Leicester Grammar School

Leicester Grammar School (often abbreviated to LGS) is a private co-educational secondary day school situated in Great Glen, Leicestershire, England. It was founded in 1981, after the loss of the city's state-funded grammar schools.

Leicester Grammar School is closely affiliated with Leicester Grammar Junior School and Stoneygate School, and in general the majority of Junior School leavers are accepted by the senior school.

The school has just over 90 teaching staff and 830 pupils, all of whom are day-students. It has its own preparatory form for children in Year 6, and its own sixth form for Years 12 and 13. Each student at the school is a member of a house, allowing a system of inter-school competition in sports and other pastimes such as chess, general knowledge and music.

The school was founded in 1981 as an independent, selective, co-educational day school in an attempt to recapture the standards and traditions of the city's former grammar schools. Located in four late-Victorian buildings in Leicester City Centre, the school was established close to Leicester Cathedral and was founded with an Anglican Christian ethos. The first headmaster was John Higginbotham and under his stewardship the school grew from just 96 to 560 pupils within 10 years.

Over its short history, the school began to achieve a national reputation as one of the country's leading academic institutions. In 1993, its headmaster was elected to the Headmasters' Conference and the school has remained in its first division since then. In the same year, the school was acknowledged as the country's top co-educational school.

In February 2007 construction began on a new school campus, located on a green field site near Great Glen. The new development allowed for school growth, restricted by its former location within the city centre. Leicester Grammar Senior School now shares the new site with its sister school Leicester Grammar Junior School, each with its own main school buildings and sharing the refectory and sports facilities. Previously, the school had no playing fields of its own and had to transport pupils to various sporting facilities by bus; the new school has 75 acres (30 ha) of playing fields. The new site opened in September 2008.

In common with many other independent schools, Leicester Grammar School requires prospective pupils to undertake a series of entrance examinations before they are accepted into the school. The main entrance examination takes place at the start of the term in January. Papers are taken in verbal reasoning, English and mathematics. Entry to the sixth form is by interview, offers of a place being conditional upon the GCSE grades gained.

As of 2008 Leicester Grammar School moved to London Road, Great Glen, a much larger site. There is one main teaching building, which includes a refectory, assembly hall (St. Nicholas), drama studio, music recital room and five wings housing all classrooms.