LGGS Life

July 2024

Welcome

Dear parents, carers and students,

Welcome to our end of term and end of year newsletter. Looking back on the year, I am delighted by the number of achievements, successes, and contributions made by students both inside and outside of school. Summer term has been particularly eventful, marked by end-of exams, the annual art exhibition and DofE expeditions, as well as numerous school trips and music and drama performances. There have also been sporting success and a week-long celebration of Sports Week thanks to the funds raised from our Midsummer Supper Run.

I would like to thank all members of the LGGS community for their support. None of this would have been possible without our fantastic staff, students, parents and carers, all of whom are crucial to the work that we do. This gratitude also extends to Lancaster University and to the many former LGGS students who have visited us to offer valuable career advice to our pupils.

As the academic year draws to a close, we must also say farewell and thank you to our amazing Sixth Form Leadership Team led by Head Student, Abi. Their exemplary leadership and dedication have set a high bar for their successors, and it was wonderful to be able to wish them well during their recent Leavers’ Ball.

I hope you all have a well-earned rest over the summer. To our Year 11 and Year 13 students, I convey my best wishes for your forthcoming results. We look forward to celebrating your success during the summer.

We also look forward to welcoming our new Year 7 and Sixth Form students in September and hope you can appreciate, from the recent taster days, that you are about to start your journey in a friendly, welcoming and truly amazing school.

Best wishes,

Mr Chris Beard, Headteacher

Staff Leavers

respectively, and their presence in our community will be sorely missed by staff and students alike. We are also saying goodbye

community, and have certainly had a positive impact on our students. All will be remembered fondly by students past and present

Our Year 13 students celebrated the end of their LGGS Sixth Form at the annual Leavers’ Ball.

Best wishes Year 13

their subjects and who worked tirelessly to inspire and support every young person who entered their classroom.

Mr Chris Beard, Headteacher

ready to take on the world beyond LGGS.

The year group have never ceased to impress us with their resolve to succeed, their

privilege to work with Year 13 students over the last two years, and we wish them all the very best for the future as they move on to pastures new, knowing that they are

We also hope that they will keep in touch with us in the years to come.

All the very best, Year 13. Ms Dobson and all the Sixth Form Team.

Best wishes Year 13

The whole school community wishes Year 13 all the very best.

‘Thank you for everything - so sad to go!’ - Emily

Best wishes to our 2024 Leavers

Thank you for all the lovely memories made in the past seven years and all the support from staff and pupils that have made my time here very enjoyable.’ - Faheema

‘The last eighteen months in Sixth Form have been some of the best of my life. You have provided so much support and so many opportunities.’ - Evie

Best wishes to our 2024 Leavers

LGGS will be a place I will talk about for years to come, I am so grateful for the support and memories it has given me. ’Future First’ - LGGS’ Alumnae Network

Register here to stay in touch with school and each other!

LGGS has received the prestigious School of Sanctuary award, which was presented to us at a ceremony in Preston on 4th July. The award was given in recognition of the inclusive and welcoming ethos of our school, and also for the hard work we have done during the past year, led by our Sixth Form students, to raise awareness of the issues faced by those seeking sanctuary in the UK.

The journey to receive this award began in 2023 following the school being awarded the Lancashire Equality Mark, making us one of just three secondary schools to have achieved this. The Equality and Diversity

School of Sanctuary

‘A thing that impacted me was when Aryan was talking about how he wanted to be an engineer in the UK, because refugees are often portrayed as 'not human' as if they don't have dreams or goals, and it was just really powerful to hear him talk about his dreams.

of the issues facing those who are seeking sanctuary in a country other than their own. Student voice has been a big part of the process, and at every step we asked students what they felt our school does well, and what we could do to move towards being a School of Sanctuary. The responses were very positive, a main theme that emerged was that students wanted to know more about

(Refugee Advocacy, Information and Support). We held a week of assemblies in which we welcomed refugees and asylum seekers from nine different countries. Each relayed a personal story of their journey and what had brought them to Lancaster. The assembly was followed by a Q&A session. The feedback from our students told us that this week has had a big impact on them and one member of staff reported: he transformation in our students was evident as their understanding and empathy grew through these conversations.‘

We are very grateful to each of the visitors who shared their experience with LGGS and we hope that their future journey will bring them happiness.

Sixth Form News

The summer term has been a busy and exciting time for our Year 12 students, once their exams were out of the way.

At the start of May, students prepared to take part in a week of work experience, from NHS hospital placements to working in a solicitor’s office or large scale organisations including The BBC and EDF. They were supported to find a placement of their choice and have spoken warmly of the value of this experience.

This was followed by an Apprenticeship Day, when speakers came in to school to talk about opportunities to gain a degree while being paid to work, in areas such a project management. This has inspired several students to undertake more research and set up further work experience placements for themselves with major firms during the school holidays.

LGGS has been part of a pilot programme this year to support those students

wishing to apply for apprenticeship. This will provide students with direct access to an expert adviser as well as a wide range of resources to support their applications.

In the summer term our Year 12 students have been working hard in so many ways. They played a key role in leading both the Year 7 and Year 12 Induction Days, where they made everyone feel welcome. We are always so grateful to our amazing Year 12 students for everything they do to make LGGS the very special place that it is.

At the start of July, eight students were invited to take part in an overnight visit to Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge University to support them in the competitive applications that they are planning to make next term.

