SCHOOL NEWS

From the Headmaster:

After a Thanksgiving and Leavers’ service in the Priory, Speech Day continued with prizegiving in the sports hall.
A slightly edited version of the Headmaster’s speech follows:

“May I welcome Professor Anthony O’Hear as our distinguished guest of honour, Professor O’Hear is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham and served as the Head of the Department of Education. He has been a government special advisor on education under three administrations and has recently worked with Michael Gove on the new Initial Teacher Training standards. I am delighted that he has been able to join us and we look forward to hearing from him later in our proceedings.

As a young boy I am told that I returned from my first day at school and sat next to my mother and declared, ‘I’ve had a lovely day and enjoyed myself very much, thank you, but I’m not going back.’ On Tuesday, 18 September, less than three weeks into my time as the 32nd Headmaster of St Bees School and some 30 years later, I had that same feeling all over again! It was a lovely day, the first few days of Headship were going well and I bounced into my study to find my unflappable PA, Emma Graham, looking pale and decidedly uneasy. ‘What’s the matter?’ I enquired. ‘We’ve just had the call,’ she replied. ‘THE call?’ I looked bemused. ‘We’re being inspected in five days’ time!’ Shock is a funny old thing. I laughed nervously and then began to match my PA in my facial expressions. Ten days later and with about 30 hours of sleep, I finally waved goodbye to the six members of the inspection team; yes, that’s correct, five days and one inspector to every 40 children – but they say that what doesn’t kill you certainly makes you stronger!

Throughout this whole ordeal everybody pulled together. The pupils were as always, stunning, my colleagues worked tirelessly to prepare, and members of the support staff were magnificent. I was truly humbled to be in charge of such a wonderful group of people. I am delighted to say that when the report was published, it was very much our magnificent sense of community, something which pervades all aspects of St Bees, that shone through. I don’t want to re-live the whole experience again, but I do want to quote just a couple of sections of the report that we are particularly proud of: ‘The personal development of the pupils is excellent and they leave the school with a set of values and competences to serve them well in later life. Excellent pastoral care throughout the school ensures that pupils are well known, are looked after very well, and feel very secure and happy. Behaviour is excellent with the sense of community deeply engrained in the school.’

This sense of community was then further challenged six weeks later when we saw large areas of the school’s buildings and grounds flood. ‘They don’t call it the Lake District for nothing you know young man’ were those sound words of advice from a local as I ran down from my house in my wellingtons. For those of you who are not aware, I am a volunteer member of the RNLI and whatever I thought the connections between my life as Headmaster and lifeboatman were, I can assure you it was not finding myself in my dry suit up to my neck in muddy water trying to find a pump in one of the school basements; especially when a very perplexed member of the ground staff asked, a little too nonchalantly, ‘Have we turned the electric off yet?’
Every cloud has a silver lining though, and yet again it was the camaraderie of the pupils and staff that shone through as I took the historic decision to suspend lessons as the main buildings were now declared unsafe by the fire brigade. Pupils and staff pulled together as we made sure everyone was safe and accounted for.

The next morning as I walked into the staff room I was viewed with even greater suspicion than usual. Here was the man that had brought the school plagues of lice in the form of ISI inspectors, now floods, ‘When are the locusts due then Headmaster?’ was the question on everyone’s lips. I’m pleased to say that they never came. But what did follow and continues to follow are a whole series of wonderful achievements.

