Loading

The Voice of st leonards

The March Review

Academic Achievements

Research in Psychology

Our Year 12 Psychology students attended a Research in Psychology lecture at the University of St Andrews to hear from Dr Paul Gardner, Senior Lecturer of Psychology and Neuroscience. The experience sparked the pupils' curiosity and provided valuable insights. What a wonderful opportunity on our doorstep! Our thanks to Dr Gardner for such a fascinating outing.

Intermediate Maths Challenge

Students in Years 10 and 11 took part in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, a 60-minute, multiple-choice challenge which encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency to solve interesting problems. Our pupils excelled, with many receiving awards. Congratulations to Ben L and Archie H who received the Bronze award and Edwin N and Shreyas D who received Silver. A huge well done also goes to Eliza K who received the Gold award, as well as Matylda K who received Gold and Best in Year. Finally Alistair C in Year 11 scored a magnificent 78 points and has been selected not only for the Gold Award and Best in Year & School, but also has qualified for the follow-on round, the Pink Kangaroo. Alistair achieved a Certificate of Merit in this, meaning his score was in the top 25% of students, and was presented with his award by the Head, Mr Brian. What a noteworthy achievement, well done to all involved!

Book Drive

Following on from World Book Day, we are delighted to share that an incredible £323.50 was raised for Books Abroad, a charity which aspires to support education in developing countries worldwide. A huge well done to the Year 12 tutor group who as part of their CAS project, organised the Book Drive, collecting both book and financial donations for the worthwhile charity.

Athens Trip

Our Classicists and Model United Nations students enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Athens, exploring the culture and sights, and participating in the MUN Conference at Platon School. Whilst the Latin pupils were climbing Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in the city, our MUN students were on top form at the Conference with three Best Delegates and one Highly Commended amongst the St Leonards group. Congratulations to Jamie, Maddy, Samuel and Carina! Our thanks to all the staff who made this trip possible!

Trinity Performances

Well done tothe 80+ pupils who took part in the Trinity Guildhall performance exams. It was wonderful to see many parents at the performance evenings,. See below Will B and Sofia K practising their act. We look forward to receiving the results soon!

Dazzling Debating

Cornelia K in Year 12 and Isla H in Year 13 took part in the Edinburgh Schools Debating Competition at Edinburgh Academy. The pupils competed against over 50 other students from different schools around Scotland. They took part in three rounds, winning the first two and coming second in the third. With their tremendous success, they were through to the final and despite the strong competition, both girls managed to pull through and win the competition! What a wonderful achievement, especially with it being Cornelia’s second ever competition!

Creative Writing Competition

Congratulations to Keyuri A in Year 13 and Helena F in Year 12 who have both been selected by Young Writers for publication in the upcoming anthology The Power of Poetry - Inspire Me. This is a wonderful achievement for the budding writers, with the fantastic collection to be published on Friday, 26 May! They are pictured here with Mrs Johnston at Creative Writing Club.

Hardboiled History

Our Year 7 students were set the task of recreating characters from history on a hard-boiled egg. There were many eggs-ellent entries, but out on top were our winners Chloe B with 'Anne Boleyn's Eggsecution' and Larissa S with 'Fried-Egg Kahlo'. Well done to all involved, what wonderful creativity!

Rotary Quiz

Following St Leonards' previous success in the competition, we were delighted to host this year’s Rotary Primary Schools Quiz. Six teams from fellow schools joined us to compete in multiple question rounds ranging from sport, to maths, music and more! It was a closely matched competition, with Greyfriars R C Primary competing head to head with our Year 7 pupils. In the final round, St Leonards led by one point, securing the top spot for a second year. Well done to team members Hamish HS, Harry T, Mia P, Sarah M and reserve Cara L. We now look forward to the next round of the competition in Aberdeen in the Summer Term!

TOK Exhibition

It was wonderful to see many - pupils, parents and staff - in attendance at the Year 12 IBDP Theory of Knowledge (TOK) exhibition. The purpose of the exhibition was to address the question, how does the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) manifest in the world around us? To do this, the Year 12 IBDP pupils were asked to select three objects and use them to answer a prompt. There were 35 prompts to choose from, a selection of which are included below:

Why do we seek knowledge?
Are some things unknowable?
What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?
Who owns knowledge?

