12th September 2025

At IGS: Durham, we are - I think rightly - proud to be British and even, for most of us, English.  As some of you know, I have occasionally written (on a modest scale) on history, and I have no doubt that this is one of the greatest countries in the world - warts and all.  We shouldn't be afraid of saying so, and I was pleased last year to put up some suitable flags in the main hall and a Plantagenet flag in the grounds.  There is a wonderful irony about that last flag: first, although it is viewed as quintessentially English, it is in fact very French indeed in its origins; and, when England fans sing about "three lions on my chest", their zoology is a bit wrong: those are leopards, and have never been lions!  

All of which underlines just how much of a mixed bag our heritage is and how much we depend on so many other influences and inputs from all over the world.  I regularly tell children in assemblies how absurd is any form of racism - I personally (apparently) am 70% Viking, 29% British and 1% Serbo-Croat.  Some other such mixture will probably apply to most of us.  (I claim more or less direct descent, by the way, from Ragnar the Bloodthirsty).  

I have recently tried to put myself in the shoes of those of other nationalities and backgrounds as they stare at the thousands of flags which have sprung up everywhere.  Some, no doubt, are a little uneasy as they do so.  Sadly, I suspect that, in a small number of cases, there might well be traces of racism and aggression among those who decorate their streets and lampposts in that way.  It isn't for me or IGS to apologise for that, but insofar as most of us are British and therefore involved in some way, we would deeply regret any anxiety or unease caused by it.

You know very well that we would want to distance ourselves from that kind of thing.  We are proud to have just under 30% non-White British children in our school, and proud that there are, by my reckoning, about 15 languages spoken here (not, thankfully, all at the same time).  

Our flags in the hall went up several months ago, well before the recent spate.  We are not jumping on any band wagons.  I don't feel inclined to remove them.  

But ... we have in the last few days bought a miniature flag of every single nation which we think has been represented at IGS: Durham in the last seven years, and they are now on display alongside the St George's Cross and Union Flag.  We're including staff here: I think I'm right in saying we currently have staff from Russia, Greece, Kenya, Italy and I'm led to believe a couple from Sunderland (I have no idea how they snuck in).

I might be making too much of this, but the sheer number of flags on show across our country just now seems to have gone slightly over the top.  If it has become a bit threatening or disquieting for some, let me assure you all that, at IGS, everyone is welcome!  By and large, I think our children have ceased to notice difference; and when they do, they have learned to affirm and celebrate it.  Long may that continue.

Which brings me to the main reason for writing this.

If you are other than British, and are sufficiently interested in this, could you email me so that I can be quite sure we have included your flag?  This includes parents, grandparents and possibly even French poodles, German shepherds or Siamese cats if you have ever had any of those. I'd love to capture them all.  I think we might reach 25, which would be excellent!

Mr Gray