Leicester Grammar School was founded in 1981 as an independent, selective, co-educational day school to offer able children in the city and county a first-class academic education. Its founders sought to create a school which would maintain the standards and traditions of the city’s former grammar schools lost through reorganisation, and to develop them to meet the demands of a rapidly changing environment. The School moved to a new state-of-the-art building on the south-east side of Leicester in September 2008.
There are 882 day pupils in the Senior School, of whom 223 are in the Sixth Form. A further 409 pupils, aged 3–11, attend the Junior School.
Admission. An entrance examination is held in the Lent Term for boys and girls seeking to enter the Preparatory (10+) and Year 7 (11+) forms in the following September. Papers are taken in Reasoning, English and Mathematics. In addition, admission into Years 9 and 10 takes place at ages 13 and 14 and there is provision for direct entry into the Sixth Form, offers of a place being conditional upon the GCSE grades gained. The normal entry requirement to the Sixth Form is a minimum of three GCSEs at Grade 7 or better accompanied by a minimum of three further GCSEs at Grade 6 or better. Visitors are always welcome to make an appointment to see the school and meet the Headmaster. All applications are handled by the Head of Marketing & Admissions, from whom all application forms are obtainable. Candidates at all levels may be called for an interview.
Scholarships and bursaries. The School offers a range of scholarships for pupils of outstanding academic, musical, sporting or artistic talent. These are awarded on the basis of examination and assessment. Awards cover entry at all ages from Year 7 including sixth form entrants.
The fee remission associated with scholarships is not means dependent and is usually worth no more than 5–10% of the termly fee.
Bursary support is available either for new applicants to the School or for existing pupils whose circumstances have changed. Bursaries are available only to pupils in Year 7 and above at Leicester Grammar School. Bursaries of up to 100% of the termly fee are available, subject to rigorous testing of financial need and limited by the overall bursaries budget.
Curriculum. Class sizes are about 20 to 24 in the first three years; the average size of a GCSE group is 19; of a Sixth Form group 12.
All pupils in the first three years (and those entering the preparatory form) follow a balanced curriculum covering the National Curriculum core and foundation subjects, Religious Studies and Latin (Classical Studies in the preparatory form). Classes are split into smaller groups for the creative and technological subjects, so that all pupils can gain practical experience, whether in the School’s ICT suite or on its extensive range of musical instruments. From Year 8, the three science subjects, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, are taught separately. There is no streaming, and setting occurs only for Mathematics and French from Year 8. In Year 9, an element of choice is introduced; pupils must opt from a choice of third languages and from a list of five creative subjects.
In Years 10 and 11, pupils prepare for GCSE or GCSE equivalent examinations in 10 subjects, as well as doing PE/Games. All study a ‘core’ of three subjects: Mathematics and English Language and Literature. The range of ‘options’ includes Art, Biology, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Computing, Design and Technology, Drama, French, Geography, German, Greek, Religious Studies, History, Latin, Music, Physics, Spanish and PE. Students will normally follow at least two Science subjects and at least one Modern Foreign Language.
Students in the Sixth Form normally study three A levels from a choice of 20 subjects, including Further Mathematics, Psychology, Economics, Physical Education, Computing and Theatre Studies. There is no rigid division between arts and science sides. To ensure that breadth of education does not suffer, a proportion of the Sixth Form complete an Extended Project. The school has an excellent record of success at public examinations and university admissions, including Oxbridge. The Careers Department is very active in giving help and advice to students.
School activities. A broad range and variety of activities complements the academic curriculum. Participation rates are high.
Music, drama and sport form an integral part of life at LGS. Every pupil in the First Year learns a musical instrument and a high proportion continue afterwards with private weekly lessons. The School Orchestra gives two major concerts a year, while a training orchestra, a jazz band, a dance band, recorder groups and various chamber ensembles explore other avenues. The School Choir is the resident choir for the Crown Court Services and tours regularly. Links are strong with the Leicestershire School of Music orchestras and several pupils play in national orchestras. Senior and junior drama clubs function throughout the year; a major play or musical and a junior play are staged regularly and house drama extends the opportunity to act to most pupils.
