GCSE records were smashed at the King’s School Ely where 59 per cent of all exams were given the top A* and A marks and 99% of pupils achieved five or more passes graded A*-C.

The East Anglian region’s oldest independent school prides itself on developing the best in pupils from a broad range of abilities and backgrounds

The Head of King’s, Mrs Sue Freestone, said: “We are so proud of these young people. It is a real pleasure to know that they have done themselves and their teachers justice.”

Twenty-one students passed in GCSEs in ten subjects all graded A* or A.

At A-level, one in nine students achieved straight A* or A grades. Among five who got A* or A grades in four subjects was David Wallis who celebrated his 18th birthday on results day and whose results confirmed his place to read chemistry at Exeter College, Oxford. Overall, 89% of A-level results were graded A*-C in a total of 31 subjects, and the overall pass rate was 98%.

The results cap a year in which King’s Ely has achieved the prestigious Challenge Award from the National Association for Able Children in Education – the first independent school in Cambridgeshire to receive the award.

The Head, Sue Freestone, said: “These results bear testimony to the hard work and commitment of the young people concerned and the staff who have taught them.”

Photo: from left, Oliver Diss, Isaac Oliver, Bradley Fulford, Sally Cheng, Joshua Townson, Rebecca Rowson, Noah Von Heimendahl, Theo Ogier; front left, Lydia Crussell and Beth Rowson

Children from King’s Acremont, the Pre-Prep of the King’s School Ely, stood at the west door of Ely Cathedral this afternoon (16 June) and waved flags to greet soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment as they arrived for a homecoming service.

As they marched to the cathedral, the soldiers would have seen the flowerbed beside the west door of the Cathedral, planted in the regimental colours.

The 200 plants – red and gold French marigolds and light blue lobelia – were sponsored by the school and the children helped with the planting, under the direction of cathedral gardener, Àine Rodrigo.

The Head of King’s Acremont, Dr Lynda Brereton, said: “The children are all very excited to be making this contribution towards the regiment’s homecoming and they were looking forward to waving their flags outside the cathedral on the day of the service.”

The 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment – known as the Vikings – have been on tour in Afghanistan. Hundreds turned out to cheer them as they marched through the city’s streets.

The cathedral service was an occasion to give thanks for their return but also an occasion for reflection and especially to remember the five soldiers who died during the tour of duty.

Photo: Some of the King’s Acremont pupils who greeted the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Watched by families and friends, five pupils of the King’s School Ely have been formally admitted as members of Ely Cathedral Girls’ Choir and welcomed as the newest members of the Cathedral Foundation.

The five, Oona Gradwell, Georgia Schneider, Anna-Rose Sliwinski, Anna Hamilton and Emma Jones were presented to the Dean, the Very Rev Dr Michael Chandler, by the director of the Girls’ Choir, Louise Reid.

The Girls’ Choir was established in September 2006 following the appointment in 2004 of musician, Sue Freestone, as the first female head of King’s, East Anglia’s oldest independent boarding school.
Girl choristers, aged 13-18, are all boarding pupils in the Senior School. The school funds the girls’ choral bursaries and all associated staffing costs so there is no drain on the cathedral’s resources.

Photo: The Dean, the Very Rev Dr Michael Chandler, and the Head of the King’s School Ely, Mrs Sue Freestone, with from left, Oona Gradwell, Georgia Schneider, Anna-Rose Sliwinski, Girls’ Choir Director Louise Reid, Anna Hamilton and Emma Jones

The 18-year-old is a talented flautist and passed his grade 8 flute exams while he was studying for GCSE.

Now, in the midst of A-level exams, he has heard he has been successful at diploma level – something usually achieved after the first year of study at university.

Luke was awarded his diploma by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and is now entitled to write Dip ABRSM after his name.

Fellow sixth former and flautist Charlotte Sivier was also awarded a recital diploma by Trinity College London and is entitled to write Dip ATCL after her name.

Luke is head of King’s Barbers, the close harmony group of ex-choristers, and is taking music, chemistry and biology at A-level. He plans a gap year before going to university.

Charlotte, who head of King’s Concert Band, is also taking music as well as drama and dance at A-level. She has a place on an executive PA course in Oxford.

Photo: Charlotte Sivier

Former King’s School Ely student, Frank Thorogood is in line for a prize worth £50,000 for his invention that could change the way cricket is practised the world over.

He was a keen cricketer during his years at King’s in the 1990s and has created a simple throwing device that recreates the style of a professional bowler.

With endorsements from some famous names, it’s now ready for production.

Frank has entered the device – named Sidearm – in Barclays Business Take One Small Step competition which aims to find people with ambition, passion, and, most importantly, a great business idea.

The winner will be decided by an on-line vote. Frank, an eastern region contender and already in the top three, is rallying support for his invention. Votes must be cast by 15 July.

“My dream is to change the way in which cricket is practised the world over,” he says.

He revealed he had been working on the idea for about 15 months, but it was only when he took it down to Essex CCC at the start of April and Graham Gooch and Grant Flower both gave it rave reviews that he plucked up the courage to invest the money needed to get it into production.

