From the Registrar
Welcome to our Spring newsletter, sharing insights into life at the College and all that makes Winchester unique.
I invite you to read our annual report to the Charities Commission, which has now been published (link below). We are proud of the academic, musical and sporting attainments of our pupils, but also of the considerable hours they spend in the service of others. In addition, the report sets out our commitments as an organisation to being more sustainable and more accessible, from carbon offsetting and tree planting, to bursaries and community partnerships.
Academic
Physics Olympiad
Last term, 41 Winchester pupils participated in round one of the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO). This is a challenging examination, primarily aimed at Upper Sixth, so it was encouraging to have many pupils from lower years also entering.
Three pupils achieved a top gold award, placing them amongst the best young physicists in the country, with four others awarded gold awards. It was a strong performance across the board with the remaining Winchester pupils securing nine silvers and 25 bronzes.
Academic
Earth Prize Finalists
The Earth Prize is an annual, global competition, focused on environmental sustainability, which rewards the teams whose projects have the most potential to address environmental issues. A team of Winchester College pupils has made it to the Final, placing them in the top 10 teams globally, out of 1290 entrees worldwide.
The winner will be announced in April and receive a prize of $100,000, to be split between the team members and their school. Three runner-up schools will also be awarded $25,000 each.
Sport
A Strong Start
Rackets
Winchester sent 16 boys to the Rackets National Singles at Queen's where there were some strong performances. Bertie (Chawker’s) justified his No 3 seed ranking in the elite Foster Cup, making the semi-final with impressive displays of court craft, where he lost to the eventual winner. The Under 15's also did well with some notable victories, gaining valuable experience for the future.
Fives
The Fives squad took a clean sweep of all four trophies at the Schools’ West of England championships in January. The strength in depth of the Winchester squad was underlined by the fact that three of the four finals were all-Winchester affairs.
Thie term, the school will gather to watch XVs - the biggest game of the Winchester College Football season - which sees Commoners and OTH (bringing different houses together under these two banners) battle to lift the highly prized trophy.
Winchester College Football is called 'Our Game' by the pupils as it very much belongs to them. They are the guardians of the rules and conventions which develop from one generation to the next. It is an inclusive game - the sporting highlight of their time here for some of the players - and that is one of its key strengths. It is also a test of character: the equipment gets in the way; some penalties are seen by the referees and some are not; and the conditions have a definite bearing on proceedings. It teaches the players that sometimes in life, you just have to get on with things and, generally, the side that wants to win the most, will.
Academic
Chemistry Race
In February, four A-Level Chemists attended the University of Cambridge's Chemistry Race. This is an annual competition but the first time that Winchester had entered a team.
Winchester was one of 58 schools from across England taking part. The format involved having to answer 60 questions in two hours, each team only being allowed to attempt six questions at any one time and being given a new question whenever the team arrived at a correct answer. Each new question was harder than the one before, and the excitement was ramped up with the presence of a large, almost-live, scoreboard dominating the auditorium.
The Winchester team finished second, with a score of 186 out of 240. A fantastic effort from some prodigious talents who will continue to enjoy Chemistry for some time to come: Paul has just won an offer to read Chemistry at Oxford University, while Christopher and Vinson have offers to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge.
Trips
Spanish
In December, pupils flew to Seville where they stayed with host families. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the famous Mezquita-Cathedral of Córdoba, where they learned about a period of history known as La Convivencia. Morning languages classes were great fun, led by locals María and Maca, whilst the afternoons were spent visiting the sites and eating tapas, ice-cream and churros.
French
GCSE and A Level pupils enjoyed a French exchange in Bordeaux. Pupils attended French school and visited some of the most interesting cultural sites in Europe, including the atmospheric Saint-Émilion.
Classics
In February, pupils visited Rome, covering the must-see classical sites of the city as well as a couple of less-visited gems, including the Basilica of San Clemente with its underground Mithraeum, and Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli.
Sustainability
Rewilding: The King & The Maverick
Last month we welcomed two of the most significant and influential figures involved in nature recovery in the UK to talk to an audience of pupils and parents. Sir Charles Burrell, (alongside his wife, author Isabella Tree) created Knepp Wildland, a 1,400 hectare estate in Sussex that is synonymous with rewilding and regenerative farming.
Derek Gow is an ecologist, reintroduction specialist, farmer, and author. Mr Gow has reintroduced 25,000 water voles and dozens of beavers to British waterways. They gave a fascinating presentation about their vision for a wilder Britain and the potential for Winchester College's own estate.
Outreach
Ecology & Science
In January, STEM Ambassadors from Park Community School joined us for a series of science activities. Students learnt about evolution and adaptation, studying the College's extensive Natural History collections, as well as a practical on algae analysis.
Part of the College's Partnerships programme, the sessions were led by our Duncan Louis Stewart Fellow of Natural History, Eve Cavey.
Community
Supporting Inclusivity
As part of our Community Service programme, a group of Sixth Form pupils worked closely with the cast and crew of the Blue Apple theatre company to bring their latest production to the stage.
Lashings of Ginger Beer, based on Enid Blyton’s Famous Five characters, was performed at the Theatre Royal Winchester in the first week of January. Blue Apple is an inspirational charity, which transforms the lives of adults with learning difficulties.
Innovation
Introducing Catalyst
The CATALYST programme was founded in 2022, initially to empower pre-university aged students with skills and knowledge that transcend the traditional classroom. Following the success of the programme, we are launching the CATALYST Foundations course: a unique, one week programme designed for curious, ambitious children, aged 10 – 13, from across the world.
The course will run 10-14 July 2023, with 25 students selected to work with Winchester College Dons to explore pressing topics that span technology and innovation, and the philosophy and ethics of modern society. Students can expect to be challenged and supported to develop key academic skills rooted in discourse, debate, and collaborative problem-solving.
The programme would particularly suit boys and girls looking to expand their horizons beyond their current school curriculum, preparing for scholarship exams*, or wishing to experience the learning on offer at a highly selective senior school.
*Admission to a CATALYST programme does not guarantee admission to Winchester College. However a reference from the CATALYST team is available to support any school admissions.
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