6042 lesf insight newsletter 12

SUMMER 2017

THE GOVERNORS’ NEWSLETTER FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF PUPILS AT LOUGHBOROUGH ENDOWED SCHOOLS

A MESSAGE

M

y third year as Chairman has been another busy and extraordinary one, with a number of key milestones including the opening of our new Nursery and the official opening of Fairfield’s new building. The Schools continue to deliver academic excellence along with significant achievements in sports, music and drama. Of significant note, Fairfield was judged ‘Excellent’ in all categories during their ISI inspection, whilst the High School was awarded the Silver Certificate by the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Meanwhile Loughborough Grammar School celebrated the tremendous success of two of their students who were named UK Young Engineers of 2017 at the Big Bang Fair. Each of these milestones is an important element in placing the Schools at the forefront of Independent Education in the East Midlands.

In October, our new Day Nursery opened on the campus at Our Lady’s Convent School,

which now means that the Foundation provides a complete offer for children from 6 weeks to 18 years. The Nursery provides premium childcare for 51 weeks of the year and the opening has been well received with an uptake of places ahead of plan.

It was another proud day in March when Fairfield’s stateof-the-art new building was officially opened by Simon Timson, a past pupil of Fairfield and now Performance Director of the Lawn Tennis Association and British Tennis. The new building provides an improved learning environment which all Fairfield pupils benefit from, and also additional space, particularly for Pre-Prep, which enables Fairfield to deliver their commitment to smaller class sizes. Investments have also been made at Our Lady’s Convent School with improvements to the Sixth Form area and curriculum changes which broaden the educational provision. Significant progress

has also been made in developing a process for extra-curricular links across the Schools.

The Foundation also launched our revised strategic plan this year, with this vision: “To provide the best all round education to enable our young people to excel and to take a leading place in tomorrow’s interconnected world.” This aligns with our five fundamental values of striving for excellence, integrity, resilience, responsibility and curiosity.

The Board remain committed to continued investment in facilities across the estate and so, I am delighted to announce that plans for new girls’ sports facilities and a second Astro pitch are well underway. Both of these investments will strengthen the sporting offer as the new sports building will enhance and develop the sport provision for all girls at both Loughborough High School and Our Lady’s Convent School, whilst the new Astro pitch will deliver increased all weather

Governors and Executive Committee

Back row L-R: Dr Julian Murphy, Mrs Gwen Byrom, Mr Roger Harrison, Mr John Stone, Mrs Gill Richards, Mr Tony Jones, Mrs Rowena Limb, Professor Julian Ketley, Mrs Phillippa O’Neill, Mr Peter Jackson, Mr Andrew Earnshaw, Mr Duncan Byrne, Mrs Elizabeth Critchley, Mr Jim Doherty Front row L-R: Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, Sister Celine Leydon, Dr Peter Cannon, Mrs Mary Gershlick, Mr Peter Fothergill (Chairman), Professor John Feather, Professor Alan Dodson, Lady Jennifer Gretton, Mr Paul Alexander Governor not pictured: Professor Robert Allison

FROM THE CHAIRMAN capability for Loughborough Endowed Schools.

All of these events are covered in this edition of Insight however, the most critical element of any organisation is people, without whom none of this would be possible. I would therefore like to thank the four Heads and Chief Operating Officer and their staff who make Loughborough Endowed Schools the success that it is. I would specifically like to mention John Weitzel who retired from Loughborough Grammar School last summer after a remarkable 38 years’ of invaluable service and also thank Michael Pearson and Mohammed Mulla, who have retired from the Board of Governors during the course of this year, for their valuable contributions to the Board which have been much appreciated.

I also want to thank the Board of Governors who are so generous with their time and counsel.

As ever, their input is vital to the Foundation. The quality of governance is essential for our continued progress and we are very lucky to have such a dedicated and talented Board.

I would like to add that we are always interested in hearing from anyone who may have the skills and commitment to be a Governor and so if there are any parents/guardians who wish to nominate anyone, please contact Jim Doherty, our Chief Operating Officer, at The Bursary.

Finally, it has, once again, been an honour to be your Chairman and I thank you for all the many ways in which you give continued support to the Schools.

