Students from Beverley Grammar School and Beverley High School Year 11 celebrated the end of a year with a leavers ball.
Held at Willerby Manor Hotel the ball was a colourful affair with Nathan Cattle and Ellie Douglas were named king and queen of the prom to the delight of 200 people.
Nathan and Ellie then danced to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing as the newly crowned King and Queen of prom.
Cave Castle Hotel was the chosen venue for the Beverley High School and Beverley Grammar School joint sixth prom.
Well over two hundred students enjoyed a prom as the class of 2013 partied one last time together.
The students were joined by a number of teachers at the stunning East Yorkshire location which was decked out with balloons and decorations.
PICTURE: Head Boy Will Clay and Head Girl Intuorn Hudson
HU17.net Magazine Issue 152 is available from Molescroft News Woodhall Way.
This week’s edition feature extensive coverage of the Beverley High School and Beverley Grammar School joint prom held at the Willerby Manor Hotel plus image from the pre prom drinks at the Bruce’s.
Also feature are the following articles that have appeared on the HU17.net;
Beverley Carnival will take place on 21st July at Beverley High School, the first event organised by the Tyas Foundation, a local charity that supports vulnerable young people in the East Riding.
Founder John Robinson, who has Whites Restaurant in the Beverley Georgian Quarter, started the charity as a wedding gift for his wife, he told HU17.net;
“At our wedding we did all the food and had a bar. Instead of having a free bar I used the money to start to start this charity.”
“My wife Liz is a primary school teacher and it seemed like a nice present to put something in place that will help youngsters in the local area.”
“This is the first ever event for us and is should be a great day for all the family. There will be a number of craft stalls, food stands and also competitions.”
“For the kids there will be a mini fun fair and plenty of demonstrations including birds of prey and chainsaw woodcarving.”
John is also hoping to find a local unsung hero to open the event, he added;
“I would like to appeal to people to nominate someone from the community to open the carnival.
“We would really like to get someone out there who has done something for others and I urge anyone who can think of such a person to contact me.”
“Most of all though I hope people come along and have a great day out with all the family and support a very good local cause.”
There are still a few stalls available for the event which takes place on the Sunday 21st July from 10am until 4pm. Entrance to the carnival is just £2 for adult and £1 for concessions.
To book a stall or to nominate a person to open the Beverley Carnival please visit http://www.tyasfoundation.co.uk
Related Links;
Sunday saw the Beverley Carnival take place at Beverley High School.
The event which was organised by John Robinson, who has Whites Restaurant used the event to raise money for Tyas Foundation, a local charity that supports vulnerable young people in the East Riding.
Beverley High School is currently running a series of informal rounders sessions on Thursday evenings from 6-7pm.
The sessions are open to everyone above the age of 16 and cost £1 per session.
All are welcome, whether or not you have played before.
Around 174 pupils from Beverley High School will today hold a carol service at Beverley Minster.
The Carol Service is the only time in the school year that all of the staff and students come together for an event.
Around 700 people are expected to pack Beverley Minster for the service this afternoon.
HU17.net Magazine Issue 176 is available from Molescroft News, Woodhall Way.
The final edition of 2013 features pictures from the Beverley High School Choir, St Mary’s Primary School, Hump The Camel, Longcroft School Presentation Evening, Florins Celebrity Launch Party, Sodexo Christmas Party and Beverley Town Football Club.
As 2013 draws to an end, I have taken a look back through the HU17.net archives to pick out some of the key moments that have occurred in our town.
January 2012 saw protesters raise their concerns over the plans to remove the Setts from Saturday Market. The snowy weather saw people take to the Westwood to enjoy some sledging fun while the Durham Ox launched their 32oz Steak. Around the town, January also saw Towie star Mario Falcone visited the Wednesday Market night spot, Casa bar and a new 24-hour shopping business Maurumarket stating up in Beverley.
Billed as the month of love February was the month that local business Crystal Tiaras & More shined at the Hull wedding Fayre. Students at Swinemoor Primary School got a visit from Hull City player James Chester. Molescroft Primary School held their annual fund-raiser at the Beverley Arms Hotel. Andrew and Rogers Optometrists also launched their new.
The sporting highlight of the month was an emphatic win by Beverley RUFC as they racked up over a hundred points in a single game.
