This summer, Tim Haynes will retire after twelve years of service to Tonbridge School. In this time, Tim has led an ambitious transformation of the campus, championed a culture of giving at the School, and was recently named ‘Best Head of Public School’ at Tatler’s prestigious School Awards. What will Tim take from his time at the School? Teddy Trenowden (HS5) finds out.
 
Going back to the very start, twelve years ago what drew you to Tonbridge, and what were your first impressions of the school?
 
I suppose my teaching career. The first major job I’d had was at St Paul’s in London, which is a high powered day school. I landed up being the Deputy Head there, and went from there to Monmouth on the border of England and Wales to be the Headmaster. Monmouth is partly day and partly boarding. As I went through that experience, I was still quite young. I was probably going to try and go to another school, and a major school; I needed to work out whether I wanted to go into a major day school like St Paul’s, or to a major boarding school. And the more I was at Monmouth, the more I loved the sense of community and the boarding ethos that was certainly a part of the school there. And so, that’s the direction I went in. And so here I am.

The other part of this is that by sheer coincidence some old friends of mine – two sets of very old friends from my teens and early twenties – both live and lived in this area, so they knew the school. In fact one of them had sent their boys here. So I had a bit of an inside track in the school – more than I might have done otherwise.

I think a lot of people reading this, whether they be boys or OTs, might not be quite sure what a typical day consists of for you as Headmaster? I know there seems to be something different going on every day at Tonbridge.
 
Well I suppose it’s a bit like your day or a teacher’s typical day in that it’s pretty packed. And whereas you’re having lessons or teachers are giving lessons, my typical day comprises endless appointments mostly of around roughly 40 minutes. And they’re either seeing prospective families – and I probably see around 300 a year, so that’s quite a lot – or it’s seeing individual teachers, or groups of teachers in meetings, or being off site at meetings about other schools or about groups of schools, or with other Heads. So there is no such thing as a typical day in my life; one day is never quite the same as the next. But they’re pretty packed with meetings of one sort or another.

A potential downside of that is that it’s quite difficult to find time to reflect and stand back, because you’re so caught up in the pace of it all; and a really important part of my job is to give and have a sense of direction of travel for the school.
 
Well, as you’re saying about having a really packed lifestyle, and for anyone who boards or is around at the weekend, people see you cycling around going to matches and Sunday night Chapel. It’s a very full on 24/7 type role. How do you step away and relax a bit?
 
Well I’m not sure I’m very good at stepping away and relaxing. Although I think that as the years have gone on I’ve probably grown more relaxed in doing the job itself. But I suppose the way I relax is in the holidays. You know, it’s a wonderful privilege in this job to have long holidays, although I need to work for some of them. So I’ve loved being able to travel extensively with my family.

I’ve been fond of old cars, and used to own a 1934 Alvis. These days I own a slightly more modern 1972 restored TR6. So that’s a bit of fun in the summer months. As you may know, rather like the school, I own a couple of beehives that are great fun to maintain. And I also, unlike the school, own a couple of chickens, which keep me in eggs. So I’m hoping the school will one day start to keep some hens.
 
So looking at your 12 years as a whole – I can imagine you’ve probably been asked this quite a lot as you move on – but what would you look back on as the biggest achievements, as the things you’ll remember the most?
 
I suppose the easy and boring answer isthat the campus has changed quite a lot in terms of the facilities and the feel of it. So the governors set me the challenge when I arrived of raising sufficient funds to build the Tonbridge Centre that we now take for granted. The indoor sports facilities before were pretty dire. And that has made a huge difference. And now as I leave, we’re completing another enormous project in modernising the science facilities.

I’ve been thrilled every time I’ve looked to appoint teachers. I’m constantly stunned by the quality of the teachers that we’re able to attract at Tonbridge. It gives me great pleasure to appoint such an amazing calibre of people. 

 
What are your top 5 moments across the 12 years?
 
Well, I mean perhaps predictably, every year I think that House Music evening just before October half term is fantastic. And of course just recently, the concert at Cadogan Hall was out of this world. Just wonderful. So that undoubtedly is there. And you may remember a few years ago when the entire school sang that piece – we had a whole school concert – that was also a really powerful occasion. The year that the CRAS was run in deep snow, which was I think before your time, was an extraordinary and memorable afternoon. And I rather fear, but not for such positive reasons, that I’ll remember the coming CRAS in a few weeks’ time, having foolishly said I’ll be in it.
I’ve loved what you mentioned before: that routine of going round the fields on Saturday afternoon on the bike, watching a bit of this or that match. Chatting to boys, chatting to parents, chatting to other teachers and just seeing the school alive and the whole site being used is a wonderful thing.
 
As you say, all these things are presented by the boys, all these House music competitions, they’re pushed forward by the boys. I guess my next question would be, what in your mind are the key traits of a Tonbridgian? What sets them apart?
 
Well I’ve often said, and I think it is true, that there is in Tonbridge boys a quiet self-confidence. My sense is that, overwhelmingly, the boys are comfortable in their own skin. Also, very rarely have I heard Tonbridge boys accused of being arrogant. I think that Tonbridge boys jokingly often seem rather proud of the fact that they’re last minute merchants, and will take things to the wire. It’s not a trait I think is enormously helpful in life - that Tonbridge boys certainly seem to leave things until the last moment. Whether it’s preparation for exams or other big moments in their school life.
 
So we’ve talked a little bit about joining the school 12 years ago, looking back at 12 years, but I guess I’ll ask you next, looking forward what are your plans post-Tonbridge?
 
So we’re going to move back to the Wye Valley where I lived before. That’s one big change. And I will be involved in education in one way or another, but not as a Headmaster. I’ve already landed up being Chairman of Governors of another large school, in fact the school I went to as a boy – Shrewsbury. We’re going to become trustees of a wonderful small African charity called Rwanda Aid, which I’m really looking forward to. We went and visited Rwanda and saw some of their work last October and it was very moving and humbling to see what was being done in a very poor part of a very poor country, which has made amazing strides since the terrible genocide of 94. And I’ll also become involved in consultancy, helping Heads in other schools.
 
So, much as you’re going to have a massive change in your life, there’ll be a big change in school life with the incoming new Headmaster. What advice would you give to him coming in?
 
I think it’s really important to be your own man, and look at the place with fresh eyes, and there are always things that can be made better. And I guess that I’d apologise for all the things I haven’t done and that I should have done during my time. 
 
On that note, looking back at everything, is there anything that you would do differently? 
 
I’m sure there are lots of individual small things I would have done differently. But overwhelmingly, I’m thrilled to have been a part of this amazing school. And I think it’s become, and will continue to get, better and better, stronger and stronger.