Orlumni Magazine Autumn 2022

C O N T E N T S

welcome headmaster's address searching for meaning editor's comment Distant war - not so distant sports round up Jamie's Journal - Latin Drama music Alumni Event the edge a day in orley - 1950's orley Farm Association autumn Term House Winners dates for the diary

WELCOME

Here is our 3rd issue & we held our 3rd Orlumni event - we can say we are making progress!

I wanted to thank all the individuals who share with me their memories of their time at Orley Farm, and some of which I’m able to publish. Reading their stories, from their perspective, puts things in perspective, and helps remind ourselves how fortunate we all are and how things have changed over the years.

Please free to email us with your stories and updates and I would love to include them in future issues. Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas & a Happy New Year!

CHETAN SHAH Editor

headmaster's address

Autumn Term started with a very different vibe – gone are the C19 updates from Boris...gone too was Boris! However, it was quite extraordinary to find ourselves a week later, realising that we had to say goodbye to The Queen. The realisation that we are unlikely to witness a similar period of sustained leadership is a little sobering but I hope and pray that a new generation of leaders will emerge – I'm looking to Orleyans here as you have integrity, principles and the capacity to empathise with others!

It’s been an extraordinarily busy term and it’s been fantastic to kick off the new year with a full schedule of sporting fixtures. Our boys have done incredibly well with a tour to Holland to really awaken our breadth.

I was also delighted to see our girls heading to our first IAPS tournament and getting through to the plate –some truly committed play that is the cornerstone of Orleyans. We were also able to get back into X-Country on a particularly chilly day!

PARTNERSHIP WITH WELLDON PARK ACADEMY

In the classroom, a highlight has been developing a partnership with Welldon Park Academy. Our Yr8 pupils have been teaching Science to Yr6 pupils who have not had the opportunity to experience working in dedicated Labs – as you know, Mr C is passionate about Science and giving something back.

You’ll all remember that slightly stressful time of future school assessments, but I would hope that the experience taught you valuable lessons as many of you now face GCSE and A-Levels. However, above everything, a piece of paper will not define you, you’re all bigger than any piece of paper!

YR8 WERE PROBLEM-SOLVING TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY WERE GETTING DIFFERING RESULTS AS THEY BUILT THE LIMESTONE CYCLE UNIVERSAL INDICATOR FLUID WAS USED TO TEST THE PH RESULTS VARIED AND THIS IS WHERE THE SCIENCE REALLY BEGAN

"THE ROOTS OF EDUCATION ARE BITTER, BUT THE FRUIT IS SWEET"

ARISTOTLE

editor's comment

The end of another year and so much has happened. We have progressed with the Orlumni project and feel as though we are reaching our goals of keeping past students connected both to the school and with each other. That’s all we really wanted to achieve.

A lovely contribution from Fred Taeng“Distant War – Not so Distant” from 40 years ago resonates with the current conflict in Ukraine in some ways and the images from “Searching for Meaning “show that we still wear poppies and yet wars and conflict appear plentiful – will humanity ever learn?

On a lighter note, another comical must read recollection of a Latin lesson by Jamie Freedman, fortunately for me no prior knowledge of Latin was required to thoroughly enjoy this story.

feels so long ago though parts of it still resonate.

However, as you will see Orley Farm has changed a lot (as you would hope!). Who would have thought that pupils would have access to facilities such as a Green Media Room while learning domestic skills via the Edge Programme, again very different to the domestic skills of the 1950’s!

They also experienced the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and we experienced her passing.

Our 3rd Orlumni event regrouped those born in 2003/04 academic year –they were now on their next stage of life and were off to various universities, taking a gap year or starting an apprenticeship. It was great to see so many return and we will now try and keep this as a permanent fixture in the Orlumni calendar!

Reading about Orley in the 1950’s

DISTANT WAR –NOT SO DISTANT

by Fred Taeng.

I came to Orley Farm in 1978 and left in 1980. If you have the school photo from 1980, then I am the really blonde fellow standing behind Mr. Kilbride and Mr. Hardy.

