Team Building at Ripley Castle
The stunning grounds of Ripley Castle proved an ideal setting for our new Main School prefects who used a sunny afternoon to build their communication and leadership skills. The pupils had to face a range of challenges and tasks as part of their new roles on the student leadership team for Forms 1 – 6. Good luck in your new roles. Head Boy, Sam Dallas, and Head Girl, Ruby Pettifer, were joined by the Main School Prefects for a team building exercise.
Online Shop Opens
We are delighted to announce that our new School online shop is now available for you to use. Please visitwww.cundallmanorschool.com/shopto see for yourself. We hope the shop will prove a great convenience for all our school community and allow parents the opportunity to purchase uniform at their leisure. We aim to provide a swift and professional service but please note that orders may not be available to collect immediately. Please allow FIVE working days for your order to be completed. All orders processed online will receive an email telling you when your order is available to collect from the front office. As such, the shop will be open for fittings and exchanges by appointment only. If you have any queries / exchanges / refunds, please emailshop@cundallmanor.org.ukto arrange a suitable appointment. If an item you would like to purchase is currently out of stock, please bear with us and visit the online shop on a regular basis as we hope to have all items in stock shortly.
Pre-Prep House Captains
The beginning of term proved extra special for four Pre-Prep pupils who had the honour of receiving their House Captain badges in assembly. The four pupils will represent their House with pride and join an illustrious honours board of past House Captains in Pre-Prep. Well done to our new captains, Ram, Poppy-Rose, Liza and Henry.
Cundall Manor pupils celebrate excellent GCSE Results
Cundall Manor School pupils, parents and staff are celebrating today following a fantastic set of GCSE results. The non-selective school, recorded another remarkable set of GCSE results including a 100% overall pass rate with 95% of students gaining the equivalent of 5 or more ‘good passes’ at GCSE. Pupils from the school also secured an impressive third of all passes being either an A*/A grade or equivalent – up 11.3% against the national average of 21.7% for 2016. 2017 is the first year in which English Language, English Literature and maths will be graded numerically with the new 9 – 1 grading scale replacing the old A* – G in certain subjects. The new scale will be phased in to all other GCSEs across England over the next two years. The school also secured excellent overall results in subjects such as History, Further Maths, P.E., Art and Latin which saw 100% of pupils achieving grade C or above. Pupils have secured places at some of the county’s leading sixth form providers including Yarm, St Peter’s and Ripon Grammar School. John Sample, Joint Head at Cundall Manor School, said: “We are all delighted that our pupils have achieved such a wonderful set of results. It is testament to how hard they have worked and their commitment to achieving their very best from their time at Cundall.” “All our pupils should be very proud of their results and should know that their preparation for life after school has been of the highest standard.” He added: “This is a wonderful set of GCSE results for our pupils and the school. Our pupils can now leave us well-prepared for college and with an enviable set of results. We will look forward to hearing from them about their future success and wish them the very best of luck with their studies.” Among the school pupils celebrating their results was Romey Dawson who achieved straight A’s across the board with an impressive SIX A*s and the equivalent of FIVE As. Romey, from nearby Crayke, will now be turning her attention to her A-Levels at Ripon Grammar School starting this September. Talking of receiving her results, Romey said: “It was amazing. I am so relieved – it is a very emotional day.” Praising the school Romey added: “The amazing support and dedication certainly helped me achieve my goals.” Looking at becoming a Doctor, Romey will study Biology, Chemistry, Geography and French at A-level with a view to studying in Medicine after college. Twins, Michael and Elise Darcy, from Great Ayton, secured their places for sixth form at Yarm School with a wonderful set of results. The pair received 22 GCSEs with 12 at A* or equivalent between them. Elise said: “I was so nervous but opening the envelope and getting the results I needed feels really good.” Elise who hopes to become a Vet, will study Biology, Chemistry and Geography at A-level, starting this September. Michael, who will study Chemistry, Physics and Maths at Yarm. He added: “I was initially little nervous but I am really happy with my results.” Students will return to Cundall for the start of the term on Wednesday 6 September and prospective parents are welcome to visit at the next Open Morning on Saturday 14th October from 10am.
An Inspirational Lesson from Dame Kelly Holmes
We were extremely proud to welcome double Olympic Gold winning medallist, Dame Kelly Holmes, to school on Saturday to deliver a unique lesson in resilience and hard work. Dame Kelly Holmes was the special guest speaker at the annual Speech and Prize Giving day that saw the former Olympian turned businesswoman deliver a rousing and often moving speech to nearly 800 staff, parents and pupils. The Athens 2004 Olympic champion visited as part of the yearly celebrations that also saw the school’s Head Boys and Girls deliver speeches alongside Dame Kelly, Headmistress Amanda Kirby and Chair of Governors, Sir Thomas Ingilby. Dame Kelly spoke with passion about the need for every child to be inspired and cited her former PE teacher, Debbie Page, as her biggest influence, adding: “She was someone who really believed in me.” Alongside the highs of winning two Gold medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Dame Kelly told the audience that hard work, commitment and resilience were essential to achieving their goals. Looking back on her comeback from injury before scaling the heights of double Olympic Gold, Dame Kelly said: “We can all achieve something. Even if we believe we can’t, we actually can.” Alongside the inspirational speech from Dame Kelly, four Head Boys and Girls had the chance to reminisce on their time at the school including the many trips up and down the country and overseas alongside some of the school’s more unique pursuits such as the annual ‘Go-Kart race’ or the ‘Trebuchet Challenge’. The annual prize giving ceremony was another highlight of the day with a series of awards handed out for excellence, effort and achievement across the school year. Headmistress, Amanda Kirby, said: “The day was a superb celebration of all things Cundall. We were extremely proud to welcome Dame Kelly to Cundall and to show her some of the amazing things that happen throughout the year.” Mrs Kirby added: “Her inspirational story was really well received by pupils, parents and staff alike. The messages of hard work and resilience are attributes we certainly encourage in our pupils.” A collection for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust raised over £1000 for the charity set up by the athlete in 2008 to empower young athletes to have a positive impact in their community and beyond.
