Few events provide an opportunity for alumni in their 80s to share their experience with incoming students in their 20s, and for this reason, the Ogden Dinner is a truly special date in our calendar. Each year, our students have the chance to learn from those who came before them what it takes to succeed in teaching, and enjoy an inspiring lecture as they do, and this year, Tim Simmons, Chief Executive of the Ogden Trust, shared his thoughts on 17 years visiting schools around the country, and on the pivotal role teachers have in shaping the future. This, Tim’s final Ogden dinner in this role, exemplified the importance of good teachers by bringing together lifelong educationalists with the new intake, and the dinner and drinks were filled with conversations and laughter. As one alumna put it ‘Although there were none of my exact contemporaries actually present their spirits rose before me as I met with the new intake of PGCE students. There was an irresistible excitement in the air that took me straight back to my unforgettable year at Hughes Hall in 1959/60.’