Frank’s day jobs are running a horse feed delivery company and an indoor cricket school as well as working on the family farm during the summer.

You can check out the Sidearm in action and vote for Frank by logging onto

https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/2065

Three hens are the latest arrivals at King’s Acremont, the Pre-Prep of the King’s School Ely.

They have been given to the school by Year 2 teacher, Mrs Anna Wynn who keeps over 100 hens and other livestock on the family smallholding.

Each class was given the task of naming one of the hens. Reception chose Flower and Year 2 decided on Midnight.

Year 1’s choice was Princess Leia, after the fictional Star Wars character, but everyone decided that it might be more appropriate to call her Princess Layer. All three hens are proving to be prolific layers and the children look forward to eating the eggs.

The hen house and run have been set up in a corner of the huge garden at the back of the school and each class is taking it in weekly turns to be ‘hen keepers’.

Head of King’s Acremont, Dr Lynda Brereton, said: “We have our own vegetable garden so this is another extension of the work we do with the children to encourage them to take an interest in the world around them; the food they eat, where it comes from and how it is produced.

“The hens have proved a big hit and no doubt there will be plenty of volunteers to look after them during the holidays.”

Sixteen-year-old Chris Aniskowicz set a record when he scored the fastest 100 in the history of King’s School Ely cricket.

In a 1st XI home match against Kimbolton School, he scored a brilliant 129 off 43 balls, the second 50 off just 17 balls. The innings included ten sixes and 13 fours.

Chris’ record-breaking performance wasn’t quite enough to seal with match which Kimbolton won by four wickets.

King’s coach, Kevin Shaw, said: “Despite losing it was a great game to start the season and a fantastic performance by Chris who batted at number six.

“It followed a very successful pre-season tour to the Serious Cricket Centre in Basingstoke and Lord’s where the lads received video analysis from the Hawkeye technology used in Test matches.”

King’s scored 254 for 8 in 35 overs and Kimbolton 258 for 6 (33.5 overs).

Photo: King’s School Ely record-breaking batsman, Chris Aniskowicz.

King’s School Ely pupils won ten medals at the Cambridgeshire Club Athletics Championships at St Ives Outdoor Centre. It was the school’s best ever medal performance at the championships.

Star of the day was double gold medallist Joe Lines who took first place in two under-17 throws events, winning the discus final with 32m 13cm and the javelin with 35m. Fellow King’s javelin prospect, Michael Burnford, took the under-17 bronze medal with a 31m 13cm throw.

Flavia Kumar was also a double medal winner. She won gold in the under-17 triple jump with 9m 37cm and bronze in the under-17 javelin with a 20metre 68cm throw.

There were also silver medals in the under-17 100m hurdles final for Robert West who came second on 16.8 seconds and for Hugo Bryan in the under-20 110metre hurdles final coming second in 20.3 seconds.

Three of the medals were won by promising King’s Junior School athletes. Thirteen-year-old Gemma Gow, competing against older girls in under-15 events, won a silver medal in the under-15 long jump with 4metres 21 centimetres.

There was also a silver medal for Alice Harris who came second in the under-13 70m hurdles final in 14.9 seconds and India Baynes who won a bronze medal in the under-13 800 metres final in 2.49.3.

Photo:: King’s School Ely double gold medallist Joe Lines.

King’s hotly contested annual Fen Brainage competition was won today (25 March) by a team representing Osmond House.

Each of the school’s houses fielded a team of five to answer general knowledge questions in the style of BBC TV’s University Challenge.

Osmond’s winning team was Ollie Kenzie, Oliver Moses, Eliot Koopowitz, David Scott and Liam German.

An individual competition in the style of TV’s Mastermind was won by Oliver Hill, a 16-year-old Year 11 pupil, who won the Clark Rooney Cup.

Photo: Winners of Fen Brainage, from left, Liam German, Oliver Moses, David Scott, Eliot Koopowitz and Osmond team captain Ollie Kenzie.

Thirteen-year-old King’s School Ely pupil Zach Binge has been selected by the Independent Schools Football Association to attend an ISFA under-14 development camp at Bradfield School in July.

His selection follows an outstanding performance at an ISFA development camp at Repton during the Easter holidays when 42 under-14 players from independent schools all over the country were selected to play matches against Football League clubs.

Zach was goalkeeper in a match against Derby County development squad players and put up an impressive performance which helped the ISFA team to a 5-2 victory.

*Two King’s sixth formers, Sam Hulme and Jacob O’Connor, were among 21 ‘young leaders’ from eight different schools who attended the first ISFA Leadership and Volunteering Camp held at St Bede’s School in Sussex. They attended sessions on 5-11 coaching, refereeing and organisation with tutors provided by the Football Association.

