Headteacher's blog

Archived News

• Thursday 27 February 2025 Choral Workshop - 23 March - for Years 2-5 An exciting afternoon workshop for boys and girls interested in becoming a Cathedral Chorister will be held on Sunday 23rd March.
• Wednesday 26 February 2025 Revision - French style! Mrs Albans and Mme Smith invited our A level students into school last Friday during half term to do revision on the theme of 'cinema'. We did some work on vocabulary, grammar and A level questions in the morning, followed by lunch (which Mrs Albans cooked!) and then watched Amelie (2001).Mme Smith
• Tuesday 25 February 2025 National Cross-Country Championships
• Monday 24 February 2025 Half term upgrades Parents and visitors to the Longdon campus will notice quite a difference following the half term holiday. Our fantastic Facilities team worked long and hard to make improvements to the outdoor areas, notably the Forest Tots area (photo), new fencing, the emptying and removal of the two shipping containers, a new roof for the Forest School Shelter and a clearing and tidy-up of the whole site.
• Wednesday 19 February 2025 Netball success A very good win for our Y5/6 girls over Dixie Grammar last week.
• Tuesday 18 February 2025 Fantastic footballing future Congratulations to Poppy (Year 4) who has been invited to join Derby County’s Emerging Talent Centre.
• Monday 17 February 2025 Rotary Schools' Concert @ Garrick Theatre LCS students will be taking part in the Rotary Schools' Concert at the Garrick Theatre on Wednesday 5th March.
• Monday 17 February 2025 More TT Rock Stars! Years 3 to 6 took part in another national times tables competition last Friday - NSPCC Rocks!
• Sunday 16 February 2025 How to Prepare for School It’s exciting and nerve-wracking, sending your little one to school. At Lichfield Cathedral School, our Nursery welcomes children as young as two and a half years of age, and children enter Reception at the start of the academic year in which they reach five years of age. Attending the Nursery helps prepare little ones for the transition to Reception. However, if you are keeping your child home for those early years, there is no reason he or she shouldn’t be just as prepared, as long as you are proactive.
• Sunday 16 February 2025 Crafting choristers Friendship was certainly in the air this week. Choristers celebrated Galentine’s and Palentine’s Days by exchanging cards they had made for each other.
• Saturday 15 February 2025 Amazing Maisie 2nd in UK in Pole Vault Last Saturday, Maisie (Year 8) competed in pole vault at the National Age Group Championships in Sheffield against 14 of the best vaulters in the UK.
• Friday 14 February 2025 Everything You Need to Know About Exams in 2025 We are approaching a pivotal time in the academic career of Year 11 and Year 13 students across the UK, as they prepare to take their GCSE and A Level examinations this summer term. Preparing for exams can be stressful, and students often feel a mix of anxiety and anticipation as they approach this milestone, which can have a significant impact on their future. If you are feeling nervous about preparing for the GCSE exams, we can help with this guide to effectively prepare for your exams, so that you can approach them confidently and achieve the best results possible.
• Friday 14 February 2025 Valentine - an insight into our Cathedral assembly Each week on the Lichfield campus, we start Mondays and Wednesdays in the Cathedral. Sometimes we are sharing collective worship or hymn practice, and mostly on Wednesdays we hear from our Heads of School and Head Prefects. This week they spoke about Valentine’s Day – with a very LCS spin. I thought you may like an insight into what they had to say:
• Friday 14 February 2025 Shakespearean cupcakes ...? Year 4 are currently studying the works of William Shakespeare and have been busy reading Macbeth.
• Thursday 13 February 2025 Flood defence competition In the after-school Science Club, Year 7 and 8 pupils have entered the Independent Schools Association's national STEAM competition to design a flood-proof house.
• Wednesday 12 February 2025 Supporting Midlands Air Ambulance Year 3 recently hosted a fantastic fundraising event in support of the Children’s Air Ambulance. The initiative focused on collecting second-hand clothes, and we were thrilled with the incredible response.
• Tuesday 11 February 2025 ISA Midlands Cross-Country Championship In late January, LCS took a small team of athletes to Bedstone College for the ISA Midlands Cross-Country Championships. This was the first time the school had entered the event and, after success in the ISA Midlands competitions, we were hoping for more of the same.
• Monday 10 February 2025 U13 & U14 Boys' Hockey Tournament LCS recently headed to the annual In2 Midlands Hockey Tournament at NULS. Due to face some strong competition, the U13/14 boys were nevertheless full of excitement and hope.
• Sunday 9 February 2025 Concerto Concert - Sat 1 March, 7.30pm Listen to outstanding Lichfield Cathedral School soloists perform, supported by professional musicians.
• Saturday 8 February 2025 Semele - Tue 11th, Wed 12th & Thurs 13th February Tickets are still available, but selling quickly, for next week's performances of Handel's Semele.
• Friday 7 February 2025 Young authors celebrate These children in Year 4 have been chosen to have their short stories published by Young Writers.
• Thursday 6 February 2025 Children's Mental Health Week In Children’s Mental Health Week, I thought I would focus on the concept of stress.
• Wednesday 5 February 2025 TT Rockstars, Legends and Heroes! Over the past week, Year 4 have been focusing on improving their times tables. Their aim was to get the highest 'Rock Star Status' that they possibly could.
• Tuesday 4 February 2025 Volunteer at the National Memorial Arboretum If you're passionate about the work of the National Memorial Arboretum and have regular time to commit, you might be interested in volunteering. More than 240 people volunteer their time at the Arboretum in 13 roles across the charity. From welcoming and advising visitors, providing guided tours and walks to administration and marketing, volunteer and staff teams work together to ensure that all of visitors have a great experience. There are three different volunteer pathways available at the Arboretum for young people aged 15 - 18:1. Duke of Edinburgh Award – Young people will volunteer for a set amount of time to fulfil the requirements of a Bronze, Silver or Gold award. 2. Arboretum Ambassador – An opportunity for young people to volunteer on an ongoing basis, at least twice per month, on either Saturday or Sunday. 3. Youth Steering Group – representing the powerful voice of young people, helping to ensure that a youth voice is placed at the heart of the Arboretum'
• Monday 3 February 2025 Head's Reward Breakfast celebrating pupils
• Friday 31 January 2025 The importance of being cheerful Well, this is definitely one of my favourite subjects. Replace cheerful with joyful and we are reminded of our school motto ‘Inservi Deo et laetare’ – ‘Serve God and be joyful’. With our Foundation Day having been celebrated this week, looking to our roots and the importance of joy in school life is most apposite. So why is being cheerful such a potent thing? It’s certainly a prerequisite to teaching and is a quality we look for in any candidates we interview for appointment here in school. So let’s think about cheerfulness. People who are genuinely cheerful can light up a room, they inspire others to achieve their goals and bring a feeling of happiness and well-being wherever they go. Being cheerful involves a positive perspective on life, a sense that things happen for a reason and that things will work out for the best. Benefits of being cheerful:- It helps us feel better. When we make an effort to be more cheerful life becomes easier.
• Friday 31 January 2025 Joyous Burns' Night supper The annual Burns' Night celebration for Sixth Form students and staff last Friday was filled with all the traditional elements, including a fine feast (a huge thank you to Lee, Linda and the whole team from Accent catering!), Mr Harrison addressing the haggis, entertaining toasts and speeches, a convivial atmosphere and enthusiastic Scottish dancing!
• Thursday 30 January 2025 Preparing for Children's Mental Health Week
• Wednesday 29 January 2025 Year 4 boys embrace the haka Year 4 boys have taken to dance with gusto and vigor learning the haka.
• Tuesday 28 January 2025 Personal bests for Lucia Lucia took part in the Warwickshire County Swimming Championships recently. Just qualifying for this event was a significant achievement as it’s one of the most competitive counties in terms of qualifying times.