In March, Rob Hatfield and Mark Cutting celebrated their 40h birthday, local twins Abbie and Georgie Green also marked their 18th with a party. March was also the month that a new concept in Bridal Shopping was launched in Beverley. In sport boxing coach Mike Bromby hailed for Beverley Grammar School pupil Samir Mouneimne as ‘First Class’.
During the month of April, staff and customers at Ask Italian raised over £500 for the local children’s hospital. Resident Alan Dale Voiced his concerns of the sheer volume of houses that were being proposed on Long Lane. There was good news for local schools too as Longcroft School celebrated what they called an ‘amazing turnaround’.
The Beaver Pub showed their continued support for good causes as they hosted a Open Mic night for J9 Foundation. In sport, it was all about Beverley Town as they clinched the Humber Premier League title.
May saw the ladies at DeLacy Spa went pink as they tackled run for charity, our cameras also visited the Sun Inn for one of their renowned open mic nights. There was more from the protesters too as they held further demonstrations as Save Our Setts went national. And Beverley Musical Theatre took to the stage to perform The Sound of Music.
June was without question prom season. The seniors from the joint sixth form held their proms as the class of 2013 bowed out in style. On the high street, we looked closely at a new spicy business on the market and the opening of a local family butcher in the town centre. The Rose & Crown also reopened its doors after ongoing a total refit. June was also the month that with the help of funding Beverley officially launched the Georgian Quarter and a new micro pub, Chequers opens its doors for business.
July saw Beverley Armed Forces day take place, there was also a special Beverley Hills Reunion Night held The Shed. HU17 caught up with local fashion design Lizzie Braysmith, who T-Shirts have gone down a storm. The Yorkshire Racing Festival was also in town as thousands flocked to Beverley Racecourse, which also fitted in nicely with Beverley Fashion Week. In sport, July was dominated by the Mike Gaden Football Fives that was eventually settled after a thrilling final involving Beverley Town.
August had its up and downs, there was the armed robbery at Guest & Philips that saw thieves make of with thousands of pounds worth of goods. Ladies Day was as popular as ever, and we caught up with race goers at the Kings Head Hotel. Local charity the Beverley Community Lift teamed up with retailer M&Co to hold a night of fashion. August also saw two young girls give up their time to collect massive amounts of goods and cash for the British Heart Foundation.
During September, there were great achievements for the Beverley Braves, who won their league and also the Beverley Barracudas that claimed their fourth successive championship in the pool. A local dance group finished second in the world Udo Street Championships. Former students of Longcroft School returned holding an one off concert to raise money for charity with a music night, and Aldi open its doors for business on Swinemoor Lane.
October was a colourful month, the Beverley Food Festival again proved to be a huge success. In the same month Indian chef Mahboob Raham won a national award. As the Halloween season kicked in florists Fleurs de Lisa created a head turning window display at their Toll Gavel Store.
November featured a fashion extravaganza by local boutique Mimi. It was also the month that Hull was named as the City of Culture. Rebels Smokehouse rose to the challenge raising cash for Children in Need, and Panizzi held a launch party after they reopened. The month also saw the town come to a halt as Beverley Remembered.
In December, there was a really festive feel about things, Beverley High School performed at Beverley Minster with the choir making the front cover of HU17 Magazine. Longcroft School held their annual awards recognising students for their efforts in the classroom and the community. At St Mary’s Primary School youngsters put on their version of the nativity with Humph The Camel. At Molescroft Pavilion, the Brink returned to hold a mini Christmas event involving a number of sections from our community.
May I take this opportunity to wish all the readers of HU17.net a happy and prosperous new year!
Mayor of Beverley, Cllr Martin Cox hosted a reception at Beverley Town Council to exchange gifts with a party of young Japanese Students from Takaoka and their escorts.
Takaoka, to the north west of Osaka, has a long history of friendship with Beverley, first visiting in 2000 during Cllr Neville Holgate’s mayoralty. Several Groups have since made home-stay visits hosted by willing families in Beverley.
All the girls attended Beverley High School and met “buddies” who helped them through the school timetable. The six girls also made visits to York, Hull and Leeds as well as enjoying Beverley’s unique charms. The two adult representatives of Takaoka Council similarly enjoyed football at the KC Stadium, a fund raising race night and a traditional pub quiz.
Despite adverse weather, a farewell bonfire party was well attended and highlighted the warmth of relationships established during their weeklong visit. Having filled their luggage allowance to capacity with shopping and gifts to take home, the group flew out from Humberside Airport on Thursday morning to a chorus of Sayonaras!
