Lancaster Royal Grammar School was awarded the status of International School in the first year that the award was presented in 1989, amongst only nine UK schools that year. This accredited award recognised our highly developed contacts overseas. Our links extend out across the globe, providing boys with a numerous opportunities to visit other schools abroad, and sample cultures as far away as India, Peru, and Australia.  Here is an overview of the current international programmes that we can offer our pupils.

Erasmus

Erasmus is a European-wide British Council project which aims to:

• Develop knowledge and understanding among young people and education staff of the diversity of European cultures and languages, and the value of this diversity. 
• Help young people to acquire basic life skills and competences for their personal development, for future employment and for active European citizenship.

LRGS has been a partner school in the Erasmus (formerly Comenius) Programme for many years, collaborating successfully with schools in five countries:

Ilona Zrinyi Gimnasium, Miskolc, Hungary

Herderschule Rendsburg, Rendsburg, Germany

Liceum Ogólnoksztalcace, Biecz, Poland

Lycée Emile Zola, Aix-en-Provence, France

Tampereen Normaalikoulu, Tampere, Finland

This group of schools work together, in part, funded by the European Union Comenius Programme. The busiest time in the year is European Week in March, when pupils from each partner school visit every other partner school for an entire week. This creates multinational study groups in each country.  For more information, please read the latest blog and newsletter below. 

Erasmus + Projects

Following the success of the Personal Finance Programme (2017-19)  which included a visit to Cyprus, we are currently leading two projects:
Parallel Histories
The Entrecomp Project 

We will be working with other schools in Cyprus, France, Italy, Romania and Ireland. 
We are proud of Mr Wareing who was awarded Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Award linked to his work with Erasmus +.

Mrs Wareing is involved in cross-sector mentoring to the benefit of LRGS pupils.  Read an interview with Mrs Wareing here. Read the latest news from Erasmus + about how LRGS are working with Parallel Histories to teach pupils methods for critical thinking to spot fake news and debate controversial topics. 

European Exchanges

Pupils studying Modern Foreign Languages have the opportunity to go abroad on exchanges in France and Germany, where they live with host families for a week. The primary purpose is to improve language skills, but we see it as an opportunity for pupils on both sides to develop their social skills, both as hosts and guests, and to gain a greater understanding of and empathy with each other's culture and people. More details from our MFL Department.

Sports tours

Our Sports teams travel abroad regularly to take part in international competitions; rugby, cricket and rowing have all represented LRGS abroad in recent years.  For more details of these excursions visit the Sport pages.  

Music tours

Our musicians (choir, orchestra, which is joint with Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, and the Big Band) have made concert tours of Austria, Finland, Germany and Poland in recent years.  More details available from the Music Department.

Field trips and expeditions

A geography field trip to Iceland takes place every two years. In recent years, the Exploration Society have organised trips to Everest base camp, Mount Toubkal in Morocco, to the Andes and Borneo. Each year the Classics Department organises a trip to Italy or Greece. There is a Junior and Senior Ski Trip each year; usually they visit the French or Austrian Alps.