distinguished by wisdom, sensitivity and good sense – and we knew we were lucky to have him. The pupils immediately agreed: here was someone of honesty, integrity and sincerity, who genuinely enjoyed every aspect of the role. His years as Assistant Housemaster in Milne’s had given him a total command of the rhythms of the school year, the pinch points and pressures, and the importance of those moments and events which allow the House to come together as one. Dryden’s quickly embraced the highest-yielding September Saturday idea of them all –Gunge the Teacher, featuring David’s

hand-crafted gunging machine, which brought a touch of the gallows to the Yard festivities – along with an array of new customs, the House Nativity and Dryden’s Has Got Talent in Alston foremost among them (and it’s worth noting that, generally, we did indeed have some).

Perhaps most memorable of all were the House Plays which David inspired, produced and either directed or, more often, encouraged pupils to direct under his expert guidance. If Sisterly Feelings took on the atmosphere of an inaugural whole-House effort, our View from the Bridge extended the hand of friendship to Rigaud’s with the offer of just a few of the parts, and Dogg’s Hamlet and Cahoot’s Macbeth advanced a dream of corridor co-operation with a group from Wren’s, undoubtedly the highlight, for one night only, was Jake Kuhn’s Westminster Dogs, alongside an Ayckbourn double-header from Confusions, in 2017. On this occasion I got to see first-hand David’s skill in cajoling the best out of cast and crew, encouraging a bit more momentum and urgency in the preparations as required. Only once, in all the rehearsals, did he lose his cool, when Mr Edlin, appearing briefly as Mr Edlin (due to the risk that Theo Johnson might otherwise have claimed the role, and enjoyed it too much) momentarily forgot what Mr Edlin (according to the script) was meant to say.

David’s work in the theatre has extended far beyond School over the years, not least with the Lighted Fools Theatre Company at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, and bringing Art and Death and the Maiden to the MFH in 2012 and 2014. The latter was a revelation, reducing some of the younger Drydenites to gibbering incomprehension. As the programme notes made clear, “in his spare time David is a Housemaster at Westminster School”.

When David stepped down as Housemaster and returned to heading up the Electronics Department, I asked immediately that he stay in the House as a Tutor. We had worked so closely together over many years, and I knew

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his calm good sense would be a huge asset. And so it has proved; in particular, in that first year, as we were able for the first time both to accompany the Fifth Form’s Alston visit, where David’s command of the kitchen was as great as I had been led to expect. Above all, David’s dependability has made him the best of colleagues and sounding boards. As he retires to his beautiful home and garden, his woodland and his workshop, we wish him and Jane the very happiest of years ahead – and, we hope, with plenty of flyers for future Lighted Fools productions reaching the Common Room noticeboard...

Will Galton

by Kevin Au

Even if time is absolute, our perception of it is relative: Will arrived in my own year 4 – 2011, when I checked –and left at Christmas 2019 to become Head of Maths at North London Collegiate School.

Unlike the smooth, youthful-faced Ganymedes of previous intakes, Will came to Westminster with Experience. He had been at Trevor Roberts for seven years, eventually becoming Director of Studies. Where prep schools are concerned, we don’t always see things from their point of view, although we often see their influence. That said, it’s easy to forget that the mind of a 13 year-old boy is not so different to an 11 year-old’s, and that getting used to our academic expectations can be bewildering. Will offered us a perspective that gave us more sympathetic understanding of learners at that level, reflected in his own reassuring manner with new pupils—one reason that he was such a good Assistant Housemaster in Hakluyt’s. His prep-school manner seemed to linger in his everyday greeting—”hello, Mr T”, “how are you doing, Mr L”—and his bowdlerised cursing, like “gosh”, “golly” and “ruddy”. A bit like a roguish uncle on his best behaviour with his nieces and nephews.

Always professional, he kept his interview promises. He did his stint with the U16 Bs, then in shooting, before going to tennis and badminton Stations. For several years he ran a surfing expedition in Cornwall. But his biggest contribution to the co-curricular side of the School came from his extraordinary talent as a pianist. He accompanied pupils in concerts with tricky repertoire. More than that, he maintained an important hinterland in his life where he could develop as a concert pianist. In 2017 Will won first prize at the prestigious International Competition for Outstanding Piano Amateurs in Paris. I remember this because I had to cover his lesson.

Mainly, Will was here to teach Maths, which he did outstandingly. Will is a firm believer of the maxim “every child counts”, and over the years, I saw him diligently prepare to deliver the best lessons he possibly could, especially with concepts he himself had never studied or not studied for a long time.

We miss Will as a colleague; as a friend – well, this continues undiminished. A few weeks into his new surroundings, he sent us a cocky postcard written on a Saturday morning, a time when he no longer has to teach. During COVID-19 lockdown, I caught up with him online to ask how it was going. The challenges of his new surroundings are of course difficult, but rewarding. And he misses the pastries.

Steven

Curran

by Tom Edlin

Just once in every decade or so, the English Department has regenerated itself with an influx of new colleagues, and so it was in 1994 when John Field, Michael Mulligan, Charlotte Moore and Danny Gill all departed, and found replacement in Steven Curran. He quickly settled in, and became a fixture in the first of three classrooms with which he remains indelibly associated for many: his initial base in Room 31, then the still un-Christied Room 14 in 1998, and finding a happy home in D23 after the move to Weston’s. Here he

has created a special world, the soundtrack of mellow jazz mingling with literary discussion. Steve has always drawn the best out of his classes, with his warmth, his confidence in his pupils, his subtle insights into their particular talents and flaws, a rigorous approach to literary analysis, and a conviction that there are no limits to the complexity with which a Westminster class can be challenged.

As a teacher he has been an inspiration and a guide. As a Tutor – first in Rigaud’s, briefly in College, but finally (fittingly) with a certain one of his former pupils in Dryden’s – he has been a beacon of wisdom and common sense. (His only mis-step in House terms was guiding his daughter Sive into Hakluyt’s, on the grounds that the route to Dryden’s would expose her to the perils of Yard football many times each day; but we forgive that…). Eschewing modish “activities”, he has engaged and understood his tutees as people; Steve has always realised that formal “education” is not as important as people think – that, as Elizabeth Bowen might have said, nothing we directly teach our charges, and nothing we fail to teach them, really impairs their natural stylishness and flair for doing things their own way. Westminster’s particular brand of flair has always remained close to his heart.

The mention of Bowen is of course a way of introducing Steve’s great love of Anglo-Irish Literature, manifest in the generations who have read Swift, Yeats, Joyce, Beckett or Heaney under his care, and in what became the longest-running General Options course of them all – which I chose as a Sixth Former myself, cherished in the days when I ran Options, and watched reach its quarter-century with each year’s fresh intake of devotees. A firm believer – though was never so glib or crass as to proclaim as much publicly – that the best do indeed lack all conviction, while the worst are filled to the brim with passionate intensity, Steve has always chosen texts for his pupils which speak timelessly to today’s world, as any member of the class which read The Duchess of Malfi in 1997 amidst the tragic unravelling

saga of Diana, Princess of Wales’s final months would confirm – though our worst excesses of self-indulgence were resolutely kept in check.

This would usually be the moment to move on to Steve’s wider contributions as Master-in-Charge of Martial Arts, leader of countless expeditions to St David’s and elsewhere, presiding deity of the English Society, and the like. But as with his dislike of spreadsheets, mission statements and pseudo-business-speak, so he would urge us all to focus on what really matters. Of that, there has been plenty. He is enormously valued as a colleague and friend – perhaps more so than he will ever quite know. Never keen to become a big figure on the Yard stage, he was the personification of stability and reassurance for many. We miss him hugely, but hope that he, Elen and Sive will keep in touch; a recent lockdown exchange of recommended Iris Murdoch and John Banville novels for the world of COVID-19 gives me hope that they might.

Kate Carberry-Long

by Guy Hopkins

Kate arrived in 2008 and immediately set about updating and transforming the Surgery up Grant’s, where it then was to be found. One of her most important achievements was overseeing the Surgery move to College Basement. As the daughter of a Schoolmaster and Boarding Housemaster, she understood instinctively how schools like Westminster operated and, as a seasoned professional with a kind nature, she always managed to strike the right balance between frankness and sympathy in her dealings with all members of the community. Working in Medicine can sometimes be a rather thankless task these days, but Kate has endless reserves of patience, and in a very busy school like Westminster she always managed to give her time to people who needed it. Not only did she look after the medical needs of the pupils, but quietly behind the scenes in the Surgery and elsewhere, she was a sympathetic listener and

a huge support to many, many pupils as well as colleagues. Kate was a real “people person” and, crucially, calm in an emergency.

So Kate will be missed at Westminster especially by colleagues in the Surgery and the Matrons, but our loss is very much Shiplake College’s gain – at least she is still working in a rowing school near the River Thames!

Jamie Brown

by Lisa Newton

Jamie arrived in September 2015 having qualified as a chartered accountant at EY. It was clear from the start that EY’s loss was our gain. Bright, self-effacing and hard-working, Jamie quickly became a firm favourite with his classes.

He is a real team player. A creative and generous producer of resources, always willing to cover lessons and teach the less glamorous end of the cohort! His cheerful disposition, kind nature and desire to throw himself into school life has endeared him to all. He has been involved in an eclectic mix of school activities, partly due to his willingness to say yes! The Lyke Wake Walk training trip, Phab, awaydays with the shooting team and three years on the TSCC: he brought the average age down considerably! A capable footballer, he spent four years with the Under 15s and one with the 2nd XI. The football club will miss him. He has also been Master-inCharge of basketball and shown off his own sporting prowess by playing for the football, hockey, netball and rounders Common Room teams with varying degrees of success! Tom Edlin immediately spotted his rapport with pupils and lured him into Dryden’s, where he has been Assistant Housemaster for three years.

Jamie has packed an extraordinary amount into his time at Westminster. He has completed his teaching qualification, racking up some time teaching the Lower School in History and Geography, and was a great success in both. He led the MUN for

four years, including trips to Berlin and New York, and hosting a conference at Westminster. For the most part, MUN activities went swimmingly, and when one member of the New York contingent had to return the moment he set foot on US soil having paid a visit to duty-free at Heathrow, Jamie dealt with it with aplomb. It may have un-nerved a lesser young teacher, but Jamie took it in his stride.

He will be missed by pupils and staff alike, and we will miss him greatly in the Economics Department. He has been a consummate professional and a huge amount of fun! Nick, Holly and I wish him every success as he heads off to Runnymede College in Madrid. I very much hope it is “Hasta Luego” rather than “Adiós”!

Edmund Lewis by Andy Mylne

Edmund’s brilliant and meteoric trail through the top Classics departments in the land brought him from Wellington to Westminster in September 2016. The keen anticipation with which his arrival in the School was awaited – such had been the strength and flair of his application – was matched by his own excitement at joining a school about which he was already better informed than many of us ever will be. This mutual sense of goodwill and positivity has been the essential feature of his all-too-short time with us.

He is a fine classicist and a first-rate teacher. That same thoroughness and efficiency with which he prepared himself for his application is a feature of his classroom persona, and the huge bank of resources which he has continued to build up over his time here will outlive his actual presence within the department! Yet this is not what defines him. Rather, his great personal warmth, his wild enthusiasms and his charismatic eccentricities are what have so drawn pupils and colleagues to him. He has been good and resourceful company – trips with the Lower School and the Remove alike have benefitted from his erudition and sympathetic concern for his charges. It helps that he developed

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early the all-important eyes in the back of the head. He has shared his enthusiasm and knowledge with unstinting generosity, and not just in the classroom – ensconced with Lower School pupils for a Parlour Games LSA, as the manager of the School’s (now all-conquering) General Knowledge team, to bringing his encyclopaedic knowledge and spreadsheet skills to bear as a central pillar of the Higher Education Team. In all these things he has dedicated hours far beyond the call of duty and made himself widely indispensable!

All of these “professional” skills are of course no more than a measure of his humanity and kindness. The unforced ease with which he weaves his love of the Ancient World – its literature and especially its history – into his everyday discourse is persuasive and entertaining. He has time and a ready smile for everyone and, as his journey through the firmament takes him to Head the Classics Department at Winchester (the third in the triumvirate of ‘W’s!), we will be losing a good friend and a very learned colleague. We wish him every good fortune in his new position.

Will Stockdale

by Julia Hughes

When Will joined Westminster hot off the plane from Rio de Janeiro in September 2016, he made the transition from dealing with the GB Olympic team to Geography teacher appear utterly seamless. Working with Deloitte, Will had been part of the team who led the planning, budgeting and on-going management of each sport to ensure a high-performance environment for Team GB. I once asked him if there were any similarities between the two jobs: admittedly he didn’t have to deal with Olympians getting sweetcorn stuck up their noses, but there were parallels with the level of organisation required to get the whole GB rowing squad and equipment to and from Brazil, and the Lower Shell day trip to Eastbourne. In the classroom, Will gained immediate respect from all pupils. His exceptionally professional

approach, coupled with high expectations, meant all pupils felt carefully supported and comfortable to participate thoroughly in lessons, raising their own expectations. His command of the subject and the confidence with which he delivers lessons ensured both an inspiring and engaging classroom atmosphere. Of course, Westminster pupils particularly appreciate his accurate and detailed level of subject knowledge: he would never allow a resource or statistic to be passed onto pupils unless he had checked it was the most recent or reliable. He has also helped the Geography Department lurch forward into the 21 st Century by both planning and organising the introduction of a Fifth Form Geographical Information Systems course.

It is not just in the classroom that Will has contributed to school life: he has supported and run multiple trips to Iceland, the Gower in Wales, Lower School Expeditions and to Alston with the Wren’s Fifth Form. It was evident from the start that his calm and caring demeanour would make him an exceptional pastoral leader. After only a year of teaching, he became Head of Fifth Form, remaining with them until this year to support them through their Lower School experience. He undertook training to become a fully qualified teacher (passing of course with distinction), which involved teaching at both Harris Westminster Sixth Form and The Grey Coat Hospital on a weekly basis, so if his cycling to and from Westminster each day didn’t keep him fit, running between three schools certainly did. Returning from Rio with the Olympic rowers, there was only one Station he was ever going to be allowed to take part, and Will has supported the Fifth Form, Lower Shell and Upper Shell during his many hours at the Boat Club and along the Thames.

With the list of commitments and events he has been involved in, it is hard to believe Will has only been at Westminster for four years. It is also worth bearing in mind that much of this was completed on less than the desirable amount of sleep, as Will and his wife Eliza have welcomed their

children, Charlie and Beatrice, to their family since joining Westminster.

As Will moves to Abingdon School with his family, it of course goes without saying the huge loss to Westminster and the Geography Department is all of theirs to gain. Will is an exceptional school master in every sense of the word and I have no doubt that there will be Housemaster and Headmaster roles in his future.

Dominic Jones

by Andy Mylne

There is no doubt that Dom’s experience prior to his arrival at Westminster in 2014 shaped his unique talents as a teacher, and the refreshingly original perspective that he has been able to bring to his teaching and work here. His fine ability as a classicist was enriched by his experience as a teacher of both Classics and of English Literature and by what he gained from the Teach First programme.

As a teacher he is unendingly creative, and I am sure that my experience of observing a Jones lesson is typical in the host of new ideas for presenting familiar topics that it would invariably yield. His willingness to discuss and engage with what he observed of others’ lessons was equally fruitful. Then, through his familiarity with the Classical world online, he was able to breathe life into his teaching of literature with resources only he seemed to be able to dig up. His generosity in sharing and organising such resources leaves a tremendous legacy.

There is a restless energy to Dominic: he does not just throw himself into what he does but at it as well! This has been true whether initiating a new Expedition or Station around his love of cycling, directing a dramatic production such as the memorably hilarious Miles Gloriosus, being the kingpin of the department’s Outreach Programme, or leading a trip to Greece. His readiness to take on any challenge and extend both his personal experience and what he has to offer

as a teacher has been a huge asset to the department and School.

This very restlessness, not least concerning pedagogy and his wish to widen his horizons, reveals a very human side. For it generated moments of frustration, which he confronted and expressed with characteristic honesty: it is from such moments that friendships are born, and he has been a good friend to many of us, both in the department and in the Common Room. His sights have for a while been set on the world beyond Westminster: he went part time in September 2019 to work towards a Masters at UCL, which reflected his own interest in Classical Reception but was also a first step out of the fold. Similarly, the energy he has expended over the last year in founding and developing his blog, Quinquennium, targeting Classics teachers in their early careers, demonstrated his growing interest in the process of progressing a career. It is utterly appropriate, therefore, that he should have secured the post of Head of Classics at KES Birmingham for his own next step, and we wish him every good fortune and success in this new post.

Geraldine Brotherton

by Chris Kingcombe and Gareth Mann

Geraldine arrived as Matron in College in 2005, in those hazy days when Tony Blair still occupied No. 10 and Frances Ramsey was in 3 Little Dean’s Yard. Occupants of both Houses have come and gone, but while Her Majesty is on her 14th Prime Minister, Geraldine is only on her third Housemaster. Now retirement beckons her to her summer palace in Purley, and that lawn doesn’t mow itself. She leaves with our love and all our good wishes –especially that of the 130-odd Queen’s Scholars who have been looked after with that special combination of deep affection and sharp eye for errant clothing and dodgy hairstyles.

The School has changed substantially in Geraldine’s time, but she has remained reassuringly constant. Her pastoral care is truly maternal –the Scholars are treated as if they

were her own children. Occasional trips to casualty are described with wry humour later, but at the point of crisis nothing could be more important.

More generally, she makes things work. That sounds like faint praise, but in College that is about the highest accolade possible. Geraldine is to be found dashing around the place, seeing to three tasks simultaneously – often involving College’s plumbing, a birthday cake, and a tailoring detail on the Scholars’ Abbey Dress. The job of Matron is grounded in these practicalities, but in truth she goes way beyond them, and loves the ceremonial aspects of our link with the Abbey. Her Catholic faith is always there, and she feels at home in churches and the company of clergy. Entertaining the Dean in College was always done right: pizza for the masses, something more refined for the guest of honour, and a nice drop of claret. There is always a touch of class to events run by Geraldine.

Much as she gets stuck into work, she has an admirable talent for dropping it. Geraldine relishes a good trip. She has taken countless trips to Alston, during which she has enjoyed teaching College pupils how to cook, how to get on with each other, and most importantly where to buy the best antiques. College’s Alston slot has often coincided with the Cheltenham Races, and Mark Feltham recalls the use of code if they had to take a drive to a local bookie to pick up her winnings: a detour “to pick up Matron’s gloves”, this was rendered superfluous by Geraldine returning in triumph, waving wads of cash and on her last Alston visit the winnings spent on chips all round. Beyond Alston, she has taken many more trips, which were some way beyond the expectations of her role. She has helped with the Lyke Wake Walk on multiple occasions, sometimes driving up her own camper van, and sleeping in it. More recently, she welcomed a new staff member by accompanying him on a trip to Rome, where due to a “mix up” they ended up having to share a bed for a night. Neither will forget that experience.

Socially, Geraldine has always maintained a high-profile presence in the Common Room. She is enormous fun, with an uncanny ability to engage every passer-by. She takes real delight in Common Room events: dancing into the small hours at summer parties (including, on one occasion, with a seven-foot inflatable elephant), karaoke at the Christmas party, hosting delicious meals for the Progressive Supper and pub visits at the end of term. Having a good time matters to her because it makes the hard work possible. She is a genuine team-player: ever willing to help a colleague out of a tight spot by covering a duty, stepping up to take a school trip, welcoming new Matrons, providing a sympathetic ear and giving wise advice over a cup of tea or an ice-cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc. She is generous with her time and her resources, even furnishing CMCK’s entire flat when he moved in as Resident Tutor (without any furniture to his name), something he will be eternally grateful for. Geraldine is fond of telling her charges in College to “shape up or ship out”, but in her own case she has done both, shaping us all up, often more than we immediately recognise, and shipping out in her own time, at the top of her game.

All of Geraldine’s friends know that she loves a shady bar. In her past jobs on cruise ships and Laker Airways, she got to know a fair few of them, and in retirement she deserves to add considerably to the tally. Floreat!

by Alex Chen (QS 2013-18)

From the very start of Fifth Form, Matron invested in all of us. She was the first face we saw every morning and the last at night. She looked after our every need. Seeing the queue of timid boys waiting to have Matron fasten their clip-on bow ties before every Abbey Eucharist would have had the Challenge Committee questioning their decisions, yet she was always there for us. As we got older, Matron found other ways to demonstrate her affection, hosting treats in her flat and joining us at the windowsills to hear the gossip. Matron created a home away from home for us, once inviting me

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into her flat after a late away match, watching a film and chatting away while she heated up a pizza for me. Matron is a smooth wingman, once giving an ice cream to a Sixth Form boarder so that she’d be more likely to stay and talk with the House’s famously reclusive bachelors.

It would be a discredit to Matron to not mention the less soft stories. Matron’s harder side shaped us, nurturing growth through the best kind of tough love. She would curb our egos for fun, obliterating us with ease at pub quizzes and indiscriminately poking fun at our oddities, just like family ought to. You would struggle to find a Scholar who hadn’t received a Made-in-Bradford tongue whipping at some point, whether they had been caught in school uniform after 4:25pm or not washed their hair in a couple of days. When straight-talking roasts were not enough to quell our misendeavours, she would threaten to release the SDA, or Severe Disciplinary Action: Matron’s handcrafted nuclear option. Certainly, one of the great sadnesses of her departure from College is that the world will never find out what an SDA actually meant.

These are just a few of a vast collection of wonderful memories. It’s always been clear to me from how she talked of former College pupils just how much love and devotion she gives to each one of us who walk through her door. That unconditional love was truly one of the greatest privileges of my time at Westminster, and I know that for all the College pupils whose lives she touched, the words of wisdom “Shape up or ship out!” will forever be etched in our hearts.

Alexandra Granville

by Sam Clarkson

One of the best aspects of Westminster’s ethos of “loyal dissent” is that it breaks down some of the hierarchical relationships between teachers and pupils, giving way to another characteristic of our pupils, something we might call “loyal, but un-solicited, advice-giving”. Perhaps one of the best

examples of this was when a few of my Remove pupils, clearly concerned for my social welfare, urged me to befriend Dr Granville – “she is so cool”, they adamantly insisted, and then gazed off wistfully into the distance.

But we are teachers for a reason: I had, of course, already made sure to latch on to Alex, and claim her friendship for my own. In fact, I had been lucky enough to meet her before either of us had even joined Westminster, on a whirlwind international trip for US university advisors to NYU Abu Dhabi. Chatting by the hotel pool (yes, the cushiest business trip I think we will ever receive as teachers), I knew she was a kindred spirit. When I learned she was joining Westminster and would be helping me guide pupils with US University applications, I was truly thrilled – it was kismet!

