Headteacher: Mr I Robertson, BA, M.Ed, Darlington Road, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 7BQ Tel: 01748 850111, Email: Admin@richmondschool.net, Website: www.richmondschool.net

Dear Parent/Carer

Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carer

As ever a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the school this year. We have had a

terrific year as students have excelled in so many ways and achieved so much to keep

Richmond School as one of the top schools in the region. Certainly our newsletters throughout

the year have been full of wonderful events and achievements.

The summer sees the end of an era at Richmond School as our Director of Administration and

Secretary to the Headteacher, Mrs Audrey Pledge, retires after

nearly thirty eight years of truly outstanding service to the

school. Mrs Pledge has not only led the school’s

administration, acted as Clerk to the Governors and Clerk to

Richmond Trustees, she has also supported five

headteachers, Mr Dutton, Mr Lynch, Mr Jack, Mr Beever and

Mr Robertson. The school will forever be in Mrs Pledge’s debt

as will the many colleagues who have worked with her. We

wish Mrs Pledge a long and happy retirement.

At the end of term we also say farewell and thank you to the following staff:

Miss Johnson (Geography) - will be returning to Scotland.

Mr Beacham - will be taking a new post closer to home at Outwood Bydales Academy.

Miss Dakin - is moving for a promoted post as Curriculum Leader of Social Sciences to

St Anthony’s Academy Sunderland.

Mr Rodriguez - is leaving for a full time teaching post at Mowbray School.

Mr Remillard - is moving to Tadcaster Grammar as Head of Computer Science.

Mrs Hope and Miss Harris - both leaving to take up posts at Teesdale High School in

Barnard Castle.

Mr McGrath – is moving to University Technical College South Durham as a teacher of

Engineering.

Mr Dennis – is leaving his post within the Administration Team to travel abroad.

Miss Hargest – is moving on to pastures new in the world of dance.

Mrs Berry – is taking a career break.

Miss Cockerill – Is going to do her PGCE.

Mrs Oakes – is taking a career break.

Miss L Ramsay and Mrs H Robson – moving on to new areas of work.

Miss P Speicher – is going to do her PGCE.

We also send our best wishes to the following staff who will be commencing maternity leave:

Ms S Pike – Science

Mrs V Roberts – Modern Foreign Languages

Ms A Stanley – Learning Support

I would like to wish all parents and students a peaceful and relaxing summer break.

Best wishes

Ian Robertson

Headteacher

Appointment of the new Headteacher The news of Mr Robertson’s plan to retire at Christmas presented the governing board with an

enormous challenge. We needed to find a suitably experienced and talented person who could

lead Richmond School, inspire the staff and pupils and guide the school to be truly

outstanding. As a result of a rigorous three day selection process, we were delighted to be able

to appoint Jenna Potter. We are completely confident that Mrs Potter will continue to be an

excellent ambassador for the school and will take the school to new heights.

Mr Robertson will now devote his time to ensuring that the school’s transition to academy

status is smooth and effective and so Mrs Potter will be assuming the role of head teacher

from September.

Judy Hooton - Co–opted Governor

School opens for the new academic year on Tuesday 5th September 2017

Academic Update

Aim Higher

In line with our school values of Excellence, Independence and Resilience we would like to

improve the way our students respond to marking. Next year we are introducing ‘Aim Higher’

time which will be lesson time set aside for students to complete specific tasks in response to

feedback to improve their work. This might include responding to questions set by the teacher,

a specific follow-up task set by the teacher or Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar corrections.

Aim Higher tasks will always be completed in green pen so please could you make sure your

son/daughter has one ready for September. Responding to teacher feedback is a key aspect of

learning and we are sure Aim Higher time will improve the progress of all of our students.

Key Stage 3

The key difference as Year 7 move into Year 8 is that they will no longer be taught in tutor

groups. Although students will continue to spend registration sessions with tutors most lessons

will now be taught in mixed-ability groups containing students from different tutor groups.

As Year 8 move into Year 9 they will start their Arts option choices. Year 9 is a key year as

students begin GCSE work in Science and will start to think about GCSE option choices for the

following year. There will be lots of information about this as the year progresses.

Our Year 9 students were a credit to themselves during PPE week. They sat their first ‘formal’

exams in the Sports Hall using the same systems our GCSE and A Level students use for

external exams. The students were well organised and behaved brilliantly. Our exam officer

Mrs Dennis commented on the mature attitude they showed. For most subjects the AH6

subject grade will be the result of the exam. Mrs Weston will be Lead Learning Manager for

this year group when they return in September and I would like to wish them every success as

they make the transition to Key Stage 4. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with this group of

students over the last three years.

