The Peterite 2021-22

Peterite

Day for Ukraine

Fundraising to send new minibuses full of essential aid

World-beating Swimmers

17 gold medals at the World School Swim Championships

York Book Awards

A new St Peter’s partnership celebrating books and reading

Outstanding Exam Results

The hard work of pupils and staff pays off once again

Welcome

After so much disruption in recent years, it is wonderful to introduce this latest edition of The Peterite, which looks back at a year packed with activity. Reading through the multitude of stories covering pupils’ achievements and experiences in the classroom, the sports pitches, on the stage and in their community, fills me with pride.

When I reflect on all we have done as a school, it prompts me to keep asking the simple questions, not just ‘what has happened?’ but ‘why?’ and ‘why do we choose to live our lives in community this way?’. A reasonable answer is that it happens to be fun and full of interest. A better answer is that it creates a rich and rounded experience which provides holistic development of pupils’ potential. A fundamental answer is that it sets up our pupils to make the most of all that lies ahead in life and to make a positive difference to their world.

When you consider all that is going on in the world today – war, geopolitical tension and instability, inflation and strikes not seen since the 1970s – there cannot be a higher duty for education than to equip the next generation with the skills and, crucially, values that will enable them to thrive and to show leadership in the years ahead. Skills such as those identified by the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report as being the most highly prized, including complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, creativity, social influence, emotional intelligence, resilience and an orientation towards service. Interestingly, the most recent report also highlights a shift since the pandemic from the desire to acquire technical skills in 2019 to a focus on mindfulness, gratitude and kindness.

Not that I want pupils to be always aware of the future at the expense of enjoying the here and now. School days should be happy, full of fun, and as far as possible, carefree and lived in the moment. Reading The Peterite reminds me of all the things which make St Peter’s such a sparky, joyful and happy place and I hope you will enjoy looking back on an exciting and action-packed year.

St Peter’s 2-8 Welcome

What a year we have had at St Peters 2-8! In September we welcomed the largest cohort of new starters in the school’s history, allowing us to share our inspiring teaching and learning with even more children, and a heartfelt thank you to staff and parents for all they do. I hope that you have had the chance to see our new classroom and music rooms which have already been in constant use.

Our classrooms continue to be exciting and innovative places. We have been using green screens to create films, code to manipulate robots, QR codes to complete challenges in the classroom and iPads to become authors, editing the most wonderful pieces of writing into commercial books.

As well as refreshing our curriculum content, we have continued to emphasise music with a plethora of individual lessons, concerts, and the long-awaited live return of Young Voices in Sheffield for Years 2 and 3.

It has been wonderful to return to a full programme of physical activity, a central part of the education at St Peter’s 2-8, with weekly swimming lessons, twice-weekly PE and the introduction of small-sided games and fixtures against other schools.

Our co-curricular programme continues to expand. Every day there are a number of activities, including dance, drama, sport, art, sign language, computing, film-making, baking and many more exciting ways to develop lifelong interests and hobbies for the children.

Children, staff and the whole school community have displayed incredible resilience and kindness. Staff commitment and positivity to prepare, persevere and deliver all they do in school is nothing short of astonishing and should be commended.

Jeremy Walker, Head Master

Phil Hardy, Head of St Peter’s 2-8

St Peter’s 8-13 Welcome

Finally, a year of business as usual! It was wonderful to finish the academic year with a summer term without Covid restrictions in place and things back to normal. It was great to see parents at concerts, performances and Sports Day, culminating in Speech Day in the Sports Hall with the whole school community. The York Minster choristers were also able to sing without any of the previous restrictions in place, allowing many of them the opportunity to do this for the first time. We were also able to restart our annual popular Italian ski trip for pupils and parents.

Our swimmers had much success at the first ever World School Swim Championships, winning 18 medals, on top of two individual national champions at the IAPS National Swimming Championships. There was further success with our sports teams in tournaments across all the main sports, however it the huge number of fixtures played at all levels, increasing participation, which was most pleasing.

It was a lovely surprise to open The Week magazine and see that we had been chosen as Great City Prep School in their Independent Schools Guide. Music continued to go from strength to strength, with increased numbers of children learning an instrument and playing in ensembles. We even had 147 pupils playing in a Baroque and Roll concert for parents. Walking around the school, the variety and quality of art displayed everywhere is truly remarkable.

St Peter’s 13-18 Welcome

It was an enormous relief to return to normal exams this year, and performances in A Levels and GCSEs were very strong. Congratulations to the Fifth Form and Upper Sixth who approached the return of a more normal exam season with diligence and a positive attitude.

Going outside the tramlines of the curriculum is at the heart of our approach, and the fostering of creativity and independent thinking is an integral aspect of our attitude to learning. We saw success in a new History of Art competition as well as in debating, public speaking and in several DT awards. I hope you enjoy reading about this and the very moving Makerspace Memorial Project in this edition of The Peterite. We continue to have a strong showing in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Olympiad and had our highest ever placing in the British Mathematical Olympiad. Pupil-led publications such as Keystone and Peternomics go from strength to strength.

Music is thriving and we have all enjoyed the return of live performance, with highlights including the annual choral and orchestral concert as well as a real stand-out memory of the Duke Ellington Jazz Eucharist in York Minster.

In sport, we secured a full programme of fixtures with successes in cricket, netball, swimming, rowing, tennis and rugby. It must not be overlooked that on most Saturdays well over 230 pupils represent the senior school in sporting fixtures and that broad participation is just as important. This is also seen in over 150 pupils, over a quarter of the school, singing in the School Choir.

We continue to emphasise the importance of mental health, both in providing support and offering ways to promote positive mental health. Being busy, active and having a variety of interests is one of the ways to encourage the latter, and now that we have been able to return to normal practice it feels as though we are busier than ever. Please enjoy reading all about it.

Andy Falconer, Head of St Peter’s 8-13

Jeremy Walker, Head Master

Wreath Raising the C

hildren from St Peter’s 2-8 helped to raise York Minster’s spectacular Advent Wreath at a special ceremony in the Christmas term.

Both St Peter’s School and York Minster were founded by Paulinus of York on the same site in AD 627, and we are always seeking opportunities to celebrate our shared history.

This year, we were delighted to accept an invitation for children from St Peter’s 2-8 to visit the Minster to help raise the Advent Wreath on Friday 26 November. The Advent Wreath is suspended below the Minster’s Central Tower each year to mark the beginning of the Christian festival of Advent and Christmas at York Minster.

The wreath is assembled around a vast, heavy, 3m-wide, metal ring with built-in channels to hold the water to keep the foliage fresh. The structure also features five 1m-high candle holders. The children helped Head Verger Alex Carberry to add the final four candles before watching as Alex lifted the fifth candle into its central position. Some of the candles were taller than the children!

The wreath was then hoisted into position below the Central Tower and the children were asked to shout, ‘up, up, up’ as they watched it rise with great excitement. The first candle was lit on Sunday 28 November (the first Sunday of Advent) and then on three successive Sundays, with the final candle being lit at the Christmas Day Eucharist service.

SchoolFamily

Our pupils have enjoyed returning to their much-loved Houses this year. Our House system is at the heart of pastoral care at St Peter’s School, encouraging friendly competition and a sense of belonging. The whole school family has also been welcomed back to the St Peter’s School campus, bolstered and strengthened by the challenges we collectively faced over the last couple of years.

WELLBEING

Wellbeing is practised every day at St Peter’s, and this year there has been a renewed focus on the mental health and wellbeing of staff and pupils.

Children in Year 3 can choose to be Wellbeing Champions. Their role includes being friendly and spreading happiness and kindness throughout school, as well as noticing when other children are feeling sad or worried, and offering to help. Wellbeing Champions are also assigned to a class to deliver activities for our new initiative, Wellbeing Wednesdays.

We have also launched a new Mental Health and Wellbeing group for pupils from J3 to Upper Sixth, which meets for half-termly breakfast meetings.

Our dedicated Mental Health Team held a stall during break and lunchtime on 8 October for World Mental Health Day, to raise awareness and raise funds for York Mind with a cookie sale.

We also marked Children’s Mental Health Week as a whole school community in February. Pupils of all ages learnt about The Five Ways to Wellbeing and completed daily activities throughout the week. Pupils at St Peter’s 13-18 created a kindness wall, St Peter’s 2-8 pupils made kindness jars, and pupil ambassadors at St Peter’s 8-13 created a Growing Together wall. On the Friday the whole school enjoyed a charity non-uniform day inspired by the theme Dress to Express.

Introducing Ollee

Ollee is a digital friend for children aged 8-11. It helps them explore feelings around school, family, friends and the world, and share advice with a parent or trusted adult. Children can tell Ollee how they’re feeling and it will give them ideas about what to do. Together, parents and children can share Ollee’s advice and talk about feelings together through connected accounts.

Action Jackson

Our Speech Day speaker this year was Jackson Ogunyemi, usually referred to as Action Jackson because of his boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm. He is the UK’s unofficial Ambassador for Happiness and has written two books and released a music single.

World Mental Health Day

St Peter’s Mental Health Team held a stall during break and lunchtime in Reception to mark World Mental Health Day. Staff and pupils were invited to pop by and learn about mental health and inequality. The team shared free resources, and badges and cookies were available to buy. World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year. The official theme for this year was ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’, as set by the World Federation for Mental Health. The event was a great success and the stall raised £72.42! A donation was made to mental health charity York Mind.

One Kind Word

We joined together as a school community to mark Anti-Bullying Week in November. The theme was One Kind Word, and pupils across school focused on the importance of kindness and inclusion through PSHE lessons and assemblies. Pupils at St Peter’s 8-13 created a wall of kindness to inspire us all to act and speak kindly, and pupils aged 2-18 collaborated to create a special video where they shared their favourite kind word. All pupils were also encouraged to participate in our annual Odd Socks and Shoes Day to remind us that we are all different. Please view our kindness video on our YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/lCs43icUXAI

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Our school family focused on hidden disabilities to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDWPD) in December. Pupils and staff engaged with a range of activities designed to raise awareness of often hidden disabilities including dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism, and organised a non-uniform day in aid of Mencap. Pupils at St Peter’s 8-13 had a special assembly and pupils at St Peter’s 13-18 developed their understanding in their Lessons for Life activities.

At the end of November, pupils at St Peter’s 2-8 enjoyed an assembly hosted by Commonwealth and Invictus Games Competitor, Sean Gaffney, followed by a morning of sports activities in the St Peter’s School Sports Hall.

HEALTHY INTER-HOUSE COMPETITION

St Peter’s 2-8 House Sing Children at St Peter’s 2-8 perfected their singing skills with the return of the popular House Singing competition on the final day of term. Classic Christmas songs were given a 2-8 twist, with lots of inventive lyrics and actions.

Inter-House Challenges

The annual inter-house STEM challenge returned to St Peter’s 13-18 with The Brunel Challenge. Houses each organised a team of four pupils with a mix of year groups to take part. Groups researched and planned, and were given an hour on the day, to complete the challenge. This year’s theme was Bridges. Teams had to construct a free-standing, single-span bridge for a Hot Wheels car, using wooden splints. The teams’ resources were limited, and points were scored for both the length and strength of the bridge. The most successful teams adopted a simpler, reinforced beam design, while other teams adopted ancient basket-weaving skills! The eventually winner was Queen’s, but congratulations to all who really entered into the spirit of the competition.

Tennis

We had a great afternoon of mixed-house tennis at the start of June with players from across the year groups representing their houses and displaying some excellent tennis skills. All pupils had a fantastic day, with a brilliant atmosphere and plenty of competitive spirit. Congratulations to Hope (Millie, Mitch, Ailsa, Will, Hannah and Harry) for finishing the afternoon as winners, beating Clifton 2-1 in the final. Well done to Temple and School who made the semi-finals, with Temple securing third place ahead of School (2-1).

Debating

Debating remains popular, with Inter-House competitions very well-supported along with St Peter’s variations of Just a Minute and The Unbelievable Truth.

Chess 8-13

The Inter-house Chess Competition started at the beginning of May. Congratulations to talented Elmet who combined clever strategy, tactics and instincts to win this year’s competition.

BOARDING

Ready, Camera, Action!

Our boarders were keen to participate in a new film to share the joy of being a boarder with the rest of the world. Led by Josh, Rosie, Elena and William, a cast of boarding pupils showed admirable patience as their Houses were turned into film sets. Sometimes it took multiple takes to get the perfect shot but the waiting was worthwhile when we saw the finished film. From polished scripts to perfect delivery, slick scene changes to witty asides, it is a wonderful snapshot of boarding life at St Peter’s. The boarders enjoyed a ‘world premiere’ at their annual dinner, complete with popcorn and speeches, and the film has now been widely shared on the website and social media. A huge thanks to all the pupils and staff involved.

To watch the film, head to the boarding section of our website.

Behind The

Scenes

The St Peter’s School family includes around 400 full and part-time staff in both teaching and support roles. We are immensely grateful for everything our teaching and support staff do to ensure the smooth running of our school.

In this edition of The Peterite we celebrate the work of our brilliant Grounds Team, who brave the elements – and the changeable Yorkshire weather – to maintain our extensive 47-acre campus.

A Day in the Life of the Grounds Team

Hello to Head of Grounds and Gardens Mark Hillaby who has worked at St Peter’s since 2018.

What other jobs and experience have you had before St Peter’s?

I’ve been involved in groundsmanship from a very early age, helping my father when he was Head Groundsman in Hull. My career started in Hull, leaving school and working for the Humberside Police Sports Club as an Assistant Groundsman. At the age of 21 I got my first Head Groundsman job at another local sports ground. In 1990 I moved down to London for 13 years working at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon. Leaving Wimbledon in 2002, I started in the independent school sector, heading up grounds and gardens departments at Uppingham, Pocklington, Repton and Wakefield Grammar, until finally settling at St Peter’s in 2018.

Tell us a bit about your job

I head up the St Peters Grounds and Gardens team, made up of five members of staff which look after the school’s 47 acres of outside green spaces, including tree and hedgerow management. The team is made of George, Assistant Head; Gavin, Head Gardener; Luke, Assistant Gardener; and Groundspersons Ryan and Callum, a new starter. We’re a great team! The role is quite varied and is largely influenced by the school term’s seasonal requirements and of course the weather. I am a hands-on manager so one minute I could be mowing a cricket wicket and the next sat behind a computer or attending meetings.

What are the best parts of your job?

When everything is running correctly and we as a team can look out over the grounds and gardens and see the fruits of our labour – it’s a massively satisfying job.

Is there anything you don’t enjoy about your job?

Rain – unless we are having a drought!

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you at St Peter’s?

The Estates Team as a whole is such a great bunch. Stories and conversations in the mess room at break times can be comedy gold. Probably best if I don’t give specific examples!

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

Myself and my partner Janet recently moved closer to York so we are currently working on our bungalow which takes up most of my spare time (and money). I also enjoy relaxing and walking our two dachshunds, Dexter and Scooby.

…and a Fond Farewell to Gordon Gatenby who Retired after 34 Years

In October, we said farewell to Gordon Gatenby, a much-loved and long-standing Groundsman at our school, who started here in 1985. Teaching and support staff gathered in the Dining Room to say goodbye in September, and Mr Walker delivered a speech in honour of Gordon’s retirement. Gordon first worked at St Peter’s in 1985 as a member of the grounds staff. He left for five months to go back to butchery, but as he said, ‘I wasn’t cut out for it’. He then returned to work in school in 1987, initially as a General Labourer, member of the Grounds Team and more recently as a Groundsman. This marks an incredible length of service of over 30 years for which we thank him. Gordon was a hard-working, trusted and truly valued colleague who will be greatly missed. We wish him all the best for the future, and a long and happy retirement.

360 Virtual Tour

This year we launched a new 360 virtual tour of our St Peter’s School campus. We hope the tour will inspire prospective families to visit St Peter’s School, while also giving members of the school community across the globe the opportunity to see how our campus has evolved and developed in recent years. The tour includes 45 separate information points and features St Peter’s 2-8, St Peter’s 8-13 and St Peter’s 13-18, as well as shared facilities including the Chapel and the Memorial Hall. Please explore our site at: www.stpetersyork.org.uk/admissions/virtual-tour

Our Community

St Peter’s School has been at the heart of York for almost 1,400 years and we are proud to support our local community. Each year we develop key partnerships with local organisations and raise money for local charities through pupil-led fundraising initiatives and campaigns.

European Day of Languages Bake Sale

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the European Day of Languages 2021, and to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support, the Modern Foreign Language Department hosted a European and Language themed bake-off competition in September. Entry was open to all pupils at St Peter’s 13-18 and the best bakes received a prize. The bake sale raised £235 which will go towards supporting people living with cancer.

Public Lecture Series and York Literature Festival Returned

It has been wonderful to welcome a number of fascinating, high-profile speakers back to St Peter’s for our ever-popular Public Lecture Series. In October we enjoyed an engaging talk from Dr Erica McAlister about the wonderful world of flies, followed by an entertaining talk by historian Greg Jenner in November, who spoke about his new book ‘Ask a Historian – 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know’. In June 2022, esteemed author Tessa Dunlop discussed her book, Army Girls, with former WWII ATS Corporal and Driver Barbara Weatherill. Tessa’s book captures remarkable stories from the last surviving veterans who served in Britain’s female army, bringing to life a pivotal moment in British history.

We also hosted a series of well-attended events with York Literature Festival this year, the first time since 2019. The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid restrictions but returned in 2022 from March 18-27 with a fantastic programme of talks, six of which were hosted by St Peter’s School. High-calibre speakers included author Sarah Maine, Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen, journalists Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnott, activist and politician Magid Magid, author and journalist Simon Jenkins, and celebrated Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, to name a few.

Children’s Heart Surgery Fund Donation

Children from St Peter’s 2-8 made a special donation to the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund at Christmas. The children chose the charity after it was nominated by Sophie, whose cousin was helped by them. Sophie wanted to make a difference by donating gifts and toys to bring joy to the lives of children staying in the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit at Christmas. The children made bespoke gift bags with sweets and craft materials for children supported by the charity. Each gift bag also contained a special QR code, linked to a video made by the children at St Peter’s 2-8. In the videos, the children explained how to complete a simple craft activity using the materials provided in the gift bag. The St Peter’s 2-8 community also collected new toys for the fund. Sophie, her friends and the St Peter’s 2-8 House Captains delivered the gift bags and toys to Children’s Heart Surgery Fund’s offices in Leeds in early December.

Children’s Heart Foundation

In June, Lisa Williams from the Children’s Heart Foundation visited St Peter’s 2-8 with Katie Bear to receive a cheque from the school for £5500, all funds raised throughout the year. This charity was also proposed by Sophia in Year 3 after she found out about the charity through her cousin, who was supported by the Children’s Heart Foundation when he was going through surgery and who came to the assembly with his family.

Maths Masterclass

We welcomed Year 6 pupils from nine local primary schools to St Peter’s 8-13 on a Saturday in mid-March for our first Maths event in two years! The much anticipated annual 8-13 Maths Masterclass focused on two sequences. The pupils extended their knowledge on sequences such as Pascal’s Triangle and the Fibonacci Sequence. The children collaborated, developed their mathematical vocabulary, showed great resilience when challenged, and developed their predictions and problem-solving skills. Thank you to all who came; it was a great morning of fun investigation.

York ISSP

It was wonderful to have ISSP events in person again this year, after being online due to Covid. We hosted two events for Year 7 and 8 pupils across York to find out what ISSP is all about, and to debate the Greatest Breakthrough in History.

Many of our pupils logged into the wide variety of online ISSP lectures offered throughout the year, including one led by our very own Andy Parr. We continued to host GCSE classes in Latin and Astronomy for pupils from across the city, with consistently excellent take-up for the classes. The masterclasses were back in full swing again in March with pupils able to choose lessons in Classics, Textiles, Literary Criticism and Maths. A number of pupils and staff also took part in the ISSP Summer School held at Manor School at the end of July, which was well attended and another great success.

Clif-Fest!

In July, St Peter’s 2-8 enjoyed a Summer Fair, Clif-Fest. It was incredibly well attended and children had a wonderful time taking part in many activities including a birds of prey display, zorbing and a mass tug of war. Huge thanks to all who attended, and to the volunteers who ran the stalls, cooked on the BBQ, ran the bar and café and helped to set up and clear away. It was such a brilliant effort by all and a joyful day to remember.

Cross Keys Junior Choir

This year we launched a new community choir for children aged 6-12, in collaboration with York Minster, which is still going strong. The Cross Keys Junior Choir is free to attend and held in our Chapel on Saturday mornings, during term time. The choir is hosted by Holly Craven, Director of Music at St Peter’s 8-13. Over 30 children have joined the choir since it was launched in November 2021.

