Private School News

Rossall School, Lancashire, – School gets top marks from Inspectors

The Independent Schools Inspectorate has given one of the area’s leading independent schools the thumbs up in its latest inspection and cited its unique community culture for the excellent development of its pupils.

The Inspectorate, the independent schools’ equivalent of Ofsted, has praised Rossall School in Fleetwood for its delivery of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, an enquiry based alternative learning programme for junior pupils, and described teaching at the school as “exceptional.” Also singled out for praise was the School’s boarding tradition, which it said: “helped to provide a good quality of educational experience and contributed to the pupils’ ability to develop good relationships.” The report also cited the genuine establishment of a family feeling on campus, as a result of the permanent boarding community, as one of the key reasons why day pupils also thrived. The pastoral care, out of hours’ activities, and the boarding house system, it reported, “provided the key to the family unit.” Children at the School were also singled out for praise for their “outstanding behaviour both in and out of class.” Incidents of bullying, the report added, “were rare.”

Rossall’s GCSE achievements were also highlighted as being high in relation to national norms. The School actually topped the Lancashire league tables last year, yet, despite its academic achievements at the higher end, it also won praise from inspectors for its support of children with learning difficulties.

According to the report, inspectors noted that “a striking aspect of the school was the understanding for different cultures, fostered by the cosmopolitan campus, and also the quality of personal development of pupils of all ages, who exhibited confidence in relationships with children and adults alike and relished responsibility.”

Also coming in for praise was the School’s leadership team, led by headmaster, Dr Stephen Winkley. The inspectors noted that Rossall’s leadership has been strong and well-directed since the appointment of the new head in 2008, which drew comment from Dr Winkley: “Although I’m not a great believer in league tables as a measure of a school’s qualities I do feel that the findings of a thorough inspection are more meaningful in judging what a school has to offer.

“I’m obviously delighted that we’ve had such a positive report by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate, but not surprised, given the quality of our teaching staff and house parents, and their dedication to the children, who must also be singled out for praise.

“As a school, we are only as good as the children we turn out, so in that sense we are a resounding success, with or without the findings of an inspection. The School is such a special place to be, not because of one aspect, but because of its component parts, which is why it’s been so rewarding to see the quality of teaching and pupils here since my arrival in 2008.

“The inspectors alluded to a special feeling on campus…a strong sense of community and responsibility and exceptional children, which is why Rossall is different to many other schools, even those with boarding communities. It really is a place with a unique sense of identity.”

More good news for the School comes in the form of increased numbers of boarders for 2010/2011 school year. The recruitment figures have bucked the UK national trend, and the School’s successful recruitment campaign has resulted in a flurry of summer activity on campus as additional boarding facilities are built to cope with the influx of new pupils.

Photo: Headmaster Dr Stephen Winkley

ROSSALL SCHOOL, LANCASHIRE – QUEEN’S HONOUR FOR NORTH WEST SCHOOL

The country’s oldest Combined Cadet Force, whose members first saw service in The Boer War, will receive the nation’s highest honour at 11.00am Tuesday 29th June, when, at a special ceremony on Lancashire’s Fylde Coast, it will be awarded the Queen’s Colour by the Lord- Lieutenant of Lancashire, The Lord Shuttleworth of Carnforth.

At the ceremony, on the campus of Rossall School, Fleetwood, the cadet contingent will receive the honour to mark the 150th anniversary of the School’s CCF, which makes it the oldest in Britain, even pre-dating that of Prime Minister, David Cameron’s old school, Eton.

A chapel service, conducted by school chaplain, Revd Steve McMahon, during which the Queen’s Colour will be consecrated, will be followed by the presentation, and parading of the Colour by the full brigade and band, during which the Lord-Lieutenant, representing Her Majesty The Queen, will take the official salute in the imposing main square at the heart of Rossall’s 160-acre campus.

The honour recognizes the role of the CCF in preparing young people for life in Britain’s Armed Forces and is testament to the part its former members have played in every major military conflict since The Boer War and of the sacrifices of hundreds of former pupils who have given their lives in defence of the nation since the reign of Queen Victoria.

Among those in attendance will be senior figures from The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, with which Rossall School Combined Cadet Force is affiliated, together with several mayors from local borough councils, leading business figures, Old Rossallians, former cadet members and parents of children currently attending the School. It is anticipated that around 1,000 people will witness the march-past and parade of the Colour in the school square; marking what will be a memorable day in the distinguished history of the 166-year old co-educational independent school.

