The Peterite 2022-2023

Peterite THE

440th Edition

A Royal Year for York Pupils celebrate the Coronation

Alan Mak MP Returns to St Peter’s

Old Peterite Alan delivers a memorable speech at Commemoration

First Ever Whole Foundation Concert at the Barbican

All three schools come together for a flawless performance

A Historic Season for Tennis

Senior Girls reach the National Finals for the first time in the school’s history

2022-23

Contents

06

04

WELCOME

26

VALUES

06

Key Moments – A Royal year for York

14

Key Moments – Boarding at St Peter’s

08 18 20 26 28

Our School Family

Behind the Scenes Our Community

Key Moments – Alan Mak MP returns to St Peter’s Our World

ACADEMICS

32

Learning 2-8

40

Learning 13-18

36 44

Learning 8-13 Exam Results

EDITORIAL TEAM

Editors: Sarah Opie, Cindy Bushell, Olivia Conroy, Lisa Obi Design: www.mercerdesign.co.uk Photo Editors: Lucy Grehan-Bradley, Olivia Conroy Print: Cosmos Solutions

78

SKILLS & INTERESTS

46

Art and Design

56

Clubs and Societies

54 60 62 68 78

Key Moments – Engineering the Future Key Moments – Duke of Edinburgh Drama Music

Key Moments – The first ever Whole Foundation Concert at the Barbican

80

Outside the Classroom

86

Sport

84 84

Key Moments – World Challenge trip – Vibrant Vietnam Key Moments – A historic season for Tennis

LIFE AFTER ST PETER’S

100

Leavers’ Destinations

104

Old Peterites

102

90

Careers

School Office, St Peter’s School, York, YO30 6AB Tel 01904 527300 Email enquiries@stpetersyork.org.uk Registered Charity No: 1141329 © 2023 St Peter’s School, York

www.stpetersyork.org.uk

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Welcome Looking back over the last year at St Peter’s, it has been one characterised by an enormous amount of activity and success for the school, groups of pupils and individuals.

It has also been one in which we have been able to make great progress in our strategic plan to continue the development of our educational excellence while focusing on future affordability.

I hope you enjoy reading about the range of achievements in this edition of The Peterite.

At the heart of all we do is the vision that we are educating our pupils for confident, successful happy and fulfilled lives in which they can make the most of every opportunity while having a great deal of fun along the way.

Jeremy Walker, Head Master

St Peter’s 13-18 This year we saw a debating competition bring ten schools together, the economics and business departments publish the largest ever version of the ‘Peternomics’ magazine, the re-introduction of philosophy seminars and our annual Philosophy Conference. In Design and Technology, one of our Lower Sixth took first prize in a national Technology, Design and Innovation Competition, and our applications to the highly competitive Arkwright Scholarship Programme continue to grow from strength to strength with two pupils being successful this year.

We received nine Gold Awards in the British Physics Olympiad Competition, placing our school in the top 15% of all entries, and we have seen a record-breaking sixteen pupils entering the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Olympiad competition, achieving an impressive six Bronze, three Silver and two Gold awards. In Mathematics, one of our current Upper Sixth was awarded a Gold Certificate in the UK Mathematics Challenge and invited to be one of few in the country to sit an Olympiad paper.

Problem-solving, teamwork and personal development has also been seen in the co-curricular programme with the Combined Cadet Force thriving. Seventy-six Third Form pupils have voluntarily taken the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Bronze level, with forty at Silver, twenty-six at Gold and ten Old Peterites gathering at Buckingham Palace to receive their Gold Awards.

The importance of wide participation, alongside individual excellence, is a feature of the thriving music department at St Peter’s with over 200 performers from across the entire school, and an audience of around 700, at the Whole Foundation Concert in the Barbican.

Over 230 pupils are involved in sport fixtures each week and even more when the rowers have been racing. Standout performances were seen across the board.

Pupil wellbeing remains a top priority and our mental health team continues to support pupils with the Lessons for Life programme having been adapted to raise awareness of the support that is on offer.

As we look forward to next year, there are some exciting changes to come. St Peter’s has evolved at key times over the centuries, and we are fortunate in having been able to make the decision to move to a two-school model at a time of strength and to allocate resources of people and time to affect a successful pivot of the school for 2025. More details will follow next year, and I look forward to keeping you all updated.

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St Peter’s 8-13 This has been my 18th and final year as Head of St Olave’s/St Peter’s 8-13, and what a fantastic final year it has been! As we approach the school’s 150th anniversary in 2026 we have had more pupils than at any point in the school’s history. The growth mindset philosophy which underpins all that we do, the belief that everyone can get better at everything if they work at it and embrace challenge, resonates naturally with most children. They instinctively understand that their brains are muscles which can get stronger through a variety of workouts, just like all our other muscles. Our eight learning habits: collaboration, curiosity, initiative, perseverance, creativity, embracing challenge, flexible thinking and empathy are evident in all that the children do, whether in the classroom or outside.

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

The York Minster choristers sang for His Majesty King Charles III on two separate occasions this year, as well as performing Handel’s Messiah to a packed York Minster, and going on tour to the Netherlands. This year’s St Peter’s Foundation Concert was held in the York Barbican which provided a wonderful venue for the children to perform in. The J3s performed Aladdin the Musical, J5 performed King Lear at the Leeds Carriageworks, and the J1s gave a fabulous performance of music and acting.

The amazing staff made sure that the children had access to a huge range of trips from skiing in Italy, netball in Barcelona, rugby in Italy, the theatre and Yorkshire Schools’ Dance Festival, to name but a few. Our sports team have enjoyed much participation and success, with children of every ability representing the school with pride. We have had visits in assembly from a range of speakers including a Commonwealth Games wrestling medallist, a British Ambassador, a York Rescue Boat volunteer and a paediatric neuroradiologist!

None of the fantastic opportunities that the children have would be possible without the hard work, dedication and passion of the staff – whether they be teachers and teaching assistants in the classrooms, or the huge number of talented individuals who support in areas such as facilities, grounds, medical, catering, cleaning and administration.

St Peter’s 2-8 What a fantastic year we have had at St Peter’s 2-8, full of exciting adventures for children and staff and even for some of the parents!

At St Peter’s 2-8, throughout our curriculum, we believe experiences are everything; without real life experiences, learning would be a process ‘done to’ children, and not an immersive and conceptual experience that develops them. This year, we have seen the children thrive, taking their learning outside the classroom at Forest School and on day and residential trips, and taking opportunities to become valuable members of our St Peter’s community. The School Council have been changing things for the better, even educating some of the older children on how to look after the environment! Throughout the year the children have performed exceptionally in music and drama and represented the school playing competitive sport fixtures against other schools.

Phil Hardy, Head of St Peter’s 2-8

As the Year 3 pupils move to St Peter’s 8-13 I will be moving with them to become the new Head.

I know they are going to continue their inspirational learning journey, and continue to impress me in my new role, by getting immersed in as many opportunities as they can and continue to enjoy and love their learning. Meanwhile I leave St Peter’s 2-8 in Antonia’s experienced hands.

The last 12 years at St Peter’s 2-8 have flown by. The school is an incredibly special place because it strives to continue to improve to be the best version of itself, and provide the very best education to the children. I am very proud that we as a whole team at 2-8 have been recognised by being awarded three National awards, including the TES Independent school of the Year. Our national profile has led to schools visiting us from the UK and on occasions from overseas. I have been lucky enough to represent the team at 10 Downing Street, meeting Theresa May when she was Prime Minister, speaking in the Houses of Parliament and most recently, invited to a Royal Garden party. It is lovely to receive this recognition, however, the most important thing for me at St Peter’s 2-8, has been observing the teachers provide an education that truly inspires children and seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as they arrive excitedly at school every single day. It is just magical and heart-warming, and the reason as educators we do what we do.

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Key Moments

A

Royal year for York

Meeting the King and Queen Consort St Peter’s School took part in a special service at York Minster on Wednesday 9 November, to unveil and bless the new statue of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. His Majesty King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, visited the Minster as part of their royal visit to York. At the service, York Minster Choir sang for the Royal Party and choristers spoke in turn to the King afterwards.

Jeremy Walker, Head Master, said: “I was honoured to represent the school at this historic service to mark the unveiling of Her Late Majesty’s statue. It was a wonderful event and heart-warming to see such large crowds turning out to support the King and Queen Consort.”

“We are proud to educate the choristers of York Minster and, as ever, they sang excellently, and clearly enjoyed the occasion a great deal. It is a day we will never forget and the smiles in the photographs from the day, capture the atmosphere perfectly.”

Images courtesy: Duncan Lomax of Ravage Productions

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Chorister, Will, said: “The King was so interested in us; he asked what instruments I played and how I fitted in all my prep!”

Chorister Eliza: “It was such an exhilarating morning!”

Head of St Peter’s School, 8-13, Andy Falconer said: “It was wonderful to see the excitement of the choristers ahead of the service. They sang beautifully and the King and Queen Consort chatted with them after the service, and even let them get under their Royal umbrellas to keep out of the rain!”

