Woman of the Year at Grace Dieu 

Sister Frances Dominica, OBE, was this year’s Guest of Honour at the annual Grace Dieu Manor School Prize Day. The event was a tremendous success as over 1000 parents and guests came together to celebrate awards for academic achievement and overall contribution to school life.

The event was blessed with sunshine and opened by Head Girl, Lauren Potter from Year 8, (who is moving on to Repton School with a Sports Award), and followed by an vibrant musical presentation by the Pre-preparatory department. Headmaster, Charles Foulds and Father Brian Cuddihy (Chairman of Governors) each made an address to the guests before Sister Frances was invited to present the awards and trophies to the children.

Sister Frances is an inspirational woman, and, in her speech, she talked about how she became a nun and the events in her life which led her to set up the world’s first ever hospice, ‘Helen House’ in Oxford, for terminally ill children. Her organisation provides much needed respite care for sick and dying children and offers support for their siblings and parents. The success of the hospice was so great that in 2004 a second hospice, Douglas House, was opened. Sister Frances was a worthy winner of the title ‘Woman of the Year’ in 2007.

The formal part of prize day was closed by a Vote of Thanks by Head Boy, Marcus Cork-Keeling, (leaving with a choral award to Repton). Mass in the school chapel was celebrated by Father Cuddihy and Father Tobin, President of Ratcliffe College. Families made the most of the afternoon by enjoying picnics in the grounds and listening to a ‘Summer Serenade’ of music, singing and poetry by the pupils.

Headmaster, Charles Foulds, commented, “Our Prize Day is always a key celebration of the pupils and all they have been and achieved over the year. It really is a great community of children, parents and staff.”

Grace Dieu Pupils work Hard and Play Hard

Mathematics Workshop

Grace Dieu pupils enjoyed a day of activities to mark their half term. Years 7 and 8 spent the morning with Barbara Rundle from the Maths Education Centre at Loughborough University and relished a challenging mathematics workshop.

Children were asked to consider the construction of 3 dimensional shape and form and were tasked with the job of calculating how to transform a one dimensional paper pattern in to a 3 dimensional chocolate box.

Charity Walk
The afternoon was blessed with sunshine and the whole school joined together in a sponsored walk around the beautiful grounds. The event was organised by the School Council to raise money for three chosen charities: Depaul UK, Cancer Research and the Sarcoma Trust. It is estimated that the children will raise approximately £650 from the event.

Grace Dieu Strides out for Sports Relief

Grace Dieu Scholarships!

It has been another fantastic year of high achievement at Grace Dieu Manor School. Five talented Year 8 pupils (pictured below) have been granted special awards to their chosen senior schools, for ICT, Sport and Music

Grace Dieu Headmaster, Charles Foulds, commented, “I am delighted that we are once more celebrating the success of Year 8 pupils who are leaving us with senior school awards. Marcus, Hannah, Alexander, Lauren and Marina have all worked very hard and richly deserve their outstanding success. In the last three years alone, we have seen 13 of our Year 8 pupils move on with prestigious awards in their particular field of excellence, and this is a great tribute to both pupils and staff alike. We are, of course, extremely proud of them all.”

Pictured left to right: Alexander Jasper (Music Scholarship to Loughborough Grammar School), Lauren Potter (Sports Award to Repton School), Marina Slee (Music Scholarship to Loughborough High School), Hannah Cork-Keeling (ICT Award to Repton School) and Marcus Cork-Keeling (Choral Award to Repton School).

Early Years Literacy Evening at Grace Dieu

An evening to promote Early Years Reading was held at Grace Dieu Manor School in Leicestershire. The evening was led by Nicola Speight, one of a small number of Early Years Professionals operating in the area, and also a Reception teacher at Grace Dieu Manor School.

The evening was all about raising standards and how this could more easily be achieved by working in partnership with parents and carers.  Through an interactive presentation, fun activities and displays of resources Nicola, and her team, demonstrated to parents how they could become actively involved in supporting their children with reading in a variety of ways and in many different settings: reading labels and signs in supermarkets, road signs whilst travelling, as well as in more traditional settings such as libraries and in the home. The emphasis was to make reading fun and exciting for children which will, in turn, give young children a firm foundation to build on when learning to write. 

One parent commented “It was just brilliant! It was informative and gave a great insight into how the teaching staff used various methods to encourage children to use sounds, and how to link these up. It was delivered well and the balance was just right, really enjoyable”.

