THE STANDARD SUMMER TERM 2022
CONTENTS SUMMER TERM 2022
FROM THE HEAD 3
From the Head
NEWS & EVENTS 4
Speech Days
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Values Day 2022
6 Familiarisation days with Quainton Hall 7 Excellence talk: The High Commission of India, London 8 Chemistry Olympiad success Entire year group achieve CREST Awards
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Taste the rainbow
Junior Mathematical Challenge 9
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Bike donation and BMX
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CCF Parade
15 Duke of Edinburgh Volunteering Certificates achieved Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition 16 Outdoor Classroom Day Earth Day 2022
Pupils retain Silver Arrow 27
Mindfulness 19 Pupils reflect on trip to Bletchley Park
12 Lower Sixth experience university life
Swimmer qualifies for British National Championships
18 Pupil dances at British Basketball finals
10 Pupils secure Innovation Award at VEX Robotics National Competition thanks to 1876 donation funds The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
26 Cricketer selected for Middlesex
First Aid Club
Our Excellence pupils arrow and the Hill H Community Day
House Spelling Bee
John Lyon continues to produce footballing talent 28 Athletics report
THE ARTS
29 Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium
A-Level & GCSE Art Show
22 Secret postcard competition raises money for charity and promotes the arts 23
The Tempest
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Summer Solos Concert
Pride of Lyon’s Visit King’s College, Cambridge
Tennis report
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Finn competes in Poland
OLD LYONIANS & CAREERS 31 Inaugural Patani Science Lecture by Prof Montgomery OBE
SPORT
Careers in Business and Entrepreneurship Event
25 Cricket report
32 Head Boy lunch series Staff and contacts
Success, sustainability and sunshine Miss Katherine Haynes, Head
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s the sun sets on another successful and historic year at John Lyon, we reflect on an exceptional summer term. It has been our first full year of ‘normal’ school since the pandemic and, importantly, our first as a co-educational combined Senior and Prep school. Among many highlights was a Values Day packed with exciting sustainability-focused activities – including a whole-school photograph that poignantly captured this proud moment – with lots of special events to mark the close of John Lyon’s 145th anniversary year and to launch Quainton Hall’s own 125th anniversary celebrations. Things are looking positive on the sustainability front, too. We built on last term’s victory in the Harrow International Schools’ Sustainability Competition with a packed timetable of projects and activities. Among others, these included attending a mock COP 26 conference, reducing our plate waste, conserving wildlife, protecting habitats, encouraging our community to cycle to school, visiting a zero-landfill recycling plant, harnessing rainwater and answering the CREST project’s challenge about innovative waste-free lunch ideas. In line with these school-wide sustainability efforts, I am now sending my end of term letters electronically rather than printing and posting them. Similarly, we are significantly reducing our print run of other publications where appropriate and wherever possible, reducing the energy use and environmental impact of producing and delivering a physical product. But our plans do not stop here: with the support of our Sustainability Prefects, we are also working hard towards achieving the coveted Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. I am immensely proud of our pupils’ achievements: academic, artistic and athletic alike – we report on
them all elsewhere in The Standard,so what follows is – far from an exhaustive summary! Magnificent achievements in the Chemistry Olympiad and Junior Mathematical Challenge were matched by Excellence pupils with five or more Excellence pins and CREST Awards for all of Year 8, while the VEX Robotics team came sixth in the UK, scooping a VEX National Innovation Award. In the arts, over 300 entries to our Secret Postcard Competition raised over £2,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity – and the A Level and GCSE art exhibition is simply stunning! Our musicians were inspired by the Motet Choir at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and ‘an unforgettable day’ at King’s College, Cambridge. Powerful performances too from our talented thespians: Shakespeare’s The Tempest reimagined for capacity crowds in the Boyd Campbell Hall. With over 300 pupils, staff and families, our Sports Festival saw tremendous victories and an impressive level of engagement. Our cricketers enjoyed a week dedicated to the game and also reached two finals: the Middlesex U15 and T20 Senior Cup, while our tennis stars played many competitive LTA fixtures and our archers retained the Silver Arrow trophy in a nail-bitingly close victory against Harrow School. It has indeed been an extremely busy and productive academic year and I am very proud of all that our pupils, as well as the whole school as a collective community, have achieved. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful break and I look forward to seeing everyone refreshed, revitalised and ready for our return. I am particularly looking forward to welcoming our new pupils and as we look to build upon our co-educational success, I am pleased to share with you the news that our incoming Year 7 cohort is to include 22 girls. That is a positive increase from last year and, as we open 13+ entry to girls for a 2023 start, it means that co-education at John Lyon continues to grow at a successful and measured pace. n
www.johnlyon.org/values
FRONT COVER Sustainability Prefects and Year 7s visit Sudbury Fields as part of John Lyon’s involvement in The Queen’s Green Canopy, a special treeplanting initiative to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
NEWS & EVENTS
Speech Days On Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 July at Harrow School’s historic Speech Room, we celebrated the outstanding achievements of our John Lyon and Quainton Hall pupils. Congratulations to all for a terrific year!
