"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (attributed to Edmund Burke, 1729-1797)

Just before I start my talk this morning, I want to say two things: firstly, how proud I was of the behaviour of all of you on Tuesday last week, at our Remembrance Service. I have had a good number of comments from Governors and parents who were uniformly impressed by the way in which you all behaved. It was a really excellent service and you conducted yourselves impeccably – thank you.

Secondly, I would like publicly to thank Mrs Bourne, whose talks on the role of the British Legion on the previous two Mondays helped to inform the context of our remembrance. Modern conflicts, such as those on Iraq and Afghanistan, bring a new public awareness of the ongoing sacrifices and human costs of conflicts around the world. Mrs Bourne’s talks highlighted the wonderful work of the British Legion, not just in distributing that annual symbol of remembrance – the poppy – but more importantly in supporting, caring for and representing millions who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces, and their dependants – many of whom continue to pay the price, mentally and physically, for their sacrifices in conflict.

But now to my theme for today, which is to make you aware of national ‘Anti-Bullying Week’, which starts today. Bullying is defined by the ‘Anti-Bullying Alliance’ as the intentional, repetitive or persistent hurting of one person by another, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. As I am sure you know, bullying can take different forms, such as physical, verbal, indirect (spreading nasty stories about someone, excluding people from social groups) and cyber-bullying (via mobile, text, email, website, instant messaging or video). Some media of bullying may be new, but the instinct to bully, surely, is old as humanity itself.

It is easy, perhaps, to think of bullying as a two-dimensional problem: something between the bully on the one hand and the victim on the other. But what I want to get across this morning is that, in the vast majority of cases, there are at least three parties involved wherever bullying is allowed to persist: the bully, the victim, and the bystander.

Bullying happens in a social context, not in a vacuum. The bystander is part of that social context. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘innocent bystander’ – usually in the context of someone who ends up hurt through no fault of their own. What do we mean by a bystander in a bullying situation? Well, we simply mean a person who does not become actively involved in a situation where someone else requires help. What I want to say to you this morning is very simple: when it comes to bullying, there is no such thing as an innocent bystander. If, as I asserted in a recent assembly, the culture of this school is hostile to bullying, then there is no room for bystanders.

This may sound naive. I am sure that many of us have been bystanders at some time or other – and there are some perfectly understandable motivations in a school context. Perhaps you know what’s right, but find it difficult to act on that in the reality of peer group life. Perhaps there is sense of a diffusion of responsibility among the crowd. Perhaps there is a concern for your own safety and a fear that standing up to bullying will make you the next victim. Perhaps you worry that you don’t really have the skills required to intervene effectively – you might even make things worse for the victim.

All of that is understandable, but it doesn’t make it OK. If you stand by and just watch a playground fight, or watch a developing argument in a corridor, you are like an audience at a play: you engage in the spectacle. Even if you do not become actively involved, you encourage the perpetrators, who will feel driven on by the audience. Bystanding, therefore, is not passive. ‘Doing nothing’ has a real impact on events, and may cause harm.

The way in which bystanders affect the situation varies according to the type of bystander. Academic studies in Finland recognised several types. There are the ‘assistants’ – who join in and assist the bully. Then there are the ‘reinforcers’: those who do not actively attack the victim, but who give positive feedback to the bully, perhaps by laughing, and providing an audience. Then there are the ‘outsiders’: those who stay away, not taking sides, but who allow the bully to continue by their ‘silent approval’. All of these are bystanders; none of them is entirely innocent.

The alternative to being a bystander is to be a ‘defender’, by which I mean someone who exhibits anti-bullying behaviour, someone who comforts the victim, takes their side, and tries to stop the bullying. Remember the famous phrase attributed to Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

So if you find yourself in danger of becoming a bystander, remember, there are things you can do instead. Tell an adult. Tell an older child – a prefect, perhaps, or a senior pupil you know and trust. Comfort the victim and encourage them to tell someone. Show your disapproval to the bully – tell the bully to stop if it is safe to do so.

Bullying is therefore a social phenomenon. Either intentionally or unintentionally, almost all within a social group will have a role to play, whether as active participants or as bystanders who are unable or unwilling to act. Peer group morality is a powerful moderator of behaviour. Put more simply, if you and your peers decide, and demonstrate through your behaviour, that bullying is not acceptable, than it cannot flourish. That’s my message for Anti-Bullying Week – and it’s a message which is valid for the other 51 weeks of the year as well.

As the bus drove in through the front gate we all gazed at the Challenger 2 tank on the left and its mini version on the right. We pulled over, and the Warrant Officer came and met us. He gave us a rough briefing for the day; we then split into three groups of seven. Each group then went to their own station.

The Vehicles

We wandered over to the different armed personnel vehicles and the Bridge Builder; we were shocked by the sheer size of them. Over to the left we saw three Challenger 2 tanks lined up (they were huge).We jumped into the cramped space of the Bridge Layer and had a play with the cameras and switches. We also learnt a bit about how they work and where they are used.

The Driving Test

We saw the Spartan tank and some cones and knew exactly what was going to happen. We were going to learn how to direct a Spartan tank. We were taught the basic hand signals and then these were put to the test trying to direct the Spartan around a course. It was a lot harder than it looked but nevertheless great fun. There was then a competition: we had to work in pairs and direct the tank around a slalom course, and park it in the quickest time possible. As some groups found, it was hard not to hit any cones! The fastest time of the day was set by Samuel and Patrick in thirty-three seconds.

