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Polo At Radley | Declamations | Radley & St Helen’s 6th Form Conferences

| Boarding At Radley | The Maths Society | Singing Their Praises

‘Perplexed’ Radley’s 6th Form Science Society

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When one thinks of polo it is tempting to conjure up an image of privilege and exclusiveness of a sport open to only a very few. However, the reality is usually quite different and polo in schools has experienced a substantial growth in interest and support with more schools taking part in the National tournaments year in year out. It is also one of those sports which, were one to shy away from the risk of injury, one would normally exclude it from those on offer in any school. At professional level it is rated alongside paragliding by some actuaries in the insurance business. However, due to care and the skill of today’s school players remarkably few injuries occur.

puts the greatest strain on the ponies.Radley polo, in recent years, has been

based at Kirtlington Park where the College enjoys the cooperation and support of those operating from there. In the winter season, matches are normally played at Inglesham Polo Club near Lechlade. Although lessons and chukkas take place during the week the majority of matches and all tournaments are played at weekends. To encourage others to try the sport there is a polo taster day where those who, in some cases, have not even ridden before have the opportunity to learn the basics.

Polo at Radley has always enjoyed success of varying degrees and the College enjoys the reputation of fielding teams to be reckoned with on the school circuit. Indeed, a number of Old Radleians who have played for the school have gone on to play in prestigious tournaments, most notably Malcolm Borwick (Cothill, A Social) who was captain for England this year playing off a handicap of 6 goals. It is one of Radley’s strengths that boys excelling in minor sports are given the opportunity and encouragement to pursue these. In polo we have been very fortunate to have a

small group of dedicated and accomplished players. Their success can also be attributed to the generous support of committed parents who encourage and usually groom for their children to allow them to develop their game. It is clear that those pupils who have developed their polo skills through the Pony Club before coming to Radley and continue to do so during their time here consistently rise to be our star players. Currently, two of our players Edmund Parsons (Winchester House, H Social) and Josh Nimmo (Arnold Lodge, D Social) have been selected to train in the junior development squad from which England players are selected; this is a considerable achievement.

Looking back over recent years, Radley has taken the indoor and outdoor championships, the grand slam, twice in the past ten years. Also, in 2003 at Gaudy, thanks to the support from the grounds staff, the Radley team played a team of Old Radleians on the Radley pitches: an occasion which attracted much interest. The tradition of the Radley match with a team of ORs was born out of this event and now takes place annually.

polo at radley

Polo is played differently according to the season. In the winter months, it is played in a walled arena with an inflatable ball the size of a small football. In the Summer, polo is played outdoors with a small hard ball the size of a hockey ball on a large ground which allows greater freedom of movement. Each player has a handicap which ranges from -2 to 10 outdoors and 0 to 10 in the arena. In schools’ polo it is very unusual to encounter a player with a handicap of greater than 2 and most players normally play off -1 or 0. The difference in handicap of two competing teams is used to calculate an initial goal advantage and so you may find half-goals in the final score which arise from this.

Because of the nature of the game and the demands that riders put on their ponies one enters into a complex world of tack where terms like surcingles, martingales and snaffles and Pelhams are bandied about amongst the initiated and between rider and groom. This is a game which often pushes ponies further than most other equestrian sports and the skilful player will limit the number of stops and turns which

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later when they perform in front of their peers and the Judge. (In VI-2, the A Level year, entry is voluntary but all who have been finalists in previous years are automatically entered at Semi-Final level). The standard is remarkably high and the range of the boys’ choices is amazing. Certain writers are heard regularly, T.S.Eliot (frequently a winner), Larkin, Alan Bennett and Browning for instance, and certain others come in and out of fashion, examples being Sassoon, Owen and U.A.Fanthorpe. The Ant-Eater, The Lion and Albert and Talking Turkeys are all popular with Shells and Removes, but recent winning pieces have ranged from Shakespeare, Donne and Tennyson to Disraeli, Yeats and Heaney. Dover Beach is often up there in the Final and will surely win one day.

