Long Lawford Primary School welcomes Rugby MP for special visit after appointing head boy and girl

Long Lawford Primary School welcomed Rugby MP Mark Pawsey last week to talk to him about their work on peace and reconciliation, and to welcome the school’s first head boy and head girl to their new roles.

During the visit Mr Pawsey heard from pupils in Year 5 about the work they had been doing on peace and diversity throughout history.

When pupils shared what they learned about Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, Mr Pawsey shared with them some of his experiences in Rwanda and other countries where he has seen for himself the importance of bringing people back together following conflict.

The pupils also showed Mr Pawsey the poems they had written about peace, many of which were themed on Remembrance - honouring the sacrifices made by British troops through history.

Mr Pawsey was also given a tour of Long Lawford Primary School by headteacher Mrs Claire Stringer, who showed the recently expanded buildings and the improvements which have been made to the school.

They also spoke about the impact of the pandemic on teaching, and how children can be helped to catch up with lost learning by embracing new ways of teaching.

Finally, Mr Pawsey was invited to a special assembly for the Year 6 pupils where Long Lawford’s new head boy and head girl, and deputy head boy and girl, were officially announced and presented with their certificates and badges.

The new positions, which have been awarded to Harrison, Rohin, Lydia and Tiah, are an important part of encouraging their pupils to take responsibility and Mr Pawsey heard about the interview process the school undertook in order to decide which pupils should take on this role.

Following the visit, Mr Pawsey said: “It was great to be able to come to Long Lawford Primary School and hear from their Year 5 pupils about the important work which they have been doing on peace and reconciliation.

"I was really impressed by the thought and care they had put into this challenging topic and how they had expressed some of these ideas through the poems they had written.

“The theme of responsibility and building a community was present throughout my visit to Long Lawford Primary School, and perhaps nowhere was it more apparent than the announcement of the school’s new Head Boy and Head Girl.

"It was clear that this responsibility was something which all of the school took very seriously, and I was pleased to be able to join staff and pupils in congratulating them on their new role.”

Mrs Stringer, headteacher at Long Lawford Primary School, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Mark to our school and to share all of the wonderful learning the children have been undertaking.

"The children were proud of their achievements and spoke confidently about why they felt understanding diversity promoted better peace and reconciliation within our community.

"Mark also shared some history links between the Houses of Parliament and St Marie’s church in Rugby, which we all found interesting.

"It was also lovely to be able to share with Mark what we are doing to improve our school and what we hope to achieve going forwards.

"Our new head and deputy boys and girls were honoured to receive their certificates and badges from Mark in assembly.

"All children were excited to take part in these celebrations. We are so proud of our children, who demonstrated our school values – to Love, Learn, Persevere and Succeed.”