Chronicle 687

SUMMER 2025 | VOLUME XLII | NUMBER 687

CHRONICLE

100 Years of Boarding Houses A century of House spirit Madness! The School's production of Our House Remembering Malcolm Oxley The consummate schoolmaster

ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Dates for the Diary

You are warmly encouraged to make a note of the following important school events, most of which are open to parents. If you are not able to attend in person some of these events will be recorded – details will follow in E News. You are warmly encouraged to make a note of the following important school events, most of which are open to parents. Please note that some of these dates are provisional – further details and confirmation of dates and times will follow in eNews. If you are not able to attend in person some of these events will be recorded.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival MONDAY 5TH – SATURDAY 10TH AUGUST Cup & Dagger Productions performs Honk! at theSpace @ Niddry Street, Edinburgh Book at edfringe.com Zoom Briefing for International Parents FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER Rugby: 1st XV v Merchant Taylors’ School FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER The University of Oxford RFC, Iffley Road The Steeplechase THURSDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER The annual cross-country races are preceded by Academic Briefings for Shell and Lower School parents; lunch and the Autumn Parents' Briefing for all parents. Steeplechase Tea will be served by the Martyrs Pavilion for race spectators Launch of Teddies UP! SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER Academic enrichment sessions for local primary school children House Bumps WEDNESDAY 9TH – FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER The tradition of bumps races returns to Teddies with Houses competing on the River Thames over three days The Shell Plays SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER Zoom Briefing for International Parents MONDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER, 12 NOON Boys' Rugby Showcase: 1st XV v MCS FRIDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER, 5.30PM The University of Oxford RFC, Iffley Road Weekend Headliner: The Music of James Bond SATURDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER, 7.30PM Olivier Hall The Steeplechase THURSDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER The annual cross-country races are preceded by Academic Briefings for Shell and Lower School parents; lunch and the Autumn Parents’ Briefing for all parents. Steeplechase Tea will be served by the Martyrs Pavilion for race spectators. House Bumps WEDNESDAY 10TH – FRIDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER The tradition of bumps races returns to Teddies with Houses competing on the River Thames over three days.

The Ballet Recital SUNDAY 3RD NOVEMBER A Festival of Fireworks SUNDAY 3RD NOVEMBER The School Musical: Our House WEDNESDAY 20TH – SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER The School Carol Service in Chapel SUNDAY 1ST DECEMBER The London Carol Service WEDNESDAY 4TH DECEMBER St John the Baptist Church, Holland Road W14 8AH The Bands’ Concert SUNDAY 19TH JANUARY The Choral & Orchestral Concert SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY House Plays MONDAY 10TH – WEDNESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY The Spring Dance Shows TUESDAY 4TH – SATURDAY 8TH MARCH Spring Parents’ Briefing FRIDAY 14TH MARCH St John the Baptist Church, Holland Road, W14 8AH The Bands Concert SUNDAY 18TH JANUARY 2026 The Choral & Orchestral Concert SUNDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2026 House Plays MONDAY 9TH–WEDNESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 2026 The Spring Dance Shows TUESDAY 3RD – SATURDAY 7TH MARCH 2026 Spring Parents’ Briefing FRIDAY 13TH MARCH 2026 The Chamber Concert SUNDAY 23RD NOVEMBER, 7.30PM Recital Room The School Carol Services SUNDAY 30TH NOVEMBER, 4.00PM AND 6.00PM Chapel The London Carol Service WEDNESDAY 3RD DECEMBER, 6.00PM

Girls’ Friday Night Lights Hockey Showcase FRIDAY 10TH OCTOBER, 7.00PM Oxford Hawks The Shell Plays SATURDAY 11TH OCTOBER, 7.30PM Olivier Hall Shell Parents’ Q&A FRIDAY 17TH OCTOBER, 11.30AM–1.00PM Recital Room The Oxford Ceramics Fair FRIDAY 24TH–SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER Olivier Hall

The Ballet Recital SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER, 4.00PM AND 8.00PM The North Wall

A Festival of Fireworks FRIDAY 7TH NOVEMBER, 6.00PM Upper 1 The School Play: Macbeth WEDNESDAY 19TH– SATURDAY 22ND NOVEMBER

Cover image: Cover image: Angus Wager, Oscar Evans-Pollard, Rowan Campbell, Blake Maddox, Emilia Stringer and Leyna Traboulsi in Our House . Photograph by Callum Keith

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Word from the Warden

Malcolm joined St Edward’s with a strong First in History from University College, Oxford, in 1962. He was to stay at the School for 37 years, holding the positions of Second Master and then Sub-Warden in the latter stages of his career. After his retirement in 1999, Malcolm continued a deep and lasting association with Teddies. His infectious enthusiasm for history and the arts, his enduring faith, and his commitment to St Edward’s made him an inspiration to us all. The Oxley Library was named in his honour in 2021 and Malcolm has donated his lifetime’s collection of books on the history of art to the School. During his time at the School, Malcolm produced many plays and musicals. Bringing Victorian music-hall entertainments to the local care homes gave him much delight. He would have been thrilled to see last winter’s production of Our House , the Olivier transformed into Camden Town in the 1980s, rigged with a revolving stage on which our pupils sang tunes from Madness. Read an enthusiastic review of the play by Sixth Former Mikhail Aslam on page 40. Enjoy other windows into the vibrant co-curricular life of the School on pages 15, 22 and 34, as we look back on the Dance Shows, the Battle

