We all love those long hot summer days soaking up the sun and splashing in the waves, don't we? That's why the last day of term is such a special treat for our junior school graduates. They get to spend their last day before moving on to senior school at the beach with their teachers and friends.

On Thursday 15th June 2017, Year 6 happily headed for Avlaki beach in Porto Rafti for a fun-filled day playing, swimming and eating ice cream. As you can see from the smiles on their faces, they loved every minute of it. Goodbye and good luck to all of them! 

Public Exam Success – 4th best exam results over last 10 years

Summer 2015 results

IGCSEs –

• 59 candidates sat for a total of 506 IGCSE exams
• 53% of all IGCSEs taken resulted in A*/A grade
• 86% of all IGCSEs taken resulted in A*-C grade
• 98% of all IGCSEs taken resulted in A*-G grade

AS and A-Levels –

• 80 candidates sat for a total of 292 AS and A-Level qualifications
• 41% of all AS & A-Levels sat for resulted in an A*/A grade (A* is not available at AS-Level)
• This represents best rate of A*/A grades in last five years
• There were 20 A*s at A-Level – more than in any previous year
• More pupils got multiple A*s at A-Level than in any previous year
• 83% of all A-Levels were awarded a C grade or better

Greater detail is given in exam results video posted on this website within two weeks of the release of all results and also posted on SLC’s Facebook page

For videos from previous years click below

2015 – click here
2014 – click here
2013 – click here
2012 – click here

St. Lawrence College pupils do themselves and their school proud!

While summer continues for all pupils, for some the last week has been a week of tension and concern, waiting for their exam results. Now though the waiting is over and the IGCSE, AS-Level and A-Level results have been released. And once again, St. Lawrence College pupils have produced a set of results that our school community can be collectively proud of.

Our Year 11 pupils sat for their IGCSE exams back in May, with 457 IGCSEs being sat by a total of 60 candidates. Across those 457 IGCSEs, by far the most common grade achieved was an A* grade – the best grade possible and only awarded for an exam mark above 90%. In fact, of the 457 IGCSEs taken, a remarkable 113 resulted in an A* grade – that is 25% of all the IGCSEs taken. What is more, 44% of all the IGCSEs resulted in either an A*or A grade. This is a little lower than the very high 2015 results, but still ranks well with results from the previous decade of Year 11 year groups. The second most frequent grade achieved was B – indeed two out of every three IGCSEs sat was within the A*/A/B grade range.

The UK national average of Year 11 pupils that receive at least five GCSEs of grade C or better is usually around 55%-60%. This year at St. Lawrence College, 92% of our Year 11 achieved this. What is more – and this was a first for our school – not a single IGCSE among the 457 taken across 16 subjects by 60 candidates was returned ungraded. In terms of success in specific subjects, of all IGCSEs taken in French, Greek or Russian, over 90% resulted in at least an A grade. Likewise 68% of pupils that sat for English Literature. Among the year group, there were several stand out performances from pupils. Emily Holden managed to score A* in every one of her nine IGCSEs. Alessandro Gressani secured eight A*s, Sadin Abdel Fattah and Alexander Petropoulos each bagged seven A*s while Stefania Riga and Ivy Hewett each scored six A*s among their IGCSEs. Congratulations to all of them.

At AS-Level and A-Level there were exactly 300 exam entries across 84 candidates – slightly more than last year’s 292 entries. The AS-Level is at once both a ‘stand-alone’ qualification as well as marking the halfway point for those aiming to complete the full A-Level in a subject. Combining this year’s results for these two qualifications, by far the most common grade awarded was A (including A* which is only available at A-Level, not AS-Level). 37% of all exams taken resulted in this top grade being achieved. While slightly lower than the percentage achieved in 2015 and 2014, it is, at 37%, exactly the same success rate as 2009 and 2010 (with smaller year groups on both occasions) and within a percentage or two of all other recent years’ results. Furthermore, the second most common grade achieved across all 300 exams was a B grade. Thus, 56%, or well over half of all AS-Levels and A-Levels taken in the 2016 exam session resulted in a grade within the A*/A/B grade range.

