News

Building on our excellent Sixth Form results last week we are delighted to say that our Year 11 students have also performed exceptionally, across the full range of reformed GCSE qualifications. Last year’s student progress was outstanding, in the top 10% nationally and the strongest locally. We are delighted that early analysis indicates 2019 results are even stronger and will be amongst the very best results nationally for progress and attainment.

88% of all our students passed their English GCSE, 83% of our students passed their Maths GCSE, with 80% of our students achieving a pass in both English and Maths, a superb achievement given the rigour of these qualifications.

Furthermore, 29% of all our GCSE entries were graded 7 or above, highlighting some exceptional performance across a range of academic subjects, with one-quarter of our students achieving at least 5 or more of these very best grades.

We are delighted to say that our Year 11 students have performed exceptionally well across all subject areas. Indeed 59% of the year group secured at least one grade 7/8/9/A* or Distinction*, which they should be extremely proud of.

Special mention should also be made to the 26 students who achieved 9 or more A, A*,7, 8 and 9 grade qualifications including:

At Archbishops 98 students (45% of the year group) achieved a grade higher than national performance across all of their GCSEs.

We also look forward to the Progress 8 score for this cohort which should be extremely impressive, building on the +0.53 in 2017 and +0.60 in 2018 which placed Archbishop Holgate’s in the top 10% of schools nationally.

Andrew Daly, Headteacher said: “I would like to thank all our staff, our students and their parents for their hard work and commitment to the school, which has rightly been rewarded with excellent grades for themselves but also record results for the school.”

Alexis Green-Harding Deputy Head said: “These results are a testament to all the hard work and dedication of both staff and students. As the government continues to introduce increasing rigour in GCSE standards it is really pleasing to see our students leading progress nationally.”

Hannah Turvey, Head of Year 11 said: “GCSE results day is the pinnacle of eleven years of education and it has been a joy and privilege to share the last five of those years with our Year 11 students at Archbishop Holgate’s. The diligence, resourcefulness and hard work of our students (and staff) has been reflected in their individual results and shared today with staff, students, parents and friends through tears, laughter, delight, relief and a sense of a job well done. As our students journey forward to sixth form, apprenticeships or work I hope they will take with them the school values of justice, compassion, forgiveness and trust and endeavour to make their family and community proud. We wish them every future success and all the best.”

We are delighted to say that the pattern of outstanding performance at post 16 has continued this year with another set of excellent results. We are incredibly proud of the efforts of all our students with headline figures for Year 13 including:

• An amazing 41% of all A Level grades were either A* or A.
• Over a third of all A Level students achieved all A* or A grades.
• 10% of A Level students achieved all A* grades with three students achieving four A* grades.

Miss De Lashley, Head of Sixth Form said “2019 has been another great year for our sixth form students. These results reflect hard work, commitment and a genuine desire to achieve their potential. We are delighted to have supported these young people in taking a step closer to their chosen future aspirations. The rigour of the reformed qualifications has been met with a determination to succeed. It is really pleasing to see that all of their hard work over the last two years has paid off and they have achieved excellent grades and made great progress. We are absolutely thrilled for them and we are grateful for all of their contributions to the school and local community. They have embodied the school’s values throughout their time with us and have been excellent role models. We wish all of our students the very best of luck in the future and look forward to hearing about all of their successes to come.”

Headteacher, Andrew Daly, said: “We are once again delighted to be celebrating excellent results both in terms of achievement and progress. This is especially pleasing in light of the fact that the reform of both A Level and Vocational subjects means that the academic demands of these subjects are greater than ever. These results are outstanding, with 41% of all A Level grades being A* or A, 96% of students achieving at least one grade A*- B or equivalent and 74% of entries graded at A*- B or equivalent. We are very pleased to see that the commitment and hard work of our students has been rewarded with another set of excellent results, and we are incredibly proud of all our students and wish them all the very best for their futures.”