As another academic year at the School closes, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the 2025 edition of the Chronicle . Henry Kendall marked the beginning of his tenure as Warden in 1925 with the creation of the boarding house system at the School. As we celebrate the centenary of his inspired decision, we look back on the history of House life and House spirit at Teddies with images curated from our Archives (from page 16). Boarding is also among the themes of my interview with Tracy van der Heiden, starting on page 6, in which I have offered some reflections on the importance of the sense of community and togetherness fostered through the Houses. St Edward’s accepted the first girls into the Sixth Form in 1982. As we see other schools in the sector increasingly making the move towards co-education, James Bowen, St Edward’s Fellow in English, looks afresh at the School’s co-educational philosophy on page 24, interviewing senior members of staff and considering how the School’s history of inclusivity equips our leavers to lead happy and fulfilling lives beyond Teddies. We mourn the death and celebrate the life of Malcolm Oxley, a pillar of the St Edward’s community, on page 44.

The Chronicle Editor-in-Chief: Tracy van der Heiden Editor: Bonnie Robinson robinsonb@stedwardsoxford.org Contributing Editor: Chris Nathan, School Archivist of the Bands and Gaudy productions, and marvel at the stunning work which has been produced in our art studios by this year’s leavers on pages 36 to 37. The photograph below was discovered in the School Archive this year. It shows members of the Gillett family reading the Chronicle and enjoying a cup of tea in the Warden’s Garden in the 1890s. Zannah and I very much hope that you can find a similarly sunny and restful summer’s afternoon on which to sit back and read this edition. We look forward to seeing you in September.

Picture Editor: Anna Cole Design: Chris York Design Find out more

Stay in touch with all the latest news by following our social media accounts. On Instagram @stedwardsoxford On LinkedIn St Edward’s School, Oxford St Edward’s School is registered in England and Wales as a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered No.116784. Registered Office: Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 7NN. Registered Charity No. 309681.

The Gillett family reading the Chronicle with a cup of tea in the Warden's Garden c .1890

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Prefects and Heads of School

View from the Top

Top, from left: JJ Kane, Tom Sear, Georgie Maxted, Kaïa Christensen, Elsa Hall, Eddie Jones, Zac Gardner-Hutchinson (Head of School), Grace Vaughan Williams, Yann-I Liew, Honor Weir (Head of School), Imogen Shaw, Rob Murdoch, Jonny Spencer, Harry Cantwell and Isla Scott-Dalgleish. Bottom: The Quad photographed from the air by Peter Shannon OSE of Launch Imagery in September

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Henley 2025

This year’s Henley Royal Regatta marked a historic moment for St Edward’s, as we proudly fielded three VIIIs in the quarter-finals – an unprecedented achievement in the School’s rowing history. The competition was fierce, but our crews but our crews showed remarkable determination and skill throughout the event. In a standout performance, our Boys’ 2nd VIII were the first UK school in the history of the Temple Challenge Cup to reach Friday’s racing in an event typically dominated by university teams. Their journey to the quarter-finals not only highlights their hard work and dedication but also sets a new benchmark for future teams at the School. The Girls’ 1st VIII crew made headlines by reaching the semi-finals for the first time. Their exemplary performance under pressure demonstrated both technical prowess and teamwork, earning them respect and admiration from competitors and spectators alike. The Boys’ 1st VIII crew reached the quarter-finals, exhibiting the grit and resilience expected of St Edward’s athletes. While individual achievements were noteworthy, the true strength in this year’s Regatta was the depth of talent across all crews. Each rower contributed to a collective effort that emphasised teamwork and camaraderie, embodying the spirit of the Teddies Boat Club. Henley 2025 concluded just as the Chronicle went to press. A longer report will follow in school publications at the start of term.

From top: The Girls’ 1st VIII; the Boys’ 1st VIII; the Boys’ 2nd VIII

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Matron Nicky Henderson in the Dining Hall with the girls of Corfe

Ashley Nyakairu and Cici Yan on their way to lessons

Teddies Together Eddie Corke and Dare Fadahunsi Mimi Howard

The Quad in March

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Annie Hall sketching at the Ashmolean

Cecilia Weber and Charlie Hinds in Sing's

Charlie Addison, Milo Welchman and Rory Moody

St Edward’s is renowned for its strong sense of community, which endures long after pupils leave the School to pursue their next steps and to join the lively OSE network. As we celebrate 100 years of the boarding house system at Teddies, Tracy van der Heiden, Head of Communications, speaks to the Warden to hear how this great strength of the School is continually enriched and developed.

What makes being part of a boarding house at Teddies such a rich experience for our pupils? Everything about it! The richness of the experience comes from the diversity in the Houses. For a start, there are day pupils and boarders together in every House. We don’t believe in the day-house model, because it creates separateness rather than togetherness. Much more positively, the

How does being part of a boarding house help pupils to achieve at the highest level academically?

presence of day pupils grounds every House in the community in and around Oxford, and it gives the social lives of the Houses a daily rhythm. There’s much more diversity than that though – pupils of different ages, from different places, from different schools, with different backgrounds, with different interests. The richness of experience comes from the mix of people in every House. That’s the essence of Teddies.

