Category : Headteacher’s Blog

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza is currently carrying out a survey with young people across the country called ‘The Big Future’. The purpose is to find out how to make their lives better in the future, the big challenges of growing up and how prepared they feel to vote and be adults. She intends to take their thoughts, opinions and ideas to decision makers and politicians to ensure the government hear their voices. Students at BHS are currently completing the survey in their PSHCE lessons and you can find out more at https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-future/

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been raising awareness of exploitation with our young people. They explored forms of exploitation, what it might look like and how they can look after themselves and each other. Mrs. Godsell-Wright will be sharing the slides for your information.

This week, Mrs. Turnbull reports, ‘We’ve heard that we’ve had two more entries into another recent Young Writers competition. Fabian (Year 10) and Tyler (Year 9) both entered the 100 words writing competition based on the theme ‘Wanted’. Both wrote imaginative stories and were thrilled to receive confirmation that their entries will be published. We are so proud of them both.’

Our congratulations also go to Ruby in Year 8 who has received some exciting news.  Ruby had to send in self tapes for an audition for ‘Front & Centre’ and has been selected to attend the Northern School of Contemporary Dance one Sunday a month over the coming year, for a four hour training session with West End/Broadway pros. She also auditioned with two self tape dances for YDC (York Dance Company) Associates programme which runs sessions on Sundays monthly too. Unfortunately too many clash so she has had to turn this down – hopefully she can re- audition next year! What an impressive achievement.

Today, 51 of our Year 11 students have travelled across to King James’s School for the Sixth Form taster day. We’ll look forward to hearing about their post-16 experience when they return.

As we’ve moved into our second heatwave in school, we’ve been impressed with students’ efforts to focus, and our continued high uniform standards with students wearing either their PE kit or usual uniform without their blazer. We’ll continue with this until the end of term with the exception of the Rewards Trip on Thursday to the Great Yorkshire Show when students can wear clothes of their choice.

Thinking ahead to the Summer break, we have a message from FEAST who provide fully-funded summer holiday activities.  

‘We have issued FEAST vouchers to all families whose children/young people receive benefits-related free school meals. These vouchers entitle your child to fully-funded places on FEAST activities this summer holiday, where they’ll also receive a free heathy meal. You should have received this voucher via email or text, from a platform called HolidayActivities. Follow the link to redeem your voucher and book your child’s place on some of the fantastic activities on offer in our area.

 If you believe your child is eligible and you have not yet received your voucher, or you have lost it, please contact the school office before the end of term at schooladmin@boroughbridgehigh.com To learn more about FEAST, and for information on activities, eligibility and how to manage your bookings, visit the website.’

So, along with the excitement of the Rewards Trip next Thursday, we’ve also got Sports Day on Wednesday. Then on Friday, we’ll all be getting together for our whole school assembly to celebrate our successful year at Boroughbridge High School.

A reminder that school will close at 1.30p.m. on Friday 17^th July for the Summer break.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

It’s been ‘Happy New Year’ for all at Boroughbridge High School this week as we’ve started our new timetable. Year 7 have become Year 8 and so on. As usual, there has been a renewed sense of purpose and focus and students and staff have showed remarkable resilience in the high temperatures. We’re pleased to see that more usual Summer temperatures have been forecast for next week as we embark on Week 2.

Throughout the week we’ve enjoyed hearing from students in Years 7 and 8 who were in Normandy last week. They had such a fantastic time and the staff have remarked on how brilliant the students were throughout. Mrs. Reed reports,

‘Our recent Y7 and Y8 trip to Normandy was truly an unforgettable experience that combined learning, history and lots of fun! Visiting the D-Day landing beaches, Pegasus Bridge and the 360 cinema in Arromanches brought the classroom to life, helping us understand the sacrifices made during the Second World War. We also enjoyed exploring quintessential French towns such as Honfleur, Caen and Arromanches. 

We thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the intricacies of looking after Alpacas, experiencing life on a submarine as well as putting our French language skills to the test. We sampled traditional French food including our own home made “boule”, a wide variety of biscuits and ice creams galore!  Given the fantastic weather, our evening ritual of walking to the beach to let off steam after a hard day’s work was enjoyed by all. 