Director of Music at St Peter’s School, 8-13, Holly Craven, said: “What an honour for our York Minster choristers to sing at such a special service and engage so happily with the King and Queen Consort.”

Oak Tree Planted To Mark Coronation To mark the Coronation of King Charles III, an oak tree was planted by pupils from 2-8, 8-13 and 13-18, and members of staff on one of our boarding lawns, The Rise. 8-13 pupils, Anna and Alex, and 13-18 pupil Beth, who is the Head of the Eco Club Committee, were all in agreement that “It was an honour to be picked to mark such a great occasion.”

Head Master, Mr Walker, said that “This seems a fitting way to honour our new King, who has so often voiced his deep care for the environment. It will be wonderful to see it grow.”

2-8’s Coronation picnic The children at 2-8 marked the historic occasion by dressing in red, white and blue in honour of King Charles III’s coronation. They then enjoyed a delicious Coronation picnic prepared by the chefs at school which included coronation chicken sandwiches and King Charles’ Coronation quiche. They made crowns and bunting and celebrated with a party and royal fun and games.

Image courtesy: Duncan Lomax of Ravage Productions

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l o o Our Sch Family T

he House system at St Peter’s is an integral part of life at the school, giving each child a sense of belonging to a wider community of pupils from different age groups. We have had a full year of fun and healthy competition across houses and have continued to treat our fellow Peterites with kindness and compassion. Wellbeing continues to be an important priority in the school and our pastoral care has continued to go from strength to strength.

Together again!

In September we had a day to remember when we gathered all 1,250 pupils and staff from all three parts of the school for our whole-school photo, for the first time since 2018.

Wellbeing In September we launched The Wellbeing Hub at 13-18, providing a calm and comfortable space that houses the school Mental Health Team, comprising a mental health nurse and two counsellors. The team delivers both one-to-one sessions to referred pupils as well as a drop in listening service. Across the school we continue to use the Wellbeing Treehouse at 2-8 and The Wellbeing room at 8-13 for a variety of therapies.

Antonia Clark, our Head of Wellbeing has also worked with pupils from J3 to Upper Sixth to form a pupil mental health group.

They meet twice a term to discuss how to improve the current offering of mental health services, as well as organise events such as Children’s Mental Health Week. They also produced a wellbeing survey that they sent out to all pupils from J3 to Upper Sixth, which is now informing their future ideas.

In 2-8, we hold Wellbeing Wednesdays at 8:40 for the whole school, where we learn a new mindfulness activity. These activities are delivered with the help of Year 3 Wellbeing Champions, who are also responsible for being role models, helping to organise charity fundraisers, promoting, and coming up with ideas for wellbeing, demonstrating kindness and empathy

and noticing when someone needs a friend. One week, they visited classrooms across campus to encourage a mid-day dance, and gave out cards to each pupil with a positive message written on it so that they could take home some positivity.

This year during Children’s Mental Health Week we looked at the theme of ‘Being connected’. Our Mental Health & Wellbeing Team put on activities across the school including a mindfulness course with Mr Draper, who is a qualified trainer for mindfulness in schools.

Connectivity as a theme continued, as Freddie, in the Lower Sixth at the senior school, spoke to pupils in their 8-13 assembly. His message was all about mental health and making sure that we don’t bottle things up inside you but talk to people about how we’re feeling. He spoke with such confidence and the children really enjoyed hearing from someone close in age to them.

New School in Hainan We welcomed a new school to our family this year, our first international school – Yingya St Peter’s, on the island of Hainan, China. This is an exciting start to the expansion of St Peter’s internationally, which will both improve the quality of education we provide through international engagement as well as providing income away from school fees.

We have been busy helping them get ready to open in September 2023, and are looking forward to hearing more from the school over the coming year and working on partnership opportunities between pupils and staff.

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St Peter’s 2-8 When entering Reception, each child is placed in a House, named after a gateway to the City of York: Walmgate, Micklegate or Monk. This year’s House Captains were: Micklegate: Harriet, Freya, Novem Monk: Kalina, Hugo, Rosamund Walmgate: Jack, Manny, Matilda At the end of the summer term the Meaby Rosebowl for Housepoints was awarded to Walmgate.

House Competitions We enjoyed several Inter-house competitions this year, across sport and music.

Competitions provide an excellent opportunity for the 2-8 pupils to showcase their skills in a fun and supportive environment.

In 2022 we opened these moments up to parents to come into school and watch their children participate with peers in their year. This gave the parents a great insight to their child’s development in the following sports; tag rugby, netball, hockey, football and cricket.

Swimming gala After two very tightly contested swimming galas, Micklegate came out on top of both the Year 2 and Year 3 events. There was a fantastic array of swimming on show. For the first time, there were both boys and girls events over 25m for all strokes which is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work the children have been putting in behind the scenes during their swimming lessons. Records were set this year by Oliver P, Bertie R and Jemima H in their respective events.

2-8 Sports Day The sun stayed out and the weather was extremely kind for the 2023 2-8 Sports Day. Miss Flockhart and Mr Lomax were so proud of all their superstars for the effort and resilience the children provided on the day. The children worked extremely hard on their practical skills during the last few weeks of PE, and it was amazing to see them in action.

The atmosphere was fantastic, and it made all teachers, and families burst with pride seeing the children smiling and cheering on one another in their races.

There were many school records broken and huge congratulations to the following children: Charlie (R) 25m 4.84s, Oscar (Y1) 25m 4.58s, Georgia (Y2) 600m 2mins 19s, Oliver (Y3) 600m 2mins 10s, Martha (Y3) Ball Throw 17m85cm, Hugh (Y2) Long Jump 2m37cm, Sam (Y3) Long Jump 2m76cm, Sasha (Y3) 2m56cm, Oliver (Y2) High Jump 92cm, Georgia (Y2) High Jump 1m, Martha (Y3) High Jump 1m5cm.

House singing 2-8’s House singing competition is always a popular event! This year the three Houses chose songs from Abba and they were all excellent. The winners were Walmgate.

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St Peter’s 8-13 As pupils move up to 8-13, they are assigned a new House, with new opportunities to make friends across the 70 pupils of five year groups in each House. In the past we have had 6 J5 Heads of House in each House which leaves many who don’t get an opportunity to take on leadership roles. This year we have had House Captains instead, who are responsible for leading their House in competitions, events or tasks that they are passionate about e.g. singing, chess, particular sports, music, or lost property! This means that more of the J5s are experiencing what it means to take on a leadership role and how to do it effectively.

House Competitions York House were the worthy winners of this year’s swimming gala, and we enjoyed a brilliant atmosphere and lots of excitement at this year’s House Singing competition, where if you closed your eyes you could easily have been in a huge stadium listening to Coldplay performing! Congratulations to all the Houses for embracing the experience and to Elmet House for the win.

The House Pancake Race was also back this year, with pupils and staff in each House racing down the grass courts behind 8-13. Adorned with aprons, scarves, and tea towels they all looked the part and enjoyed flipping their pancakes along the course. Some Houses found that their pancakes disintegrated, but they were resourceful and picked up enough debris to carry on. One J5 pupil even took part with an injured hand and flipped his pancake lefthanded. That’s commitment to the event!

Sports Day Healthy competition was continued at the 8-13 campus for Sports Day, with several pupils performing amazingly and breaking records. Fairfax House took the win, and special shoutout to Sophia who broke the 800m record by 13 seconds!

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St Peter’s 13-18 As pupils move up to 13-18, the House system becomes a home where they start and end their day and continue to make connections across the different age groups. Once again, we were lucky to have exemplary Heads of House across all of our 6 Day and 4 boarding houses. All Heads of House and monitors complete a leadership course as their term begins, helping them to continue being excellent school role models.

House competitions This year St Peter’s hosted an electronic Inter-House rowing competition with the race projected onto a large screen to add real-time atmosphere and excitement.

In Third Form, Queens triumphed after an exciting seven-minute battle, in Fourth and Fifth Form, Clifton managed to exert themselves for a solid nine minutes to become the victors, and in Sixth Form, Hope emerged as the winners after a nail-biting battle with Queens. Head of Rowing, Mr Gunn, said: “This was excellent fun with teamwork, cooperation, fantastic support and talent on display.”

Inter-House Cross Country saw some stand-out performances. In the senior category, Temple took 1st place and in the junior category, the girls won for Hope and School House claimed the top spot for the boys.

House singing The winner of the 2022 House Sing was Hope, who sang “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars, Choreographed by Ella and Will. They had their Sixth Form on front row who saw great energy and performed actions in partners.

House Debating At a whole school level, the Inter-House competitions proved to be a wonderful opportunity for pupils to represent their Houses in a competition designed to show off skills in oracy and build team spirit, with some debating for the first time!

The winners of this year’s Junior Inter-House competition: The Rise The winners of this year’s Senior Inter-House competition: Queen’s House Sports Day We had some excellent performances for the 13-18 Sports Day despite the event taking part very early in the summer term. The House cup for both boys and girls was awarded to Temple House.

The Victrix Ludorum trophy was awarded to Violet.