Any expectations I had for my new colleague and friend were certainly exceeded. Many were the afternoons and late evenings I found Alex in her classroom having just finished up offering her wisdom and genuine attentiveness to pupils trying to navigate the next steps in their academic careers; indeed, it was a rare moment indeed when I would wander down the steps in Weston’s to her classroom and did not find her advising a pupil or offering extra tutorials in German or Italian. Her commitment to pupils, the extra time she puts into their learning and life-planning, is hugely motivating as a fellow teacher.

It is also a gift – her skills as a linguist as well as the depth of her cultural knowledge are dazzling, from her discussions of life in East Germany (sometimes paired with a particularly stylish dress that would not have looked out of place in the pages of the East German working-woman’s fashion magazine Sibylle), to expressionist cinema to Dante’s Inferno: she gives out these treasures freely. And it isn’t just what she knows, it’s how she thinks: her quick wit and sharp observations all tempered by a real empathy and kindness. It’s why pupils and colleagues alike love her, and why saying goodbye to such a wonderful teacher is nothing short of heart-breaking.

But the seaside is calling to Alex, the keen swimmer and self-described water-baby – she will be moving on to Brighton College as Director of Oxbridge and American University Admissions as well as teacher of German, Italian and French. I speak for the entire Westminster community when I say that we will miss her utterly – in the classroom, in the Common Room, leading trips – but that we wish her the best of luck (and we promise to visit, if she’ll have us!)!

Jane Evans

by Gareth Mann

The Roman poet Horace has a famous and lovely line which, paraphrased, means that those who move far away change their sky, but not their soul. Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt. Now, Birmingham is not that far away, but we will have to get used to her absence. That is a hard prospect: she has a rare ability to express total seriousness and playful irreverence simultaneously, and that keeps you on your toes. She has grace and kindness in buckets, and she is a great laugh, a boon companion, a formidable drinker of very specific types and glass-sizes of wine (just ask at The Speaker…). Everything is better with Jane around. So Horace is right: Jane’s soul won’t change, thankfully, and King Edward’s Birmingham will profit enormously from her personality, her insights, her perceptions, her way of making things work. And the rest of us left behind should relish that.

Jane is a splendid teacher, but what stands out is the way she thinks about teaching and learning. I have learnt a lot about teaching strategies and learning methods from her, and so have experienced how she teaches: through induction, letting you appear sharp enough to have reached certain conclusions yourself, which is surely crucial to deft pedagogy. She is a class act, in short. She has involved herself in pretty much every aspect of Westminster’s wider provision. I would like to know the number of miles she has clocked up on school business,

though she would see it as an environmental affront. She was an invaluable partner on my Istanbul trips, with a deeply practical understanding of what made such visits work, once climbing out of her window onto a fire escape to send the Sixth Form revelers back to bed. The following morning, when I asked breezily how she’d slept, she also managed a wry smile and did not (as I richly deserved) chuck her breakfast in my face.

We both own houses in wonderful East Kent, and I’m looking forward to being not quite sober with Jane, Bréanainn and their son Patrick, on summer evenings as we watch the boats go by.

by Ed Coward

It is difficult to imagine the Common Room without Jane. She is a modest intellectual, kind to her core and a quite formidable talent, though she would be the last to admit this.

Jane joined the School in September 2010 and immediately made an impression on the already vibrant Biology Department with her passionate, reflective and empathetic approach. It is clear how much she cares about her teaching, always going the extra mile to ensure the best possible learning environment. She has a natural ability to balance the academic with the pastoral, and I know the pupil body will miss her enormously, not least in her feminist ideals. She pursues innovative pedagogy with great verve and listens with such honest openness. Her altruism has, at no little personal cost, benefitted the Common Room and pupils enormously, and I know we will feel the loss. Westminster is fuelled by collegiality, and Jane’s collaborative approach has championed initiatives and brought people together. Her personality and the diversity of her expertise have made her instrumental in many activities: from WesMUN, and the Pride and Feminist Societies, to Hooke, Phab, Medicine UCAS and the Summer School. She never demands the limelight, but has the Midas touch and works tirelessly to leave things better for her involvement.

Having joined the School at a similar time, and sharing a fondness for local establishments, it was only natural that Jane and I become friends. We have taken on roles at School in tandem, so been able to support each other along the way. I wouldn’t have achieved half as much, nor had the energy to persevere, without her unfailing support – to say I’ll miss her is a huge understatement! As Head of Biology, she has helped teachers to develop freely, promoting modern pedagogy and instilling an evolving, discursive approach, curating the most stylish floors in Hooke and instigating Nasty November.

Jane is an outstanding academic but at her core she is a family person and she and her family have been a welcome part of our community. She is the consummate professional, but also a vegetarian who doesn’t like goat’s cheese, seemingly never wears the same outfit twice, and has a penchant for knitting. Prosecco is available whatever the occasion, and so too is a shoulder to lean on or an ear to bend. She demonstrates that kindness is not a character flaw, and that the extra mile is simply part of the distance. So many have benefitted from her advice over the years and will want to join me in thanking her for her tireless efforts. She has an uncompromising ability to balance dedication to teaching, her family and her colleagues and it is this that I know will have been recognised by KES, where she takes up her appointment as Deputy Head Academic. Our loss is their considerable gain. In short, Jane is an exceptional schoolteacher and we are so lucky to have been a part of her journey. I cannot put into words the support and generosity that she has extended to me, nor can I thank her enough for her friendship along the way. I shall miss her enormously and wish her every success.

Fantastic Four on February Fourth: The UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge 2020

by Andrew Lee (QS)

On 4 February, Benedict Randall Shaw (QS), Gianfranco Ameri (RR), Oscar Selby (WW), Mr Lorimer and I set off from School to Lindley Hall, ready to compete in the national final of the UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge, as one of over 80 school teams from all over the UK.

We would be pitting our memory, wits and manoeuvring skills against some of the best mathematicians in the country. Westminster won the competition the year before, so expectations were high.

The Challenge starts with the poster round, in which each team uses information sent in advance to create a research poster. The subject was Mathematics and Symmetry in Chemistry, so we made a rather tasteful hexagonal pattern to simulate graphene on our A1 sheet, placing text and pictures within each hexagon. The other teams’ posters looked rather flashy, well laid-out and informative, but we were still proud of our own artistic talents.

The group round of collectively solved questions fell quickly to our logic and speed, as did the crossnumber

problems without a single error. The shuttle round, where pairs exchange answers to allow subsequent questions to be solved in a chain reaction, proved more difficult, and there were several moments when we worried we might not answer in time, yet we prevailed, again without error.

For the relay round, where pairs solve problems then race to deliver solutions to their teacher and new questions to the other pair, we really should have brought trainers instead of school shoes. I was the runner for my pair and experienced several near collisions with other pupils desperately dashing between the tables! This was probably the most tense and competitive part, and the atmosphere in the huge hall was electric, making it all the more thrilling and enjoyable, and raised our determination for victory.

The scores were collected and announced – first place! Prizes and medals!

Bobby Seagull, the mathematical celebrity, presented the awards and gave us copies of his latest book, The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers An apt title, considering the sorcery with which we solved the problems, worked together and overcame the opposition. I’m grateful to have been part of such a dedicated, cohesive team, and to have blazed a mathematical trail with them on that cold February day.

Literary Society

by Liberty Osborne (QS)

This year was a thriving one for LitSoc, with regular weekly meetings bringing plenty of new members, from linguists to scientists, into the wonderful world of literature.

The year started with a flurry of talks from Remove and Sixth Form pupils, where each week the rest of us were treated to an introduction to a variety of literary treasures including the Oulipo group, Sally Rooney’s Normal People, and a whistle-stop tour of T.S. Eliot.

In December, we sadly bid farewell to Mr Curran, the mastermind and drivingforce behind LitSoc for years, and he has been sorely missed. But with the new decade came new opportunities, armed with Mr Curran’s foundations and Mr Hardwick’s buzz, we delved into more discussion-based sessions, exploring and debating an array of short stories and poems. We even ventured into the realm of Instagram poetry and Rupi Kaur, asking what makes poetry good, or even what makes poetry poetry?

When remote learning struck in March, LitSoc persevered, leading the movement for Societies to go online. Despite our yearning for D20 on a Friday lunchtime, we had to make do with Microsoft Teams, which soon transformed into a hive of activity, with even more participants, who hadn’t previously been able to stomach Weston’s stairs. From Siegfried Sassoon to Emily Dickinson, screens couldn’t block vicious literary arguments, and we even made the most of the situation to enjoy longer discussions. Overall, despite plenty of changes this year, LitSoc has stood firm throughout, exploring a broad range of exciting works, authors and poets. One could say that it has been lit.

FemSoc

by Virginia Baldan (PP) and Liberty Osborne (QS)

This year FemSoc has shown its true colours through the focus on variety, highlighting the movement’s pertinence for a wide range of people across a wide array of topics.

The new Society’s first talk, or rather, debate, was a beacon of that variety, exploring the representation, or lack thereof, of professional women throughout history. Different committee members discussed the realms most important to them and, from science to literature to politics, no stone was left unturned.

Nor has the Society shied away from controversy; from vicious audience discussion to a multifaceted yet poignant talk on abortion, FemSoc has aimed to tackle topics head on, acknowledging diversity of opinion, yet staying true to an important cause. Diversity has been shown not only through the topics of conversation, but also in the range of participants, with plenty of boys as well as girls in attendance.

A particular highlight for many was the opportunity to join forces with Harris Westminster for an International Women’s Day festival. We celebrated the day in its true spirit, one of coming together, as Harris pupils treated us to a wealth of inspiring performances, as well as a delicious bake sale in aid of women’s charities. Being able to share our experiences of and passion for the movement with other pupils really brought to life the value of such partnerships. Overall, it has been a year where sombre, controversial, intellectual examination has united with joyous festivities in order to truly explore the meaning of Feminism.

Classical Society

by Virginia Baldan (PP)

Classical Society has flourished this year, bustling and varied as ever in its wide range of talks, trips and conferences.

We hosted Professor Caroline Vout of the Universities of Cambridge and Leiden, who gave a talk on the artistic representations of gods in antiquity. Richard Beale, Poppy Grima and Alice King of Roma Numismatics each presented stories of ancient coins, and it was fascinating to see the specimens they brought, and to learn about their socio-political context.

After a talk by Mr Jones on Why we should get rid of classics, in which he challenged elitist and imperial readings of classics, followed a series of pupilled talks, ranging from Artemis Fftyche (QS) on Sappho’s tender and fruitful Fragment 1 to Alex Austin (BB) on the links between ancient Greece and classical music, Jonah Poulard (HH) on New Testament Greek and, in collaboration with East Asian Society, Liberty Osborne (QS)’s talk on Sino-Classical relations in antiquity.

Meetings of the Junior Classical Society have touched upon literature, politics and art, including Alexandre

Guilloteau (HH) on Horace: a poet and a poem and Rafael Leon-Villapalos (GG) on The rise of Cicero, and the Ultimate Lower School Ancient History Quiz hosted by Mr Lewis: congratulations to Team Pat / Alle on their win.

In June, Mr Ireland gave a talk on Snakes and similes in Virgil’s Aeneid Bijan Omrani, who taught Classics here from 2010 to 2014, gave a lecture on The science behind Euripides’s Gods, arguing that the debate among the Presocratic philosophers might explain why the gods of Euripides’s Bacchae and Hercules Furens are so destructive.

Especially exciting were the visits to the British Museum’s exhibition Troy: Myth and Reality and the Classics Play, Seneca’s Thyestes. Translated by Sixth Form classicists, directed by Mr Gravell and performed by pupils across the School, it was a collective success. I am eager for all that is to come! Thanks to the Classics Department for making all of this possible, and much more.

Maths Society

by Sophia Sergeeva (HH)

Maths Society aims to broaden the domain of confidence for those who will study Maths as part of their degree, and to cultivate an interest in more obscure areas of the subject, rounding up non-mathematicians and members of the Lower School to explore and understand various mathematical concepts.

With interesting and novel events such as quizzes and a relaxing film night, Maths Society has seen a prime turnout this year. Our regular multiple-speaker events allowed the audience to hear from a range of speakers in a single meeting, and encouraged more pupils to have a go at giving a talk. Our weekly letter to our members included a weekly problem and solution, which hopefully entertained and challenged our readers. We have had the pleasure to welcome many external speakers this year, ranging from the Wolfram team, showing us how their language can act as a tool in mathematical research, to Tom Crawford, also known as The Naked Mathematician, who gave a wonderful talk on the Millennium problems. Maths Society also hosted two joint society events with the East Asian Society and FemSoc, focussing on the representation of these groups in the history of mathematics, which I am sure was the root of a lot of debate and thought.

I hope that Maths Soc has been a positive experience for everyone this year, and will continue to be in the future.

Pride Society

by Max Peel (RR)

Pride Society has had a busy year in terms of talks on a wide variety of subjects, from How to be a better ally to A brief history of LGBT rights in the UK to From RuPaul’s Drag Race to American Horror Story: An Introduction to Contemporary Camp We’ve been very proud to provide a continued platform for LGBT+ voices at Westminster for this past year and we hope to continue to do so in the future. Unfortunately, due to the unforeseeable COVID-19 epidemic we were unable to pursue our main goal of finally hosting Westminster’s first drag show this year.

With that being said, in the wise words of Katy Perry, after a hurricane comes a rainbow, and we are immensely looking forward to delivering a sickening drag night and bringing you all things queer as soon as lockdown ends.

John Stace Geography Society

by Skyler Lu (RR)

This academic year has been another fantastic success for the John Stace Geography Society.

Pupil speakers have covered topics ranging from geopolitics of ports to the eradication of malaria. Recent external speakers include Ms Madhu Rajesh, who spoke about the Sustainable Development Goals, 17 goals that the United Nations proposed as aims for a sustainable future. She illustrated how companies around the world are taking action, with Levi’s ‘Waterless’ line of jeans and initiatives to save plastic usage in hotels. As part of the One World Week initiative, we organized a ‘Map Yourself’ event where pupils and teachers mapped their cultural heritage and current residence. The event really highlighted the diversity of cultures, nations and backgrounds (including Antarctica!) within the school community.

The Society was not only a great place for exploring new academic territories, but also a great opportunity to get to know our peers better and work with them in a collaborative and supporting environment. From personal experience, I have had some of the best fun throughout the year working with the Society, sharing pizza after the Upper School Quiz at the start of the year and discussing preparation for society talks with the company of Jaffa Cakes. At the time of writing, we are currently working on the newest edition of our magazine, which includes contributions from across different year groups and interviews with members of staff. We hope you look forward to reading the online version!

Environmental Society

by Ethan Kang (QS)

Environmental Society kicked off the year with a Kahoot, which proved to be not only entertaining but also extremely informative. Did you know that 10,000 litres of water are needed to produce a pair of cotton jeans? And that the average person swallows at least 50,000 microplastics each year? These are just a few examples of the fascinating, although shocking, questions that featured in the quiz.

It’s not all catastrophes at Environmental Society. Max Peel (RR) also hosted a fabulous talk on using nuclear power as a replacement for fossil fuels. In an enlightening presentation, he weighed up the advantages of nuclear power versus the problems in disposing of radioactive waste. Many were surprised by the efficiency of the energy process! Can you imagine life without a mobile phone?

Andrew Lee (QS) gave a captivating talk on why he chose to do so. It is a requirement to mine rare earth metals such as yttrium and lanthanides, which always produce waste products, called mine tailings. A specific case in November 2015, the Minas Gerais dam failure, released iron waste into the environment, the repercussions of which are still felt there.

With a new crew, Environmental Society has resurfaced once again and there are many more talks and initiatives to come. We hope to see you there!

NHSMUN

by Adrianna DeLorenzo (HH) and Johan Orly (PP)

NHSMUN, pronounced ‘nizmin’, was, in a word: unforgettable.

The opening ceremony was American, to say the least. We were quite literally graced by Dr Michael Levry, a budding guru, who instilled in us not just an expanded intelligence and memory but peace, light and love in our surroundings. We discovered that one can take a 14-month paid absence if an MUN teacher (#ad), and that there is always a place for those who “quit” Goldman Sachs in the world of high school MUN. Thanks to a random woman filming us, who we hope was part of the MUN, we may also now be TikTok famous.

As for the actual MUN, we were bemused to discover that Armenia may, according to some, lie in South America. Aside from that slight hiccup and after going through the long procedural motions to start each session, which were a little dilatory, we took part in fruitful debate with decorum, as always, on a wide range of issues from using nuclear technology to combating vector-borne diseases, to reducing the use of child labour in tourism. We’re glad to report that several Armenian amendments and resolutions passed, and we’d like to believe that Armenia assumed her rightful place as a top-tier nation within the confines of the Hilton Midtown.

Visiting the UN GA was truly memorable. We discussed the role of men in propagating gender equality, the UN’s response to coronavirus and how the UN involves all countries in debate. Being able to interact with UN officials and experience the actual chamber of the General Assembly was a real privilege.

On our final night, we utilised our new-found communication skills through the medium of karaoke and interpretive dance. We may have lost our voices, inadvertently yodelling through Times Square, but there are no regrets. It was a great way to bond across year groups, hear Brockhampton karaoke by Mr Jones, and let off steam after an intense few days MUN-ing until 11.00pm.

On a serious note, we would like to thank our wonderful educators, builders and leaders, Ms Franco and Mr Jones, for accompanying us, and Mr Brown for being the megamind behind the scenes. Without a doubt, the best thing about the trip was learning that our educators had much better meme game than the Gen-Zs amongst us!

Subcontinental Society

by Bhuvan Belur (BB) and Arjun Seth (WW)

Subcontinental Society has enjoyed another fantastic year of Bhangra, Bollywood and debate before School’s closure.

We kicked off the year with our annual Bollywood dance, a fusion of popular songs, involving a record number of pupils across all year groups, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd on September Saturday! This year we have continued to host regular talks, discussing issues ranging from the history of Kashmir, to the experiences of a British Muslim, in a collaboration with Islamic Society. In One World Week, Subcon’s fiery speakers debated the benefits of the renowned South Asian parenting techniques, drawing the highest turnout for a school society talk with numbers surpassing the 100 mark and leaving many standing to catch a glimpse of the shenanigans. Many thanks to our star-studded cast of Arjun Seth (WW), Shihab Ahmed (MM), Joshua Loo (MM) and Asha Bakhai (LL) for bringing such passion and wit to the floor. We are grateful to Sharon Chau (PP) and Bhuvan Belur (BB) for attempting to maintain some order and civility during discussion.

Into the new year, Subcon’s Bhangra Band, Spice Spice Baby!, made a legendary return, after a long

hiatus, at the Wren’s / Dryden’s House concert. Led by Louis Negri (BB), Arjun Seth (WW) and Nikhil Singh (DD)’s ceaseless energy on bass, the performance was historic and we are delighted that we were able to share Punjabi music with a school audience.

Despite the disruption caused by these unfortunate circumstances, Subcontinental Society has enjoyed another year celebrating Subcontinental culture with the school community and it has been magnificent to see the engagement with so many pupils and staff. It is regretful that events such as the annual Kulfi Sale and our Hollywood vs Bollywood Debate have had to be cancelled, but we have still been privileged to enjoy the events that we have hosted. A huge thank you to all Committee members who have served tirelessly this year, especially to our departing Removes who have certainly left their mark, as well as Ms Franco, Mr Page and Ms Choraria for supporting the Society throughout the year. Jai Westminster!

Maurice de Pange Lecture Series

by Sebastien Blache

In his talk on his novel, Black Venus, James MacManus (OW) remembered his time at Westminster fondly, in particular his introduction to the poetic delights of Baudelaire. His novel’s aim was to rehabilitate the figure of the great poet’s muse Jeanne Duval, who unlocked his poetic potential and prompted the creation of Les Fleurs du Mal, without which T.S. Eliot famously stated that The Wasteland would not have existed. The talk was a wonderful introduction to the 19 th century in France and Paris.

Professor Julia Waters’s talk on Shenaz Patel’s novel Le silence des Chagos focused on a geopolitical goldmine for the UK. The Chagossian community, a creolespeaking community, had lived in that archipelago for more than a century when the UK expelled them between 1967 and 1973, to let the USA build a military base on its largest island, Diego Garcia. Books like this have given the displaced community a voice, to express their distress and their desire to return to their homeland. They now live in an administrative no man’s land, as some were never granted British citizenship on their forced departure and arrival in the UK and lost their Mauritian passport. The Independence of Mauritius in 1965 started the anticolonial movement and has called for the decolonisation of the Chagos Islands ever since. In 2019, the UN demanded that the UK withdrew from the Chagos. Fiction and reality mingled in the most politically charged Maurice de Pange Lecture of the year!

In a brilliant talk (the first Maurice de Pange Lecture to take place on Zoom!), full of clarity and brio, Alain de Botton explained how and to what extent reading Proust, the epitome of the confined writer (“he would have loved Zoom”, said de Botton!) was essential to our lives.

He explained how Proust himself was the “fil rouge” of this quest, having attempted to find the meaning of life in conversations and friends, then in love and finally in art and books. The latter is the most satisfactory and the most fulfilling as it forces each one of us to be exposed to new ideas and new worldviews whilst allowing us to develop our own voices. For Proust, art should be a call – a vocation, literally and etymologically speaking – or a catalyst for the budding artists in all of us.

Our very own Miss Leech concluded the year’s Lecture Series with an introduction to Frantz Fanon (1935-1961). Born in Martinique, he was influenced by the poet and politician Aimé Césaire, the champion of “blackness”. He moved to France to study Psychiatry at Lyon University after fighting with the Free French Forces during WW2. That part of his life although decisive and liberating, was cathartic in his experience of the realities of racism and colonialism. The powerful metaphor he employed to theorise it was the title of his 1952 essay, Peau noire, masques blancs (Black skin, white masks), the focus of the talk. This work analyses the process of racism and the inferiority complex, through the prism of psychoanalysis and history. It deconstructs and analyses the feelings experienced by black minorities and their subconscious and conscious strategies to integrate, adapt, climb the social ladder and fit in. The ins and outs of their experience are analysed in utmost detail, via the mechanisms of language. The talk was full of fascinating examples and generated so much for food for thought with regards to the Black Lives Matter movement and its aspirations.

Stipatores Honorati

by Benedict Randall Shaw (QS) and Jonathan Watts (PP)

“This too shall pass”, to echo the Sufi poets. To our immense sorrow, our founder William Mirza too has inevitably passed from our humble gathering Stipatorum. He did so much for Stip Hon, and is sorely missed, but with such great change comes equal opportunity. The new leadership entered in truly spectacular fashion, beginning with the towering Prinzregententorte and croquembouche in turn, presented by the Chairs respectively. These could not be more different. The former, a Bavarian fortress of seven sponge layers adrift in chocolate, is fundamentally German in its stark character and classical format. It is entirely authentic, making no pretence at subtlety. Its form follows function. The latter is quintessentially French, a great, almost Gothic, cone of caramel-bound profiteroles. This is very impressive, but completely impractical. One could easily make a comparison to the relevant Chairs...