During my two years I did hear it mentioned a few times that Orley Farm offered the possibility to go on an educational cruise for a week or two during some holidays, but I was not interested at the time. Anything that kept me away from my television, I could easily ignore. However, in the spring of 1982 I heard that the school needed to fill an empty bunk and I was now interested in going. The fact that I had long since left Orley Farm did not disqualify me, apparently, and I knew several of the other boys who were joining (only boys in those days). Incidentally, the spring of 1982 is perhaps best remembered as the time of the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, an event which shook the nation and even caused the likes of me to start taking an interest in what was actually printed in newspapers. The cruise was to take place in the Mediterranean and the ship was called S/S Uganda. The Uganda was a largish ship, built in the early 1950’s and spent most of that decade sailing between Britain and East Africa. As air travel became more common, things had to change and Uganda started with educational cruises in the 1960’s.

The travel group gathered in the Orley Farm car park one morning in early April. I was eyed suspiciously by the boys that did not recognise me, but I was the eldest there and I ignored them. We made our way to Gatwick and on to Venice. We had a wonderful day in Venice and then we boarded the ship.

All the dormitories were converted storage holds and they were as dull as could be. We were twenty boys to a dorm, but we only slept there. In the daytime we roamed the ship. All the dorms were named after famous explorers – ours was “Younghusband” (after Sir Francis Younghusband) – ever heard of him?

Our itinerary included some real highlights such as Egypt, Israel and Turkey and I was particularly looking forward to seeing the pyramids at Giza. The ship left Venice and steamed down the Adriatic. Our first port of call was Gythion in the south of Greece. The town was pleasant enough, but it was chosen due to it being close to historic Sparta – an hour by coach. The next port of call was Alexandria, in northern Egypt. We got up bright and early and it was cold when we boarded the coaches, but I knew that temperatures change rapidly in desert conditions and I dressed for warmer weather. And sure enough, by the time we got to Cairo, it was hot. We saw the pyramids, the Sphinx, camels, Tut’s death mask and energetic local salesmen. It was great! We were really tired when we returned to Alexandria in the evening.

Uganda anchored in the bay of Gythion. It was a nice day - but my camera was pretty crummy, so you can’t really tell.

Orleyans learning about ancient Greece. Any backs look familiar?

The following day was Easter Sunday, April 11, 1982. The captain made an announcement over the loudspeakers in the morning. He had a lot to say. He said he has received a call from a government official on the morning before. He was told that the ship had been requisitioned by the Royal Navy and was to set sail for Gibraltar. At Gibraltar the ship would be converted to a hospital ship and then sail for the Falkland Islands. There it would participate in the war against Argentina. The captain’s reply was, “There are one thousand British school children in the Egyptian desert as we speak. Shall I leave them there?” The official thought about this for a while. Then he said “Sit tight. I’ll get back to you.” Sure enough, a few hours later the captain received another call and he learnt that the ship should set sail for Naples, Italy, as soon as all the passengers were aboard again. In Naples, there would be specially chartered planes to take us all back to Gatwick.

The main feeling among the boys was disappointment – a lot of the cruise had been snatched away from us. That disappointment seemed to have completely disappeared when we steamed into the port of Naples the next day. Just about everyone was on deck singing “Rule Britannia” (just the chorus) over and over again at the top of their voices. The BBC was there to film it and it was on the news at home that evening. I missed that broadcast and it was many years before I finally did get to see it. That put a lump in my throat. I often think that the return flight to Gatwick must have been an airline hostess’ nightmare - all those children who did not want to sit still…

The school had been informed about all this of course, but they had not been able to track down my parents (no mobile phones in those days) to explain what was going on. I had to go home with one of the other boys and spend an extra night there.

I knew that what had happened during Easter 1982 was quite special and I tried to keep all the memorabilia (tea mugs, camel whips etc) from the trip. But sadly, it’s only the photos that remain.

