From the Second Master
Welcome back to Winchester after what I hope has been a relaxing and enjoyable summer.
WEEKEND ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOARDERS (16 & 17 September 2023)
Details for this weekend can be found here. Please note that:
- Junior Part (1st year) pupils will remain in school this weekend to complete their induction activities.
- We ask that Middle Part (2nd year) pupils do not take a flexible weekend this week as they have a Yellis assessment at 1830 on Saturday.
- Advance notice: All pupils will be expected to attend the Remembrance Service on Sunday 12 November so should not take their flexible weekend on that date.
Please access the Parent Portal via the link below to inform us of your child’s plans for this weekend by 2300 on Thursday 14 September. Log in, select 'Interactive Forms' and 'Weekend Sign-out' to complete the form.
INTERNET FILTERING FOR PUPILS AT WINCHESTER COLLEGE
Over the summer, the school has upgraded its internet filtering system and is now using Lightspeed software. The Surmaster Pastoral, Mr Simon Mildinhall, has recently written to all parents giving further details: please check your inboxes for a letter from him.
A MESSAGE FROM THE hEADMASTER
I have received a very warm welcome from old colleagues and new in the last few weeks and today, the first day of lessons, it was my turn to offer up a welcome to the pupils.
There were many happy reminders of why I first fell in love with Winchester: an uplifting service in the Cathedral; a delightful encounter with a Quirister who, looking for something pleasant to say, earnestly complimented me on the colour of my academic hood; lunch up to house with some engaging top years; and some comical minutes in Flint Court after lunch, offering directions to JP boys who were arriving, half-dressed (struggling with top buttons and ties) and sweaty after sport, desperate not to be late and oh-so-grateful for a steer in the right direction.
The quote of the day was from two of the girls who joined us last year. Asked what surprised them on their arrival at Winchester, the first said it was the standard of the teaching, and the expectation that pupils would scale intellectual heights far beyond the limits of the prescribed syllabus. The second said that she was surprised to find that the pupils were not stratified into social groups but mixed so naturally, across widely varying interests and talents. If we tried to record this and put it on the website, it would sound utterly contrived – but there it is. First day back and a wonderful start to the year.
I look forward to more opportunities to meet parents in coming weeks, and trust that our paths will cross in coming months at one of the many concerts, talks, matches and other events here at the College.
Ms Elizabeth Stone
Music Diary
This term features a full schedule of musical performances.
This Thursday, 14 September, the College welcomes The King's Men for a performance in New Hall. Tickets can be purchased via the link below.
The schedule will see performances from both visiting artists and pupils, as well as the traditional Mince Pie concert and Illumina.
Special to this term is the 50th anniversry concert of the College's close harmony group, Cantores Episcopi on the 5th November.
All parents are very welcome and we hope to see you there.
Winchester College Choral Society
Parents are also warmly invited to join Winchester College Choral Society to perform Handel’s Messiah in Winchester Cathedral on Saturday 20 January 2024.
Rehearsals take place in St Michael’s Church on Tuesdays at 19:30-21:00 starting Tuesday 12 September.
For aspiring singers, there is no audition process and you are very welcome to try it for the first few weeks.
You can sign up here.
Academic
R.A. Butler Politics Prize
Over the summer, JohnPaul (E) entered into R.A. Butler Politics prize competition.
The competition, held by Trinity College Cambridge and Cambridge University's Department of Politics and International Studies is designed to cultivate students' interest in politcis and world affairs.
This year, JohnPaul's essay, "Are political promises always a sign of political weakness?" was awarded first place.
JohnPaul also entered Trinity College's Philosphy Essay Prize and came joint second for his essay, "There is progress in science. Is there progress in philosophy, and is the field only successful if there is?
You can read JohnPaul's essays via the links below.
Community
Heritage Open Days
This September, the College is hosting a broad range of events for the 2023 Heritage Open Days festival. Heritage Open Days is England's largest community-led festival of history and culture, and we are proud to be the lead sponsor for Heritage Open Days Winchester.
From 7th – 17th September, visitors to the College will enjoy a series of free talks, tours, and events exploring the theme ‘Creativity Unwrapped’. The programme kicked off last Thursday with a talk from historian Alice Loxton, exploring her new book UPROAR!: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London. This was a fundraising event for the Hampshire History Trust.