The Tractor and Guns

We walked into the tent for the briefing on how to control a tractor and we saw a table full of weapons: AS80s, A2s, GMPGs other wise known as ‘Gimpies’, the small versions of the SA80, A2 and a 9mm pistol. We learnt how to strip the 9mm pistol down. Later, we tried to use the scoop on the digger to pick up cones and put them on a barrel. It was so hard - no one could get all of them on the barrel.

Year 9 Cadets had a great time and thank you to Mr Hayward and Mr Palma for organizing the trip and for taking us.

James Vince, who left Warminster School in the summer of 2007 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer, is already well on the way to achieving this goal.

His chosen county, Hampshire, have recently awarded James his first professional cricket contract - cause for celebration, even though it is initially just for 1 year. He has also represented England at Under 17 age-group and has since been selected for the English Cricket Board’s Under 18s winter coaching programme, which includes a trip to India in February 2009.

This summer, the 17-year-old finished as the leading runscorer for Hampshire 2^nd XI in the 2^nd XI county championship – scoring an impressive 399 runs at an average of 57.00. The highlight of his summer was an unbeaten 115 against Essex at Halstead in late August. James was also a member of the side that won the 2^nd XI Trophy, beating Essex at Chelmsford the following month.

“I did pretty well in the 2nds and made a hundred against Essex, 90 against Warwickshire, and 78 against Somerset,” he recalled. “We won the second eleven competition and I was very pleased overall with my contribution. I felt I achieved my pre-season goals in the Hampshire 2nds and if anything I probably did better than I expected.” James also played one Minor Counties Championship game for Wiltshire, scoring 87 against Oxfordshire. He is now, for the second year running, wintering in Perth, Australia, where he is playing for the Melville club.

“Hopefully being out here and getting used to the heat will stand me in good stead for Indian conditions. My objective in Perth is to gain more experience and work on technical aspects of my batting against spin bowling. I can use that as a platform to further improve against the spinners in India. I scored 60 in my first game for Melville last weekend so it’s pleasing to have got off to a good start this time around”, he said.

James’ father, Paul, is proud of the progress James is making and was quick to thank Warminster School for the role it has played in James’ flourishing career. “The coaches were very pleased with his development whilst in Australia last year and were equally impressed, as were we, with the way James conducted himself and matured as a person whilst he was away. We certainly noticed a huge difference on his return, and believe that his experiences at Warminster helped him to cope with the situation.”

Looking to the future, James is very clear on his ambitions: “Playing for the Hampshire first team is my goal. I’d like to think I have a chance but I have to consolidate in the 2nds first”. He has certainly made real strides towards this goal over the last few months: over the summer, he scored his first hundred for the West and South of England Under 17s and gained his first full England Under 17 cap against New Zealand.

Congratulations to James on what he has achieved thus far: we wish him well over the winter with his cricketing in Australia and then with the England Under 18s in India.

Warminster School's Lauren Clinch wins prestigious 'Best Actress Award'.

On Saturday, October 19, the 2007 - 8 Rose Bowl Awards ceremony took place in front of more than five hundred assembled dignitaries, amateur theatrical groups and members of the press at the Winter Gardens in Weston-Super-Mare. Amongst them, fresh from her performances in our ‘Magic of the Movies and Musicals’ concert in the Athenaeum Theatre on the previous evening, and nominated for an award for the second year running, was our very own Lauren Clinch (Year 10).

The Rose Bowl Awards were started in 1963 and the sponsors include Cameron Mackintosh, Aardman Animations and the Bristol Hippodrome. The adjudicating committee members are drawn from performing arts examiners, drama critics and teachers. For members of the amateur theatre in the South-West, this award is now one of the major events of the year and is described as the “Oscars of the South West”.

Last year, Lauren was nominated for her leading role as “Annie” in “Annie: The Musical”. This year she was again one of four nominees for the Barbara Macrae Youth Award for Best Actress for her leading role as “Bobbie” in “The Railway Children”, performed by the Bradfordians Dramatic Society in Bradford-on-Avon. We are delighted to congratulate Lauren on the news that she won her category: she is now the proud possessor of an engraved cut-glass Rose Bowl Award and citation!

Well done, Lauren!

Directed by Damian Todres and Annabel Hooper with Musical Direction from Brian Martineau, Warminster School is proud to bring the school edition of Les Miserables to life with a vibrant cast of 57 pupils, an

18 piece orchestra, stunning costumes and breathtaking scenery.

The cast includes pupils who have performed in a number of local productions with the Warminster Athenaeum Masqueraders, Trowbridge Amateur Operatic Society, White Horse Opera, National Youth Music Theatre and LoganWest Productions as well as plenty of new faces - including nearly half of the school's 1st XV Rugby Team!

The show runs from Wednesday 19th until Saturday 22nd November 2008 at the Merlin Theatre in Frome (on the campus of Frome Community College on the Bath Road). Performance times are 7.30pm each evening with a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon. The show is projected to run for 2 hours and 40 minutes including an interval.

Tickets are available from the Merlin Theatre box office on (01373) 465949. The box office is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am until 3pm and on Saturday mornings from 10am - 12 noon. Tickets are currently available for all performances, although at the current time, availability for the gala performance is extremely limited and we would recommend early booking. Tickets can also be booked on this website by following the extra-curricular music and drama links.

We look forward to seeing you there - thanks for your support.