Lockers Park magazine 2023

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WELCOME from our Headmaster

Welcome to our Lockers Park Magazine.

Looking back across a year gives me opportunity to reflect on how much the school has grown and flourished over that time, yet retained the very essence of what makes Lockers Park so special.

We celebrate our 150th anniversary next summer, and we rise to meet this wonderful milestone as a school in which I know our founders would share our huge pride. We now have over 190 boys across Pre-prep and Prep, and for the first time we have a three-form entry for Year 7. This is helped, no doubt, by our reputation for preparing students for senior school – including the UK’s top independent and public senior schools – and our many scholarships and exhibitions in academics, sport, music and the arts, and technology. There were an

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outstanding nine scholarships amongst our recent leavers.

Our age-old traditions such as the shrubs and slatter have been supplemented with additional, newer ones including Lockers Got Talent and Dark Tower boarding night.

This is something we would like to hear from our Alumni on. If you are an Old Boy please let us know what your outstanding recollection of Lockers Park is. We always welcome speakers coming in to share their experiences.

I hope you enjoy this edition of our Lockers Park Magazine and please look out for our 150th celebration events throughout the year.

Gavin Taylor Headmaster

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REVIEW

AUTUMN TERM REVIEW

Often, we lose track of what is happening over the course of a term, but to review the autumn term this year is really astounding – and quite cathartic! What a joy it was to receive boys back with almost zero Covid restrictions - back to normality at last.

The opening weeks saw our ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ making a return, with Mr Taylor proudly sporting his own best friend, Squiggly, who thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the other bears, dragons and creatures who came to taste our cupcakes.

Whilst we were all delighted to be back together, the start of term did have a sombre note as we mourned the loss of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, which we marked in two poignant chapels and a whole school assembly. We look to the future and warmly anticipate the coronation of King Charles III. With a new sense of freedom from restrictions, brand new initiatives appeared within the calendar; weekly Set meetings (with Set Masters leading the competition), local primary schools were welcomed on site in our Primary Schools Football Tournament, author Aisling Fowler came to tell us all about her new book, Years 7 and 8 were delighted with a wire sculpture workshop, and of course Charlie Walker regaled us with tales of adventure from far off lands (and even far off prisons!). It truly has been a term of trying new things and testing ourselves.

Whilst all new initiatives are fantastic, what would Lockers be without tradition? Old events returned and like old friends, we welcomed them with open arms and big smiles. Halloween Havoc filled us with dread and terror, whilst the Feast filled us with sugar

and a healthy appetite for old games such as ‘Spin the Platter’ and ‘The Bell and Bolster’.

The autumn term witnessed our choir opening the Berkhamsted Festival of Light, where we sang our hearts out and really got into the festive spirit.

It was the perfect introduction to the season, leading nicely into our Little Lockers nativity and Years 3, 4 and 5 junior play, ‘Troy Story’, where all of our boys got the chance to test their acting and singing skills in true Lockers Park form. Indeed, where would any list of events be without mentioning ‘Strictly Come Lockers’, where the Fred Astaires of the world stepped aside to bear witness to the revival of some moonwalking, breakdancing, and even the odd ‘worm’. What a treat!

Our boys shone in yet another Mr Phillips endeavour - Any Questions - where they argued topics such as the cost-of-living crisis, veganism, social media and the greatest Briton ever to have lived. Student voice is louder than ever and our boys have a lot to say about some very important topics.

grounds are great, but sometimes we must venture out and this term was a busy one for trips. Our boys headed off to Woodside Farm, Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, the Water Works Discovery Centre, Ashridge Estate, Lee Valley, and indeed as far off as Iceland.

What lucky boys we have!

Boarding continues to grow at Lockers, with more and more full boarders and outstanding events offered by the Newman family. Our busy boarders began the term with a trip to Thorpe Park, followed by an exhilarating day of kite flying, Bingo, a trip to the cinema, and of course Halloween Havoc - so good we mention it twice!

So, as we end the term and tuck into our mince pies, we look back on a term packed with laughter, friendships, new beginnings and traditions revived. We anticipate an array of exciting opportunities in the spring term and wonder what it will bring.

Lockers Park community spirit truly was evident in our Christmas gift drive, where families from across the school came together to deliver hundreds of presents to children supported by DENS, a charity we continue to work with in supporting families around Hemel.

The shrubs, the classrooms and our

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SPORTS

1ST XI FOOTBALL The 2022 season started with a trip away to Haileybury. Despite only having had a couple of days training, the boys headed into the game feeling positive and were looking to move the ball around with fluidity and be dominant in possession.

An early breakthrough from Leon put us ahead early which settled any nerves that may have been lingering.

Lockers continued on the front foot and a cross from Ethan went unclaimed through the box, to find Freddie unmarked at the back post, who tapped in to put Lockers 2-0 up.

A slight mix-up at the back brought Haileybury back into the game, but Lockers managed to hold on for a 3-1 victory. A great way to start the term.

Injuries hit the squad in the early part of the season, including both captain and vice captain, which meant we were a little undercooked for our ISFA Cup game, and the visit of Beechwood and Kingshott.

However, the visit of Sherrardswood saw our fortune change and the boys looked comfortable on the ball, and throughout the creative phase chances were aplenty. We used the pace of Ethan and Lolu out wide and capitalised on a few mistakes.

William in goal was superb, keeping us in the game throughout, with reaction saves and his strong distribution. Ethan scored twice and Lolu once to put us 3-1 up at half time. An own goal from the opposition eventually handed us the 4-2 victory.

Best performance The season finished with a trip away to Swanbourne, where the boys put in their best performance of the season. Although we walked away 4-3 winners, both sides could have scored about 10 each.

William once again kept us in the game. Lolu looked deadly in front of goal and scored twice, and a beautifully worked team goal saw captain Ethan onto the scoresheet for the first time in the season.

An exciting future A huge well done to the squad for the hard work they have put in this term. With 6 of the squad this term returning next year as Year 8, the future looks exciting for the 1st XI football.

Football colours awarded to: Ethan J (Captain) and Ethan S (Vice Captain)

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SPORTS

2ND XI FOOTBALL The 2nd XI kicked off the season with an epic game against Haileybury, coming back from four goals down at half time and getting to within one goal of the opponents before succumbing to an 8-6 loss, which included a hat-trick on his debut for Obaro.

Goals were certainly not in short supply in the coming matches: there was a 5-2 win against Kingshott, including another hat-trick – from

Shrey this time. There were also several losses to some strong sides.

We closed the season with a 2-1 win against Sunningdale, then a

2-2 draw with Swanbourne. The top goal scorer overall was Shrey, with seven goals. A very enjoyable season had by all. Well done, boys.

3RD XI FOOTBALL The 3rd XI had a really good season and managed to secure some fantastic results including a 5-0 thumping of Kingshott on their home turf.

Thanks to the acrobatics of our goalkeeper Barry, combined with a solid defence from Rafi, Toby and Diyon, we were often able to control the narrative and press the opposition in their own half giving our forward rotation Sadhik, Otto, Archie and Henry the chance to put the opposition keeper under pressure.

Whilst a few more finishes would have been nice, we certainly weren’t lacking in terms of shots on goal.

Our midfield was equally important with brothers Fred and Hero linking up well with German and Archie to provide stability and hold the ball up when required. Some real talent has emerged and they should all be really proud of themselves.

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SPORTS

4TH XI FOOTBALL A coach often dreams of moving up the ranks, for me it’s different. I just want a squad full of energetic, committed, determined and fit boys who enjoy their game.

This is what I had this season. It didn’t make any difference who we played, what the condition of the pitch was or even the weather. The squad was ready to play with their hearts whilst playing a tactical game with a formation that was hard to break.

We had the added bonus of a loyal, healthy number of parental supporters plus our mascot the ‘Hund’. When the crowd were there the boys must have felt exalted just like the England team feel at Wembley. Well, they definitely felt like they were in the World Cup! The boys pulled off a great season which also happened to end my best season since joining LP by only losing one match. They played in a great spirit as a united team, always welcoming new players, as well as supporting each other. Their exuberance and determination was wonderful to behold. What superb memories they have made for us all!

I had a dream P L AY I N G F O R L O C K E R S 4TH TEAM

By Thomas and Ben B Last night I had the most wonderful dream, Dreamt I was captain of Lockers fourth team.

Running on the pitch, feeling ever so proud, Hearing the roar of the parent crowd.

Shouting, cheering, screaming hooray, As the Fourth Lockers team got underway.

Jon Jon to George, I think Thomas ran too, As Scott passed to Josh, the whistle blew.

It was nearly full-time, there was still no score.

It looked like we’d have to take a draw.

From deep in defence, we developed an attack.

Oscar L passed to Sam who dodged their fullback And the crowd started shouting: Whack it! Smack it! Give it all you’ve got!

Swerve it! Curve it! Oscar M - Take a shot!

The goalie rushed out, but fell on his knee.

Not half as good as Pavel would be.

Into the net, the football soared.

The crowd went mad and everyone roared In the final minutes, Charlie had scored, Mr Iqbal himself gave praise and reward.

The match tea that day tasted better than ever Justly deserved for the Four’s endeavour.

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COLTS A FOOTBALL

The Colts A had a very tough season, often playing against much larger schools and academy level players who represent both their schools and professional clubs.

Lockers persevered with steady improvement over the season, both individually and as a team. Despite defeats against Westbrook Hay and Beechwood Park, the boys always worked hard. However our fortune changed at Sherrardswood: the ball was won in the midfield and slid through to Ethan, who scored to put us 1-0 up.

The boys moved the ball around well and kept possession in the dying moments to finish 1-0 winners. A great moment for the team, who had a difficult start to the term. Our performances of the term came late on against Swanbourne, where Tom scored twice and captain Max made it three, the boys cruising to a 3-1 victory. A significant portion of the team were Year 5s, so this will prove valuable experience for next year, when the Colts A look to bounce back.

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SPORTS

COLTS B FOOTBALL

It took a while for the Colts B to gel as a team and communicate with one another. However, they all worked hard in their Games sessions and improved in a number of different areas. This resulted in finishing the term with two wins against Sunningdale and Swanbourne. We were unlucky not to score against Manor Lodge after five consecutive corners and demonstrated great commitment when playing a strong Kingshott side. Well done to all who represented the Colts B this term.

COLTS C FOOTBALL The Colts Cs had an exceptional season, with so many high points to acknowledge.

The team was able to bookend the season with two brilliant wins. The first win of the season was a 1-0 victory over Westbrook Hay, the goal scored by Oliver. We rounded out the season with an outstanding 12-1 victory against Swanbourne. Goals were flying in from Vivaan, Teddy, two from Oliver, two from Sebastian and an incredible five goals from an unstoppable Hugo. Though the team would not be anything without its incredible defence of PJ, Toby, Joseph and Vivaan. The boys should be exceptionally proud of their achievements this year. Great job!

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SPORTS

COLTS D FOOTBALL

It is every coach’s dream to see their team improve, score goals and thoroughly enjoy the process.

There is little doubt that this term’s current crop of “The Mighty D’s” did exactly that. The winning mentality always helps, but these players formed a great team spirit, a system of playing and scored some wonderful goals.

Chief net bulger was Awais who when allowed time and space was ruthless. William has a deadly right foot and would shoot, usually scoring, from anywhere. The midfield engine, Jude, has a cultured right foot and could pick a pass like

no other. PJ, Thomas and Hector all knew their attacking roles and defensive responsibilities, playing them to perfection.

At the back, Arian and Alfie often ruined the opponent’s day by applying the mantra “if in doubt, kick it out” to both the ball and the opposition! As the crowds gasped, Oscar, our custodian of the net, made some gravity defying saves showing superb skill and bravery. What a season of minibus trips, soggy kit, brilliant goals and great wins.

