Private School News

Centenarian makes nostalgic return to Derbyshire school

A 100-year-old lady will make a nostalgic return to the stately home where she lived and worked 84 years ago.

Avis Clarke, who celebrated her 100th birthday in August, will return to Barlborough Hall School on Saturday September 19 at 10:00 am.

Avis worked on the staff at Barlborough Hall for ten years from the age of 16 before it became a school. She left with the Locker-Lampson family for London when they sold the Hall in 1935.

Two close relatives of Avis, who were both called Samuel Wells, also worked at the Hall for many years as gardeners.

Avis, who now lives in a care home in Dinnington, Sheffield, will be presented with a canvas-framed picture of Barlborough Hall as a reminder of the time she spent there.

A small group of children from Barlborough Hall School will also meet with Avis for tea and biscuits.

Barlborough Hall, which celebrates its own landmark birthday this year after 70 years as a school, became the preparatory school to nearby Mount St Mary’s College in 1939.

Pupils at Barlborough still have lessons in the Hall’s original rooms, including the library, top parlour and chapel.

Wanda Parkinson, Barlborough Hall Headteacher, said: “It is wonderful that Avis is returning to Barlborough Hall and we are thrilled to welcome her back.

“She has clearly led a fascinating life and her experience gives us an interesting insight into the history of the Hall.

“To reach 100 years old is an incredible milestone for Avis. Everyone is looking forward to meeting her and sharing in some of the memories she has of Barlborough Hall.”

Barlborough Hall, an independent Jesuit Preparatory School for boys and girls aged 3-11, is situated in a protected countryside estate of 320 acres. Built in 1583 by Francis Rodes, the Hall is a Grade 1 listed building which has retained much of its original character.

Picture: Grade 1 listed Barlborough Hall which celebrates 70 years as a school this year.

Clubmark status for 2 DASH athletics club

A Derbyshire athletics club is celebrating after picking up a national excellence award.

2 DASH (Derbyshire and South Yorkshire Harriers), which is based at Mount St Mary’s College, Spinkhill, has achieved Clubmark status – the national standard for high quality sports provision for young people.

Part-funded by Coalfields Regeneration Trust grants, the club was set up in 2007 to cater for Under 13s to 17s from the school and wider community and uses Mount St Mary’s class 1 certified stadium and equipment.

It now boasts more than 100 members made up of students and other youngsters from the South Yorkshire and Derbyshire areas who meet twice a week to take part in a range of track and field events.

Keith Newton, a level 4 coach at Mount St Mary’s who runs 2 DASH, said: “This award is recognition for the tremendous amount of hard work that has gone into setting up 2 DASH and making it such a huge success in only a short period of time. It is one of the fastest moves towards Clubmark status by an athletics club in this country.

“The club was established to cater for our school pupils but also to serve the local community at a grass roots level. In just two years we have gone from a single coach and 18 members to over 150 people training with us under the guidance of 14 coaches.”

2 DASH was promoted to the North East Division of the National Youth Athletics League in its first season of competition and is now holding its own against the likes of the City of York and Lord Sebastian Coe’s old club the Hallamshire Harriers.

It also has satellite clubs at four local schools – Westfield, Eckington, Springwell and Netherthorpe, which run 12-week training programmes and competitions for students and feed into 2 DASH.

Keith added: “The satellite clubs are a way of bringing athletics to the community. They are all inclusive and we welcome members of all abilities from these clubs to our weekly sessions at Mount Stadium. They are hugely popular and a great way for us to develop positive links with the local community and ensure that physical activity is accessible to all.”

Photo caption: (L-R) 2 DASH member Niall Hunt, coach Keith Newton and one of the club’s newest recruits Gemma Smalley.

Emilia moves mountains with charity run

Eight year old Emilia Thompson stormed the field in charity race to secure a top ten finish and help raise hundreds of pounds for charity.

Emilia, a pupil at Barlborough Hall School, Derbyshire, finished in the top ten girls in the Bupa 1.5km Great Yorkshire Mini Run at Don Valley Stadium.

She was cheered on by sister and fellow pupil Talitha Thompson, plus Natalie Sandi and Alistair McInulty, students at Barlborough Hall, Mount St Mary’s College’s preparatory school. The trio had earlier completed the Bupa 3k Junior Great Yorkshire Run at the stadium.