It’s all about creating a culture which celebrates hard work. It’s obviously

important to mark academic achievements – like internal awards and external prizes – but it’s much more important to celebrate pupils who have worked hard. That’s what we do as a school – for example with the pizza

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How does being part of a boarding house prepare our pupils for their future? The most important type of intelligence is emotional intelligence – the ability to get on with other people, the ability to navigate difficult situations, the ability to read the room. More than anything, that’s what you develop in a boarding house. Being part of a House is an immersive experience, an

independent experience. You don’t have parents or family telling you how to manage your way through a situation; you have to manage your way through it for yourself – and that’s how children learn the most important skills for life. There’s more to it, though – much more. It’s in lessons and activities that pupils find their interests, but it’s in the House that they are encouraged to pursue them. That encouragement comes from the HM, from the House team, from the Tutors, from older pupils, and from peers. More than anywhere at Teddies, education happens in the Houses. What has been your own experience of boarding? How did it shape your adult life, and how does it impact the way in which you approach boarding house life at St Edward’s?

lunches and the ice-cream van for those who have gained the highest effort grades over the course of each term – and it’s what happens in the Houses too. There are lots of other factors though – the inspiration of example, when pupils see others (and especially pupils in the Sixth Form) working hard and reaping the rewards, the encouragement of House staff, the ability to get help from the Tutors on duty in the House every evening, and the sense of togetherness which comes from getting prep done on time and from revising together for exams. I think that the Tutors have a really important role to play here – the teams in the Houses are constructed so that they cover as many subject areas as possible, so that, whatever the problem on which you’re stuck, whatever the essay title on which you need some help, there’s always someone there to provide it.

When you live in a boarding environment you pick up a natural affability and openness. ANGELO YEUNG, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

The 2025-26 Heads of House, from left: Lucia Bragagni, Finn Apostol, Olly Price, Larissa Rahmel, John Cartwright, Emily Sharman, Charlotte Lumlock, Torin Togher, Darcey Wrigley, Farah Changizi-Cooper, Arthur Hampshire, Matthew Mullins, Matilda Henderson, Ed Adnitt, Isla Martin, Emilia Stringer, Arthur Souter

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I boarded at Eton for five years, starting when I was 13. It was hard at first – I hadn’t boarded before, and most of my peers had at least some experience of being away from home. Things have really changed in the last thirty years – well over half of the boarders in the Shell are away from home for the first time. Schools have changed too – there’s much more induction and support than there was in 1989! Today, it’s pretty rare for pupils not to have settled into boarding life by the October Exeat. It took me two terms – and it wasn’t easy. It’s a challenge that I eventually met though, and that was good for my confidence. By the Summer Term in 1990, I was loving every minute – that’s because I had found rowing! It doesn’t have to be rowing (obviously!) but, whatever it is, whether it’s a sport, music, dance, drama, art or academics, it really helps to find your passion and to find people to share it with. When I talk to the new Shell, as a year group or individually, it helps that I have had direct experience of starting to board. I’ve also drawn on that experience as we have developed our pastoral structures, especially for induction in the Autumn Term. By the second day of the Autumn Term in 1989, the timetable was full. Boarders starting at Teddies make a much slower start, so that they can get used to boarding first before they start doing everything else.

The girls of Corfe cheer on their housemates during Sports Day

How important is co-education to pupils’ experience of St Edward’s? Hugely important in my view, because it plays such a vital part in the development of emotional intelligence, in being able to connect with people, and in avoiding prejudice and preconception. Boys being with boys and girls being with girls in their boarding houses is important though – and I think that in a co-educational boarding school you actually get the best of both worlds. That’s why co-education in the Houses doesn’t start until the Sixth Form. From the Shell to the Fifth Form, House life is single-sex – and many co-curricular activities are too – but lessons, lots of activities and all unstructured time are fully co-ed. I think it’s also really important to have both women and men as role models. We always look to have an even balance of girls and boys as Prefects, Heads of House and Peer Listeners, and we’ve worked hard to get towards an even balance of men and women in the management team, among the Heads of Department and among the HMs. The balance in the management team is already there, and we’re not far off 50:50 in those other positions too. It also helps that the balance between men and women on the teaching staff is 53:47, which is so much better than the 60:40 ratio we had five years ago.

Even as a day pupil, my House truly feels like a second home. The warm, friendly atmosphere makes it easy to feel included, and I really enjoy getting involved in all the House activities. It’s like being part of

As we enter the second century of boarding at Teddies I hope what stays the same is the sense of tradition, community, and the close relationships between students and staff. That is the heart of the boarding experience and what makes it so

one big family. ANA GALVANI-SILVA, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

How do we ensure that pupils’ sense of togetherness is continually strengthened in all areas of school life? Well, there are the obvious ways – like bringing everyone together for assembly in the Olivier Hall at the start of every week. Lots of schools have grown too big to bring everyone together in one place, and we think that’s a mistake. We’re on course to have 840 pupils at Teddies in September

memorable. ALEX BROWN, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

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The Warden with Ed Adnitt, Risa Kojima and Sheldon Joe-Udofia

we are giving enough support and guidance that issues and problems don’t arise in the first place. We need to have enough people with enough time to be able to get alongside pupils to support them at moments of difficulty. That’s why we appointed Dr Emma Speed-Andrews to be the full-time, resident School Psychologist in 2022 and Sophie Christie to be the School Counsellor in 2023. It’s also why we appointed our own, dedicated School Doctor – Dr Olivia Beardmore is available to pupils all the time, providing the continuity of care which was hard to achieve through our partnership with the NHS. Emma, Sophie and Olivia are all there for pupils when they need help. It’s the wellbeing curriculum that helps them not to need the help in the first place, because it gives them more guidance and more tools to manage their lives at Teddies and beyond school. It now runs from the Shell to the Upper Sixth. It’s overseen by Dr Julia Adlam in the new role of Director of Wellbeing, which we created in 2022, and it covers every aspect of school life, every aspect of teenage life. We created last year the new role of Deputy Head Welfare, and appointed

in the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth. When you need a closer, smaller community as you settle in, you have it in the Shell. When you need more people to find connections, to share interests, and to make up teams, casts and crews competing and performing at the highest level, you find them in the Sixth Form. We make sure that we don’t just mark festivals and events in British life – we do the same for other countries and cultures too, so that everyone feels included, so that everyone can feel that they belong at Teddies. You have been growing the pastoral team in recent years. What have been the headline developments in this area? It’s definitely true that there are many more people working in pastoral care at Teddies – as there should be. For boarders and for day pupils when they are here, we are taking the place of parents who are there for their children all the time. We’ll never be able to do that completely, but we need to get as close as we can. Our work has been guided by two principles: making sure that we can give enough support when things aren’t going so well, and making sure that

