EDITOR’S NOTE
From the
HEADMASTER’S DESK
Dear Old Pocklingtonians,
An Old Pocklingtonian wrote to the History department just two hours from taking
his last history finals exam at university this year, admitting he was “getting kind of
deep” and reflecting on how he had got to that point.
Rachel Dare
(OP Liaison Officer)
The 2016/17 issue of the annual magazine is, I hope you will agree,
an excellent showcase for the huge range of activities, events,
achievements and ventures that OPs are involved with. Although I am
not officially an OP myself, I am proud to be associated with OPs and
Pocklington School and to serve on the OP committee as secretary.
It is a very exciting time at the school as phase one of the new Art
and Design Centre opened for its first cohort of pupils in September.
The new building is a significant step forward for the school, made
possible by the support of many donors including OPs. Read
Development Officer, Susan Kay’s update about the new facility in
the Development and School News section of the magazine.
As well as our regular OP events, a ‘thank you’ dinner was organised
(mainly by Leanne!) in May for OP and Pixies stalwart, Malcolm
Milne (55-62, Staff 71-03), as he handed over the reins to Charlie
Lambert (01-08). Malcolm’s commitment and dedication over the
years has been unstinting and the dinner proved to be the perfect
way for Pixies and OPs from all generations to say thank you. More
about this wonderful occasion can be found on page 18.
Another highlight was the biennial Dinosaur Club Luncheon in
September 2016. This event is for OPs who left school 50 years ago
or more and it is starting to get quite a following! Despite the name,
these ‘dinosaurs’ really know how to have a good time and needless
to say the stories and reminiscing went on long into the afternoon!
See page 23 to read about it and see some photos. For those who
qualify, the date for the next one is Thursday 27 September 2018!
The OP careers network continues to offer mentoring and careers
support to OPs and sixth formers. This autumn the network will be
expanded to include current and former parents as well as OPs.
The OP committee and the school have put together a joint plan to
optimise the careers support available to pupils and recent leavers
by leveraging the knowledge, expertise and experience offered by
members of the wider Pocklington School community. The extended
network will be launched at a careers and business networking
event to be held at school on 27 November 2017 with special guest
speaker, Martin St Quinton (65-75), the business entrepreneur
and Chairman of Gloucester Rugby Club. See the careers section for
more details and do get involved if you can.
There are so many things I could include in this ‘welcome’ but there
is only room for a few selected highlights. I urge you to read the
magazine to get the full picture and hopefully there is something for
everyone. Enjoy! And don’t forget to send me your news and updates
throughout the year.
Thank you and hope to see many of you in 2018!
In his email to Gareth Hughes, Head of History and teacher Ed Long, now Head of
Sixth Form, he said: “I don’t think I’d have been able to get the grades I’ve gotten or
love the past three years of history as much as I have without the love you two both
inspired in me for history.”
He added: “It’s strange because a couple of my friends remind me a lot of you two in
a way, and they’re going into teaching and I’m already proud of them because I know
first-hand the impact that good teachers can have.”
We may not always appreciate or make the most of our teachers while we are at
school, but inspirational teachers can change the course of people’s lives. A recent OP
told me that at challenging times she still draws upon the words of encouragement
(unappreciated at the time!) from Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator Adam Hall when
she was struggling to complete an expedition.
“The fact that teachers can see what you’re capable of before you can, is an unteachable
skill that’s often taken for granted,” she added.
One of our oldest OPs, Alex Engler (39-44), 91, arrived from Romania as war broke
out and didn’t return home for nearly eight years. Shortly afterwards, his family lost
everything when the Communists took over – but he credits all he had learned from
Mr Bullock (Mathematics), Mr Allen (Science), and other “most wonderful teachers” for
helping him defy Romania’s troubled times and take a university degree in Engineering.
Alex went on to return to London and become a very successful structural engineer.
The positive impact of someone spotting our potential and encouraging us to achieve
it cannot be underestimated. Their faith in our ability can be the extra spur that drives
us on for years afterwards.
Talking to Old Pocklingtonians at our Summer Reunion, I was struck by the variety
of paths tha