Academic Valete - Staff Farewells 2020

Academic Valete STAFF FAREWELLS 2020

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Introduction In the absence of the usual Common Room gathering to celebrate leaving Staff at the end of the year, we have decided to put together this collection of reminiscences from colleagues so we can pay tribute to our leavers in a different way.

Our longest serving leaver this year is John Arkell who retires after 22 years’ distinguished service. The warmth with which colleagues – and indeed pupils – past and present recall working with John (not to mention the many stories that those who had the good fortune to work closely with him have been moved to share) tells its own story. We wish John all the very best in his retirement and are only too happy that Elizabeth’s being our colleague will make it all the easier to keep in touch.

We also bid farewell to Oli Peck after eight years and Marta Viruete Navarro, after six years, bound for new challenges at The Leys as DH Academic and Kimbolton School as Head of MFL respectively. They have served our pupils with dedication and flair in equal measure. Gratitude must also go to Oli for stepping in as Deputy Hsm in Grafton House following our tragic loss of Dai Barnes last summer.

Annabel Hurley left us in December after two years, with Shuling Russo-Lai taking on her HoD responsibilities in the Chinese Dept in the Lent and Summer Terms. Maria Bitschnau returned to us for a second year to teach German and History of Art after a year away. We didn’t want to lose her the first time, and it’s been great to have her back. She has been a much loved Deputy Hsm in Sanderson this time around. Stuart Downhill and Richard Hunter both leave

after a year and it is hardly possible to imagine that they have been with us for such a short time. Both have packed a huge amount into their three terms at Oundle, and their pupils’ experience has been the richer for their efforts.

The MFL Department has benefitted from the contribution of a number of staff during the course of the year: Kinny Hsu in Chinese, Concetta Laquinta in Italian, our Language Assistants Amandine Dusoulier, Camila Loy Correa, Tong Li and Kathi Hackner, and our MFL SCITT trainees Richard Walters and Anna Little.

The Sports Department has been similarly well served by our Sports Fellows this year: Aaron Beaumont, Terry Gillam, Emily Joice and Dan Salmon have contributed in a variety of areas in addition to their sporting endeavours.

Our sincere thanks and best wishes to all our leavers. We wish them well for the future and hope they will keep in touch.

Daviona Watt

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Mr A Beaumont, Mr T Gillam, Ms E Joice and Mr D Salmon (Sports Fellows) leave after one year Of the new fellows who started at the end of August, Aaron Beaumont and Emily Joice both joined with experience of having worked at other schools. Aaron enjoyed a bumper season coaching the U14Bs rugby whilst Emily developed her skills as a netball coach working with the Loughborough Lightening Academy based at Oundle. Terry Gillam and Dan Salmon, both Loughborough graduates, also offered much across a variety of roles.

Terry joined Aaron in coaching within the Northampton Saints Academy set up whilst Dan played national league hockey for Peterborough City when time allowed. All four new fellows also worked very effectively and collaboratively at LJS during the week.

Sadly the Covid-19 lockdown has meant their end of year has not been as it should have been, but we are nonetheless extremely grateful for their hard work, good humour and never-ending enthusiasm whether it be in the Club on a Saturday night, on a Sunday afternoon activity, on duty in House or running their respective teams across the year. We thank them and wish them all the very best for the future.

Nick Beasant

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Miss K Hackner (Language Assistant) left in March 2020 after two terms Kathi Hackner stepped in to cover the shortfall of German Assistant lessons in the first two terms. Calm, wise and mature beyond her young years, Kathi had a lovely rapport with the pupils and handled some demanding bilingual children very well indeed! We wouldn’t be surprised if she chose teaching as a future career.

Sara Davidson

Miss A Dusoulier (Language Assistant) leaves after one year Amandine’s kind and gentle demeanour meant that pupils were at ease from the very early days of September and she has done an amazing job of getting some of the trickier Sixth formers on side and achieving highly. We will miss her greatly and we wish her the best of luck as she embarks on a PhD in English literature!

Charlotte Hignett

Miss C Loy Correa (Language Assistant) leaves after one year Camila has brought energy and passion for all things Chilean to the Department. Her lessons have been dynamic and she has really stretched pupils towards the top grades in their speaking. She has been creating “News of the Week” displays for pupils and teachers’ classrooms have her personal touch with a variety of displays related to South American culture. It is a shame that she cannot stay with us next year; we will definitely miss her.

Marta Viruete Navarro 5

Miss T Li (Language Assistant) leaves after one year Since she joined the Chinese department in September 2019, Tong has quickly adapted to the busy boarding school life and familiarised herself with the syllabus in no time. She has always been kind and patient with our pupils whilst having speaking practice with them.