The pupils were measured on three categories, congratulation to our winners below:

Best single object: Sam C (Lego)

Best discussion: Xiamu (Sam) Z

Best exhibition: Maddy W & Alex N

Climbing Competition

Well done to those who took part in the Morrison’s Academy Open Climbing Competition earlier this month. The small team of St Leonards climbers competed in an indoor bouldering competition. The event hosted over 50 competitors from local schools and the St Leonards team made for strong competition throughout the evening.

The climbers were divided into age categories and faced with some very challenging boulder problems. The pupils were very determined and excelled against stiff competition with some wonderful results, please see below.

S1-S2: 1st place Emil Z

S3-S4: 2nd place Will B, 4th place Nathaniel T, 5th place Ben L

S5-S6: 3rd place Edward M, 5th place Malakai M

The pupils were delighted with their results and are eager to do more competitions, gaining in confidence and improving their climbing skills - a huge well done!

International Women’s Day

In celebration of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, 8 March our pupils choreographed and performed their Embrace Equity routines to show their appreciation and respect for all the incredible women around the world. Please watch below their performance.

DELF Diplomas

Congratulations to the DELF Class of 2022 who were awarded their certificates at St Leonards this week. DELF is a certificate awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the language proficiency of foreign students. We were delighted to welcome Mme Laurence Païs (French Consul, Edinburgh) and Mr Philippe Milloux (Education Attaché & Director of Studies, French Institute, Edinburgh) to present the awards and celebrate our student successes!

Science Success

Pupils and staff in the Physics Department have had cause for celebration following a strong set of successes in the recent Physics Olympiad. The Olympiad comprises of very challenging papers, intended to test the very strongest students in the subject.

Congratulations to the following pupils on their outstanding achievements:

Senior Physics Challenge (for Year 12): Anneli S, Alina L and Sam C (Bronze I)

Intermediate Physics Challenge (for Year 11): Jil R (Gold); Felix S-S, Ruairidh L (Silver); Grace H, Polly M, Bettina Y, Chrispope A, Ewan H (Bronze).

In Chemistry, there has been similar success with Amanda Y in Year 12 and Elisabeth K in Year 13 both attaining Bronze awards in the notoriously difficult International Chemistry Olympiad run by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Huge congratulations to our winners!

Pupil-Led Conferences

Pupils in Years 7-9 delivered their wonderful Pupil-led Conferences to showcase their work to their parents in a formal setting, as part of the IB Middle Years Programme. The students presented the work they were proud of and spoke about areas where this could have been improved. To conclude their conference, each pupil set two targets for themselves, as well as asking parents to contribute and set a final third target. Many congratulations to all the pupils involved – they truly demonstrated the traits of the IB learner profile as risk-takers, communicators, and reflective individuals.

GCSE Concert

The GCSE Concert was a wonderful opportunity for our GCSE Music students to perform and record their practised pieces to a full audience of parents, peers and tutors. The concert took place in the Music School Auditorium, with each performance going towards the pupil’s final grades. Sam H opened the concert brilliantly on the bagpipes, and this was followed by a jam-packed programme including performances on the violin, drums, piano, guitar, flute and tenor sax. What a wonderful opportunity for our talented musicians.

Muck-Up Day

As with tradition, the Leavers of 2023 hosted their Muck-Up Day last week, creating a topsy-turvey day around the school grounds.

STEP Selling Day

This year we have four companies taking part in the St Leonards Enterprise Programme (STEP), a popular after-school activity for Year 12 students to help develop entrepreneurial skills. During the programme, they have been working hard to create their own company, develop a product/service, market it and ultimately sell it with a percentage of their profits going to charity. The companies have developed a variety of products from keyrings, to hats, cups and a pre-loved clothing range and set to work selling their items at lunchtime and after school. See below pictures of the teams selling from the sidelines at our U12 Cluster Primaries Football Festival!

Michelin Masterclass

Our thanks goes to Geoffrey Smeddle, Chef Patron and Owner of Michelin-starred restaurant, The Peat Inn, near St Andrews, for coming in to speak to our International Baccalaureate CP and DP Business and Economics students about working in the hospitality sector and running a profitable business. Everyone hugely enjoyed the talk and engaged with plenty of questions!