The Falklands conflict ended later that year, but life was never the same for the Uganda. Just a few years later, she was sold for scrap. These are the facts as I remember them. But I was a confused 14-year-old and I may have gotten some of it wrong!

sports round-up

Boys’ Games - Football

1st IX Captain: Aaran Aggarwal

1st IX Player of the Season: Aaran Aggarwal

Colts A Football Captain: Aryan Patel

Colts A Player of the Season: Samuel Davey

U9 Football Shield: Leo Cheung

U8 Football Shield: George Davey

St. Jude Cup (Most Improved Footballer): Shayan Joshi (Colts B/C)

Golden Boot: Aaran Aggarwal (1st IX – 24 goals)

In World Cup season, it has been an absolutely bumper term of football here at Orley Farm. As a school, we have played almost 150 matches, with every boy from Years 3-8 representing the school, and 87 different boys have combined to score the 347 goals we have scored in these matches!

Our senior teams led the way in terms of results as they won 33 of the 48 matches they played. The 2nd IX won nine and drew one of their 10 matches whilst the 1st IX won seven, drew two and lost one as well as coming runners up in both the U13 Orley Farm and Durston House Tournaments.

sports round-up

House matches, as always, were a real highlight of the term with Hopkins completing the double in the Upper School (Years 5-8) competitions and Broadrick winning the Year 4 competition. We also returned to Vaalkenswaard in the Netherlands for a brilliant football tour during the October half term as well. This was the fifth time we have been here but the first since 2015 after a cricket tour to Barbados in between and a couple of aborted attempts due to Covid-19.

22 boys from the 1st and Colts A teams and four members of staff had an unforgettable four days. We played four matches against local clubs (winning three and losing one), saw a live Eredivisie match as PSV Eindhoven played FC Utrecht, did an access-all-areas tour of PSV’s Philips Stadium, went to a theme park, swam and ‘waterslid’ at a Center Parcs, enjoyed an evening of ten-pin bowling and many other activities at our fantastic sports hostel.

The photos which accompany this report show our youngest team at U8 level and our 1st IX team with their runners up medals from the U13 Orley Farm Tournament as well as three of our touring party in the Netherlands, (i) our Colts team with their hosts RKVV Dommelen, (ii) all the boys at Efteling Theme Park and (iii) all the boys pitchside at PSV’s Philips Stadium.

Mr Bloom – Head of Boys’ Games

sports round-up

Hockey Season started with matches against St. Augustine’s Priory. Everyone got stuck in and whilst it was the first game of the year, the speed and accuracy in passing and moving the ball was good to see.

In September we hosted our own U11 Tournament with teams from St. Benedicts, John Lyon School, Beechwood Park, Belmont and Notting Hill & Ealing, fielding two home teams for Orley. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to pack competitive game time into one day – these events see teams making huge progress as the play got better and better over the morning.

sports round-up

The standout games for me were when our girls met teams that were fielding girls two years older and the gritty and determined moments that came from these matches. Whilst it’s fun to win games, I want to see Orley pupils in adversity and how they respond - I was so proud seeing us fighting back in one particular game, we learnt something very special that Saturday! Our Yr6 girls went to JLS to play their Yr7 girls in training games – something that we have set up to develop this squad. It was good to play under floodlights as a different experience and to hone skills, despite the inclement weather – however, adversity brought out the best in our girls. With a total of 8 goals scored across the 2 games, and a win for OFS and JLS, this was a good result. The more experiences like this that we can build the better!

MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL COMPETED FOR THE XCOUNTRY HOUSE CUP CONGRATULATIONS TO JULIAN’S WHO WERE THE OVERALL WINNERS!

by Jamie Freedman

I think we first started learning Latin when we about seven years old. To begin with it didn’t seem too difficult and it appeared there might be some point to it. Most of us enjoyed translating Latin into English not least because doing a new subject made us feel very grown up and, once deciphered, the language was already showing signs that it might even help with our geography lessons.

Roma in Italia est. Italia in Europa est.

I hear that Latin is not taught very much nowadays which seems a pity but even if you don’t know any, I am pretty sure you could translate that Latin without much difficulty.

I reckoned I was pretty good at it back then and thought I must have a real aptitude for the subject.

