Go Kart Race
Continuing the year’s record breaking theme, this year’s go kart race set a few new school records of its own. Not only did we see a record number of entries but this year’s three fastest karts all broke the existing time record. There were over 35 entries into this year’s race, ranging in ages from Form 1 all the way up to Eldmire (our defending champion James Green sadly had a prior engagement in the form of a GSCE exam!) and an incredible range of racing machines. Some of the veteran models now sported modifications that would hopefully see them achieve even greater speeds down the school slope than in previous years, whilst many brand new and highly inventive contraptions entered the field. There was much speculation as to whether weight of kart or size of wheel mattered, with the consensus suggesting the bigger the wheel, the greater the speed, a theory that was borne out by the final ranking: congratulations to our three finalists whose speeds all surpassed previous attempts: First Place: Michael Darcy Blue Bolt 9.31” Second Place: Curran Maguire Lightning 10.03” Third Place: Archie Turner Hot Rod 10.1” For many, though, the event is so much more about the taking part, and it was lovely to see so many newcomers to the school and so many of our youngest Main School children taking part. For anyone who is in any doubt just what an accomplishment it is to pit one’s nerves against the slope, Mr Bentley (father of racing veterans Sam, Ben and Pippa) has compiled a fabulous video of this year’s race, including “behind the wheel” footage, which can be viewed by following this link. (click here) Congratulations to all who took part.
Double Success for the Sullivans
any congratulations to the Sullivan brother and sister duo Ross and Sarah. Both have recently received recognition for outstanding performances in their own specialists fields: Sarah was awarded a Highly Commended certificate in the Independent Schools Association’s national Essay Writing Competition. The judges commented “Highly Commended in the girls’ section was Sarah Sullivan from Cundall Manor School, who chose the title ‘Invisible’ to write about a homeless man in the street who was invisible to passers-by. Her story was nicely written and had an interesting twist in the tail.” Older Sullivan sibling Ross will be heading off to Oxford University this summer, having won a coveted place at a Maths Summer School. Following his excellent performance in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, Thornton pupil Ross has been invited to the National Mathematics Summer School at St Anne’s College, Oxford in August. The invitation has only gone out to around 40 of the UK’s most talented mathematicians and so it is an extraordinary achievement for Ross. During the course of the week Ross will be involved with whole group masterclasses, small group workshops and team competitions with activities designed to stimulate and challenge the pupils. Congratulations to both Sarah and Ross
Cundall Manor School celebrates fantastic GCSE results
Cundall Manor School is celebrating an impressive set of GCSE results from its first cohort of 39 pupils to sit exams that returned to pre-pandemic benchmarks. There were plenty of smiles as pupils surpassed expectations, with many pupils achieving top grades, including 8s and 9s across 10 GCSEs, including further maths. An impressive 87% of all GCSEs were awarded at grade 4 and above, significantly surpassing the national average of 67.4%. 85% of pupils achieved 5 of more GCSEs at Grades 9-4. 30% of all GCSEs at Cundall Manor were graded 7 or above (the equivalent of A*- A grades) compared to the national average of 21.7%. The school is particularly proud of a remarkable 50% increase in Grade 9s this year, with many notable performances of pupils achieving 8’s and 9s in over half of their papers. “Our strong results are particularly pleasing as this is the first cohort since the pandemic to have been examined in the full syllabus of every subject,” said Ian Swannell, Head of Upper School. “In preparation for this, all pupils were offered over 500 hours of extra revision tuition throughout the year ensuring every pupil was supported to do their very best. Over a third of our pupils achieved a value-added score of over one grade per subject.” Beyond the results, many pupils have secured places at some of the country’s leading sixth form providers such as St Peters and Ripon Grammar, as well as notable scholarships to Rugby School and Ampleforth. Others are pursuing their passions at specialist Drama and Agricultural colleges. The Head Boy has already taken up his place at Pearson College in Vancouver, part of the highly selective United World Colleges network, which focuses on academic excellence and making a positive impact on the world. “We are thrilled with everyone’s achievements and extend our congratulations to each pupil for their hard work and dedication. We wish them every success in their Sixth Form studies and future endeavours,” added Chair of Governors, Rachel Powell. Cundall Manor School is a broadly non-selective school where every child is supported to reach their full potential. The school remains immensely proud of its pupils and looks forward to their continued success as they embark on the next stages of their educational journeys.
Workshop Helps Promote Self-Esteem
Pupils in Leckby are looking at how to build their resilience and boost their self-esteem ahead of the build-up to GCSE examinations. Year 9 pupils welcomed Thesan Coaching and Training to the school this week to deliver a day-long masterclass in building their self-esteem. The event coincides with the build-up to World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October. The series of workshops focused on building pupils’ confidence in dealing with life’s challenges and encouraging them to reflect on their strengths, both as an individual and in a team. Thesan’s Sue O’Leary-Hall led the sessions. During one of the workshops, pupils had to complete a task and overcome adversity along the way. She said: “During a workshop called ‘The Rice Game’, pupils had to work under pressure and respond to a number of scenarios from suffering significant building issues to having to pay for medical treatment!” Sue added: “Afterwards, they reflected on the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and behaviours: The pupils realised that each of us has the capacity to choose how we respond in difficult circumstances and that we are each responsible for our own behaviours.” The pupils also explored a variety of friendship scenarios, considering how they might respond to peer pressure both in school and in their social lives. The event also was complemented by an accompanying Parent Seminar which provided an opportunity for the Thesan team to share research with parents on how to develop children’s self-esteem and enabling children to rehearse potential responses for new social situations. Cundall Manor School’s Wellbeing Support Teacher, Mrs Diane Riddell, said: “It’s been wonderful to see our pupils engaging in activities that raise awareness of personal strengths alongside their mental and emotional resilience. Thesan’s tasks today have been practical and fun as well as challenging and thought-provoking. It is a great start to the week and is a superb starting point for World Mental Health Day.”
