Appointed by King Charles, the Lord-Lieutenant represents His Majesty in Nottinghamshire and is responsible for the promotion of civic, commercial, voluntary and social activities within the county.

Mr Jevons-Newman had attended an education event at Sherwood Observatory where he heard the Lord-Lieutenant talk about her vision to cultivate aspiration and opportunity for young people. “The speech resonated deeply with me as it is exactly what I want for our Abbey Hill pupils – the belief that they can be whatever they want to be - and for us, as a school, to provide as many opportunities as possible to help them realise what they can aspire to” he explained.

During her visit, which follows strict protocols, just like a Royal engagement, Lord-Lieutenant Pickering visited every classroom and toured the school. She also enjoyed a small group Q&A session with five pupils: Bear (Year 1), Idara (Year 3), Shiloh (Year 4), Maddison (Year 5) and Darcy (Year 6).

At the end of her visit she was presented with two Abbey Hill books: “Gracie and George” created for World Book Day; and “Mythical Beasts” written by Year 5.

Shiloh said “I enjoyed meeting The Lord Lieutenant because it was great to meet a really special person who worked with the King. I’ve never done that before! I also liked that she gave us some really good advice."

Mr Jevons-Newman said “I was so pleased to meet the Lord-Lieutenant, initially quite nervous - but she was such a kind guest whose strong presence and genuine interest elevated both our children and staff. You could truly see and feel it. Our staff felt so empowered and encouraged by her own personal story, and the amazing work she does voluntarily for the county. I am hopeful that our association will bring further opportunities to work together on projects that will extend our children’s potential scope, raise their ambitions and provide access to aspirational experiences.”

Lord-Lieutenant Pickering is focused on promoting community spirit and civic pride, championing Nottinghamshire. She was impressed by Abbey Hill’s “ability to put their children at the heart of all they do and make them proud of the place they live in”.

She praised Transform Trust’s structure and the opportunities it is providing for all pupils within the trust. Most of all she was excited about the community work our Abbey Hill children undertake, including the recent scheme to set up ‘mini library boxes’ in the area, our ‘Visions of Kirkby’ art exhibition and the upcoming school community hub, due to open later this year.

Her wonderful advice to the pupils at Abbey Hill was to “Dream! Dream about everything you want and go for it. Everyone has the ability to do what they want if they set their mind to it.”