The Chinese department is grateful for her assistance and we wish her the best of luck in the next phase of life after going back to China.

Shuling Russo-Lai

Richard Walters and Anna Little (SCITT Trainees) leave after one year This section cannot be concluded without mention of our two SCITT trainees Richard Walters (German & French) and Anna Little (Russian, Italian & Spanish). Both have been wonderful additions to the department this year and are very promising new teachers.

We appreciate all their hard work in the dept and their support during the remote teaching phase where they really came into their own.

Sara Davidson

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Mrs C Laquinta (Italian) left in December 2019 after one term Concetta Laquinta worked in the MFL department for a term on a part-time basis to help deliver Pre-U Italian in TDW’s absence. Meticulous in her approach, even though her timetable meant her flying in and out of the department at different times, she delivered high quality Sixth Form teaching and did not stand for any nonsense from lazy L6 formers. Her

lessons were brilliantly structured and the pupils felt really well supported. It’s not easy to be so part-time and on such a short contract but Concetta’s approach was highly professional and she ensured that everything was left in brilliant order for TDW. Sara Davidson

Ms SH Hsu (Chinese, Scott Tutor) leaves after two terms Kinny was an experienced Chinese and Japanese specialist in Australia before joining the Chinese department at Oundle School.

She is great fun to work with and has been an incredible support to the Chinese team. She has not only been proactive in sharing and compiling teaching resources from day one, but also inspired our pupils to keep learning and progressing as much as they can in the past six months.

Her dedication and hard work will be missed.

Shuling Russo-Lai Kinny fitted in well in Scott House from day one. She has a lovely warm demeanour and a really unflappable manner. This was put to the test when one lunchtime I returned to the House and almost passed out when I entered our boutique hotel setting I thought someone had brought back some SciTec experiment gone wrong, then I thought, was it a stink bomb and was about to become militant. I walked over to Kinny holding my nose, she was calmly making a matcha tea, so zen, and I said ‘can you smell that?’ She said, “Oh yes, a 2 week old milk carton exploded in one of the girls bags in the bag drop area. I have called the cleaners and cleaned it up…” Very cool!

Kinny learnt all the pupils’ names in two days and she chatted with them about so many interesting topics. We enjoyed having her on our team for the short while she taught Chinese at Oundle.

Fiona Quiddington 7

Mr RS Hunter (Classics, Scott Tutor) leaves after one year

Richard started in Scott in September and has always given so much time, care and attention to his tutees.

He knows them so well, he is very measured in his approach and handles parents very well. Richard has a lovely dry sense of humour and the pupils would look forward to his duty evenings, when he would sit on the reception sofa and chat to them about their day, with his dog. He could talk about cricket and hedgehogs for hours. I never knew there was an actual Hedgehog Society!

He is very well respected by us all and we will really miss him in Scott House. His kindness and genuine good nature will be sorely missed.

Richard is a true gent.

Fiona Quiddington

Richard Hunter joined the Classics department for one year to our great pleasure, following the maternity leave of Steph Oade. He brought with him a wealth of experience from Haileybury and was especially interested in educational study and exploring growth mind-set. He has been innovative in the classroom, always looking for new ways to help his pupils and improve their learning experience and has had noteworthy success with some rather challenging pupils.

He has been very hands-on in the department, helping with Oxbridge interviews and volunteering for various tasks and he approaches every aspect of his role with conscientious and considered thought.

His year at Oundle has been a tumultuous one, given COVID-19, but also one of great change in Richard’s personal life; he was newly married to Zoe the summer before joining Oundle and narrowly missed out on delivering his own daughter, Persephone, who arrived in May. One benefit of remote teaching has been the flexibility to be hands on at home with his baby in these precious first weeks, whilst still maintaining his customary professionalism and commitment to his teaching.

I have appreciated his wise and reflective conversation in the department as a colleague as well as a friend and it feels as though he has been one of us for far longer than a year. His contribution to Scott House has also been impressive and hands-on; he has established strong relationships with his tutees and their parents and been a great support to Fe. He has also been brilliant with the Latin in Primary Schools CA option and has supported his charges well. We wish him all the best and hope that he will remain in contact with Oundle in the future.

Clare Westran

Richard was excellent with the girls’ hockey, working enthusiastically and encouragingly in the lower echelons of the U14s: nothing was too much trouble. He also contributed to the Latin Club extremely well and supported the St Basil’s Sleep Out, remaining cheerful as always despite the rain. He would have helped with Cricket in the summer term.