COLTS E FOOTBALL

It was a huge pleasure taking the Colts E this season. We were just about the last team to lose the ‘unbeaten’ tag after a fantastic start, and we really only lost against schools with bigger numbers.

Billy was our amazing goalkeeper, usually the best player on the pitch for either team. Cheng, William and Harry were our stalwart defenders/ midfielders and we were lucky to have William and Lucas to score countless goals when they weren’t being pinched by the D team!

Thank you Thank you to Johannes, Christopher and Andrew for their appearances in defence. Their commitment was memorable. And we were lucky to have Ellis join us after half term for a few games. It was certainly one of the better E teams I have ever had the pleasure of taking!

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U9A FOOTBALL

It has been thoroughly enjoyable taking the U9As for football this term.

I was impressed not only by the progress the boys made in their footballing ability, but also by their team-building and positive attitude. Following a difficult start to the season against Westbrook Hay, the boys faced Manor Lodge, where the highlight of the game was Balthazar’s superb long-range free-kick, which found the back of the net. The week after this saw the boys travel to Heath Mount for the first festival of the year, facing Westbrook Hay, Edge Grove and Heath Mount.

A late equaliser from Westbrook to draw 2-2 with Lockers showed the progress the team had made since the start of the year.

One of the most exciting games came against Kingshott at home in a 2-2 draw, which gave a fantastic opportunity for the boys to play in front of great parental support, and there were excellent goals from Muhammad Hassan and Noah Ashcroft (with his left foot, from outside the box!).

The next home game was against St

Columba’s, where some of our best football this year was displayed, with relentless pressure from Zach and extremely powerful shots from Dario.

A home fixture against Merchant Taylors’ Prep at the end of the season was when the boys really showed how much determination they possessed. There were some sublime saves from Rafferty and firm defensive tackles from Amaan, but above all each individual gave 100% effort from the start until the final whistle, for which they should be proud.

U9B FOOTBALL

The U9Bs have worked tremendously well this season to produce a collection of incredibly promising results.

Their season started with 10-0 and 6-1 wins against Westbrook Hay, with numerous goals from Zach, Noah, Sebastian and Muhammad. Later in the season Thomas, Jack and Yohan

featured amongst our goal scorers, showing impressive strength in depth. A special mention must go to Nate, Oscar and Sebastian for great communication and relentless defending. Throughout

the season, the team greatly improved the accuracy of their passes and the space they can create on the pitch. Regardless of results, they have significantly developed as players.

U9C FOOTBALL

It has been a fantastic term for the mighty U9C team, and I am extremely proud of their efforts – as they should be too. They have played their hearts out and proudly represented Lockers Park against a range of other teams in matches and festivals. Enthusiasm has been at the heart of every single player, and they have cheered each other on regardless of the outcome. The autumn term for the U9s is all about learning how to play as a team, and each week has allowed for learning opportunities, helping them become just that: a united team which understands how to communicate, tries to work together to move the ball forwards, and most importantly has fun playing other teams. In a team of predominately Year 3s, they have often faced groups of Year 4s who tower over them, but this has never once phased them.

A huge thank you from me to each player, and I’m looking forward to seeing the progress they continue to make when they get the opportunity to play rugby next term. Good luck!

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SPORTS

U9D FOOTBALL The U9Ds have represented Lockers Park School with great enthusiasm this term.

They have enjoyed playing football against other schools and have made good progress as a team.

A special mention to our newcomers, Dylan and Nathan who played wholeheartedly and

made a great impact to our overall play. It was a great joy to watch the boys building relationships and team spirit and I hope they carry this through to the spring term when they begin to play rugby.

BASKETBALL Basketball continues to be a very popular sport at Lockers Park.

Boys in Years 5-8 play during PE lessons and as part of our new multi-sport offering. Our U13 squad was victorious 24-18 against Beechwood Park. We pressed well when off the ball, won possession back and countered quickly. Making the court wide was a priority for us this year and we created space around the key for our boys to attack. Our shooting was a little off on the day, but still a

very impressive showing from the ten boys involved.

In November the U13s competed in our annual Set Basketball Competition. All six sets played each other in six-minute matches, with all boys taking part in every game. Matches were fast-paced and very competitive. Even some Set Masters were getting fully immersed in the atmosphere!

The 5th and 6th place playoff was drawn by Jellicoe and

Kitchener. In the 3rd and 4th place play-off Beatty and Haig had a fierce battle. End-to-end play and some great battles around the key ultimately saw Beatty come out in 3rd. The final was contested between Roberts and Mountbatten. Roberts were under pressure from the get-go and never got into the game.

Mountbatten moved the ball quickly around the key and were clinical in their finishing.

Congratulations to Mountbatten for their victory and well done to all of Years 7 and 8.

Well Done Boy

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ACTIVITIES

CHESS

For the first time since Covid, Lockers Park entered the IAPS Chess Contest, which attracts the strongest players and schools from around the country. The first day was largely centred on seeding groups for the second day, with the exception of school champ Shrey, who was entered into the Championship Section.

After a slow start, we finished the tournament with a fantastic set of results. Shrey won a silver medal for a very high score in his elite

group; Seb and Ethan actually came outright first equal in the under 13 section, a fantastic result, and Noah absolutely outclassed a strong field in the under 11 ‘plate’.

However, the really stunning news is that as a school we came second in the country! Other schools might have had larger squads or better individuals, but no one could beat us for sheer strength in depth, it was an amazing achievement and well done to all the boys who took part!

SET CHESS AND ALDWICKBURY FIXTURES Chess has had the most remarkable renaissance this term, and it is a sight to behold at breaktime seeing the French Room packed with boys playing this battle of wits. For the cynics who believe they are boys taking refuge from the winter weather, you only have to poke your

head through the door to see the dedication of all the adherents. Even floor space is limited as boys fill up every corner to get in a game.

We boasted our first ever Set Chess Competition this term. Kudos to Lucas and Joseph in the Years 5-6

tournament, who tied on points, but with Joseph for Mountbatten finally scooping up first place after a tie breaker. A similar scenario took place in the As’ tournament with Damon and Shrey battling it out to be the overall winner. Damon pulled off an unexpected win against the long-time school champion, and a huge well done to him for bringing home the Set points for Jellicoe.

The school also celebrated its first chess match since Lockdown began in 2020, against the auld enemy, Aldwickbury. I reckon we have been playing chess matches against them since 2016 and in that time, we have lost only once, so it was with some trepidation that I greeted their players as they were talking about opening strategies and endgames. However, my fears were baseless. Our resident coach, Steve Law, had taught the top players so much skill and strategy that the trickledown effect meant that even our lowest boards had improved beyond recognition and we won comfortable 19.5-12.5. Especially well done to Obaro, Noah, Sam and Nikandros for winning both their games.

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JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE

Our senior mathematicians pitted their wits against the rest of the country by entering the Junior Maths Challenge. This year we went completely online, and the boys seemed to enjoy the experience. It is designed to challenge their problem-solving abilities and allows boys to shine in ways that are not always evident in more traditional exams.

LOCKERS PARK MATHS WEEK

In September, the whole school immersed themselves in the world of shape as the theme for our annual Lockers Park Maths Week. Boys learnt about the properties of all kinds of shapes, from symmetries and angles, to volume and area, from Pythagoras to Pi and everything in-between.

All through the week, we had Times Tables Rockstars tournaments within each year group to allow all the boys to sharpen their numeracy skills.

Finally, there was a Set Competition to finish the week in which the best mathematicians from each set fought it out to become the Maths Week set champions! They faced a variety of challenges, working in teams to solve mathematical problems. The boys loved it.

The Year 2 boys love a challenge, especially a maths challenge! We had so much fun making irregular shapes;

the boys really enjoyed finding out about the shape names – did you know that a 20-sided shape is an icosagon? We were then joined by the Year 1 boys for an outside maths symmetry challenge with some very creative and impressive results!

Year 3 enjoyed a shape-themed Maths Week in which they looked at shape and maths in everyday life. This included a 2D and 3D shape hunt around our amazing school grounds, and some heated discussions about rhombuses and parallelograms! After studying different types of triangles and

3D pyramids, the pupils were tasked with creating their own square based pyramids from biodegradable straws.

Once this was achieved, the pupils set to work on a giant tetrahedron. The boys loved the hands-on approach to their learning and can’t wait for next year’s Maths Week to find out what is in store for them.

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ACTIVITIES

CHARLIE WALKER TALK Charlie Walker’s journey was amazing. He cycled 43,000 miles across 60 countries through dangerous terrain. An astounding feat, but these in my opinion, are my favourite bits.

• When he went to the furthest north

part of Norway, his first major landmark. This is amazing, as he decided at this point not to give up and continue his unfathomable journey.

• When he arrived in Istanbul, another major landmark, although he didn’t stay too long, he had biked so much and still decided to carry on.

• He talked about many things, and said that Iran has the

best hospitality in the world, despite the public image it has, it is full of normal civilians and it was a great place for Charlie.

• Tibet: one of the most impressive as he traversed through harsh blizzards and went through terrible mountain tops. He also went though a Tibetan military base, and just got out. He went through a middle street after seeing a group of guards around a fire. He then turned into an alley, encountering a Tibetan mastiff, one of the biggest and scariest dogs. He kicked it to fend it off (which he isn’t proud of) and he cut a steel fence to get past the military base. He

NATIONAL POETRY DAY On Thursday 6th October, we celebrated National Poetry Day at Lockers Park. In preparation, the boys had been focusing on poetry during their English lessons, which included choosing, learning and reciting poems to their peers who then voted for the best performances in each

class. Several boys from each year group were then chosen to perform their chosen poems in front of a live audience at the Lockers Park Set Poetry Competition.

The boys did us proud and very much rose to the challenge, with some truly excellent performances from across

then traversed rocky slopes in the harshest blizzards, just managing to escape, thinking he would die as his tears solidified coming out of his eyes.

These are just a few of the crazy things he experienced. I really enjoyed the talk.

By Joseph

the school, making it extremely hard for our guest judge, Mr Sam Baldock – Senior Deputy Head of Bedford School. In the end, the deserving winner was Ollie from Year 5 with his recital of ‘The Otter’ by Robert McFarlane.

As well as the individual competition, the boys took part in the first annual Lockers Part Set Poetry Competition, working together to produce a “shared poem” about their set and of course our fantastic school. Once again, it was a very close affair and some excellent poems were produced, but the overall winners were Beatty.

Cross-Curricular Topic – The Natural World Each term, we bring our many different departments together in exploring one cross-curricular topic. ‘The Natural World’ was our focus this term, with explorations into all things nature. From exploring how we can use nature to benefit our wellbeing, to understanding how igloos are constructed, we really did channel our inner Attenborough! To complete our week, we announced the winners of the first ever Natural World Photography Competition. Cheng Xi took top spot for the composition and framing of his photo. Our guest judge, Will, praised the efforts and intuition of the boys who took part, whilst encouraging everyone to pick up a camera and get capturing.

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ICELAND TRIP

In October, we embarked on the Science department’s third trip to Iceland. This is always a spectacular and unique trip, which takes us on an amazing adventure to the Land of Ice and Fire!

The boys were amazing tourists and scientists who took in all the sights we had to see with interest and enthusiasm!

We saw incredible waterfalls, including Seljalandsfoss (which we walked behind) and Gullfoss. We travelled to the golden circle where we experienced the steaming hot geysers and walked along the tectonic plate line. We also visited the lava caves that were beautifully lit and quite mesmerising, we had an entertaining guide who told of the history as well as lots of jokes! It was a shocking experience when he turned the lights off and it was truly as dark as dark!