Games are seen as an important means not only of promoting health and fitness but also of inspiring self-confidence. Major winter games are hockey, netball and rugby and in summer, athletics, cricket and tennis. Opportunities occur for individuals to follow their interest in badminton, basketball, squash, golf, table tennis, gymnastics, dance, sailing and cross-country running, while swimming is an integral part of the PE programme. The school’s own facilities are extensive and meet all modern standards for sport. Teams represent the School in the main games at all age groups and several students achieve recognition at county or even national level. The school is proud of the fact that it is one of only eight other schools to have been awarded the Sportsmark Gold with Distinction, for the quality of the delivery of sport within the school.
Societies and clubs complement these activities, ranging from chess to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, history and Lit Soc to model aeroplanes, debating to art, design and technology, for which the workshop and art rooms are usually open during lunchtimes and after school.
Religion. The school espouses the principles of the Church of England, teaching the Christian faith, its values and standards of personal conduct, but also prides itself on welcoming children of all faiths, who play a full part in the life of the community. Very strong links exist with Leicester Cathedral and there is a flourishing Guild of Servers, and University of Leicester clergy participate in school life and prepare confirmation candidates.
Pastoral care. Responsibility for a wide-ranging system of pastoral care and for the creation of the caring, friendly and disciplined environment resides in eight Heads of Year, assisted by form teachers, personal tutors and a very active house system.
Junior School. Entry to the Junior School is by interview and, where appropriate, assessment at 3+, 4+, 7+ and into other school years, when places are available. Pupils are prepared for entry to the Senior School. A balanced curriculum is followed covering National Curriculum Key Stages 1 and 2 and beyond; French (from 5 years), classical studies and ICT are also taught. A wide range of activities complements the academic curriculum, with a strong stress on music and a rapidly growing games programme. The School is a Christian foundation and lays great emphasis upon the pastoral care of young children. (See also Junior School entry in IAPS section.)
Fees per term (2025-2026). Senior School: £6,921 incl. VAT.
Old Leicestrians Association. All correspondence to the OL Secretary, c/o the School.
Charitable status. Leicester Grammar School Trust is a Registered Charity, number 510809. Its aims and objectives are to promote and provide for the advancement of education and in connection therewith to conduct, carry on, acquire and develop in the United Kingdom or elsewhere a School or Schools to be run according to the principles of the Church of England for the education of students and children of either sex or both sexes.
Governors & Staff:
Senior Leadership
Principal of Leicester Grammar School Trust and Head of Leicester Grammar School: Dr Graham Purves, MPhys Oxon, PhD Dunelm
Director of Finance and Operations: Mr Stephen Jeffries, LLB Leeds, FCA
Senior Deputy Head: Mr Magnus Anderson, MA Cantab
Deputy Head Curriculum: Mr Carl James, MA Cantab