In June, the choir had its inaugural concert at the Lady Chapel in York Minster. Friends, family and visitors were treated to wonderful renditions of Benjamin Britten’s melancholy Old Abram Brown and the lively Pirate for a Day by Roger Emerson. The choir is a collaboration between St Peter’s 8-13 Music Department and York Minster. New members are very welcome with regular concerts both in our chapel and at York Minster.

8-13’s Kind Pupil Ambassadors

Pupil Ambassadors wrote welcome postcards to children coming to York through the York City of Sanctuary programme – which aims to settle those who find themselves unable to return to their country of origin – and supported the charity by collecting stationery and books to donate to children when they arrive.

8-13 Music Outreach

The 8-13 music department enjoyed taking two of our musical ensembles to Burton Green Primary School to play music and engage with pupils. After performing mini concerts, our friendly pupils then talked about their different musical instruments and demonstrated how to play them.

Our

World

Our aim is to develop rounded young men and women, who value themselves, each other and the world around them. We encourage our pupils to take an active interest in the world beyond school, from the environment and climate change to global conflicts and diverse cultures.

Growing in Confidence

The Eco Club at St Peter’s 8-13 has gone from strength to strength, with the new raised beds a great success. The vegetable plots were skillfully built by our gardening team and kindly paid for by the Friends of St Peter’s 8-13. After the summer holidays, children returned to find giant 12-foot-tall sunflowers and a bountiful supply of marrows, carefully nurtured by Mr Sewill and our fabulous cleaners over the summer. The children also grew daffodils for Mother’s Day and created worm hotels for worms they found living in the eco beds.

Yorkits

St Peter’s School pupils teamed up with Rotary-run project Yorkits, to create washable, reusable, eco-friendly feminine hygiene kits for girls in developing countries. At the end of November, pupils from St Peter’s 13-18 welcomed Yorkits volunteers to their weekly after-school club, called Makerspace, in the Design and Technology Department. The visitors from Yorkits showed pupils how to use sewing machines and brightly coloured materials to make the hygiene kits as part of their Keeping Girls in Education campaign. These essential, low-cost, cleverly designed feminine hygiene kits are distributed to girls across the globe, and a kit can typically last each girl up to three years.

Respecting our World

The School Council at St Peter’s 2-8 taught their friends about the importance of recycling. They visited different classes throughout the school, and even led their own school assembly. Each member of the School Council explained how each one of us can play our part to help in this mission and showed their own short film on the topic of the environment.

Lord Mayor of York meets the School Council

In October, the children invited The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of York and Lady Mayoress to visit St Peter’s 2-8 to take part in our School Council. The Lord Mayor answered questions from the children and explained his work in the City of York. We discovered that there are quite a few similarities between the roles and processes, for example how our pupils were elected by their class to help make positive changes in school, and how the Lord Mayor does this for the York community.

Appley Ever After

St Peter’s 8-13 was delighted to receive the delivery of 10 apple trees from the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers as part of the Treebilee project for the Queen’s Green Canopy. This unique tree-planting initiative was created to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022, marking 70 years of service to the nation, and invited people from across the UK to Plant a Tree for the Jubilee. The 10 apple trees were kindly donated by Bea, Eliza and Thea’s grandparents and the girls, alongside the school Eco Club, planted the trees on the grounds of St Peter’s 8-13. Swithun Sewill, Head of St Peter’s 8-13 Eco Club, said that planting trees is an act of hope for the future and he is looking forward to picking apples with the children. The planting of these new trees will be a great benefit to people, wildlife and the environment now and for future generations.

The Eco Club at St Peter’s 13-18 also enjoyed planting trees on the school campus in the Easter term. Thirteen pupils received a demonstration from the school’s gardeners, before planting 26 trees in the Paddock at the southern end of the St Peter’s School campus. They planted a diverse range of trees including wild cherry, rowan, and silver birch.

Eco Schools Green Flag

St Peter’s was delighted to be awarded an Eco-Schools Green Flag this year. The award is internationally recognised and acknowledges the achievements of both the Eco Club and Eco Committee at St Peter’s 13-18. To achieve the flag, pupils carried out an audit of the school’s environmental footprint and targeted areas for improvement. Hardworking pupils set up a recycling scheme with Terracycle, encouraged a switch to refillable water bottles, built bird boxes, and took part in a beach clean. Mrs Hall, who co-ordinates the Eco Club at St Peter’s 13-18, said: “I am very proud of all the pupils who took part in achieving the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm our pupils have for creating a responsible and sustainable future.”

Holi Festival

Pupils at St Peter’s 2-8 had a wonderful time celebrating Holi in mid-March. Holi, an annual Hindu Festival, marks the arrival of Spring and is traditionally celebrated through colour and the throwing of brightly coloured paint. The children carefully painted their faces with powder paint before the paint throwing began! Teachers and children wore white t-shirts to showcase the rainbow of paint colurs, and children enjoyed chasing their friends around the cricket pitch with cups of powder paint. It was a fantastic way to celebrate Holi which symbolises love, joy, happiness, and new life.

Diversity Week 2022

The whole school celebrated Diversity Week in July. Pupils spent time in class and PSHE lessons discussing different aspects of diversity. There were also visiting speakers, displays, pupil-led activities and competitions. A huge thanks to all of the members of our pupil DEI groups who made this happen.

Celebrating Diwali

St Peter’s 2-8 heard all about Diwali in an assembly led by two of our parents, Dr Jagannath and Dr Airody. Dr Airody explained that Diwali is known as ‘The festival of Lights’ and although it originated in India, it is now widely celebrated across the world. The children were captivated as Dr Airody told the story of Rama and Sita and how Diwali marked their return. Celebrated over five days, the first three are Diwali, the fourth is a celebration of the New Year and the fifth and final day is Bhai Dooj, a celebration of love between siblings.

Yoga and Meditation

In May, St Peter’s 2-8 started the week with a relaxing and enjoyable meditation/yoga session. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and also had the opportunity to see some different Indian instruments and artefacts.

Bursting with Pride

At the end of June, the whole school celebrated diversity in Pride month. St Peter’s 2-8 talked about how everyone is important, wore multi-coloured clothes and decorated rainbows. In St Peter’s 8-13 there was a fundraising non-uniform day (wearing the vibrant colours of the Progress Flag) as part of School Diversity Week, and in St Peter’s 13-18 pupils created a celebratory display in the school reception area.

World Challenge – Discovering Belize World Challenge Expeditions focus on leadership, resilience, teamwork, conservation and sustainability. Our Easter expedition with the Lower Sixth took us to wonderful Belize, a nation on the eastern coast of Central America, with Caribbean Sea shorelines to the east and dense jungle to the west.

After a couple of days in San Ignacio we headed off as two teams to start our adventure. The Ya’axché Conservation Project was created so that communities can use their natural resources sustainably to continue to serve them and future generations. We visited an ecofarm to learn about the relationship between farming and conservation. We met community members and immersed ourselves in cultural activities, supporting our hosts in their tourism programmes. We learnt to cook traditional Mayan dishes and how chocolate is made from cacao beans, and made local handicrafts like jippi-jappa baskets. We worked in Ya’axche’s nursery to learn about their reforestation programme and the importance of trees in tackling climate change. Our time with Ya’axché gave us an insight and respect for how local communities address deforestation, food security and the impact of climate change.

The trek phase of our trip took place at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. This reserve was established to help protect the endangered Jaguar and other species native to Belize. We saw visible signs of recent Jaguar activity, but these fascinating animals are masters of stealth, and their existence is based on seeing but not being seen. We spent three days trekking on the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains and river tubing along the South Stann Creek. Days and nights were hot and humid. Our teams cooked up various camp meals with porridge for breakfast and pasta and tomatoes for supper. We visited an Iguana sanctuary and Mayan ruins, before taking in the beauty of Belize away from the trek and the project. More tubing took place in St Herman’s Cave. We also had a swim in the Inland Blue Hole, a memorable sapphire-coloured sinkhole surrounded by jungle vegetation and limestone rock walls.

A couple of nights stay in Hopkins, a Garifuna fishing village located eight miles from Dangriga, on the Southern Highway, was a chance to relax, swim and snorkel on Belize’s Barrier Reef. The reef is rich in marine life and dotted with hundreds of low-lying islands called cayes.

Our Lower Sixth proved they were intrepid and willing to explore a country steeped in natural beauty, culture, history and wildlife. We met very few other travellers, which made the country feel somehow undiscovered, but we did meet some incredibly kind and generous local people. I would like to thank Miguel our Nursery Technician and Miss Linda, our Cook at Ya’axché, as well as many others who made our trip an incredible, unforgettable adventure.

Jon Whitehouse

World Challenge – Beautiful Borneo

Deep within the Tropics is a place where orangutans swing through ancient rainforests, and hornbills fly past the highest peak in Southeast Asia. The third-biggest island in the world, Borneo, is divided between Indonesia, Brunei and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak – which is where our amazing adventures began.

We flew into Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. After a couple of nights at the Toojou Social Hostel, meeting other World Challenge teams, we travelled the bumpy highways of Borneo to the Sukau Eco-Tourism Centre, on the Kinabatangan River, and settled into our lodge.

Our key focus for the three days of this summer expedition was the conservation of the natural environment around the river, to help protect its unique biodiversity as the home of many resident proboscis monkeys, hornbills and varied species of flora and fauna.

Littering is sadly still a widespread practice so we spent a good proportion of the three days on a river clean-up, catching plastic bottles and other rubbish in our nets. With help from Lee, our local guide, we felt confident our work had made the river that little bit cleaner.

Before our trek we visited the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre. These important facilities provide medical care for orphaned and confiscated orangutans, sun bears and dozens of other wildlife species. The creation of these centres minimises the impact of deforestation on orangutans and far fewer young apes become the victim of the illegal pet trade as a result.

From Sepilok we travelled to the Guas Nabalu homestay, our base for a night before setting off for our jungle trek. We had an afternoon in the community, visiting a bee farm and local coffee producer. Next morning, we set off on our trek, following farmers’ tracks through the jungle and climbing up a valley in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu.

Nuluh Limgion Camp was our first stop, made up of covered shelters, with platforms to lay out our sleeping gear. From there we moved on to Hayo-Hayo Camp. We were treated to tasty local food by our trek team and enjoyed the new experience of sleeping in hammocks. On our return to Guas Nabalu we enjoyed a delightful cultural dance and music performance by the local children and their elders.

Our return to Kota Kinabalu gave us time to enjoy a trip to Dinawan Island, including time on the beach and snorkelling. A few hours back in the city gave us a chance to see the City Mosque and Pu Tuo Si Buddhist Temple.

So, what have we learnt? A trip with World Challenge can open our eyes to the negative human impact on our environment and inspire us to make a change, person by person. Equally it can be an opportunity to absorb everything an adventure can teach us about the world and our place and responsibility within it.

Jon Whitehouse

Day for

Ukraine

St Peter’s organised a Day for Ukraine on Wednesday 23 March, with staff and pupils of all ages wearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag. The school community organised a non-uniform day to raise funds for those displaced by the conflict. Each pupil donated £1, and with additional parental donations over £2500 was raised.

St Peter’s also collected essential items including blankets, toiletries, first aid kits, nappies and baby milk formula to be transported to Ukrainian refugees to provide practical help where it was most needed.

Head Master Jeremy Walker said: “The whole school community has come together in solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine. The response from everyone here – from the youngest pupils to the oldest, parents, staff and alumni – comes straight from the heart, and we hope and pray for a peaceful resolution.”

St Peter’s raises £12k for Ukrainian Minibuses: our thanks to the drivers

At the start of the Ukrainian conflict, St Peter’s School community decided that all fundraising in Chapel should be given to the Red Cross to assist its work in Ukraine and to local charities taking supplies out to those who have been displaced by the conflict.

St Peter’s raised over £12,000 by the end of April and purchased three minibuses for Canoe for Ukraine, a York-based charity run by inspirational Stevie Pep which has been supporting people on the Polish border and helping those who wish to leave Ukraine. The buses were purchased, kitted out in the company’s garage, and then filled with goods before being sent out. The original appeal was to raise £4000 to buy one minibus which was achieved within 72 hours. In mid-May, the drivers from Canoe for Ukraine came into school and loaded up the buses with donations of items such as nappies, baby milk formula, toiletries, medical kits and warm blankets. Pupils gathered to wave the buses off and the three minibuses left for Poland and Ukraine.

Reverend Daniel Jones, who coordinated the appeal, said: “I express my deepest thanks to those who took the time to drive out to Ukraine on our behalf: it was fantastic to see the three minibuses that we bought made it safely to the border and are now being used to save lives. I also want to thank all of you who contributed to our collections and made St Peter’s part of something so important. The convoy is now safely back in Britain, minus the minibuses, which have been left out in Ukraine to continue their important work.”

When Stevie and the team from Canoe for Ukraine arrived in Przemyśl they shared this story: “We witnessed the desperate need for food aid and clothes in the small town of Czeladź. It was an immense privilege to be able to help a mother and her family who came to the centre to fill their bags with simple life-saving foods. Watching and helping her go through the boxes of clothes to find specific items was heartbreaking, yet at the same time inspiring, as she showed such strength of character.

“It just goes to show how important our fundraising campaign has been and a humbling reminder that sometimes you can do much to help if you act quickly.”

Key Moments

Sunflower Power: St Peter’s 2-8 raise funds to welcome Ukrainian refugees to York

We are so proud of Kate in St Peter’s 2-8 who showed compassion and entrepreneurship by selling sunflower seeds to raise money for the new Sunflowers Kids Club – a nurturing space for Ukrainian refugee children and young people aged 0-17 to support their mental health and wellbeing. The kids club supports Ukrainian children with language skills and helps them to settle in York. Ukrainian teachers and psychologists are part of the staff team after disrupted lives have led to disrupted education. St Peter’s School supported this worthy cause by appealing to our community for donations for the club’s wishlist and offering school minibuses to take children on trips. Kate, alongside Hamish and Nina, proudly presented the nearly £100 raised from sunflower seed sales.

Kate, 7, said: “I was planting sunflowers in my garden, and I thought it was a good idea to have a school competition as sunflowers are the symbol of Ukraine and face the sun and wobble.”

Phil Hardy added: “This is an essential club providing a safe space for children and young people who may have experienced trauma, with an uncertain future, and we are delighted to support it. Our pupils never fail to amaze me. I am incredibly proud of Kate on the student council who thought of this lovely idea and raised funds so quickly.”

Lina Henderson, Sunflowers Kids Club Founder, explained: “We are so excited to open our doors to children and young people who have faced such challenges and trauma. We offer therapy but also practical skills, like learning English quickly and cultural information. We are also a space for women who have had no choice but to leave their men behind, or are grieving, to support each other.”

To donate or visit please visit www.sunflowersinyork.org

Isla’s Song for Ukraine

Talented young songwriter Isla from St Peter’s 8-13 wrote a powerful song inspired by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and raised over £500 in the process. Eleven-year-old Isla wrote Nightingale Song for the people of Ukraine after hearing about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the news. Isla completed the composition in just two days, with one day of songwriting and another in production. Isla sang the song herself and played the piano for the recording, before using Soundtrap to add the violin part which completes the composition. Isla said: “I was inspired by Ukrainian people standing up for what they believe in. I find this powerful; they are an inspiration to me and to us all. I also wrote the song to comfort Ukrainian people who are suffering because of the war.” Isla hopes to raise as much money as possible for the UNICEF UK Ukrainian Appeal through the sale of her moving song. You can still buy the song on iTunes for 79p, with all proceeds going towards the appeal.

Learning 2-8

Our thematic approach to learning at St Peter’s 2-8 gives each class a new, exciting theme every term, chosen to inspire and motivate our younger pupils and feed their imaginations. Throughout the term the teachers let the children’s curiosity lead the way.

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside...

Year 1 enjoyed an exciting trip to Whitby Museum and Runswick Bay to begin the autumn term. They were greeted by a beautiful beach and sunshine, and had lots of fun making sandcastles, paddling in the sea, fossil hunting and digging in the sand. The visit was inspired by their themed text for the autumn term, Fortunately, the Milk, by Neil Gaiman, a story which features a time-travelling stegosaurus, aliens, vampires, dinosaur police and the Queen of the Pirates. The children explored the fossil and shipping wings of the Museum and even found a pirate ship in the playground! Throughout the term, the children also

learnt how to make dinosaur poo as part of their topic on animal diets, discovered how to write like a pirate, and created dinosaur fact files.

Ye Olde York

Year 2 travelled back in time in to explore the origins of the historic city of York. They learnt about everyday life for the people who lived in and ruled the city, from the Romans and Vikings to the Georgians and Victorians. They used architecture and artefacts to inform their learning and visited lots of interesting landmarks including York Minster and York City Walls. The highlights of the term were a celebratory Roman banquet and an extravagant Georgian

Ball, both organised by the children. The banquet included Roman honey biscuits, made by the children, along with olives, cheese, grapes, pitta breads, honey, dates, figs and olive oil, and to wash it down was a delicious ‘red wine’ (blackcurrant juice). Alas, there were no roasted dormice or flamingo tongues! The children designed their own costumes for the banquet and the ball and enjoyed singing and dancing.

Georgians in York

Year 2 visited York Mansion House as part of their Ye Olde York theme, investigating the Georgians in York. They were given a tour of this impressive building by the Lord and Lady Mayoress and thanked them for their welcome and hospitality.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Year 3 visited Murton Park as part of their Narnia topic, inspired by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. To get an idea of what it would have been like for children in Britain during the Second World War, the children went to Murton Park to experience first-hand life on the Home Front. They even dressed as evacuees! It was a fantastic day, but it didn’t stop there. At Forest School, pupils explored woodland, finding fascinating insects and plants as well climbing trees and making dens, just like evacuees would have done when they arrived in the countryside.

They also created their own amazing propaganda posters to help persuade wartime Britain to Make Do and Mend and Dig for Victory. Year 3 also worked in teams to make their own model Anderson Shelters and bake rock cakes with rationing in mind.

Geography in Action

In March, one of our parents, Mr Carrotte, gave a fabulous assembly about his recent month-long expedition to the Antarctic. The children were completely captivated as he explained how he formed an expedition team, along with seven others, in celebration of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expeditions. During the trip, Mr Carrotte and his team skied, climbed and conducted scientific experiments. We discovered how much equipment was needed for an expedition, which included warm clothing, food, skis, sledge, tent, sleeping bag, climbing harness, helmet, goggles, a solar panel to charge phones and batteries, and a small satellite dish to communicate with people.

National Poetry Day

For National Poetry Day, St Peter’s 2-8 focused on global warming and how our choices affect the environment. Children explored the poem The Story of Squiddly Diddly and thought carefully about the importance of marine conservation. The children enjoyed performing the poem

to their class and created a whole-school performance. The poem also inspired the children to upcycle their plastic bottles from home into artwork. The children wrote lots of poems in different styles, related to their themes, including haikus, kenning and acrostic poetry.

The Magic Faraway Tree

Year 1’s theme for Easter term was The Magic Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton. The children enjoyed fun adventures in the lands at the top of the magic tree, including a special Bushcraft workshop. They learnt how to build shelters, create campfires by using flint and bake chocolate bread, and were taught survival skills including the Rule of Three – that a human can survive for three weeks without food, three days without water and three minutes without air. They also explored philosophical questions and key concepts linked to their seven school values, such as: What does it mean to be kind? Do our actions have consequences? and Can dreams come true?

Alice in Wonderland

Year 2 had a wonderful time exploring their themed text Alice in Wonderland in the Easter term. This began with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in Forest School, where the children met a White Rabbit who twitched his whiskers and introduced their new book. They also visited Northwood Trail Fairy Sanctuary and the Fairy Museum in the hope of meeting some magical creatures!

Throughout the term, children wrote their own adventure stories, made special potions, learnt how to tell the time, developed their illustration skills, discovered new plants and animals, and planned their very own Wonderland Garden Party in Forest School. They also prepared sandwiches, jam tarts and even made their own lunchboxes. The children played garden games and the forest was draped with bunting that they made themselves. Smiles the size of the Cheshire Cat’s grin could be seen all around!

The Last Bear

Year 3 learnt about the impact of climate change in the Easter term, with topics inspired by their class text, The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold. The children explored the Arctic Circle using maps, and discovered which animals live in the Arctic and how they have adapted to their surroundings. They also investigated the impact of climate change on the Arctic and the animals that live there, learnt about the traditional Inuit way of life, and encountered famous explorers who have visited the Arctic. In addition, they visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park to investigate polar bears with a workshop from a polar bear expert! Did you know that a polar bear’s fur is actually clear, not white?