Our pupils were a real credit to our school throughout the trip, demonstrating excellent behaviour, enthusiasm, kindness and respect at every venue we visited. Their maturity, positive attitude and willingness to embrace every opportunity made the trip even more enjoyable and drew many compliments. It was a fantastic opportunity to build friendships, gain confidence and create lasting memories that we will treasure for years to come.

A big “merci” to our delightful Y7 and Y8 pupils and our tireless team of dedicated staff whose smiles, care and boundless energy never faltered! We will remember them!’

Next week, we’re delighted to be welcoming new students to our school community as Year 6 and their parents and carers will join us on Monday evening and then for their transition days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It’s great that we’ve met so many of them before when they’ve joined us for BHS workshops and our current students are looking forward to helping them to settle in.

Our congratulations this week go to  a number of students who have been given a newly created DT Star award. Mr. Groves reports, ‘This year I decided that students should be recognised for their efforts in DT ao I made individual trophies for each year group, which could be awarded to students that had shown resilience and creativity in DT lessons. Students were nominated by their teachers, myself, Dr Lefley and Mrs Hunter and the impressive winners were Phoebe (Year 11), Jago (Year 10), Genevieve (Year 9), Freddie (Year 8) and Ruby (Year 7). There were many individual DT heroes this year and I hope to see many of them choosing DT for  GCSE and developing what is essentially a practical life skill. Well done to all.

 

Meanwhile Isla in new Year 9 has been demonstrating her ambition, resilience and skill by taking on Europe! Isla’s Allstar cheerleading team competed at the European Summit in Lisbon having had to prove they are at an international standard of cheerleading by winning bids to attend the competition. It sounds like it was a fantastic experience and Isla and her team secured an impressive third place against 24 competing teams. An amazing achievement indeed.

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been marking Refugee Week which, this year, has the theme of courage and aims to foster a deeper understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety. Students were asked to think how they would feel if they were in that situation and their answers to Mrs. Godsell-Wright’s questions demonstrated their empathy and understanding.

A reminder that it’s our Summer Music concert next Thursday (2nd) at 6p.m.  All are very welcome.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

On Sunday evening, a party of 48 students from Years 7 and 8 and 7 members of staff set off for an adventure to Normandy. They return on Friday and, from reports sent throughout the week, have had a fantastic time. We’ll tell you more in the Blog next week.

 

 

In Forest School this week, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘Students developed their building and outdoor cooking skills. One team chose to focus on building a raised platform / treehouse with a tarp roof using a variety of knots and excellent communication, teamwork and problem- solving skills. Elsewhere in the woods, a team of budding chefs put together a spiced chorizo, butter bean and tomato stew, all cooked over a campfire using a pot hang they crafted from fallen branches they foraged.’

On Monday afternoon, our Silver Duke of Edinburgh students gave their presentations showing the resilience that was needed to complete their expeditions. It was lovely for parents, carers and staff to get a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of their outdoor experience. This weekend we have our Bronze D of E Qualifier expedition.

In assemblies this week, I’ve been focusing on our core value of being ‘ambitious’, building upon Mrs. Mannion’s apprenticeship assembly last week. We looked at how our ‘Ambitious’ expectations support students with academic success along with enabling them to develop the skills and confidence to contribute positively both now and in the future. We also looked at the career progression of some former BHS students and the different routes that they took to become solicitors, film directors, footballers, engineers and the list goes on!

Coming up in Careers, Mrs. Mannion says ‘The next few weeks are a busy time for Year 10 as they go into Year 11. We have a Careers event coming up on Tuesday 30th June where students meet employers and post-16 providers. This helps to prepare for decision-making for the future. Our students have been offered an A Level taster day at King James’s School on Friday 10^th July which lots of students have signed up for.’ If you have any questions about Careers then please contact Mrs. Mannion.

Last night, we had a fantastic Year 11 prom. Following the final exam on Monday, it was great for everyone to get together and celebrate their time at Boroughbridge High School in style. As usual, there was an eclectic mix of vehicles used to transport students to The Bridge Inn and it was lovely for staff, parents and carers to see them all arrive. Following a great meal, Prom awards were presented (created by students, Macey and Evie, showing great initiative and leadership). Benji and Macey were crowned Prom King and Queen and then the dancing began. This year group have made such a positive impact on our school community and have been such great role models for younger students. We wish them well for the future and will look forward to seeing them on results day.