The Victor Ludorum trophy was awarded to Aiden.

House dinners Each year, all pupils have an opportunity to get together as a House to enjoy a delicious formal three course dinner cooked by our catering team. It was wonderful to see all the pupils and House staff looking so dapper, socialising across the years, and enjoying lovely speeches from the Heads of House.

End of the year and Commemoration In June we had a busy but exciting day for the whole school.

St Peter’s 2-8 gave a memorable singing performance, 8-13 enjoyed speech and prizegiving day and the Upper Sixth pupils returned for a final leavers’ service in Chapel.

Meanwhile, St Peter’s School OPs played the Boys’ 1st XI and enjoyed an afternoon tea with parents, members of staff and members of the Old Peterite Community.

This was all followed by a rousing Commemoration in York Minster to end what has been a fantastic year.

Every year Commemoration is a chance for St Peter’s 13-18 to come together again for the last time, to celebrate everything we have achieved and reflect on the year.

We were privileged to have Old Peterite and MP Alan Mak return to the school for an inspiring speech, more of which is covered as a Key Moment later in The Peterite.

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Key Moments

g n i d r a o B

at St Peter’s

B

oarders, across all ages, have an exciting life here at St Peter’s. We are very proud of the strong community and friendships formed for life through boarding. New boarders can be nervous living away from home for the first time but we pride ourselves on our family-feel boarding houses with firm friendships and support systems across school years. Our boarding houses enjoyed a full calendar across the year, with many opportunities to bond as a group and have a brilliant time at school.

We are incredibly lucky to have such kind and dedicated pastoral staff looking after our boarders, many of whom have been at the school for many years and whom the pupils remember fondly long after they leave the school. The staff continue to go above and beyond, with Matron Babs in Wentworth even knitting holiday themed gifts (including Halloween candy cauldrons this year)!

We welcomed in the new school year with Zorbing, which was a real hit with our boarders! We saw pupils rolling across the First Fifteen during a fun and active activity to break the ice for our new boarding cohort. Wentworth boarders were also given the opportunity for an introductory rowing session on the river and for many it was their first ever time rowing.

During the Christmas period, our boarding activities included ice skating, a trip to the pantomime and a Ready Steady Cook event set up by the catering team.

In February, the Wentworth boarders took to the slopes at Xscape, carving their way into the half term holiday. Lots of brilliant skills and potential on display from our young skiers!

In March, all boarders across the school came together for a wonderful evening at our popular Boarders’ Supper where they played rounders, enjoyed a three-course Mexican banquet and attended the premier of our boarding film.

As part of National Boarding Week in June, our boarders took part in a Bake Off challenge, we had an evening of rounders followed by a delicious BBQ, and Wentworth even escaped for surf school!

can the QR code here to see our film, for a taste of what life S is like as a boarder at St Peter’s

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Spotlight on The Rise The Continued Rise of The Rise – by Dorothy Gillies ‘And though she be but little, she is fierce.’ This quotation from a Midsummer Night’s Dream affords an apt description of the Rise. The smallest House it may be, but the spirit and achievements of the girls who live there is great. By achievement, I am referring not simply to academic and co-curricular achievements. In the 10 years I have been housemistress of the Rise, the wonderful sense of community the girls create simply by being kind to one another, building each other up and participating in all the wonderful competitions and activities available at St Peter’s has been a constant, and, in my opinion, the most significant achievement. As we always say, it is not winning, it is taking part that counts.

This academic year school and house life finally reverted to “full steam-ahead” after the restrictions of the previous three years. Here are some of the highlights of 2022-23: The house singing competition on the last day before the October half-term proved to be a particularly memorable and joyous occasion. Under Grace and Emily’s brilliant musical leadership, the girls committed themselves to countless practices of “Footloose”.

The girls were accompanied by Natalie on the piano. They enjoyed themselves immensely and beamed throughout the performance.

Keeping in line with tradition, we rounded off a very happy and busy Christmas term with our House dinner. The girls and their guests enjoyed a sumptuous soiree, beginning with pre-dinner drinks in the foyer followed by the favourite dishes of tomato soup, roast beef with trimmings and chocolate cake. Delicious. The entertainment continued with Grace and Emilys’ memorable speech which displayed a sense of affection for the House, a knowledge of pupils, and a witty reminder of the highs and lows of life in The Rise. I am always particularly proud of how elegantly the girls present themselves and most importantly what an enjoyable evening the guests have whom the girls have invited.

House Debating was particularly exciting, involving late night prep sessions and tense discussions on behalf of the participants to prepare for the various rounds. A favourite debate of mine was on the topic of introducing 100% inheritance tax. Despite initially strongly disliking the motion, Elena, Natalie and Nadia found themselves bursting with ideas which quickly formed into 3 speeches. In the final the girls debated whether artifacts obtained during British colonialisation should be repatriated. The girls debated this brilliantly, taking on some aggressive POIs and showing great team work. They emerged as winners of the Junior Debating competition 2023.

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Red Nose Day is also a great favourite of The Rise and turned out to be a fantastic day of fun and raising money for the school charity Mind. The three little pigs, some M and Ms, golfers and even the Cat in the Hat, joined the girls in their fund-raising efforts.

There was no sign of Mrs. Gillies…

House Chapel is always a highlight of the house calendar. I particularly enjoy this as so many of the girls are involved across the year groups. Under the highly organised and motivating leadership of Grace and Emily, the girls explored the importance of remaining attentive to the presence of beautiful things that surround us in our everyday lives. As ever it was presented in an imaginative and thought-provoking way.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to the members of the House, without whose help The Rise simply could not function and whose work we appreciate enormously. Thank you very much indeed therefore to our House tutors for their excellent work week in week out. The girls love you being part of the House and enjoy a chat with you whenever you are there.

We are also indebted to “our ladies” who keep the Rise as “clean as a sweetie”. Special thanks go to our Matron Jane who does so much for everyone. Her efficiency, organisational skills, Yorkshire commonsense, friendliness, sense of fun and sewing skills are so appreciated by us all!

And so the year concluded with another top House Barbecue and a trip to Flamingo Land.

So many personal achievements, friendships made and new experiences. We wish those leaving us all the best and wholeheartedly encourage them to keep in touch.

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s e Behind The Scen T

he St Peter’s School family include 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.

Spotlight on catering In this edition of The Peterite, we celebrate the work of our brilliant Catering Team who keep us all fuelled and healthy with top quality food, and who constantly introduce ‘green’ best practice to ensure the schools looks after our environment.

We had a chat with Stuart Wall, Assistant Catering Manager, who has been promoted several times since he joined St Peter’s during the pandemic.

Please tell us about your current job As Assistant Catering Manager, I assist in the smooth running of the three kitchens at St Peter’s as well co-ordinating the hospitality needs of the school. This entails menu creation, stock ordering, working front-of-house and ensuring our high service levels are maintained.

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

After almost twenty years of eight-hour days sat at a desk in administrative roles in the travel, print and shoe industries, I quit, travelled Europe in my campervan and eventually found my way to St Peter’s. Initially I was a kitchen porter during Covid but when ‘normality’ resumed, a role was identified to fulfil the hospitality, which although a steep learning curve, I happily stepped into. A year in that role and a couple of departmental changes, lead to me being appointed as assistant manager.

What are the best parts of your role?

Apart from not being tied to a desk all day, the best part of the job is variety. I could be making omelettes in the morning, serving drinks in the evening and staff coffee in between!

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you here?

Recently I had a face full of Timothy Taylor Landlord beer when tapping the cask for an event, which wasn’t exactly a bad thing!

What do you like to do when not at work?

When not at work I’m usually in my campervan, travelling the UK and Europe.

What piece of advice would you give to young people about to start in the world of work?

If you want to work, there’s work available. Don’t be too shy to get your foot in the door and as Mr Walker says, “just crack on”.

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Our Community

S

t Peter’s School has been at the heart of York for almost 1,400 years and we are proud to support our local community.

As well as providing the best education that we can for our own pupils, St Peter’s seeks to act as a force for good to the great city of York and wider region. In doing so, we employ over 300 people, boost the local economy, provide extra learning opportunities for the community, and raise money for charities through pupil-led fundraising initiatives.

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CHARITY SUPPORT Harvest Collection for York Foodbank In October, the pupils at 2-8 helped to deliver the harvest food collection to the York Foodbank. The children learned how the food was stored, sorted, and delivered, and helped Adam at the Foodbank sort the food into crates. He was very grateful for all the donations and for the children’s help.

Turkey and Syria Earthquake Fund In February, Adam in 2H took it upon himself to raise money for the Turkey and Syria Earthquake fund after seeing the awful news on CBBC. He was very proud to raise £286.95 for the fund by asking for donations with his bucket at pick up and drop off times.

In April, Edward, Elizabeth, Raif, Luna, Teddy and James from St Peter 2-8 and 8-13 held a sponsored sleep out (supported by their grown-ups) in aid of the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. The event coincided with National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. Children’s Heart Surgery Fund In September we were visited by Lisa Williams and Katie Bear from the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund in the 8-13 assembly, after 2-8 raised an amazing £7,000 for their cause in 2021-22. She discussed her work and the positive change the money raised would make.