Top shoe designer Rupert Sanderson returned to Ely as guest of honour at the King’s School’s Senior School prizegiving in Ely Cathedral on Saturday 8 May.
He was a pupil at King’s for ten years, leaving in 1985 to study geography at Royal Holloway, London University. He told the audience of parents and pupils that his first love had always been art and he had been delighted to see the school’s newly opened £3.5m arts complex.
After graduating he carved out a successful career in advertising but as the 1990s wound down he decided to drop out of the rat race and enrolled himself in the shoemaking course at London’s Cordwainer’s College. He went on to work in Italy and in 2001 founded his own brand and now has shops in London, Hong Kong and Paris as well as a factory in Italy.
His shoes are now the footwear of choice of film stars, fashionistas and celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, Lily Allen, Cheryl Cole and Samantha Cameron.
His stellar position in the fashion firmament was confirmed in 2008 when he was named British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, invited to design shoes for Karl Lagerfeld’s 2009 autumn collection and most recently shod the cast of Aida at the Royal Opera House.
Welcoming him, the Chairman of Governors, Richard Slogrove, who is also an Old Elean, said the school roll was a record 980 pupils and 160 in the sixth form was an all-time high.
The Head of King’s, Sue Freestone, augmented her speech with contributions from the Heads of School, Claire Martin and Matthew Ixer. One of the Deputy Heads of School, Oliver Kenzie, gave a vote of thanks to Rupert Sanderson.

Photo: Rupert Sanderson with Heads of School Claire Martin and Matthew Ixer

The King’s School Ely has become the first independent school in Cambridgeshire and only the fourth in the UK to achieve the prestigious NACE Challenge Award for excellence in provision for able, gifted and talented pupils.

At King’s School, ‘teachers’ subject knowledge is exceptional and pupils are offered challenging contexts for their learning,’ says the report. ‘Parents value highly the extensive range of ways in which a child can excel and the inclusive approach where every child is seen as special.’ In an assessment far more gruelling and demanding than any normal school inspection, pupils were deemed to have very good attitudes to learning and exceptionally high levels of challenge and inference were expected from them. Particular mention was made of the ‘Ely Scheme’ which is used to help the development of pupils’ leadership, entrepreneurial and team-building skills.

Add to that the achievements of a class of 22 Year 11 pupils at King’s who have all achieved A* Grades in GCSE Maths, sitting the exam six months early, the top class acting in the recent Gothic melodrama, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ and the prodigious achievements of King’s students on display in the outstanding new £3.5m Arts Complex, opened by Lord Browne in March………..and you certainly have ‘a school to be watched’.

King’s is an independent school that offers the complete package: a seamless education for day and boarding pupils aged from 3-18, where staff and students believe in ‘Learning Adventurously’, where school is not a preparation for life, it is life. Boasting a school chapel that happens to be one of England’s most glorious cathedrals, King’s is a school that values tradition whilst embracing and celebrating all that is innovative and forward-looking in education…..as the recent and much-coveted NACE award affirms.

Head of the King’s School Ely, Mrs Sue Freestone, believes that pupils should be provided with ‘the tools to discover and develop confidence in their talents and abilities, however unconventional or unlikely they may be.’

Prospective parents and their children are warmly invited to visit the school at any time to experience the very special atmosphere that sets this school apart.

enquiries@kings-ely.cambs.sch.uk
www.kingsschoolely.co.uk

There were thrills and a few spills at this year’s Hoop Trundle as King’s and Queen’s Scholars – all sixth formers at the King’s School Ely – bowled traditional wooden hoops along a 100 metre course by the south door of Ely Cathedral.

The Hoop Trundle is one of the most fiercely contested events in the school calendar. Four heats preceded each final and in their bid to be first to cross the finishing line a few of the scarlet-gowned sixth formers came a cropper. But every one of the 16 completed the course, their hoops and dignity intact.

Jonathan East won the King’s Scholars’ race and Queen’s Scholar Rosie White won the girls’ race.

The Hoop Trundle commemorates the re-founding of The King’s School Ely by King Henry V111 in 1541. Having dissolved Ely monastery, which had educated children for centuries, he gave the school its first royal charter and established the 12 King’s Scholars (boys). One of the privileges he allowed them was to play games, including the bowling of hoops, in the Cathedral precincts.

In 1970, the school admitted girls for the first time in its 1,000-year history, and three years later the King’s Scholars were joined by Queen’s Scholars (girls) at the request of Queen Elizabeth 11 during her visit to the school in 1973.

Pupils are nominated as scholars in the Sixth Form for their academic achievement. They become members of the Cathedral Foundation and also qualify for other privileges.

Caption: Hoop Trundle winners Jonathan East and Rosie White with the wooden tankards which are theirs to keep for the year.

Sixteen-year-old King’s School Ely pupil Sally Cheng has been awarded a place on RADA’s (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) prestigious Musical Theatre summer school.

Sally, who was selected from among over 100 applicants for one of the 16 places on the course, will work on solo and choral pieces with professional musical directors, exploring the diverse styles of musical theatre. She will also work with the Academy’s staff in movement and acting classes.

Adella Charlton, the King’s School’s director of Performance Studies, wrote a glowing testimonial in support of her application.

“She has a passion for musical theatre. She has real talent, dedication and the ability to take direction,” said Miss Charlton.

Sally has taken leading roles in spring term productions of The Exam and Jekyll and Hyde –The Musical the first productions to be staged in King’s new £3.5m Arts Complex.

She has appeared in numerous other school productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Our Country’s Good and A Night at the Musicals for which she did much of the choreography.