2026. There are approximately 120 teachers, and the capacity of the hall is 960 – which is the limit that we’ve set on the size of our community. It also helps that the year groups grow in size as you go up through the School. Between 130 and 140 in the Shell, between 150 and 160 in the Fourth Form and the Fifth Form, between 190 and 200 Boarding gives you an appreciation of collaboration and teamwork, something useful both in workplace and social settings. You quickly learn the value of different opinions and personalities. OSCAR PINEY, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

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have joined an already strong pastoral network, led by Clare Hamilton, the Sub Warden, and Eve Singfield, the Deputy Head Pastoral. It’s definitely harder now to be a teenager, but there is a wealth of professional support available at Teddies. And what benefits will the pupils have experienced as a result of these initiatives? Hopefully many! They will have noticed much greater consistency between Houses and a much more joined-up approach with the Health Centre. When children are very young, they ask lots of questions. When they grow up, they often find it much harder. With the new wellbeing curriculum, we’re hopefully providing answers to the questions which they might be hesitating to ask. With the new pastoral team, whatever the question, there should be someone to whom they feel comfortable to put it and who can provide them not just with an answer but with perspective and advice too. What role does pupil voice play in ensuring that pupils feel a sense of belonging at School? Pupil voice has a huge role to play because it gives pupils agency, it gives them a say in

Dr Jim Panton to it. Jim’s role is to make sure that every aspect of pastoral care is co-ordinated, from the counselling service to the Health Centre, from the work of the Matrons to the teaching of wellbeing lessons. Our new Safeguarding Team of Vienna Osborne-Ricketts as Director of Safeguarding (see page 14) and Sarah Turpin as Safeguarding Coordinator are equally important additions to the team. All the new people and roles I have talked about Whether it is post-prep football, weekend cricket, cinema or trampolining trips, day pupils are always welcome. I have the same opportunities as the boarders in all areas of community life here at Teddies. THOMAS POOLE, FOURTH FORM PUPIL

the challenges is to make sure that we’re hearing from everybody, not just from the representatives in the committees and year group forums – that’s why we now set time aside in the Houses for open meetings to take place, so that everyone can express a view. What impact has pupil voice had on the development of the School in recent years? It’s had a huge impact! The list of things which are new and different at Teddies in the last few years as a direct result of pupil voice is long. Football as a main team game, changes to the rules on uniform and jewellery, more access to Summertown, new arrangements for subject clinics, better internet access times, new guidelines on prep, new boards for societies, new display screens in Houses, greater clarity on confidentiality about pastoral issues, changes to the weekly reading lessons, changes to the menus, more access to the gym at the Nuffield Health Centre, sharing with pupils our annual objectives for St Edward’s – it’s already a very long list, and there are more changes and improvements in prospect as a direct result of pupil voice. Fiona Wickens, who teaches History, has been leading our work in this area as Head of Pupil Voice and Action – the second half of her title is just as important as the first. There are a lot of things I will take away from my experience of boarding at Teddies. It has taught me so much about forging and maintaining relationships and friendships, managing my time, finding supportive people to share a space with, and the value of work ethic. ZAC GARDNER-HUTCHINSON, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

their future. Pupils are also the best people to ask for advice about new ideas, new policies, new initiatives. They are living school life every day, and that inside knowledge is invaluable – that’s why we have set up so many new channels for pupils at Teddies to tell us what they like and, much more importantly, what they want to see done differently and better in their school. It’s not enough just to ask pupils for their views. They have to know that their views have been heard and that action has followed – that’s why we provide feedback every half term in assembly on the issues and ideas which they have raised, explaining what we are going to do in response. One of

Ethan Powell teaching Mia Lu how to use a pottery wheel

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set of sevens at GCSE. That’s a phenomenal level of value-added – if there were a league table for it, we’d be right at the top! It’s the increase in value-added which has delivered the record-breaking results in the last two years. We’re also very excited for the future, because the year groups coming up through the School should set new records every year for the next five. That’s partly because there is so much more inspiration – from visiting academics coming into Teddies for Oxford Lectures, from pupils going into the university and into the city for Oxford Days, from the postgraduate students working as St Edward’s Fellows. It’s also because we have put Teddies much more visibly on the map for admissions. There will be 32 academic scholars and exhibitioners starting at Teddies in September, 25 of them in the Shell – when they take their first exams in three years’ time, they will take the results to new heights. One of your strategic ambitions is to create a ‘community of learners’. Beyond the results, how have you and your colleagues progressed this aim? Again – in lots of ways! We introduced three years ago a new policy on sabbatical terms and leaves of absence, and we have now started to see teachers taking full advantage, refreshing themselves and their scholarship through travel and research. Oxford Lectures, Oxford Days and St Edward’s Fellows are not just good for pupils – they are inspiring for teachers too! The requirement for every academic department to have a related society and to have two external speakers per term has also made a big difference to the I hope that Teddies always keeps its characteristic warmth and its emphasis on the wellbeing of its pupils.