• Monday 27 January 2025 Well done Luella and Bea! Last weekend, Luella H competed for her pony club Heart of England at the area competition of the Barrier Animal Health Spring Festival at Solihull Riding Club. Luella (with Bea) and her team successfully came first in both dressage and 1 metre showjumping. Luella has now qualified for the Spring Festival Championships.As part of the Eventing Pathways programme, Luella recently took part in another intensive training course held over two days. This time the course brought Luella and Bea to the beautiful Stow on the Wold in the Cotswolds, at the Unicorn Trust Equestrian Centre. Luella and Bea are thoroughly enjoying the invaluable coaching and mentoring from the very best British eventing instructors and look forward to the next training camp very soon.
• Sunday 26 January 2025 Mythology competition open The Classical Association is running a Mythology Competition for children in Key Stage 2 and 3.
• Friday 24 January 2025 Blue Monday?? Don't accept everything you're told! Monday 20 January was the day this year when we are judged to be at our most depressed. This concept was born in Cardiff University in 2005, when a mathematical formula was created to show us just how miserable we should be:
• Thursday 23 January 2025 Royal appointment for Year 4 Year 4 had an amazing trip to Stratford-upon-Avon last Thursday. They visited the Royal Shakespeare Company to take part in a workshop exploring characters, scenes and themes using practical techniques from the RSC rehearsal room.
• Wednesday 22 January 2025 Valentine Make & Bake Workshop for 2-5 year olds Saturday 8 February10am to 11.30am
• Tuesday 21 January 2025 Rewind Concert - tickets still available There's one week to go before the fantastic Rewind concert, featuring local choirs singing classic songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s in Lichfield Cathedral.
• Tuesday 21 January 2025 Half-term Holiday Club
• Monday 20 January 2025 Jayce shortlisted for book award During the Christmas holiday Jayce J (Year 2) had the opportunity to exhibit his educational resources at Birmingham Children's Hospital. One of the purposes was to raise funds to donate copies of his book Jayce's Sweet Tooth (shortlisted as Best Fiction Book of The Year by The Book Chief Publishing House), to the early years pupils at James Brindley Academy - a hospital school for children while receiving care. Jayce raised £89.00, enabling him to donate 10 copies of his book to the hospital school in February. Jayce was also invited by The Royal Christian Centre in Walsall to deliver a story time session to the children at their end of year party. All of this good work led to Jayce being featured on a segment of the ITV News (screenshot below). Well done, Jayce!
• Sunday 19 January 2025 Save the date: Summer Ball 2025 Our parent association - The Friends of LCS - have announced the date of this year's Summer Ball.
• Saturday 18 January 2025 Jump Xtreme treat for Choristers The Choristers had a very enjoyable post Christmas treat at Jump Xtreme. All returned back back to The Palace injury free and extremely hungry to enjoy their Domino’s lunch!
• Friday 17 January 2025 Walking safely to School this winter We are aware that a number of our pupils are coming to School on dark mornings and, as we are in the depths of winter, darker evenings are a regular feature. Anything that we can do to educate them regarding personal safety and keeping safe as pedestrians and cyclists is of value. As such, many of our pupils will have already received a high-vis reflective fob to attach to their coat or bag. As keeping our children safe is a concern we all share, you may wish to discuss the following information with your children, particularly if they are making their own way in to School. Plan your tripSet out a safe walking route in advance with plenty of pedestrian crossings. In no time, children will be familiarised with a mapped out and safe route, putting parents' minds at ease. Be visibleMake sure the children can be seen. High-vis yellow vests and reflectors are great for making children easy to spot. Being visible can alert drivers or cyclists, especially in the winter months, that your child
• Thursday 16 January 2025 Year 2's Enormous Crocodiles Year 2 are looking at a variety of Roald Dahl books this term and we began with The Enormous Crocodile.
• Wednesday 15 January 2025 Fabric Design Club's fantastic flags The members of the Fabric Design Club at the Lichfield campus were given the brief of designing a pennant flag which represents themselves.
• Tuesday 14 January 2025 RA Young Artists' Summer Show 2025 Registration and submissions for the Young Artists' Summer Show 2025 is now open.Children aged 4 to 18 can submit work and it's free to enter. Each student can submit one artwork and there is no theme. When you enter, you will submit an image of the artwork plus some information about the piece such as title, size, and some text written by the artist which can include why they created the work and what it means to them. A panel of judges will see the artwork and the selected pieces will be shown in an online exhibition. Some of the artworks will also be shown at the Royal Academy of Arts during July and August.The artwork can be made using any material; it can be a painting, sculpture, photograph, installation, video, drawing, or a combination. There is no theme so artworks can be of any subject and it doesn't matter when you made the artwork, as long as you are between 4-18 years old when you submit it. For inspiration, why not take a look at last year's exhibition: 2024 RA YA Exhibit
• Monday 13 January 2025 Proud to support reading Mrs Mills, our School Librarian, was presented with a certificate from Rotary Books4Home to mark the achievement of the School community in donating books and fund raising to support other schools in the provision of library books.
• Friday 10 January 2025 Fabulous ski trip to Austria
• Thursday 9 January 2025 Equestrian success! We are thrilled to share that Sophie has successfully qualified for the National Schools Equestrian Association Eventers' Challenge at Hickstead in May in not just one, but two arena eventing classes and is now focused on the final show jumping qualifiers coming up in March.Well done Sophie!
• Wednesday 8 January 2025 Red Belt for William! Following a considerable amount of hard work, William (Year 10) has achieved his Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do – the belt before Black Belt.William's parents and all of us at School are very proud of this achievement, something that William has been working towards since he was 13 years of age.Well done William!
• Tuesday 7 January 2025 A New Year's Resolution? The start of the new year might cause you to think about undertaking some resolutions. This got me thinking about new year’s resolutions in general - why do we focus on them, where have they come from and are they the right way forward? Ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honour of the new year, although for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted and they made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favour on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favour - a place no one wanted to be. A similar practice occurred in ancient Rome, after Julius Caesar established Jan
• Monday 6 January 2025 Busy Christmas for Choristers and Choral Scholars Choristers and Choral Scholars had an incredible December, finishing their last service of the year with the Christmas morning Eucharist. They sang at the two 'Darkness to Light' Advent Services, at the Wedgwood Museum in Burslem and in The Town Hall in Birmingham (photo above), as well as the Christmas by Candlelight concert and two Carol Services in the Cathedral. In addition to these events, they continued with the usual services they sing each week in the Cathedral and had many hours of rehearsals after the School term had finished. Whilst doing all of this, they completed their School work and took part in many School sporting activities as well as their own extra-curricular ones. They did have some time to relax and enjoy the company of their friends and families, and had great fun at the Christmas parties hosted by Canon and Mrs Stead, which began with carol singing at their front door. The competitive streaks certainly showed when playing the traditional (to the Choristers!) pa
• Thursday 19 December 2024 Maths investigations A Maths investigation morning was held at Longdon recently.
• Wednesday 18 December 2024 Well done Jayce! This week, Jayce J (Year 2) attended The Benjamin Zephaniah Future Writers Competition Ceremony at Birmingham City University.
• Tuesday 17 December 2024 Karate black belt for Jared
• Monday 16 December 2024 British Shooting Schools Championship Dougie (Year 10) has qualified to represent LCS at the British Shooting Schools Rifle Championships that will be held at Cannock Chase Leisure Centre on Wednesday 5th February 2025!British Shooting supports the development of grassroots shooting in England and promotes quality and professional governance for target shooting sports, and is funded by UK Sport and Sport England. Dougie's mum commented: "So proud of him, there was some very strong competition, especially in his category, so we're glad he got through, fingers crossed for the final!"Good luck Dougie!
• Friday 13 December 2024 Marvellous Nativity!
• Thursday 12 December 2024 Christmas Dinner Day This end of the Michaelmas Term is always characterised by the excitement of the children in the run up to the holiday, the flurry of festive events that punctuate this point in the year and a general sense of good-natured business.
• Wednesday 11 December 2024 Christmas Tree Festival The Pre-Reception children enjoyed a visit to the Cathedral to decorate the School's tree in this year's Christmas Tree Festival.
• Tuesday 10 December 2024 Inspired by Kandinsky Year 2 recently looked at the art and methodology of Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky.
