A Message from the Head Girl at LPGS
Hi everyone! My name is Ellie and I am the new Head Girl. I study Biology, Maths and Law and would like to study Medicine at University to reach my dream to be a cardiothoracic surgeon.
My most valued memory from this year is the Year 12 team-building day in September. At this stage, we didn’t know many people and it was where I met some of my closest friends now.
As a school leader, I’d like to be able to give every student the opportunity to do what they love, regardless of whether they can afford it or not, so look out for plenty of fundraising events this year to pay for scholarships and resources around the school. Please pop along when you see one advertised!
This year has been difficult for us all and I’m sure we all want to go back to normal now! But, nevertheless, I hope everyone is proud of themselves for getting through it, and I’m looking forward to meeting even more of you in the year to come!
A Message from the Head Boy at LPGS
Hey everyone, my name is Giovanni and I have been given the pleasure of being the new Head Boy of LPGS. I aspire to go into Medicine to become a doctor and I’d like to specialise in Cardiology, Paediatrics (Neonatal) or Neurology after hopefully studying for 5 years at Newcastle, Bristol or Manchester University. I currently study A Level Maths, Biology and Chemistry and I can’t wait to pursue those 3 subjects further!
Since joining LPGS, my most valued memory of this academic year is firstly becoming the Head Boy because it was an extreme surprise to me and secondly being able to socialise with people my own age in a safe environment. At LPGS I have strengthened the bonds that I have with my current friends, I have also met and created new bonds with people that I’ve met at the Sixth Form.
As a school leader I hope to provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds, races and ethnicities. For me, being one who wasn’t born with privilege, I understand what it's like to not have all the equipment to work with and having to make do with what I’ve got. But I want to change that, I want to provide students with all the opportunities that they could possibly ask for. This could range from extra academic activities for all students, to more social sessions for improving people's confidence, or extra sporting activities to improve wellbeing.
Due to the pandemic, it has been an extremely hard year for a lot of people but hopefully we will be able to go back to normality and work at our best to achieve our goals. I look forward to potentially inspiring young people to step outside of their comfort zone and chase their dreams regardless of the pressures they may face.
LPGS Deputy Head Girls
Hello, my name is Sade. I aspire to study Law, hopefully going on to specialise in immigration after taking a three-year History degree as it’s my favourite subject now. This links very well to my two other A Levels, English and Politics which will help aid me in this career path.
As part of the Senior Prefect Team, I wish to place an even bigger emphasis on student voice ensuring they are heard no matter how small or big the topic is. I aim this year, to visit each form and converse with every year group, establishing relationships so that students know they can depend on the Head Team and voice their opinion confidently. If you see me in passing, please don’t be shy in approaching me! I am always happy to speak to new people and hear what you have to say. I want to be able to act as a bridge between teachers and students so that together we can create an even better school environment for everyone.
My favourite memory so far this year? It must be the first pizza/award ceremony. Being able to celebrate each other’s achievements, especially during times like this, was really warming and uplifting.
I am extremely ecstatic as I'm really looking forward to work with the team and improve the school for you!
Hey, I’m Emily. I currently study English Literature and Language, Geography and Psychology and will be applying to study Film Production at university, hopefully spending some of my time studying in the United States. This is to enable me to pursue a career in screenwriting and production.
In the past year, I have highly valued the comprehensive university and careers support as it has mitigated many of the pressures that coincide with applying to university and further education for myself and many of my peers.
I aim to utilise my position as a leader in the school to provide extracurricular activities, especially in areas such as Film and Television. My overall goal being to allow students in the lower school to learn about the vast career opportunities within the production industry, which aren't as commonly advertised within the academic sphere. Additionally allowing students to express their creativity and ideas.
LPGS Deputy Head Boys
Hi, I'm Matthew and I study Geography, Maths and Law. When choosing my subjects, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but now, due to my enjoyment of law, I am likely to go on to study it at degree level, with the hope of going to the top of the legal profession.
The thing I have I most valued in the last year is meeting new people. Some of whom I would not usually speak to, but we have one thing in common which is that we all attend LPGS. This one thing epitomises the welcoming and inclusive LPGS community and what makes it special.
