HEADTEACHER'S BLOG - 10th october 2025

💧 Water Filtration Experiment
Students explored environmental engineering by building their own water filters using sand, gravel, and cotton. Watching muddy water turn clear was a brilliant example of science in action! 🌍🧪

🥚 Egg Drop Challenge
Next up, Year 7 put physics and design to the test! From parachutes to clever cushioning, students showed incredible creativity and teamwork to protect their eggs from the big drop. 🚀👏

🚀 Paper Rocket Launch
Students combined maths and physics, calculating angles, distance, and force to see whose rocket could fly the furthest. Using just a straw and air power, the room was soon buzzing with laughter and excitement as rockets zoomed across the room! 🧑‍🚀✨

💻 Coding Without Computers
In a fun, team-based challenge, students “programmed” a blindfolded teammate through an obstacle course using only verbal step-by-step instructions. This activity boosted logical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.

🌟 A Day to Remember
Overall, Year 7 showed amazing curiosity, creativity, and teamwork throughout every challenge — a brilliant celebration of STEM in action! 🧑‍🔬🔎

A huge thank you to Mr Yousaf, Ms Bunger, Mr Horton, Mrs Gaynham, Ms Savani, all Year 7 teachers, and Mr Atallah for preparing the resources and supporting the events — your dedication made the day possible!

🧱 Paper Bridge Challenge at STEM Club!

This week in STEM Club, our young engineers took on an exciting hands-on challenge — to build a paper bridge that could span a 40cm gap without any supports! The task tested their creativity, teamwork, and understanding of real-world engineering principles.

After watching a teacher demonstration and an instructional video, students got to work rolling, folding, and taping sheets of paper into sturdy structures. Along the way, they explored concepts such as triangular supports, tension, and load distribution, learning which shapes could bear the most weight.

The results were fantastic! Some bridges wobbled, some folded, and a few stood impressively strong under serious pressure.

🏆 Congratulations to Faizan Parvaiz and Diyor Patel, whose bridge took the top spot by supporting an incredible 2.5 kg of weight!

It was a brilliant session full of curiosity, problem-solving, and teamwork — a true celebration of what STEM is all about!

🚀 Next week’s challenge awaits — who’s ready to engineer something even stronger?

🌼 💛World Mental Health Day At LBS – Friday 10th October 2025 💛🌼  

Let’s pause, connect, and care — for ourselves and each other.

This Friday, we joined schools around the world to celebrate World Mental Health Day — a time to pause, connect, and show kindness. 🌼

At LBS, we focused on simple but powerful ways to boost wellbeing for both students and staff:

🌟 Random Acts of Kindness
From thank-you notes to helping friends, students were reminded that even the smallest gesture can brighten someone’s day — and strengthen our sense of community.

📵 Digital Detox
We encouraged students to take a short break from screens to spend time outdoors, chat with friends, or enjoy a quiet moment of reflection.

💛 Wear Yellow for Mental Health
Our school was a sea of yellow! This simple act showed solidarity, raised awareness, and reminded everyone that mental health matters every day.

🗣️ Time to Talk
Tutors led discussions and mindfulness moments, giving students space to share, listen, and reflect. Because sometimes, the best support we can offer is simply being there.

At Lordswood Boys’, we believe good mental health starts with kindness, connection, and care. Together, we’re building a culture where it’s always okay to talk — and where every student feels seen, heard, and supported. 💙

Celebrating European Languages Day! 🌍🎉💃

Please take a moment to watch the video, capturing our students fully immersed in the celebrations, speaking new languages, sharing cultures, and having fun while learning! 🌍🎬 Their smiles say it all, European Languages Day was a wonderful reminder of how language connects us, broadens our horizons, and brings our community closer together. 💬✨

College & Extra-curricular Highlights

From Mr Insley, Assistant Principal

🎓 Exciting Times in Our School College System! 🏫

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

Our School College System is buzzing with energy as students step up, lead, and compete in a series of exciting events! 🌟