As well as the range of literature we hear, what else is remarkable is the quality of the attention of the audiences. It is prime season for coughs and sneezes, and, to be honest, quite a few of the pieces are over the heads of quite a few of the audience, but the stillness and the concentration is total. The boys are there to be inspired and educated, yes, but they are there also to support their friends, and to recognise that here is being displayed a talent that they do not themselves all possess.

And occasionally they are rewarded not just with the very good but with the sublime. Jamie Dykes (Summer Fields, F Social) with the closing pages of Paul Scott’s Staying On in 1988 and Arthur House (Sandroyd, B Social) with Prufrock in 2000 have transcended criticism utterly.

The comment is often made that Declamations is “a very Radley thing” Other schools, notably Eton, have their speeches or recitation competitions, but no other school, to the writer’s knowledge, makes every boy go in for it. (And this happens, largely because of the enthusiasm of the Form Masters, with considerably fewer mutterings than you might expect). Intriguingly the event does not go back to the beginning of the school in 1847 but appears to have been founded by Warden Wilkes in the 1940s. All Wardens since have given the event their whole-hearted support and than the Silk Hall with its perfect acoustic and intimate atmosphere no better venue could be found. Your correspondent has had the pleasure of organising the event for the last sixteen years and finds things very flat each February once it is over. Fortunately Leave Away comes within a few days.CW Hastings

Dennis Silk, Radley’s Warden from 1968 to 1991, had a knack of attracting eminent visitors by connections that were less than obvious. Thus when in 1984 the Prime Minister came to open the refurbished Chemistry Labs it was not because she was a scientist by training, nor because she had been Secretary of State for Education, but because she was married to a distinguished Rugby Union referee. Likewise Ted Hughes came to judge Declamations in 1990 not because he was Poet Laureate but because he was a fishing chum from Hampshire waters. We are lucky to have had the last three Poets Laureate as Adjudicators (Motion, Hughes and Betjeman), and the widow (Jill Balcon) of a fourth.

What then is Declamations that it attracts such eminent people (poets, actors, Headmasters, Heads of Oxford Houses) to come to judge it? It is a poetry reading competition. Every boy in the first four years of the school learns by heart a piece of poetry (prose is allowed but is a minority pastime) early in the Lent Term. Form Masters “judge” their Forms and send about a quarter of them to the Semi-Finals. These (30 to 40 boys in each year) are heard again by a panel of three dons and six or seven are selected for the Finals a week

declamations

This year’s Conference in November was the 11th year the two schools have collaborated and it was one of the best. The theme was ‘Nothing But the Truth’ and the aim was to encourage a becoming scepticism in boys and girls who would soon enough be voters and tax payers. So, Ann Widdecombe spoke on the corrosive effect of spin and on politicians’ manipulation and packaging of statistics before fielding some excellent questions. Craig Brown spoke of the satirist’s art, and higher purpose, in exposing cant and hypocrisy, and illustrated this from his Private Eye columns in which his ear for the absurdity of political language proved a hilarious interlude in a day of otherwise serious discourse. Craig Murray, formerly British ambassador to Uzbeckistan, offered a bleak insight into government deceit and raison d’etat, and Tom Holder, an Oxford undergraduate, was extremely popular with his young audience in entertainingly describing his brave stand – and that of others in Oxford – as part of Pro-Test, the movement inspired by outrage at the tactics of Animal Rights extremists engaged in obstructing scientific tests at Oxford University.

A formula developed over the decade or so of such Conferences ensures that there is a balance in the day between listening to distinguished lecturers, and getting boys and girls involved themselves. Part of the latter process starts before the day of the Conference; a small editorial team produces the literature, the required

background reading for all. And a week prior to the Conference day St Helen’s hosts an evening black tie Dinner Debate on a motion tied to the main Conference theme. On the day itself at Radley, boys and girls are grouped, sit and lunch together, and work on one particular aspect of the theme; in the afternoon all

210 are involved in a floor debate skilfully managed by Ian Yorston, Radley’s Head of Digital Strategy. It is great preparation in public speaking and presentation skills. Another tradition is that a piece of drama on the year’s theme be performed at lunchtime. This time the cast of the college play A Few Good Men rehearsed for the 6th Forms the climactic scene when the truth of a cadet’s death is wrung from his commanding officer – and compelling courtroom drama it was.