What were the key messages which you took away from the recent pupil survey? The survey was hugely positive, and everyone working at Teddies should take great pride in its findings. There were so many highlights. Most importantly, pupils told us in huge numbers that they are happy at school. They also told us that they would recommend Teddies. In the Upper Sixth, among the pupils with the greatest perspective and the longest experience, nearly 90% told us that they would recommend Teddies to a friend looking for a new school. 91% told us that they felt a sense of belonging at Teddies – that figure was largely unchanged on last year. Even better was the number of pupils who feel that the School treats them as an individual – 83% this year, up from 66% twelve months ago. We were also really pleased to see lots of positive comments about tutoring and the work of the Tutors in the Houses. We’ve done a lot of work to make tutoring more consistent and to promote its importance too. Careers is another area in which we have done a lot in the last two years – the careers festival for the whole school in the autumn, the employability morning for the Lower Sixth and the careers day for the Fourth Form in the summer, the new Teddies Business Directory for everyone,

Because we progress through such integral parts of our lives with our housemates by our sides we make strong, long-lasting friendships. I feel as though the boarding experience has truly enriched my school years.

FLORENCE WILLIAMS, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

to give just a few examples – and it was great to see the pupils’ appreciation of all those changes, all that work. When you joined Teddies, you and the Sub-Warden Academic made no secret of the fact that you wanted to harness the School’s academic ambition to ensure that pupils achieved at the highest

possible level. As you enter your fifth year as Warden, are you pleased with the progress which you have made in this area? David Flower and I have been delighted with all the progress which we have made in the last four years and especially with the grades which the pupils have achieved. There has been a huge increase in the value added by Teddies’ teachers – that’s the gap between the grades which the pupils should achieve according to their underlying ability and the grades which they actually achieve in their exams. On average at GCSE, at A Level and in the IB, relative to the independent school average, we’re adding a third of a grade in every qualification. That’s equivalent to adding an A* to AAA at A Level, or three eights to a full

These are the things which make Teddies such a pleasant place to live. TOM ROBERTSON, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

Fifi Pucks-Fazel, 2024-25 Head of School

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work more closely with other independent schools in Oxford to coordinate our partnership work with state-funded schools and local charities. We have plans to publish new reading lists for subjects, to train pupils in the Sixth Form to act as academic mentors for the Shell and Fourth Form, to become a centre for the training of teachers in Maths and Physics, to give pupils more access to university lectures in Oxford, and to encourage more participation in external essay competitions. We also have plans to develop inter-House sport, to host our first Model United Nations conference, to work with the careers services at Oxford and at Oxford Brookes, and to involve parents even more in the careers programme. We obviously have ambitious plans for the estate too – starting work on the new facilities for sport on the Field Side and on the extension and refurbishment of the Chemistry and Physics laboratories on the Quad Side. How do you ensure, in the midst of so many advancements, that Teddies retains its very special ethos so beloved of generations of pupils and staff? That’s been our absolute priority for the last four years, and it will always be our priority.

Ethos, character, values – they don’t come from strategy documents, Governors or Wardens. They come from all the people who work at Teddies, who go to school at Teddies, from all the people who have been part of the Teddies community in the past and who want to see Teddies thrive in the future. Among all the facts and figures of the last few years, we’re very pleased and very proud that more and more OSE are interested in Teddies for their children – if you wanted proof that we have taken the School forward but kept the ethos the same, I don’t think you need to look any further. Lots of things have been new at St Edward’s in the last four years, and many more will change over the next few years – but it’s still Teddies, and it always will be.

richness of super-curricular life at Teddies. The Academic Review has been good for teachers’ scholarship too – it includes articles and papers written not only by pupils but also by teachers at Teddies. The same is true for Time To Read – the reading strategy which we launched in September 2022 and which gives teachers time in every week to read for pleasure together with pupils. We’ve also created more formal structures for lesson observations within and between departments, to encourage more conversations about teaching and learning. Learning isn’t confined to academic departments though and we have done a lot of work to provide more in-service training for all staff at Teddies, encouraging further study and further qualifications. horizon for the Teddies community? We have a lot of plans for 2025-26 – it is going to be another busy year! We have plans to create programmes for pupils from high schools in America and in Europe to join the Upper Sixth for a year, enriching our community and broadening our pupils’ horizons. Closer to home, we’re aiming to What should parents look out for in the coming academic year? What is on the

Boarding teaches you above everything, how to co-exist. OSCAR PINEY, LOWER SIXTH PUPIL

Isla Martin, Ana Galvani-Silva, Isla Scott-Dalgleish and Poppy Burdett with HM Sam Munday-Webb in Jubilee