Jim Coldwell (Lead Learning Manager Key Stage 3)

Key Stage 4

Year 11 celebrated the end of Key Stage 4 in style with the Hollywood themed Prom. It was

fantastic to see so many students there, dressed to impress. It was a very enjoyable way to

mark the end of an era, and it was great to see so many of them at Richmond School the

following week for the Richmond Sixth Form Introductory Day. We are very much looking

forward to GCSE results day –Thursday August 24th from 10am in the Clarke Hall.

Our Year 10 students have also had a busy and successful term, taking part in work

experience and exploring Post 16 options. On the 14th July, students had the opportunity to

experience our vibrant sixth form or explore other post-16 options. There are exciting times

ahead for our Year 10 students and it’s vital that they complete all their Year 10 work, enjoy the

Summer and return in September with a positive mindset and the determination to work hard

and do their best. We want our students to complete Key Stage 4 with a set of GCSEs which

reflects their potential, allowing them to pursue the course of their choice.

It has been a pleasure working with Years 10 and 11 this year and I would like to take this

opportunity to thank you for your support and wish all students well for the Summer and

beyond.

Sam Weston (Lead Learning Manager Key Stage 4

Lessons from Auschwitz Project

We are currently taking part in the ‘Lessons From Auschwitz’ project which is run by the Holocaust Educational Trust. The project is divided into several sections and by sharing our experiences with you and the wider community, we are completing the final stage. Richmond, along with other schools in the North East and around the country, were given the opportunity to select two sixth form students to travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau in the hope of gaining a wider knowledge of the terrible events that took place there only 70 years ago. Firstly, in March we attended an introductory seminar, in which we heard Jewish Holocaust

survivor Steven Frank share his personal story of persecution under Nazi rule. Having heard

an individual account of how drastically life changed for Steven, it became apparent to us that

each of the 6 million lives lost in the Holocaust belonged to a

person, a family, a community and a faith. We were taught that

thinking of the victims of the Holocaust as a number can be

impersonal- learning this gave us a greater understanding of the

events.

Following this, in April we embarked on a one-day visit to Poland,

where we started by visiting the town of Oświęcim, which in pre-

war Poland was home to a large Jewish community. This allowed

us to contrast life before and after the Nazi regime by putting the

events into historical context. Most of the day we spent at the

Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp sites. We were

both immediately shocked at the vastness of the camps, though

were particularly startled at how much larger the Birkenau site is in

comparison to Auschwitz (see yellow shaded areas on map),

especially as the camp was never fully built. Having seen this, it

surprised us that the majority of people know of Auschwitz and not

Birkenau. Over the course of the day, we visited different blocks

within the camps, which amongst other things included seeing

prisoner’s confiscated possessions and entering the first gas chamber to be built. Feeling

humbled, it was only whilst standing in the camps and seeing these possessions for ourselves

that it became clear to us that this event really had affected ordinary people, who each had

their own personal stories.

No one can comprehend what really happened at Auschwitz-Birkenau or any of the equivalent

camps. We had not experienced Auschwitz-Birkenau, but merely visited what was left of this

It took us around five

minutes to travel between

the town of Oswiecim and

Auschwitz I, then only a

few minutes more from

Auschwitz to Birkenau.

This surprised us - we had

expected that the camps

would be much more

isolated than this.

A display of shoes belonging to

the victims of the Nazi regime.

A display of glasses belonging to

the victims of the Nazi regime.

Entering Auschwitz

concentration camp.

indescribable place. Despite this, it was enough to encourage us to reflect on our own lives

and the priviliges that we all take for granted. By sharing our experience with you and by

visiting the camps ourselves, we are taking part in the ultimate act of defiance by remembering

those who the Nazis so desperately wanted to be forgotten.

A level History students visit to Durham University Library

As part of their preparation for A-level History

coursework and the EPQ qualification, students

have visited Durham University Library and taken

part in a seminar on study skills. Students were

shown how to access the wide variety of

resources available at the library and how to carry

out research effectively. The library staff showed

students around, which will enable students to

access the library in their own time and use all

the resources available. It was an extremely

informative and useful visit and ended with a brief

visit to Durham City centre to look at visitor

attractions and other parts of the University.

Year 9 History students - Remembering nurses in the First World War (visit

to the Thackray Medical Museum)

Inside the communal toilet hut at

the Birkenau site. A watchtower

overlooks Birkenau. Inside Auschwitz

concentration camp.