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Alistair Sherwin

Dr SB Downhill (Geography, St Anthony Tutor) leaves after one year Stuart is affectionately known as ‘Dr D’ by the pupils and he had worked tirelessly to support their learning during his time with us. His timetable has been dominated by junior classes and memorable moments have been the hand-in dates for extended prep projects when Stuart’s classroom has come to resemble a studio due to the imaginative and large-scale models and posters that he inspired the pupils to create, dominating the space and showering the carpet with all manner of craft debris.

Stuart organised a memorable GeogSoc talk by Dr Phil Porter titled ‘Inside and Under the Glacier: extreme science on the global warming front line’ which inspired our Sixth Form pupils.

He has been a jovial and positive presence in the department.

Morwenna Chapman As resident Tutor in St Anthony this year, Stuart has projected his own brand of unceasing warmth, unstinting care for his tutees and, dare I say it, unbiased footballing banter (despite his Manchester United affiliations), around the Boarding House, earning the boys’ trust and rapport remarkably quickly and proving to be ever present and ever smiling when on duty. Always keen to help and always genuinely interested in the life of the House, his will be big shoes to fill. He will be greatly missed by colleagues and boys alike.

Peter Kemp

Referred to as the Commander in Chief by his team, (Oundle School being base camp, and the opposition the enemy) Stuart has made quite a unique, remarkable, and inspiring impact on the 4th XV Rugby team this year. He has been a relentless source of positivity and enthusiasm, and the boys have fed off his energy and desire to see them improve as players and grow as people. Stuart has instilled a real sense of attacking rugby and hard tackling in the 4th XV and has been a pleasure to work with and socialise with in the Common Room. I genuinely could not have asked for a better 4th XV coach. Stuart will be sorely missed, irreplaceable, and is welcome back to Base Camp at any point in the future.

James Ingle

Stuart will also be remembered for his excellent contribution to the 660 Club, where he enthused visitors.

It is a mark of his care and commitment that he has been continuing to contact a group of its members during lockdown. He would have done Athletics this term.

Alistair Sherwin 9

Miss M Bitschnau (German and History of Art, Sanderson Deputy) leaves after her second year at Oundle “Maria has been an absolute star this year and will leave very big shoes to fill here at school.

She has fulfilled her role as Teacher of German, Teacher of Art History, German Assistant and Deputy Hsm with perfection, and I’m sure you’ll agree that was a diverse mix of roles she took on back in September! She has established a wonderful rapport with pupils and staff alike and nothing has been too much trouble.

She leaves us to move on to a new role at Bradfield College as Teacher of German and Resident Tutor. It appears the lure of the Austrian Mountains is not enough to call her home, as her love for the green pastures of England builds. We would like to wish Maria every success in her new adventure and thank her for investing so much in the School, both this year and during her role as FLA in 2017-2018.

Emily Wagstaffe The girls and staff of Sanderson were overjoyed last year when it was announced that German Language Assistant Maria would be returning to Oundle for another year.

Even more exciting was the news that she would be returning to actually live in the House as our Deputy Housemistress.

When it comes to pastoral care, Maria is a natural: warmth, humour, kindness and care simply ooze from her in copious quantities. Children find it easy to talk to Maria as she listens, she does not judge and she always wants to help find solutions. Calm and practical in a crisis, Maria took over the reins in Sn at the end of the Lent Term most ably when I had to go into early isolation because of a poorly family member.

She handled seamlessly the closure of the School and its direct impact on the life of the girls ensuring that each of them were sufficiently reassured and reached their homes safely and in good health.

We will miss Maria a great deal in Sanderson – she has a promising future ahead of her in the realms of pastoral care and Bradfield College is fortunate to be gaining someone of her calibre.

Sarah Johnson

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Mrs ACP Hurley (Head of Chinese, Scott Tutor) left in December 2019 after two years.

Annabel left us after two years for an adventure which was to take her to Hong Kong.

Unfortunately COVID-19 happened … We had to get two people to fill in the Annabel-gap as she is a multi-talented woman. There are not many bilingual Spanish-English speaking linguists with a degree in Mandarin around. During her short time at Oundle Annabel managed the transition to the new GCSE smoothly, rejuvenated Chinese New Year celebrations by getting a Taiwan-based band into school, dealt brilliantly with parents, proved her worth pastorally by acting as Deputy in Scott House for part of this time and managed the Confucius Classroom too which is quite a big commitment and has all sorts of conditions attached to it. She also helped to oversee the Chinese Club at LJS and Oundle Primary School.