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NEWS & EVENTS
Values Day 2022 On Wednesday 11 May, all of our pupils and staff from John Lyon and Quainton Hall (our prep school) came together to celebrate our School Values and mark the end of John Lyon’s historic 145th anniversary year, in which we became co-ed, and also kicked off Quainton Hall’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
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he day began with a wholeschool photograph of over 1,000 people – and afterwards prep and senior pupils formed mixed agegroup teams to take part in more than 30 activities spread across John Lyon’s main campus, our Sudbury Fields and Quainton Hall in central Harrow. The teams, led by senior pupils, participated in a range of activities inspired by the school’s values and commitment to sustainability. To name but a few, they designed vacuums, went on treasure hunts, learnt about electric vehicles, cooked quick and healthy plantbased meals, learnt about composting, took part in sustainable games, built hedgehog hotels, recycled and looked for
Contemporary designer Umut Yamac (OL 1998) unveils 145 Heritage Sculpture on Values Day with pupils and staff
bees and other insects. A real highlight was seeing some of the older senior students interacting with the younger prep pupils – supporting and encouraging them throughout the day. Values Day not only provided us with a unique opportunity to promote and reflect upon our core eight values, but it also allowed us to come together as one 3-18 through-school, from nursery right the way up to sixth form – and to celebrate our wonderful community! n
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NEWS & EVENTS
Familiarisation days with Quainton Hall Year 4 and 5 pupils from Quainton Hall enjoyed another Familiarisation Day at John Lyon this term. During the visit they were treated to an inspirational and informative presentation from author Jane Elson on her latest book ‘Storm Horse’, which remembers the life and success of the famous racehorse Seabiscuit. This was followed by a creative writing workshop.
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ollowing a morning of literature and creativity, the Year 4 children had the exciting opportunity to work with some Year 8 and 9 John Lyon pupils in a special Geography 6
workshop, where they worked on real-life events in Monserrat when the volcano erupted there in July 1995. The workshop was highly interactive and interesting, with some of the children even having the chance to work with past pupils of Quainton Hall, plotting events on a map of Monserrat and playing the role of volcanologists making crucial, life-or-death decisions as the terrifying natural disaster unfolded. Familiarisation Days provide families with an opportunity to see John Lyon’s exceptional site first hand, meet with pupils and staff and to get a real sense of the school’s community, culture and values, all of which are shared by Quainton Hall. We look forward to hosting more opportunities such as these in the next academic year. n
Senior pupils support prep pupils in Burges Suite
Excellence talk: The High Commission of India, London
NEWS & EVENTS
We were delighted and honoured to host two events supported by the High Commission of India, London.
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n Wednesday 8 June, we welcomed Mr Shitanshu Chaurasiya, First Secretary of the High Commission of India and Mr Amish Tripathi, author and Director of the Nehru Centre, which is the cultural wing of the High Commission of India in the UK. Having been greeted by Miss Katherine Haynes, Head, Mr Andy Sims, Deputy Head and Dr Florence Weinberg, Director of Admissions, Mr Chaurasiya and Mr Tripathi were invited to meet a small number of pupils and staff over light refreshments in the Red House for an informal discussion about a variety of India-related issues. The pupils involved learnt a great deal and were very grateful for the opportunity. Mr Chaurasiya opened the first event, explaining his role and the work of the High Commission of India, London before presenting Miss Haynes with books for the school library that had been personally donated by the High Commissioner.
Miss Haynes then reciprocated by presenting the High Commission with a very small oak tree grown from an acorn from one of John Lyon School’s most ancient trees. Mr Tripathi began by talking about his broad career path, from banker to author to film producer and diplomat and then answered questions prepared by four students: Eric Z (8CJC), Jon M (8BG), Troj M (8EJG) and Ayaan B (8SRP). These questions covered a variety of topics, from India’s history and relationship with the UK to the effect on India of the war in Ukraine. Mr Tripathi’s talk was fascinating, interactive and energetic – and our pupils were captivated from the first word to the last.
All involved had a terrific time and very much enjoyed both the Excellence Programme talk and yoga session in the glorious sunshine! We would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr Chaurasiya, Mr Tripathi and the High Commission of India for making the time to come to the John Lyon School and also for partnering with us. We look forward to collaborating with the High Commission on other events in the near future. n
The second event was an outdoor yoga session on the Red House lawn, both as an early celebration of International Yoga Day and to boost both physical and mental health. The session was led by our very own Miss Joemie Moes, Teacher of Biology, with several pupils and staff participating. 7
NEWS & EVENTS
Chemistry Olympiad success Earlier this term, Sixth Form Chemistry students took part in the 2022 Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad.