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Vienna Osborne-Ricketts You joined us as Director of Safeguarding in the Autumn Term. Tell us a bit about your career so far. I have a Masters in Social Work and started my career working for Birmingham City Council and then Oxfordshire County Council as a Child Protection Social Worker. My career then took me into Law Enforcement where I worked as a Child Protection Advisor for the National Crime Agency in the Child Exploitation Online Protection (CEOP) command. In more recent years I have worked in the professional football industry for the Football Association as a Safeguarding Case Officer, supporting safeguarding investigations and then for two Premier League football clubs as the Safeguarding Manager. Tell us a bit more about the safeguarding culture at St Edward’s? There is a such a positive safeguarding culture at the School and staff and pupils understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. The School promotes a speak-up culture in relation to safeguarding. The safety and wellbeing of all pupils is our highest priority and no concern is considered too small. There is an open culture in which raising concerns is the normal and right thing to do. What do you enjoy about working at St Edward’s? I really enjoy when pupils just pop into the Beehive (my office in the Quad) to have a catch up. Working with pupils at the School is incredibly rewarding – I am passionate about teaching young people to recognise their own strengths and capabilities and building their self-belief and confidence. Small moments of guidance, support and encouragement can shape individuals’ paths for years and at St Edward’s I get a chance to be a part of that which is extremely fulfilling. Do you have a favourite place in Oxford? It is hard to try and pick a favourite place but, having grown up in Oxford, I have very fond memories of Shotover Country Park, going on bike rides, punting on the river and the pedalos at Hinksey Park. Do you have a favourite quote or piece of advice? ‘Control the controllables’ – it’s easy to become overwhelmed by things we cannot control but focusing on what we, as individuals, are able to change can be empowering. What are three things you can’t live without? Music, sleep and pizza. Which book do you think everyone should read? The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I like the message that by maintaining a positive mindset, individuals can attract positive experiences.

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Battle of the Bands

Clockwise from top left: Nabil Pucks-Fazel; Bay Sherwood; Lui van der Merwe, Jonty Robson, Alex Mather, Honor Weir and Merlin K; Evie Cullum; Gabriel Sherwood; Zac Rambaut and Immy Allen; Thomas Tang and Toby Stott

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When Henry Kendall arrived as Warden from Shrewsbury School in 1925, he brought with him a background of pioneering work in founding and running a boarding house there, and with the intent of quickly establishing the system across his new School at St. Edward’s. The 100th Anniversary of Boarding Houses at St Edward’s By School Archivist, Chris Nathan

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the Banbury and Woodstock Roads a mile north of the School, Kendall seized upon this opportunity and promptly purchased it for a very reasonable price. At a stroke, Kendall had two extra large buildings in which to house his scattered pupils and propel the boarding house initiative. Before this the pupils had been housed in every corner of the School and had been fed in three separate dining rooms supplied from one central kitchen. There were disparate ‘mini chapels’ and even a temporary canvas changing room attached to the main Chapel. To celebrate 100 years of the boarding houses at Teddies we chose some of our favourite images from the archive, showing how the experience of boarding has changed over the years.

Since 1898 the School had organised its pupils in Tutorial Sets A-F, run by various Set Tutors. This meant that each pupil had one teacher (or his replacement) as his mentor throughout his entire time at the School, even though he might be taught by others. By 1925 there were six Sets A-F, mostly led by long-time revered teachers whose surnames became the new House names, with certain specific exceptions. Kendall always seemed to have a slice of luck going for him at vital times, none more so than when he started the whole House momentum off. Firstly, he inherited a brand new building, built in his predecessor’s time - The War Memorial Building (Tilly’s today) - and when a local estate called Apsley Paddox came up for sale, including a grand Georgian House and ten acres stretching between

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1 Afternoon tea on the porch of the building which is now Mac's, 1890s 2 A dormitory in the main buildings c .1919 3 A scholarly moment, 1902 4 Cowell's under construction in 1936 5 Lawn tennis court in front of Field House (now Corfe) 6 Pupils enjoy a cup of tea, 1890s 7 A photo taken by Wilfrid Cowell of boys in his set, 1902 8 The War Memorial Buildings, shortly after their completion in 1928 9 The Dining Hall, 1938

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10 A midday rest after a night

spent mainly in air raid shelters, 1940 11 Boys peer through the windows of Macnamara's 1940s 12 The Dining Hall, June 1943 13 Bike riding along the edge of Port Meadow, 1947 14 A visit to the St Giles' Fair, 1946 15 Watching sports on Upper 1, 1945 16 The School photo, 1950 17 House rosettes for bumps races c . 1950s bought from the school shop 18 A Junior dayroom in Mac's, c . 1955 19 Relaxing in House after cricket, 1964 20 A dormitory in the extension of Field House, Apsley Paddox, 1957 21 Toast has always been an important part of boarding - a rotating toast machine in 1964 22 Crossing the Quad, 1964

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23 Queueing for food in the Dining Hall, 1972 24 A game of Roll out the Barrel in the 1970s 25 Boarders arriving, late 1970s 26 Ready for cricket in the 1970s 27 The Teddies Morris Men in the 1980s 28 A snowball fight in the 1980s 29 A game of chess, late 1980s 30 Boys enjoy Teddies' very own bouncy castle in the 1980s 31 Prep time in the 1990s 32 Outside the science block in the 1990s 33 Sixth Formers in the 1990s 34 The topping out ceremony of Jubilee House in 2012

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The Spring Dance Show

Clockwise from top left: Bertie Rapp and Jack Scott; Reine Lam; Judy Li; Ziggy Dale and Liv Jameson Evans

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Clockwise from top left: Dorcus Hobley and Livvy Hughes; Pietro Pesenti; Rowan Campbell; Luisa Raphael

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In 1997, St Edward’s became fully co-educational, having already been accepting girls into the Sixth Form since 1982, making it one of the earlier adopters of mixed-sex education (earlier, it should be noted, than some of the Oxford colleges). Such a pioneering approach persists today, most notably in the form of the uniquely integrated co-ed boarding houses, which are fully co-residential in the Sixth Form. Co-education at St Edward’s By James Bowen, St Edward’s Fellow in English

Jeremy Berkin and Alea Bond enjoy a conversation as they cross the Quad

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Over the course of the Summer Term, I have had the pleasure of conducting a series of interviews with a selection of senior members of staff in an attempt to find out what makes co-ed life here at the school such a vital element of our community. Topics of discussion ranged from academic to boarding life, as well as the co-curricular programme, with the questions drawn from existing areas of scholarly discourse in educational research. Perhaps the most significant of these is the persistent notion that co-education academically disadvantages girls to a greater extent than it benefits boys. Not only is this not the case at Teddies, with girls consistently representing a greater proportion of our higher academic achievers, but the last few years have seen a strong trend towards parity between boys and girls at both the GCSE and Sixth Form levels.

