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It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our Alumni Relations Community at Holland House School!

We place a huge emphasis on building positive relationships with pupils and parents. Children feel safe and at home here and have often said that ‘we are like one big family’. We strive to develop these lifelong relationships between past pupils and staff after they have left. We would like to keep in touch and are keen to hear about where life has led you after leaving us.

Looking forward to hearing your news,

Mimi Ko, Alumni Relations Officer

I am delighted to share the news of some of our past pupils:

Reeva Shah and Toniloba Akinosi

It was wonderful to have Toniloba and Reeva visiting us. Both girls attend NLCS and have settled in well. The school is huge in comparison, but the workload in Year 7 has not been too challenging for them as they felt they had been well-prepared beforehand, thanks to HHS! At NLCS, Reeva enjoys Engineering, Design and Technology, whilst Toniloba has developed an interest in Latin.

Their fondest memory of HHS was the French Trip as this was their final trip together as a class. When they left HHS, there were lots of mixed emotions, but we are glad to see how happy they are at their new school.

Seeing the girls engaging with the children was great. They did an amazing job listening to the younger children read and helping them with their number work. Some of the pupils in Years 5 & 6 were intrigued to find out what it was like at NLCS so the girls were open to questions and gave them lots of useful advice.

  

  

 

Maitri Rao

It was a pleasure to welcome Maitri to Holland House, she now attends Henrietta Barnett School. During her visit, Maitri assisted Year 1 with their dress rehearsal for their Christmas assembly, and she took time to listen to the Reception children read. We extend our warmest wishes to Maitri and wish her continued success.

  

 

Sameya Pereira

It was lovely to go back to HHS after having been gone for so long. I joined Holland House in Reception and left at the end of Year 5. Despite having left HHS earlier than all of my friends, it definitely had a long-lasting impact on shaping who I grew up to be. During my visit, I spent most of my time with Year 1 and Reception, mostly helping with their reading and comprehension skills in class. I also spoke to some Year 6s who asked me questions about secondary school and how Holland house prepared me for it, to which I gladly responded by saying that the main thing Holland House gave me was resilience, and I’m sure that when they are my age they will share my sentiments. Ultimately, it was nice to see that, although a lot has changed, it was still the Holland House I remember. 

  

 

Brandon Cheung

Going back to Holland House was a truly lovely experience. Visiting all the wonderful teachers and staff again was great. I am very happy to see many of the kind faces that were there while i was in Holland House.

I started my day by helping Reception read. All of them were absolutely fantastic at reading. This was followed by going up to Year 6 at break and answering many insightful questions about secondary school. As it was wet play, I was able to see how kind and caring every one of our Year 6 pupils are.

After break, I helped some Year 1 pupils read, and I am delighted to say that they are all excellent readers. At lunch, I played ping pong with some highly skilled Year 6s and 4s. This was a particularly special moment as i used to play ping pong with my friends just like them. It reminded me of my fondest memories at HHS. To finish my visit, I escorted the Years 5 and 6 to games at the park.

Holland House holds a special place in my heart. I truly hope that I can come back again sometime in the near future. As of now, I wish all the Year 6s good luck for their upcoming 11+ exams. I would also like to say a huge thank you to all the teachers and staff for welcoming me with warm arms. I would like to especially say thank you to Mrs. Ko, who looked after me the whole day.

    

 

Harsita Chandra

Former student Harsita Chandra spent the morning at HHS listening to some of the little Reception children read. She was very impressed with their ability and how well they could pronounce the words.

During the morning break, Harsita spoke to some Year 6 children about her journey after HHS. The children were most intrigued and inquisitive and wanted to know more about what it was like at secondary school. Harsita gave them lots of useful advice about how to prepare for their 11-plus exams and reminded them not to be stressed.

  

 

Aisha Jesani and Aliya Wahid

Aisha Jesani and Aliya Wahid recently came to visit and spoke to Y5 and Y6 about how to prepare for secondary school and some of the amazing things they have experienced over the years at Watford Grammar School for Girls and Habs Girls School. They also spent time listening to some of the YR children reading in our library. They had just finished their GCSEs and were excited about visiting HHS. 

 

 

Sia Rao

It was such a pleasure to be back at Holland House with my HHS/NLCS friends. I enjoyed seeing the teachers again, and spending time with Reception and Year 1. We were all very impressed with their reading skills. Well done! It is said that a person always remembers their first day at school and their last day at school. I remember my first day as a warm welcoming start in Year 3. HHS had become my second home, and I gained a large family ☺️. My last day was extremely emotional because I left my new home and friends, weeping. The joys of school life are countless. Our days at school were surely some of the best of our lives. I left HHS to start a new chapter of my life at North London Collegiate School. My schedule at NLCS has certainly been full, as there is an abundance of extracurricular clubs to take part in, and many squads to join. I am currently part of the cricket development squad, the netball squad, the lacrosse squad, and am also part of a choir – Vocale. I have performed in the Winter Concert, the Carmina Burana, and the Summer Concert. I was also a member of the cast of Little Shop of Horrors, Glimmers, and the Year 7 Dance Display. It's been a very busy year – I can’t believe I’ve finished my first year at NLCS already! It certainly goes by quickly – good luck Year 6 for your new chapter in September!

A massive thank you to Mrs Ko for organising this! ☺️

Best wishes for the future,

 

Aanya Sachdev

I was thrilled to come back to visit Holland House. It was especially lovely to come back to such a welcoming environment, and to remember what it was like here. I had such a memorable time, especially as I was reminded of its community being so cosy - almost everyone knows each other too! During my visit, I was lucky enough to assist some of the teachers in their lessons, help take care of some of the younger children and read with them. I also got a sneak peak of the year 6 dress rehearsal for their leaver's play. I adored seeing all the children and teachers too, and overall, my visit was great!!

