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Welcome
Welcome to the first parents’ edition of The Beacon: the newsletter from the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.
We are excited to share with you just some of the fantastic activities and achievements that have taken place across our schools over the past academic year. It's been a busy year filled with numerous events, accomplishments, and memorable moments that we are eager to celebrate with our community.
Whilst we have focussed on stories which involve our pupils, this year there has been a lot going on ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure we are providing the best environment across our schools; we have run trust-wide training for both primary and secondary staff on INSET Days, including guest speaker Tom Sherrington, a LSP Conference for those who volunteer on our local governing bodies and an Operational Away Day for our staff who work to keep our schools running in estates/caretakers, finance, HR and business management.
We hope this newsletter will help you stay informed and feel connected to the vibrant and varied life of our trust. For more news from our schools we encourage you to read emails/newsletters sent home to you, visit both the school and Trust website and follow us on social media. This is also a good place to find out about job vacancies we may have.
As we look forward to September, we are excited to continue building on these successes and creating even more opportunities for our pupils - your children - to thrive and grow.
Finally, we want to thank all LSP parents and carers for your continued support and for being an integral part of our community.
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As you may be aware your child’s school is a member of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP) – you can click here to view all the schools within our Trust.
The Lighthouse Schools Partnership is a large multi-academy trust with 30 schools, nearly 12,000 pupils and more than 1500 members of staff across North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset (BANES).
The Trust was formed in 2016 and all of our schools have chosen to join our trust as we share the same aims and want to provide excellent provision for children and young people in the local area.
What role and support does the LSP offer?
The Trust offers support, guidance and training to our 30 schools:
- Our Headteachers have colleagues who they can seek advice from. They receive support and challenge so they can be effective in the vitally important role of making the best decisions for leading their school to continue to improve outcomes for pupils.
- Working together and sharing best practice across our teaching staff allows us to provide a wide-ranging effective curriculum and learning strategies to pupils which is backed by the latest research and evidence. This allows our teachers to focus their attention on the children and the delivery of the classroom materials.
- We offer a wide range of training to our staff so they can make the biggest impact. We want to look after and upskill our staff so they remain in the education profession.
- We also work together outside of the classroom; we have skilled and experienced staff who provide essential services to our schools and we problem-solve and support each other to do the best for the children and young people in our schools. From contracts and procurement, school site management, HR and financial services - we want to ensure best value, sustainability and high efficiencies across the Trust to ensure that school budgets go as far as possible so that the classroom can come first.
Our vision and values
Flourishing in Partnership
A mature partnership dedicated to the flourishing of our pupils, our colleagues and our whole community.
Our values are behind everything we do; they have recently been reviewed and updated to help us drive our organisation forward over the next three years. We have high aspirations for the Trust – from the pupils, teachers and teaching assistants in our classrooms to delivering excellent services to our schools and our aim to be carbon-neutral by 2035.
Find out more about our vision, values and priorities for 2024-27 on our website.
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At the LSP, we know how hard our schools work to put on shows and productions that both staff and students are really proud of. Below is just a selection of this year's theatrical efforts from our four secondary schools.
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Backwell School: West Side Story
Backwell School's production of West Side Story was performed to four nights of sell-out audiences in February. The talented performers, ranging from all years across Backwell School blew audiences away with their incredible production of West Side Story.
As part of the rehearsal process, the cast and crew showcased the production to all the students and staff in school, ensuring nobody missed out seeing the production and allowing the cast and crew to promote the show and enthuse students to get involved in future productions at the school.
West Side Story: A Student Review
"An impressive achievement of this production was how successfully the eclectic demands of the piece were met. One moment, the cast would be performing Mambo, an extravagant, percussive dance number furnished by a hullabaloo of sweeping skirts, pulsing with both panache and anger. The next, the emotive solo Maria, accompanied only by the swelling of the orchestra, yet just as joyful to watch. Despite the varying dynamism of the scenes, at no moment did the energy drop... A real standout was the acting. The cast were fully committed to performing with energy and authenticity... Well done to anyone reading this who was involved in the production." (Ciara, Year 12, Backwell School)
 
Churchill Academy: High School Musical
Churchill Academy & Sixth Form students took to the stage at The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare for their rendition of High School Musical: On Stage!