Deputy Head Pastoral: Miss Jennifer Young, MA Exeter
Director of Wellbeing and Co-curriculum: Mrs Angela Ewington, MA Nottingham
Head of Sixth Form: Mr James Hunt, BA Reading
Heads of Year
Head of Prep Year 6: Miss Jo Mould, BEd Bedford College of HE
Head of Year 7: Mr Nathan Grimadell, BSc Derby
Head of Year 8: Miss Charlotte Julian, BA Birmingham [September 2025–January 2026]
Head of Year 8: Miss Caitlin Jeffries, BSc West of England [January 2026–August 2026]
Head of Year 9: Mrs Jane Tompkins, BA Leicester, MA Heythrop, London
Assistant Head of Year 9: Miss Ramandeep Kaur, BSc Leicester
Head of Year 10: Mrs Marie McNally, BA Westminster
Assistant Head of Year 10: Miss Aviyah Butt, BA Leicester
Heads of Year 11 joint: Mrs Nikki Laybourne, BSc Hons, MSc Loughborough & Mrs Helen Martin, BSc Nottingham, MA Open University
Head of Sixth Form: Mr James Hunt, BA Reading
Deputy Head of Sixth Form: Dr Kathryn Fulton, BSc Dunelm, PhD Nottingham
Deputy Head of Sixth Form: Dr Adrianne Kendall, MA, DPhil Oxon
Deputy Head of Sixth Form: Mrs Zoe Village, BSc Leicester [February 2026–August 2026]
Departments
*Head of Department
Art and Design:
*Mrs Katie-May Faulkner, BA University of the Arts
Mrs Amanda Davies, MA De Montfort
Miss Jennie Knight, BA De Montfort
Mr Richard Sekhon, BA Loughborough
Biology:
*Dr Kathryn Fulton, BSc Dunelm, PhD Nottingham (Deputy Head of Sixth Form)
Mr Peter Cox, BSc University College of Wales, Bangor (Learning Technologies Co-ordinator)
Dr Sharon Dunham, BSc Glasgow, PhD Glasgow
Mrs Angela Ewington, MA Nottingham (Director of Wellbeing and Co-curriculum)
Ms Gillian Hancock, BSc Nottingham
Mr Paul Lawrence, BSc Leicester
Business & Economics:
*Mr Peer Moore-Friis, BA De Montfort PGDIP Oxford, CIM DIP (Young Enterprise Co-ordinator)
Mr Khuzema Esmail, BA Portsmouth (Head of Life Education)
Careers:
*Mrs Clare Scott, BA Hons
Chemistry:
*Dr Simon Ainge, BSc, PhD Newcastle, CChem, FRSC, ARSM Organ (School Organist)
Mr Dominic Clearkin, MChem Oxon
Dr Adrianne Kendall, MA, DPhil Oxon (Deputy Head of Sixth Form)
Mr Andrew King, MChem Loughborough (Assistant Timetabler)
Mrs Helen Martin, BSc Nottingham, MA Open University (Head of Year 11 joint, DofE Leader)
Dr Shalini Singh, MSc Punjab, PhD Leicester
Classics:
*Mr Philip Pratt, MA Harvard
Mr George Johnson, PGDipEd Birmingham
Dr Anastasia Vassilliou, BA Athens, MPhil, PhD Birmingham
Mr Peter Walker, BA Oxon
Computing:
*Mrs Maskean Sian, BA Middlesex
Miss Nikesha Ellis, MA Middlesex
Design and Technology:
*Miss Katie Campbell, BA Nottingham Trent
Mr Nathan Grimadell, BSc Derby (Head of Year 7)
Mr Robert Parkin, BEng Nottingham Trent
Mr Karaan Sabherwal, BSc Derby, BA Cantab
Drama:
*Mrs Tanya Jaremczenko-Dye, BA Loughborough, MA East 15 Acting School
Miss Milica Kovacevic, BA St Mary's
*Dr Julian Griffin, M A Cantab, PhD Open University
English:
*Dr Julian Griffin, M A Cantab, PhD Open University
Mrs Rachael Kendall, BA Dunelm, MA Goldsmiths (Deputy Head of English)
Mrs Catherine Barnes, BA De Montfort, MA Birmingham
Miss Rebecca Hadfield, BA Exeter (Charity & Community Service Co-ordinator)
Miss Nicola Hughes, BA London (Head of Initial Teacher Training)
Mr James Hunt, BA Reading (Head of Sixth Form)
Mrs Kate Penney, BA Keele
Food and Nutrition:
Mrs Rebecca Pole, BSc Sheffield Hallam
Mrs Louisa Weiner, BA Wimbledon School of Art
Geography:
*Mr Richard Campbell, MA Edgehill
