Headmasters Letter – February 2010
February 1, 2010 – 9:59 pmDear Old Sulian,
Those of you who remember the winter of 1963 will probably be wondering why so much fuss is being made about a few days of snow on the city! The Headmaster’s diary entries for the winter of 1963 suggest that boys were sent out to clear paths and to bring in milk bottles to stop them freezing on the steps of the school. I can imagine how that would go down today …. Back to the term which has just passed. The achievements of boys and girls were recognised at the Presentation Evening at the Assembly Rooms in November, a splendid occasion which saw us host the Glastonbury Festival organiser, Michael Eavis. He was able to hear about the wonderful examination successes achieved by our pupils and students, again putting Beechen Cliff at “the top of the class” in terms of boys’ achievement in the county and further afield.
The Carol Service took place in the last week of term and yet again we saw (and heard) the talented youngsters and staff who make the school such an exciting place to be. Many friends of the school were in attendance and I am sure that, if you are able to attend, it will remain in the memory for some time.
Success on the rugby and football pitches have been achieved by the U15 and 1st XI respectively. You might have followed the success of our teams in the Wednesday Letters (on the website) and the disappointment for our rugby boys, being knocked out on the ‘home side’ rule following a 3-3 draw with Exeter School, was particularly difficult for the boys and staff. This ‘exit’ came at the Quarter Final stage of the Daily Mail Vase, the national competition for schools. In football terms the 1st XI are still in the national cup, having made it to the last 32. This is an exceptional achievement and is testament to the strength of Beechen Cliff teams – contrasting often with the highly skilled individuals we regularly see them competing against. We wish our boys every success in the next round. Our Sixth Form girls are also proving to be a very successful ‘outfit’ as a Netball squad. They are playing very well and we can expect a potential county champion squad to be in place by next year.
The sporting potential of the school should be enhanced by the fact that the Glasshouse playing fields are now being managed by the Glasshouse Trust, an organisation which includes Beechen Cliff, Culverhay, Combe Down Rugby, Combe Down Cricket and Bath Hospitals Cricket Club. It should mean that our teams are able to use more pitches for ‘home’ matches than our current fields can provide, together with some new changing facilities. A new cricket square will be laid down in the spring, ready for first use in summer 2011. The new cricket square at Beechen Cliff will come into service in May of this year – although only for the Under 12 and Under 13 teams. I would fear for the windows in my study if the Under 14 boys were to use it!
February 5th sees the launch of the Music Centre fund, hopefully allowing us to make up the £400,000 shortfall in our funding for the £1.6 million project. Alex Wood will hopefully represent the Old Sulians at this occasion, continuing an interest in music and the heritage of the school.
The second capital project of the moment is the ‘astroturf’ pitch which will be placed on the current redgra. This will be in place by September (planning permission willing!) and we hope to be able to make a massive difference for our boys and the wider community.
We have a very busy term ahead, school plays and concerts being a significant feature of the Spring. I hope you will be able to join us for some of these and support the efforts of the pupils and staff.
Thank you for your interest and support of your school. We hope to keep working to give our pupils the best experiences possible and maintain the reputation of this wonderful place.