TRIBUTES have been paid to a former teacher remembered fondly by a generation of pupils at Victoria College Prep.
Walter “Wally” Layzell served as deputy head for 22 years prior to his retirement in 1997 from VCP, where the school flag has been flying at half-mast this week.
Current headteacher Dan Pateman said Mr Layzell would be remembered by the whole school community.
“His legacy spans generations of family members who remember him with great admiration,” he said. “His reputation is legendary, from his immaculate presentation, leading daily news items, his innovative development of the school curriculum and – of course – keeping the Lord’s Prayer in time.
“Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
David Le Boutillier, head of English and drama until he retired in 2011, described Mr Layzell as “a true gentleman”.
“I worked with Wally for 20 years and always found him encouraging, eager to help in any way he could and always with a great sense of humour,” he said. “He was a dedicated, experienced teacher who always expected the highest of standards whether this was in the classroom or on the sports field.
“He was strict but fair and his pupils respected his ethos, and his favourite expression: ‘manners maketh man’.”
Responding to a social media post sharing the news, former pupil Toby Gasston said: “Great teacher and brilliant man – I remember in 1992 him describing how in the future computers would communicate with each other over phone lines.
“We couldn’t understand why that would ever be useful, and it always stuck with me.”
Another former pupil recalled how men aged in their 30s and 40s would encounter Mr Layzell in St Helier and instinctively say “hello, sir” while checking to make sure their shoes had been shined to his exacting standards.
Mr Layzell attended the States Intermediate School from 1949 to 1952 and latterly was a pupil at Hautlieu before gaining his teaching diploma at Goldsmiths College in London.
His first teaching job was at St Helier Boys School from 1959 to 1964, after which he spent nine years teaching abroad at postings in Singapore and Germany before joining VCP in 1973, with his promotion to deputy head occurring two years later, at the same time as John Hibbs joined as head teacher.
