THE STANDARD SPRING TERM 2022
CONTENTS SPRING TERM 2022
FROM THE HEAD 3
From the Head
NEWS & EVENTS 4 Pupils win international sustainability competition 5 Inquisitive pupil investigates Covid when ill with virus Pupils win VEX IQ competition 6 Familiarisation days with Quainton Hall 7
Talks-on-the-Hill
8 Excellence talk: Why has Russia attacked Ukraine? – Stephen Dalziel 9 Excellence talk: Cllr David Simmonds CBE MP
16 John Lyon receives seal at St Paul’s Cathedral
THE ARTS 18
Solos Concert
27 Inter-school rock climbing competition
Diploma with Distinction
28 Cross country report
Politics trip to Parliament
19 “Phenomenal” Spring Concert
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World Book Day
Geography and Sustainability Society
London Chamber Orchestra in partnership with John Lyon pupils mentor primary children
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PSHCE trip to Northwood College Catering cooks up a storm
Oliver!
SPORT
Experimental Biology Club upils raise money for Young P Harrow Foundation
26 Harrow Borough table tennis champions
Musician of the Year final
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Football round-up
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10 International Women’s Day
French Institute trips
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Cricket in the summer
OLD LYONIANS & CAREERS 29
1876 Fund
30 Careers department Careers events
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Year 7 girls in sport
31 Head Boy Lunch Series
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Hockey success
32 108th annual OLA dinner
24 Casey selected for Commonwealth Games Harrow Borough badminton champions
Staff and contacts
A spring in our step
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Miss Katherine Haynes, Head
s the Spring Term draws to a close, we reflect that we are now two years on from the start of the pandemic. School is running normally, and even back at full pace. If there can be such a thing as a positive side, it is that the pandemic has shown us to be resourceful, flexible and creative in the way we operate – and thus capable of adapting to fastchanging and unfamiliar circumstances. What makes John Lyon pupils stand out is their energy and enthusiasm for the many activities inside and beyond the classroom. This term has been full of active learning and purposeful study, wonderful drama and music performances and exceptional sporting successes, as well as wins in competitions locally and further afield. This term’s highlights have included familiarisation day visits by Quainton Hall – our prep school – to John Lyon, our Musician of the Year finals, our thespians on stage in a number of plays, including the inaugural inter-house Drama competitions, fantastic pupil artwork being installed in the Mall Gallery and sporting successes in regional, national and international competitions. I am very proud that our Sixth Form team participated in the Harrow International Schools’ Sustainability 450 competition and won the competition outright! It was also really encouraging to see teams from Quainton Hall take part, with a Year 4 team finishing a commendable third place in their age category.
More recently, there has been exciting news from our STEAM Department. Four Year 9 pupils took part in the VEX IQ robotics competition and won, qualifying for the national final in the process! We congratulate a Year 10 pupil, who has been selected by Welsh Fencing for the U18 Cadet squad and a discretionary selection for the U20s in this summer’s Commonwealth Games, becoming the first John Lyon pupil to achieve such prestigious international recognition. We also congratulate a Year 9 fencing pupil for winning the Junior National Schools Foil Championships. At school in action open mornings, we welcomed a number of families to our campus this term – and it has been helpful to host aspiring families in smaller groups than a typical open day. These sessions allow us to really get to know our future John Lyon families and tailor their experience as individually as possible to meet their needs. My thanks to all involved in running and supporting these events, particularly to our student ambassadors! These mornings, which are booked via our website, provide a wonderful opportunity for families to get a flavour of John Lyon, including when current families are looking for a place for their younger brothers and sisters.
www.johnlyon.org/values
THE STANDARD SPRING TERM 2022
I am immensely proud of all of our students’ individual and team achievements.You can read more about these and other news within these pages of The Standard. n FRONT COVER Year 7 pupils Raphaella A, Mattice P, Zara DSG and Blake M enjoying the spring sunshine
NEWS & EVENTS
Pupils win international sustainability competition Since carbon emissions are the biggest contributor to global warming – and because this and future generations of pupils will bear the brunt of this global catastrophe, it’s important that we strive to be part of the solution and not of the problem. With that in mind, John Lyon pupils, along with students from across the Harrow family of schools (Harrow Bangkok, Harrow Beijing, Harrow Chongqing, Harrow Haikou, Harrow Hong Kong, Harrow London, Harrow Nanning, Harrow School Online, Harrow Shanghai, Harrow Shenzhen, Harrow Zhuhai, John Lyon School and Quainton Hall School), took part in the global Harrow International Schools’ Sustainability 450 competition.
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our of our students, from Year 11 and the Upper Sixth, came up with a brilliant solution of their own, with one student developing the branding and designing a logo – and in the process, they won the senior enterprise competition. This was no mean feat, given that there were 647 teams 4
involved from some of the finest and best-resourced schools in the world! The pupils’ idea – ‘Offset-me’ – directly addressed the challenge set by five of the world’s top universities: to change the way we eat to save the planet. ‘Offset-me’ is a mobile shopping scan app that calculates your shop’s carbon footprint, item by item. As well as showing you the environmental cost of every purchase, it teaches you how to cut your carbon footprint and, importantly, offers the option to ‘Offset-me’ at the checkout. It’s now widely accepted that consumers can minimise their impact on the planet and save on their offset costs by shopping differently – and because it helps people do just that, ‘Offset-me’ really is an ingenious and potentially world-changing idea! The team was facilitated by Mr Fletcher, Head of Business, with Upper Sixth students Dylan L and Usman K taking the lead in the team, in which Agam N, Ben K and Seth W, from Year 11, provided valuable contributions. An honourable mention must go to our Year 8 pupils too, whose solutions centred around composting and edible cutlery! Quainton Hall, our prep school, also made a fantastic contribution with over 14 projects – and a there was special mention
for Hiya, Shivani and Rishaan in Year 4 for making a reusable and sustainable bag, completed with specially designed eco messages and icons. The next step is for Offset-me to ‘go live’ as a proper business and begin the task of raising the finance for the first stage development of the tech – and from there, if the team can achieve that, the sky’s the limit. n
NEWS & EVENTS
Inquisitive pupil investigates Covid when ill with virus Eric in Year 8 caught Covid at the start of the spring term and was therefore required to isolate. During his time at home, his curiosity got the best of him and Eric decided to run an experiment on the behaviour of the Covid-19 virus.