Her colleagues in the Chinese department appreciated her support during the time she was their direct line manager and felt that Annabel always took the time to listen, respect their ideas as well as help supportively with issues with pupils in the classroom or parents outside school.

Annabel is a really adventurous person whose holiday plans make everyone else’s look really boring! Her choice to move to Hong Kong amid a period of political unrest demonstrated this!

We wish her and David all the best for the next chapter in their lives and hope they keep safe!

Sara Davidson

Annabel was the acting Scott Deputy in Morwenna’s absence and she was a wonderful support in the early days of Scott House.

She helped evacuate children from the House on day one after a kitchen fire: someone had turned the toaster setting to 6! She bobbed away to music with kids at the Scott/By discos and she was good fun on the Field Weekend trip to Slimbridge. She was super nimble on the high ropes at Go Ape, whilst sensible staff held the bags and watched no one stole the coach. Annabel was a good Tutor. She was kind, fun and approachable, and her tutees were sad to see her leave. Annabel was great with parents too: she put them at ease, was very calm and considered in her approach. The lovely news is she is expecting her first child at the end of the year.

Fiona Quiddington

As a very keen sportswoman herself, it was no surprise that Annabelle soon got stuck into the sports that she loves at Oundle. As an active participant in Cross Country, Cycling and Climbing, Annabelle demonstrated to the pupils the value of sport beyond prescribed sessions throughout one’s school life. She particularly inspired those pupils less motivated by the competitive aspect of sport, showing them the value of sport for enjoyment’s sake, general health and personal challenge. She was normally in training for some event or other, whether a climbing trip to the Alps with Dave, a marathon, or a cycle sportive. The latter normally involving weeks on end of relying on pedal power to get to and from Oakham on a daily basis.

Alex Brighton

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Ms M Viruete Navarro (Head of Spanish, Dryden Tutor) leaves after six years

Marta is a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm around the department. She is passionate about the subject and cares deeply about both the pupils that she teaches and her tutees. Pupils respect and respond to her passion and drive, never complaining about all the extra prep she sets and marks!

In the department Marta always leads by example. She is a tireless worker with a keen eye for detail and has the highest standards.

Marta took the brave step of moving to Pre U, which both pupils and Staff have really enjoyed.

Marta continued the department’s Argentina exchange and also set up a successful Language and Literature trip to Salamanca University. Marta has a prominent role in ISMLA (Independent Schools Modern Language Association) organising a national conference for Spanish teachers.

Marta has a huge heart. She is always genuine and very generous with her praise and encouragement of staff and pupils alike. She goes out of her way to thank those she works with and we have all come to appreciate the little presents she gives us throughout the year.

Marta’s written English is faultless though her colleagues and pupils are keen to know where she got that terrible and screechy Microsoft Teams headset from to make sure they never ever buy one! One aspect of remote learning that won’t be missed!

The move closer to Cambridge significantly reduces Mario’s commuting time giving them all much more family time.

We wish Mario, Marta and Bella all the best in their new home in Godmanchester. They will be missed.

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Richard Charters

Marta is a bright and cheery presence in House and the girls really respond to her direct but warm approach. Duty nights are fun but efficient and the girls know where they stand and where the line is. In the evenings the girls receive multilingual prayers and Marta adds her own Spanish flavour to these. She also spends huge amounts of her time helping pupils in House with their Spanish lessons; she was particularly domineered by one U6th last year, but it was all done in good humour.

Her tutor group is well looked after and taken out on a termly basis. They have a lovely time and the atmosphere is bright and fun. Marta has a great relationship with her tutees and deeply cares about what happens to them. She has an honest, lucid and consistent relationship with parents, so they feel well informed and trust her judgement. She also keeps me comprehensively informed. Dryden was one of the first places she visited with Isabella when she ventured out soon after her birth and seemed utterly unfazed by the handing round of her new-born, despite Matron’s nervousness and constant reminder to be careful with that baby!

Marta is always positive in meetings and is super-efficient, responding very quickly and competently to emails and requests from me - no sooner have I asked for something than it is done! She has been a frank and sincere sounding board for me and willingly accepts critique or advice with reflective grace. She will leave a lively and vivacious gap in Dryden.

She has also been a good friend to me and Mark, along with Mario, and I will miss her very much on a personal and a professional level. I wish her all the best at Kimbolton (my colour uniform!). I know they will love her as we have, and sincerely hope we will keep in touch.