This was the second year 2-8 supported The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund after it was nominated by Sophie last year when her cousin was helped by them.

Throughout the 2022-23 year, 8-13 took over the mantle of supporting the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, with charity cake sales, a ‘red’ non uniform day and other fundraising initiatives. Amazing individuals Rufus in J3 who set himself a New Year’s challenge to ride 10km each week in January on his bike, and Amelie in J4 who organised a second hand book stall for the charity, raised £600 and £287 respectively.

Zarach 2-8’s charity for 2022-23 was Zarach, which is an amazing charity set up by a previous head teacher, which aims to get every child a safe and comfy bed to sleep in. They supported the charity through many fundraising events through the help of ‘Friends of St Peter’s 2-8’, as well as donating toys and pyjamas for Christmas, and by the end of Autumn term over £1500 was raised which hit 2-8’s goal of being able to provide 10 children with a new bed to sleep in on Christmas Day. The Friends of St Peter’s 2-8 have once again been amazing at bringing the school community together whilst raising money for this worthy cause. They organised and ran a ‘Great Gatsby’ fundraiser where they transformed the Shepherd Hall into a stunning black tie event, and the evening was a huge success. The ball raised in the region of £4,000 for the charity.

In May, 2-8 then took part in a colour run in aid of Zarach. The sun shined bright, and every child was dashed with bright colours on their Zarach white t-shirt, as they ran brilliantly through the course. The day was filled with joy and excitement.

Year 1 cycle over 400 miles After being inspired by the themed text Emmanuel’s Dream, a true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah who cycled an incredible four hundred miles across Ghana with only one strong leg to spread his powerful message that disability does not mean inability, the Year 1 teachers challenged the children to collectively cycle 400 miles to raise funds for the Emmanuel Education Foundation and Sports Academy (EEFSA). They impressed us all by raising a total of £1 104.30 and covering 427 miles!

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Understanding kindness to animals with the RSCPA Pete from The RSPCA visited pupils in 8-13 after they raised over £250 for the charity.

He showed the pupils photographs of animals that currently need a home. Deputy Head Mr Ferguson said “It is so lovely to hear where money pupils raised has gone to.”

Hugo’s mum in 2H, who works for the RSPCA, then visited 2-8 later in the year. She told the children about the work the RSPCA does to help animals and explained how the RSPCA would like everyone to become a Wildlife Friend. The School Council took this information to explain to the whole of 2-8 the things we could all do to help wild animals in the UK. This included things like nesting boxes, bird baths, butterfly and bird feeders and what to do if you found a wild animal in distress. They got to put their knowledge into action that same week when they helped a hedgehog that got trapped in our playground nets to escape following the RSPCA guidelines.

Red Nose Day We had an incredibly colourful Red Nose Day this year at 13-18, with pupils and staff all dressing up to support Comic Relief. Children at 2-8 and 8-13 were encouraged to come to school in home clothes and bring a donation. At 13-18 the pupils have chosen to wear fancy dress and there are some very elaborate and amusing outfits on display including sharks, horse and jockeys, crayolas, dinosaurs, arrows, and bananas.

Movember In November, over 34 staff and pupils raised £5,105 for the Movember campaign, ranking them a fantastic fifth out of 451 schools taking part. Movember exists to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

They all did a tremendous job at becoming hairier in the name of a worthy cause and we are very proud of their individual and collective efforts.

Social Action This year we launched a social action programme to all Lower Sixth pupils giving them a mandate to become willing citizens, choosing how and where to direct their time and attention. A good example has been the Big Sleep Out (or Big No Sleep Out) to raise funds for youth homelessness charities Centrepoint and SASH. Yorkits Big Workshop for International Women’s Day On International Women’s Day, 16 Lower Sixth pupils visited York Minster to take part in the Yorkits Big Workshop. Yorkits is a local community project which makes feminine hygiene kits for girls in developing countries. The Yorkits team and all the volunteers made 70 full kits during the course of the day, along with hundreds of component parts which will be added to more kits.

Providing Yorkits in many countries allows girls to attend school like the boys, enable women to trade in the markets every week and not risk losing their livelihoods. The kits provide access to health, hygiene, education, and dignity.

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Public Lecture Series

By Ben Fuller Under the banner: “Inspiration for all at St Peter’s” our Public Lecture Programme continues to bring inspirational speakers to York, welcoming both the Peterite community and the general public to hear them.

We spread our work further this year, in partnership with the Universities of Roehampton & Birmingham and schools around the country, as Rory Stewart beamed in from Rwanda to a live audience in the Memorial Hall. From here the event was beamed out to students around the UK who were able to send in their questions for him to answer.

In March we were delighted to welcome broadcasting legend, David Dimbleby, who was in conversation with Elly Fiorentini about his life and work, which includes covering the overnight results shows for eleven general elections for the BBC, as well as the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II. The Public Lecture series continued throughout the year, opening with Ben Noble OP, Associate Professor of Russian Politics at University College London (UCL), with a timely talk about Putin v. Navalny: Political Opposition in Russia after the Invasion of Ukraine. A zest for exploration was rekindled in many by the dramatic, illustrated account of ‘The Last Overland’, Alex Bescoby’s recreation of an iconic Land Rover expedition from Singapore to London – using one of the original 1955 Land Rovers.

Our long standing partnership with the York Literature Festival saw an impressive range of speakers join us in March. Thriller writer and OP Judith O’Reilly spoke to a group of students about the skills involved in good writing, as well as to our public audience.

Historian Prof Peter Frankopan gave us a new perspective on the world’s history in the many ways it’s been shaped by the natural world. Politics and diplomacy were opened up to us by Sebastian Payne, who has produced the definitive account of ‘The Fall of Boris Johnson’, writer and podcaster Steve Richards who put today’s politics into context and former diplomat Arthur Snell who considered ‘How Britain Broke the World’. Festival and St Peter’s favourite Dr Tessa Dunlop brought together history with a personal account in ‘Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy’. And finally, Prof Sarah Hart, Professor Of Mathematics at Birkbeck gave us an elegant and perceptive talk on ‘Once Upon a Prime, the links between mathematics and literature’

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PARTNERSHIPS As a school we place a high premium on partnerships and engagement with the wider world. We have many initiatives to engage and give back to the community, some of which have been running for years and more that we continue to add every year.

York ISSP The ISSP (Independent State School Partnerships) is an amazing programme that provides further education to bright pupils across both state and independent schools in York. It is run by volunteers across all participating schools, and hosts extra GCSE courses, masterclasses, lectures, and summer schools on a multitude of subjects not available in all schools such as Latin, Astronomy, Classics, Textiles, Literary Criticism and Further Maths.

The ISSP continues to be a flagship for such ventures nationally with hundreds of pupils from schools across York benefiting from masterclasses and intellectual stretch. Our Head Master Mr Walker is the current Chair, and was proud to represent the ISSP at a celebration of partnerships in the House of Lords earlier in the year.

This year we kicked off our ISSP partnership with the Year 7 breakthrough event. Year 7 pupils from across York joined some of our own J4s to gather in the Shepherd Hall at St Peter’s 8-13 for a stimulating afternoon. Pupils listened to fascinating, short speeches from teachers representing different schools, including our own Mrs Hall. Teachers took turns to argue why either Literature, Numbers, Planting the First Seed, Toilets or Fire were the greatest breakthroughs of all time.

Following juice and biscuits, pupils posed interesting questions to the speakers including whether we could have agriculture without fire and whether the spoken word helps us to survive. After a final discussion, the pupils voted Fire the winner. We were delighted to host this important afternoon of collaborating across schools to tackle big ideas together.

New for this year, the ISSP launched a new Business and Enterprise project. Two of our colleagues worked in partnership with the Merchant Adventurers and the University of York to write and deliver the six-week course which was a wonderful experience for all involved culminating in pitch event where they wowed judges with their presentations and business acumen. We look forward to more exciting events next year.

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Cross Keys Junior Choir Our community choir is happily in its second year, attracting passionate singers aged 6-12 across York. The choir is held in collaboration with York Minster in our Chapel on Saturday mornings during term time, free to attend, and is run by our Director of Music at St Peter’s 8-13, Holly Craven. New members are very welcome.

This year the Cross Keys Choir impressed when they sang in York Minster to launch the Christmas Tree Festival. Worship, hymns and fun-action carols welcomed in festive spirit while the congregation decorated a tree.

Hosting schools across our community Each year we encourage connections across the local school community by hosting events at St Peter’s for other local schools. This year we had several events, including opportunities to sing and play music with Burton Green School and the York Book Awards hosted by the Lord Mayor.

One of the larger events saw St Peter’s host an interactive theatre production entitled ‘The Net’ to help children in Years 5 & 6 to keep themselves safe online. 1,200 children from 19 primary schools came to watch the production about Sam who makes unsafe choices online. The children had the opportunity to ask questions of the cast in character and then to create an alternative positive and safer ending to Sam’s story. The production is part of a wider collaborative campaign in York involving the NSPCC, City of York Childrens Safeguarding Partnership, the police and education and is in response to an increase in incidents in the city involving children and online harm in the past year.

