Wykeham Journal 2014 | Page 6

Sir David Clementi, my predecessor, has left the School in fine fettle. Under his firm leadership, and in partnership with the Headmaster, the School has preserved those cultural qualities that make it unique and, in many respects, enhanced them. One of my early tasks as new Warden is to write in this Wykeham Journal of how I see Winchester College today. Sir David Clementi, my predecessor, has left the School in fine fettle. Under his firm leadership, and in partnership with the Headmaster, the School has preserved those cultural qualities that make it unique and, in many respects, enhanced them: renewed attention has been paid to the curriculum, particularly the role of ‘Div’; the quality of education remains steady, at a very high level; the Bursary programme has developed quickly; and buildings and facilities have seen good levels of investment. At the same time, much has changed: this year sees the end of fee remission for scholars, and with the abandonment of A-Levels by the Mathematicians a curriculum completely set in the Cambridge Pre-U; as well as David’s retirement as Warden, Jeff Hynam retired as Bursar, David Fellowes retired as Director of Win Coll Soc, and Mark Loveday completed 20 years exemplary service to Go Bo, latterly as a Fellow. We who follow have much to live up to. also full, subject to the occasional losses for disciplinary breaches or failure to make the grade into VI Book. This hurdle is vital in maintaining VI Book standards and the ethos that standards matter, and it gives us the chance to bring in suitable pupils for the Pre-U years, some with bursaries. The intellectual gap between Collegemen and Commoners, so evident in my time, is now significantly reduced. Second, academic results are good, with strong Oxbridge results, good entry to London University in its many guises and to the great teaching hospitals, enhanced by increasingly successful admissions to top US colleges. In the major sports, cricket has been quiet after two glorious years in 2009 and 2