The Lyonian - Summer 2020

July 2020

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Welcome

Dear Lyonian, What a term! In its entire history, including during both world wars, the School has never been closed for so long, during term time. On 20th March, John Lyon shut along with all the other schools in the country. With just two year groups able to come into the School since then, and in very small groups for only two days in the last few weeks of term, most pupils and teachers have spent the entire term online. In the Lockdown Diaries (pages 4 - 11), you can read accounts from people at the School of what this has been like.

And then during lockdown, we heard about the shocking death of George Floyd. Husain Abedi (Head Boy 2019/20) reflects on his experiences of racism and how we should respond to the tragedy in I can’t breathe (pages 12 - 13).

While most things have changed recently, this Lyonian does have some regular pieces – pictures of OLs from the “Decades-on reunion” (page 14) and 2

the mega-season OLFC report (page 15). We also bid farewell to a number of long serving staff who leave this year for the next adventures in their lives, we wish them Goodbye and good luck (pages 16 - 17).

With many people’s travel plans cancelled, we have also included some armchair travel into the past in From the archives (pages 18 - 23).

With best wishes for the summer holidays from a very quiet John Lyon, Suzannah Chirnside Lyonian Office, July 2020 As ever, please get in touch about anything in the magazine or about the Lyonian Association more generally: Suzannah.chirnside@johnlyon.org

The New Hardship Fund - thanking our amazing...

Dear Lyonian, I want to write to express my enormous gratitude to the Lyonians who have contributed so very generously to the new Hardship Fund, which we created to help families who are struggling to meet the fees as a result of the coronavirus. Many of our students’ families have small businesses or work in hospitality and other areas severely affected by the lockdown. We launched the Hardship Fund at the beginning of May and I am delighted to say that we have raised over £40,000 in the very short time since the launch – with very significant donations from Old Lyonians, parents, staff and our governors, who already do so much for us.

Thank you to the extraordinarily generous individuals and families who have donated to the Hardship Fund – your gifts not only have given much needed practical assistance, but also bolster our morale in knowing that so many people care deeply for the School and our pupils.

Yours sincerely, Katherine Haynes Head, John Lyon

Front cover: Dhanesh Jegatheesan’s (U6ND) self-portrait.

Dhanesh says he “created an oil painting to encourage people to wash their hands thoroughly and spread awareness of this invisible enemy”. He intends to study architecture at Cambridge next year.

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Lockdown Diaries Interview with Jonathan Pepperman (Deputy Head, John Lyon)

managed to give basic training for staff and pupils on the online teaching we would be providing through Teams.

When I caught up with Jonathan Pepperman, he was in his study... below, on MS Teams. In fact, that is where he has been for most of lockdown, and often as the sole occupant of the Red House.

What does a typical school day look like for a JL student at the moment?

We are fortunate to be a school which has made significant progress in recent years with mobile technology and teaching and therefore we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel, but could rely on the expertise of staff to bring everything together into a simple set of instructions for how things would work remotely.

We closed on the Friday and were up and running teaching full timetables to full classes on the Monday.

When did you first realise what the impact of the coronavirus would be for John Lyon?

Looking back at my emails, I can see that around mid-February I started exchanging emails with colleagues about the likelihood of having to go online and what provision we could put together. The School stayed open as long as possible while preparing for the anticipated Government instruction and closed only on the day that the Government announced the closure of all schools, by which time we had

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For students, the day begins with registration at 8.30 online with the form teacher and the rest of the class. Then, mostly, the students follow their normal academic timetable. Lessons are

delivered through online Teams meetings, with the subject teacher, with tasks being set using the School’s virtual learning platform. For Sport sessions, weekly tasks are being set for boys to complete, with many recording their efforts and sending back to the department to show off their developing skills. We are also continuing to run as many extra-curricular activities as we can, and have even added activities such as cooking, with teachers demonstrating from home and boys cooking along.

There have been online concerts, lectures from sporting stars and authors and many other events, which have been enjoyed and well attended.

And, is that the reality?!

Academically, and in terms of delivery, it has been excellent, and I would say that our pupils have not suffered any shortfall in terms of academic progress at all over the past few months. While many pupils have been able to make quick progress from home, there are some who have found it harder not to have the direct support of a member of staff or indeed their friends. We all know that students have their individual learning styles and some have really missed the human interaction. Indeed, I would suggest that one of the things that makes John Lyon excellent is its sense of community and, while we have recreated that online through activities, assemblies and things like a virtual sports day, it is not the same as human interaction. It is much harder to have the quiet conversations and pastoral sessions that are an important part of what we do as a School to develop the whole student

as a person, not just an academic.

Alongside the fact that we miss competitive sport, and that music and drama are also pale comparisons with the real thing, the main trouble with online is the lack of visual feedback: it is much harder to tell when the students don’t understand and whether the jokes are funny!

Do you think teaching at John Lyon will change after the experience of online teaching?