As a leader in the school, I intend to make a positive difference on many levels and in many areas, whether that be in the Sixth Form or the lower school, with a particular focus on physical activity and providing opportunities for all. I hope to be able to enhance the LPGS experience for all students both on an academic and extra-curricular level in order to provide a solid foundation for happy and prosperous lives.
Hello, my name is Ayan and I study Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths. I chose these subjects because I plan on studying Medicine in the future at university as it has been my aspiration for a long time.
During my time at LPGS, the support from members of staff has been excellent. They have helped me when I was struggling academically, and their guidance has enabled me to excel beyond what I believed I could achieve.
I plan to help fellow students by establishing a tutoring system going forward. I hope this will create a more tight-knit school community by creating mentor-mentee relationships across year group. This will not only help younger years academically but enable older years to develop key skills such as leadership, organisation and communication.
Although the pandemic has affected our plans as a student council, we will continue to implement ideas to create a better LPGS.
DANCE AT LPGS
This year our very talented A Level Dancer Skiye has been part of National Youth Dance company. The company creates and performs innovative and influential dance, bringing together the brightest talent from across England to work intensively with renowned artists and visiting companies. Skiye auditioned in the autumn and has been working with the company all year, culminating in a performance at the home of contemporary dance Sadler’s Wells in July, and we can’t wait to watch her perform. We hope that Skiye’s experiences will inspire other students to be brave enough to audition for these once in a life time experiences.
This is Skiye’s reflection of her year with the company:
If being in National Youth Dance company has taught me anything it is that persistence and commitment are key, not only to rehearsal but to the movement and the work also. This has obviously been harder with much of the early rehearsals being online but from this I have grown to be resilient and always look for another route around problems. Being responsible for yourself within a company of dancers has also been something that has really helped me better myself because you are responsible for the notes you take, your understanding of the work and your overall contributions to the piece. These things have been made much easier by the fact that I get to work with other amazing likeminded young people who care just as much about the dance as I do. It has challenged me physically and mentally but because of that the work resonates with me more on a personal level. Skiye Year 12.
See if you can spot Skiye in the Meet the Company of 2021 video.
If you would like more information on advanced dance training opportunities such as this, please see Mrs White for more information.
SUMMER NEWSLETTER: LIBRARY
Since returning to school, the highlight of our reading year has been the READ WELLbeing inter-house reading competition. Research shows that reading reduces stress, particularly important this year, and so students were asked to read inspirational stories and post their reviews on the Firefly page. This earned positive points for them and points for their house. The competition was fierce and the lead changed several times but the final result was:
1st KAPPA 2nd GAMMA 3rd SIGMA 4th LAMBDA
So very well done KAPPA who receive the CELEBRATING READING Cup.
There were hundreds of entries and prizes go to the following students for particularly thoughtful reviews:
Congratulations to the students below and thank you to everyone who entered the competition.
Throughout the year, and throughout lockdown, Y7 have taken part in a mega Reading Race. Each student was asked to embark on a series of six, increasingly detailed, reading ‘track events’. This started with the Triathlon, then onto the Relay, the Hurdles, the Decathlon, Half Marathon, finishing with the demanding full Marathon. The reading tasks included fiction and non-fiction and covered a wide range of genres.
Many congratulations to our winner:
Amber J from 7SG, who finished all six races and completed a fantastic 62 reading challenges
Very well done to our Runners-up who were:
7KC Olivia B - 7LE Alexandra A - 7GB Emily B
Our reading goes on and we hope everyone will take part in the SUMMER READING CHALLENGE, to read six books during the holiday. Students will receive positive points for the books they list on the Firefly home page and be entered for the prize draw.
So happy holiday … happy reading!
Mrs Hall: Librarian
The English Department
In 9KC we have two budding writers who have been inspired by the diverse texts they have studied in English. Holly G. has written a poetic narrative which poses many questions for the reader. Sophie E. is writing a dystopian novel and we have an exclusive first look at some of her chapters. Enjoy!
She was complicated.
Her eyes are the blue of every dancing sky. If you've ever seen blue fire, perhaps you'd have an idea of how quite literally anything could transform blue eyes. One glance told stories of a life-time of struggle that had never been put into words. The emotion that they carry are several layers deep, yet they manage to carry the warmth and life of a sunlit surface. Her eyes are fire in water. Passion in ice.