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ric summarised his findings and shared them with his teachers and Professor Christopher Chiu from the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London who was delighted by Eric’s enthusiasm for Science experiments. “During the third week of school in January, I contracted Covid-19 and I had to stay home for 10 days. As I started to feel better, my scientific mind reappeared, so a few days into my isolation I started to conduct some experiments with Covid-19. I was curious (and still am) about how Covid-19 behaves, spreads and how long it stays on different surfaces. I started
experimenting with different surfaces and then collecting samples from them.
three days after me and the results mirrored mine. My conclusion after conducting this experiment is that after a few days, the Covid-19 virus is only concentrated in your nostrils and the concentration drops dramatically in the throat. Thus, you can only spread it from particles in your nose (as you expel air through the nose as well), but particles expelled by speaking or sharing food will not spread Covid-19.
Eric with dog Kasie, sporting a John Lyon tie!
I exposed a toothpaste tube, a bottle of water that I drunk from and my dog Kasie to my cough. I then swabbed each one of them and all three tested negative. I then started to question the results, so I started to conduct more testing. I swabbed my lips and they tested negative. Then, I swabbed my throat and was amazed to see it tested negative. I tested my nostril (but only at the entrance) and the test came positive within a few seconds. I repeated the same tests with my mum who developed symptoms
A week after I conducted my experiment, I read an article about an experiment that Professor Christopher Chiu, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, conducted. I was amazed to see that one of his conclusions was the same as mine. I reached out to Professor Chiu and it was great to get a lovely response from him – he was impressed with my experiment and advised on various elements of it. Great minds think alike!” – Eric (8CJC) n Eric and his family have all recovered since catching Covid. Many thanks to Eric for sharing his experiment Well done, Eric, a scientist in the making!
Pupils win VEX IQ robotics competition Four pupils from Year 9, Tarun, Hemang, Rishab and Yash, boarded a train for Coventry to take part in the VEX IQ robotics competition against other schools from across the country. The long journey was well worth it, though, with the pupils winning the competition outright and qualifying for the nationals in the process!
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t came down to the final game, working collaboratively with a team from King Henry VIII School to get the win.
This has been made possible thanks to the support of the 1876 Fund, enabling the purchase of robots and entry into the competition.
John Lyon team with their award
The John Lyon team also received both the ‘teamwork’ and ‘excellence’ awards. It was a very successful tournament and shows that robotics and the school’s STEAM provision are only going from strength to strength. We are excited to be introducing Design and Technology as a bespoke GCSE option here at John Lyon, further expanding our STEAM curriculum. This will allow pupils the opportunity to specialise in the subject. Congratulations to our pupils – we wish them the very best for the national competition. n 5
NEWS & EVENTS
Familiarisation days with Quainton Hall Pupils at Quainton Hall have been thoroughly enjoying their Familiarisation Days at John Lyon.
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Quainton Hall’s younger pupils in particular settled in comfortably and enjoyed their time with us.
A recent visit was on Monday 24 January, which saw 67 Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from Quainton Hall, along with their teachers, make the short trip to Middle Road.
The day concluded with a session for parents and guardians, which included an opportunity to meet the Head, a talk on wellbeing, a tour led by Year 7 guides and an informal Q&A with the Head and Senior Management Team.
They enjoyed an exciting range of activities and sessions on the Harrow-on-the-Hill site, from Dance in the Sports Hall and STEAM in the bespoke labs to clay modelmaking in Art, among many others. Our young visitors were also given a tour of the school to see the many facilities on offer to them and some of our Year 7 John Lyon pupils were on hand to make sure
These Familiarisation Days provide families with an opportunity to see John Lyon’s exceptional site at 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 the next Familiarisation Day! n
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Quainton Hall pupils show off their dance moves!
NEWS & EVENTS
Talks-on-the-Hill
Local resident and motivational speaker Bev Baker addresses the Boyd Campbell Hall audience
John Lyon School’s Talks-onthe-Hill event returned this year and an actual live audience was thrilled to see what thoughts our eager pupils had to share on the theme of ‘community and environment’.
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he event brought together the Harrow-on-the-Hill community as an online and in person audience for six academic talks delivered by pupils over two sessions and hosted by Abbas A (U6BRD) and Zara DSG (7MLT). The first session provided us with: Ahwaan S (10CCN), Aly A (7MLT) and Basel R (11CTS). After the break, Amaroo B (7MLT), Lucas A (L6PKC) and Madisan N (9AMG) presented. In addition, two members of staff at the school were
also speakers, including Mr Joshua Carr discussing “The different shades of hydrogen” and Mr Julian Carrera arguing “Who killed the LA river?” Furthermore, we were privileged to have Mrs Bev Baker, who is a mental health coach, motivational speaker and writer, as our special guest providing us with a talk on the psychology of smiling and “How to be irresistible”. Many thanks to the students and staff for giving up time to prepare and deliver interesting points on the subject of ‘community and environment’, which affects all of us every day. Lastly, the virtual broadcasting would not have been possible without the AV crew – they did an incredible job with the lighting and production of the event. Once again, Talkson-the-Hill was a great success and it is quite special to witness the passion and energy our pupils invest in the event. Long may this continue! n
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NEWS & EVENTS
Excellence talk: Why has Russia attacked Ukraine? – Stephen Dalziel
As part of our PSHCE programme and in order to contextualise world events and current affairs for pupils, we invited Stephen Dalziel to the school on Wednesday 2 March to speak on the very poignant topic: ‘Why has Russia attacked Ukraine?’ Stephen is a Russian specialist, translator and author, who has worked as a Russian Affairs Analyst at the BBC World Service.
