The History Boys-Newspaper Article- Written by Scripps for the School Magazine.

Newspaper Article- Written by Scripps for the school magazine.

Outstanding! Our Oxbridge Boys Elevate The School!
So how can you do the same?

So it’s final! Congratulations! The boys of Cutlers’ Grammar school have finally made their headmaster the happiest man in Sheffield after eight of Cutlers’ most influential students make the grade and earn themselves a place at Oxbridge. They are the first of their kind in the history of the school and are they proud? The answer lies firmly with the pleased-as-punch headmaster. For now, the school sits securely at the top of the league tables, right where it was intended to be. An outstanding performance all round has seen an 100% success rate of all of Mr Hector, Mr Irwin’s and Mrs Lintott’s students furthering their education and getting themselves into University. Even the unlikeliest of boys made the grade.

So how did they achieve such a difficult challenge set to them by the school? Was luck on their side? Maybe the pressure from both teachers and other students is to blame. How about the boy’s intelligence itself? Or maybe even God. Whatever the answer is, it’s clear that the boy’s entry into Oxbridge for the first time in all of Cutlers’ history should not just be a one off.
Education itself is like a religion. You only get out what you put in. It’s fair to say that some take it seriously, while others don’t. The pressure to succeed is enough to make you rebel and the influences along the way are bound to affect the choices and decisions you take along the way. The teachers themselves are committed to the students, desperately trying to make their education worthwhile….or are they?

The teachers of the school play a vital part in the development and contribution an individual student makes to the school. Mr Hector, the boy’s English teacher has a very controversial attitude towards teaching. It is very much a cultural learning experience. Deemed inappropriate by some, it is clear that whatever Hector equips these boys with, certainly works. Mr Hector is adamant on teaching the boy’s life skills, which they can take with them beyond university. He acts as more of a tour guide, if you will, into the unknown world that exists beyond education. Certainly being able to quote poetry and speak fluent French is something to be proud of, but will this help you get into university? It makes us ask the question: What is better for the boys: thoughtfulness or intelligence? Hector isn’t against the intelligence the boys possess, just that is be used in an appropriate way and not so structured. Learn from the wise Mr Hector a life beyond grades and the syllabus.

In contrast to this, we introduce the ever modern Mr Irwin. Now the youngest teacher of the school, Irwin was bought in to coach the students for the entrance exams and encourages them to see a different angle to education. Making the boys think outside the box is the key here, but with the upmost of tactics. Liberal in his interpretations, Irwin encourages the boys to look at their work in a provocative way. Not overly encouraging or tactile as a teacher himself, Irwin’s confusing and sometimes frustrating methods really encourage the boys to think. Having been through the same process as the boys barely years before sees him as the most likely to sympathise with the boys. Differing greatly to Hector, Irwin has a set purpose and structure about him. Whilst both startling and thought provoking teaching methods links the teachers; they couldn’t be more different if they tried. It is important the gain knowledge from Irwin and life lessons from Hector in order to be successful into Oxbridge and indeed into life.

So where do they get the cold hard facts from? How do the boys actually learn the subject in hand, without being controversial? The answer lies in Mrs Lintott, the most competent teacher; the boys A-Level History grades reflect this. Always to the point, her lessons do exactly what is asked of them. Immensely structured and ridged, the boys learn nothing but what is asked of them. No need to be elaborate or thought provoking, Mrs Lintott teaches the boys what they need and sees no reason to be otherwise. In contrast to both Irwin and Hector, Mrs Lintott holds her own and needs no bells or whistles to do so, the real foundation of learning. As the new students start the new term with a team of varied teaching styles behind them, what could go wrong? There is something for everyone at Cutlers school for boys.

However, when all is said and done, the new boys cannot rely on the teachers to mould them into the people they become, nor can they give them the desire to achieve. The new boys must possess a desire to do well, whatever the teachers say or do. There are a certain number of recommendations for a boy to enter Oxbridge: by being intelligent, impressionable, religious, musically gifted or sporty. It’s best to try and be at least three of those things in order to glean whether or not you are an Oxbridge candidate. Whatever your religion, or aspiration is, focus on what you believe in and it will all become suitable in the end. Always have a goal, a point in which you want to reach. Decide what is important to you and build on that. Success is just a word, until you make it a reality. Individually, the boys least likely to fail are the ones who absorb all that is given to them. Is there any chance the new boys could achieve the same amount of success?