Peter Fothergill - Chairman

GOVERNOR

GOODBYES AND

THANK YOUS Michael Pearson Michael Pearson is both an Economics and Law graduate, gained from Manchester University and London University respectively. He is additionally a Chartered Secretary. The majority of his working life was spent as a member of Loughborough University’s finance staff where he attained the position of Bursar and Finance Director in 1990. His core responsibilities included delivering the financial and business management for the University, including commercial operations, sports, residential and estates. In this role he delivered a huge contribution to the University’s success through his vision and spirit. Michael retired from the University in 2007.

In 2008, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Leicestershire and awarded an honorary doctorate

by Loughborough University and appointed as chair of the board of East Midlands Housing Group.

Michael joined the Board of Loughborough Endowed Schools in 1991 and was Chairman from 2005 – 2014. During his tenure he has served on most, if not all of the Board’s committees and in doing so has been party to every major decision taken by the Foundation from 1991 - 2017.

Michael has made a significant impact during his tenure as a Board member and as Chairman, where his professional legal and financial expertise have been invaluable, but it is perhaps from his intellect, humanity and wisdom where he has afforded the greatest contribution. I thank Michael for all the support that he has given me over the years.

We wish him a well-earned retirement and he will be missed.

Mohammed Mulla joined the Board in 2006 and brought direct experience to bear on the Governance of the Endowment and the performance of the Schools having served for some years as a Governor of the City of Leicester College and also Regents College, including time as Chair of Governors at the latter. This extensive knowledge of governance in education was of considerable value to the Endowed Schools.

A graduate of Loughborough University in polymer technology and a member of the Institute of Materials, he has spent much of his subsequent career in project management and quality assurance roles, first at Boots and later at Ideal Shopping Direct at Peterborough.

Mohammed Mulla With several children at the Schools at various times, his commitment to high educational and operating standards has been very evident. His skills in quality assurance and audit have also shown in his committee work, which included service on the High School, Finance and Bursary Committees. We thank him for his contribution to the Schools and wish him and his family continued success in the future.

EXCELLENT INSPECTION FOR FAIRFIELD Fairfield has been judged excellent in all eight categories by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).

The School was scrutinised by ISI inspectors in areas from extracurricular opportunities to the quality of the teaching and pupils’ achievements. The Inspectors observed that “pupils of all ages, needs and abilities are successful in their learning” and noted that “the attitudes of pupils to their learning are exemplary”.

The inspection also recognised that “The curricular and extra-curricular provision is excellent with a wide range of opportunities enabling pupils to flourish within and beyond the classroom. The resources for outdoor education, music and sport are outstanding”.

Headmaster, Andrew Earnshaw said; “My staff and I are delighted with the report which underlines how successful teaching and learning is at Fairfield, and also recognises the many other aspects of school life which contribute to making our school a very special place to be”.

EXCELLENT

Our VISION is to provide the best all round education to enable our young people to excel and to take a leading place in tomorrow’s interconnected world.

MISSION Loughborough Endowed Schools will give young people the very best start in life. The inclusive and complete educational

experience we provide, ensures that academic achievement stems from the happiness and fulfilment derived from tailored learning, exciting opportunities and excellent facilities.

With over 500 years of history, our deep sense of community ensures our young people develop their unique strengths and personalities within a framework of resilience, integrity and mutual respect.

VALUES STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE Ensuring everyone realises their full potential in an environment in which they can thrive both as individuals and as fully integrated members of the Loughborough Endowed Schools community.

INTEGRITY Equipping everyone to make decisions and take action based upon clearly articulated moral and spiritual values.

RESILIENCE Developing an ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change and to keep going in the face of adversity.

RESPONSIBILITY Embedding respect and compassion for others so that everyone at Loughborough Endowed Schools recognises their responsibilities to their schools, to their community and to society as a whole.

CURIOSITY Fostering intellectual curiosity and a lifelong thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live.

FIRST YEAR

FOR HEADMASTER AT LOUGHBOROUGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL It has been a productive first full-academic year for Duncan Byrne, Headmaster at Loughborough Grammar School with many new developments.

One of the key focuses has been on improving parental communications to better understand parents’ requirements and also to provide focused information. This has included the implementation of a weekly Headmaster’s Blog and more information and consultation evenings for parents.

Improvements in pastoral care have included the introduction of a new ‘Buddy’ system with the boys in year 12 supporting the new boys in year 7, an enhanced

counselling service and the introduction of a stricter policy regarding the use of mobile devices at School, which has contributed to the Schools first award of the 360 Degree Online Safety Mark.