For the pupils awaiting their A-Level results, there was also the question of gaining admittance to universities. The vast majority are progressing to UK universities and along with the A-Level results came the final confirmation as to which university they will study at and what they will study. These results have sent our pupils to top universities across the UK. As examples of the diversity of destination and course, Melina Beykou, who achieved A*AAA will study Biological Sciences with Molecular Genetics at The University of Edinburgh. Marilena Eleftheriou (AAA) will start a Neuroscience degree at University College London (UCL). Mark Slipchenko (A*BBC) will study Economics at The University of Kent, while Danish Syed (AAB) is admitted to The University of Glasgow for Electronics and Electrical Engineering. Other degree courses to be studied include Dentistry, Politics, Business Management, History of Art, Sport Science and Fashion Marketing.

Headmaster Phil Holden commented “I congratulate all pupils on their exam achievements and wish those who are leaving us to continue their learning in higher education the very best of luck. Our IGCSE, AS and A-Level results are truly very strong in the global context of British education. I thank the teachers throughout St. Lawrence College for the professionalism, dedication and care that they always give and which have led to this day. Those teachers have done more than help our pupils pass their exams. They have helped our school leavers grow into young citizens with a sense of responsibility as well as being learners with adaptable skills. As such our pupils are well-prepared”.

On Friday 21st June, St Lawrence College marked the ending of its 44th year with a magnificent evening of recognition for a wide range of accomplishments throughout the school. The guest of honour was the renowned academic, Sir Roderick Beaton, who as well as being an accomplished author of many publications including “The Greeks: A Global History”, held the Koraes chair at Kings College, London until 2018. The delightful Sir Roderick stood amicably with us and congratulated all our outstanding pupils as they took to the stage. 

From years 3 to 6, individually selected pupils in every class were rewarded for the attainment, effort and progress as well as citizenship and other notable performances in particular subjects. From year 7 upwards, pupils were rewarded for their various achievements, culminating in our graduating class of 2024, the year 13 school leavers. Furthermore, recognition was given to several award winners amongst last year's graduating class by our A level exam board, Pearson Edexcel: students now in university who had achieved the highest marks last year in Greece, in Europe and indeed in the world! Huge congratulations for such outstanding achievements; we are very proud of them. 

As always, we look at all our wonderful pupils with great fondness and look forward to the coming year ahead with anticipation. But for now, it's time to sit back and enjoy the summer holiday!

This year pupils from St. Lawrence College were given the opportunity to test their Mathematics ability by participating in two competitions organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT).

In February, 47 pupils from Years 9, 10 and 11 competed against school children from across the globe in the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge. With only the top scoring 40% of all participants being awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold Certificate, we were extremely proud to learn that 70% of our pupils had reached the required standard with 10 pupils being awarded a Gold Certificate and three of those, Xuchen Meng, Jingyue Zhai and Kristian Narsesian, scoring high enough to qualify for the Canley Olympiad. A full list of certificate winners can be found below but congratulations to everyone who took part and even though the Olympiad was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, our first year of competition at Intermediate Level can definitely be considered a success.

After much delay, the Junior Mathematics Challenge, originally scheduled for April 30^th, finally took place online on Friday 19th and was a great way to finish the year. Nineteen Year 7 and 8 pupils responded to the challenge. We wish them the best of luck with their results which will be available on July 8^th. All certificates will be presented in September but until then we wish our budding mathematicians a happy and safe summer and look forward to seeing them again next year at the E = mc²  lunchtime club to prepare for more challenges!

Gold Certificate Winners:

Xuchen Meng (Y9) (Best-in-school, Best-in-year), Jingyue Zhai (Y11 -Best-in-year), Kristian Narsesian (Y9), Emily Chen (Y9), Wilson Wang (Y10 - Best-in-year), Wenjing Jin (Jenny) (Y11), Yuqian Liao (Y10), Jiayan Ye (Y10), Lynne Huang (Y11), Ying Yikai (Y10).

Silver Certificate Winners:

Zihan Ding (Y10), Huijie Su (Y9), Dingnan Huang (Y10), Kexin Chong (Y9), Zuyi Wang (Y9), Selina Xing (Y11), Xueying Yang (Y9), Yun Li (Y9), Baoyue Zhang (Y10), Georgios Lazos (Y11).

Bronze Certificate Winners:

 Ziyue Gan (Miya) (Y9), Keying Chong (Y9), Shuqi Ren (Y10), Jingxuan Huang (Y9), Shiwen Liu (Y9), Katerina Leontakianakou (Y9), Huanyu Zhang (Y10), Jin Wenchuang (Y11), Junyao Jiang (Y9), Timothy Tay (Y10), Anna Sokolova (Y10), Ivan Cado (Y9), Stella Stojanov (Y10)

Why debate?

