Radley College

Radley’s teams faced Harrow on the cricket pitch last week – for some boys, their final College game, with some impressive performances across the board. “A complete performance… the lifting exam stress seemingly adding another yard of pace!” reads one match report, while another declares, “A wonderful team performance played against very good opposition and in an excellent manner.”

On Sunday, the cast of the upcoming College musical, West Side Story, performed Bernstein and Sondheim's classic songs to a packed Silk Hall, from wonderful company numbers to iconic solos and duets, beautifully illustrating the plight and tragic fate of the two young lovers Maria and Tony. The final musical will be performed in November - and we cannot wait!

We had the privilege of a visit from former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Michael Heseltine. Lord and Lady Heseltine dined with a handful of dons and 6.1 boys, with Lord Heseltine then taking part in a Q&A session in Coffee Shop, discussion led by Arthur (6.1, H) and Giles (6.1, K). The questions from the floor were first class, and Giles and Arthur chaired proceedings with great skill, as Lord Heseltine both revisited and analysed his experience and impact during the Thatcher and Major years and beyond.

Last Thursday and Friday, the Radley Shell Play 'The Journey' was performed by a cast of thirty-two, supported by three backstage crew. This incredible tale of a real-life 13 year old asylum seeker brought both tears and laughter, and for the final performance, we were honoured to be joined by the young man who inspired the show, Mez. Mez was blown away by the dramatic retelling of his story and, along with his foster family, met members of the cast after the show. Head of Drama Miss Burton was hugely proud of the boys, who created a focussed, committed and emotional performance, handling a challenging topic with maturity.

Over the last CCF Field Exercise, we had record high levels of Remove participation. The Navy section went to Portsmouth, while the RAF section went to Bramley training area to do some fieldcraft training - both these sections completed their Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze during last term's Field Exercise. This term, it was the turn of the Army section. Overall 30 staff were involved, some for the full two days out.

The Army section (80 boys) arrived at CCF Sunday morning. They went through 2.5 hours of preparations (kit issues and checks, food issue, briefs, navigation reminder and route planning). They then set off on an 18km walk from Radley over Boars Hill, through Cumnor, down to the River Thames and around Farmoor Reservoir. Sunday night was spent at Hill End. Monday morning was 22km along the Thames for a bit, around Wytham Woods, down through Osney Lock, back towards Boars Hill and through Bagley Woods. Some boys enjoyed the walking so much that they opted for 'bonus miles'! All boys achieved the whole route, plus de-kitting at the end. Sunday's weather was not exactly typical summer weather, but better than was forecast. Monday's weather allowed the boys to realise why waterproofs were on the kit list, but ended up with a sunny afternoon for kit hand-back at Radley.

Padel has rapidly become a popular fixture at Radley College, with boys regularly organising matches and steadily raising the standard of play. Following positive pre-application planning advice, the College is now progressing plans to install two new courts to the South-East of the athletics track this summer.

UK private school plans for major expansion at 800-acre ground A UK private school has plans for a major expansion at its 800 acre site in Oxfordshire. The school was attended by celebrities such as Jamie Laing.

Outstanding performances were on display at this year’s Peter Cook Cup, Radley College’s biennial monologue competition.

Adjudicated by actor Steve Dineen, pupils brought to life a diverse range of characters from stage, screen and digital media, showcasing impressive creativity, confidence and dramatic talent.

Congratulations to all who took part in another memorable celebration of performance and storytelling.

Watch the performances here: https://youtu.be/FgencPbRklE

Read the full report here: https://www.radley.org.uk/news-events/news/peter-cook-cup-2026/

Peter Cook Cup 2026 - Radley College “We wish to surround the boys with an atmosphere breathing greatness and goodness.” – Robert Singleton, First Warden

Congratulations to the new Senior Four appointed for 2026/27:

Senior Prefect: Hamish (6.1, A)
Second Prefect: Rafferty (6.1, B)
Senior Academic: Adrien (6.1, F)
Senior Co-Curricular: Harry (6.1, D)

As the first cricket fixtures of this half term get underway today, we look back on an impressive opening half of the season for the Radley 1st XI 💪🏏⁠
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Victories over Marlborough, Bradfield and Cheltenham highlighted an encouraging start to the season, with a six-wicket win over Eton standing out as perhaps the team's most complete all-round performance so far.⁠
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Manny (6.1, G) has led the way with three half-centuries, twice falling agonisingly short in the 90s. Tom (6.1, G) has been outstanding with the ball, producing the individual performance of the season so far with a match-winning 5-29 against Marlborough.⁠
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Just as encouraging has been the contribution from boys across multiple year groups, with players from Shell, Remove and Fifth Form all playing their part - a promising sign for the future of the programme.⁠
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We look forward to seeing what the second half of term has in store.