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28/03/24

Easter Break - wishing our students, staff and SJL community a very relaxing Easter break. We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 16 April 2024 – school is closed to students on Monday 15 April due to staff INSET day. pic.twitter.com/e8kleFCzSB

28/03/24

House Points - we like to take every opportunity to recognise and celebrate the effort and achievement of students at SJL. As a result of Merit Marks, ACE Cards, Faculty Commendations and Head’s Commendations awarded throughout term, the House Points tally to date is... pic.twitter.com/WpR8tdpO9q

28/03/24

Well done to everyone taking part in our Big Challenge - Ryder are in the lead, closely followed by Newton. King have some catching up to do, so make sure to keep reading over Easter!6 of our incredible students have also achieved 💎 Diamond Award 💎 (more than 52 books!) pic.twitter.com/lfyWABG9xn

28/03/24

Well done to our trio of year 13 A level Drama students who excelled in their text exam on World Theatre Day!#theatrematters#seizetheday pic.twitter.com/bcLn9QrKyF

27/03/24

Fabulous to see our ‘Have you met…?’ event so busy today, with students displaying their interests and hobbies to staff and peers and engaging in great discussion. Well done to all those who took part. pic.twitter.com/BoEULOWtqJ

27/03/24

Some of our Sixth Form students interested in studying medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry listened to the expertise of Devki Shah, a MedSoc consultant, who talked to students about how best to navigate the demanding application process. pic.twitter.com/U5rWv7cpJO

27/03/24

A throwback to Careers Day last week, when over 70 businesses gave employer talks and filled our sports hall to capacity for the Careers Fair. A huge thank you to everyone who took part!https://t.co/xmRh3N1FlM pic.twitter.com/RwaqwWWlZa

27/03/24

A throwback to Careers Day last week, when we welcomed over 70 businesses across the day giving employer talks and filling our sports hall to capacity for the Careers Fair. Thank you to everyone who took part!Careers Day 2024 - News - Sir John Lawes (https://t.co/DpyxjfXNBX) pic.twitter.com/tu1Nmhw8FQ

27/03/24

Day 3 in Valencia, exploring the beautiful Albufera, trying to spot cocodrilos! pic.twitter.com/UU8SG2mQQj

27/03/24

Well done to our Year 12 Enterprise team, Force 10, who raised £2400 for through a series of fundraising events. They won the most money raised and the best presentation. pic.twitter.com/1bBywleZem

26/03/24

Day 2 in Valencia visiting La ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias and the biggest aquarium in Europe pic.twitter.com/m8mxrCi2t0

26/03/24

Day 1 in Valencia. We did a Paella cooking competition, team read were the winners! pic.twitter.com/AHWcMRwjM5

26/03/24

Congratulations to Kate, Ruhani and Tsun who have been awarded Head’s Commendations for passing their Cambridge Latin Course Stage 4 Attainment test with flying colours! pic.twitter.com/KgSgpYRJgk

26/03/24

Such a brilliant evening of debating last night. Big thanks to , and St George's School for joining us and to all the students for their fantastic performances. pic.twitter.com/dHfD3NIHg9

25/03/24

Good luck to all students in our debating teams from Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 who are taking part in an inter-school debating competition later today! pic.twitter.com/gVFDqhOjD2

25/03/24

Wishing our Year 12 art students and our Year 9 and Year 10 Spanish students a safe and memorable trip in Valencia. Have a great time! pic.twitter.com/w61y8dNCJw

25/03/24

Don't forget our School Uniform Sale after school today - 3.30pm-5.30pm in the school hall. pic.twitter.com/pRWVklZXQD

23/03/24

Last Saturday morning of the year ⚽️ 4 wins vs. Simon Balle 7s W 4-18s W 4-1 9s W 6-010s W 9-2 Thank you to all the students and parents for a brilliant football season. pic.twitter.com/IVWONzbLJ4

23/03/24

Perfect morning for Football. Thanks to all the staff who give up their free time to provide these opportunities. pic.twitter.com/zoj7NKNYQA

22/03/24

It looks like Year 7 had a fantastic day at Warwick Castle! https://t.co/NJEVG5onon

22/03/24

Some of our Year 11 German students enjoyed conversations with the Friends of Alzey who kindly came to visit to assist our students with further speaking practise ahead of their GCSE’s. pic.twitter.com/bNcN2NpEj9

22/03/24

The Second-Hand School Uniform Sale will take place on Monday 25 March from 3.30pm-5.00pm in the School Hall. All the uniform in stock has been freshly laundered and folded. Please note, card payments are preferred. pic.twitter.com/FWOYZP6pea

22/03/24

Zoo de Lunaret pic.twitter.com/zjgMRA1WSd

21/03/24

Yesterday we welcomed author Anna Mazzola who talked about becoming a writer, her creative process and publishing journey. We’re really grateful for the inspirational insights and encouragement Anna gave our students and for the copy of 'Book of Secrets'! pic.twitter.com/gf6AWccWYL

21/03/24

Year 10 drama students are studying the play 1984. To support their understanding of director and designer roles, they created model set boxes of key scenes and then used torches and coloured film gels to explore possible lighting design decisions. Brilliant creativity! pic.twitter.com/eRYBJyDUrY

Global Education and International Links

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The world has never been so well-connected and interdependent. Young people who enter the world without a knowledge and understanding of global issues will be at a disadvantage in the workplace and in their personal lives. At SJL we aim to ensure that all of our students develop an understanding of global issues relating to both people and the natural environment. We want our students to become active global citizens who are well-equipped to make a difference now and in the future. This page provides a brief insight into some of the events and activities that take place.