💬 College Captain Applications Open!
It’s time to lead, inspire, and represent your College! Students keen to take on the College Captain role should submit their applications soon, don’t miss your chance to make a difference. ✍️

🧠 Intellectual Event Launch
This week saw our first year-group quiz, testing knowledge, teamwork, and quick thinking. The energy was electric⚡A huge well done to everyone who took part! Results to follow 🏆

💪 Tug of War – 24th October
Our first Athletic Event of the year promises strength, laughter, and College pride! Students (and maybe even staff!) will battle it out for points and glory. 🚩

With mental and physical challenges ahead, our College System is alive with teamwork, leadership, and school spirit. 💙💚💛❤️

Extra-Curricular Success at Our School! 🏫

Extra-curricular activities are a fantastic way to learn new skills, make friends, and discover hidden talents. And our students are diving in with amazing enthusiasm! 🎉

📈 61% of Students Now Attend a Club!
A huge milestone — over half of our students are now enjoying at least one extra-curricular activity. Thank you to all students, staff, and parents for making this possible! 👏

💪 Peak Performance for Years 7 & 8
Our programme is up and running, helping students build confidence, teamwork, and resilience while having fun across sports, arts, and more. ⚽🎨🏃‍♀️

📋 Year 9 Parents – We Need You!
Help your child get involved in our Year 9 Extra-Curricular Programme: Sign up here 💻✉️

🎯 45 Clubs and Counting!
From STEM to music, debate to sports, there’s something for everyone — and the number is growing! 🚀

We’re proud to see a culture of participation, passion, and perseverance thriving at our school. Let’s keep the momentum going! 🌟

Teaching & Learning and Homework updates

From Ms Bunger, Assistant Principal

Safeguarding Updates

From Mrs Metcalfe-Molinari, Assistant Principal

We are deeply saddened by the horrific terrorist attack that took place last weekend at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester. Our thoughts are with the victims, the injured, their families, and the wider communities affected by this senseless act of violence.

While incidents like this are extremely rare, we want to reassure you that schools remain safe spaces for our children, and our police and emergency services continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities.  It is important that we stay united in the face of such events, showing kindness, compassion, and respect for one another. Children may have questions or worries, this is completely normal. Encouraging open conversations and reassuring them that they are safe and supported can make a big difference. 

We also want to acknowledge that, following this incident, there has been a rise in reports of racially and religiously motivated abuse across the country. We are aware that some pupils may have experienced or witnessed such behaviour. This is completely unacceptable. Any incident of racial abuse or hate must be reported to the police; no form of racism or discrimination will be tolerated in our schools or communities.       

You can report hate crimes directly to West Midlands Police via their online reporting page, or by calling 101 (or 999 in an emergency).   

Please also be mindful of the impact of misinformation and distressing content online.  

Encourage children to seek information from trusted sources and to speak to a trusted adult if they see anything upsetting. Sharing unverified content or speculation can cause further harm and hinder ongoing investigations.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zjr8qyc 

It is vital to remember that such acts are carried out by individuals, not communities. We must continue to promote understanding and respect across all faiths and backgrounds, especially during difficult times.

If you have any questions relating to safeguarding and need support, we have a very experienced team of Designated Safeguarding Leads in school, please get in touch using the contact details below:

• Mrs Metcalfe-Molinari, Assistant Principal/Lead DSL, d.metcalfe-molinari@lordswoodboys.co.uk

• Mr Richard Stanford, Deputy DSL, r.stanford@lordswoodboys.co.uk

Weekly Sports Round-Up

From Mr Janes, Director of Sport

Sport fixtures and training schedules 

⚽ Year 7 Cup Match Report: LBS 0 – 2 Alderbrook  ⚽ 

Lordswood’s Year 7 team showed real heart and determination in their recent cup clash against Alderbrook. Despite the 2–0 defeat, the boys produced some excellent passages of play and kept their opponents under pressure throughout. 💪

⭐ Man of the Match: Joe Schaffer – for his tireless work rate, leadership, and intelligent positioning.
🧤 Standout Performer: Goalkeeper Aryan – with brave, crucial saves that kept Lordswood in the game.

