A Message from the Rector

By Richard Hall | Posted: Thursday October 30, 2025

A message of thanks to our Year 13s (part of the Rector’s speech at Senior Prizegiving).

Being a Man of Oak counts. Your bearing, the way in which you carry yourself, your manner, your choice of words, they all matter. Your language matters. Your dress matters. The blazer is not the last uniform you will wear, have a look upstairs at all the dads in brown boots — that’s a uniform! So cut your hair and shave; most of you won’t look like Tom Selleck.

Being a Man of Oak counts. Your habits matter, they guide you in both calm seas and raging storms. Discipline rules, not the punishment kind, but the habitual kind. Self-control beats self-indulgence. Rituals and routines leave a mark not only on yourselves but also on those you encounter. Timetables are just as important when you leave school. The Stoics are right.

Being a Man of Oak counts. Connection counts, through hobbies, through service, through faith, through sport, or through the stage. Connection enriches you. Before you find your passion, find your connection.

Being a Man of Oak counts. Listen, love, and laugh often. Laughter is the best medicine. Don’t take yourself so seriously that you have no fun; don’t drive so fast that you miss the road.

Being a Man of Oak counts. Be kind, be generous, be brave, be spiritual, be joyous, be funny, be hopeful, be happy, be sad, be up for it, and be ready, because your future is here.

Being a Man of Oak counts. Understand that no good music was written after Bryan Adams’ Summer of ’69 in 1985, and if you think otherwise, why are all the songs you dance to from that era? Understand also that no good TV was written after Blackadder IV in 1989.

Being a Man of Oak counts. Understand that being a Man of Oak counts. Know that your school is proud of you, and that it will always be your school. Understand, being a Man of Oak counts. Being a Man of Oak counts.