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his event is a gruelling twohour examination, and a true cerebral workout in which pupils are challenged at a level of chemical knowledge and understanding well beyond the boundaries of the A-level syllabus. We left the competition victorious with
two Silver Awards and a Bronze Award, won by Lower Sixth students Josh H (L6PWM), Sahit S (L6PWM) and Varun V (L6JCC)! At the best of times, it is no mean feat to win these rarely attained awards – let alone against such fierce competition from other schools’ Upper Sixth pupils. Congratulations to our three contenders for their truly remarkable performances! n
Entire year group achieve CREST Awards
We are very proud of the Year 8 cohort, who have all secured Bronze CREST Awards. CREST is the British Science Association’s scheme for STEAM project work that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. n
Junior Mathematical Challenge On Wednesday 27 April, our Year 7 and 8 pupils sat the UK Mathematics Trust’s Junior Mathematical Challenge.
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ver 50% of the pupils achieved a gold, silver or bronze certificate, placing them in top percentiles of mathematicians in the country. A special mention to Amaroo B (7MLT), Ally A (7MLT), Saajan S (8EJG), Anirudh N (8BG),
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Rishab S (8BG), Alexander S (8RSP) and Rishi T (8CJC) for achieving gold certificate! At the time of writing, Amaroo has also been invited to complete the prestigious Mathematics Olympiad and Ally is to complete the Junior Kangaroo, which is a subsequent round of the challenge. n
Our Excellence pupils
NEWS & EVENTS
Each term, the Excellence Programme recognises exceptional student engagement in the classroom with our school values, including among others Resolve, Ambition and Innovation. Excellence pins are awarded to students for excellence in five subjects in Years 7 to 11 – as well as for two subjects in the Lower and Upper Sixth. Congratulations to all this term’s deserving recipients of this accolade! n
Harrow and the Hill Community Day As members of the Harrow family of schools, the John Lyon and Quainton Hall community took part in activities at the Harrow and Hill Community Day on 30 April to mark the 450th anniversary of Harrow School. John Lyon pupils supported the event with contributions to the music, drama, CCF and archery line-ups, whilst our prep pupils from Quainton Hall performed some spectacular Bollywood dances! It was a wonderful day and a truly memorable occasion on the Hill for all who attended with so many great events taking place from exhibitions, games, amazing food and much more. n
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NEWS & EVENTS
Pupils secure Innovation Award at VEX Robotics National Competition thanks to 1876 donation funds The VEX Robotics team enjoyed two successful days of competition in Telford, finishing sixth overall in the UK knockout stages. Their invention – 33363A, JL Vulcan – also won the international Lovelace Division Innovate Award for having the most effective and efficient overall design process. Competing against teams from across the UK at this level is no mean feat and this is a big highlight and achievement for the team – and for John Lyon as a whole!
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uring the competition, the team faced various challenges, including a ‘grilling’ from the judges and the VEX IQ challenge, in which they paired up with another school. The John Lyon team showed remarkable composure and worked collaboratively throughout in all that they faced and were successful in securing a place in the competition finals. It was without a doubt an extremely competitive event and the team were extremely proud of where they finished. Opportunities such as this are a great way to help our pupils translate their theoretical learning into practice and we are grateful for the support of the 1876 Fund, which financed the robots and the competition fees.
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“This was John Lyon’s first ever
competitive VEX Robotics season and taking part has far surpassed our expectations and what we thought we would achieve. Qualifying and participating in The VEX IQ Challenge UK National Championship 2022 has been an incredible honour and an amazing learning opportunity and experience for all of us.We hope to continue our journey through VRC and cannot wait to see what the new John Lyon VEX IQ team come up with!” Hemang K (9CEP) n
NEWS & EVENTS SPORT
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee The School marked and commemorated Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a number of events.
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he week began with a poignant assembly themed around British values and on Thursday 26 May the school was a sea of red, white and blue as pupils and staff came dressed in their Union Flag-themed finery for a non-uniform day in tribute to the occasion. Everyone was also encouraged to donate to The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust – a very fitting and worthy cause, for which the school came together enthusiastically and raised a very significant sum. In addition to this, we laid on a special themed lunch in our New Memorial
Dining Hall, which was of course suitably decorated with bunting, flags, cut-outs of HM The Queen and more! It was a wonderful atmosphere in which to tuck into a traditional lunch and indulge in some sumptuous baking, including a Victoria sponge cake and trifle. Thanks to the amazing efforts of our excellent chefs and catering team it was a wonderful treat, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially as it was towards the end of the half term!
commemorative plaque. We feel very honoured to plant these trees to mark this fabulous occasion and we are sure that over many years they will serve as a wonderful reminder to current and future generations of this historic event. n
The school has also taken part in the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC), a special tree-planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee that is very much in line with the school’s sustainability agenda and which will undoubtedly enhance our estate. Courtesy of the Woodland Trust, a whopping 105 saplings will be arriving at the school, all of which will be planted along with a special 11
NEWS & EVENTS
I Lower Sixth experience university life A recent trip to Royal Holloway, University of London, proved to be a wonderful practical learning exercise for Lower Sixth Form.