Yes, the good thing that has come out of this is that we have made big strides quickly in regard to using technology and, importantly, so have the pupils, who can often be more conservative than staff in trying new things. It has also given us the confidence to look at other ways of delivering lessons and sharing resources. For example, we may be looking at sharing some Economics teaching next year with the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, which will be of benefit both to our pupils, in receiving a different perspective, and to the young men and women at the LAET, with whom we have formal links.

As a history teacher, how do you think history will judge the national response to the virus?

Really not for me to comment, but I think that the current Prime Minister may have more in common with Lord North than he would wish, rather than his rather more effective hero.

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Lockdown Diaries Home Schooling and Teaching Online: A lesson in progress

by Maria Trafford Sometimes in life, everything goes just right and according to plan.

Things that have gone very right: Teams. It swept upon all of us in the last week before lockdown. Staff were trained in snatched breaks and after school meetings. The entire cohort of pupils were visited in classes by our IT team and Microsoft support, making sure everyone had the right device with the right app and a promising new icon.

New technology is not my favourite thing. But this thing worked.

Nothing can quite describe the sense of loss we all had in the last week of teaching – our working lives were being

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snatched away and we were left facing a future where the meticulous planning of lessons, events, trips and all the other myriad ways a school ticks along had been put on hold. And yet, Teams has allowed us to rebuild our community online and in a way that the word ‘virtual’ doesn’t quite give enough justice to.

Week 1 of lockdown was the last week before the Easter holidays. School would happen from now on in my kitchen.

My open plan kitchen.

The one with the cat flap, the dishwasher, the washing machine, cooker, kettle, toaster, dog basket, piano (I said it was open plan), TV, radio, artist’s studio (it really is open plan) and the sink. The sink that somehow for the last three months is NEVER empty or clear. There are too many people and animals in my working life. And they need fed.

Three times a day. I barely noticed the sink in my old life. Everyone left the house at 7.30am BC (before Covid). The kitchen didn’t even host breakfast. And now, the crumbs just keep on a-coming.

Nevertheless, Week 1 of lockdown works like a dream. Lessons begin with genuine delight – like we are seeing and hearing one another from across the galaxy. I am relieved to discover that I can do everything I normally do in a lesson – PowerPoint, write on a board, tease mercilessly. I miss marching up and down.

But aside from that, the work is turned in, turned back and, I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, with virtually no technical hitches.

The minor irritations in a classroom setting have disappeared; I can’t see anyone with their shirt hanging out, head on the desk or asking to go to the loo in the middle of my exploding metaphor task. My three children, however, have become causes of concern.

And so, on to the thing that’s not going quite right, often very wrong and… let’s just say we’re on a journey that I hope ends soon, even if we’re not quite at the station (explode that!).

Y4 boy is a delight. He Zooms, he Joe Wicks, he timetables rockstars. He learned to ride a bike in half an hour – I know, I left this life skill late – lockdown has given us the gift of extra time outside. As far as Y4 boy goes, I’m juggling well – he hasn’t even invaded a lesson

yet. The same can’t be said of the dog.

My Y10 students now ask for him by name and his ears prick up. The dog loves lockdown.

My Y9 and Y12 daughters are interesting.

They do not have Teams. They have tasks set on a homework platform. Hence, they have become almost nocturnal. In some ways, this gives me a quiet four hours in the morning. It also gives me an underlying sadness. As a teacher (I’m sure in every profession), you give the best of yourself to work. BC, I could rely on other teachers to motivate, encourage and harangue my daughters. And they do need haranguing. I’m sad when I teach a lesson that I think the girls would have benefitted from, but they are one floor above otherwise engaged.

There have been some special moments.

Y12 girl listened in on an A-Level Literature lesson. ‘Hmm, you’re quite good,’ she grudgingly acknowledged. She appeared at my side one afternoon with her laptop and wrote her EPQ proposal.

Feel good moments. But Y12 girl, even though she hides it well, is studious.Y9 girl is not faring so well. Tasks sent home sit in her in-box and her anxiety rises with them, until she shuts it all down by painting or playing the piano. For Y9 girl, time will tell how much lockdown has cost her. She is, however, becoming a very chilled, accomplished girl. Jane Austen would approve.

Maria Trafford (in her kitchen opposite) teaches English and co-heads the John Lyon Excellence Programme 7

Lockdown Diaries Reflections on studying at home: the long and the not-so-short of it

strange experience of being bound to our homes by law, it’s important to review both the difficulties and the high points.

by Amman Budheo (L6ASL) On the 23rd of March 2020, Boris Johnson announced that all UK residents must stay at home to protect the NHS amid the growing threat of the coronavirus. Months have passed since then, and slowly, we as the UK population have been allowed to try to return to normality, whether it be barbershops and hairdressers opening up on the 4th of July, or parents returning to work so we students can gain a muchneeded break from them…

However, as we come to a close on this

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For John Lyon, all students were required to carry on their learning of their respective curriculums on Microsoft Teams with their teachers. Whilst some students would have found this hard I’m sure that the majority of the pupils would have loved the idea of doing their early morning lessons from the comfort of their bed, only to fall back asleep minutes after. Whilst online learning posed many difficulties, such as the lack of interaction between staff and pupils, I believe we as pupils should count ourselves as extremely fortunate to be able to carry on our learning throughout this difficult period, as of course

this luxury is not extended throughout the country to all schools.

for a walk whenever I got the opportunity.