Twenty one students undertook the 4 day expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

Last week, the Year 12 Theatre Studies group staged

an incredible production of ‘Our Country’s Good’, with performances from many talented students, several of whom are aiming for a future career in the theatre.

In this final week of term, which saw rehearsals for the Music Festival, we also saw the three finalists in the inaugural year of the Putland Lecture Competition deliver their lectures to an audience of staff, students and parents.

The topics were diverse: ‘The Forgotten Queer Language of Polari’, ‘The Secret Garden - Plants in Medicine’, and ‘Artificial Intelligence’. This event celebrated the important skill of oracy, one which we know will be an invaluable skill for young people as they move forwards in their lives.

The sixth form students have been very busy creating memories that will stay with them long after they have left LGGS, as well as inspiring the younger students to follow in their footsteps - a huge thank you to our amazing students!

Ms Dobson, Head of Sixth Form

Cambridge University Open Day

Eight Sixth Form students, along with Miss Kirkman and Ms Whitehouse, sampled life as a student at an overnight stay at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge from 4th-5th July.

LGGS were lucky to receive free board and lodgings from the University, enabling our students to attend their Open Day. Students got a feel for the city, attended drop in

sessions with admissions tutors, visited different colleges, and got some top tips on how to prepare their applications. We also enjoyed a Colin the Caterpillar cake and some impromptu running races on Jesus College’s green to celebrate Josie’s 17th birthday. Never too old for a little party! Ms Whitehouse was also delighted to bump into former LGGS student Eleanor Ward, who has just graduated

in Natural Sciences at Sidney Sussex, and is about to embark on her PhD at Newnham College. The weather was considerably warmer in East Anglia, and needless to say no one really wanted to come home. We are very grateful to Sidney Sussex College for this opportunity.

Ms

Kate Whitehouse, Head of Modern Foreign Languages / Head of Year 12

Gold DofE Expedition

From Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th of July, twenty one Year 12 students split into four groups and set off on a journey to complete their Gold DofE expedition in the Lake District. The walk they had planned started in Staveley, travelling through Rydal, Brotherswater and Ullswater until they reached their final destination in Penrith. Initial rain and wind turned to sunshine on the first day!

Each night we camped in valleys (Rydal Hall, Sykeside and Waterside). We independently planned our routes, traversing from the Southeast to Northeast Lakes, packing and carrying allweather kit, tents and trangias. Travelling 10-15 miles each day on a mix of footpaths, bridleways, and lanes, we were up at 6:30am, set off around 8:30am and reached camp mid-late afternoon each day. We planned and carried out

the expedition independently, meeting mountain leaders at checkpoints along the route to track our progress. All the groups integrated and worked well as teams over the four days, using skills to counteract any challenges and creating wonderful memories. Everyone reached Penrith train station on Sunday afternoon with smiles just as the rain came back - it was a fantastic expedition!

Iona Munford

‘I'm glad and grateful we have this opportunity through school to develop our independence, outdoor skills and confidence to contrast the day-to-day learning of Sixth Form.’ - Saffron

Congratulations to three former students Heather Hartley, Madison Hartley and Imogen Carter who attended the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award ceremony at Buckingham Palace this term.

Studying Further Maths

allows you to delve into the reasoning behind principles applied in maths and sciences whilst also expanding on them to introduce you to new, interesting topics.

Areas such as graph theory (basis for topics in computer science), statistical tests using chi squared (used in biology) and vectors (everywhere in physics, engineering and modelling)

Further Maths

just scratch the surface of how diverse maths can be. In my opinion, Further Maths is the most rewarding A-Level. Taking it has enabled me to attend lectures, taster days (such as the SUMS Day at Lancaster University, and the Women in Maths Day at Cambridge University) or being selected for the Pelican Programme for Physical Sciences, also at Cambridge. All of these opportunities introduced me

to branches of the subject that I would have never dreamed of (such as chaos theory or even quantum cryptography). The highlight of these events is being able to share your ideas with like-minded people: problem -solving, making links and learning about different perspectives which perfectly frame the collaborative nature of maths.

Gabija Sarakauskaite, Year

12

Year 10 Blackpool Trip

The trip was fun and a really good treat after our mock exams, everyone had a great time as lots of students love rollercoasters anyway, so they were very excited.

Some students enjoyed going on them for the first time as a new experience. Unfortunately, the weather was not brilliant, and due to the wind and rain one of the rides ‘The Big One’ was

closed, which disappointed a lot of people after they had been queuing for a while. However, the rides which were open were brilliant. Lots of people enjoyed ‘Icon and Infusion’ one of the bigger rollercoasters. Some other rides which were very popular included the ‘Derby’, the ‘Grand National’ and the ‘Ghost Train’. Overall, the entire year had a great day out together.

Year 10 student

Conservation Club

blooming and the path by the school gym has gone from strength to strength. It is not just popular with staff and students who admire the wild flowers whilst passing by but is also popular with a wide range of pollinators.

From an impressive patch of bird's foot trefoil to the deep blues and purples of the cornflowers and corn cockle, even rain showers cannot dampen the students’ spirits as they walk past this display each day and we have already identified twenty-four wildflower species!

