St Edward's 150 Years - by Nicola Hunter

St Edward’s: 150 Years

Chapter 2 / Wardens

Bottom left: The Martyrs Pavilion, completed 2009. A new cricket pavilion designed by John Pawson, raised above the pitches and in a spare, Modernist stylewith a glass curtainwall

fronting it. It is a good venue for special events. Bottom right: Warden Stephen Jones, 2011.

Programme as a choice for Sixth Formers – the first cohort sat their exams in the summer of 2010. A great deal of research was done by many members of the Common Room before it was introduced as this was not a change to be made lightly. The views of universities were sought and First row standing (left to right): J. Wright, R.McA. Hughes, C. Wratten, C.Downer,M.Taft,L.Hillier,E.Ballesteros,L.VerelaAlonso,V.Gasston,L.Baddeley. Seated (left to right): C. Stewart-Jones, J. Young, A. Kerr-Dineen, D. Wippell, S.Kerr-Dineen,T.James,WardenTrotman,S.WithersGreen,A.Brooks,I.Rowley, T. Edge, S. Greaves, J. Potter. Absent: F. Kirk. Above: Common Room 2004. Back row (left to right): P. Kitovitz, S. Arnold, R.Murray,P.Lloyd-Jones,N.Kennell,P.Loyrette,C.Bagnall,V.Abigail,D.Perkins, R. Hegarty, S. Roche, E. Hunt, M. Boswell, J. Clapham, D. Corran. Fifth row standing (left to right): D. Drake-Brockman, N. Williams, R. Howitt, S.Bartholomew,J.Wiggins,J.Dowman,E.Arnold,K.Williams,B.Pyper,B.Goad, R. Clitherow, G. Damiani, M. Taylor, N. Creed. Fourth row standing (left to right): P. Jolley, J. Baker, N. Quartley, C. Baggs, N.Coram-Wright,C.Bittner,M.Hiner,P.Middleton,H.Jones,J.Boyd,A.Wright, T. Copeland, D. Moore, R. Fletcher, D. Turner. Third row standing (left to right): D. Cundy, A. Davis, N. Eddy, N. Hunter, J.Gidney,R.Pleming,L.Maycock,C.Schofield,J.Lambe,M.Lauder,L.Faulkner, F. White, J. Tucker, M. Hanslip, T. Greaves, R. Anderson. Second row standing (left to right): T. Ryan, S. Sutton, M. Mercer, G. Nagle, S. Sephton, D. Gibbon, P. Silverwood, P. Rand, N. Grimshaw, E. Olive, M. Sellen, O. Bunce, L. Rowlands, M. Cornes, G. Watlins.

departments considered what teaching the IB would mean for them. The departments concerned had to send teachers for training, and then the IB was launched. It is true to say that teaching in the School has been enriched by many aspects of the IB, such as the Extended Essay – a long essay requiring independent research on a topic of the pupil’s choosing. To provide similar opportunities for independent learning for those taking A Level the Extended Project (also a long essay and requiring a presentation at its end) was introduced into the School in 2008, and it is now taken by all those choosing A Level. Music, drama and sport all flourished during Andrew Trotman’s time. When he left numbers in the School had risen to the record level of 653 – a very dramatic change from Simeon’s starting point in Summertown with 63 pupils.

Above: Mike Stanfield (G, 1955–60), Chairman of the Board of Governors, with the artist James Hart Dyke and his portrait of AndrewTrotman, 2011. The work is now hanging in the Old Library alongside those of all the otherWardens (except, as yet, Stephen Jones).The artist was chosen by MI6 to produce a series of works to mark its centenary in 2011 – an unprecedented project. One of the works was shown in the opening sequence of the James Bond film Skyfall .

Above:TheOgston Building, opened in 2008 as the Life Sciences Building. This matches the rest of the School in its use of red brick but is light and airy inside and efficient due to its state-of-the-art systems for lighting and heating.

STEPHEN CHARLES ION JONES (b.1959), WARDEN 2011–

ANDREW TROTMAN (b.1954), WARDEN 2004–11

Martyrs Pavilion was finished in 2009, the only John Pawson building in Oxford, crisp and spare in its Modernist style, raised on a mound and set at a slight angle to the nearby third Cricket Pavilion (an Art Deco structure, which was beautifully restored in 2010). The Life Sciences Building, designed by TSH Architects, houses Biology and Sports Science and opened in 2008. It is an airy and ordered building to work in, with a central core inspired by biological cell structures and resulting in sweeping curves between rooms on each floor. This curvaceous core is in contrast to the rectilinear building in which it is housed. On the second floor is a greenhouse area for plants that can be seen when approaching the building from the Quad. As you would expect with rooms named after luminaries such as Attenborough, Krebs and Dawkins, the building has innovatory aspects to its design regarding the environment, such as photovoltaic panels providing electricity for computers. A major and dramatic change to the School at this time was the introduction of the International Baccalaureate

Stephen Jones was educated at Hurstpierpoint College, Sussex, and Lord Wandsworth College, Hampshire, and then Durham University – though his education clearly did not stop at undergraduate level with his first-class degree in Philosophy from Durham. He continued by obtaining a first-class degree in Mathematics from the Open University, then an MSc in

Andrew Trotman came to St Edward’s having been Headmaster of St Peter’s, York. He was educated at Alleynes Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford. His brother had taught English at St Edward’s for several years. When Warden Trotman first arrived, he set himself to find out how things worked at all levels: for example, to experience what it was like to be a Shell, he shadowed one for a day. The North Wall, with its innovative foyer exhibition space and remarkable theatre, came to fruition as the 12th Warden arrived; it was designed by Haworth Tompkins Architects. The first School production was a magical Midsummer Night’s Dream with a notable performance as Puck by Sebastian de Souza, only a Shell at the time. Beneath the building still lies the listed indoor swimming pool with its mosaics. There were other important additions to the School buildings during Andrew Trotman’s time, in particular a new sports pavilion of architectural note, and the Life Sciences Building. The

Mathematics, and an MLitt in Philosophy. He has taught Mathematics throughout his career in a number of schools. He was Head of Mathematics at Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire and a Housemaster at Radley. He became Headmaster of Dover College in 2004 and was appointed as Warden of St Edward’s in 2011.

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