Commenting on the honour, Rossall School headmaster, Dr Stephen Winkley said: “It is particularly pleasing that the School should receive this honour as we celebrate 150 years of cadet service, and doubly so because we have always enjoyed close links with the Armed Forces, and have, since our creation in 1844, been a school with a good proportion of pupils drawn from the families of serving military personnel.

“To be the Country’s first, ahead of the likes of Eton, is a source of immense pride for the School, as it should be also for the North West region, because thousands of our former pupils have gone on to enjoy distinguished military careers and made a valuable contribution to the country’s military history.”

Despite its original military origins, not all members of the Tri-Service Combined Cadet Force go on to serve in Britain’s Armed Forces and many pupils join simply to enjoy the range of activities, outdoor pursuits and sports on offer through the Service, which also administers the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Following the award of the Queen’s Colour, Rossall School’s CCF will now be one of the select few brigades or regiments allowed to incorporate the royal colours alongside brigade insignia. This will be a major coup for the School, which attracts pupils from over 35 countries to its coastal campus in Lancashire.

Students from STONYHURST COLLEGE take action for Zimbabwean boy

Kundai fun run

Pupils of all ages at Stonyhurst College have been raising money to help a physically disabled boy in Zimbabwe receive the medical care he needs. A fun-run this week has finally achieved their target of £5,000.

14 year old Kundai Mangoma suffers from a rare disease which has caused a huge tumour on the right hand side of his face; this has left him with breathing difficulties and blindness in one eye. He is in much pain from the disfiguration of his jaw and facial bones and finds it difficult to eat and speak. Kundai’s parents lost all their life savings in Zimbabwe’s economic turmoil and are therefore unable to pay any of the medical bills which could improve their son’s condition.

Sixth formers, Sophie Le Breton and Natalie Crouch met Kundai when they visited Zimbabwe this year, visiting a Jesuit school with which Stonyhurst has a long-standing partnership. They were so moved by his bravery that they were determined to raise £5,000 for surgery which could change his life: they met a surgeon who told them about the major operation which should fully restore his sight, ease his breathing and discomfort and significantly change his appearance. The operation is scheduled to take place in Harare in late August so they had no time to lose!

“Kundai was lovely, very shy and uncomplaining,” said Sophie. “We were really moved to hear that his sister had died quite recently from the same condition and realised that the medical care we take for granted just isn’t available in Zimbabwe. We were determined to help and as soon as we got back to school, started a campaign to raise the money.”

A ‘Kundai Committee’ was formed immediately, with representatives from all year groups putting up posters throughout the school and organising fund-raising activities. Kundai T shirts, a ‘Home Clothes Day’, weekly cake stalls, an art competition, charity dinners and finally, a fun-run, have together achieved the target!

Photographs shows Natalie Crouch, Sophie Le Breton, Mrs Crossley and Mr Warrilow, teachers at Stonyhurst College meeting Kundai and his family.

Students in fancy dress, taking part in the fun-run.

WORLD CUP ANTHEM TO SCORE FOR HEROES

To coincide with England’s bid for World Cup glory, a Lancashire junior school teacher has penned a personal musical tribute to England’s football heroes, which he hopes will score big for Britain’s injured armed forces’ heroes returning from Afghanistan.

With the help of pupils at Rossall School in Fleetwood, Lancashire, sports teacher and aspiring musician, Lawrence Condon has released a World Cup song, with the title: ‘England, My England’, in a bid to highlight the sacrifices being made by the nation’s soldiers abroad and to raise valuable funds for the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity.

Lawrence’s pupils were the inspiration for the song and urged him to write one for the last World Cup. Four years on and just in time for South Africa 2010, ‘England my England’ has been created in a collaboration with British folk, rock band ‘Steeleye Span’ guitarist, Ken Nicol, who produced the song from its raw acoustic version, adding orchestra, drums and chorus. He hopes the song will become an anthem and find its way onto the football terraces of South Africa, but if not, he’ll be more than happy if the public buys the song and it generates cash for Britain’s injured heroes, returning from conflict in Afghanistan.

To help promote the single, a DVD featuring Lawrence and his pupils has been produced by children at Rossall, one of the North West’s oldest independent schools, with some help from the School’s IT department. The backing track features melodies from the early 1960’s hit ‘Telstar’, giving it its infectious chorus that would make an excellent football chant during the current World Cup. And, the children at the school provide a seventy-strong choral backing when the song is played live for visitors to the 166-year-old campus.

