Mr Rob Lane, made his debut address at assembly this week. Here is his full address, titled 'A Man Fell Down A Hole', in which he reflects on his first few weeks as  Senior Deputy Head at Oswestry School...

I’ve got to say that I’ve enjoyed my first few weeks here and getting to know you all. As I suspected, there are plenty of special things about our School: the friendliness, the individuality, the success that so many of you have in the various aspects of school life. But what I’m really pleased about is that I have not been disappointed in one particular area: this is a school that allows you to find your ‘thing’. The passion, the activity, the subject, the sport that lights your fire, that you will hopefully still be doing when you are 25, 35 or 50 years old. Last week I covered the War Hammer Club and it was great. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, despite everyone there doing their best to explain it to me, but fundamentally, it was a room of like-minded people doing the thing they enjoy, or giving something a go for the first time, and exploring finding their passion. You have so many opportunities here at school to try something new and have a go. You will probably never again have as much on your doorstep as you do here - and you will miss it when you eventually leave.

I remember when I was at school, the idea that my teachers had interests and a life outside of school felt like madness. There was always the assumption that surely they just slept in the cupboard at the back of the room and the idea of bumping into one of them on the weekend in town was almost unthinkable. And I imagine that some of you feel the same: the idea of seeing Mr Price in Sainsbury’s fills you with dread, apart from anything else he would probably just start talking to you about rocks…

But don’t forget that teachers are humans too, and they have passions and interests as well. In fact, many of them, like me, had a career as something else before they became a teacher. As my 4th form science class and I were discussing a few lessons ago, I had a career designing jet engines for the military, and then I nearly joined an F1 team before I decided to become a teacher. And when I tell people that, often the immediate question they ask is ‘Why?’, ‘Why are you here as a teacher?’ And that’s what lots of my class said this week too. I must admit that I try not to read too much into that as a question….

There are many answers to it, and they have changed over time, but there is one theme that runs through all the reasons over all of the years: for me, it’s the people, the community, of schools like ours that pulls me in. That’s what makes it special, that’s why your teachers are here, and that’s why you, as students, can thrive. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it’s my passion: working with people to build a community whether that be in a classroom, a boarding house or across the whole school. Because community, coming together, relationships with people, sharing moments, and helping each other out is what school is all about. 

It’s been pretty clear to me over the years that, in all areas of life, the defeats and softened and the victories made sweeter because we do them together. That’s what a community is; it’s what I’ve seen so many of you do, over the last few weeks, and it is what I believe to be the secret to a great school. 

This picture hangs in my office, and has hung in every office that I’ve worked in since I was given it many years ago. It was given to me by some friends after I’d been banging on - yet again - about the story that is written on it. I’d like to read it to you but before I start, if anyone other than knows where the story comes from, grab me later, there is some chocolate for you….it says:

This guy's walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can't get out. 

A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, "Hey you, can you help me out?" The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. 

Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up "Father, I'm down in this hole, can you help me out?" The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. 

But then a friend walks by. "Hey Joe, it's me, can you help me out?" 

And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, "Are you stupid? Now we're both down here." 

The friend says, "Yeah, but I've been down here before, and I know the way out."

You see, you, your friends, everyone here, countless generations of Oswestrians before you, and those still to come, benefit from the community that we build every day and the support that you give each other. And it’s important.

So after only a few weeks here, what is my advice? Find your passion, find your thing - and support each other while you do so. Don’t be the person who takes an easy shot at someone under the guise of banter, don’t be the person who uses the word ‘gay’ when you mean bad, don’t think of people in racial stereotypes, don’t selfishly leave a mess for someone else to clean up, don’t walk past the quiet person in your year on the way to the tuckshop without asking them to come along too and don’t take the people around for you granted.

Instead, be the person who jumps down a hole for those sitting next to you - because that is what makes a community, that is what school is all about and when we do it right, we can achieve amazing things: much like lots of the things I’ve seen here at Oswestry over the last few weeks.