Leading by example was Mount St Mary’s head teacher Laurence McKell, who ran the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run with deputy head Frank Thompson, Tara Thompson, staff Maxine Smith and Dean Smith, plus students David Broadley, Chris Unwin, Ian Taylor and last year’s head boy Adam Gaskell.

The money raised will go towards Moving Mountains – the umbrella group that covers the college’s chosen charities. These include the Children’s Holiday Trust, Meningitis Trust, Safe @ Last and Jesuit Missions.

Laurence McKell, Mount St Mary’s head teacher said: “It was a fantastic day and wonderful to see the enthusiasm of all our students and staff who signed up for the different races. We are delighted to have raised such a good total for charity between us.

“Emilia produced a brilliant performance to come in the top ten girls in the Mini Run and it was a really proud moment when she crossed the finish line.”

Photo caption: Emilia Thompson (front row, second from the left) with friends and fellow runners from Mount St Mary’s and Barlborough.

Budding boxing star Luke lands knockout GCSE grades

Junior boxing champion Luke Rhodes is celebrating a knockout set of GCSE results.

The 16-year-old, a pupil at Mount St Mary’s College, in Spinkhill, achieved nine A* grades and one A in this year’s exams.

Welterweight Luke, from Maltby, in Rotherham, is the current Yorkshire and Humberside, and Midlands Champion, following successful bouts in May this year.

Luke, who was head boy at Rotherham’s Rudston School before joining Mount St Mary’s in Year 7, said: “I am so pleased to get these grades and cap off what has been a great year both at the Mount and in the ring.

“I am hoping to complete A-levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Spanish at Mount St Mary’s before going on to study engineering at university and use my language skills to travel the world!”

Emma Taylor, who was head girl in the same year as Luke at Rudston before joining Mount St Mary’s in Year 7, achieved eight A* and two A grades.

Emma, aged 16, from Whiston, Rotherham, is one of the school’s top musicians thrilling audiences with her portrayal of Nancy in “Oliver!” last year.

She said: “I am planning on studying languages at A-level and would love to go on to fulfil my ultimate ambition of training to become an actress.”

Some of the school’s other top achievers include Hareep Hothi, from Rotherham, with five A* and five A grades, and Kate Woodcock-Fowles, from Thorpe Salvin, who earned two A*s and seven As.

Mount St Mary’s achieved an overall 99 per cent pass rate for A* to E GSCE grades and the results follow the school’s record-breaking 100 per cent A-level pass rate announced last week.

The school’s top set for Maths in Year 10 sat this year’s GCSE exam a year early achieving excellent results, which means pupils will now be able to focus on AS Maths in Year 11.

Laurence McKell, head teacher at Mount St Mary’s, said: “We are extremely proud of the achievements of all our pupils who sat GSCE exams. Supported by staff and parents, they have put in a tremendous amount of hard work over the last two years and these results are reward for their efforts.

“At Mount St Mary’s, we promote an environment of all round education, achieved not only through exams and studying, but with a variety of extra-curricular activities. This unique ethos means we create a balanced school life for our pupils and ensures we support students academically, spiritually and emotionally.”

Photo: Mount St Mary’s junior boxing champion Luke Rhodes celebrates his outstanding GCSE results.

Belgium beckons for Derbyshire rugby star Brandon

Rising rugby star Brandon Hannam has been selected to represent his country at an international festival in Belgium.

Brandon, a year 13 boarding student at Derbyshire’s Mount St Mary’s College, has been picked for the Scottish Exiles U20 squad.

Scottish Exiles are players with Scottish blood, mostly drawn from English schools. Eighteen-year-old Brandon caught the eye of the selectors at a training session held at Mount St Mary’s over the summer.

It was led by Hugh Campbell, a former Scottish coach who now is a specialist at the National Academy, and former Scotland hooker Stevie Scott, who is now the national line-out coach for the current Scotland team.

The Scottish Exiles will fly out to Belgium for the four team festival on Monday, August 17 and will face host nation Belgium U20s in their first fixture. France U19s and Germany U20s make up the squads taking part.

Brandon, originally from Roundhay, Leeds, said: “I was really pleased to be selected. The Exiles are very highly thought of by the main Scotland set up so it is fantastic to have made the squad. My Scottish blood comes from my Grandma on my Dad’s side of the family

“The trial training session was quite tough but it helped that it took place at my home ground and I also have some previous experience having captained one of the Exiles games last year. I normally play in the back row but have been picked as a prop for the tournament.”

