N E W S L E T T E R - Radley College

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oarding at radley Boarding is one of the defining characteristics of Radley, for it is central to the school; indeed, Radley is one of only three all boy/all boarding schools in the country. As part of a recent, extremely complimentary, CSCI (government welfare) inspection a number of boys were interviewed; that prompted us to ask a random selection of boys what it is about Boarding at Radley which they value. As might be expected their responses differed, but certain themes recurred. A number dwelt on the transition from home and day school into a new, boarding environment. Sebastian Lomas (Crosfields, H Social) said that “Starting at a new school is a big step in life for a boy who has never boarded before, never moved house and never really left ‘home’ for periods longer than a week. The prospect of not having your family around you and always being surrounded by your peers seems, at the offset, a BIG ask. Which is why it is such a rewarding feeling when you are coming to the midpoint of your last year and you look back on your journey through the school with pleasure. Over the five years I have on numerous occasions been heard calling school ‘home’ and I am now surrounded not by peers, but by another family.” He went on to say: “If I had the choice of starting again and choosing between boarding or dayschool, I would pick boarding any day. The amount of time that is saved by boarding from not having to commute daily is huge and enables so much more to be done in a day. In addition by removing home from school, you can create two entirely different environments whereby school can be linked purely with work, and home with relaxation”. Myles Watkiss (KCS Wimbledon, H Social) also reflected on that contrast between day and boarding, the better able to make the comparison because he left a top London day school to board at Radley at the start of Y10, the Remove Year. Several aspects struck him: “Being at a day school just over a year ago, moving in to full boarding was not only an exceptional leap of faith that I would enjoy myself, but also a great shock. I was, and still am, amazed by the facilities available almost 24/7 and the flexibility to have help, whether at 7.30 in the morning or at 9.00 at night.” And again “One of the aspects that I most enjoy is the trust that I am given, enabling me to have freedom to organise and amuse myself. Though if I were to be disorganised, then there are plenty of friendly people who would help organise me”. Others also reflected on the symbiosis of greater trust and independence, on the one hand, and help and support on the other. Harry Mayes, (Pinewood, Head of G Social), writes that “As you move up the school you become much more independent and self-reliant; the independence which you gradually get prepares you for real life and allows you to develop self-respect”. Philip Råge (Sussex House, C Social) echoed this, but emphasised the importance of the dons: “And that is the amazing thing, even with all these distractions, the main focus is still clear, work. Although, like many I can say that I went through periods of better and less good work, I feel that in my final two years you are given freedom a lot more and encouraged “it is your life”. However there is always the Radley safety net waiting to catch you if you do fall, and even if you do feel as if you are falling, all you need to do is ask. You can never be afraid to ask, even if it is not a teacher or an older year. This is what I like so much, the camaraderie, not only shown between boys and years, but also among the boys and teachers. This can be seen by the active involvement of teachers with boys’ free time projects, societies boys have set up or even just putting aside some of their own free personal time to help someone who does not quite grasp a concept.” Will Stinton (Sandroyd, B Social), amongst much else, valued that structure: “Not only does boarding at Radley offer the chance to make extremely strong friendships – and have fun – but also it sets you times and incentives to work”. 6 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER
For many, Radley boarding is inextricably entwined with their experience of the Social, and the development of close and lasting friendships. In a lecture to 6.2 in September 2006, Simon Wolfson O.R., Chief Executive of Next, argued that Radley’s greatest gift to him was to foster an ability to get on with all sorts of different people and tolerate, converse with, even come to understand, them. It had stood him in good stead professionally. Henry Woodward-Fisher (Summer Fields, G Social) says much the same thing as he ponders the arrangements for Shells at Radley, and articulates the affection he has for the Social: “For me the boarding system at Radley is great, as it allows you privacy if and when you want it and also a very sociable atmosphere. In the Shell year the cubicle rooms are fantastic as they are a big step up from prep school dorms, offering a degree of privacy whilst also not being cut off from the other guys in your year group. I have heard occasionally people say that they wish there were actual rooms for the Shells. However, in my opinion this would be a big disadvantage because there would not be such a buzz of conversation between the rooms as there is with the cubicle system and some may feel alienated from their peers. So in that respect the Shell boarding system is a great environment in which people thrive and learn to get on with one another. Moving up the school the rooms generally grow in size; certainly then there is a lot to be said for having your own room. Many people will gather in one room for a chat or to watch a film etc. and in this way everyone gets on with each other and really enjoys being part of their Social. All the Socials have rings-rooms, places where you can cook food, make a hot drink and go to Cocoa in the evening. Equally important to the boarding system at Radley are the Tutors, Sub-Tutors and Matrons. All these people are there to offer advice if it is needed and they will also provide some sort of Cocoa in the evenings. Being able to live with the people who teach in College means you get to know the Dons better as well as having someone to turn to with any problems. The Social system at Radley offers huge opportunities, as well as forging lasting friendships; one can also represent the Social on the sports field and on the academic side of things”. His enthusiasm is shared by Theo Whitworth (Aldro, C Social) who says: “Living abroad while prep schooling in England for three years freed me of the shackles of homesickness, leaving me to enjoy my boarding here from the beginning. The conversations that ricocheted off the cubicle walls around the Shells’ corridor bonded everyone in our year immediately”. And he concludes “The trust that has been built up through closequarter living is unrivalled, and although at times the delights of the big city might seem more attractive than those in Social, we know that although ennui is a possibility, loneliness never is”. Again, Harry Mayes says “Being able to get on with people, who you may not necessarily choose out of school, is a valuable quality to have”. Will Summerlin (Caldicott, F Social) develops that theme of Cocoa, an institution unique to Radley: “Perhaps the most enjoyable facet of boarding life is the one that is the most perplexing to prospective parents. I know from my experience of conducting tours with parents that trying to explain the benefits of Cocoa is quite difficult as it would seem to be so dull. However, I find that it’s such a useful forum for discussion after a typically full school day. Despite a member of staff always being present it is refreshing that most dons appear to adopt an unwritten convention whereby ‘what happens in Cocoa, stays in Cocoa’ so that anything said in frustration is never picked up on come 8.30 am the next day!” Finally, the facilities, and the time to use them fully, strikes many boys. Joshua Rencher (Abingdon, D Social) put it like this: “One of the best things about Radley is that it is contained on one campus. This means it is easy for boys in one Social to mix with boys in other Socials, which is much harder in schools like Eton, Harrow or Winchester. In schools like this, to visit other boarding houses you have to trek across town. Often, there you even eat in your own boarding house. Another benefit of the one campus is that it is easy to reach the facilities in spare time. The swimming pool, the astros and the DT workshop are examples, they give boys opportunities to try new things by themselves and with the organisation of Dons.” And Myles Watkiss, contrasting the boarding experience with his day school, writes: “Personally, sport and music are my main hobbies and up until I went to Radley these always seemed to clash, yet not only is there now enough time to do both but I am able to do them to a higher standard. This is due to having music teachers on duty from 7.45 in the morning to help with my practice, and to having the time to play sport every day”. Will Stinton’s remarks make for fitting last words on the subject: “Boarding at Radley offers many different activities in which many people can be involved. Radley would not be the school it is without the boarding”. THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 7
Page 1 and 2: Radley THE N E W S L E T T E R Polo
Page 3 and 4: declamations Dennis Silk, Radley’
Page 5: 6th form conferences Punishment’
Page 9 and 10: ‘PERPLEXED’ RADLEY’S 6TH FORM
Page 11 and 12: such as Carol and Confirmation serv

N E W S L E T T E R - Radley College

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