These started last August, with our current Lower Sixth Form and last year’s Upper Sixth Form recording another superb set of examination results. At A Level we had a pass rate of 99% with 66% of all grades being achieved at A*, A or B grades. Nine pupils achieved A or A* grades in all their subjects. At GCSE, our pupils achieved an outstanding 100% pass rate with over 43% of the examinations at the top A* and A grades. We are of course delighted by these magnificent achievements, but we must not forget the pupils for whom an A* is a million miles away from their experience but for whom achieving a pass after two years of hard work and dedication is a superb achievement. As I keep reminding the pupils here, all that we ask is that they try their best and if they can say that they have done this, they can be proud of themselves. Whilst I would never be so naïve as to suggest that results don’t matter, how many of you sitting out there today have ever been asked recently what you got in your GCSE’s or A Levels? What is of more concern is your capacity to think broadly and intelligently together with qualities of motivation, application, commitment, sensitivity, resilience, creativity and enterprise - talents which simply cannot be assessed in the examination room and which we as a school seek to nurture in each and every pupil.  I am always therefore rather sceptical of league tables as I think they only show a very small part of the picture; nevertheless, coming in the top three schools within Cumbria at both GCSE and A level is quite an achievement, especially as unlike many of our competitors we are proud to have pupils with a wide range of abilities within our pupil body here at St Bees. A few weeks ago I was at a lecture from a futurologist who told us that 80% of the jobs that our current First Form pupils will do when they leave University in 2022 haven’t even been invented yet! So I ask you - what are we doing as teachers? Are exam results enough? And the simple answer in my opinion is, absolutely not.

We live in a fast-changing world, and producing more of the same knowledge and skills will simply not suffice to address the challenges of the future. A generation ago, teachers could expect that what they taught would last their students a lifetime. Today, because of rapid economic and social change, we have to prepare our pupils for a very different world where they will come across technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we can’t yet foresee will undoubtedly arise.
Think back thirty years: could educators then have predicted how the Internet, which emerged globally in 1994, or the mobile phone, which appeared a few years later, would change the world? These technologies have not just become tools of learning, but have facilitated networking and knowledge-sharing as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. I believe passionately that education today is much more about enabling our young people to develop ways of thinking which involve creative and critical approaches to problem-solving and decision-making. We need to equip them with the skills to be able to communicate well and to work collaboratively. They need to be able to recognise and exploit the potential of new technologies or, as I fear may well be the case, to know how to avoid the risks that some of them pose. As a school we need to enable our pupils to have the capacity to live life to the full by making the most of all the opportunities we offer. I believe that as we move St Bees forward into an exciting new future, our combination of small classes, dedicated teachers, ever-improving facilities and hard working and motivated pupils, is a very powerful recipe for success. At the core of our community is the fact that we value and actively encourage and support the needs of each individual as an individual and not just as another pupil. We listen to our pupils and respond to their needs.

I’d like to pay tribute at this point to our leavers. I can honestly say that they have been a most wonderful group of Sixth Form pupils. Nothing has ever been a problem, they have consistently risen to the challenge and have certainly kept me on my toes, I’m not sure I have yet recovered from their end of term prank where upon opening my hymn book in the Priory I found a photo-shopped image of my head on the body of a tattooed bikini clad woman, Mr Evans as a body builder, and I won’t even mention who they had turned Borat into. Amongst them they have led all areas of our school, from the rugby and hockey field, to the CCF parade, out on the golf course, organising the boarding houses, singing solos in the choir and probably most memorably of all, performing in the Christmas pantomime. I hope that each and every one of you will keep in touch with us here at school and come back and tell us what you have been doing. As you leave St Bees I can promise you that the school will never leave you and will always be here to support you for the rest of your lives.

At the other end of the spectrum, our small but beautifully formed Prep. Department continues to prosper. If ever you are having a bad day, I urge you to go into this department and see the real joy of learning taking place within the classrooms. Much has been made of the outdoor areas surrounding the school, and the sight of the Prep staff leading wellington-boot-clad children around the campus is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face on even the most dreary Cumbrian morning. Early in the term the children were taken off on a bear hunt for the day, which then led to a Winnie the Pooh day last term, complete with a pooh-stick competition and lots of honey sandwiches for lunch. Father Christmas made a guest appearance at the Christmas craft fair and was quickly followed by the Easter bunny who had left eggs all around the site for our children to find. The Prep choir have performed magnificently on a number of occasions and the children have enjoyed a whole host of sporting challenges from swimming and cycling awards to learning the art of fencing. Here is a part of the school that truly never sleeps and my thanks go to the endless energy of my colleagues, Mr Sewill, Miss Sharman and Mr Pointon who are laying such strong foundations with our youngest pupils.