International exchanges

Sir John Lawes is fortunate to be able to offer our students the opportunity to participate in exchange visits both in Europe and beyond.

  • Elizabeth Langasser Schule, Germany (Exchange Visit for Year 9 & 10)
  • Le Collège La Salle Saint-Laurent, Blain, France (Exchange and Penfriend Scheme, Year 10).
  • Ndeke High School, Zambia (Year 10)
  • Upper Dublin High School, United States Of America (Years 12/13).

The benefits of such exchange visits to our students are numerous - they immerse students in a different culture, help them to improve language and communication skills, encourage respect and tolerance and develop self-confidence.

In addition to the exchange visits the school also offers a number of other opportunities for international visits including World Challenge trips, a Geography trip to Iceland and a bi-annual sports tour.

International partnerships

The partnership between Sir John Lawes and Ndeke High School in Zambia began in September 2005. The decision to partner with Ndeke was made by the Geography department and a group of Year 9 More Able students who had volunteered to be part of an extra-curricular group focused on establishing international links.

The aims of the partnership between SJL and Ndeke are to:

  • Enhance teaching and learning in both schools
  • Promote international awareness and understanding and a sense of global citizenship
  • Develop the global dimension of the curriculum within the schools.

The partnership between SJL and Ndeke has been supported through the British Council Global School Partnership Programme which has enabled us to carry out a number of reciprocal teacher and student visits as well as to carry out a range of curriculum work.

We have achieved a lot together in the years that we have been linked and look forward to continued successes in the future.

Awards

Sir John Lawes has received widespread recognition for its global education work:

  • We have retained the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award since 2010
  • We have retained the British Council International School Award since 2007
  • We achieved the Fairtrade School Award in 2009

Our global education work has also been recognised through our work with Oxfam as a Lead School and from the Department for International Development through their Global Learning Programme for which Sir John Lawes School was invited to be an ‘expert centre’. This means that we have a role in promoting a whole school approach to global learning to other schools in the area.

Global education in the curriculum

Global Education work features in a wide range of curriculum areas, including Geography, Science, History and Life Skills.

We also dedicate one of our enrichment days to global education.

  • Year 7 focus on the theme of food and hunger and carry out activities aimed at understanding why people in the world are hungry and what can be done about it.
  • Year 8 have a theme of sport and dance. They explore the difficulties faced by those involved in sportswear manufacturing through a role play called ‘Trading Trainers’. They also make footballs from plastic bags inspired by Ndeke High School and learn dances from other countries culminating in an international dance competition.
  • Year 9 are based in the Science faculty and explore a range of international themes from a scientific perspective including energy, water and Fairtrade.
  • Year 10 hold a Mock United Nations on Nuclear disarmament. Students work in country groups to come up with a speech outlining their country’s position before a strict judging panel which includes the Headteacher.

Enrichment activities

In addition to curriculum work, we offer a wide range of enrichment activities for students with an interest in global issues. Over the last few years these opportunities have included:

  • Attending a Global Student Forum and subsequently being a ‘peer educator’ at SJL
  • Taking part in the trip to Zambia and raising awareness and funds to develop the partnership
  • Getting involved in the ‘Send my Friend to school’ campaign
  • Running assemblies or helping out with international events at local primary schools
  • Organising fundraising for international charities
  • Taking part in campaigns on issues such as the Arms Trade and world hunger
  • Participating in the work of the Oxfam youth action group or Amnesty Group
  • Organising a collection of books for the local Oxfam book shop

Oxfam Youth Action Group

The Oxfam Youth Action Group is a student-led group that works to incorporate international issues within the school community. This is achieved through a series of campaigning, awareness raising and fundraising events. The group contains members from Years 7-13 and is open to everyone. Even students who don’t join the group have the opportunity to participate in many of the events the group run. The group has been so successful that they were even invited to 10 Downing Street, as part of their involvement with the Enough Food for Everyone If campaign. This shows that students really can have their voices heard at the highest level.

One of the big campaigns last year was focussed on the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The group raised awareness of the issue in all year groups, met local MP Peter Lilley to present to him the views of Year 7 students on the matter and hosted Staff Strictly Come Dancing. In the weeks leading up to this event, 7 couples practised their ballroom, salsa or tango, culminating in an evening of entertainment featuring some excellent (and some not so) performances, all in front of a capacity crowd. The evening was enjoyed by all and raised over £1000 for Oxfam’s work in Syria. The excellent refreshments this year were organised by a special Year 7 Oxfam group, which really added to the evening.

Another key campaign was the Behind the Brands Campaign. All students had the opportunity to take part in a creative petition, calling on Coca Cola and Pepsico not to use sugar that came from land that had been unfairly taken from the indigenous population. The group were delighted to see first Coca Cola and then Pepsico doing as the campaign called for. The students also organised a campaign around maternal rights, centred on a sale of cards and gifts for Mother’s Day, which raised over £100.

In the summer term, the group led activities for Year 7 students on the topic of inequality, both across the world and in the UK. The younger students had the opportunity to get involved with the ‘All Hands in to End Inequality’ campaign. As part of the nationwide Water Week campaign, the group sold ice lollies, with the money raised supporting those who have been displaced in South Sudan. The impact of this work also extended beyond the SJL community, with members leading workshops for local primary school pupils. To top it all off, another Year 7 Oxfam group worked on the Send My Friend to School campaign, which this year focused on the rights of disabled children to an education.

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