Kathryn Francis

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Mr OEA Peck (Head of Science, Biology, Grafton Tutor/Deputy) leaves after eight years Oli joined Oundle from Ampleforth College in 2012, to take up the role of Head of Science and Technology. The role is large and demanding, and Oli had big shoes to fill, but immediately set about things with energy, clarity and good humour. Oli and I had equivalent roles at different schools, and termly meetings of Heads of Science of like-minded schools (the ’59 Club, chaired at the time by Steve Adams!) allowed us to share thoughts and ideas and to forge a friendship.

Oli takes great pride in his work: he is an able biologist and an experienced teacher, having turned his hand over time not just to Biology but to Physics as well. He has so far steered clear of Chemistry, though regrets he may not be so fortunate at The Leys!

His deep and committed interest in pedagogy is valued and appreciated by many, and his recent vibrant leadership of Teaching and Learning initiatives at Oundle will continue to bear fruit after his departure.

Oli brings a positive, open and reliably professional approach to everything. He is one of a special breed who loves a spreadsheet, though he isn’t a slave to data. He cares about his pupils and Staff and is keen to be inclusive, maintaining good personal relationships with everyone. He always gives of his time freely to discuss matters, his thoughts are always well intentioned and his opinions are well valued. Oundle has benefited from having such an energetic and committed member of staff with links to other schools and institutions, as I am sure will The Leys.

Iain Smith

Oli started as a Tutor in Grafton House in 2012, filling the boots of the previous Head of Science, Paul Clarke. He came with a strong recommendation from Brighton College supplied by another ex-Oundle member of staff Mr Nick Buoy. In the eight years he has been a Tutor Oli has always developed strong relationships with his tutees, spending the time to get to know them well and challenging them to push themselves on all fronts. His dubious humour is a hallmark of his duty nights, but so is his firm yet fair approach to discipline during prep and adherence to bedtimes. Graftonians know what to expect and those who try it on tend to report to SciTec at 0715 the next day.

Oli also provided great support on Third Form Field Weekends enjoying camping out and katakanuing most years. He has been a very supportive Tutor and he will be missed next year.

Bill Gough

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Father, teacher, rugby coach. I am not sure if this is the exact order in Oli’s priority list, he has so many lists stored on so many Apples that only friends and colleagues who have known him longer than me can tell.

As a teacher, Oli is respected and appreciated by his pupils, for his thoroughness, his absolute commitment, his sarcasm, his high standards and his tireless efforts on their behalf. He is ambitious for his classes to the extent that bribery guaranteed a clean sweep of Grade 9s last year, rewarding the whole set with Easter Eggs as part of the pact. As a colleague, Oli is an endless source of advice and ideas. Initiatives such as the Book Club and Teaching and Learning have inspired others to challenge their practice in the same way. Oli is a reflective practitioner, never complacent and always determined to improve his teaching.

His tech skills have been of particular value these last few months and many of us have been saved from the quagmire of OneNote by Oli’s selfless support. Always the first to arrive and the last to leave, Oli is the keyholder to SciTec, Staff queuing to get in when Oli takes the occasional day off for STEM outreach or CPD. His classroom is seen by pupils as a sanctuary as they seek out a quiet place to work, knowing they will get either lollipops or sage advice. His Excel wizardry will be missed though his explanations of standard deviation and cell-formulae less so!

It has been a pleasure working with Oli. A daunting challenge to follow in his footsteps initially, I soon learned that as Head of Science and a colleague, Oli’s sole aim was to get the best education for our pupils, and as long as that lay behind all our actions he was content. Perhaps the most striking thing I can say about Oli is that he considered all of us as friends and treated us as such.

Paul Batterbury

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A highlight has to be the combined Quad course put together by Oli and Emma Byatt from scratch, as a bespoke university-level offering. This not only saw discussion of highly contentious ethical issues around biological experimentation and a curious look at some 20th Century “big science”, but also a group of Lower Sixth pupils each adopting and training a rat in a home-built maze in SciTec, much to the delight of some junior pupils with their noses pressed up against the windows outside – great pupil recruitment for the future of Quad!

Oli has been an outstanding contributor to both Trivium and Quadrivium over the years.

His famous opening Triv lesson each year, entitled “you are not entitled to your opinion” (!) was borrowed by quite a few colleagues, and it stressed the need to build an informed opinion on a topic by thoughtful research and conversation, and only then earning the right to speak about it – a counter to the modern social media reflex of spouting any old thing and expecting it to be respected. This sums up Oli’s rigorous, challenging and engaging approach to pupils within the unexamined curriculum, always getting them to think outside the box, to question received wisdom and to make up their own minds after proper deliberation. He will be missed.

