News & Diary
Winchester Weekly – 14th October 2025
Leave-out
Leave-out begins at 13:05 on Friday 17th October. A courteous reminder that parents are asked not to request an early departure for their child except in the most exceptional circumstances.
Community Weekend
A reminder that our next Community Weekend takes place on 8th and 9th November and pupils should not take leave that weekend.
With all best wishes for a restful Leave-out.
Please find a message from the Headmaster on weekend activities here.
To access these events, please ensure that you are a registered user of the Winchester College Society website and are logged in.
Win Coll Soc in India – 10th November 2025: A very generous Winchester family is hosting a reception for us in Delhi on the evening of Monday 10th November. If you are expecting to be in Delhi on that date, whether for business or other engagements, they would love to extend the invitation to you. Please contact Winchester College Society if you would like to join us.
Futures Fair – 15th November 2025: The Futures Fair will be held on the evening of Saturday 15th November, from 18:00 – 20:00. We would love to hear from any parents or Old Wykehamists who are happy to talk about their own careers or the sectors they work in to VI Book pupils. We are looking for expertise from all sectors, but if you have experience in Humanities, Languages, Geography, Psychology, Art, Scientific Research or are an Entrepreneur, we’d love to hear from you. If you are also able to borrow any marketing materials from your employer that would add to the sense of occasion. Sign up here.
Advent Service – 30th November 2025: Winchester College Society warmly invites you to The Advent Service in Winchester College Chapel on 30 November. Drinks will be served in New Hall at 6.00pm, before the service begins at 7.00. Space is limited and registration is essential for this event. It is open to parents of VI Book 1 pupils, parents of Quiristers and Wykeham Patrons only. Current pupils are not able to attend the service. Places are limited to 2 adult tickets per family and, with apologies, younger siblings are not able to attend. Please register here.
Parents Drinks in London – 12th February 2026: Parents are invited by Winchester College Society to join us for drinks at the Cavalry and Guards Club, London on Thursday 12th February. Please register here.
Parents Quiz – 27th February 2026: Our Parents Quiz returns for 2026 on Friday 27th February. Gather your teams and get ready to buy your tickets for an evening that promises to test your general knowledge. Yuriy Evdokimov, a current parent is back by popular demand and will host the evening. The tickets are sold by table, which seat 10 people each and the cost includes your food and drink for the evening. Save the Date. More information to follow.
Parents are very welcome to join us for College events. Upcoming events, including the Autumn Lecture Series (link below) are highlighted in the Winchester Weekly newsletter.
The next lecture is the Cameron Bespolka Memorial Wildlife Talk with Dr Campbell Murn FRSB FLS from the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Dr Murn will share the highs and lows of devoting his life’s work to the research and conservation of birds of prey.
Below, you can find links to our lecture series and music diary for the upcoming term.
On Friday 10th October we held the first ever Friday Night Lights fixture for the school when Soccer XI played Wellington College 1st XI up at Winchester City FC. Over the last couple of years, we have established an excellent relationship with WCFC as our teams use the 4G pitch for training across the term.
The Friday Night Lights concept is something many schools have done in recent years, but it has been very much rugby and hockey driven. The opportunity for the players to experience playing under floodlights on a pristine surface was one we felt the pupils would benefit from and would undoubtedly enhance their development. The team were well supported by over 50 of their peers, a number of staff and several Winchester and Wellington parents which helped generate a great atmosphere.
The match itself was a tense affair. Winchester took the lead through a penalty and had several chances, but the Wellington keeper was up to the task. Wellington equalised early into the 2nd half and with their tails up they managed to take the lead. Unfortunately, despite a few close chances we couldn’t tie the game up and the visitors took away The W Cup. The team will get their chance to win the pot back in December when we play Wellington in the reverse fixture.
Pictures from the evening can be found below.
Congratulations to the winners of the recent Stewart McDowall Science Essay competition.
The adjudicator, the Head of Science at Radley College, praised the entrants for their thorough research and impressive understanding of complex topics.
Winner: Johnny (C) – Ferulic Acid and its Effect on Amyloid-b Proteins as Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Runner-up: Catherine (G) – Astrophotography
Honourable Mention: Mariella (B) – Why are Ticks a Formidable Species?
On Thursday 9th October, 11 pupils of the climbing team took on a competitive Southern School Climbing Competition hosted at Parthian Climbing Centre, Southampton.
The competition consisted of 26 schools, top ropes, bouldering problems and lead climbing. The climbing team represented themselves and the school incredibly well and finished 5th overall.
Catherine finished 3rd overall in the female category, Cosmo 3rd in the boulder category for year 10-11 and Louie placing joint 1st in year 10-11 for top ropes. The team will now be looking ahead to Nationals in the new year, another chance to showcase the hard work they are putting in during and out of term time.
Well done to the entire team: Kentaro, Billy, Amir, Catherine, Cosmo, Thomas, Phuc, Harith, Anton, Louie and Oliver.
On 9th November we welcomed Eton College for the annual commemoration of the ‘Amicabilis Concordia’. This ‘friendly agreement’ was co-signed in 1444 between Winchester College, Eton College, King’s College, Cambridge and New College, Oxford, to confirm and celebrate the shared ‘intention of their Founders’.
This year, Winchester College hosted a joint service of evensong in College Chapel, sung jointly by the two college’s chapel choirs. A packed chapel enjoyed the impressive sound of the two choirs coming together in works by McKie, Howells and Bairstow. Following the service a dinner was held in College Hall, at which the Warden spoke of the shared values of both colleges.
On the afternoon of Sunday 12th October, a varied concert was performed by members of the Woodwind, Brass and Percussion Faculty to a packed Music School Hall. The concert featured soloists, duets and small ensembles from a wide range of instruments across the faculty and was greatly received by the audience.
Highlights included three pieces from the French Horn Ensemble, a number of fantastic solo performances and the drum kit talents of Henry and Tony. Tony then combined with Oli to perform Gene Koshinski’s ‘Get It’ for Bassoon and Percussion in a rousing funk finale.
Pictures of the event can be found below and also on Piwigo (details in cover email).
As you may be aware, the School hosts an informal Parents’ Prayer Group (WCPPG) twice a term. It is a chance to share various bits of news, enjoy a coffee with one another and pray together for the life of the school.
Rev. James McKinnel coordinates this group and, if you would like to be included in the email distribution list, please do drop him a line.
The first meeting will be just before Leave Out at midday on Friday 17th October (more details to be sent out to those on distribution list).