Thank you for the responses to the Parent/Carer questionnaire circulated last week. Your feedback helps us to evaluate the progress that we’ve made as a school community and also helps to shape our decision making. There is still time to share your views.

During our Professional Development Day today, we’ve had some training with the NHS Wellbeing in Mind team about how we can offer further support to our young people. We’ve also been making sure that we’re fully prepared for the new timetable.

And so, our new school year is almost upon us. Year 7 students will return on Monday as Year 8, Year 8 as Year 9 and so on. Exciting times all round. The roll up of the timetable enables us to maximise the last four weeks of term whilst also securing a smooth start in September. We do, of course, in an amongst the next few weeks, have our Sports Day and Rewards Trip.

Have a lovely weekend!

This has been an action packed week!

A group of Year 9 students took on the excitement of Bewerley Park, returning this afternoon sharing stories of challenging activities and many opportunities to demonstrate their ambition and resilience. You can see more on our Facebook page.

Then yesterday, during a somewhat wet day, students took part in the Wellbeing Festival in Dalby Forest. Miss Robson reports, ‘51 KS3 girls attended the Girls’ Wellbeing Festival (colour run) hosted by North Yorkshire Sport. We arrived in the wilderness of Dalby Forest to the wettest mid-June day ever. However, have you met our girls? A girls’ trip out is not going to be ruined by a bit of rain! We started the day on Kin-ball with our superstar Year 9 Young Leaders leading the way. Lizzie, Eva, Olivia and Charlie delivered activities for over 12 schools throughout the day. Amazing work girls! On to dance where the girls learnt a street/hip-hop dance routine to Macklemore – can’t hold us, including a variation of a Mexican wave. This was the perfect warm up for the main event… the colour run! The girls gathered in their white tops, colourful sun glasses and packets of bright powder and off they went running into the forest. A shout out to Dottie for finishing 4th and actually racing the colour run! Our newly multicoloured girls had a quick lunchbreak before taking on the epic inflatables. They were soaked, which actually added to the fun of it and increased the speed of the slides and provided an added challenge to the bungee run. Lots of laughter and smiles all round. To hear Amelia P say “this was even better than last year” makes it all worth while!’

Year 8 have been out on their Geography fieldtrip to Whitby today. Mrs. Gomersal reports, ‘Year 8 enjoyed a fantastic day in Whitby carrying out geography fieldwork to investigate whether the town should be protected from coastal erosion. Armed with clipboards and plenty of enthusiasm, students collected data along the coastline and put their classroom learning into action.

The day wasn’t all hard work, though! We conquered the famous 199 Steps, enjoyed some well-earned ice cream, and soaked up the sights and sounds of the seaside. It was a wonderful opportunity to experience geography beyond the classroom and see first-hand how the beautiful Whitby landscape is being protected. 

Throughout the trip, our students were a credit to Boroughbridge High School, showing respect, responsibility and excellent behaviour at all times. We are incredibly proud of how they represented the school and embraced every aspect of this memorable day.’

Assemblies this week have had a focus on the future with Mrs. Mannion, our Careers Adviser, talking about one of a wide range of possible destinations; apprenticeships. Having talked through what an apprenticeship is, students were interested to see how many apprenticeship opportunities there are in our area. For students in Year 10 they are looking forward to their Careers networking event in a couple of weeks.

 

 

And in Forest School on Monday, Mr. Woodward said, ‘This week the pupils took on their greatest shelter building challenge to date: A free standing ridgeline tarp-tent. Each group successfully managed to construct their perfectly tensioned structure which held up well against strong winds. An excellent effort and testament to their teamwork and communication skills!’

 

 

Mr. Groves was impressed with Year 9 students this week. He said, ‘Year 9 were recently given homework to design a background for their Mini NEA furniture project. There were many excellent ideas presented to me, but the standout two were the efforts of Lily-May and Eva. They have to be commended for their wonderful efforts, hard work and enthusiasm. Well done!’

