PAUL LILLEY
‘ Approachable, dynamic and fun’ – the answer given by a former student when asked to describe Paul in just three words. Whether introducing a lively Year 7 class to map-reading, guiding Lower Sixth students through ambitious Extended Essays, or striding up the Sólheimajökull glacier, Paul’ s commitment to the Geography department has been immeasurable.
Outside the classroom, there are few areas of school life to which Paul has not contributed during his 12 years at Sevenoaks. As Head of Middle School Careers, he has advised hundreds of Year 11 students, and took on the enormous task of running the annual Careers Fair. His personal commitment to environmental issues brought expertise to the student Environmental Action Group, running the popular clothing swap shops, among other initiatives. His love of rugby and( moreorless) consistent commitment to his own fitness made him a natural coach for the U16As and 2nd XV.
As a Sixth Form tutor in my Division, Paul’ s combination of compassion, wisdom and pragmatism( my own three words) was much appreciated by his tutees and their parents – even, or perhaps especially, when his advice was delivered in his signature no nonsense style. While students sometimes protested that the walk to morning registration in L3 was‘ just so far’, they did it anyway because they knew that their day would go better after a conversation with Paul. And during our regular coffees in Life on High or strolls around Duke’ s Meadow with his beloved dog Lola, after discussing various challenges faced by his tutees, I would always return confident that Paul had a solution for everything.
This list of his contributions to Sevenoaks does not fully explain why Paul will be so missed as a colleague. His quick sense of humour, grace under pressure,
ability to cut through the thorniest issue with laserlike focus, and the selfless support and friendship he offers, cannot be adequately conveyed here.
Sadly, for many of us, the 8am chat at the staff breakfast table will be much duller without him. I know it won’ t take long for the school down the road to appreciate just how lucky they are to now have Paul as Head of Geography.
Vanessa FitzGerald
ROBERT NORMAN
Robert joined Sevenoaks in September 2021. He faced the challenge of starting his teaching career during the pandemic, with social distancing measures in place, along with a mix of in-person and online lessons. In normal times, the first year of teaching is a challenge, but Robert rose to it. He is an engaging teacher who relates well to his students. They will remember phrases in his lessons like,‘ Do you want to phone a friend?’ when someone could not answer a question, or him holding up a toy car and saying,‘ It’ s only a model,’ when he was covering a difficult piece of economic theory.
One of Robert’ s key strengths is his organisational skills. This year, he covered as Head of Department for Ashley Ukachi when she was on maternity leave. His ability to manage the department so effectively was largely due to his effective management of the administrative tasks associated with the role.
During his time at Sevenoaks, Robert fully immersed himself in all aspects of school life. He was a Middle School tutor and a boarding tutor in Aisher House. He played an important part in the RAF section of the CCF and also in school football.
Robert’ s big smile and warm, friendly manner with everyone at Sevenoaks mean he will be greatly missed.
Alex Smith
152 VALETE