Duncan has also placed great importance on the need for balance in the boys’ lives and firmly believes that enough time exists in a boys’ life to work hard and play hard, as long as we help them to work efficiently and ensure that social media and computer games time is under control. He is keen that every boy finds his own way in which to contribute to the school community and The Thomas Burton Award has been

launched to reward pupils for their co-curricular commitment.

This requires boys to contribute to school life through Head, Hands and Heart, and in other words by engaging in an academic club or competition, a sporting or artistic activity, and a community or charity-based initiative.

fixtures at Quorn Playing Fields.

With regards to Sports, additional expert coaching resources have been employed in major team sports, new lighting is being put into the Sports Hall over the summer holiday and improved catering services are now provided for players and supporters during

Duncan Byrne said “It has been a real pleasure to get to know the boys and to celebrate their successes and efforts. My focus over the next 12 months is to further enhance academic standards whilst ensuring that the boys are able to achieve balance in their lives”.

Part of the development of the on-going School infra-structure is that the Classics classroom facilities have been refurbished and plans are well advanced for the construction of a second Astroturf and new cricket nets.

NEW GIRLS

SPORT

FACILITIES

Physical activity and sport at Loughborough Endowed Schools is viewed as extremely important.

We are therefore delighted to announce that plans for a new girls’ sports facility are well underway and the new sports building will enhance and develop the provision of sporting opportunities for all the girls at both Loughborough High School and Our Lady’s Convent School.

Phase one of the build will be the addition of a full size sports hall

and changing rooms which will allow for activities to be taught on a daily basis on site within both physical education lessons and extra-curricular clubs, such as trampolining, badminton, basketball, indoor football, volley ball and indoor tennis.

Phase two will consist of the renovation of the existing sports building to a dance studio, fitness

suite and changing rooms. Works for phase one will commence in the Spring Term 2018.

sessions. This will benefit both individual and school performances.

The completed build will also provide scope to further develop the already-established Elite Sports Scheme by bringing athlete training in-house and having the capability to establish specific training programmes and strength and conditioning

Headmistress Gwen Byrom said; “Sporting success at Loughborough High School is outstanding; the achievements and honours we are producing currently means we have a strong profile within the region and nationally. We already compete with the very best within the area, and our pupils have a positive outlook on physical activity and sport and they enjoy trying their best and striving towards reaching their potential. Our enhanced facilities will allow us to strengthen, and further develop, this ethos”.

A YEAR OF PROGRESS AT OUR LADY’S CONVENT SCHOOL During his first year as Headmaster at Our Lady’s Convent School, Dr Julian Murphy has implemented many improvements to the school. In the Preparatory School these include replacing the carousel of a different language each term in Years 3-6 with two weekly French lessons and one in Latin. Music teaching from specialists, including free strings lessons in Year 2, will be provided to all preparatory pupils from September 2017.

In the Senior School, German is being replaced with the more globally popular Spanish as the new ‘second’ modern language. Meanwhile, extra staffing has enabled greater ability setting in Year 10 and 11 Mathematics, and a new post-mocks individualised support programme for pupils in Years 11 and 13 has been introduced.

In the Sixth Form, the students’ area has been refurbished and there is now a choice from all 29 A Level courses provided across the Loughborough Endowed Schools campus.

Other developments include supervised after-school study sessions from 4pm to 5pm; a new code of conduct; ‘pupil voice’ clinics that will be run by Sixth Formers in a teacher-free environment, and a Headmaster’s annual essay competition reflecting the School’s Catholic ethos.

From September, a School counsellor has been appointed, and next year also sees the launch of a programme of parental workshops on relevant topics such as managing social media.

Stronger extra-curricular links are being made across the campus and following a successful pilot scheme with Loughborough Grammar

School for all year 9 and 10, it is hoped that there will an increasingly ambitious ‘cross-campus’ extra-curricular menu for students during the course of 2017-18.

Dr Murphy said; “My goal for the School is to extend the principle of personal care more rigorously to every aspect of our provision, particularly the academic. My long-term vision is a School that exploits the wonderful advantage of its high teacher-pupil ratio to become a national beacon of individualised care, support and aspiration.”