Right, top to bottom: George McKnight and Isabel Weber in a Biology class. Rosie Prior, Matthew Mullins and Jonty Robson perform in the Bands Concert. Mikhail Aslam, Farida Alasa and Zac Gardner-Hutchinson on their way to lessons.

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Beyond these headline figures, another trend we sought to investigate was that of the role of gender in what is commonly known as ‘academic self-concept’, in other words a pupil’s perception of their own abilities. Current scholarship holds that co-educational environments reinforce this self-concept along traditionally ‘gendered lines’, in the sense that female pupils tend to view their abilities as weaker than empirical data would suggest in traditionally ‘masculine’ subjects such as Mathematics, the hard sciences, and so on, with the reverse being true of male pupils. Although difficult to establish quantitatively, in a qualitative sense it is striking that all members of staff consulted agreed that these issues were less pronounced at Teddies than elsewhere, and that there had been improvement in recent years, with several also pointing out the relative gender parity in top sets across the hard sciences. A possible explanation for this might be in the school’s approach to role modelling. As Emily Bernstein, Head of Geography, put it, the school has ‘rethought what co-ed integration means’ in its approach to the roles on offer to male and female staff and pupils, with a concerted effort being made, for example, to introduce relative parity in the number of male and female tutors in single-sex boarding houses. Outside of the classroom, Teddies continues to challenge national trends and averages. In Music, for instance, although the traditionally male-dominated Music

Elsa Hall, Darcey Wrigley, Izzy Pasley and Matilda Henderson in the labs on Girls and Women in Science Day

Technology A Level remains as popular with male pupils at Teddies as it is nationally, the school is closer to gender parity than the national average in almost every other area of musical learning, from the uptake of learning musical instruments to the study of Music at GCSE, A Level, and IB. Similarly, both genders are well-represented in other areas of the performing arts. Alex Tester, incoming Deputy Head Co-Curriculum, quoted a statistic, also referred to by almost every other participant, pointing out that 20% of the 240 pupils involved in Dance at the school (itself an exceptional proportion of the overall school population) are male,

same spirit, just as there is a drive for parity in terms of the staff assigned to boarding houses, there is a similar aim to ensure that male and female staff are equally represented in the coaching of traditionally ‘gendered’ sports. Jen Law, newly-appointed Director of Sport, stressed the value of an ‘equal offer’ in terms of sporting provision, including access to facilities. Unusually, for instance, first teams in field sports, whether male or female, will always have the same opportunities to train on the same fields, in an effort to reduce any sense of an unfair level of prestige value being assigned to one gender’s sporting achievement over the other. A recurrent phrase across the interviews was that ‘life is co-ed’, and there was general agreement that the integration of genders in life at Teddies is fundamental to the school’s attempts to shape well-rounded individuals, well-equipped to participate in, and contribute to, an integrated society. Reflecting on the school’s comparatively long history of co-education, Charles Wallendahl, Director of Teaching and Learning, credits this for the strength of the school’s culture of community and mutual respect, describing it as ‘a product of how long the school has been co-educational and how hard the school has worked at being progressive and moving in the right direction’. As many other schools across the sector begin to take the first steps on the path to co-education, Teddies remains as committed as ever to achieving the strongest sense of inclusion possible across its community, and will continue to develop its already mature culture of co-education further towards this goal.

a figure well in excess of the national average. Self-concept, then, seems to be of equally reduced significance in the arts, with the relatively equal uptake across genders seeming to reflect instead the school’s commitment to the value of free and creative expression. So, too, on the sports field is there a strong ethos of offering equal opportunities to pupils of both genders. With the single exception of netball – which remains girls-only due to the lack of a national competitive circuit for boys – every sport the school offers is available to both male and female pupils. In the

Tibaud Leake and Bethany Dowdeswell in the Spring Dance Show

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Scholarships and Awards 2025 Congratulations to the following pupils who will join St Edward’s in September:

Academic Scholarships Scarlett Brooks (The Dragon)

Music Scholarships Miuccia Huang (Headington Rye Prep) Tingyi Wu (The British School of Guangzhou) Music Talent Scholarships Hugo Brandehorst (Christ Church Cathedral School) Music Exhibition Leo Cooper-Falcon (The Dragon) Sports Awards Benjamin Allison (Caldicott) Phoebe Broadbent (Marlston House)

Drama Awards Delilah Eden (The Dragon) Elizabeth Elliott (The Dragon) Jessica Hamilton (St Hugh’s) William Jones (Moulsford) Raphaella May (The Dragon) Grace Tennant (Beachborough) Art Awards Isla Gage (The Dragon) Raphaella May (The Dragon) Freddie Underwood (St Hugh’s) DT Award Nikolay Anisimov (The Beacon)

Elizabeth Chirnside (The Dragon) Georgina Chirnside (The Dragon) Florence Collett (Winchester House) Beatrice Foster (The Dragon) Miuccia Huang (Headington Rye Prep)

Thea Moynihan (The Dragon) Leila Phillipson (Woldingham) Santiago Smith (The Dragon) Academic Exhibitions