The evening was funded by Leicestershire County Council as part of the drive to promote Early Years Professional Status within an educational setting. Nicola Speight was particularly pleased with the response to the evening and commented; “It was great to see such a show of parental support at the school and from the feedback we have had, I am sure that we will be planning more sessions in the future!”

Grace Dieu County Cricket Success

Grace Dieu boys recently scooped a trio of awards at the County Football and Cricket Celebration Event hosted by Roger Wilson, Chairman of Leicestershire County Council, at County Hall.

Charlie Scottorn and Charlie Livesey from Grace Dieu Manor School received three winners’ trophies on behalf of the team. They took home the Leicestershire 6 –a-side Under 11 County Champions trophy, the Leicestershire 8 –a-side Under 11 County Champions trophy  and the East Midlands Regional 8 –a-side Under 11 winner’s trophy.

The boys, after beating the Nottinghamshire Champions in the East Midlands final, went on to represent East Midlands in the National finals. After winning the first two games, they narrowly lost in the semi-final, but it was still a great achievement to reach the last 4 teams in a National Competition.

Grace Dieu Headmaster, Charles Foulds was delighted: “This is a tremendous achievement for our boys and the staff; their hard work and determination has paid off and it is fantastic to see them winning three, prestigious county trophies.”

Grace Dieu Appeal for Haiti

As in many local schools, in response to the terrible disaster in Haiti, the Grace Dieu School Council recently decided to organise a last minute ‘Home Clothes Day’ in an effort to raise money for the Red Cross Appeal.

Headmaster, Charles Foulds commented: “it is impossible for us to imagine what the poor people of Haiti are dealing with at the moment. The fact that the children and families here have raised over £2,000 is wonderful and is a tangible way of showing that we care.”

Grace Dieu Remembers

Pupils, parents and staff gathered as one community at Grace Dieu Manor School on 11^th November, to remember all those who have died in wars, both long and ago and today.

Father Hare (Chaplain) addressed the whole school, and the pupils also listened attentively to a reading by the Head Boy, Marcus Cork-Keeling.

Bugler, Mr Steven Reeves (a past parent of the school) played the ‘Last Post’ as the flag was lowered by the school Bursar, Mrs Bivins, to honour those who lost their lives fighting for the freedom we enjoy today.

Lauren Potter, Head Girl, brought the occasion to an end by reading out the famous war poem by Laurence Binyon, as pupils, parents and staff reflected on their own memories and thoughts of loved ones they had lost.

“They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, And in the morning

We will remember them.”

Mr Foulds, Grace Dieu headmaster, commented: “We gather each year as a school community to pray for and remember the brave men and women who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world.  We feel that it is important that the children of today are gently reminded of the sacrifices made by generations before them, and, indeed, sacrifices that are being made today, as we speak. I always find it profoundly moving to see how the young people here are each year very much in tune with the solemn mood.”

Grace Dieu Pupils Send Gifts

Grace Dieu pupils have recently been busy packing gift parcels for the Samaritan’s Purse, ‘Operation Christmas Child’.

These little Christmas gifts will go to poor and disadvantaged children in Romania, some of whom may never have received a gift before and almost certainly will not receive anything else this Christmas.

Charles Foulds, headmaster of Grace Dieu, commented, “These small presents can make a real difference to children whose lives are such a struggle. We have so much and they so little. It is good to think that our own pupils can bring a little love and happiness to them this Christmas”.

Gifted and Talented Visitors at Grace Dieu

Young children from around the county recently enjoyed a mathematicians’ ‘Gifted and Talented’ morning at Grace Dieu Manor School.

Talented mathematicians from Sacred Heart RC Primary School in Loughborough and St Clare’s RC Primary School in Coalville joined Year 5 and 6 children at Grace Dieu for a morning of mathematical quizzes and investigations.

The event was organised by Head of Maths, Mrs Claire Maher, who commented, “It is so important to recognise exceptional talent in pupils and allow them to shine. At Grace Dieu, our gifted and talented days are all about making learning fun. It was wonderful to see the children welcoming the challenges they were set, making new friends and enjoying themselves.”

Headmaster, Charles Foulds added, “We were delighted to welcome friends from St Clare’s and Sacred Heart School, and very much hope that they enjoyed the morning as much as the Grace Dieu pupils.”

Grace Dieu Celebrates New Development

Former Grace Dieu pupil, Right Reverend John Arnold, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, kindly visited Grace Dieu Manor School on Monday 28^th September to bless and formally open the Gentili Centre, the school’s brand new teaching block for its 3 – 7 year olds.