St Peter’s Christmas Science Lecture 2022 - ‘Sounds Fantastic’

By Andy Parr In this year’s annual Science Christmas Lecture, the St Peter’s Science departments explored the topic of Sound.

Chemistry began by demonstrating some examples of Foley art with a Christmas theme. There were flashes, party pops, a whooshing bottle and much more to excite the imagination. We found out how popping candy is produced, and now know there is gunpowder in party poppers.

Our biologists explained how the brain can be fooled by what is seen as well as heard.

The audiences also found out about the origin of human speech and bird song.

Physics demonstrated giant smoke-ring vortices and used shockwaves to burn paper. They also used a laser to show how vibrations produce particular patterns of sound. The Chladni plates were used to recreate the introduction to the Rings of Power TV series and there was a demonstration of resonance, with the dancing flames of the Ruben’s tube.

Computer Science produced the finale to the lecture by turning old floppy-disk drives into a musical instrument. The retro sound that it produced worked best with the theme from Star Wars, of course!

Great fun and enlightenment was had by all at the lectures, which were presented to the school in the daytime and the public on Tuesday evening of this final week of term.

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Key Moments

Alan Mak MP returns to St Peter’s School July’s Commemoration and Prize Giving Service was a wonderful celebration of achievements in school.

There were also reflections on widening educational opportunities from OP, Alan Mak MP (2002), the guest speaker who attended St Peter’s on a bursary.

Alan Mak is the Conservative MP for Havant. He was born in York and grew up above his parents’ takeaway in Gillygate.

After knocking on the door of Mr Trotman, the Head Master at the time, at the tender age of 12, Alan managed to get the support of the school to secure a Government Assisted Place, a bursary and a scholarship to St Peter’s which covered all of the fees.

In his speech, Alan credited his time at St Peter’s as the most transformative of his life, from the brilliant teachers who helped him become the first person in his family to attend university, to the unforgettable experience of being selected to travel to South Africa for the summer exchange programme, and for the world of opportunities he was given access to during his time here.

Alan said, “I would not have made it to Cambridge and into public service without the support and first-class teaching I received at St Peter’s.”

Alan is now acting as a bursary ambassador for St Peter’s as we launch the Keys for Life campaign to offer more opportunities to pupils from across the community. Alan said, “To maintain St Peter’s as an open and successful institution, it must remain accessible to as many young people as possible from every background.”

Jeremy Walker, Head Master of St Peter’s School, said: “It is heart-warming to hear Alan Mak MP’s fond memories of his time at St Peter’s.

“I am hugely grateful to Alan for being our guest of honour on Commemoration Day and for sharing his story and wisdom. His achievements are exceptional, and it is inspirational to hear that the bursary, which enabled him to attend, transformed his life.”

The Keys for Life Bursary Campaign is a special initiative to enhance our bursary funding to celebrate our 1,400th anniversary in 2027. In 2021 there were 30 pupils receiving fee assistance at St Peter’s, on an average 75% remission on fees, including some on 100% remission. This represents 3% of all pupils from 11 years old to 18, and we plan to more than double this number, to reach a target of 10% of pupils attending on bursaries. We have already made a great start, with the number of bursary places rising to 36 in 2022, to 42 by September 2023 through the Keys for Life campaign, but we need the support of the community to reach 85 bursary recipients with 50-100% fee remission by 2027.

If you think you could help us shape bursary provision for future generations please contact Development and Alumni Manager, Becky Nicholson: b.nicholson@stpetersyork.org.uk.

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OurWorld O

ur pupils take an active interest in the world around them, and lead on tackling challenges to help us be a diverse, respectful, and sustainable school. It’s always inspiring to see what young people can achieve when they put their hearts into making the world a better place.

RESPECTING OUR WORLD Eco Council Over the summer, St Peter’s was re-awarded a Green Flag from the internationally recognised Eco-Schools organisation. They commended us on having a large and active eco-council where pupils from across the school get involved in decision making on environmental issues. This year, pupils discussed the impact of the proposed sports developments on the 8-13 site, the composting of food and packaging waste in the dining hall and supported an auto-shut down of school PCs overnight to save energy. In addition, other pupils took part in a variety of activities, including litter picking, beach cleaning, tree planting and campaigning.

Eco Club Eco club have had a busy year. Planting daffodils for Mother’s Day, making bonfires and collecting litter in the spring term. In the summer term we planted vegetables in all the new beds. In the autumn term we have been harvesting the produce. We started the term picking beautiful blackberries, tumbling tomatoes and stunning sweetcorn. We have been inundated with mighty marrows and impressive pumpkins. Not to mention amazing apples and pounds and pounds of potatoes.

Eco impact around school Our Catering Team have been working hard to ensure that all food packaging around the school is compostable. From this year, everything on offer for lunch – from our pasta pots, to sandwich packaging, to coffee cups – is compostable.

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This year we also introduced our environmentally friendly electric vehicle, used for deliveries to and from our three parts of school, the boarding houses and York Minster.

The Bradshaw vehicles have been a presence across our school sites for many years, and we’re proud to make sure that new school vehicles meet with our eco aims.

Celebrating neurodiversity Mrs Bousfield has put up a wonderful display on neurodiversity and some of the celebrity role models that our pupils might recognise. This will be forming a key focus for our DEI work this year as we celebrate what makes us different.

Anti-bullying week Anti-bullying week is the second week after half term, with the focus on ‘Reach out’. Pupils were encouraged to look out for others who are in need and reach out to support them, to reach out if they need help themselves, and to be the change they want to see.

Children at 2-8 enjoyed wearing odd socks on the day to celebrate all that makes us unique.

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DAYS TO REMEMBER Remembrance Day In the Chapel Remembrance Service, Old Peterite Nicholas Hopton spoke to us around the idea of “Blessed is the peacemaker...”. Nicholas is a senior British diplomat and is currently working on Afghanistan issues at the FCDO in London.

Across St Peter’s grounds, we displayed our Remembrance Silhouettes for the second year, which were designed by DT pupils and funded by the OP Club. They were lit up throughout November, as we remembered Old Peterites who served in the forces.

Raising the wreath St Peter’s 2-8 School Council were excited to accept the invitation to raise the Advent Wreath at York Minster again this year. The children helped to add the final candles to the wreath before it was hoisted to its central position below the Minster’s Central Tower to mark the beginning of the Christian Festival of Advent and Christmas.

Christmas Trees at The Minster This year York Minster held the Christmas Tree Festival from 3rd December, with over 40 trees on display decorated by schools, organisations and businesses from all over York. Year 3 had a wonderfully Christmassy day decorating our tree with beautiful angels created by Year 2, which was on display until January 5th.

Holi Festival Pupils celebrated Holi Festival in March, a Hindu festival which marks the arrival of Spring. The children enjoyed learning about the festival symbols of love, joy, happiness and new life, and had a great time expressing themselves by painting their faces and throwing brightly coloured paint.

Diwali 2-8 were lucky to have Siri’s mum come in to talk to the children about Diwali and the Festival of Lights. Children loved creating their own diya lamps, used watercolours on their hands to create Mendhi tattoos and making Rangoli patterns using natural objects.

Lunar New Year To celebrate Lunar New Year, our catering team made a delicious lunch. The food was fantastic and the reception area looked amazing with all of the lanterns the pupils had made. It is so important that we celebrate important events in the calendars of other cultures.

Pride The streets were awash with rainbow colours on a spectacularly sunny day at the Pride Parade last year. St Peter’s students joined the parade and enjoyed the march through the beautiful city centre to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

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Learning 2-8

C

uriosity leads the way in St Peter’s 2-8, as the thematic approach to learning gives each class an exciting new theme each term and can be shaped by the interests and passions of the pupils. We try to immerse students in their theme and let them explore every aspect, becoming ‘experts’ as the term goes on.

Below is a snapshot of Christmas Term to illustrate how thematic learning brings subjects to life.

The year begins The children were incredibly enthusiastic and excited to learn from the first day of the year. When they arrived, they thoroughly enjoyed discovering their learning themes and seeing their new classrooms.

All classrooms looked wonderful and vibrant, ready to provide stimulating learning environments for the children.

Our thanks to the staff who spend time over the holidays crafting these enticing learning spaces.

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Amazing Amazon Adventures In ‘Journey to the River Sea’ by Eva Ibbotson, the class learnt about Mala’s journey to Manaus in Brazil, using Google Earth to view the city of Manaus, the Amazon river and the rainforest. They used this knowledge to create fantastic aerial maps, skyscrapers and Brazilian landmarks in the small world and building area. Through this they learnt new vocabulary such as town, city, coastline, rainforest and ocean. Next, they used their detective magnifying glass to spot key features of a story such as capital letters, full stops, adjectives, and story starts.

In October, Year 1 visited the Tropical Centre to deepen their knowledge on the rainforest. They were mesmerised by the tropical plants and animals they recognised from their learning, including beautiful butterflies which inspired a creative activity back in class. They had the opportunity to ask lots of questions and share their own knowledge with the staff at the centre.