Olivia Wallis and Mia Cole – Year 12

Year 9 historians have been working on a project this year with Manchester University’s

Professor of Nursing, Christine Hallett to commemorate the nurses who served during the First

World War. After Professor Hallett’s visit to Richmond School in March, students wrote a first-

hand account from the perspective of either a nurse or a soldier about conditions in the

casualty clearing stations or hospitals in France and the work of the nurses. Professor Hallett

read all the accounts and was really impressed by the thoughts and emotions our students had

included and the ideas have been used as part of a song that has been specially

commissioned by the folk group ‘Harp and a Monkey’.

On 5th July we were invited to spend the day at Thackray

Medical Museum in Leeds with two other schools to share our

work on the nurses and the First World War. Students

listened to poems and first-hand accounts from soldiers and

nurses and each school contributed some of the work they

had been doing. Our school was represented by Bella Hall,

Henry Edwards, Thomas Watson, Harry Mawer and Erin

Capstick, who read their work brilliantly to a large audience.

We were then entertained by the folk group ‘Harp and a

Monkey’, who played the specially commissioned song ‘Clean

White Sheets’ about the life of the First World War nurse, Nellie Spindler.

During the afternoon, students and staff explored the Medical Museum and enjoyed learning

about the sights, sounds and smells of

Leeds in 1842. They were fascinated by

the reconstruction of surgery before

anaesthetics and were very interested in

the way that leeches are still used in

medicine today. It was great

introduction for some of the students to

the GCSE Medicine course.

The school’s involvement in the First

World War nursing project has been an

incredible privilege and a great learning

opportunity for our students. It has been

an honour to be involved in

commemorating the work of the nurses

and all the students have behaved

impeccably and have produced very

high quality work.

Mrs Mawer – History Teacher

Geography Club

This year has seen Richmond School’s first Geography

Club meet on Wednesdays to complete experiments, try

foods from around the world and to build on their

geography knowledge.

We have contacted The British Antarctic Survey in

Antarctica, blown up volcanoes, studied the layers of the

ocean and made earthquake proof buildings from

spaghetti to name a few of the activities! I have been so

impressed with the enthusiasm displayed by all of the

members this year and hope they have enjoyed doing it

as much as I have enjoyed running it!

Miss Johnson – Geography Teacher

Year 8 Girls Area Rounders Champions

The year 8 girls’ rounders team played against another

secondary school in the area on Wednesday 14th June

2017 at Stokesley School.

The team was captained by Poppy Hazell who

encouraged and led by example. The girls started

strongly, beating Stokesley by 11 rounders to 10. They

then backed this up by beating Thirsk by 13 rounders to

11. Stand out batting performances were seen by Amy

Atkinson, Millie Brown and Taryn Hodgson. The whole

team performed well with strong performances seen by

all but a special mention to Adanna Anyadiegwu for

fast, accurate bowling which made it difficult for the

opposition to hit the ball.

The girls also won their final match which saw them crowned Hambleton and Richmondshire

Area Champions.

Race for Life

Two years ago we decided to see if

any of the staff and students at

Richmond School were interested

in doing the Race for Life and we

were overwhelmed by the

response. Our team was made up

of over 130 people (students and

Earthquake proof buildings!

staff) and together we raised over £9,000 for Cancer Research UK. Some of the girls enjoyed it

so much they asked if we could do it again.

Again, a really impressive number of students and staff signed up this year and on Sunday 4th

June another huge team of 120 students and staff from Richmond School headed over to

South Park in Darlington to take part in the 5K Race for Life.

It was another brilliant day and Team

Richmond School were an absolute

credit to themselves and the school.

One of our year 9 students, Erin Bell,

won the event in just over 20 minutes –

a fantastic achievement, well done

Erin!

We would like to say a massive thank

you to the PTA and our uniform

suppliers the School Shop for providing

our team t-shirts and to the Trustees for

funding the three coaches we needed

to transport everyone to the event.

We are currently in the process of collecting in all of the sponsor money and we are hoping to

raise another significant sum of money for Cancer Research UK. If you would like to sponsor

Team Richmond School then please send your donation into school or alternatively you can

donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/helen-southgate1

Thank you to everyone who took part, helped out or has already sponsored us.

Mrs Southgate – PE teacher and event leader

County Athletics Championships 2017

Twelve Richmond School students achieved their area colours at the North Yorkshire Athletics

Championships on Saturday 10 June. This was the most successful Richmond School

performance at County Level with 6 golds and 4 silver medal places along with 4 personal best

records.

