Message from the Head

Over £2,300 was raised for the British Red Cross and we would like to thank all those who donated for their generosity.

As I look out at the Red House lawn, with flowers abloom around the School campus, the arrival of spring signals the end of another busy and productive term for pupils at John Lyon. As ever, I am impressed by the energy and enthusiasm that our pupils exude in all that they do. Pupils of all ages show resilience when needed and take things positively in their stride. It is these characteristics that make John Lyon pupils stand out. I am hugely proud of all their individual and collective accomplishments this term and the following pages can only provide a peek at all that has been achieved.

At John Lyon, we focus on more than high academic standards. Our pupils benefit hugely from all the opportunities they enjoy so much, ranging from the myriad of clubs and co-curricular activities to success on the sports fields and much more besides. I am particularly delighted to announce we have been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag status. This represents our strides forward in our sustainability journey, driven by pupil-led Eco and Sustainability teams. The whole John Lyon community has been focused on waste reduction, and reducing our reliance on motorised transport.

As a school we continue to place importance on the value of community, which has been a central part of John Lyon life this term. In January and March we have hosted film nights for young families from the local area in partnership with Harrow School and the Young Harrow Foundation. Pupils have enjoyed participating in our FoodBank collections. In the current climate it has been extremely rewarding for the School to show support for the local families beyond our School community.

It has also been gratifying to see pupils take the lead on and organise charity initiatives – a sponsored 12-hour Swimathon and Head Boy’s Hot Chocolate and Smoothie Mornings have been keenly supported by all year groups, raising a substantial sum of money for the School’s nominated two charities that we are to support this year: St Luke’s Hospice and Motor Neurone Disease UK. It was especially heartwarming to see the School come together, including our Prep School Quainton Hall, supporting those affected by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

As ever we have had numerous music, sports and drama highlights, all of which have exposed pupils to a wide variety of new experiences and continued to stretch their learning. The Musician of the Year finals once again provided a wonderful display of the School’s amazing musical talent, while DNA, our drama production, challenged pupils in their acting endeavours and left audiences pondering morality in today’s world. We have seen more sports team and individual successes in our mainstream sports as well as non-traditional ones. Furthermore, we have seen increased participation in all areas of sporting life and much improved pupil outcomes through the competitive nature of sport as well as through greater engagement with our healthy lifestyle ethos and the idea that “sport is for life”.

Of particular note is our robotics programme, which continues to go from strength to strength. Our two teams from Year 9 and Year 10 have seen great success this term, winning numerous awards and competitions – some great achievements, which have been possible thanks to the 1876 Fund and with support from Old Lyonians.

As the John Lyon School community – current and former pupils, parents, staff and friends of the School –under the Lyonian Association banner, we are working ever more closely with our alumni to bring in former pupils to provide a wide range of careers talks. and collaborate on projects directly with pupils.In this edition of The Standard, I hope you will all enjoy the pages highlighting Lyonian Association activity.

As we continue to benefit from closer integration with our Prep School at Quainton Hall, and ensure that opportunities for pupils in both age groups are engaged in the whole School approach, we have also included in this edition some of the exciting news from the Prep – in particular their participation in the Barnardo’s National Choir Competition Finals in Birmingham; they did fantastically well and absolutely in the John Lyon musical tradition.

May I take this opportunity to thank parents for all your continued support for our pupils and our School. To pupils, I say a big Well Done, as we look ahead to another Summer Term of opportunity, challenge and endeavour.