As the terms went by the whole thing became harder and harder and made less and less sense. By the time I was about ten I had decided that whatever job I did when I left school it would not involve Latin. I’ve changed the names of the friends in the story I’m about to tell you mainly to protect the guilty. So, let’s set the scene with a bit more Latin. Freedman in Mr Wentworth’s lesson est.

We had a Latin book which had little stories in it followed by large quantities of exercises in translation and comprehension. The stories were about an appalling family, their house and their dysfunctional lives together. There was Mater and Pater and their two off-spring Marcus and Amelia. Amelia claimed to be eleven years old but the line drawing of her at the bottom of the page showed that, in fact, she was an ugly dwarf of at least forty. Marcus said he was our age, about seven or eight, and, from the same drawing, it was apparent that, in the dusk with the light behind him, he could probably pass as such.

“Amelia had an ambition to be a Vestal Virgin. To this end she spent many hours in the peristyle admiring the fountain and the colour of the flowers left there by their maid (to whom we were never formally introduced). Our knowledge of how Vestal Virgins occupied their time was quite limited but, from the look of her, she was well on her way to her ambition. Mater and Pater would often comment on what a good boy Marcus was and how he always did as he was told. Marcus said he wanted to become a Centurion. I came to the conclusion the decline of the Roman Empire may have been entirely due to a generation of Marcuses together with grossly inadequate parenting and scandalous career advice. Marcus was a complete wet. He couldn’t chuck a discus for toffee and, on being told he would be going to school very soon, became, in my opinion, unnaturally excited at the possibility.

Pater told Marcus that if he remained being good and went quietly to get fitted for his school tunic and cloak then he’d take him to the games at Athens. I guessed that getting fitted for his tunic and cloak was similar to having to go to School Outfitters to buy the school uniform and all that putting on and taking off of shorts and blazers until the parents were satisfied one looked a sufficient figure of fun that they could say, “You’ll grow into them.” I was never offered the opportunity to be taken to any kind of treat when uniform fitting day came round. I was only offered the prospect of a good hiding when I got home or, worse, in the shop if I didn’t behave myself. Anyway, if I’d been Marcus’ pater, rather than take him to Athens I’d have taken him out to the field at the back of the house and taught him how to chuck a discus properly. Either that or taken him to the doctor for professional help. I certainly wouldn’t have exposed him to the rigours of life at boarding school in his current weedy state.

““Come on Freedman! This is all familiar stuff! ’Marcus Amelia amat.’” Mr Wentworth flicked a dangly bit of his gown off the desk where it landed when he sat down.

“To you maybe. Not to me!” I thought silently to myself. I tried falling back on my own experience with a sister and guessed.

“Um...Marcus and Amelia have a fight sir?”

“No, no, no! Come on boy! Who is the subject of this sentence?”

“Um...er... Latin sir.”

“Freedman! Who is doing the action in the sentence. You can tell by the word order. Remember? Wilder, help him.”

“Errrr...is Marcus doing something to Amelia sir?”

“I suppose that’s one way of putting it Wilder. Yes, Marcus is the subject of the sentence. It is he who is doing the action. And what action is he doing Freedman?”

“Um...something with Amelia sir?”

“NO BOY! WORD ORDER! Where will we find the action word, Freedman, the verb?”

“Um... in the dictionary sir?”

“Oh good grief! The word order in Latin is SUBJECT, OBJECT, VERB. So, we expect to find the verb at the end of the sentence. SUBJECT, OBJECT, VERB Freedman! Do I have to brand it on your bottom?”

“Hahaha! That won’t work sir!”

“What did you say Trickey?”

“If you did, sir, he’d need a really cunning arrangement of mirrors and ropes to be able to read it. Hahahaha!

“Thank you for your uninvited observations Trickey. I assure you if I did brand it on him he wouldn’t need to read it, he’d feel it for the rest of the term. Now, you can go and stand outside the classroom with your face to wall. Take Kennedy with you and learn the next ten principle parts from the back. I’ll test you at the end of the lesson and woe betide you if you don’t know them.