William Gunson

It goes without saying that Oli has been a real asset to Oundle School Rugby (his words not mine). Oli has provided reliability, stability and development to the U16A, which has put them in the best place possible moving into 1st XV Rugby. Never backward in coming forward, Oli frequently shares his rugby frustrations with me on WhatsApp, sometimes in the middle of matches, with phrases such as ‘none of them can defend’ or alternatively when organising fixtures via a well-chosen gif or meme such as ‘Let Wisbech play a triangular with the Bs... or let our As crush them’. Oli’s frustrations simply demonstrate how invested he is in them as players and wanting them to develop, improve, and succeed.

Oli goes above and beyond in giving of his time, effort, and energy to his team, and for that I am truly grateful. Oli’s energy and enthusiasm for Rugby will be sorely missed and I am sorry that I couldn’t get you off Netball* to do Rugby 7s in the Lent Term! From a Rugby perspective, Oundle’s loss is certainly The Leys’ gain and I hope to see him on the touchline in the near future.

James Ingle *Note: Oli spent two years trying to coach 3rds and 4ths Netball: his teams not only learnt netball, but also became adroit at a variety of rugby drills.

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Mr JC Arkell (Head of Academic Music, School Organist, Laxton Tutor) leaves the School following twenty two years of distinguished service The following article by Sarah Johnson forms the official vale to John.

John was organ scholar of St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Warwick and the University of Warwick where he read for a joint degree in Music and English.

He subsequently taught music in several schools having been Assistant Director of Music at St Edwards, Witley before being appointed Head of Academic Music at Oundle in September 1997. In early 1999 John was appointed School Organist and so began his long and devoted service to the life of the Chapel and School worship.

Those who familiarised themselves with the finer details of the ‘blue book’, will remember the extraordinary number of letters after John’s name; he holds fellowship diplomas in organ performance from the Royal College of Organists, Trinity College London and the London College of Music.

In 2000, John was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and in 2009 he received a Fellowship of the Guild of Musicians and Singers for his work in choral music.

On sabbatical from Oundle School in 2006, John was appointed Fellow Commoner at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

As an academic musician, John was Chief Examiner for Edexcel Music GCSE and a Principal Examiner for A level. He has written a number of books including the latest textbook for Music GCSE published in 2016. He has arranged numerous works for pipe organ for publishing company Fentone and has also published programme notes for BBC Radio 3. Known for playing the organ for services at local churches in the surrounding area and far beyond, John was the Musical Director of the Oundle and District Choral Society from 2003-2018.

In the classroom, where John excelled was in his knowledge of the exam syllabus and the importance of answering a question

the way the examiner desired. He knew both of these intimately because of his roles within the exam boards. Music Education a standing item on his agenda, John spent every holiday either writing a new book or chairing meetings of examiners (indeed this is how he met his wife Elizabeth). He was always active and busy within the academic field. His pupils adored his no-nonsense approach, his warmth, his razor-sharp wit and so many benefitted from his wise tutelage.

In his early Oundle career, the pupils affectionately referred to John as ‘Wally’ from the ‘Where’s Wally?’ books such was his resemblance to the character.

Well-read and with a particular passion for Graham Greene, John was a master at sharing his love of the arts with those he taught but never with pretention or pomposity, instead with a deep humility and a certain restraint that belied his wisdom and astuteness. Indeed, he assisted Stephen Heath for several years in the marking and moderation of EPQ’s when, once again, his eagle-eye and natural exactitude on the interpretation of examination criteria was a huge support.

On the pastoral side, John was a Tutor in several Houses. Deputy Housemaster in Sanderson from 1999-2003, he assisted David Turner as Sanderson underwent its transformation from boys to girls in 2000. He later tutored in Laxton, taking on roles such as Head of Middle Years (or ‘Middle Earth’ as John referred to it).

John was always himself with his tutees; no side - no airs and graces, and most of them appreciated his down to earth, straight-talking manner and instinctive advice.

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When pupils or staff roll into Chapel and sit down for a service they rarely know how much preparation goes on behind the scenes. It is only when they visit other schools or churches that they begin to appreciate the quality of what they take for granted on home ground. John was one of the few who understood the demands on a Chaplain - it was he, who like the Chaplain, was there for the hour before the service and frequently for the hour after. For both there are hours of preparation and practice. John would often be found practising on the chapel organs (he delighted in having the world famous Frobenius at his disposal) - be it Bach or the complexities of accompaniments for the anthem or evensong settings. There was rarely a wrong note and he was able to turn his hand to a wide range of music week in, week out. He was not a prima-donna and but he was as dedicated a musician. Good humoured, eager to introduce the canon of good church music to all and willing to try new things.

