I would like to pay tribute to two groups of people.  Let’s begin with the first: the young people who are the beating heart of this wonderful community.  I’m not going to tell you who the second group of people is – not just yet.    

It has been another year well met by our pupils, and an historic one in some respects.  As Bobbie, Annabel and Lina collect their prizes it won’t be lost on you that the big change of September 2021, OSH beginning its journey to full co-education, is taking effect.  And it’s going well.  In September we open our second girls’ boarding house and welcome into Year 7 the largest number of new boarders in the history of the school.  Four more teachers join us in September, so that’s twenty more since September 2021.  We’re on the march.   

This year has seen the completion of a fully co-educational Key Stage 3; in other words, the first three years at OSH are now fully co-ed.  Two years from now, in July 2026, we will have completed our first academic year as a fully co-educational school across all seven year groups.

Now, all of our Year 10 and Year 11 boys might be thinking “What about us”?  Are the all boys’ year groups to some extent the forgotten remnant of the old school?  We all know that they are absolutely not!  For their contribution to the ongoing progress of this great change is characterised by mutual encouragement, collaboration and enthusiasm.  They welcome and embrace change.  We see this across our co-curriculum and in inter-house activity, music, drama and in our CCF, in particular.  And I would like to tell you about it.

For 357 years OSH has been about sending people into the wider world ready to make their contribution to it and this year has been no different.  Cardiff University was this year’s most popular destination amongst students departing OSH for pastures new at the end of their Sixth Form education; something to do with the sport and social life?  On top of that four students are off to Oxford and Cambridge and, perhaps of greater interest to Thomas Foley our founder, more than 10% of our students took up apprenticeships including HSBC, Boots Opticians, Sky News and JP Morgan.  

Our Music Department returned from its summer on tour in Italy ready to press on across several musical fronts.  Those of you who heard school choir singing ‘the Call’ at the service of commemoration for Chris Potter at St. Mary’s Church in October could not be anything other than moved, such is the ability of music to convey meaning in a way other media simply cannot.  Our choristers demonstrated their agility in December when the power went out in the Foleyan Centre and their performance, by mobile phone torch light, captured the essence of light in the darkness at Advent. 

What I love about our concerts is the balance between the individual and the ensemble.  Congratulations to Ben Godley whose flamenco guitar won the senior musicians’ competition for the third year running.  And to all of our pupils in guitar ensemble, chamber choir and school choir, big band and orchestra, woodwind and strings ensembles, keep up the good work and we look forward to hearing more about Miss Hackett’s proposed overseas tour in 2026.  Where does she want to go?  I know and I could tell you, but if I did she’d kill me so I won’t!      

In this great ‘summer’ of sport, we remind ourselves that sport at OSH is about finding that balance between fun and competition, personal fitness, teamwork and respect for the rules.  It has been another action-packed year: 70 representative teams have taken to fields, pitches, courts and tracks this year.  The rain-interrupted cricket season is now drawing to a close and culminated with our Under 14 side facing Bromsgrove School in the final of the County Cup for the first time; sadly not a win but a triumph none-the-less to place second in the county as a developing team.  No less than 130 rugby fixtures have been played, with 66 of them won and a number of our senior sportsmen now train with Leicester Tigers, Irish Exiles and the Midlands Development Pathway. 

OSH Netball has had a bumper year with a very strong senior team; for the first time we have three senior girls’ teams.  Our unbeaten U14s won their league and were crowned best netball team in the district.  Our U12s have fielded four sides for each match, finishing the year in style by beating King’s Worcester in nail-biting encounter.  Hockey enjoys ever growing numbers, and we have this year played 80 fixtures across our five girls’ and three boys’ teams.  The highlight of the hockey year remains the annual OFA game, which is a superb way of connecting OSH present with OSH past.  Our senior footballers have showed real strength this season, beating academy sides and fancy themselves to go even further in competitions next year.  West Bromwich Albion have been in to train our junior girls, and the inaugural girls football tour to London was a success.

This term has been dominated by athletics.  The Year 7 athletics team comfortably won the borough championships scoring one and a half times the amount of points as the next placed school.  Our Year 9 and 8 teams won their equivalent competitions, also finishing head and shoulders above second place.  Our own Sports Day Heats in May saw the involvement of large numbers of pupils who would otherwise be unable to take part in inter-house athletics, and the Peter Jenkins Relay was both well supported and well run.  His family came to see the race which was a deeply emotional occasion, and felt that Peter would have approved of and enjoyed the event tremendously.  The roar of the crowd when the runners passed Founders, Barn Block, Potter, the Foleyan…said it all. 