“Oh, hard cheese old chap!, Chiz, chiz, Trickey!, Oh sir, can’t he stay?”

“SHUT-UP The rest of you or you’ll be joining him!”

He waited for the objections and out-pouring of sympathy to subside. Trickey, looking very glum, left with book in hand. It was very dangerous being sent out from a classroom in the main corridor because the headmaster would make constant use of it as he prowled back and forth from his study looking for anything out of the ordinary. A boy with his face to wall outside a classroom during lesson time was definitely considered extraordinary.

“Right Freedman, what action is Marcus, the subject of our sentence, carrying out? And don’t forget, boy, I’m heating up my branding iron.” “Hahaha!”

“SHUT-UP the rest of you!”

“Is it amat sir?”

“Yes it is! At last! And what does amat mean?”

“Um... I’m not sure sir.”

“Have a guess.” “Er...er...”

“If it helps, Freedman, amat is the third person present singular of amo.”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Shoots sir. Marcus shoots Amelia”

“I glow with pride at my success and think that this story is maybe taking a turn for the better.”

“NO!!! NO!!! NO!!!!”

“Amo anyone?”

“I love sir.”

“Hahahahahahahahaha! Merrywell loves sir...Hahahahaha....loves sir....hahahhaa!”

“Thank you Merrywell. At least someone’s awake. BE SILENT THE REST OF YOU! Freedman, the whole thing please.”

“Oh no! I can’t believe I’ve got to say this and in front of the whole class too!”

“Er...Marcus loves Amelia sir,” I said as quietly as I could. They should definitely get that boy to a doctor and as soon as possible.

“Good! At last, we’re there. Only another half a page to do Freedman. At this rate we should finish chapter three by the middle of next term. You boys have to buck your ideas up. You were supposed to have prepared this. I’m very disappointed in all of you. TRICKEY! VENI TERGUM!”

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. “TRICKEY! COME BACK IN AT ONCE!”

All eyes are on the door. Nothing happens. “Deaf as well as stupid! TRICKEY!”

He rose from his chair and, sighing deeply at the exertion, walked across to the door, opened it , poked his head out and looked left and then right. “He’s gone! Where is that boy?”

Closing the door with decision he said, “I shall report that boy to his housemaster. Which house is he in?” Silence.

"Someone must know! Who’s in the same house as Trickey?"

“Um...sir.”

“What is it Freedman?”

“I think he’s prob’ly with the headmaster sir.”

“What makes you say that Freedman?”

“Coz that what can happen if you get sent out sir”.

“Well, serves him right. If you see him at break tell him to come and see me.”

“I reckon he’ll be too busy in the bogs at break to see you but I’ll tell him if you like,” I thought to myself but said… “Yessir.”

“Right, there’s the bell. SIT DOWN – I’LL TELL YOU WHEN TO MOVE. Prep tonight is the next ten principle parts in Kennedy and to prepare the rest of Chapter Three. And prepare it properly mind. I want to make good progress tomorrow not the snail’s pace we’ve managed this morning. Right, begone!

“If he wants to make progress then he shouldn’t ask Freedman!”

My reply was to bash Merrywell hard in the solar plexus. I didn’t wait to see if I’d winded him. I went, instead, in search of Trickey and found him where I suspected he’d be.

“How many?”

“A corporal.”

“Oh gosh does it hurt? Let’s see.”

drama

Middle School had been rehearsing for their Christmas number – Star Warts! I think that it would be fair to say that this was one of the more challenging years as coughs, colds and high temperatures knocked out 10 pupils over the week prior to the performances.

Middle School were not to be put off and rallied to share roles, demonstrating their remarkable abilities in storytelling, acting and singing – too much work had gone into this to simply cancel!

If the smiles, laughter and applause were anything to go by, all 3 audiences thoroughly enjoyed the night!

I hope that the following photos capture just how ‘into it’ our cast became –hil f h j k h h d i l h

The Show Must Go On!

