THE WYKEHAM JOURNAL 2021
they might have; we’ ve done a number of consultations with them. They’ ve got good ideas and we’ ve listened to them. Accordingly this year we are going to be doing INSET( staff training) for the first time involving dons and pupils together, talking about the school’ s culture and language, and recognizing that, for example, we can’ t any longer address a Chapel congregation simply as“ Gentlemen”. We’ re just not going to be able to do that in September!’
The expansion of the girls’ boarding houses goes hand in hand with a greater number of day pupils, and the chance to anchor the school more in the city and its local community. This is a theme running through all this year’ s interviews, and Ali Harber is excited about the implications, having been involved in setting out the College’ s stall at local schools.
‘ There is a rootedness in us, and it goes hand in hand with a very clear commitment to widening educational partnerships. I have already enjoyed various Sixth Form Open Evenings at local state schools: quite often you put up your banner and have a chat and people say“ Oh, we’ ve never heard of you”.“ Actually”, we reply,“ we’ ve been here for centuries, but now we’ ve got the opportunity to tell you a little bit more about who we really are.”
WE’ VE GOT NICE BIG, HIGH WALLS, BUT THERE’ S NO NEED FOR THEM TO BE BARRIERS, PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE’ RE ABOUT.
‘ I hope that that type of thing will be a real advantage: we get the chance to demystify the school, to anchor and root it more firmly in the local community, and to explain who we are and what type of education we offer. We’ ve got nice big, high walls, but there’ s no need for them to be barriers, preventing people from understanding what we’ re about and what type of education we believe in. I’ d be really pleased if we could generate a lot of interest from our local state schools and local people wanting to apply for Sixth Form places.’
Harber is a keen athlete— beating her own personal best for 10k is her own personal‘ Everest’ ambition for 2022. So I had to ask the sporting question on everyone’ s lips— given the huge current interest in womens’ sport— will there be for the first time ever a Winchester College Football team for girls? As ever, she can see the school with the eyes of a newcomer:
‘ I haven’ t yet seen this sport in action, but I’ m looking forward to seeing it. I’ ll look very closely at what we’ re doing; if we’ re to have mixed football teams, there are rules about contact at a particular age, and we will have to look at that kind of stuff; but it sounds like exactly the kind of game that would appeal to me.’
Written by JAMIE ANGUS
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