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tephen, who began by saying how tragic it is to see what is happening in Ukraine, spoke with great clarity on the Russian invasion, drawing from his personal experiences visiting both Ukraine and Russia and having friends in both countries. He went on to give us a fascinating insight on Putin’s early 8
years, how he started out in politics and how he has become more and more of a hardliner over the years. The talk in the Boyd Campbell Hall ended with a Q&A session in which pupils asked penetrating questions such as ‘How far will Russia go if they complete their invasion of Ukraine?’, ‘Can the West do more?’, ‘Are sanctions harsh on ordinary Russian people?’ and ‘What impact has social media had on this war?’
A recording of the talk is available to watch on the school’s YouTube channel https://bit.ly/StephenDalziel The thoughts of all of us at John Lyon and Stephen Dalziel are with those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. If pupils or parents have been personally affected by this event, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your tutor or Head of Year, so that we can best support you. n
NEWS & EVENTS
Excellence talk: Cllr David Simmonds CBE MP
Caption
Many thanks to Cllr David Simmonds CBE MP for visiting us.
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t was a real privilege, on Friday 21 January, to welcome him to the Boyd Campbell Hall for his superb talk to an audience of Year 10,Year 11 and Sixth Form pupils. His explanations of politics in action gave our students real insight and understanding of the layers of national and local government. n
Vinay, our Head Boy, was one of the pupils who led the interview. This is what he had to say about his experience… It was a pleasure to take part in the interview with David Simmons MP. I asked him about the role of a backbencher in Parliament and how “much power they have if the government is dominant in the legislative agenda. His answer on how backbenchers can influence government legislation, such as a recent bill on the environment, helped to develop my understanding further about backbench MPs. I also asked him, amongst other topics, about Private Members’ Bills, climate change and his role as both a Councillor and an MP. n
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NEWS & EVENTS
International Women’s Day 2022 To mark International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8 March, we celebrated some of the pioneering women who have made their own indelible marks on John Lyon School’s past and recent history.
Joan Lyon Joan Lyon is arguably the most influential woman associated with the school. As John Lyon’s sole legatee, she inherited his vast fortune and estates when he died in 1592. Sixteen years later, when she died, she left all their wealth to be used to establish a school and for the upkeep of the road to London. By enacting John Lyon’s will, Joan fulfilled a shared and fondly held wish that the school be set up.
Alison Dillon Alison Dillon, who liked to be called “Sir”, was appointed by then Head Boyd Campbell as the John Lyon’s first female teacher, serving as a Mathematics teacher between the years 1967 and 1985. Before joining the staff at John Lyon, she studied Mathematics at Cambridge and in 1942 became one of just five pupils, of which she was the only woman, to take Part III in the subject (a self-taught ninemonth Masters’ course). As a teacher she was admired by her pupils, not only for her vast subject knowledge, but also for the many excursions beyond the syllabus that she would take to create more rounded individuals and provide excellent preparation for university. The school has named its Year 7 to 9 project the Dillon Diploma after Alison.
Pearl Fawcett Pearl Fawcett taught Music part-time between 1975 and 1982. Just a year into her
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role, Pearl had already impressed. The 1976 issue of the Lyonian Magazine acknowledged her by saying that the school orchestra “has this year reached higher standards than ever before, mainly through the efforts of its conductor Pearl Fawcett”. That was just the start: in 1977, she was again acclaimed in the magazine for her department’s continued success, with further mentions of her work in 1979 and 1980. “The Junior Orchestra, conducted by Miss Pearl Fawcett, played three straightforward pieces most competently. It is good to see that our younger musicians are already able to produce such an agreeable and well-blended sound. Miss Fawcett is to be congratulated upon her achievement here.” – Lyonian Magazine 1979 “It is always good to see and hear the tremendous work she does with the younger members of the School.” – Lyonian Magazine 1980 It’s plain to see that Pearl noticeably improved the school’s Music department from the moment she took up her role.
Judith Perdue Judith Perdue taught Science for 24 years between 1981 and 2005. She played an active role at the school and was involved with DofE expeditions, accompanying Geography field trips, and making costumes for school plays, fairs and charity auctions. Particularly memorable among Judith’s many innovations was her introduction of “Domestic Survival” to the Sixth Form General Studies course, teaching pupils basic sewing and cookery to prepare them for university life. She even arranged for a kitchen to be installed for the purpose! Judith was evidently somebody who was very happy to have a hand in and make a meaningful contribution to almost every aspect of our school’s life.
Katherine Haynes Miss Katherine Haynes read Mathematics at Warwick, followed by MEd and then taught in the Midlands, becoming head of Maths at Edgbaston High School, before moving on to Warwick School, where she started out as a school inspector and took the professional training scheme for headship. Her appointment as John Lyon’s Head made her not only the first woman ever to lead the school, but also the first female Head of any HMC boys’ day school in the UK.
