Leon School - A SUCCESS story

This is a brief extract from IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS - The REVISED 2021 edition

We got something right at Leon didn’t we ? Allow me to look back on some of things we got right.

I invited someone to come and speak to a group of students. We met in the social area above the swimming pool. He was talking about a brand new charity that was being set up in the new city. He impressed students so much we held a twenty-four hour disco as a fund raiser. That brand new charity in Milton Keynes was and still is Willen Hospice.

A manager from Milton Keynes Development Corporation said to me he would give the school £50 towards its student exchange with a school in Sacramento California if I invited someone to speak at assembly about a new community funding project. That project was and still is The Milton Keynes Community Foundation.

Red Nose Day ! Leon was in on the ground floor for that as well.

Yeh, I had heard about that, it was that day to be the first ever Comic Relief but I really was not interested. An eleven hour flight to San Francisco the next morning was uppermost in my mind.

"I want you to get the whole of your year group out on to the field. Line everyone up so they form the words RED, NOSE and DAY.  There's a press helicopter coming over in thirty minutes time with a photographer on board."

"But Mr Abbott, can't you get another head of year to do it. I'm ever so busy."

"No, I want your year group and I want you to do it."

Well we did do it. The helicopter came, did some very low passes, the photograph then appeared on the front page of a newspaper. 

Are you liking what you are reading Sir Herbert ? Are you liking what you are reading Lady Fanny ? Let me see if I can make you smile with the next few anecdotes.

We had a student who was a pain in the posterior of staff and pupils alike. We made a plan. A group of students organised a charity raffle in aid of some good cause or other, I can’t

remember what. There were to be four winners, we fixed who would win. Their prize was to throw me into the swimming pool. One holding my left leg, one holding my right leg. One holding my left arm and a carefully selected winner holding my right. Yep, it was naughty boy Nicky who won my right arm. The whole year group was packed in to watch as I was raised and swung: one – two – three. On three I grabbed Nick’s arm and pulled him into the swimming pool with me.

The entire year group erupted and cheered. The jungle drums beat at volume. Ashford has just thrown Nicky (I won’t tell you his other name) into the swimming pool ! “Good for him,” Headmaster Abbott said, “I wish I had done it !”