With almost a full cohort of loyal Stipatores leaving with William, recruitment was an absolute priority. This began at the Societies Fair in September, with an authentic mid-19 th century recipe for coconut macaroons, which, while somewhat sloppy in execution, were very well received, and no doubt crucial to the high subsequent turnout. The first meeting of the Play Term was a suitably autumnal Viennese Apfelstrudel, and was very well attended, leading to a paucity of the baked good in question. This issue was absent at the next meeting, designed to coincide with

One World Week, at which an abundance of both Rugelach and Jamaican Ginger Cake were consumed and discussed. The last meeting of the term hosted the bûche de Noël, or Yule log, another example of the chocolate excess favoured by the current society leadership, made all the more excessive by a generous slug of Churchill’s favourite Armenian brandy in the cream, resulting in what must be one of the most decadent cakes yet. January brought a rare venture outside Europe, with Ms Stone presenting the Australian Lamington, of sponge coated with chocolate sauce and desiccated coconut, and with a strawberry jam filling. Although we did not then know it, our next meeting was to be our last of the year, and the corresponding cake was appropriately magnificent: a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, in an extravagant tower of chocolate, cherries, cream, and a splash of the traditional Kirschwasser.

We have enjoyed the year as Chairs of the society immensely, and it is with both sadness and excitement that we pass the baton to the next generation of Stipatores Honorati. Stip Hon is like nothing else. It is a celebration of the timeless ritual of tea and cake; but yet it is also a living, evolving entity. This year, it has had a very European character; but we are eager to hear of its development. We are sure that the institution the society has become over the past few years will live for many years to come, and will bring joy to countless others, as it has brought joy to us.

Societies Fair

The year in Music

by Tim Garrard

2019 / 2020 was another tremendous year for Music at Westminster.

Last year’s Music Captains, Nicholas Bacon and Agatha Pethers, received choral awards at King’s College London (where Nick is reading Music with fellow 2019 Leaver, John Hindley) and Merton College Oxford respectively. Jay Chitnavis won a choral scholarship to New College Oxford to read Music, and Isaac Adni will next year read Music at The Queen’s College Oxford as organ scholar. James Garagnon has been studying at the Royal College of Music, and Harvey Parker is going to read Music at York. Clara Falkowska, Lulu Hao, William Shirras, Sienna BramwellPearson, Veronika Izmaylova and Nathan Bhak are all enjoying co-curricular music at university.

This year’s School Music Captains, Sevan Vlieghe (WW) and Jonathan Watts (PP), have led from the front with distinction. The Play Term began with a MusSoc Recital at St John’s Smith Square, with the programme written and compèred by the senior musicians, and displaying the range of musical activities on offer. Remove Music Scholar, Edric Pepra (MM), who has served the orchestra with distinction as principal oboist, spoke eloquently about performing symphonies whilst also being in the First XI Football Team. MusSoc, led by Mr Hall, Henry Bishop (LL) and Tom de Csilléry (QS), held recitals in the School’s Chapel, up School, at St John’s Smith Square and at The Guards’

Chapel, Wellington Barracks. During his time here, Henry has won the accolade of Berkshire Young Musician of the Year, while Tom was this year appointed Co-Leader of the National Youth Orchestra, a truly exceptional achievement of which we are extremely proud. Tom is joined in the NYOGB by Emily Fraser (DD) and Towa Matsuda (AHH). A large number of pupils entered ABRSM examinations, with Grade 8 Distinctions for Vivian Lui (MM), Arthur Pickering (GG) and Benedict Randall Shaw (QS), while Alexander Austin (BB) was awarded the Dean and Chapter’s Henry Purcell Organ Scholarship.

At the Prep School Heads’ Dinner, Sevan Vlieghe, Louis Negri (BB), and Captain of Orchestra Hatam Barma (DD) performed Benjamin Britten’s St Edmundsbury Fanfare for Three Trumpets

They have been an outstanding orchestral trumpet section, and they got another chance to join forces at the School Remembrance Service, performing Last Post and Reveille from the Abbey Organ Loft. A string quartet, comprised of Jonathan Watts, Vivian Lui, Nancy Wang (PP) and Maia Ramambason (GG), played at the Dean’s Leaving Reception. The quartet was victorious in the Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival, becoming Chamber Champions alongside the Piano Trio of Zach Brandman (DD), Towa Matsuda and Joyce Chen (GG).

This year’s Orchestral Concert at St John’s featured the 60-strong Lower School Orchestra, performing movements from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites, Tom de Csilléry’s exquisite performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, and the Symphony Orchestra performing Dvorák’s Symphony No 8 Tom won the concerto berth at St John’s, and both Daniele PilkingtonScimone (AHH) and Vivian Lui auditioned with highly commendable performances of Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. They went on to perform movements from these works at the Concerto Concert in January, alongside Jonathan Watts with Weber’s Bassoon Concerto, Captains of Orchestra Maryam Zaidi (DD) and Hatam Barma with Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No.1 and Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto respectively, Arthur Pickering with Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3, Maia Ramambason with Lalo’s Cello Concerto No.1, Henry Bishop with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3, and Sevan Vlieghe with another movement of Beethoven’s Emperor

December marked the official general release of the Choir’s debut album on the international record label, Signum. Now may we singen: Music for Advent and Christmas was Recording of the Week on Classic FM’s Drive and reviewed in Gramophone Magazine and BBC Music Magazine, which included it in its top ten Christmas

playlist. Ably led by Head Choristers Louis Negri and Jadd Virji (GG) and Deputy Head Chorister Oliver Anderson-Shah (AHH), the Choir performed at the Houses of Parliament, the WSPC Party and the Pullen Centre Christmas lunch. The Carol Service included the premiere of Jonathan Watts’s carol, Gabriel’s Message. Jonathan was also commissioned by The Nightingale Fellowship to compose The Nightingale Grace for the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, to be performed in a service in Westminster Abbey on 12 May. Sadly, the service could not take place, but this did not deter Jonathan from composing an eightminute Westminster Te Deum for the Choir, perhaps to be performed at a future Big Commem. The Westminster Choral Society, made up of parents, OWW, Friends of Westminster, staff and governors is now 200 strong and enjoyed rehearsing Beethoven’s Mass in C weekly in St John’s Smith Square.

House Concerts took place throughout the year, and the Play Term Ensembles Concert was very well received. The New Soloists, Upper, and Lower School Concerts showcased the strength of the Music Award Holders. Pop and Jazz events were, as always, fantastic: School was turned into a jazz club for the Jazz Evening, whilst Mr Swana’s Popular Music Concert is always one of the highlights of the year. This year’s

musical, Little Shop of Horrors, MD’d by Mr Swana and directed by Director of Drama, Mr Chequer, was a triumph.

We continued our fruitful partnership with Wellbeing, welcoming Dr Kathy Weston and Paul Harris to speak at Music and Wellbeing parenting forums, on Future Proofing: An Evidence Based Approach and If only I had more time... to practise... respectively. We enjoyed masterclasses from renowned musicians including Roderick Williams, Christopher Glynn, Paul Harris and Will Edwards, and enjoyed a performance from session musician and percussionist, Jody Linscott, in between performances on tour with pop star, Dido (OW). Antony Peebles (OW) gave a lunchtime piano recital up School before showing us the spot in the Rigaud’s basement in which he performed in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first ever musical.

Mr Heighway joined us this year from Sevenoaks School as Head of Academic Music and Assistant Director of Music. At the end of the academic year, we bid a fond farewell to Miss O’Toole, who

has been an extremely popular figure within the Music Department, first as Music Graduate and more recently as Music Secretary. She has overseen the smooth running of many weekly ensembles, and has also been known to play bassoon in school concerts! Miss O’Toole is off to become a secondary school teacher and we wish her all the very best.

The pandemic sadly put a stop to many plans: masterclasses from Ani Schnarch, Pete Moore and Peter Holder, a performance from saxophonist Jess Gillam, the Sir Adrian Boult Memorial Concert, the Summer Concert, the Choir’s Eucharist in St Matthew’s Festival of Music and Liturgy, the Leavers’ Concert, the Leavers’ Service, the Election Dinner, and a choir residency to Ripon Cathedral. The biggest musical casualty was our annual concert at the Barbican, the scale of which was to dwarf anything that had gone before, with over 450 performers. We have, however, certainly kept busy with a timetable of virtual rehearsals and recitals, a choral composition

competition, a Beethoven 250 piano project and our Ensemble Festival Challenge. Our singers have been busy making videos for virtual performances of Latin Prayers, The School Prayer, and Barry Manilow’s One Voice, and over 50 pupils have been rehearsing weekly with the Virtual Lower School Orchestra, led by Mr Heighway. Almost 300 pupils from ten schoolsChurchill Gardens Primary Academy, Harris Westminster Sixth Form, Millbank Academy, Pimlico Academy, Pimlico Primary, St Gabriel’s Primary, The Grey Coat Hospital, Westminster Cathedral Primary and Westminster City School – had been rehearsing throughout the Lent Term. Accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra, they would have performed Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem together. It was our privilege to collaborate with the Tri-borough Music Hub and the Pimlico Musical Foundation.

We look forward to a time at which we can all once again make music together.

SJSS review

by Richard Hall

St John’s Smith Square, Thomas Archer’s exquisite English Baroque

masterpiece of 1728, is a familiar venue to Westminster School’s musicians and audiences, and an enthralling space in which to share the live and treasured communion of a concert.

The Lower School Orchestra was greeted warmly by the large audience as they stepped out, the room abuzz with anticipation; for many on stage this was their debut performance at Westminster. Greig’s popular Morning opened proceedings and David Campbell sculpted the opening dialogue between flute and oboe with seasoned aplomb. Towa Matsuda (AHH) led the orchestra with confidence and poise, the close-knit string section responding with meritorious intonation. As the LSO gave a vivid and nimble rendition of In the Hall of the Mountain King , one was struck by the power of this young orchestra. These young musicians, many of them in their first term, demonstrated that the future of music at Westminster is bright indeed.

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is an iconic work and a daunting piece for any soloist. Yet as Tom De Csilléry (QS)’s exquisite tone meandered artfully down into the initial statement of the first theme, it was clear we could all sit back and take in something truly special. Mr Hopkins conducted an alert and agile Symphony Orchestra, expertly instigating the buoyancy, sweeping lyricism, and folksy brawn

this piece demands. De Csilléry’s command of the many virtuosic passages was indisputably thrilling, as was the way in which he allowed the warm acoustic of the hall to add the finishing touches to his mature tone. It was, however, the depth of understanding with which he played this emotionally complex work that elevated his rendition to the realm of artistry.

Dvorák’s 8th Symphony, a work laden with melodies, filled the second half of the evening. Sorcerer-esque, Mr Garrard capitalised fully on the potential of each momentary detail while seeming never to lose sight of the overarching structure and unfolding drama of this Czech masterpiece. The large string section, ably led by Vivian Lui (MM), impressed with a polished homogeneity. The exceptional cellists came into their own as Dvorák favours them with the first bite of any new melodic cherries. Anthony Wang (RR) rose admirably to the challenge of the flute solos and an outstanding brass section added power and brilliance to the expansive moments of climax. The riotous final pages of the finale brought to a close an evening of musical delight. Bravi tutti!

Choir tour 2019

by Agatha Pethers (GG, OW)

Remove Ball, the Leavers Service, Academic Prize Giving, Election Dinner: for most of the Remove, these events mark the end of their time at Westminster. For a lucky few, the Westminster experience continued for an extra, wonderful week in Berlin, where we played three concerts, visited Bach’s house in Leipzig, and got thrashed at bowling by Mr Garrard.

With possibly the largest, but definitely the best, group ever taken on tour, the ambitious programme of Schubert, Haydn, Weber and Daly (OW) was attacked with gusto by the whole orchestra with each performance (introduced by resident German expert and harpist Beth King) surpassing the last. James Garagnon held audiences of German OAPs spellbound with the first movement of the Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in Eb major, an encore of his stunning performance at St John’s Smith Square last November. Wielding his baton with command and aplomb, Harvey Parker made his conducting debut with OW Christos Daly’s Symphony No. 1 in G minor (however arguably the loudest rendition of this was heard not on stage but in the coach afterwards). Although we started the trip as a rather odd mix of year groups, by the end of a week of coach journeys, concerts, erratic hotel lifts, walking tours, water slides, and even the odd 2.00am rendition of Allegri’s Miserere, we had become a family – and we must allow it that the tears at its conclusion weren’t solely due to the extra strong Bavarian sauerkraut. Such a brilliant trip simply would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Mr Garrard, Mrs Bamping, Ms Wyatt, Mr Hindley, Mr Smith and Mr Swana – under whose capable direction the Music Department will doubtless continue to even bigger and better things!

The year in Drama

by Peter Chequer

We launched our season with the European Drama Festival.

Three short plays performed in Spanish, German and French were all co-productions between Harris and Westminster pupils. El retablo de las Maravillas, by Cervantes, directed by Sander Berg, was a fun and perceptive mini comedy about prejudice and gullibility. Edmond by Alexis Michalik, directed by Pauline Michel, explored the writing process of one of the most renowned French comedies of all time: Cyrano de Bergerac. Extracts from Groß und Klein, directed by Alexandra Granville, conveyed the difficulty faced by women in post-war Germany, at once drawn to the comfort of domestic life, but rejecting its stifling implications in pursuit of loftier academic and professional goals.

The response to the Sixth Form Festival (see review) was overwhelming. Involving over 95 pupils, this was undoubtedly the largest cast we have experienced in the department. Night at the Movies 2 was a huge hit. Audiences were served popcorn and treated to some iconic cinematic classics including The Godfather, The Breakfast Club, Jurassic World and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ; with incredible dance routines from Grease, La La Land and D irty Dancing

The theme of this year’s Fifth Form Elizabethan Festival, directed by Turn of Phrase, was ‘Power and Corruption’. Once again 120 pupils took to the stage in 12 different groups, performing extracts from Shakespearean plays including Macbeth, King Lear, Richard II, Julius Caesar and Othello. The evening’s entertainment proved a great success to a packed audience; year on year the festival seems to get better and better.

Pupils from across all years came together for this year’s Classics Play, an original translation of Seneca’s Thyestes, directed by Ben Gravell, by a select group of Remove pupils. Their translation captured impressively the dark tone one would expect from Seneca. Nicolas Rackow (PP) gave an authoritatively chilling performance as the sadistic Atreus, as he lured his bumbling brother Thyestes home, ostensibly to put an end to their bitter feud. Nikhil Singh (DD)’s portrayal of Thyestes captured the drama of his eventual realisation with real intensity, as well as leaving several members of the audience feeling sick to their stomachs. It was great to see such a mixture of different ages and levels of experience on stage.

One of the highlights of the year, Little Shop of Horrors (see review), was a major success for all of those involved. Staged in the MFH, the music, choreography, lighting and sound design, set and cast all came together to create a memorable production.

Due to lockdown, the Drama Department has reimagined the following productions onto film:

• Brainstorm directed by Rania Jumaily (Lower School Production)

• Twelfth Night directed by Annie-Graham Brown (Upper School Play)

• Chatroom directed by Peter Chequer ( Co-production between Harris Westminster Sixth Form and Westminster)

We also hope to salvage Ashburnham’s House Play Buckets, which was cancelled due to lockdown.

NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 2

Every year, Westminster’s Sixth Form perform a festival of short extracts from certain plays, films or other theatrical concepts. The theme this year was Night at the Movies 2 following on from the previous year’s exhilarating Night at the Movies. It was an exciting experience, to say the least.

by Coco Kemp-Welch (AHH)

Anyone who has ever been involved in a theatrical production will know the extensive time, effort and concentration that go into a decent show. That is for a single production. The ability, therefore, of the Drama Department to put together 23 scenes from different movies, involving over 100 pupils, is extremely impressive!

Jake Manketo (HH) and I were the narrators, so our job was to guide the audience through the night, introducing each scene and acting as general hosts. This was highly enjoyable as it allowed me to interact with everybody involved in the show, not just those people involved in my own scene.

The social side of this experience was perhaps the most rewarding as, having entered a new school with over 200 pupils in my year, 80 of whom were just

as new as I was, it meant I got to know everyone properly – useful for classes during the day...

The dances were perhaps the best fun. Although not everyone involved in the drama was involved in the dances, most were, and Ellen Jakubiel’s choreography led us to integrate more and more. Dances from Grease and La La Land fed the excitement emanating from the new faces, new names, new people.

As for the scenes themselves, the performances were committed, the actors convincing. This wasn’t just a ‘production’, which sounds so formulaic and professional. It was, in fact, an ‘experience’ with a perfect integration of socially adept, bright-minded, talented people, who I can now call my friends.

It fed the critics!

On the fifth week of the Lent Term, your correspondents walked into the MFH and were transported to New York.

Even before the play began, Stewart Charlesworth’s set perfectly conjured Skid Row, right down to the subway signs. Now, some say that a musical may suffer from a smaller theatre, but Little Shop of Horrors was always intended to be performed off-Broadway in smaller venues, making it an excellent choice for the MFH. The Ronettes (an impressive group) made full use of the stage and the balcony to create an intimate and vivid performance that felt like it was taking place on a bustling New York street.

Despite the grim subject matter –a failing flower shop, downtrodden neighbourhoods, man-eating plants, domestic abuse, the cycle of poverty, a sadistic dentist, late-stage capitalism, and the perils of fame – Little Shop is charming and hilarious throughout. The show began with a video cameo from Mr Derham, followed by a fantastic ensemble number, Skid Row (Downtown). The talented ensemble were the life and soul of this

production, relentlessly injecting energy, and the band’s animated performance made the music a character in its own right.

The principal cast was just as strong. Julian Ion’s (PP) Seymour is a shy, geeky botanist, whose fingers are as green as his verdant gilet. Julian carried off a difficult shift from lovable to increasingly corrupt as Audrey II (the indomitable Ella Palmer (Harris Westminster Sixth Form)) lures him into feeding her human corpses. Although the plant is usually a puppet, the decision to use an actor brings a terrifying dynamism to Audrey II, which Ella executes with aplomb, despite crouching in a plant pot for most of the first act. In contrast, her namesake Audrey I (Lili Orchard (DD)) is the innocent heart of this musical. Lili brought incredible stage presence and vocal range, keeping us spellbound as she sang of “somewhere that’s green”. Her sweetness brings out the nastiest and punchiest

performance in Nicolas Rackow’s (PP) Orin Scrivello, a sadistic dentist. Meanwhile, the musical’s quintessentially Jewish character comes out most notably in the character of Mr Mushnik, played with relish by Ben Andreyev (WW). He shimmies and rumbles his way across the stage as the flawed and selfish, yet still likable, shopkeeper of Skid Row Florist.

An impressively rapid costume change before the final set piece saturated the stage with green (an inspired choice from Director Mr Chequer) visually representing the newfound plant dominion. As our characters beg us “don’t feed the plants” (or don’t give into capitalism), Audrey II suddenly towers over us from the balcony via clever lighting effects. Ironically, everyone came out with a smile on their face, even your hard-to-please reviewers.

by Cate Goldwater Breheny (QS) and Abigail Wallace (QS)

The year in Art

by Simon Crow

Never did the therapeutic value of Art feel more urgent.

The opportunity for creative engagement, to express the sense of self, or to contemplate the nature of the human condition felt all the more imperative from the bedroom studio. We’d been reminded of the immense relationship of the human to architecture and our surroundings in the ARTISTALK by John Ross from 6a Architects. He led us through the formidable and genius intellectual rationale for the design of the art galleries they had undertaken. The Milton Keynes Gallery stood in dramatic contrast to the South London Gallery, and to the studio home of Juergen Teller, each with its own unique essence. John’s talk, surely one of the best we have ever had, reminded us that it is conceptual gravitas that underpins the best of what we see here in the Westminster studios.

Jai Gandhi (BB)’s superb gallery installation was an epic achievement – beautiful, refined and an aesthetic triumph in its designerly black, white and red. Brilliant. Adi Sukumaran (WW) has been in that gallery space too, with a supremely thoughtful series of large-scale expressive paintings set against a marvellous geometry of wooden constructions and tightly wrapped strings. Louis Cuddy (PP)’s architectural installation was terrifying: mood and atmosphere being encountered through a massive cube, outrageous paint splats and two thunderously ambitious black chalk drawings. Emmanuel Miltiadou (BB) lightened the mood with his crazily exciting installation of coloured canvas floating improbably in a pristine white space: so good it won him the Funaki Art Prize. Hurrah! Haley Flower (QS)’s landscapes were copious, large scale, vibrant in both colour and composition, fantasising the Earth’s terrain as otherworldly and memorable. Shine Yang (PP)’s paintings of ethereal figures graced the walls of studio 1 with the confidence and beauty that spoke to the poetry of shadows and the fleeting glimpse. Divine. Zoe Smith (PP)’s portraits sang with perception; Leo Takahashi (DD)’s uber-cool paintings; Aldwin Li (RR)’s hugely original plaster works; Frankie Courtneidge (HH)’s confident, punk, angst-driven films.... the list is endless – from the Fifth Form to the Remove. These stand out shows were notable for their ambition, but a thousand other artworks of genius emerged before, and after, the bizarre lockdown forced the artists to use their wits. That idea of high invention was in abundance in Ellie Wang (OW)’s ARTISTALK. It was a window into a rich seam of spontaneous, spirited and utterly beautiful production. Her paintings emerged from performances and the endless engagement with the peculiarities of life. Wonderful. The life class yielded superb work; the print room buzzed with activity; the IT suite and books were perpetually being used and mined – the sense of purpose was palpable.

It was a thrill to have Emma Hollaway (OW) back to teach for a year. She brought an effortless grace and sheer brilliance to her role, drawing readily on her vast and insightful art history skills alongside her creative genius. What an immense colleague, an admired teacher and a phenomenal person. She gave Westminster so much in just one year and we are truly grateful. There’s never a dull day up Studio!

Emmanuel Miltiadou

Jai Gandhi

Aditya Sukumaran

Aldwin Li Zoe Smith

Frankie Courtneidge

Shine Yang

Haley Flower

Photography Competition

First prize –Untitled

by Theo Naylor Marlow (AHH)

This is a beautiful picture shot in the golden hour loved by photographers for its warm side lighting. The cat makes a great model, with matching golden eyes, superbly set on a painted chair with strong compositional shadows enhancing the mood. The enigmatic gaze of the cat matches the mystery of the Hesperian moment.

With comments from the judge, Alexander Crole

Third prize –Tomatoes Ripening by Tate Ford (LL)

Indeed they are – the tomatoes look delicious, translucent cadmium skin reflecting the light against a limited tonal palette of hard angular shapes. A moment where the photographer seizes the image from the everyday and makes it work.

Second prize –Untitled by Fenya Tillery (RR)

The panoramic landscape framing and the compositional elements of sunlight, shadow, silhouette and architectural shapes makes this a striking frieze. The otherwise mundane action is enhanced by the setting to make it emblematic and memorable.

