Chronicle Spring 2022

3 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Word from the Warden It gives me enormous pleasure to introduce my first issue of the Chronicle as Warden of St Edward’s.

It is, as ever, a packed issue. Our Head of Communications Tracy van der Heiden has, rightly, called me to account on my plans for the School and you can read the outcome of our conversation from page 4. In this piece, you will learn of just some of the ways in which I plan to make St Edward’s the leading co-educational school in the country. Our strategic focus on scholarship, excellence and service is amply illustrated in Rachel Moffatt’s engaging piece about our community partnerships on page 30, in David Flower’s informative piece about the development of the curriculum on page 12 and in our in-depth focus on the arts from page 14. The North Wall is an outstanding feature of the School, allowing us to mount important exhibitions such as Changing the Story (see page 14), which so enriched our pupils’ education, and impressive performances such as Sweeney Todd , which, as School Organist Gabriele Damiani says in his excellent review on page 22, is ‘fiendishly difficult’ and a ‘colossal undertaking’. It is to the enormous credit of all involved that the show was a triumph, without doubt the best performance I have ever seen in a school context and significantly better than many I have seen on the professional stage. It is fascinating

alongside these features to hear from Co-Directors Ria Parry and John Hoggarth about The North Wall’s dual role: it is both an important hub for school Drama, Dance and Art, and an arts centre serving the wider Oxford community and beyond. For context, it is good to be reminded by George Fenton, former Teddies pupil and Governor – now award-winning composer and North Wall Trustee – about the thinking and the people behind the creation of the arts centre some 15 years ago. Beyond all this, there are features on important areas of school life such as a spotlight on our work on Relationships and Sex Education on page 34, an update on our sustainability agenda on page 36, and regular features such as profiles and sports reports. Most notably, you will see we open this issue, on the opposite page, with our newly-expressed school values, about which we have talked a great deal in School. These are important values, central to our ethos and to our future. I am certain you will find plenty to enjoy. Alastair Chirnside The front cover shows the newly-opened Christie Centre, recently shortlisted for a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects’ Award.

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On Twitter @TeddiesOxford @TeddiesSport On Facebook St Edward’s School, Oxford 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.

Sasha Wolcough, Chimdi Okonkwo and Saskia van der Heiden prepare to speak in Assembly for International Women’s Day in March