We were treated to musical performances from Clara, Arman and Fearne. Congratulations to the raffle winners! Thank you to our fantastic catering team from Aramark and to all the staff who helped to organise the event and taxi our guests.
Merry Christmas to one and all!

The choir and musicians were outstanding. 

In early December, Ben visited the Royal Geographical Society in London to receive his award.

The school has been placed ninth in the top 10 state secondary schools in the north west in The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025 – up one place from last year.

It has also been placed 98th nationally – up from 114^th place last year.

The UK’s highest-achieving primary and secondary schools are revealed in the 33rd edition of the guide, which is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools, and was published online on Friday 5 December and available in print on Sunday 7 December.

Recognised as the definitive ranking of the UK’s top primary and secondary state and independent schools, this guide remains an essential resource for parents seeking the very best in education for their children. As well as an assessment of academic results on a school-by-school basis, Parent Power enables parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same area, local authority or nationally.

This year, Miss Helen Booth is leading InspirUs with her assistant Miss Lizzie Jackson. Together with their team of sixth form helpers, they continue to run the pioneering programme that was set up in 2010, thanks to donations from alumni and orchestrated by Mrs Page, who retired earlier this year as Head of Year 7.  

InspirUs is our outreach programme for girls and boys attending Lancaster and Morecambe primary schools.  It aims to raise aspirations and to encourage Year 4 pupils to explore avenues well beyond the confines of the curriculum.  The programme covers maths, science, literacy, design and technology and art. 

Pupils are collected from their school by coach and are welcomed into the classroom to spend one afternoon a week for six weeks where they experience an exciting, varied and challenging programme of study. Each week has an exciting theme from ‘To infinity and beyond …’ to ‘Christmas Around the World’ and offers activities such as crafting and code cracking to painting and poetry. There is a strong focus on art and creativity as we want to encourage children to discover alternative ways of thinking, working and learning.

It is a full circle moment when the children that visit us in Year 4/5 then appear in the classroom as InspirUs helpers in LRGS Sixth Form. Current sixth form student, Edward,  participated in the InspirUs programme when he was in primary school and is currently back in the classroom as a Prefect.  Edward said: “InspirUs is one of my fondest memories of primary school, and I remember enjoying every second of my time there.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to be able to give back to the InspirUs program, and make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved, because I know how valuable of an opportunity it is”.

Miss Jackson, InspiUs Administrator (and alumnus of InspirUs herself!) said: “Edward is a really valuable InspirUS volunteer - he engages the children really well and explains the activities so carefully, helping them whenever they ask”.

LRGS can only continue to run this incredible project thanks to the generosity of some former pupils of the school. We would particularly like to thank Kevin Roberts and Christopher Wright for their support over the last 15 years. 

The PTI offers support to teachers by delivering a wide range of professional development courses and CPD events which are subject-focused, empowering teachers to provide a rich subject experience for their students.

In the PE department, staff have been working on:

• Key improvements to Schemes of Work - including more adaptive teaching strategies and methods to integrate our team of Sports Graduate Coaches more effectively within lessons, to improve the quality of provision for all pupils.
• Pupil voice in PE - allowing pupils to share their experiences and give suggestions for improvements across the curriculum.
• Inviting outside speakers into the department - Old Lancastrians such as Will Fraser-Gray (Sports Psychology), Anatomy and Physiology Workshop - Gill Rawlinson (Salford University), a visit to Lancaster University Sports Science facilities. 
• Continuing to provide an extensive extra-curricular programme - for this provision we are also reliant on a number of other staff members - thanks must go to these people too who volunteer regularly to give up their own time.
• New extra-curricular clubs, including Gaelic football and Spikeball. More opportunities to do recreational activities (table tennis at lunchtime) - thanks to the Friends of LRGS for the donation of two additional tables!

In the Design and Technology and Modern Foreign Language department, the PTI were particularly impressed with the work that has been done by the department on pupil assessment and feedback.

Congratulations to all of our Year 9 chefs on showing off your culinary skills.  

The judging panel included; Headmaster Dr Pyle, Emilio Brown, Chef from Journey Social;, Miss Lightbody and Mr Davies-Taylor.

The winners were:

Main course - Jonte Hayes-Picton for producing a beef wellington with smoked salmon carpaccio and Welsh amber puding.  The judges said: "Superb! The thought and care that has gone into the dish is excellent. The skill level was superb."

Dessert - James Raymond for producing a glow in the dark croquembouche.

The Highly Commended winners were:

Main course - Charlie Barnes for producing a rabbit stew with poppy seed dumplings.  He had made his dish for his grandfather who died in WWII.  Judges remarked that his presentation was fantastic, including a ceramic poppy that had been used at the Tower of London display. 

