10 July 2026
Friday 10th July 2026
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students/Annwyl Rieni, Gwarchodwyr a Myfyrwyr
Behind the Scenes of Shrek the Musical!
As our school production of Shrek the Musical took centre stage from 7th – 9th July, it was impossible not to reflect on the incredible atmosphere that lived behind the scenes. While audiences see the finished performance, on opening night, Miss Evans, Mr Maidment and myself were privilege to witness the remarkable teamwork, dedication and enthusiasm that have brought the show to life. This week, we bring you snaps from back stage…
From the moment rehearsals began, our school has been buzzing with energy. Students from every year group and every provision have worked tirelessly, learning lines, perfecting choreography and developing their characters with confidence and creativity.
Alongside them, our talented backstage crew, musicians, technicians and costume teams have demonstrated exceptional commitment, ensuring every detail is just right.
Just as the World Cup has introduced ‘hydration breaks’ Mr Maidment found his purpose backstage, offering a very welcome and bespoke service to our students as their face paint began to run! It really has been a hot one, but no-one complained. The show simply had to go on…
What has been most inspiring is the sense of community that has grown throughout the process. Students have supported one another, celebrated successes and overcome challenges together, showing resilience, kindness and collaboration at every turn. The laughter, encouragement and determination seen during rehearsals have been a joy to witness.
A production of this scale relies on many people, and I would like to thank our dedicated staff, supportive families and, most importantly, our outstanding students. Their hard work has transformed Shrek the Musical into much more than a show—it has become a celebration of talent, friendship and school spirit. We could not be prouder of everyone involved.
On the final night (Thursday 9th July), our Alumni professional photographer will be front of house to capture some truly wonderful and professional snaps. In next weeks blog (the last of this academic year), I will squeeze in as many of those photographs as I possibly can. So, for now, here’s just a few more from back stage on Tuesday night. These students are simply a joy.
Our LHS Sporting LEGEND!
On Tuesday afternoon, we were also delighted to receive an inspirational visit from LHS Alumni, Jeremiah Azu. He’s not just an ex-student of LHS. He is one of Wales’ most exciting sporting stars and will represent Team Wales at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. We say this every time we see him – Jeremiah is the most grounded and humble individual who has become a role model for young athletes through his dedication, resilience and hard work.
Jeremiah gave up his time to spend an afternoon on our 3G with Mr Trelawny and some of LHS’ current athletic super stars. It was amazing for them to absorb a plethora of essential information about training, schedules, mindset, attitude and ambition. AND, the students got to hold and feel the weight of those medals!
For Jeremiah, the Glasgow Games will be another important milestone in his career. Since competing at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Jeremiah has enjoyed tremendous success, including winning a bronze medal as part of Great Britain’s 4x100m relay team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He also became the 2025 European Indoor Champion and 2025 World Indoor Champion over 60 metres.
In May 2024 Jeremiah became the first Welsh athlete to run a legal sub-10-second 100 metres, recording an outstanding personal best of 9.97 seconds. Just WOW.
He is going to Glasgow to win, and we will be screaming at our TV sets!
The great news is that spending time with Jeremiah and taking on board his tips, definitely helped to spur our sprinters on to victory the very next day at the National Athletics Finals in Brecon! Well done girls!
The girls won the under 16 plate in the NATIONAL finals!!! These young ladies have progressed magnificently because of their talent, but also because of their attitude. We are so proud of them.
What do you think Year 12 selected for their end of term activities?!
Friday 3rd July saw the end of term for our Year 12 students as we encourage them to organise meaningful work experience for themselves during the last two weeks of term. This year, the Senior Prefect team wanted the theme “childhood” and organised the private hiring of Jump for the morning.
Mrs Hornblow expected them to be a bit bored after 15 minutes but she couldn’t have been more wrong! They fully embraced their inner child and had mass games of tag, played football, screamed down the drop slide and drank slushies. By the end of their session, they were all sweaty and exhausted. They then had a scavenger hunt to complete on the walk back to school (with an optional pit-stop at McDonalds for breakfast).