Other highlights included a walk through Reykjavik to the large, looming church and down to the harbour to see the Viking boat sculpture. We visited the black sand beach with its stunningly beautiful rock formation; this is the sea you must never turn your back on!

A trip to Iceland would not be the same without a trek across the glacier, which boys and adults enjoyed equally. Our guides were really super and so knowledgeable, letting the boys drink from the small streams as well as painting their faces with the volcanic soot!

One evening, we also organised a walk to the local swimming baths where there was a Halloween party, with the local children. Our boys revelled in finding new friends and shooting down the water tubes! On the way home we stopped off to buy delicious local ice creams, which went down well on a cold night!

We had a dip in the secret lagoon where the boys languished in the relaxing hot springs, the steam creating a beautiful aura around the pools. It was tricky to get everyone out of there!

All in all, it was a truly awesome experience and one which the whole party will remember for years to come!

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LEST WE FORGET…

In November, our first pupil-led chapel of the academic year saw the boys and staff of Year 8 come together to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have given their lives in conflicts around the world.

We were fortunate enough to be joined by Neil McLeary, Chaplain from Bedford School, who led the boys in prayer and reflection to mark this important day and those brave souls who have given (and continue to give) so much so that we can live in a world free from tyranny and injustice. The boys read a selection of poems including Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen and sang some extremely moving yet uplifting songs befitting of such an occasion.

We also took the time to mourn the loss of the many Lockers Park teachers and boys who stepped into the arena of conflict and paid the ultimate price, representing our school, our values, our very ethos and setting a shining example to all. It was a truly solemn and respectful service, but also a joyous celebration of the gift which they gave to the world and as always, our boys did us proud.

“

OUR BOYS DID US PROUD.

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ACTIVITIES

SLEEPING BAGS AND AID FOR UKRAINE

Two Lockers Park School boys along with their mother made a promise to themselves, sometime just before Christmas last year, that they would try to raise money to send sleeping bags and other items needed to help people in Ukraine.

What made us decide to do this?

Having tried to live without heating for a while when it was very cold before Christmas, we decided it would be better to actually try to do something practical to help. We also thought our mother might relent and turn the heating on. Our mother had no idea how hard it would be to make it happen but then this is the woman who has booked cinema tickets in the wrong city, booked a flight departing from Aberdeen rather than Luton and taken us indoor skiing in Milton Keynes to discover our booking was the dry slope in Manchester.

But we were determined We had to find a charity with a depot in Poland, find out the best sort of sleeping bags (they needed to be the winter ones that are really warm) and other things they needed, negotiate a really good price for them and then find someone to drive them to Poland. Our mother thought

it would be an adventure to hire a van and for us all to go but our father said no to that idea.

How did we raise the money?

Our mother did this part. She looked up how to set up a Go Fund Me page. It is really clever as they collect all the money (but charge you a fee for doing it). We knew that people would have to trust us to fulfil our promise if they were going to donate money. The best part was looking, every evening after school, to see how much had been donated that day and helping our mother send thank you messages to all the amazingly kind and generous people who supported the campaign.

How much did we raise?

The last time we looked we had raised about £4,700.

How many sleeping bags did we send?

We helped a driver load up his lorry

DEBATING COMPETITION AT ABBOT’S HILL SCHOOL On 12th December, eleven confident Year 5 and 6 Lockers boys headed to Abbot’s Hill School to debate topics in the inaugural Abbot’s v Lockers debating competition. Our eleven boys were offered the questions only five days prior. They gathered their research and walked with confidence into

the arena. The Lockers team lost the first topic, ‘Do Disney films provide bad role models for children?’ The Abbot’s Hill side argued fervently in favour of modern role models and a growing number of strong female characters. Round two saw our boys make a strong return, winning the second topic, ‘We should only eat

with 174 sleeping bags and a box of handheld torches and watched him drive off with them. Our mother said she hoped they wouldn’t be found later on somewhere off the M25. Only 2 days later we heard from the charity who were distributing the items, that they had received them at their warehouse.

What next?

As we managed to raise more than we had expected, we are sending a second delivery to Poland with tarpaulins to provide shelter, torches and more sleeping bags. We hope that in a very small way we have helped some rather desperate people, especially children. The sad thing is there are too many people to help and just as our next lorry load is about to leave, there are now hundreds, thousands of people homeless and cold in Turkey. We feel very lucky to live in Hertfordshire.

By Thomas and Benjamin B food produced in Britain.’ They put forward decisive evidence demonstrating the benefits to be had from buying from all communities, whilst keeping strong favour towards our homegrown products. Debating is an evening activity in high demand in Lockers, with boys demonstrating incredible passion in every topic argued. It has been growing since Spring 2021 and currently has a waiting list across the year groups.

Please note new title and header.

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AUTUMN TERM

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ACTIVITIES

WHAT BOARDING LIFE IS REALLY LIKE AT LOCKERS PARK SCHOOL I have built some wonderful friendships since joining Lockers Park just over 2 years ago. I feel as though I have a second family in the boarding house.

New students arrive in September at school with a lot of energy, wonderful new teachers make me feel amazing, and exciting new activities make me more engaged. At school, I feel safer because of Mr and Mrs Newman and happier because of my boarding house pals. It’s lovely to be in the boarding house.

One of the reasons I like the boarding house is because of the boarding events in the week and the activities at the weekend. They are so much fun that I decided to become a full boarder. On my first weekend, I had the best BBQ I have ever had. I enjoyed talking to the new students and it’s like we are an instant family. I was very surprised when Kit hugged me that evening, I think I am the first person who got hugged by Kit! I can’t believe how lovely it was to have my best friends with me at Thorpe Park, one of our other weekend trips. People were shouting with great excitement when we arrived at the great roller coaster called ‘Saw’.

On another weekend we went to an Escape Room in Milton Keynes. We were separated into two groups and we went to the one which is about

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finding the treasure box. We had a race between the two groups and we wanted to know who would win. It took us about 50 minutes to finish and the other group finished 5 minutes before - the trip was still amazing.

On a Tuesday night, we had a great boarding event called Halloween Havoc. There are different activities in the Mountbatten block, Old Gym and we watched a scary film in the Centenary Hall. Every single activity is fun. All the lights were off in the Old Gym and the teachers told us that we had to solve anagrams on gravestones using just a torch. The team who got the most teachers’ names won and received loads of sweets. In the Mountbatten block, we had some small activities like a ping-pong game, blowing a toy with a straw on a table and so on. The winners always get lots of sweets!

This activity is one of my favourite ones in the school and the haunted walk through the shrubs is particularly scary!

After the exeat, I went to Darts Night 2022, it was absolutely fantastic because of how many people there are and how we can create our own T-shirts. I drew something about Leicester FC because they won the

Premier League title in 2016. In the competition I beat my French teacher (also known as Charles Magnus Carlsen Phillips) at darts and all my friends raised me up and threw me around. That was the best night. We then went bowling the next day and Mr Hobson bought us some sweets and coke.

After half term, we went to the Old Town sweet shop and Gadebridge Park before watching Black Panther at the cinema. We then went back to school to an absolute feast! The smell when we came to the dining room was absolutely phenomenal as well.

The last two weekends of the term were amazing because we completed Christmas activities and hide and seek around the whole school. We went to the pantomime to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; the twelve days of Christmas was my favourite part.

It has been great to be the Head of Boarding this term, I have loved being in the boarding house and at Lockers Park School. Sadly, I am moving but I leave with so many happy memories.

I will remember the school and the boarding house.

By Hongren

SPRING TERM

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REVIEW

SPRING TERM REVIEW

After a well-deserved and thoroughly enjoyable festive break, the boys and staff returned for what promised to be an exciting and jam-packed term filled with opportunity - and it certainly didn’t disappoint!

The first Thursday back saw the Year 6 boys heading off to the Harry Potter Experience at Warner Bros. Studios as part of their English studies. Several members of staff were lucky enough to accompany the boys (including me!) and we had a really enjoyable time with some excellent educational opportunities to boot.

A new addition to the calendar for 2023 was an up-scaled celebration of the Chinese New Year. As well as a themed lunch with some truly amazing and delicious dishes and delicacies produced by the Kitchen, the boarders led a special Chinese

New Year event with traditional games and activities to share and celebrate this important cultural occasion.

The spring term then saw the boys enjoying one of the absolute highlights of the Lockers year, the infamous “Dark Tower”. Led by Mr (French) Phillips and his band of “Nightriders” and “Witches”, this fully booked boarding event was a huge success, highlighting once more how unique and special our school really is.

Another new addition to the afterschool activities roster at

Lockers Park was the Lego League, a regional competition which tests not only the boys’ Lego-building prowess, but also their problem solving and programing skills. This time, it was Mr (DT) Phillips at the helm and the LP Team achieved great success, fending off many larger and older teams and securing a fantastic fourth place result!

The week prior to half term was equally busy, with a PSHE focus on the importance of good mental health and lessons on how to stay safe online in the ever-changing world of social media. There was

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REVIEW

also a Boarder’s Quiz Night for Years 3-8 which was very much enjoyed by all and marked yet another great success from the Boarding Team. I myself was only able to keep up-to-date with all of the fantastic events taking place through our social media channels as I was otherwise engaged with the arrival of my second daughter.

A joyous personal occasion indeed, but one that I very much enjoyed sharing with my Lockers Park family!

The final day of half term was then rounded off with an informal music concert which allowed our exceptional musical talents to shine and showed just how varied and diverse the learning and skills at Lockers Park are.

In the blink of an eye, half term had passed and we were back into the groove with World Book Day. Our theme this year was “All Things Harry Potter” and it truly was a magical day at LP. There was also a fantastic opportunity to see the stars for which our boys are always reaching, with a trip to the Bedford School Observatory.

The following week was Mock Exam Week and so our Year 8s had their noses to the grindstone in this, the last set of exams before the allimportant CEs in the summer term.

Fortunately for them, it was also an exeat week and so despite the hard work, they were able to finish early on the Friday and enjoy a somewhat longer weekend!

The fun continued with our termly Cross-Curricular Week, exploring the theme, “The Art of Invention” and coinciding with British Science 20 LOCKERS PARK MAGAZINE 2022-2023

Week. This included trips to the Museum of Art & Design, the Year 8 River Study and a Forensic Workshop for Year 6. There was also the Set Science Quiz and the Set Science Practical, both deservedly won by Haig.

The culmination of the week was our first Lockers Park STEAM Day. Thanks to the hard work of Mrs Diggory and Mr (DT) Phillips, the boys were able to challenge themselves with a range of different activities, ultimately producing a presentation on “augmented humans” which marked yet another Haig victory in the Set Competition.

The week came to a close with the longest running LP sporting event, the annual Set Cross-Country Competition, which was won for an amazing sixth year in a row by Beatty! An excellent team effort and some superb individual performances too.

We then had another much anticipated boarding event, the Pancake Games. What else can I say other than it was “flipping marvellous”?

Despite the warm and friendly atmosphere at Lockers Park, we certainly don’t shy away from an argument, especially when it’s for the Inter-Set Debating Competition.

Who else could step up and take the Chair at such an event other than our very own Mr (French) Phillips who posed a series of questions and hot topics for the boys to discuss.

There were some fantastic points and rebuttals made and despite a very close competition, it was brothers Hugo and Henry who were ultimately triumphant and notched up another victory for…you’ve guessed it, Haig!

Before we knew it, we were into the final week of term and things showed no signs of slowing down with trips for Years 2-5 including The Tower of London, Verulamium and a local observatory to explore the cosmos. The senior boys were also showcasing their dramatic talents, taking to the boards and delivering a superb show in the form of SMIKE, this year’s Senior Production.

It was then time to announce the winner of the Set Competition and despite my clear and obvious impartiality throughout this termly review, it was the mighty Haig, led by our Set Leader Joshua who were ultimately victorious; a feat which Haig haven’t achieved for almost twenty years!

