All Together Now 

Take the Year 6 musical drama production, which has just concluded in a flurry of Tudor history, leeches, tangos and performances of a confidence and polish that felt a long way from ‘prep school play’. It was, in every sense, a culmination for many of these boys: of years of productions together, music, teamwork and courage, all brought together with real flair. One left the Pilgrims’ Hall not only entertained, but entirely impressed by just how far the boys have travelled. 

This evening, meanwhile, offers its own embarrassment of riches. The Art and D&T Exhibition opens its doors, showcasing work that is by turns inventive, meticulous and occasionally joyfully ambitious. At the same time, the LAMDA Showcases remind us that eloquence, presence and communication are crafts to be practised and performed, not simply present or not by dint of luck. Deciding where to be at any given moment may require a small amount of strategic planning (and comfortable footwear). 

As if that were not enough, Athletics Finals Day follows hot on their heels (quite literally) tomorrow: a celebration of endeavour, Set spirit, personal challenge and the sort of athletic heroics that will be replayed at the supper table for some time to come. And lurking just ahead, for our boarders, is the annual Mystery Evening – about which it would be entirely unhelpful to say very much at all. 

What unites all of this is not simply busyness, but breadth. Pilgrims’ offers boys the chance to be many things, often at once: musician and athlete; actor and technologist; thinker, maker, performer, competitor. None of this happens by accident, of course. Weeks like this shine a light on the extraordinary commitment, care and expertise of the staff who make such multiplicity possible. And they remind us that a Pilgrims’ boy is not defined by a single strength, but by the deliberate weaving together of many. 

Tim Butcher
Headmaster