We have been adding seeds since last summer to the seed

bank in our wildflower patch. The seeds came from ‘Seedballs for schools’, and the ‘Incredible Seed Library’. In addition, seeds have also been donated from our staff

We have already ear-marked other potential surplus pockets of land on the school site so that we can extend our magnificent wild meadows. Meanwhile, the invertebrates have not been appreciating the cooler, wet weather; however, our eagle-eyed biology technician, Mrs Stevens has caught on camera miniature visitors including an impressive range of bees and even a common blue damselfly.

The conservation group have identified a

sedgesitter this week (a type of hoverfly), and are becoming familiar with a wide range of wild flowers and other wildlife.

Plans for the autumn term will involve maintaining our nest boxes, which require checking and cleaning out when necessary, and we shall also be constructing a bat box.

We also aim to contact Cat Smith, our local MP, to discover her views on the environmental issues which impact on our local community including recycling, transport, energy supply and conservation/ biodiversity.

Mr Rogers and the

grey-spotted

Top left to right: Buff tailed bumble bee, common carder bumble bee, 14 spot ladybird, a plasterer bee. Below centre: water forgetme-oy and below far right a blue damselfly.

Twenty four Year 8 students battled it out for the coveted title of LGGS MasterChef 2024. The students worked in pairs to create two high quality dishes and contestants had to battle through their heat to reach the grand final.

The finalists were:

Ellen Love & Marley Lawrence

Alexis Aspin & Amy Atkinson

Avni Sharma & Ruby Tranter

Ava Ebrahimi Ashtiani & Julia Jeziorek

Naisha Shetty & Mary Wiener

Haadiyah Salyani & Safiya Ahmed

After a very difficult judging session Mr Kelly and Miss Thwaites decided on the top three prizes. MasterChef 2024

Champions:

Naisha Shetty & Mary Wiener

2nd Place:

Ava Ebrahimi Ashtiani & Julia Jeziorek

3rd Place:

Year 8 MasterChef

Ellen Love & Marley Lawrence

Next year we are hoping to open the competition to

Following on from the success of MasterChef, Year 10 were then up for the challenge. The Food Preparation & Nutrition group prepared an International Banquet for the staff. They created dishes from India, Italy, China, Mexico & Spain for the staff to select and order for their lunch. The whole experience went really well and the Year 10s received rave reviews from all the staff.

Mr Kelly, Head of Technology

Competition Congratulations

Blog post published by King’s College, London

Year 12 student Quirine’s blog post ‘Sustainability: engaging the next generation’ compiled for the Centre for Sustainable Business at King’s College, London has been published on their website

Young Minds Activists and Political Engagement

Beyla in Year 9 was chosen out of over 500 UK applicants as one of twenty ‘Young Mind Activists’. The programme lasts for two years, and involves being part of a team which will campaign to improve mental health services and provision for young people across the country. Beyla is the youngest member at 14 years old, and is representing North West England.

Anthea Bell Translation Winner

Catherine Townley in Year 13 has been selected as the winner for the North West in her age category in the Anthea Bell Translation Competition. The competition is run by The Queen’s College, Oxford.

Over 16,000 students entered and over 3,600 entries were judged, so this is a fantastic achievement.

Catherine’s story is even more remarkable as her translation was from Spanish into English and she has only been studying the language for two years.

‘BBC Young Journalist of the Year’ competition.

Marianna Ward in Year 11 entered the BBC’s competition during April. She was interviewed by the BBC’s Young Reporter Editorial Lead who told her, that due to the topic of her report being quite unique, it had caught the eye of the judges and she therefore passed two rounds of shortlisting.

Marianna went on to win the BBC Regional (North West) Young Reporter of the Year for her report on curling. Marianna, who is representing the UK in international curling for the second year, created a video report promoting the sport and arguing for more rinks to be opened to encourage increased participation, especially amongst women.

Standfast

& Barracks’ Centenary

Design

Competition Winner Congratulations to Neekee Taherian who was selected as one of three winners in the College/Sixth Form category of the competition.

‘We loved the detail and skill Neekee showed in her designs and the variation in design development. We liked how she thought about the repeat structure of her design in our Centenary, we will send

Mother Tongue Other Tongue

The Modern Foreign Languages department are proud to report another fantastic year of participation in the Mother Tongue Other Tongue Poetry Competition.

This is a competition run by Manchester Poetry Library and Manchester Metropolitan University, endorsed by former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, which strives to promote creativity with foreign languages and to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity within our school communities.

At LGGS, we offered our students the chance to participate and we received over 100 entries in a grand total of 27 different languages!

We were then tasked with the difficult decision of shortlisting just 6 poems written in ‘other tongue’ (a

language being learnt at school) and 6 in ‘Mother tongue’ (a language spoken at home). The judges at Manchester Poetry Library selected no fewer than 6 of our 12 finalists as regional winners, and their poems will be included in this year’s

Mother Tongue Other Tongue anthology. The winners were:

Other Tongue

Daisy Crow: Year 12 German

Isla Gordon: Year 12 French

Ellie O’Hare: Year 12 French

Cate Matthew:

Year 13 Spanish

Mother Tongue

Hanna Mintoff: Year 7 Polish Saimah Patel: Year 10 Gujarati & Spanish (Mother Tongue Other Tongue fusion).

Congratulations to everyone who submitted entries. They were a complete joy to read!