Miss Emma Hill, BSc Reading (Head of House – Vice Chancellors)
Mrs Marie McNally, BA Westminster (Head of Year 10)
Mrs Alison Norris, BA Portsmouth
Mrs Sophie Sharp, BA Leeds, MSc East Anglia, MA Anglia Ruskin
History:
*Mr Robert McNally, BA Manchester Metropolitan
Miss Aviyah Butt, BA Leicester (Assistant Head of Year 10)
Mrs Vicky Hird, BA Leicester
Mr Andrew Picknell, MA University of London
Miss Jennifer Young, MA Exeter (Deputy Head Pastoral)
Learning Development:
*Miss Joy Clapham, BA Hons, MBAEd, PGC:SpLD Leicester, PGC:SENCO Northampton, SpLD and TPC Patoss, PGDip: Play Therapy
Life Education:
*Mr Khuzema Esmail, BA Portsmouth (Head of Life Education)
Mathematics:
Mr Joseph Radford, BSc Sheffield (Acting Head of Mathematics; Head of House – Judges)
Mr Omduth Dhani, BSc City
Mr Graham Inchley, BSc Hull, MSc Bristol
Mr Carl James, MA Cantab (Deputy Head Curriculum)
Miss Ramandeep Kaur, BSc Leicester (Assistant Head of Year 9)
Mrs Roxanne King, BSc Birmingham (Head of House – Dukes)
Mr Zak Long, BSc Loughborough
Mr Michael Moore, BSc Loughborough (DofE Leader)
Mr Neil Murray, BSc Imperial, MA London, MSc Sheffield Hallam
Mrs Charlotte Norris, BSc Sheffield
Miss Zeinab Miyir, BSc Greenwich
Mrs Kerry Pollard, BSc Loughborough
Mrs Brin Rai, BSc Birmingham
Mrs Zoe Village, BSc Leicester (Deputy Head of Sixth Form)
Modern Foreign Languages:
*Ms Sylvie Lopez-Correia, MA Université de Picardie Jules Verne
Mrs Emma Nelson, BA Northumbria (Deputy Head of Modern Foreign Languages)
Mrs Amy Dewe, BA Warwick (French)
Mrs Katharine Douglas, BA Liverpool (French & Italian/EAL)
Miss Imogen Howarth, MA Oxon (German & Spanish)
Miss Charlotte Julian, BA Birmingham (French & Spanish; (Head of Year 8)
Mrs Catriona Purdon, BA Sheffield (Spanish)
Mrs Valerie Turner, DEUG and Licence Nantes, France (French)
Music:
*Mr John Barker, BMus, MMus Royal College of Music, PGCE MTeach UCL, IOE
Mrs Amy McPherson, BA Oxon (Deputy Director of Music; Academic Enrichment Co-ordinator)
Ms Elizabeth Carpenter, BA Birmingham
Mrs Eleanor Graff-Baker, MA Oxon
Physical Education:
*Mr James McCann, MA Bath
Mr Graeme Blackhall, BSc Edinburgh (Assistant Director of Sport ; Head of Rugby)
Miss Holly Anderson, BSc Loughborough
Mrs Fiona-Lisa Beaumont, MSc Central Lancashire (Head of Netball)
Mrs Amy Eastman, MSc Loughborough (Head of Hockey; Head of House – Dukes)
Mr Harry Ellis, BSc Loughborough
Mr Andrew Fletcher, MSc University of Central Lancashire (Head of Cricket)
Miss Danielle Gilbert, BSc Lincoln
Miss Caitlin Jeffries, BSc West of England (Head of Year 8)
Mrs Nikki Laybourne, BSc Hons, MSc Loughborough (Head of Girls Cricket; Head of Year 11 joint)
Mr Matthew Stubbs, BEd Sheffield Hallam (Head of Academic; PE)
Mr Troy Thacker, BEd, CNAA Crewe & Alsager College (Middle School Mentor)
Physics:
*Mr Philip Reeves, BSc Manchester
Miss Ellen Allcoat, BSc Bristol (Senior House Co-ordinator; Head of House – Masters)
Mr Magnus Anderson, MA Cantab (Senior Deputy Head)
Mr Dominic Clearkin, M Chem Oxon
Miss Kate MacLeod, BSc University College London (EPQ Co-ordinator)
Mr Thomas Somerville, BSc Sussex
Psychology:
*Ms Kat Lovelock, BA Warwick
Mrs Felicity Cornish, MA Cantab
Religious Studies:
*Ms Jane Ford, BA Newcastle
Mrs Eva Brookes, BA Sheffield, MA London
Mr Mark Readman, BA Lancaster
Mrs Jane Tompkins, BA Leicester, MA Heythrop, London (Head of Year 9)
Textiles:
Mrs Amanda Davies, MA De Montfort
Miss Jennie Knight, BA De Montfort