Last year came the shocking news of the murder of MP Jo Cox, who is remembered, amongst other things, for her belief that people have more in common than that which divides them. I would concur with her view. I think this is particularly true of people of faith, whatever their religion or other belief. I was therefore delighted when councillor Karen Henshaw suggested that we work together to create a multi-faith event at AKS, involving our students with local religious leaders and practitioners. Working with Andrew Pratt, multi-faith adviser to the Bishop of Blackburn, we invited representatives from Christian,

One of the great opportunities we have as educators is to help in expanding the horizons of our students. This is certainly true for our Year 12s who are travelling back from the Round Square International Conference in Cape Town. 180 schools from all over the world came together to meet, debate, explore and try to make a difference. These students now have friends from so many countries, more importantly they have listened to each other and gained greater understanding of different ideas and perspectives. They heard passionate South African speakers in the conference hall, debated major local and global

One of my favourite books, also made into a film, is Neville Shute’s ‘On the Beach’ (1957).  A post-apocalyptic story of how the actions of mankind could destroy the planet. Now 60 years old, it still has a powerful message. An understanding of our impact on the environment has never been more important. As a school we are delighted to have more and more opportunities to work with local groups who have a passion for the care of the natural world around us. Two of these are the Park View Rangers and the Lytham St Annes Wildlife Trust, who are

By attending Classics Association lectures at AKS, I have been learning more about the Ancient Greeks and Romans. It is reported that they widely used individual insignia on their shields, which developed into coats of arms. These came into general use by feudal lords and knights in the 12th century, used for identification, particularly on the battlefield when armour hid the face. Later these symbols were adopted by families, proud of their lineage. Heraldic traditions moved on as a coat of arms was transmitted through generations of a family, descendants frequently adding differences to symbolise changes in character. Educational organisations

This week I was pleased to be able to see off the Year 3 and Year 4 residential trips (Year 4 pictured on arrival at Glaramara). Sunny mornings, bags packed, teachers checking and re-checking. For many, particularly in Year 3, this was their first time staying away from family. Standing with mums and dads by the side of the road, we watched the coaches depart, taking sons and daughters off for adventures far away. Much waving through the windows. There were a few anxious faces, perhaps a well concealed tear or two. The children, on the other hand, were all

In our Easter assembly this morning, after considering concepts of sacrifice and hope, I invited the students to reflect on their current give/take ratio. Any of us feeling that we take more than we give might feel this is an appropriate time of year to seek to redress the balance. A similar thought came to me earlier in the month when I had the pleasure of accompanying one of our Tycoon in Schools groups to Buckingham Palace (pictured), where they were amongst 8 finalists in this national competition. For the second year running an AKS team was runner-up and was