She was complicated.
Her brown hair danced in the wind to nature’s choreography. The depths of hues in her brown hair is as the finest choir coming together in soul-warming symphony. There was a warmth that radiated onto her features, a simple frame for her smile and her eyes which held more stories than she would ever admit to. Her hues altered, as strands would blow through the wind, exactly like autumn leaves playing in the days' shine.
She was complicated.
Her smile is the sunshine, and the birdsong. There were so many ways she smiled, and only a few were told with her lips. There were times she'd smile with the pitch in her voice or a slight bounce in her step. There were times she smiled with her choice of words, or the way she paused to listen to the chirping of birds waking in the hours of the early morning.
Except she smiles. Her hair dances. Her eyes glisten. But…
She is complicated.
Because behind it all, she is made of little rooms of thoughts emotions and memories. Some with doors open which you can walk into and reminisce on. Others, with large bolted doors accompanied by several locks and chains. Things she threw away into her past in hopes to never have to remember.
During childhood, is when one is most creative, that part of our brain that dreams at night also has access to our daytime thinking and one could dream up the most wonderful fantasies, live them in a sort of way. It's what children do all the time.
But not for her. Her childhood was thrown away. She was never granted one. Her brain was an extinguished fire, with memories she allowed to burn away in her past.
Now those locked burnt rooms are just dark, subsisting on the burnt tinder of who she was and is. In these ashes was nothing to even renew a spark. It felt like her true past was no longer there at all, like it was stolen from her, willingly, and replaced with something photo shopped, fake.
It makes sense to her though. It gives her feelings of joy. Joy, she never experienced.
But these rooms aren't burnt. And their locks will one day rust and break. Meaning no matter how hard she tries, the memories will follow her around. Like a devil on her shoulder. Except she won't be able to choose to listen to its words. She has to accept them. For its words are all true and she can't change them.
Until then. She hides her truth. Too afraid to admit to herself how unstable her life is. That although she may seem like our superhero, who's to say her past won't convince her to be the villain.
She is far too complex for you to understand.
By Holly G. 9KC
Chapter Ten Excerpt
A strong, unknown rain slashed at my skin while the harsh winds lifted my hair in a million different directions. The Farming District was dressed in water and flames. The nearby homes were destroyed, their walls had crumbled into themselves and the horribly crafted streets had been lifted from the ground, resting uneasily above an overflown river. A flock of crying geese flew overhead, barely missing the shards of purple lightning, testing how close it could edge towards any living thing before it died.
Chapter Fourteen Excerpt
The car braked and swerved so the doors were facing us, it forced a deathly shadow to engulf us all in a cool breeze. The four-by-four’s warm stench was followed by brittle sprinkles of rusting metal from its open-air back. I covered my mouth and nose to avoid breathing it in, quickly covering Zae’s too as he crept around me to get a better look. The scratched door slowly opened and I caught a scent of freshly squeezed, yet rotten, lemons.
“Hello strangers.”
Chapter Fifteen Excerpt
It was black until I stepped forward, eroding the wet earth beneath my feet that slowly appeared as I took another. The forest walls hung with weeping trees and glistening vines as the nearby flowers started to bloom and bud as I walked closer to them. I had no faith in my mission but the damp blades of grass whispered words of unintelligible hope into my ears. I ignored them, pacing to two large trees guarding a garden of tranquillity. I touched my palm against a handprint in the left one’s trunk and the tree slowly moved its rotting leaves so I could enter.
By Sophie E. 9KC
ArtsFest 2021
After 18 months of no live performances we were all set for an audience of 200 in the courtyard, but sadly the weather had other ideas and forced us inside. But we would not be defeated and with rehearsals taking place all day the numerous acts from Dance, Drama and Music performed for the camera in the main hall.