 

 

Our thanks go to the Friends of Boroughbridge High School who ran, along with the help of some of our students, a fundraising tombola at the Boroughbridge Lions’ Fete last weekend.

With the exams almost over, we had our Year 11 Leavers’ assembly this morning. Students had very creatively decorated their shirts in advance with sequins, bows, glitter and artwork and then the great shirt signing began before the assembly. It was a great occasion with students and staff reflecting on and celebrating their time at Boroughbridge High School. Photos from August 2021 onwards were shared with spontaneous gasps at how much or how little people had changed! As is our custom, we then finished with whole group singing. When students join our school, I say that the school should be a better place because they are a part of it and no one can be in doubt that this is the case for our class of 2026. We are very proud of them and will look forward to their Prom next Thursday.

Then at lunchtime our Year 9 students who are setting up a student led Wellbeing Group raised £42.50 in their first fundraising tombola and sweet stall. Well done!

Year 7 and 8 students will be heading off to Normandy next week and, in school, we’ll be on to our final week of the 2025/6 timetable with the new timetable beginning on 22^nd June. A reminder that we have a Professional Development Day on Friday 19^th June when students do not attend school.

Looking ahead, we’ve had to move our Summer concert to avoid a possible England football match! It will now be at 6p.m. on Thursday 2^nd July. We hope to see you there.

Have a lovely weekend!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in Forest School with students being fully engaged in all activities. Last week Mr. Woodward said, ‘“Won’t it sting my mouth?” is always the most popular question when you try to convince people to eat a hedgerow superfood which grows in abundance in the UK at this time of year. That’s right…nettles. These nasty little stingers contain vitamins A, C, K and several B vitamins, along with iron, calcium and magnesium. They’re packed with amino acids, beta-carotene and antioxidants. So, how to make them more palatable? Easy…light a campfire, mix up some self-raising flour, salt, water, curry powder and chopped nettles. Fry them in plenty of oil over the fire and you have some delicious curried nettle bhajis. Try it this weekend…I promise you you’ll be pleasantly surprised!’

 

And this week ‘The one thing you can rely on with May weather in Yorkshire is that you cannot rely on it. We were set up for a glorious, sunny session with bright blue skies and warm sunshine beating down as feather sticks were carved; however, within 15 minutes, the clouds were rolling in and the heavens opened! Thankfully, the students constructed adequate shelter under which they cooked their woodland pancakes.’

 

 

This week Year 9 girls were invited to a Power of Women event which was held at the Thalia waste recovery centre at Allerton Park. Power of Women aim to provide women in the North East of England with role models, inspiration, resources and information to help take control over the choices they have in life.

In the visitor centre, students explored a range of exciting career opportunities within the sector which included operations, human resources, accounting, social media, and environmental management. There was lots of interactive learning which included networking and a “Guess Who” exercise to find out the job role of each of the Thalia staff attending. Students also met one of the Thalia apprentices and learnt about how an apprenticeship works.

The visit also gave students the opportunity to see first-hand how Thalia Waste Management operates and learn more about sustainability. There was a guided tour of the facility and students saw how the waste is recovered, reduced, or recycled. Students demonstrated a good knowledge of Science in the questions they asked and showed confidence when talking to different members of staff.

Wearing their hi-vis vests and following all the safety instructions, the students were a credit to Boroughbridge High School.

Ms Mannion, Careers Adviser commented “I was very impressed to see how well our students were engaging with the Thalia staff ambassadors and they were clearly enjoying the event.”

I joined the event later in the afternoon and was so impressed with the confidence of our young people and the quality of the questions that they asked. Our thanks go to Thalia and Power of Women.

In Sporting news, you’ll remember that last week our Sports Leaders were in action being trained in Kin-Ball so that they can lead a session at the upcoming Wellbeing Festival at Dalby Forest run by North Yorkshire Sport. Here are the team who will be supporting other participating schools.