World Book Day

Children and staff at St Peter’s 2-8 celebrated World Book Day in March, inspired by this year’s theme, You Are a Reader. St Peter’s 2-8 enjoyed a nonuniform day and staff and children were encouraged to dress up in Recycle, Reuse and Create themed costumes inspired by their favourite book. The children also participated in the I Am a Reader photo competition by having their photo taken reading in the most unusual places they could find. We saw children on a camel, in a chicken coop and on top of a tractor wheel! Ms Veasey, drama teacher at St Peter’s 8-13, led workshops all week and the children thoroughly enjoyed acting out different scenes from their favourite books.

Fishy Goings On!

Year 1 children arrived back to school after Easter to discover their new learning environments inspired by the sea and the book, Manfish: A Story of Jacques

Cousteau. The children designed and created a waterproof outfit, invented their own deep-sea creatures, played Fish Guess Who! and wrote down funny adjectives to describe some truly unique fish.

The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales Term certainly started with a splash for Year 2! As part of their big reveal, Year 2 were put through their paces with diving and swimming activities to complete their Explorer Training inspired by their story, The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales. The children loved using their goggles and snorkels and designing their own Secret Explorer badges.

Around the World in 80 Days

Year 3 children were whisked off on an exciting adventure, around the world in 80 days. They dived straight into looking at other countries across the globe and finding rhyming words to write their very own poems in the style of Pie Corbett’s A Chance in France. They carried out research and used Google Earth to study the planet and discovered some interesting facts. Did you know that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in water? This inspired the children to create their own planet earth using balloons and paper maché.

Shark Fest

Children came to school dressed as their favourite Shark for Shark-Fest! Outfits were very creative (and a little scary at times) with shark-sharp teeth only softened by huge, excited smiles. Throughout the festival, the children had lots of fun playing games, attending a trash bang workshop and jumping on giant inflatables, with icecream treats to finish. A truly fun afternoon and fantastic way to end our shark theme!

Learning 8-13

At St Peter’s 8-13 our Learning Habits and Growth Mindset are still at the forefront of what we do, with a focus on learning from mistakes in order to overcome challenges. Our wonderful pupils showed great resilience during the pandemic and are now building on these valuable skills of independent working, teamwork and collaboration. The result is robust, rounded young people, ready to make a difference both at school and in society.

IT Skills for the Future

In February, J2 developed their IT skills using breadboards to prototype, and J3 made their own games controllers and created fantastic IT presentations as part of their climate change and sustainable energy resources studies.

In November, ten of our J5s took part in the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls Competition. Congratulations to all who took part and put their coding skills to the test!

J5s win Faraday Challenge

Six J5 pupils participated in the Faraday Challenge at Ampleforth College. The Institution of Engineering and

Technology’s Faraday Challenge Days give pupils the opportunity to research, design and make prototype solutions to genuinely tough engineering problems. They enable young pupils to experience working as an engineer for a day and show the benefits of careers within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed applying their Physics and DT knowledge to their problem-solving tasks, and enthusiastically pitched their prototype while adhering to the success criteria. They impressed the judge and shocked themselves by winning the task! Well done to Clara, Will, Ben, Amber, Lizzy and Chris; you made Ms Green-Harding very proud!

Alex gets Gold in the Primary Mathematics Challenge

Alex, in J3, won a prestigious Gold Award in the national Primary Mathematics Challenge Bonus Round. The Primary Mathematics Challenge is aimed at pupils aged 9-11 and aims to boost confidence in Maths, while helping children to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills. The Primary Mathematics Challenge paper includes 25 challenging Maths puzzles to complete in just 45 minutes. The highest-scoring pupils, including Alex, then took part in the Primary Mathematics Challenge bonus round, which sees pupils competing on a worldwide level. Alex completed the bonus round paper in school last month and received a Gold Award after achieving a phenomenal result. Alex received his award in assembly from Mr Falconer at the end of March. Sally-Jane Fell, KS2 Maths Coordinator at St Peter’s 8-13, said: “Alex was thrilled to take part in this challenging and engaging national

problem-solving challenge. His passion is most definitely numbers.” Alex said: “I really enjoyed it but couldn’t help being cross about mistakes I made. However, I’ve now learnt more from looking at why I got them wrong.”

St Peter’s 8-13 Make It Count

Congratulations to all pupils who took part in the UKMT Junior Maths Competition in early May. This national competition encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

All of J1 sat the national First Maths Challenge (FMC) Competition, a 20-question multiple-choice problems paper. It was wonderful that all pupils achieved a certificate with Bertie gaining a perfect score, and eight others achieving a high Gold Award. Well done to our pupils who so enjoyed their first taste of competitive Maths at St Peter’s!

Junior Maths Kangaroo is another hourlong paper similar to the JMC but even more challenging. Entry to the challenge is by invitation only and is based on a qualifying score, which varies from year to year. Congratulations to Edward, William G, Sophie, William X, Ansh, Naomi and Hannah who all qualified, and Alex who qualified for the Junior Maths Olympiad…

…Alex Knows his Numbers

Alex in J3 qualified for the Junior Maths Olympiad after achieving a fantastic qualifying score in the Junior Maths Challenge. The Olympiad is designed to stretch high-attaining young people and takes the form of a two-hour challenge consisting of 16 problems. Alex performed exceptionally well, scoring full marks for three of his written solutions in section B. Alex’s excellent result means he secured a Certificate of Distinction, only presented to the top-scoring 25% of participants. He was also placed in the top 60 scorers for the competition and was awarded a silver medal, narrowly missed out on gold, an outstanding result.

Head Teacher St Peter’s 8-13, Andy Falconer, said: “Alex’s passion for Maths is infectious and it is wonderful that his ability has been recognised through this very demanding competition.”

Scintillating Science Week

Science Week at 8-13 started calmly with a special assembly then gathered momentum with quizzes and a poster competition. Things soon became noisy and whizzy when J5 enjoyed chemistry demonstrations and explosions including elephant’s toothpaste, the whoosh bottle, ethanol rocket, dry ice and methane bubbles! J4 had fun through learning when they investigated rainbow fizz and chemical rockets. Curious J3 found out

if they can produce electricity from fruit. It’s exhausting fun acquiring Science knowledge at St Peter’s!

A Slice of Pi, Anyone?

In mid-March thirteen pupils from St Peter’s 8-13 took part in a competition to see who could recall the most digits of the mathematical constant pi. All pupils showed impressive memory skills and excellent effort in preparing for the event. The overall Junior Award went to Magnus who recalled an astonishing 124 digits correctly, with the Senior Award going to Arina who recalled an impressive 134 digits. Amazing achievements when most adults struggle with a four-digit password!

Enterprising 8-13 Pupils

The Enterprise Project in St Peter’s 8-13 has evolved over the years into a popular, collaborative project between DT, English, Music and ICT. It sees pupils creating designs for a range of products or pitching for cottage-industry products to make and sell themselves. Pupils produce a brand and design which can be applied using sublimation (printing that transfers a design on to a material using ink and heat) and make items such as rings, cacti pots and AirPod holders. The teams promote and sell their products through TV and radio advertising, websites, posters and point-of-sale stalls. The adverts are shown in assembly the week before the fair, and then doors open for one hour, for parents and pupils to buy. During Covid, sales were made via websites but this year face-toface selling meant some products sold out in seven minutes flat! Four winning teams showed great skills in the design process, collaboration, media advertising, managing their portfolio and profits made. The teams also created a one-off design which was raffled for charity, this year raising an impressive £400 for Ukraine.

York Book Awards

The York Book Award, launched by librarians at St Peter’s School and All Saints RC School advocates for the importance of libraries and librarians in schools and communities by celebrating books and the joy of reading.

On Friday 25 March, St Peter’s School hosted the award ceremony of the inaugural York Book Award in the Shepherd Hall at St Peter’s 8-13.

In this first year, pupils from Year 7 and 8 across the city read shortlisted books, voted for their favourites and took inspiration from the plots. Seventy three children from seven schools participated by writing book reviews, with 47 different creative entries submitted.

In a ceremony hosted by the Lady Mayoress of York, Joy Cullwick, pupils from All Saints RC School, Archbishop Holgate’s School, Dixons Cottingley Academy, Manor CE Academy and Vale of York Academy joined St Peter’s 8-13 pupils in the Shepherd Hall, and the Mount School joined us live on Zoom. Pupils heard from shortlisted authors, who attended the ceremony virtually.

The Lady Mayoress announced that the winning book, voted for by the pupils,

was, Boy, Everywhere, by AM Dassu. Our congratulations to all the shortlisted authors – Phil Earle, Elle McNicoll, Tom Palmer, Nicola Penfold and Jamie Russell in what was a very close vote!

Prizes were also awarded to pupils for book reviews and creative entries. The Creative Prize winner was Clara from All Saints RC School for SkyWake – an invasion-inspired diorama, and the Review Prize winner was Isla from The Mount School, for her review of Where the World Turns Wild.

The pupils’ creative entries and reviews were on show in the foyer of St Peter’s 8-13, before being transferred to York Explore Library to be displayed in the children’s section.

Head Master Jeremy Walker said: “It was wonderful to have so many pupils from schools across York taking part in this excellent initiative. The joy of reading is clearly thriving and my thanks go to all those involved.”

Learning 13-18

It has been brilliant to welcome pupils back to the classroom this year, but our inspiring curriculum stimulates and challenges our pupils beyond the classroom.

Christmas Science Lecture

The popular Christmas Science Lecture made a welcome return to St Peter’s School in mid-December, much to the delight of pupils at St Peter’s 13-18. The pupils enjoyed a stunning display from the Science Departments in the Memorial Hall, with lively talks and demonstrations on the theme, All Things Bright and Beautiful. The Biology department showed us how the retina works and explored the effects of camouflage, while the Physics department created a rainbow by passing polarised light through Sellotape and showed how light waves produce amazing iridescence. Not to be upstaged, the Chemistry department showcased their interpretation of the theme Bright and Beautiful with colour-changing chemical reactions. A huge thanks go to all our engaging Science teacher colleagues this year, for putting on a superb show to engage scientists of the future.

Return to Theatre

At the end of September, our Upper Sixth English pupils made their first live trip to the theatre since before lockdown, to see the undead spectacle of a comedic version of

Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dracula: The Bloody Truth was performed by La Navet Bete at York Theatre Royal, a fantastic and funny show. Other theatre trips included an A Level English trip to see Wuthering Heights and a Lower Sixth English trip to York Theatre Royal to see Sleepy Hollow.

Peternomics

The eagerly awaited publication of Peternomics 2021 arrived in October. Our Upper Sixth pupils in Economics and Business worked incredibly hard to put together this edition. They researched their own areas of interest based on their studies to date, followed by extended writing on specific articles relating to the world of Business and Economics.

You can enjoy the publication here: https://issuu.com/stpetersyorkalumni/ docs/peternomics_2021

Whitby Trip

To complement their knowledge of the Gothic, and to walk in the steps of Bram Stoker, our Sixth Form English Literature pupils travelled to Whitby in mid-October. Pupils completed a scavenger hunt in

Whitby Museum where they were set with the task of finding gothic objects and artefacts reminiscent of key moments in their set texts. After a fantastic lunch at the Magpie Cafe, they went on a guided tour with Dr Crank, who revealed exciting details about the writing of Dracula and the places where Stoker had stayed on his trips to Whitby. Fueled by fish and chips, and new knowledge about vampires and Whitby, the pupils climbed the 199 steps to get a closer look at magnificent Whitby Abbey and St Mary’s Churchyard which both feature in Dracula.

Booker Debate

In November we hosted our annual Booker Shadowing Debate where 11 brave Sixth Formers defended a novel from the 2021 Booker longlist and argued why it should be the winning novel. In teams of two, pupils defended a book to prove it deserved to win the St Peter’s Booker Award. The winners were Rachael and Molly with The Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead, a novel they described as “refreshing, powerful and dynamic”.

Young Enterprise Team win Sustainability Award

Our ambitious Young Enterprise team won the Best Company Award at the Harrogate Trade Fair in early December. The team of Lower Sixth pupils created their own social enterprise called Grow, an eco-friendly brand which seeks to bring the benefits of nature indoors. The pupils designed a Zen garden to go on the corner of a desk and exhibited their prototype designs at the trade fair.

The team then competed in the North Yorkshire Company of the Year Showcase; a Europe-wide business competition which inspires pupils to work in teams to develop and run a business. They faced stiff competition from schools across the region but still achieved the coveted Sustainability Award! Mr Shread passed on his “massive congratulations to the whole team on the fantastic progress made this year”, noting, “Josh and Rosy, in particular, should be congratulated for leading the team.”

Chemistry Olympiad Success

Our Sixth Form Chemists enjoyed great success at the end of March in the 2022 RSC Chemistry Olympiad, all achieving Bronze and Silver level awards. Theodore, Tierney, Chris, Keonhee, Thomas and Oscar took on this gruelling challenge, a particularly tough two-hour written paper. We are so proud to have such fearless and talented Chemists at St Peter’s School.

Third Form discuss Science and Religion

Our Third Form attended a series of lecture sessions by eminent philosopher Dr Vardy, exploring fascinating areas where science and religion often have a mutual focus.

In their first session, pupils debated what it means to be human – from Plato and Aristotle through Aquinas and 19th Century approaches. They ended the session debating whether there is an ethical duty to breed for human genetic success.

The second session discussed the universe from steady-state theory to the singularity and beyond to the development of the universe and the improbability of the initial conditions. The session culminated in a discussion about the most probable explanation for the universe.

In their final session, pupils discussed medical ethics including the beginning and end of life. They also explored the Hippocratic oath and the development of medical ethics. The morning finished with a lively debate on the sanctity of life.

Physics Olympics Competition 2022

This year we saw the return of the annual Physics Olympics Competition – the first in-person competition since 2019 – where 23 schools took part in a day of Physics challenges. Visiting schools travelled from as far away as Newcastle, Yarm and Barnard Castle, as well as more local schools from York, Harrogate and Leeds. The teams took part in a broad range of Physics, Maths, problem-solving and practical skills tasks. There were five different laboratory-based challenges in all and a very challenging Fermi Quiz which required pupils to estimate

various different quantities to the nearest power of 10. Pupils said they were surprised by “all the fun experiments we got to do and how fast the day went by”.

The winners of the Fermi Quiz challenge – who received the Morris Shield – was Fulford School. Yarm School were the overall winners, with Gateways School in second place and RGS Newcastle in third. Mr Parr, Head of Science Outreach at St Peter’s, said: “Congratulations to the winners. As always an incredible team effort from St Peter’s staff and Lower Sixth Physics pupils.”

Amber’s

Maths is Olympiad Level!

In the spring term, our strongest pupils attempted the annual UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge. Those pupils achieving particularly high results were invited to take part in follow-on rounds (the highest 8% of all scores achieved). This year 17 pupils achieved this incredible level and were able to complete the Kangaroo Competition. Particular congratulations go to Chihiro and Gabriel for obtaining Merits.

The best 1500 pupils nationally were then invited to an even more prestigious round, the Mathematical Olympiad. Amber was the only pupil to qualify, completing a difficult two-hour paper with six very challenging Maths questions. Unflappable Amber did fantastically well, attaining a Distinction for her efforts. Bravo.

The Sirius Society

Huge congratulations must go to the Sirius Society Chess Cup winner for the 2021/22 season, Tristan Carter.

The Da Vinci Challenge, Ampleforth College

The Sirius Society took a team of Year 9 and 10 pupils to Ampleforth College to take part in the national da Vinci Challenge, an academically rigorous competition held over 10 events throughout one day. Despite stiff opposition, our team claimed victory in seven out of the events and came away as overall winners; a massive achievement for all the pupils involved and a great example of teamwork in action. The winning team comprised Alice, Roman, Ellie, Tristan, Teagan, Lewis, Fred and Emily.

Sirius Society Guest Speakers

The Sirius Society was proud to host Dr Ben Noble at St Peter’s at the end of May. Ben, an Old Peterite, came back to St Peter’s to deliver a fascinating lecture titled: Alexei Navalny—the Man and the Movement Against the Kremlin.

At the end of September, the society also welcomed Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton. He visited to talk about his experiences as both a highly successful local businessman and politician.

St Peter’s Pupils Take on OPs in House Challenge

Everyone was a winner with the inaugural House (University) Challenge at lunchtime in early July; a new tradition in the making. In the final week of term, the Sirius Society held a special edition of the House Challenge which saw a team of Old Peterites go head-to-head with St Peter’s pupils. It was a very close competition, but, in the end the Old Peterites came out as worthy

winners with 260/220 points and received the Old Peterite House Challenge cup for their efforts. It was a nail-biting finish where the OPs just pipped the school team to the post. Knowledge flowed on subjects from Greek mythology to Tuscan geography to Eurovision winners. The Old Peterite House Challenge Cup 2021/2022 was won by Old Peterites Dan, Luis and Harriet who took on current St Peter’s students Martha, Henry, Harry and Ellie.

Laurentius Lectures

We launched our Laurentius Lecture Series with two fascinating lectures delivered by pupils in the Lower Sixth. Will’s lecture focused on settler colonialism, race and the logic of elimination, while Elysia revealed the gruesome origins of our classic fairytales. The Laurentius Lecture Series provides an opportunity for Academic Scholars at St Peter’s to share ideas on a diverse range of topics. Pupils deliver a short 15-minute lecture to their peer group, the Head Master, the Head of Scholars and members of staff, with a particular speciality in a given area, followed by questions from the floor. This year’s programme showed a wide breadth and variety of interests from sustainability, neuroscience, law, artificial intelligence and veterinary science through to aspects of music, fine art, linguistics, history, literature and design.

Women in Economics Seminar

A group of Sixth Form girls studying Business and Economics attended a special online seminar in March to learn about the current gender gap in economics. The seminar was hosted by Discover Economics in partnership with the Women in Economics Initiative (for International Women’s Day). The event was chaired by Anna Isaac, Economics Editor for The Independent, and the gender gap in Economics was examined by inspirational female economists from University of Bristol, NHS England, London and Partners, and Ofgem, who shared their inspirational career journeys. We are delighted so many Sixth Form girls had the opportunity to attend this insightful seminar.

Gabriel Krauze Visit

Booker-nominated writer Gabriel Krauze visited St Peter’s School in early March to deliver a lecture on Literature to Lower and Upper Sixth. We first contacted Gabriel in November 2020, when his novel Who They Was won our very own school Booker Prize Debate. Issy and Khushi, who defended the book, received signed copies after Gabriel read about their success on Twitter, and agreed to attend the school’s Booker Prize

Debate in November 2021. Unfortunately, Gabriel’s visit to St Peter’s was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions, so it was wonderful to finally welcome him to meet our talented Sixth Formers!

Hugo has the Winning Formula

Upper Sixth, Hugo, was placed joint 10th in the country after a phenomenal performance in the British Mathematical Olympiad. Following Hugo’s success in the first round, he was invited to participate in the second round – an extremely challenging 3.5-hour-long paper comprising of four demanding questions. Hugo obtained the highest award of Distinction, placing him joint 10th in the country and very close to being chosen for the national squad to compete internationally. This is truly a phenomenal result, and we cannot recall anyone ever doing this well at the senior level. Hugo’s name and achievement will forever be recorded alongside the other high scorers on the UKMT website, as well as published in their Olympiad books. History in the making!

Generation Amazing

At the end of March we welcomed Professor Banda from Edinburgh University for a special talk on how sport can facilitate social change. Professor Banda spoke to Lower Sixth A Level pupils studying Physical Education at St Peter’s, and the pupils also connected with Nasser Al Khori via Zoom. Nasser is Programme Director of Generation Amazing, a sport for social good programme for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022. Nasser explained the vision of Generation Amazing, a social and human legacy initiative which seeks to inspire positive social change in Qatar and globally through football. Thanks for this thoroughly thought-provoking discussion.