Whilst the full edit is finalised for at home viewing, here is a snippet of the work on show…
Hairspray 2022
After the cancellation of the 2019 production, we have been itching to re-launch and can finally announce we will be auditioning for Hairspray 2022 in the autumn term. All students will be required to audition for their role with those planned to be in the main roles for 2019 production being given special consideration for retaining their parts or being re-cast into other lead characters. Our aim for is anyone who wishes to be involved to play their part. We will need singers, actors, dancers, stage managers, program, costume and make up designers as well as front of house staff to make this spectacular. Doors open on the performance in the week of 7th July 2022; find all the information you need to get ready for audition on the dedicated Firefly page -
Bromley Majors Athletics Event
It was 28 degrees at Norman Park Athletics track, where the West Kent Athletics Championship took place for Year 9 and 10. The sun was shining, and the atmosphere was "electric". Pre-race feelings were very mixed, Yr10s described themselves as "very nervous". However, in Yr9 Tallulah was feeling good which was very positive as she would be doing 4+ events. To kick start the day our girls had hurdles which Emily A raced in placing 1st, it was tight but she made it and performed very well finishing in 11.6s which was a lovely surprise as we thought that she came second. Emily was very happy and looking forward to the long jump event. Next up was the 1500m with Cerys yr10 and Isla Yr9, they placed 2nd and 3rd with Isla being able to catch up 2 places! Times were 5.20 and 5.25, great work. The good energy was high with LPGS and so many people were supporting each other creating a great atmosphere throughout the whole day. We had another great race at 12:20pm, the 300m with two Yr9s, Alexia 2nd with the time 43.5s and Sadie 4th at 52s. Straight after the day picked up its pace with the 200m with Nina in Yr9 racing way ahead from the other contestants placing 1st with a personal best of 25s, wow. We also had Grace N in Yr10 who was quite nervous as it was not her main event however, she gave her all and proudly represented the school. Next up we had the 100m with Caitlin's first-ever race finishing at a fantastic time of 14.53s. Also, Sarita DH was very nervous before the race but finished at a good time and placed 3rd. The last of the running was 800m and Tallulah held 1st place throughout the whole race. For the girls, we had field events in the afternoon with Emily feeling a little nervous yet jumped very far at 4.89m receiving a massive round of applause and praise from the other contestants, shouting "Woah she literally flew". Estelle said her heart was going "pitter patter" before her jump but with Emily's support, she was ready to try her absolute best. There were many other fabulous events like shot put with Caitlin trying something new with her technique, high jump and javelin. The last event was the girls' 100m x4 relay event where the Yr9 girls came 1st with wonderful team performance and Yr10s girls coming 2nd, they both had the exact same times of 56s. Personally, I really enjoyed my day at the athletics competition especially as it was my last for LPGS girls, everyone was so lovely, patient and kind. A big shout out to Miss Bush and Miss Loy for taking the teams and keeping us organised. We could not have done it without you. Thank you!
By Estelle M Y10
Bromley Minors Athletics Competition
On Wednesday 23rd June a group of Year 7 and 8 students arrived at Norman Park to compete in the Bromley Minors Athletics Competition, taking on the other Bromley schools in all track and field events. The sun was shining for the first Athletics meet post-lockdown, and all students’ first ever secondary school athletics competition; there was excitement in the air and the feeling of being back on the track was incredible.
There were some incredible performances throughout the day, with all students having only attempted the throwing and jumping events once in lessons or at athletics club . In Year 8, Charly made their debut in the 80m hurdles, Evie threw an incredible 14.7m in the javelin, Amy ran a very quick 1500m in the blistering heat and Ziannah and Kiera flew through the finish line in their sprint events. In Year 7, Ruby and Azana made the final of their 100m heats, Beth and Emily paced their middle distance events so well that they had enough in reserve for a spectacular sprint finish and Evie cleared a whopping 1.15m in the high jump. Both year groups entered two teams into the 4x100m relay; finishing the day strong placing top 4.
All students were fantastic in their events and should be incredibly proud – well done!
Cricket sessions
This term, students from Year 7 and 8 have taken part in Kent Cricket’s Chance to Shine school leadership programme. The charity, which aims to spread the power of cricket through schools and communities, is helping more girls take part in sport and develop leadership qualities. Each Monday after school, an ever-increasing number of students experienced expert coaching sessions delivered by the Kent Women’s coach; developing new bowling, batting and fielding skills which they are all able to apply to Kwik Cricket matches. As well as advancing their physical skills, students have learned to understand their own and teammates' strengths and weaknesses, problem-solve and be confident in their decision making when leading other students.