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upils had the opportunity to look around the university as well as take part in some interesting activities, including working together to brainstorm ideas for new clubs and societies and, most importantly, taking part in a competition to see who could put a duvet cover on the fastest (a vital skill for university!) – and much more besides.
As part of the visit, Lower Sixth received an enlightening talk on the university’s application process and the essential things they would need to think about, such as student finance and writing personal statements. It was a very informative session and something Lower Sixth were grateful for. n
Bike donation and BMX During Bike Week, from Monday 6 June through to Friday 10 June, we held a number of exciting cycling-related community activities.
refugees. We gratefully collected 27 bicycles in all at Sudbury Fields and sent them on to the charity. A huge thanks to all pupils, parents, teachers and support staff for their generosity.
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With ample bike storage on site, we encouraged all pupils and staff to enjoy riding to school all week in the glorious British sunshine. Of course cycling is a great form of physical exercise that boosts mental health as well as general fitness – but it is also a wonderful way for our community to engage actively with sustainability initiatives as we work towards the coveted Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.
he school collected old and unused bikes generously donated by the John Lyon community for The Bike Project, a charity that refurbishes bikes and gives them to
NEWS & EVENTS
At lunchtimes on Tuesday 7 June and Wednesday 8 June, pupils took part in one- and two-wheel balance competitions on the Lyon playground to see who could ‘trackstand’ for the longest time, while Thursday 9 June saw pupils learning the less dramatic but nevertheless extremely useful skills of changing tyres and repairing punctures. The week concluded with a special Bike Week assembly on Friday 10 June as well as a unique BMX experience with bespoke sessions in this, the fastest growing Olympic sport, for pupils and staff alike. Perhaps the most exciting events of all were the BMX Pump Track experiences at Kenton Recreational Ground. All in all, it was an incredible week of bike-related activity and a wonderful way for the school community to be involved with a charitable initiative to donate bikes to refugees. n
Pupils help organise donated bicycles at Sudbury Fields
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NEWS & EVENTS
CCF Parade
The Year 10 CCF (Combined Cadet Force) cadets completed their pass-off parade in front of their proud parents as well as members from our Senior Management Team.
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o ensure everything went like clockwork, our cadets had completed a weekend of drill training, rigorously practicing their moves to ensure the first ever full pass-off parade was absolutely first class. Following the John Lyon CCF Colour, carried by Sgts Pande,Verden and LCpl Qu., Cadets marched onto the Sudbury Astro and formed up, facing their parents and standing to attention with pride. They then marched on Lt Blenkinsop and the Inspecting Officer, Gareth Mawdsley, who commented on the cadets’ high standard of dress as well as their discipline and was pleased to find that so many of the cadets had positive things to say about their time in the CCF.
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After a brief speech by the Inspecting Officer, cadets were invited forward to receive their berets as a testament to their
hard work and outstanding commitment. It was a very successful day and a fantastic first public event for the John Lyon CCF. n
NEWS & EVENTS
Thank you to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants from
The John Lyon School who spent
520 hours volunteering between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. We are immensely proud of the dedication, effort and achievement of young people . making an impact in their community The social value of these hours is
£2402.4
RUTH MARVEL CEO
June 2022
Duke of Edinburgh Volunteering Certificates achieved
Hats off to all pupils involved for their continued determination and progress towards the Duke of Edinburgh awards. They have all been engaged in some form of volunteering since the start of their journey and many have recently received from the programme their certificates to prove it. n
Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition At the start of the Easter holidays, an intrepid group of Year 11s travelled to the Peak District for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award practice expedition.
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he team left The Hill in snowy weather, only to find themselves in similar conditions at their destination. With a large falling of snow during the introductory walk in the Peak District, it was impossible to resist the temptation to engage in a friendly snowball fight, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
After the fun, the hard work began and throughout the expedition the pupils met with extreme weather conditions and difficult terrain. Despite this, they showed remarkable resolve: the pupils bonded well as a team and both their camp-craft and navigation skills developed a great deal. By the third and final day it was great to see them walking and navigating independently as well as setting a remarkable pace over the summits and ridges en route to the finish. What a great effort by all! With this experience under their belts the pupils are very much looking forward to their next adventure in the Brecon Beacons this summer. n
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NEWS & EVENTS
Outdoor Classroom Day Thursday 19 May was Outdoor Classroom Day and we were very lucky with the weather! A number of lessons took place outside and it was a very beneficial exercise for everyone’s wellbeing – pupils and staff alike! n
Earth Day 2022 This year the theme for Earth Day on Friday 22 April was ‘Invest in our Planet’. The day was a wonderful opportunity for the school community to reflect on the strides the school as a collective has made in our sustainability journey as well as to look forward to what more we can do.
