Gayhurst School’s Alumni

Welcome to the Gayhurstians’ webpage.  We are delighted you have found us!

One of the things we are proudest about at Gayhurst is our community which continues far beyond your days in school.

An alumni association has therefore been established which is known as the ‘GHA’ (Gayhurstian Association) and as ex pupils and staff you will be known as ‘Gayhurstians’.

We organise events and activities for our alumni. We also know that our old boys and girls love hearing about what is going on at Gayhurst so we produce periodic newsletters to keep you up to date with key issues.

If you would like to register your details so we can contact you about all the exciting things going on for Gayhurstians and the wider Gayhurst community, please complete our form.

To join the GHA please fill in the registration form at the bottom of the page.  We look forward to hearing from you!

By joining the GHA you will have access to a huge digitised archive portal of photographs, journals and magazines dating from the 1930’s to 2012. The archive may be accessed by emailing: gayhurstalumni@outlook.com to request the portal passcode.

Please help us spread the word about the GHA to your old Gayhurst friends and get them to register too!

Steering Committee

Craig Phillips

Chair of the GHA

Craig is a former pupil having attended Gayhurst in the 1970’s. He moved on to Merchant Taylors’ School and then Kingston University where he gained a BSc degree in Estate Management.

Once in work he qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and then travelled the world for over two years. During his career he has worked primarily in London but also spent 5 years in Hong Kong and Jakarta, Indonesia.

He is also a former Gayhurst parent whose two sons each went through the school from Reception to Year 8.

Craig is delighted to be involved in forming the GHA and looking forward to bringing together many alumni.

Andrew Sims

Former Headmaster

Headmaster of Gayhurst School from 1993 until he retired in 2016 Andrew was educated at Woodbridge School in Suffolk and then Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge reading History.  He began his teaching career in 1982 at Moreton Hall Preparatory School in Suffolk.  Posts at the New Beacon School, Sevenoaks and Underhill School in Sutton Valence swiftly followed, the latter as Director of Studies and ultimately Acting Head.  His wife, Anne, joined the English Department at Gayhurst in 1997.
Andrew enjoys sport in all its forms and played for numerous teams both as a schoolboy and an adult.  Music has an equally  important place in his life.  In his retirement historical research, gardening, allotment-keeping, walking, music and philosophy keep him busy.  His own son Jonathan was at Gayhurst from 1995-2003 and his daughter, Hannah, envies Jonathan’s time there!

Melissa Legg

Assistant Head Senior School

Born in Oxford, Melissa moved to live and grow up in Saudi Arabia. She was educated within the American Grade school system until she returned to the UK to board full time in the Independent Schools system from the age of 9 until 16.

Melissa initially trained at Henley College to work within a Nursery setting and is a qualified Nursery Nurse. After a gap year working, she studied for a BEd (Hons) RS at Oxford and then went to work within the Independent School sector.

Melissa has worked in 4 different Preparatory schools in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire within the co-educational and single sex settings. Melissa has spent 12 years as Head of Middle School at Gayhurst before taking up the new position of Assistant Head Senior School she is also Head of Religious Studies.

Melissa has always kept an eye on her pupils once they have left Gayhurst and is often seen supporting former pupils on the sidelines of a rugby pitch. Melissa is delighted to be involved and working on the GHA – the Alumni committee.

Ben Stevenson

Year 3 Form Tutor

Ben is a current Gayhurst member of staff and a former Gayhurst pupil who left in 2003 and went onto attend John Hampden Grammar School.

Following JHGS, Ben studied History and Politics at De Montfort University, before completing his teacher training at the University of Reading. He has also just gained his MA in Education from Reading.

He is a tennis player, and is Club Captain at Wooburn Park.

Ben is happy to be a part of the committee steering the GHA, and is looking forward to seeing it grow.

George Lawley

Former Pupil

George was born and raised in Gerrards Cross, where he has lived his entire life. After leaving Gayhurst in 2010 he went to Shiplake College (Henley-On-Thames) and is currently finishing his BA (Hons) History degree at Royal Holloway, University of London.

George currently sits on the board of Trustee’s for ‘Gap-Africa’ a charity providing funds to allow for the improvements of education in southern Kenya. George is also active in student politics, as his university’s National Union of Students delegate and is also involved in the University Conservative Association.

George has a keen interest in rowing and when not in the Library, he can be found with his friends and family.

George is thrilled to be involved with helping set up the GHA.

Helen Badrick

Former Parent

Helen is a former Gayhurst parent who has both a son and a daughter who attended Gayhurst for more than 8 years. Her children are all now in secondary school but very keen to keep their ties to their primary school.

Helen’s primary role in the GHA is to help organising events and be the point of contact for parents of children who have recently left Gayhurst.

George MacPhee

Former Pupil

George is a former Gayhurst pupil who left in 2008 and went onto attend Shiplake College. 
 
Following Shiplake, George studied Business and Finance at Bournemouth University and is now training for his ACA accountancy qualification. 
 
He is a keen cyclist and now enjoys watching rowing rather than the racing!
 
George is pleased to have joined the Steering Committee to help further the aims of the GHA.