These Conferences started back in 1996 when Lord Hurd led a team of a dozen or more Radley parents involved in European business in a day-long evaluation of the EU and the benefits – or otherwise – of the Euro. The passions aroused then seem an anachronism from where we are now; but the next year’s topic, the Media, remains as relevant now as it did then, focusing on media intrusion and the responsibility of journalists. Pandora Maxwell spoke with understandable feeling, Peter Taylor with integrity and Simon Hoggart with humour about ‘Trusting the Media’, and the boys and girls quizzed a panel of famous names at the end of the day.

In 1998, drama pieces presented by pupils took centre stage, with extracts from Brave New World and Whose Life is it Anyway, being both of an exceptional standard and ideal for provoking debate on the theme of the ‘Ethics of Science’. A year later two journalists stole the show in the Conference on ‘Identity’, with Andrew Marr, BBC’s anchorman, talking on political identity and David Aaronovitch, now of The Times, talking on global communication. The theme transferred on into the new millennium when a new 6.2 considered ‘Defending Little England’, with Peter Jay and Fergal Keane prompting the boys and girls to debate on the nature of Englishness and the threats to national identity – again, six years later, what was said was almost prescient, for debates about Islam, the veil, immigration have revisited the territory mapped out in that Conference. Whereas it was too late with the programme for Conference 2001 already planned around ‘Crime and

radley and st helen’s 6th form conferences

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Punishment’ (with excellent speakers on ‘Retribution and Rehabilitation’ – Michael Beloff QC and Sir Stephen Tumin), 9/11 did almost predictably shape that of 2002 when the theme was ‘Terror’. At the heart of a passionately debated programme was the Palestinian Question, and few who heard her will forget the cold anger of Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Independent journalist. The year after we attempted an ‘Understanding of America’ a wonderful excuse for a day drenched in American politics, film and popular culture, and in 2004 we focused on ‘Technology – Who’s in Charge?’, looking at the all-seeing invasion of Big Brother and the potent powers of the new technologies. And so to last year – ‘50 Ways to Change the World’. Unquestionably this brought the greatest pupil participation of all, with much heartening and heart-felt discussion of the plight of those less fortunate in the world. It was a huge topic encompassing Global Poverty, UK Deprivation and repression of Human Rights round the world. Julian Filochowsky and James Mawdesley were compelling speakers, and the afternoon debate was memorable for being the very first time Radley’s Theatre was used, as well as for the passion with which groups of boys and girls vied to ensure their particular ‘cause’ was prioritised in any global action plan to right injustice.

The Conferences have flourished for a number of reasons. We have been very fortunate to have St Helen’s and St Katharine’s School Abingdon as our partner, as committed as we are to all the hard work and planning the events involve. We’ve been fortunate, too, to have teams of teachers from the two schools with imagination, and with contacts, to build the programmes year after year. Each Conference’s aftermath has had the same enthusiastic and grateful response from the boys and girls who took part – the day is a special event, it is different, it is of high quality and it is provoking. It is that sense that it has been immensely worthwhile which prompts the committee each January to start the discussions anew as to the theme for the coming 6.2 Conference...

radley and st helen’s 6th form conferences

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A number dwelt on the transition from home and day school into a new, boarding environment. Sebastian Lomas (Crosfields, H Social) said that “Starting at a new school is a big step in life for a boy who has never boarded before, never moved house and never really left ‘home’ for periods longer than a week. The prospect of not having your family around you and always being surrounded by your peers seems, at the offset, a BIG ask. Which is why it is such a rewarding feeling when you are coming to the midpoint of your last year and you look back on your journey through the school with pleasure. Over the five years I have on numerous occasions been heard calling school ‘home’ and I am now surrounded not by peers, but by another family.” He went on to say: “If I had the choice of starting again and choosing between boarding or day-school, I would pick boarding any day. The amount of time that is saved by boarding

from not having to commute daily is huge and enables so much more to be done in a day. In addition by removing home from school, you can create two entirely different environments whereby school can be linked purely with work, and home with relaxation”.