Below is just a small selection of students who have performed outstandingly, however this list could go on and on:

James Cain: A* A* A* A*, studying Engineering at Cambridge

Alex Downing: A* A* A* A, studying English Literature at Newcastle

Lewis Field: A A Distinction* Distinction*, Business Apprenticeship

Elena Fothergill: A* A* A* A*, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford

Joseph Musson: A* A* A* Distinction*, studying Engineering at Cambridge

Maneeha Naveed: A* A* A  A*, studying Medicine at Sheffield

Maria Pattichis: A* A* A*, studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge

Rosella Pinckney: A* A* A* A, studying Natural Sciences at Durham

Erin Snowden: Distinction* Distinction* Distinction* B, Apprenticeship

Oliver Taylor: B B B Distinction*, studying Paramedic Science at Hull

Year 9 students attended a celebration event for having achieved the Archbishop of York’s Young Leaders Award. We were delighted to welcome Bishop John Thomson, Bishop of Selby, and Dan Finn, Chief Executive Officer of the Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust, to join us a special guests.

The Bishop of Selby presented the awards to those students in attendance and spoke about which leaders had been an example to him in his life, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Dan Finn unpacked what it means to LEAD. He explained that you need to Love, to set an Example, to take Action and to Dream.

We were also treated to a musical performance by the same Year 9 band that had performed at the recent Community Coffee Morning and a specially made video featuring some of our students speaking about the volunteering they had engaged in. All who attended had a very enjoyable evening.

Archbishop Holgate’s recently hosted a visit from the Abaana New Life Choir, watch the video below for highlights from their time at school. Click here to find out more about the visit and the work of the Abaana charity.

GREEN-FINGERED students at Archbishop Holgate’s School are learning about the importance of recycling and protecting the environment with the help of compost which effectively started life in their own gardens.

The school was recently gifted ten bags of Yorganics compost for use by the Year 7 and 8 Allotment Club.

The compost is made from the garden waste recycled by people in York and North Yorkshire and is peat-free and nationally accredited to the PAS100 standard – the highest possible quality standard for compost.

At Archbishop Holgate’s the children are using the compost to plant fruits and vegetables such as raspberries, strawberries, potatoes, pumpkins and cauliflowers.

Teacher Helen Clarke, who runs the Allotment Club, said: “I first came across Yorganics when I saw the bags for sale at my local household waste recycling centre and when I picked up a leaflet about the compost at Askham Bryan College, where they also use it.

“I approached Yorganics and they kindly donated ten bags of compost which we have put in the raised beds for growing fruit and vegetables.

“We’re also renovating the pond near the allotment to create a nice, quiet space for the children when the allotment club is running.

“As a geography teacher, I am very keen to get the children to think about how they are using things and the affect this has on the environment and world in general, so we’re pleased to be able to use compost which is recycled and produced locally.”

Yorganics Field Sales Executive Sam Wright said: “We are delighted to have been able to donate our compost to support the school’s allotment club and the wider work they are doing to raise awareness of the need to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste we produce

“Yorganics is the only compost produced from the garden waste of people living in North Yorkshire and City of York, so it’s nice to see the school using something which effectively could have started life in the children and teachers’ own gardens.”

Recently our school community was delighted to be able to welcome the Abaana New Life Choir to spend some time with us. Their visit proved to be a highlight of the year for many people at Archbishop Holgate’s. Abaana is a Christian based charity which invests in Children in Africa, helping them to break the chains of poverty, through education. Most of their projects are in Uganda, working in 13 locations supporting the children and parents in those communities. They have been able to build 13 schools, support churches and sponsor over 1,300 children as well as working with children on the streets and other projects. Abaana has raised over £1 million to help build schools, medical projects, water pumps and support many children in need.

For the last few months twenty children and their chaperones have been touring Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The purpose of this has been to raise funds for the ongoing work of Abaana; especially in terms of education and work with orphaned street children. The tour has also had the added benefit of raising awareness about their work too. Archbishop Holgate’s was the only concert and host venue in York, and the only school to host the choir throughout the entire tour.

