SCHOOL NEWS// STAFF LEAVERS
developing all the Foundation Welfare
/ Child Protection and Safeguarding
Policies.
At the same time, his office opposite
the Staff Room began to develop a
distinctive identity. Papers grew in
mountainous heaps. Filing cabinets
and shelves were crammed. Pictures
leaned patiently in corners. At one
point tapping on his door meant waiting
for his head to appear over the top of
a paper pile before the friendly smile
welcomed you in – often to sit on a low
chair and negotiate eye to eye contact
between heaps. It was clear that he and
Peter Horne were in competition for the
most archaic (yet strangely comforting)
office space.
Throughout his time at Pocklington,
David has taught lower school science,
GCSE and A-level chemistry with huge
commitment and care for the students.
He is an excellent teacher and was
highly thought of by all students. As any
PETER HORNE
Peter Horne worked at Pocklington
School for 36 years.
He taught chemistry to all years
including A-level and is an extremely
knowledgeable chemist and scientist
whose engagement with his subject
has inspired many. Peter’s care for his
pupils was legendary. He supported
even the least able through GCSEs
with compassion and willingness to
use all his free time if necessary. Many
students for whom Chemistry could be
quite challenging owe so much to him
because of this willingness to help.
He has also had a strong pastoral role
within the school as Senior Housemaster
for Dolman, a development from his
early days as a House Tutor. 25 years
ago he took over the role which would
come to define him every summer:
exams officer.
8
THE POCKLINGTONIAN
teacher departing late in the evening will
agree, one thing was always guaranteed:
that when you left the light would be
on in the Chemistry Lab. There would
be Doc, marking or preparing. Head
down, red pen in hand.
It is hard to imagine the School without
him, his selflessness, his generosity
and his genuine appreciation of others
made him a constant source of pleasure
to meet. His ready smile and modesty
concealed a gold standard PhD mind
which he could apply to all problems,
pastoral or bureaucratic, with balance
and compassion. David’s Christian faith
was rarely public, but when he took the
opportunity to lead a service he spoke
with an honesty that was humbling to
see. His support for Drama and Music
was absolute, not just because of the
theatrical blood in his family, but
perhaps because when he began at the
School he took Drama as an activity
with equal measures of bemusement
and delight. An audience without
In this position he quickly became master
of the blackboard and adept at rapidly
calculating extra time. He organised
endless exams, each with precision and
dutiful care. One of the things Peter
appeared to enjoyed most about the job
was anticipating the imminent arrival
of The Visitor From The Board who
would inspect his work. Each morning
he could be found checking emails
and watching out for unrecognised
cars pulling into Reception, no doubt
eager to welcome them with a typically
warm handshake. Of course, whenever
this actually happened they left with
nothing but glowing praise. Peter was
excellent at his job.
To help him with this role he was
given an office. This remote room
was situated at the top of a little-used
winding staircase and gaining access to
it required considerable determination.
This is because it was booby trapped
with piles of paper, great mounds of
foolscap, shelves heaving with files and
DBD in it was unusual indeed.
David worked at Pocklington School for
30 years. Wishing him well in retirement
doesn’t even begin to express the
warmth of the wishes which continue to
flood his way. If ever there has been one
man who best exemplified in totality
the finest qualities of the Pocklington
School it is David Dyson. He will be
sorely missed.
AWJH and JMcD
yellowing boxes which could collapse
upon intruders at any moment.
In a way, Peter was the Indiana Jones
of exam officers. He could track down
that elusive access code fearlessly; wade
into the towering paper mountains to
retrieve results from 20 years before.
The Holy Grail of finding simple IT
solutions to complex exam jobs always
eluded him, but there, on his desk