Myles Watkiss (KCS Wimbledon, H Social) also reflected on that contrast between day and boarding, the better able to make the comparison because he left a top London day school to board at Radley at the start of Y10, the Remove Year. Several aspects struck him: “Being at a day school just over a year ago, moving in to full boarding was not only an exceptional leap of faith that I would enjoy myself, but also a great shock. I was, and still am, amazed by the facilities available almost 24/7 and the flexibility to have help, whether at 7.30 in the morning or at 9.00 at night.”

And again “One of the aspects that I most enjoy is the trust that I am given, enabling me to have freedom to organise and amuse myself. Though if I were to be disorganised, then there are plenty of friendly people who would help organise me”.

Others also reflected on the symbiosis of greater trust and independence, on the one hand, and help and support on the other. Harry Mayes, (Pinewood, Head of G Social), writes that “As you move up the school you become much more independent and self-reliant; the independence which you gradually get prepares you for real life and allows you to develop self-respect”. Philip Råge (Sussex House, C Social) echoed this, but emphasised the importance of the dons: “And that is the amazing thing, even with all these distractions, the main focus is still clear, work. Although, like many I can say that I went through periods of better and less good work, I feel that in my final two years you are given freedom a lot more and encouraged “it is your life”. However there is always the Radley safety net waiting to catch you if you do fall, and even if you do feel as if you are falling, all you need to do is ask. You can never be afraid to ask, even if it is not a teacher or an older year. This is what I like so much, the camaraderie, not only shown between boys and years, but also among the boys and teachers. This can be seen by the active involvement of teachers with boys’ free time projects, societies boys have set up or even just putting aside some of their own free personal time to help someone who does not quite grasp a concept.”

Will Stinton (Sandroyd, B Social), amongst much else, valued that structure: “Not only does boarding at Radley offer the chance to make extremely strong friendships – and have fun – but also it sets you times and incentives to work”.

Boarding is one of the defining characteristics of Radley, for it is central to the school; indeed, Radley is one of only three all boy/all boarding schools in the country. As part of a recent, extremely complimentary, CSCI (government welfare) inspection a number of boys were interviewed; that prompted us to ask a random selection of boys what it is about Boarding at Radley which they value. As might be expected their responses differed, but certain themes recurred.

boarding at radley

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For many, Radley boarding is inextricably entwined with their experience of the Social, and the development of close and lasting friendships. In a lecture to 6.2 in September 2006, Simon Wolfson O.R., Chief Executive of Next, argued that Radley’s greatest gift to him was to foster an ability to get on with all sorts of different people and tolerate, converse with, even come to understand, them. It had stood him in good stead professionally. Henry Woodward-Fisher (Summer Fields, G Social) says much the same thing as he ponders the arrangements for Shells at Radley, and articulates the affection he has for the Social: “For me the boarding system at Radley is great, as it allows you privacy if and when you want it and also a very sociable atmosphere. In the Shell year the cubicle rooms are fantastic as they are a big step up from prep school dorms, offering a degree of privacy whilst also not being cut off from the other guys in your year group. I have heard occasionally people say that they wish there were actual rooms for the Shells. However, in my opinion this would be a big disadvantage because there would not be such a buzz of conversation between the rooms as there is with the cubicle system and some may feel alienated from their peers. So in that respect the Shell boarding system is a great environment in which people thrive and learn to get on with one another. Moving up the school the rooms generally grow in size; certainly then there is a lot to be said for having your own room. Many people will gather in one room for a chat or to watch a film etc. and in this way everyone gets on with each other and really enjoys being part of their Social. All the Socials have rings-rooms, places where you can cook food, make a hot drink and go to Cocoa in the evening. Equally important to the boarding system at Radley are the Tutors, Sub-Tutors and Matrons. All these people are there to offer advice if it is needed and they will also provide some sort of Cocoa in the evenings. Being able to live with the people who teach in College

means you get to know the Dons better as well as having someone to turn to with any problems. The Social system at Radley offers huge opportunities, as well as forging lasting friendships; one can also represent the Social on the sports field and on the academic side of things”.