Co-education Having educated boys from Harrow and surrounding areas since 1876, John Lyon School became a co-educational school in September 2021 when it welcomed its first girls into Year 7. Katherine was key to the successful transformation of a previously all-boys school into a progressive co-ed environment in which all pupils, regardless of gender, have equal opportunity to reach their potential. “The decision to become a coeducational school has been taken positively and comes at an exciting time for John Lyon. The school is full, attracting pupils who aspire to achieve excellence. Exam results are high. We are especially buoyed, having received the best possible ‘Excellent’ outcome from our recent school inspection. The move to co-education from September 2021 – John Lyon’s 145th anniversary year – represents the most significant change in our history. But, for our pupils, our ambitions remain unchanged: to give them a highclass education, support them in reaching their individual targets and to celebrate all their successes.” – Miss Katherine Haynes, Head n
NEWS & EVENTS
Top: John and Joan Lyon. Left: Allison Dillon. Lower left: Katherine Haynes. Bottom Left: Judith Perdue. Bottom Right: the inscription of John Lyon with his wife Joan at St Mary’s Church
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NEWS & EVENTS
John Lyon’s Head Boy receives seal at St Paul’s Cathedral On Friday 11 February, as part of Harrow School’s 450 celebration, John Lyon School sixth formers and staff were invited to a historic service at St Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate and celebrate this milestone together with some 2,000 representatives and members of Harrow’s family of schools.
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n 1572, Queen Elizabeth I granted to John Lyon a charter for the foundation of a school upon Harrowon-the-Hill – Harrow School – and it was this very charter that was displayed on the altar for the service, with its seal of Royal Assent and surrounded by specially commissioned facsimile seals. After being blessed by the Bishop of London, these were given out to all the members of the Harrow family, including the Houses of Harrow School, John Lyon School, John Lyon’s Charity, the Harrow Club, the International Schools and Harrow School Online. May they be to all who look on them a symbol and living reminder of John Lyon’s founding wish: to enable the studies of ‘Godliness and Good Learning’ for all young people. n
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NEWS & EVENTS
World Book Day
Manjeet Mann shares her inspirational story with pupils
We marked the 25th anniversary of World Book Day with a host of exciting activities in the Gordon Surtees Library.
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ompetitions created a lively buzz, with a myriad of pupils taking part in the ‘Guess the book title by the cover’ contest and the ‘design a national book token’ challenge. We have some lovely entries to judge!
We were also fortunate to welcome multiaward-winning children’s author, actress, playwright and screenwriter Manjeet Mann, as part of our Work Book Day events. She spoke in different sessions with Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils about her career and the obstacles she had to overcome. n
Geography and Sustainability Society At our Geography and Sustainability Society, we discuss and debate global issues and take a leading role in raising awareness of important issues within the school community, including the climate crisis, COP26 and sustainability. We are currently focusing on three particular aspects of sustainability: waste, transport and energy. This is part of our school’s ambition to be a model for the way each of us should live, making life better for us all. We are achieving this through various stages, gaining Green Flag award status, reviewing current practices, writing an eco-code for John Lyon and developing innovative ways to raise awareness and promote sustainable practices.
Last term, we created COP26 posters and displays to complement lessons being taught in the sciences and geography about the climate crisis. We are currently working to promote Fair Trade in the school and we held a Fair Trade day in the canteen on Tuesday 1 March. The aim is to help us understand how workers and farmers in countries without the political and economic stability we enjoy can still get a fair wage for the work they do and the land they own.
year group can reduce their waste the most!
We also held Waste Week, in which we encouraged everyone to reduce our plate waste by taking only what they will actually eat. There was a competition to see which
The environment, how we look after it and how we can do better is extremely important to John Lyon.This is why our school’s development plan has a sustainability theme. n
The Geography and Sustainability Society is made up of an enthusiastic group of advocates and we are committed to helping bring about the changes that are vital if we are to improve our sustainability to help our generation and the next. William D (9CEP) and the Geography and Sustainability Society.
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NEWS & EVENTS
French Institute trips Two French Institute trips took place this term.
The morning involved a library activity where we were taught about the different waves of immigration in France after the Second World War, as well as the introduction of French rap music. This led to an examination of the way actors find themselves in stereotypical roles because of their background.
Fahim
“On Thursday 20 January, during the
first of the trips, students in Year 10 and 11 said it was a “great success” and the experience was “very insightful”. The students left school at 8.45am and went to the “Ciné Lumiere”, an art deco cinema.They spent their day learning new vocabulary and working on Frenchrelated tasks in groups. Pupils also watched the movie Fahim, a famous French movie released in 2019. It stars Assad Ahmed as Fahim Mohammad, a Bangladeshi chess prodigy, and brilliantly captures the struggles that immigrants face in a foreign country while striving to follow their dreams. The film was especially intriguing for Year 10 and 11 students, who caught a glimpse of French culture through the eyes of Fahim. The themes of multiculturalism and immigration were also fascinating and students left with a far broader and clearer perception of life in France. Undoubtedly a great introduction to A Level French topics and themes, the experience is sure to encourage students to appreciate many more
aspects of French society and culture.” Krish B (10CCN) and Olutomiwa F (10JNC) n
La Haine
“On Tuesday 1 February, a group of
In the afternoon we were treated to a special 4K remastered version of La Haine in the Ciné Lumière. The film follows a day in the lives of Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, three young men living in the outskirts of Paris who witness riots and their aftermath there in the 1980s and 1990s. It masterfully covers the themes of rage against the police and conflicting moral compasses while using the characters to create interesting dilemmas with an engaging plot. La Haine is a brilliant film and it was certainly a pleasure to see it on the big screen looking its very best.” Andrew M (L6RS) and David S (U6REM) n
Sixth Form students, accompanied by Mr Ferguson, attended a trip to the French Institute to learn more about the background and cultural significance of the iconic film La Haine, which is studied as part of the French A Level’s cultural studies element.
