Old Sennockians

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of former teacher Dr Ray Hackett. Ray’s presence, commitment and energy permeated life at Sevenoaks School for 32 years and we know this news will impact many former students and staff.

Ray joined Sevenoaks in 1975 as a Chemistry teacher, having previously worked for BP. He later moved to teaching Mathematics, a subject he made both accessible and enjoyable for his students over 15 years. In 1983, Ray and his wife Jill took up running School House, a role they held for 10 years.

Ray’s enormous contribution to the school extended beyond the classroom. As an accomplished sportsman, he coached cricket and squash, supported sailing, assisted Mike Williams with the First XV and accompanied the team on a tour of Australia. For many years he also led the RAF section of the CCF.

Ray will also be remembered by Old Sennockians for his tireless work in developing the alumni association, helping former students to maintain strong and lasting connections with the school. Leading by example, he remained closely involved in the community, regularly coming to reunions and the Retired Staff Lunch, most recently last year.

Ray’s dedication and long service, along with his energy, versatility and enthusiasm, will be hard to match. We are deeply grateful for all he gave to Sevenoaks School and for the lasting impact he had on generations of students.

Our thoughts are with his wife Jill and their children Sally and Tom.

Class of 1996 & 1986, your 30 & 40 Year Reunion is almost upon us. This is the final call to join us this Sunday 14 June for an afternoon of reconnecting and celebrating how far everyone has come since your school days.

We’d love to see you there. Grab your ticket here: https://osonline.sevenoaksschool.org/event/class-of-1996-1986-reunion/

Thank you to Nikki Lee (OS 2001 and Sevenoaks School Foundation Trustee), who hosted a fantastic get-together in Hong Kong for incoming Year 9 pupils.

Teams of two and three took part in a Bake Off-style event, baking and decorating a three-layer cake within two hours. Parents then had the difficult task of casting their votes to crown the winners.

Well done to everyone of their amazing creations!

Leavers' Day on Saturday was full of joy, pride and a few happy tears as we celebrated more than 250 Upper Sixth students.

Class of 2026, welcome to the Old Sennockians. Your journey with us is only just beginning and we can't wait to see what you achieve next.

The Sevenoaks School Observatory is one of those iconic buildings on the campus that inspires a raft of nostalgic reminiscences from several generations of alumni.

It was built on Jockey’s Platch in 1977 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. The “highly ingenious shell’ covering was designed by Head of Physics Dr John Garood and built by him and members of his Physics class. It was opened on 4 November 1977 by the famous astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore.

In 1991, the Observatory was moved to its present site in the nuttery at the bottom of the Head’s Garden, with a new telescope provided by the Parents’ Association, and opened by astronomer Heather Couper CBE.

Do you remember the opening ceremonies in 1977 or 1991, or using the telescope?

Read more here: https://osonline.sevenoaksschool.org/school-archive/the-school-observatory/

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR PHIL LEESE
OS are invited to watch the livestream of Phil Leese's memorial service this Friday 22 May from 3pm. If you would like us to send you the link to the service please contact [email protected]

You are also welcome to leave messages on the memorial page at https://philleese.muchloved.com

We are delighted to have secured a number of places for the Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 11 October 2026. Applications are now open to join Team Sevenoaks alongside Headmaster Jesse Elzinga to run for the school and help raise funds for bursaries.

Last month, our London Landmarks Half Marathon team of runners raised an amazing £15,600 to help more students experience a transformational Sevenoaks School education. In celebration of Sevenoaks upcoming 600th anniversary, we ask all our runners to commit to a minimum fundraising target of £600 - the Foundation team will also support you every step of the way.

If you are interested in running for us, please visit the link below to find out more and apply by 25 May. We look forward to hearing from you!

https://foundation.sevenoaksschool.org/support-sevenoaks/run-for-us/

Class of 2006, your 20 Year Reunion is just around the corner! This is a final call to join us on Saturday 16 May for an evening of reconnecting, reminiscing, and celebrating how far everyone’s come since your school days.

Expect great conversations, familiar faces, and plenty of memories shared.

We’d love to see you there. Grab your ticket via the link in our bio now!

Today, the Class of 2026 walks out of their last ever lessons. It’s one of those days that doesn’t quite feel real until it is. What subject had the honour of being your last? What were you feeling as the day wrapped up?

We are very sad to announce that former Maths teacher Phil Leese has died. Phil joined Sevenoaks School in 1987 and retired in 2009 after 22 years of dedicated service. During those years he was involved extensively in school life and always gave his time freely for the benefit of those he taught and tutored. Phil will also be remembered for setting up the William Sennocke Society which saw an incredible 60 renowned speakers come to the school, running the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, organising the Maths Challenge, and for being a friendly presence on many school trips.

Apart from his passion for all things numerical and logical, Phil was a very talented singer and his involvement with the music department started the day he joined the school, when he signed up to the Choral Society. He was a proud member of the Sennocke Consort and continued to sing in the Parents’ Choir for many years after his retirement from teaching. Our thoughts are with his family.

Please get in contact with [email protected] if you would like to attend the funeral and we will share details when we have them. Phil asked that donations be made to Shelterbox in his honour. If you would like to donate, please do so here: https://philleese.muchloved.com/