His enthusiasm is shared by Theo Whitworth (Aldro, C Social) who says: “Living abroad while prep schooling in England for three years freed me of the shackles of homesickness, leaving me to enjoy my boarding here from the beginning. The conversations that ricocheted off the cubicle walls around the Shells’ corridor bonded everyone in our year immediately”. And he concludes “The trust that has been built up through close-quarter living is unrivalled, and although at times the delights of the big city might seem more attractive than those in Social, we know that although ennui is a possibility, loneliness never is”. Again, Harry Mayes says “Being able to get on with people, who you may not necessarily choose out of school, is a valuable quality to have”.

Will Summerlin (Caldicott, F Social) develops that theme of Cocoa, an institution unique to Radley: “Perhaps the most enjoyable facet of boarding life is the one that is the most perplexing to prospective parents. I know from my experience of conducting tours with parents that trying to explain the benefits of Cocoa is quite difficult as it would seem to be so dull. However, I find that it’s such a useful forum for discussion after a typically full school day. Despite a member of staff always being present it is refreshing that most dons appear to adopt an unwritten convention

whereby ‘what happens in Cocoa, stays in Cocoa’ so that anything said in frustration is never picked up on come 8.30 am the next day!”

Finally, the facilities, and the time to use them fully, strikes many boys. Joshua Rencher (Abingdon, D Social) put it like this: “One of the best things about Radley is that it is contained on one campus. This means it is easy for boys in one Social to mix with boys in other Socials, which is much harder in schools like Eton, Harrow or Winchester. In schools like this, to visit other boarding houses you have to trek across town. Often, there you even eat in your own boarding house. Another benefit of the one campus is that it is easy to reach the facilities in spare time. The swimming pool, the astros and the DT workshop are examples, they give boys opportunities to try new things by themselves and with the organisation of Dons.”

And Myles Watkiss, contrasting the boarding experience with his day school, writes: “Personally, sport and music are my main hobbies and up until I went to Radley these always seemed to clash, yet not only is there now enough time to do both but I am able to do them to a higher standard. This is due to having music teachers on duty from 7.45 in the morning to help with my practice, and to having the time to play sport every day”.

Will Stinton’s remarks make for fitting last words on the subject: “Boarding at Radley offers many different activities in which many people can be involved. Radley would not be the school it is without the boarding”.

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If the

If the numbers of both boys and also dons who attend regularly, and voluntarily, is anything to go by, then the Maths Society must be one of the most thriving of the academic societies at Radley. But that has not always been the case. In the early days the focus was on visiting speakers. With Oxford close by, there is a ready supply of talented academics. But to pitch a mathematics talk at a mixed audience, so that the subject matter is both accessible and entertaining is no easy task. It was quite possible for an outside speaker to lose all of his audience with the first ‘blackboard of sums’. And, once lost in the middle of a mathematical argument, it is almost impossible to regain the thread.

In recent years during which the society has flourished, firstly under the stewardship of Roger Shaw, and more recently with Paul Teale at the top, the thrust has been towards homegrown talent. And the audience has been treated to some outstanding presentations. Nick Hamshaw’s last talk, ‘Archimedes, War Machines and Circles’, elegantly combined mathematics with some inspired historical background, and was of such a standard to be exported on an ‘away-day’ to a local state school which was running a Maths day for ‘gifted and talented’. We have also been fortunate to welcome back old boys. Ronan Cantwell (Summer Fields, C Social), for example, was able to tell how his Maths degree from Cambridge had led to a career in futures

their own presentations to the society earlier in the term – no easy challenge for a Sixth Former when your audience includes about forty of your peers, and ten dons. But it was a challenge that both carried with distinction.

An unexpected consequence of such a strong society is the stimulus for the dons. Preparing a talk requires research, and none of us has given a presentation without discovering something new in the process. I, for example, happened upon a very elegant proof of Pythagoras’s Theorem – a proof that I had not seen before. We learn a lot from each other, both from the mathematical content of the talks, and also through both being observed, and observing, another practitioner.