New Bus Routes for 2017-18
New Bus Routes for Cundall Manor School We are delighted to announce we will be offering eight bus routes in and out of school allowing access across the county with two new routes including Catterick and Sheriff Hutton. The Ripley bus route will also be extended towards Menwith Hill. The routes will now cover 29 stops across the majority of the county including Masham, Teesside, Northallerton, Thirsk, Ripon, Easingwold, Catterick, Sutton-on-the-Forest, Wetherby and Harrogate. To find out more about our Bus Routes or for more information regarding joining one of the north’s leading schools, visit our admissions section of the website athttps://www.cundallmanorschool.com/admissions/transport/
LAMDA success for Jemima
All the world’s a stage for one Year 11 pupil who is celebrating a fantastic exam performance. Jemima Telfer recently received her LAMDA Grade 6 with distinction for Acting. Head of Drama at the school, Elizabeth Vile, said: “Congratulations must go to Jemima for all the hard work she has put in over the years to achieve her LAMDA Grade 6 in Acting.” Miss Vile added: “She gained a mark of 87/100 and was given a distinction. Jemima should be very proud of her achievement and I wish her all the best in the future.” The Level 6 with distinction also secures Jemima a well-earned Bronze medal from the organisation. Founded in 1861, the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) deliver a vast range of performing arts based qualifications. Well done to Jemima, a fabulous achievement.
Go-Kart Fever Returns to Cundall
FORTY of our daredevil pupils provided some wonderful entertainment for a large crowd of friends and family as the annual Cundall Go-Kart Race returned to school. Nearly 500 spectators watched the 36 homemade Go-Karts provide high-octane thrills last Friday (26 May). This year saw two brothers, Callum and Ben Throup claim spots on the podium following a morning of fun and heart-stoppingly mad-cap racing. This year saw a range of innovative entries from our pupils including a modified bath-tub, a wheelie bin, a canoe and many more fantastically unique designs. The winning entry came in the form of a three-wheel adaptation from Toby Wilkinson who tackled the hill route posting a blistering time of 8.72 secs in his vehicle, averaging 9.1 metres per second. The time knocked 2.57 seconds off last year’s winning entry, ‘The BFF Barrel.’ The winner faced tough competition from the Throup brothers, Ben and Callum, who posted superb times of 8.99 secs and 9.14 secs respectively. Hundreds of parents, friends and family, cheered on the competitors as they descended the hill with a varying degree of success. For the first time in the race’s history, electronic timing gates were used to increase the accuracy of the times thanks to the help of the school’s science department. Marketing Manager, Paul Swalwell, added: “The event always attracts some fabulous designs and this year was no exception. Some of our pupils and their parents have been working on this for over half a year and it is wonderful to see their hard work pay off with such a fun event.” “A huge well done to all our pupils and parents who helped make the day so entertaining and special.” To find out more about the Go-Kart race or to see more images and videos of the race, visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/cundallmanor
A charity walk with a difference for Cundall pupils
Over 300 pupils and parents from our school went the extra mile to benefit fellow pupils over 7000 miles away in Cambodia. The pupils took part in the annual event that saw them complete the 5km walk around the school’s idyllic surrounds. Children as young as 6 completed the walk with donations being requested in support of a wider initiative being run by the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and United World Schools. The School has pledged any funds raised from the walk to the ISA who are working together with United World Schools to establish a new school for a remote part of Cambodia – Pong Tek. Another 423 ISA Member Schools have been asked to pledge to raise funds that will not only help build a new school for the local people, but also provide teacher-training and equipment for the community in this remote part of Cambodia. The new ISA-UWS School will have four distinct classrooms, a library, and solar lights, as well as the first toilet and water-well in the village. Joint Head at Cundall Manor School, Amanda Kirby, said: “We are proud that we can contribute to such a great initiative. The annual walk is a superb opportunity to help raise funds for a worthy charity.” Everyone in the village of Pong Tek is currently involved in subsistence agriculture with very few other opportunities available without a basic education. There are over 1000 people living in the village and only around 5% can currently read or write. The ISA-UWS School will be a first for the community and will instantly provide a life changing opportunity for over 230 out-of-school children. Neil Roskilly, Chief Executive of the Independent Schools Association, says that “this is a wonderful opportunity for schools to be involved in this great project, helping to provide an education for a whole community as well as setting up educational links to benefit pupils both here in the UK and in Cambodia.”
Go-Kart Presentation for Form 1
For one Form 1 pupil tomorrow’s Go-Kart Race will see him complete a project that has taken nearly 8 months to bring to fruition. Andrew from Form 1 today spoke to his classmates about the project and how he and his father have been working to bring together his entry ahead of tomorrow’s annual Go-Kart Race. In his presentation, Andrew detailed the build and all the fun things that he has learned while building the project including skills such as welding and using a lathe. Andrew’s ‘Gravity Racer’ will line-up against over a dozen of other vehicles in tomorrow’s race. Good luck to all our entries.