Dessert - Zain Zafar for producing a Sawiya dessert.

Please visit the Master Chef gallery.

His Majesty the King, Duke of Lancaster is visiting Lancaster Castle to be handed the keys to the castle in front of the John O'Gaunt gateway as part of an ancient ceremonial tradition. The monarch has taken part in the Ceremony of the Keys when visiting the castle since 1851, when the keys were first presented to Queen Victoria, with Queen Elizabeth II taking part in 2015.

The King is also the Duke of Lancaster, a role established by Henry IV in 1399, who set aside land and properties belonging to the Lancaster estate and decreed that they should always belong to the monarchy.

It was an honour for our students to be involved in such a special occasion.

Featuring excerpts from Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth and Hamlet, the evening is a promenade piece and each of the scenes is set somewhere different across our school site.

The tickets are £5 each and are available on Wisepay. If you would like to attend but do not have a Wisepay account, please email sowens@lrgs.org.uk detailing how many tickets you would like to reserve. Pay cash on entry on the door (City View Reception gate entrance) on the evening.

Picnics are welcome form 6.30pm if you would like to bring food with you. Refreshments will be served in the Grab and Go on the evening.

Mr Talks took 14 boys to the NEC in Birmingham to see it.

Thank you to Peter T for writing this article: 

Photo Gallery

In February 2025, 46 students and 7 staff members travelled to Sri Lanka on the first ever joint Cricket and Netball tour. We fielded a 1st and 2nd team at both cricket and netball, playing in adverse conditions compared to the UK with temperatures consistently around the 35 degrees mark!

With the tour being part of our cricket pre-season, it took time to adapt to playing matches and to the conditions, but improvements were made throughout the tour. Both teams played in six fixtures each which took place in a variety of settings from school grounds to the Army Camp ground and local club grounds. It was a huge learning experience for our players, and we managed to win 6 out of our 12 fixtures in Sri Lanka playing against local schools, colleges and academy teams.

The tour finished in the Galle International Stadium on the final day which will certainly be remembered for a long time to come with both teams winning their fixture! A magnificent setting on the Southwest coast of Sri Lanka with the Dutch Fort in the background and a venue which was host to the Sri Lanka vs Australia Test Match only the week before. Scorecards from all the fixtures can be found here: LRGS Play Cricket.

The Netball teams participated in six competitive matches each, demonstrating their skills and determination. Each game was closely contested, with both teams winning games, all while playing in challenging sunny and hot conditions. We were privileged to have international umpires for the matches, enhancing the experience, and our coaching staff had the rare chance to umpire alongside them.

The girls also played on grass and clay courts for the first time, which added an exciting challenge. They adapted to the different surfaces, helping them become more versatile players. Outside of the games, the girls engaged with the local Sri Lankan children, playing and singing together. This experience allowed them to fully embrace the local culture and create meaningful connections. It was a heartwarming highlight of their trip and contributed to an unforgettable tour. 

Away from the match action, various excursions and events were enjoyed by the touring party. A visit to the Elephant Orphanage and Turtle Hatchery allowed students to learn how these animals are looked after and cared for along with how they make paper out of elephant poo! We also visited the Foundation of Goodness where the impacts of the Tsunami in 2004 were clear to see and we got to experience the new facilities set up to help rebuild the local area and to provide education. Evening entertainment at the hotel was well received and included a Hawaiian evening, fancy dress, games night and a very competitive quiz night!

A big thanks must go to our sponsors for the tour who, along with some fundraising efforts, helped provide kit and gifts for us out in Sri Lanka. Namely Oceanic Seafoods, Targeted Provision, Zosh Occupational Health and Silverdale CC as well as a handful of family and friends who sponsored the tour but wish to remain anonymous. Thank you also to the Friends of LRGS who provided caps and teddy bears to be awarded to opposition teams for a captain or player of the match, items that were certainly treasured by those who received them.

A final thank you goes to the staff, pupils and parents who joined us on the tour, together making the experience a thoroughly enjoyable one and I am sure that there will be stories and memories for years to come from this trip!

Matt Rosbottom – Head of Cricket

Amy Ashby – Head of Netball

Indulge in a selection of eight wines while savouring delicious accompaniments, including cheese, fresh bread, and cured meats.

This informal event promises to be a delightful experience for both seasonal wine lovers and those looking to explore new flavours. Secure your tickets today and immense yourself in the rich and diverse wine tradition of the South Hemisphere.

Tickets are limited, so don't miss out!

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The competition was strong with around thirty teams taking part from all Combined Cadet Forces including schools and Army cadets.

There were great performances from the whole team at the brigade shoot. LRGS were runners up in the Attack and reorg, Fire control, Advance to contact and the coveted Falling plate competition.