HEAD’S HIGHLIGHTS (SPEECH DAY 2022)
orchestral collaboration concert, and more pupils enjoying music lessons than ever before. Similarly, our productions have taken another step forward with our change to more inclusive casting, with multiple leads, and stunning choreography thanks to Miss Ibbotson. The House competitions have continued to evolve and improve as we have added music and dance competitions, and the Super- Sized House singing was one of the most fun things I have seen in years. House affiliation, vertical integration and diversity of inclusive competitions continue to ensure the House system is central to the enjoyment of the boys’ time at Dulwich. The children continue to see service and serving in new ways as our embedded Wellbeing curriculum develops. All the boys continue to experience giving their time towards the serving of others (e.g. the Year 4s helping at the food bank, Year 5s going to the Alms Houses, Year 6s collaborating with the AFRIL refugee school). Free learning week is always a central part of this broader learning at Dulwich and especially in the Junior School. This year has taken the boys to another level with the Jubilee, DC IAM, Anti-Bullying week, Book Week, Mental Health week and Refugee week. Finally, we have continued to evolve our collaboration with JAGS and Sydenham High girls with the introduction of more days and projects together. We know we have more to develop in this area and know that the children are learning more about each other and building connections, which will last through their school lives and well beyond. The Junior School’s strength is very much founded on the quality of its staff. Whilst the end of term is upon us and the staff are very tired, at a staff meeting this week they were still really keen to look back on the year, and look ahead to next year for how to improve the curriculum and their teaching. They are all superb as individuals and also collectively as a team. They are truly an inspiration to me and to the children. A particular personal thank you to the office staff and the SMT for all their support for the school, the boys and for me personally this year. Another year on, but another year of growing up. Whilst we look at these fine young men and can see that they have ‘grown up’ into adulthood in many definitions, it is clear they will keep on learning as they progress to their next stages. Likewise, the Junior School and Dulwich have grown up another year and we are very proud of the progress that has been made.
n Over the course of this week, I have attended the moving and poignant Upper School Prizegiving, the extraordinary Lower School production of Matilda, the bombastic Supersized House Singing and the joyous New Boys welcome afternoon. In those events, I have been able to see from where the boys start and their subsequent growth, and the effects that a Dulwich College education has on the lives of our pupils. I stand here with members of the senior prefect team about to present the prizes to our prize winners today and reflect on what it means to grow up. When pupils arrive in the Junior School we talk to them and their parents about how we initially start in Year 3 with a triangle of communication and responsibility, where the children, parents, and staff all have direct relationships to support the learning and pastoral care. By Year 6 and the Lower School we move to a straight line where the child is in the middle and much communication goes from staff to parent via the pupil. This is facilitated by instilling independence, responsibility, confidence, and resilience to the pupils. We can also see that as a whole school we have tried to continue to ‘grow up’ and evolve through the opportunities we give the pupils inside and outside the classroom. ‘Every day is a school day’ equally applies to the whole institution as it does to adults and pupils. Academically the Year 6s learned huge amounts through the process of the 11+ assessments, then they moved onto our most successful Great Exhibition in the Lent term, which saw a giant range of deep and important topics covered by each of the boys; from homelessness in London to LGBTQ rights, from the origins of war to the effects of population growth. At the beginning of the Summer term we were able to run our Symposium with JAGS and Dulwich Wood once more, and this time on the theme of Colour. Excellent memorable learning took place with all the children engaging with many different topics from psychology to classical history, dance to economics and politics. We have had a huge diversity of workshops and day trips and have developed our Forest School provision (thanks to the hard work of Mrs Greenaway) to give the boys a really deep experiential view of the world beyond the classroom. Our residential trips programme has now returned to its full post Covid levels, and once more the trips to Wales were the highlight. Our music provision has gone from to strength to strength this year, especially with the appointment of a dedicated Junior School music staff member (Miss Wilcox). We have had more concerts, a new training choir, a joint Foundation Schools
Dr Griffiths
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