On Monday, we joined in our Beginning of Term Service in St Nicholas’. It was a joy to sing again, as we know that singing feeds both our souls and our sense of well-being. The school was founded alongside the cathedral, and that foundation remains important to us as we aim to nurture Christian values in our pupils. At the same time, we welcome pupils and staff of all faiths and none, and we celebrate the diversity which enriches the life of our community. Mr Millward, our lay Chaplain and Youth Worker, is keen to support all our pupils and to provide them with opportunities to explore and practise their beliefs. The spiritual development of our young people forms a key part of their development as they seek to find their place in life relative to others and to the universe. Many will then live their lives according to their beliefs and in all of them, we hope to inspire a sense of wonder – both from within the academic curriculum and beyond. Our hope is that they will leave school (and home) prepared for fulfilling and generous service to others, tolerant and understanding, and with a strong moral compass.

Many of you will have been attracted to Leicester Grammar for its academic reputation, but I am sure you will also have given very careful consideration to your child’s happiness and to the values which will inform and underpin their journey through life. They learn those values both at home and at school and it is vital that we also equip them with the knowledge and information to make moral choices - which contribute both to their own and others’ well-being. Their subject-learning, assemblies, social interaction and form time serve some of this purpose, but our Life Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) also plays an important role. Aspects of that form a compulsory/ statutory part of their education as we prepare children for life in society today, and you can find the programme via the website, under ‘Departments’ (where you will also find a summary of each subject’s scheme of work). This year’s programme of study is right at the foot of the Life Education page:

https://www.lgs-senior.org.uk/departments

Of relevance is also our Relationships and Sex Education policy:

https://www.lgs-senior.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=475&type=pdf

We are especially pleased this year to offer a course in Mindfulness for nine weeks as part of the Year 9 Life Education course. Over fifteen Trust staff followed a course in Mindfulness last year and two completed the Teach .b course over the summer via the Mindfulness in Schools Project: https://mindfulnessinschools.org We hope that this course will support our pupils and help them to flourish as they encounter some of the challenges of adolescence.

I am very grateful to our staff who deliver the Life Education programme and to Mr Esmail who oversees it. Our teaching is planned according to pupils’ ages, is sensitive to pupils’ needs and is set within a clear framework. Our aim is to help our pupils develop, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally – in order to thrive in the future in all these aspects of their lives.

Best wishes,

John Watson
Headmaster