If the Upper Sixth couldn’t go to Spain… Study trips are such an important part of studying a language, but for the last two years we have sadly been unable to travel abroad. As we couldn’t go to Salamanca this year, we instead visited the wonderful Spanish School, Instituto Vicente Cañada Blanch, on Portobello Road, London. On the same day we saw a superb live performance of La Casa de Bernarda Alba, in Spanish at the atmospheric Theatre Cervantes. We are very grateful for the welcome we received from the Spanish Embassy and El Instituto and to all of the staff who worked so hard to make this trip happen. Flora gave her own account of the day:

“We embarked on a thrilling journey to London. After an early start we arrived in London ready for a lesson at El Instituto Vicente Cañada Blanch on the Spanish Civil War, extremely helpful for our A Level course. We survived the quick-fire questions in Spanish from the history teacher! We were then shown an amazing mural on Portobello Road reminding us of the sacrifices and efforts of the Spanish people during the war and the influence of Spain’s allies and the International Brigade. Afterwards, we were mixed into groups with Spanish students to socialise and speak on different topics. At first, many of us found this a little embarrassing as we were speaking with native or fluent speakers but we gradually settled into it and found the students very friendly. We took the tube to Theatre Cervantes, found our seats and got ready to watch La Casa de Bernarda Alba, by García Lorca. Although the afternoon tiredness was starting to hit us the play’s antagonist, Bernarda and her infamous “¡Silencio!”, soon woke us up! It was amazing to see a live-action performance of the play we were studying. A big thank you to Mrs Robinson, Mrs López and Mrs Green for organising and accompanying us on a trip that surprisingly felt like revision and a holiday at the same time!”

Exam Results

74.6% of GCSE results were awarded at grades 9-7

GCSE Results

St Peter’s School Fifth Form pupils achieved outstanding GCSE results this year with an amazing three quarters of all results awarded grades 9 to 7 (A* to A). Over half of grades were at 9 to 8 with almost 100% at 9 to 5.

Will, BBC Young Chorister of the Year 2019 and excellent musician, achieved an outstanding 12 grade 9 GCSEs – only one of 13 pupils in the whole country to have done so – having opted for additional qualifications in Further Maths and Greek.

Talented Alex also achieved 12 GCSEs, 11 grade 9s and one grade 7, whilst representing the school in rugby, hockey and singing in the choir. Oliver was awarded a fantastic 11 grade 9s and also represents the school in rugby and hockey. Fraser, who reached the final of Channel 4’s Junior Bake Off in 2022, earned an excellent 10 GCSEs, (four grade 9s and six grade 8s). Dedicated Sophia, managed to achieve 9 GCSEs at grades 9 to 6 while also juggling her time as a netball player in the National Premier League.

The Girls’ Hockey Team who reached the finals of the U14s National Hockey Championships in 2020 – then ranked fifth in the country – demonstrated the good balance between sport and academic studies at St Peter’s. All 13 hockey team members achieved 10 or more GCSE grades, with many at top grade 9. Team member, Arabella achieved an impressive 10 grade 9s and one grade 8, at GCSE. Another talented teammate, Sophie, achieved nine grade 9s and a grade 8.

Overall, 15 pupils achieved a clean sweep of 10 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 8. A further 23 pupils received 10 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 7.

Subjects where pupils particularly excelled this year include Maths, Science, English Literature, Design & Technology and History, with results very strong across the board. Achievements in Art were exceptional, with every result at grade 7 or higher.

A Level Results

A Level Results St Peter’s pupils were delighted to receive outstanding A Level results.

In all 88% of results were awarded at A* to B, a third of all grades were at A* (with 66% at A* to A). Twenty pupils achieved three or more A* grades and 11 pupils achieved four A Levels at A*/A.

There have also been some outstanding individual performances. Almost all pupils have been placed at their first choice with most going to Russell Group universities including Oxford and Cambridge.

Pupils who achieved an amazing four A*s include Natasha, a boarder since Third Form and Head of House in the Rise, who secured a place to read Sociology and Politics at The University of Edinburgh. Ben headed to the University of Warwick to read Engineering and Josh to St Andrews to study German and Spanish. Rachael will continue to delight audiences at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Twins Hugo and Rory achieved six A*s and an A between them and headed to the University of Cambridge (Mathematics) and the University of Exeter (Combined Honours) respectively.

Charlotte who achieved three A*s and an A started at Durham University to study Natural Sciences in the autumn. Tim reads Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh after achieving three A*s and an A.

Many pupils received three A*s including Eleanor (Medicine) and Joe (Economics & Management), both at University of Bristol, along with Diana (University of St Andrews to study History). William also received three A*s and headed off to Durham University. Violinist and leader of the orchestra Wilf, another three A*s pupil, headed to the University of Nottingham to study Mathematics and Economics. Will secured a place to read History at the University of Edinburgh following his three A*s. Wolfe’s 3 A*s see him studying Classics at University of Oxford.

Local pupils who joined St Peter’s in the Sixth Form also achieved excellent results. They include Lucy whose A*AA saw her progress to study Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham and Theo’s impressive three A*s and an A which earned him a place to read Physics at the University of Exeter.

University subjects chosen range from Architecture to Zoology with courses including Ancient History, Creative Writing, Dentistry and Psychology in between.

88% of A Level results were awarded at grades A* to B

at grades

We will Remember Them

Pupils at St Peter’s created a striking set of silhouettes representing members of the armed forces past and present.

The silhouettes were created in response to a competition to design a Remembrance Day memorial for the school campus, launched in November 2020 by the Development & Alumni Department.

The aim of the project was to honour former pupils from St Peter’s School, Old Peterites, who served across all forces, as well as marking the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.

Upper Sixth Form pupils Hannah and Hope created the winning design: a series of silhouettes showcasing the diverse roles across the forces throughout history.

Eleven pupils volunteered and worked together to create the figures, as part of the Design and Technology Department’s co-curricular club Makerspace, and the project was partially funded by the Old Peterite Club.

Throughout November 2021, the figures were located around the school campus and lit each evening alongside named plaques.

Art & Design

Visitors are often wowed by the high standard of our Art and Design. Our creative and innovative pupils bring their ideas to life in our thriving Art and Design & Technology departments, with daily opportunities to showcase their eclectic skills. Art and design projects are often displayed on corridor and dining walls, and in cabinets, as well as in our very own on-campus Whitestone Gallery.

St Peter’s 2-8 Budding Artists and Designers

In Year 1, children read Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree and then transformed themselves into authors, illustrators and publishers, writing and illustrating their own extra chapter!

Throughout the year, 2-8 children studied seasons and created pieces of art inspired by the phenomenon of midnight sun and the talented artist Kandinsky. They explored the science behind midnight sun in colder parts of the world and used watercolours to create beautiful observational drawings of daffodils to celebrate the arrival of spring.

In design, children learnt about what makes effective packaging, and designed and created their own branding for a biscuit. They carefully thought about essential information on packaging and if it can be environmentally friendly. The designs created were both innovative and beautiful.

Mr and Mrs Simpson-Daniel visited school to talk about their chocolate business in response to the children becoming entrepreneurs, designing brands and marketing their own chocolate bar. Mrs Simpson-Daniel told the children about the different types of packaging they use and talked about a very special chocolate with 0% sugar in it, called Wizard Chocolate containing honey and wolf berries for sweetness!

Children in Year 3 used their design skills when they had 80 days of great adventure across America, from San Francisco to New York, with Phileas Fogg. Along the way children were faced with many obstacles, including a very wobbly bridge, that required them to engage their engineering skills. They were amazed that the bridges were strong enough to hold nearly 300 counters! They designed wind-powered vehicles to help speed up Fogg’s journey, exploring the best materials and shape for the sail before seeing which one travelled the fastest and furthest. In New York, children enjoyed exploring how the skyline of the city had evolved over time and created their own pieces of art inspired by the shapes and styles of skyscrapers.

St Peter’s 8-13 Creative Artists

The Christmas term got off to a great start with a colourful display of collaged birds from hand-printed papers pupils had made themselves, proudly displayed in frames on walls around school. The term closed with a veritable forest of Christmas trees, J1’s first efforts in the workshop, and super-smooth ceramic penguins and robins which soon took pride of place on mantelpieces at home.

J4 carried out an exploration of a bottle-themed project, using a limited tonal palette and deliberately working against everything we had learned about cylindrical form and perspective.

The Easter term saw a beautiful display in the St Peter’s 8-13 reception area of J2’s exquisite Japanese dolls. The scene depicted the celebration of the cherry blossom in a traditional festival named Hanami (Flower Viewing). The children made beautiful clay models, delicately decorated with underglaze paints.

J2 loved celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, with each pupil creating a crown and posing for a coronation photograph.

J4 explored the quality of watercolours and developed their understanding of how to handle the paint in their recreation of Raoul Dufy’s Open Window at Saint Jeanette, producing some stunning, subtle results.

Innovative Designers

In DT, J2s worked hard to complete colourful birdfeeders for the winter season and the J3’s prepared for chicks with their carefully constructed bird boxes.

J5 spent the spring term researching toys with moving parts before designing their own mechanical toys, coming up with a range of innovative ideas with ambitious plans for their movements, including flapping wings, and moving heads and beaks!

The J1 making of a fiddle toy (Feelie) concluded their workshop year with superb sculptural outcomes through the use of several workshop tools and machines. Their sanding skills were second to none with a silky smooth finish.

J4 used their sketches of a West Highland Terrier dog to explore intaglio printmaking. The children quickly grasped the technique and enjoyed mastering inking up to explore colour alternatives and blends.

One talented J5 pupil, Max, made an incredible full-size Iron Man helmet on a 3D printer, including an electrical mechanism that opens the front at the touch of a button. It was a wonderful example of both creativity and perseverance as it didn’t all go to plan but got there in the end.

St Peter’s 13-18

High-quality Art…

TBC Art Exhibition

In February we hosted an exhibition of Third Form artwork in the Whitestone Gallery entitled ‘TBC…’ The exhibition included a captivating and wild mixture of individual and collaborative work made by the Third Form, including drawing, painting, printmaking and ceramics.

Rebecca Appleby

We welcomed experimental ceramicist Rebecca Appleby to St Peter’s this year. Rebecca spent the day working with Sixth Form pupils and delivered a lunchtime talk for Art pupils interested in ceramics. Rebecca is based in Holmfirth and is rapidly gaining a reputation both locally and nationally. Let’s hope we have some aspiring ceramicists of the future…

Imagine 2022

In early July, the amazing Imagine22 exhibition marked the end of a long journey for the Upper Sixth and Fifth Form artists. It is testament to their hard work, creativity and resilience during the disruption of lockdowns that the show was such a resounding success. The work was varied and exciting, proving there is no house style at St Peter’s! The Sixth Form exhibited in our Whitestone Gallery and the Foyer where there was a breadth of media on show, including painting, printmaking and sculpture. For the first time, video was used to create an exciting final project that set the bar high for any future videography. Pupils’ GCSE work was exhibited in the studios and corridors, with a huge variety of talent on display. Imagine22 marked a fitting end to Ella Davison’s time at St Peter’s and of course, a tribute to Char Chisholm, who has left her mark on the department. Imagine22 was very much a legacy of Char’s enthusiasm, leadership and creative genius and we wish her all the best.

Upper Sixth reached Regional Finals in ARTiculation Prize

Well done to History of Art pupils, Ellie and Natasha in the Upper Sixth, who delivered their presentations for the ARTiculation Prize 2022 at the National Gallery. The judges congratulated Natasha for “a very well-structured talk, delivered at an extremely good pace which took us into the work and her interpretation.” The judges stated how Natasha had managed to give the audience a “bodily experience of the work” and praised her for successfully conveying her passion for both the work and the artist. Ellie was applauded for “a very clear presentation” and congratulated for “how she had approached the work and compared it to different eras and artists.” Outstanding work!

…and Award-Winning Design

Martha Engineers her way to Success

Lower Sixth pupil, Martha, received the prestigious award of Arkwright Scholar in recognition of her outstanding work in Design & Technology. Martha was awarded the coveted two-year scholarship following a rigorous selection process designed to identify the highest-calibre school students in the UK, who have a strong academic and practical ability in technical subjects. Martha will receive a dedicated mentor to support her through the scholarship, and potential undergraduate engineering scholarships as her career progresses. Martha created an independent investigation into the active air management System on the McLaren Elva. Martha’s investigations will be funded by the financial award from her scholarship, sponsored by ABB, a leading technology company and the official title Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship. Martha, who is currently studying A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, English Literature and History, hopes to pursue a career in motorsport engineering. She said: “I was really excited when I heard the news. The scholarship is a huge opportunity which opens up lots of doors into real-world engineering experiences.”

Danielle Staniforth, Head of Design & Technology at St Peter’s School, said: “Martha has solidified her position within the school community as a fantastic ambassador for bright young women in STEM. Congratulations.”

Will, Meriel and Scarlett came through to the interview stage of their Arkwright Engineering Scholarship applications, having scored highly in their Aptitude Exam in 2022. They hope to follow in Martha’s footsteps as they progress to the next stage of the application. Will is interested in military technologies, Scarlett is passionate about biomedical engineering, while Meriel wants to pursue a career in design engineering. Congratulations to them and all students who applied and benefited from the experience.

Scarlett Scoops top Award

Congratulations to GCSE Design & Technology pupil Scarlett who took first prize at this year’s Technology Design and Innovation Competition at the Yamazaki Mazak facility. Scarlett presented her product – a pool safety laser trip alarm, that seeks to prevent deaths – to a panel for 20 minutes and showed the hosts how she had used technology, design and innovation in her project.

Scarlett won a £200 Amazon voucher, a day out to the Praga Cup race day, a Bronze Industrial Cadet Award and a £1000 investment to the school to help support the delivery of Design and Technology teaching in the classroom. Sami Ortiz, chemical engineer and technology and skills manager at the Manufacturing Technologies Association, described Scarlett’s project as, “a deserving winner”.

Mrs Staniforth, Head of Design & Technology at St Peter’s School said: “The quality of the projects at this year’s TDI Competition blew us away and Scarlett held her own against pupils across all age ranges to take first place. It was the depth and breadth of her research and professional delivery that impressed the judges.”

Scarlett added: “Winning gave me the extra push in confidence to tackle any competitions in the future and in terms of seeking internships and placements in engineering. Meeting Sami was so impactful as she recalled some of her own experiences as a woman in engineering which resonated as I was the only female finalist in the competition.”

The Big Bang

Congratulations to Freddie and Zoe who represented the school at this year’s Big Bang Competition. The pair were chosen to exhibit their work to industry specialists and visitors to Birmingham NEC. Lucy and Scarlett were also finalists in the competition. All pupils found a problem they were passionate about and produced well-executed products which were well received by the judges.

Freddie’s clip-on safety light received invaluable feedback and insights from the judges: “The project is an excellent idea, and I can see it being used on a large scale with some minor adjustments and improvements.’’

Zoe’s Assistive dog training device really impressed with the ‘’thorough testing of the product, taking into account all the relevant activities dogs do, which works really well’. Zoe and Freddie were awarded runner-up prizes for the engineering award and each took home a £250 cash prize. Freddie’s design was also shortlisted for an Intellectual Property Award along with Scarlett’s Laser Drowning Prevention Aid. The competition encourages entrants to think big and invent solutions that will help transform lives. Their amazing projects were put on display in the Monkey Cage.

Inspiring DT Exhibition

This year saw the long-awaited return of the DT Exhibition following the pandemic. Taking place in the Easter Term it was a delight to see student’s products set up in the Whitestone Gallery, showcasing the work of all year groups, in particular our GCSE and A Level students alongside Makerspace co-curricular EPQ artefacts.

Clubs and Societies

Our extensive co-curricular programme continues to grow and thrive each year. We offer over 80 different co-curricular activities, including a number of clubs and societies.

St Peter’s 2-8

Spotlight on St Peter’s 2-8 School Council

Members of St Peter’s 2-8 School Council wear special badges and carry out very important work in school. From selling sunflower seeds for a Ukrainian charity in York to delivering used batteries (three bags full) to the Geography department for recycling through Eco Club, the council’s hard work makes our school and the local community a better place. Well done! At the beginning of every term, pupils stand for election and everyone in the class gets to vote for two class representatives, 18 in total! The group meets weekly to discuss items relevant to the school community and the world around them, trying to care for both and make positive changes, carrying ideas forward from the classes. Involvement in the council helps children feel empowered and aware from an early age that they have the ability to make a change. It develops confidence and encourages the children to take responsibility and learn about democracy hands-on.

The School Council led an assembly in March, showing an amazing BBC short film Wonderful World, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Each member of the council explained how each one of us can play our part to help in this mission. The council explained how and where we can recycle items that often end up in waste bins. Later that day the children met with Mr Robinson, our Catering Manager, to discuss improvements planned for the dining room to improve our environmental impact.

St Peter’s 8-13 Checkmate

In St Peter’s 8-13 and across school we have a thriving chess community and high-standard clubs. Congratulations to the Junior Chess Team who played in the York Interschool Tournament at the end of November and came a close second.

Dance Group

Dance is an important creative art across school, with several dance genres represented and great standards of performance. The St Peter’s 8-13 Dance Group rehearsed hard ahead of the Yorkshire School’s Dance Festival in November, held at the University of York. They performed in assembly before the big day to rapturous applause, and performed excellently well on the day. Congratulations to all who took part.

Alex gets First Junior Duke Gold Award

Pioneering Alex (J2) in St Peter’s 8-13 is the first pupil to complete the Junior Duke Gold Award. He completed seven challenges including budgeting, washing the dishes, ICT and even baked a splendid loaf of bread. He says he “particularly enjoyed the music task and is hoping to take on the platinum award next year”. Mrs Hick said: “I am so thrilled Alex has achieved this brilliant award; he has really thrown himself into some incredible activities and makes the most of every opportunity. The Junior Duke is a brilliant way of developing current interests and finding new ones. We only introduced it this year and I’ve been so impressed with the number of pupils ready and willing to take on this challenge. What a wonderful way for the pupils to cultivate resilience and independence.”

This year saw a total of 11 pupils at St Peter’s 8-13 complete the Junior Duke awards. They undertook a range of personal challenges including First-Aid, swim, cookery, domestic challenges, caring for others, puncture repair, litter picking, volunteering, budgeting, making a presentation and many other fun things. We were delighted with achievements at all levels throughout the year.

One pupil said: “I’ve really enjoyed having the excuse to complete the challenges with my family, so much fun!”

St Peter’s 13-18

Keystone Shines

In June 2021, the latest edition of Keystone, the pupil-led school magazine, won the Rising Star award at the Shine School Media Awards, the most prestigious school media award in the UK! In September, Keystone’s chief editors Natasha and Freddy, and creative director Annabel, travelled to the Guildhall in London to receive the award on behalf of all those who worked tirelessly to produce the outstanding magazine. At the award winners’ lunch, pupils were presented with a certificate. The pupils were treated to speeches by former winners and had the opportunity to meet leading figures from the world of journalism.

CCF

At the start of the year our Fifth Form cadets completed their basic training course and were presented with their berets in November. The award for best recruit went to Maggie who also received a promotion to Lance Corporal. She said: “I’ve really enjoyed being a part of CCF and getting involved with everything it has to offer. I am so pleased to have been awarded Best Recruit and to have been promoted to Lance Corporal. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!” Captain Sal Sleigh, Contingent Commander, said: “All cadets who received their berets have been really impressive from the start. They have approached their training with enthusiasm and work as a team particularly well. We are very proud of how far they have come in the past year and are excited to see them continue to develop in the coming months.”

This year’s annual week-long camp took place at the Cadet Training Centre in Driffield where cadets enjoyed a wide variety of activities. Two days were spent in the field honing fieldcraft, tactics and leadership skills, culminating in section attacks. The day on camp involved a plethora of activities, from shooting and STEM to a gun-run competition. A day was also spent at the Adrenaline Outdoor Centre, consisting of challenging high ropes and assault courses. Overall, an excellent week learning new skills through fun.

In July, Fourth Form (Recruit Platoon) were also awarded their berets on completion of training covering skill at arms, fieldcraft, navigation, drill and military knowledge. The Head Master awarded them their new Yorkshire Regiment Berets. In addition, Andrew and Serene were promoted to LCpl and Andrew was awarded the best recruit. We also took the opportunity to promote Ella to Sergeant and next year’s Head of CCF.

This was also Captain Tom Smith’s (MBE) last training session after six years with St Peter’s as he moves on to pastures new. We thank Captain Smith for all his hard work over the years. He will be greatly missed!

Alfred Martin, Old Peterite and cadet, said: “All credit to these cadets. I’m honoured to work with them. Covid restricted access to training but now we’re back in full force.”

ESU Debating National Finalists

ESU Deabting National Finalists

A team of three Third Form pupils from St Peter’s were delighted to progress to the National Finals of the ESU Schools’ Mace Competition in London in March. The team were very well prepared and spoke with authority and style. The English-Speaking Union’s Schools’ Mace, the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England, hones pupils’ debate skills in a fun, competitive environment. Working in teams, pupils enhance their speech writing, public speaking and critical thinking, helping them to excel both in and out of school and giving them a sense of pride in themselves and their achievements.