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ogether, so far we have already achieved so much: notable highlights include attending a Mock COP 26 conference, reducing our plate waste, conserving wildlife, protecting habitats, building hedgehog hotels within our grounds, achieving raised awareness of Sustainable Development Goals, Fairtrade fortnight, Water Day, visiting a zero-landfill recycling plant, harnessing rainwater, CREST innovative waste-free lunch ideas and of course taking part in and winning the International Sustainability Competition against nearly 650 other teams.
The Department for Education recently published a sustainability education strategy, which outlines the role we must play as educators. They highlighted that the area where we have the most work to do is in reducing our environmental footprint, particularly in the drive to achieve net zero. With that in mind, we are determined to keep on striving to ensure that John Lyon’s sustainability journey and ongoing developments come fully into alignment with that strategy. n
NEWS & EVENTS
House Spelling Bee After several severe rounds under the spotlights of our Music Hall, one ascendant Year 7 gained the summit of spelling perfection: Amaroo B (7MLT). This candidate from Moore fought off contenders from Butler,Vaughan and Norwood with words including ‘camaraderie’, ‘jeopardy’ and ‘egregious’. Congratulations Amaroo on your success! n
Taste the rainbow Many thanks to our wonderful catering team for promoting healthy eating and laying on a quite exquisite fruit platter for students and staff. n
First Aid Club First Aid Club has been a great success this year with 15 Year 7 and 8 pupils completing the John Lyon First Aid Award.
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ver the course of the year they have learned how to perform CPR, use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and take care of sick and injured people as well as how to deal with fractures, burns, bleeds and many other ailments. Having shown great commitment to the club all concerned should be incredibly proud of their achievement.
Congratulations to our award winners: Sofia A (7AJM), Zahra D (7AJM), Vanessa D(7AJM), Rayyan G (7ADH), Fathima H (7JOC), Zoya K (7MLT), Elsie N (7AJM), Radha P (7MLT), Jacob R (7ADH), Hal R (7ADH), Abisha V (7JOC), Ameya B (8SRP), Ammar C (8CJC), Ryan F (8SRP), Mikhael U (8SRP) n
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NEWS & EVENTS
Pupil dances at British Basketball finals
A special mention to Harry B (9CKL) who had the honour of performing with his dance crew – Flawless – at the British Basketball League (BBL) final held at no less a venue than the O2 Arena in May and broadcast live on Sky Sports! What an amazing stage to have hosted Harry and his group’s spectacular dancing talents! n
Mindfulness Our CCP (co-curricular programme) introduces pupils to a variety of activities designed to help them understand the importance and meaning of wellbeing and mindfulness in daily life. As part of the programme, pupils explore the concept of physical and mental wellbeing, are introduced to meditation and discover the benefits of mindfulness and yoga through a range of activities.
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Two Year 7 pupils reflect on their CCP experience…
“Mindfulness shifts our minds from the
negative impacts that we usually fixate on and realigns us with a positive mind set. Last term, our group participated in a mindfulness programme for CCP. During these sessions, we focused on our senses through meditation practice, chair yoga, group games, mindful colouring and a peaceful walk – all of which helped us compose and prepare ourselves for our upcoming exams.
The mindfulness course also enabled us to reflect on our feelings so that we can feel secure expressing them. A particularly helpful facet was the way it enabled us to continue these mindful activities at home as well as discovering other calming ones, making the programme as a whole a great success!” Zara D (7MLT) and Fathima H (7JOC) n
NEWS & EVENTS
Pupils reflect on trip to Bletchley Park “Bletchley Park was a very important wartime asset to our nation, giving us the
edge in strategic combat by breaking the German Enigma code in World War II. The breakthrough was vital in enabling the Western Alliance to glean immense amounts of covert intelligence on Nazi military movements and significantly shorten the war. One of the key motivations behind the trip was to inspire intellectual curiosity and to learn outside the classroom. I have been to Bletchley Park before but I was very curious about the three new exhibits – “The Intelligence Factory”, “D-Day Interception, Intelligence and Invasion” and “The Art of Data” – which were just a few weeks old when we visited Bletchley Park. Throughout our visit I thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibits, but my favourite was “The Bomb Breakthrough” in Hut 11A. I found this exhibit remarkably interesting – especially the way Alan Turing, Gordon Welchman and others involved in making the Bomb used an ingenious electro-mechanical device that was an early precursor to what would become known as the computer. This machine is incredibly complicated and its development must have involved a painstakingly long process of trial and error by the Bletchley Park codebreakers. Furthermore, this exhibit shows how code-breaking at Bletchley had a significant impact on the course of World War 2 and almost certainly sped the Allies to victory. I also enjoyed the exhibit about D-Day, which was the largest amphibious landing in history launched by the Allies to push the Germans back to Berlin, and on how Bletchley Park played a vital role in the invasion of one of Europe’s most heavily fortified fronts. I felt this exhibit was an impressively powerful way to convey the enormity of D-Day – while a specially commissioned film showed Bletchley Park’s huge contribution, making this an amazingly interactive and unforgettable exhibit. The use of interactive displays made the exhibits engaging and interesting and I loved the way the whole experience transferred you from the past to the modern day as you walked through the exhibits. Overall, I really enjoyed this trip to Bletchley Park and found it a lot of fun – but at the same time useful as we had completed a whole project based on this subject as well as weekly meetings on relevant topics such as team building, communication and time management. I look forward to going on another trip in Year 9.”