Experimental Biology Club Experimental Biology Club has been a huge success, welcoming pupils from Years 7-9 with help from the Upper Sixth. Pupils have remarked on the balance between learning and fun and particularly enjoyed our numerous dissections.
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e have dissected a pluck (lungs, heart and liver), eye and kidney. The pupils have improved their
understanding of individual organs and fine motor skills to be able to do advanced work. They have also honed their skills with the microscope, enjoyed setting fire to some Wotsits and watching the screaming jelly baby experiment. Bella in 7ADH said: “In biology we have been learning about the eye and all its different qualities such as the lens, cornea, and optic nerve. The sheep eye dissection we did in class really helped us understand the eye in many ways such as how hard the eye is to cut and how much liquid would be in the eye. I was able to point out the lens, sclera, and the tissue covering the eye.” n
NEWS & EVENTS
Pupils raise money for Young Harrow Foundation A heartfelt thanks to all pupils and staff for your fantastic help in promoting and collecting for the recent Mufti Day. The school raised a tremendous £580 for the Young Harrow Foundation, which does some wonderful outreach support with young people in Harrow. n
PSHCE trip to Northwood College for girls Pupils in Year 10 were invited to attend an RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) session with the pupils of Northwood College for Girls. The two visits, on Friday 11 and Friday 25 February, provided an excellent opportunity to learn about specific topics and issues relating to consent and building positive relationships.
We visited Northwood College for Girls and discussed the importance of consent, respect and boundaries in both romantic relationships and friendships. Pupils from both schools were split into discussion groups and presented with a range of hypothetical situations, often examples of toxic relationships. They would then discuss between them the negatives and positives of each relationship and how a fictional couple might approach certain scenarios.
By the end of the event, every student walked out of the room with an improved mindset about relationships as a whole, what to do if they were ever to face the challenges of resolving conflict and how to be respectful and mindful partners. Basheer A (10JNL) n
Catering cooks up a storm
Some very special meals were on the menu for pupils and staff alike this term. Alongside the usual fare, our wonderful catering team served up plant-based pancakes on Pancake Day, a Welsh tasting table on St David’s Day and even a live sushi demonstration to bring some theatre to the Refectory. Thank you, as ever, to our outstanding catering team and our Student Council’s Food Committee! n
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NEWS & EVENTS
Politics trip to Parliament “On Friday 25 February, John Lyon
politics students visited the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court as part of our A Level course – a particularly fascinating time to be present and witness what are sure to be historic debates on current affairs and the tragic and rapidly escalating situation in Ukraine. We were then given a tour of the Judiciary and Legislative branches, including multiple security checks! We were fortunate enough to see many key figures in politics, including the speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle – the man who shouts “Order!” Overall, the experience was really enjoyable and has given us a great idea of how our nation is run, which will definitely help us for our exams.” Adam A (U6MEW) n 16
THE ARTS
Musician of the Year final
The John Lyon Musician of the Year Final on Wednesday 23 February was a splendid evening of music, adjudicated by the legendary composer and former member of The King’s Singers Mr Bob Chilcott.
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ll pupils who perform at this event are category winners from House Music, which this year attracted a record 130 entries – so the 17 performers had already done very well to get through. The Grades 1- 4 winner Aly A (7MLT) impressed Mr Chilcott with his mature, polished performance on the piano and the overall Musician of the Year was Kassem A (11MRF), winner of the Grades 5 - 8 class, with a beautiful and intricate classical guitar piece. n 17
THE ARTS
Solos Concert
The Solos Concert on Wednesday 26 January was a great chance to be back in the Music Hall for this event with an appreciative audience of parents and staff. There was, as usual, a pleasing and varied programme from pupils right across the school, including Elsie N (7AJM) playing Ivan is Very Busy (Khachaturian) on the piano and Harsh H (U6ND) singing The Vagabond (Vaughan Williams). One particular highlight was Sumeet S (9CEP), who performed a stunning mazurka by Chopin, which later in the term won the House Music keyboard category.
Diploma with Distinction
A huge congratulations to Sammy S (L6PWM) for passing the DipABRSM Singing Diploma with Distinction! n 18
THE ARTS
“I attended the spring
concert and felt compelled to share some of my thoughts. The quality of music was phenomenal! I have three children, who attend three different schools, and I can honestly say that John Lyon’s music department is outstanding! I was mesmerised from start to finish by the quality of the performers and singers. Please kindly pass on my comments to the teacher who organised the percussion band as I thought it was absolute genius! It made my night! Thank you for providing such a memorable concert.”
“Phenomenal” Spring Concert
Parent of Year 7 John Lyon pupil n
“Thank you so much. I loved the percussion and rhythm and
blues and the trombone player handles his instrument really well. I’ll definitely keep in touch with the school. It must have taken an enormous amount of work by the staff to achieve such quality and variety – I hope your modern-day parents appreciate all that effort! Phenomenal! Well done everybody!” Parent of an Old Lyonian n
London Chamber Orchestra in partnership with John Lyon’s Charity and John Lyon pupils mentor primary children We were delighted to be acknowledged by the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) for the mentoring and coaching our pupils provide to young children at other local primary schools in our community.