Earlier in March, the Public Speaking team from St Peter’s School were also named runnersup in the ESU Churchill Speaking Competition regional finals. It was wonderful to see our pupils participating with such confidence in both regional and national competitions.

Duke of Edinburgh Awards Round-Up

As part of the training for their Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award Gold expedition, our Lower Sixth pupils completed a six-hour outdoor first aid qualification awarded by ITC First in January. The pupils spent most of the day training with instructors from Adventure Training North East, ending the day demonstrating how they would deal with a variety of first aid scenarios that might arise on expedition.

A Bumper 38 Lower Sixth pupils complete Gold DofE!

Thirty eight Lower Sixth pupils successfully completed their Gold DofE expedition in the North Pennines in the last days of summer term. Working in groups, pupils at Gold Level Award have to plan a four-day unsupported expedition, including routes of over 20 kilometres each day, navigating the hills and valleys of the North Pennines while organising campsites and nourishment. St Peter’s staff were on hand in remote supervision just in case. After the last few years, it was great to see pupils out in the countryside and to share their relief and triumph as they reached the traditional finish line at Cow Green Reservoir. Well done to every pupil and to the St Peter’s staff who gave up four days to ensure pupils successfully navigated the ups and downs of their Gold DofE expedition. A marvellous achievement equipping them with lifelong skills.

Chess Club

We launched our very own chess club and tournament series at St Peter’s 13-18 this year. Everyone is welcome to attend, from experts to beginners, and the pupils have thoroughly enjoyed developing their chess skills through friendly competition.

Drama

After the challenges we have all faced in recent years, it has been fantastic to welcome our pupils back to the stage. From drama workshops to breathtaking performances, our pupils are once again in the spotlight where they belong.

St Peter’s 2-8

Festive shows a-plenty

It was wonderful to have real-life audiences for the first time in two years, and the children at St Peter’s 2-8 rose to the challenge.

The 2-8s shared their incredible Christmas plays with family and friends. Year 1 performed Ralph the Dinodeer, Year 2 performed Bah Humbug! and Year 3 performed Cinderella and Rockerfella on the big stage in the Memorial Hall. The children were sensational; they sang, acted and danced throughout all three plays with so much confidence, and with beaming smiles. For Year 1 and 2 it was their first-ever show on a very big stage and they did a brilliant job.

Our Nursery pupils performed Away in A Manger. The children also sang several Christmas songs and had their premiere showing of the Conkers Christmas film. They were so confident that you wouldn’t have known they were only two to four years old. Huge congratulations.

The children in Reception performed On a Starry Night in the Rayson Room. This was an original script based on the Christmas story with songs from Take That, Dolly Parton and Marvyn Gaye, to name a few. The children were simply amazing!

Following the White Rabbit

Year 2 enjoyed an Alice in Wonderland themed drama workshop in March, led by Sixth Form pupils from St Peter’s 13-18. The workshop involved warm-ups, shouting “Off with his head!” and acting out different stages of the story in groups. The workshop was organised by Ms Veasey, from St Peter’s Drama department, and the Year 2 children had a wonderful time engaging with the story.

End of Year Performance

All children participated in a summer end of year Celebration in the Memorial Hall, treating the audience to a variety of singing performances. They worked very hard in rehearsals with Mrs Hayden and it was wonderful to see them supporting each other during the event.

St Peter’s 8-13

Bugsy Malone

The energy of Bugsy Malone was just what we all needed after the disappointment of the J3 play being disrupted by Covid over recent years. Oliver 2020 was sadly cancelled on dress rehearsal day, and although Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2021) was a brilliant production, it was an online event only which didn’t do justice to our wonderful, professional productions which deserve a live audience. So, there was an added degree of joy when Bugsy Malone hit the stage in October. The J3s rose to the challenge with this long and bouncy show. The 1920s set, costumes and hairstyles combined with complicated dance routines to well-known tunes resulted in great anarchic fun for all, especially when the splurge guns made an appearance…

Shakespeare Festival

A group of J5s from St Peter’s 8-13 travelled to Leeds in January to perform their adaptation of The Tempest in the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival at Leeds Playhouse. The company of J5s really stretched their Drama skills, using more abstract physical theatre styles, choral speech and live music. The group worked hard with theatre staff in the technical and dress rehearsal to perfect the transition from our very own Shepherd Hall to a much bigger, professional theatre stage. The group were praised for their creativity, energy and delivery of language. Our wonderful technical and backstage teams were also mentioned for their amazing efforts over the weeks. It was wonderful to be among other schools and there was a lovely buzz from the audience. A fantastic, memorable experience and we were extremely proud of all involved.

Other Drama News…

In November St Peter’s 8-13 hosted the Aesthetica Short Film screenings for our J4 pupils where they were pushed out of their comfort zones as they watched a wide variety of short films in different genres. The material was thought-provoking and was followed up in English lessons.

J2 hosted the annual Mr Men and Little Miss Conference. This workshop with a drama-forwriting specialist kickstarted an English project looking at developing characters for a book.

This followed hot on the heels of a visit from author Tom Palmer who talked about his life as an author and methods to get writing.

St Peter’s 13-18

Les Misérables

Pupils at St Peter’s returned to the stage in December with a mesmerising adaptation of Les Misérables. The Music and Drama Departments at St Peter’s 13-18 joined forces to produce this musical extravaganza which involved over 50 pupils, including 34 cast members on stage, 16 crew backstage and five musicians in the band. Les Misérables was performed over three nights in early December in the school’s Memorial Hall to a sell-out crowd of 200 people per night. The pupils spent over 50 hours rehearsing for the production!

Top-quality Performance Evenings

In the summer term there were eight audience-invited performance evenings across GCSE and A Level. The GCSE performances were inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem Caged Bird. The six groups developed and performed a range of pieces which sensitively tackled subjects such as loveless relationships, peer pressure and the danger of cults. They explored a diverse range of theatrical styles with some very physical work such as a lovely, moving piece based on the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and a poignant, thought-provoking play based on the verbatim style of Alecky Blythe. One group produced a darkly comic piece based on Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter. In the scripted works, pupils performed pieces such as John Godber’s Bouncers, monologues from Sophocles’ Antigone and duologues from Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers and Martin McDonagh’s harrowing play The Pillowman.

A-Level pupils created a highly effective immersive piece inspired by the style of Punchdrunk. The clever story wove together several strands concerning the loss of a child and break up of a marriage, a young woman’s search for her identity and the covert conversations between the hotel manager and her bellboy. The audience were treated to live singing in music hall style and were fully involved in the performance. Pupils also chose to perform a section of the Carl Grose play Grand Guignol, which was a modern interpretation of the infamous French Theatre of Horror. Highly melodramatic in style and consisting of a series of tableaux of horror, the performers learnt a great deal about this genre and how to work together as a disciplined unit.

LAMDA

Congratulations to all LAMDA pupils for their amazing results this year. Across the board, we had a majority of pupils scoring distinctions and a few merits. Congratulations to Pebbles, Oaken and Ella, who all received distinctions for their Grade 8 Public Speaking. The LAMDA public speaking exams are internationally recognised and prepare pupils to become excellent communicators. Well done to Sorcha for the hard work she put into obtaining her Grade 8 Verse and Prose exam with distinction. A special mention goes to Fourth Form duo Monty and Roman who began their LAMDA journey as a duologue pair at St Peter’s 8-13. They successfully received a distinction for their Grade 6 Bronze Medal LAMDA.

Music

Music is the heartbeat of life at St Peter’s and has played an important role in recent years, helping to keep spirits high during challenging times. It has been wonderful to enjoy live music once again this year!

St Peter’s 2-8

Ethan has the Keys to Success

Ethan from St Peter’s 2-8 competed in the Wharfedale Music Festival in October and won two prestigious awards – the Piano Solo award for nine years and under, and the Piano Solo award for 10 years and under, a phenomenal achievement!

Live Music Returns

In November, Year 2 and 3 held two very special music concerts with a live audience for the first time in over 18 months. The choir sang beautifully. The 75+-member choir of Year 2 and 3 entertained the audience at the start of the concerts performing beautiful songs, several of them in five parts. Then the children gave individual performances. Well done to all of the talented children who played a range of instruments including the recorder, guitar and piano.

In May, there were concerts for Years 1, 2 and 3 with over 116 solo performances on recorders, violins, guitar, drums, cello, cornet, piano and flute. All children were amazing, having the confidence to play their instrument to their peers and a room full of parents. The school choir performed at the start of each concert, singing three multi-part songs. Everyone enjoyed their enthusiastic singing and rapping too!

St Peter’s 2-8 Sing at Young Voices 2022

Years 2 and 3 represented the school at Young Voices at the Sheffield Arena. They joined 5000 children singing a selection of songs from Orff’s Carmina Burana to medleys of favourite classics from The Lion King and The Muppets. Our pupils were so excited to finally get to sing at the arena. The children were a real credit to the school; they knew all the words and had some amazing dance moves. They especially enjoyed hearing their parents attempt beatboxing with the Beatbox Collective, and all loved the audience moves dancing along to Fat Boy Slim with Andy Instone and the Urban Strides! Freya (Year 2) said: “It was definitely worth the wait!”

Trash Bang!

In July, Year 1 enjoyed an afternoon with Billy Hickling from Trash Bang who taught them how to recycle household rubbish into musical instruments. It was a fabulous orchestral delight for the eyes and ears.

Pupils Sing for Ebor Court Care Home

At the end of June Year 2 visited Ebor Court care home to sing with the residents. With the support of Mrs Hayden, Mrs Hall and Mrs Franey, they have been taking part in Musical Connections workshops for the first time in three years. Musical Connections run participatory music sessions and projects for older, isolated and vulnerable people in care and community settings across York plus intergenerational events and activities, which bring together our beneficiaries with local school children. The children were a delight and spread much joy to the residents at Ebor Care Home in York.

Mr Hardy, Head of St Peter’s 2-8, said: “It’s such a valuable experience for our children and really does make such a positive difference to the older generation living in our community.”

Ebor Court Carers said: “The children were amazing. It was truly heart-warming to see them approach the residents with such enthusiasm and openness, and there were some really obvious individual connections made between old and young. They breathed life and love into the room and lifted the spirits of everyone in it.”

St Peter’s 8-13

First Concert Back in School!

In mid-October, our Informal Concert series finally returned with the first concert in school since March 2020! Parents and staff gathered in the Music Studio at St Peter’s 8-13, which featured string, woodwind and brass instruments as well as a piano solo. Mrs Holly Craven, Director of Music at St Peter’s 8-13, said: “It is absolutely wonderful to have a live audience. Last year, the studio was re-jigged in order to make it a performance space, and it is great to finally be able to host here at last. The Informal Concert is a really important part of our performance structure; the second rung of the ladder after online Virtualosity. It is also a brilliant stepping stone to larger, more formal concert performances. This is where we hone performance technique, and continue to build a love of playing to an audience! Congratulations to everyone who performed.”

Arthur reaches Young Chorister of the Year Semi-Finals

Arthur, a pupil at St Peter’s 8-13 and a York Minster chorister, reached the semi-finals of the prestigious BBC Young Chorister of the Year competition in the autumn. Arthur joined York Minster Choir in 2017 and has been singing with the choir for four years. He has been a pupil at St Peter’s 8-13 since September 2020, when the school became the Choir School for York Minster. Arthur recorded his entry at home and submitted it to the BBC online. Ten young singers (five girls and five boys) were chosen to sing at the televised semi-finals in front of a panel of judges. Arthur and four other boys performed in the boys’ semi-final at the end of November on BBC One, broadcast from Salisbury Cathedral. Arthur said: “I really enjoyed taking part, although I was quite nervous, singing in front of lots of TV cameras! Salisbury Cathedral was beautiful and it was fun to meet all the other choristers and share the experience with them. I also enjoyed meeting presenter, and former chorister, Aled Jones; having seen him on TV before, it was very surreal talking to him.”

The Snowman

During the autumn break, St Peter’s 8-13 pupils received a casting call for auditions for children to take part in the live screening of The Snowman at York Minster with only three days to prepare. Massive congratulations to Sam, Arthur and Noah, who followed in the footsteps of many a well-known treble, as they took to the stage in York Minster on December 11, where they each performed to a sold-out audience. The pupils sang Walking in the Air, accompanied by a magnificent live orchestra, as The Snowman film played on a big screen.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

St Peter’s 8-13 began their calendar of Christmas events with a phenomenal Christmas concert on 29 November, featuring children from all year groups, and the musical celebrations continued into the last week of term. Pupils busked in the foyer for charity every day from 13-16 December, the whole school community joined together on 15 December for Carols by Candlelight, and the staff sang carols outside on 17 December to welcome pupils to school for the final day of term.

Let’s Baroque and Roll

The Music Department at St Peter’s 8-13 organised a wonderful day of music-making inspired by the theme Baroque and Roll on Monday 21 March. The aim of the day was to introduce the children to two very different musical genres, from the grandiose spirit of Baroque to the energetic and rhythmic style of rock and roll. The children participated in a range of exciting workshops on early wind instruments, baroque strings, baroque voice, rock guitar, songwriting, harpsichord masterclass and jazz improvisation. The day concluded with a Baroque and Roll concert in the Shepherd Hall at 6pm, featuring a number of school ensembles and some soloists. Nearly 170 pupils were involved in the concert to an audience of nearly 200 people, with more tuning in to watch online.

National Children’s Orchestra

Five children from St Peter’s secured places in the prestigious National Children’s Orchestra (NCO). Ethan and Tristan from St Peter’s 8-13 joined Fred, Danny and Ethan from St Peter’s 13-18 in the NCO, the only orchestral learning programme for younger children across the UK. NCO comprises over 700 children aged 7-14, and places are highly sought after. The boys were selected following a highly competitive audition process, where they each submitted a video recording to be reviewed by a panel of judges.

J3 go back in time through music

St Peter’s J3s enjoyed Tudor music workshops in the last week of June, building on the work they were doing on the Tudor court and English connections with the rest of the world at this time. Pupils were fortunate to enjoy beautiful music and expert knowledge from three early music specialists led by Mr Bayley. There was an impressive range of instruments to observe including the hurdy-gurdy, crumhorn, sackbut, curtal, wooden flute, Renaissance fiddle and several different bagpipes (which did not originate in Scotland!) From hunting tunes to dancing jigs and a piece composed by Henry VIII, it was an amazing auditory and visual experience that brought the Tudor world alive.

York Minster

In April We held one of our Chapel services in York Minster. Tristan in J5 played a beautiful solo piece on his clarinet prior to the service before Precentor, Canon Vicky, also one of our Governors, spoke to us about the transformative importance of music in worship and in life generally.

Virtualosity Concerts

Launched in March 2020, our Virtualosity (virtual lockdown concerts) were so popular they soon became a permanent fixture even when we were all back in school to allow our whole school community to share in 8-13’s many and varied musical talents. Mrs Holly Craven, Director of Music at St Peter’s 8-13, said: “Our pupils continue to rise to the Virtualosity challenge admirably, and my thanks go to all the peripatetic music teachers for such incredible work with our children. Whether new to music or higher up in grades, I am hugely proud of all pupils who have the courage to take part.”

Jack McCartney Workshop

Old Peterite and ex-Minster chorister Jack McCartney came back to school to do some workshops and talk about his work as a film and video game composer. It was so good for the pupils to see how a passion for music can lead to unexpected careers. More details in our Old Peterites section.

York Minster Chorister news

Choristers kept up their busy schedule. As always Christmas was special with Advent services and concerts. They did so well to learn so much new choral repertoire on top of their normal rota of evensongs. Every year Choristers continue to rehearse and sing at services which delight, including Christmas Day itself before a well-deserved break!

In June the York Minster choristers were singing in a live BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Evensong which was a beautiful treat for listeners.

At the end of the school year, the J1 probationer choristers had their first experience of singing at York Minster Evensong with the rest of the Minster choir. A very proud moment for them and their families. The choristers also took part in the Duke Ellington Jazz Eucharist at York Minster along with the senior school choirs and choral society, a professional jazz band, soloists and tap dancer – all in front of a congregation of over 1,000 and the Archbishop of York. Quite the experience!

Music is the of St Peter’s 2-18

Whole School Foundation Concert

In mid-February St Peter’s held its annual Whole School Foundation Concert. Well done to all who took part in this spectacular event!

Mr Miles-Kingston, Director of Music at St Peter’s, said: “It was a joy to welcome musicians from across 2-18 last night. There was a wide range of music, from the touching This is the Moment sung by the 2-8 choir to Mozart and Haydn played by small ensembles, guitars from 8-13, Glenn Miller from the 13-18 Swing Band and choral items from the Chapel Choir 8-13 and the 13-18 Barbershops. We finished with an energetic joint choir medley of two songs from ‘Mary Poppins’!”

Mrs Craven, Head of Music at St Peter’s 8-13: “It was great to have so many involved from 8-13, with Chapel Choir performing the technically tricky Kyrie from Andrew Carter’s Missa Brevis and then the stunning I Remember by Sarah Quartel; they sang with real warmth of sound. Our Senior Guitar Ensemble had members from J2-J5 – and played incredibly well – led perfectly by Chris Green. It was marvellous to hear a Wind Quintet made up of children in J4 and J5 play with some fabulous ensemble skills. More than anything, it was just wonderful to see how much enjoyment pupils take from making music.”

Mrs Hayden, Head of Music at St Peter’s 2-8, said: “It was a long time coming but it was so good to be back once again as a whole school. The 2-8 choir sang their hearts out. Their first song, The Moment by Craig McLeish, was very fitting: ‘United in song… waiting so long… this is the moment we’ve been waiting for!’ Our 2-8 children enjoyed listening to performances from the older pupils and have really been inspired to follow in their footsteps. The highlight was the final piece when the three parts of school came together to sing a medley from Mary Poppins. We have all missed making music together and this was a fabulous and fitting end to a great concert.”

A Musical Christmas in School and at York Minster

We celebrated the end of term with three special Christmas services, with some back in York Minster as a school community together at last.

Children from St Peter’s 2-8 gathered in Chapel for their Christingle Service on Wednesday 15 December, a wonderful way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. The service included popular Christmas carols, including a candlelit rendition of Away in a Manger. The children sang beautifully and held their candles very carefully throughout the service.

On Thursday 16 December children from St Peter’s 8-13 gathered for their Carol Service in York Minster. This was the first time that the school’s Carol Service had been held there since the school became the Choir School for York Minster in September 2020. The choristers sang at the service alongside other children from the St Peter’s 8-13 Chapel Choir.

Finally, St Peter’s 13-18 celebrated the end of term with their traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in York Minster on Friday 17 December. The service was cancelled last year due to Covid restrictions, so this year’s service was particularly poignant and a welcome opportunity to celebrate the school’s achievements after another challenging year.

St Peter’s 13-18

Choral Music

St Peter’s 13-18 pupils enjoyed a return to choral music this year, with visits to Durham Cathedral, York Minster and St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh. Due to restrictions in recent years, this was the first time a number of the singers were able to sing at a service outside school. The Chapel Choir’s visit to St Mary’s Cathedral at the end of February was particularly memorable, as we had not sung there in over 20 years. St Peter’s School was also honoured to be the first visiting choir to sing at St Mary’s since the start of the pandemic! The Chapel Choir sang evensong at York Minster at the end of March. It is always a pleasure to make music in this inspiring place and the singers did amazingly well, performing repertoire by Ayleward, Purcell and Walmisley.

Junior Music Festival

In mid-June we enjoyed fine performances from our Third and Fourth Form musicians in our Junior Music Festival Final. There were 80 performances in the rounds before half-term with 30 of those put through to the final, adjudicated by Andrew Penny, an experienced orchestral conductor, teacher and adjudicator. Congratulations to the winners in each of the classes. The winner of the Junior Music Festival Prize for the Outstanding Performance of the Evening was Fred for his virtuosic performance on the clarinet of Lorito Caprice by Gomez. Huge congratulations!

Senior Music Festival

We had a very encouraging Senior Music Festival Final at the beginning of March, with performances of a very high standard in every category. We have always had very good musicians in school but over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of pupils reaching an advanced level. Congratulations to Rachael, the winner of the Senior Music Festival Prize for this year.

Concerts

The Autumn Concert in mid-November was our first major concert of the academic year at St Peter’s 13-18. The concert showcased some excellent solo performances from our Upper Sixth musicians and some small ensembles, including the Brass Ensemble, Clarinet Choir, Chamber Choir and Upper Sixth String Ensemble. It was very encouraging to feature two larger ensembles, the String Orchestra playing Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 2 in D, and pieces by Wesley and Dyson from the Chapel Choir.

