Eton College: headmaster nicknamed ‘Trendy Hendy’ says he is proud to be ‘woke’

The headmaster of Eton College has said he is “guilty as charged” when it comes to being labelled ‘woke’.

Speaking to the Big Fish podcast, Simon Henderson, nicknamed “Trendy Hendy”, said: “If by woke people mean I believe in kindness, understanding, respect, tolerance, treating people decently, trying to have empathy, trying to understand things from other people’s perspectives – then, guilty as charged.”

The 47-year-old also hit out at those who have turned the word into a “pejorative” phrase, by simply applying it to concepts or ideas which they disagree with. He then warned that politicians who keep harping back to the word are fuelling an atmosphere in which society is reduced to people being put in “polarised, binary positions”.

His comments come after he was accused of launching a “woke” cultural revolution at the elite private school in Berkshire - criticism which followed his appointment of a ‘Director of Inclusion’ to oversee diversity efforts. Mr Henderson denied that there was an “ideological framework” being taught to pupils, and said he was not a “revolutionary”.

“When you’re leading an historic institution and trying to lead it forward, it’s a balancing act between best of the old and best of the new,” he explained on the Big Fish podcast, which is hosted by ex-Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews.

Who is Simon Henderson?

Simon Henderson, 47, is the headmaster of prestigious private school Eton College. Back in 2015, when he was appointed to the role, he became the school’s youngest ever at the age of 39.

Earlier in life, Henderson studied a degree in history at the University of Oxford, before getting his teaching qualification. He first worked as a history teacher at The Windsor Boys’ School, before he joined Eton College as head of history in 2001.

In 2009, he became Deputy Head at Sherborne School, in 2011, he was appointed Headmaster of Bradfield College, and in 2015, he returned to Eton.

Mr Henderson made a few headlines during the pandemic, when he opened the school’s vacated accommodation to key workers. He also expanded Eton’s online learning platform ‘EtonX’ to state school pupils, later commenting on how he wanted to widen the school’s intake to those of different backgrounds: “We want talented boys to be able to come to Eton whatever their financial circumstances.”

In response to a parent and student-led petition following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Mr Henderson pledged to focus more on teaching students about systemic racism - and promised to increase efforts in diversifying the faculty.

Why was he labelled ‘woke’?

Some of the labelling began simply because Mr Henderson proudly championed the celebration of both Pride and Black History Month at his school. Later, there was a resurgence in the use of the term to describe him when he sacked English teacher Will Knowland, after he refused to take down a controversial lecture on the patriarchy that he had uploaded to YouTube.

More recently, the Eton College headmaster was called woke because appointed a ‘Director of Inclusion’ as part of the school’s efforts to improve diversity.

What did he say on the Big Fish podcast?

Speaking on his approach to running the school, Mr Henderson explained: “When you’re leading an historic institution and trying to lead it forward, it’s a balancing act between best of the old and best of the new.

“There are going to be some issues and some debates where there’s a wide spectrum of views about what you should be moving forward with and what you shouldn’t, and that’s a good thing. Challenge, scrutiny, I think is a really positive thing, it means better decisions get made in the end.”

On being called “woke”, he continued: “Eton has a particular place in the public consciousness. From time to time when there have been difficult moments, I think some people have latched onto that. I would not say that I’m a revolutionary.”

In fact, Mr Henderson said he always “raises a bit of a wry smile” when people describe him as “woke” because he is “pretty institutionalised”. He explained: “I went to a boarding school, I’ve taught in boarding schools for many years, I’m the headmaster of Eton, which is a 600-year-old institution.

“I think the word woke, what does it mean? If by woke people mean I believe in kindness, understanding, respect, tolerance, treating people decently, trying to have empathy, trying to understand things from other people’s perspectives – then, guilty as charged.”

Mr Henderson also addressed the growing obsession with the word, arguing that many use it as an “easy label to apply to things you don’t like or that you disagree with”. He said that nowadays there are many complex social issues which there “aren’t often easy answers for”, but insisted that Eton College was in no way trying to “indoctrinate” students.

“There’s no ideological framework that we’re trying to indoctrinate young people, in which you sometimes get accused of,” he said. “We do celebrate Pride every year, we do celebrate Black History Month – those things are, I think, important.

“Why wouldn’t we celebrate the experience of significant groups within our community, some of whom have perhaps been marginalised over time? So, those are things we’re proud to do and I think are part of being a modern institution.”