Beverley High School has received national recognition for the high attainment of their pupils in the 2013 GCSE examinations.
The school’s success has been recognised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust following an in-depth analysis of official Department for Education data on all state-funded schools in England.
The SSAT Educational Outcomes Award recognises that Beverley High School is within the top 20 per cent of non-selective schools nationally for high quality GCSE grades achieved by students.
It is an exceptional achievement for the school, after a challenging 2012/13 academic year. While In April 2013 the school was judged to require improvement by Ofsted, it produced exam results which rank securely in the top quartile of schools nationally.
Headteacher, Ms Sharon Japp, said,
“We are extremely pleased to receive this award. As a school we have always delivered a broad, balanced academic curriculum for our girls and are proud that this award recognises our successes across the board.
“Our 2013 results actually place us in the top 18 per cent of schools nationally for Best 8 Average Points Score. We also learned last week that based on last year’s results, under the Government’s new Progress 8 Measure, to be introduced in 2015/16, Beverley High School would have been placed in the top eight per cent of schools in the country.”
The school has been invited to receive the award at a regional celebration ceremony hosted by SSAT in Bradford in June.
Sue Williamson, Chief Executive of SSAT said:
“Beverley High School should be congratulated for their exceptional achievement. They have proved themselves to be leading the field in improving GCSE outcomes for their students. There is so much good practice that this school could share.
“These results are testament to the commitment and hard work of the students, teachers and leadership team at Beverley High School, and show what can be achieved when skilled teachers have high expectations and ambition for every young person. I am proud that this school is a member of the SSAT network.”
Councillor Julie Abraham, East Riding of Yorkshire Council portfolio holder for children, young people and education, said:
“I am pleased that Beverley High School has been recognised with this national award. It reflects the high standard of education that the school delivers and shows that the leadership team and governing body have not been daunted by challenges over the last couple of years and continue to ensure that every student can be their best.”
Mike Furbank, head of children and young people, education and schools, said:
“It is testament to the hard work and determined leadership of the school that outcomes have been delivered at a time when the school is working really hard on a number of fronts to make rapid progress towards being judged a good or better school. The sense of purpose in the school is palpable, and is driven by the needs of the students. I look forward to the outcomes of this year’s exams where I am sure we will see sustained high performance.”.
Beverley High School are celebrating after one of their pupils Hannah Wookey won the National Spelling Bee Competition in German.
Year 7 student Hannah won the coveted award at the finals that were held at Anglia Ruskin University beating off competition from a massive 60,000 entries from 63 different schools.
Now in its fourth year the National Spelling Bee Competition is to encourage students to develop strategies for learning new vocabulary in a foreign language.
Hannah speaking about winning the competition said;
“It was a really good experience as I met lots of different people and got the chance to look around Cambridge.”
“I was really shocked when I won but felt proud of what I’d done. It has also made me want to aim to go to Cambridge University in the future.”
The regional finals took place at Hull University in March. Four of students from Beverley High School were tested on a total of 150 words in front of 63 schools from all over Yorkshire and the Humber.
Hannah got through to the National Final which was held on Friday, 4th July where she had 200 words to learn.
Head teacher of Beverley High School Sharon Japp was proud of Hannah’s achievements, she said;
“Beverley High School is very proud of Hannah’s achievement in winning the national final of the German Spelling Bee competition in Cambridge last week.”
“As a Year 7 pupil she has studied German for only one year. We understand that 60,000 students entered the competition from a range of school types.”
“Our Languages department have entered Year 7 girls into the Spelling Bee competition each year since its inception, and we have had great success in the past with girls competing in the national finals.”
“But for a student to be placed first in the country is outstanding and to be celebrated. She invested a great deal of effort in learning new vocabulary, which is to be admired.”
Language teacher Julie Wilson commenting on Hannah’s success said;
“I am so impressed with the amount of time and effort that Hannah put in to learning her 200 words. “
“She was dedicated and took every opportunity to practice with me and our German assistant Sandra Duffe. The whole of Beverley High School feels proud of what she achieved.”
“I hope she continues to love languages and to get better and better at them.”
Year 11 students from Beverley High School and Beverley Grammar School came together for their end of school prom.
The Class of 2014 from each of the schools held their prom on the edge of Beverley at Lazaat Hotel where they had a meal and a disco.
HU17.net Magazine Issue 204 is available from Molescroft News, Woodhall Way.
