Mr Murphy’s Midwinter Musings
13 February 2026 - Clarence
As our UVI pupils enter their penultimate term of School life, it is naturally a period of reflection on their years at Wycombe Abbey. Having helped them settle into the Sixth Form last year, it’s been a real pleasure this term spending more time in Clarence supporting the House staff as part of their regular duties. Although the necessary focus is clearly on preparing for their upcoming mock exams, it was lovely to see so much warmth and camaraderie still pervading each house. They are a tight-knit bunch who support each other, and this focus on Encouragement, one of the School’s key values, will serve them in excellent stead as they begin to think about life beyond Wycombe’s walls.
There have been various social occasions for Clarence to look forward to this half term, not least the numerous Caledonian Society Balls, including ones held both here and at Eton. As ever, the expertise of our pupils far outstrips the rather awkward steps of their counterparts; a number of Clarence pupils also found time to take part in another edition of ‘Wycombe’s Got Talent’ last week, notably the 1st Lacrosse team and the Chapel Choir. In an event adeptly compered by our wonderful Head Girl Team of Todi, Estelle, and Genevieve, it was clear that the UVI cohort is still very keen to get involved in all the fun! We also look forward to cheering on our talented Clarence musicians in the Orchestral Concert this week – they have been sounding magnificent in rehearsal.
Talks featuring within the Carrington Programme this term have also covered a number of important topics; Miss Calder led a talk on fertility and pregnancy, while we were delighted to welcome Ben Heason, a famous climber, to speak on his feats of endurance. His jaw-dropping pictures of his team’s successful ascent of Angel Falls both thrilled and terrified in equal measure! In our most recent talk, we were delighted to welcome Wycombe’s MP, Emma Reynolds to discuss her career and handle questions from our politically astute Sixth Form. Kitty and Elisabeth, editors-in-chief of the Wycombe Fix, scored a photo opportunity after the talk, while the UVI Politics class spoke at length with her at a reception afterwards in Fisher Library. Even for a politician used to dealing with the terrors of Question Time, this was a rigorous interrogation, and she praised afterwards the knowledge of all of our Sixth Form pupils.
Carrington Electives have now entered their final block, and Clarence pupils have enjoyed the chance to discover more about topics outside of their syllabi. Many have taken the opportunity to engage in some upcycling in the Art Department; some have chosen to learn more about US Politics with me; others have learnt about the ethics of AI. When they return from Mocks, we will be hosting a special pampering session to celebrate getting their through such an intense period, followed by a Pyjama Party for Super Sixth Form Café. It remains astonishing how much Clarence is able to achieve and participate in, alongside their academic pressures, and in my interactions with them, I am never anything but impressed and proud.
