Head Master’s Welcome February 2023

As we moved to the end of last half term an intense few days of exciting rivalry – and hundreds of entries – formed the annual House Music Competition. The muffling impacts of COVID are well and truly behind us and the Finals concert gave us some truly exceptional music-making, showcasing a host of vocal and instrumental solos, duets and ensembles and another chance to hear Field’s winning House Song. You can see (and hear) a whole lot more about the competition in this newsletter, including a full-length film of the concert. You can also read about Theo C’s prize-winning play Snapshots – the second year in a row that he has triumphed in the Donald Bancroft One-Act Playwriting Competition.

In honour of Shrove Tuesday, the second half of term started with the fun of a rather frenzied inter-House pancake flipping relay around the Lower Quad which you can watch HERE. This is part of the broader fundraising energies at the heart of this, our annual Charities Term. Thousands are being raised by the pupil body on behalf of causes dear to their hearts – and we will update you with more news about it all later in the term.

You can read here of some of the adventures in Barcelona and other trips which were enjoyed by many students this month and, for those who relish journeys of the imagination, I would like to extend an invitation to join us on Thursday 9 March at 7:30pm at the event Contemporary Writing as a Woman.

This is part of our celebration of International Women’s Day which takes place on 8 March. The evening will be chaired by local poet and dramatist Catherine Smith and will feature Cathy Hayward, author of The Girl in the Maze and owner of the Kemptown Bookshop, a major writers’ hub in Brighton as well as Dr Christy Edwall, Teacher of English here at Lancing and whose novel History Keeps Me Awake at Night has just been published to rightful acclaim. Do join us for what promises to be a fascinating evening.

These digital newsletters are generally celebratory in tone and reserved for highlights of special College events. Sometimes, however, it is right to comment on bigger concerns and today is one of those days. Almost exactly a year ago I wrote in a newsletter about the Lancing community’s response to the grave situation in Ukraine. In my weekly whole school Assembly today I reflected on the first anniversary of the invasion and, as a conclusion to this newsletter, I thought that it would be appropriate to share those words with the broader Lancing community.

Today marks exactly one year since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. It is important that we reflect on that. The war continues to this day.

All of us at Lancing should be highly aware that this situation continues to directly impact members of the College community, most particularly those whose homes are in Ukraine, Russia and the surrounding region. Some of you sitting here have not been able to go home over this last year and others who have made it back have been traumatised by what they have experienced. I know that you are looking out for one another and it is important that you continue to do so. 

It is sobering that amidst the tranquility and routine of Lancing life, we have pupils who are uncertain about the safety of family members and, in very direct and real ways, whose world today looks materially different from that of a year ago. As you go about your busy lives here, it feels more important – and right – than ever that we are a safe haven for everyone here at the College. You should know that we have welcomed refugee families and young children into the broader Lancing community too.

This is a proudly cosmopolitan place, with over 40 different nations represented amongst us. Lancing must be a safe space for everyone and our duty of care is something I feel very deeply.

None of us here have our hands on the levers of power and you, the young people at the College cannot – indeed must not – feel responsible for the turmoil and bloodshed.

However, discussion and debate is encouraged here, including about the most difficult and complex world affairs. It is important – vital indeed – if we are to play a part in preventing such horrors as this war in the years to come. I know it is a shared expectation that sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and respecting one another are at the core of our exchanges: it is inherent in our ethos that violence and conflict can never be the answer, no matter how profound our differences may be.

You may not be aiming for a life of diplomacy or political leadership but you will, regardless of your profession, have a role to play in the world where what you say, think and do will be vital in determining the shape of events in the world you share.

In this light, I hope that we can all, regardless of background, offer full-throated support for the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres: The one-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stands as a grim milestone — for the people of Ukraine and for the international community. That invasion is an affront to our collective conscience.

Fully 40 per cent of Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance. Vital infrastructure has been targeted — water, energy and heating systems have been destroyed in the dead of winter. United Nations agencies have also been cooperating with host countries that received more than 8 million Ukrainians — the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. 

War is not the solution. War is the problem. People in Ukraine are suffering enormously. Ukrainians, Russians and people far beyond need peace.

I know that ongoing shock, sadness and concern for friends and their families continues to be a feature of discussions around the school. These dark days of invasion and warfare are decried in every quarter; I am proud to say that a sense of solidarity and mutual support is the dominant mode. I hope that you share that pride and that you nurture it too.

If we are truly together, if we cultivate mutuality, trust, and a determination that – whatever our differences – we will not to turn to violence then what is nurtured and nourished will be a real seed for a better future: it will germinate, grow and gain ground. What could be a better product of a Lancing education than that?

Best wishes
Dominic Oliver