Bringing together drama, dance and music, the Performing Arts department directed three casts for this show, allowing 150 students to be on stage in this spectacular production. The music for the show was performed live by students and the band had the audience singing from start to finish - and on their way home! Behind the scenes, the production operations were run by a team of students who created smooth transitions between set designs.
The professionalism of the production was down to every single individual, who dedicated months of their time to preparing for the performance. It was an incredible experience for the students involved, whilst bringing together the remainder of the student body and the community for four evenings of entertainment. Next year, Sixth Form student leaders are directing Key Stage 3 students in We Will Rock You, featuring songs by Queen.
 
Gordano School: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
In March, Gordano School students came together for a week of performances of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The production involved 70 students across the full age range and showcased the Creative Arts subjects of Drama, Dance, Music and Art in one of the school’s signature events. More than 800 people came to see the show across 4 nights and closing night on the Friday was a sell-out.
 
Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.
Students from Year 12 at Chew Valley School recently performed SIX to a sell-out audience. The show tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII like you've never heard before.
Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr are all members of a girl group, competing against each other to decide who should be the lead singer. As they cannot decide, they initiate a competition, or singing battle, to see who suffered the most as Queen.
Each wife believes they had it toughest and tries to belittle the others’ attempts to prove their hardship. However, as they become frustrated that their place in history is defined by one man, together they decide to pick up the pen and the microphone, and re-write their own stories.
With sassy queens, harmonies to die for and choreography that led to standing ovations each evening, the cast and crew gave the audience an experience they won’t forget. Huge congratulations to the entire company – which comprised of six actors and 5 crew members.
 
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SECONDARY PERFORMING ARTS
What is the benefit to our students?
"I was absolutely terrified to audition, but I'm so glad I did as this experience has been one of the best things I've ever done, if the scariest... There was a lot of pressure, but I've enjoyed every second of learning and rehearsing, it's nice to have something to look forward to, separate from schoolwork... I've made so many amazing friends within the cast, got closer with old friends, and met so many people I never would have got to hang out with if it wasn't for the show!"
(Ruby - Backwell School, West Side Story)
"Being in West Side Story was an absolutely amazing experience, to say the least... Everything from the rehearsals, learning lines, the orchestra, it was all fantastic...
It's been some of the most fun I've had in a while"
(Leo - Backwell School, West Side Story)
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LSP Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Day 2024
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Students from across the Trust’s four sixth forms joined together at the University of the West of England (UWE, Bristol) Business School, on 22 May 2024, for the Lighthouse Schools Partnerships (LSP) Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Day. The aim of the event was to aid our students in learning new leadership skills, enhancing existing strengths and inspiring one another.
With 90 students from Churchill, Gordano, Chew Valley and Backwell Sixth Forms in attendance, the day started with inspiring talks from alumni and Student Ambassadors, before splitting into breakout sessions, focused on Team Entrepreneurship and Student Networking, as well as a tour of the facilities at UWE Bristol’s Business School.
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What is the benefit to our students?
Pete Marlow, who works within the Widening Access Team at UWE was hosting the day and gave the LSP students a warm welcome, said:
“Days like these give young people a powerful insight into what their futures could look like. It is a great opportunity for them to meet our students, who are only a few years older than them, and a few steps ahead in their studies and career planning.”
READ FULL STORY
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The annual football event, run by Community of Purpose, brings together Year 5 children from Bristol schools in areas diverse in ethnicity, race, class, faith and geography with the aim of connecting and building friendships across perceived divides.
The Portishead quintet were paired with five students from Bannerman Road Academy in Easton and together they formed an immediate bond. After four separate training sessions together, alternating between the two schools’ grounds, the newly formed team travelled to The University of West England to compete in the finals.
There, the team enjoyed 6 hard-fought matches, winning 1 of those and drawing another. Even though they weren’t able to win the overall championships, they were recognised for their team spirit and named the 2024 Team of the Tournament - collecting the Ubuntu award, an African saying meaning humanity to others.
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What is the benefit to our students?
Speaking about their own experiences and how the event has benefited them, one of the Portishead pupils stated: “It was really fun. I’m a massive football fan so it was great to just play football so much. It was really interesting to go to a different school and I think it was quite easy to get along with the other children as I like socialising with others. It’s made me more confident and I would definitely recommend this to other people.”
Mr Capel, teacher at Portishead Primary, commented: “We are extremely proud of our pupils. They represented our school tremendously, displaying all the characteristics we aim to promote at Portishead Primary. They showed courage, teamwork, respect and kindness, and fully deserved their award."