In Netball, Miss Robson reports, ‘Yesterday afternoon our Year 8 netball team travelled to Barlby High School for their final game of the season and a rematch! Our captain Amelia led by example, watching the ball closely to gain several interceptions as GK. They battled their way through a test of endurance, with 12 minute quarters! Barlby were a team not afraid to make their presence known and we felt the pressure from a few knocks in the first half. We held our own and kept turning the ball over. However, something to work on is our centre passes and delivery of our passes into our attackers’ free space. Overall a hard score line, 29-2. When isolating the second quarter the score was only 3-1 so there is potential there. Speaking with our opponents gave us insight into their training and has highlighted our need to consistently train weekly as a full team. Well done to India who was given player of the match.’

 

 

In Mr. Grierson’s assemblies this week, the theme was equality, recognising that every person deserves the same respect, the same opportunities, and the same chance to succeed, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they look like or what they believe. The students looked at individuals who had made a positive impact and changed the world including Emmeline Pankhurst and Nelson Mandela, reinforcing that one person can really make a difference.

There was a real buzz in the Hall for Year 7 Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday. It was lovely to hear positive conversations of progress made with a recognition of students’ increasing confidence confirming how well Year 7 have settled into Boroughbridge High School.

Looking ahead we have the Year 9 History trip to Beamish on Friday 5^th June.

With beautiful weather forecast, have a great Bank Holiday weekend and we’ll look forward to welcoming students back into school on Monday 1^st June.

 

We’re now fully into exam season and we’ve been impressed with the approach of our Year 10 and 11 students who have been fully prepared and focused. They are certainly being ambitious and showing resilience. Our thanks go to you too for your support during this time. 

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been focusing on good habits and avoiding bad habits (with a little help from Ed Sheeran!). Having looked at why bad habits are bad, students were invited to explore good habits that help us to live healthy lives in all ways. There are 10 good habits; sleep pattern, exercise, healthy eating, personal hygiene, listening to your mind and body, learning to manage stress, finding your passion, managing screen time, avoiding substances misuse and building healthy relationships. 

The May Music concert on Wednesday was a triumph with a wide range of excellent, enthusiastic performances. The Keyboard Club got proceedings underway and we had precise piano solos from Austin in Year 10 and Esmae and Freddie in Year 8. Freddie gave us an extra challenge to identify the countries in his national anthems medley which seemed very fitting as we approach Eurovision weekend! We had moving vocal solos from Larissa in Year 11 and Olivia in Year 9 and the Pop Choir made us all feel like singing with their performances which included ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. Our guitarists James in Year 11 and Jack C and Jack T in Year 10 certainly raised the volume with their intense performances. Well done all, a fantastic concert. Making it all happen were our student technical team, Conner, James and Stan in Year 11, Austin, Antonio, Bodie and Jack in Year 10 and Luke in Year 9. Our thanks go to them and to Mr. Jackson who was publicly thanked by Larissa who confidently talked about the difference that Music makes to our school community. A proud moment. 

Our congratulations go to James in Year 8 who was awarded a Talent for Writing Certificate of Merit from Young Writers following his competition entry last month. His work will be published in an upcoming Stranger Sagas 2026 and the competition winners will be published next month. A fantastic achievement! Well done James.

We’ve had two external visitors this week; one of our governors, Ian Yapp and our LA Senior Education Adviser, Jon Norden. They both independently commented on the calm and purposeful environment around school, positive relationships, ‘Interactions between students and with adults were respectful and courteous throughout.’ and the high quality of teaching and learning. 

This morning we welcomed Year 5 from Boroughbridge Primary School for a happy numbers session in Maths with Mrs. Valentine. Year 5 showed what excellent mathematicians they are, very quickly identifying happy numbers. We’ll look forward to welcoming them back later in the year. 

Our Sports Leaders have been in action today, both leading and learning. Having been invited to lead a Kin-Ball session at the Colour Run Wellbeing Festival in June our students took part in a training session before, in the afternoon, supporting with a primary school games event. Exciting times!

We’re looking forward to welcoming Year 7 Parents and Carers next Wednesday for their face to face Parent/Carer evening. 

Have a lovely weekend! 

