Headmaster’s Message:
dr tim hands
Headmaster’s
Message
Dr Tim Hands
A Welcoming Community
A
t the start of each academic year we
ask a few boys to reflect on life at
Winchester. It is an open brief: they
can write about anything they wish to and
we select a few to add to the website. The
individuality of our pupils remain amongst
our greatest assets, and the new website,
which we launched in April 2019, gives greater
prominence to their voices and experiences.
In amongst the enthusiasm for the offerings
of the local high street food outlets, we always
hear from boys who surprise and delight us
by how completely they embody the values
we teach. According to Top Year Ali, ‘life at
Winchester is defined by the overwhelming
feeling of being able to give back to the
community. Each week I visit a different
nursing home, accompanied by a group of
accomplished singers, and put on a concert
for the residents. Not only is this a hugely
gratifying experience, but it acts as a reminder
that, as someone who lives in such a privileged
environment, it is my responsibility to do my
part in the wider community.’
The school’s engagement with the world
outside our walls continues to grow, and opening
up remains a top priority.
6 The Wykeham Journal 2019
The Community Service programme that Ali
mentions is a central part of the lives of many of
our senior pupils. Currently over 300 Winchester
College pupils participate in 50 weekly activities,
from serving meals to patients at the Royal
Hampshire County Hospital, to supporting
actors at the Blue Apple Theatre. Our pupils
go out into the community to help, teach and
entertain but increasingly we are also running
events at the school, recognising the unique
facilities we can offer.
The school continues to expand the range
and scale of its activities for local primary school
children. These seek to inspire, educate and inject
a unique sense of wonder into pupils’ learning,
which we are in a strong position to deliver. In
just one week last November, we saw record
numbers of local children coming on to the
campus. We welcomed over 1,000 pupils from
nine primary schools for a variety of expert talks,
musical performances, dramatic opportunities,
museum exploration, and a maths celebration.
These involved much in-house expertise,
such as the Science Department’s The Really
Cool Show, reducing the temperature of everyday
materials to -196°C using liquid nitrogen.
But we are also fortunate to work with a range