We are delighted to introduce an exciting new series of events for enthusiastic and committed musicians, which will run from this coming September. The “Enhanced Music Programme” will involve visiting experts coming to school to share their expertise through masterclasses, lectures, seminars and concerts.

The aim is to support all of our musicians, whatever their current standard, to become the best they can be.

Director of Music, Richard West said “The Enhanced Music Programme has arisen from some really useful feedback that I received from our young musicians, who are keen to make the most of the many opportunities that they have here. EMP lectures, workshops and masterclasses will all be free

of charge and open to pupils and their parents. The sessions will provide fresh perspectives on music from leading lights of the music industry and will continue to broaden the range of musical experiences available to members of the whole LES community. I am really looking forward to seeing really positive outcomes.”

EMP 2017-18 starts on 15 September with Lindsey Wagstaff from the Royal College of Music, who will give an introduction to the Alexander Technique, which provides practical methods of improving balance, support, posture and coordination. There are fourteen events planned for this year: further details can be obtained from the Music School website www.lesmusic.org.

JOHN WEITZEL RETIRES John Weitzel retired from Loughborough Grammar School in the Summer of 2016 after 38 years of dedicated service.

John joined the school in 1978 as an Assistant Master teaching Mathematics and Games, after attending King Henry VIII School Coventry and obtaining a First Class BSc in Mathematics and Economics from Nottingham University and a PGCE from Loughborough University.

John served the school in a variety of roles including that of chairing the Quincentenary Committee when the school celebrated its 500th Anniversary in 1995 which culminated in him being in charge of the visit by Her Majesty the Queen in 1996. He served as Deputy Headmaster and Acting Headmaster on two occasions but throughout his career he was involved in a huge range of activities including producing plays, musicals and

staff pantomimes; singing in the school choir; assisting with expeditions for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme; and serving as the Director of Cricket for 12 years and coaching junior rugby sides, from U11 to U15.

John is held in considerable regard by generations of boys who have passed through the School. We wish him a happy retirement.

THE NURSERY

AT LOUGHBOROUGH ENDOWED SCHOOLS ENJOYS A SUCCESSFUL OPENING We are delighted that Loughborough Endowed Schools officially opened its new Nursery on Saturday 1 October 2016, with the Mayor and Mayoress of Charnwood cutting the ribbon at a special opening ceremony.

The Nursery is based on the campus at Our Lady’s Convent School and provides high quality childcare for babies aged from 6 weeks to children up to the age of 4, from 07:30am to 06:00pm on weekdays, 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays.

All the rooms are at ground level and have been fully equipped with specialist age-group resources, a multi-activity room, a gymnasium and some exciting outdoor spaces. A dedicated nursery chef produces

nutritious, freshly-prepared meals every day, which are all served in a separate dining room.

We have seen a fantastic start with places filling rapidly and during the course of the last nine months, Nursery Manager Carla Brindley and her team have been busy welcoming the new children and their parents into the Loughborough Endowed Schools family. www.thenurseryloughborough.co.uk

NEW BUILDING

AT FAIRFIELD IS OFFICIALLY OPENED Fairfield Preparatory School officially opened its new building with a special ceremony on Friday 10 March 2017. Simon Timson, a former pupil and Performance Director at the LTA/British Tennis officially opened the building and the event was attended by the Board of Governors and the Mayor and Mayoress of Charnwood.

Our pupils at Fairfield are now thoroughly enjoying their light and airy classrooms with easy

access to the outdoor space and state of the art high-tech equipment. The new spacious gymnasium, specialist room for arts and crafts, food technology and the Pre-Prep performance space are all being well utilised.

The children in the purposebuilt Kindergarten unit have also been enjoying access to the new facilities and in fact, whilst the Pre-Prep children use the classrooms in the new building, all Fairfield pupils have access

to the shared spaces in the facility, such as the new gym, performance hall and food-tech room.

The building has been designed so that aesthetically it sits well within the School landscape and seamlessly complements the existing school buildings. After the demolition of the mobile classrooms, the playground is now fully functional and the landscaped outdoor play areas with wooden play equipment and

wildlife garden are now providing children with an exciting outdoor experience.

We are delighted that the new building, with its excellent facilities, has provided Fairfield with an unrivalled learning environment which will enable both present and future pupils, to build upon their aspirations and make new and happy memories.

