Clifton College Website

Head Master's Commemoration 2008 Speech

There is an old joke that runs thus: What is the collective known for Headmasters? A lack of principles. And it is about principles that I would like to run the risk of talking about this morning. The Oxford English dictionary defines principle "as a fundamental source, element, law or proposition upon which many others depend". Principles should be the fundamental source of an education and they should not be subject to change since they should correspond to the unchanging fundamental principles of human nature. Of course the fact is that principles can always and easily be sacrificed to expediency. In the Marx brothers movie Duck Soup Groucho's character, Rufus T. Firefly is appointed President of Freedonia and he concludes his stirring inauguration speech to the nation thus, "Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others". Never a truer word spoken in jest.

In education we must stick fast to our principles. What then are Clifton's principles?

In his autobiography Lord Admiral Chatfield lavished praise on his son's school because "its main aim was to develop character while ensuring an adequate education". He defined character as "self-confidence and high principles", terms we aren't now accustomed to hearing in educational debate today which is all about that which can be measured and monitored. Only last week we learned that the government’s response to the revelation that one in five 11 year olds is functionally illiterate was to increase the frequency of inspections: more measuring and monitoring. The danger of constant measuring is that we turn out narrow-minded miserable children who are only good at passing tests and as any farmer will tell you don’t make sheep any fatter by weighing them. Fundamentally, education is about character and the things that build character, things that can’t be measured, such as curiosity, creativity, imagination, risk taking, sensitivity, adaptability, motivation, drive and enthusiasm. That list is not mine by the way; it is what the Graduate Recruitment Agency list as the key criteria employers look for. Further, according to the same body, the generic skills employers require are: Communication skills, Project management, risk taking and problem solving, cultural sensitivity and leadership. Some of these attributes can be developed through the academic curriculum, such as curiosity and creativity for example, but some cannot or at least not readily. However many can be and are developed through all of the other activities at Clifton. In our extensive extra-curricular programme we offer many opportunities for:

Project Management: (House Music, Drama, Art – to name but three)
Risk taking: (the Podcast, the student area of the website, Young Enterprise, Debating, Youth Parliament, chapel addresses, Charities projects, and so on).
Cultural Sensitivity: there are many different languages spoken at Clifton and pupils from all over the world with different religious backgrounds and experiences. Because we are a broad church we are particularly well equipped to teach our pupils the importance of difference.
Leadership: the Praepostors and Heads and Deputy Heads of House and CCF, music groups and sports teams, offer plenty of leadership opportunities. It is one of the clichés of modern sport that there are as many leaders on the field as there are players in the team.

All of these foster good communication skills, adaptability, and team working.

Many of you are employers and you will know that the two fundamental commodities that you need and which are in the shortest supply among graduates are character and personality. So a Clifton education is fundamentally, in principle, unashamedly about character and, therefore, about the whole person: the intellect, the body, and the spirit. One of the purposes of a day like this is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the leaving pupils in each of these areas, beginning, as is right and proper, with the head of the body, those who have achieved particular intellectual distinction in their studies and then moving on to those other areas of school life I have outlined.

Prize Giving

Now the proof of the pudding of whether Clifton does what it sets out to do and produces young people of character is, of course, the evidence of the pupils themselves. At this point last year I introduced a "world premiere" in asking the Head of School to speak to you about precisely that. This seemed to meet with your approval (it’s better than listening to me after all) and so I offer you a "world deuxieme". Ladies and gentlemen, the Head of School, George Greenbury.

As we reflect on the rites of passage of the Upper Sixth so we must also pay tribute to their teachers and especially those who are moving on.

Two members of the Senior Common Room moved on at Easter. Firstly, Tom Johnston, a very capable and popular ceramicist was promoted to Head of Art at Red Maids School. Secondly, Patrick Lee-Browne known to many of you as Deputy Head Academic but also previously the first Head of English in the post-Worthington era was also promoted, becoming Head of Rydal Penrhos School in Wales. Patrick was destined for Headship: His grandfather was Headmaster of Rendcomb College. He is a highly organised, meticulous, shrewd, and careful man. He is a man of many and considerable talents most obviously a voice of concert performance standard. Less obviously, he has a warm sense of humour often applied to debunking anything that did not meet his exactingly high standards.