We then rounded the term off with what one member of the French Department described as “the greatest night of the Lockers Year”, Lockers Got Talent. It was a fantastic event which once again demonstrated both the range and wealth of exceptional skills and talents at what is clearly the greatest school on Earth! It was deservedly won by the Year 8 band, but plaudits must also go to our runners up, Jason, Seb, Sam and Jude.

It was then the last day of the spring term and the annual sponsored walk, this year in aid of the Collett School and the Charlie Waller Trust. Despite the rain, there was a fantastic turnout and our staff, parents and of course boys did what they always do: made us very proud to call ourselves the Lockers Park community.

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SPORTS

U13A RUGBY

Despite the appalling weather and frozen pitches, we managed to play some great rugby this term and whilst the results weren’t always a fair representation of the effort and chances we had, the boys showed true grit and determination, keeping their heads held high and refusing to give up.

Led by our captain Sam, whose tactical awareness and excellent kicking precision really stood out, we also saw some exceptional performances (and tries) from Lolu, Aman and Ethan whose speed and strength made it very hard for the opposition to stop. There were both convincing victories and tough grinds against some very strong and frankly enormous individuals, but our refusal to give up was truly commendable.

Well done boys, you did yourselves and the school proud.

U12A RUGBY

It has been a fantastic term for the U12A rugby team, only losing one of their games during the term. Early snow in the term meant cancellations against Edge Grove, but the following week we met Haileybury on the 4G at Cheshunt Rugby club. The boys ran in 12 tries to Haileybury’s 6 with the boys playing free flowing rugby and dominating the breakdown. A hat-trick from Barney H and 5 other try scorers saw a storming start to the term.

A close game against Westbrook Hay was our only loss of the term in a thrilling 5-4. Westbrook were held up on our line in the closing minutes and Lockers went on the attack, only to have an unforced error right on the final whistle. The boys rallied in training and focused on their shape in attack and defence and how best to recycle the ball and turn

opposition possession into our own and play on the front foot.

A blistering performance against Sunningdale saw Lockers 7-1 victors with some powerful and unstoppable runs from Tiger who crossed the line twice. Our second hat-trick of the season came on the same afternoon from fly half Leon whose strength and vision saw him break the line on multiple occasions.

A decisive 10-1 victory over York House saw 6 players cross the line in horrid wet and windy conditions.

The boys moved the ball beautifully and made the pitch as wide as possible and took advantage of a disorganised defence. Leon scored his second hat-trick of the season and there was a dominant performance from all the squad.

It was lovely to see Obaro and German both score their first tries of the season.

The season closed with a rearranged fixture against Edge Grove. Although not our best performance, the boys moved the ball quickly and attacked the spaces with precision. Leon scored his third hat-trick of the season and the boys finished 6-4 winners.

The whole squad of 15 players have trained so hard this term and deserve all the praise in the world.

They have been brilliant in Games sessions and it looks very exciting moving ahead for next season as U13s in what is the school’s 150th Year.

Well Done Boy

s!

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U11A RUGBY

A season of marked improvement with thunderous tackling, thrilling tries and very dirty kit. The squad were tight knit, building up a good team spirit despite occasions when the opposition’s size did matter.

Captain Lucas played above and beyond every week and should play more often. Sebastian often tackled as if his life depended on it. Vivaan, Max and Sam gave our game real grunt in both attack and defence.

Tom enjoyed his role as playmaker and will continue to develop positively. Hugo used his electric pace to score an impressive 11 tries. Maxence, George and Thomas created space and improved their

sleight of hand with some thrilling off loads. Marvellous muddy fun, until next year...

U11B RUGBY

The U11Bs have made good progress over the term. They have worked hard to improve upon their handling skills and rucking.

This has helped them achieve some excellent results and it is always nice to finish the season winning 9-6 against Manor Lodge. There have been some

wonderful individual tries scored with boys breaking the opposition’s defence on numerous occasions.

We have also been strong in defence and recognised the importance of working as a team. Overall, a very promising term. Well done!

U10A RUGBY In a nutshell, the best season I can remember in at least a decade, almost certainly more! We played 7, won 6 and lost only one.

After an uncertain start in the training game against Edge Grove and an early defeat against Westbrook Hay, the team came into its own and never again had the least difficulty in dispatching all opposition that had the displeasure of facing our own brand of destroyers.

Player of the season was Ethan, who led the team in tries and must have been a very close second in tackles.

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Which leads us to Ollie, simply the best tackler I have seen in 20 years.

His technique was awe inspiring and matched with a silent ferocity that startled everyone each game.

The other natural forwards, Jude and Oscar, were veritable battering rams and had Toby at scrum half always in close support for a rapid release from the ruck. Eddie and Jack were lithe, speedy wingers who somehow always evaded capture and were fed reliably from Alfie, Billy and PJ (who doubled as a more than competent forward). It may be years before we see the like again; thank you, boys!

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SPORTS

U10B RUGBY

The U10B team had a season which was very much focused around developing skills and knowledge of the game.

The boys were a force going forward using their pace and agility in all their fixtures. As the season progressed the team developed the defensive side of their game and the boys’ tackling, communication and physical commitment improved greatly.

Character and determination Whilst a number of fixtures were cancelled due to frozen pitches and poor weather, the U10Bs showed character and determination and ended the season with 2 wins against Edge Grove and York House and 2 losses against Lochinver and

St Columba’s. A special mention to Ellis for demonstrating excellent leadership skills and Awais for his powerful runs and excellent

attacking prowess. Additionally, well done to Toby on his excellent form which saw him promoted to the U10A side.

U9A RUGBY

The magnificent U9A team have had a fantastic season, full of progress, tackles, fun, team work, and despite a couple of knocks, they have come back stronger each week, and finished on a massive positive note. Our first match against a strong Edge Grove team outlined the effort and commitment that each player was willing to give, and despite being beaten, it highlighted the areas for focus. Rafferty came away with not only Man of the Match, but also a handshake from the Edge Grove referee, for his resilience and tackling skills.

The first sip of victory The second match day brought a triangular festival, which allowed us to taste the first sip of victory against Westbrook Hay. The boys were delighted and tries were won

by Dario, Zach, Rafferty, Noah and Balthazar. Man of the Match went to Noah for his sheer strength – the opposition couldn’t bring him down.

A 9-all draw was achieved at Lochinver House School, and the improvements in passing and moving forward were marked. Tries were achieved by Balthazar, Jack, Dario, Sebastian and Rafferty. Man of the Match went to Dario for team work, and for 4 incredible tries. The next festival presented five matches of rugby, plus a relay race to kick things off.

The boys were fantastic, and I was hugely proud of the progress they’d made, earning them 3 wins, one

loss, and one draw. We went out with a bang, playing our final match against Manor Lodge and taking a 4-2 win home with us.

I would like to congratulate Noah, Sebastian, Balthazar, Amaan, Muhammad, Jack, Rafferty, Dario and Noah for their hard work and determination, and the question still burns in my mind... do 8- and 9-year-old boys have a nervous system? From the challenges I’ve seen, I’m guessing the answer might be no!

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U9B RUGBY

The U9B team has enjoyed a great season and made good progress. For some, this has been their first time playing rugby and getting used to wearing a mouth guard.

Throwing and catching a ball along with tackling has been quite different. There has been some fantastic defending and tackling from Raphael, Thomas and Leo, along with brilliant runs from George, Lewis and Dylan. As a

team, the boys have encouraged each other to spread out and run forward to help score lots of tries. By the end of the season the boys were looking like a team, with every player wanting to be involved. The boys have enjoyed

representing Lockers Park playing against other schools at home and away. They have won, lost and drawn, but no matter the score have looked forward to the next match. It has been a joy to manage U9B this term. Well done, boys.

RUGBY U8A

The U8A team have had a fantastic season, in which they have made a huge amount of progress. They worked hard to understand the key rules of tag rugby, and showed excellent speed and organisation to achieve some excellent results at the end of the season. Highlights include 2 wins against Westbrook Hay, and our end of season victory against Manor Lodge. A special mention must go to Nathan for great communication with his teammates in matches and Sebastian for 12 tries scored.

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U8B RUGBY

The U8Bs had a very enjoyable season. They learned some of the fundamentals of rugby and worked hard at drills during training to improve their passing and catching skills.

They showed good positional play in attack and defence, and learned to apply the rules during matches. There was some brilliant teamwork from the

side at matches: they worked hard together and scored numerous tries.

The highlight of the season was their last away game, where they

showed off their amazing progress and determination to win. A great season, boys! Well done.

SENIOR MULTI-SPORT

This term saw the introduction of a choice between rugby and the new multi-sport curriculum. Multi-sport was highly enjoyable for the boys, who had the opportunity to learn and play a variety of sports: basketball,

badminton, indoor hockey, squash, table tennis and football. The boys competed in fixtures against Westbrook Hay and York House on Wednesday afternoons, and utilised the many skills from across

each sport studied throughout their weekly sessions. The boys gave some fantastic performances and results across a range of sports and thoroughly enjoyed our new multisport offering.

SET CROSS COUNTRY

After weeks of anticipation from the boys, the annual Set Cross Country Competition arrived.

In this contest all boys from Years 3-8 race around our beautiful Lockers Park site, all to win points for the Set Competition.

Unfortunately the one part we couldn’t get right was the weather! There was steady rain on what was already a sodden course. However it didn’t dampen the spirits of the boys – maybe because there was a Set Baking Competition taking place at the same time?! Full of cake, the boys headed onto the course…

In the U9 race, Sebastian was first around the final corner (to the delight of the Roberts Set Master and event organiser!), closely

followed by Zack and Rafferty to top off the medal positions.

The U11 race saw two Year 5s place in the medal positions, which is a great sign for next year! Tom claimed 1st place for Beatty in a storming run, whilst PJ and Eddie finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The seniors set off on their three laps of the site, all aiming to place as highly as possible. Aleks ran beautifully and looked in control the whole way around, finishing unchallenged to claim the win. He was followed by Ben in 2nd and Leon in 3rd.

With all points counted and independently verified, it was Beatty who were this year’s overall winners for the fifth time in six years.

We look forward to doing it all again next year (and maybe a new winning set…?).

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ACTIVITIES

LEADING THE LEGO LEAGUE CHALLENGE Lockers Park participated in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League Challenge on January 28th.

It was an exciting time for all eight team members and our coach, Mr Phillips, as the school had never participated before! At the beginning of the club, I joined the team because I thought it would be fun. However, things were about to change.

DT lab each week and immediately begin working. It was a true test of our commitment and determination, even though we started preparing much later than the majority of the teams we faced. We triumphed over obstacles and demonstrated tremendous teamwork skills.

When Mr Phillips announced that we would be participating in the FIRST Lego League Challenge, I experienced an instant rush of adrenaline and felt motivated to succeed! We put our best effort into everything, building the robot, programming it, and creating the PowerPoint. We would enter the

Despite the fact that we saw people leave and others join in their place, our team spirit was unaffected.

We were going to make it through together, like a small community.

When the big day arrived, the team was both excited and nervous at the same time. We were all greeted by numerous other teams

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seeking glory as we entered Stevenage. Since we had already accomplished so much, we were all pleased with our progress. The team had all learned a lot along the way; We had the best time.

Due to our encounters with much more experienced teams, the first two matches were challenging.

We won the third and final match in the last ten seconds to advance to the knockout stages! Even though we were the underdogs, we still managed to finish in fourth place!

A trophy that can be proudly displayed in the trophy cabinet was ours when we returned home.

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ACTIVITIES

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK Good mental health is so important. It is something we are always talking to the boys about, and we incorporate it into our days wherever we can.