Bishop John recalled fond memories of his own experiences at the school and was evidently delighted to be back at Grace Dieu, and to be so closely involved in such a landmark event in the school’s history. He commented in his address on Grace Dieu being “a place of welcome, beauty, education and happy learning, just as it was 40 years ago”.

The invited guests at the event included representatives from all those who had helped in any way to support this exciting project: school governors, the construction company, the school architects and many other friends of Grace Dieu.

Headmaster, Charles Foulds, commented, “It is a very exciting time to be leading Grace Dieu, and this latest phase of development has been built on the firm foundations of recent inspections where the school’s provision has been found to be outstanding. The children here deserve nothing less than the best in all areas of their school experience.”

The real stars of the show were, of course, the children who listened intently to Bishop John’s address and enjoyed being very much at the heart of this important event at their school. A celebratory street party was a fitting way to end the day for the 3 – 7 year olds!

Grace Dieu Building for the Future

Headmaster, Charles Foulds, was delighted to be handed the keys to the recently completed Pre-Preparatory building by John Maycock of Pure Construction and  Gary Barber of Benchmark Property Ltd. This provides from September a brand new teaching block for 3 – 7 year olds at Grace Dieu Manor School. The short but significant ceremony marks the completion of the first phase of a major building programme and investment by the school.

Charles Foulds explained; “This day marks another milestone in the school’s history. We have, for some time, wanted to make improvements to some of our classrooms and the opening of this new building certainly achieves that!  This purpose-built department for our youngest pupils will ensure that all our teaching needs are met within a stunningly impressive environment for learning and play.

When we began our project, we were very conscious of the fact that Leicestershire had a wealth of talent, knowledge and resources and we were keen to ensure that, wherever possible, we used local suppliers and trades people. We were very keen to spend our money within the local economy, thereby providing a sales boost for businesses in Leicestershire.

Grace Dieu Has a Ball

Grace Dieu Manor School’s annual Summer Ball celebrates the end of another academic year. The splendid event, held at the prestigious Leicestershire school and organised by the Parents’ Association, is a much awaited event in the school’s social calendar.

A stunning array of colourful ball gowns was much in evidence.  The weather was kind as parents and friends of the school enjoyed canapés and pre-dinner drinks on the Headmaster’s lawn before an exquisite five course meal and dancing to a live band until the early hours.

Grace Dieu Scholarships

It has been a fantastic year at Grace Dieu Manor School. This year five talented Year 8 students have been awarded a variety of scholarships for academics, sport and the arts to their chosen senior schools.

Grace Dieu Headmaster, Charles Foulds, is delighted for them and commented, “At Grace Dieu our aim is to educate the whole child from 3 – 13 years and it is enormously gratifying to see our pupils graduating through the school and achieving these awards. Jonathan, Ben, Jade, Helen and Edward have all shown that they not only have great talents, but that they are also prepared to work hard to improve those innate gifts. We are, of course, very proud of them.”

Pictured left to right: Jonathan Rice (Academic Scholarship to Loughborough Grammar School), Benjamin Nevill (Sports Exhibition to Repton School), Jade Robertson (Academic Exhibition to Loughborough High School), Helen Finn (All-rounder Scholarship to Stonyhurst College, Lancashire), and Edward Grundy (Academic Scholarship to Ratcliffe College)

Brigadier is Guest of Honour at Grace Dieu

Brigadier Christopher Parker OBE was this year’s Guest of Honour at the annual Grace Dieu Manor School Prize Day. The event was a tremendous success as over 1000 pupils and parents came together to celebrate awards for academic achievement and overall contribution to school life.

The event was held in an elegant marquee on the Headmaster’s lawn. The ceremony was opened by Head Girl, Jade Robertson from Year 8, (who is moving on to Loughborough High School with an academic Award), and followed by a musical presentation by the Pre-preparatory department. Headmaster, Charles Foulds and Father Brian Cuddihy (Chairman of Governors) each made an address to the guests before Brigadier. Christopher Parker was invited to present the awards and trophies to the children.

Brigadier Parker was a former Grace Dieu pupil in the 1960’s and, in his speech, he made reference to the fond memories he had of his time at the school and, though many aspects of it had changed in the forty years since he left, it was still very familiar and as welcoming as ever. Christopher’s early education had served him in good stead for his subsequent career as he went on to university and qualified as a doctor before joining the Army medical corps. He is now the Commandant of the Royal Centre for Defence in Birmingham.

