Antony Facchinello (left in 2000)

Antony Facchinello leaves the English department after six years' sterling service to become Head of English at The Royal Grammar School, Guildford.

Joining us in 1994 from the boarding environment of Cheltenham College, he coped well with the shell shock of moving to a north London day school! A talented and keen rower at Oxford and Cheltenham, he also adapted on the sports field, becoming master-in-charge of Cross Country and then Tennis. For a frantic while, he ran both!

Antony was also an active force behind the Theatre Society, co-directed the occasional Middle School play and acted in the 1998 Staff Play, Blue Remembered Hills. He accompanied boys on ski trips and to Alsace and made the epic walk from Sienna to Rome. As all these details make clear, Antony is someone who has always been ready to expend considerable energy beyond the confines of the classroom. His commitment to the general life of the School has been exemplary.

However, we must not forget his strengths and achievements within the classroom and department. A shrewd literary critic, his judgement is second to none. Teaching at all levels and a pastoral tutor to the 2nd and 6th form age groups, he is an utterly committed practitioner who clearly relishes his subject. This commitment is demonstrated not least in the way he extends the range of students' reading (and the department's stock). Moreover, his General Studies course on film regularly proved to be one of the most over-subscribed on offer.

Within the department, Antony carried responsibility at G.C.S.E., ran our S.C.S. group and offered the necessary encouragement to the 6th form editors on the ground-breaking Scribe.

This all too brief pen portrait of an exceptionally large-hearted and gentle man would not be complete without mentioning the most recent change in his life: Antony and his partner, Liz, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Livia, in early April. Whilst we congratulate Antony on his appointment to R.G.S., we shall certainly miss his dry wit and companionable good humour. We wish Antony and his family every happiness and success in Surrey.