- Ameya B (8SRP) n 19
THE ARTS
A-Level & GCSE Art Show
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THE ARTS
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THE ARTS
Secret postcard competition raises money for charity and promotes the arts The 2022 Secret Postcard Competition and Auction, which took place in May, was a phenomenal success with over £2,000 raised for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. This creative charity competition is a wonderful community initiative that encourages and promotes involvement in the arts.
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ver 300 postcards were submitted by pupils, parents and staff – as well as some well-known artists – and were displayed on a specially created auction website. Bidding was open to everyone across the John Lyon community, including friends and family, for a two-week period during which there was a frenzy of fierce postcard bidding! To mark the end of the auction, a special exhibition was held in the School’s Mall Gallery with all 300 plus entries on display. This creative competition for charity is a wonderful community initiative that encourages and promotes involvement in the arts. It was fantastic to see such a high level of engagement and we were very pleased indeed to have raised an incredible £2,039 for a very worthy cause. Thank you to everyone for their contributions – with special thanks to our artists: Salima Annab, Sylvia Bahri, Nick Brown, Claire Chandler, Lucy Chapman, Peter Cordeaux, Carl Evanson, Rory Parsons, Susan Patterson, Dominika Prinz, George Weston and Sinead Worth. n
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THE ARTS
The Tempest The Drama department delivered its third major production of the academic year, during the first half of this summer term, with a modern reimagination of Shakespeare’s much loved The Tempest in the Boyd Campbell Hall.
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he cast and crew, drawn from Years 7 to Year 10, collaborated with energy and imagination to deliver this excitingly vivid story using modern technology, projection and dynamic visuals. Two performances were held in May and both were performed to a high standard and enthusiastically received by a capacity crowd. In preparation for the production, the cast and crew had the amazing opportunity to work with professional movement specialist Lisa Lee, who recently choreographed the Queen’s Jubilee Royal Windsor Horse Show. They also performed an abridged version of the play at the Harrow and the Hill Community Day, a major event marking Harrow School’s 450th anniversary in April. These were great learning opportunities, which, alongside the ferocious commitment and dedication put in by the team over the past few months, truly helped make The Tempest a great success. n
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THE ARTS
Summer Solos Concert
This term’s Solos Concert was yet another musical extravaganza and, with most year groups represented, it was a terrific showcase of our many diverse talents and performances. Highlights on the classical side were Soma S (7ADH) and Sumeet S (9CEP), who both performed technically demanding pieces on the violin. On the popular music side, Amaroo B (7MLT) stole the show with a captivating performance of To Make You Feel My Love, a Bob Dylan favourite, complete with instrumental solo moments also played by Amaroo.
Pride of Lyon’s Visit King’s College, Cambridge The Pride of Lyon’s had a fantastic trip to King’s College, Cambridge, where they were fortunate enough to have a chance to watch the College’s world-famous choir in rehearsal as well as enjoy Evensong in front-row seats.
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uring the visit, the Pride of Lyon’s performed for King’s’ Director of Music Daniel Hyde. He was very impressed with our pupils’ abilities and offered them some constructive and positive feedback, for which they were very grateful. The trip ended with a visit to King’s Chapel and its exciting features such as
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the intricately carved wooden screen dating back to 1532 that divides the Chapel in two. This was an incredible trip for the Pride of Lyon’s and they all very much enjoyed their time at the College learning and hearing from some of the very best in music.
“The tour of Cambridge was so
special. It was amazing to be given an opportunity to attend the King’s College choir’s rehearsal – it was an unforgettable day.”
Soma S (7ADH) n
SPORT
Cricket report Cricket at John Lyon started way back in the autumn term – the first time our winter programme has got under way right at the beginning of a school year. The reason for doing so was to satisfy our students’ keen appetite for training and practice in the sport they love.