Ms Whitehouse

Combined Cadet Force

Combined Cadet Force’s (CCF) staff and students presented at an assembly to Year 8 students this term to promote all the wonderful leadership and teamwork opportunities joining the CCF provides.

had fabulous opportunities to go on multiple sailing trips to Killington Lake this term. We have enjoyed some wonderful sunny evenings, sailing.

We have also experienced the temperature of the

practising capsizing! Whilst sailing, we often play games such as follow the leader, or spontaneously decide to race each other. Last week we even tried sailing backwards with success. I have looked forward to every sailing trip irrespective of the weather conditions. It is always great fun and I feel very fortunate to be part of the Royal Navy cadets and to be getting these fantastic opportunities.

Annie Dickens, Year 9

During June, I took part in a week’s summer camp at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Devon.

There were 41 cadets which were split into 3 sections and our leaders were marine personnel. We launched into a non-stop, incredibly intense week which challenged us mentally and physically. We camped out on Dartmoor, with 24hr ration packs, cooking on small stoves. Activities included: an assault course, urban and rural battle, casualty evacuation and first aid, climbing and abseiling and marksmanship. We swam in a river and took part in powerboating, and night recce patrols. We also had a troop assaultfull battle against lots of leaders and finally a BBQ and games on the last night. It was an amazing week; I learned a lot about myself and made friends and memories I never want to forget.

Iona Munford

A busy half-term for Biology students

This half-term has seen two groups of Year 12 students visit Lancaster University to experience taster days. The first, a Biomedicine masterclass, introduced students to the grimly fascinating world of internal parasites in humans.

The lecture was given by an ex-LGGS pupil who is studying for her Masters. The content of the lecture was disgusting and intriguing in equal measure.

Students had the opportunity to carry out a diagnostic ‘faecal’ smear in the labs to determine which parasite was infecting a patient. The (fake, but very convincing) samples were apparently made of Weetabix and cocoa powder, which smelled quite

appetising … if you could get past the very real worm eggs in it!

The second trip took MedSoc (LGGS Medicine Society) students into the new Medical School campus. Whilst there they trialled ultrasound equipment on a model arm to diagnose disorders of the blood vessels. They had the chance to explore the different organs and tissues within the human body thanks to the

amazing model body they use for research.

We also took Year 12 Biology cohort to Grasmere to carry out fieldwork. The students undertook ecological sampling techniques – one in woodland and the other in a stream. Despite a couple of topped wellies, damp socks and midge bites, all went smoothly and the students gained valuable experience.

Dr Kitching,

Lancaster Slave Trade Trail

An aspect of our Year 8 history curriculum at LGGS is focused on a study of the Transatlantic Slave Trade through the lens of a local history study, Can we learn all we need to know about the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade from a study of the history of Lancaster?

As part of this unit we take all of our Year 8 students on a two hour walking tour around Lancaster, guided by the recently updated Lancaster Slave Trade Trail. They visited locations throughout the city, including the Quaker Meeting House, The Grand Theatre, St. George’s Quay, Dalton Square, and Lancaster Maritime Museum.

The Maritime Museum was built in 1764 to service the

expanding West India and slave trade and was originally the Customs House where ship owners paid taxes for the goods they were trading.

The students were able to see buildings and locations they have recently been learning about as part of their local history study on the topic of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. They found out how many iconic places and buildings in the city had direct links to the trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The students also visited the Transatlantic Slave Trade memorial which was erected in 2005 - the first sculpted quayside memorial to victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Britain.

Building on this experience, students created poems

about the walk and Lancaster's involvement in the trade. Each poem was entered into a form competition. with an overall prize for the Year 8 winner.

The students’ work was judged by our wonderful LGGS History Society Leadership Team, Year 12 historians, Honey & Saffron.

As always, the standard was incredibly high, and Honey and Saffron had a really tough job making their decisions.

After much deliberation, the winners for this year are:

Diya Chettuvalil: 8.1

Imogen Cripps: 8.3

Haya Omar: 8.4

Ellen Love : 8.5

And our overall Year 8 winner is Annabelle Morrish: 8.2

Each student will receive a congratulatory postcard and a copy of 'A Little History of the World' by E.H. Gombrich, a wonderful book, which we recommend to all our Key Stage 3 students.

Annabelle will receive the special illustrated version of Gombrich's masterpiece of narrative history.

Once again, well done, and thank you to all our wonderful Year 8 historians. We have really enjoyed reading your many thoughtful poems.

Year 9 History Trip to Poland

Year 9 historians visited Kraków this month to supplement their recent studies on the Holocaust during the Second World War.

The students received a guided tour of AuschwitzBirkenau to further their understanding of the events and effects of the Final Solution. They also visited the Oskar Schindler Factory Museum, which provided an insight into life in Kraków during the Nazi occupation and the work of Schindler in creating his famed ‘list’ that ultimately saved the lives of thousands of Jewish people.

The students also had a guided walking tour of Kraków Old Town, taking in sights such as Wawel Castle and the glorious Main Square. The trip will be running again during summer 2025 for those

who will be in Year 9 next academic year.

Mr Flory

On Saturday we went on a tour of AuschwitzBirkenau, two of the Nazi concentration camps established during the Second World War, which were responsible for the murder of six million Jews. We learned about the awful atrocities committed by the Nazis. The number of abandoned belongings was alarming, and the living conditions were unimaginable. We were all deeply moved at the pictures of thousands of victims and shocked at the ways in which they suffered.

