It is a serious time for our Y11 and Y13 pupils as they prepare for important examinations, but I know that many of the latter especially will not be counting down the days until they leave, but rather trying to stop the clock! As I write, several staff and I have just attended an informal gathering of Old Leicestrians in London. They were full of happy memories and anecdotes of their time at LGS, and of the experiences they shared with their fellow pupils and with their teachers. It was also great to hear how their LGS education has contributed to their onward journey.

At the heart of our happiness and success as a school community is the joint endeavour between home and school to give our children the best possible preparation for life. This is underpinned by shared values and an understanding that we place the child at the heart of all our conversations and intentions.

From what I hear, you managed the delicate challenge of providing a safe and rule bound environment with a relaxed holiday atmosphere. In fact, the teachers were all described as "chilled" which I understand is a compliment of a high level indeed......We were never worried about him or his welfare and care.

• reducing the time and effort teachers spend on lesson preparation and marking.
• allowing pupils to practise skills with less teacher input.
• prompting us to rethink the nature of a good education.

“2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year.” So said Time magazine last December when observing that an unprecedented 49% of the world’s population would head for the polls in at least 64 countries to hold national elections.

Little did that small group of pioneers, reacting to the demise of state grammar schools in Leicester, think that a city school which began falteringly in 1981 with 96 pupils would one day educate 1,500 young people on two beautiful, green sites in Great Glen. We must admire them for their courage and for their passionate belief in a well-rounded, academic education within a Christian ethos.

Depending on their year group and their entry point, your child could begin amongst the 'little people' kneeling at the front, gradually moving higher and towards the centre! At whatever stage, I hope they will be smiling, and that the memories evoked in future years will be happy ones.

Leicester Grammar School - Welcoming Ukrainian friends (lgs-senior.org.uk)

This formed part of our considerations as we build a new Trust Development Plan and School Action Plans for the academic years 2024-27. We are self-reflective as a school, committed to a continuous cycle of review and improvement, so that we are best preparing your children for an exciting life in an ever-changing world! That is why we constantly monitor and refine our plans, amending or identifying new priorities as we respond to feedback or events, within school, education and the wider world. Last term, we refreshed our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and met as school leaders with Trustees for a strategy day. This was informed by discussions in our three schools, inspection findings and surveys (parents, pupils, staff) and the numerous opportunities for pupil voice and advocacy.

A WHO survey looked at the lives of children aged 11, 13 and 15 living in Europe, central Asia and Canada, including more than 4,000 in England. By age 15, just 11 per cent of girls and 16 per cent of boys in England did the recommended 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, which can include things such as brisk walking, cycling or rollerblading. The figures put England and Wales near the bottom of the global table. Furthermore, when it comes to eating breakfast before school, which experts say is a healthy eating habit for children, only 37 per cent of 13-year-old girls and 59 per cent of boys in England ate breakfast on weekdays.

The article (https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/22/name-determine-well-school-study-finds-20693104) cites recent research from the University of Michigan which found that students whose surnames came later in the alphabet received lower grades than those at the top of the roll call. It also found that those students tended to receive harsher comments on their work and benefit from lower grading quality, measured by post-grade complaints. The findings were based on more than 30 million scores marked through the popular grading software, Canvas, which gives students’ papers to teachers for marking in alphabetical order by default. The reasons for the findings were unclear but thought to relate to increasing levels of fatigue and irritability when teachers spent long periods marking. The chief researcher said: “A college student emailed, asking us to share the paper with him. He mentioned that his last name started with W. He’s going to tell his parents that his lower grades are not because of him but because of his last name!” 

Many thanks to all those parents who took the time to give feedback to the inspectors about their children’s experience. That feedback was hugely positive and supportive of our aspirations, clearly reflecting the values which we share between school and home.

I am delighted to share this news with you, ahead of the publication of the Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ supplement this weekend.

Credit for these accolades is owed to all members of our school community: pupils, teaching and support staff, trustees and you, our parents, who entrust your children’s education to us during these precious, most formative years of their lives.

I have just started my round of Prep and Year 7 visits, so that I can begin to get to know our younger pupils as they embark on their LGS journey. It is also their opportunity to ask me any questions they like about the school and about myself; some questions are more imaginative and challenging than others, and pupils generally understand what is appropriate! There was much excitement outside the form room I visited yesterday, as prefects played a fun game of ‘Splat’ with another Year 7 form – building trust between younger and older members of our school. I also hold lunchtime ‘tea parties’ with Year 11 in November, to help them relax a little in what is one of the most demanding terms of their school career. Again, they can ask questions and share their ideas.

I am far from being an expert on the complex history of the area, but I sought to illustrate – through maps – some of the background, and to update pupils on what has occurred over the last few weeks. Whilst many of the scenes which have emerged are both disturbing and upsetting, it is vital that our young people have some understanding of the situation and are able to arrive at well-informed opinions, considering too how that might positively impact their own behaviour. I am sure it is the subject of discussions at home, and staff are especially alive to the concerns which pupils might feel currently. Mr Millward will be talking to pupils at our Remembrance assembly on Tuesday about how they can contribute to our ‘Peace tree’, and we will also be raising funds for the Save the Children charity who are providing humanitarian aid for children and families affected.