John always gave of his best be it in the confident leading of Oundle’s impressive congregational singing or in playing a proper voluntary before and after services. The Chapel was lucky to have such a dedicated and talented servant. He went with the Chapel Choir to various cathedrals to play for Choral Evensong and helped on choir tours as well.

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It should also be noted how generous John was with prospective brides and grooms wishing to get married in the Chapel (many of them OO’s), generously giving his time talking through the various musical options with them. Although he was particularly fond of J S Bach, John did not have an agenda, nothing was “off limits” and he was flexible and always open to people’s suggestions.

He was an excellent team player. One of Reverend Brian Cunningham’s highest points working with John, was when Elizabeth and he asked him to conduct their Marriage in the School Chapel in

August 2016. It was such a beautiful and memorable occasion.

In addition, there was John’s organ teaching - he schooled the pupils lucky enough to play on the organ of St Paul’s cathedral for the 2006 service for the 450th Anniversary of the School. He gave recitals - he was always modest but how many people could play Messiaen’s La Nativité?

John performed this several times in an atmospheric darkened Chapel in January.

When you first meet John, you soon discover some surprises. Who would have guessed the love of exotic fast cars? Or his guilty pleasure for Coronation Street?

When I look back, I feel fortunate that 20 of my Oundle years have coincided with John’s 22. Indeed, side by side in an office in Gascoigne, we have each endured some of life’s most difficult personal challenges.

I will always be grateful that the man to my right was John – a great listener, a great story-teller, a friendly and easy-going personality who was great fun but whose hidden depths were visible to only the lucky few. And who would have guessed the amount and range of the work that he did - he generated enough energy to light part of the national grid!

John’s career was tragically cut short two years ago in August 2018 when he suffered a stroke. Thanks to Elizabeth’s dedication, he has made a miraculous recovery. We miss John’s company; we miss him in the Music Department and we miss him in the Chapel – since his untimely departure not a service has gone by when I have not thought of John and the cruel turn of events that has changed his life. He is blessed to have a loving and dedicated wife in Elizabeth and for his two children, Fleur and Miles, who have so richly benefitted from their own Oundle education. We wish John a long and happy retirement.

Sarah Johnson

Additional Memories of John When John came for interview David McMurray’s office was in School House. I happened to be in the office and John mistook me for another candidate and thought I was confident and had already created a good impression with the Head’s PA. I spent quite a while talking to him and trying to help him feel at ease whilst he was waiting for interview, talking about the wonderful organ in the Chapel - clearly shows John could not spot an organist (or not) if he fell over one! John often recounted this story to me and confessing that he had mistaken me for another candidate!

Tony Burrows

A story that John always enjoyed goes back to Ralph Townsend’s start as Headmaster. At the beginning of the year, RDT had made it clear that Tutors were to go through the School Code of Conduct with their tutees thoroughly as a matter of urgency. In Sanderson House, I confess that many of us put this rather low on our list of priorities, unaware of the fact that the Head would be hosting the Sn U6 girls at Cobthorne a few nights hence. As always he hosted with great generosity, which it would seem included ample wine to loosen a few tongues when he later enquired of them whether their Tutors had gone through the all-important Code with them. A unanimous negative response ensued, much to the Head’s disapproval, until two girls shyly piped up “oh, our Tutor has”. Asked to reveal their Tutor’s name, John Arkell was immediately identified as the new ‘role model’ for Tutors, and, with the story making its way back to Sanderson House fairly swiftly, was elevated (somewhat begrudgingly) to the rank of ‘Super Tutor’ by his severely berated colleagues.

I remember when John bought his red Ferrari and was washing it one Sunday morning (this was a weekly ritual). I drove past and waved to him from my car. I assumed John was waving back at me but in fact he was trying to wave me down to stop and help him. For unbeknown to me he had got his arm stuck in the window which had automatically closed whilst he was cleaning the car and in fact he was stuck and in a lot of pain! He recounted the story to me the following morning at work when he arrived, arm in sling and unable to play the organ for a few weeks such was the extent of the injury he sustained.

Sarah Johnson

David Raftery

John made an absolutely sterling addition to the cast of the staff play, Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Confusions’, back in 2013. Bringing the patented Arkellian suavity to the role of ‘Dirty’ Harry, he was a true credit to the team…. even if he did lead the charge with the backstage Prosecco!