“I am really excited about the RADA course,” said Sally. “It will be a wonderful chance to build on all the opportunities I’ve been given in dance and drama at King’s,” said Sally.

Lord Browne of Madingley, a former pupil of the King’s School Ely, returned to the school to open a new £3.5m arts complex.

He was invited by the governors and the Head, Sue Freestone, in his capacity as chairman of the trustees of the Tate Gallery.

The arts complex is housed in a magnificent new two-storey building in the same quadrangle as the Music department with views of Ely Cathedral.
There is now designated space for textiles, fine art, photography and ceramics, all under one roof.
The Performance Studies department now has two fine new studios one of which is housed in an extension to the Hayward Theatre. The extension has also provided costume and other storage space.

A gallery has also been created at the back of the theatre to house sound and lighting equipment for use during productions.

Photo: Lord Browne and Sue Freestone, Head of the King’s School Ely, tour an exhibition of students’ work following the opening of the school’s new £3.5m arts complex.

The award is given by NACE (the National Association for Able Children in Education) for high quality work throughout the school in challenging all pupils, including those with high abilities, to achieve their best.

Assessors observed lessons, interviewed pupils, teachers, parents and governors and looked at the pupils’ work.

“Parents value highly the extensive range of ways in which a child can excel and the inclusive approach where every child is seen as special,” said their report.

“At King’s Acremont, King’s Junior and King’s Senior School, teachers’ subject knowledge is exceptional and pupils are offered challenging contexts for their learning.

“The curriculum is broad, balanced and enriched, drawing on both the school’s facilities and those of the city of Ely. The ‘Ely Scheme’ (King’s outdoor pursuits programme) is used to help the development of pupils’ leadership, entrepreneurial and team-building skills.

“In lessons observed, exceptionally high levels of challenge and inference were expected from pupils who were motivated to wrestle with concepts and high order applications. For example, pupils at a chemistry master class demonstrated high levels of problem-solving and co-operation.

“Celebration of achievement is a strong feature with vibrant displays showing what is being achieved and what everyone can aspire to. Social and successful learning skills are valued equally alongside academic achievements. There are highly effective systems to meet the pastoral needs of all pupils. The monitoring of pupils’ progress is robust and personalized. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning.”

King’s is the fourth independent school and the one hundred and seventieth school in the UK to achieve the NACE Challenge Award for able, gifted and talented pupils.

A student from Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies (CCSS) was one of the nine students nationally to gain full marks in the Senior UK Maths Challenge, the biggest national maths competition aimed at young people aged from 16 to 19. It is especially impressive considering that 90,000 of the best mathematics students in Britain entered the competition at the end of 2009.

Weerapat Satitkanitkul, originally from Thailand, said “I was very excited when I heard about the Maths Challenge competition. I came to do the past papers at the College each week to practise and it was a great fun. I like solving mathematical problems that require a creative approach.”

Steve Webb, Head of Mathematics at the College, said: “There was some very hard work done behind the scenes by both staff and students. Our teachers ran regular sessions for those interested and were justifiably pleased with the results gained by the students in this very tough competition. Three of our students achieved a Gold award in the national senior Maths Challenge this year which represents a high proportion of our entry compared to the national average.”

CCSS students earned three Gold, two Silver and four Bronze awards.

Pictured here CCSS students who won Gold, Silver or Bronze awards in the 2009 Senior UK Maths Challenge.

Best performance by a student going on to study Medicine
Sharan Jaisinghani and Yanmin Xu share the prize for the best performance by a student going on to study Medicine. Sharan transferred to MPW from Ipswich School at the end of Year 12. He took an A2 course in Biology and one-year, self-contained A level courses in Chemistry and Geography, achieving grades AAA. Sharan won a place to read Medicine at Newcastle University. Yanmin joined MPW from the National Junior College in Singapore to follow a one-year A level course in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. She achieved grades AAA and won a place to read Medicine at The University of Sheffield.

Best performance by an A level retake student
Asha Akram and Harriet Scriven share the prize for the best performance by an A level retake student. Asha joined MPW from Skegness Grammar School, where she had achieved ABC in Psychology, Biology and Chemistry. She retook Biology on a September to January course and Chemistry over a year, gaining grades AA. Following a Gap Year Asha plans to read Medicine at university. Harriet joined MPW from Oundle School, where she had achieved BBB in Economics, English Literature and History. She retook English and History on a September to January course, gaining grades AA and winning a place to read Ancient History at University College, London.

Best performance by a student studying A-levels in one year
Harry Kim and Jules Leclair share the prize for the best performance by a student studying A levels in one year. Harry joined MPW from Queen’s College, Taunton to follow a one-year A level course in Economics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics, achieving grades AAAA. Harry won a place to read Business Management at King’s College, London. Jules joined MPW from Millfield School to follow a one-year A level courses in Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics, achieving grades AAAA. Jules won a place to read Mathematics at University College, London.