When we have on Open Morning visitors comment on how readily our pupils can look them in the eye and hold a courteous and useful conversation.  I’m biassed, I know, but I do feel that our pupils are good communicators.  We have seen this strength in depth this year during a very enjoyable evening of drama which showcased both ensemble and individually devised pieces.  This year we have created a successful working partnership with LAMDA so that pupils from across the school are taking spoken language one-to-one tuition.  Mr. Sidaway’s Spearhead public speaking competition evening further demonstrated burgeoning talent in oratory.  For me, being a history teacher by trade, a real highlight was the pupil led Anne Frank Exhibition which was held in the Great Hall in the spring and sponsored by the Anne Frank Trust.  Discussing the Holocaust is incredibly difficult and requires an investment which is moral, emotionally sensitive and empirically sound.  Our pupils were not found wanting.

And did I mention our mathematicians?  There is something strange, but magical going on across the Maths corridor.  You’ll find it on the first floor of Swinford Court, and it is developing its own magnetic pull because the team is finding ever-exciting ways to make Maths fun, whilst maintaining a little competition.  Here are some highlights: record numbers of our pupils participated in October’s UK Senior Maths Challenge and the UK Maths Trust Team Challenge returned for the first year after Covid.  Here, our group of four Year 8s and 9s finished 5^th place out of dozens of schools, with one of them scoring in the top 1% nationally.  Miss Allport, whose annual Pi Day and whose challenge of the Witch of Agnesi Curve leaves her students spellbound, took a group to the University of Birmingham for a Maths day, winning the prize for topological bridge design.  Mr. Drew organised our first ever 'Integration Bee'.  After an hour of intense calculus, Harry Coffield came out on top.  But it was close.  Harry and Dan battling it out like Ali and Foreman, Wellington and Napoleon.  Mr. Krukowski, who passed away this year at the grand age of 101, and who put A level Maths on the curriculum here some 70 years ago, would be very proud of the work of his former department and its pupils.

Battling the elements has been a key feature of our adventure curriculum this year.  More than 200 pupils participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and eight are off to Buckingham Palace this summer to receive their Gold Awards.  Meanwhile more than 100 pupils have joined our Combined Cadet Force.  Our first ever Great Tommy Sleepout, which raised nearly a thousand pounds for the Royal British Legion was cold but good fun.  CCF formed the guard of honour at June’s Normandy commemoration at the war memorial in Stourbridge.

Very few schools can accommodate the demand we have for this kind of off-site activity, requiring as it does a significant residential element, and so I am very grateful to all of our colleagues who support these and all of our activities.  At this point I would also like to thank Foster Matron, Nora McGoldrick who has done absolutely that, and so much more in her two years and we wish her well for her life after OSH.

As St. Paul writes in Romans 12, ‘if your gift is to give, then give generously’ and OSH pupils do just that.  Interact is our charity fundraising committee, linked to Rotary International and supported by Mrs. Apperley.  This year, led by Dan Coleman and Bethan Rowlands, they have raised over £4k.  They have also raised awareness for Cardiac Risk in the Young; spoken quite excellently about their work on Black Country Radio; through the Black Country Foodbank appeal they have donated 1,120 meals to those in need; and supported the Project Gambia Easter Appeal with bedding, towelling and baby clothes.  Interact is in good hands this coming year with Izzy Waterfield, who has just been engowned as a prefect, jumping out of an aeroplane at 13 and a half thousand feet and raising over £2,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she once received care and much love.  Well done Izzy.   

For me and my colleagues, working at OSH really is a privilege because what we put into our working relationships with the young people here, we invariably get back…with interest. We see this every day; in classrooms, on campus, in the dining hall, in our boarding houses.  These relationships, these bonds that join us, become more than the bonds between individuals; for together they become the very glue that holds the community together.

Martin Luther King once defined a community as a rather complicated web of mutuality because we discover ourselves through others.  We discover ‘who we can be’ through others. 

With this in mind, I would like to pay tribute to the second, the other, and very important group of people: our volunteers.

Robert David Putnam is Professor of Public Policy at Harvard and his bestselling book ‘Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital’ usually gets referenced by commentators when the Democrats start gearing up for presidential elections.  His central thesis is that, over time, Americans have been disengaging from community involvement and voluntary service.  He uses the example of bowling to make his point; where the number of people who go ten pin bowling has increased, the number of people who bowl socially and in leagues has decreased.