When learning about The Holocaust in school, it’s easy to imagine Hitler and the Nazis as demons or monsters, but seeing the camps with our own eyes,

reminded us that it was human beings that caused this suffering, and that this horrific genocide was very real. Our experience showed us all how important it is to learn from our mistakes and not to repeat our history. Later that day, we explored inside ‘Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory Museum’ and learnt about his heroic acts, when he saved approximately 1200 Jews and employed countless others. After the war he was made one of the Righteous Among the Nations. We had time to reflect on Sunday, when we took a walk through Kraków’s beautiful Old Town, which is home to impressive, gothic architecture.

This experience was extremely intriguing and eye opening for us all. Emily Bryan

On the 21st June, Year 12 historians had the delightful experience of travelling to Haddon Hall, near Bakewell in Derbyshire, to further their study of their A-level History course: Tudors, 1485 -1603 (Component 1).

Haddon Hall is said to be the best-preserved fortified Tudor manor house in the country and is famous for its appearance in many historical films and series including Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Gunpowder, and

Haddon Hall

Wolf Hall. We were shown around by the incredibly knowledgeable Mrs Marsh who kept us all in check and made sure we knew everything there was to know about Haddon. She even had a copy of our A-level textbook and kept referring to things we had studied in the classroom. The trip was amazing and gave us all some first-hand experience at examining a historic place and spotting things we had learned about, such as working out which features in the chapel were pre and post

reformation, identifying crests on the parlour ceiling, and analysing the architecture of the building to work out which features were added later. We all enjoyed a lovely picnic in the stunning weather and made a short detour on the way home to purchase some sweet treats from Bakewell!

A huge thanks to Mr Yearnshire and Ms Brown for organising the day, and making the trip possible.

Honey Gott, Year 12, (President of LGGS History Society, 2024-25)

‘The experience of seeing such a beautiful, well-preserved property was invaluable to my understanding of the Tudor period. Mrs Marsh was an excellent tour guide - her expertise on the Hall was unbelievable!’ - Daisy Crow

‘It was an amazing trip that was very informative. Seeing the chapel in particular was an invaluable experience as we could see the changes made during the reformation. It was a beautiful place.’ - Holly Holgate-Smith

‘It was an amazing experience being able to get away from the textbook and see the remaining works of the Tudor period. It provided an insight into the lives of the people and allowed a deeper understanding of the course.’ - Beth Rea

‘Our Country’s Good’ Performance

In a penal colony in 1789 a young Lieutenant directs rehearsals of the Restoration comedy The Recruiting Officer. But with a cast of dispirited convicts, opposition from sadistic officers, and a leading lady who faces being hanged, Australia’s first theatrical production is in trouble from the start

Our Country’s Good is a 1988 play written by feminist playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, adapted from the novel The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally.

In the hold of a convict ship, ‘Sirius’, the convicts hear the flogging of a prisoner.

In Sydney Cove, an unnamed Aborigine witnesses the arrival of the first fleet.

As the convicts and officers establish their brand-new society, everything is up for reinvention. When Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark suggests they put on a play of George Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer, they set about ramshackle rehearsals. How can the convicts perform with the ever-present threat

of the punishment of death by hanging.

The play debates the purpose of prison: should it be to punish or reform?

It questions the nature of criminality and the redemptive power of theatre. Wertenbaker uses doubling of characters to convey a range of contradictions. Discrimination, imperialism, class divide and gender inequality.

Miss Woodhouse and Ms Sumsion

Young Musician of the Year Final

On Thursday 6th June, we held our Young Musician of the Year Grand Final. This is one of the highlights of the musical calendar at LGGS and is the culmination of a series of lunchtime ‘heats’ which took place before half term. This year, over eighty students entered the

The final was an absolute credit to our students, with the quality of musicianship being of an unbelievably high standard across the board. We are very grateful to our accompanist, Fredrik Holm, and also our guest adjudicator, Joanna Mangona, who provided some excellent feedback and advice for our

She also had the less pleasant task of deciding winners for the Junior and Senior sections. A huge congratulations to our winners, but most importantly to all the students who took part in the whole event. Music truly is thriving at LGGS!

Mr Swannell,

Young Musician of the Year 2024 Results

Junior Category:

3rd Place: Bea Dudek Piano (Year 8)

Joint 2nd Place: Erin Munford Clarinet (Year 9) & Izzy Wooldridge Voice (Year 9)

Winner: Lily Xu Piano (Year 7)

Senior Category

3rd Place: Isabel Street Oboe (Year 13)

2nd Place: Iona Munford Flute (Year 12) & Isla Gordon Saxophone (Year 12)

Winner: Alessia Giudici Voice (Year 12)

PA Raspberry Pi Finals

On 30th April, a team of Year 10 students took part in ‘PA Raspberry Pi Finals‘ which were held at Google’s London offices. The annual competition is a celebration of STEM education, giving students the tools and opportunity to invent products that can benefit society using engineering and coding skills and a Raspberry Pi micro-computer.