Luke Hack (Y13) – 1st Senior Boys 800m 2:07.03

Adam Walker (Y12) – 1st Senior Boys 400m 51.9s

James Davidson (Y10) – 1st Inter Boys 400m 52.4s & 1st Inter Boys 200m 23.8s

Blaine Tuite (Y9) – 1st Junior Boys 100m 12.3s & 2nd Junior Boys Long Jump 5.50m

Abbie Robson (Y9) – 1st Junior Girls Javelin 26.36m & 9th Junior Girls 200m 30.8s

Dylan Soley (Y10) – 2nd Inter Boys 800m 2:17.6

Eliza Withers (Y10) – 2nd Inter Girls 300m 44.4s & 2nd Inter Girls 80m Hurdles 13.4s

Ellie Roberts (Y10) – 5th Inter Girls 1500m 6:26.9 & 6th Inter Girls Long Jump 3.49m

Charlie Coulton (Y10) – 6th Inter Boys 800m 2:21.1

Ben Dale (Y8) – 4th Junior Boys Triple Jump 9.88m

Dan O’Reilly (Y9) – 4th Junior Boys Shot Putt & 8th Junior Boys 200m 27.3s

Evie McFarlane (Y9) – 9th Junior Girls High Jump 1.32m

Lesley Abbey – Head of PE

Year 8 Boys Cricket Team

Following their success in the Yorkshire Indoor Finals, the Year 8 Boys were looking to make

similar waves in the longer format of the game as they took part in the newly named “Joe Root

Yorkshire Challenge Cup”. First up was an away tie against Ryedale School, in what can only

be described as a game of water cricket. Heavy rain had delayed the fixture however with the

deadline nearing we were forced to play in extremely wet conditions. Luckily the lads were up to

the task with Tom Ward steering the side home with 2 overs to spare. Thankfully the next round

saw the sun shine, and after posting a mediocre score of 79 all out, it was over to the leg breaks

of Angus Potter to rip through the Thirsk batting line-up. Lewis Seall then applied the finishing

touches to dismiss the visitors for 66.

Sadly the rain returned for the semi-final and final. Both Nunthorpe and St Aidan’s came to play

indoor cricket to get the games played (our speciality) and the lads came through as County

Champions, easily disposing of both visiting parties. They had booked themselves a date at

Headingly for the Yorkshire Finals.

The main theme of this cup competition was the weather, and once again the boys were moved

indoors due to the inclement weather, denied the chance to play on the hallowed turf of

Headingley. Despite this we fancied our chances having claimed the Indoor Trophy only 2

months previous. First up was a game against Allerton High School. A meagre 81 was posted

by the opposition however our usually reliable batting line-up came unstuck as we were bowled

out for 47. Next up was Driffield and a comprehensive win was set up by the ever impressive

Ben Dale’s batting and some extremely good bowling. Sadly due to the round robin rules we

were unable to claim the trophy after the first game defeat and were left to think what might have

been as we finished up with a narrow defeat against Mirfield. Still, we can claim that we are the

3rd Best Team in Yorkshire and also reigning Indoor Champions!! The lads finished their day by

meeting cricketing legend Geoff Boycott who took a particular shine to Harris McFarlane’s hair.

A great year for the Year 8 lads, and plenty to build on as they look forward to next year’s

competitions.

Mr Swanwick – Team Coach

Year 12 Biology Field Trip

A-level biology students spent the last

weekend in June studying ecological

systems on the North Yorkshire Coast.

Moorland, Rocky Shores and Sand

Dunes ecosystems were investigated.

The data collected were analysed to

show the impact of conservation,

succession and zonation on the

environment. Luckily we had beautiful

sunshine and 24 hard-working

students with us, so the trip was an

absolute joy.

Rob Haye - Lead Teacher for

Science

Schools’ Physicist of 2017: Will Banks

On Tuesday 20th June, Will received his award as a “Schools’ Physicist of the Year”.

The award is open to Year 10 and Year 12 students and is nominated by teachers and Will

was one of only 38 students from across the North East region who received the award.

Will and his parents attended the celebration event at Durham University where first year

undergraduates showcased “Bridge Projects” - projects that they have been challenged with to

complete their first year of studies in physics. Award winners were able to discuss with the

current Durham University students their

work and what it is like to study physics at

university.

Professor Carlos Frenke, Ogden Professor

of Fundamental Physics delivered the key

note speech where he highlighted the

important role of physics research from

medicine through to communications

technology and the ability to solve current

challenges such as climate change.

The evening was then rounded off by each student being presented with their awards and

alumni pack by Professor Frenke whilst the teacher nomination comments were read out.

Well done Will!

Abbie Hope – Science Teacher

National Women’s Engineering Day

Year 10 Girls took part in an event to mark National Women in Engineering Day on the 27th of

June 2017. The purpose of this was to help the girls overcome stereotypes related to the field

and consider Engineering as a viable career option for them.

After listening to our guest speakers (women engineers) about their jobs and what

qualifications they needed to get these jobs, the girls participated in a small project to make a

wind turbine to lift some weight off the floor.

