Creating Opportunities
As I write, it was exactly one year ago (the night of the Y12 parents’ evening) when it rained indoors at LGS and we had to shut the school the following day to clear up the mess! Fortunately, no-one was hurt, and we were able to repair the extensive damage, covered by our insurance. Such tribulations pale into insignificance when compared with the life-changing crises caused by war. We have been very pleased this week to welcome eleven Ukrainian pupils and four staff to the school. The pupils all come from families involved in the conflict, and we hope and pray that their stay with us has provided some peaceful respite, whilst also reminding us of how fortunate we are to benefit from peace and freedom of movement. I am very grateful to our families (with Y10 children) who have generously opened their homes to our guests:
Leicester Grammar School - Welcoming Ukrainian friends (lgs-senior.org.uk)
As we look forward to Activities Week, pupils have benefited from a fun Sports Week, with various activities organised by the PE Department. Our EDI group, EMBRACE, has organised a house MasterChef competition, with pupils preparing dishes from around the world, as well as a fashion show. And, as we look towards the general election, our Politics Society has given an assembly and organised hustings before our in-school election in the final week of term.
I am always delighted to witness the creativity of both staff and pupils, as they come up with fresh ideas to enrich the life of our community. According to the latest PISA report on creative thinking, 15-year-olds in England feel less likely than many of their international peers to express their ideas and to become involved in creative activities. Indeed, secondary schools in the UK are sometimes accused of strait-jacketing pupils and damping down the creativity which has been ignited in primary school! We continue to prize creativity at LGS, both in lessons where we want pupils to push the bounds of their imaginations, and in co-curricular activity. We also ensure exposure to a range of creative subjects (Art, Ceramics, Product Design - including Textiles, Food, Drama, Music), encouraging pupils to pursue at least one at GCSE.
With the holidays not far off and pupils finding that they suddenly have copious amounts of free time, we hope they will choose to be creative. It may be easier for them to laze in front of a screen, but it’s far less rewarding and developmental than using imaginations through reading, designing and creating, or through devising their own entertainment. Let them play!
Best wishes,
John Watson
Headmaster and Principal