On July 8 Alistair Lexden presented prizes at Thorpe Hall School, near Southend, Essex; on July 10 he performed the same pleasant duty at Lyonsdown School in New Barnet on the outskirts of London. In the former some 300 pupils up the age of 16 have large grounds at their disposal; the latter makes effective use of every inch of its confined urban site for its 200 pupils up to the age of 11.
Both schools are members of the Independent Schools Association, of which Alistair Lexden is President ; both have received excellent (publicly available) inspection reports in recent years from the Independent Schools Inspectorate ; both have a non-selective, co-educational intake ; both keep their fees as low as possible while also providing financial help through bursaries; and at both pupils achieve outstanding exam results while acquiring the strong ethical and moral values that make good citizens and neighbours( Thorpe Hall, for example, has recently raised significant funds for breast cancer research, Lyonsdown for the NSPCC).
Alistair Lexden said: “At both schools I was struck by the way in which children from different backgrounds and faiths mixed happily together; by the genuine affection in which members of staff were held both for their fine teaching and pastoral care; and by great support given by parents. These are the things that make for highly successful schools.”