Lentune Probus Club was treated to an excellent talk by retired headmaster of Bournemouth School for Girls, Alistair Brien. Alistair, who held this demanding post for 18 years, not only gave us a fascinating insight into his career as a teacher but also entertained us with some mesmerising conjuring tricks having become a member of the Magic Circle in 2020.

On the more serious side he touched on the "problem" of mobile phones in schools, originally having favoured them for the learning benefits that they could bring but latterly finding that sadly the rise of social media has lead to abuse. They are, in fact, now banned in most schools and the students are very happy for that to remain the case.

Brien highlighted how an individual can make a huge difference, citing amongst others, the charity Olivia Inspires named after an inspirational pupil of BSG.The charity assists children and young people from the New Forest whose families are facing financial hardship.

Brien's was an inspiring, amusing and informative talk covering many aspects of the education system enjoyed by all of us who were lucky to have heard him.