Headteacher's blog

Archived News

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

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