THE HEADTEACHER'S BLOG - THE BURFORDIAN, ISSUE 10, 2024-2025

This is the Headteacher's Blog which was first featured in issue 10 of The Burfordian, published on Friday 7th March 2025.

In assembly this week I have been showing students a range of different portraits. I have tried to capture quite different approaches to conveying character and attitude through the creation of a painting. I have also shown some of the professional photographs taken of students in the school and how they bring out the sense of our core values of Respect Participate Reach.

Among the images I showed this week was one of my favourite paintings, irrespective of form, that of Whistlejacket by Stubbs painted in 1762. It is an incredible painting indelibly etched in my memory, if not anything else for its sheer scale - about 10 feet tall by 8 feet wide – but also for the sense of character embodied in the brush strokes. It is not a typical portrait in that it is the painting of a horse commissioned by its owner, the Marquess of Rockingham. The reason to commission such a painting might not be clear; however, as a painting, Whistlejacket is an extraordinary work, and it left me gob-smacked the first time I saw it in the national gallery.

The painting of Whistlejacket shows an animal in its prime, coiled ready to run, full of energy and power. Stubb’s observation of muscle tone is quite brilliant. Further in the eyes there is a wonderful sense of the tension between wildness and anxiety, really providing the true sense of the spirit of this thoroughbred horse.

Alongside this portrait, I also showed the students a rather eclectic mix of portraits, including those of a doctor, a mother, ambassadors, George Washington, and even labourers with boats. I wanted to show how different roles, characters and values could be captured in a portrait and how actions can be celebrated or reflected through the creation of a painting. Then, towards the end of the assembly, I challenged the students to think about how they paint a portrait every day through their actions. We then finished by considering the importance of doing the small things well in creating a metaphorical portrait (showing gratitude or forgiveness, being punctual, owning mistakes, opening doors for others, putting litter in the bin, being present for friends and taking time to listen).