2
April 2016
What attracted you to Abingdon?
Abingdon has ambition; it’s really going
places and has enormous potential. I like to
stimulate change and I felt that there was
a lot I could do at Abingdon. It also has a
strong sense of community.
When you got the job at Abingdon there
was much talk about a woman taking
over – did that surprise you?
Completely – I was very surprised at the
level of surprise! I really had no idea it
would be that much of a story. It was a
full time job just managing the interest.
Equally though, I was surprised when I got
here, I had expected it to be much more
testosterone filled but it really isn’t.
And all the interest in your clothes etc. –
how did you feel about that?
It was all a bit silly, and got very ‘wearing’!
What was it like to deal with boys
after 12 years with girls at Oxford
High School?
Absolutely no different. The only thing
I would say, if pushed, is that girls
sometimes need more encouragement to
aim high but the same could be said for
some boys. The pupils are very similar at
both schools, lively, intelligent, great fun.
How does Abingdon compare to your
time at other schools?
Abingdon is just a lot bigger with a huge
Other Half programme. It has certainly
taught me to prioritise, you cannot do
everything and you have to manage
expectations.
Magdalen College School is now
following Abingdon’s lead having
appointed a female Head; do you have
any tips for the incoming Ms Pike?
Be a strong leader, be yourself and enjoy it.
What have you learnt from this headship?
Such a lot, I am surprised by little these
days. You are very privileged as a Head
to be given access to other people’s lives
and you soon realise that an individual’s
well being is so much bigger than passing
exams in education.
What are you going to miss most about
being a Head?
Being part of making things happen, it
can be quite an adrenaline rush. I also like
the routine and rhythm of the School and
seeing the boys completely absorbed in
what they are doing.
What won’t you miss?
Managing difficult parents’ expectations!
Have you achieved what you set out to
achieve six years ago?
More.
Is there anything you failed to do that
you would have liked to?
No.
You opened the new YSC to educate
the next generation of scientists – if you
could hope for one of them to go on to
discover something that would change
the world, what would that be?
A cure for loneliness, especially for the
elderly in the UK.
What would you like to be
remembered for?
Improving the lives of boys and staff,
through a combination of things such as
ending academic lessons on a Saturday,
emphasis on pastoral care, perhaps
changing the ethos to be more open.
If you had to pick one highlight from
your time at Abingdon what would it be?
So many highlights, very difficult to pick
just one. Perhaps the sixth form leavers
singing at their final chapel service each
year, it’s lovely to see how much they are
moved by the occasion.
What tips would you give your
successor?
Keep looking at the ‘big picture’. You can’t
do everything, so leave the minutiae to
others and concentrate on looking ahead
and adapting to change.
Of the Headmasters of Abingdon School
that have gone before you – who do you
most admire and why?
Sir James Cobban. He made a huge
difference to boys’ lives on an individual
basis. Our OAs credit him with making a
real difference. He poured himself into the
school.
If you could start one last project or
development for the school what would
it be?
Now that would be telling – it may still
happen!
What’s made you smile most about
Abingdon?
Dudley’s Dilemmas in the
Martlet
*. The
boys have a very keen sense of humour!
(*Dudley is Miss Lusk’s dog. He is very
much a part of school life.)
What’s the funniest thing that has
happened to you here?
There was the mystery of the single trainer
that appeared in the most unlikely places
around Lacies Court and the time when the
All Blacks defeated England and my NZ
flag in the garden was found mysteriously
lowered to half mast.
Do schools have a character? What
would Abingdon’s be?
Yes – civilised, aspirational, surprisingly
gentle and very nice!
Abingdon
News
Felicity Lusk reflects
The Abingdon community puts questions to Miss Lusk as she begins her final term at Abingdon.
Miss Lusk enjoying a game of
pool with the Lower School