When I heard that I had been appointed Headmaster, people gave me all sorts of useful advice, ‘Never make a decision in the corridor,’ was very sound, but sadly half an hour too late; ‘Beware the first five members of staff who come into your study smiling.’ But perhaps the best and the one I hope I continue to live by, ‘Appoint good staff and encourage and support them.’ The opportunities St Bees School offers to our pupils are the consequence of the commitment of members of staff to giving generously of their expertise, time and talents in all areas of school life. I thank each one for their hard work, professionalism and support throughout the year.

The end of this term sees the retirement of two giants in the history of St Bees School. Mr Hugh Turpin started teaching at the school in September 1983. In his letter of application to the renowned Headmaster, Mr Malcolm Thyne, Hugh wrote – ‘I believe that through my musical ability and by using skills acquired in ten years of organising and developing music in the state system and elsewhere, I can create a department which will fulfil a dual role: to create and provide a healthy atmosphere of exploration and study and to present St Bees as a school which will attract pupils for its excellence in music, as it already does in other subjects.’ Well I don’t think that there can be anyone in this room who would not agree that over the last thirty years Hugh has managed to achieve this goal and so much more besides. Over the last few weeks we have been gathering together some moving tributes to Hugh from former pupils, colleagues and friends. One refers to the marking of Remembrance Day, which, as is traditional, includes a rendition of the Last Post. With no bugler amongst the pupil and staff body that year, a small issue presented itself; however, as the assembled company stood on the terrace, the dulcet strains of a brass instrument could be heard. Those with a musical ear had never quite heard anything like it. Hugh had recorded himself playing the last post on a euphonium and then simply sped up the play back speed – hey presto a bugle! The number of pupils who have passed through the Music Department during Hugh’s time en-route for Associated Board examinations must run into the thousands. However one incident stands out for the quality of Hugh’s stewarding during these events. Hugh had popped outside for some of his customary ‘fresh air’ and was standing on the steps outside Barony House. Suddenly a pupil who was helping with the stewarding was heard shouting, ‘Miss! Miss! Mr Turpin is on fire!’ Sure enough, his cigarette had somehow made contact with his jacket…I know that metaphorically and quite literally Hugh has truly kindled a fire for music in the hearts of so many past and present St Beghians.

Eleven years later, Hugh was joined by Jon Mellor, who started off as a temporary English teacher, rising to become Head of Drama a year later and then in 1997 joining his wife Wendy as Housemaster and Housemistress of Bega House for the next nine years. In addition to being a truly inspirational English teacher, Jon has also taught PSHE, been the President of the Staff Common Room and probably most notably led and developed our Drama department to be a real jewel in the St Bees’ crown. Described by a colleague of his as a Guardian- reading pinko liberal, Jon is never slow to take the opportunity to play up to his Times’ reading fellow members of Common Room and air his political views. Can you imagine therefore his horror when he learnt that his daughter Rowan actually enjoyed attending CCF! In searching for stories about Jon there were many. A particular favourite of mine was when, during a trip to Northern Cyprus, Jon’s artistic streak got the better of him. Mrs Malan and Mrs Mellor were busy enjoying themselves having dresses made. Having obviously spent too much time working in theatre and not to be outdone by the ladies, Jon went to the local tailors and had his very own white three piece suit made. Several weeks ago for his final Lonsdale House photograph Jon arrived at school sporting said suit, looking like a cross between Martin Bell and the Man from Delmonte. In recognition of his family’s long association with the school, I am delighted that Jon has been very generous in presenting a trophy. In his words, ‘It’s like me, small and squat and slightly skewwhiff!’ I would like to record my thanks to Jon for his sage advice and wisdom this year, and I know that I, along with everyone associated with St Bees School, will miss both Hugh and Jon a great deal.