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he Music Junction project is a major outreach initiative run by the LCO in which they appoint four ‘hub’ or partner senior schools nationally, who then host workshops for
state primary and specialist schools in their area, where mentor students from the senior schools provide coaching (with LCO help) for pupils from the primary schools. These development workshops build up to an exciting climax with the annual grand final summer concert in a prestigious London venue. Our John Lyon hub is supported by John Lyon’s Charity and is run in collaboration with Harrow Music Service, who provide pupils with instruments and other essential support. n
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THE ARTS
Oliver!
Will
“It would be hard to find a show that I have enjoyed more than Oliver!, both in the exploration of my role and the time
spent with the cast and crew. It was great to get back into the Ryan Theatre for the first time in two years and I’m so grateful to have been able to perform in such an incredible space three times. It was also fantastic to work closely with choreographer Aimee Finnerty and vocal coach Gary Poole once again. We were all so fortunate to be able to work with the two of them and benefit throughout the process from their immense experience and talent. Drama has without a doubt been the best part of my time at school, so the thought that I won’t be able to perform again as a John Lyon student saddens me deeply – but I’m so glad that I can look back on my last performance here as a truly amazing experience. I’m hoping to train as an actor in the future and I owe so much to the drama department of John Lyon for helping me to discover and develop this passion over the last seven years. Congratulations to Mr Bissessar on a very successful first show at John Lyon – I’d like to thank him for being such a supportive and trusting director.” Will D (U6REM) n
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THE ARTS Sahil
“Taking part in Oliver! has been
an exciting and memorable event in my time at John Lyon. Since it was my first live action show here, I was so excited to know that I was taking part. Oliver! was a great show to begin with for me as there were a variety of roles with so many characteristics, personalities and emotions. During the audition days, girls were invited to take on the female roles – and they were amazing: fun, talented and a pleasure to work with. Huge numbers of people were keen to audition but still the whole process was great fun and very fair. In the end I got the role of Charley Bates, who was a leader in the gang along with Dodger, a role with quite a few challenges, including the cockney accent – and developing the right walking style for a gang member! Rehearsals were especially fun because we got the chance to experiment and build the show together.There were many changes throughout the journey, such as props positioning and choreography, which was run by an excellent, professional dance choreographer who created free-flowing and spectacular sequences that pushed the whole company to their limits. Working in a company has been incredible, getting to know new people and working with them. In fact, understanding the people we worked with was really important as it brought a sense of communion and ensemble spirit.” Sahil P (8EJG) n
“Performing in Oliver! was an
exhilarating and new experience for me. I learnt new skills that helped me grow and become a better actor, as well as a more able vocalist. Having a vocal coach helped to elevate my singing abilities and understand different techniques in order to perform at my very best – and all of the members of staff involved in the production were a great help in improving my acting, singing and movement capabilities. Working with a company was very enjoyable: meeting new people, sharing passions as well as acting and having fun with your friends. Working towards the performance may have been a lot of hard work with long rehearsals and line-learning, but with a supportive cast, it felt easier to put on an exemplary show that makes it more than worthwhile. The Ryan theatre was the largest place I had performed in yet, so this was an exciting experience. It was also quite a challenge because it was a completely different space from what we used on the school campus during rehearsals. Nonetheless, when I stepped out on stage, my confidence in the moment brought a sense of completion and I gained a lot of valuable experience for the future.” Yuv D (9CEP) n
Yuv
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Year 7 girls in sport The introduction of girls to John Lyon has brought new variety and increased the provision and opportunity for all to compete in the sporting arena.
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or many, picking up a hockey stick in the autumn term would have been the first time many had experienced the sport. By December, though, every single girl had taken part in at least one competitive fixture and experienced a coaching session from professional 22
England and Great Britain hockey player Helen Richardson-Walsh MBE. Better still was the unique opportunity of a Q&A session with Helen, in which she told us about her rise from schoolgirl player to international sports star. This term, though, the focus has shifted to netball and girls have competed in 10 fixtures at A and B level, as well as a Borough competition. We have seen terrific effort and enthusiasm from every single Year 7 girl across all sports and we are confident that they will continue to develop impressively as they progress through the school. n
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Hockey success It is hard to imagine life at John Lyon without hockey.
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n seven short years, we have moved from a single recreational afterschool club, to nine competitive teams that have played more than 500 fixtures. There have been many successes along the way; new pupils accessing competitive sport, trips and tours, our first entry to an indoor competition and an U14 County cup victory to name but a few! The 2022 season has proved the most successful to date – there is now competitive B team provision throughout the school and we are competing in County competitions at U13, U14 and U18
level. Our 1st XI squad is our strongest so far and it looks promising for the coming years with the U15s still unbeaten in nine weeks – two of them have even represented the senior squad! Our U13s were victorious in their recent County cup and have progressed to finals day towards the end of term. As a whole school, we currently sit on our highest win percentage since hockey began here and have already amassed 26 victories at the time of writing. Our junior programme continues to develop well and there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to play both recreational and competitive hockey. Our Year 7 girls have experienced hockey for the first time in their school careers and some have also progressed to play in mixed teams. We hope more will become involved in the sport as they progress through the school. n 23
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Casey is looking forward to representing Wales
Casey selected for Commonwealth Games It has been another busy term for Casey J in Year 10 as he continues to impress on the international fencing circuit.