• Monday 9 December 2024 Highlighting climate change
• Sunday 8 December 2024 Recent Hockey results LCS hockey players have been in plenty of action over the last couple of weeks - although some freezing conditions put paid to several fixtures.
• Saturday 7 December 2024 Fabulous fundraising by Tessa Tessa (Year 8) would like to give a "BIG Thank You" to everyone who came along to the Christmas Fayre and "placed a bet" for black, red, odd or even numbers on the roulette game at her charity fundraiser stall.
• Friday 6 December 2024 A Head's Advent Countdown This is always a busy term in School and it is easy to forget how many reasons we have to be glad about all that School life has to offer. So, I have decided to create an ‘Advent Countdown of Gratitude’. Here goes:1. We have Choristers and Choral Scholars and have just enjoyed the awe and wonder of the beautiful Advent services in the Cathedral.2. We are a warm and welcoming environment.3. We get to spend time in a beautiful medieval cathedral and Close, and the Longdon countryside.4. We have amazing experts and enthusiasts all around us.5. We have a fabulous Friends’ Group who arranged a fantastic Christmas Fayre.6. We have a delicious lunch every day.7. We are warm.8. We are blessed with good friends.9. We are blessed with good colleagues.10. We have more than we really need and can give to the Foodbank and to our community in other ways, like the current toy appeal.11. We have pupils who are doing amazing volunteer work in the community.12. We have a culturally ric
• Thursday 5 December 2024 Stunning Advent Carol Services The Choristers and Choral Scholars performed outstandingly on Saturday and Sunday at the Advent Carol Services.
• Wednesday 4 December 2024 Chorister Auditions For those wishing to audition to become a chorister within Lichfield Cathedral Choir, auditions will take place on Saturday 1st February 2024.
• Wednesday 4 December 2024 Careers: Mock interviews As part of the Careers programme at School, Year 11 students recently had mock interviews with Bridge Builders - a network of professional volunteers.
• Tuesday 3 December 2024 A Guide to the Top Private Schools in Staffordshire Private schooling in Staffordshire offers numerous advantages. With a growing number of families exploring this option, understanding what makes these schools unique is vital.
• Tuesday 3 December 2024 Exploring the Benefits of Independent Schools in Sutton Coldfield: A Parent's Guide Sutton Coldfield, a picturesque suburb of Birmingham, has seen a significant rise in the demand for independent schools. This trend reflects a shift towards personalised education experiences that cater to individual student needs.
• Tuesday 3 December 2024 Carol Singing for the Community
• Tuesday 3 December 2024 Chorister installations & promotions Alice and Aleksandra were recently installed as a full choristers and Alina was promoted to a senior role within the Lichfield Cathedral Choral Foundation. Congratulations to all three of them.
• Monday 2 December 2024 Fantastic Christmas Fayre! Fun and Christmas cheer were on the menu for the Christmas Fayre at the Palace, alongside turkey baps with stuffing, of course!
• Monday 2 December 2024 Cantorum at the Quill & Scholar Our Senior choir, Cantorum, have a busy programme of events for the academic year 2024-2025.
• Monday 2 December 2024 Using masks to explore perception Year 9 are currently studying 'Face - The Play' in Drama lessons, a brilliant story adapted by Benjamin Zephaniah and Richard Conlon, from the original best-selling novel by Benjamin Zephaniah.
• Sunday 1 December 2024 Inter-County Cross-Country On Saturday 16 November, three Lichfield Cathedral School pupils competed for the Staffordshire Schools County Cross-Country team at an inter-counties event. The competition took place at Himley Hall and included eight county teams, including West Midlands, Cheshire and Surrey as well as Staffordshire. It was a high-quality event which saw 80 of the country's best cross-country runners compete against each other. Four LCS pupils qualified to represent Staffordshire, with three of them competing on the day.
• Saturday 30 November 2024 Sports Awards Dinners The PE department hosted their Sports Awards Evenings at Lichfield Sports Club this month. These wonderful events provide an opportunity for our pupils to reflect on their achievements from the 2023-2024 academic year and there were many amazing achievements, which were rightfully celebrated with the awarding of Full and Half Sports Colours
• Thursday 28 November 2024 Inter Faith Week photo comp winners
• Wednesday 27 November 2024 The true meaning of Christmas Christmas is a magical time of year for many children, but it can easily become all about the presents. As Christians, we celebrate God sending His son into the world as part of His plan to bring salvation to people everywhere. As we are grateful to God for his gift of Jesus, Christmas is seen as a time for generosity and for thinking about the needs of others.
• Tuesday 26 November 2024 Special Chorister Prep! Choristers spent a very productive time between services on Sunday making crafts to sell on the Chorister stall at the Christmas Fayre on Sunday.
• Saturday 23 November 2024 Learning about food from Accent We are grateful for the Accent catering team who visited the Lichfield campus last week to deliver sessions to Year 11 students on the vital role of 'brain foods' for their development and to Year 5 & 6 pupils on the importance of a balanced 'Eatwell' plate for a healthy lifestyle.
• Friday 22 November 2024 Congratulations Amy! Last weekend Amy E (Year 8) competed in her first British Theatre Dance Association All England Dance Finals.
• Thursday 21 November 2024 Chorister installations in November On Sunday 17th November, Miles H was installed as a Full Chorister and Arjen BK was promoted to a senior role in the Lichfield Cathedral Choral Foundation. Congratulations to them both.
• Thursday 21 November 2024 TT Rockstars - excellent results again!
• Wednesday 20 November 2024 Poetry Challenge winners After a very successful National Poetry Day with Daniel Thompson, we decided to set the children their very own Longdon poetry challenge based on Remembrance Day.
• Tuesday 19 November 2024 U9 Girls' Hockey Hi, my name is Darcy and I am the Sports Captain at Longdon. Here is my match report for the U9 Girls' Hockey Fixture that took place last week: On Friday the 15th of November, some of the Year 3 and 4 girls played a hockey match against Newcastle-Under-Lyme School. The girls left at 1.30pm and, when they got there, went straight to the hockey pitch. The girls started playing and it was fun, but exhausting!The first girl to score a goal was Poppy T. However, the match became really tense because Newcastle scored 3 times in a row and were leading 3-1 at half time! Then, another goal was scored a few minutes later by Poppy E. This meant the score was 2-3. Thankfully, Poppy R saved the day as, near the end of the match, she scored a goal, meaning the final result was a draw. Everybody did really well!
• Tuesday 19 November 2024 U12 Girls' Hockey On Monday the 11th November, the U12 Hockey team played against Stafford Grammar.
• Monday 18 November 2024 The importance of leadership
• Sunday 17 November 2024 £4,300+ for Children in Need LONGDON CAMPUSA huge thank you to all of the families that took part in this year's Children in Need.
• Saturday 16 November 2024 Chorister stall a hit at Artisan Market The weekend was a little busier than usual for Choristers. As well as their usual Sunday duties of singing morning Eucharist at 10:30am and Evensong at 3:30pm, some were also working hard in the Cathedral on Saturday running the Chorister stall at the Artisan Market. They raised over £500 for Chorister funds with their amazing upselling skills!
• Friday 15 November 2024 ArtyFact Theatre captivates imaginations On Wednesday 6 November, ArtyFact Theatre Company came into the Junior School and performed their adaptation of Oliver Twist.
• Thursday 14 November 2024 Operation Christmas Child 2024
• Thursday 14 November 2024 U15 ISA Midlands Rugby 10s Tournament On Wednesday, the U15 rugby team travelled to Worcester RFC to the annual ISA Midlands 10s Tournament.After an early departure for the boys and a long journey, the team was excited to get involved in a day of rugby, on a glorious, sunny Worcester day.