Best performance by a student studying A-levels over two years
Helen Yin and Yelzhan Zhangarin share the prize for the best performance by a student studying A levels over two years. Helen joined MPW from No.14 High School in Hangzhou, China to follow a two-year course. She achieved grades AAA in Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics at A level and also gained grades AAA in AS level Accounting, Economics and Physics. Of the twenty seven unit exams she sat Helen gained maximum marks in nineteen of them. Helen won a place to read Chemistry at Imperial College, London. Yelzhan joined MPW from Republican Specialised Physical and Mathematical Secondary School for Gifted Children in Kazakhstan to follow a two-year A level course in Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Russian. He gained grades AAAAA, including Mathematics a year early, and received a commendation from Edexcel for being amongst the top ten highest scoring candidates in Russian in the national entry. Yelzhan won a place to read Civil Engineering at Imperial College, London.

Andrew Lewin Memorial Prize for the best performance by a lower-sixth student
Peter Liu won the Andrew Lewin Memorial Prize for the best performance by a lower sixth student. Peter joined MPW from Shanghai Shixi Middle School in China and achieved grade A in A level Mathematics and grades AAA in AS level Chemistry, Economics and Physics. He has now gone on to A2 study in Chemistry, Further Mathematics and Physics and is applying to read Engineering at university.

Best performance by an upper sixth student
Shezad Akram and Celeste Haywood share the prize for the best performance by an upper sixth student.
Shezad transferred to MPW from Skegness Grammar School at the end of Year 12. He followed an A2 course in Politics, English Language and History, achieving grades AAA and winning a place to read Law at the University of Southampton. Celeste transferred to MPW from Long Road Sixth Form College at the end of Year 12 to follow an A2 course in English Literature, Philosophy and Religious Studies. She achieved grades AAA, including maximum marks in all of her Religious Studies units. Celeste won a place to read English Studies and Theology at The University of Nottingham.

Best value-added performance between GCSE and A level
Cyndi Xin wins the prize for the best value-added performance between GCSE and A level. Cyndi joined the sixth form at MPW with modest GCSE grades of ABCCC. She achieved at A level grades AAA in Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics and won a place to read Mathematics with Management Studies at University College, London.

Best performance by a GCSE student
Victoria Fell won the prize for the best performance by a GCSE student. Victoria joined MPW to follow a two-year GCSE programme. She achieved ten A*s and one B at GCSE level and also gained grade A in AS level English Language.

Following year’s of outstanding success, Peterborough High School will be expanding from September 2010 to allow the admission of boys into Years 7 and 12, becoming the City’s only independent co-educational school for pupils aged 4 to 18.

To reflect this, the School’s name will also change so that, from next September, the School will become known as ‘The Peterborough School’.

This development comes from the School being in a position of strength; recruitment is good and pupil numbers are consistent. As a registered charity, the School is required to generate a surplus to allow for re-investment in facilities and this has been achieved in the last nine years. This has allowed the Governors to plan for the future development and growth of the School and to secure future investment in facilities and in curriculum development.

At the same time, the School has been petitioned by current and prospective parents to extend the current co-educational Preparatory provision into the Senior School. Currently there is no independent provision for boys in the City and this decision is taken in response to that need.

Boys who are already at the School will progress from Year 6 into the Senior School, along with the girls who have traditionally moved through in the same way. External applicants for Year 7 – both boys and girls – will sit the Entrance Examinations in January 2010. All pupils, whether current or prospective, who wish to be considered for Academic, Music or Art Scholarships, will need to sit the Scholarship papers and/or audition on January 22nd .

Current Year 11 boys and girls wishing to enter the Sixth Form at Year 12 will be offered places depending on their predicted GCSE grades following registration.

The School’s key strength lies in its ability to nurture pupils through its strong pastoral care, small class sizes and dedicated staff and the School will retain this commitment. Although pupil numbers are expected to increase, Peterborough High School will still remain a small school with class sizes staying at around 15 pupils and the maximum form size being 20 pupils.

It is accepted that one key aspect of successful co-educational provision lies in the scope and quality of the sports offering for both boys and girls and significant developments will take place at the School in the near future both in terms of new staff and new facilities.

This exciting development will also allow significant curriculum enhancement, which will be phased over the next five years and which will involve a greater array of subjects on offer and the increased provision of associated facilities and staff.

The news has been welcomed by current parents, particularly those currently with girls in the Senior School and boys in the Preparatory Department: “We chose Peterborough High School for our children because of the quality of education it offers. We were not specifically looking for a girls only school after the age of 11! This development means that our son can now benefit from the same excellent education that our daughter has received and to have them both in the same place is a huge bonus. We are very pleased that Toby will not now need to change schools”.

Headmaster, Adrian Meadows commented: “We are delighted to be developing from such a position of strength since we are so frequently asked to provide education for both boys and girls post-11. We are confident of a very stimulating and exciting future and our Group Charity, Woodard Schools, supports us wholeheartedly in this change”.

For further information please contact Liz Hodgkinson, Marketing Manager, Peterborough High School, Thorpe Road, Petrborough PE3 6JF. 01733 343357 or email lho@peterboroughhigh.co.uk

Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies (CCSS) has appointed Stuart Nicholson as its new Principal.

Mr Nicholson has replaced Mr Neil Roskilly, who has recently taken the post of the CEO of the Independent Schools Association, one of the oldest of the independent schools’ organisations in the UK, which has 300 member schools.