Year 7’s Rocket Car Challenge was a triumph last Friday. Following days of preparation, team tactic discussions and precise construction, the cars were ready to race. They were set off one by one and, as they screeched towards the speedometer, highest speeds of 66mph were recorded. Our congratulations go to the two winning teams; Elsa, Sophie and Polly supported by Dr. Lefley and Lucy, Olivia, Abbie supported by Ms. Salter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has focused on our values of being Ambitious and Resilient and the impact that choosing a positive attitude can have. Students were invited to think about their own approach to challenging situations and how they can flip their thinking from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’. With inspirational quotes throughout such as ‘The future depends on what you do today.’, students left ready to take on the challenges of the day ahead.

Mr. Woodward reports, ‘This week in forest school, students developed their tool use skills, learning the thumb push grip and mastering the use of the folding saws to create a pot stand that could be raised and lowered over their campfire, allowing them to control the boil of the pot and effectively cook a pasta dish.’ 

 

Our Year 9 Sports Leaders were in action on Tuesday morning, supporting primary students from around our local area to enjoy an exciting morning of sport!

Our GCSE linguists took on their French speaking exams on Thursday whilst PE students were actively engaged for their GCSE PE moderation.

As we approach the Bank Holiday weekend some of our students and staff are setting off on their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. We wish them well.

A date for your diary! We’ll be having our Music concert at 6p.m. in the Main Hall on Wednesday 13^th May – we look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend!

Our school site is always glorious at this time of year and it has been great to see students taking the advice given in previous assemblies about the benefits on physical and mental health of spending time outdoors and appreciating nature. Lunchtimes have seen students enjoying a wide range of informal and formal sporting sessions making the most of our large playing field. We’re also aware that our mobile phone policy, ensuring that students have a social media free school day, is having a positive impact.

Some of our students were taking an active role in improving our environment by working on the raised beds in the Bungalow garden. A big thank you to Johnsons Nurseries, Kirk Hammerton who have generously donated compost which, as you can see, was put into good use immediately.

Staying on the environmental theme, Mr. Atkinson’s assemblies this week have focused on the need to think about sustainability which he’s skilfully explored by sharing the geographical jewels of his own global travels, the impact of humans and how actions can have positive and negative consequences. Students were left to think about the impact of their own actions.

Last weekend the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh students took on their practice expedition. Mrs. Murphy reports, ‘All 19 Bronze D of E students had a successful practice expedition, we were particularly impressed with their focus and determination on the walk.  They have learnt lots of new skills, especially at the campsite and are now starting to plan their routes for their qualifying expedition in June’.

The GCSE Art exam has taken place this week with students arriving on time and fully prepared to make the most of the available time. Our linguists will be engaged in their French speaking exams next week. With the exams upon us, the NHS Wellbeing in Mind team have been holding lunchtime sessions on coping with exam stress.

In Sporting news Miss Robson reports, ‘Success again in sport with a win at the Year 9 School Games Benchball competition at Thirsk School. We had enough students to split into two teams to take on Thirsk. Our Boroughbridge B team were unbeatable and won all 4 of their matches to be crowned the champions. The Boroughbridge A team placed third winning 1 match. Everyone was awarded a gold or bronze medal and well done to Evie, Lily, Nancy and Genevieve who were chosen to receive an additional medal for their effort and achievement during the competition. An afternoon of fun, sun and run(ning) after a netball.’

Year 7 have been involved in building and racing their rocket cars today! I’ll let you know more in the Blog next week.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

As the early blossom appears at the front of school, there’s been a definite feeling of Spring in the air. In Forest School, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘Superb teamwork and communication skills were demonstrated this week in our tree-house challenge. Students learnt to tie and use a square lashing to secure horizontal beams to tree trunks before building up a sturdy platform, strong enough to hold their whole team. Later students learnt to use storm kettles safely with a 100% success rate.’

 

 

 

Our congratulations go to Alyssa in Year 11 who has been elected as North Yorkshire Regional Member of Youth Parliament. The role includes representing North Yorkshire’s young people locally, regionally, and nationally, including at the annual sitting of Youth Parliament in the House of Commons in Parliament, Westminster.

Alyssa’s manifesto is based around progressiveness, caring for minorities, supporting the needy and aiding social issues and we look forward to seeing her impact in the role. Well done Alyssa.