RHS Harlow Carr inspires budding artists
A recent trip to one of Yorkshire’s most beautiful gardens has helped inspire art students from Cundall Manor School. The year 9 pupils visited RHS Harlow Carr gardens in Harrogate as part of their study into natural forms. The youngsters took inspiration from the Royal Horticultural Society Garden and had the advantage of some late summer sunshine later in the day. Sarah Pearson, Head of Art at Cundall Manor School organised the trip. She said: “Harlow Carr has organic forms in abundance and offered great opportunities to draw a wide range of plant forms, the floral displays and vegetable garden being of particular interest. “We spent the morning sketching in the grounds and after lunch the everyone took part in printmaking workshops in the Bramall learning centre. During the workshops we looked at the work of William Morris, the famous Art and Crafts artist and designer, and then used our own sketches to produce prints inspired by his use of motifs and symmetry.” She added: “We are lucky to have such a great resource on our doorstep and my thanks go to the team at Harlow Carr for making it such an enjoyable experience.” The pupils will continue to focus on natural forms and will produce work for display across the school in the coming term. Parents are being invited to come and see some of the fantastic artwork on display at the school for themselves at our next Open Morning on Saturday 15thOctober from 10am. Call 01423 360 200 to find out more.
Team building scales new heights
Aerial Extreme at Bedale proved the perfect setting for pupils from Cundall Manor’s Upper School to get to know one another as part of their annual team building day. The teambuilding day allows new pupils to the Upper School the chance to work together with some of the older pupils as they work through problems and challenges as they complete the activity day. The pupils, all aged between 13 and 16 years old, had to work together to complete and number of tasks and competed in teams for the top prize. Sara Hall, Head of Upper School, said: “The children worked really well together. You could see their confidence growing after each task. She added: “It is really important that we have the ability to allow our pupils to develop their leadership, organisational and communication skills from an early age. Days like these are a fantastic way to consolidate their skills while having fun and making new friends.” Part of the tasks including completing a course on a Segway, a search and rescue mission for a pilot which involved working as a team to cross difficult terrain via pullies and a-frames. Team 10 proved triumphant over the course of the day with Head Boy Oliver Hartmann, Ben Hunter, Ethan Watkins, Annabel Hartley, Tom Wilson and Maddie Pick coming out on top. The school, located between Ripon and Thirsk, will be hosting an open morning showcasing all that the school has to offer on Saturday 15 October from 10am. To book your place or arrange a tour, please call 01423 360 200 or emailadmissions@cundallmanor.org.uk
Powerful Drama Wows Audience
A drama performance about cyber-bullying helped Year 11 pupils from Cundall Manor get the message out about the dangers posed to vulnerable teenagers on the web. FIVE drama pupils preformed the powerful and thought provoking play ‘Chatroom’ by Enda Walsh as part of their GCSE exams in front of a large audience of friends, family and staff from the school. Drama teacher, Elizabeth Vile said: “The piece explored the theme of cyber-bullying and the dangers it presents to vulnerable teenagers across a range of situations and backgrounds.” “The actors were highly focused throughout the piece and audience members were really struck with the students’ commitment and acting ability.” Elizabeth added: “The cast should feel incredibly proud of themselves and of the performance as a whole.” To find out more about drama at Cundall Manor School, visit our website onwww.cundallmanorschool.com
GCSE Science Assessments
Thornton goes Mad for Science Thornton students really looked the part as they made real progress in their science Controlled Assessment practical work. The students have been planning investigations to look at how the volume of reactants affects the amount of product formed in a precipitation reaction. The assessment counts towards 25% of the Additional Science and Chemistry GCSEs and is going really well so far. The students have already achieved fantastic results from their Controlled Assessment last term so they have set the bar high! Great work Thornton!
Cundall top non-selective independent school
Cundall’s GCSE results No 2 in North Yorkshire! Fantastic news – Cundall Manor School has been ranked 2nd among North Yorkshire Secondary Schools in the GCSE league tables for 2016! Cundall Manor also achieved 19th position among all Independent Schools in the UK. Over 97% of Cundall students achieved at least 5 A* to C GCSE grades, including English or Maths. Cundall’s EBACC results were the highest in the region, at 79%. Joint Head John Sample articulated his praise and thanks. “We are delighted that Cundall Manor has achieved 97% A* to C grade GCSEs and we are particularly pleased to be the highest ranking non-selective school in the region. May I say well done to our hard-working pupils and our committed and talented staff, and a big thank you to our supportive parent community. Congratulations to all on a fantastic achievement.” Sir Thomas Ingilby, Chair of Governors echoed this sentiment, “These are phenomenal results for a truly non-selective, small independent school. Congratulations go to all!”
Thirsty in Thirsk?
Does Thirsk need a Coffee Shop? That was the question posed to the Eldmire Business Studies group who visited Thirsk, on a very cold Wednesday afternoon. Their task was to assess the suitability of Thirsk for a proposed business venture. They were most grateful to Mrs Lake, of White Rose Books, who took time to speak to the students about her experiences running a successful Coffee Shop in Thirsk. They were rather surprised at the number of recent business ventures in Thirsk and they initially discounted the Public Houses as being a competitor to the proposed coffee shop. Joe Ducker commented that although Thirsk is a growing town, with parking and near to a good road network, he had counted 17 outlets that would be competitors and concluded that Thirsk was already well served. All the other students agreed. The task gave the students an insight into the initial research start-up business would need to undertake.