From the Headmaster's Desk

Looking to the future, but also remembeing the past. Both have been equally important at Lyonsdown this week.

Monday saw the official launch of Lyonsdown Learning, an innovation that will help our pupils develop as life-long learners. We are currently focusing on independence and, in assembly, the children learnt about what it means to work on your own and to learn differently from others. This is as worthy of recognition as those learners who prefer to collaborate.  To engage with the scheme on social media, please use the hashtag #LyonsdownLearning.

We welcomed Joanna Pardon from IAPS to Lyonsdown on Tuesday. As with all visitors, she was thoroughly impressed by the School and, most of all, its pupils. Each and every visitor is given a hugely warm welcome, be they a Headmaster, Headmistress, current or prospective parent.

The boys and girls also enjoyed having their individual photos taken. Behaviour was as fantastic as usual and I was particularly impressed by how the younger children waited patiently. Older children enjoyed collecting their younger siblings, and seeing brothers and sisters strolling around the School is always such a wonderful sight.

Year 5’s Friday assembly was informative and entertaining in equal measure, the perfect balance. A mathematical rap, the girls showed off their singing and performance skills and taught us all a great deal about the topic. I have asked Mrs Polak and her Form to name this super-group, and look forward to the results.

Parish notices

Next Monday 13th November, Lyonsdown is showing its support for Anti-Bullying week and raising funds for Kidscape. Boys and girls may wear yellow socks or tights, and yellow hair accessories for the day, and should bring in £1.

Safeguarding: thank you for not having your mobile phone switched on whilst on School premises. If I could remind parents to finish any calls before they enter the school grounds please.

I have reserved my last paragraph for the most important topic of the week – Remembrance. Ninety-nine years after the end of the First World War, Lyonsdown proudly honours the memory of those men and women whose sacrifice should never be forgotten.

Once again, the children have led the way, with our Charity Prefects selling poppies to support the work of the Royal British Legion. On Wednesday, Year 6 travelled to the New Barnet War Memorial in their History lesson, to pay their respects in a short service. Some girls kindly brought flowers to lay. These donations will be incorporated into the other floral offerings on Remembrance Sunday itself. For our assembly on Thursday, we considered how we can mark Remembrance through poetry, prayer and song. We heard a poem written by eleven-year-old Beth Molineux, in honour of her father, Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, who was killed in 2011. Year 6 made a fitting contribution too, with their expressive and clear recitation of In Flanders Field by John McCrae. We also listened to Your Memory Lives On, a song especially written by Mrs Everett in 2014 to mark the centenary of the beginning of The Great War. We concluded our service by reciting The Lord’s Prayer as a community. Finally, the whole School fell silent at 11am, to the sound of The Last Post (played by Francesca in Year 5) as we marked Remembrance Day with a minute’s silence. The silence was impeccably observed by all children: although the atmosphere was appropriately sombre, I could not have been more proud of every single boy and girl.  If you would like to hear The Last Post, or perhaps play it to your son or daughter this weekend, press play on the audio clip below:

And so, the School and I enter the weekend reflecting on the past, but very much looking forward to the rest of term. I wish you all a pleasant weekend.