Author Workshop

It was wonderful to welcome former St Leonards teacher and now published poet, Simon Lamb back to St Leonards to host an author workshop with our Year 10 pupils. Mr Lamb taught in the Junior School until 2019 and was delighted to return to meet with this same cohort, recognising some very familiar faces. He shared with the pupils his journey to becoming an author and introduced his newly published book A Passing On of Shells’ - 50 Fifty-Word Poems. The inspiring workshop initiated plenty of discussion with many of our pupils asking interesting questions to the distinguished author. Some pupils even managed to get a copy signed by the author himself. A big thank you to Mr Lamb for taking the time to visit!

Spring Concert

A round of applause for all of our fabulous performers in this year’s Spring Concert. This musical highlight gave Year 7-13 pupils the opportunity to take to the stage for an evening of solo and ensemble performances. Well done to all our talented musicians and thank you to those parents who joined us in the Auditorium!

Elevate Education

We were pleased to welcome Elevate Education to St Leonards to support our Year 10 and 11 pupils as they prepare for their GCSE examinations. The company delivered a high-impact workshop to our pupils, providing them with revision skills and top tips! We wish all those with upcoming exams all the best with their preparation and revision.

Leavers’ Supper

Our Year 13 students - the Class of 2023 - were joined by members of staff for a special evening of celebrations in Restaurant 1877 at the annual Leavers’ Supper. Delicious food and drink was interspersed with a fun Kahoot quiz and video montage, making for a memorable occasion! Use the button below to view photographs from the evening event.

Rotary Forum

Our Sixth Form students were joined by pupils from Madras College for a stimulating schools forum to reflect on the issues of migration. Organised by The Rotary Club of St Andrews, the pupils heard from Rotarian, Chantal Mrimi, who shared her personal migrant journey. Her captivating and sometimes harrowing tale made for a very thought-provoking and emotional session.

Sports News

Colours Assembly

Pupils in Years 7-13 gathered in the School Hall for their Colours Assembly. It was wonderful to bring everyone back together for this celebration with it being the first since the pandemic. The occasion provides an opportunity to showcase the many sporting highlights and celebrate outstanding achievements. During the assembly, students who have competed in more than half of this year’s sporting fixtures were awarded Colours for their effort and dedication to the discipline.

We also celebrated Year 13 pupil Lily D’s outstanding achievement having consistently competed in over three different sporting teams at Senior level. Lily received a rare three-team badge for her dedication to sport. This is an exceptional accomplishment. Huge congratulations to Lily, and well done to all the pupils who were awarded a Colours badge for their commitment.

Scottish Schools Cross Country

Well done to those who took part in the Scottish Schools Cross Country race earlier this month. Some excellent determination was shown by all runners, with both Ali M in Year 9 and Eliza K in Year 10 finishing within the top ten!

Scottish Schools Tennis

A fantastic effort from those who took part in the Boys Scottish Schools Tennis Championships this month. Despite the tough competition, there was some excellent skill displayed on the courts!

All Star Lacrosse

Niamh H in Year 13 and Millie L in Year 12 were nominated to take part in the U18 Girls' All Star Game at St George's School in Edinburgh. Before the game, the girls benefitted from a coaching session with two World Cup lax players, Lis Lawson and Sofia Emond. Niamh and Millie thoroughly enjoyed the experience, learning both defence, midfielding and attacking play from the experts. Both students performed well during the session and have been encouraged to apply for the U19 squad.

Gymnastics Competition

A big well done to Rachel H in Year 10 who attended a gymnastics competition for the first time in two years and managed to win third place as an individual and third place overall with her team. What an outstanding achievement!

On the Pitch

Well done to our U13, U14 and U15 boys rugby squads who were all in action at the Stewart’s Melville College 7’s competition. The teams played in the group stages, with the U13 squad winning against Hutchesons' Grammar School and making it to the Plate Semi Finals. Followed closely by our U14 squad who also showed some outstanding skill, winning against Merchiston Castle School and qualifying on points difference for the Main Cup Semi Final, where they managed to win against High School of Dundee. Huge congratulations to all involved!