First there was an escape room challenge, with a focus on the impact of disability in team management, as the theme this year was ‘health’. Our cracking coders invented a device which would allow carers and those they care for a little more independence. It must have been nerve-wracking to present to such a large group, but our team remained confident and passionate throughout and went on to win the ‘Innovation Award’ for the Year 10 -11 category. Congratulations to all who represented the school, they should be really proud of their achievement. Ms Sandbach, Technology Teacher

Big Bang Fair

Year 7 and Year 8 students visited the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham this month. This fair allows students to explore a range of STEM careers and includes stalls and shows from major UK institutions such as BAE, the RNLI, Rolls-Royce, The UK Atomic Energy Authority. The students returned with a wealth of new ideas.

‘My favourite stall was the BBC because I got to go on TV and be a newsreporter, whilst learning about the Science of how they set all the equipment up.’ Daina, 7.3

‘I learned about the Bernolli Equation which we use to understand how planes fly.’ Anuhya, 7.3

‘My favourite bit was flying a drone in one of the stalls.’ Astrid, 7.1

‘I learned that wind turbines are hard to balance and that helicopters have to have weight or they don’t work.

My favourite part was when we learned that we can use snake venom to cure cancer and we got to hold a corn snake.’ Elsa, 7.1

combined with a very early start for some.

We hope the day has inspired many of our students to consider careers they that they had never heard of until the Big Bang Fair!

Fundraising

Charity fundraising is a big part of our students’ lives, starting in Year 7 and continuing throughout their school years. Please find below just some of the amazing initiatives our students have organised to support local and national charitable organisations.

Mind UK

A group of Year 7 students, lead by Lydia and Zahraa, raised £56.72 for by selling their handmade jewellery and crochet gifts

We are very proud of the tremendous effort and kindness of the students who spent hours creating a beautiful selection of craft items for charity. The bumble bees went down especially well with students!

Cancer Care

Well done to Arwa Mahmood in Year 7 who recently took part in a Cancer Care appeal to create crochet birds for an upcoming walking challenge. The challenge, which aims to promote conversation about

Library

So much has happened in our Library this term, starting in April when LGGS won the Lancashire Lit Fest Big Read Competition for a second year in a row. The challenge was to read the book Tyger by S F Said and then create a 50 word review recommending it to a friend. Auguste Sarakauskaite in Year 10 came joint first with a pair of students from another local school. The author was full of praise for their entries, stating, ‘I think there are two outstanding entries, both of which are very creative and engaging videos.’ - S F Said.

Auguste won three paperback books of her choice and her efforts also won £125 in books for our school Library including a copy of Tyger. Many congratulations and thank you to Auguste.

Author visits have countless benefits for our students; from giving an insight into the publication process to

demonstrating how an initial story concept is transformed through research and drafting processes into a fully fledged plot, these visits inspire our students to pursue creative pathways. We have been fortunate this term in welcoming two exceptional authors. Lauren Roberts and Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Lauren Roberts spoke to Year 9 students which was followed by an extended Q&A session, as well as hearing about her writing process and how the ‘Powerless’ series came to be.

With some big fans in the audience and plenty of new fans by the end of the talk, it is safe to say that our students were thrilled to have

Award winning author Kiran Millwood Hargrave spoke to Year 7 this half term. Kiran delivered a wonderful presentation about the scientific and ecological research behind her fantasy adventure books which, among other themes, explore the impact of humans on the environment. Year 7 students asked some wonderful questions and got to meet the author one-on-one during the book signing afterwards. Kiran’s books are available for students to borrow from the school library.

Earth Day Library Letter Hunt Competition

Well done to Kanmani for the hard work she has put in to her Pupil Librarian Gold Award project.

Kanmani created a booklet of puzzles ‘Celebrating Earth Day and climate fiction’ for our students to enjoy.

Lancashire Book of the Year (LBOY)

This month, we took fourteen student judges to the annual Lancashire Book of the Year

Library

have been working hard to read and critically assess the 12 books on this year’s LBOY Shortlist. Two of our Year 9 students, Anna and Fatima, read all 12!

At the ceremony we met six of the authors and saw Cynthia Murphy crowned as the 2024 winner. The books are judged by students from participating schools across Lancashire.

‘We always love being a part of LBOY as it gives a voice to young people by handing over the power to decide the outcome of a prestigious regional book award entirely to students. The chance to meet the authors face many of our student judges, an unforgettable moment in their educational journey.

We were proud to host the 2024 Lancashire Pupil Librarians’ month. We welcomed participants from schools across Lancashire who met with our Library Team to participate in activities. There were representatives from Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Baines

School, Broughton High School, Saint Aidan’s Church of England, The Elton High School and Holy Cross Catholic High School.

As part of the event, we put the students’ detective skills to the test in a murder mystery activity: Murder at Rivets & Gripps Bookshop. This was followed by a buffet lunch, a team literature quiz, and an awards ceremony at the end of the day.

LGGS Librarians decorated beautiful library-themed

goodie bags for our visitors, which were filled with books and stationery. I wish to say a huge thank you to all who participated. It was a truly exciting opportunity to connect with other schools, share best practice, and of course show off our school library.

A School Librarian’s job is made easier when she can rely on not just an amazing Library Assistant but is also supported by an incredible pupil librarian team and I am very pleased to announce our 2024-2025 LGGS Student Librarians: Year 8

Zara Ashworth

Daina Biju

India Carmichael

Elliot Carruthers

Arwa Mahmood

Hanna Salem

Year 9

Bea Dudek

Geography Field Trips

Geography field trips add value to the subject as they offer an insight into the physical world, helping to develop geographical thinking and an appreciation of the subject beyond the classroom.

