I am incredibly proud of how Year 7 have approached their first year at secondary school. They have navigated the transition from primary school with maturity, resilience and a growing sense of confidence, quickly establishing themselves as valued members of our school community. Adjusting to a new environment is no small task, yet they have successfully adapted to moving between lessons, organising themselves independently, and working with a wide range of teachers across a diverse curriculum.

Alongside this, it has been fantastic to see their development both academically and personally. Many students have made strong progress in their learning, building new knowledge and skills across a broad range of subjects, while also growing in independence, responsibility and self-belief. It has been equally pleasing to see their confidence flourish as they learn to take on new challenges, work with greater resilience, and develop positive relationships with both staff and their peers.

And just like that... Year 10 awaits!

As we reach the end of another successful academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself fully as your child's Head of Year. Following the recent transition from Mrs Barley-Morey, I feel incredibly privileged to be leading this fantastic cohort as they begin one of the most exciting and important stages of their education, their GCSE journey.

Although I have only been with Year 9 for a relatively short period of time, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students. Over the past few weeks, I have spent a great deal of time visiting lessons, speaking to staff and students, attending tutor time, and learning about the strengths of this year group. I have been genuinely impressed by the kindness, humour, resilience and potential that so many students demonstrate each day.

I would also like to thank all parents and carers for your continued support throughout this period of transition. A strong partnership between home and school is essential, and I know that by working together we can ensure every student is supported to achieve their very best over the next two years.

Well, that year seemed to pass by incredibly quickly! I hope it has been a good one for you and your children as we look to celebrate this term’s achievement and look forward to the Summer break…

Year 13 Prom

We were delighted to celebrate with our wonderful Year 13 at their prom on Tuesday 1 July.

England’s woeful first half performance at the World Cup initially threatened to cloud proceedings perhaps just a little! Luckily, Harry Kane saved us – and our terrifically resilient Year 13 would anyway not have let anything mar their evening.

It was lovely to talk about time at NLS and to look forward to the future: whether university, apprenticeships, employment or a well-earned gap year awaits. After two brief yet unarguably wonderful speeches (!), students and staff alike enjoyed some great food in a lovely setting – with so many staff as well as students there, the mood was terrific and everyone had fun. The dance floor moves on display from students and staff alike was testimony to what terrific relationships and teamwork exist in the NLS Sixth Form – though some of the moves were perhaps a touch more on-point from the students than from some of the staff. Who would have thought “the caterpillar” could make a come-back?

Behaviour was impeccable and it was a real privilege to be part of such a terrific send-off. Well done all and best wishes for the future…

Year 8 have once again had a busy and productive half term and it is a pleasure to be able to share all of that with you.

Tutor Time Curriculum

In Tutor Time, this half term began with the students having the opportunity to reflect on their Data 2 reports and set themselves sensible, attainable goals for the remainder of the year. We have then gone on to conclude this half term reflecting on the fact that exam season has opened for the older year groups – this has been a great chance to think about how far year 8 have come already at North Leamington School, and what the rest of the journey has in store.  Elsewhere in Tutor Time, the team of form tutors has been delivering PSHE content on Crime and Gang Culture. These sessions have focused on knife crime, grooming and substance misuse, and form a vital part of educating the students about the wider world. Additionally, students have heard the feedback from student voice, following on from the Student Cabinet meeting of last term.

In the next half term, form tutors will continue to deliver PSHE, focusing on Mental and Physical Wellbeing. There will also be sessions on Pride Month and Digital Literacy.

NLS College Cup

We are excited to announce that this half term has seen the launch of our brand-new inaugural College Cup competition

All of Year and 8 and the rest of school have had the NLS College Cup introduced to them through  through tutor time and assemblies. The College Cup is simply the most prestigious College competition in school because it encompasses all of the College events and scoring systems that we run in school. The College Cup is designed to celebrate and reward positive contribution, teamwork, and our CORE values across a wide range of areas including rewards, attendance, punctuality, charity events, competitions, Sports Day, Maths Bees, and much more.

Students have fed back to us that they want to feel more involved in their Colleges, and now the College Cup gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.  With so many ways to contribute, every student can play a part — the big question is: which College win the very first College Cup?

Year 10 have had an incredibly productive and positive half term. Following the Easter break, students returned to school with a strong sense of purpose and enthusiasm. The recent History trip was a real highlight and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part. A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone involved in making it such a success.

Back in school, students reached an important milestone in their GCSE journey by sitting their first formal GCSE examinations in Religious Education on 12 and 20 May. This marked a significant step in Key Stage 4 and the maturity shown by Year 10 throughout the process has been exceptional.

In the lead-up to the exams, students demonstrated excellent commitment to revision and preparation. Their resilience, organisation and determination were clear to see, and they approached the experience with a very positive mindset. On the day of the examinations themselves, students conducted themselves calmly and maturely, showing real focus and professionalism throughout.

We are extremely proud of the way Year 10 have embraced this challenge so far. Their attitude and work ethic have highlighted exactly what they are capable of achieving when they fully apply themselves. We very much hope that their efforts will be reflected in really strong outcomes.

A reminder that students will sit their final GCSE RE paper on Islam on the first day back after half term, Monday 1st June 2026, during the afternoon session. All students have been provided with an Islam revision booklet to support their preparation. In addition, a detailed revision PowerPoint with teacher voice notes is available on Go4Schools and on the Digital Learning Hub to help students revise independently over the half term break.

I hope you are well and are looking forward to this Whitsun break! This term was of course marked by the onset of Exam Season and the start of our goodbyes to the outgoing Year 13…

Year 13 Leavers’ Day

On Friday 8 May, our year 13 students celebrated their last formal day here at North Leamington School Sixth Form as they start their study leave. With a now-established fancy dress theme of famous characters, we celebrated all the things our students have achieved during their time with us and all the many wonderful plans they have going forward. The Sixth Form Team set something of a standard dressing as the friendship group from The Wizard of Oz – though hopefully no-one feels that they lack brains, courage and a heart.

Final lessons saw a range of lovely initiatives: for example, Politics students created cakes with a subject-related theme.