There has also been something of a constant where historically there were about 40 lawyers per 10,000 employees in the USA from about 1900 to the 1970s.  Now there are 80.  Putnam sees this as alarming.  The post-1970 jump in what Putnam calls ‘lawyer-ing’ has not been matched across other professions, like medicine or education for example.  I know we have lawyers in our community, of course, so I’ll be clear that this sentiment is Putnam’s, not mine, but he sees the growth in lawyer-ing as a consequence of growing social and political distrust and he sees the fragmentation of social networks, social bonds and social bridges as a big problem for modern America.  In short, America lacks social glue.  An American patriot, Putnam is campaigning to get it back, because there is a very strong affinity between social connectedness and altruism.

I will always contend that schools like ours act in the national interest because of the altruistic kind of people we produce.  Our volunteers are absolutely critical to this mission.  They are selfless, capable, can-do people.  Chris Potter had a lovely but typically blunt dichotomy when it came to categorising people – are they a ‘radiator or a drain?’ he would ask.  Our volunteers radiate good will, good sense and good cheer.

OSH is blessed to be supported by a very healthy number of volunteers.  They may be found running the School Shop, the Parents’ Association and the Old Foleyans’ Association, or operating as Governors and Feoffees.  They support sport and music, they come in and talk to our pupils, opening their eyes to what lies beyond our walls. 

You know, I don’t think you can put a value on volunteers.  Firstly, it’s about what they symbolise.  Time, the most precious thing any of us has, is given willingly.  Secondly, they offer real breadth in terms of perspective because they are usually the most diverse range of individuals in support of the school.  Furthermore, the example they set is all about that important place for altruism and with it, social connectedness.

So, I would like to thank the Old Foleyans’ Association for its continued good work.  Mark Hammond’s online networking platform continues to gather momentum; John Whiting’s organisation of the carol service at Great Witley marks the beginning of Christmas; Rob Franks and the Committee hosted a wonderful annual reunion in the Great Hall over Easter.  Old Foleyans have returned to OSH this year to deliver well-attended careers talks.  Ishaan Korotane on cyber security; Sam Smith on life in finance after professional sport; Arun Kundi on how to manage high net worth individuals in the City.  And I would like to thank retiring committee members George and John Partridge, and Eric Hickman for their over 90 combined years of service to the OFA and, of course, Professor David Walker, our former President, who steps back from OFA committee membership this year after 36 years of service.     

I also would like to thank the OSH Parents’ Association, led by its Chair Clare Cartwright, for putting together this year’s fundraising and social events.  Our quiz night and Christmas Ball are reminders of the importance of the social side of OSH life and the importance of, every now and again, letting our hair down.  This is an important dimension of our recovery post Covid; parents and colleagues alike value the excellent work of our PA.  Again, we look forward to future events including a race night and a return to the OSHtober Fest.  Finally, the PA has been of great help in our move to restrict mobile phone usage by providing pupils with games boxes, magnetic darts and UNO, as well as ordering table tennis tables, and these are put to great use at breaks and lunchtimes as our pupils reconnect off-line and in the real world. 

The School Shop was this time last year thanked for its significant contribution to our dance studio which is now up and running and the Shop continues to support tours, departments and boarding houses.  Laptops and reading pens for the SEN Department, cricket screens on Bottom Field, and art resources are amongst this year’s contributions.  And our prospective and new parents really do value the opportunity to speak with the Shop team.  Here, our volunteers demystify some of the great questions about OSH uniform (ties!) procurement and OSH sports kit, and by doing so they take a big chunk of parental stress out of primary to secondary school transition, so a big thank you from us all.

The etymology of ‘govern’ comes from a Greek nautical term for a rudder, for steering the ship.  Hayley Pinchbeck has been parent governor at OSH since 2016 and has offered guidance and direction to us on matters as diverse as behaviour, marketing and boarding.  Indeed, as OSH moves to welcome record boarding numbers in September of this year, her coining of the term ‘Tailored Boarding’, which has helped us help prospective families get their heads around ‘how it works’ here, is in no small part responsible for this increase in pupil numbers at this important time of expansion.  We thank Hayley very much indeed for all of her work over many years.

The etymology of the word ‘feoffee’ can be found in the English of Geoffrey Chaucer.  In old English law, enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service.  No land for our Feoffees, mind you, just the responsibility of looking after the benefaction left to OSH from Thomas Foley’s estate, which they have been doing since 1671, and all on zero pay, as feoffee Jack Edmonds used to say.  John Yeates has served as Feoffee for 25 years and steps down this year.  John has supported the work of our Foundation for many years in managing and distributing bursary funding and is another example of an individual whose work, hardly ever seen, is actually of such importance to the lives of many families.  John has a great turn of phrase and his thinking is behind the name ‘Swinford Court’ being given to the building that once housed Stourbridge College. 