We continued with our Christmas Concert in December, which featured a wide range of music, from more traditional carols to seasonal favourites, such as It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas. There was an array of ensembles from the Wind and Swing Bands through to School Choir, Clarinet Choir, Little Big Band and both Girls’ and Boys’ Barbershops. Although still working with additional measures in place, such as reducing audience numbers, splitting the school choir over two nights and spacing ensembles, the pupils had a wonderful time and brought some needed festive cheer!

In March, we were also able to host our Choral and Orchestral Concert in school, featuring the Wind Band, String Orchestra, and some accomplished soloists. For the second half of the concert, we moved through to the Chapel for an uplifting performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Chapel Choir and Choral Society.

Cabaret

Our Upper Sixth were on top form in July with stunning Cabaret solos, featuring a wide range of pop and jazz songs. The Swing Band continued to develop into fine singers and acted as a strong foundation for many of the numbers. The concerts also featured various small ensembles, including the Clarinet Choir, the Chamber Choir, the Little Big Band and both Girls’ and Boys’ Barbershops, as well as our School Choir. Well done to everyone who took part.

Individual Musical Successes

Each year we are astonished by the quality of music produced by our pupils.

Rachael

Accomplished Upper Sixth pupil Rachael accepted an offer to study clarinet and saxophone at the Royal Northern College of Music for September 2022, following auditions in December 2021. She began this exciting journey studying on the junior RNCM programme. Rachael joined St Peter’s at the age of nine and developed into a highly accomplished soloist and ensemble player. She led our Swing Band and was an essential part of our Clarinet Choir, Saxophone Quartet and Wind Band. She also sang in our School and Chapel Choirs and the Girls’ Barbershop. Rachael took clarinet and saxophone lessons with our specialist peripatetic teacher Mr Bayley throughout her time at St Peter’s, guiding her to a distinction in her ARSM clarinet diploma in June 2021.

She continued to delight and amaze audiences with her performances as she entered her final weeks at St Peter’s. She drew rapturous applause when she played a showpiece on the saxophone to the school in Morning Chapel, and then won the East Coast Young Musician Competition, against strong finalists from East Riding and further afield. Rachael had gone through to the final as the winner of the U18 classical category. This competition has grown in stature and size since it was established in Bridlington 13 years ago.

The gold award players from each age category were then invited to play to a panel of three judges as part of a concert hosted by Hornsea Music Society. Rachael performed the beautiful virtuosic Solo de Concours for clarinet, written by Andre Messager in 1899 for the annual Paris Conservatoire student contest. She followed this with a stunning jig-like movement from Charlotte Harding’s Voyage 111 for soprano sax. Rachael also played for St Peter’s 8-13 Assembly, where her musicianship, technical agility and engaging delivery will doubtless inspire the next generation. She also starred in the end-of-term Cabaret Concert.

Fred and Tristan

Also successful in the East Coast Young Musician Competition, where the initial rounds were judged on recorded submissions this year, Fred on saxophone (Third Form) and Tristan on clarinet (St Peter’s 8-13, J5) both achieved fantastic silver awards.

Emily

Upper Sixth pupil Emily achieved an LTCL advanced diploma in flute performance, with distinction. This is the first time a pupil at St Peter’s has achieved a licentiate diploma, which is designed as part of the examination process for third-year undergraduate pupils at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Emily’s outstanding achievement is the result of an intense and sustained period of work on concert repertoire over the past year.

Josh

Josh, the School’s Head Chorister, had exciting news in July. He successfully auditioned for the main National Youth Choir of Great Britain, for 18-25-year-olds. Josh had been singing with NYCGB throughout his time at St Peter’s. Starting in the boys’ choir, he then rose through the ranks of Cambiata Voices and Training Choir, having to audition each year, and is now very pleased to have been offered a first bass place in the 80-strong main choir, with approximately ten singers on each voice part. Josh will tour with the choir and take part in four residential trips and various concerts, including at the Royal Albert Hall, during 2022/23. Josh was also offered a choral scholarship by the University of St Andrews with the University Renaissance Singers.

6-2-7 concert

In early May we held our final 6-2-7 Concert of the year in Chapel. It was great to have so many of our smaller ensembles playing, including our new Electric Guitar Group. We have never had a group like this before and it was very exciting to hear them play for the first time. The Flute Group, which had been recently re-formed, played three items to finish the concert and it was encouraging to see them rebuilding with new members. There were also beautiful contributions from our two string ensembles, and we enjoyed hearing the Bassoon Trio play Gershwin. Thanks also go to Keonhee and Joe for their accomplished piano solos.

Duke Ellington Jazz Eucharist

Our School Choir had an exceptional opportunity on a memorable Wednesday evening in June to work with the Clark Tracey Orchestra in York Minster to mark St Peter’s Day. The Jazz Eucharist featured music from the Sacred Concerts by Duke Ellington and was an extraordinary service, with over 1000 in the congregation. Our choir sang beautifully, supported by some of the best jazz musicians in the country, excellent soloists and an outstanding dancer. It was good to work in partnership with the clergy and choir of York Minster and we were fortunate to have the Archbishop of York preaching. Stephen Cottrell preached to mark the Patronal Festival of York Minster (St Peter’s Day), a special celebration day for St Peter’s School, York. This service will live long in the memory and has been warmly received by all who attended.

Paul Miles-Kingston, Director of Music St Peter’s School 13-18, said: “It was joyful to hear these rare and moving pieces once again in the context of a eucharist service.”.

Jeremy Walker, Head Master at St Peter’s School, added: “We were so proud to collaborate with York Minster again to offer world-class music opportunities to our pupils and share the results with the wider community.”

Summer Music Tour to Barcelona

By Charlotte, Josh, Rachael, Sophie and Wilf

Our trip began at school at 1.30am on Monday 18 July with a palpable buzz of excitement, despite the time. After nearly 14 hours of travel, we were grateful to be greeted in Barcelona by both the gorgeous weather and our courier Marianne.

After a well-deserved lie in, we enjoyed a guided tour of Barcelona on day one. It gave us a great appreciation of the city and its history before we were let loose on Las Ramblas for lunch. We also got to visit the Olympic stadium – Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – and admire the incredible sights of Barcelona from on high.

Our first concert was in Blanes where there was eager anticipation of the paella. The concert featured impressive solo work by Sixth-Form pupils alongside the ensembles, and we came away feeling relieved, proud and excited for the coming week. Day two saw the tour party travel to Figueres, where we had a memorable morning in the Dali Museum, in awe of the outstanding creativity on show. We found a special connection with our second concert location as it was a church dedicated to St Peter!

Day three was full of well-earned rest and relaxation. The morning was spent soaking up the sunshine at Caldes D’Estrac beach. Then it was back into Barcelonato to visit the Arenas de Barcelona shopping centre. The top floor provided us with stunning panoramic views of Barcelona for photo opportunities! Dinner at La Tagliatelle was followed by an impromptu visit to the spectacular fountain show at the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc.

On the fourth day of the tour we were treated to Illa Fantasia Water Park – one of the best in Spain! This was followed by a concert in Reus, with more outstanding Sixth Form solos and ensembles pulling together to produce one of our best concerts so far.

As the week closed, our last evening saw a final concert in the Crypt of La Sagrada Familia. Our previous guided tour of the nave in the morning highlighted how special the building is, and inspired us to play our best in such an iconic venue. It was an incredibly emotional evening, and a chance to showcase the music, friendship and community developed throughout the week.

Travelling back through Frankfurt Airport on Sunday was a sad affair, only made better by the abundance of German pretzels and duty-free chocolate. It was indeed a surreal experience to bid the teachers farewell at 1.30am on Monday, and concluded the most memorable and enjoyable school trip we have ever had the pleasure to take part in.

Sport

How we missed enjoying sport together over the lockdowns! We have more than made up for it since. It was wonderful to have business as usual this year with regular and plentiful sporting fixtures and some stand-out results and achievements. This year saw higher-than-ever levels of participation, competitive spirit, and personal achievements whether pupils were new to a sport or already an elite sportsperson.

Drama, commitment and fun ensued, whatever the weather, with some pupils trying sports for the very first time, post-pandemic, not to mention personal bests, medals and memories to last a lifetime. There were many sports team successes in tournaments across all sports, but it was the large number of fixtures played at all levels, realising our aims to increase participation for all, that chimed with our school values the most. St Peter’s Sport is thriving with much more to come.

St Peter’s 2-8 Sport starts young!

All children at St Peter’s 2-8 participate in two specialised Physical Education lessons a week, as well as a dedicated swimming lesson. The children learn the skills of many competitive games as well as gymnastics and dance, and Inter-House competitions take place at the end of each half term for both Year 2 and 3. This year we enjoyed interhouse hockey in October, interhouse tag rugby in January, interhouse netball and interhouse football in March. This was a fantastic opportunity for the children to put their newly learnt skills into a more competitive yet supportive environment.

In the Christmas term, our Year 3s visited Yarm School to take part in a hockey and tag rugby workshop. This was the first experience of interschool sport for our older children, where they loved interacting with others. As we moved into the Easter term, our focus turned towards netball and football. In March we were delighted to host Yarm School for a chance to show off our wonderful new skills through a variety of different games and activities. In our core PE lessons, the children demonstrated excellent creative skills in our dance and gymnastics lessons. They worked collaboratively to produce some excellent routines which they performed in front of their peers.

As spring became summer, we certainly made the most of the amazing weather. Our children enjoyed getting to grips with some tricky cricket skills. It was brilliant to see the effort from all children including our nursery, when practising their running, jumping and throwing events. We once again welcomed our friends from Yarm School to take part in a cricket workshop, putting our bowling, batting and fielding skills to the test.

In May, both Years 2 and 3 had their House swimming gala. A record number of events were held over 25m in both individual events and team relays, showing an amazing standard of swimming. Records were broken in Year 2 by Caleb, Martha, Hugo and Oliver, and in Year 3, Olivia. The winners for both year groups were Micklegate. Mr Maycock, Head of Swimming, was very impressed!

At the end of June, we welcomed Sean Gaffney to St Peter’s 2-8 to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Sean delivered an assembly to the whole school before leading an energetic fitness session, which the children thoroughly enjoyed!

Sports Day

In bright June sunshine, we enjoyed a wonderful St Peter’s 2-8 Sports Day, with Reception and Year 1 children in the morning and Year 2 and Year 3 in the afternoon. Nursery showcased their sports skills a few days later.

We were so proud of all our Sports Day superstars. The atmosphere was fantastic, with staff and parents bursting with pride to see everybody smiling and cheering one another on in their races. Every child took part in a variety of events on the day, and before Sports Day children competed in field events such as high jump, long jump and ball throw. Despite the warm weather the children performed extremely well, with some children breaking school records!

All the children were incredible and tried their absolute best for themselves and their Houses with huge smiles on their faces. Congratulations must also go to Eva (Reception), Arlo (Reception), Charlotte (Year 1), Henry (Year 1), Izzy (Year 2), Hamish (Year 2), Adriana (Year 3) and Barnaby (Year 3) for winning Athlete of the Year in the respective year groups; Max (Reception) and Sophia (Year 3) for winning the Sportspersonship Trophy; and lastly, Beatrix (Year 1) and Manny (Year 2) for winning Rita Resilience trophies.

Micklegate won the Reception and Year 1 Sports Day in the morning, with Monk taking the top prize in the Year 2 and 3 Sports Day in the afternoon. The overall winners of the St Peter’s 2-8 Sports Day 2022 was Monk House.

Special thanks to Miss Flockhart and Miss Hopper, and all 2-8 staff, for this wonderful day. Miss Flockhart, Head of PE, said: “My thanks to all who came to spectate. You created a lovely, encouraging atmosphere in which the children could thrive!”

Nursery PE Showcase

Following Sports Day, it was the turn of our littlest ones to show off their skills in the Nursery Physical Education Showcase Lesson for family members and carers. The activities demonstrated their fundamental skills through various games, movements and balances, finishing off with a competitive obstacle relay race. Miss Flockhart and Miss Hopper were so proud of the children’s progress and cannot wait to see them progress further in Reception.

St Peter’s 8-13 Hockey

Hockey saw some amazing results this year. Our U11 Girls’ Hockey Team were joint winners in the plate competition at the IAPS Hockey tournament in October, and the U13, U12 and U11 Girls’ Hockey squads won the In2Hockey County Tournaments in November. The U13 and U11 teams remained unbeaten throughout the whole competition. The U13 hockey girls were thrilled to make it to the North Final, losing out to GSAL in the end after a valiant effort. They have all been working very hard on both their technical skills and game play and it was wonderful to see it all pay off.

The U11 Boys won the In2Hockey Regional Tournament in February and came third in the U11 IAPS qualifiers. At the end of April, congratulations went to the U11 boys who won the England Hockey In2Hockey North East of England finals. They were under pressure to win their final match by 5 goals which they managed to do!

Our U13 Boys’ Hockey Team won the HMC Hockey Finals in March, victorious in all their games!

Outside school, Alf, Rohan and Sam should be commended for playing for the North East of England Hockey Team in the National Finals at the end of term.

Cricket Cricket skills were on display this year at all levels. The U13A cricket team won the Yorkshire Cup in early September, with a fantastic performance. A special mention goes to Seb who was Man of the Match with an amazing six wickets.

We have also been very successful in the IAPS Boys Cricket over the last few years and were asked to host the event, our first year doing so. The competition ran over the summer term, where all IAPS schools were invited to enter a team into a national knockout competition. In the end, we just lost out to Merchant Taylor’s Prep in the last eight, who

progressed to the semi-finals at St Peter’s. The four teams who made Finals Day were Merchant Taylor’s Prep London, Westbourne House, Taunton Prep and Bedford Prep. In a fantastic day, with perfect weather, Taunton Prep proved ultimately victorious.

In March, St Peter’s was also proud to be selected as one of four girls’ cricket hubs in North Yorkshire. The four hubs, located in York, Scarborough, Ampleforth and Harrogate, offer 10 weeks of quality coaching from professional cricketers with two levels of girls’ only training sessions – development level and advanced level. The development programme includes sessions covering both softball and hardball, with an emphasis on enjoying the game while working on skills. Please contact r.johnson@yorkshirecb.com for more information and to apply.

The U11 girls’ cricket team played in the IAPS National Competition in mid-June with talented Hettie crowned Played of the Tournament. Well done!

Football

The U13 Boys’ Football team displayed excellent teamwork and footwork when they won the Aysgarth School Spirit of Soccer competition in March. The team enjoyed a wonderful day and were delighted to finish as tournament winners.

Netball

The U13s battled a fierce day of competition to come second in the York and District competition, a great achievement.

St Peter’s 8-13 hosted a netball tournament for teams that may not ordinarily get the chance to take part in competitions with over 140 local York girls in attendance. Not even February’s Storm Dudley could stop these players from improving their skills, developing teamwork and having fun.

In March, our determined U12 girls enjoyed a fantastic morning at the York and District Netball tournament. The B team won the B tournament and the A team lost 5-4 in a close, nail-biting final. It was great to see the fantastic progress made since the start of the season.

Rugby

Congratulations to the U13 Rugby Sevens team who won the first tournament of the season in February at Durham School. They also managed to win the Terrington Hall Tournament and came second at Millfield. At the end of March, the U13 Rugby Sevens team played in the HSBC Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens and improved their play throughout the day in the Waterfall Tournament.

Tennis

The U11 tennis teams had a wonderful day in Newcastle in mid-June at the HMC North East Tennis Tournament. Viktoria and Tabitha finished fourth out of 12 schools in the final placings, our best-ever finish!

J4 and J5 enjoyed their very own Wimbledon style tournament in June with several exciting matches.

In July, Hettie was awarded the sought-after Whitehead Cup and Sam narrowly beat Alfred for the hotly contested Sargeant Cup, the popular senior open tennis tournaments.

Swimming

The 8-13 swim squad had a super year. Well done to the U13 girls Alice, Raya, Phoebe and Clara (J5) who finished sixth in the country for freestyle in the finals of the English Schools Swimming Association Competition at the end of November. This strong performance was followed up by a strong 10th in the medley relay final in the same afternoon. Congratulations to Alice who was also selected for the National Swimming Talent Programme in recognition of her hard work, dedication, attitude and ability in the pool.

The squad then competed in the IAPS National Swimming Championships later in the term. A large squad of children qualified for this event, a wonderful achievement in itself. The J5 girls gave a terrific performance, with Raya and Alice becoming national champions in their individual events; the girls also achieved second and third in the relays, pipping Mount Kelly to second place overall, just behind Millfield Prep.

Based on our swim squad’s consistently excellent performances, they were then invited to the World School Swim Championships at the Olympic pool in Stratford where they were awarded a breath-taking 18 medals! Read more in our cover story!

In April, the rescheduled HMC Swimming Championships saw our valiant U9 girls crowned as overall champions! The U9 boys came second, the U10 girls third, U10 boys fourth, U11 girls second and U11 boys seventh.

What an outstanding year for swimming. A particular mention to Mr Maycock and his team for all their efforts and unswerving dedication.

Sports Day

Sports Day, at the start of July, was a great success. It was so wonderful to have everyone on campus after a long break, and with such perfect weather, sunny with a breeze. Super camaraderie mixed with fierce competition made for a wonderful day where Ainsty won the shuttle relay but York were winners of the B team and the overall competition. Ensuring that nearly 400 children all got to compete in at least one event, in the right place at the right time, was quite an undertaking. Well done to Mr Savage and his team for such a fabulous day.

Ski Trip to Folgarida

Despite the difficulties presented by the pandemic, the 2022 ski trip eventually went ahead with a large party of 110 people attending; the usual happy mix of parents and pupils. It was a new experience for everybody, organising Covid passes, checking in online each morning and wearing masks on lifts. The children enjoyed their ski lessons and made great progress, in super conditions with plenty of sunshine. The après ski entertainment consisted of ice skating, crafting, quizzes, pizza nights and the ever-popular Karaoke competition! The children showed enthusiasm for the singing, rehearsing all week and enjoying the competition. Despite unusual restraints, everything went superbly well and in resort the trip felt normal.

17 Golds

St Peter’s scoops at World School Swim Championships

St Peter’s Sports Department is so proud of its Swim Team from 8-13 and 13-18 who were awarded over 50 medals, including 17 gold, at the World School Swim Championships, held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. The amazing haul of 52 medals in total was broken down into 17 gold, 16 silver and 19 bronze.

The school was specially invited to compete with schools from across the globe after a consistently good year of swimming results. St Peter’s took a team of 18 swimmers to compete in the U13, U15 and U17 competitions. The day started very well with the U13 girls taking the gold medal in the 4x50 freestyle relay and breaking the school record.

The medals then kept coming across the age groups, showing strength and depth across the board.

Jeremy Walker, Head Master, said: “What an outstanding achievement. At St Peter’s, we are so incredibly proud of all the pupils who took part, and hugely appreciative of the brilliant training and coaching from Ian, our committed Head of Swimming, and his team.”

Ian Maycock, Head of Swimming, added: “This has been the highlight of my year by some way. It’s hard to express my pride and admiration for the St Peter’s swimmers who travelled to London. Over 50 medals with nearly 20 golds, was simply breath-taking, but I equally valued their exemplary behaviour, positive attitude and sense of fun and teamwork. I’ve ordered a new trophy cabinet!”

Raya (J5), who achieved eight of the 17 golds, added: “I was so glad I took part! It was pretty cool to represent my school and win a handful of medals and a trophy. Training seven times a week is worth it for fun, fitness and teamwork with my friends. I can’t believe how well we all did. Thank you so much to my coaching team.”

St Peter’s 13-18

Rugby

First XV

Following a short and productive pre-season training the First XV were ready to take on the Retiring Captains team from the previous year, a thoroughly exciting game culminating in a narrow loss. Highlights include our best performance of the season with a 33-7 win against Queen Ethelburga’s (QEGS). The back row of Freddie, Sam D and Sam S were linking well and making numerous tackles. The long trip to Lancaster RGS was saw us take the win 10-8. The final match of the season was against Pocklington with the team determined to put on a good display and finish on a high. A game of free-flowing rugby ensued with the school winning an impressive 63-0. The boys were excellent trainers and always listened, with a desire to improve.

Rosslyn Park

First VII gave another great performance at the Rosslyn Park Sevens, winning the group and progressing to the knockout stage, only narrowly beaten by Murchison. This put them through to the Bowl competition. Some excellent performances on the second day put them through to the final against George Watson’s College where they just missed out to finish valiant runners up.