The society also has the good fortune in being supported by other departments. Physics and IT have been particularly generous with their time, and even dons from departments as unrelated as English and Geography have been known to make an appearance. Perhaps that gives boys an idea about what education is really all about? Our subjects should not be seen as islands. At university one hopes that our better students will become polymaths.

Attendance at the Society is not compulsory. Yet in recent terms it has been rare to have seating room in room M1. A glass of wine, and a little intellectual stimulus. What a nice way to pass forty minutes on a Monday evening….G Wiseman, Head of Maths

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and options in both London and New York. And he was not yet 30….

Indeed, the Society fulfils many purposes. It’s main aim remains the stimulation of the audience into areas of Mathematics beyond the confines of the A level syllabus. This year two Radleians, Alex Gilbert (Cothill, B Social), the secretary, and Peter Gwynn (West Hill Park, D Social) each gained offers to read Mathematics at two of the top Cambridge Colleges, St John’s and Trinity, confident as they attended their interviews, that they had been exposed to many branches of Maths that were out of the reach of many of their competitors. They had also made

MATHS SOCIETY

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The science of wine, crime, sex, war and entertainment are all topics that have been covered in ‘Perplexed’, the Radley Sixth Form Science Society. There are three lectures a term in the Michaelmas and Lent terms, during which the topic of the term is covered from the point of view of each of the three sciences. So, with wine, the Chemists discussed blends and mixtures, with reference to the particular chemicals that give rise to smells such as ‘burnt rubber tyres’ in the bouquet. The Physicists discussed why bubbles in Champagne show you that you have an unclean glass, and the Biologists explained why overindulgence challenges one’s ability to sustain verticality.

beyond the confines of the syllabus. They are stretched in their thinking and their knowledge base, hopefully while being entertained, too. It must be recorded that it takes a large amount of effort for a Don to prepare one of these talks, but it can be one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching Science at Radley.

is always a glass on offer during the Monday night meetings. The Dons who talk are thoroughly prepared and inevitably well received by the Radleian science elite, who enjoy seeing their teachers indulge their own passion for their subject. Mostly the talks are ‘in-house’ productions, but occasionally visiting speakers have been introduced, for example when we had a lecturer from the Ministry of Defence to tell us about the use of the electromagnetic spectrum in warfare, courtesy of the Head of Physics’ old Army contacts.

Through ‘Perplexed’, boys hoping to study sciences after Radley are given an opportunity to see their sciences applied

‘PERPLEXED’ RADLEY’S 6TH FORM SCIENCE SOCIETY

The rationale for ‘Perplexed’ is that we feel it is essential that Radleians should be exposed to more Science than that solely covered by an A level syllabus; indeed there is so much interesting and beautiful science in our World for us to appreciate, that it is a necessity for us to aim to expose Radleians in this way. Science is also challenging and the ways in which it seeks to comprehend and inform us about the World in which we live makes it a subject to be genuinely passionate about. ‘Perplexed’ aims to raise those challenging issues and to allow boys the opportunity to think about the wider aspects of our World.

Even when not discussing wine, there

MATHS SOCIETY

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This struck me on my arrival at Radley in September 2002; boys really do see it as part of their lives here. There are Full Chapel services 5 times a week; all boys will sing perhaps 400 hymns in an academic year. A glance at our own hymn book confirms the wide variety of music that is enjoyed. Boys learn by a mixture of osmosis and weekly Congregational Practice some rare gems, such as a movement from Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the Dambusters’ March (from the film), and The March of the Hebrew Slaves (from Verdi’s opera Nabucco). Visitors are frequently moved by the sound of 620 boys singing Jerusalem as if their lives depended on it.

So in a school that takes singing seriously, the Chapel Choir has a vital function, and undertakes a full programme of rehearsals, services and other engagements (both at Radley on Sundays and further afield). However, providing the top line in a boys’ secondary school is not straightforward. One possibility would be to ask the boys who arrive at 13 (most with breaking voices) to sing treble. Another option would be to nurture a choir made up solely of altos, tenors and basses. A third option would be to import girls, but by far the most challenging solution is to start a Choristership Scheme and train a group of boys aged between 7 and 13.