The formal part of prize day was closed by a Vote of Thanks by Head Boy, Jonathan Rice, (leaving with an academic scholarship to Loughborough Grammar School). Mass in the school chapel was celebrated by Father Cuddihy and school Chaplain Father Dennis Hare, Chaplin of Grace Dieu School. Families made the most of the afternoon by enjoying picnics in the grounds and listening to a ‘Summer Serenade’ of music and poetry by the pupils of the school followed by a wide range of music performed by Hathern Band.

World Cup Cricket Star delights young fans at Grace Dieu

Nicky Shaw dropped in at Grace Dieu Manor School morning assembly to talk to pupils about her fantastic success with the England Women’s cricket squad in Australia

Nicky was named player of the match in the recent final with New Zealand. The pupils enjoyed watching recent video footage of the news commentary about England’s world cup success and then were given a chance to find out more about the young star in a lively question and answer session.

Headmaster Charles Foulds commented:
“It was great to see our pupils, particularly the girls, so interested in Nicky’s route to success in the male-dominated game of cricket.  I am sure that she has made a very positive impression on them.”

Apart from representing her country, Nicky works full time at the Loughborough Cricket Academy but also enjoys encouraging girls’ cricket in schools around Leicestershire.

Grace Dieu Pupils Getting Back To Nature

Local MP David Taylor visited Grace Dieu Manor School recently to present pupils with a range of gardening equipment so they can grow their own greens. This is all part of Morrisons ‘Let’s Grow’ voucher campaign which is designed to help pupils develop a passion for growing their own fresh produce.

The new gardening equipment has enabled Grace Dieu to have buy store cupboards, hoses, rakes, forks, spades, trowels, compost containers, propagators, seeds, gloves, watering cans and tubs. This was a timely boost to the gardening project already underway at Grace Dieu, set in a beautiful and productive corner of the school grounds. The children are keen to grow their own produce and to make full use of the poly tunnel provided by the Grace Dieu Parents Association.

Charles Foulds, Headmaster said: “We’re over the moon to get so much gardening equipment and the children can’t wait to get stuck in and put it to good use. This type of hands-on learning is really important for children’s development and its good fun too!”

David Taylor MP said: “It’s great to see a Grace Dieu embrace this opportunity – it’s a fantastic way of involving kids in learning about fruit and veg and that can only be a good thing”.

Mark Bowns, Deputy Store Manager at Morrisons in Coalville said: “The enthusiasm for the ‘Morrisons Let’s Grow’ campaign has been tremendous, not just at Grace Dieu, but with many families. We’ve had some wonderful feedback from parents, teachers and children. While it’s fantastic that the kids are looking forward to digging into the mud, there’s an important message here about engaging young people in thinking about and producing healthy, fresh food.”

Grace Dieu Goes Green!

Grace Dieu Manor School has recently launched a new morning minibus service to collect children from around the county. The service is part of an ongoing effort at Grace Dieu to increase sustainability and adopt environmentally friendly initiatives.

Two minibuses operate one to the east, which includes Loughborough, Quorn, Mountsorrel, Rothley, Anstey and Newtown Linford and one to the west, which incorporates Coalville, Ibstock, Heather, Swepstone, Measham, Ashby and Peggs Green.  Ms Donna Crann, Chair of Grace Dieu Parents’ Association, commented; “as parents, we are delighted by this new initiative. Children can be brought safely into school by our own drivers. The new service will help reduce congestion on the roads and benefit the environment.”

Headmaster, Charles Foulds, added, “This is just one more example of the great support of our parents’ association. Funds have been raised specifically for this transport project and Grace Dieu families and the environment are already feeling the benefit. We are hoping to expand the service in due course.”

Grace Dieu Pupils Bowled Over by Local Heroes

Derbyshire County Cricket Club took all their playing staff to Grace Dieu Manor School for a training day last week. For two pupils at the school, Harry Fortey and Charlie Livesey, it was particularly special as they have just been selected to represent Derbyshire at junior level. They had chance to watch the professionals in training and meet their hero Graham Wagg.

Derbyshire Head of Cricket, John Morris said, “We were looking to give our players a change of environment to train in as we build up to the start of the new season and the facilities at Grace Dieu are excellent. We also like to encourage our young players coming into the sport.”

Charles Foulds added, “We are delighted that a professional Cricket Club contacted us to use our sporting facilities and we wish Derbyshire the very best of luck for the new season.”