With the possibility of a Kwik Cricket fixture against another Bromley school before the term is over, students will be able to showcase the quality of skills learned in such a short period of time. A huge well done to all students who have attended!
National School Sports Week – Inter-house Rounders, Staff vs Students
National School Sport Week
The theme of this year’s National School Sport Week (19th – 25th June) was ‘together again’. After a year in which young people have missed out on so much and had their worlds turned upside down, sport and physical activity are playing an essential role in their recovery.
During the week, we ran inter-house rounders competitions across Year 7-10. These were really well attended and was great to see so many students involved in the first inter-house sports competition, and for many their first inter-house event. There were some excellent rounders performances on display with students showing great teamwork, communication and leadership skills.
Well done to everyone who was involved! The results are in…
We are really looking forward to many more inter-house sports competitions in the future and cannot wait to see even more students getting involved!
Well done to all students who participated in the competition and to those students who helped umpire!
Staff v Students
We also ran staff v students for the Year 12s in football and rounders.
The rounders match was played in good spirits in the blazing sunshine. After a tight first innings, the staff came out with renewed energy by setting a score for the Year 12s that was hard to beat! They came close but in the end couldn’t quite reach the level of the staff! We look forward to the rematch!
In the football, they played both 5 a-side and 9 a-side games which were closely contested. There were some excellent skills on display from both sides, with the staff running out eventual winners to take consecutive wins!
We look forward to more staff v student events in the future!
Music Department
As soon as we returned from Easter, we jumped straight back in with our Bubble Bands and Choirs rehearsals as well as music-making in class as we tried to return to as much live experience as restrictions allowed. We also had a wonderful addition to our extra-curricular offer in the form of a Year 9 Music Theory group run by two of our very talented Year 12 students.
Then our first big event of the term took place on Tuesday 15th June when LPGS were live streamed into the O2 as part of the final stage of our ‘Lovely Day’ record break attempt. We started with a whole school virtual challenge back in lock down 2 to sing or sign ‘Lovely Day’ and then brought the group back together for the grand finale featuring Billy Ocean and Yolande Brown. 60 of our students took part in the record break and we have had confirmation that we broke the record for the largest children’s zoom choir! The highlights video of the day shows that the students clearly had a great time and raised valuable funds for charity at the same time….
The following week, our Year 10s performed in their final GCSE Music recital of the year. The students have made huge progress as soloists since they started the course which was a pleasure to witness. We had everything from Bach to Billie Eilish and it was a relief being able to do live recitals as the class had had to submit their previous 2 recordings from home!
More recently, the Year 7 instrument scheme students recorded their virtual concert of the pieces they learnt on instruments they hadn’t had lessons on before. The scheme saw some firsts this term as it was the first time NuvoDoods had been included and the first time Miss Sheppard joined Mr Sizer in teaching the course. NuvoDoods are starter clarinets that are half the size. They have a reed and mouthpiece exactly the same as a clarinet although the notes are played the same as on a saxophone and recorder so it is a real hybrid instrument.
The students have enjoyed their journeys on violin, trombone, keyboard and clarinet and two groups even performed to over 400 older students at lunchtime when our governors visited at the end of June.
‘I enjoyed playing with my friends and getting all the notes correct. I enjoyed playing an instrument that helped me mentally and physically.’ Lawrencia – 7GA
We look forward to delivering the experience to the new Year 7 students in September!
On July 6th, Arts Fest 2021 was scheduled to be held outdoors in our courtyard and was a sell out within a week. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and we ended up switching to our back-up plan of filming the whole programme instead. The wonderful variety of Music, Drama and Dance year group bubble items that the students had been working so hard on are currently being edited as we speak so will be with you to enjoy soon!
In the penultimate week of term, we arranged an all day composition workshop for the Year 10 GCSE Music class to make up for some of the opportunities they have missed out on this year. We chose the theme of Wellbeing and the day was led by 3 wonderful industry professionals from Arts Train (funded by MyTime Bromley) who hadn’t been back in schools since the very first lock down. The singer/ songwriter/ producer pros expertly took the group through the process of writing a song throughout the day. The students spent the morning mind mapping the theme of Wellbeing and constructed sets of lyrics from them after watching some examples for inspiration before lunch. In the afternoon they then used their instruments to add chords, basslines and other instrumental parts to their lyrics/ melody lines and performed their amazing efforts in a mini concert at the end of the day.