READ FULL STORY
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Enhancing the Music curriculum at Yatton Schools
Yatton Schools have been focussing this year on enhancing their Music curriculum to provide inspiring opportunities across all year groups.
The School wanted pupils to take part in multi-cultural instrument workshops to increase cultural knowledge and working closely with WEMA (West of England Music Alliance) has made this possible. A wide variety of workshops were organised; from brass bands to soul music, to Djemba Drumming and an Indian Music lesson, every year group has had at least one enriching music experience this year.
The joys of live performance were also demonstrated to the children and the School’s choirs were given multiple opportunities to perform in front of new audiences including a local care home and at a large scale events in Bristol and Birmingham.
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What is the benefit to our students?
"Music and singing has always been a key part of the Yatton curriculum and brings our school community great joy, be it listening to music, singing or playing an instrument. We are very lucky to work with a music specialist Ali, who is inspirational - leading our choirs, working with our subject leaders, teachers and WEMA to help provide these really special opportunities for children to experience music in all its forms and be inspired to understand that there is a big music world out there to explore."
Jo Keeble, Headteacher, Yatton Primary School
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This term, the vast majority of Year 10 students across the LSP have attended a work experience placement. These placements have been based all over the country, ranging from Balmoral in Scotland to working within our own schools or trust.
As part of this, most students and/or employers are visited or contacted by phone by a member of school staff and the feedback that our schools receive is testament to our students' attitude, behaviour and willingness to engage and learn.
Sue Jones, Career Advisor at Gordano, commented: "Many employers have commented on how they have watched the students grow in confidence as the placement has progressed and this is one of the most important elements of work experience; learning how to work and act in a different environment with new people.
We are very proud of our students and also extremely grateful to every employer who has worked so hard to support the school with the Work Experience programme."
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Work experience provides a great opportunity for both students and employers alike. At the LSP, we host work experience placements both across our school sites, and within the Trust Central Team.
Last week, the LSP Central Finance Team were joined by Theo, a work experience student from Gordano School. Theo spent the week learning from various members of the finance team. The Finance team also found his mature, can-do attitude meant that by the end of the week, Theo was completing tasks unaided and to a high-standard, supporting the team as an extra pair of hands.
Theo commented: “I have never been to an office before and it was more fun than I expected! Getting a placement was not easy (two others I had organised pulled out) so I was very grateful to be offered to spend the week in the Finance Team. I have had a really great week, and have learnt a lot that will help me in the future.”
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In June, the normal school timetable was suspended and Backwell School students in Years 7, 8, and 9 embarked on a week-long journey of adventure and discovery during the highly anticipated Enrichment Week.
The week was filled with tailor-made trips and activities designed to push students out of their comfort zones, enhance their learning experiences, and foster new friendships beyond the familiar classroom environment.
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Year 7 Adventures: Year 7 students enjoyed an energetic week split between two nights of camping in the scenic Mendip Hills at the Mendip Activity Centre. The camping experience provided students with a unique opportunity to connect with nature, develop teamwork skills, and build resilience through outdoor challenges.
They also had an opportunity to participate in an African dance workshop and a circus skills session, encouraging students to push their boundaries and develop new talents in a fun and supportive environment.
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Year 8 Explorations: Year 8 students had a packed week filled with diverse experiences. In addition to drumming workshops and martial arts class, students had the opportunity to participate in several other enriching activities, from the excitement of a jousting show at Warwick Castle, delving into the vibrant Bristol street art scene, with a walking tour, and even trying their hand at making Vietnamese street food, as well as participating in martial arts and drumming classes and a visit from Animal Encounters. These activities broadened their cultural horizons and provided practical skills and memorable experiences.
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Year 9 Cornwall Residential: Year 9 students embarked on a four-night residential trip to Cornwall, where they engaged in a varied programme of activities at the beautiful Falmouth University (Penryn Campus). The trip included a visit to the iconic Eden Project and culminated in a celebratory beach BBQ. The picturesque setting and the diverse activities offered students a perfect blend of education, adventure, and relaxation, fostering a sense of independence and camaraderie among the students.
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What is the benefit to our students?
Parent and student feedback:
“I liked the drumming and how we got to dance and have a fun time, I also enjoyed the martial arts as I got to try a new activity that I wouldn’t have tried before”.
“I was thrilled with how much my daughter gained and how much she enjoyed the recent enrichment week. Please thank all the team on our behalf as they did such a wonderful job looking after the young people”.