For Mental Health Week the kitchen made delicious fruit smoothies for break time and we braved the cold at our outdoor disco – we danced, laughed, joined in the conga line, played in the bubbles and made paper headbands! Residents from Water Mill Care Home visited for afternoon tea and met our student

council. Mindful colouring, puzzles and fairy tale meditation added brilliantly to our busy week.

We know that a little thank you can mean the world to somebody, especially if they are having a tough day or week. For this reason we decided to introduce the thank you

box. Boys, parents and staff had the opportunity to write a little thank you note to anyone in the Lockers Park community. It was lovely to see boys from Little Lockers writing notes for boys in Year 8, and subject teachers receiving grateful messages thanking them for the inspiration. The box proved so popular that it stayed an extra week!

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING As part of this term’s INSET programme, staff took part in the one-day Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training course. The training provided staff with the opportunity to develop: • An in-depth understanding of the factors that affect mental health.

• The skills to help identify the signs and symptoms for a range of mental health conditions.

• How to listen in a non-judgemental way and hold supportive conversations.

• How to spot the red flags to signpost people to professional help, recognising your role as a Mental Health First Aider.

The opportunity to discuss mental health issues within in a structured and supportive framework led to important conversations around how the school can support students and adults alike.

The school continues to invest in future opportunities to work as a community to raise awareness and increase wellbeing and positive mental health at all levels of the school.

MASKED SINGER

It started with a suggestion from Mr Taylor and the Lockers Park staff certainly delivered, raising plenty of money for the Charlie Waller Trust. Laughter, music, applause and shock filled the room as the boys tried to guess who was behind the mask each time. Twelve different acts performed, giving out clues as to their identity. There were pigeons,

broccoli, a horse, a lemon, a pack of dogs and even a cookie monster. Our brave staff performers were fantastic, and the boys guessed their identities correctly almost every time.

This was an event the boys absolutely loved – how exciting to see their teachers in such a different light!

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ACTIVITIES

SET DEBATE COMPETITION The Set Debate is a great annual competition that showcases the finest oratorical minds in the school. To kick things off, Otto and Vivaan argued convincingly that unity is the answer to the world’s problems, with Rafi and Jonathan putting the opposite case. After a ‘before and after’ vote, it looked like the proposers might have had the edge.

Next, we had a clash of siblings with the Moffitt bros duking it out versus the Brothers Ayres over whether the school should go mixed.

Both sides were most judicious in their use of statistics and in fact there were honours all round - read on....The final debate was between Jonathan and Lucas arguing that

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a simpler life was a happier life against Fred and Tom. Kudos to Jonathan for being the only boy to give his entire speech by memory and to Tom for hand writing his, a sign that he operated without copious parental supervision (if his handwriting was anything to go by, at the very least!).

The winners were Haig – winning the prize for the overall best Set, with Sam scooping the Debating Cup at the end of term for the best individual speech. Many thanks to Mrs Corrigan for her perspicacious judging and wise words, and to all boys who took part.

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ACTIVITIES

A MAGICAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Learning enrichment is extremely important to all of us at Lockers Park and so the introduction of our termly cross-curricular themes is something which we have all been very excited about.

Our theme for the spring term was “The Art of Invention”, which seemed like an excellent excuse for Year 6 to study J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone as a class text. It seemed only right and proper, based on this selection, that we took advantage of our locality’s resources and visit the Warner Bros.

Studios Harry Potter Experience. The boys (and staff!) had a magical time exploring the studios where, as part of the tour, we were able to see firsthand the sets, costumes, props and exceptional post-production departments which brought these popular books to life on the big screen.

We also took part in an exciting and educational “Foley Workshop”, which gave the boys the opportunity to learn

about how sound effects are created and added to films using a range of everyday items. We were then split into groups and had a go at making and adding our own sounds to actual

The Art of Invention

footage from the Harry Potter film series. The day proved such a great success that we have already decided to return next academic year with a new crop of budding wizards!

WORLD BOOK DAY On Thursday 2nd March, there was a truly magical feel to Lockers Park as we celebrated the fantastic annual literary event that is World Book Day. Linked to both our Cross-Curricular topic (The Art of Invention) and the Year 6 class text, our whole school theme was “All Things Harry Potter”.

Lockers Park was transformed into something truly reminiscent of Hogwarts itself, with the boys and staff dressed accordingly and witches and wizards of all “Snapes” and

sizes quite literally (or should that be literary?) as far as the eye could see!

Every department came together in perfect “Hermione” to create a spellbinding carousel of workshops including Potion Making, Wand Design, Mandrake Modelling and Magical Storytelling to name but a few! Other activities included a Golden Snitch Treasure Trail and a fiercely competitive Book Quiz which formed part of the Set Competition and was ultimately won by Haig.

The boys “Sirius-ly” enjoyed the experience and if that wasn’t enough, they were treated to a Magical Banquet with a Harry Potter themed lunch and magical snacks throughout the day to make it all the more enchanting. It was an exceptional day and no “mystic”!

We can’t wait for next year! As always, the Lockers Park community came together and showed yet another example of what makes our school so…well…magical!

We can’t wait for next year!

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OUR TERM IN SCIENCE SET SCIENCE COMPETITION The Set Science Competition took off with an engaging activity. The sets each had to design and build a run for a ping pong ball. The remit was to use as little card, paper and sticky tape as possible whilst making the longest lasting course. They could include as many turns, obstacles and twists as they liked so long as the ball kept moving. The teams lead by the set leaders were organised, inclusive and determined. It was a great, hotly contested competition ultimately won

by Jellicoe. Well done to all the competitors who worked hard and showed super teamwork!

WEATHER TALK Our very own David Bowker reached out to our Year 6 to encourage them to connect with the skies! He gave a fascinating insight into the clouds, how they form and the weather they bring. The boys were captivated, listening carefully and asking pertinent questions.

PARENTS SCIENTIFIC EVENING With trepidation, a group of parents turned up on a Tuesday evening for a taste of Science! Mr Iqbal didn’t disappointment, giving them thrills, flames, bangs and a great flavour of their sons’ lessons.

They burnt some chemicals, deciding which was the unknown X. They also tested leaves for starch using iodine. A real eye opener and memory stirrer, we hope! This was followed with drinks, nibbles and science chat.

SCIENCE ROADSHOW

The STEM Roadshow is the UK’s longest-running science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) roadshow for schools.

A huge thanks to Oundle School and Imperial College London, for providing us with the opportunity to host this exciting space-themed event on Friday 24th March. The show was delivered by Scott Marley, an expert in astronomy, physics and engineering. The roadshow was engaging and informative, including fascinating facts about space exploration, the future of space tourism and some live scientific demonstrations. One of our parents emailed to say: “What a super event. We all loved it! Very inspiring speaker who kept the whole audience gripped for an hour.

Just brilliant. Thank you!” Lockers Park was also pleased to welcome some of the Oundle School staff, Laura MacKenzie and Ros Goatly, who were available to talk to pupils and parents.

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ROYAL OBSERVATORY TRIP Year 4 had a fabulous end to their space topic with a visit to the Royal Observatory.

The boys explored the Meridian Line and the huge telescope that is still used to study the skies today. Next, it was time to meet Greg, a real life astronomer, who shared his knowledge of the Earth, sun and moon. He invited the boys to answer and raise their own sensible questions, and they impressed Greg with their enthusiasm for learning.

Then it was time for a delicious picnic lunch provided by our wonderful kitchen staff. After,

we made our way to the Galaxy Room where the boys learnt about the creation of our solar system and completed a quiz and word search.

To end our day, we visited the planetarium where Joshua, another real life astronomer, spoke more about our galaxy with extra fascinating facts about asteroids, Mars and Saturn. Finally, we looked at the constellations and had the opportunity to raise more questions.

“

DESPITE THE RAIN WE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY!

NATIONAL SPACE CENTRE TRIP The Year 2 children spent a fascinating day bringing our space topic to life by zooming off on an amazing adventure to the National Space Centre in Leicester! There were so many interactive activities to explore in the six different galleries, each one focussing on a different aspect of space and space travel. We then enjoyed a journey through the universe together in the immersive Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium. We

were guided around our night-time sky, visiting planets and exploring the mysteries of space, an aweinspiring experience! The boys then climbed up the stairs to reach the top of the 42 metre Rocket Tower.

This is home to Blue Streak and Thor Able rockets, as well as the Gagarin Experience, Apollo Lunar Lander and real Moon Rock! Finally, the boys enjoyed designing and launching air powered rockets in a workshop, which they were able to take home.

“

THIS TRIP TRULY WAS ‘OUT OF THIS WORLD’!

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WHAT THE DICKENS? The final weeks of the spring term saw the culmination of many hours of hard work and preparation in the form of this year’s senior play, SMIKE. Described as a “Pop musical freely based on Charles Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby”, SMIKE tells the story of a group of poorly treated schoolboys who are thrust into the past through a study of Dickens’ 1839 novel.

From Diyon’s portrayal of the mean and uncaring Headmaster Squeers, to the gravelly tones of Thomas’ northern wench, Mrs Squeers, the audience were treated to an exceptional musical tour de force and we were extremely proud of all of the boys.

There were laughs, there were tears and a fine selection of catchy tunes which we feel will be very much in our minds and on our lips for quite some time to come.

Drama is an extremely important part of the curriculum at Lockers Park as it allows our boys to express themselves in ways that the core academic subjects simply cannot offer.

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Whilst the productions do of course take centre stage, it is also the unseen elements, the “behind the scenes” activities which truly make a difference to the boys’ development.

From the hard work of boys such as Shrey and Ayaan in the sound and lighting department to the exceptional organisation (and stealth) of individuals like Sam who ran the stage crew, drama caters for a wide range of skills and attributes and gives every boy their chance to shine and enjoy their time in the (often very literal) spotlight.

Huge congratulations to all of the cast and crew for a superb performance and we wait with baited breath to see what next year’s dramatic offering will be.

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AND NOW… LOCKERS GOT TALENT The annual shindig, otherwise known as Lockers Got Talent, once again raised the roof of the Centenary Hall on the last night of the spring term.

There were too many fun, crazy and bemusing acts to name but special kudos to the final four who themselves managed to encapsulate the mayhem and the magic! Jason did as many keepme-ups as he could to the tune of ‘Match of the Day’; Jude did a remarkably witty stand-up routine; Sebastian and Sam performed a great act with their diabolos.

But hand on heart, the most charismatic, entertaining and plain loudest act in the history of LGT ran out the undisputed champions. A

HUGE well done to the band named ‘Saharan Penguins’, consisting of Jack, Thomas, Ayaan, Henry and Jon Jon, whose ‘Smells like Teen

Spirit’ was totally unforgettable. My eardrums are still shuddering! What a way to end the term!

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LOCKERS PARK HITS THE AIRWAVES Our two Head Boys Seb and Diyon, along with Oliver from the Charity Committee, were lucky enough to be invited to local radio station Mix 92.6 for an interview about our sponsored walk.

The three boys did a brilliant job.

They were taught how to speak into the microphone (using the distance between your thumb and little finger as a guide) and took it in turns to answer questions about the sponsored walk. They were also shown how the station remains on air playing music all the time, how the equipment works and how they can tell what songs are lined up to play next.

After completing the interview Mr Simpson gave the boys free rein to interview each other – which did lead to some rather offtopic questions! This trip was an amazing experience for the boys.

SPONSORED WALK

Our annual 5 mile sponsored walk took place on 31st March to raise money for the Charlie Waller Trust and the Collett School.

The heavens opened the whole week leading up to the walk and didn’t stop on the day but thanks to the amazing staff community who worked together to rearrange the route last minute the walk thankfully still took place. You would have never guessed that the boys, parents, family members

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and dogs were soaked through and covered in mud with the fantastic smiles and energy that they brought back with them on their way to collect their certificate and treat.

