The Winton Cup

17 May 2022

It was a glorious sight to behold; one hundred and forty-two pupils from sixteen Prep Schools arrived at Stowe just as the morning sun was beginning its arc across the South Front, the dappled light gracefully caressing the neoclassical masterpiece where we are lucky enough to work, study and live.

The Winton Cup, Stowe’s Humanities Competition, named after Sir Nicholas Winton (Grenville 23), was off to an auspicious start. Building upon Stowe’s incredibly successful Schools’ Climate Action event, the day’s theme was Climate Ambition, with activities aimed at pupils thinking creatively about climate issues.

Much to the pupils’ delight, the day began with pastries and soft drinks as they posed for ‘selfies’ in front of the frescoes and statues of our State Rooms. We then listen to a fascinating talk by Dr Amy Munro-Faure, Head of Sustainability at Cambridge University, about what climate crisis is, what drives it and the sort of timescales we need to respond to it within. The talk ended with an inspiring invitation to the pupils to think about what they could do to make these significant changes happen.

The children then competed against each other in various activities ranging from passing climate change legislation, creating their own conceptual and performance-based artwork, to looking at the history of food consumption in the UK and its increasing food miles. I must thank the members of Staff who provided these sessions. The whole day relied on the teachers’ knowledge, skills and passion, and feedback from everyone involved, particularly the pupils, was exceptionally positive.

The results were read out whilst staff and pupils had afternoon tea on the South Front steps. Kitebrook were declared the winners, with Lambrook coming a very close second. The children were delighted and spent time chatting with Stowe’s Head and Dr Munro-Faure, basking in the afternoon sun and the glory of their victory.

What a thoroughly enjoyable day for all involved, and we hope that many of these pupils will return as fullyfledged Stoics in the future. Humanity faces severe challenges, but we can feel much more confident about overcoming them with children like this in the vanguard.

Simon Cole, Head of Politics