Scholarships to leading Sixth Form School
Congratulations to Max and James, who have both been awarded scholarships to Shrewsbury School for Sixth Form. Following a rigorous series of physical assessments, Max achieved the Headmaster’s Award for Rowing, recognising his exceptional commitment and performance. James was awarded an Academic Scholarship, reflecting his outstanding academic achievement. Huge congratulations to both pupils on these well-deserved successes.
Cundall Celebrates Minnie’s Selection for the Junior Hockey World Cup
Cundall Manor is delighted to celebrate Minnie’s selection for the Junior World Cup with the U21 Women’s Hockey Team. Minnie joined Cundall in Year 5 already playing club hockey for Thirsk Hockey Club, and it didn’t take long for her passion for the sport to flourish during Games at school. She soon began representing Cundall across multiple disciplines — swimming at the ISA Finals at the Olympic Pool, and competing in (and winning) both the Loretto Hockey Tournament and the ISA Hockey National Championships twice in succession in 2015 and 2016, finishing with a clean sheet across all six games. She went on to reach the National Finals at Loughborough, where her team narrowly missed out on victory after a tense penalty shootout. In her final year at Cundall, Minnie and her teammates secured second place in the National U16 Finals — an outstanding achievement made even more impressive as they were an U15 side. Although her school hockey career was cut short by the pandemic, Minnie had already made a lasting impact. During her time at Cundall, Minnie’s talent and determination propelled her rapidly through the England Hockey performance pathway. Alongside her club hockey for Thirsk, she earned selection for the County team, the Talent Academy, and ultimately the England U13 Lions and England U16 National Age Group Squads — all by the age of just 14. Her journey has since been echoed by current Cundall pupil Alistair Broadwith, now part of the England U16 set-up, along with two other pupils, Imogen and Molly, who are currently playing in the Sheffield Talent Academy squad. After completing her A Levels at Repton School, Minnie continued her hockey journey across the Atlantic, joining the University of Virginia and representing the Virginia Cavaliers Field Hockey Team. She has since returned to the UK, studying International Media and Communications at the University of Nottingham while continuing to compete at an elite level. Now, as Minnie prepares to take to the world stage in Chile for the Junior World Cup, the entire Cundall community celebrates her remarkable journey. Her dedication, resilience and passion for sport continue to inspire the next generation of Cundall pupils to follow their dreams — both on and off the field. We look forward to welcoming her back to hear all about her World Cup experience, and we wish her every success as she proudly represents her country.
Seven ISA Arts National Finalists
Cundall Manor is thrilled to announce a record number of firsts in this year’s ISA Art Competition, with seven of our students named winners and advancing to the ISA Arts National Final in London. In addition, two more pupils secured second-place awards in the highly competitive ISA Arts Area Competition. The ISA Art Competition, held annually, is open to pupils from ISA schools across the UK and showcases a wide range of artistic disciplines, including 2D and 3D art, textiles, drawing, fashion, and photography. With dozens of categories and a consistently high standard of entries, the competition provides a prestigious platform for young artists. The seven winners now have the incredible opportunity to compete at the National Final, representing the school on a national stage. “We are immensely proud of all our pupils in this year’s competition,” said Head of Art, Issy Vaughan. “The creativity, dedication, and skill on display were exceptional, and having seven students advance to the national finals is a testament to their talent and hard work. We wish them the very best of luck as they showcase their work in London.”
Rugby and Hockey Loretto Tournament
Loretto Rugby Sevens & Hockey Tournament Cundall Manor’s U11 and U13 rugby and hockey teams enjoyed an exciting and successful day of competition at the prestigious Preparatory Schools & Clubs Rugby Sevens and Hockey Tournament hosted by Loretto School. With 24 teams from across Scotland and the North of England taking part, the event provided an outstanding opportunity for pupils to test their skills, work as a team and enjoy competitive sport at a high level. The girls’ hockey teams delivered some of their best performances of the season. The U11 girls showed remarkable progress throughout the day, finishing 5th overall and being crowned Bowl winners. The U13 girls were in superb form, winning their opening matches convincingly and battling hard against strong opposition to reach the plate final, where they narrowly missed out 0–1 to finish 4th overall. A highlight of the tournament was Florrie’s recognition as U13 Player of the Tournament, chosen from all participating teams – a fantastic achievement. On the rugby pitches, both the U11 and U13 boys demonstrated excellent teamwork, resilience, and improvement as the tournament progressed. The U11 boys grew stronger with every game, while the U13 team started with a strong win before narrowly missing out in the Bowl final. Head of Girls’ Games, Louise Bessey, praised the players’ efforts: “I am incredibly proud of how our teams performed against some very talented opposition. The girls in particular played some of the best hockey we’ve seen this season, and all our pupils showed tremendous spirit and determination throughout the day.” Cundall Manor extends a huge thank you to Loretto School for hosting such a well-organised and enjoyable tournament. The event provided invaluable experience for all involved and has left players inspired, confident and motivated for the rest of their season.
Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
Two groups of Year 11 pupils recently completed their final Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition, a demanding three-day challenge across the North York Moors. Each group planned their own 30-mile routes, navigating from Great Ayton to Commondale, then onto Kirby, and finishing at Cod Beck on Sunday. The expedition tested their physical endurance, navigation, and teamwork, with the desolate moors made even more challenging by early morning mist on Saturday. Undeterred, the pupils demonstrated resilience, problem-solving, and strong leadership throughout. Both groups completed the expedition successfully and passed with flying colours, earning an important milestone towards their Silver Award.
Headmasters XI vs Alumni XI
At the end of the Summer term, we welcomed back our Alumni for a thrilling cricket match, with Fraser McPhearson captaining the Alumni team against Mr Weale’s XI. Fraser made an early impact, taking four wickets in his opening spell. Despite this, strong batting from Dan C and Mr James helped Mr Weale’s team maintain the lead across 50 overs. When bowling, the Headmaster’s side turned the game around with key wickets from Rich C and Tristain S, plus a sharp catch by Ed L, ultimately securing the win. The evening ended with a relaxed BBQ and drinks at one of North Yorkshire’s most picturesque cricket grounds. We look forward to hosting the event next year. Please reach out to alumni@cundallmanor.org.uk if you wish to join the alumni team.
Selected for Yorkshire Talent Academy
Congratulations to Immy and Molly for being selected for the Yorkshire Talent Academy. They will begin weekly training in Sheffield as part of the pathway training for England Hockey Academy.
New Term, New Challenges Conquered
Cundall Manor School marked the start of the Michaelmas Term in its own unique way last week, as pupils from Year 3 through to Year 11 took part in the school’s much-loved triathlon tradition. For the youngest participants in Year 3, the event was their very first introduction to an endurance challenge, tackling a swim, cycle, and run. Completing the course at the beginning of the academic year gives pupils a confidence boost that carries well beyond the sports field and into the classroom. Head of Girls’ Games, Louise Bessey, explained:“The triathlon is about much more than fitness. Pupils discover their own resilience, push through nerves or tiredness, and quickly realise they’re capable of more than they imagined. That sense of achievement translates into determination for every challenge they face throughout the year.” While each pupil takes on the course as an individual, the atmosphere is very much one of teamwork. Pupils cheer each other on, celebrate successes together, and share in the satisfaction of crossing the finish line. For new pupils especially, the event creates an immediate sense of belonging and inclusion. The triathlon is also a reminder that sport is about participation and personal achievement as much as competition. The benefits extend beyond physical activity, boosting self-esteem, well-being, and overall happiness.
Celebrating another fantasic year of GCSE results
Cundall Manor School’s ‘Class of 2025’ have set the standard for their juniors with an excellent set of GCSE results, including a doubling in the number of the highest grades (9) achieved. The proportion of top grades (7–9) has risen sharply from 30% in 2024 to 42% in 2025, while the overall pass rate reached 87% – significantly above the national average of 70.4%. Cundall Manor is a non-selective independent school, located between Ripon and Thirsk, with a determined focus on the holistic development of each child. Headmaster Simon Weale said: “It is important for our pupils to be able to obtain these top grades, as many are hoping to join competitive courses at the best independent and state settings. When you meet our senior students, it is often easy to forget they are only 16. They are confident and caring young women and men who are looking forward to the next stage of their education. They have all been given leadership opportunities by the Cundall team, and the unique and intimate experience at the school has tested them with a range of challenges both inside and outside the classroom. This will allow them to thrive in their Sixth Form or College studies. We all look forward to seeing where their journey takes them.” This year, every Year 11 pupil at Cundall passed their English Language GCSE (compared to the national average of 61%), and the same benchmark was also achieved in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Art, Computer Science, Drama, Design Technology, Geography, History and Music. There is strong demand for Cundall pupils across North Yorkshire and beyond. Among the many success stories are Jack, who achieved six grade 9s, including Maths, and will be joining St Peter’s, York, alongside Annabel (Joint Head Girl), who has her sights set on a career as a professional footballer and will study A level PE, Biology, Geography and Psychology – subjects in which she achieved top grades of 9s and 8s. Ava, whose results including four grade 9s and three grade 8s, is heading to Yarm, while several pupils will be moving on to Ripon Grammar School, including Millie (Joint Head Girl) who gained 11 GCSEs, and Andrew, an aspiring engineer who achieved 9s in both DT and Physics, which will help him fulfil his ambitions. Head of Senior School, Ian Swannell, added: “We are thrilled that our pupils’ positive attitude to learning and their hard work have paid off, resulting in a set of achievements that every one of them should be proud of.” The average Cundall Manor grade had a value added score of 1.1, meaning pupils achieved, on average, more than a full grade higher across all of their subjects. with some pupils achieving the equivalent of almost three grades higher in some subjects. The school welcomes families to discover more about the exceptional education on offer at its Open Morning: Friday 26th September.
U17 National County Championships
Congratulations to Imogen and Molly. This summer they represented North Yorkshire at the U17 National County Championships, going three days unbeaten to secure a place in the final! They came away with a fantastic Silver medal and we couldn’t be prouder of their achievement. We are looking forward to pre-season training starting later this week and an exciting season ahead!