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ith expansion of our cricket provision comes the hope that we will see even greater results on the field once the season begins in earnest – and we look forward to helping develop and strengthen the skill levels of everyone taking part. Under the new leadership of Head of Cricket Mr Chris Peploe, we have increased our out-of-season provision to include preschool, lunchtime and after school sessions as well as small group sessions for Year 11 within PE and for Sixth Form students in their free periods. Once the dark nights, cold mornings and gloomy days finally passed, the cricket season was finally upon us.With students returning from a well-earned Easter break, we kickstarted the games with a whole school pre-season day at Sudbury Fields attended by a third of all pupils.We’re pleased to say
that we have quite a number of very strong cricketers throughout the school, including six Sixth Form students who are currently on their County pathways. With gleaming new whites and freshly oiled bats at the ready, we completed some 60 fixtures in the first half of the season alone, across 13 boys’ teams and two girls’ teams. In line with the Sports department’s ethos, ‘Sport for all in the pursuit of excellence’, we have introduced ‘All Inclusive Monday’: years 7 and 8 both playing in competitive fixtures with A-D teams, alongside fixtures for our new Year 7 girls. On that one day we arranged a total of 10 fixtures!
report that every girl within Year 7 has represented the school this summer. Special mention goes to Nishka K (7ADH) who made history by becoming the first female pupil to represent the boys’ cricket squad with Zlata M (7MLT) closely behind. All the girls must be commended in their engagement and enthusiasm in taking on the considerable challenge of playing what is a new sport for many of them. We very much look forward to the further development of the girls’ programme over the coming years. n
With too many individuals to mention, students’ impressive achievements include a hat-trick, five-wicket hauls, numerous halfcenturies and the first senior hundred for a number of years. The team leading the way with the highest win ratio are the U13As with 73%, with a further three teams boasting a 60%-win ratio. However, it is the U15A and 1st XI who have really triumphed – both had fantastic County Cup runs and at the time of writing are both soon to compete in their respective finals. The arrival of co-education saw the implementation of a new girls’ cricket programme and we are pleased to 25
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Cricketer selected for Middlesex George A (10NMB), one of our cricketers, has recently been selected for the coming season’s Middlesex Under 15 squad. As an opening fast bowler, he progressed through the ranks at Ealing Borough before his selection as part of the 14-man squad. He has already played in two County games so far this season, taking three wickets in his first game against Berkshire. n
Swimmer qualifies for British National Championships Outside of school sport, Ritchie G (10KS) has continued to make significant progress in the water having recently qualified for the British National Championships in the 200m butterfly at the end of July. We are incredibly proud of Ritchie’s achievements, which put him in the top 24 Under 15s in the country. His dedication to the sport is something to be admired: swimming seven times a week on a tough schedule that usually involves him getting up at 5am! n Ritchie G (10KS)
Pupils retain Silver Arrow This year’s Silver Arrow competition produced an outstanding afternoon of archery. Our eight John Lyon pupils all rose to the challenges of both shooting outside for the first time this season and taking on our friends from Harrow School, who proved strong opposition. Leading from the front, senior archers Varun V (L6JCC), Kabir G (L6JEH) and Neelkanth K (10NMB), consistently scored high, and it was impressive to see the number of 9, 10 and bulls they shot. This added to the excellent shooting from Daniel L (8CJC), who returned John Lyon’s best score of 245. A steady performance from the full team resulted in a very tight but victorious retention of the Silver Arrow. Congratulations to all involved! n
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Tennis report It has been an exciting term of tennis for our squads with plenty of opportunity for both recreational tennis and competitive LTA fixtures. Our U14 and U15s have won three out of their four friendly matches and the U15s have also competed in two LTA fixtures this term, including a decisive win against Latymer Upper School.
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ur U13s have played all three of their LTA fixtures this half term and have two remaining friendly fixtures afterwards. Particular mention must go
to Paaran B (8SRP) who has represented both the U13 and U15 teams in the LTA fixtures. It is not just those who make the A and B tennis squads who get to enjoy the game, though. Far from it – everyone has the opportunity to be coached as part of our Games Carousel, a chance for pupils
of all abilities to improve their skills with our external tennis coaches and a great example of our ‘Sport for all’ mantra in action. We finish the term with a number of House tennis fixtures and our school tennis championships, which include a girls’ tournament as well as junior and open competitions. n
John Lyon continues to produce footballing talent
Football at John Lyon has seen some excellent success stories in recent years, with a number of our top sportspersons going on to play professionally in the Premier League, English Football League and National League.
(Tottenham Hotspur FC), Will Mannion (Cambridge United FC) and Oluremi Onabanjo (AFC Wimbledon), all of whom continue to showcase their footballing ability at the highest level. On behalf of
Joseph U (11MRF)
the school, thank you Luca and Joseph for all your hard work and dedication to sport at John Lyon and we look forward to following your progress with interest for years to come. n
Luca L (11CTS)
F
ollowing in their footsteps this academic year are two members of 2019’s ISFA U13 National Cup QuarterFinalists team, Luca L (11CTS) and Joseph U (11MRF) who both leave us to begin their journeys into professional football with Maidenhead United FC in the National League. Combining their footballing journey with education at Berkshire College of Agriculture, Joseph (Sport and Exercise Science and Computer Science) and Luca (Sport and Exercise Science and A Level Geography) will be hoping to emulate the successes of former pupils Miguel Azeez (Arsenal FC/England U20), Marqes Muir
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Athletics report Athletics continues to grow in popularity, with a large number of pupils competing at the Harrow Borough Track and Field Championships, the Middlesex County Championships and the Harrow Athletics League this term.
