Rugby is one of the most well-known English schools, most obviously for the fact that it was on its games pitches that William Webb Ellis first decided, one November afternoon in 1823, to take the radical step of picking up the ball and running with it. It was from this eccentric decision that the game which has ever since been named after the School where it was invented, Rugby Football, was born. I also discovered that it was Rugby’s approach to sport which inspired the French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin to found the modern Olympic games which were held for the first time since antiquity in 1896. He was particularly impressed by the focus placed upon sport at Rugby by its famous and reforming headmaster Thomas Arnold, and Coubertin was hugely impressed by the way in which, at Rugby, "organised sport can create moral and social strength". Of course this is one of the central tenets of all English Public schools and it is so clear to me how valuable the sport we play here at CCCS is. Beyond the obvious physical benefits that sport brings, it does have a hugely important role in teaching pupils how to behave and how to interact with others.

But Rugby too has an outstanding musical tradition. In its centre is a vast and handsome chapel built by the brilliant Victorian architect Butterfield, who also designed the exquisite chapel at Keble here in Oxford. Music at Rugby is run by Richard Tanner, their inspiring musical director, who was once the organ scholar of Exeter College in the days when CCCS boys supplied the treble line of that choir. As the Pembroke and Worcester organ scholars do today, he used to come to CCCS many mornings each week to rehearse with the boys. He knows the School well, therefore.

Mr Parker-Jones is a thoughtful, civilised and delightful headmaster and I have no doubt that his School both reflects the values for which it has always been well-known and those which he personally inspires. I was very touched that he was effusive about our pupils, saying that he had found their openness and individuality a great delight. We are very fortunate in having such good relationships with senior schools. These relationships mean that we are able to ensure that our pupils obtain places at schools which are best suited to them.

Thank you so much for being so flexible about pick up and the changes that we have made. It all seems to have gone very well, largely owing to your willingness to be adaptable. There are many advantages to the new system. Firstly there is the matter of the extra security that the locked gate between the School and St Aldates brings, secondly the fact that dismissing from the School building is safer than doing so on a busy road and thirdly, the fact that, for the cyclists, the bikes are closer at hand and do not need to be wheeled over a considerable distance. Furthermore there has been no sighting of any traffic wardens which has been a great relief!

Last term, Mr Robards went on a Forest School course and returned brimming with ideas about how we can better make use of our Woodland School. Already improvements have been made. Pre-Prep are now visiting the wood more frequently than in the past and are enjoying a greater range of activities. We have also introduced a woodland craft module into Prep School enrichment.

We have been joined by ten new pupils this term, a very large number historically for this stage of the year. It was such a delight to see so many smiles on the faces of the recently arrived, who have clearly enjoyed their first few days hugely. I am so much looking forward to getting to know them better over the next few weeks.