Our Founder, Thomas Foley’s Last Will and Testament begins: “to my faithful relations and friends the Feoffees that are or ever shall be chosen to this trust: it is my last and earnest desire that you suffer not through any neglect or unfaithfulness, this house, or the means settled into you.”

Enter Malcolm Wilcox.

Malcolm, is our Chairman of Feoffees and Governors.  He steps down as Chairman of Governors this term, although he will be continuing as Chairman of Feoffees.  Malcolm’s son Tom came to OSH in 1991 and his two grandsons have some through the school, with another following this September.  In 1993 Malcolm became Chair of the OSH PA (the curtains and drapes in the Great Hall, and the chandeliers date from his time at the helm of the PA).  In 1997, which was the year I was beginning my career in teaching, Malcolm became Feoffee and Governor.  His direct association with OSH is now in its 33^rd year which makes him our longest serving colleague.  Where Malcolm gets his energy from, nobody knows.  He has accompanied OSH rugby teams on overseas tours and ski trips, attends pretty much every concert, and chairs more committee and subcommittee meetings here than I am minded to calculate. 

Malcolm has been a chartered surveyor for over half a century and is co-founder of the Cordwell Property Group.  So, he knows how to negotiate.  Potter House and the Foleyan Centre are evidence of his leading an OSH team to negotiate with the DfE in the first decade of this century.  Swinford Court is testimony of his work doing the same with BMET and Dudley Council back in 2020.  I’ve seen Malcolm go in to bat for us, first hand, back in 2015, at the Department of Education in London where a new Secretary of State for Education and a not so new schools minister from the House of Lords weren’t exactly sympathetic to state boarding schools.  But by the time he’d finished with them, they were.  And during the depth of the pandemic, in the autumn of 2020 when we were struggling on all fronts, it was Malcolm who helped Public Health England and the Local Authority make better sense of just what OSH is, and how best they could help us operate in the face of considerable adversity.  He’s also as cool as you like when Ofsted are in town, and more knowledgeable than they are too. 

Malcolm is far too humble to accept any of these plaudits but the reason institutions like OSH have resilience and robustness is all down to people like him and people led by him.  For me, Malcolm leads us with success and purpose because he understands the vision that Foley and Baxter had for our school way back in the 1660s, and he absolutely has the nous and wherewithal to put that vision in a modern and a changing context.

So, we thank Malcolm very much indeed and we remind ourselves that we are incredibly lucky he’s still supporting us; we’re also very grateful to the ever-patient Sue Wilcox for letting us continue to borrow her husband for a little longer. 

And finally, I would like to remember Peter Jenkins to you.  His death in November of last year was a blow to us all, one we are still reeling from and yet our grief is as nothing when compared to the sorrow his family feels.

Peter taught here from 1988 to 2019 but continued to work at OSH as a boarding tutor and sports coach until his death last November.  He stepped up during the pandemic, coming in to run activities sessions for the young people here when the potential impact of coronavirus was barely understood and the number of cases and fatalities rising.  He did this because he thought it was the right thing to do.  That was Peter.  He taught PE and Games here, RE and History – he had a particular enthusiasm for anything Welsh or Churchillian, and I think he harboured a secret disappointment that Lloyd George and Churchill had not been born the other way around.  He housemastered in Maybury House, ran our basketball and athletics teams, and acted as Contingent Commander to our RAF CCF cadets.  Peter was one of those teachers whom the pupils just loved.  They knew that he liked them; they knew that he always had time for them.  When we heard the sad news of his passing it was as though the wind had been taken out of the sails of the whole community.  But he would want us to keep going; he would continue to cheer us on from his touchline. 

I remembered Peter in spring at the Old Foleyans Dinner, where most in the room had either been taught by him or knew him.  I used a line from Robert Bolt’s ‘A Man for All Seasons’ to try and get my point across, and I hope that Peter knew how much he meant to those people who, in turn, he cared about.  This passage comes from a conversation between Richard Rich, who eventually becomes a lawyer and administrator at Henry VIII’s Court of Augmentations, and the chancellor, Thomas More.  More is giving Rich some careers advice and says:

• More: Why not be a teacher?  You’d be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.
• Rich: If I was, who would know it?
• More: You; your pupils; your friends; God.  Not a bad public that.

Peter knew pretty much all of our students; I know he’d be very, very proud of them all.