LRGS has a long history of forging lasting educational links both around Lancaster, nationally and internationally. We continue to work with a wide range of organisations, aiming to promote the world-class education that can be found at LRGS. These links also enable us to offer an increasingly rich educational experience to our own students.

We take our role within the community in Lancaster very seriously, and are proud to be involved with a number of projects and initiatives, working with a wide variety of local schools, institutes and individuals.

We have a long-standing link with Lancaster Community Music Centre, which meets at the school on 32 Saturdays per year, mostly during school terms. All members of the community are welcome to come along and take part in various musical ensembles. Individual instrument tuition is also available. More details about LCMC here.

Community Links 

Students from our local primary chools benefit from the close relationships we have with them, and enjoy visiting us for some really exciting lessons.

KS2 Biology

There is a great deal of Biology in the Key Stage 2 curriculum, we try to enhance this with a series of lessons aimed at Years 5/6. We can accommodate classes of up to 30 children. Primary schools can book up to three weeks of Biology.

Details of lessons available:-

Microbes
We use our specialist lab equipment to introduce the children to microbiology. They set up their own bacterial cultures, use microscopes and microbiological techniques to look at the bacteria in yogurt. There is also the task of setting up their own mould terrariums and a chance to act as a microbiologist by testing lab hygiene! This session runs over 2 weeks as it involves cultures being incubated and inspected the following visit. We ensure all plates are correctly disposed of and that high levels of hygiene are maintained.

Cells
This session also involves the use of microscopes as the children prepare their own onion and liver slides in order to view animal and plant cells. Basic Cell structures will be pointed out and explained. They are also introduced to single-celled organisms which they can watch move!

Food and Digestion
This session introduces children to the digestive system of a human and explain the roles of the organs involved, they get to observe a demonstration of digestion. Nutrients are covered and they get the opportunity to carry out the biochemical tests for three of these.

These sessions are hugely enjoyable however should the need arise we can tailor a session to suit your particular requirements. Favourite requests include sampling techniques (field surveys, quadrats and pitfall traps) and food chains – Definitely a summer one!!!!

KS2 Modern Foreign Languages

Teachers from the Modern Foreign Languages Department work alongside primary colleagues in Dolphinholme, Quernmore, Melling, Hornby and Nether Kellet primary schools, to introduce French to all the children in Key Stage 2 and even KS1 at Melling. After some time working together, the final aim is that the primary teacers become self sustaining, teaching their own classes and incorporating the new language into their every day routine as much as possible.

The children at Dolphinholme are keen to squeeze French into their playground games. They enjoy changing around the words in their interactive displays, ready to challenge others to ‘put them right’ again. They have created their own amazing French pop-up books, combining their DT with their French and an authentic French snake story was the stimulus for their own concertina stories which were turned into play scripts. These will ultimately transform into shadow plays, thus merging the many skills of Literacy, French, Drama, DT and finally Science. At Quernmore, as the washing line proudly displays bright clothes and colours across the classroom, they, along with Hornby, Dolphinholme and Nether Kellet have been rolling out the ‘catwalk’ as the children prepared for their own French fashion show to delight the rest of the school.

After a year of learning French at Melling, the children in KS2 were also given a brief taste of Italian. They embraced the language and the culture with enthusiasm and interest and are gaining skills to help them learn other languages in general.

The shared experience has been a rewarding one and the interchange of ideas has fed and nurtured a richer, enthusiastic and more exciting approach. It has been a delight to see the children’s enthusiasm and progress and their general lack of inhibition as they readily absorb more and more. This, along with their accents and their recall for new language, is encouraging and sure evidence that it is definitely the right time to start their learning, if not before!

InspirUs

This programme for Gifted and Talented girls and boys in Lancaster primary schools was launched in January 2010.  It aims to raise aspirations and to encourage able pupils to explore avenues well beyond the confines of the National Curriculum.  The programme covers all aspects of the curriculum, including science, literacy, numeracy and art.  The InspirUs page in the Academic section of this website has more details about the programme and the sessions offered to primary schools.

International Links

LRGS was awarded status of International School in the first year that the award was presented in 1989, amongst only nine UK schools that year. This accredited award recognised our highly developed contacts overseas. Our links extend out across the globe, providing boys with a numerous opportunities to visit other schools abroad, and sample cultures as far away as India, Peru, and Australia.

As part of the Comenius Project Group of schools, LRGS has International Partner Schools in:

Ilona Zrinyi Gimnasium, Miskolc, Hungary

Herderschule Rendsburg, Rendsburg, Germany

Liceum Ogólnoksztalcace, Biecz, Poland

Lycée-en-Forêt, Montargis, France

Tampereen Normaalikoulu, Tampere, Finland

This group of schools work together, in part, funded by the European Union Comenius Programme. The busiest time in the year is European Week when pupils from each partner school visit every other partner school for an entire week. This creates multinational study groups in each country.

We also send pupils abroad on exchanges in France and Germany each year in additional link-ups. This includes carrying out work placements in businesses abroad for some students. Each year we also link up with another of our International Link schools, Theresianum Akademie, in Austria.

Our Sports teams also travel abroad; Rugby, Cricket and Rowing have all represented LRGS abroad in recent years. For more details of these excursions visit the Sport pages.

Our musicians (choir, orchestra (joint with Lancaster Girls' Grammar School) and the Big Band) have made concert tours of Austria, Finland, Germany and Poland in recent years. There is a Junior and Senior Ski Trip each year; usually they visit the French or Austrian Alps.

A geography field trip to Icelandtakes place annually. In recent years, the Exploration Society have recently organised a trips to Everest base camp, the Andes and Borneo. Each year the Classics Department organises a trip to Italy or Greece.