Greece Lighting Through the learning text ‘Here Comes Hercules’ by Stella Tarakson, Year 2 explored Greek vase making, created their own mythical creature, learnt about the location of Greece and surrounding countries, used creative writing to send their three wishes to Hercules, added adjectives to sentences to better describe their mythical creatures, and increased their recall of numbers up to 100. They ended the term with a fantastic Greek Feast finale, making honey biscuits for the feast, writing invitations to teachers around the school, and making golden crowns and bracelets for the party.

Race Through Space At the start of the year pupils discovered an image of Katherine Johnson on their classroom door, one of NASAs most influential workers. This led on to the discovery of the Year 3 topic for the term, Race Through Space and the themed text ‘George’s Secret Key To The Universe’ by Lucy and Stephen Hawking.

The pupils explored the different planets in our solar system and had great fun creating chalk pastel pictures of their favourite planets and filled them with exciting facts to create an information page. They then created their own model solar system and have enjoyed working collaboratively to create the planets in papier-mâché.

They used the James Webb telescope images to inspire creative descriptive writing and the children wowed teachers with their use of figurative language within their independent work.

As the term went on they baked star biscuits, wrote creatively about stars and nebulas, and celebrated Space Week.

Visit to the Life Centre At the end of the Christmas term, Year 3 pupils travelled by train to the Life Centre in Newcastle.

The Life Centre is a science village where people work together to promote the advancements of the life sciences. It is full of amazing exhibits, but our pupils’ favourite was about space and our solar system. They experienced what life was like in Mission Control and on the international space station.

The day was full of amazing activities, shows and workshops. During the space survival workshop, they found out that solar panels are used to create electricity on the space station and that robots are used to fix them when they’re broken. They even got to experience life as the space crew and use robot arms to fix some broken solar panels on model space stations.

Another of the many highlights from the day was the science theatre show and the visit to the planetarium, where they watched a spectacular film all about life on earth and how scientists are looking for life on other planets in our solar system and beyond.

Thanks to Annabel, George, Grace, Mathilda and Olivia for the write up of their exciting trip!

Nursery Pupils in Acorns and Conkers classes learn through play, and there is no shortage of that across their indoor/outdoor classrooms.

Whether it’s water activity and sandpits, trips out in the community, or visiting a Mobile Farm bringing alpacas, rabbits and a pig, Acorns and Conkers experience it all! This year they had many opportunities to study nature, watching frogspawn grow into tiny tadpoles, caterpillars turn into butterflies and holding the little chicks that had hatched in the Acorns room, sparking plenty of conversation about life cycles.

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Forest School Outdoor learning is an integral part of our curriculum across all of St Peter’s 2-8, as pupils have the freedom to explore what interests them in the great outdoors. This year children enjoyed collecting conkers and other seeds, completing weaving and knot tying activities and setting up shops and dens. It can even be transformed for the day to extend class learning, like when a class found their Forest School had been transported to Paris, experiencing a delightful morning of dancing in the rain, jumping in muddy puddles and making croque monsieurs on the campfire.

Mr Hardy says: “The benefits of highquality outdoor learning experiences quickly become apparent when the children are given the opportunity to take part in risk-assessed, but not

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risk free activities. At our school by committing to learning both inside and outside the classroom, we are able to teach children that learning occurs everywhere, at all times.”

World Book Day With World Book Day inspiring their learning in March, the children were busy drawing their favourite characters and acting out storylines from traditional tales. The children came to school dressed up as their favourite characters, such as The Highway Rat, Jemima Puddleduck and Peter Pan. In the junk modelling area, the children created their favourite book characters, even Stickman complete with the family tree! Down in Forest School, World Book Day theme continued by sharing favourite stories around the log circle.

STEAM week In March we had ‘STEAM’ week at Peter’s 2-8 where we celebrated all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (new this year) and Maths to link in with British Science Week. This year the theme was “Connections”.

STEAM week started with an assembly on Monday with Mrs Miller, the Science coordinator at 8-13, who demonstrated some experiments, helped the children learn about some of the elements and explore the periodic table. Throughout the week all year groups completed lots of different investigative tasks, and finally the whole school took part in a special project together. With the inclusion of Art this year we decided to give the project an art focus – so over the course of the week the children worked on creating

their own dioramas using a variety of skills and knowledge they gained in Science, Computing, DT, Art and Maths in order to create an end product.

The children were also given home activities such as baking bread on Monday which they were then encouraged to give to a family member, neighbour or friend. Tuesday’s focus was connection with technology and practical coding by downloading a free scratch Jr App. On Wednesday, the children were challenged to build a bridge that was 1 metre in length and could stand on its own. Then on Thursday they were given a blank portrait on which they sketched and coloured all the things that are special and connected to them. The final task on Friday was to create their own piece of abstract Kandinsky inspired art using shapes.

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Learning 8-13 A

s pupils move through 8-13, we maintain a focus on trying new ideas, interests and challenges and learning from mistakes to grow our knowledge and skills.

Building resilience, collaboration and critical thinking at this formative stage in their education journey sets them up for a successful future both as an individual and as a part of a team.

Alex is a top-scoring Maths Olympiad Medallist!

Alex (J4) took part in the Cayley Mathematical Olympiad, a follow-on round to the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge (a challenge designed for pupils in year 11 and below). Alex was selected to sit a 2-hour written paper consisting of six challenging Maths problems. Alex relished the opportunity to tackle some quite tricky questions. He said, “It was both challenging and enjoyable.”

Alex scored so highly he was awarded not only a Distinction and a Bronze medal but also a book prize. Only the top 100 scorers receive medals so this was a fantastic achievement. Alex’s achievements reflect both his passion and 36 || The Peterite 2022-23

commitment to Maths and the hard work he put into preparing for the challenge aimed at much older students, with the support of his Maths teacher, Miss Kendall.

J5 pupils and a selection of J4s also took part in the Junior Maths Challenge which is a similar national competition also run

by UKMT but this time aimed at students in year 8 and below.

Easy as 3.141593...

For Pi Day this year, 8-13 had so much fun! J1 made Pi bracelets, J4 learnt how to apply Pi in calculations, and J3 discovered the circumference and diameter of Pi using string and objects.

At lunch time, teachers held the annual Pi competition. They were delighted to see a range of new competitors and some returning from last year, having clearly worked on their recall, as shown in the excellent progress made. The overall winner was Eliza who managed to recall Pi to 174 places, 83 more than last year! What an amazing achievement.

Calvin even made a pie for Pi Day which tasted even better than it looked.

“England Rocks” The pupils and teaching staff at 8-13 were incredibly excited to announce that they took part in “England Rocks” – a times tables competition run by the internationally renowned, awardwinning app and learning platform, Times Tables Rock Stars. In total more than 3,932 schools took part in this national competition. We placed 117th out of 567 nearby schools and took 1st place by 122 points over the other 5 local all through schools who participated.

England Rocks required children to correctly answer as many multiplication and division questions as possible, to give their class and school the best chance of winning.

The competition was fierce with 171,012,925 questions answered collectively by 704,979 pupils from more than 82,483 classes around the country!

Our school stats were astonishing too.

On average our top class answered 556 questions correctly per pupil, with the best performing pupil answering an amazing 11,366 questions correctly in total. Our top class scored 1,951 points on average and the winning class was Mrs Godley’s J2 maths group.

Mrs Hick says “It’s great seeing how enthused the pupils are about working on TTrockstars and developing their speed of recall of these essential times table facts.”

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National Poetry Day To celebrate National Poetry Day, a poetry reading was held at the St Peter’s 8-13 Library on Thursday 6 October. Twentytwo pupils representing every year from J1 to J5, as well as four members of staff, volunteered to come to the Library at lunchtime to read one of their favourite poems to the audience. As this year’s National Poetry Day theme was “The Environment”, we had lots of poems about animals and nature, as well as some more general favourites.

Mrs Hebden and Eloise in J3 read “Si...” by Jean-Luc Moreau, taking turns in French and English, and Arina in J5 read “I Loved You” by Alexander Pushkin in both Russian and English. A special well done has to go to Thomas and Hattie in J4, Freddie and Liam in J2, and Mr Harvey, who all read poems they had written themselves.

Viking Day We were invaded by 60+ Viking warriors in October as the J1s had a fun-packed day learning skills in various workshops throughout the day such as making bread, weaving, and pottery.

Maya Day J1 enjoyed their Maya Day on the penultimate day of term, taking part in lots of fun Maya activities including chocolate tasting. Everyone made a mosaic mask and an elaborate feather headdress which they wore as part of their very colourful costumes.

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The Mr Men Conference J2 were welcomed back in Christmas Term with the excitement of attending a Mr Men Conference. This is part of a launch into their writing project which allows the pupils to create a brand new Mr Men/ Little Miss character and explore the world of the story and plot lines through drama. By the end of the session all the pupils had created a new character and were armed with a host of amazing ideas to continue with in their English lessons, ultimately working towards a published book by Christmas. For the conclusion to their project, St Peter’s 2-8 children came down to the 8-13 Library so that the J2s could read their stories to them.

