There is something rather wonderful about the end of term. Schools empty. Teachers exhale. Parents begin wondering how many days it will be before someone announces they’re bored. And youth organisations across the country somehow summon the energy for one last concert, performance or celebration before everyone disappears for the summer. Those who know me…
There is always a particular energy about a school at the end of term. It is not exactly calm. It is not exactly chaos. It is somewhere between the two, with a faint scent of exhaustion, excitement and impending freedom in the air. So when I was invited to speak to the girls of Downe…
Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s is one of the boldest interventions in childhood and adolescence that we have seen from any UK government in recent years. On balance, I support it. That may surprise some people. I have spent much of my professional life championing young…
The Cambrian Learning Trust’s Platinum Primary Character and Citizenship Awards Presentation Evening11 June 2026The Beacon, Wantage This evening I had the immense pleasure of attending The Cambrian Learning Trust’s Platinum Primary Character and Citizenship Awards Presentation Evening at The Beacon in Wantage. I was there in my role as a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, which…
I was recently invited to give a keynote on the theme “Five lessons for tomorrow’s leaders, today” to a room of charity and civil society leaders drawn from around the world. It is the sort of title that sounds straightforward until you sit down to write it. Leadership is not exactly short of commentary. There…
At the beginning of Pride Month, I find myself thinking about how much has changed in my lifetime, and how much still depends on the quiet courage of ordinary people. When I was a young Scout, the United Kingdom was a very different place for LGBTQI+ people. Male homosexuality had only been partially decriminalised in…
Over the past year as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, one lesson has come through consistently: if we want to change outcomes for young people, we must start with relationships. That demands a different kind of attention, and a different kind of leadership. Over the past year, as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, I have worked under…
There are moments in this role when you can feel something beginning to shift. Last week at Broughton Castle, I had the privilege of attending the launch of The Sun Fund – a bold, business-led initiative aimed at tackling youth disadvantage in Banbury and opening up real pathways into employment for young people. What struck…
Last thing on Sunday evening, I had the pleasure of joining Radley College for the opening concert of its splendid new Music School – a wonderful way to end the weekend. It was a memorable occasion, with HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh attending as guest of honour and unveiling a suitably elegant plaque to mark…
There are few things guaranteed to keep one grounded in public life, and a primary school assembly is right up there. On Friday afternoon, Mark and I joined Windale School for their end-of-week celebration assembly – a school very much at the heart of its community, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, encouragement and helping…