SINGING THEIR PRAISES

The Choristership Scheme is now in its third year and things are running smoothly with boys coming from both local state and prep schools. It has also proved popular: recruitment (now word has got around) is very competitive and places are only available in school years 1 and 2.

However, starting such a scheme was always going to be tricky. It is impossible to recruit mature trebles, who will have learned their skills as a result of being

committed to another choir. Since 80% of the treble sound is made by the oldest 20% of the boys in the choir (their voices are more powerful and developed, as are their musical skills) it necessarily takes some years to develop to full strength. The younger boys in the meantime are learning the tricks of the trade (vocal technique and theory) and, in a sense, we are investing in them, and waiting for that time when their voices are ready to take their turn in making the sound of the group.

The Choristers come to Radley after school on Thursdays and Fridays for rehearsals, and also for services, which usually means Sundays and extra events

A recent survey at Radley asked boys to list 10 things that ‘make Radley Radley’. Singing in Chapel came high on the list in second place.

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such as Carol and Confirmation services. A sense of belonging for such a potentially disparate group is vital, so they bring with them a Radley Choir folder containing their music and theory prep (marked and returned on a Friday) and they wear a blue Radley Choir sweatshirt over their own school uniform. In addition to voice classes and rehearsals, the boys receive theory classes, and we pay for all of them to learn at least one instrument. They also receive pocket money at the end of each term.

I expect that when choristers ‘graduate’ from the choir (when their voices break, or when they reach the end of year 8) their destinations will vary. We hope and expect

that in the future some will be successful in applying for music awards to Radley, but this is not the aim of the scheme, and the standard required to win a music award at Radley remains high.

How does this affect the rest of Chapel Choir? We have a large contingent of altos, tenors and basses (around 55 to 60, a fair number for a school of our size) and there is no doubt that the balance of the choir, now that the trebles are producing such a strong sound, is far better.

Last term was one of the busiest so far: the Fauré Requiem in a liturgical version for Remembrance Sunday in a

candle lit chapel, with incense and a visiting orchestra, was powerful. Remembrance morning itself, the Confirmation, Evensong at New College, Oxford and four Carol services have certainly kept us busy too. This term the boys have sung in London (St John’s, Smith Square) and are taking a leading part in our large scale Choral Society concert at the end of term, singing with orchestra (something they particularly enjoy). With the choir stalls in chapel now stretched to their full extent, and an established track record of providing Oxbridge choral scholars, choral music at Radley is in fine form. SDJ Clarke, Precentor

radleians

Alexander Rose (VI-1)THOMAS’S CLAPHAM, C SOCIAL

When asked by a prospective parent what Radley is best at, it always seems both horribly sycophantic and pathetically banal to say “everything”. However, with the wealth of opportunities offered here and the strength of every department, being good at everything is exactly what Radley is best at.

With such a variety of opportunities available, I have found that, during my time here, there has been more than enough to keep me busy. Music, and in particular singing, has been a passion of mine for a long time, and upon my arrival at Radley I was keen to pursue this further. Since arriving, I have found myself immersed in music of various kinds. Since joining the choir in my first year, it has taken quite a meaningful commitment on my part, as with anything that one takes seriously, however in return has given me enormous pleasure.

At the beginning of my second year, I was honoured to be invited to join the exclusive close harmony group, the Radley Clerkes. And since then we have performed for many dinners and various

concerts at Radley, and most recently at an Old Radleian dinner hosted at the RAC club in London. The Clerkes is the more light hearted side of singing at Radley yet despite the carefree exterior, rehearsals are rigorous. I am also a member of the Compline Clerkes, in which we sing plainsong around twice a term at short evening services. The highlight of this for me was when four other soloists and I performed the first part of Tallis’ Lamentations of Jeremiah, an exquisitely written eight minute piece where my sight-reading ability or lack thereof, let me down a little too often.