It is always sad to see good staff move on, but a real pleasure to see them move up the career ladder to new and exciting challenges. We send our very best wishes and thanks to Becky Evans as she moves on to take up the position of Head of Mathematics at St John’s School in Leatherhead this September. Becky joined St Bees School after completing her teacher training in September 2002. After only a year Becky was determined to be more involved with school life and took on the role of Assistant Housemistress on Lonsdale House. Her patience and calm manner have enabled many pupils to grasp the complexities of mathematics and her care for the pupils and their welfare is evident on a daily basis. Outside her teaching and tutoring roles, Becky has been a leading member of the Common Room in offering a plethora of extra-curricular activities to our pupils. She has led the athletics and cross country programme at the school, travelling the length and breadth of the country inspiring many young athletes to do their best. It was therefore perhaps Becky’s combination of maths and sport that inspired her upper sixth form to create a giant human pyramid within her classroom that then managed to move menacingly towards her as she came through the door.

Never being slow to miss a trick, our pupils also found out that Miss Richards, as she then was, had taken something of a shine to the new Deputy Headmaster. Rather than leaving it to Dan to get down on one knee, a group of pupils decided to take matters into their own hands and to announce the news to the whole of Cumbria by placing a giant sign on the roof of the Chapel announcing to the world ‘Will you marry me?’ Such was the size of the sign that the local press then contacted the school wanting to run a story. Well, as you know by now, the answer was indeed ‘yes’ and it was perhaps inevitable but nevertheless a great shame that Mr Dan Evans has decided to follow Becky and relocate to the South. Dan joined St Bees in 2009 moving from Oundle School where he was Head of Chemistry and acting Head of Science and Technology. Throughout his time at St Bees, Dan has helped to lead the school in a wide variety of ways, addressing with great professionalism the needs of the pupils who passed through his care. It was therefore with this same care and attention to detail, obviously learnt from their teacher, that members of the upper sixth carefully packaged every single item within Dan’s study in brown paper. From the pens on his desk to the desk itself, they marked the front door ‘please forward to St Teresa’s, Effingham.’ St Teresa’s gain is most certainly St Bees’ loss and I would like to thank you, Dan, for all that you have done to support me in my first year of Headship.

In September 2008, Ms Alison Considine joined the staff as Head of Classics. Throughout her time at St Bees, Alison has insisted upon high standards and helped to develop a true love of the classics within her pupils. It is a testament to her hard work and enthusiasm that so many opt for Latin each year at both A Level and GCSE. Alongside this, Alison has also led our gifted and talented programme, offering our most able pupils a truly stimulating diet of extra activities and events. Alison has also been a wonderful tutor and I know that her fifth form tutor group was devastated to hear that she had been successful in her move to become Head of Department at the much larger, Talbot Heath School for Girls in Bournemouth. Sadly, as many of you will know, Alison was involved in a most distressing accident outside the school last term from which she is still recovering. We continue to send her our very best wishes for a speedy recovery and every success in her new role. I would also at this point like to pay tribute to Dr Tony Reeve, Alison’s predecessor and long-time friend of the school, who has leapt out of retirement to help take over Alison’s teaching commitments.

Sadly, Alison’s move has also led to her partner, Mr Simon Canon, deciding to move along with her. Simon joined the school in 2010 from a fantastically varied career that included work in the media, ten years as Head of Biology at Tiffin Girls School and at Brighton and Hove High School, and also a stint as an assistant brewer in a real ale company. I’m told that on the day of his interview Simon arrived in Whitehaven without his suit and so made a quick dash into town to get suited and booted. Finding a certain lack of Savile Row style establishments, he ended up parting with £99 in Burtons menswear and telling the assistant to ‘make him look smart’. It obviously worked! Simon’s quick wit and attention to detail have kept his pupils eager to hear more and I know that they will miss his engaging teaching style. Away from the laboratory, Simon has been a great supporter of the Music department, sharing his skills on the violin. In addition, he has also helped to lead many outward bound activities. We wish both Alison and Simon well as they move to the south coast.

The end of term also sees us saying farewell to a number of our assistants. Maria Cantero joined us as our Spanish Assistant and Philippe Kromwell as our French Assistant. Isabelle Cazals has done a wonderful job of taking care of our French pupils at the school in supporting them through the French CNED course of study as well as helping out on Lonsdale House. Miss Katarina Kuenberg joined us as a Fives coach and did a wonderful job of introducing our pupils to this unique game. Mr Norbert Lukacs joined us from Romania and has done a spectacular job in both the Sports department and as Assistant Housemaster of Grindal House. We wish all our leaving staff every success for their futures.

