WARDEN ’ S REPORT
I BELIEVE THAT THE NON-EXAMINED CURRICULUM GIVES WYKEHAMISTS AN EVEN GREATER ADVANTAGE TODAY THAN IT DID WHEN I WAS IN THE SCHOOL . to prepare young people for success than exams . The latter are clearly essential . But , in many cases , even the judgements required can largely be learnt online .
Our aim is to take Winchester ’ s long-standing philosophy of how to develop young minds and to infuse it with aspects of the modern world . It is often forgotten that William of Wykeham was an educational radical , who wanted to provide a path for those without privilege to advance in Church and State . Nobody can describe with certainty his exact goals , but it is difficult to imagine that he did not want to help others to enjoy a small part of the extraordinary success which he had achieved . We are fortunate to have a Headmaster with the knowledge and experience to shape a curriculum which reflects current realities , without becoming a slave to fashion or short-term trends . The initial response to recent changes among the boys has been very encouraging . Computer Science GCSE has proved strikingly popular , as has the more global mindset reflected in Div — for example , comparing Socrates with Confucius , or looking at the Moghul Empire through the prism of its European equivalents . Makyth Ventures , designed in part as a first introduction to entrepreneurship , has already organised a series of highly successful events . The boys are , I believe , usually good judges of what is interesting , challenging and useful .
Finally , as a Trustee of a University , I am conscious of the pressures towards conformity in academic life ( colloquially summed up as a “ cancel culture ”). That is the exact opposite of what we are trying to achieve at Winchester . We want our boys ( and in due course girls ) to go out into the world with a passionate belief in the life of the mind ; a firmly rooted understanding of the difference between right and wrong ; and the tools necessary to allow them to turn a desire to do good into a reality .
7