The history of John Lyon goes back almost 450 years to a philanthropic yeoman farmer in the village of Preston in Harrow. 

In 1572 John Lyon was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I to found a free grammar school for ‘children and youth’. By the 19th Century, helped by John Lyon’s generous endowments, “the Free Grammar School” had become Harrow School, one of the most famous and prestigious public schools in the UK. As Harrow School had grown it had taken in more and more boys from outside the parish, so in  1876 a Lower School of John Lyon opened as a new day school for local boys. It was later renamed as The John Lyon School.

Support the 1876 Fund

The 1876 Fund makes it possible to support exciting opportunities beyond the standard curriculum and departmental budgets. These projects enrich learning experiences with an immediate and direct impact to pupils that will stay with them for a lifetime. We encourage parents and alumni to join the Fund and benefit future pupils as their families have benefited over the years.

Through generous regular donations the 1876 Fund has been able to support various projects.

The Sports Department is delighted with the purchase of two brand new Grays Hockey goalkeeper kits for the juniors and seniors. Many thanks to the parent who donated generously to enable this.

The STEAM curriculum will launch a John Lyon team to design, build and race an electric car, enable with funding the 1876 Fund. The kit is purchased from Greenpower, which work with hundreds of teams across the UK creating a challenge that uses the excitement of motorsport to inspire young people.

As a sponsor of the TEDx event in October 2019, the 1876 Fund has enabled the John Lyon Excellence Programme to hire a public speaking coach for pupils to learn to deliver an effective speech with the view to raise the standard of the talks and provide an enriching experience for the audience.

The 1876 Reading Room, located in Red House and opened by Professor Lord Robert Winston in 2017, is used by pupils on the Excellence Programme to access publications for enhancing knowledge in a peaceful space.

The purchase of 10 Vex Robots means Robotics has been introduced into the STEAM curriculum in 2019. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics are used as access points for guiding student enquiry and critical thinking. Every Year 8 pupil is able to learn the increasingly required skill of building and coding robots. The robots will also be used to create an extra-curricular activity for all pupils to have the chance to develop coding skills.

The STEAM Leeds Mechanics Kit allows pupils to work in groups to design and build solutions to real life problems. Skills gained include taking thoughtful risks, engaging in experiential learning, persisting in problem solving and embracing collaboration.

The 1876 Fund has made it possible to apply to participate in the 2019 National Theatre Connections Scheme –  an incredible opportunity for those passionate for the Arts to perform at one of the national theatre venues.

The 1876 Fund enabled the English department to invite Matt Dickinson, Everest Summiteer and author of the Mortal Chaos and Everest Files teen fiction trilogies, for a unique creative writing workshop with Year 10 pupils.

Support Bursaries

Social mobility remains a key challenge in our modern day. The provision of Bursaries enriches our School, raises academic standards and expands the educational opportunity for children from a wide range of social backgrounds.

The School receives a high demand for financial assistance each year, however means tested bursaries are only offered to a small percentage of eligible pupils. We are passionate about changing this and need to establish a network of support to enable us to do more and minimise the risk of losing the opportunity to educate and transform the lives of gifted children.

Join our mission to grow the Bursary provision and transform a child’s life today.

Legacy giving

Whether you offer the gift of education to support a young boy through a bursary or provide a meaningful boost to new facilities and resources, supporting John Lyon with a gift in your Will is a highly personal way of giving that has a lasting impact on future generations.

In recent years John Lyon has benefited from several legacy gifts for which we are most grateful. Making a bequest to charity can also lessen the burden of inheritance tax on your executors. A Legacy gift to John Lyon is free from capital gains tax and inheritance tax and, in the UK, the government provides a further incentive when you leave 10% or more of your net estate to a registered charity.

If you would like to consider leaving a legacy, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss the details with you.