• Wednesday 13 November 2024 U14 & U16 Rugby 7s ISA Tournament On Wednesday 6 November, LCS took U14 and U16 Rugby 7s teams to compete in the annual ISA tournament held at Market Bosworth RUFC.U14 TeamThe U14 team were super excited to showcase their talents and started with a strong performance against Pitsford. An early try from Ben set the tone, after some brilliant attacking play (7-0). Louis also crossed the line to extend the lead to 14-0. Pitsford were able to cut the lead in half and made it 14-7 with minutes to play, but Ben went over for his second try of the match, finishing with a score of 21-7.In their second match, the boys faced a strong Worksop team, who were physical at the break down and in the scrum. Worksop were able force their way over the line to take a 7-0 lead, however LCS fought back, with a great individual try from Ben, to level the scores at 7-7. Worksop once again crossed over the line to make it 14-7. A back-and-forth game saw LCS tie the game at 14-14 with a team try, culminating in a score for Louis. Worksop were a
• Tuesday 12 November 2024 Anti-Bullying Week 2024 On Tuesday, the Reception children enjoyed taking part in Odd Sock Day as part of Anti-Bullying Week, and in talking and learning about what respect is and means.
• Monday 11 November 2024 Remembrance 2024 This week we have much pause for thought. Firstly, as we commemorated Remembrance in the Cathedral with a service on Monday, then yesterday in Head’s assembly, where Mrs Hall and Sebbie spoke to us about acts of kindness and their charitable kindness foundation as part of World Kindness Day. It is also Anti-Bullying Week and in the spirit of LCS we have found time and space to consider all of these important events.
• Friday 8 November 2024 Learning from the past Year 6 enjoyed an extremely interesting and informative day at RAF Cosford as part of their history topic on the World Wars. They saw a range of aircraft used during World War I and World War II and had a go in the cockpit too! During their workshop they spent time in the RAF strategy room and dressed up as RAF officers as well as exploring artefacts from the War.
• Thursday 7 November 2024 We've achieved Artsmark Gold! We are delighted to have received a prestigious Gold Artsmark Award. Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It transforms teaching through creativity, empowering teachers with the skills they need to embed arts, culture and creativity across the whole curriculum, and is proven to support pupil outcomes and wellbeing.
• Monday 4 November 2024 U13 Rugby v Bishop Walsh On Monday 4 November, the U13 Rugby team travelled to Bishop Walsh School. On a misty afternoon in Sutton, the team were excited to play a strong opponent.
• Saturday 2 November 2024 Fantastic fundraising by Ophelia Ophelia is taking on an amazing personal challenge this month. Having recently learned more about charity in class and completing the sponsored swim her class undertook last year in memory of Rob Burrows, Ophelia wanted to do more and, after weighing up her options, she decided to do something related to running.
• Thursday 31 October 2024 Medal of Honour for Jayce Published author Jayce (Year 2) was recently recognised for his efforts to improve child literacy by being named as this year's youngest recipient of the British Citizen Youth Award, Medal of Honour. Jayce was invited to receive the award at the House of Lords by Baroness Caroline Cox of Queensbury, and it was presented to him by Dame Mary Perkins, founder of Specsavers.
• Tuesday 29 October 2024 Busy programme for Cantorum Our Senior choir, Cantorum, have a busy programme of events for the academic year 2024-2025 including singing several services in Lichfield Cathedral, performing at the Quill & Scholar for a Charity Christmas Concert and taking part in the School opera in February. If you wish to hear them, please see the poster for further information.
• Monday 28 October 2024 Winter Wonderland 2024
• Friday 25 October 2024 Back to the 80s!
• Thursday 24 October 2024 Young Poetry competition Do you enjoy reading poetry? Why not have a go at writing poetry and enter the Staffordshire Young Poetry competition?
• Wednesday 23 October 2024 Senior Chorister treat! Chorister staff enjoyed the company of Heads, Deputy Heads and Year 8 Choristers at Ask at the end of the first half term.
• Tuesday 22 October 2024 Hockey round-up LCS hockey players have been out in force over the last few weeks, from our youngest players at Longdon to our oldest in the sixth form at Lichfield.
• Monday 21 October 2024 U15 Rugby v Bishop Walsh On Thursday in Week 7, the U15 Rugby team travelled to Bishop Walsh school for their first game of the season following some previous cancellations. The boys who have been keen to get some competitive rugby this season were raring to go!
• Saturday 19 October 2024 Minster Hall official opening
• Saturday 19 October 2024 The secret of success - happiness! I recently read an excellent article in Forbes magazine. It was talking about the link between success and happiness. We know here in School that happy children are successful ones and as such, we place so much importance on the whole child and ensuring they have opportunities to enjoy their academic work and extra-curricular activities. It is also the case that a strong pastoral team and caring ethos feed into the School’s culture of creating an environment where children can feel safe and appreciated. We also know that our busiest children are often the most successful too and it is often because in trying many things they have met with failure and success and developed a growth mindset.
• Friday 18 October 2024 Black History Month celebrations The children at Longdon have been celebrating Black History Month since the start of October, learning about the achievements of the black community throughout history and the impact their crucial, but sometimes forgotten, work has had on society.
• Thursday 17 October 2024 Cannock & District Cross-Country On Wednesday 9 October, LCS took a big cross-country team over to Chase Terrace for the first Cannock and District competition of the year. In recent years, we have done exceptionally well at these competitions and the amount of pupils taking part has increased. At the competition last week, we were one of only two schools who had teams of four in every race and there were some fantastic achievements across the board. Some of the stand out achievements from the competition are below:
• Wednesday 16 October 2024 U12 ISA Football Tournament On Friday 4 October, LCS travelled to Highclare for the annual Midland Independent Schools Association (ISA) U12 Football Tournament. The team were very excited on the journey there, talking formations, tactics and everything else in between!
• Tuesday 15 October 2024 Science investigations with Years 5 & 6 Year 6 have been busy in Science this half term. They have been looking at the classification of animals and particularly enjoyed looking at microorganisms under the microscopes. They also tested whether moisture levels affect the growth rate of mould on bread.Meanwhile, Year 5 have been investigating Forces, employing a variety of experiments. They made different-sized parachutes to test if surface area affected the rate of a fall, and learnt about how air resistance works. They also experimented with water resistance and investigated whether the shape of modelling clay affected the rate of a fall through water.
• Monday 14 October 2024 The great outdoors Obviously, here at LCS we love getting the children outdoors. Outdoor activities are so good for physical and mental wellbeing and our mantra is ‘it’s never the wrong weather, only the wrong clothing’. Thus, Forest School is often seen operating in the wind, rain and snow, helped along by a flask of hot chocolate and the odd s’more. So, on World Mental Health Day and with half term only a week away, here are some great ideas for getting your children to spend more time in the great outdoors.
• Saturday 12 October 2024 Celebrating National Poetry Day To start National Poetry Day off at Longdon, we had the fantastic Daniel Thompson come in for an assembly where he read some of his positive poetry from his books, Being You and Outside In. He gave a fascinating motivational talk about how he became an author, and all the children listened intently and seemed to really enjoy it.
• Friday 11 October 2024 Poetry by Heart regional celebration Hundreds of children hear live poet for National Poetry Day
• Friday 11 October 2024 Year 7 residential to York Our Year 7 pupils enjoy a 3-day trip to York at the beginning of the academic year - for some, this may be their first residential trip without their family. A packed schedule of educational visits and social activities ensure that new friendships are formed and memories made that will last a lifetime.
• Thursday 10 October 2024 RS students visit Lichfield Mosque Year 10 & 11 GCSE Religious Studies students visited the Lichfield mosque and Islamic Centre on Monday, which is only a ten minute walk from School, around the other side of Stowe Pool. We received such a warm welcome from the Imam and his wife.
• Wednesday 9 October 2024 U14 Rugby - Staffordshire Cup Last Thursday the U14 Rugby team travelled to Trentham Academy to play in the second round of the Staffordshire Cup, having received a bye in the first round. The boys had been training hard in their games lessons and at afterschool rugby club, so were excited for the fixture.
• Tuesday 8 October 2024 U11 Football v Ss Peter & Paul On Tuesday afternoon, there was another football fixture for our U11 pupils, this time against a school just around the corner from LCS. Our junior pupils always enjoy multiple fixtures with Ss Peter and Paul School and the team were hoping to continue on from their success at the U11 football tournament the day before.
• Monday 7 October 2024 U11 Football success On Monday 7 October, the U11 Football team took part in a School Games Football Tournament for schools in the Lichfield and Burntwood area. The tournament was very well attended, with four groups of three teams taking part.