Second XV

The approach in training, and targets towards match play, were based on the principles of trying to achieve world-class basics. The season started well, with solid wins against RGS Newcastle, QEGS Wakefield, and Lancaster Grammar School. Hard-fought battles, and slender losses to Oakham, Sedbergh, as well as Harrogate Grammar First XV, gave opportunity to review and reflect. Reflecting on the results of the season, the determination and fortitude shown was impressive.

Third XV

It is hard to imagine a more turbulent season, but the team came out stronger with a sense of calm and composure. When playing Lancaster Grammar School, with the opposition scoring two quick tries in concession, the team soon found their stride. A quick open game was key to the success against Scarborough College where it was great to count on the versatility of the players. Against Denstone College the superiority of the line out throwing kept the pressure on the visiting side. Under Ampleforth College’s spotlights the team showed real versatility against a boggy pitch and howling wind and rain and the hard carries made all the difference.

U16s

The team played 10, won 7, lost 3 but these facts do not tell the whole story. Memories were made and knowledge gained at Barnard Castle, Sedbergh, Wharfedale, Denstone and Woodhouse Grove. The stronger fixture list was a real bonus and allowed the team to learn and implement new ideas each week. The team’s scrummage work improved hugely as the season progressed and they were not bettered in the lineout all term.

U15s

The U15s showed great development this year progressing as a whole squad with many B team members readily involved with the A team. The collective endeavour was inspiring with pupils taking up mature leadership positions, leading to a strong team ethos. The season started with competitive fixtures tested against top schools such as RGS Newcastle whereby a hard-fought draw occurred. Three tough games against Oakham, QEGS, and Sedbergh were a great learning curve which paid dividends later. B team players made some

significant appearances within the season with the A team showing their progress against Lancaster RGS producing a 67-0 win. The B team had an undefeated run until the end of the season, beating Barnard Castle in a nail biting 15-12 win, Woodhouse Grove with a 58-0 win and Pocklington with a 45-0 win.

U14s

From the first practise in September, with over 40 boys attending, it was clear this group had the making of a successful season. The boys showed passion, commitment and determination. Improvement, in their rugby ability, attitude and maturity was self-evident. The A team match against Lancaster Royal Grammar School sticks in the memory. Seven regular B team players represented the A team on this day due to illness and the result was an exciting, narrow win for St Peter’s through guts and determination; a wonderful and entertaining season.

Netball

The main aim of the netball programme is to engage, motivate and develop resilience within players of all ages and ability throughout the school. We also had several players gain selection to representative teams at National Performance Leagues and U21 Scotland level, and a great many of our students began their steps towards similar achievements, via their selection onto Rhinos Development Programme and North Yorkshire Netball.

National Schools Competition

The U19, U16 and U14 teams all made promising starts to their Nationals Schools netball campaign, with all three age groups qualifying for the county round of the competition. Both the U19 and U16 teams qualified for the regional finals at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. A fantastic saw the U19 side finish a proud third in the competition. A steady display from the U16s, with smooth and consistent transitional play, saw an all-round positive team effort.

First VII

Highlights included a close win against tough competitors Woodhouse Grove (20-18) and comprehensive victories against Newcastle High (31-25), Hymers College (32-19), Ashville College (39-13), Sedbergh (29-15) and Bradford Grammar (40-21). A truly exceptional season, led by a brilliant captain, saw the girls miss out on an unbeaten season by a single goal.

Second VII

A stronger fixture list proved to be an encouraging boost for the team, as it offered new challenges and experiences that allowed the team to mature and develop with confidence.

Third VII

The energetic and dynamic combinations of the attacking third VII continuously confused defenders and were a force to be reckoned with. The third team finished their season unbeaten!

Fourth VII

The standard of netball played by the fourth team this year can be highlighted by their emphatic win over Sedbergh. The groups maturity, camaraderie, grit and determination led them to a superb 21-18 victory against their toughest opponents of the season.

U15As

There is an abundance of talent within this group who brought enthusiasm and energy whilst balancing their studies and other sports outside of school. Under Matilda’s leadership, they won the York & Districts Tournament without losing a game and came away with particularly impressive wins over Ashville, Ampleforth and Bradford Grammar, amongst others.

U15Bs

The B-team had a fantastic term exemplifying their depth of ability. This group came together as a team to challenge strong squads across the region. Their performances and growth were as a result of their positive attitudes towards training.

U14s

All girls worked extremely hard in training where the season began early in preparation for the National Schools Competition. They were runners up in the first round then progressed to the county round. They must be congratulated on the effort and commitment shown throughout. Competition for places was high and the girls worked exceptionally hard in whichever team they were in, qualities which demonstrate both resilience and adaptability.

Hockey Highlights

Nine pupils from St Peter’s 13-18 were selected for the England Hockey Performance Centre, which provides quality coaching for players in the U15 and U17 age groups, selected from their county squads with consistently high-performance levels. Helena, one of the pupils selected, was also selected for the final assessment squad (30 players) for England U16 Hockey.

Boys’ Hockey

First XI

The boys’ first XI Hockey team was a fantastic group to work with, achieving seven wins throughout the season. At Barnard Castle, the hardworking squad put in a ruthless performance in front of goal, with Alex scoring six goals in a 15-1 victory. There was also a superb performance away at Hymers, where the team moved the ball with confidence, pressed well and made excellent decisions in the final quarter of the pitch which was rewarded with a 7-2 win. This win was then followed up with a 5-0 victory against Hill House School. The second half of term started with a disappointing 1-1 draw with Ampleforth, but positive changes soon meant the team looked more balanced and started to play with more control and structure again. Three excellent wins followed: a 2-1 win against Giggleswick, a superb 2-0 win against Ashville (a reverse of the scoreline earlier in the season) and a 6-3 victory against Pocklington. Individual congratulations go to Finlay who played in the England Hockey U18 Challenge Cup for Durham Talent Academy.

Second and Third XIs

The second and third teams also had excellent seasons and should be congratulated. The second XI finished with seven wins, one draw and three losses, while the third XI achieved three wins and two losses.

U15As

The 15A team finished with a record of three wins, two draws and three losses. The team improved quickly and had an excellent attitude throughout the season.

U14As

The U14s had a fantastic season with 10 wins overall, culminating in reaching the Tier 2 National Finals at Nottingham Hockey Centre. At the finals, they played a strong opposition who moved the ball with pace and were extremely clinical. Despite being disappointed with their results early in the day, the boys really stepped up and learnt huge amounts. They ended third in their group and finished sixth overall in the country, at Tier 2; an outstanding achievement of which they should all be extremely proud.

Girls’ Hockey

First XI

The team was eager to get back to playing competitive hockey and won an astonishing 13 out of 19 games by the end of the season. The season started with the Rugby School Invitational Hockey Tournament where the team finished fifth, our best-ever finish. A Hill House School match followed, a tough challenge where the full-time score of 3-3 was hard fought. A more comfortable 5-2 win against Ampleforth followed. The team’s match against a very talented Trent College side was their performance of the season. Defensively the team was wellorganised, confident and quick. This resulted in a fantastic 3-1 victory, which included a superb counter-attacking goal finished off by captain Poppy and a rocket drag flick from Holly. The final two matches of the season saw a 4-1 victory against Barnard Castle, with two excellent reverse-stick finishes from captain Poppy, and a convincing 4-0 win against Pocklington. In the National Cup, the U18 Squad had a good run in the Plate Competition. There were excellent individual achievements for Holly and Helena, who were selected for the England National Age Group Observational Squads at U18 and U16 respectively, a superb achievement. We had a record eight girls selected for the Challenge Cup in July, and eight represent City of York HC at the National Club Finals at the Olympic Park, where they finished third in the country.

Second XI

In a very successful and enjoyable season, the team gelled well early on which made for a wonderful atmosphere and positive training sessions. The team played 10 matches with 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. Losses against Sedbergh and Denstone were close matches where either team could have come away with a victory. The team performed consistently well and played controlled and attacking hockey all season. Highlights were wins against Durham and Trent College and high-scoring victories against Ampleforth and Pocklington.

Third XI

The season got off to a great start, with a 2-0 win over Ampleforth and a 0-0 draw against RGS Newcastle. The Worksop College game proved to be a game of two ends. The Peter’s team’s attacking style continued to provide ample opportunities to convert goals, with the final score of 5-1 meaning an impressive game. A strong Sedbergh side meant end-to-end action and high intensity. With five minutes to go, a perfectly worked routine by the Peter’s midfield gave the team the 2-1 lead they worked so hard for all the game. Other highlights this season included wins against Cundall 4-0, Queen Margaret’s 9-0 and Sedbergh 2-1.

Fourth XI

This was a very talented team with a mix of younger players making their way in senior hockey and some more experienced players who brought level-headedness and determination. Of the seven matches this season, they drew two, lost three and won two.

U14As

The team achieved a great deal, with five wins over the season. Against Hymers, positional understanding and passing around the pitch resulted in a pleasing 3-1 win. A convincing win against Pocklington in the last match of the season saw the team go out on a high.

U14Bs

As defence grew stronger and transfers allowed for fast-paced counter-attacks, the girls began to come together as a team resulting in a win against Hill House and a draw against Ampleforth. By the end of the season the girls’ communication and resilience had massively improved, leading to a 5-0 win against Pocklington.

Tennis

In mid-March the first IV senior girls travelled to Sunderland to play in the LTA Youth Senior Student Regional Finals (North). The team of Dasha, Anna and Izzy, captained by Flora, competed against Stonyhurst to be crowned the Northern champions, with each player competing in singles and doubles. Helen Barnard, Head of Girls Sports at St Peter’s 13-18, said: “Winning the North finals is an excellent achievement and a reward for their continued efforts and commitment to tennis all year round.”

Eton ISTA Championships

At the end of term, a number of our top tennis players spent four days at Eton College to compete at the ISTA Championships. It was the first time in years that this event ran. The competition was fierce, and our senior and junior teams performed very well, holding their own with some of the best players in the country.

Our Senior girls (Dasha & Flora, Anna & Izzy) all qualified for the knockout stages after winning several matches in the group stages (wins against New Hall, RGS Newcastle, KCS Wimbledon). Anna & Izzy managed to make the quarter finals after winning their first knockout match, a great achievement for two pupils playing in a U19 event.

Our Senior Boys’ team of Toby, Max, James and Freddie played a great quality match with KCS Wimbledon in the first round, losing out 2-0 overall after some close sets of tennis. After that, they got a comprehensive 2-0 win over Rugby before ending their tournament with a defeat to Colston’s.

Junior Girls, Millie and Ailsa played very well and after winning tough matches, including a win against Millfield, made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Springthorpe Cup. Elspeth and Serene showed how much they have developed over the summer to play great matches with Queenswood, Marlborough, Bradfield and Leicester Grammar.

Our Junior Boys team of Rob, Tom, Olly and Art were rewarded for their performances in our U14 team year and went to Eton a year early to gain experience and practice against quality opposition. They were in good form and handled themselves very well against some terrific tennis players.

LTA School National Finalists!

Our Senior Boys achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the Finals of the LTA Schools National Championships by winning four hard-fought knockout matches against Trent College, Bede’s, Clifton College and Warwick School. The team was Toby, Max, Angus, Rob and Freddie (Carlos and Finlay also played in a crucial win along the way). They competed with the very best tennis players in the UK, including some who had played at Wimbledon just days before. The level of tennis on show was truly outstanding and competing with such high-calibre opponents will be a memory to savour. This was some of the best tennis we have seen, handling the environment and quality of opponents superbly. The team were exemplary in their behaviour and a credit to the school. For St Peter’s to reach the National Tennis Finals, as one of the top 16 schools in the country, is fantastic for the rising profile of tennis at the school.

Quality Messi-Style Football!

The First XI football team secured an impressive 70%-win rate. There was a big win against Ampleforth and many high-scoring matches across the season, but it was the tighter hardfought victories (2-1 vs Tranby and 3-2 vs Sedbergh) that were the most rewarding. End-ofterm football awards demonstrated the calibre of talent on display. James won the Goal of the Season award for his Messi-esque run and finish vs Ripon Grammar. The Hope House defence of goalkeeper Will, Seb, Jack and Joe made it a very difficult team to break down.

Top goal scorer was Wolfe, most improved player Seb, player of the season Jack, and School House took the Inter-House football trophy.

Rowing with the Boat Club

It was a wonderful year for the Boat Club despite challenges. From having to cancel racing due to not enough water in the river at Peterborough, race abandonment at Newark due to

difficult conditions, through to extraordinary success at Bradford Regatta, it was wonderful to see rowers overcome adversities and celebrate triumphs. Here are a few highlights:

Ancholme Head. The Boat Club returned to competition in October in Lincolnshire over 2750m. Twenty-two crews raced over both divisions and enjoyed great conditions. All the crews performed well with the J18 quad, J17 double, WJ16 quad, WJ15 coxed quad and WJ15 double all taking the win in their category.

York Small Boats Head. A strong headwind and dropping temperatures greeted the rowers as they gathered at the Boathouse and the 3km race was against the stream. Showing tremendous resilience, all crews achieved good performances with the Fourth Form Boys Double and Senior Boys Band 2 Quad taking the win in their respective categories.

South Yorkshire Head. Here a prevailing headwind and downpour made conditions difficult for everyone. The efforts of the girls’ and boys’ J15 squads were rewarded with wins for the girls’ quad and the boys’ double. The Senior Boys were the fastest Quad on the day and the third fastest boat overall, out of ninety-six crews.

Junior Sculling Head. Eton Dorney, home of the 2012 Olympic rowing events, is a mustrace venue. Both St Peter’s J15 girls and boys produced some excellent racing. The girls’ octuples produced their best performance to date finishing 10th out of 21. The boys’ low stroke rate belied a determination that pushed them along at a good pace.

Bradford Sprint Regatta. After huge effort but ultimate disappointment at the Henley Qualifiers and Reading Town Regatta, Bradford restored confidence. Through their collective good humour, effort, and willingness to work together, the J14 boys and girls, J15 boys and girls and the Senior girls all flew off the start and did not stop until they had brought home 14 wins (34 medals) across the boat classes – a remarkable day’s racing to end the season.

Girls’ First XI cricket

It is a very exciting time for cricket at St Peter’s. For a relatively young, inexperienced group, this season has been outstanding. Over 15 girls played with the first XI, with determination, intent and passion. The team thrived on competition, with individuals standing up and delivering when it really mattered. A side bolstered by Jess, Anna F, Molly A and Lauren, all bringing experience from both county and club, saw convincing 50-run wins over Hill House and Ampleforth College, punctuated by thrilling final-over defeats against Sedbergh & Giggleswick, which could easily have gone our way.

U15/14s

The U14 girls had a fantastic season of cricket. The U14 and 15 girls’ teams mixed for a number of matches to allow us to field a hardball and a softball team, ensuring progress. Several girls from the U14 team also represented the school as part of the first team whilst senior students were unavailable during exams. In the match against Bootham, after working on bowling, the team gave far fewer extras away, winning the game convincingly.

Cricketer Schools’ Guide 2022

St Peter’s was again featured in The Cricketer Schools’ Guide 2022, both St Peter’s 8-13, as one of the top 50 prep/junior schools, and St Peter’s 13-18, as one of the top 100 senior schools. Gareth Sharp, Head of Cricket at St Peter’s, said: “We are delighted to be included again in the Cricketer’s Schools’ Guide; a testimony to the hard work of all our coaching staff, our grounds team, and above all the dedication of the boys and girls on our winter and summer programmes.”

Boys First XI

A young and untested team exceeded expectations. The first full summer after Covid allowed the team to build a contemporary culture of selfless, humble and curious players. Time was invested in world-class basics to enable performance under pressure with increased self-awareness. The summer campaign started with pre-season against York University followed by a productive peer game for the senior squad. Well-won midweek 40-over games against the XL Club, the Yorkshire Cricket College, and a T20 game with the OPs allowed for purposeful game time before the first block against Durham away, in which the XI secured a fine and gritty three-wicket win. The first round of the National T20 saw wins over Yarm and Silcoates. A defeat to Sedbergh and then banana-skin loss to Ampleforth rocked the boat but did not derail the campaign.

The XI went from strength to strength, with wins against Woodhouse Grove, Worksop again, Pocklington and Bradford as well as wonderful learning opportunities with highperforming players against Warwickshire EPP. Knocked out of the last eight in the National T20 to a strong Myerscough XI, who went on to be runners up of the whole competition, was a brave effort. The closing chapter of the season saw the First XI Festival with Repton, Epsom, and Warwick return and a fantastic season-ending victory against a strong Old Peterites side. A particular mention for Wills who broke a 30-year-old school batting record, with 1,252 runs as a Fourth Former.

One of the Most Exciting Finishes to a Cricket Game!

Friday 27 May - HMC T20 North East Finals Day at York Sports Club - will remain etched in the memory for all that witnessed it. Gareth Sharp, Head of St Peter’s Cricket and First XI coach, said: “This must be one of the most exciting finishes to a game of cricket I have ever witnessed.” The resilience to beat Ampleforth in the North East T20 semifinal in the final over when the game was all but lost, and then to do it all again in the final against Worksop, off the last ball, showed incredible fortitude. Elias was the hero with his 76 from 32 balls using his formidable striking skills, alongside his indispensable partner Freddie.

Second and Third XIs

“To me, cricket is a simple game...just go out and play,” said the late Shane Warne. Those who represented the Second and Third XIs, did exactly that. The team played 13 matches, won 10 and lost 3. An innovation this season was to integrate nets at times with the senior girls and some of the U15s. The variety this provided brought on a number of the players. It also engendered the teamwork and togetherness required to be a successful side. They started the season beaten by a particularly strong Yorkshire Cricket College. However, in the next three YCC matches, there was a convincing win, a very tight loss, and even tighter win. There were entertaining wins against Ampleforth College, Revesby CC, Durham School T20 Festival and Pocklington which saw catch of the season by Harvey at gully! All players contributed to the enjoyment of this season, embracing the fixtures and training with focus and commitment.

U15s

This was a very talented and skilful group of cricketers, a few of whom also represented the First XIs. Improvement and maturity, as well as individual cricket skills, balance, and patience, were all on display. The team appreciated each other’s strengths and weaknesses and got the best from each other. The festival at the end of term reflected all the improvements made.

U14s

This was an excellent season where the team won all their games apart from one against Sedbergh. They were well captained by Alex and had a strong bowling attack from Seth, Paddy and Joe. Jack, Henry and Abelard were talented on the bat. Ollie, Rory and Toby were also significant contributors to this talented team.

Swimming to Success

The U18 boys gave an outstanding performance at the London Aquatic Centre for the finals of the English Schools Swimming Association competition at the end of November. They put in a huge effort to move up three places to finish 11th in England for the freestyle relay, narrowly missing out on the final and finishing a very respectable 19th in the medley. This is by far the most success the school has ever achieved at this event. Two members of the U18 boys’ team, Toby and Finlay, also qualified for the short course British Nationals in swimming. Toby in five events (100 IM, 200 IM, 400 IM, 200 backstroke and 50 butterfly) and Finlay in one (400 IM). They represent York City Baths Club where they train seven times a week as well as their school swimming commitments. In addition, Toby was awarded an athletic scholarship for August 2022 at DI Canisius in Buffalo, NY, a testament to the years of hard work and dedication, and we wish him the best of luck. In March, our swimmers competed in the National Independent Schools’ Competition – the Bath and Otter Cup. The teams qualified for three of the four finals, with the boys claiming the best haul for St Peter’s in over 50 years with two silver medals! The girls qualified in fourth place for their final and the future looks bright, with three of our 15-year-olds competing in an open age event.

U18s – Girls and Boys

The Boys stretched their unbeaten regular fixture streak to eight years, which was wonderful and unsurprising given the strength of the whole team, led brilliantly by Captain Toby. The Girls made amazing progress, led by Captain Melissa, with an almost undefeated year, losing only one fixture, to a very strong Ripon. This young Girls’ team, with the majority in Fifth Form or Lower Sixth, means the future looks bright.

U14/15s – Girls and Boys

This was a great season, remaining unbeaten in all regular fixtures throughout the year. A particular highlight was the U15 Girls medals at the English Schools qualifying round. Though the team were placed as reserves for the Final at the Olympic pool, they still ranked an impressive top 30 in the country, an impressive feat.