Staff prize –Woodpeckers by

David Kenedy

A charming shot of a woodpecker in the act of feeding its young in an old sweet chestnut tree. This is a very difficult shot to achieve, needing skill, timing and luck in equal measure. All the action is on screen, focused, clear, interesting and complete.

Homeless Drive

by Henry Bishop (LL)

It is easy to turn a blind eye to homeless people. It is not so easy to recognise them as part of our community. This is something that the Homeless Drive strives to do, bringing a sense of companionship and community to someone who, in all likelihood, has been ignored all day.

On 23 November, around 150 pupils spent their evening handing out 320 bags of necessities to those sleeping in four-degree winter weather on the streets. The packs contained 15 essentials that most of us would take for granted in our daily lives, and which are the pillar upon which the Homeless Drive is built. The most immediate impact is the conversation that can be struck through giving these packs away. The conversation, however brief, lets that person know that we care about them and are looking out for them. The Homeless Drive would otherwise be purely material, without any acknowledgement that they are people, just like us.

The most upsetting thing I’ve come to get used to is the immediate distrust shown on approach, followed by relief upon asking a simple “how was your day?”. For one’s initial response to be distrust and fear paints a deeply worrying picture of the society in which we live. Long periods of denied compassion through regularly being ignored can undoubtedly turn one’s mind into questioning whether in fact there is any empathy left in the world. We all must take it upon ourselves to prevent this. Talk to the person who lives on the street that you see every day on your way to the tube station! Help make someone’s day that bit brighter! I’ve found my interactions with London’s homeless people immensely impactful, shaping the person I have become. Allow it to impact you in the same way.

Fixing the world’s problems is no individual’s responsibility, nor can we expect that the world’s governments will remedy them. The buck stops with you and me. It is our collective responsibility to improve the world for the better and this starts by helping those who are suffering every day.

It has been an immense honour to run the Homeless Drive. I cannot express my thanks enough to all the parents who have supported us by donating so generously, as well everyone who has helped out these past drives. May they continue indefinitely!

Widening access

by Oliver Hopwood

Westminster School is a truly remarkable place, and what we do and achieve together is tremendous.

I am not talking just about the results that pupils achieve in their public examinations, which we all know to be consistently outstanding. It of course relates also to our stunning musical culture, our vibrant societies, our impressive dramatic productions, the breadth of our sporting pursuits and our rich programme of Expeditions.

But we are ultimately a highly privileged institution. Though the outstanding achievements we often list are indeed the product of extremely hard work and talent, the truth is that we are not a school that reflects the full cultural, ethnic and social diversity of our great city. The School’s vision to become needs blind – and genuinely open to all, regardless of financial circumstances – is, for me, the right one, and is consistent with the liberal values of our Charter of 1560.

This is not just a matter, though, of raising enough cash to pay for bursaries, for the barriers to entry at Westminster take many forms other than financial ones. Westminster can look or feel to many like an intimidating place, where only a certain type of pupil can thrive. The academic bar to entry is incredibly high, fuelled by prep-school curricula and 1:1 tutor support, resources to which most young people simply do not have access. Our application processes, in common with many independent schools, follow a different timeline to those in the maintained sector, and we know that this additional complexity can often be off-putting.

Our Platform programme – aimed at Year 5s – and its sister initiative, the Platform Plus programme –aimed at Year 10s – are an important way of making Westminster more accessible to the brightest and best. These programmes help us demystify and simplify our admissions procedures, and give us the opportunity to support families through the bewildering process of applying to independent schools. They allow us to work with pupils from a broader range of backgrounds, to help them recognise and nurture their talents. They are a means of us spotting the raw talent that young

people have. They are a way in which we can offer a Westminster style of learning to a much more diverse audience, regardless of their intentions to study at a particular type of school.

This year, the COVID-19 outbreak of course threatened to disrupt these programmes. It is a reflection of the determination of Westminster’s wider community, including those at Westminster Under School, that we were able to move the programmes online in their entirety, almost overnight. But even more so, it is a testament to the unshakeable commitment of our Platform and Platform Plus pupils that they have all found a way to join our live lessons and sustain their work with us. We were also able to offer the first of our Higher Education Seminars for Heads of Sixth Form in maintained schools – online, with over 30 schools participating. While imperfect in so many ways, providing these programmes online reminds us of the potential that technology gives us to work with a greater number and diversity of pupils and schools in the future. This is an opportunity that Westminster School cannot afford to miss.

2.6 Phestival

by Susan Joyce

The inspiration for the Westminster 2.6 Phestival came from our very own Mr Allchin. He started this whole thing after running 66 laps of Vincent Square on 26 April. This was equivalent to the distance of the London Marathon (26.2 miles), which he would have run on that day. As well as completing this huge distance, he also raised money for Phab England, a charity which has a very special place in Westminster’s heart.

We have a long history with Phab, having run Westminster Phab, a residential week in July, for the last 44 years. Unfortunately, it did not take place this year. Due to the cancellation of events like the London Marathon, many charities have lost out on thousands of pounds of fundraising. To help raise even some money, the London Marathon encouraged those who would have run on the day to complete a 2.6 challenge. This could be a 2.6-mile run, or walk, or even 26 minutes’ exercise! Mr Allchin suggested that members of the Westminster School community could do their own 2.6 challenges in support of Phab England, hence the name 2.6 Phestival! I thought it was an excellent idea because it would mean that we could still be brought together as a school community even in these socially-distanced times, and still give something to Phab. And to add a little competitive edge, each individual’s challenge would be logged for their House.

The response from pupils was amazing. It was particularly inspiring to see the variety of challenges that pupils completed, such as some very creative and imaginative takes on the challenge – reciting all 270 tube stations, live streaming of a musical performance for 2.6 hours or a croquembouche of at least 26 profiteroles! There were also some very impressive exercise challenges: a duo 260km bike ride, 260km of cycling in one week and 26 times 2.6km runs. In classic Westminster style, there were also many exercise challenges with a creative spin – a run completed in the shape of a 26, 260 keepie-uppies of a ping pong ball on a cricket bat and a 2.6km walk with a Monty Python twist! Staff also completed their own challenges, helping to add to their House tallies, and we were treated to an excellent montage of the Senior Management Committee completing their own challenges to end our successful 2.6 Phestival. Many of the challenges submitted were firsts for pupils and staff alike, who were determined to set themselves new goals to achieve and it was impressive to see them do it.

Every House rose to the occasion, with many challenges logged for each one. One individual was so dedicated to ensuring his House would be in contention, that he completed 28 different challenges! As we drew to the end of the 2.6 Phestival, his efforts along with other individuals in the House placed them firmly at the top – an honour that was also shared by another House who marked themselves by many of the inventive challenges they completed. Well done to Ashburnham and College for coming joint first! Alongside all of this, we exceeded our target, raising £3,071 for Phab England.

A huge thank you to all of you who donated to Phab and well done to all of you who completed a challenge. Seeing your response to the call only reinforced how great it will be to be back in person at Westminster School, to engage and interact with such wonderful people.

Suzie – 26-minute quick-drawing challenge (six drawings)

Henry – 26 consecutive hits whilst clay pigeon shooting

Rachel – 269.5 miles of cycling in April

Joseph – Drove 2600 miles from Aberdeen to Istanbul on Euro Truck Simulator 2

Mr Allchin

Ms Stone – 2.6-mile run along the river

Dr A-K – Marathon

26-second Compline Toby – 26km cycle on a machine

Mr Page – 26m cycle Aryan – 26km cycle

Benedict – 26km cycle, cycled 206 Olympic stades and built a croquembouche with at least 26 profiteroles

Volunteering

by Gilly French

Volunteering this year thrived for a term. We had record numbers in placements at primary schools, increasing interest in most other projects and an excited buzz of warm engagement throughout. Soon, however, caution had set in almost everywhere and, for understandable reasons, volunteering shuddered to a halt. No-one wanted us anymore.

This caution was not coming from us – with our newly-mastered Zoom skills we were ready for anything. But fraught primary school heads had their own problems, and toddler groups and charity shops and centres for older people had closed their doors, and one can’t give swimming lessons by video. By the start of the Election Term enough was enough: we had a large number of willing and under-occupied volunteers and had to try to do something. Fortunately, two inspirational organisations helped us find new contacts and put together new programmes. Through the remarkable St Vincent Family Project, we organised Zoom tutorials for local primary school children, whilst the Pullen Centre helped us to arrange regular letter-writing to their clients, older people shielding at home. These programmes were oversubscribed for volunteers by at least 2:1 and have provided a refreshing way to engage in different approaches to volunteering – I hope they will be with us for a while!

Volunteering from my sofa

by Cate Goldwater Breheny (QS)

With School closed, exams cancelled, and a long pandemic summer stretching ahead of us, I was sure that all my plans for summer volunteering had taken a running jump out of the window. And then I saw the notice up intranet: ‘volunteers wanted to write letters to the elderly’. I signed up, then panicked: surely they had better things to do than read letters from a pupil they’d never met?

When I first sat down to write, I felt uneasy – I knew nothing about my two correspondents other than their names, and a few sentences of vague information. I gritted my teeth and decided to write about the long walks I’d been taking in lockdown. It was better than angsting about my calculated grades to people who’d taken exams 60 years ago. I even engaged my father to take some photos, reasoning that it was impossible not to like a few duck photos. Apparently, they both “liked poems”, so I decided to find a poem to include in my description of St James’s Park. Suggesting poems is tricky at the best of times – I’m trying to stick with the Romantics and keep it family-friendly – and it ended up taking longer to find a poem than write the letter!

I’ve been writing to Vera and Angela for seven weeks now, and our epistolary correspondence has become a routine part of my week: planning where to go, what to see and do, and how to write it up with an appropriate poem. I was warned not to expect a reply, so it was touching to hear back from Vera’s son that his mother enjoyed reading my letters and that they were sparking family discussion. Volunteering from my sofa has proved as engaging and moving an experience as volunteering in person, and I’m glad we didn’t give up in the face of COVID-19!

Virtual Volunteering

by Camelia Kantouras (RR)

During the lockdown, my weekly volunteering at a local primary school was suspended. However, just because the sessions stopped, it didn’t mean that the need for them disappeared. In fact, separated from their school life and friends, perhaps many children were feeling more anxious and lonely during the lockdown period. I know that I am very lucky to have the equipment and ability to concentrate and learn independently from home. I realised that many children do not have the same resources and level of supervision at home as they do at school, and the lockdown would disrupt their learning, so I decided to volunteer as a virtual tutor. I am mentoring a girl in GCSE Maths at a virtual community centre, as well as a younger child in Maths and English.

There is a strong sense of reward when you see someone smile triumphantly and gain confidence as you are helping them – volunteering benefits both the community and the volunteer. Seeing how your contribution has made a difference, even if it’s simply a child laughing because they have mastered fractions, is heart-warming and fulfilling. Volunteering greatly enhances personal development, strengthening communication skills, ability to work with others and to empathise with different points of view and backgrounds.

TRIPS

1 ENGLAND: Cornwall, Hadrian’s Wall, the Lake District, Liverpool, Nenthead, the North York Moors, North Yorkshire and the South Downs

2 WALES: Black Mountains, St David’s

3 GERMANY: Berlin, Cologne, Munich 4 ICELAND 5 ITALY: Rome, Sicily, Venice

THE NETHERLANDS: Landgraaf

Lyke Wake Walk

by Adrianna DeLorenzo (HH)

Prior to the 20-hour, 42-mile (64 km) Lyke Wake Walk, the furthest I had traversed had been the 35 minutes through central London from home to School. Fair to say, it was one of the most physically challenging tasks I have ever undertaken – and I rowed for a term. The three biggest factors of success were physical, emotional, and ankle stability. By the end, it appeared that none of the 22 Westminsters had all, if any, of these.

At the beginning, merrily eating fish and chips in a community Church and listening to members of the choir perform a barbershop quartet routine to the delight of the local priest, we were happy. As the second or third round of the playlist kicked in and one had fallen into the freezing bog yet another time and could barely see five metres ahead at 4.00am, we were less content. At the very end, hallucinating another tree again to be a red bus waiting to whisk you to a hotel when in fact you had

three or four km left (translating to another hour to go), we were very down. But we all, albeit barely, pulled through. It was excruciating and gruelling, and should not be taken lightly. On the positive side, I made deeper connections with people (a consequence of sharing the intense experience and having nothing to do but talk for 20 hours), learnt some new games and discovered how far I could push myself mentally and physically.

It is hard to reduce this expedition to any number of words. It is hard to explain just how draining it was to someone who has not struggled in the same way. It was a pretty crazy time. If you see anyone wearing the Lyke Wake Walk tie, treat them with respect. They have earnt it.

Lake District

by Charlie Ullathorne

The now well-established joint trip between Harris Westminster Sixth Form (HWSF) and Westminster School to Derwentwater in the Lake District was a great success once more. As is becoming customary, the ratio of HWSF to Westminster pupils was heavily biased towards the Tothill Street denizens, but the small number of Westminsters from the Sixth Form and Remove integrated well and made friends quickly with Harris’ Year 12s. The weather was as you would expect from Cumbria in December, i.e. a mixed bag, but in between the squalling hail showers there were enough dry spells to really enjoy the walks through this fabulous part of the world.

Day one involved an ascent of High Spy via the Catbells ridge, with its spectacular views of Derwentwater, but ended with a waterlogged path and soggy boots all round! Fortunately, this occurred very near the hostel, and the drying room could be sought whilst tea and biscuits were being prepared and the fire lit in the lounge. The feeling of snugness (and indeed smugness?) coming into a warm hostel from the windy fells with a significant climb under your belt is hard to beat. Especially when pie and chips awaits, as it did on this first day!

Day two involved a walk to Keswick via Bleaberry Fell, the piercing wind making this low-level walk not insignificantly tough, but a good blow out with lovely views from Lady’s Rake, a quick lunch stop at Castlerigg Stone circle and into Keswick for tea and shopping.

On the third day it snowed, so the fells had that magical glimmer to them, and a short walk turned into a snowball fight – not something you get to do often in SW1! The group undoubtedly enjoyed the brief trip, and by the time the Virgin Pendolino returned the travellers to Euston on the Sunday evening the party was tired but refreshed after a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt.

Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award

by Jonah Eyers (LL) and Nikhil Singh (DD)

I

Closed quarters, felt like a lamb to the slaughter

Or a cow with the beef, stuck eating wayfarers

I swear; bad feelings cooking like the tin of beans Jonah had

My calves were burning, I keep on talking about food but the hunger pangs

Were unbearable, not to mention the tension

You ever heard the joke about camping? It’s in tents

I swear to god, both Adis kept on whining

I put on a happy face, to hide the fact I’m crying

The first day was OK, we didn’t need a first aid

If this was Genesis, Let There Be Light, to God we prayed

I’m an atheist but, the nettles were burning

I felt the group dynamics tossing and turning

Like my sleeping bag last night, went to sleep late

Woke up at 6 but we left at half eight

We kept on stressing, though our lateness was fate

But once you relax, you accept it’s OK: on that first day.

We were novice.

II

Uphill struggle on the lavender fields

Singing the Beatles: ‘nothing is real’

Cause that’s how I felt

Leo’s a melt

I couldn’t really deal with the cards I was dealt

My belt was chafing

People were spacing

Apart - right like a pack

Tent in the sack

Weight on my back

Felt like attack

-ing Leo DiNanno

Didn’t have enough ammo

Call me a shooter

Felt jealous of all the kids on their scooters

Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Went the bulls in the field

Talking to Toby some bull in a field

Call me the cow whisperer

Charm like a snaker

Spent ages debating the place of a maker

Ran to the markers,

Sky’s getting darker -

My skins getting darker

We talking about blisters

Talking ‘bout burning

Food up in my stomach all churning

I couldn’t find a way

Confined to my

Satanic mind

We left behind

The slowest ones

We messed up

They were stuck in the mud, children’s game

Wanted to walk but my feet were all lame

III

You know that feeling when you learn to ride a bike

You fall off like three times, until it feels right

There were blisters on my toes, sole caked with mud

I felt like a tent, the way I folded up

They threw Jonah’s boots in a bush

We didn’t fall we just push

We learnt to speak to each other

Listen to voices, don’t flex your muscles

Put your ego behind you

So that we don’t buck like a buck tooth

We did 50k in 3 days

Once you stick together, you form something great

We were at our peak, but it was all downhill

We were out of sleep, we persevered still

On last day, we took no breaks,

And that’s life, we learnt from our mistakes

And even though, for three days we were in agony

I got to that car park, and I was happy, finally

Until we got back home, and they spat in our face

We had to put all our kit back in its place

Pitch up our tents in reverse

Before we could go and disperse.

Philip Hendy Travel Award:

Impressions of Laos

by Peter Rusafov (LL)

Last summer, I visited Laos after winning the Philip Hendy Travel Award. It was an enriching experience, opening my eyes to a society that I previously knew very little about. I learnt about the country’s art, architecture and eclectic culture, and would recommend it to anyone seeking a tranquil oasis off the beaten path.

My trip began in Luang Prabang, the historic capital of Laos and a hub of Buddhist architecture. As my grant was centred around the exploration of temple design, the city was a perfect starting point, and I was amazed by the gold-plated stupas and elaborate bronze monuments scattered throughout the streets. The centrality of monastic life was also striking, and I observed the daily almsgiving carried out by monks across the city. Each morning, they leave their complexes in small groups, bringing sustenance to the local population in an ancient tradition that continues to thrive in the present day. It is just one example of the deep spirituality of the Lao people, and reflects the role of Buddhism in creating a uniquely peaceful and hospitable environment.

I then travelled to the north of the country, taking a rickety bus ride to the Chinese border town of Luang Namtha. It is known as a base for mountaineering, so I took advantage of its unique location by taking a two-day hike to a remote Hmong village. Rural life was a stark contrast against Luang Prabang, which buzzed with activity at all hours of the day. The village, however, had no shortage of religious sites, and I was amazed by the resourcefulness of the local people in erecting shrines for communal worship. Thatched roofs replace ornate pagodas, but the spirit of harmony remains unchanged.

Finally, I visited Vientiane, the capital. As the centre of the Lao economy, it is a bustling metropolis, and its streets are filled with new industry as well as traditional hawker markets. It is also home to some of the country’s most spectacular monuments, of which the Pha That Luang stupa is the most well-known example. The city’s riverfront along the Mekong also makes for awe-inspiring views, with the lights of neighbouring Thailand visible across the water in the evenings. Overall a fitting conclusion to a trip that I will certainly remember for years to come.

Philip Hendy Travel Award:

Istanbul

by Sebastian Ihenacho (LL)

Having won the Philip Hendy Travel Award, I visited Istanbul to investigate the city’s diverse religious architecture, focusing principally on the intersection between Ottoman mosques and Byzantine churches.

My exploration began with a visit to the monumental Hagia Sophia, whose shifting status over time as a Byzantine basilica, Ottoman mosque and finally a museum provided a rich starting point from which to evaluate the crosscultural dynamic of Istanbul’s architectural landscape. Initially constructed under Emperor Justinian I from 532 to 537 AD, Hagia Sophia’s original form exemplified the conventions of Paleo-Christian ecclesiastical architecture, with its religious mosaics, quincunx structure and monumental hemispherical dome. Constantinople’s conquest in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire led by Mehmed II and the city’s resultant conversion from a Christian to an Islamic territory, however, gave the building an entirely new artistic dimension; this conversion not only provoked the incorporation of Islamic features including a mihrab (niche facing Mecca), mimbar (pulpit) and four towering minarets, but also the complete plastering of the Hagia Sophia’s interior imagery. It is only through the relatively recent refurbishment and establishment of Hagia Sophia as a museum in 1935 that the original decoration can be seen, shedding light on the nation’s turbulent political history.

My appreciation of the interaction between Byzantine and Ottoman architectural traditions was heightened as I surveyed the early imperial mosques of the city, notably the Suleymaniye (1550) and Blue Mosque (1609). Given the strict Islamic function of the structures, I was struck by their apparent receptivity towards Christian artistic models, whose inspiration was acknowledged by the buildings’ arrangement of domed structures, fenestration and various stylistic elements such as heavy piers. Equally, I was impressed by the way in which these features were synthesised with contemporary Islamic tradition through their ornate calligraphic programmes and aniconic ornament.

Towards the end of my trip, I explored the later mosques of the city. I was especially intrigued by the Nuruosmaniye (1748) and Ortakoy (1856) mosques, pioneering models of the so-called Ottoman Baroque style of architecture, which brought an increased sense of Westernisation in their aesthetic, with ornate chandeliers, polychromatic textures and a dramatic sense of dynamism. Echoing the grandeur of the European Baroque and Rococo edifices, these works not only reflected Istanbul’s heightened diplomatic relations with the West since the reign of Ahmed III, but also the city’s unquestionable status as a multicultural commercial centre.

Overall, my trip gave me a fascinating insight into the diverse artistic world of Istanbul and, more broadly, the exciting intersection between art, history and theology. I would like to thank the History of Art Department for offering such a rewarding opportunity.

Lower School Expeditions: Iceland

by Oliver Tidbury (BB)

Like many on the trip, I had never visited Iceland before, and I believe we were all amazed at its harsh but beautiful landscape. Although we only spent just over three days in Iceland, every second was packed full of amazing memories.

Our trip was based around the southwest coast. We travelled by bus with an Icelandic tour guide who informed us about the places we visited and told us many interesting facts. Having landed in Keflavik, we headed straight to our first location: the border between the Eurasian and North American plate boundaries. They are moving apart from each other (this is called a divergent plate boundary) and we stood in the space between them. Stepping off the bus to see the boundaries was like stepping onto another planet. We were surrounded by a lava field with black jagged spikes littering the almost Martian surface.

After the boundary we visited some hot springs surrounding a geothermal powerplant. There were plumes of sulphur that came out of the ground smelling like rotting eggs and the

ground was hot enough to burn our shoes. After every day, we wrote a reflection upon our experiences and a fun fact.

One of my favourite places that we visited was the island Vestmannaeyjar. It is a place of natural beauty, but also has an interesting history. The island has two volcanoes, one of which we climbed. A lot of the island is made of lava fields from an eruption in 1973, when the island had to be evacuated. The island is also famous for the bird population living on the cliff sides surrounding the bay. The same day we visited a very large waterfall, where even walking towards it you could feel the power of it, with the spray from it soaking our clothes.

Probably the most memorable place we went was the glacier snout of

Sólheimajökull, which extends from the Myrdalsjökull icecap. Beneath this is the dangerous volcano Katla. Prepped to climb, carrying our crampons and ice pick we began to make our trek. We were told that each year our school has visited the glacier has receded even more, a very visual consequence of climate change. It was strange at first getting used to walking on the slippery surface, but after a while it came naturally. The ice was covered in ash from a recent eruption, making the whole scenery seem more alien. We stopped to drink some water from a stream on the glacier and began to head back. I could spend much more time writing about each location we visited, such as the geysers or the geothermal powerplant, but to truly experience the beauty and awe of the unique country of Iceland, you have to visit it yourself.