Music

The main event in our calendar this term was the Christmas Celebration Concert, which took place at the Harrow School Speech Room. Our theme this year was Go West!, and we focussed on the three wise men. The Year 5 Choir and the Senior Choir, over 100 singers together, learned We Three Kings, with four soloists from the Year 8 cohort singing the verses. As well as singing many songs and carols at our concert, we enjoyed the Year 6 String Quintet (playing Silent Night), the Senior Guitar Ensemble (playing O Come, o come Emmanuel), and the Senior Brass and Wind Ensemble accompanied the singing of all the carols (Joy to the world, Once in royal David’s City, O come all ye faithful, Aaya masih duniya mei tu, and Hark the herald angels sing). In class, the children in Year 6 and above have been learning to create compositions using Garage Band, and children in the Middle School have been learning to play songs in a percussion orchestra of xylophones and glockenspiels. In Pre Prep, the children have been learning musical games, such as Doggy, doggy, where’s your bone? and Bounce high, bounce low. Singing continues to be the main focus of all we do in the department, and over the half of the student body continue to take weekly one-to-one music lessons with our visiting music teachers.

Over the past term, there has been a thumping heartbeat pounding through the school and I’m sure that for those of you able to join our Summer Concert performances, you’ll agree that it has been uplifting, inspiring, mesmerising and moving!

There was something for everyone, from solo performances to groups and bands, choral pieces to full orchestral arrangements – we were truly treated to something special!

Alumni Event

One of main reasons for the Orlumni being formed was to bring former students together, networks and connections can be lifesavers in these busy and fast times! I am so aware that students finishing A-Levels over the past couple of years have had a pretty tough ride though lockdowns, online teaching and endless changes in rules. So...what was our solution...a party!

A band formed through the pandemic, 2 Ex-Orleyans playing drums and bass brought together 2 guitarists and a vocalist to form ‘Beltane Dew’ who played a fantastic set in our new ‘Hub’. It was an amazing evening that brought 50+ school leavers together before stepping into new adventures of Uni, Gap years, travel, apprenticeships, undergrad internships etc etc.

Click here for a taster or jump onto Spotify and search Beltane Dew...

It was so good to hear the extraordinary stories from so many former Orleyans and their friends – a night to celebrate unique paths. In a world that seems to suggest that there’s a right way and a wrong one, this was a time to realise that there’s only one way...your way! I hope that this becomes a regular event and that we can build further into the future as connections from different points in our lives form useful anchors in storms!

Reconnection for students born 03/04 academic year - 23rd August 2022

The edge

The ‘Edge’ programme

The programme is unique and has been deve o provide our pupils with a wide range of activit opportunities to learn and experience many d

Cycling Proficiency - Riding a bike is the first step to freedom. However, with this independence comes the need to maintain it, from punctures to locked chains!

Domestic Skills - shoe cleaning, making a mess is allowed!

Photography - capturing the moment

A DAY IN ORLEY –1950'S

by Kip Warr

When I was seven (1951) I started at Orley Farm School in South Hill Avenue. We had a uniform blazer and cap of chocolate brown with red stripes and grey socks which, I suppose, was practical for messy boys of that age and has not changed since. We had formal lessons in all the usual subjects at that time: English, maths, geography, scripture, French, Latin, Greek and art. We had singing, too, and recorder as an option. Sadly, woodwork was not available then as it had been for my brother six years earlier; it would have suited me. There was a weekly public record of our personal achievements and behaviour in the form of a large list on the wall with all the boys’ names; each week our attainment would be marked as a star (good) or an oblique line, called a ‘stripe’ (unsatisfactory). There seemed to be no particular connection with the stars and stripes on the American flag.