The children arrived on Tuesday afternoon and then went home with school staff, who along with their families were going to host them for the next two nights. This was a really enriching experience for all involved and has led many of them to decide to become sponsors for the future education of some of the individual children. The following day the children had a busy and varied programme in school. The day started with two technology lessons. This involved creating a delicious couscous dish and making wooden pencil holders. In both cases they were ably assisted by our Sixth Form Student Leaders. Later in the day the children performed three energetic concerts for Years 7, 8 and 9. Our students were amazed at the Ugandan children’s energy and skill and were shocked to learn from the video presentation about the difficult backgrounds that they come from. At lunchtime the Student Leaders were again excellent hosts to the children; playing games with them on the school field.

After a short sleep and then an evening meal it was soon time for the main evening performance. The audience was comprised of several hundred pupils, parents and friends of the school. The evening started with two musical pieces by our own school choirs. This was then followed by a truly uplifting concert filled with beautiful singing, energetic dancing and very moving videos which spoke about the life-changing impact of Abaana’s work. A huge £1,497 was donated at the concert, and this will be boosted by an extra £260 in Gift Aid. The charity also sold several hundred pounds of merchandise and obtained 12 new child sponsors who have made an ongoing financial commitment to the work of the Abaana.

Richard Nihill, School Chaplain said: “It has been a privilege to work closely with the New Life Choir and organise their programme. Welcoming them into our community has had an enriching effect on all the pupils and staff who have encountered them in a variety of ways. Abaana’s vision of Justice and Compassion for the children of Uganda sits very well with our own school values.”

A member of school staff who hosted children from the choir said: “It was a very moving experience that has had a lasting effect on both my family and myself. I was really taken by the strength of their faith in God, and their firm belief that He would provide for them, and the way that Abaana live out the Gospel in their daily work.”

On Monday 11 March, a group of students travelled to London to join 700 children and young people from across the UK in celebration of Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey as part of a congregation of 3,000 people.

The event is the largest annual multi-faith Service in the UK and was attended by Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, senior members of the Royal Family, The Prime Minister, Commonwealth Heads of State and specially invited guests.

Richard Nihill, the schools chaplain said: “The students and I were very excited about being given this wonderful opportunity. We had an amazing day in London, meeting people from across the Commonwealth and seeing members of the Royal Family at this unique event. It surpassed all our expectations and was unforgettable.”

Before the service, the group had a guided tour of the Renaissance paintings of the National Gallery and saw some of London’s most famous sights.

The Service, broadcast live on the BBC, celebrates the unity and diversity of the modern Commonwealth and aims to foster a greater understanding of the Commonwealth’s role and achievements. This year’s theme of ‘A Connected Commonwealth’ speaks of the determination of the culturally diverse and widely dispersed family of nations to cooperate and work together in friendship and goodwill.

Attendees at the service were treated to performances from Tropical Flowers Séga Dancers, The Hertfordshire Commonwealth Choir, The Dionysus Ensemble, The Dhol Foundation, Clean Bandit, William Barton, Alfie Boe, B Positive Choir and the Choir of Westminster Abbey. The principal reflection was given by UN Patron of Oceans, Lewis Pugh.

Student Emma Beale said: “For someone who loves learning about other cultures from our own, this was a great chance to learn about some of the other countries in the commonwealth, and their religions. We had a really memorable experience and it was beautiful to see 53 countries and many religions coming together to be a ‘Connected Commonwealth’; the theme of the service”

Emma Pomfrett strongly felt that: “Of all the opportunities school has given me, none has been as exhilarating, rewarding and unique as our trip to Westminster Abbey to be a part of the congregation in the 2019 Commonwealth Service.”

Archbishop Holgate’s Head Girl Maia Garcia summed up the collective feelings of the group saying that no sooner had the service begun than it was drawing to a close: “I realised that the service was over and they were ushering everyone out, but instead of disappointment I remained elevated as we did not just attend the Commonwealth Service, we were part of it.”

Commonwealth Day is marked annually on the second Monday in March. It is a celebration of the Commonwealth’s rich diversity and an opportunity to promote understanding on global issues, international cooperation and the work of Commonwealth civil society organisations.