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While this newsletter is chock-full of the usual roundup of good news from the last few weeks and offers a final chance to book the remaining places for Chicago, there are two additional significant items outside the norm which I would like to bring to your attention. The first is the letter, sent earlier today, about the shifting national guidance in relation to COVID-19 and the changing – broadly a relaxation – of restrictions. A further link to the letter is also attached for your convenience.
The second is about the College response to the grave situation in Ukraine. On Thursday last week I wrote to all the parents of all Ukrainian and Russian children in the school:
Lancing is a proudly cosmopolitan community, with over 40 different nations represented amongst us. Discussion and debate is encouraged here, including about the most difficult and complex world affairs. We expect – and guide our pupils – that sensitivity, thoughtfulness and respecting one another are at the core of those exchanges.
Given that events in Ukraine will feel very close to home, all of us at Lancing are aware that in the situation which pertains today there may well be significant anxieties and concern amongst the children, even if they are not fully spoken. In addition, the young people here cannot – indeed must not – feel responsible for the upheaval. Lancing must be a safe space for everyone and our duty of care is something we feel very deeply. In this light we are reiterating in Houses and in my whole school Assembly that we are here to support all pupils, regardless of background.
Shock, sadness and concern for friends and their families are the features of discussions in every year group and House around the school. These dark days of invasion and warfare are decried in every quarter and I am proud to say that amidst much concern, a sense of solidarity and mutual support is the dominant mode.
It is sobering that in our community we have pupils who are uncertain about the safety of family members and, in very direct and real ways, whose world looks materially different from that of a mere few weeks ago. I am grateful for the practical kindnesses that are being extended to them by other pupils and their families. The College is looking dazzlingly beautiful in the late winter sunshine today and as the pupils go about their busy lives here, it feels more important – and right – than ever that we are a safe haven for the young people in our care.
With best wishes,
Dominic Oliver