 

You may be wondering how our Year 9 team football team got on in their semi-final. Mr. Field reports,

‘Friday 6th March presented a momentous opportunity for the Yr9 boys football team, an opportunity to reach the final of a national competition and play on a Championship football club’s pitch.  The team standing between them in the semi-final was the current ESFA Small Schools Cup holders, St Mary’s College, Crosby.  The away fixture meant that the boys faced a long trip to and from the game, but the boys were in buoyant mood ready for the challenge that awaited on the opposite side of the Pennines.  

There were obvious nerves at the start of the game, the boys had done research and had some understanding of the challenge the St Mary’s team posed.  As the game got underway the Boroughbridge boys faced a barrage of attacking football but worked well together to prevent St Mary’s taking an early lead and did their best to force their way into the game.  The resilience shown was commendable but the half time score of 4-0 demonstrated the strength of the opposition that the boys were facing.  A refocus of efforts in the second half helped the team probe the St Mary’s defence and made it apparent that Boroughbridge came to compete.  Some noteworthy performances from Eaton, Godley, Burrell, Stoakes and Chapman in defence persevered against numerous attacks from St Marys forward line and performed well to limit their attacking threat.  The game ebbed away from Boroughbridge as the opposition showed their title holding credentials.  A late consolation goal from ‘Hatrick Patrick’ achieved a feat no other team since the first round had managed by scoring against the reigning champions.  The game ended 8-1 to St Mary’s but the Boroughbridge team were commended by their coach for their resilience throughout and ensuring they had to be at their best to secure the place in the final.

 Despite the result not favouring our boys, they have won plaudits from all of their opposition on their journey to the semi-final stage of the competition.  Well wishes of success had been received from previous schools’ staff in the lead up to the semi-final proving that the boys had won more than just football matches with their gameplay and personal conduct.  The standard of football that they have played to achieve the amazing feat of being the last state school in this national competition has been a joy to witness, as has the growth of teamwork and comradery within the boys.  Although there will be disappointment that they did not achieve their ambition of reaching and winning the final of this competition, the resolve to keep going and striving to achieve even more has not waived.  The boys have already shown the desire to enter the competition as they progress into Yr10, their aspiration to achieve the next level has been strengthened by this season’s exploits.  Well done boys, we are all immensely proud of you.’

Mr. Groves reports, ‘On Tuesday, a group of 8 Year 9 students attended a Rotary Schools Technology Tournament at St Aidan’s School in Harrogate where they competed against other schools from across North Yorkshire. Each team was asked to design and build a bridge from card, wooden dowel and other materials. Both teams showed excellent construction and group working skills. Although their designs were well thought out, they didn’t come away with a prize. All of the students enjoyed the experience and should be commended for their efforts. They tell me they will be choosing DT for their GCSE’s. I was proud of all of them, well done from Mr Groves!’

   Mrs. Ennis reports, ‘In History, Year 7 were tasked with creating a newspaper front page reporting on either the Peasant Revolt or Black Death. They were building on their lesson knowledge about life in medieval England. The work produced by Year 7 was outstanding, there is not enough space to display all the amazing work.’ 

Sustainability has been the focus of Mr. Scott’s assemblies this week. Having looked at the finite nature of some resources, Mr. Scott discussed the changes that we can make to utilise and conserve resources before looking at the importance of green skills for jobs of the future.

It was lovely to welcome Year 9 students and their parents and carers to Options Evening. This is always an exciting time for Year 9 as they start to make choices to personalise their Year 10 curriculum. Once we’d talked about our ambitious curriculum model, there was the opportunity to find out about individual progress made in Core subjects and to ask lots of questions about Option subjects to inform choices. This follows our Futures Week where students had the opportunity to experience new subjects along with those studied at Key Stage 3. It was a such a positive evening and we were all energised by hearing of the ambitious aspirations of so many of our young people.

We’ve been thinking of others today, raising money for Comic Relief. Alongside this, we had a number of other fundraising activities including a Bake Sale and competitions where we have, so far, raised an impressive £385. Thank you for your support.

A reminder that the Spring Term ends on Friday 27^th March when we start our Easter break.

Have a lovely weekend!