On Wednesday we had a very exciting visit from Russ Cook, aka Hardest Geezer! Last year, Russ accomplished his mission to be the first person to run the entire length of Africa, raising over a million pounds for charity and inspiring people worldwide. Russ shared his experiences with Year 7 and 8, talking about some of trials that he had to overcome and the power of persistence and teamwork in the face of adversity: "if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together". Students were very excited to meet a local Sussex hero and were hopefully inspired to strive for adventure in their own futures.
Our Modern Foreign Languages department are thrilled to announce that they were nominated for the prestigious Bernice McCabe Award by the Prince’s Teaching Institute and received a commendation certificate. This recognition celebrates excellence in education, and we were honoured to be considered. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic year for languages at our school!
This week we will have seen almost 40 Year 7 students complete their Bikeability Level 3 course, led by Sarah and Ed, the fantastic Bikeability Instructors from East Sussex County Council. The course gives students the skills needed to navigate challenging roads and traffic situations and encourages them to think independently and make informed decisions. One student said "The course is fun and great because we are learning how to ride safely on the road - I now know what 'giving way' means". If your child has missed the opportunity to attend one of our courses in school Bikeability also run courses during the holidays. Click here to find out more.
We held our highly successful Priory School Open Evening on Thursday, 19th September. Our student speakers and student tour guides and department volunteers were the real stars of the show and one visitor took the time to write in to share some lovely feedback "I attended your open evening tonight with my son; we loved our visit. We were impressed by the staff and school but, more importantly, were so grateful to the lovely year 9 students who gave us a tour around the school. They were friendly, engaging and beautifully mannered; if we'd have left it to them, they'd still have been showing us around the school at midnight! They put my son at ease and really helped us understand the school. They are a real credit to Lewes Priory and I hope their input can be acknowledged in some way." Our students really are such a credit to the school.
Priory has been awarded the PTI Mark of excellence for outstanding teaching in English and Modern Foreign Languages, as well as for excellent school Leadership. We are delighted to have been awarded The PTI Mark for our innovative work in English, MFL and Leadership, and will be proud to carry the Mark on our stationery and website as evidence of our commitment to inspirational teaching. Our MFL department have also been shortlisted for the PTI’s prestigious Bernice McCabe Award, which is awarded annually to an exceptional department which demonstrates the ethos and values of the PTI through their work within and beyond the curriculum.
Today’s results mark the culmination of years of dedication, effort, and unwavering support from everyone involved in guiding our young learners through their examinations, in often challenging circumstances. This Year 11 cohort have had a school experience like no other year group before them or, hopefully, since, and we are extremely proud of them for how they have responded to the unique set of circumstances that they have had to face. That they have achieved so well is a reflection of the hard work and commitment they have invested in their futures and it is hugely pleasing that so many of our young people will now progress with confidence onto courses in their chosen colleges and sixth forms. Nationally, grading has continued as normal this summer and standards have been maintained from summer 2023 following the return to pre-pandemic standards last year. Within this context it is very pleasing to note that Priory students have continued to achieve outcomes well in excess of both local and national averages. Outcomes at grade 7 and above are 35.5% compared with 21.7% nationally, and outcomes at grade 4 and above are 79.7% compared with 67.4% nationally. The young people who leave us today have shown us that they have the curiosity, discipline and persistence to flourish academically, the kindness, honesty and respect that will help them to collaborate with others throughout their lives, and the aspiration, imagination and optimism to thrive personally. We are very proud of them as a cohort who will go on to achieve great things and, as its future citizens, change the world for the better. We are very grateful to have been able to support them to face the future with well-earned confidence and take the next exciting steps in their lives.
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