From the Headmaster's Desk

Every day, I eat lunch with the boys and girls, and I am amazed by their ability to make educated guesses at the difficult and obscure questions that I ask. Whereas I am usually the master of these questions, this was not the case at the Friends of Lyonsdown School Quiz Night last Saturday.

As American golfer Walter Hagen said: “Nobody remembers who came in second.” For some reason, he didn’t reference third place, which is where the staff and governor team finished. As I always say; effort wins every time. Each member of our team had the satisfaction of being the sole holder of a particular piece of knowledge. Mrs Cowie knew her Rodin from her Reubens, Mrs Windsor dominated 1980s’ pop music, Mrs Polak unleashed her knowledge of Third Division Scottish football league teams and I was able to identify a few fellow beard wearers. There were yelps of excitement from around the room for those teams who could identify a musket ball mould. The event was a tremendous success, and would not have been so without the huge efforts of Mrs Ormrod, Mrs Carlos, Ms Wiltshire and the FLS team. Their organisation before, during and after the event was second to none and I am sure all who attended will agree that this was another triumph.

Events such as the Quiz bring Lyonsdown parents together, allows them to share an evening with friends, and make new connections. Parents should feel part of our School community and should know that our door is always open. Apart from competitive events such as the Quiz, a close and open relationship between School and home is vital to ensure the best outcomes for our children. On this note, do keep an eye on the Summer Term calendar and our social media feeds for information on some new School events this academic year.

Year 6’s assembly on Friday was inspirational in so many senses of the word. The girls told us about a variety of their role models, from family members to famous authors: some of their choices would have made a good quiz round with Rosa Parks, Roald Dahl and Stephen Hawking were all presented. It is sad that some great people are no longer with us, but reflecting on their lives makes us appreciate the fact that we should use every moment to achieve something. For example, how did Professor Hawking come to the conclusion that “I have experimental evidence that time travel is not possible?” There was no complex experiment or genius-level mathematics. No, as he later said: “I gave a party for time-travellers, but I didn’t send out the invitations until after the party. I sat there a long time, but no one came.” A theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and comedian – genius.

The very best role models inspire us to make the most of every minute. The School hosted a photo day on Monday, with Year 1 and Year 3 going on separate trips later in the week. At one point on Friday, it was possible for a pupil at Lyonsdown to perform their Shakespearian monologue, eat lunch and then get on the coach for their netball match in the space of one hour. As the bard wrote: Make use of time, let not advantage slip.

All the best for the weekend.

C. Hammond