Lower School Expeditions: A Sic(ily) Trip

by Magnus Cameron (DD) and Ayan Vijaypurkar (RR)

You know it’s going to be a good trip, even before you get there, when you’re packing shorts, t-shirts and sunglasses in October. To put it simply, Sicily is not just an ‘Art History trip’ (however enticing that may be) but also one of good weather, delicious food and a great atmosphere.

On this Expedition you’ll get to visit an array of fascinating buildings and sights that have layers of history, respectfully preserved by the variety of cultures that inhabited the region at different periods in its history. A particular highlight was the Duomo di Monreale, overlooking Palermo, with incredible decoration including the equivalent of two-and-a-half metric tonnes of pure gold, this Cathedral built in 1174 is breathtaking. It contains Norman, Arab, Byzantine, Renaissance and Baroque styles in just one building, and perfectly exemplifies the multiculturalism Sicily is well known for. Even if these terms sound like jargon to you, the Sicily trip is a great first exposure to artworks and their periods as well as the extensive history of buildings and cities, and by the end of it you’ll feel more than comfortable deconstructing art.

Alongside this, the trip included plenty of time to explore the street-life in Sicily, with winding narrow roads decorated with fascinating graffiti and quaint pizzerias. If you ever find yourself in any part of Italy look out for EstaThé, the best iced tea money can buy. To top it off, the Sicilian ethos of hospitality meant a welcoming atmosphere and any sort of attempt at speaking Italian was met more than cordially. Overall, we had a fantastic and fascinating trip.

Lower School Expeditions: Riding in Mid-Wales

by Nicolas Rackow (PP)

Mid-Wales may not have the weather of Sicily, nor the cuisine of Rome, but on what other Expedition can you learn a brand new skill, spend time in the fresh air and fear for your life as you’re hurtling down a hill on the back of an unruly horse?

On the first day we were each given our horse, which we got to keep and bond with for the duration of the trip. Despite having never ridden before, we were taught everything we needed to know. In the mornings, despite whatever the Welsh weather was doing, we brushed and tacked up our horses and then set out. We rode for varying distances each day, stopping for a packed lunch or to dry out by the fire in the local village pub. We (well, most of us at least) learned how to control the animals and by the last day we were all able to canter. In fact, much to my, the instructor’s and the other horses’ surprise, my horse Barnum even decided he was ready to start galloping – an activity which I’m sure would have been more fun if we weren’t quite so high up on a path quite so thin… In the evenings, despite absolutely no mobile connection, we managed to make our own fun with games of Mafia, a quiz by Mr Tolley and a trip into town to go bowling. Riding in mid-Wales is a great choice for anyone looking to try something new, get outside and have fun – just remember to pack waterproofs and padded trousers!

Upper Shell German Exchange

by Elias Laurent (WW)

In October, whilst our peers were skiing in the Netherlands or rowing in Hong Kong, my Upper Shell German class was shipped off to spend a week in the houses of complete strangers who spoke a language that, despite Mr Hopwood’s best efforts, we still didn’t understand much of. Naturally, the prospect of this made us all quite uneasy, as we imagined strained interactions made awkward by an insurmountable language barrier, or simply being unable to get along with the people we had to spend every waking moment with. The reality, however, was very different.

Despite my nerves, as soon as I began to speak to my host family, I could tell that I was going to have a special week. The effort the families put in to make us feel comfortable and at ease was

unlike anything I had experienced before, and the language barrier never really manifested itself, largely because every single German we met was completely fluent in English. Furthermore, the proximity meant that we all ended up very close by the end of our trip, and formed a remarkable bond, which meant that many of us are still in regular contact to this day.

One of the most memorable highlights of the trip was the trip to the Hohenschönhausen Museum, a Stazi prison. This trip was so special as it brought to life the lives of the victims, especially as our tour guide was a former inmate, without being overwhelming. Whilst my interest in German history made this even more fascinating, even those in the class who had no such interest still

remember this as a particular highlight of the trip.

The aim of this trip, however, extended far beyond learning some German and visiting some museums. The vital aspect of this trip was the interactions with other cultures. With the rise of populist and hateful rhetoric in the media surrounding Brexit, Trump and racism within both of our main political parties, it is easy for even the most liberal people to begin to lose sight of the humanity of people you have never interacted with. This exchange allowed me to look instead at the humanity and generosity of others, not only in the way our hosts treated us but also in stories of extreme selflessness that are so common in German history, and, despite the recent spread of mass hatred, to have faith in humanity.

Canada ski trip

by Thomas Adamo (GG)

This year, as many before it, 30-odd Westminsters across all five year groups were wrapped up warm and shipped off to the wilds of Northwest Canada to enjoy the fresh slopes and beautiful sights of Jasper National Park, as well as to take part in the annual Public Schools’ Canada Cup.

The first day was comprised mainly of travel, including a scenic coach journey across the historic trans-Canada highway, which we were pleased to learn from our chipper coach driver was the longest highway in the world. We arrived at the hotel exhausted, but in high spirits, quickly taking advantage of the comfortable bedding that the cozy mountainside hotel provided.

Then we were straight on the mountain. Squeezing ourselves into tighter and tighter boots, we hobbled across the snowy floor awkwardly clutching our skis at ever more awkward angles. From there we were shuffled and mixed into our different groups, based on ability. These ranged from the most timid of Fifth Formers, inching their way down the slopes, making all sorts of technical errors, to the experienced Removes, who made the same errors, only faster and more confidently. Those who were the most experienced even had the opportunity to become level one instructors, so they could point out those errors all by themselves.

Apart from these few who had decided to challenge themselves with their level one, the rest of the groups were able to ski with their instructors at leisure, taking advantage of the iconic runs Marmot Basin has to offer. In the evening, a range of activities were available, including curling, trips to the cinema, watching a local hockey game and ice skating.

It wasn’t until the final few days that the Canada Cup got underway, and several Westminsters competed alongside Eton, Harrow and Dulwich. Historically, Westminster has walked away from this Cup empty handed, preferring to take part in the trip for pleasure rather than competition. This year, however, our Fifth Form relay team was able to take home Silver.

Regardless of the Cup itself, this trip continues to be one of the most enjoyable trips on offer, and due to the wide range of ability levels available, one that is accessible to all.

U15 Football Tour to Chester

by Nathaniel Lansing (PP)

We kicked off the week with a quick dinner before going to see a game between league 1

Tranmere Rovers and Aston Villa (U23) in the EFL Trophy. A thrilling game saw Tranmere come out as eventual victors, winning 2-1.

The following day, we prepared for a training session led by Mr Kershen and Mr Bottomley. After the wellconducted training session, we got ready for our first match against Abbey Gate. An exciting first half saw us take the lead twice after goals from Diego and myself, but conceding just after each goal. Pushing for a win in the second half, we conceded two goals, which meant the score ended 4-2. A good performance and an unlucky result.

A trip to Liverpool meant an early start for everybody. Waking up at 6.30am, we prepared to go to the LFC training ground for a session that focused on 1 on 1’s. After that, we went for a tour of Anfield, where we got to

see everything from the stands to the dressing room. After the interesting tour, we prepared for the second match of the tour, against Manchester Grammar later that day. A tough match against a good footballing side saw us come out with a 2-2 draw after two goals from Diego. Once again, we were unlucky not to score more, as we had some good chances.

The last full day of the trip led us to the Blackburn Rovers Academy. This time the training session focused on passing and transitions, and after the session we had a tour of the academy and saw some of the players training. Then we headed to Manchester to visit the National Football Museum, where we saw replicas of the FA cup and Premier

League trophies. The museum was very interactive, including football challenges, and most notably, a commentator challenge, which was done by Mr Kershen as well as the rest of us. We headed back to the hotel in time for the England match. A game that started well saw the Czech Republic come from behind to win the game 2-1, which was a shock result.

On the final day we went home, after a good week of playing and watching football.

Venice

by Peter Rusafov (LL)

Few people have powered across the Venetian Lagoon in a motorboat, suspended between the waves and the starry sky. Upon, however arriving at the airport – by virtue of our teachers’ endlessly convenient Italian connections – this is exactly what we did. Our grand arrival into the Floating City set the tone for an unforgettable trip, marking a memorable yet unforeseen conclusion to our Art History journey.

Our jam-packed schedule left few stones unturned, fitting more into three days than can usually be accomplished in a fortnight. From the Ca’ Rezzonico to the Accademia Gallery, we swooped through Venetian art history, finally connecting real-life

artefacts to the topics we had studied for months. St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace were also on the agenda, and it was inspiring to see them as backdrops to the annual Venetian Carnival. Indeed, we experienced the beating heart of Venice as it has been through the centuries: as a theatre for ceremony and a testament to pride. However, as is often the case, our fondest experiences came from beyond the timetable’s strictures. Our trip to St Mark’s Basilica – which was somehow negotiated into a private viewing – is among these, allowing us the inimitable privilege of having Venice’s greatest landmark all to ourselves. Gazing up at the domal mosaics with the chorus of Ave Maria echoing around us (due credit to

Maryam) is a moment that I will treasure long after I have left Westminster. Even less sophisticated episodes, such as Ms Goodman’s unintentional innuendos or the K-Pop concert at the Doge’s Palace, have a charm and a humour of their own.

It is this perfect combination of planning and spontaneity that made the Venice trip what it was. Mr Walton and Ms Goodman deserve huge thanks for making it possible, and for instilling the love of Art History that gave the trip its meaning.

Israel and Jordan

by Liberty Osborne (QS) and Inesh Sood (MM).

Photo by Theo Ruppel (PP)

Touching down in Jordan, few of us knew what to expect; from beautiful landscapes to biblical wonders to tense political conflict, the trip certainly proved to represent the various natures of the region. Thankfully, we began it by meeting our strange, smiling tour-guide Adnan. Adnan became our biggest asset, offering a treasure trove of knowledge, albeit slightly questionable, about the ancient and modern sites we visited.

The first of these was Mount Nebo, where we caught an unforgettable view of the Promised Land – a view that would have made a perfect group photo if two of us hadn’t wandered off just beforehand. Nevertheless, there proved to be countless more stunning views as we moved on to the Crusader Castle of Karak, an eerie place seemingly frozen in time. Its hidden caves and pathways awoke the explorers in us. This adventuring spirit all led up to one of the highlights of the trip: Petra – The Rose City. The spectacular ruins were a sight to behold, and whilst we didn’t find the Holy Grail inside the sandstone facades, the archaeological site truly lived up to our expectations. Armed with Adnan’s valuable pseudoscience about magical healing, we then excitedly headed off to the Dead Sea. Sure enough, the floating was otherworldly, much like the pain experienced by those of us who thought that goggles would protect their eyes from the burning sensation of the world’s saltiest water.

Sadly leaving Adnan behind, and somehow all making it past the border, we moved on to Israel. Here we were spoilt with a flurry of Christian wonders, from the Golgotha Garden Tomb to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, everyone had the opportunity to find God, with Rev Gav leading the way. One pupil also found out what happens if one haggles too ferociously in the Jerusalem market, (a well-deserved slap!). The following day, we discovered the Jewish roots of the city, with the trip highlight for many being the afternoon spent at Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust memorial. We were all silenced by the poignant emotion of the place. Our final stop on the tour was Tel Aviv, the modern capital of Israel, where our sole encounter with poor weather didn’t stop us from discovering all, from the old tales of Jaffa’s port to our tourguide Yael’s personal stories of modern political conflict.

We returned home, exhausted, inspired, sad to leave the Middle East behind, and thoroughly grateful to Ms Barton for such a wonderful trip.

An Expedition into the Wild East

by Adam Moëc (HH)

As part of our Upper Shell Russian course, our expedition took us to St Petersburg, built in large part during the 18th century following its founding by Peter the Great after the defeat of the Swedes at the fortress of Nyenschantz.

In a moment of poetic bravado, Peter the Great is said to have stuck his sword into one of the marshy islands and declared his intention to build the most beautiful city in the world.

We were met by exactly that. We arrived at a very late hour, but our excitement at the thought of the trip kept us awake and hungrily staring out of the minibus windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of the place that we would call home for a week. Although this was nominally a language trip, we were also here to learn about the real Russia, not what you learn about in textbooks. We were all eager to have our first interaction in Russian, which we hoped would go smoothly, given our preparation in the weeks leading up to the trip. We quickly found out, however, that Russians don’t speak their language at the same pace as the recordings we use for listening exercises, leaving us dumbfounded much of the time.

Along with visits to some of the most famous sights in the world, such as the Hermitage and the Summer Palace, both being magnificent multicoloured odes to the opulence and wealth of Russian emperors, we were taken to several historical museums that helped us to understand the Western stereotypes about Russian culture and Russia itself. The suffering that the Russian people endured at the hands of different regimes and wars helped us to understand their classic mistrust of the West, as well as the aggressive foreign policies pursued by Putin in a bid to hold his country together.

What was truly most impressive was the absolute uniformity of the city centre, each building vying to be more beautiful than the last, and painted often in yellows, blues and greens, all mixing together as paint does to become Peter the Great’s masterpiece on an uncertain canvas.

The chants of the ‘SKA’ supporters at the hockey match we attended on Nicolo’s birthday will be engraved in our minds as we look back on what is certainly the most thought-provoking trip that Westminster School has to offer.

Upper Shell French Exchange

by Sebastien Blache

This year was the eighth for the Upper Shell French Exchange with Lycée Janson de Sailly in Paris. The recruiting campaign was particularly original and entertaining. On the other side of the Channel, there was a world premiere in November 2019, as the Janson pupils devised their own ingenious video, full of irony, humour and warmth about themselves, the school and Paris. As the Lent Term progressed, so did COVID-19 and it became increasingly uncertain whether the first leg to Paris would happen at the end of March. Despite everyone’s hopes for a miracle, the much-dreaded news came from France’s Education Secretary as he declared, at the end of February, that all incoming trips would have to be cancelled. That did not stop the pupils from getting in touch, keeping in contact throughout March and striking up friendships digitally. As the old adage goes, everyone got on like a house of fire. Through lockdown, on various digital platforms, both sides continued the Anglo-French dialogue, the Upper Shell communicating in French and the Secondes in English, as usual. Confinement was not an easy period and the exchange enabled everyone to share their own experiences of life at home and of remote learning with their respective partners. The plan now is very much to organise two concomitant exchanges in 2021, circumstances permitting, amalgamating next year’s and this year’s Upper Shell at Westminster with next year’s and this year’s Secondes at Janson. They cannot wait to meet in person and discover Paris!

STATION

Station pivots to online

As we are all far too aware, School life changed dramatically on 17 March when COVID-19 forced a pivot from the normal, physical, learning environment to an online, remote one. Just as this was the case for academic teaching, so it was also for Station.

The week-and-a-bit of the Lent Term saw a hastily constructed Remote Station programme of HIIT training suggestions, and a DanceFit class on Vimeo, as well as links to websites with ideas for training at home for badminton, football, golf, hockey, netball, Pilates and Yoga. In addition, Water was quickest off the mark to ensure that as many rowers as possible collected an ergo from the Sports Centre before it too was locked down. This allowed the Boat Club to run an extensive programme throughout, with pupils training and competing on ergos at home, as well as following various core and abs circuits.

The Easter break offered a chance for careful consideration to expanding and refining the Remote Station programme for the Election Term. This, however, had to be balanced against the need – just as with other areas of the school community – to furlough a number of the sports coaches, and, the fact that some sports simply couldn’t function given the limiting parameters of lockdown. Also, it was decided that pupils would not have to choose a specific Station for the Election Term. Instead, they would be supplied with a smorgasbord of Remote Station options and links, some of them remaining constant throughout the term, with others being updated on a weekly basis by a team of coaches and instructors managed by the Director of Sport. This meant that pupils would have Tuesday and Thursday afternoons free from lessons to engage with whichever Station(s) they so desired at a time to suit them. Alternatively, they could engage in physical exercise of their own choosing and creation, though it was made very clear, and reinforced through Tutors and Housemasters, that all pupils should aim to exercise at least three times a week – just as much for their mental wellbeing as physical.

During the Election Term, the Remote Station programme has included permanent, ongoing ideas and links for general fitness, HIIT training, cycling, badminton, hockey, squash and swimming. In addition, there have been weekly updated video sessions for a number of Stations, as well as a full training programme for Water – and even countdowns of the top sports movies and books!

Cricket has focussed upon weekly updated batting, bowling, fielding, physical and psychological video sessions – predominantly home-produced – as well as a weekly cricket trivia quiz. Our instructors have recorded and updated weekly their own video sessions in DanceFit, Gym Fitness, Pilates and Yoga. The Director of Football has submitted a different video training session each week, consisting of a warm-up, technical development and challenge. Similarly, the tennis coach has put together his own training videos, combined with the best of those that are available online.

All of this has ensured that, in spite of COVID-19 and lockdown, the pupils have still been furnished with the variety and quality of sporting options that are an ongoing hallmark of the Westminster School Station programme.

James Kershen

BMX

British motocross, or BMX for short, made an impressive addition to Westminster’s Station repertoire this year. Every Tuesday, a committed number of Westminster cyclists commuted to the Peckham BMX Club in Burgess Park to train on the same track as 70% of the British Olympic Team. Most of us being new to the sport, we were first taught its history and then introduced to the bikes, which are much smaller than normal road bikes. After working on bike control and pumping (a technique that allows riders to harness the speed gained from the downhill side of jumps on the track), off we went! By the end of two terms, we were all confidently riding the track. Watching clips of professional riders, it is amazing to see that the wheels of their bikes hardly touch the track at all – they fly and perform manuals (held wheelies) over the jumps. With this in mind, Coach Jason introduced us to the basics of jumping in our last few lessons and we all learnt how to lift our wheels up over the peak of jumps. One of the highlights for me was learning how to bunny-hop (jumping with the bike into the air so that both wheels leave the ground).

BMX had a great year and was an exciting experience for all those involved. Although the skills we learnt may seem niche, basic BMX techniques are in fact extremely valuable for progressing and succeeding in other cycling sports. In light of this, BMX will hopefully become part of a Westminster Cycling Experience next year – an inclusive package including various different cycling disciplines such as road cycling, mountain biking and BMX.

Haley Flower (QS)

BRIDGE

What a year! We enjoyed great attendance at our lunchtime sessions and had to move to a bigger room at the start of the year to accommodate everyone. We had to move again in March as the School shut, but you can’t keep Bridge players from their cards, and the very next day we’d got everything up and running again on Bridge Base Online. We even managed, with the assistance of the EBU, to run the final part of House Bridge. Congratulations to this year’s champions, Grant’s, with Zach Potel (partnering Shawn Li) winning two of the three events, Tobias Potel doing well in the other, and William Yu also representing the School on several occasions. The School took two teams to Loughborough for the Young Bridge Challenge and three to the Surrey Schools Cup in Roehampton, the two big events of the school calendar, with many new faces enjoying the tournament scene.

We say goodbye to many keen Remove pupils this year, some who have been playing a while and some who took up the game more recently. I hope they continue to play at university, and I’ll be looking out for their names in tournament results in future. OW Theo Gillis was in this year’s England U21 team who won the Peggy Bayer in February, having learned the game during his time at Westminster. We also thank Shawn Li (QS) for his services as Captain and the team looks forward to another year of his guidance.

Rob Wagner

U15 CRICKET

The COVID-19 lockdown cancelled all cricket during the Election Term 2020. Here follows a work of fiction, following the possible fortunes of the Westminster School U15 XI. Any relationship to real characters is not entirely coincidental...

Sachin scratches at his guard on the straw-coloured pitch, and swats a fly from his forehead. The bowler in the distance shines the ball vigorously on his increasingly-stained white trousers with a look of determination. So here we stand, the last ball of the last match of the season, four runs needed to win the LSCA cup final, and to retain the FJP Ingham Trophy won in slightly odd circumstances last year. There is a hush around the field. The scorers and umpires are focused; the fielders on their toes. The non-striker secretly just pleased it isn’t him at the other end. A pair of magpies, pica pica, oblivious to the action are chattering in a nearby plane tree. A light breeze scatters the discarded crisp packets on the street outside the ground. Fluffy cumulus clouds hang listlessly in the hazy sky. The batsman’s mind wanders for a second, then is brought back to focus. This is what we’ve played all season for, he thinks. This is the moment…

Let’s rewind two months to the beginning of the term. Two filthy losses early on, collapses that do not bear thinking about. Nobody putting their hand up to be counted. Prep school stuff. The sort of thing that coaches hate, and Mark Mason shows his displeasure. Then the hard work in training comes into play. The return of Brooke from 1st XI duty heralds an

incredible spell of 6-3 against Chigwell, blowing away their middle order. Chauhan does the business against Aldenham with a fine century. Gupta is unplayable in the John Lyon match, winning the game single handedly. Lavender scores the highest ever individual score by a Lower Shell inside 20 overs in the thrashing of Alleyn’s (before bizarrely being given out, caught to one that came off his thigh pad, helmet and shoulder to short leg). Gao bowls the fastest spell of his life to bowl Merchant Taylor’s top six out without one of them troubling the scorers. Siddiqui takes a flying catch in the gully and scores a half century, whilst Kulkarni and Jajodia share a century partnership in the defeat of Emanuel. Feldman spins the ball so much that the Wetherby batsman can’t lay a bat on it and he finishes with six overs six maidens. And in the penultimate match away to UCS Philo Earle takes all ten wickets and gets 100% in his Physics test all on the same day, an unprecedented feat.

And so back to the moment, at the end of the season. That last ball. The bowler steams in with fury in his eyes. It’s full pitched and a little outside off stump. The backlift is technically correct, the feet are moving to get to the pitch of the ball. The batsman is set, and seeing the ball well, but there is a little away swing in the air. Connection. Has it found the gap between the cover fielders? Time slows down. Everybody in the ground holds their breath and watches tantalised as the vermilion-leathered orb makes its way across the emerald sward…

Charlie Ullathorne

CYCLING

A dark, sweaty room, with slow, staring neon lights lining the walls. Deep thumping bass attacks the speakers, only to be interrupted by heavy, laboured breaths. Far from your worst nightmare, this scene is all too familiar for Westminster’s cyclists as Mandy skilfully guides them through some of the hardest, lung-busting workouts on the indoor bikes at H2 in Victoria. As well as stealing even more disillusioned ex-rowers, Cycling has been quietly gaining numbers from all year groups and genders, amongst both it is especially proud to boast there is no separation (unlike our water-based counterpart). This year will see the last of the founding generation, the veterans of the Station at Westminster, depart, and it is safe to say that they left their mark, having competed in a few velodrome events over the years and also the first ever real-road hill climb against St Paul’s. Mandy, their esteemed coach (who also roped them into doing DanceFit to “loosen the hips”), plays a key role in training the cyclists up for events like these. Her approach, however, of “you’re only racing yourself” somewhat changed this year when she began injecting us with a healthy dose of competition, utilising the StagesFlight indoor cycling software to create level-playing field, team- and solo-based races. Another selling point were the frequent trips to Lee Valley VeloPark, where the cyclists would hone their racecraft (i.e. not falling down the bank, learning how to follow a line, appreciating the dangers of moving anywhere without communicating your intention to do so, not racing etc.) on the famous Olympic velodrome track, and try their legs at road riding around the nearby one-kilometre criterium circuit. Next on Mr Botton’s list is to get the team into an organised race league, book a couple of sessions on the mountain bike circuit (also in the VeloPark) and steal all the few remaining members of the infamous BMX Station, of which one was sadly one of the veterans I mentioned earlier (you will be glad to know that he is now feeling better).