Dr Bob Young has also decided to step down as housemaster of Grindal House. Bob has been a dedicated and caring housemaster and I know that the young men on Grindal House have benefited a great deal from all that he has had to offer them. Dr Young will continue to lead our Chemistry department, and I am delighted to be able to announce today that Mr Stuart McNee will take over from Dr Young as housemaster of Grindal in September.

At the start of this year we were joined by a number of new staff. In the Prep Department, Mr Ian Pointon came to teach Prep One alongside Miss Katy Sharman, who joined us to teach Prep Two. Miss Maria d’Angelo made the long journey up from Brighton University, where she had been lecturing, to come and teach Spanish and French. Miss Natalie Cheers joined us from Nottingham University, where she had been lecturing in English for Academic Purposes. She teaches English both within the International Centre and the main school. Natalie is also involved in teaching Drama and assisting Jon Mellor with our productions as well as being Assistant Housemistress on Bega House.  Finally, Miss Jennifer Carr joined us from Clitheroe Royal Grammar School to teach Geography and Art. I am looking forward to working with them all in the years to come.
In December, Mr Gordon Stokes resigned his position as Bursar and Clerk to the Governors. Although I only knew Gordon for a short period, I was extremely grateful for his help and advice when I took up my post. I know that he did an excellent job of considerably improving the school site and controlling the costs. He helped keep the school on a very sure footing. I am very grateful to Mr Nigel Halfpenny, who agreed to join us in January as locum Bursar whilst the Governing Body embarks on the considerable task of finding a new one. Nigel has been an enormous support to me and I would like to thank him for his incredible energy and vision as we work together to take St Bees forward.

Before I move away from the staff I would like to make a few more brief mentions. Firstly I must thank my colleagues on the SMT. There is a great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes and to Jane Malan, Jane Dyer, Jane Hawley, Dan Evans and Nigel Halfpenny I would like to record my gratitude for all their support. Everyone at St Bees School will have come across my PA Emma Graham. Her ability to put up with me and you, her wonderful sense of humour and amazing efficiency help to make all of our lives so much easier, thank you Emma. Finally I would like to acknowledge the work of the members of the support staff. We are truly fortunate here at St Bees to have a wonderful team of people who work tirelessly to enable the school to be successful. The ladies in the kitchen, our cleaners, ground staff, maintenance crew, accounts staff, matrons, admissions and marketing and secretarial staff are all essential members of the St Bees family and I thank them and all the teaching staff for the wonderful work that they do to make the school the strong community that it is.

There are three other groups of people of whom I would like to make mention. The Old St Beghians are a hugely supportive and wonderfully varied group of men and women who, though their devotion to their old school, work tirelessly to help and support us in all that we seek to do today. I have been truly privileged to meet a large number of ‘old’ boys and girls over the course of the year. Undoubtedly one of the highlights was being present as we unveiled the plaque in our Chapel commemorating the heroic actions of former St Bees School pupil, PC Bill Barker, who died so tragically in November 2009 in the Workington floods. It is a real honour for me to be able to welcome Bill’s youngest daughter Emma-Louise, who will join the school in our First Form next year. Probably one of my favourite moments with the OSBs, though, came when Rowan Atkinson paid his third visit to the school this year. At this point we should send our best wishes to Rowan on the news that Her Majesty the Queen has bestowed upon him the honour of a CBE in the Honours List published this morning. He is an incredibly modest man and I have enjoyed meeting him a great deal. He never wants to make a fuss and is always ready to support us in the work that we do. During his last visit he decided he would like to relive the memory of taking lunch in the Foundation dining hall. We went in early to join our Prep Department. As always, their manners were impeccable and Rowan decided he would like to say hello to them. One of our youngest pupils stared hard at him and said, ‘You look just like Mr Bean you know.’ Rowan wittily replied, ‘Well there could be a good reason for that.’ Turning to his friend, the pupil said, ‘No, he’s not Mr Bean. He doesn’t sound anything like him.’ I would like to record my thanks to the St Beghian Society for their encouragement and support during my first year, in particular to their President, Mr Anthony Wills, and Secretary and Treasurer, Mr David Lord. Headmasters are often nervous of their former pupil associations. I feel quite differently. For me it is wonderfully reassuring to know that we have such a body of committed people behind us and I look forward to working closely with the Society during the coming years. Another equally supportive and active group is our Family Association, led by Mrs Julie Cox and Mrs Julie Thompson. This group has worked tirelessly supporting the work of the school in everything from decorating Christmas trees to serving endless cups of tea and coffee at school functions. This September, I am delighted to announce, the Society and the Friends are working together to host another of our famous former pupils, as England Rugby Coach, Stuart Lancaster, joins us to host a Black Tie Dinner on the 21st September. Three hundred tickets for this event sold out almost overnight, and we look forward to using the event to raise valuable funds for the Calvert Trust, a local activity centre for the disabled, who have supported former pupil, Thomas Froggatt; also “Cash for Kids”, a charity which raises money for local young people who are suffering from abuse or neglect or who are disabled and have special needs; and our local St Bees’ lifeboat.

