Chronicle Spring 2022

4 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Alastair Chirnside: The First Chapter Head of Communications Tracy van der Heiden speaks to the Warden about his first six months at St Edward’s.

What have you enjoyed most about your first few months? The best part of the last six months has been getting to know the pupils. Teaching my Lower Sixth Latin class every week and so far just over half of the Shell Classics sets on rotation, hosting lunch for House year groups in the Shell and Lower Sixth, visiting a boarding house every week, talking on the playing fields and at the boathouse, hosting birthday celebrations for pupils turning 18 – those opportunities for getting to know the pupils who make the School as great as it is have been the highlights of my first six months.

You’ve made it clear that scholarship – and by that you mean academic endeavour, engagement and curiosity – is one of our highest priorities. How have you and your colleagues progressed this agenda? Quickly is the short answer. David Flower has done a huge amount of work on this area of our strategy in a very short time (see page 12). There are two parts to scholarship, and to my answer to your question. The first is about the routine business of schoolwork. Teddies has always had a strong culture of independence,

Is Teddies as you expected? I had very great expectations when I started as Warden in September but the last six months have been even better than I expected. We talk a lot about the warmth of the school community, and that has absolutely been my experience of the School. The way in which pupils and colleagues support each other, look out for each other – it’s very special. You can see the strength of the community every day in the Quad – when I look out from my study window, it is very rare to see people walking by themselves.

The Warden with Maximilian Geddes and Aurea Frei