Pallavi Singh – Science Teacher

Pupils put engineers through their paces in online competition

64 of our Year 9 pupils participated in an X Factor-style

competition between engineers, where the students are the

judges.

‘I’m an Engineer, Get me out of Here!’ is an online event where students get to meet and

interact with real engineers. It’s in the form of an X Factor-style competition between the

engineers. Students submit questions which the engineers will try to answer by the next day.

These stay on the site so they can read the questions other students have already asked, and

the engineers’ answers. They can have live online text-based chats with engineers where they

get to ask the engineers questions and learn more about them. They also get to vote for the

engineer that they think should win a prize of £500 to promote their work.

Our students chatted with scientists who specialise in smart materials. This includes inventing

surgical devices that treat disease, designing surface materials for aircraft carriers to enable

vertical landings on deck and using nanomaterials to make solar panels that mimic plants.

The aim of the event is to get students excited about science. Students see that scientists are

normal people, learn that science lessons relate to real life, and become more enthused about

science.

Abbie Hope – Science teacher

STEM Careers

Y9 students won first prize in a

project designed to encourage girls

into engineering.

Year 9 girls from Richmond School

designed and constructed a seat

from rolled up newspaper and,

where the opposition wobbled and

collapsed, theirs stood firm. Five

schools took part in the engineering

workshop at RAF Leeming,

organised by Richmond Soroptimists

and designed to showcase the opportunities available to girls in STEM subjects and engineering.

Marking International Women in Engineering Day, students were challenged to design and build

a chair from newspaper which had to be able to take the weight of a person.

The Richmond School team comprised Abigail Jones, Alice Arundell, Shannon Foster, Ellie

Lund, Caitlin Miller, Zenith Subba and Kate Biggins.

Manager, Careers and Employability, Ms Mannion said girls were selected who had chosen to

study Engineering or Technology (Resistant Materials).

“They worked incredibly well together and their design was ingenious,” she said. “They rolled

the paper very tightly and opted for a low design that was simple but effective and had

strengthening rods between the legs. The finished product was very stable and it held up really

well to the strength test.

“Richmond School and Sixth Form College is massively committed to STEM subjects and

careers and it was fantastic to see our girls do so well. They were inspired by the event and the

RAF’s chief engineer who attended.”

Ms Mannion has been helping Richmond Soroptimists to plan an October STEM conference at

RAF Leeming which the school’s students will attend.

Big Bang Fair 2017

On Tuesday, 4th July, 19 of

our Ready, Steady, Science

(STEM) club visited Teesside

University for a day of

interesting and informative

workshops on various

different aspects of science

and engineering.

First, we had a look at the marvel of illusions and magic tricks, and how they relate to scientific

investigations. Rather than talking about observation, hypothesis and prediction, students

looked at how magic can make us think: Wow! How? Now…

Next stop was a workshop called ‘Fun with Gases’ – we recapped states of matter, elements

on the Periodic Table and saw how gases can change state very quickly and easily – often

with explosive results!

After lunch, we spent time at the Drop-In Zone, where students

could talk to careers experts, have a hands-on try at some games

and challenges – and even sample cookies made with cricket

flour!

Our final session was all about the physics and science behind

Vikings and their weaponry! Slightly peculiar, but students learnt

a lot about moments, momentum and forces – and managed to

avoid anyone being disembowelled or decapitated!

Here’s what Adam Dixon (8SWE) had to say about the day:

“Yesterday, a group of about 20 (myself included) went, for the

entire day, to Teesside University to go to the Big Bang Science

Fair. I personally really enjoyed the whole experience, because unlike a few schools, everyone

from our school actually wanted to be there, meaning that everyone knew what the majority of

things said by the lecturers meant, so there wasn’t an overly large amount

of questions, so I and the rest of the people there got to learn something.

My favourite of the lectures/demonstrations was the one on the science of

Viking weaponry. This one was my favourite not just because it was

interesting, which it was, but because the person doing it (who was actually

dressed as a Viking) kept making jokes about whatever he happened to be

doing at the time.”

Victoria Harris – Science Teacher

Chemistry

Following on from our success at the

University of Teesside, regional heat

winners Charlotte Kell, Jay Ward and

Biani Bell travelled down to Brighton to

compete in the national final hosted by

the University of Sussex. On the first

night they enjoyed 10 pin bowling and

Pizza Hut, staying in the university’s

student accommodation. On the second

day they spent 3 hours in the

undergraduate laboratories to determine the source and impact of a chemical leak on a local

river. In the afternoon they concluded their experiments and put together their written report.

They competed against 20 schools from across Great Britain and Ireland and did themselves

and the school very proud. Well done team.