National Foreign Language Spelling Bee For several years now, St Peter’s 8-13 has taken part in the national Foreign Language Spelling Bee, a competition for students in Year 7 to practise and improve their vocabulary, spelling and memory skills in French, German and Spanish. The first stage requires each pupil in J4 to learn fifty of the most useful words in their two chosen languages, and the second stage requires the six highest scorers in each language to learn one hundred more words and determines which pupils will represent the school in the regional finals.

Each year the MFL teachers at St Peter’s 8-13 are astounded by the speed and accuracy with which pupils can recall and spell their words and recognise the hard work and dedication required to attain such

a high level of performance. All of those who took part in the second stage can be proud of what they achieved, and particular praise goes to Eren, Lucy and Lily-Anne who went forward to represent the school in the regional finals after placing in the top 3 for each language for Yorkshire and Humber. They went on to the regional finals in Cambridge, and although they didn’t place, did exceptionally well and had a brilliant day.

Science Week St Peter’s 8-13 celebrated Science Week 2023 with lots of exciting activities. J1 were challenged to build the strongest and highest tower, J2 had a visit from Sam’s Safaris, J3 investigated fruit batteries. J4 made chemical rockets and J5 had a lesson of ‘explosion’ demonstrations.

Afternoon Tea made by our pupils The J1s learnt to bake in April in the cookery room and then invited all their

parents and grandparents in for a tea party to sample their delights, and to look at the work they have been doing around their theme of English counties.

Kimba J4 and J5 pupils were mesmerized by the rhythmical and euphonious lyrics of poet Kimba in May as he had them clinging to every word of his engaging poems and raps.

He spoke about the power of language and the use of figures of speech, and they left all wanting to add some SHAMPOO to their poems – make sure you ask them about it!

Cressida Cowell In June we had a visit from the best-selling author Cressida Cowell, to inspire our J1s, 2s and 3s with their creative writing.

We were joined by Burton Green Primary School, and all pupils were excited to hear about the inspiration for her much-loved book “How to train your dragon”.

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Learning 13-18 A

t St Peter’s 13-18 we encourage pupils to be ‘sparky’ by discovering new interests and boosting their learning outside of the classroom. Whatever their passions, pupils have the opportunity and support from teaching staff to pursue them.

St Peter’s Booker Prize The St Peter’s Booker Shadowing Event took place in late October to coincide with the announcement of the official Booker winner. Pupils from Sixth Form English classes read books on the St Peter’s Booker Shortlist before convincing their classmates that their book was the worthiest winner. After close voting from peers and teachers, Bea and Freddie (Lower Sixth) were the ultimate winners with their choice of ‘Booth’ by Karen Joy Fowler. All pupils bravely and boldly presented their thoughts on their chosen texts with superb results. Huge thanks to all staff involved, particularly Mrs Wong and Mrs Mallard, who gave the pupils this fantastic opportunity to celebrate the best of Literature and the importance of reading.

Peternomics 2022 At the end of their Lower Sixth year, pupils studying either A Level Business and/or A Level Economics were tasked to independently research and subsequently write an article about a business/ economics issue of interest to them. From

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cryptocurrency to current affairs, both domestic and international, from business failure to economic decision-making, the articles were collated and produced over the summer by Mr White, to produce the bumper edition of Peternomics 2022 which came out in October.

Read the publication here

The Physics Olympics

By Andy Parr In June 2023, St Peter’s hosted the 16th annual Physics Olympics competition for Year 8 pupils. Twenty-six schools took part this year in a day of physics challenges. Visiting schools had travelled from as far away Newcastle, Yarm and Barnard Castle, having to set off really early for the trip over to York. Schools from York, Harrogate, and Leeds were also well represented.

The teams took part in a broad range of physics, maths, problems solving and practical skills. There were five different laboratory-based challenges in all including constructing the widest possible freestanding bridge using Jenga and twisting aluminium to form turbine blades to produce the greatest voltage when attached to a small generator. These were followed by a very challenging Fermi Quiz which requires pupils to estimate various different quantities to the nearest power of 10. e.g How many 2p coins would stack up to the same height as York Minster?

Prizes are then awarded for the teams winning each of the challenges, and an overall gold, silver and bronze. All of the pupils got stuck into the challenges right from the beginning and had lots of fun taking part.

The pupils were surprised by… “How much the challenges pushed us into new areas that we haven’t explored yet.”, and “how well we worked as a team”.

The winners for the Fermi Quiz challenge who will receive the Morris Shield were The Grammar School at Leeds. Queen Ethelbergha’s Collegiate were the overall winners, with Bradford Grammar School in second place and Bootham School in third.

“The Olympics Competition was an incredible team effort from all of the staff involved at St Peter’s this year.

Many thanks to our sponsors York Vikings Rotary, the Institute of Physics and Philip Harris. I am also grateful also to all of the Fourth Form pupils that helped with the challenges and the general running of the day.” - Mr Parr, Head of Science at St Peter’s School A Level Languages Debating Competition This year, the languages department were delighted to relaunch the A Level Debating competition for the first time since before the pandemic. The event, for A Level students studying French, German and Spanish, brought together

27 teams from 10 schools across the North. Each year the winners of the French debates go on to compete nationally as part of the Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes 2023, organised by the Institut Français. Remarkable linguistic skills were on display as debates covered topics such as digital technologies, language learning to 18, the abolition of homework and responsible travel.

We were impressed with the way in which the students’ fluency developed throughout the day and their ability to articulate their thoughts with precision, poise and camaraderie in the language they are learning. The St Peter’s Spanish team made it to the semi-final, with the German team battling it out to reach the final.

Living Languages The Upper Sixth enjoyed a trip to London to see a superb live performance of La Casa de Bernarda Alba, in Spanish with Spanish actors at the very atmospheric Theatre Cervantes. This is something we hope to do each year as it is so valuable for the pupils to see the A level text brought to life.

Fourth Form Spanish Cultural Evening The Catering team, led by tapas chef Calvin excelled yet again with the churros and chocolate and produced a spread of tapas that would impress any Spaniard: tortilla, chorizo, aceitunas (olives), jamón serrano and queso Manchego con dulce de membrillo (quince paste), patatas bravas, croquetas and pimientos del piquillo (red mini peppers).

Two former pupils Ollie (Molecular Biology and Spanish, University of Manchester) and Rohan (French and Spanish, UCL) returned to give a talk on the importance of learning languages both socially and in the world of work. They shared the message with Fourth Form about the importance of taking the time and effort to communicate with others in their own language and to avoid over worrying about linguistic mistakes.

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French The French department has been a hive of activity this year.

Students across all age groups have had the opportunity to take part in lots of language competitions from GCHQ’s Code breaking competition to essay writing. Some explored the discipline of Translation, entering The Anthea Bell Prize for Translation, with Harry’s sensitive and touching translation of Vers Gnomiques by Marguerite Yourcenar being Highly Commended.

Elizaveta explored French through Durham University’s slogan competition, with her excellent slogan and accompanying commentary winning first prize in her age category.

Our Fourth Form were treated to the annual ‘Petit-Déj. Français’ provided by our wonderfully talented catering team, with explanations from Mme Weller and discussions for everyone in French throughout.

Merci mille fois to the students for their enthusiasm and the French teaching team who make the lessons so fun and engaging.

Senior and intermediate Mathematics Challenge The Senior challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using mathematical techniques. In October, 51 St. Peter’s Sixth Form pupils took part and 17 received Bronze Awards, 17 gained Silver, and Gold Certificates were awarded to Freddie, Chris, Martha, Henry, Keonhee, Thomas and Boris.

Amber from the Fifth Form was also entered for this Sixth Form competition and she achieved a Gold Certificate.

The Intermediate challenge is targeted at the top third of pupils in English Schools.

The question papers are designed to make students think by using mathematical techniques to solve non-standard problems.

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In January, 61 of our lower school pupils sat the one hour UKMT intermediate maths challenge paper with 6 pupils achieving a Gold Certificate, 24 a Silver and 19 a Bronze.

Senior and Intermediate British Mathematical Olympiad and Kangaroo Each of the pupils awarded a Gold Certificate in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge achieved sufficiently high marks to be invited to take part in a higher round of the competition. Keonhee’s outstanding result meant that he qualified for the Olympiad paper, on which he was awarded a merit. The other 7 pupils qualified for the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo round on which Amber, Thomas, Henry and Chris obtained a merit (the highest possible outcome).

Due to their excellent performance in the Maths Challenge, William, Lewis, Charlie, and Teagan were all invited to sit the European Kangaroo paper. The questions involved thought-provoking situations requiring the use of logic as well as mathematical understanding, and pupils from over forty countries in Europe and beyond usually take part.

Amber was once again invited to sit the prestigious United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Intermediate Maths Olympiad following her outstanding performance on the Intermediate Maths Challenge. This national competition sees the best mathematicians in the country attempt incredibly tough questions in a 2-hour sitting MP Q&A at St Peter’s Pupils enjoyed a lively lunchtime discussion with Thirsk and Malton MP, Kevin Hollinrake.