Stuart Nicholson has wide-ranging experience in the education sector in the UK, including 18 years variously as teacher, housemaster, and headmaster at schools in Devon, Edinburgh, and Suffolk.

A graduate of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh, Mr Nicholson also holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship and serves as a team inspector for the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate.

His teaching experience at A-level covers physics, business studies, and accounts. Outside the classroom he represented university sides at cricket and squash. Latterly he has taken up jogging and he enjoys driving his 1966 Riley Elf.

Mr Nicholson’s vision for CCSS is to continue providing a high quality education and outstanding pastoral care to all CCSS students and their parents, and to support constant improvements to the services provided to the families and other members of the extended CCSS community.

On his appointment to CCSS, Mr Nicholson commented “I am delighted to be Neil Roskilly’s successor as Principal of The Cambridge Centre for Sixth-Form Studies. CCSS is a special place for students which also makes it a special place to teach and to be Principal. The exceptional results that CCSS students achieve is a great source of pride for all involved, both students and staff. These very impressive performances by CCSS students make it an enticing place to come and be Principal and an exciting place to come and learn”.

Alan Dunckley, Chair of CCSS Trustees, said: “The Trustees are delighted that Stuart has joined CCSS as its new Principal. He brings a wealth of relevant experience and shares our ideals, values and aims.”

St Mary’s students have again disproved the old stereotype that boys outperform girls in Maths and Science. From a group of 22 A-level students testing in Maths and Further Maths this year, 18 Grade As were achieved. Separate Science results were also strong, with 80 per cent of all GCSE marks A* or A. 89 per cent of Biology marks, 84 per cent of Chemistry marks and 66 per cent of Physics marks were A*- A.

Charlotte Avery, St Mary’s Headmistress, said: “Our strong marks in Maths and Science prove that gender stereotypes are not only insulting, but just plain rubbish. Girls do very well in these subjects if they are given proper resources and support.”

The Maths and Science marks complemented St Mary’s strong overall A-level and GCSE results again this year, with A being the most common grade achieved. 100 percent of GCSE students attained 5 or more A*- C grades, with 22 per cent of the year group achieving 10 or more A*- A grades and 36 per cent achieving 9 or more A*- A grades. At A-level, 93 per cent of grades were A – C, with 48 per cent of all A2 grades being Grade A.

Impressive GCSE and A-level results reflect St Mary’s ongoing commitment to ensure that every girl reaches her full potential.

To learn more about what St Mary’s can offer your daughter, book your place for the 10 October Opening Morning or 22 October Sixth Form Information Evening online at www.stmaryscambridge.co.uk or call 01223 353253.

Star performers were Katie Avison, who this year gained 9.5 A*s and two As and Natasha Harris who bagged a total of 12.5 GCSEs including 5.5 at A*, six As and one B.

Top all-round student, Georgie Ivens, will also be delighted with her 4.5A*s, four As and one B, which she managed to fit in around her heavy schedule of sporting commitments. Georgie will hear her results whilst on the School Netball and Hockey tour in Barbados and as soon as she gets back she will be hot-footing it straight to the English Schools Championships in Cardiff where she will represent England East in athletics between 3rd-6th September.

Following last week’s excellent A Level results, Headmaster Adrian Meadows is again very pleased with his students’ work: “This is another excellent set of results and just rewards for the girls’ hard work. Younger girls have also done brilliantly, gaining very good grades in subjects such as Latin and Dance which they take on fast-track or twilight courses. We have a lot to celebrate here”.

Students and staff at Peterborough High School are celebrating achieving a 100% pass rate at A Level for the second successive year.

As well as this excellent headline figure, 59% of all the grades were at A or B, narrowly beating last year’s figure of 58% and putting smiles on many faces.

Shani Osborne in particular will be extremely pleased with her three As and one B, especially given that she has succeeded in some of the toughest subjects: Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. She will now be in an excellent position to move on as planned to study Chemistry at university.

Jessica Levin will also be very pleased with her straight three As to add to her A and B at AS Level; Head Girl, Julia Dixon and Olivia Chalmers, both gained two As and a B and additional AS grades.

Today has also seen the release of the AS Level results taken by pupils in Year 12 and again it’s smiles all round. Just under a third of all grades here were at A (32.1%) and 55% were at A or B; the best scores the School has achieved since AS Level examinations were introduced in 2000.

Headmaster, Adrian Meadows, is naturally delighted with the results and praised the hard work of the students and staff: “To have a second successive year with a 100% pass rate is more evidence that the individual attention our small teaching groups provide and the excellent learning strategies that we put in place get the best out of our girls. We do not shy away from offering traditional, possibly more challenging subjects and to keep achieving these very high standards is wonderful for all concerned. Well done to all our girls.”

Peterborough High School has participated in the Concept 2 National Indoor Rowing Championships since its inception in 2005 and has won several medals. However, with the fourth Championships now complete and even with a huge increase in the number of teams competing, the School is celebrating its best ever results, with three of their teams finishing in Gold Medal position.

Over 4,000 school teams from all over the UK from Jersey to Aberdeen competed this year. Teams can now be entered in ‘Fours’ and ‘Eights’ competitions and each team needs to complete time trials every month between September and March.