• Saturday 5 October 2024 The value of school mottoes This week I have been reflecting on a LinkedIn discussion about the value of school mottoes. Ours here at LCS – Inservi Deo et Laetare - ‘Serve God and be Joyful’ seems perfectly apt for our Cathedral School and inspires us to put the best foot forward and look for the sunshine peeking through the clouds all the time, whilst not losing sight of the value of service and our faith foundation.
• Friday 4 October 2024 Inspired by David Attenborough Year 2 have started to look at the Access Art curriculum and we have watching some of the documentaries presented by Sir David Attenborough, featuring incredible video footage of the natural world.
• Thursday 3 October 2024 Ukelele Club in the local community Jaymie and Poppy (both Year 11) have launched a Ukelele Club with members of the Lichfield Friends 2 Friends group, a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities, other vulnerable adults and their carers.
• Wednesday 2 October 2024 Junior Hockey Every girl in Year 5 and 6 had the chance to represent the School this week in a mass fixture with Denstone.
• Tuesday 1 October 2024 Staffs County Hockey Championship
• Monday 30 September 2024 Stargazing Season Join Dr Lane for Stargazing Season on the Palace lawn. We will use the School's telescopes, but feel free to bring your own equipment.
• Sunday 29 September 2024 Messy Science It has been a messy week in science for Year 4 as we have been learning about the digestive system. The children explored how food goes through the body and how it is digested before it is excreted as faeces.
• Saturday 28 September 2024 Time travelling with Year 4 As part of their new history topic, 'The Anglo-Saxons and Scots', Year 4 travelled back in time to learn what village life would have been like in 600AD.
• Friday 27 September 2024 Harvest celebration through art Over the past couple of weeks, children in Reception to Year 4 have been busy entering a 'tractor art competition' to celebrate Harvest.
• Thursday 26 September 2024 Importance of gratitude to wellbeing This week we can reflect on all we have already achieved this term and similarly on all that for which we are most grateful. In particular, this week we show gratitude for our new Cathedral Dean – Bishop Jan MacFarlane. We are doubly blessed as +Jan is also a governor of our school and on Saturday it was a joy to see so many of our school community supporting her installation. It was a wonderful occasion, to see the first female dean be placed in this role.
• Wednesday 25 September 2024 Introducing Miss Ellis
• Wednesday 25 September 2024 Trying new sports Last Tuesday, all pupils in Years 5 and 6 had a taster session in laser target shooting. This taster event was run by Target Sport Burntwood who taught the children how to use the laser guns and how to aim at targets.
• Tuesday 24 September 2024 Library induction completed Year 5 and 6 pupils celebrated their library induction with Mrs Mills, the School’s Librarian, on how to use the 'Reading Zone' at Broadhurst.
• Monday 23 September 2024 Supporting Midland Air Ambulance The Midland Air Ambulance visited our Year 3 children in July at Longdon, and brought along Blade, their mascot. They learned about the Children’s Air Ambulance helicopters that provide a flying intensive care unit for babies and children that need to receive urgent care or be transported safely to a specialist treatment centre.
• Sunday 22 September 2024 Harvest Festival donations
• Saturday 21 September 2024 Who was Julian of Norwich? This week our senior student team have been encouraging us through assembly to reflect on Julian of Norwich and what can be learned from her life and work.
• Friday 20 September 2024 Dancing success! In July, Daisy A (Y10) took part in the Dance World Cup 2024 with her Acro trio and small lyrical dance group. In every dance the Acro trio entered, they were awarded Bronze medals, while the small lyrical group achieved 4th in the world and their small show dance achieved 5th in the world - what fantastic results!
• Thursday 19 September 2024 Chorister installations in September On Sunday, the Cathedral Full Foundation Choir sang outstandingly at the morning Eucharist and again in the afternoon at Evensong. During Evensong we had four trainees, Ivy B, Maisie R, Dhillon S and Dominic S, installed as Full Choristers together with Bella B, Reece C, Poppy G, and George S as Choral Scholars.Henry K, Francesca B and Grace ET were commissioned into their roles as Head Choristers for this year, along with Isobel D and Laurie M in their roles as Deputy Head Choristers. Sophie C, Quinn F and Oliver R were commissioned as Head Choristers Emeritae.
• Tuesday 17 September 2024 Thinking about Year 7 in 2025? Parents of children currently in Year 6 and Year 5 are invited to visit the Cathedral School -our next Open Morning is on Friday 4 October from 9.30am.
• Monday 16 September 2024 Harvest Craft Workshop for 2-5 year olds
• Thursday 22 August 2024 GCSE results a triumph!
• Thursday 15 August 2024 Excellent A Level results!
• Sunday 11 August 2024 Sixth Form Open Evening Tues 8 Oct There is a lot to pack into Sixth Form:
• Saturday 10 August 2024 Few Year 7 places remain for Sept If you are not sure that your child will thrive at their assigned secondary school, there is still time to make a change.
• Friday 9 August 2024 Junior Open Morning Fri 20 Sept
• Wednesday 7 August 2024 Forest Tots from 13 September
• Friday 12 July 2024 March of the Elephants - see ours! This summer, come and join in the March of the Elephants trail in support of St Giles Hospice.
• Thursday 11 July 2024 Ceramic art to go on permanent display Year 8 have been inspired by the artwork of Revd J L Petit when creating these low relief tiles featuring our Cathedral. This fabulous artwork has been selected to form part of a permanent display at The Stables on The Close and will be displayed alongside original paintings and prints by the artist. Pop along and see this amazing collection of art.Mrs Whatley
• Wednesday 10 July 2024 Year 1 support Guide Dogs Year 1 have been very busy with their charity work this half term. In PSHE they have been learning all about the fantastic work the Guide Dog charity does in and around the UK and via its international divisions. Year 1 also baked more than 200 dog biscuits to sell to raise funds of over £50 for the charity.
• Tuesday 9 July 2024 Year 2 support MND Association For our charity this term, we have been looking at the Motor Neurone Disease Association and, in particular, we have focused on the brave and very heroic Rob Burrow. We looked at his life as a professional rugby league player and also at how he brought the plight of those affected by motor neurone disease into the spotlight by his willingness to be followed throughout his illness.
• Monday 8 July 2024 Young Teen Fiction Awards 2024 We had a great time at RAF Cosford celebrating the Staffordshire Young Teen Fiction Awards on 2nd July. Thanks to Staffordshire Libraries for organising the event.
• Saturday 6 July 2024 Reflections on the year Like any year, this school year has been one of variety. We have faced some challenges and experienced a lot of fun, but the measure of any organisation is how it pulls together to celebrate and support and the togetherness of our School community has revealed itself to be strong and in good heart. As such, I feel an enormous sense of gratitude, to our pupils for turning up every day with their best foot forward, for their commitment to learn and improve even when the going is tough. To you, our parents, for your unwavering support and trusting us with your most precious children; to all of the wider community from governors and civic supporters of the School, to the local artists and musicians who add to the vibrancy of our School life; and, of course, the amazing team of hardworking, devoted, heartfelt and heart-led group of people who work in the School for the betterment of every child who walks through the door.
• Friday 5 July 2024 Wonderful Year 3 & 4 Celebration The annual Celebration event took place in the delightful surroundings of St James The Great Church in Longdon.