As we moved on, hair around the country grew longer and longer. With it, restlessness grew too but with a hint of excitement travelling around the John Lyon boys at home: ‘Surely they’ll have to cancel end of year exams because of this virus? There’s no way we can do them!’… think again. The boys were later told that our exams would still be running, just on a remote basis. However, doing the recent exams in my opinion helped us to regain some sense of normality and purpose in this lockdown.

Doing homework and revising proved to be an absorbing pastime for me at home, as well as finding other outlets such as my one run a day and taking my dog out

Now, we wait for the day that the boys at John Lyon can push their overgrown hair out of their eyes and see the ‘Open’ sign on our local barbershop door and for Mr Johnson to relieve us of these restrictions so we can see friends and family outside the four walls of our home, return to the daily routine of school and thus regain a sense of normality!

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Lockdown Diaries Engineering in action: Florence Weinberg making... a difference At the start of lockdown, many of us felt moved to volunteer or do something proactive to help others. John Lyon Physics teacher and aeronautical engineer Florence Weinberg put this in practice by making face visors for NHS staff. Florence researched designs, discussed her ideas with Design Technology teachers around the country, borrowed the School’s 3D printer and began production.

Her first visors took four hours to make, each. In proper, DT teaching style, she evaluated her product, modified her processes, and was able to reduce production time – but to a still very time-intensive ninety minutes. Despite the time commitment, Florence made an incredible three hundred visors, as well

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as continuing to teach John Lyon students and her own two children at home.

Florence reflected on the experience: “It was hard to believe that life-saving equipment could be made at home.

But hearing nurses and doctors tell me that the quality of my masks was so much better than the ones they had made me sad and drove me to try and make as many as possible. People were risking their lives every day and I felt it was the minimum I could do to help.

Overall, it was a great experience, and a demonstration that when everyone works together, great things can be achieved. Design and Technology skills such as 3D modelling and printing are really valuable and I will try to include more of them in the STEAM curriculum.”

Florence Weinberg (below) teaches Physics and co-heads the John Lyon Excellence Programme

Curriculum extras online...

Despite the challenges, there has been some great sport, music, drama and even cooking online during lockdown. There are brilliant examples at www.instagram. com/johnlyonharrow

The online cooking sessions were a particular hit with staff and students.

Adam Ling, who provided the voice over, said they were so popular that we are looking to include cooking next term.

He also recalled amusing comments from students, including: Twenty minutes into the class, ‘What can we substitute for asparagus, in the Pea and Asparagus Risotto?’

‘Is that cake supposed to be burnt?’

Huw Jones, Director of Music, who arranged a moving Over the Rainbow (see above boys performing ‘together’) said, “The main challenges are timing and tuning. The boys had to play accurately to a click track in one earphone, which limits somewhat the ability for expression and emotion. They also had to tune to my Yamaha upright piano at home in West Harrow, which was the instrument used to accompany them.

But the end result is musically pleasing and with good ensemble – and hopefully a small but fitting tribute, along with all other rainbows(!), to the superb work of our NHS.”

The School also ran a major fundraising event: the John Lyon 2.6 Challenge (left).

All students, staff and Old Lyonians were challenged to a 2.6 target, whether it was miles running, minutes doing a plank, hours volunteering. We raised over £2,200 for the London North West Healthcare Charity, supporting NHS staff in our local hospital, Northwick Park (which had one of the highest numbers of coronavirus patients in the country) and thank all those who donated.

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I can’t breathe Our leaving Head Boy, Husain Abedi (U6CKL), reflects on racism and how we should respond to it

Husain, above, intends to study International Relations and History at LSE

I want to start by asking readers a simple question: have you had to have ‘the talk’ with your children? You know, that ‘uncomfortable’ talk that you’d rather let your significant other or child’s teacher take care of?

No - I am not referring to sex education.

I mean the talk my father gave me at 11years old when I couldn’t enter school without my classmates patting me down to check for explosives. I mean the talk my mother gave me when I cried about not having friends since I was ostracised from middle-school society. I mean the talk my brother gave me when he brought me to the nurse’s office after I was shoved down a flight of stairs.The same talk that thousands of children from ethnic minorities receive: keep your head down.

Be careful with the police and give them what they want. Don’t go out alone at night.

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“I can’t breathe” is more than George Floyd’s cry for the right to live. It’s the stifling of communities around the world who have faced suppression wherever they turn. My parents were first-generation immigrants to the ‘Developed World’ and had to survive however they could.That meant keeping their heads down, giving the police what they wanted and forfeiting evening walks. But that sentiment has become grossly embedded in societies’ collective mindsets. Anything beyond “thoughts and prayers” and Instagram posts of a black screen with “#BlackLivesMatter” is radical, dangerous, and harmful.

