13 March 2026
13th March 2026
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students/Annwyl Rieni, Gwarchodwyr a Myfyrwyr
Thank You for an incredible Eisteddfod 2026!
A heartfelt thank you to all our students and staff for an outstanding school Eisteddfod 2026! The talent, teamwork, and passion on display truly captured the spirit of our school and our pride in our Welsh culture. From music and poetry recital to art and singing, every contribution showed pride in our heritage. Our staff worked tirelessly to support, organise, and encourage, and our students shone with creativity and confidence. Diolch yn fawr iawn i bawb—fe wnaethoch chi greu digwyddiad arbennig iawn.
You made this year’s Eisteddfod a joyful, memorable celebration of who we are as a community. A big shout out to the Welsh and Expressive Arts departments. A big shout out to the staff and students in the orchestra and choirs – your voices raised our leaking roof. Here are a few highlights below. I’ve also included a gallery of additional photographs at the end of this blog!
Criw Cymraeg Inspire Student Teachers with a Welsh Language Masterclass!
One of the highlights of this term has been watching our Criw Cymraeg take on new leadership opportunities across the school. This week, they impressed us once again by delivering a lively and engaging Welsh language session for our student teachers—an experience that showcased not only their language skills but also their confidence, teamwork, and pride in our school’s Welsh identity.
The goal of the session was simple: to equip our student teachers with a set of practical everyday Welsh phrases they can use confidently in the classroom. The Criw focused on high‑impact language that helps create a strong Welsh ethos, including:
- Greetings such as Bore da, Prynhawn da, and Sut wyt ti?
- Common classroom instructions including Eisteddwch, Dewch i mewn a Barod?
- Positive reinforcement such as Da iawn!
It was a wonderful reminder that promoting the Welsh language is a shared responsibility—and one that our pupils are leading with pride! Diolch yn fawr iawn Criw Cymraeg!
Staff Seren yr wythnos
Over the last two weeks, our student Criw Cymraeg group have nominated Mr Beaverstock and Miss McKenzie for their use of the Welsh language. Staff can be nominated for their effort or their accuracy and pronunciation! Well done Both! Da iawn!
Super Scholars!
Meanwhile, across the school, another stunning group of students were at work. Our Year 10 and Year 12 scholars students have enjoyed the challenge of learning about new, complex topics with the help of their PhD student mentors from Cardiff University this term.
After completion of their project, they will visit a Russell Group university to celebrate their achievement. It’s great to see them embracing the challenge of work set at a higher level than they are used to.
Celebrating British Science Week and Women in STEM
This British Science Week, our school is proud to shine a spotlight on the remarkable women in our Science Department who inspire curiosity, confidence, and ambition in our pupils every day. The theme of this year’s celebration encourages us to think about the power of discovery and the importance of nurturing the next generation of scientists—and there is no better example of this than the exceptional female science educators leading the way in our classrooms.
Their passion for biology, chemistry, and physics goes far beyond the curriculum. They show our students—especially our girls—that science is not only fascinating and creative, but also a field in which they absolutely belong. Representation matters, and seeing strong female role models in STEM helps to break down stereotypes and open doors to possibilities that some pupils may never have considered before.
From hands‑on experiments to thought‑provoking discussions, our teachers bring science to life with energy, expertise, and genuine care. Miss Thorne, Miss McCulloch, Mrs Evans and our entire science team are on hand this week to field the most challenging questions that you can come up with! See if you can find a question that they cannot answer!
Brilliant Buddies!
As the spring term marches on, the time has come once more for our brilliant Year 7 Buddies to visit our feeder primary schools to alleviate some of their worries and anxieties about moving from Year 6 into Year 7. A year ago, Ella, Aarre and Griff were sat where the Year 6 pupils in Ton Yr Ywen were, but – twelve months on – they were taking questions from the floor and talking about the brilliant things they’ve achieved since being at LHS. By the time we left, they were all taking about which new subjects they most wanted to experience.
Mr Mee and his team of Brilliant Buddies are thoroughly enjoying meeting our incoming Year 7 students for September 2026.
World Book Day 2026!
Following a whole week of literacy activities and celebrations, we now have a new tradition at LHS. It was the turn of our Sixth Form students to dress as a literary character that carried fond memories from their youth! Cue some very interesting and creative outfits!
Meanwhile, students in lower school took part in a range of additional activities and competitions. From poetry work to book bingo and more.
Year 7 were given the creative task of designing a potato to resemble a character from a book. Attention was to be given to the detail of the character as described in the book. I think Winnie the Pooh-tato might be my all-time favourite! Well done to the owners of the creative black-out poetry work below and then to the winners of the potato challenge and extreme reading challenge! They are:
- Jack Odgers from 7J in first place for Winnie the Pooh-tato
- Lily Francis from 7D in second place for The Gruffalo
- Mahnoor Begum from 7J in third place for Little Miss Sunshine
- Our extreme reader winner is Lyla Montgomery Blunt from 7G
LHS on tour -To the Tower……
Mr Beck and his merry team have also been out and about last week. On Friday 6th March VIth form historians and PGCE students attached to the History Department enjoyed a visit to the Tower of London to supplement their courses on the Mid Tudor Crisis, 1529-70. As is traditional, they shared a coach with art and photography A level students, who visited the Tate Galleries.
Their visit featured a Thames Clipper ride on the River Thames from Millbank to the Tower, passing Parliament and the City of London. Our students enjoyed free time to view the Crown Jewels, visit the armoury within William the Conqueror’s White Tower, see the Bloody Tower where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned for 13 years, and the medieval palace of Edward I.
Historic Royal Palaces supplied an expert guide for a workshop on the Mid Tudor Crisis. She was highly complementary about our students and how articulately they responded to her questions. To quote, “this was more like a university seminar.” Well done team!
International Women’s Day 2026
On Sunday 8th March we also celebrated International Women’s Day and honour the strength, ambition, and achievements of women and girls within our school community and beyond. This year’s theme encourages us to champion equality, challenge barriers, and amplify every young person’s potential. We are proud of our pupils and staff who model resilience, leadership, and kindness each day. May this occasion remind us to keep creating opportunities where every girl can thrive, aspire boldly, and shape her own future.
This year we have featured the quite achievers. Rosalind Franklin was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA. Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win an Academy Award. Elizebeth Smith Friedman was America’s first female cryptanalyst. What other names would you add to our list?
A sense of community and student voice
As well as throwing themselves into World Book Day, our new Sixth Form senior prefect team and Sixth Form body have been fundraising to supplement a range of initiatives that will improve their environment and experience.
In addition to the obligatory bake sale, they have come up with some really creative ideas that are helping to create a sense of identity, belonging, community, and fun. Here are a few snaps from the very successful charity football match that they hosted after school last Thursday.
For their next endeavour, the Sixth Form (along with staff) have organised a Year 7 party for Wednesday 25th March from 5.30-7.30pm in the West Wing Hall. Snacks and games will be on offer as well as a disco. Tickets are £4 and available on Parent pay.
The Sixth Form Food Bank volunteers would also like to remind our readers that they are always collecting for our once-a-month collection for Cardiff Foodbank. Donations are welcomed at any time in our school reception.
Finally then, we leave you with a few more highlights from the school Eisteddfod 2026! Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and we’ll bring you more news and stories next week.
Thank you for reading/Diolch am ddarllen,
Mrs Sarah Parry
Headteacher