• Thursday 4 July 2024 Glamping adventure! 32 Choristers had a summer glamping night at The Palace last Friday! We were treated to delicious barbecue food provided by Mr Goodgame and, after lots of discussion about the best way to get their smaller barbecue glowing (an airbed pump used as bellows was the obvious solution!), Choristers toasted marshmallows. Whilst most enjoyed the early evening sun running around The Palace Lawn, others sat entertained by the newest girl band on The Close, still awaiting a name, but The Loud Ones is my suggestion! Everyone appeared keen to change into PJs quite early and enjoyed bedtime hot chocolate before 'settling' down for the night. The matrons realised hours later that changing early into PJs does not equate to falling asleep early! We really had a wonderful time and everyone left smiling and perhaps a little tired on Saturday morning after enjoying their buffet breakfast. We look forward to doing this again next year and making it an annual event summer event.Mrs Barton
• Wednesday 3 July 2024 Why friends matter It is possible that there is nothing more important to a child than their friends. I recently read an article that summed it up rather neatly. I would like to share some sections here:Childhood friendship is laughter, play, discovery. It is a vivid, wild, creative world apart from dreary grown-ups. As children become adolescents, friendship helps them to navigate and anchor their changing selves. Friendship is everything and childhood is when we learn how to do it, that knowledge the raft that carries us through life. As long as there are friends, all other difficulties and disappointments can be endured. Indeed, the ability to make friends improves a child’s (and then an adult’s) emotional development, their academic performance, their mental and physical health. An analysis by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience, concluded that loneliness can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. But what if your child is finding friendship hard&quest
• Tuesday 2 July 2024 IS National Athletics Championships On Monday 17 June, eight LCS students took part in the ISA National Athletics Championships. This is on the back of their brilliant performances at the Midlands event and they were selected to represent the Midlands team. This was a fantastic event, which was hosted at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. Last year LCS had three athletes that qualified, so it was brilliant to beat that total and take eight to this year’s Championships.All the pupils did exceptionally well to cope with the pressure and perform the way they did. To compete at a National schools event is an exceptional achievement.Otto (Year 10) ran a brave race in the 400m, but was narrowly pushed out of the medals, finishing in an excellent fourth place. Emilia (Year 5) finished in a fantastic sixth place out of fourteen runners in the 600m. Freya (Year 7) also finished in a brilliant sixth place out of fourteen runners and was also rewarded with a new 1500m personal best time.
• Tuesday 2 July 2024 Mason Trophy triumph Following on from the Staffordshire Schools County Athletics Championships, Maisie (Year 7) qualified to represent Staffordshire at the prestigious Mason Trophy competition. This event sees eight counties come together for a fantastic competition, with a high quality field of athletes.Due to taking gold at the County Championships, Maisie once again competed in the Year 8/9 pole vault competition as a Year 7 student. The conditions were awful, which made it very difficult to get any grip on the pole. Fortunately, Maisie managed to cope with the conditions better than any other athlete and although her height wasn’t as good as the previous week, she still managed to win the competition and take home another gold medal. An amazing achievement at such a big event. Well done, Maisie.
• Monday 1 July 2024 Staffs Schools County Athletics Following the Cannock and District competitions, the School had several pupils who were selected to represent the Cannock District athletics team at the Staffordshire Schools County Athletics Championships. The event was held at Northwood Stadium in Stoke and the best athletes in the county came together to represent each of the seven districts. We had several pupils who were selected and competed at the Championships, with some fantastic results:Maisie (Year 7) came 1st in the pole vault competition, with a new personal best of 2.50m. Maisie was competing in the Year 8/9 competition and trains for Birchfield Harriers outside of school. Maisie has since gone on to set a new personal best vault of 2.60m, which enables her to qualify for the England Athletics National Championships later in the summer.Otto (Year 10) finished in 3rd place in the 400m. A new event for Otto this year and one he is still trying to learn, but a fantastic achievement to come away with a medal. Otto also trains
• Monday 1 July 2024 Staffs Schools County Athletics Following the Cannock and District competitions, the School had several pupils who were selected to represent the Cannock District athletics team at the Staffordshire Schools County Athletics Championships. The event was held at Northwood Stadium in Stoke and the best athletes in the county came together to represent each of the seven districts. We had several pupils who were selected and competed at the Championships, with some fantastic results:Maisie (Year 7) came 1st in the pole vault competition, with a new personal best of 2.50m. Maisie was competing in the Year 8/9 competition and trains for Birchfield Harriers outside of school. Maisie has since gone on to set a new personal best vault of 2.60m, which enables her to qualify for the England Athletics National Championships later in the summer.Otto (Year 10) finished in 3rd place in the 400m. A new event for Otto this year and one he is still trying to learn, but a fantastic achievement to come away with a medal. Otto also trains
• Sunday 30 June 2024 Cannock & District Athletics On Thursday 6th June, we took part in our final Cannock and District Athletics Competition for this year. The Year 7s and 8s travelled to Wolverhampton to compete against other schools in the district, having already had practice events previously. Once again, there were some fantastic individual results:
• Saturday 29 June 2024 Organ Recital - Cathy Lamb Tuesday 10 September7.30pm, Lichfield Cathedral
• Friday 28 June 2024 IS Midlands Athletics - Juniors Catching up with recent athletics results, just before May half term we took a team of Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils to Leicester to compete in the School's first Independent Schools Association Junior Athletics Championships. It was a great event, with more than 30 independent primary schools taking part and a fantastic experience for our pupils.
• Thursday 27 June 2024 Squash success It has been a successful few weeks on the squash court for Elsie (Year 8) and Billy (Year 5). Elsie came second in the Sutton Open Under 13s and Billy came fourth in the Under 11s.
• Wednesday 26 June 2024 Park Running Ezra! Congratulations to Ezra (Reception) who completes a Park Run every Sunday of 2km around Beacon Park. Ezra has been doing Park Runs for a few months and setting new personal bests almost every week. As there are children welcome from age 4-14, Park Run have an age grading system which compares each runner's time with the world record for their age and gender across that distance. With this ranking you can determine the level at which you are competing.We are delighted to note that Ezra is ranked as "Regional Level Talent". Keep up the great work!
• Tuesday 25 June 2024 Fantastic tennis results Huge congratulations to the boys tennis team that travelled over to Rawlett School this week. LCS won all their singles and doubles matches in impressive style. Particular mentions go to Callum, Ben, Harvey, Thomas and Alex who were all playing up several age groups.Callum: W 6-0Ben: W 6-4Harvey: W 6-0Anish: W 6-4Tanaka: W 6-3Devan: W 6-5Alex: W 6-0Thomas: W 6-1
• Monday 24 June 2024 Free Summer Concert Tuesday 16 July, 11.30amLichfield Cathedral
• Monday 24 June 2024 Junior cricketers in action Junior cricketers from Broadhurst (Years 5 and 6) recently took part in their second fixture of the year, against Newcastle School. Although both the boys' and girls' teams suffered defeats, there was great improvement - particularly from the girls.The girls scored 214, with some good batting, particularly from Poppy and Mei-Li who both struck the ball well. However, the team were hampered by the number of wickets they lost - which reduced their total considerably. All the girls bowled with accuracy and their fielding improved as the match progressed, however Newcastle hit out well and eventually amassed 248 - for the loss of just 2 wickets.
• Saturday 22 June 2024 RSCM Awards Recently twelve Choristers entered the The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Bronze and Silver awards, we were delighted to hear that they had all passed their examinations. Poppy, Quinn, Sophie, Oliver, Henry, Jeremy and Elijah all achieved their Silver award together with Grace, Samuel, Austin, Felix and Leo achieving their Bronze awards. Congratulations to all and special mentions to Head Chorister Poppy who was highly commended and Sophie, Elijah and Felix who were commended.Mrs Barton
• Friday 21 June 2024 Value of diversity and inclusion During Refugee Week (17-23 June), I was thinking about the value of diversity and inclusion - at school, in the workplace, in communities. A healthy variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures provides a balance of voices and diversity of thought that we need, and can have a huge impact on schools and businesses in the short and long term. Greater innovation and creativity: Having a learning environment filled with pupils from different backgrounds, education systems, skills, experiences and knowledge increases our capacity for innovative and creative ideas. Diversity provides a range of skills and wider perspectives that are invaluable when fostering a creative environment, brainstorming new strategies and learning how to problem-solve. A diverse team is less likely to fall into 'groupthink' and will be more productive through better communication and greater empathy. This is one of the reasons why we encourage team-based activities during lessons, enabling students to l
• Thursday 20 June 2024 National Justice Museum visit Last Tuesday, Year 4 visited The National Justice Museum and spent the day developing their understanding of our current history topic ‘Crime Through the Ages’.