While in Belgium, Brandon will also face an anxious wait to find out his A Level results, which are due out on Thursday, August 20.

Brandon, added: “I have been boarding at Mount St Mary’s for the last two years while I have completed A Levels in Physics, Maths and Accounting and I’m hoping to go onto study Aviation at the University of Leeds. There will be a few nerves the night before and I will no doubt be logging onto the results website from our Belgium base as soon as I can!”

Paul Scott, director of sport at Mount St Mary’s, Spinkhill, said: “Brandon has done fantastically well to be picked for the squad and we wish him the best of luck for Belgium.

“He is a really promising young player who is still only under 19, yet holding his own amongst those at under 20 level. He has a great future ahead and everyone at Mount St Mary’s is really proud of his achievement.”

Photo:(L-R) Hugh Campbell, Brandon Hannam, Stevie Scott and Mount St Mary’s head teacher Laurence McKell.

Selfless students embody Jesuit spirit on pilgrimage to Lourdes

Kind hearted students from a Derbyshire school have returned from Lourdes in France after helping elderly and wheelchair-bound pilgrims to Mass.

Twenty two students and three staff from Mount St Mary’s College took part in the pilgrimage to the town, which is situated in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France, from June 27 to July 3.

Lourdes, which welcomes around five million tourists and pilgrims a year, is a major pilgrimage destination for Christians, as the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Bernadette there several times from the 1850s.

The students, from years 11-13, made the pilgrimage as part of the Diocese of Hallam. They helped assist the other pilgrims, who were mostly elderly or wheelchair bound, by taking them to various services, enjoying ice-creams together and being available to the pilgrims throughout the week.

Students transported the pilgrims from their hotel to Mass or services each day. As a result, they were able to attend several services, including Mass at the Grotto, which is believed to hold water possessing miraculous healing properties. A torchlight procession led by the Diocese of Hallam was another highlight of the week.

Mary Forbes-Jones, Head of Year 12 at Mount St Mary’s College, said: “We are very proud of the students who gave tirelessly in time and effort to make sure that the needs of the fellow pilgrims were met.

“The pilgrimage was a wonderful experience for all involved, and the students worked selflessly to perfectly embody the Ignatian spirit of being ‘Men and Women for Others’, which is at the heart of Mount St Mary’s ethos.”

Set in beautiful surroundings on the South Yorkshire and Derbyshire borders, Mount St Mary’s College is a Jesuit, co-educational, boarding and day school, catering for 11-18 year olds, and welcoming children of any denomination.

Picture caption: Four students from Mount St Mary’s with a pilgrim in Lourdes, France

Mount St Mary’s celebrates record-breaking A-level results

Hardworking pupils, dedicated staff and supportive parents at Mount St Mary’s are celebrating after the Derbyshire College recorded outstanding A-level results.

Mount St Mary’s, at Spinkhill, achieved a record-breaking 100 per cent pass rate with 30 per cent of students graded A.

The Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy were among the top performers at Mount St Mary’s, which has exceeded the national average pass rate of 97.5 per cent and 26.7 per cent awarded A grades.

Deputy Head Boy Rahul Ravi, from Ashgate, Chesterfield, achieved four As in Accountancy, Biology, Chemistry and Maths and will go on to study Economics and Maths at Bristol University.

Rahul said: “I am so happy to have got these grades after all the hard work and revision over the last two years and it is fantastic that I have got the place at Bristol University. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and teachers at the Mount.

“My ultimate ambition after university is to buy Arsenal Football Club so hopefully I can put my Economics and Maths skills to good use!”

Adam Gaskell, from Nether Handley, who is Head Boy and captain of the school’s rugby team, recorded three As in Business Studies, English and Music.

Adam, who is interested in studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics, has just returned from a work placement at a law firm in Hong Kong and will now take a gap year before applying to Oxford.

Science queen Chloe Howard from Holmesfield, Dronfield, is heading to University College London to study natural sciences after earning four As in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics.

Some of the school’s other success stories include this year’s Head Girl Lucy Potts, from Firbeck near Worksop, who achieved As in English and Geography and a B in Philosophy.

Tom Ward, from Killamarsh recorded As in Biology, Chemistry and a B in Religious Studies and is off to study Medicine at Queen Mary in London, while Sarah Philips, from Anston, Sheffield, achieved As in French and Spanish and a B in Philosophy. She is going to study Languages at Newcastle University.