Grace Dieu Toddlers “waddle” for Meningitis Trust

Grace Dieu nursery department have recently enjoyed a ‘Toddle Waddle’ to raise awareness and funds for The Meningitis Trust. The energetic three year olds had three races: a bean bag race, an egg and spoon race and a running race as well as a lively walk around the school grounds.

 Their efforts raised a grand total of £465.50 which was presented by the proud youngsters to Jo Kennedy, local Community Development Officer for The Meningitis Trust.  Ms Kennedy commented: ‘Toddle Waddle is a fun way for the under 5’s to do their bit to promote awareness of meningitis. We are delighted that the Cygnet Department at Grace Dieu supported us again this year and raised such a fantastic amount which will help the Meningitis Trust continue its vital work; it looked as though all the children really enjoyed the races despite the chilly weather!’

Headmaster, Charles Foulds, added, “Part of what we try to do at Grace Dieu is to make the children aware that they can make a positive difference to other people’s lives if we just make a small effort; it’s brilliant what even the youngest children here can do!”

Lauren to Play for Leicestershire Squad

Lauren Potter has just been selected for the Leicestershire Under 13’s Hockey Squad. Lauren, aged 12, is a pupil of Grace Dieu Manor School, and has been playing hockey since the age of 7. Lauren is always a keen member of the school hockey team and star player at inter-school matches.

Lauren’s talent had already been spotted at an early age and she has been playing for Ashby Red Sox for over two years now. Lauren commented: “I am very proud that I got into the Leicestershire Under 13 Hockey team and I am looking forward to training with the squad. My first match is in January against Bedfordshire.”

Grace Dieu Headmaster, Charles Foulds added: “This is a great achievement for Lauren, though we are not surprised at Lauren’s selection as she is a star player!”

Grace Dieu’s Gifted and Talented

On Wednesday 29^th October Grace Dieu held a ‘Gifted and Talented’ mathematician’s morning.

Thirty four enthusiastic boys and girls from years 3 to 8 spent the morning enjoying various mathematical investigations, playing strategy games and thinking about the use of numbers in everyday life.

Years 3 and year 4 calculated the area covered by leaves from different trees and then went on to estimate the age of a tree using the formula of measuring the circumference of the trunk in cm, multiplying by 4 and dividing by 10. There are some very old trees at Grace Dieu, one oak tree allegedly mentioned in The Doomsday Book!

The year 5-8 students considered relationships between numbers and calculations in a 100 square. Children from year 5 were able to explain their findings in words and year 8 also managed to prove them algebraically. All the pupils and staff really enjoyed the morning and are looking forward to the next event!

Grace Dieu Strides Out for Charity

Grace Dieu Manor School broke their own fundraising record this year by collecting £5074 for HCPT - The Pilgrimage Trust.  The charity aims to raise money to send children with disabilities on pilgrimage to Lourdes in South West France. It was the school council members that chose HCPT as their primary focus for fundraising in September 2007. The children organised a variety of fundraising events over the academic year which included an own clothes day, a book sale, a ‘bread and soup’ day and a sponsored walk.

By far the biggest fundraising event for HCPT was the ‘whole school’ charity walk organised in June from the school to Mount St Bernard’s Abbey. The initiative for the idea came again from the school council and it was a truly spectacular sight as all 320 pupils along with all the teachers and staff made their way in a ‘walking crocodile’ up to the monastery for a picnic in the grounds and a brief service before returning to the school. The whole event took place in glorious sunshine. Many pupils were very excited to see themselves captured on Central News later that evening!

The Chief Executive of HCPT, Tony Mills, visited Grace Dieu on Wednesday 1^st October and was presented with the cheque by Jonathan Rice (Head Boy) and Jade Robertson (Head Girl).  Mr Mills also took the opportunity to thank all the children and staff for their momentous effort this year and explain to them that the money raised is going to be used to send children less fortunate than they are on a wonderful holiday in the summer.

Grace Dieu Goes Multi Lingual!

Pupils from Grace Dieu Manor School joined children in many other countries when they celebrated the European Day of Languages celebrations recently.

The general objectives of the European Day of Languages are to:

• alert the public to the importance of language learning and diversify the range of languages learned in order to increase plurilingualism and intercultural understanding;
• promote the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe;

• encourage lifelong language learning in and out of school.

