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Better people make better players

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I am because we are

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Sports day, stickers and the subtle lessons we teach

This week I was lucky enough to be able to attend my daughter’s first sports day. She is four years old, nearing the end of reception, and it was a largely traditional affair: an egg-and-spoon race, a dressing-up race, winners recognised. I am grateful for that. There is…

Sports day, stickers and the subtle lessons we teach

People in ceremonial attire on a street.

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A cry of town criers? Reflections on tradition and saying yes

Questions you never think you’ll have occasion to ask… ‘What is the collective noun for town criers?’ According to the previous incumbent, the collective noun for mayors is a ‘magnificent’ or, more informally, a ‘chain gang.’ Yet none of the fifteen town criers assembled…

A cry of town criers? Reflections on tradition and saying yes

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Outcomes, not outputs: why walking the miles still matters in an age of shortcuts

Society increasingly appears to have adopted a mechanistic understanding of education, one which casts schools as little more than industrial production lines. Raw materials are fed in at one end; standardised pedagogies are applied on the ‘shop floor’; before outputs are distributed to the adult world. These ‘factories’ are evaluated…

Outcomes, not outputs: why walking the miles still matters in an age of shortcuts

People taking photos of a famous painting.

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Photos, memory and being present

Like many of you, I used the Easter holiday as an opportunity to take a break. My family and I travelled to Quinta do Lago, Portugal, our first proper holiday together since the twins were born just over 18 months ago. I have a new camera, and I was keen…

Photos, memory and being present

Robot surrounded by paperclips in a factory

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Artificial Intelligence and the future of work: The revenge of the humanities?

In recent months, much actual and digital ink has been spilled about artificial intelligence and its disruptive influence on the world of work. Headlines oscillate wildly between the utopian and the apocalyptic: jobs transformed, jobs lost, productivity unleashed, creativity mechanised. It is little wonder that parents, pupils and teachers alike…

Artificial Intelligence and the future of work: The revenge of the humanities?

Outline of head with question mark inside.

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Asking the right questions: science, curiosity and responsibility

Curiosity is one of the values that form The Warwick Way. Curiosity is the desire not simply to learn what we are told, but to explore ideas, and to pursue knowledge and understanding beyond the obvious. It is what drives people to ask questions that others overlook. It pushes them…

Asking the right questions: science, curiosity and responsibility

Group posing confidently in school setting.

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Why humility matters more than volume

My daughter loves Matilda the Musical. Many of you will be familiar with the recent big-screen adaptation, even more of you will know the Roald Dahl novel on which it is based. It tells the story of Matilda Wormwood a precocious five -year-old with a love of books, a remarkable…

Why humility matters more than volume

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Words matter: freedom and responsibility

In recent months, debates about free speech have been a prominent feature of public life. Universities have restricted or cancelled speakers because of their views on the war in Gaza; protestors have been arrested under public order legislation for chants and placards deemed inflammatory; and social media platforms have suspended…

Words matter: freedom and responsibility

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Thank you Noel

The start of term has been overshadowed by tragic news that Noel Tapper-Gray, our Head of Careers and Volunteering since April 2020, passed away unexpectedly over the holiday, just a few days short of what would have been his 64th birthday on Christmas Day. Noel was a deeply valued and…

Thank you Noel

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A moment of joy and a lesson in service

People often ask me whether I enjoy my job. My standard reply is that being a Head Master is like most roles; there are parts I love, parts I enjoy, and parts I really don’t! Thankfully, the moments of joy far outweigh the more challenging ones. Last Friday evening was…

A moment of joy and a lesson in service

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For our tomorrow, they gave their today – we will remember them

The world is changing so quickly that all schools have a duty to innovate – to ensure that young people are equipped to thrive in a complex and evolving world. At Warwick, this innovation does not come at the expense of a deep pride in our long history.

For our tomorrow, they gave their today – we will remember them

Group with backpacks at sunrise overlook

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Broadening horizons beyond the classroom: How educational visits teach us to find balance, and shape character

It has been wonderful to hear this week about the extraordinary array of educational visits that took place over the half-term break. From two trips to Finland, a Year 8 and 9 Hockey tour to Jersey, a Third and Fourth XV rugby tour to Biarritz, a Sixth Form trip to…

Broadening horizons beyond the classroom: How educational visits teach us to find balance, and shape character

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Black History Month

During October, schools, libraries, museums and other public spaces across the UK will celebrate Black History Month. On Wednesday we gathered as a school to mark this. Recently I read the powerful ‘I Heard What You Said’ by Jeffrey Boakye – a biographical work in which the author…

Black History Month

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Aim for higher things; read more

The summer holidays already seem like a dim and distant memory. To my mind the most valuable thing about the long holiday is that it allows us to step outside our normal routines. Term time is full — lessons, homework, sport, music, CCF, drama, House events, exams. It is busy…

Aim for higher things; read more

Person in traditional clothing on digital backdrop

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The danger of delegating our thinking

This week something quite extraordinary happened in the world of politics. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama unveiled his new cabinet. Now that in itself might not seem particularly unusual – after all, political leaders reshuffle their cabinets all the time. Sir Keir Starmer, for example, has made several changes to…

The danger of delegating our thinking

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What it means to be a man

I am often asked to justify Warwick’s status as an all-boys school. Popular wisdom casts them as relics of a bygone era – breeding grounds for misogyny and privilege, perpetuating patriarchal norms. In my opinion, the opposite is true. An all-boys school offers us an opportunity to have honest conversations…

What it means to be a man

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Belonging at Warwick: the birth of a new tradition

The start of a new school year always brings a mixture of excitement, anticipation and nerves. Something that is true for one group in particular. On Tuesday, Warwick School welcomed its newest Year 7 pupils and their families into the heart of our community with the inaugural Belonging…

Belonging at Warwick: the birth of a new tradition

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Consciously curating character in a changing world

One of the most difficult, and yet vital, tasks for any school is to prepare young people not just for the world as it is, but for the world as it may become. That world is never static. And today, change feels faster, deeper and more complex than ever.

Consciously curating character in a changing world

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