Laurence McKell, head teacher at Mount St Mary’s, said: “These truly outstanding results are a testament to the talent and dedication of our pupils, but also our incredibly hard working staff and the pupils’ parents who have played an important part in supporting the students. They should all be hugely proud of their achievements.

“At the heart of Mount St Mary’s is a mission to develop well rounded young men and women, and these results reflect our ethos to support pupils not just academically, but spiritually, physically and emotionally, so they leave school ready to face whatever challenges and opportunities lie ahead.”

Mount St Mary’s choir wins national music award

A Derbyshire school choir is celebrating after winning a top national music award.

The talented Mount St Mary’s College Junior Choir was presented with the Voices Foundation Junior Choirs Award for Excellence at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham.

Mount St Mary’s was one of 22 choirs from across the country chosen to perform in the city’s Symphony Hall following a regional selection competition and one of just four choirs to receive a music award in recognition of choral excellence.

The choir, made up of 30 Mount St Mary’s pupils from years 7 and 8, performed three pieces – the traditional Ave Maria, the contemporary classic Adiemus and the up tempo Get on Board.

It caps off a highly successful school year for Mount St Mary’s. The Senior, Chamber and Junior choirs all won their categories at the Worksop Festival of Music, and the Senior Choir also received excellent feedback from the Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year competition

Lucy Kitchener, director of music at Mount St Mary’s, which is based at Spinkhill, said: “It is fantastic for the Junior Choir to be recognised in the Music For Youth National Festival. We were absolutely thrilled to be presented with one of the four event awards.

“Our students are incredibly talented and they sang beautifully in Birmingham. The judges particularly liked the variety of our programme which demonstrated a range of skills, techniques and sounds. They felt that we had a fresh and vibrant sound and we look forward to developing this in the future.”

Photo: Mount St Mary’s choir members celebrate the award win at the National Festival of Music for Youth.

Countryside becomes the classroom for Barlborough pupils

Young pupils at a Derbyshire school have swapped the classroom for the countryside as part of a special outdoor educational event.

Children at Barlborough Hall School enjoyed a variety of art-based outdoor activities over five days as part of the Great Outdoors Week.

The event included sculpting sessions with an artist from the Harley Gallery, in Worksop, which involved students using recycled materials to create exhibits for the school’s annual arts competition later this term.

Nursery and junior pupils took part in wild woodland art activities, led by Forest Schools, and staged a series of outdoor concerts with a garden theme including ‘Blooming Marvellous’ and ‘The Garden’.

There was also a building day for each class group followed by a charity fundraising barbeque lunch to raise money for Barlborough’s adopted school in Africa – Makumbi Primary School in Zimbabwe.

Ann Westmoreland, art coordinator at Barlborough Hall School, said: “The week of activities was designed to inspire pupils through positive outdoor experiences, yet still link to the school curriculum by combining both art and physical activity.

“It gave us a unique opportunity to suspend our normal timetable and do something really different and memorable with the kids. It was also wonderful for the children to spend some time enjoying the surrounding countryside, greenery and fresh air. ”

Photo caption: Pre-Prep III (Reception) pupil Jamie Osborne, from Gildingswells, near Tickhill, Worksop.

School serves up tennis treat

Pupils, staff and parents at Mount St Mary’s College got into the Wimbledon spirit by taking part in their very own version of the tennis tournament.

They gathered at the Derbyshire school for a Wimbledon Sunday competition, which featured a series of fixtures including mixed American doubles in rounds followed by semi-finals and finals.

Organised by the Mount St Mary’s Parents’ Association, there were prizes for juniors, seniors and the fastest serve.

Junior coaching was also organised by Pete Leadbetter from Beauchief Tennis Club and money raised on the day will be used to support other activities in school.

Diane Burkinshaw, Chair of the Parents’ Association at Mount St Mary’s College, said: “The tournament was great fun and fantastic way to encourage pupils, staff and parents to pick up a racket and get into the summer tennis spirit.

“It was also really competitive and there was lots of friendly rivalry for the fastest serve title! One of the semi-finals even lasted an hour, showing the skill and determination of the pairs.”

An enthralling final saw parent Ian Appleyard and school boarder Virginia Faixat, from Spain, beat Mount St Mary’s head of boarding Mr Wessel Du Randt and Winnie Yeung, from Doncaster.

