A Conversation With... James Burgess

In our last 'A Conversation With... ' of 2020 we caught up with Joint Head of College, James Burgess who talked to us about his his first term in the role. James also talks about his love of rugby and his exciting new Podcast which he launched recently, to offer advice on rugby through interviews with rugby players and other professionals in the game. James is really looking forward to recharging his batteries over the Christmas break as well as beating his mum in a card game or two!

How long have you been a pupil at Shiplake and what are your roles?

I joined Shiplake in Year 9 as a weekly boarder in Welsh House and I have had several roles within the house since I started. Starting with Junior House Leader in Year 10, then House Captain and Peer Support in Year 12 and now I am Head of College alongside Trixie May. I have also had the opportunity to represent the College at first team level in rugby and football with my highlight being Friday Night Lights in 2018 in my final season of rugby before having to hang up the boots due to a series of concussions.

What subjects are you studying and why?

I am currently studying business, psychology and PE at A Level. I chose these subjects because they were all of interest to me. I also feel these subjects offer a great variety of knowledge and skills for my application to university and future pursuits. Business is relevant to the university course I am hoping to take next year. I can apply what I have been learning in PE to my methods of coaching. This subject has also given me a better understanding of the impact I can have (along with the environment) on the performance of sports people. I chose psychology as an A Level subject because I was intrigued to learn more about it, and I am so glad I did, as it is really interesting.

What is the best thing about Shiplake College?

Shiplake College has given me so many opportunities that I do not feel could be replicated at many other schools. I believe if you express an interest in bettering yourself and show a passion to learn more about anything, then Shiplake will support this and encourage you to try and take on opportunities to improve yourself. In addition to this, one of the aspects I love most about Shiplake is the real community feel and spirit that is ever present on a day-to-day basis around the school. This brings a sense of community and togetherness throughout the College. What has really impressed me is how this feeling has managed to remain constant during current times with most things being virtual or in bubbles. 

What do you hope to do when you leave Shiplake next year?

Shiplake has already put me in the best position possible for when I leave at the end of this year. My first goal when I leave Shiplake is to secure my place at university for the following year, which I am confident with hard work I will be able to achieve. In addition to this, I want to keep developing my coaching business I have recently set up and keep growing my client base through offering a good level of coaching to young rugby players. I have also planned a trip to Ghana with Freddie Diver next summer where we are going out for three weeks to help build schools in the struggling areas of Ghana just outside Accra. This is obviously only possible if COVID-19 begins to improve but if it isn't possible this year, I will do at some point in my life.

How has the first term been as Head of College? How have you had to adapt what you do when comparing College life to your predecessors?

It is a privilege to be Head of College at Shiplake and it has been a really exciting challenge for me as well as for Trixie, Maddie and Kai. We have had to react and adapt to situations we may have not necessarily had to cope with if COVID-19 hadn't happened but I believe we have dealt with these challenges well and it is something I am really enjoying. I enjoy having the responsibility and the ability to make a difference to the College with ideas and initiatives that I believe could further improve the College. When we took over from Rhys Ash and Estelle Thomas last year, we had a phone call with them and they kindly gave us advice and helped with preparing us for our roles of Heads of College. This allowed us to prepare things we wanted to implement over the summer meaning we could hit the ground running when we started in September, both academically and with our new roles.

Can you tell us a bit about any initiatives you have launched this term?

So far this year we have had a few initiatives that have come to fruition which we are proud about. The first being a Q&A with Lower School and Year 12. They were both a real success. The Year 12 session was particularly beneficial  as it gave them a chance to gain a better understanding of the prefect application process, what it entails and how to apply. It also gave them a chance to ask questions about life in College House for the boys which brought up many questions we were happy to answer. In a meeting a few weeks back we also came up with an idea to do mixed sporting events. We held our first event, a Netball Tournament, last week. It was great fun and a good way to get girls and boys competing within the Sixth Form. The final thing we got up and running this term was a Best Decorated House Competition, with the aim to initiate that festive feel around the College in the final few weeks of term, and to get that Christmas buzz around Shiplake. We are all looking forward to judging the winners of the competition and announcing it in the final week of term.

What are your plans as Head of College for next term?

Heading into next term we will be looking to make many more positive impacts on the College. We had a School Council meeting this week which brought up some things that we may be able to consider when coming up with ideas next term. We have a couple of meetings a week where we have the chance to brainstorm ideas. Following the Christmas break and our mocks in January, we will start thinking of initiatives we want to implement.

What advice would you give to any current Year 12s thinking about applying for prefect roles next year?

I think it is important that if you are unsure whether you want to apply, just do it. This is because becoming a prefect is a prime example of an opportunity that can help you develop as a person, this could be through the development of transferable skills or the extra thing you can write about in your personal statement when applying for university in Year 13. Following on from that, I would encourage all current Year 12s to start putting themselves out there and helping out teachers and other students where possible because this will put you in the best position possible when you come to apply for a prefect role.

We hear you have launched a Podcast can you tell us about it?

Yes, I have recently launched my Podcast called 'The Burgess Podcast'. I started the Podcast with a vision to be a source of motivation for young aspiring rugby players. This idea came off the back of me setting up my own coaching business and I thought this could be a USP to my clients as I can offer them a wealth of knowledge and advice from people within the game. I have currently released four episodes on Spotify featuring James Marshall, former London Irish and Hurricanes player, Fyn Brown & Archie McArthur (and Old Viking) who are both Wasps Academy and England U18's players. My most recent Podcast was with Chris Wyles a four times Premiership Champion and two times European Champions Cup winner for Saracens. As well as this, he represented the USA at three Rugby World Cups and at the Rio 2016 Olympics. This is a really exciting project for me which I hope to continue to pursue as I balance it with my academics, responsibilities and my coaching business.

What else do you like to do in your spare time?

I am a person who likes to be busy and I do not often know what to do with myself if I have nothing to do, therefore I make sure in my spare time I am busy. One of my favourite things to do in my spare time is to go out with friends, whether this is going out to eat or watching football at the weekends. I am a big Arsenal fan and this means I have a designated slot of 90 minutes most weekends where my emotions are taken on a bit of a rollercoaster as I have chosen to support probably one of the most inconsistent clubs in the country. I look forward to the return of fans to stadiums as I will be aiming to get down to the Emirates as soon as I can.

With only one week to go until the Christmas holidays, what are your plans this year for Christmas?

I am looking forward to using Christmas as an opportunity to recharge my batteries and prepare myself for my upcoming mocks in January, but of course most of all to spend some quality time with my family and hopefully beat my mum in as many card games, quizzes and board games as possible over the Christmas break, because we do get competitive. I am also really looking forward to running my two rugby camps for a group of U15 boys. This will be a great chance for me to learn and develop as a coach and offer young players a chance to get a run around with a ball in hand over the break.