We were joined on the walk by staff and children from the Collett

School, who also enjoyed the day immensely. Etienne from Year 6, a member of our Charity Committee, said “I think the sponsored walk is a great opportunity to raise money for charity, even in the pouring rain.”

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WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE BOARDING HOUSE

We started the term with an open evening, for parents to get an insight into boarding life at Lockers Park. This was a great chance for boys to show their families around their dormitories, and for us to give more information to those interested in future boarding. Thank you to all who attended.

Our evening events remain as popular as ever, with the famous Dark Tower proving to be an especially magical and magnificent evening, as ever. The boarders then teamed up with Cubs, putting their combined knowledge to the test with a superb Quiz Night, with special rounds prepared by individual staff members. It was lovely to welcome a number of new, young boarders to the boarding house for our Years 3 and 4 film nights, complete with popcorn, hot chocolate and slatter. Later in the term, a full boarding house enjoyed our very first dodgeball event – something requested by the boys themselves at boarding and school council meetings. The night certainly didn’t disappoint; the crowned winners were on a high from their achievements! Finally the Pancake Games were once again a success, with a special pancake and ice cream Little Tea topping off a wonderful evening of fun and frivolity.

At weekends our regular boarders (and any day boys joining us) have enjoyed a wide range of trips and activities this term. We kicked off with a trip to Harrow School, toured by our very own Old Harrovian, Mr Kemp.

Young YouTubers, Berkhamsted Treasure Trail, the cinema and TopGolf were fantastic days out, but our final weekend was a real favourite: our Easter Eggstravaganza and Family Sunday Lunch. With 19 boys in school over the weekend, our Easter Eggstravaganza was a wonderful event.

There was the traditional Great Egg Roll and an egg-citing Easter egg hunt around the Prep school. Families of those boarding were then invited to sample our famous Sunday roast (with all the trimmings) – and what an amazing atmosphere there was! A huge thank you to the families who joined us, and of course to our amazing catering team.

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PASSO DEL TONALE 2023 Lockers Park travelled to Passo del Tonale in Italy for a ski trip during the second week of the Easter break. For six nights, from Saturday to Friday, we slept at the Hotel Negritella in the valley. We skied on the mountain Tonale Pass for five days. The accommodation was excellent, with rooms that could accommodate up to five people each (often divided by year groups) and a gym.

In our skiing lessons we went offpiste and down black runs close to glaciers, and the ski instructors were superb at making skiing enjoyable and honing our skills.

There were four groups – red, green, blue, and purple – equally divided for the ideal experience. Parents or guardians were able to take their kids out for free skiing in the afternoon and come back whenever they liked.

There were lots of things to do in the town when we weren’t skiing.

Teachers would take us to the shops to buy snacks and souvenirs. We also had quiz nights with special

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prizes. We had a massive pizza party. And whenever we just wanted to relax, we could be in our rooms or in the lounge, playing games or watching videos with our friends.

When we weren’t chowing down on pizza, the hotel served us freshly prepared food including pasta, burgers, chicken and more, along with a self-serve salad bar. The choice of who to sit with and what drinks to order was also ours. We had a screen-free dinner so that we could converse with our friends and create memories while we tucked into a tasty bowl of spaghetti!

The flexibility to do as you pleased – play games with your friends, visit stores, tour the town, or take a nap – was one of the reasons I personally loved the ski trip. I really appreciated how enthusiastically the staff created the greatest experience, which included a comical prizegiving at the end. I got the “Always turns up on time” award because I was consistently 5 minutes late, but there were many other winners as well. Every boy at Lockers should go skiing because it is fun for all ages and it makes lasting memories.

By Sebastian, Year 8

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REVIEW

SUMMER TERM REVIEW

A busy term marked the end of an amazing year. Lockers was recently nominated for Happiest Boarding School, an accolade we all took immense pride in. We are thrilled to be recognised not only for our academic provision but also for our pastoral care and emphasis on fun.

We said goodbye to our wonderful Year 8 leavers, celebrating their achievements, awards, scholarships, trials, laughs and memories made.

Our Year 8s truly excelled this term, with all of them securing admission to their first-choice senior schools. After months of diligent exam preparation from these boys, the school community was happy to see them relaxing and making the most of their final Lockers days on their Leavers’ Programme.

They challenged local MP Mike Penning on the refugee crisis, learned to street dance, and even put their driving skills to the test.

This term was a historical one. Boys will reminisce in years to come and reflect upon their experiences of having celebrated the King’s Coronation. Our boys ventured out to castles and palaces, they engaged in ‘The Big Help Out’ and they channelled their inner Bear Grylls.

From Reception to Year 8, they all earned their Coronation badge, which we hope they will treasure for years to come.

members strive to be lifelong learners, embracing curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. This year staff studied with experts to become Mental Health First Aiders, and at INSET underwent training on teaching to the top and extending every pupil in the classroom. Several completed coaching qualifications too.

The cross-curricular project this term was Ancient Greece, where we explored the topic through every subject and learned more about it than we could have imagined. From experiencing the food to creating Ancient Greek artwork and writing adventures from the time, we really did enjoy every second.

Our word school comes straight from the Ancient Greek schole – their notion of a state between worktime and playtime, a space where we are free, but free to be creative and productive. This term Lockers Park’s classrooms, gym, stage, shrubs, swimming pool and pitches were full of our boys being free, creative and productive. And the strong support of the wider Lockers community behind the boys was fully in evidence at musical concerts, galas, athletics meets and on match days. We look forward to welcoming you all to the many new and exciting events in store, as we move into our 150th anniversary year.

This term also saw the introduction of the Lockers Park Learner Profile, marking an exciting new chapter in the history of the school. We have embraced a skills-based curriculum that focuses on leveraging existing knowledge and strategies to answer questions and facilitate ongoing learning. This approach extends beyond our boys: our staff

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1ST XI CRICKET

The great British weather did everything it could to ruin the start of the 2023 cricket season, with matches affected and cancelled due to the poor weather.

However the sun eventually shone and allowed the 1st XI to get to work.

The visit of Edge Grove saw the 1st XI win the toss and field first. From ball one, Lockers were on top with wickets falling at regular intervals from seamers Ethan (3 for 5) and Sadhik (1 for 5). However it was the introduction of spin from captain Shrey (3 for 8) and Thomas (2 for 11) which turned the tide in our favour, as we bowled Edge Grove out for 48.

In reply, Lockers were in control the whole way, only losing one wicket in the process. Barney (26*) saw us home for a 9-wicket win.

Sandringham visited for the U12 County Cup. Lockers were on the front foot from the get-go, with Barney 42 off 43 balls, and Leon 73* off 32 balls – including a 6 that almost hit a car on the driveway! We posted a daunting 172. In reply, the boys fielded well and bowled a good consistent line

and length to eventually win the game by 54 runs. Wickets were evenly spread across the four seam bowlers.

Our first Saturday afternoon game of the term took us away to Sunningdale.

Our Year 8s were on their leavers’ trip, so it was up to the Year 7s to rise to the challenge. After winning the toss and choosing to field, we toiled away in the 30 degree heat. Wickets for Thomas (3 for 12) and newly-promoted opening bowler Freddie (1 for 7) restricted Sunningdale to 102 from their 20 overs. In reply, William got us off to a strong start with back-to-back boundaries in the first over. But with our big run-scorer falling cheaply, it was up to the middle order to save the day, and Thomas (47* off 34 balls) came to the rescue as the side slipped from 24 for 2 to win by six wickets.

The run-fest continued against Lochinver House, where a not-so-impressive fielding display meant we were

chasing 129 to win. In a crisis calm heads are necessary, and Leon strolled to the crease and proceeded to hit the ball to all parts of the ground!

A marvellous innings of 78* off 50 balls to win the game with a six off the last ball was one of the best finishes to a 1st XI game I have seen in ten years. Although the final game finished in defeat in the County Cup semi-final, there were many positives to take from it: Leon’s 62* off 51 balls, Barney’s 48* off 60 balls, Freddie almost taking a hat-trick and finishing with figures of 3 for 13, and Ollie putting in the best fielding performance of the term.

The boys have trained incredibly well this term and have brought the energy and passion of their training to every match day. Colours Awarded: Shrey Mehta (Captain)

2ND XI CRICKET A very successful term for the Lockers 2nd XI. The season started with a win against Westbrook Hay. Lockers batted first, and we witnessed a season highlight of William scoring a fantastic unbeaten 78 (including 15 fours) to set Westbrook Hay a target of 135. We bowled them out for 105 with Aman and Hero taking two wickets each.

The second game was an away trip to Edge Grove. Once again we batted first, with Lolu and Aleks getting 16 runs each, Aman and William 18 38 LOCKERS PARK MAGAZINE 2022-2023

each, Toby 11 and Henry 10, setting Edge Grove a target of 125 to win.

Edge Grove could only get to 104 runs off their 20 overs.

A tough away match at Heath Mount followed, and they set us a target of 120 to win. Despite Otto’s 14 and Ed’s 11, Lockers fell short in the chase with 104 runs off our 20 overs.

The final match of the season was a home game against Lochinver House.

Diyon’s 17, Aman’s 15 and German’s unbeaten 12 gave Lockers a solid 110 runs. Three wickets for Diyon and two for Sam reduced Lochinver to 84 all-out, and was a great way to finish the season.

Well done to all the boys involved with the 2nd XI team this term.

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3RD XI CRICKET The 3rd XI have had an excellent season.

They maintained a 100% win record against teams from Westbrook Hay and Heath Mount, the latter of which saw a 9 wicket victory, with 8 overs to spare! Some fantastic bowling

made relatively quick work of the opposition, keeping their run rate to a minimum and laying a solid foundation on which to build our attack. From that point on, it was a 126 run partnership produced by

Fred and Jonathan that sealed the victory with Fred’s impressive score of 55 meaning that the match ball was his. An excellent team effort and a thoroughly enjoyable season of cricket!

COLTS A CRICKET

Climate change is the curse of the modern world and yet is seemingly responsible for lots of cricket matches not being rained off!

The mark of a successful season has to be visible improvement, and that was undoubtedly the case with the Colts A team. They deserve praise for having the determination to work hard at all three disciplines. Captain Max epitomised such an ethos with his left-arm swing bowling and consistent batting. He also became an accomplished leader of men in the field, leaving no doubt who

was in charge. Maxence bowled soundly and wielded the willow to great effect, playing some incredible shots, especially down the ground. Find of the season was Lucas, who worked hard at his bowling, producing quite frightening pace and bounce. Tom and Sam shared keeping duties and batted forcefully. Vivaan and Thomas contributed with both bat and ball and will be useful next

year. Noah, Hugo and William all contributed positively when given their opportunities. Etienne’s leg-spin should be persevered with: there could be wickets aplenty in the future. Year 5s Eddie and Jude will most certainly have to live up to their potential next summer.

Another glorious summer term.

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COLTS B CRICKET

The Colts Bs have had an enjoyable term and seen some impressive performances on the field.

The team had a strong bowling line-up, with several players demonstrating excellent action, and took lots of wickets. However we have faced some challenges when batting, particularly in

playing a forward defence. Despite the batting struggles, it has been great to see everyone working together as a team in the field. The highlight of the season was Alfie’s achievement, taking three wickets

in a single over against Manor Lodge.

COLTS C CRICKET It was a mixed season in so many ways, but we will all remember the wonderful highlights, notably our grand victories over Sunningdale, the Ryde School and St Columba’s.

In the latter, everything seemed to click and it was a brilliant end to the season. The main problem this season lay in our bowling. It is always worth the boys’ while to look at clips on YouTube (other streaming sites are available) and

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even get themselves videoed at home, and look at the difference.