Louis Negri (BB)

CROSS COUNTRY

Despite the premature end to the season, and for me, the end of my Westminster journey, I believe that this most recent Cross Country season has been every bit as rich and impressive as any before it.

As always, it kicked off with the excitement and House spirit of the Long Distance Towpath Races. The emerging talents of Matthew Kemball (RR) and Stefan Sarmo (HH) saw victory for both in the Juniors’ and Inters’ races respectively whereas Oliver Haddad (WW) and Tara Sallaba (PP) defended their titles in the Seniors’ and Girls’ competitions. The Rigaud’s team, under the watchful eye of Dr Kov, took home first place, followed closely by Grant’s and Purcell’s.

Following a narrow defeat last year to the OWW, the school team prevailed in the Jim Forrest Serpentine Cup, with the dynamic duo of Thomas Adamo (GG) and Toby Evans (MM) leading the way to the win. Sophie Sargent (RR) also proved herself with blistering pace as the first female finisher. These early season successes were backed up when these same three set new school five-kilometre records in the Hyde Park Last Friday of the Month race.

The Kings Trophy and RGS Guilford relays saw the usual high standard of competition answered by some very strong performances from the Sixth Form squad and younger years, with notable performances from Ted Dyer (LL), Arseny Uskov (MM), Hector Cross (RR), Kit Barrow (GG), Alexander Pitlarge (BB) and Stefan Sarmo. Perhaps the most notable performance however came from newcomer Jane Allchin (RR), who having run the first leg of the RGS relay under the name ‘Sophie Sargent’, ran a rapid last leg, bringing the girls’ team home in 3rd place.

The highlight of the year (as ever) was the Knole Run, and the brutal, muddy course took its toll, but not without seeing impressive results from Toby Evans (33 rd ) who, backed up by Thomas Adamo (46th) and Jack Wu (BB) (99 th) were able to drive home the team to a solid 12 th while the Girls’ team, led on by Tara Sallaba in a monumental 12 th came home with 8 th place, cementing

The other major event of the season was the annual London Schools race, where Westminster dominated, finishing 1 st in the Senior Boys, 2nd in the Inters Boys and 1 st in the Senior Girls. Toby Evans, Tara Sallaba and Arianna Alonso Bizzi (WW) were subsequently selected to represent London at the English Schools Championships, where Arianna was a member of the winning Senior Girls’ team overall, a feat that has never before been accomplished by a Westminster pupil.

Finally, the fast-paced and exciting Bringsty Relays rounded off the season on a new course that snaked its way through the muddiest parts of Wimbledon Common. Rigaud’s once again took home the overall trophy with the fastest times belonging to Sixth Formers Bryony Strickland (BB)

Westminster’s Girls’ team as one of the strongest in recent memory.

and Toby Evans, proving that the future of Cross Country Station is in safe hands.

Special thanks go to Herbie and Sophie for making up the Captaincy with me for my last season, to the teachers involved with organising every race, haring us and yelling at us to go faster, to all the pupils who decide to take up this odd and difficult sport and to Mr Wurr, whose presence in this Station is irreplaceable.

DANCEFIT

It’s been another groovy year for the inhabitants of the second-floor studio in the Sports Centre. Despite broken speakers and the occasional noise complaint (looking at you, Judo), the Westminster DanceFitters have carried on valiantly and with great enthusiasm. The main innovation this year has been the new ‘double Station’ arrangement. Every week, a keen group of DanceFitters joins cycling Station at H2 in Victoria, before braving the run (OK, brisk walk…) to the Sports Centre for DanceFit. In return, we’ve even managed to persuade a few of the cyclists to try their hand at DanceFit – the sizeable contingent of boys this year, as well as several staff attendees, proves that DanceFit really is for everyone. Unfazed by the recent transition to online school, Amanda has continued to up the ante with a brilliant virtual DanceFit provision. Whilst dancing alone in your front room may feel a bit odd at first, I can confirm that you quickly lose your inhibitions, and find yourself twerking to Sally Walker in no time. As we get ready to say a tearful goodbye to DanceFit, the Removes will be comforted by the Official DanceFit Playlist™, generously compiled by Amanda. And, of course, it has to be pointed out that (unlike the footballers and rowers…), the 2019 / 2020 DanceFitters have not lost a single fixture this year – thereby cementing our place as Westminster’s most successful sports team!

Rachel Zerdin (AHH)

Thomas Adamo (GG)

FENCING

Westminster Fencing has enjoyed another very positive season. Green new recruits learnt to handle their weapons, and some tasted competition for the first time. Numerous Fencers were involved in a full roster of away fixtures: various teams faced off against Winchester, Harrow, Tonbridge, Charterhouse, Eton, St Paul’s and St Benedict’s, and the balance of results was strongly in our favour - just how we like it!

We are very grateful to Captain Mark Evgenev (MM), who has been fantastically committed to Fencing Station throughout his time at the School. Mark always made himself available for fixtures, and gave up a great deal of his time to help coach the up-and-coming Fifth Form. He will certainly have a hand in the undoubted continued success of Westminster’s Fencers in the coming years. As ever, we are thankful for the tireless and inspiring coaching efforts of Tomek Walicki and Leo Suarez.

The 11th -hour cancellation of the Public Schools’ Fencing Championships due to the rapidly-developing COVID-19 outbreak was unfortunate but understandable. We shall return next year.

Iain Butler

FIVES

2019 to 2020 was showing all the signs of being yet another strong season before its abrupt end, but there are still many positives to take away.

The Fifth Formers had a lively start in September, with some pleasing results. With continued practice, the unforced errors will go down and competitive results will follow, enabling the squad to realise their potential. The Lower Shell squad have been most promising this year, with some of them practising both at lunchtimes and in the evenings. Special mention must go to Sam Lambert (AHH), Aidan Abraham (AHH) and Aditya Gupta (AHH), who all produced particularly encouraging results throughout the season. With the same focus and dedication, they should continue to raise the bar with more strong results next year. Tarun Eapen (GG) and Arjun Kapur (GG) have continued to impress this year, leading the Upper Shell squad by example. Some good results at school level across the year group, in the run into what would have been the nationals, show that they are very well placed come the start of next season. Hatam Barma, Oliver Meredith (RR) and William Ching (QS) in Remove and Jonah Poulard (HH) in Sixth Form were at the forefront of the U18 season and on course for a strong showing at the nationals. The rest of the U18 squad also played well throughout the season, with a few of them hot on the heels of the top pairs. Good results both at school level and representing the Abbey Club in the league are testament to the hard work that all of them have put in over the last five years.

Notable results this season include the Turnbull Trophy, where Hatam Barma partnered Riki Houlden (OW), and made it to the quarter finals after a full day of play. The House Fives competition got off to good start, with some very close matches in the early rounds of the competition. Dryden’s and Hakluyt’s topped the group stages, with Ashburnham and Rigaud’s making up the remainder of the top four.

Everyone involved in Eton Fives at Westminster School owes a great deal of thanks to Mr Wiseman and all the staff involved for the time they put in, ensuring the smooth running of Station and matches throughout the year. Congratulations to everyone on another successful season.

Hatam Barma (DD)

FOOTBALL 1ST XI

Kicking off with a highly successful pre-season tour out in Tenerife, the Westminster 1st XI were ready for another world-beating season. This year’s team was a reasonably respectable outfit, so there were unprecedented expectations.

The highlight of our season and the greatest moment in the history of Westminster School Football Club was our triumph in the ISFA Sixes tournament (our first piece of silverware in the tournament’s 63-year history). Following an early morning start and a rushed warm-up, we got off to a slow start. However, we soon picked up form and led by outstanding performances by Connor Manning (MM), we found ourselves progressing to the plate competition. Upon progression to the knockout stages we maintained our recent stellar form, which booked us a spot in the final against Charterhouse. After a cagey affair, the deadlock was broken by a Nikdad Khayami (MM) screamer, which won us the trophy and cemented our names in the history books.

Our main season then kicked off with our first league match of the year, a visit to Whitgift, and despite our early-season rustiness we emerged with a draw, a sign of good things to come and a strong start to the season. Our next outing in the league was a big away day at rivals Winchester where after a tense first hour of the match we found ourselves 1-0 down. However, we were not defeated so easily, Connor provided a quick equalizer, which was then followed by a misery compiler at the hands of the cold killer Benjamin Afram (AHH). The score remained the same until moments before the end, wing back Amir Elbishlawi leapt like a salmon and bagged a header that put the game to bed, a good win against a tough opponent and an important result for our league campaign. We then went on to comfortably beat Lancing, secure a draw against a strong Aldenham

side and play Alleyn’s. Sadly, we just missed out on a play-off place, finishing in a respectable 3rd place.

Our most successful cup competition of the year was the ESFA Cup. Following the success of an unusual penalty shootout in the first round and a reasonably straight forward victory in the second, we turned up at our adopted temporary home of Glebe FC to face Queens’ School. After a slow start all hope seemed lost and it looked like another disappointing cup performance, but an inspired performance by the resident TikTok King, Connor Manning brought us back from behind twice and into another shootout. Although Sachin Thuraisingham (PP) tried his best to jeopardize our success by sending his penalty over the fence, it was a massive victory for the pinks and a glorious day for WSFC. Unfortunately, however, in the fourth round our cup run was brought to an end by a strong Hampton side, losing 5-3 and our poor defending from set pieces costing us the victory.

The last competition of the season and our final shot at more silverware was the London Independent Schools’ Cup. Our opening fixture was a tough match against UCS and after a difficult 120 minutes another wonderful goal from Benji took us into yet another shootout. After an incredible 12 penalties each (captain marvel Ben Preston (GG) scoring twice) we upheld our strong penalty record with another win and progressed to the second round where we faced Hampton yet again. Disappointingly though, despite a Naryan Mangat masterclass in midfield and a dominant performance it was not to be, in similar fashion to the previous cup we crashed out at the hands of Hampton – on penalties this time – marking the end of what was still a very successful season.

Amir Elbishlawi (LL) and Naryan Mangat (DD)

FOOTBALL 2ND XI

It wouldn’t be a Westminster Football season without ups, downs, long hours on buses to far-flung rivals and squabbles over the sandwiches; you can only ever hope that there are more ups than downs, more home than away, and a spare Cheese and Pickle that no-one else has spotted.

With many of the squad returning from a fruitful pre-season tour, September rolled around full of promise. Memories of Mediterranean sun were still fresh when the side first took to Vincent Square, defeating an ever-strong Whitgift side 2-1. The old heads in the group took a combination of promising Upper Shell and Sixth Form players under their wing and a team was born. A narrow defeat to City of London followed the week after, but not without top scorer Amadi (WW) bagging a brace: he was to be a thorn in the side of many opponents over the coming months.

Then, a huge dub (win) against Winchester! We won’t mention Charterhouse… But the team responded magnificently, thumping John Lyon 5-1 on their own patch. No-one will ever know what deputising coach ‘Pep’ Ireland said to the team, but it seemed to do the trick; either way, it made for a happy return to SW1P. A dip in form followed but the results were somehow good enough to see the 2nd XI reach the semi-finals of the bizarrely constructed Elgin Capital

League. The Maths Department worked through the night to check ISFA’s working but, eventually, a trip to Forest was confirmed.

Before that, though, a tough away trip at UCS Hampstead – a place level with Stoke on the list of Places You Wouldn’t Like to Play On A Cold Tuesday

A fiercely-contested match ended 2-2 –Matheson (PP)’s long-awaited return from injury bringing with it a thumping equaliser – and to penalties! The mouth became dry, the pulse quickened, and we were transported back to England’s Moscow shootout. UCS were the first to blink and Parry (RR) reprised Eric Dier’s role in Russia by emphatically dispatching the winning penalty, cue the inevitable pile on (before social

distancing was a thing). Forest pipped the semi-final in March but, by that point, the world – and the Elgin Capital League – had greater concerns.

Huge thanks must go to Paul ‘Barnesy’ Barnes for coaching the team with such commitment, care and good humour –all the players improved immeasurably under his guidance and we were incredibly lucky to have him. Thanks also to the team who were a real pleasure to spend so many afternoons with – not only did they play hard and fair, but with levels of skill and cohesion you don’t always see at this level; they are and will go on to be great ambassadors for the Boys in Pink.

Jamie Brown

FOOTBALL – GIRLS

Football is not a results business and the girls representing Westminster School this year did not let their defeats discourage them. Instead, we saw the rise of future stars in the Sixth Form, whose team spirit throughout our final matches will be paramount in developing this squad further next year. Huge praise must also go to our Remove pupils who helped nurture this talent, but who also developed their own skills across the year before the term was abruptly ended. It would be unfair to list the players who improved most across the year because all of their skills grew exponentially, and Mr Yazdi and I thoroughly enjoyed working with this set of players. It was also a pleasure to take a group of this squad along to watch England Women v Germany Women at the sell-out crowd at Wembley. Seeing professional women in action really emphasised some of Ollie’s teaching points. Change is coming to Girls’ Football at Westminster School and this squad, along with colleagues from Harris Westminster, has laid the groundwork.

Rob Morgan

FOOTBALL 3RD XI

With what was almost an entirely new team from last year, a transition period was always likely. A 7-3 loss at home to City of London followed by a 5-1 loss at Winchester highlighted the work that needed to be done as players from across three different year groups were learning to play together. A 4-0 loss to Charterhouse was followed by an excellent defensive performance against Latymer Upper 2nd XI, going down 2-0 but mostly keeping a strong side at bay. We went into our away match at John Lyon confidently (having won 7-1 last season). Whilst we were more adventurous going forwards, with an excellent long-range drive from Aditya Sukumaran (WW), we went down 4-3. A challenging first half term, but with new coaching recruit Tommy in tow we were at the dawn of a new era. A few training sessions followed by a 3-0 loss against Alleyn’s and Tommy was on a plane to Germany. We headed to Lancing without a goalkeeper, so various outfield players took a turn in nets. Despite our best efforts to not finish the game off, we held on to win 2-1! This gave the team confidence heading into our game away at Highgate, where we found ourselves 3-1 up some way into the second half thanks to a great team performance. Nerves, mixed with some interesting refereeing decisions, let Highgate back in to eventually win 4-3. Aldenham and Brentwood were too strong for us, giving us plenty to think about in terms of our defensive play.

The Lent Term only held two fixtures for us. A 3-1 loss away against a very strong Harrow team demonstrated an increased resolve as we started to fight back. Losing 2-1 away at Bedford Modern, despite Tom Clarke (AHH) scoring directly from a corner, was a bitter pill to swallow as we did not cash in on early dominance. Whilst a shame that we could not see the season out, there is plenty of football ahead for those still at the School. For those leaving, I wish them all the best in their future footballing pursuits.

Luke Lorimer

FOOTBALL 4TH XI

Westminster’s 4th XI endured a tough 2019-20 season – much like Arsenal, so much is expected, yet often the results fall short of their potential. The 4ths started the season in exceptional fashion: a somewhat unexpected victory against the old enemy, Charterhouse. Having travelled the many miles down south, we knew that we would be in for a tough game. Under the guidance of Mr Ireland, however, this only spurred the team on and the fight that was shown on the pitch was comparable to that of AC Milan in the early 90s. The team trailed 1-0 for a large portion of the game, but two crucial goals, provided by Adi Sukumaran (WW) and Ibrahim Ahmad (GG), in the closing minutes secured a very well-earned 2-1 victory. This match, unfortunately, turned out to be the peak of the season for the 4ths, as we found it tough to rediscover this fighting spirit. The team was filled with dynamic, talented young players who all showed their worth throughout the season. One of the most influential players was the ever-present shot-stopper Ethan Kang (CC), who managed to pull the 4ths out of sticky situations on various occasions. The team was made up of a solid centre-back pairing of Julian Ion (AHH) and Ed Pearson (AHH), who often opted for a Tony Pulis style of play. The rampaging Angus Bloch (LL) and speed-demon Thomas Kemball (RR) patrolled the right-back and left-back positions respectively. The midfield duo – the engine room – was made up of myself and Alex Cowling (HH). Our attacking threat was provided by a variety of players, including Ibrahim Ahmad, Alex Little (BB) and Leo Greenlees (DD). As I hand over the baton to the next captain, I can see a lot of potential for the forthcoming season, and am confident that the 4ths will only get better from here on.

Pip Earle (GG)

FOOTBALL U15A

2019-20 was a truly unique season with a difficult beginning, a very promising middle and a frustratingly truncated end. The first half of the Play Term delivered tough fixtures where the team were competitive but ultimately defeated. The second half of the term, however, saw the pieces fall into place as the side gelled and honed its playing style to produce some outstanding performances. Unfortunately, the Lent Term was a stop-start affair as rain and drainage issues (up Fields and elsewhere) forced the cancellation of all bar four fixtures, before ultimately, the arrival of COVID-19 changed all our lives (perhaps forever) and terminated the season early.

Overall, the playing record was played: 14, won: 5, drawn: 1, lost: 9 (goals for: 25, goals against: 47), but performances undoubtedly merited better. Most notable were superb home victories over Alleyn’s (3-0) and Brentwood (4-2), as well as wins over John Lyon (2-1) and Bedford Modern (4-2).

Assessing the team, the defence improved throughout with Miles Hitchcock (BB) in goal gaining in consistency and producing some tremendous saves also. In front of him, Mattia Bertone (GG), Kaled Haram (BB) and Melchior Walewski (AHH) developed a promising partnership and understanding as the defensive back three, with the latter leading by example as Captain. In the centre of midfield, Alexander Feldman (WW) relished the move forward from centre-back, displaying poise and skill, and Joaquin Segal (AHH) enjoyed the step backwards from centre-forward, providing bite and energy. Out wide, Sam Lui (RR) and Elias Gelain-Sohn (MM) were perpetual motion machines, with the latter a valuable addition to the side, and the former scoring a couple of memorable goals. Playing “in the hole” in front of them, Nat Lansing (PP) promised much for the future with composure and vision as he linked up with Sachin Lavender (AHH) and Diego Danese (WW) up top. Danese improved greatly throughout to finish as top-scorer, forming a potent partnership with Lavender who displayed skill, tenacity, competitiveness and an eye for goal. In addition, Ivan Solomakhin (LL), Chris Yang (BB) and Zack Lui (HH) were more than useful members of a squad that should get better and better as they progress to senior level.

James Kershen

FOOTBALL U14A FOOTBALL POWER LEAGUE

It was a tough season for the U14A team, but spirits stayed high throughout and their level of commitment could never be questioned. Unfortunately, results may have peaked too early, with a 2-2 draw against Winchester in the first game bringing the sole point of the season. This, however, hides the progress the squad made, with many members of the team learning to play as part of a 3-5-2 for the first time and playing with increasing confidence in this system during the Lent Term.

The team was led well, initially under the captaincy of Ivan Matsnev (RR) providing solidity at the back, and then by Thomas Jolly (MM) who was a creative spark in the middle of the park. Goals may have been few and far between but William Wickham (DD) provided an outlet up front and can claim the honour of having been involved in every goal the team scored. The most consistent performer was Alex Knight (PP), who immediately made the right wing-back spot his own and could be relied on to make the right decisions time and again.

A total of 20 players represented the As over the course of the season, with several players moving up from the B Team to make an impressive impact; the pick of these was Tate Ford (LL), who had to wait until Lent to take his opportunity, but his well-timed tackles and sheer determination proved that he should have been given the chance earlier.

It can’t be denied that there were some lows this season but, as a result of plenty of hard work on their part, this group is promising to come back with a vengeance and will be ready to fulfil their potential over the next few years. Many thanks are due to Mr McEntegart for his expertise in coaching the team and his passion in continuing to push each player to maximise their potential.

Andrew Bottomley

The endearing and endlessly fun embodiment of Westminster Football

Power League was a new innovation for Westminster Football last September. It was an attempt to revitalise the often-overlooked bottom teams of the School… an attempt that whole heartedly succeeded.

Mr Ireland had arranged a tournament in which six pre-determined teams would fight it out in planned matches, for ultimate victory at the end of term. Each team had a captain and transfer windows allowed some long-term strategy into the event… or at least it would have had this structure made it out of September. What replaced it were chaotic matches between two large teams formed either by Captain’s pick or by who was standing next to each other as the session began.

The coaches, lack of structure and the mix of pupils came together creating something very much in-fitting with the light-hearted side of the Westminster ethos; loyal dissent... a strong presence. Adherence to the rules depended on whether the coach / referees were watching the game or having a chat… the ensuing chaos, however, made games fun and lively. A dramatising sense of uncertainty was created by very loose timings: players rarely knew how long matches had left to be played… and seemingly, neither did the coaches. The players of higher Wessie teams have long been ridiculed for having an optimistic view of their success, as well as the ego to match this optimism. The same could not be said of Power League players – by all means, the same lack of ability was certainly present, but the ego was replaced by a fun nonchalance.

Although this article may sound critical, my two terms of Power League have been the most fun I’ve had at any Station in my four years at the School. Although the League may have started seriously, its evolution into a light-hearted, chaotic game has transformed it into a brilliant Station. Long may it continue!

Theo Ruppel (PP)

GOLF

Golf Station, as always, is a tale of two halves. The Station itself has never looked in better shape: it has now been two years since we moved from the charming but tiny Central London Golf Centre to the much larger Dulwich and Sydenham Hill Golf Club, which has provided us with two excellent coaches and a well-maintained, high-standard course for practice. The Club has also recently installed a new golf simulator, which will help when the course is waterlogged: a frequent occurrence considering that golf is a Winter Station at Westminster. Additionally, there is a stream of talent coming through, with Harry Sweeting (RR) taking up the mantle from such Westminster Golf legends of yore as Tanishq Kumar and Angus Mackay.

The competitive side of Westminster Golf does, however, have room for improvement. After finishing mid-table in the West Sussex Schools Invitational – impressive considering that an unnamed member of the Westminster team-of-four forgot his glasses – the team was knocked out in the ISGA cup against Hampton School (who count PGA Tour golfer Paul Casey among their alumni). In what would be the final fixture of our season, the Men in Pink suffered a loss to our arch-rival St Paul’s School in the HMC Foursomes Tournament in dramatic fashion: the game was abruptly ended by a storm, awarding St. Paul’s, who were in a winning position, the victory. Was a Westminster comeback for the ages on the cards? We will never know.