“Just wanted to thank you all for the time and energy you put into the trip to Falmouth in the lead up to and last week. B had a great time and has talked about it lots over the weekend. From the activities and accommodation to the staff and the food he enjoyed it all. Sitting chatting and playing cards with his friends in the evening was a highlight and he saw the benefit of being phone free!”
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We wish to say farewell to Dieter Cook, Executive Headteacher at Bishop Sutton and Stanton Drew who will be retiring at the end of this academic year.
Thank you, Dieter, for all you have done for the children and staff at Lighthouse Schools Partnership. We wish you all the best for your next chapter.
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We also want to say thank you to all LSP employees for their dedication, support and passion over the past academic year. We couldn't have done it without you all!
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THANK YOU BUSINESS PARTNERS
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We would like to express our thanks to our Business Partners for their support and sponsorship this year.
Firstly, thank you for the generous donation of £150 from ParentPay, which provided lunch for 90 students attending the LSP Student Leadership Conference at Churchill Academy and Sixth Form in February.
A huge THANK YOU also to Purgo, 2It systems, Chris Goodall Architects, Three Cherries, Cornish Garden Services and Edmond Shipway, who sponsored the purchase of 23 Android Tablets for use by our Site Teams. These tablets will allow them to complete and log vital health and safety checks, keeping our school sites safe for our children.
Finally, a big thank you to BromCom and Purgo, for sponsoring the coach transport for students to/from our Sixth Form Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Day in May.
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Thank you so much to all parents/carers who completed the Parents' Surveys back in May.
Your feedback and comments have been shared with your Headteachers, Senior Leaders, Governors and Trustees at the LSP so they can be considered as part of school development plans for the coming academic year.
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As you may be aware Yatton Infant School suffered a devastating fire in May 2023. Work is ongoing to rebuild the building destroyed; pupils have been learning this academic year in temporary classrooms and our priority throughout has been ensuring they have a welcoming, safe environment in which to learn. (include pictures)
The Trust has now completed the tendering process to select a company to project manage the rebuild. Bray and Slaughter, who are a local contractors based in Bristol, have been selected to design and build the six new classrooms and library for the school. We hope to have the planning application in by the end of the summer.
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Facilities Update
In addition to this major build planning many of our other schools have seen smaller in scale but just as significant improvements this academic year.
As part of our plan to be a more sustainable Trust, we have undertaken a Trust-wide LED lighting programme. Stage one of the plan has included retrofitting the primary schools, looking to improve the educational environment as well as saving energy and money. Estimated savings to date are projected to save 56 tonnes of CO2e, and over £200,000 for schools. With educational finances under so much pressure, this will be a much-needed saving that not only supports schools but also supports our overall journey to be more sustainable. Stage two of the programme will look at updating lighting at our secondary schools.
A number of our toilet facilities have also been improved, for example at Chew Valley School, toilets in the original (1958) school building were refurbished and pipework was replaced. At Backwell School a number of indoor toilet blocks have been completely refurbished - including the full redesign and rebuild of toilets in the House Blocks. Students can now use modern toilets which are a huge improvement on the former facilities. Specially manufactured outdoor toilet blocks have also been introduced to the school site. These important improvements offer cleaner and brighter facilities for pupils which are a vital part of their school environment. Works are also underway to improve toilet blocks at Gordano School and Churchill Academy & Sixth Form.
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BEFORE: Previous L-Block Boys Toilet Facilities at Chew Valley School.
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AFTER: Refurbished L-Block Boys Toilet Facilities at Chew Valley School.
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BLAGDON PRIMARY SCHOOL RATED ‘GOOD’
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Blagdon Primary School rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted
Following a graded Ofsted inspection in November, Blagdon Primary School has been judged to be a Good school in all areas. The children say ‘something good happens every day’ and parents comment that the school knows its pupils well and provides a nurturing environment in which they can flourish.
Gary Lewis, CEO of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership, commented: “We have known for a long time that Blagdon was a good school, but it is very pleasing to have the official confirmation of this in a graded Ofsted Inspection. Our Trust is very proud of the work that Jenny Campbell, her colleagues and her governors have done to transform the environment and the educational experience at Blagdon. It is now one of Lighthouse Schools Partnership’s best schools.”
