May 2026
Published 11th May 2026
Year 13 students celebrated their final day of formal lessons in style before beginning their A-level examinations. Bathed in sunshine, students enjoyed a BBQ and a visit from an ice cream van as they marked the end of their time in the classroom together.
The celebrations also provided an opportunity to recognise the outstanding charitable efforts of the Sixth Form. We were delighted to welcome representatives from this year's three Sixth Form charities: Diana Levantine, Chairperson and Co-Founder of The Sussex Snowdrop Trust; Mike Mansergh, Trustee of The Sanctuary in Chichester; and Rob Goldsmith, representing Grassroots Tanzania. Cheques were presented to each charity, representing a third of the record-breaking total raised through this year's Fashion Show and Charity Week.
Speaking afterwards, Mike Mansergh said: “I had the privilege of accepting a cheque for £6,100 – a hugely generous donation from the Sixth Form’s charity fundraising this year, a record amount and the third year that Sanctuary has been one of three charities chosen by the students. Their support has been incredibly valuable as we help increasing numbers of families and individuals on their journey to independent lives in this country.”
Headteacher Awards were presented by Mr Hindman to students who have made exceptional contributions to school life: School Captains Scarlette Guilfoyle and Rupert Reddington, Sixth Form Committee Chairperson Joel Blamire, and Henry Court.
Dasha Pedan and Veronika Zavarzina were awarded Bishop Luffa International Scholarships in recognition of the challenges they have overcome, their outstanding academic achievements, and to support them financially as they move on to the next stage of their education. Tegan Atkins, who will be studying Occupational Therapy, received a Reading Foundation Scholarship to help fund books at university, while Asha Christie-Verma was presented with the Sixth Form Endeavour Award in recognition of her remarkable personal strength and growth throughout her Sixth Form journey.
The Sixth Form Committee also received gifts of thanks and a rousing round of applause in recognition of their leadership and commitment throughout the year, organising and supporting a wide range of Sixth Form and whole-school events.
The celebrations concluded with the ever-popular Yearbook Awards 2026, where students received humorous honours including 'Most Likely to Teach at Luffa', 'Most Likely to Live in the Library' and 'Worst at Parking'. Each winner was ceremonially knighted and presented with a bespoke certificate, ensuring the day ended with plenty of laughter.
Photos from the event can be found by clicking on this link.
We wish all of our Year 13 students every success on A-level Results Day and in the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. As such a supportive, resilient and accomplished year group, we know they will embrace the future with confidence and make us proud.
Jamie Saunders, Head of Sixth Form
Published 18th May 2026
In May, the Year 12 Law class went to observe proceedings at the Portsmouth Magistrates Court. We listened to the District Judge and the Magistrates give their directions, sentences and judgments. There were a range of offences such as driving over the legal limit, assault, car theft and shop lifting. It was very interesting to see all the professionals in action and to witness how a court deals with the legal process. Our special thanks goes to the volunteer magistrates for coming in to speak to the class and then hosting us in court.
The Year 12 Law students also had an opportunity to go to Gray’s Inn London. Gray’s Inn is one of the Inns of Court – the historic societies that educate and train barristers in England and Wales. We had a tour of the Inn, lunch in the hall and then an afternoon of advocacy training led by our own Joe Foye, one of Bishop Luffa’s past students who is currently training for the Bar and is also an in-house academic researcher at the Inn. His academic achievements are phenomenal having studied at both Oxford and Cambridge. The training he did with the students will be used for next year’s Bar Mock Trial competition and beyond. Quite by chance, we saw and spoke to Gillian Keegan the former MP for Chichester. It was a fantastic day out and cemented for many of the students their decision to begin their pathway towards a career at the Bar. Our huge thanks goes to Joe Foye for hosting us and giving so generously of his time and expertise for the day.
Fiona Langstone, Subject Lead for Law
Published 18th May 2026
As part of Year 7 Spanish lessons, every summer term we teach our students about “Mafalda”. “Mafalda” was a world known Spanish comic character. An intelligent, witty and charming little girl that questioned everything in life. The creator “Quino” used Mafalda comics to spread messages of love and peace around the world. Every year, we run a competition and ask our students to draw their own Malfalda and write lovely messages in Spanish. We had a huge amount of entries this year and therefore it was very difficult to choose only one winner. For this reason, we decided to give two prizes. The winners of the "Proyecto Mafalda 2026" are: Sophia Glover (7Andrewes) and Immy Younghusband (7Burrows), who both won an original Mafalda comic in Spanish. We hope you enjoy it girls!
Elizabeth López Gamero, Team Leader of Spanish & International School Coordinator
Published 21st May 2026
The Spring term is always the busiest time of year for the Dance department at Bishop Luffa School! We started our run of dance events with a visit from 3fall Dance company. They led an inspiring workshop with a group of students from Years 10 and 12.