A consistent, ‘repeating’ action is what is required to avoid three quarters of our lost reasons being due to wides and no balls! The batting improved steadily across the season. By next year, the boys must have practised rolling

their wrists to keep the ball down, and to run sensibly between the wickets. They will get a great shock next year when they discover that when they are out, they are really out - no second chances! The real joy of the season was the way the boys were so supportive of each never a critical word when instead encouragement could be offered, and Sebastian as captain led the way with this.

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COLTS D CRICKET

The Colts Ds had a mighty cricket season.

There was huge improvement among the team, especially from those players who had never played the sport before. Their progression showed in the matches we played, with close results in all fixtures. It was great to see all the Colts D players

being so involved and enthusiastic about different roles in the game.

Alfie and Ray were stand-outs as wicket-keepers. We had amazing bowling performances from David and Luka, as well as powerful batting from Kevin, Billy and Lucas.

Though the team struggled to achieve a victory this season, the boys should be proud of their hard work and determination to achieve.

Great job, team.

COLTS E CRICKET The summer is fantastic for allowing all of our Year 5s and 6s to enjoy playing cricket in the splendid weather. The Colts E have been fortunate enough to play in some evenly-matched fixtures this term, including Westbrook Hay, Edge Grove, Heath Mount and

Swanbourne. What has particularly struck me is their ability to come together and work as a team in a sport that is new to the majority of them. Notable performances came from Kevin, Harry, Arian, Lucas and Ray. Seeing the boys transition to a team with stronger confidence when

batting, bowling and fielding has been very pleasing to see and I very much look forward to watching the Year 5 members of the team develop into role models for the younger boys coming into the Colts next year.

U9A CRICKET

The U9As have performed exceptionally well this season, winning 6 out of 8 matches – an impressive record to compete with.

The winning streak dominated the first half of the season, taking

four victories from the first four matches! Their success has set a precedent for other teams, hopefully inspiring others to push themselves further. The players have taken it in turns to captain

matches, and performed with a cooperative and inclusive approach. This team spirit has contributed to their overall success on the field.

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U9B CRICKET

The U9Bs have had a fantastic season, making huge amounts of progress in training sessions and matches.

A notable win early in the term was against Lochinver House, where the boys fought hard for a 27 run win, with Seb contributing 26 runs and 2 wickets. Later in the season the U9Bs beat St Columba’s by 70 runs, with the excellent batting partnership of Seb and Jack. A special mention must go to Amaan for consistently earning Player of the Match awards for outstanding effort and impressive batting displays across the season. Well done boys, a very enjoyable term.

Balthazar batted brilliantly, with 48 runs off just 12 balls with his partner Noah, and remained not-out in an outstanding performance against St Margaret’s. Every player has competed fiercely, scoring numerous runs, catching every single ball with the vaguest chance of being caught – sometimes to the shock and dismay of the opposition! – and proudly taking wickets for their team.

Balthazar, Muhammed, Neev, Noah, Dario, Lewis, Zach and Rafferty

were a well-balanced team, with a magical mix of talent, team spirit and collaboration, making them a force to be reckoned with. Watch this space, Colts, I can’t wait to see where they go from here.

Congratulations to you all!

U9C CRICKET

The U9Cs have had a fabulous start to cricket at Lockers Park. For many this has been their first time playing the game and they loved every minute.

Over the term the boys have been learning and practising both their batting and bowling skills and made good progress. They have loved welcoming other schools and especially enjoyed the match tea in the private garden. Special mentions for Andrew and Raphael for making an excellent

batting pair. They communicated well and took risks to score as many runs as possible. Also to Ephra and Humphrey, who were not only focused but also encouraged the other boys to play well.

They demonstrated leadership skills and created a fantastic team spirit. Dylan and Sacha bowled formidably, helping to take many wickets throughout the term. It has been a pleasure to support the boys and I have been so impressed with their effort and team spirit. Well done, U9Cs.

U9D CRICKET This term the U9Ds represented Lockers Park in their first season with incredible enthusiasm. The boys made excellent progress developing their batting and fielding skills and they thoroughly enjoyed playing matches against other schools. They played diamond cricket for some of their matches, where they were able to practise their skills in a dynamic and fun way. During formal cricket games, they also worked well as a team, learning to communicate 42 LOCKERS PARK MAGAZINE 2022-2023

and score runs. They learned how to position themselves when fielding to prevent boundaries and worked on their throwing to the wicket-keeper. A special mention goes to Henry for his fantastic effort and teamwork during every match.

George, Charlie and Justin also worked hard this term and helped build team spirit. All the boys were committed team members, with Christopher and Leo making an especial impact on the overall play. It has been an enjoyable cricket season and I am sure they will carry their skills and enthusiasm through to next year.

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SET CRICKET

The eagerly anticipated return of Set Cricket was on the mind of all boys as the final weeks of term rolled in.

Group stages took place over two afternoons and there was some impressive batting and fielding on display. Mountbatten piled on the runs on the back pitch to finish top of Group A, whilst Roberts managed two wins to finish top of Group B. There was even a tie in Group B which meant the 2nd place Set went through on net run rate! It was down to +0.2.

On finals day the rain held off and the music was up and running – as was some rather good commentary on the loud speakers! Jellicoe took on Kitchener in the 5th and 6th place play-off. Ayaan brought

Jellicoe back into the game, but a tight over from Tiger meant the game finished as a tie – the second one of the competition.

Beatty set Haig 51 to win in the 3rd and 4th place play-off game, which Barney soon set about chasing down. There were reverse sweeps and switch-hits galore – ‘Bazball’ had certain taken over Lockers Park!

sent out! Unfortunately, he had to retire to get to a club cricket game (much to the relief of Roberts…).

Mountbatten set a daunting 65 to win off 5 overs. Lolu and Freddie set about chasing it down and did a very fine job, taking it right down to the last ball needing 3 to win, but ultimately coming up just short.

Well done to all who took part in another fantastic Lockers event.

The final saw Mountbatten take on Roberts. Mountbatten were scoring at 10 an over, with Leon hitting the ball so deep into the shrubs that a search party had to be

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TABLE TENNIS

The senior and junior table tennis teams took on Edge Grove in our termly fixture in April.

The seniors fought hard, with Leon winning all his games and Ethan winning seven games (to name but two highlights). In the U11 section, the show was stolen by Balthazar,

who as a Year 4 was playing boys two years older than him.

He won all his games, and quite convincingly. His brother Maxence also scored a full house, winning

all of his games. It was a great evening of competitive table tennis from everyone. The future looks bright.

SET ATHLETICS For the first time in three years the English weather played ball and stayed dry for our biggest event of the summer – the return of Set Athletics! All boys in the school represented their Set in a competition that saw them run, jump and throw to the best of their ability. Set Athletics is all about

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the team: no individual times, all point-based. There were some great performances on show, from the Little Lockers 50m all the way up to the senior 200m.

There were cricket ball throws and foam javelins for Little Lockers, as well as long and high jumps.

Competition was fierce and the

final Set Relay was the closest we have had in years, however it was Mountbatten who lifted the Set Shield for the second year in a row. Congratulations to all of Mountbatten.

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ATHLETICS FINALS

The return of the Athletics Finals saw every boy from Years 3-8 sign up for their favourite events and attempt to qualify for the finals, which were held on the final Wednesday of term.

The finals themselves were hotly contested and some fantastic performances were on show. Two notable performances were record-

breaking, with Hero breaking the U12 75m hurdles record with a new time of 13.93s and Lucas in the U11 75m hurdles with a time of 13.81s.

ATHLETIC RESULTS U9 55m Hurdles 100m 200m 300m 600m Long Jump High Jump

R. Yule 11.40s D.Pascal 15.80s N. Ashcroft 38.03s N. Ashcroft 1m 02s R. Yule 2m 24s S. Darley 3.54m Z. Afolami 1.10m

Cricket Ball

S. Darley 25.68m

U11 75m Hurdles 100m 200m 300m 800m 1500m Long Jump High Jump Cricket Ball

L. Simon 13.81s H. Moffitt 14.01s H. Moffitt 31.69s T. Wilmot-Smith 53.52s T. Wilmot-Smith 3m 01s T. Wilmot-Smith 6m 16s H. Moffitt 3.92m L. Simon 1.25m V. Soni 32.59m

U13 80m Hurdles 75m Hurdles 100m 200m 300m 800m 1500m Long Jump High Jump Triple Jump Shot Put Javelin Discus

S. Warren 16.00s H. Duan 13.93s L. Vandra-Simon 13.30s L. Vandra-Simon 29.12s L. Adeyinka 50.03s O. Morrell 3m 00s A. Tomczyk 6m 02s E. Sefordzi 4.39m L. Adeyinka 1.35m A. Fouzan 8.22m T. Laver 7.87m S. Warren 16.08m W. Morgan 16.10m

Elsewhere, Hugo completed the sprint double in the U11s, winning both the100m and 200m in times of 14.01s and 31.69s respectively, whilst also winning the long jump (3.92m). Tom also won three events, all on the track: 300m (53.52s), 800m (3m 01s) and 1500m (6m 16s).

In the U9 age group, there were victories for Rafferty in the 55m Hurdles (11.40s) and 600m (2m 24s). Noah also won two events: the 200m (38.03s) and 300m (1m 02s). The field events were dominated by Sebastian who won the long jump (3.54m) and cricket ball (25.68m).

In the senior age group, we had ten different winners, which shows the strength in depth of the age group.

Notable performances were (as mentioned previously) Hero’s new hurdles record, as well as Leon completing the sprint double 100m (13.30s) and 200m (29.12s). Lolu had a very busy afternoon with all his events falling in the space of 15 minutes, but still managed to win the 300m (50.03s) and the high jump (1.35m), and was in the final for the 800m and 1500m – a great effort.

A big well done to all, but in particular to the finalists and the overall winners.

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QUADRANGULAR ATHLETICS There was anticipation and excitement as the annual Quadrangular Athletics Championship at Jarman Park arrived. Thirty boys from Years 5-8 represented the school and looked to win the much sought-after Scott Gowing Shield for a record-breaking fourth time, and third year in a row.

Some highlights from the afternoon were German winning his 200m (31.89), Lolu winning his 100m (14.33) and Leon coming first in his 100m (13.88). There were also wins for Ollie in the high jump, Thomas in both the shot put (6.69m) and cricket ball throw (48.36m), and German in the long jump (4.08m). There were victories too for Obaro and Hero.

In the U11s one highlight was Lucas winning his 200m (31.43), as well as high jump victories for William and Ethan. Lucas also won his high jump with 1.20m – very impressive for a Year 6.

Overall, the boys did incredibly well and should be proud of how they represented the school. The U11 team finished 4th whilst the senior team finished in agonising 2nd place, only ten points behind the winners. We look forward to returning next year to win back the Gowing Shield.

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BEDFORD REGIONAL ATHLETICS

The annual East of England Regional Athletics took place at the Bedford International Stadium just after half term.

Lockers Park had nine boys entered into events along with 50 other schools from our region – the competition was set to be fierce.

A highlight from the afternoon was Hugo coming second in the U12 100m heat with a time of 15.2s – he missed the final by an agonising

0.2s. There was also some very impressive sprinting from Leon, who came 4th in a very fast 100m heat with a time of 14.2s, and 3rd in his 200m heat with a time of 29.6s, but missed both finals by 0.3s and 1.0s respectively. Both boys will look to return next year to push for a final spot. There were impressive runs in

the 1500m by Aleks and Tom, who both finished with respectable times of 6m 06s and 6m 02s. The boys were a credit to the school on a very hot day indeed and represented brilliantly. We look forward to next year, where we hope to take a larger squad and impress with quicker times on the track.

