Given the current Prime Minister’s fondness for Churchill, the absence of Churchillian leadership at this time may seem surprising. Primary schools, apparently, returning on 1 June, for limited numbers of pupils, and thereafter, some suggestions of a staggered return to normality, whatever that may be.
Compare the caveats, the qualifications and the uncertainties of Sunday’s set piece with the opportunities that the 8.15am arrival of the KES co-curricular daily bulletin brings. Less bombast, and presumably fewer hand gestures. But more optimism.
As Director of Studies, I sometimes look back at my own school days. I don’t remember many lessons. What I do remember most clearly are the activities: the sports, the societies, the rough-and-tumble of engaging with my peers. And every weekday at 8.15am, I’m reminded of their importance, especially at this time.
Boys doing things they enjoy, engaging and enthusing others: vibrant, often independent, seeking to plot a way through the world, an essential part of the culture of KES. Cycling the equivalent of the Earth’s circumference, philosophical inquiry, or even those small acts of service in the home. All proof of a resilient community – one that, given the circumstances, continues to offer hope of better times ahead.