Matilda Botsford-Seminska (Port Regis) Phoebe Broadbent (Marlston House) Annie Clarke (The Dragon) Layla Crew (Swanbourne House) Isla Gage (The Dragon) Jessica Hamilton (St Hugh’s) Thomas Ignatov (Radnor House School) Dorothy Jackson (The Dragon) Nuala Lane-Nott (Winchester House) Caelen Macdonald (Highfield and Brookham)

Elizabeth Elliott (The Dragon) Annabel Foster (The Dragon) Teddy Frieda (The Dragon)

Leila Phillipson (Woldingham) Harry Sedgwick (Moulsford) Jaisal Shah (previously homeschooled) Grace Tennant (Beachborough) Finn Whitaker (The Dragon)

Freddie Pilgrim (Brockhurst) Georgina Pollard (Godstowe) Clementine Reeves (The Dragon)

Fourth Form Scholarships and Awards Sports Awards

Xanthe Bolam (King’s High, Warwick)

Joshua Pereira (Burford School)

Sixth Form Scholarships and Awards Academic Scholarships Scarlett Bowcott (Bradfield College)

Art Award Tiffany Fan (Bede’s Senior School) Drama Award Avery Adkins (École Jeannine Manuel) Music Scholarships Callista Brakonier (British School, Dhahran) Theethouch Muangsiri (King’s College International, Bangkok) Music Exhibitions Charlotte Barr (St George’s College) Felicity Jones (Headington Rye) Leyla Thomas (Beaconsfield High School)

Bella Bowcott (Bradfield College) Joshua de Waal (South Bromsgrove High) Jasmine Dunne (Bridgewater High School) Samuel Hicks (Wood Green School) Alex Lowes (Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy) Ashton Okello (King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys) Bella Okunola (Altrincham Grammar School for Girls) Rosie Reynolds (The Crypt School) Alec Thompson (Durham School) Esther Walker (St Mary’s RC High School) Maddie Webb (City of London Freemen’s School)

Callista Brankonier (British School, Dhahran) Elodie Macpherson (Godolphin and Latymer) Theethouch Muangsiri (King’s College International, Bangkok) Leyla Thomas (Beaconsfield High School) Maddie Webb (City of London Freemen’s School)

Academic Exhibition Raahi Shah (Peponi House) Sports Awards Doyin Adefila (MCS) Kitty Barulis (Wheatley Park)

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American bombers over the Chapel, June 1944

‘Members of a Very Noble Friendship’

The St Edward’s School’s Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 To mark the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ Day, School Archivist, Chris Nathan, has been updating the School’s Roll of Honour to remember those we lost in the Second World War. Here he summarises the scale and significance of the sacrifice made by those who attended or taught at the school.

Thomas Hankey

Alec Cranswick

Arthur Banks

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censorship being in place, Styler was able to produce amazingly detailed lists of staff and OSE in uniform and, where possible, theatres they were serving in, details of wounded and POWs and lastly, and most tragically, those known to be lost or missing. Like Ferguson in the Great War, Kendall would read out the latest list of the fallen in Chapel every Friday at Evensong throughout the war years, often very emotionally, sometimes with siblings in the congregation. What had not changed at the School was the prevailing close-knit community spirit. Wilfrid Cowell, John Millington Sing and William Ferguson had known all those lost in the Great War. Now, as well as Kendall himself, all seven existing Housemasters were seasoned veterans. The Common Room numbered 27, with an average service time in 1939 of ten years each. Of these, four would enlist and one, Thomas Hankey, would be lost in Burma in 1944; others would join the local Home Guard. This level of continuing service would manifest itself in the emotional eulogies which appeared in the wartime editions of the Chronicle . Every man lost was known and mourned by all. The eventual WWII Teddies contingent totalled 1,627, made up of teachers, staff and OSE – 64% would choose the Army to serve in, 18% the RAF and 15% the Royal and Merchant Navies. The eventual attrition rate in the air services would turn out to be

In the two decades between the end of the Great War and WWII breaking out, much had changed at the School. Reeling from losing 118 OSE and three teachers out of a contingent of 673 in WWI, St Edward’s had grown slowly but steadily under the fifth and sixth Wardens, William Ferguson and Henry Kendall. School pupil numbers had increased from 158 in the Winter Term of 1918 to 392 in the same term in 1939. The estate and building programme had been significantly accelerated, especially since Kendall’s arrival in 1925 and the School’s Cadet Force (OTC) had also been considerably developed and was compulsory for all those over 14 years of age, under the eagle eyes of Sergeant Major Alfred Merry, Regimental Sergeant Major A Brown, and Staff Sergeant ‘Sonny’ Hill, together with teachers who had fought in WWI. This would be especially important now. With war being declared in September 1939, there was no rush to the colours as had happened in the previous war, and schools were told to wait for the call up and continue with their normal curriculum. Those OSE who were already regular servicemen or in the Territorials found themselves immediately in action or training. The Chronicle , edited by the Reverend Leslie Styler, one of the School Chaplains, would prove the major source of information during the war and has been a great resource for later researchers. Despite much stricter

Warden Kendall opens the Memorial Library 1954

three times higher than in the Army, with the Merchant Navy seeing the highest losses of all. The total number of those who would never return was 152 OSE and one teacher, a figure that took some months to verify beyond VJ Day. The most prolific areas of loss for the School would turn out to be in (or over) Central Europe, the Far East, Italy, the Western Desert, Normandy and Dunkirk. The average age would be just over 25 years old.

St Edward's OTC at the annual camp at Tidworth Park, 1937