News & Diary
Winchester Weekly – 4th November 2025
WEEKEND ARRANGEMENTS (8th & 9th November 2025)
I hope all families had a relaxing and enjoyable Leave-out.
As outlined in the Winchester Weekly earlier this term, we are looking forward to our Community Weekend on 9th and 10th November. Parents are welcome as always to attend the sports matches on Saturday afternoon. A programme of activities is planned from Saturday evening onwards, when our focus will turn internally to celebrate and benefit from one another’s company. Pupils should not take their Flexible/Prefects’ Weekend leave this weekend, as they will be participating in activities within School.
If you would like to see your child on Sunday afternoon, they can be signed out from 14:00 (after lunch) and need to return to boarding houses by 21:00. Please access the Parent Portal via the link below to complete the Sign-out form.
WHOLE-SCHOOL REMEMBRANCE SERVICE (Sunday 9th November 2025)
The College’s whole-school Remembrance Service takes place on Sunday 9th November. Owing to the lack of additional space in Chapel during this service, we are regrettably unable to formally invite parents to join us. There will however be very limited capacity in the organ loft, available on a first-come, first-served basis, primarily for parents of pupils in the CCF colour party or Chapel choir. Guests are asked to be seated by 10:05. Please note that the organ loft is accessed via a steep spiral staircase. The Chapel service is followed by an Act of Remembrance in War Cloister at 10:55, but space for guests is also very limited here.
PARENTS’ EVENINGS 2025-26
This is to remind parents that the dates for parents’ evenings can be found below and in the School Calendar.
Junior Part and new VIth Book 2: Sunday 9th November 18:00-21:00, in-person, with a talk in New Hall for JP parents at 17:30.
Vth Book: Sunday 1st February 18:00-21:00, in-person, 17:30 talk in New Hall.
VIth Book 2: Thursday 18th June 19:00-21:00, online, with a talk for parents 18:15-18:45 talk in New Hall
VIth Book 1: Sunday 8th February 18:00-21:00, in-person, 17:30 talk in New Hall.
Middle Part: Wednesday 11th March, 19:00-21:00, online, with a talk for parents 18:15-18:45.
Details on how the evenings work and how to book appointments will be posted out to parents of each year group nearer the time.
To access these events, please ensure that you are a registered user of the Winchester College Society website and are logged in.
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.
Advent Service – 30th November 2025: Winchester College Society warmly invites you to The Advent Service in Winchester College Chapel on 30th 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.
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.
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. If you would like to buy a table but don’t know all your guests’ names at this stage, please just enter TBC when asked for details.
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 Wednesday 21st January 2026 the Winchester College Choral Society and Chapel Choir will be joining the Winchester Philharmonic Choir and the Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir to perform Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
Led by conductor Ms Sarah Baldock, the choirs will be joined by five outstanding soloists, Sofia Kirwan-Baez soprano, Charlotte Bowden soprano, Hugh Cutting countertenor and Morgan Pearse bass.
Tickets are now on sale for this concert, book early to get the best seats!
This weekend, the College will join together for the first Community Weekend of the year.
Saturday evening will see the pupil rock band perform, partnered with hot chocolate, treats and a bonfire, before fireworks and Scottish reeling to finish the night.
Sunday opens with a late breakfast and the Remembrance Day service, followed by a wide range of pupil-led activity sessions from baking and chess to Warhammer and mindfulness.
Afternoon events include the first round of the Concerto Competition and activities in the Sports Hall.
The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize is always a highlight of the Winchester academic calendar. This year, over 63,300 essays were submitted from around the world, with the shortlist drawn from the top 19% of entries. We’re delighted that several Winchester pupils took part, with many earning places on the shortlist or receiving commendations for their impressive essays.
Congratulations to everyone on this fantastic achievement!
Furley’s
Trant’s
Chawker’s
Toye’s
