School's Blog

Baton Passing Service for Lubenham All Saints CE Primary School and Great Bowden CE Primary School.

On 30th March, Reverend Richard Brand led an end-of-term Easter assembly for pupils, parents and friends at All Saints Church in Lubenham.
We had some special visitors; staff and pupils from Great Bowden CE Primary School joined us so we could pass on the Gartree 1 Deanery baton and candle to them.
Reverend Brand spoke to the children about letting their lights shine, as well as sharing the Easter story with everyone.
The words from the liturgy for giving and receiving were used. Lubenham School Councillors Thomas and Katie passed the baton to the children from Great Bowden so they can enjoy having it in their school before it sets off on the next part of its journey.
We finished our worship by singing “Celebrate the Light” together

Children and staff from Lubenham All Saints Primary School were delighted to have the opportunity to be at St Martins House in Leicester when the Queen began her Diamon Jubilee tour. 
There was a very exciting atmosphere with big crowds gathered together to see the special visitors. 
There were musicians and singers to keep us entertained whilst we waited! 
We were thrilled to get a wave from the Queen and Duchess of Cambridge as they passed us in the Royal Car.  A very special day for everyone!

The children and staff from Townlands Primary school were thrilled to be given the opportunity to welcome the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee visit to Leicester.
The day was very exciting with lots of things taking place to keep us occupied whilst we were waiting for the arrival of the royal party, the bands all playing at once adding to the atmosphere of excitement.
As the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Duchess of Cambridge left the cathedral everyone was very excited and we were extremely lucky as the Duchess of Cambridge came over and spoke to and shook hands with some of the pupils from Townlands who now have some very special memories of the day.

The Queen’s Visit in the eyes of Billesdon Parochial Primary School

I received a letter from the Diocese Board of Education straight after half term inviting our school to attend the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. As you can imagine there was a flurry of excitement across the school. The only catch was that only 20 children and 3 staff could attend. Due to the nature of the day the 20 children were randomly selected from the junior classes and the staff chosen were Mrs Bullock and Mrs Beadman (myself included!)
The journey started on a coach trip to Leicester. The children and staff’s excitement mounted as we saw the crowds, firstly at De Montfort University and secondly as we rounded the corner of Peacock lane. The coach dropped us off and we walked through the crowds into the car park of St Martin’s House and selected a spot at the front of the ropes.
The atmosphere was electric; we were entertained by musicians from across the world, a celebration of our culturally diverse city. The children were given union jack flags to wave and the silver birch trees looked fantastic with the children’s messages of love and hope for the Queen and country, fluttering in the breeze.The weather held out for us. We were truly blessed that the British rain held off for the day! We were also kept entertained by the big screen and watched the guests arriving for the Cathedral service. You can imagine what we were like when we spotted Rev’d Alison walking in the procession!
The excitement outside St Martin’s House was mounting as we heard that the Royal party had left De Montfort University and were on their way to the Cathedral. We glimpsed the Royal standard on top of the car go past and could then watch the events unfold on the big screen.The Royal party left the Cathedral and came across to St Martin’s House with Bishop Tim and the Dean of Leicester, Vivienne Faull. This was our first glimpse of the Royal party, but due to our position they didn’t come close to us.
They entered St Martin’s House for their lunch and it was time for our lunch too.We decided to set up camp in our spot for a picnic style lunch as we didn’t want to lose our prime position. During our lunch the Queen’s car was parked in front of us, so we knew that we would be closer to her when she left the building.And after many hours of waiting we were rewarded with our patience. Although the Queen, Duke and Duchess didn’t come close enough for us to shake hands or speak to, we were close enough to gasp in awe and excitement at many of our first sightings of these members of the Royal family.
The children were exceptionally well behaved, which isn’t an easy task when standing around waiting for hours! They certainly made me proud and were impeccable ambassadors for their school and the village of Billesdon!
We took many photographs of our day out in Leicester and would love you to see them. Please take a look on our website www.billesdon.leics.sch.uk and click on the Queen’s Jubilee link found on the home page.
Anita Timson – Head teacher

Below are some pictures taken of our school, Wymeswold CE Primary School at the Queen’s Jubilee visit here in Leicester.

The children and two members of staff had the most memorable day ever when they were invited to the Cathedral to attend the Jubilee visit from HM The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess of Cambridge.

  We stood at the very front by the Cathedral gates and the Dutchess of Cambridge came along and spoke to all of the children and ourselves.  The children presented her with posies in red white and blue

Everybody at St.Barnabas felt very privileged to be part of the Royal Day.
Children have told me that their highlights included : the atmosphere with the band, choir and dancers (that we could hear if not see!), the large screens enabling us to see all of the service, having lunch in the cathedral (we decided that probably not too many people get to do that) and, of course, Kuljit from our school presenting flowers and having lunch with the Royal party!
We were all also thrilled that two of our girls managed to hand their letters personally to the Queen and The duchess of Cambridge!  From an adult point of view it was great to mix with other schools and we felt ALL the children waited beautifully for quite a long time. Oh and last, but not least, we were grateful for the fine weather!
Back at school everyone left behind joined in with their very own Royal Tea Party, lots of Royal decorations and Royal activities in class. We are presenting a whole school assembly on the last day of term for the lucky children to share their memories with the rest of the school. Many thanks to the Cathedral staff for orchestrating such a great event.