And that’s precisely the point.That’s the essence of “I can’t breathe”.

We’d be deluded if we thought that this was solely an American problem.The incidents I detailed above come from my upbringing in Hong Kong. It would be a lie if I said that I didn’t encounter some form of abuse in the UK.

This is a time of introspection both individually and collectively.The effective leaders of the two main parties in both America and Britain are older White men (though I’d forgive you if you thought that orange counted as diversity). Kamala Harris made a consistent point throughout her bid to be the Democratic candidate for President of the US that has stuck with me: the establishment didn’t think that she (a Black American woman) was electable.

She was more palatable as a Vice President.

Less powerful. More symbolic. Symbolism is inspiring, but political platitudes have shown their age: “I can’t breathe” has been a rallying cry for civil rights protestors since 2014, with police brutality triggering protests and riots since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s.

I keep the picture of me speaking at Open Evening (opposite) because it shows how far I have come but also how far we have yet to go.There’s me in the foreground, a brown young adult superimposed onto a backdrop of White men who used to run John Lyon. I was the first Muslim Head Boy in John Lyon’s history and (though this is unconfirmable) I believe the first not in possession of a British passport or British birthplace.That is incredible and something I am proud of and I think the John Lyon community should be proud of it too.

My father, raised in a village in South India, got lucky with a scholarship that propelled him and my family forward. Many aren’t so fortunate.

Many “can’t breathe”. Many are trapped in a vicious cycle which moderates have said should be able to sort itself out. After all, if Kamala Harris were to be Vice President it would certainly lift the spirits of the poor single Black women juggling two jobs and three kids, while finding out that the government was slashing spending on day-care services and naming a building after Frederick Douglass.

I don’t mean to come across as dismissive of symbols.They can be powerful tools that serve to motivate and represent a society.

They can be the objects we cling on to in times of hardship.They also need substantive change behind them and need to be truthful of what they represent. Symbols have to be beyond the bread and circuses that keep the masses placated. Symbols, in short, don’t solve institutionally embedded problems. Humans do.

And we need to step up and take responsibility.

We like to think that if we were in a bad situation, we could have done better.That you would never put a Black man in a chokehold or that you would fire officers who violently attacked peaceful protestors at Lafayette Square. I say that many of us are already in that bad situation, we just don’t realise it.

People around the world “can’t breathe” and we need to be the ones to push the knee of Yet once my eyes are directed away from my oppression off the necks of the persecuted. face and towards my silk blue tie with the Don’t think for a second that an Instagram golden lion, I am reminded of the immense post or hashtag means anything. Donate to privilege I have. People of ethnic minorities Black charities, like the NAACP or the National are disproportionately more likely to be Urban League. Put on a facemask and incarcerated, as they disproportionately march in solidarity. Do reach out and sponsor receive poorer education due to the scholarships like the one my father received. disproportionate levels of poverty in minority The time for living a life of survival is over.We neighbourhoods. will breathe.

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Old Lyonians On 30th January, we invited back Lyonians who left School 20, 30 and 40 years ago.

Was this really only last term? It feels like a lifetime ago, when a delighted hug to greet an old friend and sharing a buffet meal was entirely acceptable. Here are some of the photos from the evening, more online at www.oldlyonians.org/news/events.

Poet’s Corner 75th Anniversary of VE Day 8th May 1945 celebrations tempered by Covid 19 lockdown, by Martin Sexton (OL 1953 – 1958) What irony pictured this day, with our silent Cenotaph on this 8th May Compared with the jubilant joy of ‘45’s VE same day Then came dual spits soaring, roaring above Dover’s white cliffs Evoking the spirit to defeat then and now’s evil, no buts and ifs Our British resolve needs return again, never give in during this royal reign Different roled hero’s asked afresh to save each sole from its viral pain New friendships made, by neighbourly need, all singing again Vera’s refrain Challenging our reputed reserve, now open our heart’s intention to serve New day’s slowed down pace with time to put words into many a face Bunting brought out, newfound fun taking the place of the missing embrace Just for a while the toxins went and the birds were heard Our life seemed simple, old times seemed absurd Part good for now but take heed, with lockdown relaxed the leaders of men Will restore ambition by their volition and start it all up once over again Unless mature good reason highlights the season of today’s status quo Maybe this new way of life maintained by some for some will be good to go.

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OLFC heading for league cup, until…

It was a season beset by bad weather, multiple games cancelled, last minute fixtures changes to other pitches as Sudbury became water logged, and finally came to its premature end. A disappointment in any year, this has been particularly galling for the Old Lyonians as all six teams were playing exceptionally well and were “on the cusp of multiple successes” according to the OLFC Chair, Ian Denison. He summarised their position before the season closed: “The First team had made it to the quarter finals of the AFA cup to be narrowly defeated and were a good bet for both the SAL Cup, having made the semi-final, and promotion from the 3rd Division. I am confident that this team will remain together and attain the success they deserve next season.