Ski Trip

Over February half term 33 pupils took part in the first overseas school trip for two years. Due to the Covid regulations, the ski trip only ran for Third and Fourth Formers, who did a remarkable job of representing the school. The instructors were impressed with their ability, resilience and overall approach. Huge progress was made by all, from our beginners’ group right the way through to our more experienced skiers. It was great to see a school trip finally being enjoyed after such a long break. There was also well-deserved fun and laughter in the après ski. Well done to all the pupils for making the trip such a success.

Individual Sporting Successes Outside School Rugby Stars at St Peter’s and Beyond…

St Peter’s is well-known for its home-grown rugby talent, and many of our rugby pupils represent local and regional clubs outside of school. Elias represented the Yorkshire Rugby Academy while Louis was selected for the Yorkshire U18s. Meanwhile, Sam, Freddie, Theo and James were all selected for the Independent Schools Lambs North and Midlands Squad. Ben, Richard and Toby were also involved with the Yorkshire Rugby Academy. This commitment to the game regularly leads to success in major competitions and models excellence and commitment across our school teams. Earlier this year, an article in The Rugby Paper described St Peter’s School as “a fiercely competitive, well-coached side that can never be discounted in national competitions”.

Gold-winning Sophie’s Got a Spring in her Step

Congratulations to Sophie (Lower Sixth) who was selected for the England squad in the double mini trampoline (DMT), a gymnastics discipline within trampolining. Over the Easter holidays Sophie participated in various competitions from Telford to Portugal. Sophie was chosen for this year’s England squad in the senior group, while being selected to represent England at the Frivolten Cup in Sweden later in the year where she won the gold medal in the Open Women’s DMT! Sophie said: “I’m so glad my hard work paid off.” Mrs Barnard, Head of Girls’ Sport at St Peter’s, said: “This is testament to Sophie’s excellent dedication and talent. She manages to train and compete, while significantly contributing to first team school sport and her academic studies.”

Eliza Completes the Great North Swim

Eliza (in Fifth Form) completed the 5K Great North Swim at the end of June. Conditions were extremely challenging with high winds and choppy waters, seeing more experienced competitors forced to withdraw. Determined Eliza swam the course in two hours and 11 minutes, raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society in memory of her grandmother. Eliza was the youngest competitor to complete the 5k course this year!

Wills Captain of the N orth of England U15s Cricket Squad…

Congratulations to Wills, who in July was selected for the North of England U15 squad for Bunbury at Loughborough University, a seven-day event and the first stage in the ECB’s Player Pathway to the England National Team. As of 2018, 91 of the cricketers who played at this tournament have gone on to play for England, including national team captains Alistair Cook, Ben Stokes, Joss Butler and Joe Root, while 10 of 11 England players in 2019 World Cup final also played at the event!

Wills made history on the cricket field during the summer holidays when he scored 107 not out from 117 balls in the 50-over fixture against the Midlands. He was a crucial part of a record partnership, scoring 214 in the nine-wicket victory. The talented North of England team won this year’s ECB Bunbury Festival. Super Wills was also top of the Wisden Schools batting averages nationally with 1,252 runs, second in the total runs and 10th in the bowling averages. Gareth Sharp, North of England Team Manager for the England Talent Programme, Head of St Peter’s Cricket, First XI coach & Junior Boarding Houseparent (Wentworth), said: “Wills commanded the field and was a joy to watch with the bat. This was gold-standard cricket. I congratulate Wills on the valiant way he led by example as captain.”

The Cricket Talent of Cris

Wills’ talented teammate Cris sits third in the Wisden Schools bowling averages, a fine effort, after only converting to left-arm bowling in April.

Life Skills

Learning goes far beyond the classroom at St Peter’s, with children encouraged to develop key skills for life that will help them stand out in a fast-changing world. We are also incredibly proud of the skills and interests honed by the children outside of school, from baking to film-making!

Looking after Living Things

St Peter’s 2-8 respect the living world. Firstly, they were visited by delicate, fluffy chicks where the children were patient and gentle with the tiny visitors. Tadpoles also moved in and were extremely popular with the children who checked on them every day and learnt what they need to survive. It was so exciting to see little tadpoles turn into froglets with arms and legs before becoming fully grown frogs!

The BushCraft Man!

Lucky 2-8 pupils enjoyed a series of Forest School Bushcraft workshops with talented parent Mr Tickle, who instructed the children on shelter-making, safe campfire construction and knot-tying skills to name a few. Practical and muddy fun for all!

2-8 learn about the Royal Family and London

The children in Acorns made and decorated crowns to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. They talked about the Queen – where she lived and what she would eat at a garden tea party –and read a book called The Queen’s Hat, which took them on a journey around London.

Bake-Off in St Peter’s 2-8

The Friends of St Peter’s 2-8 were delighted to host their wonderful Bake Off event again this year! The children were invited to bake creative and tasty cakes, muffins, biscuits and traybakes inspired by their learning themes. The last time we could run this event was 2019, so it was truly amazing with so many of our children taking part across all year groups, from Acorns to Year 3.

Cooking to Eat Well and Keep the Mind Healthy

In April our J1s learnt a variety of cooking skills as a key part of their regular Lifeskills programme, with J4 taking part after their exams to replace revision stresses with tasty rewards.

Outdoor Skills for All

Our J3 pupils enjoyed a hands-on Bushcraft Day; a fun yet practical outdoor activity day – whatever the weather – designed for the pupils to work together in teams to try new challenges and develop essential life skills outside the usual curriculum.

Ava’s International Film Award!

Fifth Form pupil Ava won an international film award for her original film, Beth. Ava was invited to New York as her film had been nominated for Best Film at the All-American High School Film Festival. The festival, which took place 8-10 October, is the largest film competition in the USA for school students. Out of 2500 entrants films, Ava’s, won Best International Film! Ava was also nominated for Best Director, Best Drama and Best Overall Film.

Ava also created a short three-minute film with local neighbours after the first lockdown in 2020. The micro-short film, Players, earned Ava a global reputation. It was screened at 17 festivals in around 10 countries and won numerous awards, including Best Young Filmmaker at the Bafta-qualifying Bolton Festival and Audience Choice at the Marcellus Movie Festival, New York. The film also resulted in Ava being one of just five people shortlisted for the IMDb new Filmmaker Award 2020. She is the youngest ever person to be shortlisted in the history of this global and prestigious award.

Fraser’s Snack Shack

Ice Cream Cone Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

· 2 eggs

· 6 ice cream cones

· 125g margarine

· 125g self-raising flour

· ½ tsp baking powder

· 85g caster sugar

· 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

· Raspberry jam – 100g raspberries; 50g jam sugar (heat in a pan over a medium high heat until the liquid reaches 105 degrees Celsius; leave to cool)

· Italian meringue – on top of ice cream cake – 2 egg whites; 110g caster sugar

METHOD:

1. Set oven to 170-degree fan

2. Wrap the ice cream cones in foil and place in a muffin tray

3. Cream the margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy

4. Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste

5. Add the self-raising flour and baking powder

6. Fill the ice cream cones to about 1-2 cm from the top of the cone

7. Place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes

8. Start the raspberry jam for the ice cream cone cakes – add the raspberries and jam sugar to a pan and stir to combine; allow the mixture to come to the boil and stir vigorously while it bubbles; remove from heat and allow to cool

9. Once the cakes are cooked take them out and put into the fridge to cool

10. Make the Italian meringue for the ice cream cone cups

11. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks

12. Heat the sugar with a little water in a pan until dissolved on a medium heat, turn the heat up to high and allow the mixture to bubble vigorously until at 120 degrees centigrade

13. Add the hot sugar to the egg whites and whisk on a high speed until the mixture has cooled

14. Transfer to a piping bag until needed

15. Once cooled, take the tops off the ice cream cones and hollow out a small section; insert a teaspoon of jam into each one

16. Pipe on the Italian meringue to look like Mr Whippy ice cream

17. Use the blowtorch to brown the meringue – set aside

18. Put the ice cream cone cakes into the egg box

19. Serve and enjoy.

Our very own Star Baker

Congratulations to Fraser from St Peter’s 13-18 who reached the Junior Bake Off Final in January. Fraser was one of 11,000 young people who applied for the competition, so to make it to the final four was an exceptional achievement.

Fraser impressed the judges with his strong knowledge of ingredients and a culinary maturity that belies his age. Fraser achieved an astonishing four Star Baker titles in the competition and was praised for his unique flavours and experimental approach. Predominantly selftaught, Fraser loves foraging and finding exciting new flavours to incorporate into his baking. Fraser is a keen gardener, often growing a variety of in-season vegetables to use in his recipes, and enjoys looking after animals, especially his chickens and ducks, whose eggs make his fresh bakes extra delicious! He has kindly provided a recipe for us all to try here. Have a go and share your photos with us!

Katie trains a Hearing Dog for Deaf People

Over the past two years, Katie in Fourth Form has helped to train Alba, a golden Labrador, to be a hearing dog for deaf people. Alba is now an official assistance dog after passing her exams with flying colours and was nominated to become a child’s dog, which has very stringent guidelines, so Katie and her family are doubly proud. Alba went to live with and assist an 11-year-old boy who is profoundly deaf.

Exploring the Local Environment

Our intrepid St Peter’s 13-18 Geography pupils learnt different methods of data collection by exploring places and how they change, before using some of these techniques to design their own investigation.

Leavers’ Destinations

Careers

The Careers and Higher Education Department offers help and guidance to pupils considering their next steps after St Peter’s. This might include higher education, employment, apprenticeship schemes or gap years.

National Careers Week

The Careers Department organised a series of events from 7-12 March to mark National Careers Week (NCW). In addition to the virtual events organised by NCW, the Careers Department asked members of staff to fill out a plaque to display on their door, which explained their career journey, previous jobs, the skills they have gained and careers advice. Pupils were also invited to the Careers Department to add their future aspirations to a National Careers Week display in exchange for a cupcake.

Old Peterite Mentoring Scheme

The Careers Department and Development & Alumni Department at St Peter’s School launched a new mentoring programme for pupils in the Lower Sixth Form this year. The project brought together Old Peterites and current Lower Sixth pupils to help the pupils develop the skills required for life after school. The scheme officially launched on Wednesday 10 November and all Lower Sixth pupils had been mentored by the end of the year.

Each mentor was allocated six pupils, and the pupils had the opportunity to choose their mentors. Sessions were held every Thursday for five weeks and were delivered both in person and virtually via Zoom. Topics covered included interview skills, decision-making and future planning.

Philippa Dunford-Jeffs, Development & Alumni Manager at St Peter’s, said: “We are delighted that we’ve had such a positive response from the Old Peterite Community and that they have been so happy and willing to volunteer their time, and share their experiences with the pupils in this way. It’s a wonderful opportunity for pupils to hear first-hand about the many experiences of Old Peterites, as they themselves begin to plan their next steps after St Peter’s.”

Old Peterites

It has been wonderful to return to regular Old Peterite events and activities, and to meet face-to-face at last. The year was both busy and lively, with our talented OPs back in school to share their news and wisdom and network with our recent leavers. We celebrate the diverse achievements of OPs below.

It was also a very sad year where we said goodbye to OP President Harry Gration –a regular visitor and great friend to our school – as well as friends and OPs, David Kirby and Peter Whitaker, among others.

A full calendar saw memorable events including London Drinks, the Newcastle Dinner, the Breakfast Meeting and the OP Parents’ Dinner, to name a few. All were well attended with OPs keen to get back in touch after the pandemic stole opportunities to gather as a school community.

Old Peterite Day and Celebration Dinner

Our most recent Old Peterites from the classes of 2020 and 2021 joined forces to play and compete against the Upper Sixth in squash, rowing, netball, hockey and rugby on our annual OP Day at the school in September 2021. As well as the chance to watch the annual OP v School retiring captains’ sports matches, the day included tours of the school, a service in the Chapel and the opportunity to catch up with friends. With a play area for children, face painting and a bouncy castle, guests of all ages and Old Peterites and their families were able to join us.

For the first time on Old Peterite Day, the retiring captains’ sports matches ended in a draw with the trophy being presented to the captains of the Old Peterite and school teams by Old Peterite President Harry Gration and Head Master Jeremy Walker.

We were also finally able to hold the delayed reunion to celebrate 25 years of Linton House. It was great to see Old Peterites, and current and former staff at the House, for a catch-up and a drink. The day was rounded off with a Celebration Dinner which saw Old Peterites, including recent leavers, enjoy a special evening at St Peter’s.

Boathouse Opening

St Peter’s School Boathouse was officially opened on 16 October by Olympic Rower Greg Searle MBE. Greg delivered a morning masterclass to pupils from our Boat Club, which focused on the importance of making choices, not sacrifices, and adapting in order to improve and succeed. Greg answered questions from pupils and gave them the opportunity to hold his three Olympic medals, before being presented with a pennant by Boathouse captains George Smith and Hannah Gowland.

In the afternoon, invited guests gathered for the official opening. Those who had donated a brick to the Boathouse fundraising campaign saw their bricks unveiled, while those who had sponsored the naming of a boat were thanked in a special boat-naming ceremony. Head Master, Jeremy Walker, and Greg Searle delivered inspiring speeches and the event finished with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony before the boats were carried down to the River Ouse for a row past.

OLD PETERITES UPDATES

Flying Colours for OP Ed Roebuck

Old Peterite, Ed Roebuck (2021), passed off the Commissioning Course Short 213 at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on Saturday 20 November. Ed was named the best officer cadet on the Army Internship Scheme and marched out to receive his cane. He then joined three Rifles in Edinburgh for a year as Platoon Commander before starting University. Ed’s Platoon Commander, said: “Mr Roebuck is an absolute credit to his CCF. He was Platoon Commander on our most recent field exercise and was the best I’ve seen in my time at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst so far. Knowledgeable, calm and a great leader on the battlefield despite his young age, he’ll go far!” Ed said: “I’m delighted to have received best intern at Sandhurst. The course was difficult but enjoyable and I’d love to go back after university to attend the Regular Commissioning Course.”

Talented Max, OP, is a Musical Master

OP Max McLeish graduated from the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) with distinction in his MA in jazz trombone. Max who started in St Peter’s 8-13, and continued to flourish in 1318, won the St Peter’s Award in 2016 as one of our very best musicians. Max then excelled at University of Cambridge, graduating with a first in his music degree, before starting at RAM. Max’s course comprised a mixture of ensemble projects led by world-renowned jazz artists including Bill Laurence and Gareth Lockrane. Max formed a band to play his music which culminated in performing at the well-known 606 jazz club in Chelsea. His father, Professor Tom McLeish, kindly donates his time as a Governor at our school. Max said: “I’m always very grateful for my musical experience at St Peter’s.”

Phoebe’s Musical Acclaim and Festival Appearance

Talented OP Phoebe Hall (2018) was shortlisted from over 10,000 entries to be featured in the BBC Introducing Live Lounge Competition, selected to represent North Yorkshire as one of the top 72 artists. Studying Philosophy and Theology at the University of Edinburgh, Phoebe wrote music with a friend, including one song, Just The Same, which her sister encouraged her to enter the competition. The rest is history, with Phoebe performing at the esteemed Latitude music festival and going from strength to strength. Phoebe credits St Peter’s School with helping develop her love of music; she was in all three choirs in Sixth Form and sang with the Barbershop. Phoebe started writing her own material in Sixth Form and sharing her music on Instagram and YouTube. Phoebe is delighted with how supportive the school and Mr Paul Miles-Kingston has been letting her use the Music Department’s expertise to help record her winning entry.

Commonwealth Gold Victory for OP, Sam Dickinson

“I was so proud on the podium, singing Jerusalem. I was the only one who knew the words, my St Peter’s education shining through!” Old Peterite, Sam Dickinson, achieved gold in the Mixed Relay Triathlon at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Head of Manor in 2015, Sam’s success is testament to his hard work throughout school. Sam telephoned to share his huge appreciation for several staff members who saw his potential and encouraged him to excel. “I was so lucky I had people on my side at school. I was absolutely buzzing when I managed to achieve something like this. It makes you look back on everything and everyone who helped you in the past.” Sam also acknowledged the recent success of our school rugby teams – which he follows on social media – and hopes his gold medal will showcase future prospects for other St Peter’s sportspeople. We will welcome Sam to school soon to recognise his achievements and celebrate as a school community. Look out for Sam’s European Duathlon Championships 2015 tri suit, proudly displayed inside school, his very first GBR representation while still at St Peter’s.

Jonny Strikes Again

Cricketing living legend and Old Peterite, Jonny Bairstow, scored the second-fastest 100 by an English player in test cricket against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in Nottingham in mid-June. Talented Bairstow reached the three-digit mark off 77 balls, missing Gilbert Jessop’s record by a whisker (Jessop scored a 76-ball hundred against Australia in 1902). In a sensational spree of clean-hitting, Bairstow struck 14 fours and seven sixes for his 92-ball 136. After England was struggling at 93 for four, chasing 299 on the final day, Bairstow and Ben Stokes took England within touching distance with a scorching 179-run stand off 121 balls for the fifth wicket. Inspirational stuff. Huge congratulations!

For all of the Old Peterite news, please read our Cross Keys Magazine.

Farewell to our Great Friend Harry

Harry J Gration MBE DL (1950 – 2022)

All at St Peter’s were devastated to hear about the sudden death of Harry Gration on Friday 24 June 2022. Those who knew Harry have fond memories of a kind, generous and thoughtful man who was devoted to his family and still found time for everyone he met. It was a great joy and privilege for all at St Peter’s that he maintained a lifelong connection with the school.

Harry was born on 22 October 1950, in Bradford. He joined St Peter’s from Leeds Grammar School in 1965, joining Queen’s House, and left St Peter’s in 1969. In his final year at school Harry was the Queen’s House Monitor, and the Queen’s Chapel Monitor, as well as Secretary of the Theological Society.

The Peterite magazines between 1967 and 1969 acknowledge Harry’s efforts in rugby for the Under 16 Colts team, and 1967 is the first mention of him playing for the 2nd XI at cricket. In May 1968 he was awarded his Colours for hockey. Harry also took part in badminton and football, but his favourite sport was most notably cricket, being made Captain of the school first XI in 1969.

Harry was always immensely proud that as former cricket captain, his son Harvey would also go on to captain the first XI, the second father and son duo to achieve this feat, following in the footsteps of David and Richard Kirby. Both of Harry’s sons Harrison and Harvey were educated at St Peter’s, leaving the Upper Sixth in 2021, and he was so proud of all they achieved. Harrison’s involvement in the Music Department, his performances and involvement in concerts and productions at school, including the Barbershop, before progressing to the Royal Academy of Music were a particular highlight.

Fellow Old Peterite Chris Leake (Temple and Dronfield 1964-1969) remembers his time with Harry at school. “Harry had a steady bat and a typically dry Yorkshire humour. On the day ‘Monty’ (Viscount Montgomery of Alamein) visited school, Harry suffered a cut ear on a concrete window lintel after we playfully nudged each other. I apologised. Typically, Harry said: ‘Forget it, mate. I’ve got another one!’ We both ended up as journalists,

Harry on BBC Look North and myself on The Daily Telegraph and The Mail on Sunday. RIP Harry.”

Harry began his career as a history teacher, but it was his television career with the BBC, from 1978, which made him a household name, not least as a longstanding presenter of BBC Look North from 1982. He also commentated for BBC Sport, covered the Olympic Games and presented Grandstand. Harry retired from the BBC after over 40 years of broadcasting in October 2020. During his career, he won two Royal Television Society (RTS) awards for sports documentaries, and he won the RTS Best Presenter award twice. His style of presenting has often been remarked upon and complimented for the fact that the audience felt as though they knew him, and he was speaking to friends. His charitable work was vast, as patron of many charities, including more recently the York Carers Centre. Tributes to Harry all recognise and celebrate the work he did personally to raise transformational sums of money for charity, including Sports Relief and Comic Relief.

Harry joined the Old Peterite Committee Club in 2019, taking the role of Old Peterite President from September 2020. Harry welcomed each Old Peterite personally to every event, particularly enjoying the London drinks. He recognised that Old Peterites have a life-long affinity and connection to the school, and he often commented on how special the St Peter’s community was, remarking on many an occasion: “Once a Peterite, always a Peterite.”

Jeremy Walker, Head Master of St Peter’s, said: “We miss our inspirational friend so very much but we have also enjoyed sharing many happy memories of a wonderful, talented, kind, and true gentleman. Harry stands as a fine example of a life well lived and an inspiration to all connected to our school. Rest in peace Harry: Old Peterite, Peterite Parent, President of the Old Peterite Club, and legend.”

If you would like to share any tributes or memories with the school and Harry’s family, please email alumni@stpetersyork.org.uk

‘Once a Peterite, always a Peterite.’