The Common Room became the “party room” where they could fill up on sweet treats and fizzy drinks and sing their hearts out in karaoke. As a year group they have quite an eclectic mix of musical genres and their song choices included rap, pop, heavy metal and even some songs from the ’60s.
We hope they enjoyed feeling like a little kid again and wish them luck with any work experience placements they have. We look forward to welcoming them back in September for their final year of high school.
An emotional farewell to our Year 13 Hwb class
On Monday afternoon there wasn’t a dry eye to be found in the building as the autism team delivered a beautiful leavers event for our Year 13 Hwb students. This crew of incredible young people have been with us for up to 7 years and during that time they have helped shape our autism base, our inclusion strategy, and they have taught us so much. What a privilege to look back at photos that start at the very beginning of year 7 through to the current day.
It is a testament to the resilience and humour and hard work of these young people that they are going onto amazing destinations. Some will go onto Cardiff and the Vale College to pursue skills or vocational mechanics. Some will go onto Project Search in Cardiff University Hospital, and one will progress to the Marion Centre at the Bishop of Llandaff School. We could not be more proud of each of them and the fine young men they have grown into. A huge thank you to the staff and to the parents of this bunch for being on the journey with us.
Looking good Year 7!
As Year 7 come to the end of a very positive year, let’s give them a shout out for navigating high school life in style. Here they are ‘nailing’ the Year 7 extension task to make picture frames..
And here they are at line ups, a year in. Next step – Year 8!!!
Pokémon Club – Summer Edition!
Time now for an update from this group of intrepid explorers!
“One of our biggest projects this term has been the creation of a Pokémon Club mural. Students worked together to develop ideas, sketch designs and begin painting sections of the artwork. The mural features many of the club members’ favourite Pokémon, with students helping to choose which characters would appear in the final design. From iconic starters to powerful legendries, the artwork reflects the interests and personalities of our trainers while celebrating the adventurous spirit of the club.
The mural has been made even more special through contributions from several of our outgoing members, whose artistic touches are a lasting reminder of their time in the club. Their additions, as well as those of various staff across the school, will ensure they remain a part of the Pokémon Club legacy for years to come.
Club members have also been busy designing personalised logos for their Trainer Hats on Canva. Many taking inspiration from baseball and football teams to create unique trainer identities. The finished designs included a variety of Pokémon and original team names. Sadly, no team Magikarp or Electabuzz!
We rounded off the year with a Trainer Academy Activity Day, featuring ‘passports’ inspired by the Natural History Museum. They challenged students to think like real researchers by applying scientific and mathematical skills through sports and a series of Pokémon-themed expeditions. The ‘Sky Battle Arena’ (ultimate frisbee) was particularly enjoyed, finding the right ‘air slash’ angle and trajectory to overcome the air resistance.
We’d like to thank Mr Hurford for allowing some members to use the polytunnel to complete their Biospecies Identification task. Some members raised the question of the ethics of Pokemon in real world situations, and the impact they would have on the Pokemon’s wellbeing and the impact of the ecosystems and habitats around them.
A huge congratulations to everyone who took part in our Summer Tournament.
Owen impressed everyone with his skill and consistency throughout the tournament. Sam demonstrated excellent strategy and game knowledge to become our Summer Pokémon Trading Card Game Champion.
Some reflections from the year…
Sam: ‘The tournaments were my favourite memory because I like playing Pokémon with friends my age who have full decks. My sister doesn’t have enough cards, so it’s been really fun to play against lots of different people.’
James: ‘I loved the baseball activity. It was a nice change for everyone to be outside and having fun!’
Owen: ‘The doubles quiz was hard, but it was worth it!’
Will D: ‘I like the activities like making logos’
Charlie: ‘The tournaments and visiting the European Championships.’
These reflections show just how much our students have enjoyed learning, competing and working together this year.
Just one week to go and so much to do!
The last week of term promises to be a busy one. On Tuesday, we have a few surprises in store on Sports Day! On Wednesday, we have our rescheduled Awards Evening, and on Thursday we have various trips going out, as well as activities on site.
Until then, thank you for reading/Diolch am ddarllen,
Mrs Sarah Parry
Headteacher