“Our Reserve team have struggled in a really tough division.Whilst relegation may have been avoidable, trusting the SAL retains the current divisional constitution, we have the opportunity to take stock and reestablish our position next season.

“The Third team have had an outstanding season. So good, that an end of season

mega pile-up on league fixtures was inevitable. Guillaume Gerard led the 3’s to victory in the AFA Cup and they were due to play in the SAL Cup final. League promotion would have been a certainty. A major win for the Old Lyonians Football Club in a premier cup and unless I am mistaken the club has never won an AFA cup before. [Highlights of the game (start pictured below) can be seen on https://youtu.be/BgsvgTSNUCQ ] “The Fourth team ran the 3’s close in terms of achievement having made the semi-finals of all 3 cups that we play in – AFA, Old Boys and SAL.The 3’s made the SAL Cup final and would have been favourites. Again, due to cup matches the 4’s were way behind in league fixtures played but would have had a strong chance of promotion.

“The Fifth team were having a solid season with good league performances.

A strong ending to the season would also have brought about promotion for the Old Lyonians.

“The Veterans were heading for a comfortable mid table finish, a mean defence allied to a spartan attack led to our Vets side being dubbed the draw specialists of the West London league.”

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Goodbye and good luck to our leaving staff!

Lorna Hope joined the John Lyon community in 2009 as Head of Art. Down in Art, you will often find a lively and productive buzz. It is like ‘the Department that never sleeps’ and is often bustling with students attending Art Club at breaktimes, lunchtimes and after school. Lorna’s enthusiasm for her subject shines through and promotes a love for learning which has inspired boys for over a decade. Not only has Lorna led her department from strength to strength, she has also been a committed Sixth Form tutor, helping boys through UCAS and being committed to their well-being. Lorna has formed strong professional relationships with the boys, developing a ‘cult-like’ following of students! Students who have left often come back to visit Lorna, which is a testament to how much she is valued, not just by staff, but students too. She has led many exciting school trips and run schoolwide competitions. Her connections with the Art World have meant that boys get the best glimpse into the industry, with inspiring talks from Jane McAdam Freud and excellent life drawing classes for scholars. Lorna’s warmth, wit and wealth of knowledge will be greatly missed. We are sad to see her go, especially without being able to say farewell in person. The Art Department certainly won’t be the same without her and she will be remembered, fondly, tea in hand with her dry sense of humour, which both relaxed and enlivened the department. We wish Lorna, Niall, Bob the Cat and Benson the Dog all the best in their new chapter in Wales. CAB

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Katy Littlefield came to John Lyon as a teacher of Geography in 2013. The boys very quickly warmed to her kind-hearted nature and her endless enthusiasm for the subject. As a tutor in the Sixth Form she worked tirelessly to ensure that boys were fully prepared for university life. In 2019 she moved from leading whole school PSCHE to become Learning Skills Coordinator. In terms of examination success, she should be very proud of the number of boys that she has seen succeed both at GCSE and A-Level.

She has also seen countless boys through their HPQ projects to achieve Grade A or A*.

Katy assisted with numerous field-trips and school activities, including for the past five years the staff baking competition, always a hit in the Common Room. Even during remote teaching she allowed us into her kitchen as she taught the boys to make cookies and her famous Katsu curry sauce. We are extremely disappointed to see her leave, particularly as there will be many boys that will be unable to say farewell to her. However, we wish her all the success in her new role as Head of Humanities at Bickley Park School in Bromley, Kent. ASL The end of the year sees the Head of Drama Sam Jones depart for pastures new – an exciting opportunity as Head of Drama at Wellington College in China with his family.

During his six years at John Lyon he has been an inspiration to many pupils, both in the classroom and through the many successful plays and musicals he has directed. He has been an outstanding teacher, favoured tutor and good friend and colleague to many members of staff. Nothing has been too much hard work for Sam and everything he has done has been carried out with both exemplary professionalism and good grace, with a wide smile on his face. And, after a long week at work, he was often first on the pitch in one of the various garish football shirts in his collection for staff 5-a-side on a Friday evening. Sam understands schools like John

Lyon, where every subject matters and a broad education of the whole pupil is our aim, and he has been hugely successful at delivering that while here: two of the last three Head Boys have been Drama A-Level students; GCSE and A-Level performance evenings have played to full houses, and the final Musical of Sam’s tenure sold out the Ryan Theatre on three consecutive nights last December. Sam will be missed as a teacher, colleague and friend and we wish him and all the best knowing we will see him in the audience in future John Lyon productions.