Commenting on the launch, Lawrence Condon said: “The children cajoled me into doing something for the World Cup, even though I’m not a professional musician. The result might not be likely to hit the heights of Frank Skinner’s ‘Three Lions’, but if there’s a chance that the public like it and want to support our lads in South Africa then they’ll also be making a valuable contribution to the lives of our servicemen and women in Afghanistan, so hopefully we score either way.”

DVD’s will be on sale at Rossall School from this week with all proceeds from the strictly not for profit song going straight to Help for Heroes.

Photo: Lawrence Condon with some of Rossall School Juniors

Young writers follow a poet’s footsteps at STONYHURST COLLEGE

Shakespeare, word puzzles and poetry were some of the topics chosen to inspire 80 talented children from all over the North West, at a Gifted and Talented Day held at Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall. Pupils aged 9 and 10 took part in a range of English activities designed to stretch and challenge them, including creative writing. After studying a poem by Gerard Manly Hopkins, who lived at St Mary’s Hall in !870, they walked through the same woodland which had inspired him before writing their own poems. They also learnt about the history of the English language and did some exercises in Anglo Saxon!
“Stonyhurst’s philosophy is to engage with an individual’s talents, so it was a pleasure to work with so many bright, engaged and enthusiastic children from across our region,” said Catherine Robinson, Head of English at Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall and organiser of the day.

Photo: children finding inspiration in Stonyhurst’s woodland., following Gerard Manly Hopkins’ footsteps.

STONYHURST COLLEGE production – Daisy pulls it off!

A jolly good audience had a ripping time watching a workshop production of the play ‘Daisy pulls it off!’ by Denise Deegan, at Stonyhurst College. Daisy Meredith, the plucky scholarship gal at Grangewood School for Young Ladies, was played by Madeleine O’Dwyer and Trixie Martin, her good-egg friend, was played by Mary Flanagan, both in Year 9 at Stonyhurst. Between them they overcame the wealthier pupils’ rotten pranks, found missing treasure and Daisy’s long-lost father. Spiffing!

Photo: the cast of ‘Daisy pulls it off!’ In the front row are, second from left, Madeleine O’Dwyer (Daisy), and Mary Flanagan (Trixie) centre.

STONYHURST COLLEGE students give striking performance of ‘The Little Matchstick Girl’

A theatrical performance devised and performed entirely by sixth form students has just been presented at Stonyhurst College. A level Theatre Studies students performed an adaptation of ‘The Little Matchstick Girl’ for their practical exam, for which the group also wrote and composed songs which were performed live throughout the piece.It was a highly engaging and moving performance, showcasing the students’ many and diverse talents to an appreciative audience.

Photo: Conal Mackenzie, 18, from Blackburn and Helena Bold-Davies, 17, from St Albans who has just gained a place at the National Youth Theatre.

Talented students win National Youth Theatre places

Three Stonyhurst students have been awarded places at the National Youth Theatre. Catriona Graffius, Jordan Riley and Helena Bold-Davies are all sixth formers at Stonyhurst College, taking Theatre Studies A Level. “Competition for places with the NYT is very high,” said Stonyhurst Head of Drama, Miss Johanna Egar, “so they have done really well to get in.”
Stonyhurst has an excellent track record for getting students into the National Youth Theatre, with 12 places being awarded over the past 6 consecutive years.

Photo: left to right: Catriona Graffius, Jordan Riley and Helena Bold-Davies.

Stonyhurst Hockey Players help to lead Lancashire to victory!

Four Stonyhurst College hockey players have been selected to play for Lancashire. Jessica Pye was selected for the U17s, Clare Lupton for the U16s, and Emily Smith and Helen Finn for the U15s.
Emily and Helen played in the Lancashire U15 1st team on Sunday 2nd May, and won the North of England County Tournament. The team scored a total of 36 goals, conceding only 3; they beat Yorkshire 7-0 in the final game and may now go forward to play the winners of the Southern County Tournament, watched by National coaches.

Photo: Jessica Pye

STONYHURST COLLEGE receives outstanding inspection report

Stonyhurst College and Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall have both just received outstanding inspection reports. Excellent pastoral care, outstanding extra curricular success and the high quality of pupils’ personal development were just some of the accolades received.
Everyone attached to the school is thrilled by this exceptional outcome. Mr Andrew Johnson, the Headmaster, said, ‘I am very proud of this report, which is a tremendous achievement, and product of the hard work of Stonyhurst staff and pupils. We aim to be the best we can be in all we do and encourage our pupils to strive to achieve their utmost. Thanks must go to everyone involved in this achievement.’

A year 13 pupils is quoted in the report saying, ‘…staff and pupils form a family. We can turn to almost anyone for support….this openness to people’s differences allows people to flourish in what they want to do in a comfortable and loving environment.’