Jay said: “We were just delighted to reach the finals and really enjoyed gaining a feel for life in

a university lab. We worked together really well, each tackling a particular element of the

challenge then pulling together the overall results; it was great fun.”

Kevin Sandell – Chemistry Teacher

Energiser Event

This year’s event

attracted 60 Year 7 students to get involved in the

Energy Challenge - designed to inspire the next

generation of scientists and engineers. Based

around the topic of energy, the event is designed to

help students learn more about the global energy

challenge, the pros and cons of different energy

technologies and develop hands-on practical skills.

The students also learned about all the different

kinds of engineering, open to all different kinds of

people!

Having thought about what types of engineers there

are (and how “they’re not all crusty old men!” said our speaker), he introduced the topic of

sustainable and renewable energy sources – and the students immediately got to work,

designing the best shape turbine blades, competing to generate the most from the model

turbine. An important part of this was testing and improving their blades, keeping records of

their results – and above all, working as a team and having fun.

The students then worked in teams to build a solar powered car - problem solving and

improving their car to make them as good as they could. Their only challenge was to make the

car get as far as the target line – not too far and not

too short!

The day’s events culminated in a final scoring

process, which saw teams congratulated for their

prowess in communicating, recording, team work,

answering questions – and neatly dissembling the

cars again afterwards!

Victoria Harris – Science Teacher

English Department

On Tuesday 6th June the English Department staff took a coach load of excited students to

Newcastle Theatre Royal to see 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'.

Winner of 7 Olivier Awards and 5 Tony Awards including ‘Best Play’, the National Theatre’s

acclaimed production brings Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel to thrilling life on stage, adapted

by two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens and directed by Olivier and

Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott.

For year ten students, who had been studying the play as part of their GCSE course, this was

an invaluable opportunity to see the script in performance. Using physical theatre, the cast

and crew created a world on stage which helped the audience to understand how Christopher

(an autistic teenager) sees and interprets the world around him.

The set and ensemble acting were, at times, mind-boggling - slick use of minimal props moved

the action from Christopher's street, to outer space and to a chaotic train journey. There was

even a live puppy to finish off what was a 'magical and moving' experience.

Louise Nolan – English Teacher

Work Experience Richmond School and Sixth Form College is committed to the importance of work experience for our students. Work experience helps to support careers and develop employability skills, in addition to confidence building and communication skills.

2017 has been the biggest and best year ever for work experience with 400 students from Year 10 and Y12 being involved and students have had some fantastic feedback. It is difficult to single out students as so many have done well, however Leah McCabe and Owen Rhodes from Y10 have both done exceptionally well and deserve a mention. Pictured are Matthew Henshaw (Y10), David Deighton (Y10), Matthew Newton (Y12) and Emma Creer (Y12) Ms Mannion – Work Experience Coordinator

Classics & Latin

Looking back on an exciting year for Classics & Latin at Richmond School, we say goodbye to

the dedicated Classicists of Y13 – three of whom hope to study Classical subjects at university:

Beth Crawshaw and Charlotte Bunney have offers for Classics and Connie Smith for

Archaeology. These three students have taken Classical subjects all the way through the

school, but some of our most enthusiastic A-level Classicists only took it up in Y12. Miss

Byrom and I are hugely proud of the progress and passion of the whole group. The new A-

level Classical Civilisation course that starts in September offers a wider range of material

culture to be studied alongside the literature, so we are

looking forward to teaching about Greek Religion via the

sanctuary sites at Athens, Delphi and Olympia, as well

as our old favourites – Greek Theatre and Epic.

We have also been delighted by the positive response

of students lower down the school to the opportunity to

have a go at Latin. Our Y9 Beginners class was full to

bursting and half of them have chosen to carry on to

GCSE, giving us the biggest GCSE group we have had

for at least five years. The changes to GCSE gave us a choice of exam boards, so we have

been able to opt for a course from EDUQAS that combines Language, Literature and Roman

Civilisation topics in an accessible way. This will enable us to cater for a more diverse range of

students than the old OCR course. This is especially valuable since we no longer offer

Classical Civilisation in KS3 or KS4.

Miss Byrom (helped by Charlotte Bunney Y13) has been working with Y5 and Y6 pupils at

Richmond Methodist Primary School, introducing them to Latin using the fantastic Minimus

Primary Latin course. This engaging and stimulating book focuses on a family living at

Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall; it not only introduces the language and elements of Roman

history, but also exploits links with English to reinforce literacy learning and language

awareness – and includes a range of Greek myths. We are delighted to have secured funding

from Classics for All, a charity that exists to promote the provision of Latin in the state sector,

to enable us to build on this outreach work next year. Their support will enable us to continue

working with Richmond Methodist School for a second year and also to offer similar sessions

to other Primary Schools in the area. We have just confirmed that Miss Byrom will be going

into Richmond Church of England Primary during the autumn term to bring Minimus to the Y6

pupils there.

We have also had a busy year beyond the classroom, not only taking 50 students to the Bay of

Naples in October 2016 to visit Pompeii & Herculaneum, but also a trip to Newcastle University

for their Sixth Form Conference and a visit from Dr Emma Woolerton of Durham University,

who came to give a master-class to Y13 as part of their exam preparation.

Greek Club has met regularly through the year, with a total of 12 students attending for a taste

of Ancient Greek and some making excellent progress. We are delighted that again this year

we have Richmond School students attending the JACT Summer Schools in Latin and Greek –

Joel Nesbit Y10 and Jacob Smith Y13.

Mrs C. Bothwell - Lead Teacher for Latin & Classics.

Year 7 French trips to Brittany

A total of 115 Year 7 students took part in

our long established residential visits to

Northern Brittany this term.

All 3 visits went well with the students

undertaking a very busy programme of visits

and activities. This included visiting Saint

Malo town and aquarium, touring a local

artisan biscuit factory, a coastal walk, Dinan

town centre and market, interviewing local

people and orienteering along with a visit to

Disneyland Paris to round things off.

Students also had other opportunities to put their French knowledge into practice – mainly

shopping or ordering food and it was wonderful to see the students growing in confidence as

they realised that they really could make themselves understood in a real life situation beyond

the confines of the classroom.

Many thanks to all parents, students, colleagues and the School Trustees for their support in

once again making these visits so successful and memorable for all who took part.

Vive les visites scolaires!!

The MFL Department

Creative and Community Arts

This half term sees no slowing down in rehearsals in the run up to summer. The team are

already planning next year with rehearsals ready to start in the first week back. The faculty

has been heavily involved in transition events, many being led by our sixth form students who

provide perfect role models for our new starters next year. Having postponed the school

production until next term, I am pleased to announce that the show will run on Wednesday

13th, Thursday 14th and Friday 15th December. There will now also be a matinee for local

primary schools on Tuesday 12th December. I am very excited to have become more

practically involved in the show, all involved have worked very hard in rehearsal and we are

looking forward to sharing it with you.

The Art department have been collaborating with The Station this term. The department

exhibition ‘Under Pressure’ has opened and runs until 9th August. The work looks great in the

environment and provides a super opportunity to see the exam work our students produced.

We are privileged to get the summer exhibition and are followed by Manchester Academy of

Fine Arts. The department has also been exploring photography with the venue celebrating

the ten year anniversary of The Station. One outcome of this will be an exhibition next

academic year and another is a calendar of work created by our students. Further details on

both will follow. We were very proud to announce that Ben Pilkington, Lucy Metcalfe, Cara

Amos and Raven Livingstone-Owen entered a photography competition ran by the Rotary Club

and won the group prize. Ebony Johnson Dodds won the prize for senior mobile photography.

In the Dance department, the final term has been very productive. A dance show was held in

early July which was a fundraiser for Red Cross and the Manchester Appeal. The event was

run by Mrs O’Malley as her last show before she goes on maternity leave. The future looks

strong, Year 10 dance students made outstanding progress in choreographic work and had

some brilliant performances. Year 9 Arts Award Moderation went very well with all folders

achieving the award and leading to a successful course completion. Year 11 practical work

was outstanding and many achieved near to top marks or awarded top marks, special mention

to Alicia Booth who did the Dance GCSE course outside of school and who worked extremely

hard one night a week to complete the course! Miss Hargest also leaves the department after

20 years of service. We wish her all the best for the future and look forward to working with

her again soon.

In the Music Department, the Jazz band played at the year 11 Prom, setting the scene for a

memorable and very enjoyable evening. The official photographer was also able to catch some

brilliant photos of the Jazz band on the night.

Richmond School hosted a huge concert in association with North Yorkshire Music Service on

Wednesday 14th of June. We welcomed two hundred students from local primaries playing:

violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and saxophone together with Richmond School

String Orchestra and Concert Band. A great evening was had by all and it hopefully has

inspired future generations of musicians.

The KS3 Wind Band, Jazz Band and Concert band all played at the Croft Village Fair on the 8th

of July. There was a big turnout to support our band and all who came along had enjoyed the

music!

This year has been an absolutely tremendous year for our Instrumental Music Programme with

more students than we’ve had for a very long time learning a musical instrument through

school. Our Ensembles continue to go from strength to

strength, and we are looking forward to exciting times next

year, with a show and foreign concert tour.