Inspired by Madame Tatton (Head of French), pupils at Grace Dieu had fun organising a variety of events throughout the day all of which celebrated the cultural diversity of languages, food, and play.  At registration, all children and staff chose a sticker to wear for the day, and each badge conveyed the greeting “hello” from many countries of the world.
Morning assembly was presented by year 7 children who shared all sorts of interesting facts about languages with the rest of the school. It was incredible to hear, for instance, that there are between 6000 and 7000 languages spoken in the world today and, of those 7000, only 225 were European – roughly 3% of the world total. Assembly ended with an unusual twist as the whole school prayed the ‘Our Father’ in German!
Over the course of the day, children went on to enjoy inter-form quizzes, a game of Boules, French lessons and Russian.

Food also was very much a focus for the day, with morning break consisting of a fresh croissant and juice for everyone, and the school chef had posted the lunchtime menu in French to further emphasise the European theme of the day. Even parents were involved and many were challenged to put their knowledge of Europe to the test with a separate quiz.

Grace Dieu celebrates famous Author!

Children and staff from Grace Dieu Manor School have once again been having great fun, participating in the Roald Dahl Day which is celebrated worldwide. 

It was a fantastic opportunity to read once more those favorite Roald Dahl stories and to perhaps enjoy for the first time the works of the famous children’s Storyteller.

The children were invited to dress up as their favourite Roald Dahl character or wear yellow (Roald’s favourite colour!).  They were encouraged to bring in a chocolate treat for a friend and to play a (harmless) silly prank on someone. The activities included writing Revolting Rhymes, performing Ooompah Loompah dances and taking part in the “Great Roald Dahl Quiz”. As a reward for taking part in these fun challenges, all the children received a certificate.

Headmaster, Charles Foulds, commented: “As in previous years the parents and children made a huge effort to bring these great characters to life and it was wonderful to have the school suddenly full of little witches, crocodiles, fantastic foxes and Twits!”

Grace Dieu outstanding in every way…

Ofsted inspectors paid a surprise visit to Grace Dieu Manor School nursery department in June while children were busy rehearsing for their Prize Day celebrations. After a morning in school, the inspectors judged the quality and standards of the nursery education to be ‘outstanding’, and there were ‘no recommendations for improvement because of the outstanding quality and standards’ in evidence.

The inspectors commented specifically upon the quality of  teaching and learning, the partnership between parents and carers, leadership and management all of which were judged to be ‘outstanding’.

The school as a whole offers a wonderful educational experience for children from 3 - 13 years of age and is conveniently located off the A 512 between Loughborough and Ashby.

The nursery department itself is located in the extensive and beautiful Grounds of Grace Dieu Manor School. The children are surrounded by nature, and have easy access to woodland and streams. This stunning environment provides ample opportunity for outdoor learning experiences for the young children. 
The Ofsted inspectors were also very impressed with ‘the high levels of teaching skills’ demonstrated and noted that a balanced programme of activities was planned to cover all areas of learning.
The high quality of pastoral care at Grace Dieu encourages children to be very aware of the effect of their behaviour on others and teaches them to take responsibility for their own actions. The inspectors noticed that the children responded ‘very positively to the high expectations for behaviour’ and that the children were ‘kind and helpful’ to each other. ‘Children in all groups are very sociable and play happily together during activities’, commented the inspectors.
Grace Dieu headmaster, Charles Foulds, commented that ‘although the timing of the Ofsted visit provided an interesting challenge for us as we were already busily engaged in preparations for the arrival of the Prime Minister of Gibraltar – our Guest of Honour at Prize Day - we are absolutely delighted with the findings of Ofsted. We are not altogether surprised, however, for this judgment replicates not only the assessment made by Ofsted last time they were with us, but also mirrors precisely the comments made by the Independent Schools Inspectorate last October, when five inspectors spent a week at Grace Dieu. The staff in the Nursery and Pre-Preparatory Department, led by Mrs Anne Jenks, provide amazing care for the children, and this inspection simply confirms this’.

Grace Dieu Sports Day

The weather held this year and all the children enjoyed a fantastic day of sport. 

Grace Dieu Celebrates Anniversary!

Grace Dieu Manor School celebrated its history and success on the weekend of its 75^th anniversary.
The school was founded in 1933 by the Rosminian Fathers who opened Grace Dieu Manor as a Preparatory School for Ratcliffe College. Despite many changes over the years, some things have always remained constant: the beauty and peace of the environment, the warmth of the welcome, the care of the individual and the promotion of strong Christian values.

Over the weekend of June 14^th and 15^th, former pupils celebrated the school, past and present. It was an enjoyable weekend for all.

Dr Robert Ryan,  one of the 1^st pupils in 1933 is seen here meeting with Hannah, Marcus and Charlotte, current year six children.