• Tuesday 18 June 2024 Soul Knights tickets still available Our newest ensemble - the School soul band - will be performing for the first time on Friday 21 June at 7pm in the School Chapel.
• Monday 17 June 2024 Music Tech students' new album available Our Year 11 Music Technology students have been busy recording and producing a new album of 80s classic covers. What's more, they are using sales of the album to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
• Friday 14 June 2024 Open Morning at Junior School Come along to our next Open Morning at the Longdon campus to meet our outstanding teachers and see our happy, hard-working pupils on a normal day in school.
• Thursday 13 June 2024 Geographers explore the River Dove On Tuesday, all of Year 7 visited Dovedale as part of their Geography course. They started their walk in the village of Alstonefield, walking down into the valley of the River Dove, following the river all the way southwards to the outskirts of Ilam. Along the way they measured the velocity of the river across a meander to investigate how they develop. The weather was kind enough that we were all able to enjoy a very pleasant picnic on a hillside overlooking the river.The students also practised their field-sketching skills and recorded their observations about the impacts of tourism. Many students were thrilled to sit inside some caves and to look for fossils among the many scree slopes; themselves evidence of the cold period following the retreat of the ice sheet 10,000 years ago. We talked about the geological history and how the abundant Carboniferous Period fossils were more than five times older than the time when the big dinosaurs became extinct.Year 7 should be very proud of th
• Wednesday 12 June 2024 Exotic creatures at Longdon A visit from the Animal Man at Longdon saw our youngest children introduced to some exciting, exotic creatures.
• Tuesday 11 June 2024 Rounders success! The LCS Year 7 and Year 8 rounders teams emerged victorious in their recent matches with Rawlett.The Year 7s enjoyed an evenly-matched encounter with their Tamworth opponents, but eventually overtook their total before a hailstorm stopped play. LCS fielded first and restricted Rawlett to 5 rounders, with some good fielding and excellent decision-making, particularly by Amelie at back-stop, and good bowling by Ines. LCS then took up the chase and soon overhauled the Rawlett score, finishing the innings on 7 with Cerys, Izzy and Rosie all hitting rounders. In the second innings, Rawlett added 3 to their score, but LCS took their total to 9 before the hail set in.The Year 8s delivered a comprehensive victory, running out winners by 17.5 to 6.5. They shared the scoring around, but Lexi and Elsie were the main stars with the bat, while a very good fielding performance by the whole team saw them removing the Rawlett team with plenty of balls to spare.
• Monday 10 June 2024 Congratulations Sophie! Sophie (Year 7) is currently representing Lichfield Cathedral School via the National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) and competed at two large scale NSEA events recently at Hickstead and Aintree. There are many prestigious schools attending these competitive events and each 'class' can have over 70 entrants. Sophie did amazingly well riding her Pony 'Doylan Honey Gift', achieving two 3rd places at Hickstead, and a 12th at Aintree. As a result of her finishing places at Hickstead, Sophie has now qualified for the National NSEA championships at Arlington in October. This is tremendous news and a wonderful achievement for Sophie - a huge well done from us all!
• Sunday 9 June 2024 Chorister installations in June Congratulations to Navyd and Millie who were recently installed into the Lichfield Cathedral Choir Foundation. Both Choristers are photographed with Canon Precentor Rt Revd Andrew Stead, Interim Dean Rt Revd Bishop Jan McFarlane and with Head Boy and Girl Choristers Oliver and Poppy and Deputy Head Chorister Quinn.
• Saturday 8 June 2024 A reflection on humility In cathedral last week we reflected on the significant sacrifice and bravery of D-Day. With few remaining veterans, the first-hand accounts of the event are few and far between. However, listening to some of these interviews in the news, I was struck by the humility and selflessness shown. These soldiers who had acted with such extraordinary courage could see nothing extraordinary in what they had done, but rather were keen to reflect on those whose stories ended that day in 1944. This got me thinking about humility in a wider sense…You have probably heard of Aesop’s Fables. The Fables are a collection of stories credited to Greek storyteller Aesop, who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564BCE. Tradition says he was born a slave, but developed a real talent for fables, stories that were used to teach truths in a simple, understandable way. Even if you haven’t heard of Aesop’s fables you are almost certainly familiar with one or more of these timeless stor
• Friday 7 June 2024 Commemorating D-Day The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Along with the associated airborne operations, it marked the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe. Unprecedented coordination between Allied nations, and the intensive planning of engineers, meteorologists, logisticians and countless more, led to a force from 13 countries approaching Normandy in a 6,000-vessel armada supported by 11,000 planes. This assault led to France’s liberation from the German military and the eventual defeat of the Nazis.Eighty years on, the continued commitment to honor the historic significance of D-Day and the sacrifices made, connects the strength of alliance and dedicated resolve during World War II to NATO strength and unity today. To commemorate this significant day, we were treated to a lunchtime concert of wartime songs from Miss Croft and Mr Chamberlin.
• Thursday 6 June 2024 New Dean announced Yesterday it was announced by 10 Downing Street that His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of The Rt Revd Janet McFarlane, Interim Dean of Lichfield and an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Lichfield, for appointment as Dean of Lichfield.The Lord Bishop of Lichfield, The Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave said, ‘I am very glad that Bishop Jan will be the next Dean of Lichfield. She has handled her role as Interim Dean over the last year with warmth and deftness and I know her appointment will be popular with staff and visitors alike. Her love for the region shines brightly and her love for the things of God brighter still.’ Bishop Jan said, ‘I am beyond delighted to have been appointed as the first female Dean of Lichfield. I was ordained in Lichfield Cathedral 30 years ago and if you had told me then that I’d be returning one day as Dean, I would have grinned with utter disbelief! I was born and grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and so, even though I have lived in
• Thursday 6 June 2024 Top tips for home study
• Wednesday 5 June 2024 Building confidence When parents of prospective pupils come to see me, they often ask how the school instils such confidence in its pupils. This question often arises from a tour of the school conducted by current pupils who have successfully displayed a friendly, personable maturity without tipping over into an unattractive arrogance. Pupils as young as those in Year 4 are often involved in talking with parents at Open Mornings and they are invariably outstanding ambassadors for LCS. The question itself is an interesting one as there are no ‘confidence’ lessons on the curriculum. However, the importance of confidence cannot be underestimated and is pivotal as we move through life. Indeed, I genuinely believe that confidence is borne of being comfortable in your own skin, being your own true self, having integrity and taking hold of every opportunity that LCS has to offer. Confidence is developed in the classroom, where the atmosphere encourages pupils in both giving and listening to opinions.
• Thursday 23 May 2024 Athletics: ISA Midlands Championships A total of 36 LCS pupils travelled to Leicester to compete in the ISA Midlands Athletics Championships - all performed exceptionally well and there were many medals won:
• Thursday 23 May 2024 Athletics: Cannock & District A very busy few weeks of athletics competitions have led to some fantastic results. In the Cannock & District Athletics competitions in Wolverhampton for students in Years 7 to 10, several achieved places in the top 3 in their age groups and have gained qualification for future competitions:
• Thursday 23 May 2024 Supporting quiet pupils The strengths of a quiet child lie in their ability to observe, reflect and listen attentively. Quiet children often possess deep insight, creativity and empathy. Their introspective nature allows them to analyse situations thoughtfully and respond with wisdom and sensitivity. They may excel in tasks that require concentration and independent thinking, such as reading, writing and creative pursuits. Additionally, quiet children often develop strong bonds with a few close friends, fostering deep and meaningful relationships. Overall, their quiet demeanour can be a source of strength, enabling them to navigate the world with thoughtfulness, resilience and authenticity. Whether someone is an introvert or an extrovert is determined in large part by genetics, and tends to remain stable over time. Introverted children often have a rich interior world and rely on their inner resources (and own values) rather than turning to other people for support and guidance. Introverted children like imag
• Thursday 23 May 2024 Netball Tournament Netballers from LCS enjoyed a successful afternoon at a Year 5 & 6 tournament this week. The girls took on teams from all over Lichfield and played well to finish third. The team was victorious against St Michael's, Whittington, Scotch Orchard and Charnwood, and only lost to an excellent Little Aston team who were the eventual winners. They faced Willows in their semi-final and went down 3-2 in a tightly contested game.