The report shares that they are ‘ambitious for all pupils’ and that teachers have ‘strong subject knowledge’ and ‘share their joy of reading’. Pupils with special educational needs or disabilities are well-supported, as are those who may have other barriers to learning.
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LSP STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
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Churchill Academy hosts LSP Student Leadership Conference
On Thursday 8 February, Churchill Academy and Sixth Form was delighted to host the second LSP Student Leadership conference.
The conference involved 85 students from across the trust from year 7 to 13. Student leaders from each school presented on the theme of “The challenges and achievements of student leadership”. It was inspiring to see our student leaders presenting with such confidence and clarity and to hear about the challenges of leadership, how these can be managed and their achievements as student leaders.
The conference provided a tremendous opportunity for the students from the Trust's schools to interact together both whilst working, and also over a lunch provided by Parent Pay.
Read full article
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Gordano School rated Good in all areas by Ofsted
Following an inspection at the end of April 2024 Ofsted has graded Gordano School Good in all areas.
The inspectors commented on the wide breadth of subjects and extra curricular activities on offer at the school and noted that “Pupils’ achievement is strong and classrooms are typically calm and purposeful.” They also noted that “children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy learning at the school.”
Louise Blundell, Headteacher of Gordano School, “I am really proud to lead Gordano School and I feel the Ofsted report is a testament to the wonderful young people in our school and the dedication of our staff in ensuring that we provide a high-quality education for our students. I was particularly happy to see that the inspection team had noted the high expectations we set for our young people in regards to being kind and empathetic towards others and could see how positive our staff are about working at Gordano School.”
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Hannah More Infants and Grove Juniors thrilled to receive Positive Playtime Award
Hannah More Infants and Grove Juniors were recently awarded a Positive Playtime Award, recognising their outstanding play provision across the two schools.
At the start of 2023, the schools began a programme to enrich and enhance their children’s play through the Positive Playtime Award training programme with Therese Hoyle, author of 101 Playtime Games and founder of Flourishing Schools and Positive Playtimes. They recognised the value and importance of positive playtime experiences and how they support children’s physical and emotional health as well as their enjoyment of school.
Over the past ten months, the school staff have worked to introduce zoned playground areas, craze of the week and active playground games, role play and dressing up areas, enhanced play equipment and quiet areas and developed the role of Year 6 Playleaders and friendship zones. As a result, in November 2023, they were assessed and awarded the Positive Playtime Award.
The assessor noted: ‘It was a complete joy visiting your schools and seeing the Positive Playtime transformation. Thank you for making playtimes awesome for your children and creating outstanding play provision.'
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Whitchurch Primary School Students attend four day Community of Purpose trip
On Monday 2nd October, five students from Whitchurch Primary school joined 25 other children from six primary schools across Bristol, on a trip to Bristol’s twin city of Bordeaux. This exciting opportunity saw them taking part in four days of sport, culture and educational programmes that will last in their memories forever.
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Backwell School students take part in Association of Language Learning Short Film Competition
Several Backwell students in Years 8 and 9 recently took part in a Short Foreign Film competition run by the Association of Language Learning partnered with Bristol University.
They were judged on confidence, teamwork, language and editing skills. All entries were brilliant to watch and showed a wide range of imagination, creative and editing skills, with a number of Backwell students reaching the final!
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Burrington Primary Excels at Engineering Challenge
On 17 April, budding primary school engineers from Bristol and North Somerset gathered for the 2024 Bristol Primary STEM Challenge Final.
This year’s Primary STEM Challenge Final was hosted by Badminton School in Bristol. 15 primary schools took part in the final – each represented by the winning team from an earlier round of school-based heats. This year’s challenge was to design and build a working crane with the aim of successfully installing a model wind turbine.
The competition was fierce and after some hushed deliberation from the judges, this year’s victors were announced: Noah and Thom, two year 6 boys from Burrington Church of England Primary school. The boys were delighted with their win and their Bristol blue glass trophy.
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What is the benefit to our students?
"This was a great opportunity for young people to experience engineering and to have fun at the same time. I learnt that trial and error really pays off – we had to change our model several times before we found the perfect combination.” (Noah)
“I had a very good experience – it was a lot of fun to take part with my friend, Noah. It was a great day!” (Thom)
The boys’ teacher, Mrs. LJ Annandale, shared her excitement at Burrington’s success: “This engineering competition fit in perfectly with our school’s sustainability vision and was a great opportunity for learning.”