As we headed towards the end of the Spring term, we had the Interhouse Dance Competition which was won overall by Ridgeway House. The following evening, we hosted our annual dance event to showcase performances and choreographies from students in Years 7 to 13. This was a wonderful evening and we are very proud of all the students who performed dances that were produced both in lessons and in extra-curricular clubs and activities.
Our wonderful Year 13 A Level students successfully completed their final practical exam on the last day before Easter. This was followed by our Year 11 GCSE students completing their practical coursework just after Easter.
After Easter we took the Year 10 GCSE Dance students to perform at Dance House at the Pavilion Theatre in Worthing. They performed exceptionally well and we received so many wonderful comments and compliments from audience members and the event organisers.
We recently said farewell to both our Year 13 A Level and Year 11 GCSE Dance students. It is always a sad time for the team but we wish them well and we know that they will all go on to do great things.
Jo Lawlor, Head of Arts Faculty and Team Leader for Dance
Published 22nd May 2026
The History Department has been working with the Novium Museum in Chichester this school year to cocreate a loan box to complement the ChichestHER exhibition which opens in October 2026. Having been using loan boxes to support our KS3 Curriculum we were asked to support their bid for funding for the exhibition from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, following the success of this bid we were then invited to work with the museum so students could be directly involved in developing a loan box.
A group of 15 Year 9 students volunteered to take part in the project which involved 2 after school sessions and finished with a trip to the Novium at the end of April. The students discovered the stories of the women planned to feature in the exhibition and chose objects relevant to the women’s stories. Next the students curated the objects by writing parts of the labels that explain the objects to teachers using the loan box in schools. The items were purchased by the museum (including some 19th Century Russian postcards which were posted from Ukraine) and museum staff put the finishing touches to the labels. Together students and museum staff have created a lasting resource which can be used by schools in and around Chichester. During our visit to the museum we were able to see the finished box as well as find out more about the marketing involved with a successful exhibition. We also visited the current Elmer exhibition which the Year 9 students loved!
One of our students who took part wrote:
“The ChichestHER workshops were incredibly fun and eye opening as, prior to it, I didn't know about any historical figures who came from Chichester let alone any female figures. I really enjoyed connecting with other students who also enjoyed learning about history. My favourite part of the experience was suggesting and choosing which objects would go in the loan box and my favourite object was definitely the squishy bread. Overall it was an incredibly enjoyable experience and everyone was very friendly.”
Thank you to all the students involved for taking part so enthusiastically to make sure the women’s history is recognised and remembered.
Louisa Fowles, Teacher of History
Published 29th May 2026
Bishop Luffa enjoyed a memorable day at Chichester Priory Park as we welcomed the historic Marylebone Cricket Club for another excellent fixture between the two sides. Founded in 1787, MCC remains one of the most famous and influential cricket clubs in the world and is regarded as the guardian of the laws and traditions of the game. As one of the very few state schools still fortunate enough to host this fixture, it was a wonderful occasion for everyone connected with Bishop Luffa.
Played under beautiful blue skies, the match was enjoyed by players and spectators alike, with the atmosphere perfectly complemented by a superb lunch kindly supplied by Turner's Pies, which proved extremely popular with both teams.
The highlight of the day was undoubtedly Arran Goode’s (13Story) magnificent innings of 103, the first century of his cricketing career. Arran was the mainstay of the Bishop Luffa innings throughout, batting with elegance and composure. His knock included a remarkable 12 fours and 6 sixes, combining stylish strokeplay with powerful hitting as he led the side superbly against strong MCC bowling. Reaching a maiden century is always a special moment, and this was an innings that all those present will remember for a long time and we are so proud Arran did this for Bishop Luffa.
There were also important contributions with the ball and in the field. Josh hughes-Jones (9Andrewes) produced a brilliant spell, taking two wickets in two balls, including the key scalp of the MCC opening batter to swing momentum back towards Bishop Luffa. Toby delivered an outstandingly economical spell of 6 overs, 3 maidens, 10 runs and 1 wicket, maintaining control and pressure. Rowan Evans (8Wilson) also impressed with the ball, finishing with figures of 6 overs for 28 runs, while also taking a sharp catch at point.
Most importantly, the match was played in excellent spirit throughout and reflected everything that makes school cricket so special. Eli Yambo (12Ridgeway) was awarded the MCC Spirit of Cricket award for his ‘willingness to entertain when batting’ and relentless energy and positivity in the field. Thank you to everyone from Bishop Luffa, both past and present, who helped support the occasion, and sincere thanks to the Marylebone Cricket Club for making the trip to Chichester Priory Park for another memorable fixture.
Tim Godfray, Team Leader of PE