We played the usual sports: cricket, football, rugby football, boxing and athletics. Rugby and football were played on pitches a quarter of a mile away down Orley Farm Road. We had a small swimming pool about half a mile away which was unheated and never seemed to get warm; we anticipated swimming sessions with trepidation. I started in the bottom form, taught by Miss Burton where, in addition to the formal lessons, we did handicrafts. We did hand weaving with raffia and made table mats by stitching beads round the edge of a cork disc. After the first year, J P M Ellis, the Head Master of whom we were all scared, taught us Latin and scripture, both involving a great deal of rote learning. Our French master, Mr. Robinson, something of a martinet, was also keen on memorising, and set us ten words to learn by heart each week from a Petit Vocabulaire. Horrid though that was, it did provide me with a sound vocabulary. In contrast our English master, Mr. Packwood, was a gentle man who read us stories: I remember White Fang by Jack London in particular. We still had to do the grammar and ‘compositions’ (essays) but they seemed less onerous than cramming vocabulary. Mr. Priestman taught Maths and ran the rugger, while the cricket was under Mr. Bentham whose favourite expression of surprise was ‘My hat man’, something he had picked up in the army (World War II was still fresh in many minds). Seventy years ago there were dip pens for writing. Each desk had an ink well that was filled up from a large bottle; inky fingers were the norm! The school had a tarmacked yard for play time. It was on a slight slope which made a wonderful slide when it became icy in winter. It had stumps painted on the walls for cricket in summer. In one corner there was a small square surrounded by buildings on three sides which we used as a football pitch, playing with a tennis ball. The History page on the present school website shows the yard exactly as it was then

Another hangover from the war was food rationing. There was great excitement in 1953 when sweet rationing ended and the school started selling sweets to the boarders. To help with child nutrition, a one third of a pint bottle of free school milk was given to every school child. Each year the school put on a Gilbert and Sullivan production. One year it was The Mikado, in which I was, humiliatingly, one of a chorus of schoolgirls. The next year it was The Pirates of Penzance in which I had the far more gratifyingly masculine part of Dick Deadeye. We had occasional films – all in black and white in the 1950s. We also had visiting speakers including a deep-sea diver, a whale hunter and a magician. The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953 was an opportunity for celebration and we each received a small gift of a spoon with a medallion embedded in the handle.

In my final term, at the age of thirteen, I had achieved the giddy position of eleventh place – in a class of eleven boys. Jack Ellis, seeking something positive to say in a letter to my parents, said that I had a good sense of humour. With this stunning academic achievement under my belt I sat the common entrance exam for Harrow.

I visited the school again this year. I was delighted to see how much it had changed but completely disoriented by the new buildings and remodelling of the old ones. The atmosphere was much warmer and more lively. There was certainly no temptation to hanker over the old days.

YR5 - PRODUCT DESIGN

OFA events

Social evening

It was lovely to see both current and new parents coming together to celebrate the Orley Community. Our first event was a great success and the evening w t l t th i i d f d d d i ks kept flowing, its's always a

OFA events

Fireworks Night

It was amazing to see so many families and friends reunite and socialise under one open roof again. The weather could not dampen our spirits and held off for a spectacular fireworks display. The sound of excitement when the fireworks started, the laughter of the children running around playing with their glow toys made it more than special for us.

Christmas fair

It was wonderful to see a chilly winter afternoon filled with laughter and joy from the children and families enjoying the festive activities, carol singing and the ving Grotto. In true Orley style, our c opportunity to display their skills and .

A virtual “Hello” from the new OFA, We are a team of full time working professionals and have either one or more children at Orley Farm, plus a baby at nursery and bundle of joy to arrive soon. Most of us have been class reps over the years and thought we’d step forward to take on this new responsibility to present the Orley Farm community in achieving its objective. We spent Summer 2022, understanding what we as a team wanted to achieve and how to execute it.

We agreed on the following team mission:

Following the pandemic help rebuild the Orley Farm community

Help enrich our children's social and educational experience at school through fun activities/events

Make a difference together by collectively working as a whole school team Create more lasting memories Have fun!

All these events are only possible with the support and commitment from our parents who volunteer their time.

Spread joy and love, it’s the Christmas season! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tanvi OFA Chair

& the OFA Team 2022-2023

H A S T I N G SH O U S E W I N N E R S

Dates for the diary

OTHER EVENTS

OFA QUIZ NIGHT

Friday 17th March 2023 7pm-10pm