Year 7 geographers ventured out on a trip to Ingleborough Caves in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The caves were discovered in 1837 and our students enjoyed a small walk before exploring the limestone landscape.

Year 10 geographers headed to Morecambe beach, to gather data and practise methodology for a future case study. They measured the distribution of sediment along the beach, and investigated the impact of tourism on the area.

Year 10 students also travelled to Salford Quays to gain an understanding of the impact of regeneration on the local environment and economy. The field trip included interviewing members of the public to gather their views and also undertaking a population

count. It gave the students valuable insight into this area of their studies.

Earlier this term, Year 12 undertook a field visit to Easedale Tarn to explore glaciated landscapes out in the field. This allowed the students to see the impressive U-shaped valleys, drumlins and roche moutonnées along the way,

as well as getting to analyse glacial till to understand the nature of glacial deposits.

The A-Level geographers visited Liverpool as part of their ‘Changing Places’ topic. They followed a multicultural route around Liverpool to help with their study of the different factors that make up the character of the city.

Students used a range of fieldwork techniques to gather data. A particular highlight was the talk they had with Woly, who is in charge of the Nigeria Centre. He informed them of the work of the Centre within the Liverpool community as well as his personal journey which had brought him to the city.

Mr Davies-Craine, Head of Geography

Year 7 Physics Trip to Jodrell Bank

‘When we arrived, we were given a booklet to fill in with some fun questions to complete. The first thing we went to was an exhibition of the history of Jodrell bank. It was packed with information which was super interesting. Next, we went to the planetarium which was so cool. There was a massive screen that was above your heads and we watched two films. We went to many other exhibitions, which were informative and interesting. There was a lovely gift shop. Overall, this trip was fantastic and family friendly, so I would totally recommend to go there.’ - Yarah

Jodrell Bank was an inclusive experience for all, you were taking part in many activities such as: observing radio waves, learning more about space and even more. I personally enjoyed it very much and would definitely visit again.

Jodrell Bank is home to the UK's Largest telescope, and we learnt about the history of the Lovell Telescope. It has played an important role in

the UK's history, tracking Sputnik 1 in space and being used to observe different galactic and astronomical objects.’ - Nabiha

‘We got to explore different sections of Jodrell Bank to learn about Space, a topic we recently explored in Year 7. We learned a lot about stars and our solar system. We in fact go to sit in a spacious Planetarium and watch an educational and entertaining film about the history of our solar system. We also got to watch a professional creating experiments and explaining the physics behind it. Jodrell Bank was a lovely trip to go on and one to remember!’ ‘Lara

‘We got to Jodrell Bank and first headed up to a large room filled with stations with information about the Lovell telescope and Lovell himself. Then we went into a cinema with an immersive screen that covered the spheric room. ‘We Are All Stars’ and another film on the construction of the Lovell telescope were played. After

our lunch break, we went into another building looking at gravity and blackholes, we even printed out readings from the telescope. We did some outdoor activities and then headed into a talk where the beginning of the Lovell telescope and what it has found was explained to us. Jodrell bank is a radio silent area, that means that our devices must be switched off completely as the telescope is looking for radio waves from outer space so when we have our phones on the radio waves from the phones interfere with the telescope. Overall, it was a good learning experience.’ - Evie

Art Exhibition

The feedback has been phenomenal following the success of our 2024 Art Exhibition in June, and we would like to wish all our students best wishes for August and beyond.

This year, students in the lower years were invited to view the exhibition during their art lesson to develop their skills in analysing artworks and understanding visual narratives, as well as gaining creative inspiration for their own artistic practice. Here are some of their observations: Mrs Nickell, Head of Art and Mrs E Field, Teacher of Art.

‘The piece that particularly captivated me was one of the largest on display. It was apparent that there was a narrative behind it, perhaps a 'night out' gone awry. The use of red around the mouth to evoke the image of a clown was especially intriguing. Minnie's skill and proficiency are so profound that no matter how long I observed the piece, I continually discovered new and impressive details … ’ - Valentina, 9.3.

Art Exhibition

My absolute favourite was a large piece of artwork displaying the female stereotype because not only did it look amazing and showed collage very well, but it also carries a very powerful message. I love how the artist was not afraid to speak up for what she believes in - Gracie 7.2

Sports News

Martial Arts Tournament

Congratulations to Etta, who won a trophy after competing at a Martial Arts tournament at the start of April.

World Rookie Tour Snowboard Finals

Well done to Alice Sanderson in Year 13 who competed in the World Rookie Tour Snowboard Finals. The competition was held in

Strathclyde Netball Tour

‘The trip was amazing from the rooms, the food, and the whole event.

We learnt new skills during the first night’s match. On Saturday we played some matches against students from different year groups which really challenged us. We then picked up tips and tricks from Sammy and Towera in the afternoon.

We played some netball games including shooting, then more matches before heading home.’

the English Junior Women’s Curling Championships 2024 as part of Team WODMAK. The other team provided great competition over the weekend and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event. Team WODMAK managed to win and will go on to represent England in the World Junior B Curling Championships in Finland this December.

North West Regional Dance Competition

Our Key Stage 3 dancers are runners up of the North West regionals and go through to the National Finals of the Great Big Dance Off 2024! We are so proud of our sixth form choreographers and talented dancers, well done.