• Thursday 23 May 2024 Victorian school days Year 2 recently visited Blists Hill and had a fabulous time. On arrival, the children (and teachers) changed into Victorian clothes and were taught by a strict and stern teacher called Mrs McCallum. After lunch, the children visited a printing press and a pharmacist. Victorians regularly went to see a pharmacist for dental work, as it was much cheaper than going to a doctor's surgery. This hugely enjoyable trip has helped the children to understand the topics they have been studying in the classroom.
• Monday 20 May 2024 Arts competition for 4-18 year olds The National Association of Teachers of Religious Education have launched the 2024 Spirited Arts Competition. Pupils are invited to submit an entry in (almost) any art form - art, poetry, photography, dance, music, drama, sculpture, etc. As a school, we can submit a maximum of 10 entries, so there will be internal judging of LCS entries.
• Sunday 19 May 2024 Workshop with West End star West End actor and vocalist, Cameron Sharp (Beautiful, School of Rock, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages and Avenue Q), came in to work with some of our talented cast for forthcoming show, Back to the 80s. He talked to them about the theatre industry, did some warm up exercises, taught a dance and then offered our students invaluable advice about their acting and singing ahead of our next show in October. It was lovely to watch our students' confidence and stage presence grow as the workshop progressed. Thank you Cameron!
• Saturday 18 May 2024 Book Club choose new books Book Club members went to Waterstones this week to select some wonderful new books for the School Libraries, with Mrs Mills, Librarian, and Miss Aldridge, Head of Year 7.
• Friday 17 May 2024 Year 7 Buddies ready to help Last week, we invited our current Year 7 pupils to apply to be a Buddy to the current Year 6s, who will be moving up to Year 7 in September. We were overwhelmed with the interest shown, with almost 40 applications submitted. Miss Aldridge was then faced with the near-impossible decision of choosing just 12 pupils to be awarded a Buddy badge. Huge congratulations to the pupils who were chosen - Freya, Katie, Rosie, Lucia, Cerys, Tessa, Alex, Seb, Leo, Thomas G, Thomas H and Henry. We look forward to seeing your friendly and helpful faces around school during the Year 6 transition.
• Thursday 16 May 2024 Why core values are so important The School has four core values of Learning, Faith, Leadership and Service. Each of these are of integral importance to us in terms of who we are and what we do. LearningWell, what is a school without learning? We are keenly aware as teachers that we are all learning all the time – adults and children alike. The opportunity to learn not only what is on the curriculum, but also what finer qualities we admire and wish to develop within ourselves is absolutely our core business and is a gift. When we stop learning, we are lost. FaithMany centuries ago, a School of Song and Grammar was founded for the choristers of the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Chad. They studied and sang to the glory of God and it is this school upon which our foundations were laid. The tradition of sacred choral singing is something in which we take great pleasure and pride. Our Cathedral Choristers and Choral Scholars are committed, enthusiastic members of our community and their work provides a bea
• Thursday 16 May 2024 ISA Drama success We are delighted to announce that for the second year running, our students have won the Independent Schools Association Drama Competition with their performance of The IT. Judges praised the 'powerful and effective ensemble work', awarding LCS 'Best Senior School Production' as well as an honorable mention for Poppy (Year 10) in the 'Senior Individual Performer' category. Huge congratulations to everyone involved!
• Thursday 9 May 2024 Beat exam stress GCSE exams have started today. Once more we find ourselves in exam season and there is definitely a different air around the Lichfield site. Let’s be honest, exams are just not very nice. For most people, myself certainly included, memories of exams consist of hours of revision, last minute panics and anxiety inducing post-exam chats with friends, that only ever convinced me that I’d got everything wrong. However, things have a funny way of working themselves out and perspective is always regained. With all of this in mind, I thought I would share some top tips from the ‘Mind’ website: Mind wanted to do a few things to ease the pressure. We’ve already got Emoodji, our new app to help students navigate the ups and downs of uni life, which you can download for free on iOS and Android. But we wanted to do more, so we asked our supporters for their top tips for coping with exam stress, or any kind of high-pressure time. This is what they said – please do
• Thursday 9 May 2024 Ascension voices sing from rooftop To celebrate the Ascension, the Senior Choristers and Choral Scholars enjoyed a hearty cooked breakfast before climbing to the top of the Cathedral to sing the traditional Ascension Day hymn to the gathering of onlookers below.
• Thursday 9 May 2024 TT Rockstars triumph Year 3 and 4 pupils (and staff!) dressed as rock stars for the latest Times Table Rock Stars event. They enjoyed orienteering around the School grounds, answering lots of times tables-based questions to unscramble a secret word.
• Thursday 2 May 2024 Music & Wellbeing This week I am unashamedly sharing an excellent article written by Dr Hazel Harrison on Music and Wellbeing. Here at LCS we are very aware of the transformational power of music and the benefits we appreciate from having such a musical community. However, it's good to have the science to back up our experiences, as Dr Harrison tells us:
• Thursday 25 April 2024 3 skills needed for future jobs
• Friday 19 April 2024 The importance of Easter to Christians
• Thursday 18 April 2024 'The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.'
• Thursday 14 March 2024 Creative Education
• Thursday 7 March 2024 Read your way to a better life
• Thursday 29 February 2024 Giving Thanks for St Chad
• Thursday 22 February 2024 Don't Panic: Teaching how to fail positively Failure is an essential part of learning, not the end of it. By celebrating failure as a good thing and encouraging pupils and students to learn from mistakes and try again, we help them to develop persistence and the right attitude to be a good learner. Not learning to tolerate failure leaves children and young people vulnerable to anxiety. It leads to meltdowns when the inevitable failure does occur, whether it happens in Nursery or university. And perhaps even more important, it can make children give up trying—or trying new things.
• Thursday 8 February 2024 Children's Mental Health Week 2024 Children's Mental Health Week seeks to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK. This year’s theme is “My Voice Matters”. Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously (Article 12 UNCRC). This is incredibly important because:
• Thursday 1 February 2024 Foundation Day 2024 Address A warm welcome to all of you on our day of celebration to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the re-founding of the school in 1942. It is especially wonderful to see everyone in the Cathedral together and to be able to invite special guests to commemorate the anniversary with us.
• Thursday 25 January 2024 Teaching Tolerance Instability, conflict and human rights abuses are daily occurrences worldwide, often driven by hostility based on religion, belief, ethnicity or culture. Tolerance education can play a crucial role in preparing students to live in peace in our increasingly diverse and often divided world. The United Nations’ Transforming Education Summit in 2022, recognised education is “a foundation for peace, tolerance, other human rights and sustainable development.”
• Thursday 18 January 2024 The importance of great teaching It comes as no real surprise to us in education that research looking into what makes children succeed generally comes down to the fact that great teaching from great teachers is the key. The best investment any school can make is in getting effective, enthusiastic and committed teachers in front of its pupils. I hope you can all remember fondly a favourite teacher who inspired you and gave you great confidence in your potential and abilities. For me, it was an English teacher who could recite poetry from heart, weaved engaging stories into every lesson and always looked immaculate. I thought she was the bees’ knees and am sure she played a huge part in my future career choices.
• Thursday 11 January 2024 Sing a song! Why singing makes you happier Welcome back to school and happy new year! There has certainly been a lot of singing over the festive period and with ‘Be a Chorister for a Day’ fast approaching, we’re certainly being true to our musical roots. So in the spirit of embracing one of the school’s founding principles – the love of singing, I would like to bring your attention to a recent article from the Choir Director Magazine which expounds the benefits thus: ‘Any of us who have sung in choirs know all too well the joy it brings not just the audiences, but also the choir members themselves. And why wouldn’t it? When we raise our voices with lots of other gorgeous voices in a big, beautiful space, it feels like we’re altering molecules…how is it possible? Well, according to various scientific reports, we are altering molecules…inside our brains, with different changes occurring whether listening to music, singing, or singing with others …end

Back to current news