All UK independent schools have a full inspection conducted by the Independent Schools Inspectorate every six years. Inspections cover the full range of a school’s educational provision, and the inspectors form judgements on nine different aspects according to an objective set of criteria.

Below are some quotations from the reports.

“The College’s most distinctive feature is an outstanding, all-pervasive spirituality, which promotes reflective self-awareness and increased moral fibre, leading many pupils to relish opportunities to turn their faith into action.”

“A broad curriculum, flexibly adapted to enable pupils to achieve their full potential, makes an excellent contribution to pupils’ achievements and learning…”

“Extra-curricular success is exceptional.”

“The quality of pupils’ personal development is excellent…”

“The pastoral care of the pupils and arrangements for their welfare, health and safety are excellent.”

To read the report, please follow the link: http://www.stonyhurst.ac.uk/uploads/std2904_report_stonyhurst_final_04_2010.pdf

Famous Cathedral Choir give concert at Stonyhurst College

One of the world’s most highly acclaimed choirs gave a concert at Stonyhurst College. London’s Westminster Cathedral Choir made its second visit to the Ribble Valley College and sang to a capacity audience drawn from all over the North West in Stonyhurst’s St Peter’s Church.
The programme began with choral music for Lent, then Easter, and finished with music for St George, including music by Palestrina, Taverner, the contemporary composer James MacMillan and Elgar’s Give unto the Lord. The conductor was Martin Baker and the organist was Edward Tambling.
Before the concert, the choristers, aged between 7 and 12, had a wonderful time exploring the banks of the River Hodder, playing tennis and filling their lungs with fresh Lancashire air!

Photo: The Westminster Cathedral Choir in full voice at Stonyhurst.

Music (and breakfast) for a May morning at Stonyhurst College

Choral music and croissants made a fine start to the May bank holiday at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire and a large audience gathered for an 8am start in the ‘Top Ref.’ Schola Cantorum sang a varied programme, which included Benedictus from Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man Mass, Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine, concluding with a very lively version of Hail Holy Queen from the film Sister Act!

Photo: Yoann Belon (16, from Isle of Wight) conducts Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine.

STONYHURST COLLEGE – U14 Rugby Tour to Italy

The U14 Rugby team enjoyed a very successful Easter tour to Italy, staying at Lido di Jesolo, near Venice. Training sessions on the beach paid off as they won 3 of their 4 games.
The tour also included cultural visits to Venice, the chance to watch some professional rugby at a match between Treviso and Viadana and a trip to the Gardaland theme park. Everyone enjoyed the excellent hospitality of the Italian rugby clubs and huge thanks go to Mr Thomas and Mr McGinnis for organising the tour, and to Mr Ansell for acting as translator!

Results:
Stonyhurst vs Montebelluna RFC- won 17-14
Stonyhurst vs Valdobbiadane RFC- won 26-10
Stonyhurst vs Piave RFC- lost 12-21
Stonyhurst vs Paese RFC- won 38-14

Photo: The Stonyhurst and Valdobbiadane teams

Election Fever at Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall: the politicians of the future!

Election fever has gripped Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall and parliamentary campaigns are being mounted by pupil-candidates to capture the votes of their peers. Posters, rosettes, competitions and campaigning feature throughout the school, and when the country goes to the polls, Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall will too, with the Tolkien Library becoming the polling station for the day. This is not being taken as just a bit of fun either. All the candidates take their roles very seriously and are fully aware of all parts of their manifestos, a fact which was amply demonstrated recently in front of the school and the actual candidates for the Ribble Valley constituency. Nigel Evans MP was so impressed with the speeches that he stood to congratulate the junior candidates on their performances!

Photo: Edward Johnson(12), the Liberal Democrat candidate.

Stonyhurst wins Red Rose County Badminton Championship

On Wednesday 10th March Stonyhurst College hosted the U19 Boys Red Rose County Badminton Championship and entered 3 teams. The Stonyhurst A Team beat Hutton Grammar School 3-2 in the Final. Stonyhurst have now won the trophy for the sixth time in eight years.

Stonyhurst girls have done well too. On Wednesday 3rd March, the U19 Girls Badminton Team competed in the Red Rose County Championships and finished in second place.

Photo: with their badges and certificates are (from left to right): Hannah Phoenix (16), Wendy Leung (17), Rebecca Powell (captain: 17) and Vanessa Vaghetti (18).

Theatre Studies students act for results!