Sports News

Tennis

Well done to India Carmichael in Year 7. India finished as runner-up in the LTA Leeds May Open Tennis Championships (14 & Under category). India also came runner-up at Hull last month at another competition. She has been a good ambassador for the red rose in White Rose County!

Athletics

Huge congratulations to the Junior Girls’ Athletics team who progressed through to the English Schools Athletic Association B Final in Blackpool on Tuesday 4th June and came 4th

Rounders

The Year 7 and 8 Rounders teams played a fixture on Wednesday 5th June at Morecambe Bay Academy. LGGS played against Morecambe Bay Academy (MBA) and Carnforth High School (CHS) and the results were as follows:

Year 7

Drew 5 ½ - 5 ½ vs CHS

Won 4 - 2 ½ vs MBA

Year 8

Won 8

Won 9 ½

Year 8 Tennis versus Bay

Leadership

Academy

Well done to our Year 8 Tennis players who played very well in some close games against Bay Leadership Academy. Many of the players had never played a fully competitive game of tennis before, so it was amazing to see their resilience and determination.

Rounders Fixtures

The Year 9 and 10 Rounders teams had a fixture at Ripley vs Our Lady Ripley in a round robin friendly tournament

Year 9 Lost 2

Player of the match: Hannah Year 9 Won 14 ½

Our Lady’s

Player of the match: Annika Year 10 Lost 5 - 7 ½ vs Ripley Player of the match: Amelia Year 10 Won 13 - 4 ½ vs Our Lady’s. Player of the match: Shaelynn.

British Sprint Orienteering Championships

The British Sprint Orienteering Championship was held at Warwick

Year 7 LGGS vs Ripley and Our Lady’s

LGGS Won vs Our Lady’s 10.5 -7.5. Player of the match: Anya Kornas

LGGS Lost vs Ripley 8 - 6.5 Player of the match: Summer Houseman

Year 8 LGGS vs Ripley and Our Lady’s

LGGS Won vs Our Lady’s 14-3. Player of the match: Alexis Aspin

LGGS Won vs Ripley 8-6.5. Player of the match: Mary Willan

Midsummer Supper Run

We were blessed with sunshine for the Midsummer Supper Run and I was pleased to see so many students enjoying their evening, many having only just completed their exams.

Sports News

Thank you to all who helped support our students and the school. and congratulations to everyone who took part in the Run. As you can see from the pictures below, the turnout was really impressive. There were lots of smiling faces on the night and we believe the chip butties after the race were very much enjoyed, too!

Rounders

On Thursday 11th July, the Year 8 Rounders team participated in the District Tournament held at Ripley. Luckily, the weather held nicely and we even saw a patch of blue sky!

The team were strong throughout - winning their first 4 games (Morecambe, BLA, Our Lady’s, Ripley B)

with significant margins. Bowler and Captain Olivia Corvi performed consistently with speed and accuracyoften resulting in the batters being unable to strike the ball. Gaia Romito was outstanding as backstop, making really difficult catches straight off

the bat.

Vivian Zhang gave her strongest batting performance to date, making contact with (almost) every bowl. Alexis Aspin was a key scorer for the team, frequently striking the ball far outfield. Every player on the team contributed to a strong fielding setup which often stopped the opponents from scoring. The deciding final match against Ripley A team was really tough. Their tight fielding meant that even with some big hits, it was still difficult to score. Ripley won the final game 5-2 ½. Olivia (Captain) commented ‘Our team had fantastic

Sports News

teamwork, all played really well, and overall, really proud of our results! We hope to come back even stronger next time.’

Team : Olivia Corvi (C), Sylvie Cook, Vivian Zhang, Gaia Romito, Mary Willan, Lucy Willan, Lucy Hawkin, Alexis Aspin, Sophia Cottam and Lucy Dickens. Player of the tournament: Mary Willan

Mary was a key player throughout every match producing some big hits, scoring multiple rounders and blocking some big hits while deep fielding. Mrs Marrin and Olivia Corvi

District Inter Schools Athletics

LGGS were crowned Champions of all age groups (7, 8, 9 & 10) at the District Inter Schools Athletics competition. The Year 10 team have won the trophy every year since starting LGGS, which is an amazing achievement. All the practise at clubs and in lessons paid off with 28 LGGS pupils achieving first place in their individual events across all age groups. Aibhlin Wroe broke a district record in the Long Jump with a jump of 4.45 beating the previous record by 7cm. This was held by a previous pupil J. Rimmer.

As anticipated, Sports Week was a great success thanks to the money raised from the Midsummer Supper Run.

Mike’s Sports Coaching delivered some amazing cricket, including cricket dodgeball, to our Year 7 pupils. Year 8 had a session with Street Monkey’s Academy, who coached in the

Sports Week

skills of free running, parkour and stunts. Year 9 tried their hand at archery - thank you to Miss Woodhouse, Mrs Yates, Miss Sharples, and Mrs Russell who let the Year 9 pupils drawback and aim arrows at them ... foam padded of course!

We ended Sports Week on Friday with a gym full of students taking part in ‘Just

Dance’. With the football Euros in full swing, all our clubs were centred around football, with up to 30 pupils attending each lunchtime.

‘Thank you to everyone for getting involved in all the sessions, you showed so much resilience and determination and you did LGGS proud. Roll on Sports Week 2025!’

Mrs Russell