The final week of the Summer Term, and academic year, could not have been any more exciting than it was. We started with Year 6 trampolining and Reception to Year 6 enjoying a Discotheque and ended with our End of Year Celebration and Year 6 Prom.
There have been many, many highlights over the course of this year. For our Year 2 boys and Year 6 girls, their Lyonsdown journey has drawn to a close, and they now move on to the next chapter in their learning journey. For obvious reasons, my mind is drawn to the next stage of development of our school as we move towards September 2019. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year, steering Lyonsdown, and would like to thank the parents, staff and governors for their support and trust. Based on extremely positive parental feedback, Baroness Floella Benjamin’s (OBE, DL) speech was one highlight of the year, and I am delighted that her messages around perseverance and collaboration rung true with so many of you. The Baroness was full of praise for your children, their achievements and their poise in public speaking.
The Lyonsdown pupils have changed a great deal this academic year, as has Lyonsdown. I am sure there is more to come from them and know there is more to come from our School, as we embrace all girls’ education, enhance our facilities (the building work starts immediately) and enrich all aspects of our curriculum, both in and outside of the classroom. As per Lyonsdown Learning, we are reflective, and always want to make changes to move the School into an even better place. As I always tell visitors, we trust our pupils to be both informative and entertaining. I trust them to be very like their headmaster and not accept anything less than the best from themselves and others. The pupils make Lyonsdown what it is, and your teachers learn as much from the children as they do from school.
In my speech, I nodded towards the lighter side of Lyonsdown: “Do you have a Mummy? Do you live with her? Does she cook your tea?” were all good questions I was asked this year, that show the curiosity within our children. (The answers are yes, no and she is welcome to any time she likes). I finished by speaking directly to our leavers: your future outside of prep school is not Lyonsdown’s to decide anymore. Trust is very important at Lyonsdown and I trust you to decide what your future holds, for yourselves and the World. That fills me with a new hope. I could have been speaking about any pupil at Lyonsdown.
A long summer beckons. Whether you will be spending time at home or abroad, with friends or with family, have a wonderful time and see you all in September.
Mr Hammond