SATIPS NATIONAL SKIING EVENT This year the boys competed once again in the SATIPS National Skiing Event. This was attended by over 100 skiers from across the country. It was both an individual and team event. The boys skied incredibly well and the course became very challenging during the second run. I was very

impressed with how they supported each other throughout the event and with their competitive nature: they tried so hard to beat their original times on the second run, risking everything and sometimes skiing on the edge. A few even crossed that edge and took a tumble. We had some amazing

successes, with the U9 boys being announced champions, the U13 boys runners up and Ethan winning the U13 event with his first run of the day.

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SPORTS

SQUASH & BADMINTON This year, 6 boys travelled to Nottingham University to represent the school at the annual IAPS National Squash Championships. Schools from all over the country attend the competition and our squad had prepared brilliantly, under the guidance of England Level 3 and s chool coach Steve Lloyd.

A strong start from all the boys saw them secure wins in the group stages, including a dominant performance from Leon winning 11/2, 11/1 and Thomas 11/3, 11/2. Aleks, Ethan, Ollie and Ed all won group games along the way. A notable group stage game was Ollie winning his 3rd game in a close 11/9, 11/10 encounter.

Four of our squad qualified into the main cup round of 16, with our other two squad members into the open bowl. This was a fantastic effort from the boys and the first time Lockers Park has had four boys in the main knockout stage.

Leon was unfortunately drawn against the eventual winner, so entered the plate competition, whilst Ethan went up against an eventual semi-finalist and also entered the plate competition. Aleks and Thomas both fought hard in their round of 16 matches and progressed to the open cup quarter finals. A fantastic achievement for both boys, especially Thomas as a Year 7. Incredibly tough quarter finals saw both boys battle incredibly hard, but unfortunately both bowed out of the main cup competition.

Whilst the main competition was taking place, our boys were progressing in the bowl and plate competitions, with a Lockers head-to-head in the plate semi-final where Leon faced Ethan. The boys played a game that was worthy of the plate final with Leon coming out on top 11/9, 12/10. This meant that Leon progressed to the plate final and Ethan into the 3rd place playoff match. Both boys were in control and dominant in their medal matches, Ethan winning 2-0 (11/6, 11/4) and finishing 3rd in the plate, whilst Leon cruised to victory 2-0 (11/1, 11/2) in the plate final.

It was a fantastic championship for Lockers Park and the boys worked incredibly hard across the two days. Fingers crossed for next year as we look to return to IAPS with some new faces and the same goal of winning some silverware.

Badminton is also a very popular sport at Lockers. Boys have enjoyed developing their skills in PE lessons and it was fantastic to see our prefect body starting up a badminton club on a Wednesday evening for boys to play. Matches against Kingshott saw the U11 and U13 teams win convincingly. Attacking the space on court and finishing the rallies as quickly as possible meant a dominant performance from both age groups. We hope to attend the IAPS Badminton Nationals in 2024.

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SWIMMING GALA With the original date cancelled due to heavy rain, the 2023 Swimming Gala took place on the final Wednesday afternoon of term. The whole school community gathered at the pool to witness a swimming spectacular.

There were records being broken left, right and centre (namely by one

particular swimmer!), but special mention must go to Jack, who broke the U9 individual medley record but also swam in many of the finals against much older boys. Harrison broke his own record, set last year in the Ball Cup, and we all look forward to him swimming for Beatty in the gala next year. However most

SWIMMING GALA RESULTS LITTLE LOCKERS Years 1 and 2 Freestyle (24.33)

H. White (NEW RECORD of 20.51)

BACKSTROKE U9 1 Length (18.65)

Jellicoe 27.12

U11 1 Length (17.00)

Kitchener 19.75

U13 2 Lengths (35.44)

Mountbatten 47.21

BREASTSTROKE U9 1 Length (22.47)

Jellicoe 26.00

U11 1 Length (18.40)

Mountbatten 21.92

U13 2 Lengths (36.56)

Mountbatten 52.91

FREESTYLE U9 1 Length (15.65)

Jellicoe 19.17

U11 1 Length (13.92)

Jellicoe 18.61

U13 2 Lengths (28.13)

Beatty 27.58 (NEW RECORD)

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY EVENTS U9 4 Lengths (1.52:02)

Haig 1.47:50 (NEW RECORD)

U11 4 Lengths (1.24:74)

Mountbatten 1.37:00

U13 4 Lengths (1.24:18)

Beatty 1.26:72

SET RELAY 15x 1 Length (4.53:01)

Mountbatten 5.21:17

OVERALL WINNERS

Mountbatten and Jellicoe

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS Bromley Shield (36.29)

J. Ball

40.13

Duncan Cup (41.53)

H. Duan

45.09

U11 Cup (32.03)

V. Soni

36.34

Junior Medley (1.00:18)

V. Soni

1.11:12

Taylor Medley (54.10)

H. Duan

51.99 (NEW RECORD)

Senior Diving

E. Jones

Junior Diving

E. Selman

Junior Butterfly (15.20)

V. Soni

18.91

U12 Cup (29.60)

H. Duan

29.21 (NEW RECORD)

Boardman Shield (31.94)

A. Tomczyk

38.94

Drummond Cup

The Parents

of the day was spent watching Hero break records: he set a new record for his set and two school records, both of which have stood since 2007. (T. Boardman held both records and was an exceptional swimmer – I had the pleasure of trying to keep up with him at the 2007 gala and failing!)

The main event, enjoyed by all, was the Staff vs Parents vs Boys Relay.

After a slightly worrying start for the staff (we won’t talk about it…) the parents managed to cruise home, with a close battle between the staff and boys for second place, the staff just nipping it.

In the Set Competition it was incredibly close and, for the first time in the school’s history, the competition was a tie. So the shield was shared between Jellicoe and Mountbatten. Well done to all swimmers.

IAPS SWIMMING A big well done to our IAPS regional swimmers who took part in the regional qualifiers at Aldwickbury this term. Lolu and Hero won their 50m breaststroke heats, and Aleks won his 50m backstroke heat. We also swam very well in both the medley and freestyle relays at U13 and U12.

We soon received the fantastic news that Hero had qualified 13th nationally in the U12 breaststroke and would head to the Olympic Park to represent Lockers Park at the IAPS National Swimming. Huge congratulations!

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NATURE TRAIL

Year 5 were taken for a walk around the school grounds to spot a variety of plants and flowers.

They have been learning about the parts of plants and what the function is, as well as how seeds are dispersed. They thoroughly enjoyed the lesson, and were naming a wide range of flowers correctly by the end.

SATIPS ART EXHIBITION Lockers Park were proud to take part in the prestigious SATIPS Art Exhibition 2023, which recently took place at the Royal Masonic School for Girls. Mr Taylor, Mrs Diggory, Mrs Whitehead and our art scholarship pupils loved seeing the inspiring artwork on display, along with a variety of work from some of our own Prep school pupils. Our scholars’ trip on Monday 24th April involved a private viewing and a chance to make sketches of some of the art.

It was wonderful to see our Year 5 work on display, along with artwork from 21 other schools, at the Dacorum Young Artists’ Competition, held at Ashlyns School on Saturday.

Congratulations to Ethan for being chosen by the judges as our ‘Best in School’ candidate. Ethan was thrilled to receive a trophy for his wonderful artwork inspired by Monet’s waterlilies.

LOCKERS PARK BEAVERS, CUBS AND SCOUTS Our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts have been as busy as ever! Unfortunately, with 2 bank holidays early in the summer term, Beavers and Scouts had a slightly slower start than usual, but we more than made up for this by taking every opportunity to enjoy the dry weather and long days, with all three sections spending most of the term outdoors.

All sections learned how to build shelters, using ‘bashas’(army style tarpaulins) and rope, and also using natural shelter materials such as wood and leaves. Our Beavers learned how to light fires and made s’mores, and were taught some traditional

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outdoor Scouting games, including ‘Monkey Tails’.

They also worked towards their communication badge and ended the term with a party, full of silly games and lots of fun. The Cubs section learned some wide games, built fires and did some backwoods cooking, making camp bread in billy cans. They made bug hotels and completed their naturalist badge. On top of all this, some of our Cubs spent the half term week with Shere Khan (AKA Harry, our Cub Leader) at Cubjam, a wonderful camp held at Phasels Wood, with hundreds of Cubs from far and wide. Our Scouts also built fires, and one sunny evening they made pizza wraps and of course, s’mores! Two of our Scouts attended a

fantastic weekend camp in preparation for a summer adventure to Haarlem Jamborette in the Netherlands, where they will be part of the Hemel Hempstead contingent of 64 Scouts and Explorers and 11 adult Leaders.

On a breezy and cool evening, the annual 7th Hemel Hempstead Scouts’ water fight took place this Monday, and was as crazy as ever! After 45 minutes of chaos in and around the school pool with guns, the boys got changed and thawed out with a cup of hot chocolate before heading home or up to the boarding house. It’s been a great year of Scouting at Lockers Park and our membership numbers are higher than ever.

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TIGGYWINKLES WILDLIFE HOSPITAL

We were reading ‘The Hodgeheg’ in English so we wanted to learn more about hedgehogs.

We listened to a talk then they showed us the hedgehogs. We saw two hedgehogs. One was called Scarlet and the other was called Violet. They said that hedgehogs have about 6000 prickles and 36 teeth! Scarlet was blind because a hedge cutter hurt her.

He also told us that badgers were the only animal that can tear open a hedgehog when it is curled up tightly.

The tortoise lives with the hedgehogs.

The tortoise was called Helmet.

Did you know that the shell is an exoskeleton? Before we went to the hedgehogs we went to see the deer.

There were three small deer and one big one called Rudi. We watched them through a little hole in the hide.

The man went out and fed them.

After the hedgehogs we went to the

nursery and saw small birds and a squirrel. We saw the seagulls and they were very loud. Next we had lunch which was yummy and had

free time on the playground. We enjoyed our trip to Tiggywinkles and we learnt so many interesting facts about British Wildlife. By Sebastian

BUSHCRAFT BACK TO BASICS In June Year 8 set off to experience the wilder side of life at the Bushcraft residential in Blenheim Woods, Oxfordshire. From foraging to fire-lighting, archery to axe-throwing, tracking to tree identification they took on every challenge with true Lockers style. They clearly had a fantastic time and have learnt so much whilst becoming at one with nature.

As well as honing their Bushcraft skills, they have added para-cord weaving, butchery (of wild game), shelter building and outdoor cooking to their repertoire. They also had the chance to put their trap-making skills to the test, snaring a Grizzly S-P and bludgeoning the lesser-spotted DT Phillips!

They really did us proud and were able to let off steam following their excellent performance in their CE exams. It may have only been a week, but the memories will last forever and they are definitely ready to take the next step and head off to their new schools in September. #Lockers4Life

CHESS

While we encourage the boys to go out and enjoy the sunshine in the summer term, there still has been chess aplenty LOCKERS PARK MAGAZINE 2022-2023 during breaks and the boys were well prepared for the fixture against Aldwickbury. That said, it was not a walkover, with the match going right down to the wire. Playing white (which should always be a big advantage), we only managed a small lead in the first round, edging ahead 9-7. But somehow playing with the black pieces seemed to galvanise the team and we went further ahead, winning 9.5-6.5, so an 18.5-13.5 victory overall. A few takeaways for the boys: firstly, always check the board is set up correctly before starting! Secondly, the further you go ahead on material, the more important it is to triple check you are leaving your opponent with a legal move or you will suddenly find yourself devasted with a stalemate! Kudos to Oscar, Sebastian, Fred, Noah and Obaro for winning both their games, and especially well done to Obaro for a very clever double bishop checkmate!

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Lockers Park Prep School Academic excellence Purposefully small | Enthusiasm for life www.lockerspark.co.uk