The gold medal winning teams are:

Year 5/6 Boys’ Fours – first out of 206 teams
Year 7 Girls’ Fours – first out of 268 teams
Year 11 Girls’ Eights – first out of 25 teams

The glory does not, however, stop at the gold medallists as none of the 12 teams finished lower than fourth place. The Year 11 Four, the Year 7, 8 and 9 Eight Teams all gained silvers and the Year 8 Four and both the girls’ and boys’ Year 6 Eights won bronzes.

Event co-ordinator and Senior Teacher at the School, Mrs. Angie Axe, is thrilled that the results get better each year: “We are a small and successful school, where the pupils all do so much and we are extremely proud of this latest national achievement. It is particularly pleasing that each of the teams who commit to entering, stick with it for the full six months and work incredibly hard to maintain their standards throughout”.

The medals and certificates will be presented to the children later in the term.

PISCARI BUYS ST COLETTE’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE AND SECURES A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE OR THE SCHOOL

Piscari, a leading education services company, has purchased St Colette’s Preparatory School from GEMS. As the school’s current site at Tenison Road, Cambridge comes to the end of its lease, Piscari has completed on a separate transaction with another party to acquire an empty school building and grounds in Girton, north Cambridge, to redevelop and move St Colette’s into, during Spring 2009.

“Having enjoyed several years of managing St Colette’s as the most academically successful pre-preparatory school in Cambridge, we have decided to pass on the mantle to Piscari, to safeguard the school’s future by finding it a new home and investing in new, high quality facilities and education services. We wish Piscari, Headteacher Ann Wilson, her team of staff and all of the pupils well, on their exciting new journey,” comments Tayeb Chakera, COO, GEMS Ltd.

Piscari’s recently acquired school campus at Oakington Lane, Girton (formerly The Lady Adrian School) comprises 30,000 sq ft of school buildings, hard and soft play areas and large playing fields, just 4.5 miles to the north of Tenison Road. The site is currently empty and will be refurbished to a high standard, ready for St Colette’s to move into in the Spring 2009.

“Piscari is extremely proud to offer parents in and around Cambridge, the highest levels of education and pastoral care at St Colette’s, delivered by Ann Wilson and her excellent team of staff – most of whom have committed to stay with us. This loyalty along with the valued support of the childrens’ parents will be instrumental in ensuring that St Colette’s continues to thrive during this time of transition. We have plans to make some significant improvements at the school, not only by providing new high quality facilities at the new Girton site, but also by extending the upper age limit of pupils from 7 to 11 years of age, and by providing a small support unit and inclusion for children with specific learning needs such as dyslexia. In the forthcoming months, we will be providing regular updates and inviting current and prospective parents to attend open days at the new site in Girton to find out more about our new facilities and services being offered.” Robert Hancock, CEO, Piscari.

Ann Wilson, Headteacher for St Colette’s comments: “The team at St Colette’s welcomes Piscari and looks forward to working together to offer children and parents continuity and education excellence. This is a new era for the school, which we enter with great enthusiasm as we prepare to move into our new home in the Spring and support Piscari’s other improvement plans. In the meantime it is ‘business as usual’ and we welcome all new enquiries from parents that would like their children to join us in the new academic year starting September 2008 or beyond. Please contact the school directly for more information and to make appointments to meet with myself.”

Two students from Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies (CCSS) have been nominated for the awards from the Council for Independent Education (CIFE) and received them from Baroness Perry of Southwark during the ceremony at the House of Lords on 23d April.

CIFE is a professional association of 15 independent sixth-form and tutorial colleges in the United Kingdom. Each year CIFE recognizes achievements of outstanding success by their students in public examinations. For their outstanding performance in the 2008 examinations, awards were made to 13 students whose achievements were regarded by the Academic Affairs Committee of CIFE to be exceptional.

Two students from CCSS were Nutthaporn Sethasathien who received the “Andrew Osmond Mathematics Prize” and Sasin Kirakul who received the “Richard Smart Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences and Languages”.

Nutthaporn and Sasin are originally from Thailand where they had received the local government scholarship which allowed them to come to the UK and study at CCSS. They graduated from CCSS in August 2008. Sasin is now studying at Warwick University and Nutthaporn at Trinity College, Cambridge.

This year’s Young Enterprise team, Eterna, have had a very successful time at the recent trade fairs, winning best stand at last weekend’s fair, which was held at Peterborough Town Hall.

The Town Hall was very busy and the team worked hard throughout the day to prepare their stand and present to the judges.

Previously, the girls were successful at the Huntingdon fair, winning the Best Publicity award. This came with a cheque for £25, which was gratefully received by the Finance Manager!

This year’s Appeals Day has raised a wonderful total of £1450 for the NSPCC.

Whilst pupils paid to wear their own clothes, many teachers got in to the spirit of the day and wore school uniform. Then, throughout the day each year group devised their own money-making enterprise and everyone in the school enjoyed sweet stalls, chocolate fondues, nail bars, competitions, challenges, cocktail bars to name but a few of the marvellous activities which were on offer.

In the afternoon an expectant audience was treated to Year 11′s version of ‘Big Brother’ and the Sixth Form’s skits, all the time with the NSPCC buckets being passed around.