This year we say farewell to Simba Matondo. During his three years at John Lyon, Simba has been a charismatic and highly-valued member of the Chemistry department, and it is due in no small way to his contributions both inside and outside the classroom that Chemistry has grown even more popular: as he always likes to say, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’! He has also been responsible for the School’s Biomedical university applications, in which capacity Simba, himself an alumnus of Oxford, has been able to impart valuable knowledge and expertise, drawing on his own varied interests within Chemistry and also more widely. He has given immeasurable support to our Oxbridge candidates.

We are merely saying farewell, not goodbye, for Simba will be joining the Chemistry department at Harrow School in Shanghai.

And so, even though he is leaving the Hill, he is still a part of our wider Harrow family.

Thank you, Simba, for all you have done, it has been an honour and a privilege getting to know you and to learn from you. Good luck for all your future endeavours – keep in touch! NGA Ammara Ashraf has been in the English Department for just two years, but her impact will last much longer. Ammara has the enviable ability to blend extreme erudition with humour and an understanding of the

teenage brain. Her students have benefitted from her analytical mind, from Year 7s learning the foundations to Upper Sixth being prepared for A-Levels and for Oxbridge.

We, her colleagues, have benefitted from a mind which cuts to the heart of the matter under discussion and a personality which is not afraid to stand her ground. The whole academic staff has benefitted from her input into the TILT group. Ammara is a colleague who is deeply interested in the philosophy of teaching and who engages with training of all kinds to deepen her understanding – luckily for us, she is also willing and able to share her findings with her colleagues.

We wish her the very best as her career moves forward. JWP Edward Mendelblat has achieved a great deal in his year with us and has proved himself to be an asset to the Biology team. He is well respected among staff and pupils alike and is known for his sense of humour both in the Science office and the classroom. He is able to build a positive working environment with ease and has built exceedingly strong working relationships with pupils in a short space of time. We as a department have benefitted from his knowledge, creativity in the classroom and hard work. He consistently strives for excellence in his lessons and this is reflected by the progress that his pupils make and their burgeoning interest in the Biological Sciences. We will miss him hugely but wish him well as he ascends to Head of Department elsewhere. Good luck Edward, we wish you all the best. JNL Silvana Fusai joined in September 2019 on a part time contract. She has made her mark in a very short time, teaching inspiring and energetic lessons to a range of ages. Her enthusiasm for Physics is clear for all to see.

She has become a valued colleague – known for her efficiency, her cheerfulness, and sense of humour. We wish her well as she moves on to the next stage in her teaching career. AKB

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From the archives Travels with The Lyonian Usually we would have some record of students’ recent trips (to Thailand etc.) but they were, of course, all cancelled in March and we have all had to suffice with armchair travel for some months.

For the John Lyon boys in the School’s beginning, that was the norm and the early Lyonian magazines are full travel stories, from the adventurous in Africa to the staid seaside haunts of England.

I particularly enjoyed the account below which appeared in The Lyonian, December 1890. It describes part of a walking holiday from London to Birmingham (a journey of over 110 miles) and is wonderfully evocative of a sense of adventure and freedom. It was written by the then editor of The Lyonian, Ernest Young. Young, as a teacher at School, founded The Lyonian magazine and, after a period teaching in Thailand, returned to John Lyon, becoming Headmaster in 1898.

“In the summer of 1888, a friend and I had passed through the city of Oxford on our way to Birmingham.We had spent the whole Saturday in Oxford, but being desirous to push forward, we left that place on the Saturday evening about 7 o’clock, intending to stay for the night at the nearest village.

“We walked gaily along, thinking little and caring less about the departing day, until we actually found it was getting dark. No houses were in sight. Another mile or so however and a little village was reached.We asked a man in the village if there was any 18

place where we could obtain a night’s lodging. “No” he said “none at all; but about 2 miles further on there is a public house by the roadside where maybe you’ll get a bed.”We started once more with very little thought of care or sorrow, and fully contented to believe that at the end of another 2 miles we should get to bed.We reached the inn at last, only to be told that all the beds were taken. Matters now looked serious, and we offered to pay all sorts of prices to be allowed to sleep on the sofa or under the table, or even rest upon a bundle of straw in the loft. But these good people looked suspicious and would have nothing to do with us, so we are obliged to tramp on.

“By this time it was quite dark and we stopped at the first hayrick to talk over our plans. I suggested that we should sleep by that rick and that my friend should watch till daylight. He thought it ought to be the other way about, and as we could not agree about it, we left the hayrick behind us.

to be seen.The village had gone to bed.We went to an inn, and found the landlord just locking up and going to bed.We almost went on our knees to get him to find us lodgings.

It was no use; his house was full up. “An’, there ain’t another place within a mile and off.

“Presently we reached a little cottage by the roadside. In the window there was hung a card informing us that they sold “prime pop”. As we were very thirsty we went to try this pop.The door was answered by an old lady.We drank the pop, which by the bye was NOT prime, and then enquired if she could direct us to any barn or workhouse.

There was a village about 3 miles farther on, she THOUGHT where we might perhaps find room in a stable or a shed, but she was afraid there was no old barn any nearer.

