Keen to excite the parental body beyond all human imaginings, I thought I might remind you of the fact that Bromsgrove is a founder member of HMC.
“Well I never!” you cry, pouring your cornflakes over the floor: “how undeniably thrilling.” Indeed, I can almost hear the scattered applause around the globe.
Or, more likely, are you actually saying: “HM what?”
HMC, The Headmaster’s Conference. It first met in 1869 and has now grown to well over 200 schools (some with Headmistresses now) which include all those you find in crosswords such as Eton, Harrow etc. A Headmaster has to be elected onto this venerable body, and if your School starts slipping up in terms of results or standards, you get the heave–ho. The annual meeting is next week in St. Andrews, Scotland. The press and senior politicians come along to hear the musings of this veritable swelling of Heads. Ambitious young tyros jostle to be seen with the Head of Eton but run like wildfire if they think they might be photographed with me. I might take my gorilla mask this year to liven things up still further. Floreat Bromsgrovia.
****************************
I was speaking with a group of Prep School children in my office yesterday and we touched on the nature and importance of the CV in later life. It struck me that many of these pupils will be employed in jobs whose titles have yet to be invented. In times long gone you knew where you stood with a job title. One might have said: “Hello, I’m a puddler” or “Would you be in need of a cordwainer? It’s different now: pupils who have just left can expect to be Modality Managers. But what of the future? Well, in and around Silicon Valley, they already have a Chief Dreamer, a Friction Arrestor and, my favourite, a Goddess of the People. How lovely.
************************
Finally, the results of the question posed in the last blog. Avid readers will recall I had contemplated the multitude that had passed through this School over the centuries. That got me a-thinking. Could anybody, I wondered, name a band who had changed all of their line up and subsequently enjoyed greater success without a single original member?
In third place, and the most popular answer by far, came The Sugababes. In second place (and surely the most terrifying response): The Wurzels. (I confess I have lost sleep over this. The parent concerned is a highly intelligent and articulate soul, yet openly admitting to knowing this kind of thing is surely tantamount to keeping bodies in the basement). But in first place – by a country mile – The Hallé Orchestra. Since a dodgy first gig in 1858, they have been through literally scores of line up changes and emerged stronger than ever. Great answer. Warm fizzy goodness to a member of the Prep School staff who can now look forward to benevolent Headmasterial glances and rapid promotion.