Virginia also won the fastest serve competition, while fellow boarders Joaquim Llimona took the junior male fastest serve title and Max Hassler won the prize for the fastest senior male serve.

Parent Mrs Tara Thompson, from Spinkhill, won the senior female fastest serve.

Derbyshire students score top marks with scholarship success

Four gifted children from Derbyshire have won scholarships for one of the region’s top schools for their academic, musical and artistic talents.

The scholars, all aged 11, have won places at Mount St Mary’s College in Spinkhill, Derbyshire after sitting the scholarship paper as part of the school’s entrance test.

Grace Williams, a student at Camms Primary School, was the top academic scholar and won a place along with her peer Ian Hitchen. Lucy Coughlan and Harry Birch both from preparatory school Barlborough Hall won places at Mount St Mary’s, one of the most highly regarded schools in the region.

To celebrate their success, the new pupils were invited for tea with staff from the school who were involved in their selection, including headmaster, Laurence McKell.

He said: “We are so pleased to welcome these highly talented children to our school. The standard and number of applicants was so high this year; the teaching and development offered by the school helps all of our pupils reach their full potential.

“We welcome scholarship applications from anyone who would like to join us here at Mount St Mary’s.”

Other children selected for scholarships include youngsters from Sheffield; Daniel Connolly and James Thompson both from Mylnhurst Preparatory School.

The school also awards scholarship places for 13-year-olds and sixth formers.

For more information on scholarship opportunities offered by Mount St Mary’s College, please call 01246 433388.

Picture: High fliers(from left to right) Headmaster Laurence McKell, Grace, Daniel, Harry, Ian, Lucy and James enjoy tea in the school’s library

Young stars of the stage perform production of Bad Girls – Mount St Mary’s College, Derbyshire – Friday, June 26th

Venue: Mount St Mary’s College, Spinkhill, Sheffield, S21 3YL

Bullying tackled by budding stars of the stage

Budding stars of the stage will tackle the issue of bullying in schools with a contemporary drama production.

Students at Mount St Mary’s College, in Spinkhill, are staging an adaption of Jacqueline Wilson’s novel ‘Bad Girls’.

The emotive play will be performed at the school’s theatre on Friday, June 26 by a cast of more than 30 Year Seven and Eight pupils.

Jack Murphy, Head of English and Drama at Mount St Mary’s College, said: “The plays takes a sensitive look at the emotions suffered by a 10-year-old girl when she becomes the victim of bullying at school.

“It is our third extra-curricular production this school year and follows the hugely successful production of ‘Oliver!’ at Christmas and ‘The Kiteman’ in April reflecting Mount St Mary’s commitment to providing pupils with a wide range of performance opportunities.”

Student success celebrated at special awards ceremony

The talent, achievements and dedication of pupils at Derbyshire’s Mount St Mary’s College have been celebrated at special awards ceremony.

More than 60 awards were presented to students at the school’s Grand Academy annual prize-giving weekend.

They were presented by VIP the High Sheriff of South Yorkshire Mrs Helena Muller in recognition of academic achievements, sporting successes, positive contributions made to school life and voluntary work.

Top prize, the Headmaster’s Award for outstanding contribution, was won by Head Boy, Adam Gaskell, aged 18, from Nether Handley.

Mrs Muller gave an inspirational speech about her own memories of school and talked to students about her role and distinctive High Sheriff’s costume.

Laurence McKell, headmaster at the Spinkhill school, said: “It was an honour to share this year’s successes at Grand Academy with Mrs Muller. It confirmed that our pupils have many reasons to give thanks for their talents.

“The awards ceremony is designed to celebrate a whole range of student achievements from those who have raised lots of money for charity to academic successes.”

The Grand Academy awards presentation followed a number of other school events including Sports Day, where Mount St Mary’s three houses competed in all the traditional track and field events around the athletics track.

Top music students played concerto movements, accompanied by a professional orchestra, at the school’s Academy Concert in the Memorial Chapel and Academy Mass was celebrated by Father Kevin Fox SJ.

Parents and pupils were also able to enjoy a variety of exhibitions and events ranging from a production of ‘Teechers’ performed by senior drama students to abseiling down parts of the school’s building.

Photo caption: (L-R) Headmaster Laurence McKell, pupil Jack Lamb and the High Sheriff of South Yorkshire Mrs Helena Muller.