“Gloomy and very savage, we set off again till we reached a row of labourers’ cottages.

In the windows of which several lights were visible.We determined to start at the first and try to get a bed at one of them.

“Suddenly an idea seized this worthy the dame. She had got a spare bed, and she would let us have it if her husband did not mind but he had not come home yet, and we must wait till he did come before she could tell us whether we might sleep there or not. How anxiously we waited for that horrid old man. He came at last, and said that he did not like to let strangers sleep in his bed, so we had better go.We looked so terribly hungry that I believe he thought we should eat the sheets.

“As ill-luck would have it when we left this cottage about a mile behind, my friend stumbled over a stone and sprained his ankle. Here was a fine set up, 2 miles from a village, on a country road, 10:30 pm, crippled, and no certainty of ever getting to bed at all. Hobble and limp! Limp and hobble! And about at 11:15 we reach the village. All the lights were out. Not a glimmer

“Tap! tap ! tap! A very pleasant looking woman answered our tapping.We told her our case, but as we had been tramping for several days; our white flannels looked very dirty and all together we did not look very respectable.The woman heard us to the end, and then to our astonishment said: “I’m very sorry, but we don’t take in tramps.”

Here was a blow at our dignity. But it got worse, for she continued, “the last time I let a tramp sleep here, he went away in the morning without paying; and took two candlesticks with him. Since then I never have anything to do with tramps. Goodnight.”

And she shut the door.

“We rapped again, and this time showed her some money and offered to pay beforehand.

This seemed so fair that she took us in.

That night we slept in the back attic of a labourer’s cottage with no carpet on the floor and neither pictures nor paper on the whitewashed walls, but we slept soundly and sweetly on an old wooden bedstead, and when we woke in the morning it was to the singing of a tuneful choir that flitted in and out amongst the honeysuckle and the roses that grew all around our window.”

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From the archives Time travel with The Lyonian

Recollections of an OL, 1890 When OLs come back to the School they always remark on how much it has changed. It was ever thus. Here is an anonymous entry from an OL in the December 1890 magazine recalling the move from the original “Barn” further up the hill to the “New School” (known as the Old Building to many and now the Thomas Blackwell Centre). For those of you who also remember the School as freezing cold, please note it could have been much worse.

“The Lower School is somewhat different now as compared with the old days when a barn was deemed sufficient for the modest requirements of that generation, and when the only playground was like a small farmyard slightly out of repair, in which there 20

was no room for footer and where cricket was altogether out of the question: our only games at that time being racquets, playing “Billy Warner” or “high jumps” on the green by the roadside.”

“One luxury I used to look upon as a boy with a very great degree of pleasure was the uniform temperature of the new schoolroom and classrooms in winter. In the Old School in the High Street there was only one stove, which did not throw out a quarter of the heat required for such a large room, and which was monopolised by the head-boy, by whose seat it was situated, and while he alone had the privilege of half roasting himself, the rest would probably have been petrified by the cold but for the kindness of Mr. Gregg (that revered name) who used to let us trot for five minutes round the black board to restore the circulation in our

bodies; and as our numerical strength in those days was not formidable (under a score, A.D., 1875), we didn’t tread on one another’s heels.”

The sketch opposite is of the “New School” from the Lyonian magazine July 1891, where the chimney can be seen billowing smoke, though accounts from later years suggest there may have been a lot of smoke but not much fire and certainly little heat from it!

The photograph below (of unknown date but before 1876), is of Charles Vaughan’s original English Form room, the precursor to John Lyon School. The building is thought to have been a former coach house which was located on the

High Street.

The small stove mentioned is visible on the left wall and indeed looks small to heat such a cavernous room. If you zoom in you can make out chalk writing on the board at the back: “The time of life is short, to spend that shortness basely were too long.”

A Shakespeare quotation, from King Henry IV, it is there presumably to encourage focus!

We have not been able to find out what the game of “Billy Warner” was, only that there was a well-known local ne’er-dowell by that name earlier in the century.

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In Memoriam Francis Tavernor (John Lyon History teacher 1976 1990) “Would you be so kind as to let OLs know that my friend and colleague, Francis Tavernor, died this morning at Q.E. Hospital, Birmingham,” wrote Ian Whybrow on 21st May 2020.

“He had bravely and stoically endured a great deal of serious illness over recent years, had survived two liver transplants and put up with painful intestinal problems. This last year was particularly painful and difficult for him, and of course, for his wife, Eileen. Two weeks ago, he returned to hospital and ten days ago he was told that respite care was all that could be offered. Eileen stayed in hospital with him until the end.

“It was a great comfort to him that Eileen and he had discussed and prepared for end of life and that their mutual Christian faith sustained them both. She was with him at every step of the way.

“Francis will be remembered by many grateful Lyonians whom he steered through to A-Level history alongside Bill Podmore and by others he took on skiing holidays. They will no doubt remember him for his sharp intelligence, his hard work and enthusiasm for his subject; for his sense of fun, his earsplitting laugh and his loud and Tiggerish vitality.

