Tribute to Miss Haynes

As the UK’s first female head of an HMC boys’ day school, Miss Haynes has seen herself as custodian of the School.

Always willing to roll here sleeves up and get stuck in and using her strong moral compass, she has developed and followed a collection of mantras such as ‘given that education is compulsory, children should have a right for it to be enjoyable’. In a world where examination results and achievement are seemingly paramount, this focus on joy has been a breath of fresh air at John Lyon.

Those that meet her instantly appreciate her warmth, wisdom, and professionalism, and a smile that puts one at ease. Drawn in by the twinkle in her eye, her sense of humour and quiet pioneering spirit, teachers talk of Miss Haynes’ empathetic, personable, curious, supportive and intelligent approach. Her unwavering dedication and inspirational leadership have had a profound impact on our school community.

Miss Haynes has never been too busy to give pupils, parents and staff her time – we have all felt fully supported by her firm but fair approach. She has personally selected over 1700 pupils during 14 admissions processes, taking an individual interest in every pupil and nurturing them throughout their time here. Since she overtly puts pupils first, they recognise her kind-spirited encouragement, fondly remembering another mantra, that ‘pupils who are busy perform the best.’ The warmth with which parents greet Miss Haynes also speaks of the quality of the relationships between her and John Lyon families.

A lover of fauna as well as flora, with a keen interest in ornithology and wildlife, Miss Haynes has educated many of us in casual conversations on the way into school whilst simultaneously collecting conkers. Mucking in alongside pupils, the Head has literally helped with tree planting, which the pupils loved, taught Maths and entered every staffpupil art and photography competition, her work always to the highest standard. She has promoted the work of all departments, making each feel special and their efforts particularly worthwhile. Whether it’s attending a long-range cathedral recital, a sports fixture in the rain, academic society lectures or an early morning bird watch, every school department has received unwavering support.

Being a head can be a thankless task at times, with many of us in the John Lyon community enjoying and seeing the fruits of her labour without seeing the hard work that has led to their success. Miss Haynes’ understanding of the economic and political climate has enabled the school to navigate some difficult times. Over the years, in a steady and relentless flow of governor meetings, she has championed fiercely first the pupils and then the staff that care for them. Going well beyond her remit, she has been a governor at several schools during her time here (including being chair of governors at one) and is one of only a small handful of heads who are reporting inspectors. She really knows education.

Members of the Senior Leadership team recognise her as a shining example of an excellent Head: she cares passionately about the pupils, the staff and the School; she is able to combine planning strategically for the School whilst paying attention to the small details in the operational running; she is not afraid of making difficult decisions if they are right for the future of the School. Miss Haynes has achieved all of this in a quiet, caring way, never wishing to be in the spotlight.

Over the last two generations of senior school pupils, she has built John Lyon to be a School with a reputation for excellent teaching, an envious co-curricular programme and outstanding pastoral care. It has become a more modern, progressive school which still maintains its core values and history. She has lead the transformation of the School’s estate delivering a range of state of the art facilities. She has grown John Lyon’s standing and relationship with the Harrow Family of Schools and laid the groundwork for an impressive and growing global outlook for our pupils. More recently the move to an all-through, co-educational school were bold decisions in a difficult climate, but Miss Haynes has left no stone unturned in the delivery of these projects, to the benefit of our whole community. There is no doubt that the School’s popularity and successes have increased during her tenure.

They say you reap what you sow and it is abundantly clear that Miss Haynes leaves an inspirational legacy for others to enjoy. By her expert hand, John Lyon has flourished into a progressive, diverse and welcoming School in which pupils and their individual passions thrive. On behalf of the whole school community, we thank her sincerely.