Young entrepreneurs complete charity business challenge

Enterprising students at Mount St Mary’s College have completed an Apprentice-style business challenge to help raise money for a special summer disability sports event.

Sixth form pupils at the Spinkhill boarding and day school raised more than £3,000 by organising and hosting a charity fundraising ball for staff, parents and their friends.

They designed and printed the tickets, decorated the refectory where the ball was held, provided the music and entertainment for the tables and even served drinks and food to guests on the night.

Money from the ‘World of Love Ball’ will be used to fund a Holiday Week for Disabled Children at Mount St Mary’s, which will take place during the summer break and provide youngsters with the opportunity to stay at the College and try a host of sporting and leisure activities.

Lucy Potts, head girl and chair of the organising committee, from Firbeck, near Worksop, said: “This was the first time we have done anything like this before and it was a great experience. We organised the whole event from start to finish, including everything from selling tickets and decorating the venue to planning the entertainment and serving food on the night.

“It was a bit like being on the Apprentice, but just without Alan Sugar! It is great that the money we raised will be put towards such a worthwhile cause.”

Money collected from a Christmas card campaign at Mount St Mary’s and its preparatory school Barlborough Hall will also go towards funding the Holiday Week.

Laurence McKell, headteacher at Mount St Mary’s College, said: “The students worked incredibly hard, all in their own time, to plan every aspect of the event right down to the last detail and it was a huge success.

“Thanks to the generosity of parents, we raised over £3,000, which was a great boost and will help give the children a memorable week’s holiday.

“It is a great example of how extra-curricular activities can support our mission to develop the whole person, not just academically, but spiritually, physically and emotionally, so that our pupils leave school ready to face whatever challenges and opportunities lie ahead.”

Photo caption: (L-R) Mount St Mary’s pupils Luke Longthorne (Newark) and Rahul Ravi (Chesterfield).

Students hit the right note with world leading pianist

A series of master classes from one of the world’s leading pianists was music to the ears of students at Derbyshire’s Mount St Mary’s College.

They were joined by pupils from a number of other local schools for the sessions with internationally acclaimed musician and teacher Professor Ekaterina Murina

Chair of Piano at the St Petersburg Conservatoire, Professor Murina also gave a concert to a packed school theatre playing a repertoire of music by Chopin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

Laurence McKell, headteacher at Mount St Mary’s, at Spinkhill, said: “It is the first time that Professor Murina has been in this country for about four years, so we feel extremely lucky to have had the chance to meet her.

“It has given our pupils, staff and families a wonderful opportunity to hear a world-class musician and, for our most talented pianists, it was a unique opportunity to benefit from her teaching.

“Pupils from other schools were also eager to take advantage of this unique experience and we even welcomed boys all the way from our sister Jesuit school, St Ignatius, in London, for the occasion.

“Professor Murina was awarded the title ‘Honoured Artist of Russia’ and normally teaches the world’s top musicians, so the pupils really have had an exceptional experience.”

During her three day visit, Professor Murina also visited Mount St Mary’s preparatory school, Barlborough Hall, where her grandson Vladimir Windle, from Mosborough, is a pupil. She gave a concert to upper school pupils and enjoyed a tour of the school.

Summer open event at Mount St Mary’s, Tuesday, May 12th

Play rehearsals, sporting displays and classroom tours are just some of the activities on offer to prospective pupils and their parents at a Summer Open Evening at Mount St Mary’s College.

The co-educational, boarding and day school, at Spinkhill, will open its doors to families for the event on Tuesday, May 12, at 7pm.

It will provide visitors with the chance to enjoy an informal look around the outstanding facilities, find out more about the school’s academic programmes and meet pupils, staff and the Headteacher Mr Laurence McKell

There will also be a showcase of some of the vast range of opportunities on offer at Mount St Mary’s including a fencing display by current students and a rehearsal of the forthcoming Junior Drama Production, ‘Bad Girls’. Also open for tours will be the newly refurbished boarding accommodation.

Mr McKell said: “The event is an open invitation to anyone who would like to find out more about the exceptional facilities at the school, and the first class education, learning environments and extracurricular activities we provide for our students.”

Mount St Mary’s College is the senior school to Barlborough Hall School, which also caters for boys and girls. Both are Catholic schools but welcome students from other traditions. They combine to offer the highest quality educational provision for three to 18 year olds in an environment that ensures the perfect start in life.