My final thanks are to the Governing Body. They are charged ultimately with the responsibility for the running of the school and I am very grateful to all the members of the board for their hard work and dedication.

Looking ahead, it is worth reflecting on the fact that a school such as ours cannot be, and is not, immune from the difficult financial situation facing both the UK and the global economy. However, we are rising to the challenge of running a successful boarding and day school in West Cumbria. I am passionate that the people of this area deserve the very best education, free from too much political interference, that enables us to offer young people the chance to acquire a love of learning and the skills to go out and become confident and successful in whatever career they chose to embark upon. I have met former pupils old and young, local and international, and I can tell you that they are truly impressive. Whatever it is that they have gone on to do they have done it equipped with all that a St Bees’ education has offered them, and they all feel that this school has provided them with the skills to achieve their ambitions. We will continue to monitor and improve what we offer our pupils as a school and I can promise you that our pupils and their needs are absolutely at the forefront of every decision I take as Headmaster. With the support of the Bursar it has therefore been a real pleasure for me to be able to take the decision to move our Learning Support Department from their previously cramped accommodation to newly refurbished rooms on the ground floor of Foundation. Making the most of the opportunity, we have renamed this area the Teaching and Learning Centre or TLC for short. This is a part of the school where pupils who need that little bit of extra help or encouragement can come and receive guidance and a place of quiet under the watchful eye of our outstanding Head of Learning Support, Mrs Sarah Ollis.

One of the features that attracted me to the school was the fact that we offered boarding. With each member of the school belonging to a house, we can offer a flexible approach to boarding which enables you, as busy parents, to attend to your commitments whilst we as the school do what we are good at, looking after children. This year we have invested just under half a million pounds in improving our boarding facilities, most notably in returning Grindal House to its former glory.  Just to return one last time to the inspection report, they rated our boarding as ‘excellent’. In an attempt to provide a service to parents living in remote rural locations, I am delighted that the Governing Body has decided to introduce the Weekly Boarding Award, which allows us to offer boarding to pupils during the week, allowing them to concentrate on their work whilst their parents concentrate on working and then hopefully both parents and pupils can spend quality time together at the weekends.  I hope that you will feel that you can talk to others that you know and to recommend to them what is on offer here at St Bees School. There are few schools with a finer setting anywhere in the UK or with a warmer community.

You’ve heard the Chairman remark that you will never lose your education, and as you only get one chance at it, we must give you the best chance. Whilst the prizes that we will award shortly are extremely important, and our farewells to those who are leaving us arguably even more important, I would say that the most important thing about Speech Day is that it offers us the opportunity to affirm who we are as a school and the values we hold dear. Above all, in helping us to cherish our sense of community and our unwavering commitment to strengthening it further.

I’d like to conclude with a few words of advice:
Look at the past,
learn from the past,
let go of the past,
live for the present
and look to the future.”

 

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The St Beghian Society,    St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.
         Tel: (01946) 828093      Email: osb@st-bees-school.co.uk      
Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk