A Message from the Rector

By Richard Hall | Posted: Thursday November 13, 2025

The Black Caps left town yesterday, so the sun is out today…

The weather drives schools. It isn’t the only factor, but a sunny day where boys can be outside and active is so much better than the opposite. Common sense really, but a sunny day here is far better than a rainy one.

It was brought home to me the other day as I watched our Year 13 “handballers” have their last game on the quad before they finished. Now, understand that boys are tribal; this group has been in the same area for pretty much five years. It is their thing, in their place, their game, their rules.

And they enjoy it.

As well as developing a bit of hand–eye coordination, they strengthen their social connections. They certainly bicker about whether the ball was in or out, and they argue about who is “king,” but they never lose their cool, they never take the banter too far, and they never break up. I think that development has been one of the most important opportunities we have provided here.

And they enjoy it.