Visitors are welcome to turn up on the night, but guests are encouraged to confirm their attendance in advance to help in planning the event. For more information contact Helen McKell on 01246 432 872 or email hmckell@msmcollege.com.

Mount St Mary’s pupils to feature in documentary for HMC

Everyone had the chance for fifteen minutes of fame when a film crew visited Mount St Mary’s for the day.
Their purpose was to capture the life of the school in three minutes- a hard task when there is so much going on!
The theme of the short film will be “Developing the whole person”, and during the day filming took place in the chapel, the library, the science block and outside on the first fifteen pitch and national standard athletics track.
“Developing the whole person” will become part of a longer film profiling the HMC that will be premiered at its forthcoming conference.
Pupils at the Mount are now looking forward to watching their moment of fame in school shortly afterwards.
“Developing the whole person” is a central part of the school’s ethos, and is shown in the school’s commitment to developing each pupil’s talents academically, socially, spiritually and emotionally.

GCSE success at Mount St Mary’s College

Pupils at Mount St Mary’s achieved some outstanding results in their GCSES this summer. Among those celebrating were Joseph Jackson of Clowne and Naseem Sharif from Rotherham, who both got 8 A* and 3 As. Joseph was awarded A* for Statistics last year, bringing his total to 9* and 3 As. The top girls were Morwenna Egan from Renishaw, who was awarded 8 A* and 2 As, and Vicky Fairclough-Coe from Rotherham, who got 7 A*, 3 As and a B.

One of the most outstanding candidates this year was Maria Navarro Fraile from Malaga: she only joined the school in Year 11, as a boarder from Spain, but managed to gain 2 A*, 3 As and 2 Bs. One of her top marks, not surprisingly, was for Spanish, but she also managed to gain an A* in French. “When we remember that she was sitting this exam in a foreign language to start with, she really did do well, especially as she only studied for GCSEs for a year,” said Mrs Maxine Smith, Director of Studies at the College.

There were also successes for younger pupils at the school, who sat Statistics in Rudiments (year 9). James Kulmer, Isaac McDonald, Amer Qaiyum and Alex Simpson all achieved As.

Excellent A Level results at Mount St Mary’s College

Mount St Mary’s College, the Jesuit Boarding and Day school in Derbyshire, achieved its best ever A Level results this summer. 73.1% of results were awarded A-C grades, reflecting the school’s continuing academic success. Oliver Burkinshaw (18) achieved 5 As, and is off to Cambridge to study Natural Sciences. He achieved success in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics and French. Meanwhile, Rotherham boy Adam Foster’s 3 As in Biology, Chemistry and Physics see him setting off for dentistry at Leeds, while Paul Andrzejowski, from Woodhouse, Sheffield, won his place for Medicine at Nottingham.
Boarder Charles Gregor MacGregor from Matlock also achieved 3 As and will be starting at Durham in October. Nottingham-based boarder Sophie Strongman is having a gap year then taking up her place to study Biological Sciences at Exeter.
Octavia McGlashan, who was Head Girl this year, will be studying music in London, having delighted audiences throughout her time at the Mount with her singing. Mr Laurence McKell, the headmaster, said: “I am delighted with the achievement and success of all the Mount St Mary’s pupils, in particular the increase in the number of A grades and A-C grades, which gives us our best ever performance.”
“What is even more pleasing is our value-added score,which reflects the wide ability level of our pupils.”

Ellipsis… reach the Regional Final

Young Enterprise has only been running for two years at Mount St Mary’s College, the boarding school in Derbyshire, but this year’s team managed to reach the East Midlands Regional Final, beating off competition from other school teams in the area, then the whole of Derbyshire, to do so.
In the Regional Final, one of twelve held throughout Britain, the school’s team Ellipsis… managed to scoop the Marketing Trophy. It was the highpoint of an exhilarating ten months for the 11 pupils in the team, who have generated over £5000 worth of income with their business idea.
The Year 12 pupils were inspired to offer fellow pupils a range of personalised hooded sweatshirts and managed to persuade more than half of the school to do so. The business was so popular that they even managed to sell a special commemorative top to all the school-leavers in Year 13. The members of Ellipsis… also had success with their products outside of school, setting up orders with a local sports club and a police force.
The team, headed by their Chairwoman Lucy Potts (age 17) agrees that it has been an amazing experience to achieve such success. Lucy said: “We have learned so much about business, and also about working with and managing other people.”