Our annual match against the Old Westminsters and the hotly anticipated House Golf Tournament (the only tournament in which a Westminster golfer regularly wins) were both sadly cancelled this year, although Harry would probably have won anyway.

With our improved facilities and our encouraging result in West Sussex, things are looking up for Westminster Golf.

Rishi Sharma (LL)

UNDER 16s HOCKEY

From a brief glance at this season’s Under 16 score sheet, you would be forgiven for suggesting that this year was somewhat disappointing. I believe, however, that the success of a hockey season does not come down to just goals scored (or conceded) against other schools, but instead the development of a team, which started with largely no experience and progressed and improved, with players learning to work better together. This has evidently been the case with an encouragingly large group of new players that have improved considerably, including but not limited to, Andrei Piterbarg (DD), Nikhil Sarath Kumar (WW) and Shaylan Roy (HH), all of whom stood out to me this year, playing well and getting better consistently, as well as contributing to our 5-2 win against Eaton Square. The team would be incomplete without Albert Zhou (RR) commanding the defence and Frederick McGrath (PP) at the other end, both reliable and committed members of the team who I hope will continue to excel next year when they become its leaders. With thanks to Morgan Bjorklund (DD) for being a great right-hand man, I have full confidence that the team I am leaving behind will grow and improve and, who knows? One day we might beat Dulwich.

Magnus Cameron (DD)

HOCKEY

Whilst the season of 2019-20 sadly did not yield as many fixtures as hoped for, it was still an unforgettable year of hockey. With the loss of last year’s Remove and their generational talents, it would have been fair to question if we would survive another year against the great teams we often face. This, however, was not the case. Every year I have played with this team, a significant and positive change has occurred. This year, I was proud to see a better overall attitude to the Station of hockey, with a greater focus on basic skills and fitness – both of which were heavily instilled upon us by Ms Joyce. I was also very impressed by the younger years, especially the Fifth Form, who showed an outstanding knowledge and passion for the game. This really is a joy to see at this point in

their hockey careers. Special mentions amongst the younger years must go to Morgan Bjorklund (DD), the bulldog of the midfield, who never stopped running, Magnus Cameron (DD), who worked tirelessly up and down the pitch enabling the team to function at its best and Shiyer Mehli (WW), who brought a new dimension to our attack; all three playing for both the U16A team and the 1st XI. Whilst the youngsters certainly stood out for their energy, some of the more senior players mustn’t go without mention; Nevin Chellappah (RR) and Nadia Chadirchi (QS) were newcomers to Westminster Hockey and surprised everyone with their knowledge of the game while giving a helping hand to the core of Will Hardman (LL) and Ewan Hincks (PP).

But we mustn’t forget some of the departing Remove, who have sadly played their last match in Westminster Pink. Tristan (BB), Emmanuel (WW) and Oliver (WW) are saying goodbye after a huge five years of school hockey. The reins will be handed over to Rupert Yeung (QS), a passionate player who has also spent all his Station time at the School playing hockey. He is someone who understands that being a captain not only means helping the team in the current moment, but also helping for years to come – by motivating the youngsters and helping them to enjoy hockey as much as possible. It has been an honour to captain the 1st XI this season, and I wish the younger years all the best in their hockey careers.

Devan Wasan (HH)

Another fantastic year for Westminster Judo! The success demonstrated by the competition at High Wycombe where we (three in total) gained three medals (two golds and a bronze) and defended our trophy as ‘best small team’ undoubtedly shows Westminster’s strength in sports, beyond academia. The departure of the Removes however, did have us worrying, but we welcomed many new members from the new Sixth Form and the Lower School. It is undeniably amazing to see so many take up a new sport, with special mention to Niccolo Bargioni (AHH) who only started judo recently but progressed so rapidly that he was technically capable enough to take part in the competition. Taught by Sensei Larry, everyone got to grips with the basics and a few ‘waza’ (technique), challenging themselves to a bit of ‘randori’ (sparring) and, of course, unforgettably familiarising themselves with the understatement of the word ‘warm-up’.

Steven Curran

LAWN BOWLS ET IN ARCADIA NOS

The prospect of a summer without Lawn Bowls is thoroughly irregular. With no other engagements, each clear-skied hour recalls its many absences: the theoretical first session, held in half-darkness, whose presentation is as constant as the northern star, from the pixelated graphics, down to the admiring gasps of new recruits at the 1980 Bryant-Chok Indoor Bowls final; the saunter through Bishop’s Park, pitying the passing rowers, and peering at the bookshop, whose vast piles give the effect of windows boarded up; even the days rained off, when we would huddle in the café, or on one memorable occasion Fulham Palace.

In fine weather, nothing can match it. The well-meaning but disorganised squabble to find the woods one used last week, or pair off as one desires, set the tenor for this most good-natured of Stations, unique in erudition and cerebral pace. An uneducated onlooker, seeing a dozen schoolboys standing around, for the most part uniformed but for the scruffy footwear and infrequence of ties, could be forgiven for thinking we were simply gassing. In reality, a fierce contest without parallel of strategy, cunning, and motor control rages with every gentle thud of wood on grass; but we try to stay humble. The little pieces of admin, too, from the straightening of the jack before every end, to the gathering of the woods afterwards, give a singular sense of camaraderie. What we lack in sweat and hypertrophy we more than make up for in civilisation; which other Station is developed enough to play while eating ice cream? It is with a heavy heart that I realise I shall miss my last chance to see my name in lights in the end-of-season tournament; but I will treasure the three summer idylls I have had. We can only hope to reconvene, at Winnington or further afield, some summer hereafter.

Benedict Randall Shaw (QS)

MUSICAL THEATRE DANCE

Musical Theatre Dance was the unexpected gem that I discovered on my Westminster journey. I was encouraged to join the Station as I thoroughly enjoyed the group dancing with the Sixth Form Drama Festival, and I was eager to try more. We congregate every Tuesday to relieve all the stress and just dance away and it is the best afternoon in my week.

We discovered the greatest hits from Cell Block Tango in Chicago (as you can imagine, there was some competition over who gets the part of Lipchitz) and also childhood bangers like We’re All in This Together from High School Musical. We explored a great variety of dance styles, from tap dance to Scottish reeling and the Jewish wedding dance from Fiddler on the Roof. We also managed to stage an open performance last year and it was the most exciting performance I’ve ever done in my life. My favourite part of the whole experience was choreographing small group sections within each dance and the adrenaline rush just before we got on stage.

The best thing about the Station is the people we meet. I met a wonderful group of friends who smile together, dance together and sing together whilst keeping our legs in the air when stretching to Michael Bublé’s Everything. Ellen is a wonderful teacher, and she always showed great enthusiasm in her teaching and is not scared to explore new territories. She always listens to us and asks about our preferences. With thanks to her, we have managed to strengthen our basic skills while encountering a great diversity of music. I would like to wholeheartedly thank Ellen, Miss GB and all the crew for an amazing two years!

Skyler Lu (RR)

NETBALL

Netball Station at Westminster takes place every Tuesday and Thursday, and 2019-20 has been a successful season for the team. Having developed our defence technique, shooting skills, match strategy and having had plenty of game play each session, we have found the numerous matches played with Harris Westminster Sixth Form and the Emmanuel School highly enjoyable. Next year we hope to expand the competition breadth and take Westminster Netball to an even higher level. The team has also been a pleasure to play with. Many thanks go to our leaving Captains, Inny Yeung (LL) and Adrianna DeLorenzo (HH), and congratulations to our new Netball Captain Lili Orchard (DD).

Jemima Chen (BB)

WATER

We started the year with near record numbers of new Fifth Formers joining the Boat Club, despite our usual attempts to dissuade them with the cross country run assessment and the Serpentine swim. The new J14 group was keen to train throughout the winter and all went to the Olympic park for the British Indoor Rowing Championships in early March. Little did they know then, that indoor training was to continue into the summer with the loss of the entire river racing season. Indoor training and running carried on apace into and through lockdown with 20 pupils having access to a rowing machine at home and seven pupils making the UK final top 20 in the British Virtual Championships in June. We have huge strength here, looking forward to a return to the river in the autumn. Many Thanks to Cyril Cornet who has successfully inspired and coordinated this cohort over the whole year, with assistance from Mr Sharp,

Mr Stockdale, Mr Mitchell, Mr Tomasi and Mr Bradshaw.

September 2019 saw record numbers of Sixth Form girls joining the Boat Club, with a twin track of either training for conventional 2000m summer racing or preparing for adventure and touring events. Sadly, with the cancellation of all events, our first girls’ crew to row the 30km Vogalonga around Venice were denied. Many thanks to our girls’ coaches, Olympic Silver medallist Dr Mel Wilson and Ms Chidgey.

In the October Expeditions, a combined group of J16 and J15 scullers travelled to the rowing paradise of Hong Kong in pursuit of Buddha and boats. Mornings were spent sweltering on the Shing Mun river in Sha Tin or in coastal boats out towards the South China Sea, with afternoons visiting Buddhist temples including the three-hour climb to the giant Tian tan Buddha on Lantau Island.

The J15 squad began the year by carrying The Lord Mayor of Westminster and Ms Chidgey from the Thames Barrier to within sight of Teddington Lock in the 2019 Great River race.

Those that survived that river marathon then moved into two eights to battle paddle through the winter months, before emerging at the first (and as it turns out, only) major school event of the year, Hampton Head race. Victory here indicated great hopes for the forthcoming summer season. Hampton Head was won but the season lost. Thanks are due to David Loveday, assisted by Dr McCombie, who moulded a winning crew and who have carried on the good work into and through lockdown, with J15 scullers emerging back onto the river in late June.

CD Riches

WATER TOP SQUAD

The 2019-20 season started strongly for the Boat Club, with the J17s James Stevenson (MM), Angus Stevenson (HH), Arnav Sawhney (WW), and Adam von Bismarck (DD) all having competed at either Junior World Championships or Coupe de la Jeunesse, and Nirav Tomasi (DD), Caspar Griffin (QS), Oliver Ellis (LL), Charles Cartisser (AHH), Manal Pandey (PP), Wilder Fulford (WW), and Willem De Mol Van Otterloo (RR) all representing GB in the annual GB-France fixture. The early ID trials for the Junior GB Team went well, with 12 rowers competing at Boston trials, and saw Constantine Polychronopoulos (WW), Finn Bannister (BB), and the Stevenson brothers placing in the top 20 nationwide.

A composite W2x including Emma Kohlmayer (DD) raced at the Head of the Charles in Boston, finishing in a strong 6th position. Following on from this, four crew boats were entered in the early-season Fuller’s Four’s Head

of the River, with the Championship 4x winning their category, and other boats placing 2nd and 3 rd . A strong start to the season, with plenty of room for improvement.

A successful cross-country skiing camp to Craftsbury, Vermont included a stop in Boston to visit the Harvard boathouse and stadium, and was followed by a small-boats training camp in Sarnen, Switzerland. These camps were excellent team-bonding experiences, developing a real camaraderie among the squad, and allowing the group to experience rowing outside London, in an enjoyable yet productive setting.

Various fixtures against London Rowing Club, Oxford University, and King’s College Wimbledon allowed the 1st VIII to develop and build speed building up to the head-racing period of the season. With an 8+ and 4- in contention for podium finishes, the cancellation of the Schools’ Head of the River Race was a disappointment to all.

The disruption of the season meant that further GB trials could not take place, nor could the yearly highlights of the National Schools’ Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. Despite this, the squad has found ways to stay connected and involved as a WSBC community, with eight rowers entering into the Global Virtual Rowing Challenge, and a WSBC team winning the Ludum Strokes Challenge.

As we move on from the lost season, spirits are higher than ever; the squad is training hard, hoping to be able to race in the Boston USA Head of the Charles in October 2020 and start the new winter season in full force. Emma Kohlmayer has been selected to represent Slovakia at the European Junior Championships in Belgrade in September.

Nirav Tomasi (DD)

Leavers’ Service

30 June 2020

by Patrick Derham

An English Lady went on holiday to the Swiss Alps and enjoyed it so much she decided to buy a house there. So she contacted a local estate agent and found a house she really liked. When she returned to the UK, she decided to put an offer in, but was concerned because she had not seen a downstairs loo. She wrote a letter to the estate agent asking him to give details of the downstairs WC. He could not speak much English so gave the letter to his local parish priest, whose English was very good, so he could reply on his behalf. The parish priest assumed WC stood for the Wesley Chapel in his parish. Here is his reply:

Dear Madam, I take pleasure in informing you that a “WC” is situated nine miles from the house in the centre of a beautiful grove of pine trees. It is capable of holding 229 people and it is open on Sundays and Thursdays only. As there are a great number of people expected during the summer months, I would suggest you

come early, although there is plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation, particularly if you are in the habit of going regularly. You will no doubt be glad to hear that a goodly number bring their lunch and make a day of it, whilst others who can afford to go by car arrive just in time.

I would especially suggest that your ladyship go on Thursday when there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds are heard by all.

It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in the “WC” and it is there she met her husband. I can remember the rush there was for seats. There were ten people to a seat usually occupied by one, and it was a revelation to see the expressions on their faces! The newest attraction is a bell donated by one of the wealthy town residents. It rings whenever a person enters. A bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for all since the people feel it is a long-felt need.

My wife is rather delicate, so she does not go regularly. It has been almost a year since she last went. Naturally it pains her very much not to attend more often. I shall be glad to reserve the best seat for you, if you wish, where you can be seen by all. For the children there is a special time and place, so they won’t disturb their elders. Hoping I have been of some service to you, I remain...

It is so easy to misunderstand people. It is so easy to get the wrong end of the stick. And, I think people often misunderstand what Westminster School is all about. Before I came in 2014, I was told by people who thought they knew this school that the characteristic of Westminsters was self-righteousness. How untrue that is and that is why I find the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to be so important. Notice how the parable is introduced: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. The Pharisaic

attitude is sadly commonplace today: we live in a really judgemental society. Your education has at its cornerstone a desire to challenge such an outlook.

Indeed, I believe that you, the pupils, are the product of an education which is gentle and stern not cold and lax, and I hope and pray that in your two or five years here you have learnt three key lessons. Firstly, that it is a diminished life if the ambition to do well materially, to get on, to make a mark, to generate money, crowds out the cultivation of spirituality and of a sense of beauty. Education is more than the grades you achieve. Education should have opened you up to that cultural, intellectual and artistic hinterland, the rich context in which you will live an awakened, sensitive, and appreciative life - a fulfilled life rather than an empty material husk. It is Abbey, too, that has allowed you to ponder the bigger questions of your purpose, and of life’s meaning. Westminster Abbey is a very special place, at the heart of the School’s identity and ethos. Long may that continue to be the case.

Secondly, central to a life well lived is the relationship with others. It is said that there is a deep humanistic impulse to community living, and, if that is true, Westminster has been the perfect apprenticeship for you. Much time is spent here on encouraging you to be your own person, to help you recognise and appreciate the dignity of each individual. In the way we live and work, you have come to understand the dangers of envy and self-righteousness, which will be a challenge you will face throughout your lives. Our culture so drives us to personal achievement and acquisitiveness that life has become a constant competition with everyone around us. Too much envy can destroy our inner peace, stability and sense of deeper purpose.

Thirdly in the well-known poem, The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost writes of choices in life. In fact, Frost is referring to his dear friend Edward Thomas’s painful decision to join up and fight on

the Western Front. But the point of the poem is that the options may look much the same, but choosing which path to take has potentially huge consequences. There is no looking back, no room for regret about the road not taken. Your lives will be characterised by chance, by decisions good and bad; we have sought the best liberal education to give you the intellectual apparatus to distinguish the fashionable from the enduring, the phoney from the essential truth, to encourage you to take responsibility for what you’ve done and to give you the values to make good decisions; and, if as sometimes happens, the path was unwise, not to seek to shift blame on to others. We have tried to equip you with the habits of mind which will sustain you through the snares, and the changes and chances of this life.

Ultimately, what I have tried to do in my time as Head Master is to create an atmosphere in this School in which it is possible for simple goodness to flourish. I have not often talked directly about goodness as an abstract term, but I have tried to encourage goodness to happen. Where in our timetable do we teach goodness? My answer to that question is everywhere. We teach goodness in arithmetic by accuracy, in language by learning to say what we mean (so that there is neither double talking nor double dealing), in history by humanity, in geography by breadth of mind, in art by thoroughness and courtesy to every person whatever their function in the School, by truthfulness in all things, by staff showing to pupils that their elders are their friends and not their enemies. And so I think that we have been able to have a good understanding with each other. I like the way you go about things. I like your bearing, your simple courtesy, your sense of fairness, your openness to new ideas and your generous tolerance.

Aristotle spoke about practical wisdom and this is where I want to finish my final Abbey Address. In truth, I have strived in my time to ensure that Westminsters can develop Aristotle’s practical wisdom. And what I mean

by that is the sense of how to give and take in society, how to think to some purpose, how to have friends, how to respect difference, and how to organise a life around values whose roots lie deeper than the purely utilitarian and mundane.

So wherever life takes you, I would remind you of the importance of adventure, intellectual as well as physical, of risk-taking, of allowing yourself to be distracted.

It is very fitting and appropriate that our farewell should be here in Westminster Abbey, although it saddens me greatly that you are not here in person. When you first came into this majestic building on a balmy September morning, found your seat, looked around, you will have wondered what the future might hold. Now the future holds you. This is where you came in, this is where you have sat on countless occasions during your time here, and now this is where we say goodbye. Carry us always in your hearts, as we will keep a place for you in ours.

You leave with my thanks for all you have done to enrich the life of this community. You also have all our best wishes for all that lies ahead. Remember though that with privilege comes responsibility and go forth and do great things. Thank you, good luck and may God bless you all.

Memories

Usually we would have photos here from the Remove Brunch and the Remove Ball, but this year neither of those have happened. Instead, we asked Remove pupils for photos and memories from their time at Westminster.

Hatam Barma (DD)

An amazing evening, in a special place – thank you to everyone for making it so memorable!

Melissa Adams (PP)

I’ll always remember Phab and the amazing lifelong friendships I made in these short two years!

Abigail Wallace (QS)

My favourite school memory is being told there were no more Latin hurdles in Remove.

Andrew Smith (GG)

I remember well my time in 5H Product Design, where we built many fun projects, but also built friendships that will last a lifetime. I also don’t want to leave out all the good memories from Electronics –thanks a lot to Mr Hemsley-Brown and Dr AK.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to make my time here very special.

Remove Pro Tip: Don’t get caught at the teachers’ pub on a Tuesday evening...

My fondest memories of Westminster School were the incredible trips I’ve been on – Barbados and Cuba. Both were incredible experiences and I will treasure them for many years to come.

All the things I enjoyed most while at Westminster started with an M: Milk, Maths, Mteachers, and Mfriends.

Sophia Sergeeva (HH)

Simi Prasad (RR)

Elio Guenancia (DD)

Pip Earle (GG)

The Westminster Bubble

by Elizabeth Wells

Telling their time (until recently) by the chimes of Big Ben, it is unsurprising that Westminster pupils take an active interest in contemporary polemics and protests.

The 21st century has already seen a number of significant political actions, starting with the Stop the War march against Tony Blair’s intervention in Iraq, through to student protests against tuition fees, Brexit / Remain demonstrations, Pussyhat women’s rallies, and culminating in the recent Extinction Rebellion Climate Change strike. Members of the school community have been present at all of these, sometimes taking part, often observing from their privileged vantage point in the heart of the action. As two of the greatest activists of the last decade have been teenagers – Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg – historians are reconsidering young rebels from the past with new-found respect. Of course, Westminster pupils have been getting involved in political events for centuries. Dr Busby led the pupils in prayers for the King’s soul, whilst Charles I was being executed down the road at Whitehall. A few years later, at the funeral of Oliver Cromwell, Westminster boy Robert Uvedale (KS 1656-59) showed his disrespect for the deceased by stealing one of the funeral banners.

In the 18th century pupil Frederick Reynolds (1776-80) watched the Gordon Riots, huge anti-Catholic demonstrations which dominated the capital for several days in June 1780. Reynolds reported that on the first day of the disturbance ”I, and other Westminster boys, ’eager for the fray’, entered Palace-yard…at first, we enjoyed the scene, voting it fun ; but soon, in spite of all our boyish

love of mischief, we found the joke was carried much too far ”. By the second day, Reynolds and his friends were firmly on the side of the authorities, managing to clear “Newstreet, Covent-garden, of a turbulent gang, by rushing past the corner in St. Martin’s Lane, and shouting, ‘the Guards! the Guards!’ Then, hiding ourselves, in St. Martin’s Court, and awaiting the event, enjoyed the disorderly retreat of, at least, two hundred dastards”.

Little Dean’s Yard has not always been a peaceful eye amidst these riotous storms. In the 1790s, school life was regularly disrupted by pupil rebellions. In November 1791, a “terrible fracas” took place that captured public attention and was reported in several newspapers. Two boys, having had a disagreement, decided to settle their differences with a fight. The rest of the pupils gathered outside to watch and refused to return to the school room until the battle was completed, despite being ordered to do so by several teachers and the Head Master. When the boys eventually reconvened in the school room, Vincent requested that D’Oyly (KS 1788-92), the Captain of the School, fetch a rod so that he might be beaten for failing to control his peers. Several pupils cried out ”no” and hissed at this suggestion; D’Oyly himself objected, stating that he had not been at the fight, but instead had been reading in his dormitory. The pupils marched from the school room in protest and gathered in Dean’s Yard singing the French Revolutionary song Ça ira

The boys remained out of School on Thursday, which in any case would have been a half-day holiday. However, many were visited by their parents and instructed to attend School on Friday. 39 pupils in total came to the school room but a number remained outside and disrupted proceedings by breaking the windows with potatoes and stones. Later that day, Vincent held a meeting with D’Oyly’s father, Lord Stormont, Marquis of Lansdowne, The Archbishop of Cashel and several other noblemen and gentlemen. Together, the adults persuaded D’Oyly to make some concessions and a compromise was reached. D’Oyly returned to School and read a note stating that whilst he was right in refusing to do the initial punishment, he was wrong to leave the school room and therefore agreed to accept any imposition set by Dr Vincent for “Going out of School”.

Once we enter the 19 th century, we see pupils still very much concerned with current affairs, but, happily for their Masters, expressing their opinions through debate rather that throwing stones and potatoes. The School’s

magazine, The Elizabethan, and the Debating Society Ledger, which both began in the 1870s, reveal pupils’ political sentiments and activities. Motions covered popular preoccupations: Home Rule in Ireland, the South African Wars, the temperance movement and women’s suffrage. From the journals of Lawrence Tanner (1900-09), we know that in the early 20 th century pupils were still engaged in these issues. Before bed one evening in October 1908 he found a study room “decorated with cardboard placards surrounded with bottles: ‘Votes for Women’, ‘We want our B-e-er. Down with the Pub prohibiting Bill!” Nor did the crisis of the First World War, and the patriotic fervour which accompanied it, prevent pupils from turning a critical eye to government policies, from conscription to rationing.