Kate Hudson from the NSPCC, who was in school to experience for herself the magic of Appeals Day said of the amount raised, “This is fantastic! Such an amazing amount from such a great day. Well done to everyone!”.

Students, parents and agents wondering what life is like at our Colleges can now see for themselves on our new Video pages.

College videos, students interviews and student films are featured in languages ranging from Chinese to Swahili!

For many of our students, their first glimpse of our Colleges is when they arrive on their first day. Many students have never been to the UK before and it can be an overwhelming experience.

Our films enable students to see for themselves what our facilties, teaching and accommodation are like. Student interviews allow you to hear direct from our students what they think about about studying with us and life in the UK.

The film page also provides our current students with an opportunity to showcase their work, as it features films made by A-level Film Studies and Art Foundation students.

The comments section allows people to discuss the films and tell us what they think:

visit: http://www.ceg-uk.com/en/ceg/ceg-media/?vid=5

Students from the Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies (CCSS) will soon benefit from modern facilities of a new teaching building in the historical centre of Cambridge.

The new premises, which has been acquired from the University of Cambridge on a 150-year lease, is a 4-storey Georgian building and fine example of 19th century architecture.

In addition to classrooms, CCSS hopes to equip the new building with modern Chemistry, Physics and Biology laboratories, Drama Studio and student library.

Chris Forte, College Bursar, who is charged with overseeing the refurbishment project, said: “The intention at this stage is for us to be able to move into the new building at the start of the new academic year in September but we know that this is a very tight schedule”.

Neil Roskilly, Principal, said, “This is an exciting time for us all, coming as it does on the heels of our outstanding inspection report last year; the new building will offer our students much improved facilities and presents the college in an appropriate light.”

Easter Revision courses 2009 will run from 30th March until 17th April.

Please contact the college for details on 01223 716890

Ten Thai students who have been awarded Royal Thai Government Scholarships for study in the United Kingdom visited Cambridge recently. The students will be studying at Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies (CCSS) and will start their two-year A-level course this September.

Only 25 Thai A-level students are awarded the prestigious scholarship annually and CCSS in Cambridge is one of the few schools nationally chosen for their studies, due to the quality of its A-level tuition. All go on to study at university after completing A-levels.

On their return to Thailand many of these students go on to hold very high positions in various fields and the British education has a big influence on them. One or two have become Prime Ministers in the past, a number become Ambassadors and there are a number of universities in Thailand that are headed by former Science scholars.

Photo:the ten Thai scholars with Neil Roskilly, CCSS Principal.
(left to right): Thanasak Sathitwitayaku, Tanat Bavornpakpapon, Wasin Padungwech, Neil Roskilly (Principal), Peeradon Samasiri, Sirikanya Chokaouychai, Suchanaree Taranatham, Tanatchaporn Boonthai, Nonthiwat Taesuk, Nattaphong Rattanavirotkul, Chulachat Kanjana-Oransiri.

This was a year group that was never expected to achieve the very high standards of the previous 2 years, but emerged with statistics that surpassed expectations, and deserve great credit. 19% of our candidates gained three or more A Grades, including one, Christian Meyer, who was in the top ten of all candidates for Edexcel German A-Level. I am pleased with the success of these pupils and their teachers.

Mark Slater (Headmaster)

I am thrilled with these results, the best the School has ever achieved at GCSE, and I am sure the pupils and their parents will be as delighted as we are. This is a talented year group which has worked very hard and been superbly taught, and their sense of elation is well justified. 38% of the year gained 10 or more A*/A grades, and all our candidates can feel proud of their success. This is a clear reflection of the academic improvements which have taken place at the school in recent years.

Mark Slater (Headmaster)

Kamolchanok Chewapreech has gone on to read Natural Sciences at Magdalene College, Yip Luk is at Hughes Hall reading Economics, and Katy Winter is reading Social and Political Sciences at Corpus Christi.

The University of Cambridge is in second place at the QS World University Rankings 2007.

Another twelve students have gained places at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University College London, Imperial College London, Kings College London, Edinburgh University, and the University of Manchester. All these institutions are among the top 30 universities in the world (in overall or subject rankings).

Congratulations also to Harvey Stephenson who gained a place at Brown University, which is ranked fourteenth in the US.

Inspectors commended the high standards of students’ achievement, as well as the college’s substantial enrichment opportunities, particularly for gifted and talented students. Parents interviewed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate were particularly pleased about the range of subjects on offer and the help provided for students to make progress. Students commented that teachers are “always there for them”.

Inspectors went on to say that the individual approach and respect for every student promoted by the college, builds self-confidence in young people. “Students are attentive, fluent and read intelligently. They are morally aware, respect rules and enjoy their work”, inspectors said. They also praised the “strong” leadership in the college and described support for students as “exceptional”.

Inspectors commented that lessons are well-planned and that teachers know their subjects well. Teachers are well-qualified, dedicated and experienced, inspectors found.

“We are delighted with the inspectors’ findings, said Neil Roskilly, the Principal of the college. Parents and students have always praised our approach, but it is particularly pleasing when this is officially recognised”.