Debating is the ability to present a constructive argument, regardless of personal opinion, either for or against on various topical issues: moral, legal or political. Teams have between fifteen minutes and several weeks to prepare their speeches, depending on the type of competition. In order to succeed, debaters must be able to think on their feet and carry out in depth research, as well as work closely with the rest of their team. Debating also develops the ability to speak with confidence in front of large audiences.
To be able to construct and then present arguments with poise and confidence is a skill that is highly prized both at university and beyond. To quote one of our former debaters, who was recruited by a major UK bank, “I just can't believe how useful debate has been in my (very brief) professional life; for example, during a recent presentation skills training seminar, there was not one single piece of advice I heard during the entire time that I hadn't already heard at least fifty times during debate practice”.

Debating at St. Lawrence College

The main focus of the year is the Panhellenic Forensics Association Tournament which is held each spring. In recent times, we have been the most successful school in this national competition, being crowned champions no less than seven times. We are also the only school in Greece to have had at least one team qualify for the quarter finals, every year we have entered. We have had teams in at least the semi-finals every year since 2010 and in 2017 won the tournament for an unprecedented third year in a row.
Debating at St. Lawrence College is not only for the senior pupils. Every summer term there is a junior competition which is open to all Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils, regardless of experience. We also enter the International Competition for Young Debaters and have seen several of our pupils qualify for the finals, which are held at the Oxford or Cambridge Union Societies.

Every winter, the debate club holds the annual Speakathon, where we invite the rest of the school to miss lessons and come along to watch debates all day long. It is an excellent opportunity for pupils who do not have any debating experience to make floor speeches and test themselves against the skills of more proficient debaters. We are also proud to have seen many of our debaters represent Greece at the World Schools Debate Championships, in which Greece has a fantastic record.

Debating at St. Lawrence College forms one of the most vibrant and stimulating clubs, with a reputation for excellence. The Debating blog can be found here.

Roll of Honour

Panhellenic Forensics Tournament

1999: Michael Pantazis & Panos Spiliotis – Champions
2004: George Kanellos & Dimitris Samouris – Runners Up
2006: Pantellis Diplas, George Kanellos & Natasha Theodosiou – Runners Up
2007: Pantellis Diplas, Elena Georgantzis & Andrew Theodosiou - Champions
2008: Suny Coscione, Elena Georgantzis & Andrew Theodosiou - Champions
2011: Nick Moschopoulos, Amy Naughton-Rumbo & Angelos Palivos – Champions
2012: Nick Moschopoulos, Amy Naughton-Rumbo & Angelos Palivos – Runners Up
2015: Johnny Palivos, Aris Papadimitriou, Arietta Valmas – Champions
2016: Nicholas Short, Melina Spanoudis, Rosie Vorri – Champions
2017: Achilleas Papadimitriou, Nicholas Short, Rosie Vorri - Champions

St. Lawrence Pupils who have been selected to represent Greece at the World Schools Championships

Anna Bogdanova (2005)                     
Alexis Diplas (2010)    
Pantellis Diplas (2007)              
Elena Georgantzis (2007, 2008)          
Alexandra Hill (2002, 2004*)              
George Kanellos (2005, 2006)   
Despina Karvounis (2013, 2014)         
Amy Naughton-Rumbo (2013)              
Angelos Palivos (2012, 2013)    
Michael Pantazis (2000, 2001)  
Dimitris Samouris (2003, 2004, 2005)
Panos Spiliotis (2000, 2001)    
Natasha Theodosiou (2006)                 
Arietta Valmas (2014,2015)             
Alex Vaos (2005)
Rosie Vorri (2016, 2017)

*represented England

Extra-curricular clubs are a great way to make new friends, get fit or learn new skills in a safe environment. You can find a whole range of clubs available at St. Lawrence College - from infant yoga to chess. We offer daytime clubs during lunch time /school hours, and afternoon clubs from 3:30 – 4:30pm, to children from Foundation Stage 1 up to Year 6. These cover a wide array of activities that make full use of our outstanding facilities, including a 25-metre outdoor heated swimming pool, outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor artificial pitch, as well as a large sports hall.