However, the crowning point of my musical career at Radley so far, was the trip to Venice in February of last year. The opportunity to perform in St. Mark’s is a once in a lifetime opportunity and a memory that I shall always treasure. I have no doubt that this term’s trip to Prague will not disappoint.

Having attended a London day school, I could not compete with the cricketing prowess of some of my peers who had played daily

at prep school. Having also never had the chance to wield a hockey stick, I decided to journey down to the river at the beginning of the first Lent term, whereupon I stumbled on new passion. Despite having only made the second boat in the Shells, I went on to make the first boat in the next two years. We enjoyed numerous successes with only Eton as a serious competitor and I now look forward to what will hopefully be a very successful season this summer under the new Director of Rowing and perhaps even a long awaited win in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley.

Of course with so many extra-curricular activities and the amount of commitment which they entail, it seems easy to gloss over the academic demands of Radley. I admit that during the summer of my GCSE’s, I sometimes wondered whether my exam results or the outcome of the forthcoming regattas mattered more to me. However due to the strength of the Radley community, it is possible to excel in all areas without having

to make too many sacrifices. I have no doubt that my next two years here will bring even more challenges and successes, and I hope they will be as enjoyable as the last three have been.

12 T H E R A D L E Y N E W S L E T T E R Website: www.radley.org.uk . Admissions enquiries: 01235 543174 . admissions@radley.org.uk

Rory Mounsey-Heysham (Second Prefect)AYSGARTH, AND H SOCIAL

I remember looking at Radleians with total awe as a prospective new boy. At my prep school there was merely a picture of the cricket pavilion, yet strangely this was sufficient for me to idolise Radley; and I never enjoyed cricket.

Equally, there is the life-changing time in a Radleian’s school career when you say goodbye to your damp-eyed parents at tea-time on a September afternoon at the start of your very first term. It is strange to look back to this time and see how things have subsequently progressed.

The majority in my year in my Social just happen to be extremely intellectual. As a result I was enormously embarrassed when my contemporaries (whom I had not quite plucked up the courage to speak to) and I went to discover in which Shell sets we had been placed. I, sadly, did not make it higher than the bottom set in any subject at all! I also signed myself to be in the top rugby game as I thought myself quite the sportsman. I was a little miffed when, within the first two games sessions, to put it mildly, I found myself to be slightly less

imported 1000 ‘RADLEY’ pyjamas considerably cheaper than I sold them here, making money for charity. Since then I decided there was very little point in stopping

there and so have embarked on doing the same for Eton, Ampleforth, Oundle, Bedales, Uppingham and Winchester for simple profit. While I do not see my future prospects in pyjamas, I certainly do not intend to leave it at that so am hugely excited about the next step which would not have been possible if the Radley enterprise was not a success. Radley has made me an entrepreneur!

I suppose the aspect of Radley that I most value is the boarding house atmosphere. One spends 5 years in close proximity with those in both your house and year and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences which have produced a real sense of comradeship amongst us. In which other situation would I be able to dress up as a voluptuous woman 4 years in a row in front of 250 people?

I should imagine that in 20 years time the less good memories of Radley will have faded leaving only the best remaining and while I do not want this to seem obsequious I think those happy memories remaining will accurately reflect my time here.

of a star and eventually just managed to secure a position in the fourths where we had a great deal of fun. I now look at those enormous blokes in the 1st XV with horror; to think that I had hoped to play with them.

I have been extremely fortunate to be appointed deputy head boy. It is a fair question to ask why on earth this is the case, due to the fact that I am clearly not clever, nor sporty and I am certainly not musical! Yet I would like to think I have dabbled in just about everything Radley has to offer. I very much enjoy this role and try to be the mediator between the boys and dons as effectively as possible. I have loved playing the bagpipes and the atmosphere that goes with playing in school and Social sports matches. In my earlier school career I also found enormous pleasure in performing in school plays such as ‘Another Country’ and ‘Black Comedy.’

However it has been in my final two years that I have really found my passion. I

Left Alexander Rose and right Rory Mounsey-Heysham