READ FULL STORY
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Portishead Primary pupils problem-solve their way to recycling success
When Portishead Primary was struggling to get students to recycle their waste correctly in the playground, a team of Year 6 children called Eco6 stepped in. They made it their mission to analyse the problem, talk to the right people and put a plan of action in place.
Even though there were already recycling bins outside, almost no one used them correctly. This was confirmed by Eco6’s spot surveys back in the autumn term. They realised that recycling bins needed to have distinctive openings, be weather and seagull-proof, and have excellent durability. Online research narrowed their choices down - the only problem was that their bins were hundreds of pounds each. With the total cost expected to be over £700, the children’s attention turned to fundraising.
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Football Fundraising Fun at Winford Primary
As the Euros heat up, Winford C of E Primary School embarked on a Football Fundraiser, with pupils from Reception to Year 6 forming an allegiance with the Robins Foundation, Bristol City’s charity that works with the local community to raise funds and inspire young people.
The charity visited Winford Primary with a large inflatable goal, and pupils in each class took turns to excitedly score many goals. As the ball hit the back of the net, the children cheered one another on to raise well over £2000! The money is split equally between the Robins Foundation and the school PTA to further give young people fantastic opportunities inside the classroom and beyond.
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Junior Maths Challenge
Churchill Academy & Sixth Form saw 100 of its students sit the Intermediate Maths Challenge, with eight students qualifying for follow-on rounds and some exceptional achievements attained.
The students who entered challenged themselves with their mathematical skills and knowledge. Impressively, a Churchill Year 10 student achieved a distinction in the Hamilton Olympiad and received a silver medal, ranking him in the National Top 50 for Year 10 students.
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Churchill Performing Arts
Throughout the year, Churchill Academy & Sixth Form Main Hall becomes a beacon for musical, dance and acting talents. The Spring Concert generated a packed audience who came to watch student musicians perform a variety of genres.
The M Stars competition provided a platform for students to shine in the world of Musical Theatre, and this year Churchill had 20 amazing performances. The evening also saw familiar faces return to Churchill, with the judging panel comprising Performing Arts alumni.
Finally, in Strictly Dance Fever, dancers of all styles took to the stage to perform in groups, duets or as a solo for their chance to win the trophy!
All of these incredible events allowed the students to gain the experience of performing in front of a live audience, excel at their craft, push the boundaries of their accomplishments, and support their peers in the process.
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St Mary’s CE Primary School 'Race to the Olympics'
As part of their annual Health and Wellbeing week, children at St Mary's Primary School took part in a range of Olympics-themed activities, from sports, learning about the history of the Olympics and completing an art challenge linked to the Olympic rings. The art work produced has been given to the community and is proudly displayed in St Mary’s Church. The highlight of the week was the ‘Race to the Olympics’ sponsored event, which saw children and staff in school running the distance from St Mary’s school to the location of the Paris Olympics. The monies raised are going towards guided reading books so will benefit children for years to come.
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Wraxall CE Primary School dance with dragons!
In February, pupils at Wraxall Primary welcomed the Lion Dance Troupe from the University of Bristol to celebrate Lunar New Year. They performed a fantastic dance, with the dragons standing two people tall and fluttering their eyelashes. It was linked to learning about the Spring Festival/Lunar New Year traditions. The children made dragon masks and concertina decorations, wore lucky colours of red, gold and orange, listened to guests talking about their experiences and the food they eat for their special meal, received gifts of oranges and lucky red envelopes, and fully immersed themselves in learning about another culture. The dance troupe were amazing and it was an experience that the children and families won’t forget!
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St Peter's Primary hosts Eco Forum Festival
On Thursday 13 June, St Peter’s Primary School in Portishead hosted the 2nd Eco Forum Festival. Eco leaders from St Peter’s, Portishead Primary, Trinity, St Joseph’s and High Down all came together to celebrate their eco achievements and to learn more about what we can do to care for our environment.
The local primary schools came together along with local charity groups, and representatives from North Somerset Council, all with the shared goal of making a positive difference to our planet.
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Whitchurch Primary School's 'Week of Adventure'
At Whitchurch Primary School, enthusiasm for sport and active learning really comes alive during their annual ‘Week of Adventure’, which is now in its third year. During the week, children take part in a variety of new sports and physical activities, including Lacrosse, fencing, dance, cycling and yoga to name a few!