‘I loved being able to make music as a group and had so much fun doing it’
Annabel 10KC
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for regular updates on what we get up to: @LPGSMusicDept, especially the exciting events we have planned for Carnival in the last week of term!! We will hopefully be able to re-launch our full extra-curricular programme and events calendar in September so watch this space…
Class of 2021 - Sixth Form
"Goodbye and Good Luck Year 13". On the 26th May, we said our final goodbyes to Year 13. There were tears and cheers, as we celebrated the 'Class of 2021". No one could have predicted the pandemic and learning from home, however students took it in their stride and have left us with increased resilience and confidence. We are so proud of each and everyone of the students and hope they will use their 'Langley wings' to follow their dreams but also come back and tell us all about their new adventures. We will miss you! - Mrs Williams, Mr Watkins, Ms Ashman-Clark, Ms Bowry, Ms Thompson and all the staff at LPGS.
Year 13 Results Day Tuesday 10th August. Please arrive from 8.30am at the Sixth Form Gate. Staff will be on hand to support anyone who wishes to go through UCAS Clearing and future planning. Looking forward to seeing you all!
Fundraising events...
So it turns out everyone loves Krispy Kreme donuts!
Last Wednesday 14th July, myself and my year 7 Karate Club (with the aid of some very lovely Sixth Formers) made it our mission to sell 500+ donuts in order to raise money for the school. Not only did we completely sell out, but we sold out in 20minutes flat!
We raised an amazing £490 in total, that will go towards scholarships for students within the school (eg: music lessons).
Most importantly, we couldn’t have done this without the generous sponsorship of Wimpy Beckenham, so thank you from all of us at LPGS!!
- Ellie M (Head girl)
Visual Arts Department
Year 10 GCSE Fine Art - Since September, Year 10 GCSE Fine Art students have been exploring the Formal Elements and have created lots of sketchbook work based on these elements. Watch the video below to see their creative work!
Year 12 A Level Art and Design - Over the last year, Year 12 A Level Art and Design students have explored the theme of Flora and Fauna and have started to create 3D sculptures as part of their Fine Art element of the course. Each student has produce imaginative and creative work which you can see in the video below.
Year 8 Textiles - As part of their textile rotation work, Year 8 complete a hand embroidered piece based on the work of Julian Opie. Here is Angela C and Mariela A’s work (both 8SH):
By Ms Crowe - Visual Arts
VISUAL ARTS SUMMER EXHIBITION
Please click on the link below to see all the wonderful work that our Y11 and Y13 Visual Artists have been able to produce this academic year even in some very difficult and challenging times...
LPGS PUBLIC ART PROJECT
‘Public art is seen by more people than any other type of art’.
This year, our Year 13 BTEC Extended Diploma artists were set a vocational brief to design and install a mural to be sited internally at LPGS. The challenge being that the design must communicate the identity of the school through the imagery used.
As artists and designers, they were required take into account site restrictions such as space, shape and lighting; how the school community might interact with the work; health & safety considerations and the overall cost of the project. As such, a great deal of research including presentations to Ms Scott, feedback from student surveys, design developments and costings were undertaken until the final design was agreed.
The installation of the mural was a staged process that required constant reflection and refinement as the students learnt more about the reality of undertaking a huge and very public piece of work. It was a delight to see how the students worked collaboratively each day, not only developing as artists but understanding what it takes to be a true team worker. They showed resilience, compromise and creativity in their problem solving and ultimately produced a piece of public art in which they can feel truly proud.
SUMMER CARNIVAL 2021
Credits:
Created with images by AllNikArt - "berry strawberry hands" • ArtTower - "girl woman female" • AhmadArdity - "books bookshelf library" • pasja1000 - "reading relaxation glasses" • ninocare - "books shelves door" • jameswheeler - "ancient angkor angkor wat temples" • katyandgeorge - "pink hair hairstyle woman" • planet_fox - "run profit sport" • jstarj - "cricket stumps bails" • AnnRos - "football ball soccer" • BobMcEvoy - "clarinet music instrument"