Team sports
Many of our clubs promote team building and physical activity through indoor and outdoor sports, such as football, rugby, tennis, basketball, volleyball, yoga, karate, rhythmics, dance and more. We employ fully qualified, professional coaches who use their expertise to provide high quality coaching to all participating pupils.

Swimming
Swimming is a life-saving skill and can also be the beginning of many enjoyable water experiences. At St. Lawrence College, we offer afternoon swimming lessons to pupils from 2 ½ to 18 years of age, taught by friendly, caring and fully qualified instructors. Structured, planned lessons cater for all abilities, from water confidence classes, right through to advanced club swimming.

Music
At St. Lawrence College we believe that music is a creative and social art to be enjoyed by all and we are proud to be offering to our children the opportunity to enjoy musical experiences in our after-school Music School.

The Music School offers instrumental tuition in piano and guitar providing children with the chance to prepare for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Examinations.

Other clubs
Other club activities provided throughout the year include the Junior School Choir, Greek Drama/Dance for National holiday celebrations, Eco-council, Chess and Art Club.

Practical details
At the end of the summer term, families receive letters with all the available choices for both daytime and afternoon clubs to be offered the following academic year. Included in the letter is the intended age group and the cost, if any, of each club.

Extra-curricular clubs are a great way to make new friends, get fit or learn new skills in a safe environment. You can find a whole range of clubs available at St. Lawrence College -from infant yoga to chess.

We offer both Daytime Clubs during lunchtime/school hours, and Afternoon Clubs from 3:30 – 4:30pm, to children from Foundation Stage 1 up to Year 6.These cover a wide array of activities that make full use of our outstanding facilities, including a 25-metre outdoor heated swimming pool, outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor artificial pitch, as well as a four-court sports hall for indoor sports, such as basketball and volleyball.

Team sports
Many of our clubs promote team building and physical activity through indoor and outdoor sports, such as football, rugby, tennis, basketball, yoga, karate, rhythmics, and more. We are fortunate to have professional coaches who use their expertise to provide high quality coaching to all participating pupils.

Swimming
Swimming is a life-saving skill and can also be the beginning of many enjoyable water experiences. At St. Lawrence College, we offer afternoon swimming lessons to pupils from 2 ½ to 18 years of age, taught by friendly, caring and fully qualified instructors. Structured, planned lessons cater for all abilities, from water confidence classes right through to advanced club swimming.

Music
At St. Lawrence we believe that music is a creative and social art to be enjoyed by all and we are proud to be offering to our children the opportunity to enjoy musical experiences in our After-school Music School and Orchestra.

The Music School offers instrumental tuition in piano, violin, guitar and flute and provides children with the chance to prepare for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Examinations.

The Orchestra is great opportunity for budding musicians to display their ability by rehearsing once a week and practising along with other musicians for school concerts.

Other clubs
Other club activities provided throughout the year include the Junior School Choirs, Greek Drama/Dance for National holiday celebrations, Eco-council, Chess and Art Club.

Practical details
At the end of the summer term, families receive letters with all the available choices for both Daytime and Afternoon Clubs to be offered the following academic year. Included in the letter is the intended age group and the cost, if any, of each club.

The timetable/daily programme is drawn up in a way that provides children with varying and engaging activities throughout the year.

Most clubs (e.g. football/drama) are very popular and as a result they may have a waiting list. It’s important to register sooner rather than later, since all places are subject to availability.

An after-school activities shuttle bus service is available, with several drop off points, for those pupils who cannot be picked up directly from school by their parent/guardian.

Children in Year 4 have been learning about where our food comes from in Geography this term. They have thought about how different ingredients are exported and around the world to fulfill our needs.

On Monday, 13th June, 2016, Year 4 pupils visited the Karamolengos bread factory in Koropi. They learned about the different ingredients needed to make bread and where these ingredients come from.  Later on, they enjoyed a guided tour of the bread factory where they looked closely at the different stages of bread-making. Did you know that 6000 loaves of bread are made in one hour in this factory which never turns its ovens off at all? Can you guess how many loaves of bread are made in 24 hours?

After the visit to the bread factory, the children enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Varkiza Park by the sea, where they had a picnic lunch before heading back to school and enjoying a cool and delicious ice-cream. What a treat of a day that was for the last week before summer!