In the first our our three part CLOSE UP feature with Royal Hospital School headmaster Simon Lockyer, he reveals why he nearly did not take up the post, and why he did, and balancing the 300 year heritage with the demands of modern day education, the importance of the school's diversity and bursts the myth of entitlement.

To say the first meeting between Simon Lockyer and Nub News was a little unconventional would be like saying the Royal Hospital School is akin to Hogwarts.

Let me explain, I had gone through the standard Covid-19 protocol, signed in, had my temperature checked and visitor's badge completed, when the fire alarm went off. The lady who greeted me, calmly guided me to our muster station and who should we see on the way but Mr Lockyer. In high vis, holding a bucket and reassuring staff, pupils and whoever else was listening that there was nothing to fear, it was just a broken steam pipe spewing out hot water. Not particularly unusual for a building nearly 90 years old.

On the parade ground, where the whole school had turned out in the well-drilled and disciplined sort of manner you would expect from an establishment enshrined in Royal Navy tradition. The youngsters babbled and chatted, the teachers went through their routine checks and before long, everyone was going about their business once more.

Meanwhile, Mr Lockyer was now back in in headmaster mode, sitting in his spacious study, complete with busy desk and pictures of birds, lots of birds, extolling the virtues of a school he took over five years ago and explaining why he took on one of the most prestigious, if highly pressurised, roles in the educational sector.

Something of a rebel, inasmuch as he was the first in seven generations not to join the Royal Navy, Simon was appointed as RHS headmaster from Portsmouth Grammar School where he had taught as Second Master for six years. That followed 10 years teaching at Wellington College, and three years as head of sixth form at Bishop Stortford High School.

Educated at University of Cambridge, gaining a master's of Education at the University of Buckingham and then a Batchelor of Science at Newcastle University, Simon is well qualified for the job but it is his vision, attitude to learning and students that, perhaps, sets him apart.

He balks at the suggestion RHS is in anyway 'snobbish' and is keen to dispel the myth that all who attend are in some way privileged, and warned: "Don't judge or stereotype. Many here come from poor and difficult backgrounds, as well as some who probably are privileged."

"I came here because of the diversity of the pupils,' he said. "That was massively important to me. I did not want to go to school that was about entitlement I wanted to go to a school that was genuinely broad.

"It is important that the children are reflective of society as much as possible.

"I'm an idealist in that outlook but if you walk around the school you will see genuine diversity, both in terms of ethnicity and also social-demography student body."

There is no doubting the imposing nature of the wonderful school set in 200 acres of wonderful Suffolk countryside on the bank of the river Stour, but the essence of the school is its pupils.

Simon said: "We sometimes get called Suffolk's best kept secret, which even I did not understand but now, after five years I can see because there is humility about the place, despite the magnitude impressiveness of the buildings. While there is nothing humble about the architect, but there is in the way the school does not like to shout about what it does well. There is juxtaposition between the two."

While it is true a year at RHS can cost anything between £16,440 to £35,640 per annum with eight other annual packages in between, the founding charitable objectives remain and that is to provide education, care and sustenance to widows, children and orphans of the Royal Navy.

Historically RHS, which was built in Holbrook in 1933 on land gifted by tea planter and expatriate Gifford Sherman Reade in 1921, and is part of Greenwich Hospital Trust which has provided education to those linked with seafaring since 1712. Described on the school's website as a 'charitable institution for the aged, infirm or young', and was established to provide boys from seafaring backgrounds with the rare privilege of learning arithmetic and navigation.

Simon is quick to point out: "That has a value today as between 60-70 of the children here now are supported by the Greenwich Trust. It also offers broad access to a wide range of children from different backgrounds."

This includes children from the Springboard Foundation Trust, who are mainly from the inner city, largely the Tottenham area, along with other benefactors. This year it also includes a local sixth form scholarship provided by Professor Bernard de Neumann for gifted local schoolchild who want to study maths.

Professor Bernard de Neumann, who passed away two years ago, was a former RHS student who bequeathed large sum from his estate to the school allowing them to supply a means tested scholarship every two years to a worthy young mathematician.

Dealing with the school's perception is one thing, taking on the challenge of the RHS heritage history and balancing that with the modern day needs of education, pupils and parents, is something he clearly relishes and accepts, although RHS came close to not getting their man due to his reluctance to return to Suffolk from Portsmouth.

It all came down to when he got married at St Michael Church in Woolverstone and the lack of big hills, fortunately the positives outweighed the negatives.

"I always said I would not move back to Suffolk because it poured with rain on my wedding day," said Simon, now a father of three.

"My wife is from Ipswich but I always said it was too flat so two good reasons not to return, although there are lots of synergies between this part of Suffolk and Portsmouth.

"But there are two things in particular that attracted me to this school, first of all it is its maritime heritage and that appeals to me. It is a unique element.

"Secondly, is its diversity, that broad range sat comfortably with me.

"The third aspect is this is a school on journey, it is evolving and being part of something that is exciting and being part of school that is developing and changing is better than just begin custodian.

There are few schools that still hold divisions, where all the pupils wear Royal Navy uniform form up and march on the huge parade ground and salute a dignitary, which is now held eight times a year. RHS also competes annually in a form of field gun, which is run over a flat course at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, rather than full Command Field Gun which was the stand out attraction of the Royal Tournament.

A fan of the old Portsmouth Field Gun Crew, Simon said: "Maintaining the naval heritage, such as divisions and field gun with modern educational needs is a challenge, as it would be for anyone in charge of a long established organisation or school. RHS has 300 years history and you have to be respectful of that.

"What we need to do is focus on the future and what we want to became, without losing the aspects of what we believe are of benefit to our pupils.

"Divisions for example, in its simplest form it is a ceremony where children march. But it is also an opportunity to put all the children in one place with no member of staff where the skills and attributes they posses have been passed don by their older peers.

"Bearing, self discipline, appearance can the ability to coordinate and collaborate, to issue and follow instructions, they are all skills in themlseves. It is not about learning to march, it is about working as part of a team, be proud of yourselves be proud of how you appear, thatis much more important.

"They are skills sets we feel are of value to them for the future.

"As they come through the school they learn to values these things, not because they like Divisions but they are with their peers and they are proud of what they are.

"Nothing makes me more sentimental that Remembrance each year when you are standing there on November 11 and you have 700 pupils, the place is packed with a couple of thousand people. Grandparents, parents, forces personnel and it is a very moving moment

"That is when it is right to have a sense of pride and pride in young people and what they stand for, in a completely unapologetic way."

Tomorrow, in the second of three parts, RHS headmaster Simon Lockyer talks about the school's importance with the Holbrook, peninsula and Suffolk community. How it has dealt with Covid-19 and what he hopes to achieve going forward.