Jane Swift (teacher accompanying St. Barnabas children)

The royal visit was an experience none of us will ever forget.
The children recognised that they were experiencing an important part of our country’s history in celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We all felt very proud to be there and what struck us was the warm and friendly atmosphere that we enjoyed.
The visit also demonstrated the value we place on the celebration of the wide cultural diversity that is part of what makes Leicestershire so special.
The children particularly enjoyed seeing their thoughts and prayers prominently displayed for all to see.
Please thank everyone who helped to make this day so special – it was an honour to play our part.
Hose Primary School

The Day I met the Queen.
On Thursday 8th March 2012, Leicester had an exciting visit. Princess Catherine, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen came to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. Luckily, we were one of twenty schools invited to take twenty pupils to the grounds of St. Martin’s house to see the Queen. One person from every year came along with the Year 6’s. I was jumping with joy when we finally stepped on the coach and were ready to go. The time flew by and after 20 minutes of travelling we made it to the Cathedral and to my amazement the streets were flooded with people. We got off the coach and made our way onto the car park of St. Martin’s House. Me and my friends were waiting for the big moment. Whilst we were standing around important people like the Bishop of Leicester (he looked like a shepherd!) walked by. A band was playing drums, cymbals and trumpets and an African choir was singing and dancing whilst playing the drums. After about three hours of waiting, the Queen’s royal car was driven down the street and she made her way into the cathedral. We saw her and Catherine on the big screen. We saw Church Hill Junior School from Thurmaston sing in honour of her Royal Majesty. All of a sudden the car park went from silent to loud! The band was playing because the Queen and Catherine were making their way to St. Martin’s House for lunch. They came right past us and received our gifts. The whole school made her a card saying, ‘Congratulations’ and Ella Sharp in year 4 painted her a picture. The Queen was astonished at her beautiful picture. Catherine and the Duke of Edinburgh didn’t come round to our side which was a shame. So my day meeting the Queen was amazing and was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Tilley Simms Year 6

The Day I met the Queen
Yesterday, at 9.45am I stepped onto the bus with Amy and Maya. Maya sat with Aimee and I sat opposite. The bus journey felt long but we passed the time by playing games. When the bus finally pulled into the car park I was so excited! I undid my seat belt, helped Aimee undo hers and then we stepped off the bus. It took a while to walk round to the Cathedral but it was worth it because outside the Cathedral we had a ‘front row view’ for when the Queen and Kate (Duchess of Cambridge) walked by. Unfortunately, we had to wait for about two hours until there was even sight of the Queen but finally the Queen entered the Cathedral. I watched the service on the big screen. After the service, the Queen walked outside and we saw her up close!
She walked over, took Ella’s painting, Maya’s card and the card the school had made. The Queen was wearing a pink coat and black and pink hat on her head. When the Queen had finished collecting her cards she walked into St. Martin’s House with the Duke of Edinburgh and Kate to eat their lunch.
After the Queen went inside we all went into the Cathedral to eat our lunch. In the Cathedral, Aimee sat on the Queen’s chair with Quenibear. (Quenibear had come with us on the journey.) When we had all finished our lunch we all went outside to say goodbye to the Queen! Then we all got back on the bus and went back to school. I really enjoyed my day out in Leicester. I saw the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Kate. It was amazing! Wouldn’t you have enjoyed it too?
Sophie Walker Year 6

Meeting the Queen.
On Thursday 8th March 2012, I witnessed an amazing event- meeting the Queen! At 10.30am we set off in our coach, literally jumping up and down in our seats with excitement. When we got there we found ourselves being ushered behind some railings. We soon realised these were the good spots!
After half an hour of waiting I started a game of I-SPY with Sophie and Aimee which amused us for a while but soon got boring. 11.30 and there was still no Queen! We got told that the Queen would be arriving at 12.30 but were later informed that she would be coming about 1.00pm. So much waiting! Just as we were at the point of boredom, a Zimbabwean choir arrived, playing loud and cheerful music which cheered everyone up! Also there was another band there that played marching band music. When the Queen went into the Cathedral there was a great noise of cheering and shouting. Everyone could watch the service on a big screen and finally the Queen, accompanied by Kate Middleton and Prince Philip finally arrived… finally! The Queen was wearing a bright pink coat with a matching hat. Kate was wearing a teal suit with a lovely skirt. They were both being given gifts and flowers, including our school card and my letter as well as Ella’s painting. Then they went into St. Martins House to have their lunch while we went into the Cathedral to have ours. After that we said goodbye to the Royals! I was so excited. It was an amazing day!
Maya Shell Year 6

Margaret Moulds is celebrating 25 years at Redmile CE Primary School with Class 2. The children surprised her with cake to share with the whole school, a special card made by the children and a surprise party with her favourite music and dances.
Margaret works as a Teaching Assistant and mid-day supervisor. Leicestershire LA have also recognised her commitment to teaching and learning by rewarding her with a cheque for £250 and a special certificate. She plans to treat herself and her family to a trip to York, one of her favourite places to visit.
Margaret said: “I am very touched with all the special surprises from the staff and children. Thank you to everyone for their kindness.”
Julie Hopkins Headteacher said: “Margaret is a hard-working, dedicated member of the staff team who can always be found helping someone, whether it’s helping children with their reading, making things for the displays or brewing cups of tea at playtime for the staff. She never stops and we are very lucky that she has continued to serve the school with such enthusiasm.”