In the 1930s, under the liberal influence of Head Master CostleyWhite, the pupil body swung to the left and the United Front of Popular Forces (Uff-Puff for short) was formed. Radical speakers were invited to

address the School, including, highly controversially, Mahatma Gandhi. John Freeman (1928-33) records walking through Parliament Square as a pupil and meeting the Jarrow Marchers, “crusaders” who had walked from Tyneside to London to protest against poverty and unemployment. Freeman went on to be an MP and a political interviewer. Several pupils attended meetings of the Communist Party of Great Britain, including a 1936 May Day rally addressed by the party’s leader Harry Pollitt, whom they described as “most stirring and extremely lucid”. This generation of Westminsters would have their pacifist principles put to the test by the Second World War. Martin Blake, a teacher at the school in the 1930s, assisted Nicholas Winton with the Kindertransport, rescuing Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Donald Swann (KS 1936-41) and John Corsellis (KS 1937-40) were both conscientious objectors during the conflict and served with the Quaker Friends Ambulance Unit.

Winged devils sing the French Revolutionary song Ça ira at the execution of Louis XVI © The Trustees of the British Museum

After the war, some Westminster boys continued to be sceptical about the value of military training. In the early 1960s a group of pupils, including a future Head Master of the School, climbed onto the rooftops and fired with air rifles at the school cadet force parading in Yard. This action of pupil rebellion within a boys’ boarding school prefigured Lindsay Anderson’s famous film if which includes a similar scene. At Westminster, it heralded a more relaxed period, with the cadet force disbanded and artistic ‘guilds’ instituted in its place. In 1970 one of these, the Creative Film guild, produced Red, a comic-drama in which the Queen’s Scholars, led by their scarlet-cassocked Master and clutching their little red books, rise up against a corrupt and tyrannical monitor.

This year marks the 20 th anniversary of the School’s last pupil riot which was fuelled by alcohol rather than any political protest. Remove pupils, seeking to enter Little Dean’s Yard on their last day at School before study leave, found that the way was barred. Staff did not want them to enter school premises for fear of the disruption they might cause. Instead, the pupils congregated in the local pub and drank rather more than was wise. Fortified with Dutch courage, they attempted once again to enter school premises. Having been prevented by the brave Under Master, they turned their ire on the surrounding buildings, rampaging up Whitehall and breaking windows on their way. An imaginative recreation of events featured as the following day’s Evening Standard cartoon.

Although the School is now – for the time being at least –more peaceful, Westminster pupils remain healthily sceptical of authority. If, or perhaps when, the next rebellion swings around, the Archive will be watching from the side-lines to record events for posterity.

Lindsay Anderson’s landmark film if may have been inspired by events at Westminster School.

Artistic license in cartoonist Blower’s depiction of the Westminster School riot, June 2000.

Pelham and Roberts

by Felicity Crowe

At the beginning of the Lent Term, four striking eyebrows crossed the Atlantic to take up residence at Westminster.

Painted by John Shackleton, Henry Pelham looks out at the viewer while the rosy-cheeked and red-jacketed John Roberts waits to take dictation. Although their school days at Westminster did not overlap, they were to strongly influence each other’s adult lives. This painting is testament to a lasting friendship and political partnership.

Pelham was born in 1694. After Westminster, Oxford, and a brief stint fighting Jacobite rebels, he became an MP, and later, until his death in 1754, leader of the Whigs and First Minister of the Treasury. Pelham suffers from sharing a century with both Pitts. Historians have spared him little attention or courtesy, and when he is mentioned, it is as one of Britain’s duller Prime Ministers. This may be true, but Pelham brought peace in the Commons and abroad, and his lack of eloquence in the House was mitigated by his reputation for plain speaking and integrity. He brought dissident Whigs into government who may otherwise have caused trouble, and won the trust of George II, who had at first tried to replace him. On hearing of Pelham’s death in post, the King said, “Now I shall have no more peace”. This was accurate. An able financier, Pelham had simplified how the National Debt was held, and reduced interest on it. Although a diplomat in the Commons, Pelham was less successful at instilling peace within his own family. He had a stormy relationship with his moody, spendthrift elder brother, who was to

succeed him as First Minister, and his memoir records a constant oscillation between quarrel and reconciliation.

Whilst at Westminster, John Roberts played Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, but was to act a more supportive role to his real-life patron. At first the tutor to Pelham’s son, Roberts became Pelham’s secretary on the boy’s death, managing the payment of Secret Service money among many other affairs. With the grudging support of Pelham’s older brother, Roberts became MP for Harwich after his patron’s death, but Newcastle resented Roberts’ reminders of his dead brother’s promises. Roberts died in 1772. His monument, with generic grieving draped woman, was erected by his three sisters and can be found in Poet’s Corner, where he looks down on Westminster pupils attending Abbey today.

Shackleton, an elusive figure, was from 1749 the Principal Painter in Ordinary to George II and III, sandwiched between the better-known William ‘il Signor’ Kent and Allan Ramsay. Without analysing paint samples, it is difficult to tell which red pigments Shackleton chose for Roberts’ lovely red jacket and rosy complexion, although carmine, vermilion, lac and dragon’s blood were all readily available. These pigments were found variously in crushed beetles, toxic cinnabar and the sap of a number of tropical and sub-tropical plants.

Our acquisition closely echoes another painting of statesman and secretary, this time by Sir Anthony van Dyke. Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford with Sir Philip Mainwaring , was owned by the Marquis of Rockingham, who had also been painted by Shackleton, and was Wentworth’s great-grandson and close political ally of the Pelham family. Before his execution, Wentworth had been one of Charles I’s closest and most powerful advisors, but Parliament saw him as a threat and had him sentenced to death. Although Charles I reluctantly gave his assent to Wentworth’s execution, he would regret it for the rest of his life. By Pelham’s time, Wentworth was seen as a Royalist martyr. Rockingham was a keen defender of his ancestor’s reputation.

What does this echoed composition mean? Seen in this context, could it be an assertion of the King’s trust in Pelham? But then a good composition is hard to come by, and the van Dyke borrows from yet another painting, this time by Titian, of Georges d’Armagnac and his secretary Guillaume Philandrier. Perhaps no political meaning should be attached. Suggestions would be gratefully received!

For now, the handsome pair greet visitors to the Archive. They will shortly be cleaned, restored, and hung in School. Keep an eye out for them in the near future.

Westminster goes online

by Abigail Farr

On Thursday 12 March, the Westminster School Parents’ Committee hosted the popular and busy annual quiz night up School.

On Friday 13 March, the Senior Management Committee addressed the extraordinary possibility that the Barbican Concert might have to be postponed.

On Tuesday 17 March, School – as we knew it –was closed.

At such speed, the School and society at large were forced to accommodate the impact of COVID-19. Within days the phrases “unprecedented times” and “uncharted waters” had become new clichés. Nevertheless, the pivot to Westminster School Online was achieved with purposefulness, quiet efficiency and continued focus on what really matters: intellectual curiosity, shared endeavour and the wellbeing of the school community.

Earlier in March, when people had started to self-isolate, we reviewed our use of the Westminster virtual learning platforms: Firefly and Office 365. Although the possibility of school closure or – heaven forbid! – any cancellation of public examinations had seemed most unlikely, the challenges posed by COVID-19 provided an opportunity for Westminster teachers to develop confidence and expertise with technology and use online platforms creatively for teaching and learning. My colleagues generously delivered training sessions, sharing video demonstrations, written guides, questions and suggestions. Together, we learnt how to maximise the potential of Firefly and we rapidly extended our use of the Office 365 suite.

So, when school life was disrupted on 17 March, we were braced for the challenge. Westminster Online was published, a document detailing how the School would continue to operate across all areas, establishing parameters for remote learning and giving advice on engagement in the new setting. By the end of the Lent Term, a survey of all pupils demonstrated overwhelmingly that they were finding online learning fun, purposeful and engaging, even if they were missing the opportunity to be with their friends at School.

Nonetheless, the Easter holiday provided time for reflection. Westminster’s aim is to provide the

very best education. How did we need to adapt so that we would continue to ensure the wellbeing of our pupils, the very best learning and a thriving co-curricular life, while online? We reviewed our experience so far, listened carefully to feedback and learnt from longstanding online educational practitioners. We needed a more flexible platform for video-calling, and chose Zoom. This gives teachers more options for classroom management, and allows greater versatility for collaborative work, with break-out rooms, options for screen-sharing and more chat functions. Teachers were provided with an iPad and stylus, so they could mark work more efficiently on screen and make use of an online whiteboard, among other functions. We also supported pupils and staff who needed better access to hardware, by providing webcams and even desktop computers, where necessary.

At the May Bank Holiday, pupils and staff were invited to give feedback in a second survey. The response was heartening: more positive, even, than before. But it was clear that we needed to do more to address issues of “Zoom fatigue” and that pupils needed a break from their screens in the evenings. A 50/50 pattern of online lessons and “asynchronous” time, where pupils consolidate their learning in structured independent work, has now been more firmly established.

Meantime, House life continues to thrive, underpinned by daily tutorials with Tutors, Housemasters and Matrons. There are weekly House meetings, and regular opportunities to talk to House Monitors and Peer Supporters. We all enjoyed a surge of House spirit with the 2.6 Phestival, raising over £3,000 for Phab. Missing the London Marathon, Westminsters undertook their own unique Lockdown challenges including 66 laps of Vincent Square, thousands of keepie-uppies, a shared marathon on Zwift, bike rides, jogs and even running up and down

stairs in full Abbey robes on camera (well done, Mr Derham).

Latin Prayers and Abbey posed a different challenge. More than a valued tradition, these weekly events bring us together for a few minutes of reflection and belonging before the school day. But an impromptu Latin Prayers by the SMC on Wednesday 18 March revealed that live singing might not be the best option... Indefatigable, the IT, Music and Communications Departments worked together to develop a hybrid of recorded vocals and live participation. The Thought for the Day, given by a pupil or member of staff, has done much to lift our spirits and to help us keep perspective while we are physically distanced.

I might mention so much more: the online Drama productions; the Elective programmes for Remove and Upper Shell (many of whom continued to participate long into the second half of the Election Term); the virtual choir; the volunteering efforts of pupils and staff. Westminster life is as busy as ever and as thriving – even if most would agree that we miss Dean’s Yard and working face-to-face.

I will end by sharing some of our favourite aspects of online learning, as noted by pupils and staff in the Bank Holiday survey... Working with different people in Breakout rooms. Using Class Notebooks. Being able to move rapidly between Excel and graph-plotting software. Discovering new media for learning. Becoming more independent. Working out new ways of doing old things together. Going paperless. Getting up later in the mornings. More Kahoots! The adaptability and motivation of the pupils. Finding that it’s possible to do quite a lot of things as before.

Pivoting to online

by Nick Fair

In my ten years at Westminster, there are a handful of days I will never forget: the royal wedding on 29 April 2011; bringing my son James home to Grant’s after he was born on 9 March 2014; and the Westminster Bridge attack of 22 March 2017. All of these events involved some kind of disruption to the normal operation of the School, either for me personally or the community. None of them, however, did so to the same extent or in the same way as the most recent addition to that list: 17 March 2020, when School closed at lunchtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have been asked to reflect on my experience as a teacher and a Housemaster of “pivoting to online”. However, the past few months have felt less like a pivot and more like a process of unforeseen change, both good and bad, and continuing uncertainty to me.

Some aspects of Lockdown are amusing: the obligatory bookshelf backgrounds on Zoom, friends trying to bake sourdough bread, and the additional time I have had to watch quirky television programmes, such as the Netflix documentary on the rise and fall of an eccentric tiger breeder. But I have discovered some deeper rewards as well. Teaching on Zoom is surprisingly fulfilling, despite the eye ache, and augments the conventional teacher-pupil relationship. I now feel less like an expert dispensing

knowledge and more like a co-learner. In the first half of last term, one of my Sixth Form sets presented a short research project and I was blown away by the quality of their work: the pupils were teaching me. Both from an academic and a pastoral point of view, I have also found it easier to have more meaningful one-to-one conversations with pupils online, perhaps because I have fewer interruptions during the working day. I don’t miss small talk with my colleagues about sport or the weather (sorry guys).

My personal life has changed comprehensively as well. I enjoy sleeping, exercising and cooking more, and I now realise the life I was trying to live before lockdown was over-stimulated, over-scheduled, unbalanced and exhausting. I have gained more fulfilment from reading and I realise the truth in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s observation, “’Tiz the good reader that makes the good book.” I am grateful beyond words to have had the opportunity to spend more time with my six-year-old son, and the cycle rides and picnics we have shared in Hyde Park have brought us even closer together. Avoiding social media means I lose fewer hours to empty online activity, and allows me to channel my attention towards to my family and close friends, deepening our connection.

Nevertheless, there is a dark side to lockdown too. Tuning in to the daily briefing at 5.00pm to find out how many people have died of the virus in the last 24 hours has become a grim ritual. I feel ashamed that the UK has failed abjectly to look after the residents of its care homes despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It is as if we have been so busy creating wealth over the past few decades that we have forgotten how to be compassionate to each other. I feel bewildered when I hear some politicians and commentators implore we “get the economy moving again” as if it were not made up of human beings who will continue to be vulnerable to COVID-19 when lockdown restrictions are relaxed. In any case, many people and organisations will face extraordinary hardship when the Government’s support schemes are reduced and then terminated in the autumn, and even those of us who survive materially are likely to continue feeling disorientated for some time to come.

The pain we have all felt over the past few months may also have affected us in ways that go beyond our conscious thought. I was interested to read research from UCL and King’s College London recently, which observed that many of us experience more vivid and memorable dreams in lockdown, and these dreams are characterised mainly by feelings of frustration, persecution,

anxiety and regression. I think particularly of this year’s Remove, who have had to end their time at School without any of the assessments, celebrations and ceremonies they have anticipated. The beginning of their time at university remains very uncertain as well. Matthieu Ricard, the famous French biologist-turnedBuddhist, put it well when he said, “A submicroscopic speck has overthrown us, shattering an illusion that modern man has built up”.

During the financial crisis of 2008, President Obama said, “Never allow a good crisis go to waste” and it feels like all of us have a responsibility to reflect upon and share what we have learned. For me, it’s the recognition that a simpler and quieter life, one where I work a little bit less and spend a bit more time with the people I love, is in fact very content. Having said that, this realisation sits uncomfortably, guiltily almost, with my awareness of the extent of suffering wrought by the pandemic and its consequences we are yet to see. The question, “when will life return to normal?” is not the correct one. Some spheres of life will be changed forever. Charles Darwin once wrote, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change” and I suspect that will be one of the defining ideas for all people and organisations in this new era.

Pandemic Perfect

by Mia Beechey (WW)

On 23 March 2020, Boris Johnson plunged the UK into Lockdown, calling on emergency powers not used since the Second World War. Ever since, COVID-19 has commandeered the headlines and transformed our lives.

It lurks in our laptops, dominates our devices and tyrannises our televisions. The tragedy of this pandemic is inescapable, and no-one is immune to its cruel impacts. But despite this turmoil, many have become more concerned than ever with curating the perfect life.

Finding ourselves confined to the comfort (or oppression) of our homes, many turned to self-improvement when it became clear that Lockdown was to be the norm for the foreseeable future. Across the globe, bread-makers and dumbbells were selling out. One could no longer pop to the local Waitrose to pick up some flour, or other necessities such as red pepper hummus or Scottish smoked salmon. The horror! The quest to better oneself is noble, yet it has the potential to morph into something dangerous. I started to feel an immense pressure to do something meaningful with my time in Lockdown, as social media became flooded with people learning Italian, mastering the guitar or creating culinary masterpieces. But was I the only one too exhausted, burdened with schoolwork, and lacking the time and desire to reinvent myself? And so developed a toxic (albeit well-meaning) echo-chamber of pressure and guilt preaching the importance of savouring this unprecedented amount of time. What I later came to realise is that I was doing enough as it was. Isolating from family and friends is no easy feat, and for most people in the UK, life as we know it has turned on its axis. It is an achievement in itself to stay home, save lives and get through the day.

The psychology behind this phenomenon is simple. In a time when we feel we have lost all freedom, we turn to what we can control – ourselves. Self-improvement is an exercise in autonomy, but it shouldn’t feel like a looming task. If there is one thing to take away from this pandemic it is this: bake that banana bread –but only if it makes you happy.

The deserted school

by Teehan Page

Teehan Page lives in the flat above the Master of the Queens Scholars and has acted as site services manager during Lockdown.

The week beginning 16 March, the Prime Minister addressed the nation at the first daily briefing. There was no compulsion, but we were told to stop all non-essential travel. We were to avoid clubs, pubs, theatres, gyms, restaurants and supermarkets, although they were to remain open. We were to avoid all non-essential contact with other people. Schools, however, remained open. Most of Europe was in Lockdown. The USA had locked down. Even the USA.

The following day, it became clear that a fair few of the school community had decided to take back control of their own decision making. Many staff were ill or self-isolating, pupil attendance was falling off rapidly. Only a few thought Tuesday Station would happen. It didn’t.

Bowing to the inevitable, the School closed, and everyone left, with seemingly indecent haste. By teatime, only Housemasters, some Resident Tutors and Matrons and a handful of other accommodated teachers remained on Green or in Yard. It was very quiet and very sunny. The Abbey was sealed up and the huge gates to Dean’s Yard were firmly closed and a notice posted. The Beadles were the only non-residents allowed to enter the site. Access codes changed, lists of named residents demanded by the Abbey. Lockdown had begun. The country eventually followed six days later. It was very quiet and very sunny.

Planes stopped and birds sang. Traffic stopped and birds sang. The grass on Dean’s Yard grew and birds sang. Everything stopped. The air quality changed rapidly; Little Dean’s Yard was utterly silent except for the sound of a few joyful staff children enjoying their relative freedom.

With all non-teaching staff furloughed or working from home, odd issues arose. The perimeter had to be checked, bins had to be emptied and

put out for removal, post collected and distributed. The ever-increasing daily Amazon drop became a lifeline, as if it were our desperately awaited airdrop and we were stranded on a flooded island. We’ve watered plants, cut grass and tried to keep things ticking over. We’ve sent all the snacks in the school shop to a local food bank. I found an abandoned store of eggs and butter, only just out of date. I baked and baked.

The external enemy was COVID-19, but we risked invasion from an internal enemy too: Legionnaires disease. In order to avoid legionella multiplying in our water systems, all taps, showers and sinks must run for three minutes, three times a week. Loos must be flushed twice with the same regularity. There are an awful lot of water outlets on our site. Residents joined a flushing rota. It is a great irony that the more efficient we are at saving water, the more inventive we must be in making sure enough of it gurgles through our pipes. To hold down eight spring loaded taps for three minutes requires the skill of a plate spinner and the limbs of an octopus.

As I write, I’ve visited, amongst many other places, a mothballed College Hall kitchen 37 times. I don’t think anyone else has been in. I now feel strangely at home in the empty heart of the community. Being here is a bit like being Jack Nicholson in The Shining , or, as other residents have said, Rudolph Hess in Spandau, although I hope we are neither as mad or bad as they. Besides, we are free to leave and Westminster School is the most amazing place to be in Lockdown.

Outside our walled environment, Westminster was transformed. Venturing out of the site became an ordeal, like a diver leaving the safety of the mother ship for some hazardous underwater exploration. The environment felt hostile. All other people posed an invisible threat.

No-one smiled or said hello. The greatest change was the obvious presence of the homeless on our streets. With all offices closed, the relatively few residents in Westminster indoors, the streets really did resemble something from 28 Days Later. I often spoke with people outside Tesco’s or the hostel: some said they felt liberated, all said times were even harder. But the birds sang, the sun shone, the grass grew, and the air cleared. One night at 9.30pm I saw a very large fox in Yard. The blackbirds sing at dawn, the seagulls have hatched their chicks and are loud, horrid and aggressive. The peregrine falcons have had babies too and are equally noisy but brilliant. I can see one now on the South Hawksmoor Tower as I write. We now have squirrels and Green is turning into a meadow. We are rewilding. The earth is exhaling.

Of late there has been an everincreasing number of visitors to our site. There are many vital services than need to be done on site, though none in the Abbey. St James’s Park is busier, a few shops have opened. Recently, Victoria Street has started to feel on a weekday as it did on Sunday mornings at 9.00am. Everything feels busy, but that’s because we’ve changed, we’ve had to slow down. Perhaps the strangest thing is that, during the school day, the School is quieter than in the holidays. We are all Zooming and locked onto each other’s twodimensional image in a silent world.

Being locked down here has been an amazing experience. In Lockdown Lotto, we certainly can’t complain. But it is dull, and the sands of time do run very slow. I long for the noise and the uncertainties of the everyday. Give us back the noise and some unpredictability.

Come back!

Across

1 Keep mum mixed in with trendy part of Westminster (6)

6 F irefly may be found here, angling for lesson m aterial perhaps... (6)

9 Posh navy vessel (3)

10 E xpression first given before Easter? (4,4)

11 Rush to period 6? (4)

12 A gree with campanology LSA? (5)

13 H ave drunk carried by posh friend causing trouble (8)

17 S ex appeal in Hooke basement? (2)

19 C lassical performers swapped sides for this weekly tradition (5,7)

21 E xam board’s third to last character (7)

22 S creams about ex-Westminster pupil’s chickens (7)

25 Volunteer thanks (2)

26 C ommander Hammersmith has Headmaster (6)

27 Stockdale kept including nemesis! (5)

30 L inked OW Economist with daughter (6)

32 I n He atom by mistake (2,4)

34 Q uestion papers cost very little (4)

35 Farewell aria about being off-station (2-4)

36 Brings to a halt ambitions (4)

Down

2 M iss Leech’s first two essays, primarily on C ommon Room pre-schools (7)

3 M ade perfect mess of TDP’s email about s ingleton after love (11)

4 Deceptive reports about existence without 5th Form! (4)

5 C onclude problem is in or at Westminster (3-2)

6 C halk tip as required (2,3)

7 Yours truly behind the times, but keep it to yourself! (7)

8 Mu sic Scholar follow’s Handel’s last few and branches out, possibly (4)

14 Head-boy gutted about programme: one of seven (5)

15 Coward’s without pain in street, perhaps wearing this (7)

16 ACT disheartened about resistance around key ex-sinner (6)

18 Unit kept in, while implying warranties (2,2)

20 SP, at university, almost last to be found in Hooke’s drawers! (8)

23 We’d included steering mechanism to give s pot-on emotional support? (7)

24 L eft party, hearing it’s time to be in Hooke? (6)

28 Gangster keeps city’s outskirts radical (4)

29 W hat possessed the middle of RJE’s expedition? (4)

31 For a long time, there’s nothing in space (3)

33 W H Auden’s even tone (3)

Compiled by Ed Coward