This amazing annual event culminates in a whole school activity, enjoyed by all and the talk of our local community. In the past they’ve enjoyed climbing walls, tobogganing at a dry ski-slope and taking 200+ children to a Ninja Warrior ‘takeover!’ This year, Whitchurch took the whole school to Congo Falls golfing centre!
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Paint Pals Intergenerational Art Project
Pupils from High Down Junior School have been making regular visits to Portishead's Norewood Lodge Care Home as part of Paint Pals, an intergenerational art project aimed at bringing together young and old. The children and residents exchange postcards and paintings and come together to participate in art workshops. It has been wonderful to see how these relationships have grown through successive visits.
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Northleaze Primary School Choir Scoop Award at MidSomerset Music Festival
Northleaze Primary School Choir have gone from strength to strength, having returned triumphant from the Midsomerset Music Festival in March. The student travelled to Bath Pavilion performing two songs in front of a number of other schools, parents and spectators, including an adjudication panel. We're delighted to announce that they won their class, receiving a certificate of distinction and a trophy. Well done Northleaze Primary Choir!
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St Andrew's Primary School invite families in for food-themed events
This World Book Day, St Andrew's Primary School welcomed their families into the school for a cooked breakfast. The event was an opportunity for families to connect with the school together in an informal way. It is always one of the highlights of the school year at St Andrew's!
Year 6 Greek themed evening
Each year, Year 6 pupils at St Andrew's host a meal for their families at the school. This year, they prepared a three-course Greek dinner, preparing and cooking all of the food, as well as being waiting staff, and performing songs and a dance.
The event raised £440, and staff and families were very proud of the Year 6 students' achievement.
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LSP Business Breakfast 8 February 2024
Lighthouse Schools Partnership held the first Business Breakfast of 2024 on Thursday 8 February at Gordano School. Over 100 Business Partners and education colleagues attended the successful event.
Our main speaker at the event - Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset and Chair of the Bristol Future Talent Partnership, Mohammed Saddiq - provided an engaging and inspiring talk on the benefits to businesses getting involved with communities to help address issues of inequality and social mobility.
A big thank you to everyone who attended - and an extra special thank you to our speakers.
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What is the LSP Business Partnership?
The Lighthouse Business Partnership was set to bridge the gap between LSP schools and local businesses to improve education provision and enhance employer engagement with the children in our schools.
Sponsorship, time and support from local business is incredibly valuable to schools within the LSP, particularly in terms of careers development for those in our four secondary schools. From offering work experience to funding inspirational trips and conferences, our Business Partners allow us to offer more opportunities to our pupils that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
For example, earlier this year transport was provided, via Business Partnership sponsorship from BromCom and Purgo, to take 60 students to UWE in Bristol. Without this funding the trip would not have taken place and meant pupils were able to visit a university campus for the first time. One Year 12 student who attended
We are delighted that the following businesses will be working with us in 2024-25:
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Could you help young people in the local area develop employability skills and careers knowledge? Does your company want to improve its community social responsibility agenda? Joining the Lighthouse Business Partnership will improve the lives of young people across out Trust. We offer our official Business Partners:
- Public recognition of your support: additional coverage of specific help and sponsorship of events on social media and in newsletters.
- Company logo display and promotion: Business Partners logos are prominently displayed in the Reception areas of our four secondary schools, as well as on our Business Partners’ website and during our Business Breakfast events (twice a year, with around 100 local businesses in attendance).
- Enrich and enhance the delivery of education and careers: Enrich and enhance the delivery of education and careers to young people in the North Somerset and BANES area and create greater awareness of, and interest in, your sector.
- Engage with our students: Engage with our dynamic students through work experience, apprenticeship opportunities, networking sessions, and more.
- Invitations to Business Partnership Events: Invitations to business partnership events, including our bi-annual business breakfast event.
- Ability to use and promote partnership status: We grant businesses permission to use our partnership logo on publicity materials and to advertise your support of schools in the larger community.
Find out more by visiting: https://lspcareers.org.uk/business-employer-opportunities/ or email businesspartnership@lsp.org.uk to sign up.
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Volunteering as a school Governor is a challenging but rewarding role that offers the opportunity to make a difference for children and young people in your community. Each school within the LSP has a Local Governing Body (LGB) which provides vital roles in the functioning, direction and development of the school. There are no specific qualifications or requirements for the role - every LGB needs a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience.
Click below to find out more about how you can become a governor and support our schools.
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