AS Level Theatre Studies classes took their practical exams this week at Stonyhurst College, performing Diane Samuel’s Kindertransport and Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. The first play was about the displacement of Jewish children in WW2, and their new lives in England, cleverly weaving together the past with the present. The second is a French, 20th century version of the Greek tale of Antigone, who fights to the death for her brother’s honour.
Both performances were excellent and attended by a large, appreciative audience of supporters.

Photo: Catriona Graffius, from Hurst Green, and Charlie McDermott, from Windsor, in Antigone.

Stonyhurst College leads ecumenical service at Blackburn Cathedral

Stonyhurst College, the Catholic boarding school in Lancashire, led an ecumenical service for Lent at Blackburn’s Anglican Cathedral on Monday 22nd March. Prayers were read jointly by the College Chaplain, Fr John Twist, SJ, and the Dean of Blackburn, The Very Reverend Christopher Armstrong, with the Headmaster, Mr Andrew Johnson, reading an extract from the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. Stonyhurst’s Schola Cantorum sang music by Stanford and a setting of Be thou my vision with a piano duet accompaniment, played by Joann Belon (Year 11) and Pawel Rzemieniecki (Year 13), conducted by Dr Kevin Morgan. They also sang Allegri’s Miserere with the verse sections exquisitely sung by Megan Hindle and Catriona Graffius (both in Year 12). The service finished with a new choral setting of the Pater Noster by Stonyhurst teacher, Mr Jonathan Sharples.

Headmaster, Mr Andrew Johnson, said: “I was delighted Stonyhurst was invited by the Dean of Blackburn to lead this act of worship at the Cathedral. It is a clear manifestation of our growing ecumenical collaboration.”

Photo: Stonyhurst College Schola Cantorum in Blackburn Cathedral, with Fr John Twist, SJ on the left.

Waterton’s Collection returns to Stonyhurst

Part of Charles Waterton’s remarkable and famous personal collection of animals, birds, crustaceans and insects has returned to Stonyhurst College this month, having been on loan to a Yorkshire museum for 40 years. It includes a tarantula spider, vampire bat and a platypus.

Charles Waterton, an old boy of the College who attended Stonyhurst in the late 1700’s, was one of Britain’s first natural historians; he is described by David Attenborough as “one of the first people anywhere to recognise that the natural world needed protection as humanity made more and more demands on it.” A devout man, he slept on bare boards and rose at 3am every day to pray and read the Life of St Francis Xavier for an hour. He had a lasting affection for Stonyhurst, which he visited every year until his death in 1865.

To mark the return of the Collection to Stonyhurst, a new portrait of Waterton has been unveiled, painted by Helena Callinicos, a former Stonyhurst pupil. Over the next five years Waterton’s entire collection of some 1000 specimens from Europe, Africa, India, Australia and South America will be returned to the Lancashire College. The College curator, Mrs Jan Graffius, has created a new display, which can be seen in the summer when the College opens for public tours.

Photo: the new portrait unveiled.

U18’s Hockey squad win 2 tournaments in 4 days!

Stonyhurst College has recently won two consecutive U18’s 7’s Hockey tournaments in 4 days! The first was at Austin Friars School, Carlisle, where the team beat Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith in the final, winning 2-1. 15 goals were scored throughout the tournament with 1 conceded.

The second was at Mount St Mary’s, Sheffield, where they beat their hosts 2-1 in the final. Livvy Carefoot (18, from Knowle Green) played particularly well, often scoring goals within seconds of matches beginning. In this tournament, 20 goals were scored with 1 conceded.

Photo 1: Stonyhurst squad at Austin Friars – Melissa Gulcimen, Jessica Pye, Adaobi Anah, Casey Davis, Clare Lupton, Camilla,Copping, LivvyCarefoot, Hilary Harrison, Francie Page

Stonyhurst wins Lancashire Schools Plate Final!

The Stonyhurst College U14s won the Lancashire Schools Plate Final at Rochdale RUFC on Sunday 21st March, beating Kirkham Grammar 38 -12. Kirkham provided strong opposition, and at half-time the score was 12-7 in their favour. Stonyhurst played extremely well and managed to take the lead in the second half.

The U14s are now preparing for a tour to Italy in April. Staying in Lido di Jesolo, they will have training sessions on the beach and play matches against Montebelluna, Piave and Paese. They will then visit Venice, the Gardaland theme park, and move into the cricket season with some beach cricket, no doubt consuming a good deal of ice-cream along the way!

Photo: Stonyhurst team with the Lancashire Plate, held by captain, Danny Fitzgerald (13) from Blackburn.