ANOTHER YEAR OF STEM SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS Loughborough Endowed Schools is really confirming a reputation for excellence in STEM subjects.

For the fourth consecutive year, the number of teams entering and winning regional and national STEM platforms has increased. Many students from the Grammar School and the High School have now completed Bronze, Silver and Gold CREST Awards and we are very proud of their achievements. Here are details of just some of the innovations: Loughborough Grammar School’s Sankha and David have designed The Medivest which is a wearable vest for people with epilepsy to predict a fit up to eight minutes in advance. They beat competition from 21,000 students from across the country to be crowned Winners of the Big Bang Fair and UK Young Engineers of the Year 2017, and are now going on to demonstrate their project and represent the UK in the Asian and European ‘Contests for Young Scientists’. They will be travelling to China in August and

Estonia in September.

Kuljeevan, Matthew and Brendan, also from the Grammar School, form Team S.P.A.R (Supporting Pupils with Augmented Reality). They have programmed, and built, a Virtual School to enable young patients with a long-term illness to join live or virtual lessons.

The Virtual School was judged as overall winner at the Big Bang Regional Fair.

Team Safecase, made up of Grace and Meeram from Loughborough High School, designed a dynamic phone case with embedded security features to combat thefts and attacks against young women. They won in the Digital Skills Category at Teentech, held at the prestigious Royal Society, and are now excited about their visit to Buckingham Palace this autumn for the award ceremony.

ConductOvest is the innovation of Katie, Antonia and Jayna from the High School and they have developed a lightweight, technical vest with a supporting App to replace heavy jackets currently worn by train conductors. The vest could be used to enrol assistance in the event of a terrorist attack.

This year the team won at Teentech and will be going to Buckingham Palace for the award ceremony. Next year the team will compete at the finals for the Big Bang Competition.

These results are testament to the hard work of all who took part; many lunchtimes and weekends were dedicated to developing these innovations and creating prototypes and we are immensely proud of the achievements of all the STEM teams.

WHY LEAGUE TABLES DON’T TELL THE

FULL STORY

In common with dozens of other major Independent schools across the country, Loughborough Endowed Schools have decided that we will no longer feature in the league tables published by national newspapers for GCSE and A Level.

The fact that so many schools are absent undermines the relevance of the tables and this is one of many reasons why the Heads and Governors have decided on this course of action. In addition, some schools engage in ‘sharp practice’ to improve their league table position (for example, by entering some lower-achieving pupils as private candidates), which further discredits the tables’ accuracy.

League tables take no account of a school’s context and therefore, the position of a school reflects how selective it is, rather than the quality of teaching and learning. As a result, highly-selective schools in the South-East dominate the listing. In addition, the league tables take just one criterion as a measure of a school’s worth; they take no account of a school’s success in creating well-rounded, happy and motivated young people.

As we do currently, GCSE and A Level results will be published on our websites as soon as they are available. We believe that it is much more informative to provide a more detailed analysis rather than focusing on a single statistic chosen by a newspaper.

We would also like to stress that our results will continue to feature in the official Government Performance Tables. These will be picked up in the local press so you will be able to compare the schools’

performance against local competitors if you wish to do so. However, we would once again urge caution. For political reasons, the IGCSE qualifications, which the Endowed Schools have found to be excellent preparation for A Level, are not counted in the Government’s tables.

In recent years, despite our exceptional results at Maths IGCSE, these tables have shown that 0% of our pupils have passed the subject!

We do not chase league table positions by making decisions that are contrary to the best interests of our pupils. Instead, we wish to focus on providing a balanced education where academic results, although the most important aspect, are complemented by the acquisition of stimulating experiences, independent study skills and personal integrity.

HOW FEES ARE SPENT

Loughborough Endowed Schools 3 Burton Walks Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 2DU T: 01509 283700 F: 01509 210486

www.endowedschools.org @endowedschools

Loughborough Endowed Schools is a Company Limited by Guarantee, no 4038033 and is registered in England. It is also a Registered Charity, no. 1081765.

Registered Office: 3 Burton Walks, Loughborough, Leics LE11 2DU

Teaching & Staff Costs 48.3% Scholastic Supplies & Expenses 11.6% Maintenance of Premises 10.2% Catering 5% Welfare 0.7% Administration 13.3% Replacement of Assets 6.2% Capital Development & Reserves 4.7%