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asey began the year competing in Liverpool in the Youth Series tournament and he sailed through 11 of his 12 matches, eventually winning the knockouts to claim Gold against a fellow
Welshman three years his senior. The National Championships followed shortly afterwards and again Casey delivered a solid performance, eventually finishing third overall. February half-term saw him travel to Krakow, where he finished with a very respectable 124th place across the whole of Europe in the Under 18 category; pretty impressive considering he has just turned 15! It is no easy feat, balancing academic studies
with his fencing commitments and Casey is currently ranked number 1 at U15 and 16th at U18. We have also recently received news of his upcoming selection for Wales in the Under 18 Cadet squad and a discretionary selection for the U20s in this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he will stay with over 5,000 international athletes. Casey becomes the first John Lyon pupil to achieve such prestigious recognition and we will be watching with bated breath as he begins his full international journey! n
Harrow Borough badminton champions Our U16 badminton squad became Borough Champions in January this year, winning all three rounds of the competition and taking the number of wins to seven in the past 12 years since the competition began. Two of the U16 team had previously represented the U14 squad, who won the Borough plate before Christmas while Sonish Hathi, a Year 9 pupil, represented both squads and is also ranked number 5 in the UK. n
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Football round-up The 2021/22 season has been an excellent year for football at John Lyon.
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ollowing on from one of our most successful autumn term seasons on record, the senior football programme has continued to provide over 80 pupils with the opportunity to hone their skills and participate in weekly training and competitive fixtures throughout the spring term. This term has seen the pupils produce some excellent results on the pitch, with notable highlights including the 1st XI’s gutsy performance in the draw against Mill Hill School, the 2nd XI reaching the semi-finals of the Middlesex County Cup and the 3rd XI’s hard-fought win against St Columba’s College earlier this month. The season concludes with the 450th Harrow School Anniversary tournament, within which our 1st XI have been drawn against Charterhouse; another excellent opportunity for our young 1st XI side to demonstrate their enormous potential. n 25
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Harrow Borough Table Tennis Champions at both U12 and U14 levels Our table tennis programme is another area that we are continuing to develop as part of our Games option.
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ith the addition of a new external coach, pupils have access to five sessions a week and at the time of writing have just begun competing in our yearly Borough tournaments. We recently entered the Jack Petchey
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Schools’ Championships for the first time, sending four juniors to the U13 West London competition. Congratulations to Khush M (8BG) for making it through to the knockout stages and to Aiden T (7JOC), who reached the final, narrowly finishing as runner-up. Aiden has now progressed through to the London Finals, which are held during the Easter holidays. Further congratulations must go to both the U14 and the U12 squads for winning the Harrow Borough Championships in their respective age group categories! A fantastic achievement given this is the first time John Lyon have entered these tournaments. n
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Inter-school rock climbing competition Rock climbing has been a senior Games option for the last few years and we have seen growing interest, engagement and participation from pupils attending regularly.
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n Saturday 9 January, a group of six climbers competed in the school’s first ever inter-school climbing competition against Merchant Taylors’ School. The two groups of climbers went head-to-head over a series of nine challenging climbs that ranged in difficulty. Rohan C was John Lyon’s best climber of the day, scoring 23 out of a total of 27 possible points, placing him 2nd overall in the competition. All competitors did extremely well and should be congratulated on their achievements. Well done to Harrison L, Luke M, Daniel P-L, Marcus G and Jasraj S. Following the success of the event, we are looking to increase our number of entrants and competitive climbing opportunities. n 27
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Cross Country report
Cross Country at John Lyon continues to grow, with a number of our top athletes competing at school, Borough and County level throughout the spring term.
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ollowing their success at the school’s Inter-House Cross Country in September, the top four finishers from each age group were selected to represent the school at the Harrow Borough Cross Country Championships, with Sammy S, Ritchie G, Alex Rothwell, James R, Hishaam R and Blake M all qualifying to represent Harrow at the Middlesex Cross Country Championships. At the County Championships, Ritchie went on to show great potential, qualifying as a reserve for the English Schools’ Cross Country later this year, while all other competitors finished in the top 40 places – a tremendous effort from all involved. With popularity in the sport increasing, the school has been pleased to expand the Cross-Country programme further through attendance at the Radley Relays (finishing in the top ten schools) and the South-East England Championships. The excellent results this term suggest there is certainly a lot to look forward to on the athletics track as we move into the summer term. n
Cricket in the summer There is a huge uptake for pre-season cricket training in Year 7 and 8. The 1st XI continue to enjoy additional sessions in the build-up to the summer term. Named in the Top 100 Schools by The Cricketer for the second consecutive year, we continue to build off the back of our U18 Middlesex Cup victory with great success. n
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OLD LYONIANS & CAREERS
Small-scale prototype of stacking bench
Umut Yamac (OL) visits John Lyon to discuss stacking bench project
1876 Fund John Lyon stacking bench
Led by the Art department,Year 7 and 8 pupils were asked to work with Umut Yamac (OL) to brainstorm an idea, in sculpture form, that could represent the 145 years of the school’s history. Milo Huntington (8BG) came up with the brilliant idea to create something that looked like a stack of books. From this inspiration came the final product design for what’s called the John Lyon Stacking Bench. We are looking forward to its launch in the summer term to conclude the 145 anniversary celebrations. This Art project, like many projects before, has been fully supported by the 1876 Fund, which was established to celebrate our history and enhance the educational experience beyond the curriculum for the benefit of our pupils. The 1876 Fund combines regular donations from parents, Old Lyonians, staff and governors, all of which have played a necessary part in enabling the school to complete various projects over the last five years. To continue doing this for the future, we need new donors to join the 1876 Fund so that we ensure it keeps growing and providing pupils with ongoing opportunities for new learning experiences at school.
What’s next? This year, we are fundraising for the opportunity to create outdoor learning and recreational provisions for pupils with more exciting ways to enjoy the outdoor spaces – and we’d be grateful for your support. With new donations, the 1876 Fund can implement some of these projects sooner and enable pupils to use them by the end of the next academic year. As we hope to put the pandemic behind us, these spaces, providing opportunities for outdoor learning and socialising, become more valuable than ever!
