There is always something special about the start of a new academic year at Lockers Park. The classrooms are ready, the pitches are prepared, new displays are in place and, most importantly, the boys are back.
As we begin our first full academic year in partnership with Harrow School, there is a real sense of excitement and momentum across the school. We are building on a year of considerable achievement, welcoming new colleagues, creating more opportunities for our boys and continuing to raise our ambitions for what a Lockers Park education can offer.
As our Head Master, Gavin Taylor, says: “This is an ambitious school, and this is an exciting time to be part of its journey.”
Building on a successful year
We begin the new school year with much to celebrate.
Our Year 8 boys achieved another excellent set of Common Entrance results, securing 131 A* and A grades between just 28 boys, including an outstanding 12 A*s and eight As in Mathematics. Alongside these results came success in scholarships and academic competitions, as well as places at an impressive range of senior schools.
Beyond the classroom, our boys enjoyed achievements across sport, music, drama and the wider curriculum. We became English Schools Indoor Skiing Champions and celebrated successes in mathematics, LEGO League and chess, alongside countless opportunities for boys to represent their school, perform, compete and try something new.
Last year’s woodland production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was another highlight, described by Mr Taylor as “ambitious, creative, slightly unconventional and enormous fun.”
It is a description that captures much of what we want a Lockers Park education to be.
Creating more opportunities
This year, we want to offer our boys even more.
More clubs. More activities. More opportunities to perform, compete, create, design, build and explore.
We firmly believe that a great prep school education cannot be confined to the classroom. Our 23 acres of grounds and woodland, together with our sport, music, drama, Design Technology, boarding and outdoor-learning provision, give our boys an exceptional environment in which to discover new interests and develop existing talents.
As Mr Taylor explains: “Not every boy will discover his passion sitting behind a desk. For one it might be on a stage; for another behind a workbench, on a ski slope, in the woods, playing chess, singing in Chapel or representing Lockers Park in a team for the first time.
“Our responsibility is to create enough opportunities for every boy to discover his thing.”
Academic ambition remains at the heart of school life too. This year we have made thoughtful adjustments to the structure of our school day, with the majority of lessons now one hour long. This gives boys time not only to benefit from inspirational teaching, but to think, practise, explore ideas and work independently.
We will also continue to develop academic target-setting and the way we communicate attainment and progress, ensuring boys understand both how they are doing and what they need to do next as they progress towards Common Entrance and their chosen senior schools.
Welcoming new expertise
A new school year also brings new faces, and we are delighted to welcome five new teachers to the Lockers Park community.
Paul Swinden joins us as Director of Music, Kevin Gorringe as Head of Design Technology and Anthony Reynolds as Head of History. Nathan Querner Cysne and Chloe Nicholls-White also join us as Graduate Teachers.
Ryan Newman, already well known to our boys and families, formally takes up the role of Director of Sport. A former professional golfer and talented all-round sportsman, Ryan brings a wealth of teaching and coaching experience to the role, alongside our shared belief that sport should provide opportunity and enjoyment for every boy while enabling those with particular talent and ambition to excel.
Together, our new colleagues bring further expertise across academics, music, STEM, sport, boarding and pastoral care, adding even greater strength to our existing team.
Our partnership with Harrow
This academic year marks another important chapter for Lockers Park as we begin our first full year in partnership with Harrow School.
Over the months ahead, our partnership will become increasingly visible, with greater sharing of expertise and developing academic, sporting and co-curricular opportunities for our boys and staff.
Crucially, this partnership is about building on everything that already makes Lockers Park special.
As Mr Taylor explains: “The aim is not to become Harrow. It is to use the strength of our partnership with Harrow to make Lockers Park an even better Lockers Park.”
This year we are also adopting Harrow’s Values and exploring with the boys what these mean in everyday life – in the classroom when something is difficult, on the sports field whether we win or lose, around school when nobody is watching and, importantly, in the way we treat one another.
“Values only matter if they are lived,” says Mr Taylor.
We are also strengthening the time boys spend with their Form Tutors and continuing to develop our PSHE provision, creating further opportunities for meaningful conversations, reflection and pastoral support.
High expectations, happy childhoods
We believe strongly in having high expectations for our boys. Good manners matter. Kindness matters. Being punctual matters. Taking pride in your appearance matters. The way we speak to and treat one another matters.
But ambition and high expectations should never mean losing sight of childhood.
As Mr Taylor puts it: “We should never be afraid to expect a great deal of our boys. But high expectations at Lockers Park should never come at the expense of childhood. We want boys to work hard, aim high, be kind, get muddy, laugh loudly, make mistakes and enjoy being young.”
It is a sentiment that reflects our school motto, Bene agere ac laetari – to do well and to be joyful.
Looking ahead
As the new academic year begins, there is a wonderful sense of momentum at Lockers Park.
We know what makes our school special: our close-knit community, our grounds and woodland, boarding, the breadth of opportunity we provide and, above all, the fact that every boy here is genuinely known.
Our partnership with Harrow gives us the confidence, expertise and opportunity to build on those strengths, while our new staff, evolving curriculum and expanding co-curricular programme give us plenty to look forward to this year.
“We know what we do well. We know where we want to get better. We are ambitious about what comes next, and I cannot think of a more exciting time to be part of Lockers Park.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Here’s to another year of doing well and being joyful.