The Drama Department spent the last two days collaborating

with specialists from the world of dance, theatre and music to

create devised pieces of work inspired by the new church

bells. The project was funded by heritage lottery grant and

there will be a link to a film of the work produced in the new

term. Like Dance, Year 9 students have produced excellent

practical exploration and ninety Year 9 students have been entered into the Arts Award which

will be moderated in September. Both Mrs Willis and I ran three days of workshops with

Middleton Tyas primary school, exploring the topic of injustice with Year 5’s, the final product

was a performance for peers and parents that showed how hard the students had worked. Our

Sixth Form Theatre Company have already begun devising work for performances next year,

watch this space. Have a lovely summer break.

Ian Henderson – Head of Creative Arts

Parents Workshop in the North East

For parents and carers, a child identified with dyslexia

often comes with feelings of shock, worry and fear for the

future.

Through the stories of dyslexic politicians, actors,

teachers, writers and more, you will see how, although it

may seem daunting, dyslexia need not be the end of the

world.

Workshop led by:

Sean Douglas

Blogger, vlogger, podcaster and founder of The Codpast.

Sean Douglas is known for his witty, engaging and

thought provoking presentations. With Sean’s ability to mix

video, hands-on demos and group discussions, this is

bound to be an entertaining and informative session.

What can I expect from the training?

A deeper understanding of the myths and facts that

surround dyslexia

Demonstrations and practical advice on the latest

assistive technology

Expert advice from leaders in the field

Access to an exclusive members-only session of The

Codpast website

The latest thinking on dyslexia in our Pop-up book shop

Date:

Tuesday, 12th September 2017

Time:

6.30pm—7.30pm

Venue:

Richmond School

Audience: Parents and Carers of

children with Dyslexia

Early bird price: £5 / family

To book your place please email

Steffy Cappleman:

scappleman@richmondschool.net

YES @ Richmond School (Your Educational Support and Training) Darlington Road

Richmond

North Yorkshire

DL10 7BQ

Tel: (01748) 850111 ext 8180

Bus Passes

Students are encouraged to ensure they carry their bus passes on them at all times. Bus

drivers are checking all students’ passes as they get on the bus in the morning and in the

afternoon to ensure all passengers are on their loading list and insured for the journey. If a

student does not have a valid bus pass with them they will not be allowed to travel on the bus

for that journey. If a student has lost his/her bus pass, then he/she must visit the School’s

finance office or get in touch with North Yorkshire County Council so that he/she can be issued

with a new one as soon as possible. Temporary bus passes can be issued from Student

Services for those students who have a new bus pass ordered but have not yet received it.

Seat Belts

Can parents please remind their child(ren) that they must wear their seat belts when travelling

on the school buses. Although none of them would ever travel in a car without wearing a seat

belt, it is surprising how many don’t see the need to do so on a bus.

A Ban on the Use of Aerosols, Perfume sprays and Perfume within School

We are sure that parents are aware that aerosols, perfume sprays and

perfume are extremely hazardous to those who have asthma and the

advice now given to us is that we simply must not allow their use. We have

a number of members of our school community who have been adversely

affected by the use of aerosols, perfume sprays and perfume of late, which

has been very worrying. Students must therefore not bring aerosols,

perfume sprays and perfume in to school at all from now on.

There have also been a number of incidents whereby students use the above near to the fire

sensors in our changing rooms, which activates the fire alarms. As the Fire Service responds

to our alarm system when such activation occurs you will appreciate that this is not just an

inconvenience for the Service but could potentially mean that they are unable to respond to a

genuine emergency.

As a result of our ongoing concerns we have held a series of assemblies in school to give a

clear message to students of the dangers of aerosol, perfume sprays and perfume use in

school. We ask that all parents ensure that their children only bring roll-on deodorants in to

school going forward. Sanctions will be issued to students who do not follow this rule.

Off-site Trips

If your son or daughter is invited to take part in an event or trip that takes place off site or after

school hours we now send letters and request your consent via Evolve, which is our trip

management system. This is more efficient than paper letters and consent slips. Please check

your email is up to date via Parent Portal and that any emails are not going into a spam or junk

file.

School Dates 2017-2018 The following dates, including training days, have now been agreed:

Term Starts 5th September 2017

Half Term 23rd-27th October 2017

Term Ends 22nd December 2017 (end of School)

Term Starts 8th January 2018

Half Term 12th-16th February 2018

Term Ends 30th March 2018 (first day of closure)

Term Starts 17th April 2018

May Day 7th May 2018

Half Term 28th May to 1st June 2018

Term Ends 23rd July 2018 (first day of closure)

Staff Training Days (school closed to students)

24th and 25th July 2017 – twilighted

4th September 2017

1st December 2017 – twilighted

16th April 2018