Principal's Blog

The Principal explores the concept of holes - medical, financial, educational - before considering a bureaucratic black hole currently frustrating the school.

The Principal explores the phenomenon of colour, its cultural history, how it affects human behaviour, and the critical prism students must acquire to fully see the world.

The Principal explores the idea of an island, contrasting the self-reliance of Robinson Crusoe with the notion that no man is an island, and the implications that has for how we conduct ourselves as human beings.

In his last blog of the year, the Principal sounds a personal note as he reflects on the swerves that shape a life, the challenges of the past, and the prospects for the future.

The Principal laments the use of QR code menus in restaurants,  and considers the implications for education posed by generative AI programmes such as ChatGPT.

The Principal marks the coronation of King Charles III, reflecting on his own memories of the former Prince and what the institution of monarchy might mean in a modern context.

The Principal considers how playing games is a fundamental human instinct, explores why so many games involve overcoming an obstacle, and why learning through play is a key part of education.

The Principal considers the phenomenon of lists, ranging from personal and professional to-do lists to literary and historical lists, finding them helpful, often beautiful, and a useful aide-memoire for students.    

The Principal considers what it means to encounter a reality other than our own, how education can help to transform one’s outlook, and how we might extend that opportunity to those less privileged than ourselves.

The Principal considers the phenomenon of cheating, from old chess machines to modern sports stars, to students in exams, and examines how AI is taking this to another level.

Please see here the text of a speech delivered last night by the Principal at the British Chamber of Commerce for Italy Christmas Dinner, outlining twelve ways to happiness.

The Principal chooses 14 of his favourite paragraphs – a mixture of writings that sparkle with intelligence, warmth and wit.

The Principal investigates the tradition of the Cabinet of Curiosities, finding in it a new model of learning that fits with the accidental delights of twenty-first century technology.

The Principal considers the part played by shadows in ancient and modern culture, and explores how, growing up, children cast a lengthening shadow upon the world.