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

adleians
The voluntary candlelit Eucharists on
Friday evenings would gather thirty or
more boys together in prayer to receive
the Blessed Sacrament. This term the
Chaplain has introduced a short said
Eucharist after lunch on Wednesdays.
Having had the privilege of preparing
boys for Confirmation, I am acutely
aware of how embarrassing they find
it to talk openly in groups about their
spiritual journeys as opposed to other
PSHE topics, their favourite team’s
performance, or which film star they
fancy most. However, individually,
they all relate different, but no less
real experiences of fear, inadequacy,
joy, and hope which are healed and
nurtured in Chapel, where they are
reminded that they are not just pupils,
but the living Body of Christ.
I will never forget the sight of hundreds
and hundreds of candles being lit on
the Altar at the voluntary evening
service the Revd Tim Fernyhough
and I led in response to the 2004
Boxing Day Tsunami. In those
precious minutes boys were not too
embarrassed to cry, to pray fervently,
to thank God and to struggle with
the tragedy of natural disasters. It was
perhaps the most overt expression of
a school’s corporate Christian faith
I have experienced for many years:
quiet, candlelit, prayerful and dignified
liturgy followed by the most rousing
hymn-singing.
It is not just the boys who are nurtured
by Radley’s spiritual tradition. In my
time here the Holy Spirit has been
hard at work in Common Room:
Katie Jones, James Wesson, Matthew
Bemand, Brenda Stewart, Rebecca
Peters and I have all been ordained
priests, and two more Radley dons
are currently exploring this calling.
Before my own ordination training,
I would lead a simple said Compline
on Wednesday evenings in the Chapel
of the Resurrection above Memorial
Arch. This was always supported by
the dedicated team of Sacristans, one
of whom is himself now following his
own vocation. Boys and dons alike can
become whole people at Radley.
The Revd Dr Simon Thorn
Head of Science and PSHE
Vannevar Taylor (VI-1)
DRAGON, ETON, K SOCIAL
There is no denying that when I first
set foot on Radley soil as a Radleian,
doubts were scurrying around my
head and my heart thumping with
nervousness. I knew of the immense
beauty of the grounds, I knew of its
reputation as an all-round school. I
had captained an Eton side that was
thumped by Radley at rugby: their
sporting prowess was no secret to me.
Equally, some of the brightest boys of
my prep school, the Dragon, had gone
on to Radley: it was easy to guess that
they were no slouches on the academic
side of things too.
This did not prevent the doubts
from assailing me. I had laboured all
summer-long to catch up on GCSE
syllabuses which differed from those I
had studied at Eton, I was determined
to make this place the right one. I was
prepared for challenges, and therefore
anticipation was normal.
This was reckoning without the
character of the place. From my first
evening at the school, I felt welcome.
Boys went out of their way to be
friendly to me and to make me feel at
home in a way I had not experienced
before. Thanks to this, I settled down
quickly to the Radley way of life.
Sport was integral to this, and my
participation as openside flanker to
the Colts 2 unbeaten season in my first
term confirmed my impression of all
Radleians’ dedication to sports. I felt
from the off that it would provide for
me what Eton had not been able to:
a warm, friendly environment where
pleasant and sociable boys were the
rule rather than the exception.
On the academic front, I felt at once
that I was in safe hands. Lessons
were productive and informative and
teachers managed to keep each and
every lesson interesting. However,
the relative informality that existed in
lessons and the friendly relationships
boys struck up with teachers was the
aspect that surprised and impressed
me the most. This kind of relationship
not only contributed to the friendly
atmosphere of the place, but helped
drive the boys to better and higher
achievements, as they tried desperately
not to disappoint the teachers after
their hard work.
Having already been to one of the best
public schools in the business, it would
have been natural for me to have been
critical of aspects that left something
to be desired. This was rendered
impossible by the lack of flaws in the
Radley system.
Societies were without exception
stimulating and of profound interest.
Better still, there was no lack of them;
lectures were constantly being given,
either by teachers or experts in all
fields brought in to talk to us. Most
impressively, boys seemed eager to
involve themselves in these extracurricular
opportunities, and many
took a genuine interest in multiple
shades of the spectrum.
Life in socials was another aspect of
Radley life that I immediately took to.
K Social, as one of the two new houses,
was easy to like for its cleanliness and
striking interior, but its atmosphere
was something that no other school
could, in my opinion, replicate. Again,
the informality of it all struck me, but
the idea of “cocoa” was one that had
never occurred to me before, and one
that suited the camaraderie present in
all socials.
Having been successfully guided
through GCSEs and having embarked
on the A level course, every aspect of
life in school continues to impress me,
not least the fantastic facilities we have
at our disposal, or the competitiveness
of boys on the games fields, but equally
the friendliness of everybody no matter
what the situation.
I have much to be grateful for at
Radley for, particularly the recent
award of an honorary academic
scholarship. I shall always be thankful
for the opportunities it has given, and
continues to give to me, as I make my
way through the sixth form.
12 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER
12 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER
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