How can you get involved? We would like to ask you for a modest regular contribution – collectively these contributions make a great deal of difference in providing the additional support the school has benefitted from since its establishment in 1876. Through the extraordinary generosity of John and Joan Lyon, as well as various other benefactors over time, the school stands today stronger than ever. We hope and expect this philanthropic tradition to continue bolstering the school as it keeps going from strength to strength.
Giving to the 1876 Fund is an opportunity for you to get involved at whatever level you can afford. As a guide, a typical contribution is £18.76 per month but it is really about the spirit of participation rather than the amount. We are extremely grateful to have your support for pupils to experience and enjoy. We are offering the opportunity for donors to be recognised with the creation of the stacking bench. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any ideas with us. Simply email Khadija Ansari, Alumni Relations and Development Office: khadija.ansari@johnlyon.org n To donate directly, please visit www.johnlyon.org/support
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OLD LYONIANS & CAREERS
Careers department Careers department
At John Lyon, we aim to raise young people’s aspirations – and preparing them for employment is an integral part of our careers provision. While subject choices and grades remain of paramount importance, we recognise that for young people today it is doubly important than ever that they are well equipped to enter the world of work. Now more than ever, there are many different routes into industries, including traineeships, apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships and T levels, all of which provide students with real-world experience and give them an edge in a competitive job market. We provide practical support too – helping pupils with CVs, covering letters, application forms, effective networking tips and sector-specific work experience guides. If you’re interested in industry networking events and other opportunities please come and see the Careers department. n
Careers events
We recently hosted Careers in Finance and Careers in Creative Industries events. During these evenings, pupils had the opportunity to discover and explore careers within specific industries.
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vents like these are valuable ways for students to gain an insight on the skills they need to prepare for work in the 21st Century and, importantly, how we as educators and parents can help students gain these competencies.
Finance evening Careers in finance are a top priority for John Lyon students. Paul Brotherhood, founder of award-winning investor platform Investor Meet Company, came in to talk about working in the finance sector. Paul 30
talked us through his career journey in private equity and mergers and acquisitions and highlighted the challenges institutional traders face. Students left with numerous options for virtual work experience, which is an excellent way to learn more about these careers.
Creative Industries evening Zaid Hamid (OL2011) shared his story of how he was able to make a living out of his love of the automotive industry. Speaking with great enthusiasm about his career journey, industry insights and his passion for his work, he was impressed with the questions our students asked during the Q&A session. Students left entertained and informed about the various routes into different sectors of the industry: LMI, work experience, degree apprenticeships, networking opportunities, professional bodies/societies, sector skills gaps and more besides. n
OLD LYONIANS & CAREERS
Head Boy Lunch Series: Ameet Jogia On Thursday 24 February, Head Boy Vinay Kapoor welcomed Cllr Ameet Jogia to John Lyon. He joined a group of Sixth Form students as part of the Head Boy Lunch series for the opportunity to network and ask detailed questions to learn more about a career in politics.
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llr Jogia was born in Harrow, graduated from King’s College London with a degree in Geography and he was elected as Councillor for Canons Ward in May 2014. Ameet, currently the youngest councillor in Harrow, talked frankly about his life, the hardships he faced as a child and how they impacted him and inspired him to get involved in politics. He discussed his
responsibilities as a parliamentary aide and in local campaigning and his passion for making a difference for future generations through empowerment and equal opportunities and levelling the playing fields for people of all backgrounds. In true John Lyon fashion, our pupils fired questions at Ameet that were almost as difficult as Prime Minister’s Questions! Topics included homelessness, Brexit, the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Boris’s resignation, how ministers deal with difficult questions in the media, managing personal opinions when working with a party and various current legislations such as meeting minimum grade thresholds to qualify for a student loan. ‘What are your views on levelling up the Education system? How did you formulate your campaign? Do you agree with the mandatory vaccine for NHS Staff? These were some of the insightful questions discussed. Thank you to Cllr Jogia for
providing us with such sophisticated and attentive responses.’
Krish Lakhani (Lower Sixth) ‘The Head Boy lunch with Cllr Jogia was thoroughly engaging. A range of topics were discussed such as Ameet’s career and daily involvement in politics, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine and how UK trade has been impacted by Brexit. This lunch was especially beneficial to those looking towards a career in politics and I encourage more students to partake in events like this in the future.’
Dev Patel (Upper Sixth) Thank you so much, Cllr Jogia, for generously offering your time to speak to our students. We are grateful for the network and community that the Lyonian and Development Office and Career’s Office have developed to help pupils plan for their futures. n
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Miss Katherine Haynes Head head@johnlyon.org
Mr Simon Ford Headmaster
Quainton Hall Prep School headmaster@quaintonhall.org.uk
108th annual OLA dinner On Thursday 24 March, after three cancellations due to the pandemic, Old Lyonians and former staff finally returned back to school for the annual 108th OLA dinner. They thoroughly enjoyed the evening, which comprised a drinks reception and dinner, where fond memories were shared, old friendships rekindled and new stories told.
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e were delighted to welcome back nearly 80 Old Lyonians and former staff to Middle Road. All enjoyed drinks, dinner and catching up in the New Memorial Dining Hall. The evening closed, as is traditional, with a rousing rendition of the school song ‘Forty Years On’. These events are hugely special occasions and we look forward to next year’s dinner, as well as other Old Lyonian reunions and events. n
Cdr Gareth Mawdsley Chief Operating Officer Gareth.Mawdsley@johnlyon.org
Mr Andy Sims Deputy Head AJS@johnlyon.org
Miss 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