“He is to be buried in his beloved Herefordshire in Leintwardine Cemetery not far from his grandfather who was once the rector of Leintwardine Church. He spent many happy years with Eileen and gave great

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service to the church, to the community and as a hospital visitor.

“There’s a great spirit gone.”

Simon Henry (OL 1965 - 1972) died on 11 April. Simon was a regular at the OLA dinner and emailed the Lyonian Association shortly before lockdown expressing his hope that the coronavirus would not get in the way of a good night out. Sadly, he died from the virus. His long-standing friend Simon MacNeil wrote the following: “I have known Simon for over fifty years, in all that time, Simon was a steadfast friend. His kindness and belief in the goodness of those around him lent him an innocent optimism that stayed with him to the last. In a cynical world, he played with a straight bat at all times. His wry humour and intelligent insights will be greatly missed by all who took the time to know him.”

Stephen Forman (OL 1962 - 1969) sadly died on 20th March. His brother wrote to tell us: “He had been seriously ill for the past five years, so this was not entirely unexpected.

I know several of his year will be sorry to hear this. Some of them have asked after him at a number of OLA dinners in recent years.

Stephen went from LSJL to Southampton University and studied French and English, graduating with a 2.1 degree. He subsequently joined the U.K.A.E.A. and then the Digital Equipment Company (DEC) working at their offices in Reading. He stayed in the computer industry working in logistics and administration until his retirement five years ago. He married Janet, also a graduate of Southampton, and they have two daughters, Clare and Hannah.”

Margaret Palmer worked at John Lyon School between 1973 and 1984, initially as secretary to the Centenary Fund and later for teachers and The Lyonian magazine.

On her leaving John Lyon, The Lyonian magazine 1985 reported the then Headmaster Dixon’s comments at Speech Day, “Two ladies, who have done so much for the School for so many years in the offices, also left at the end of the summer term. Mrs. Margaret Palmer ran the Campaign Office with great efficiency, treading with certain step amid the minefield of taxation law. She also acted as secretary for the masters and I know they have greatly appreciated her work on their behalf. We thank her for all she has done and wish her and her husband a long and happy retirement.”

David Reeves (OL 1949 - 1956), who died in October 2019, is remembered for his notable contributions to the life of the School, most of them as a “back-room boy”.

Though not a cricketer, he would act as scorer and, though not an actor, he helped with stage work and lighting for the drama group. However, in two spheres – music and chess – he came to the forefront. During his last two years he was the school pianist and it is for this that he is best remembered, gaining the music prize in 1956.

In later life he became a hospital consultant in Bristol and gained a towering international reputation in the field of medical microbiology.

As an Old Lyonian, David was a most generous supporter of the School.

John Clench (OL 1951-1956): “John was a loveable one-off, not so gentle giant, probably the most fearsome fast bowler the School and subsequently the OLs ever had. He was first invited to play for the OLs at Pinner View at the tender age of fourteen. He represented Middlesex CCC in various guises and told me he once played for Jamaica’s second eleven when in Jamaica, where they dubbed him ‘Cannon Ball Clench’.

With his considerable stature he bowled off only about 6 or 8 paces but the ball fizzed on its journey to the other end and the look of incredulity on the hapless opposing batsman’s face at his speed was a joy to behold – until he struck me in the then unprotected unmentionables in a house match on the Philathletic!

He shared with Brian Collins in the memorable rout one cricket game of Bishopshalt School in Uxbridge, all out for 7, when they each took 5 wickets for 2 runs, the other runs scored were 3 leg byes! They both preferred to forget which of them bowled the wayward ball giving away 3 runs!

I lost touch with John for many years but he bobbed up again in Beirut, where he lived for many years.

We swapped many tales from then onwards with other contemporaries namely Paul Montague, Malcolm Ames, Stan Peacock, Peter Freund and many others.

His wit and repartee greatly added to the rivalry and banter we all enjoyed and his great sense of humour will be much missed by us all. A great personality, a superb cricketer but above all a very likeable man and I shall miss him very much. R.I.P. John.”

Martin Sexton, 9th June 2020 For full memorials, see www.oldlyonians.org/ news/remembrance

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Future dates for your diaries: Old Lyonian Association Annual Dinner We still do not feel in a position to rearrange the date for the OLA Dinner. For those who have bought a ticket, we will refund tickets, or carry over the booking until we can rearrange a dinner. Please look out for an email with further details.

Autumn term events We would normally have a full list of events to invite Lyonians to next term here, but given the current circumstances, we are not able to plan them yet. Please keep an eye on the Lyonian website and School website for future events: www.oldlyonians.org/events www.johnlyon.org/whatson As future events are put in the diary, we will send details by email and post.

Please visit www.oldlyonians.org or contact the Lyonian Office: Suzannah Chirnside Le Beau House 76 West Street Harrow-on-the-Hill HA1 3ER 020 8515 9410 lyonianassociation@johnlyon.org

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