Head Coach Alfie Cutler praised the squad’s effort, saying:

“We didn’t get the result, but we saw commitment, teamwork, and flashes of real quality.”

A huge well done to the team and to Pranay Patel (Y11) for his excellent officiating. The performance showed grit, unity, and promise — a solid foundation for the season ahead. 👏

🏏 LBS Cricket Provision in Full Swing!

Our talented cricket players have been hard at work in training this week, developing their skills alongside Warwickshire Cricket Coaches. 🌟

Attendance has been fantastic — it’s brilliant to see so many students showing commitment, enthusiasm, and a passion for improvement. The future of LBS Cricket is looking bright! 💪👏

💪 Sports Leadership in Action!

Our Sports Leaders have been hard at work this week, leading Key Stage 3 Basketball and Year 7 Peak Performance sessions. 🏀⚽

👏 A huge well done to Harkirat Singh, Leo Wallace, Josh Coote, and Alfie Cutler for showing exceptional leadership, communication, and sporting knowledge throughout.

We’re proud to offer opportunities that help our students grow as confident, capable leaders — and this week, they truly shone! 🌟

Weekly Music News & Schedules

From Mrs Lowndes-Ford, Director of Music

🎶 Two Big Musical Moments at Lordswood Boys! 🎧  

Friday was a huge day for music at LBS, with two amazing events celebrating creativity and culture! 🌟

Our entire Year 7 cohort took to the stage to perform “Voices of Europe,” a powerful song celebrating diversity and unity — and they absolutely nailed it with confidence and pride. 👏

Meanwhile, DJ Toni Grehan led exciting DJ workshops for 30 Year 7 and 8 students, giving them hands-on experience with professional mixing and performance techniques. 🎚️🎵

And the best part? Toni will be back in December to run more sessions for Years 9 and 10! 

🎶 Lordswood Boys’ School Hosts First Birmingham Music CPD Session 🎧  

On Thursday 9th October, Lordswood Boys’ proudly hosted its first Birmingham Music CPD session as a designated Lead School of Music.

Delivered in collaboration with three other Lead Schools, the event welcomed music teachers from across the city — including Richard Mabbott, Head of Services for Education.

The session was both inspiring and thought-provoking, exploring how to build and sustain a strong music culture within secondary schools.

👏 A huge thank you to all the visiting staff for their engagement and to Mrs. Lowndes-Ford for leading such a successful event.

An extra special well done to RJ Taylor and Ismaeel Bahadur, who gave heartfelt speeches about their own musical journeys at Lordswood and shared valuable insights with attendees. 🌟

Mrs. Lowndes-Ford looks forward to the next CPD session later this year as we continue to champion creativity and collaboration in music education across Birmingham. 🎵

🎶 Exciting Music Opportunities for Lordswood Students! 🎧  

Soundlab Project – Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
From Monday 13th October, six talented Lordswood Boys will take part in the year-long Soundlab project, learning to compose collaboratively in an ensemble with expert guidance from Conservatoire lecturers. Students will develop creativity, teamwork, and composition skills, culminating in performances at the Conservatoire and other venues across Birmingham. 🌟

National Youth Orchestra Open Event – 26th October
We’re thrilled that the NYO will be at Lordswood over the October half term, running a full day of rehearsals and workshops with some of the UK’s most talented young musicians. 🎻

Local students Grade 3 standard or above (no formal exam required) are invited to apply for the afternoon Open Event:

• 📅 Event: Sunday 26th October

• ⏰ Application deadline: Thursday 23rd October

• ℹ️ Application details available via the flyer and through Mrs. Lowndes-Ford

This is an amazing opportunity to make music with the UK’s leading youth orchestra — don’t miss out! 🎵