This edition features extensive coverage of the Beverley High School, Beverley Grammar School Year 11 prom that was held at Lazaat and much more.
Many schools in the East Riding are celebrating improved GCSE results, despite national changes, which have seen a drop in results across the country.
Indications are that 60 per cent of students in East Riding schools, and academies attained the gold standard of five or more A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, this year.
Many East Riding schools are reporting significantly improved progress measures, which are used by Ofsted as the main measure to judge achievement, and a number are celebrating improvements in their top grades, despite the national dip.
Bridlington School, Beverley Grammar School, Hessle High Academy, Howden School, The Market Weighton School and Woldgate College are among those celebrating improved results.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is equally pleased that most other East Riding schools have maintained and consolidated their good outcomes this year, improving their progress measures in English and mathematics at the same time.
The results for students achieving the gold standard mark are in the table below:
Kevin Hall, the council’s director of children, families and schools, said:
“We are tremendously proud that year after year young people continue to achieve even better GCSE results in East Riding secondary schools in a wide range of qualifications.
“These impressive results are underpinned by many outstanding stories of hard work and application as well as committed teaching and support. We look forward to improving Ofsted inspection outcomes for East Riding schools building on the foundation of this year’s improved outcomes.
“We are delighted in the improvement: these results affirm our position as a local authority that aspires for and gets the best for our young people.
“The performance in the gold standard of five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, shows that key numeracy and literacy skills continue to thrive alongside other subjects, and that we have got the balance right in our secondary schools.
“We are proud of the work done by young people throughout the East Riding, with the support of their carers and families. We greatly appreciate the hard work of head teachers, teaching and support staff that has contributed to these results.
“That young people achieve this improvement against a backdrop of the very low level of funding for East Riding schools from the Department for Education is a testament to their commitment to pupils’ achievement and success.
Cllr Julie Abraham, said,
“We are delighted with the improvement that many East Riding schools have brought about this year: this is down to the hard work of young people, and their families supported by dedicated school staff.”
“The East Riding of Yorkshire Council is committed to improving East Riding Schools until we have some of the best in the country. This year’s GCSE results are a pleasing move in the right direction.”
“Together with improving A-level results last week, they show that young people in East Riding schools are achieving the success they deserve and going onto employment, education and training of their choice. This is confirmed by the above national average destination data for school and college leavers at 16 and 18 in the East Riding.”
Beverley High School held their annual Christmas Carol Concert at Beverley Minster. Around 600 people packed out the iconic Minster to enjoy an afternoon of festive music.
Beverley High School has been rated as good with some outstanding features following a recent Ofsted inspection.
Inspectors found that the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils were outstanding.
The report said: “Students make excellent progress throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 because the school has focused relentlessly on raising achievement since the last inspection. Students achieve standards that are well above average and are continuing to rise in many subjects.
“Many students make rapid progress over time, including in English and mathematics because much teaching is outstanding.
“The headteacher has provided very strong leadership in driving up standards and progress. As a result, students are prepared very well for the next stage of their education, or for training and employment.
“Student’s spiritual, moral social and cultural understanding is promoted exceptionally well through the curriculum and through daily routines.
Inspectors said the school could improve further if the students’ attitudes to learning are consistently of the highest standards, if their views are listened to and fully considered by the staff and if the school has the highest expectations of punctuality to school and takes prompt and effective action to improve it.
Beverley High School’s previous Ofsted inspection reported that the school ‘requires improvement’.
Councillor Julie Abraham, portfolio holder for children, young people and education, said: “This is a super report and an excellent outcome for the school.
“The quality reflected in this report does not happen by accident – it happens because of outstanding leadership and teaching and the hard work that has gone into Beverley High School has been acknowledged by Ofsted.
“Everyone at the school can be very proud of their achievement and look forward to taking Beverley High to the next level.”
Sharon Japp, headteacher at Beverley High School, said:
“I am delighted that Beverley High School has been recognised as outstanding by Ofsted for achievement and the quality of teaching, these are the core functions of a school.
“Students at Beverley High School receive a first class education as a result of expert teachers who really care about each individual student and the progress they make, and support them to realise their ambitions.
“Staff and students celebrated at a whole school assembly before the Easter holidays and with the help of the students’ parents, have worked their socks off to ensure outstanding achievement in recent years and everyone was justifiably proud of what the school has achieved.”