Later this week, the programme will continue, including: a talk on the College’s collection of early English silver; tours of our archive and historic architecture; the opportunity to hear the Winchester College Quiristers rehearsing in the College Chapel; and much more.
You can learn more via the link below.
Trips
Adventure Training in the Lake District
At the end of last term, the CCF conducted Adventure Training in the lake district for 7 days.
14 cadets and CCF staff took part in the trip which saw them mountain biking, hill walking and canoeing. The programme was designed to allow cadets to try every activity with the opportunity to choose a preference for the last stretch of the trip.
Although the weather proved challenging, it gave the cadets a great opportunity to learn weather management and how to looking after themselves and persevere in challenging conditions.
The trip culminated with a visit to Keswick and taking in the historical local market and other landmarks, which was a great opportunity for the cadets to learn about the Lake District and Cumbria.
Parents' Events
Coffee Mornings
The Winchester Parents Events Committee will hold a coffee morning for new parents in Winchester.
Friday 29 September, New Hall Seminar Room, Winchester College, 11am. Please email Charlotte Winton to attend.
The coffee morning for new parents in London has been postponed, and a new date will be circulated soon.
Parents' Drinks
All parents are invited to one of the drinks receptions hosted by Winchester College Society this term, in either Winchester or London, to meet the new Headmaster, Ms Elizabeth Stone.
Please book online via the links below if you haven’t already done so.
Trips
A Hike Along Hadrian's Wall
Over the first week of the summer holidays, 17 members of JP, MP and Vth Bk ventured north for a Classics department trip to walk the Hadrian’s Wall Path, a National Trail stretching 84 miles from Bowness-on-Solway in the West to Wallsend in the East.
With an average march of 17 miles a day, the Wykehamists soldiered bravely along the line of the sometime Roman frontier, visiting a number of sites of historical and archaeological interest along the way. Highlights included the spectacular landscape and geology of the Northumberland National Park, the archaeological riches of Vindolanda Roman town and the Roman Army Museum, Carlisle and Newcastle castles, and a range of delicious home-cooked meals provided by our excellent youth hostel.
Much was fun was had by all, the pupils rose to what was quite a considerable physical challenge, with remarkably few blisters to show for it!
Academic
Gonville & Caius Essay Prize
In July, Sampanna (H) entered into an essay competition hosted by Cambridge University college, Gonville & Caius.
The competition covers a broad range of topics, such as linguistics, mathematics, archaeology, computere science, and more.
Entering the philosophy and economics categories, Sampanna wrote essays answering the following prompts: "Are financial crises inherent to modern ecenomic growth?" and "Are moral values objective or subjective?"
Sampanna came first in both categories, and you can read the essays via the link below.
Events & Talks
The College is delighted to share with you the lecture programme for next term.
The Director of the Wallace Collection; a former England cricket captain; the chair of Historic England (English Heritage); Chris Packham, and the expert who identified and sold a ‘lost’ Fabergé egg for $30m – these are just some of the speakers coming to Winchester this term.
This Saturday, September 16, Freddie Hunt, the son of F1 champion James Hunt, will discuss his bid to win the 2026 Le Mans race.
All parents are very welcome to attend the lectures, and you can book via the link below.
We also open our lecture programme more generally to pupils from partner schools and the broader Winchester community through the Friends of Winchester College and the Outreach work of Clare Talks and Hannah Fletcher.
Lighting an Entrepreneurial Spark
After sitting their GCSEs last term, Win Coll pupils participated in a startup-building simulation run by Makyth Ventures and CATALYST.
Together, attendees explored the exciting, but sometimes stressful, experience of being an entrepreneur, with all the peaks and troughs that come with it.
It was a thrilling afternoon full of team-building and rogue “market” shocks, which ended with some eye-opening conversations with experienced start-up professionals.
There is no doubt the entrepreneurial spark has been lit in some of the participants, and the Makyth team are looking forward to working with them in their upcoming events.
Academic
John Locke Institute 2023 Global Essay Prize
Each year, the John Locke Institute hold their Global Essay Prize where they invite students to explore a wide range of questions on a variety of subjects.
Of the over 19,000 candidates the competition recieved this year, Mohan (H), was one of them, with his essay now being shortlisted for a prize.
Mohan entered the History category, which posited the question: "Which has a bigger effect on history: the plans of the powerful, or their mistakes?"
You can read Mohan's essay via the link below.
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