On the Field

Our hockey teams have had a busy month of fixtures, playing in their squads both home and away. The month began with our U12 girls team playing well against Ardvreck School, with Cara L being selected for Player of the Match by the opposition. This was followed by the U13 Girls Hockey team competing in a tournament at Kilgraston School. The games played were very fast flowing, but this was handled well with goals consistently scored by Susannah L, Isla T-P, Isobel M and Anna B. Finally for our Seniors, the girls have shown some excellent defensive action on the field, partaking in a variety of fixtures including the Kilgraston Senior Tournament.

Our boys teams have had similar success with both the U11 and U12 teams playing some nail-biting fixtures against Ardvreck School and Stewart's Melville College. Well done to all of our players!

Girls vs Boys

Our Year 13 pupils have been going head to head in a variety of sporting activities including rounders and hockey as they approach their final weeks at St Leonards. In rounders, the boys are currently leading on the scoreboard 16 ½ to 8 ½, but there's time yet for the girls!

Shooters on Target

Year 9 students Nikitah R, Verity S, Fletcher S, Jack H and Amelia R, recently competed in the British Schools Small-bore Rifle Association, Spring League Championship. The pupils shot over a five week period with each submitting their best five scores to calculate an average. Their accumulated score of 1922 points won their Division contest against Sevenoaks School in Kent, George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, Wellington College in Berkshire and Dauntsey’s School in Wiltshire. The students are now through to the next stage of the League challenge, we wish them all the best of luck!

Stroke Play Golf

We are delighted to announce the success of our pupils at the recent championships in Muckhart Golf Club. 19 of our students competed in the 18 hole stroke play event, with all of the prizes being awarded to St Leonards pupils!

A huge well done to Captain and Golf Scholar Charlotte E who won Best Girl with an outstanding score of 75.

Congratulations to Julian G who won the Best Boy with a fantastic score of 3 under par.

And a huge well done to Ewen F, Theodore S, Charlotte E and Julian G who also won the overall team prize - what outstanding results!

Football Festival

We were pleased to welcome 12 football teams from local primary schools to St Leonards to take part in the U12 Football Festival. The atmosphere was electric as over 150 children played and over 100 people watched from the sidelines. The sun was shining, music was playing and a fantastic evening was had by all. Well done to St Leonards C who managed to come third in the tournament and congratulations to Lawhead for winning overall.

Badminton Triumph

Huge congratulations to Riya B in Year 9 who has gone from strength to strength in her recent badminton tournaments. Riya competed in the U15 Mercure Perth Junior Restricted competition, coming second in the Girls Singles, Girls Doubles and Mixed Doubles matches. Similar results were also seen at the RSL Midlothian Junior championship, coming runner up in the U14 Singles. A fantastic effort Riya, well done!

St Leonards Golf Championship

Our annual St Leonards Golf Championship, welcomed 183 students from over 15 local primaries and fellow Scottish Schools to St Andrews. Four tournaments took place on the Links Courses; The Jubilee (Tom Morris Championship), Eden (Sir Michael Bonallack Championship), Balgove, and Strathtyrum.

First place winners were as follows:

Jubilee Competition and Tom Morris Champion - Ewen F (St Leonards)

Eden Competition and Sir Michael Bonallack Champion - Harvey A (Madras College)

Strathtyrum Competition - Milo H (St Leonards)

Balgove Competition (under 12) - Adam W (ESMS)

Balgove Competition (under 10) - Harry M (Robert Gordons)

Congratulations to all the players who joined us on the day!

Island Talent Show

To celebrate the start of the Easter break, Years 7-10 joined together in the School Hall for the Island Talent Show. A whole host of solo and group acts took to the stage in an attempt to win Island points. A huge well done to all our performers. A special mention to our winners Finn, Shreyas, Arabella and the Year 9 Group: Arabella, Nikita, Zola and Pele. Congratulations also goes to our staff winner Mr Berezhnoi. What incredible talent!

Healthy Eating by Thomas Franks

We are pleased to introduce a section of the newsletter contributed by Thomas Franks, St Leonards' catering provider. With the IBDP, CP and GCSE exams on the horizon, this month's feature includes top tips from Thomas Franks nutritionist Christine Bailey to staying healthy during the exam season.