Students were commended by Ofsted for knowing the purpose of learning, behaving maturely, wanting to learn and working industriously and sixth formers were described as good role models for younger students who look up to them.
Ofsted complimented the leadership and governance of the school for knowing the school very well indeed and for being determined to continue to improve further.
Beverley High School are again celebrating after four of their pupils reached the national finals of the Spelling Bee competition.
Madeleine Austin came 1st in German and Brooke Christiansen who came 3rd in German while Freya Pritchard came 1st in French and Hannah Gouldthorpe finished 3rd in French.
All of the students who are all in year 7 will now take part in the grand final which will be held later in the year in Cambridge.
Language Teacher Julie Wilson speaking about the success told HU17.net;
“I am delighted with our students’ achievement. They worked really hard learning their spellings and did the school proud at the regional final.”
“This is the fifth year that this National Spelling Bee Competition has taken place and every year Beverley High School has got girls through to the National Finals, an achievement the languages department at Beverley High School is very proud of.”
“The aim of the competition is to encourage students to develop strategies for learning new vocabulary in a foreign language.”
“We ran round one in the autumn term for all year 7 students. Each girl was given a list of 50 words in either French or German.”
“They had to learn the translation of each word and also how to spell it using the French or German alphabet. Each student was given a minute to spell as many words in the foreign language as possible.
A challenging task and we were very impressed with their efforts.”
“Winners of the first round were given an additional 50 words and we held the whole school competition in February in the school hall in front of parents and staff.”
“Our foreign language assistants and last year’s winners were the judges. It was an exciting and tense competition with some outstanding performances in both French and German.”
“The regional finals took place at Hull University on March 27th. At the Regional Final, there were 26 schools represented from the Yorkshire and Humber region and there were 100 competitors.”
“In total, just over 7,500 pupils registered for the competition in Yorkshire and Humber with the latest figures I have for England as a whole show just over 71,000 registrations.”
“The four girls who did well at the Regional Final all getting through to the National Final which will be held in Cambridge on Friday, 3rd July where they will have 200 words to remember.”
The financial position of East Riding schools is becoming an increasingly controversial topic in the campaign leading up to the general election on 7 May 2015.
In spite of the previous Conservative Member of Parliament, Graham Stuart, holding the position of Chair of the Education Select Committee, the county’s schools are now the worst funded in the entire country receiving half the money per pupil received by the top-funded City of London authority.
The consequences of this underfunding are already being felt by staff and students as head teachers struggle in the face of schools falling £12 million into the red over the next three years.
One of the first casualties of the inevitable cuts that are likely to follow if this continues has been the librarian at the Beverley High School which only recently received a rating of ‘outstanding’ from Ofsted.
Margaret Pinder, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Beverley and Holderness, who is herself a published author of children’s books, spoke out angrily at the loss of the library, she said;
“”Books change students lives. It seems unthinkable that a school of the calibre of Beverley High School is put in a position where it has to close its library and lay off its librarian.”
“I know this decision will have been a very difficult and painful one for Head, Sharon Japp. When my daughter attended the school, she loved the library and she and the other students had a terrific relationship with the librarian there.”
“I myself donated a large number of books to the library including signed copies of my own books and I am appalled that this facility will no longer be available to the students.”
“However, faced with a choice of laying off teaching staff or cutting these vital support staff, what is responsible head teacher supposed to do?”
Speaking last month, Ms Japp, echoed the sentiments:
“Funding is very difficult in the East Riding. It means you have to look at your curriculum offer, you have to look at your class sizes, you have to look at your staffing.”
“What we want is a fair funding formula. We have been promised it for years and it has not happened. We want to be funded fairly, at the same rate as the national average – we are not asking for more than that.”
East Riding of Yorkshire Council have dismissed claims made by Margaret Pinder that the library at Beverley High School faces closure.
Headteacher Sharon Japp also confirmed this saying that the library is not closing.
A spokesman for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said;
“Beverley High School, in common with a number of schools in the East Riding, is facing budgetary constraints and consequently going through a staffing reduction process.”
Ms Pinder, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Beverley and Holderness also released a statement clarifying the position of the school library,saying;
“I am pleased to have confirmation from the school that the library facilities will still be available to the students, but would ask East Riding Council to confirm that the librarian remains in post.”
East Riding of Yorkshire Council when asked about the librarian said;
“Neither the council nor the school can comment on individual cases, as the outcome of these processes is not yet known.”