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F
ollowing their excellent performances at the Harrow Borough Championships, it was excellent to see Benaiah I (9EKM) (100m), Doneil W (10NMB) (Shot Put), Alexander S (8SRP) (Discus), Ritchie G (10KS) (1500m) and Tio E (10JNL) (200m) all compete at the Middlesex Schools Athletics Championships at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday 18 June, with nearly all competitors setting personal best performances in their respective events.
In the Harrow Athletics League, it has been particularly pleasing to enter our first ever girls’ team into the event, with the Year 7 girls performing incredibly well against some strong opposition. Notable performances include third place in both the 800m and 1500m for Elsie N (7AJM) and some excellent sprinting by Jiya P (7JOC) and Niska K (7ADH). Thank you to all the athletes for your efforts this term. We look forward to another exciting cross-country season starting in autumn 2022. n
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Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium Thirty Year 7 and 8 pupils enjoyed an amazing sporting experience at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 15 May.
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upils and staff alike watched the Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea FC and Manchester City FC from the vantage point of the school’s impressive Club Wembley seats! For some of the pupils, this was their first chance to watch live sport – and it couldn’t
have been a better experience to be a part of. The match was a real thriller with plenty of goals and a nail-biting finish as Chelsea scored in extra time to win the cup. It was a wonderful day out for all – and one the pupils will certainly remember for a long time to come. n
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Finn competes in Poland Finn K travelled to Kroclaw, Poland on Friday 10 June to compete in Challenge Wratislavia, an international fencing competition which is the biggest in the world for children under 15.
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uring the five-day challenge, competitors fight in foil, epee and sabre. The tournament takes place on a top world level - it really is the ‘best of the best’ globally who travel to compete here. Finn competed against 109 U15 fencers and ended his day as a quarter finalist, with an impressive seventh place. This was his last Challenge Wratislavia tournament and he showed great determination along the way in very gruelling conditions in the heat. n
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OLD LYONIANS & CAREERS
Inaugural Patani Science Lecture by Prof Montgomery OBE
The inaugural Patani Lecture took place on Thursday 12 May and was delivered by Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE of University College London, who was appointed as an Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) for his services to Intensive Care Medicine and Climate Change.
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he Patani Lecture Series has been enabled as part of a very generous donation from the Patani family and is designed to enthuse and stretch aspiring scientist pupils, as part of the Excellence Programme of academic enrichment for John Lyon pupils. The Patani donation has also provided the school with some state-of-the-art science equipment, which has been and will be used by current and future John Lyon pupils.
The lecture began with a pre-event drinks reception in the Mall, where selected students and teachers had the chance to speak to Professor Montgomery and the Patani family. The pupils who attended enjoyed hearing about
Professor Montgomery’s experience of working as an Intensive Care doctor during the pandemic. Hugh was imparted his wisdom and shared invaluable advice about careers in science. n
Careers in Business and Entrepreneurship Event On Tuesday 24 May, we welcomed Samuel-Dean McMurran to the Hill for a careers talk on entrepreneurship. Mr McMurran, a serial entrepreneur, spoke to pupils and attendees about his experiences of starting and building companies in several industries. His knowledge and stories were very informative and interesting, and pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed his visit. n 31
Head Boy lunch series This term we hosted our first online Head Boy lunch with guest speaker Adam Isaacs (OL 1984), who joined the Civil Service as part of the inaugural European Fast Stream and now works in European Parliament in Brussels. Adam has responsibility for bilateral relationships with the parliaments of Turkey, Western Balkans, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and the UK. As you would expect from our John Lyon pupils, Head Boy Vinay K (U6BRD) and prefect David S (U6REM) posed some very thought-provoking questions to Adam on his experiences and views on the current political topics of Brexit, Ukraine and general trade, which generated a stimulating and intellectual conversation. n
Miss Katherine Haynes Head head@johnlyon.org
Mr Simon Ford Headmaster
Quainton Hall Prep School headmaster@quaintonhall.org.uk
Cdr Gareth Mawdsley Chief Operating Officer Gareth.Mawdsley@johnlyon.org
Mr Andy Sims Deputy Head AJS@johnlyon.org
Mrs Rebecca Davies Senior Registrar 020 8515 9443 admissions@johnlyon.org
Open Day Dates www.johnlyon.org/opendays John Lyon Middle Road Harrow-on-the-Hill HA2 0HN 020 8515 9400 www.johnlyon.org @johnlyonharrow
