saw the importance of those with smaller support which would allow Dulwich to have a genuine social breadth and not just social extremes. Such breadth was important as he was committed to forging a community in which everyone could be a proud Alleynian engaged in a genuinely holistic education where there would be a “niche and a platform” for all. He quickly ended denominational and non-denominational assemblies which he saw a divisive. Instead he wanted all members of the College to meet as a community, and in the building at the heart of the College’s foundation. The Chapel mattered to him, not in a Victorian missionary sense, but simply because this was where Edward Alleyn lay, where the College had begun, and where the rhythm of prayer and hymn gave boys the cadences of language which have been so important in developing our own voices over the last four centuries. His energy and stamina was remarkable The written word mattered to Joe. He was deeply proud of the College’s enviable
literary traditions, after all not many schools could claim to have educated two Booker Prize winners. And during his mastership Dulwich’s literary genius loci came home. He encouraged the boys to write and revived The Alleynian . Writing was also at the centre of the 400 celebrations. It was quickly decided that the one gift every member of the College community should receive in 2019 was a new history of Dulwich, while its literary traditions would be captured in a series of publications which began with Jan Piggott’s Wodehouse’s School Days and ended with School Stories written by both OAs and current pupils. Joe also wrote himself: poetry to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War as well as musical texts and librettos, all requiring a tight control of language, especially in the latter where the main aim must be to let the music speak to the words. Joe was very conscious that he wanted the joy and enjoyment of the 400th anniversary celebrations to start with an act of service, and it was decided that the day of foundation itself would be marked with the whole College out and involved in the community; there was music in the park, primary school
visits, and a sponsored walk. It was, he felt, all too easy for big institutions to be excessively introspective. It was important to look out as much as you might want to look in. He captured this in various ways. One was his support for Dulwich to be a centre for SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training); another his stewardship of the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership. He was determined that the state and independent sectors should work together, and by doing so, bring benefit to both. It was his energetic commitment to such partnerships which contributed to his award in 2024 of TES Schools Awards Independent School Headteacher of the Year. Another way of “looking out” was the termly GE Moore Lecture Series which led up to 2019. One example was in 2018 when, to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War, a website was launched for the 534 OAs who died in that war; Jeremy Deller OA spoke about his commemorative art piece We’re Here Because We’re Here and boys performed an episode from the play; The Wipers Times . In a sense the evening captured three things close to Joe’s heart: history, art and drama. The College is a markedly different school from the one Joe came to in 2009 In 2009 Joe had told the governors he would give 10 years to Dulwich. In a way the celebrations of the summer term of 2019 were a high point, and looking back now there did seem to be something for everyone that week, whether it was a service at St Paul’s, It’s a Knockout for the Upper School or inter-House sports at Crystal Palace. It was hard to imagine that less than a year later the nation would be locked down, with online teaching and House competitions creating limericks or houses of cards. All this was hugely challenging, and in the midst of it Joe was faced with Black Lives Matter, Everyone’s Invited, and an open letter with accusations against the College printed on the front of most national newspapers. It
witty and insightful, and we had several enjoyable evenings taking a combined talk on the life of Canon Carver round many of the local history societies. He could also be very funny in his summaries of people’s characters; describing one colleague simply as, “all fireworks and flannel”. His capacity for remembering names and connections was astonishing; the pace of work astounding. He met all the families who came for 11+ and 13+ places, and readily answered their questions, however much this meant repeating himself. Parents were impressed. None of this commitment would have been possible without the support of his wife, Angela, whose dedication complemented Joe’s energy. Joe has now become the CEO of the School Partnerships Alliance; whose aim is simple: that by working together, maintained and independent schools can improve the outcomes for all young people. It is a noble aspiration, and Joe will develop this with energy even in these most troubling of times. Dulwich400 ended with a postscript by the then Chair of Governors, Sir Peter Riddell OA CBE. He warned against the dangers of crafting “golden ages” from the past, as we are often tempted to do in the Masterships of both Gilkes I and II. Dulwich is undoubtedly a smarter school now than 20 years ago, revealing the finest view on the South Circular between Greenwich and Kew, but it is also, as he reflected, a more rounded, kinder and softer school than it was, yet without losing its “essentially South London character – slightly edgy and worldly, and neither grand nor snobbish”. To have sustained this delicate balancing act is a considerable achievement, and like Arthur Gilkes the legacy of what Joe has achieved will continue to develop long into the coming century. On behalf of the Dulwich community I wish Joe and Angela every good fortune in the years ahead. ◎
to the Upper School at their prize-giving, challenging any passivity, saying they were a generation who had to choose their futures in a way those just few years earlier hadn’t. It is interesting when talking to OAs to hear how many felt in retrospect that events such as assemblies mattered to them, again a moment when the community came together. It was a part, too, of his endorsement of the view that learning was never limited to the test or the classroom; “Free Learning” days were a rewarding feature of this, but central was his belief that lessons should explore between subjects and beyond the curriculum. It was a bit of a cliché that Joe was at every- thing. His energy and stamina was remark- able. Every day and evening was fully book- ed, but I always found that he would have a moment for a quick word. Personally I enjoyed my contact with him; he could be Joe readily answered families’ questions, however much this meant repeating himself. Parents were impressed.
was a convergence of events which would have broken many a leader, but Joe was determined to see the College through these crises. He believed strongly that he has a duty to the institution as well as the pupil body, and was instinctively wary of blanket condemnations, yet he wanted every accusation investigated. An independent report was commissioned which included a great raft of recommendations as to how the College could do things better. Joe set about ensuring that we fulfilled those and the College as it is and feels today is a reflection of many of those changes. The strain of these years must have been huge. Looking at Dulwich now, it is a markedly different school from the one Joe came to in 2009. Very few boys leave Dulwich not having enjoyed their time here, and the pastoral revolution that had begun in Graham Able’s time led by Simon Northcote-Green bedded in and developed deep roots in the last 15 years. Joe recognised that some boys found school difficult, and that for others it was easy to be passive. His assemblies were always thought-provoking. In June 2016, just days after the Brexit Referendum vote he spoke
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