Jonny Wiles – former pupil 21

John had a very quick brain and could complete a batch of school reports three times faster than I could. I have happy memories of discussing a Graham Greene novel over a glass of nice wine, while John smoked a cigar. He was very proud of his fast, expensive cars that he never appeared to drive, and were an investment as much as a hobby. His other passion was the organ, although you never a conventional organ nerd. As an organist, he was always reliable, and well rehearsed, both essential qualities in a musician. Above all, he was a completely professional schoolmaster and a good friend.

In my eleven years at Oundle, John was an invaluable Head of Academic Music and School Organist, both positions he took enormous pride in. This is a classic pairing and to be found up and down the country in Public Schools. Where John excelled was in his knowledge of the exam syllabus, and the importance of answering a question in the way that an examiner wanted. He knew both of these intimately because not only did he write the exam syllabus, but was also chief examiner, and the writer of the textbooks.

He became known nationally for his books and the courses he ran with his good friend Jonny Martin, who co-wrote some of the books. We were very fortunate to have Jonny as a stand in for John when he was on sabbatical in Cambridge. Because they were such a close partnership it meant that there was no break in the continuity of teaching, and there was the same understanding of the way in which the exam system worked. To their eternal credit neither John nor Jonny ever let slip, or divulged any of the contents of any exam paper.

John seemed at one time to spend every holiday either writing a new book, or chairing meetings of examiners. He was always active and busy within his academic field. The qualifications that he holds really speak for themselves, and had he been Welsh would probably have been known as John the alphabet. He is one of 22

the most well read men I ever met, and we shared a passion for Graham Greene, so it was fitting that he was able to spend his sabbatical as a fellow commoner at Corpus Christi. He fitted incredibly well into that academic setting, and very much enjoyed the fine food, and wine, as much as the scholarship.

Some of my happiest memories of John are sitting listening to his concluding voluntaries after Chapel services or Friday hymn practice. He delighted in having the world famous Frobenius at his disposal, and he achieved great things with the Copeman Hart as well. Visits to cathedrals with the Chapel and Junior choirs were always a delight, and John was an excellent companion, often with his copy of the Times…to which he was an occasional correspondent.

Amongst pupils he was affectionately referred to as Wally, after his resemblance to the famous character in the “Where’s Wally” books.

In my early days he was Master in charge of Fencing, and I could never imagine him doing that! I always enjoyed John’s company and Carole and I were pleased to spend time with the Arkells shortly before his illness. We both hope that he is able to enjoy his retirement from school life.

Andrew Forbes – former Director of Music

John has become a dear friend as well as a valued colleague.

I have some great memories and none more so than when he used to wander into Laxton and sit down (lounge) in one of the chairs and share the gossip! John was an observer of people; so many of the anecdotes I have are related to his observations of others! As a Tutor he was not an emailer and much preferred seeing his tutees’ parents face to face, meeting up with them for coffee etc. However the down side of this was that he occasionally caught them off guard and he has interrupted family arguments, some levels of undress, and some rather extraordinary behaviour. It made facing these parents, knowing what John had experienced, both interesting and challenging!

Arkell Powers.

Groovy baby…

John was a dedicated carer and stepped in to fill the Head of Year shoes on more than one occasion. It is with real sadness that John’s career was cut short before he could apply his relaxed, urbane yet caring style to our Laxton Sixth Form. However, he was always keen to help out and although he was always on hand to play the organ on Field Weekend services, he and the Lay Chaplain (who often had to preach that weekend) used to do a Le Mans start race to my car, after the service, in order to get up to Third Form in Derbyshire for lunch. He never offered to travel in his Ferrari though! His love of cars in general meant that it was always guess work whether on a Sunday, the small utility car, the personalised number plated Mercedes or a Ferrari would sit on Milton Road for the service! He was such a tease!

When I got married it was just after Christmas and he was staying in the South West of England. All our communication took place by text speak, including which Bach pieces were going to be played during the service. Not ideal in any shape or form. Rumour has it that he got the date wrong and rather than waste a night’s accommodation he drove (at speed) up on the day and when we arrived he was sitting playing the organ without most of his music and put in a performance that the great man would have been proud of! He was a very talented organ player.

John was a man of true faith and took services very seriously. My 60th birthday coincided with Palm Sunday and although it was a really important service which the choir had rehearsed long and hard for, just before the doors opened for all comers he launched in a rendition of Happy Birthday with full descant!! What a kind thoughtful man!

Treasured memories!

Viv Gascoine – former Head of Laxton 23

www.oundleschool.org.uk