 

 

 

Evelyn Ding 2013-2020

I had the opportunity to visit HHS again, and it was very interesting to see how the teachers, students and the entire school have developed since I left. 

First, I visited Year 5 to give a small talk and some advice about the experience of secondary school and the 11+ examination and answered some very insightful and perceptive questions. It was really fascinating to see the way Year 5s thought through the perspective of someone who had also been through the same experience.

After that, I helped a bit during the break, where it particularly felt most nostalgic, to see friendships across students from different year groups. This made me realise how close and valuable these friendships are, especially since life at secondary school is more independent and self-reliant. 

To end off my visit, I helped the Reception and Year 1 students with reading, who were all intrigued by their books and read very confidently.

 

My name is Amey De Souza, I am 18 and I used to be a student at Holland House School, Class of 2016. I made so many happy memories during my time at HHS, but the one that sticks out the most is the number of great friends I made there and its so great to say that we are still in contact with each other! I also remember the amazing productions we used to put on at Christmas time and being part of the school’s choir. It definitely taught me to have that extra confidence in myself!  I am now a 2nd Dan black belt in Goju-ryu karate. I also own 2 of my own Dojos and instruct children from the ages of 4 and upwards with different needs and abilities. I have also competed in International and National Competitions, winning many trophies and medals, hence also running competition training classes for anyone that is interested in competing. Kaishi Karate School is also linked with a dojo in Japan where we organise trips to train there, and recently I have been scouted from my karate school by a 4th Dan Japanese Kata Champion, who I am very thankful for being given this opportunity to train with him out of 600 students. Karate has taught me discipline, to have more confidence and to defend myself, alongside many more life skills. Lastly, thank you to all the staff at Holland House for helping me to become who I am now!

 

During my time at Holland House, I was set the task of writing one composition per week – and it was those years of story-writing which first founded my love of creative writing. 

After leaving Holland House, I attended Habs Girls, where I met my best friend and co-author. At the age of twelve, we decided to start writing a novel together, and at the age of nineteen, we finally got it published. If someone had told twelve-year-old me that one day I would be published in Waterstones, she would not have believed them. But on the 29th of March 2022, that is exactly what happened. 

In my final year of an English and History undergraduate degree at Durham University, I now travel the country visiting schools and libraries to share my novel, ‘Alight’, and encourage other children to take up writing. Sharing the story of how ‘Alight’ was written is just as important to me as sharing the story from its pages. Having experienced first-hand the power of determination and persistence, I now talk to children about the wonders of imagination – whether it relates to a fantasy world and or simply to their own goals.

I was recently accepted into Oxford University for a masters in Creative Writing! It’s a two year course and I am very excited to start in September.

 

Following my time at HHS, I moved on to University College School for secondary education, and most recently graduated from King’s College London with a BA in English. I now work at Maidwell Marketing, specialising in the West End and touring theatre. Holland House taught me discipline and diligence, conscientiousness and courtesy. Practising these traits in such a well-structured environment prepared me so well for life beyond primary school. It was a friendly place, where I was encouraged to be an individual - especially in the realm of creative writing. I feel proud to have been head boy back in 2011/12, and cherish my memories under Mrs. Tyk’s extremely strong reign! 

 

 

 

 

I have some beautiful memories of my time at Holland House. I remember feeling very much at home, and being really able to thrive - surrounded by good friends and supportive teachers. 

After leaving HHS, I went to Habs girls and then took a gap year (where I spent six months travelling and volunteering in Latin America), before studying Spanish and Russian at Cambridge University. I'm now an independent filmmaker and photographer, and I'm most drawn towards making documentaries about social issues and marginalised communities. You can see some of my work at www.guerrerafilms.com

I couldn't have asked for a better experience at HHS and I hope the school will continue to be a nurturing and inspiring environment that encourages its students to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.

 

 

Amongst my finest memories of Holland House, I enjoyed history lessons with the then Headmaster Mr. Peebles. He made his lessons very interesting with a little bit of fun.

If I remember correctly, we had united singing each week in the main Assembly Hall, which I enjoyed and this engagement with singing fostered my love for music and choral singing.

I also looked forward to the opportunity to be creative with drawing and painting, and the art and craft lessons were particularly memorable.  Mrs. Moretti, who taught us from 1969-1970 was an exceptional artist. After leaving Holland House, I went to Bushey Meads School, where in addition to my academic subjects, I learnt to play a brass instrument as a pupil.

Eventually, I studied for a Degree in History and Education at the University of London and later went on to become a Salvation Army Officer.  I am still a member of the Salvation Army playing a brass instrument in the Band and I am also a Flautist within an amateur ensemble.  Eventually, I completed further Degrees, including a Masters Degree in Educational Research at the University of Durham.  Currently, I work as a Careers Adviser and Employment Adviser in Tyne and Wear.

I have had the opportunity to write and publish a number of children’s paperbacks.  I am also casually employed at the University of Durham in a supporting role for undergraduates.

I appreciate the period of time that I was a pupil at Holland House, and I wish the school, staff and pupils every success for the future.

 

Ms Pugh contacted Holland House with some of her finest memories.

“I remember my days at Holland House very well.  When I joined at aged 5, I was in the kindergarten as it was called then.  Our teacher was a lovely lady, Miss Flight, who had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and rather rosy cheeks!  I can remember crying from the minute my mother left me in the morning until she collected me at midday.  I am sure I got over it!”

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If you would like to be part of our Alumni Relations Community, please contact us by email: alumni@hollandhouse.org.uk