This term we say farewell firstly to Pauline Brind and Kelly Vigliucci, both of whom have covered for maternity leaves for two terms in the departments of English and Modern Languages respectively, and to Tikva Blaukopf who has taught classics for one year. Luke Bond, College organist, pianist and teacher of music moves on after two years of inspirational work at Clifton to be Assistant Director of Music at Truro Cathedral. Two teachers leave us to relocate: Helen Jolly, appointed to be Head of Psychology direct from completing her doctorate at Oxford and who has achieved excellent results, including 16 A grades from 24 A level candidates in 2007; moves on after three years to a position at Bournemouth Grammar School, whilst Rachel Crosby who has taught Chemistry for 11 years, more recently part-time, moves on to a post at Wellington College in Berkshire. Simon Miller came to Clifton as Director of Drama from Botswana. He is taking relocation to a different level moving back into the world of International schools as a Housemaster at the Regent’s School in Thailand. Mark Dixon, Housemaster of Wiseman’s House, formerly Head of Physics, moves to Essex as Assistant Head of Bancroft’s school. Mark can, and regularly has, turned his hand to anything; games such as chess, backgammon and poker, as well as Real Tennis, squash and football. He is above all a very good physicist and many will remember his Tricky Physics option, as well as his curry nights for all those Wiseman’s boys who beat him in the Long Pens race each year. Dr Neil Ingram has been a Clifton fixture since 1985. He followed a very distinguished line of scientists in leading the science department and his intellectual standing is such that he has been appointed to be Lecturer and Reader in Biology at the Graduate school of Education at the University of Bristol. He will of course be based in Berkeley Square, close enough by to keep a watchful eye over the refurbishment of the Science school, a project begun under his tenure.

Lastly, but most definitely not least, we say a fond farewell and wish a very happy and well deserved retirement to Lionel Binns. Lionel taught for three years at Tonbridge before, in 1972, joining the formidable English department which he has served with complete professionalism for 36 years. There are fewer who have given so much with so little fuss: whether it be as Housemaster of East Town or directing the College play, editing the Cliftonian or teaching countless numbers of Cliftonians to love and enjoy literature. Please join me in thanking them all for their contribution to Clifton and wishing them well for the future.

Now what does one say about Pat and Ron Cross? They deserve a separate tribute of their own and indeed will receive one with a dinner in their honour at the end of term. Their no-nonsense approach unites them. Being Marshal of Clifton is no mean feat. He has to tread a fine line between the pupils, the Common Room, parents, and the local residents and businesses, especially licensed premises. Ron has done so quite brilliantly and there is little that he has not seen over the years. As the pupils move through the school they appreciate that Ron is there for them and they come to value him as a friend and a fountain of wisdom. Ladies and gentlemen, I know you will want to join me in showing your appreciation for Ron and Pat.

It is right and fitting that we pay moving tribute to those who have given so much but it is also right that institutions benefit from the invigorating wind of change. The new Marshal, Paul Simcox, who is here today, served in the Marines, and then the Special Forces from which he was seconded to the Foreign office to work in military intelligence: so should prove more than a match for your sons and daughters. There are 10 newly appointed teachers joining the Common room in September bringing the total since 2005 to 30, or 31 if you include the tiny little bit of teaching I do.

Perhaps the most significant new arrival is the Deputy Head Academic, Mr Antony Spencer, who will help set the tone for increasingly high standards and expectations in each and every Clifton classroom. Alex Tebay has nobly acted as interregnum between Deputies this term and crisply efficient she has been too for which many thanks. There are a number of other internal changes too which I will set out for you in my end of term letter but I would take the opportunity to remind you of two House changes; Bill Huntington takes over as Housemaster of Wiseman’s and Simon Tait, makes a very welcome return to Housemastering when he takes the helm in South Town at Christmas.

And so to the pupils. It has been a year of extraordinary achievements for them. Our sports teams are developing a strong, even formidable, reputation on the circuit, with the Colts enjoying an unbeaten season in rugby, and the girls, as you have heard being runners up in the National Hockey finals. This year’s school musical production of Fiddler on the Roof drew plaudits from all who saw it: each year our artists produce more striking work and each musical event seems to raise the standard of musical accomplishment to greater heights, as those of us privileged to hear the Summer Serenade concert earlier this term would, I’m sure, agree. Richard Crabtree told me it would be the best ever: he wasn’t wrong. With so many of these activities enabling our pupils to flourish in so many ways it is perhaps no surprise that demand for places is so strong.

After a recent meeting one Council member remarked to me that he had never seen Clifton looking so good but more importantly still he observed that "the boys and girls are positive and happy". However good the facilities, however grand the buildings, what matters most is the pupils; their present and future. Everything that we aim to achieve at Clifton concentrates upon making it the best possible environment for them. Many pupils will have a moan about this or that: many will take a satirical swipe at those of us in authority over them, as the Podcasts and Vodcast demonstrate, but it is extremely rare that you come across a pupil who would rather be somewhere else. Some schools have made public statements about the need to teach young people how to be happy. One might observe, as Oscar Wilde did, that nothing really worth knowing can be taught and I would argue that happiness is intrinsic to all that we do at Clifton; if you judge the school by one criterion alone it should be the well being of the leaving pupils at 18. The Leavers of 2008 have talent and ability in abundance; they leave with great memories but they will leave their own men and women. Many of them of course passed through and were nurtured in the Pre under Dr Acheson and I would like to conclude by offering my thanks to Bob, not just for being such a marvellous Head master and whimsical colleague, but also for nurturing this Head Master with some typically wise and well chosen words.

Ladies and gentlemen, now it is time for another world deuxieme: drinks in the Quad.

© 2006 Clifton College