York Trip Proves Fun for Form Four
Form 4 recently paid a visit to York as part of their studies. The City is steeped in history and our workshops at the Minster and The Yorkshire Museum, took the children from Roman times to modern day York. We had expert guides taking us on a tour of the Minster, teaching us about its troubled past, the various phases of development and what they are doing to conserve this magnificent building. At the Yorkshire Museum, our workshop brought the conflicts over York to life and we had a chance to dress up as various settlers/conquerers from throughout the ages. Following a busy day, we enjoyed a terrific tea at Pizza Hut before heading back out to the Minster to join our guide for the Ghost Walk. Whilst some of the tales were a little scary, we learnt a lot about aspects of Yorks’ history that perhaps are not top of the list for covering in the curriculum. It truly is a fantastic City. All of the children were brilliantly behaved and represented the school well. It was a truly enriching day for all.
Double Tournament Success for Cundall Manor Girls
Some of our U13 team today at school It’s twice as nice for Cundall Manor School as two of the Girls’ Hockey Teams brought back tournament silverware last week, following two impressive tournament wins. The U13’s Girls’ Hockey side triumphed against tough opposition at the Durham School Invitational Tournament after securing victory without conceding a goal. Louise Bessey, Head of Girls’ Games Said: “The girls have been outstanding this season. They have come so far and have really enjoyed the time playing together, proudly representing Cundall Manor School.” Captain C. Gill was dominant on and off the field leading her team to an impressive victory. This victory will set them up for the final tournament of the season, The North Final, to be played later this week (Tues 15 March) at Leeds University, where a place in the national finals is at stake. Elsewhere, the U11 Girls’ Hockey team were victorious at the St Martin’s Invitational Tournament and continued their astonishing unbeaten run. The team have yet to be beaten this season and are due to join the U13’s at the North Final, Leeds later this week. Mrs Bessey said: “I am incredibly proud of our Under 11’s and their outstanding run of form. The season started well having won the Loretto Tournament in Edinburgh last October and the team appear to go from strength to strength.” She added: “I am sure both teams will represent the school and county with pride this week.” To find out more about sport and other provision at Cundall Manor School, visit www.cundallmanorschool.com Our U11 Hockey team receiving the Tournament plate. Well done team.
Hunt visits school
Wednesday 9 March saw the school welcome back the hunt. Our students had the chance to join in and take the chance to give their ponies a run out alongside the rest of the participants. The whole school came out to gather and welcome our visitors with the younger students taking a keen interest in the animals. We will look forward to welcoming our guests here again next March.
Chocolate Cake Race
The most popular race of the year returned to Cundall Manor last Friday (March 4), as students braved the cold weather to compete for the eponymous winning prize after race tea. All the pupils ran extremely well given the very poor conditions. A massive well done to all who took part, in particular the overall House winners, The Stuarts.
World Book Day in Pre-Prep
What wonderful costumes our Pre-Prep students and teachers have chosen for World Book Day, inspired by their favourite books.
Study finds “Early Years Education is the key to success”
Study finds graduate-led Early Years education is the key to success for school leavers. A study by the Institute of Education for Save the Children found 21% of pupils who struggled with language as they began school, failed to meet the expected standards in national tests when they left. Children with poor language skills at age five are significantly more likely to struggle with Maths and English at age 11, the BBC reported on February 17th. The researchers said poor language skills had an effect on all children, regardless of family background. Academics at the Institute of Education analysed the progress of 5000 children using data from the Millennium Cohort Study and the National Pupil Database in England. Gareth Jenkins, from Save the Children, says the research demonstrated the most crucial determinant of success in Sats tests is how well children can communicate when they start school. The charity suggests ensuring nurseries are led by a graduate teacher is the key to improving quality. “The most important thing we could do is to see every nursery led by an early years graduate teacher, because the research is really clear that this helps improve the quality of the activities,” he said. Amanda Kirby, Joint Head at Cundall Manor School in North Yorkshire, says graduate-led nursery care is a vital foundation of the school’s early years’ provision. “While it is important that all early education is achieved through play, an experienced graduate teacher is able to ensure the foundations of learning are solid before children move into Reception. Language, communication and fine motor skills need to be firmly established in the early years. In particular sound and letter recognition and pencil grip are key skills which are very hard to relearn if established incorrectly”. Amanda adds, “Graduate teachers have a knowledge of education beyond the nursery and it is this broad knowledge which helps them to take each individual child through the stages of learning at his or her own pace. Their higher level study also arms them with a range of strategies to be able to tailor learning to each and every child. Children then begin Reception and progress through our school with confidence. ”
Friends of Cundall Quiz Night
The Friends of Cundall Quiz Night is this Friday Feb 26th at 7pm. It’s the last chance to secure your tickets to The Friends of Cundall House Quiz Night and supper- Friday 26th February. Join us for a fun evening and a Mexican theme – Ole! Tickets are £10 each including supper, and are for sale in the school office. Earn points for your children’s house! See you there.
Cundall’s Christmas Jumper Day & Lunch
During the last week of the school year Cundall students embraced Christmas Jumper Day in return for a donation to the Salvation Army. There were some very cheerful designs worn by students and staff. We were very pleased to be able to donate £212 to the Salvation Army in Ripon to provide a hot meal on Christmas Day for those who would otherwise go without. The children enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch and even had a special visit from Santa!
Christmas talk from Mr Bayne
Mr Bayne’s Christmas Lecture Last December saw the return of the teacher’s “Christmas Lecture” and this year Mr Bayne delivered a hilarious and inspirational talk. His topic was “What to do when one is bored” and he showcased his many diverse talents including balloon art and knife throwing (not recommended to the students obviously!). The children connected with his message “there is always something worthwhile to do” and showed what can be achieved with a little determination and 10 minutes here and there. Thank you to Mr Bayne for the ideas and the laughter.
Skiing in Alpe D’Huez
Cundall Ski Trip to Alpe D’Huez This January, Mr Couttie, Mr Liley and Mrs Reah took a group of very enthusiastic Cundall children to enjoy a week of skiing in Alpe D’Huez. They arrived just as the second evening of heavy snowfall was starting which meant that all enjoyed a walk around the town followed by an impromptu snowball fight – Mr Couttie certainly came off the worst on this occasion! Everyone woke on the Sunday to beautiful blue skies and fresh snow which made for an excellent first day of skiing. The advanced group made a good first impression on their instructor and the beginner group made a tentative but impressive start as they hit the slopes for the first time. At the end of the first day, all children returned looking fresh faced after enjoying their day out in the sunshine. In the evenings, the children enjoyed crepe making, ice skating, sledging and a much needed relaxing night watching a movie in the hotel. Towards the end of the week, conditions on the slopes worsened which meant that children returned most lunchtimes and evenings soaked through with rain. However, their resilience was admirable as they persevered in tricky conditions. A fantastic week was had by all, helped by the fantastic attitude of the children and help from the older children during the airport transfers. Many thanks go to Mr Couttie, Mr Liley and Mrs Reah for all their help throughout the week. The week was best summed up by Tom Feeley’s daily rating out of ten on all activities, as when asked he stated, “It’s got to be a ten!”