Mr Hollinrake visited St Peter’s at the invitation of a member of the Upper Sixth for lunch, after which he spoke to a large group of politics students and scholars and answered questions. As a North Yorkshire MP he spoke about the importance of levelling up as a long-term strategy to increase services

and prosperity across the UK, with the government taking the lead on connectivity – railways and roads – to better enable the private sector to build businesses and wellpaying jobs. A wide range of challenging questions covered issues as diverse as fracking, equal marriage, the Northern Ireland border and freedom of speech.

Josh, who invited Mr Hollinrake said: “It was fantastic having the chance to hear directly about current political and economic issues, particularly surrounding the cost-of-living crisis.

I was very impressed by his full and open answers to our questions.”

English

By Victoria Edgar This year the English department was delighted to host Kimba the poet in collaboration with the library at 8-13 and 13-18. Kimba delivered an incredible, enriching talk to the younger pupils about poetry and creative writing, and led a fantastic poetry-writing workshop for our lively, sparky Lower Sixth English pupils.

We also had the opportunity to visit Whitby and experience the places that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In the summer term, during Exploration Week, pupils in Lower Sixth went to see Oklahoma! and visited The Globe theatre to experience Drama and Literature in the wider world.

Keystone magazine On Monday 3rd July, Sherman and Lisha in Lower Sixth travelled to the Shine School Media Awards in London where they were presented with certificates for being

‘highly commended’ in digital design and photography, respectively. This was a national media award where pupils were up against tough competition from students across the country. They worked enormously hard, along with a team of other Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth and Fifth Form pupils, to create a brilliant edition of Keystone magazine.

Read the full edition here

The Chemistry Olympiad The Olympiad involved some of our Sixth Form students sitting a 2 hour written paper on chemistry knowledge significantly beyond the A Level syllabus. Students are expected to apply knowledge, problem solve and make educated guesses to answer 5 questions based on real-world problems.

This year’s paper included questions based on topics such as rocket fuels, vaping, and the production of holes in Swiss cheese! The paper is notoriously difficult which further emphasises the success of some of our students scoring enough marks to receive recognition.

Congratulations to all that took part, and to the following who achieved awards: Bronze award: Scarlet (L6th), Will (L6th), Ethan (L6th), Bella (L6th), Bohdan (L6th), Jack (L6th) Silver award: Oscar (U6th), Tierney (U6th), Chris (U6th) Gold award: Thomas (U6th), Lisha (L6th)

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Exam Results

GCSE Results This year we celebrated outstanding GCSE results once again with half of all grades awarded 9 or 8, over two thirds at 9 to 7 (equivalent to the old grades of A* and A) and 83% of grades from 9 to 6. The school is extremely proud of the achievements of all pupils with an astonishing 14 pupils achieving a clean sweep of ten or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 8.

2023 69% of GCSE results were awarded at grades 9-7

There have been many exceptional individual performances, including: 69%

Alice who showed her all-round talents with an astounding twelve grade 9 GCSEs, one of only a handful in the country to attain such results. Alice is a consistently persuasive member of the Debating team, being part of the team that reached the National Finals of the ESU Schools’ Mace Debating Competition in London, after success at the regional finals.

50% at grades 9-8

Harry was delighted to achieve an astonishing eleven 9s and an 8. He was awarded the Fifth Form Prize for Academic Merit at our recent Commemoration Day and has represented the First Team in rugby and is a keen hockey player.

50%

Edward was pleased with his amazing ten 9s. His musical contributions in school have been significant as well as his sporting commitments which saw him placed in the Rugby First Team. He recently wowed the audience playing the complicated ‘Elégie Op 143’, on violin in the Senior Music Festival Final.

Islay did extremely well, achieving nine 9s, an 8 and a 7. She took on the additional challenge of a GCSE in Astronomy through the York Independent State School Partnership. Islay shows prowess in the school’s rowing crews, consistently winning medals as part of a very strong team. She is working towards Silver Duke of Edinburgh award and is an active member of the School Council.

Jimmy was proud of his eight 9s and two 8s. His passion for rowing has developed at school where he is now training to become a cox. His expertise in music wows audiences whether it is his singing or playing the piano and organ.

Keen cricketer Joshua was pleased with his eight 9s and three 8s. Another cricketer Wills, who captains North of England, and has consistently topped batting averages, was bowled over by his seven 9s and three 8s.

Polly, Helena, Isobel, John (who took the lead part in Peter Pan and Wendy to great audience acclaim), Ailsa (a keen tennis player), Eryn (a skilled rower) Tiggy, and Wendi, were other talented St Peter’s pupils who all achieved ten or more GCSE grade 8 and 9s.

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See our full set of results here

A Level Results The school is proud of the achievements of all pupils and the fortitude and resilience they have shown despite all the challenges of the pandemic in recent years.

Amongst the excellent results overall, there have been some outstanding individual performances.

Thomas, who was Deputy Head of School, achieved an astounding five A* grades in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics. He said of his success “I’m relieved and so excited for the next chapter” and will be starting a degree in Maths and Computer Science at Imperial College London in September.

Head of School Martha achieved four A* grades in Maths, Further Maths, History and Physics. As well as her musical contributions to the school, she also held a prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. She moves on to the University of Cambridge to study Engineering in the autumn.

Martha also achieved and outstanding A* for her EPQ which saw her recreate the effects of the active air management system in the McLaren Elva car.

Toby, who was also Head of School, secured A*, A and B in Geography, Economics and History alongside playing in the England Under 18 rugby team. He has already begun life as a professional rugby player at premiership team Bristol Bears.

Sophie achieved three A* grades in Maths, Biology and Chemistry. Alongside her studies and representing the school in netball, after placing third in the Double Mini Trampoline (DMT) World Championships in Bulgaria last year, Sophie was selected for the 2023 DMT Senior Development Programme at British Gymnastics. Sophie is going to Newcastle University to study Combined Medicine and Surgery.

Keonhee leaves us with four A* and one A grade in Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Further Maths and Latin. He recently scored very highly whilst representing St Peter’s in national Maths and Chemistry Olympiads.

Talented pianist Keonhee will be going to UCL to read Theoretical Physics.

Another pupil achieving an astonishing five A Levels was Henry, who secured three A* and two A grades in History, Maths, Further Maths, Greek and Economics. As well as representing the school in rowing, he contributed to many musical ensembles including the barber shop group. Henry will start his degree in Economics and Economic History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) next month.

Chris achieved three A* grades in Maths, Physics and Chemistry and is reviewing his options for next steps.

Lisette’s 4 A Levels including an A* and two As see her off to University of Durham to study Computer Science. She said, “Thanks to all my teachers. I’m so excited.”

Joanna heads to Australia for her Gap Year whilst Molly can’t wait to play hockey at her first choice of University of Birmingham. Holly and Elias are off to the US to University of California, Berkeley, with hockey and rugby scholarships, and Anna will continue to play international standard netball whilst studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nottingham.

Alongside their A Levels, 23 pupils have also completed an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) whilst others have continued working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards, with nearly 30 golds achieved.

Such strong results have meant pupils are moving onto excellent opportunities including Oxford and Cambridge as well as Russell Group and other competitive universities in the UK and overseas.

Others are moving onto to graduate apprenticeships at prestigious firms such as JP Morgan.

2023 79% of results were awarded at A* to B, and 93% pupils achieved grades from A* to C

79%

42% of all grades were at A* to A, with 6 pupils achieving three or more A* grades and 25 pupils achieving three or more A Levels at A*/A.

42%

Jeremy Walker, Head Master said: “As well as the academic results they have achieved today, I am very proud of the values the pupils in the Upper Sixth have developed, in particular their compassion for others, their endurance and resilience through the toughest of challenges and their hope and optimism for the future. This combined with the lifelong friendships they will have made in their time at St Peter’s will give them strength for the years ahead.”

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Art & Design

T

he St Peter’s campus is never short of outstanding art and design, displayed proudly in our classrooms, art gallery and shared spaces. Our inspiring team of Art and Design & Technology teachers help to bring the students creative ideas to life and we are constantly amazed by what they produce.

St Peter’s 2-8 Budding Artists and Designers Children in Year 1 have been inspired by big dreams this year, from channelling Picasso to create their own abstract clay heads, to later in the year creating their own “Little people, Big Dreams” books which were proudly displayed to parents. Each one is unique and individual, just like them!

They worked very hard this year on their watercolour techniques, creating a fabulous Art Gallery as the finale to their rainforest project in Christmas term, where they auctioned off their artwork to raise money to help protect the Amazon Rainforest.

There was some amazing art produced by Year 2 this year, from Christmas term creating their Greek Vases which required the use of different mediums as well as research around the Greek’s inspiration for their artistic designs, and collages of Greek Houses, to Summer Term where they explored different countries through art, like creating their own willow pattern inspired plates drawing from key elements of the “Willow Pattern Story” – a traditional Chinese tale.

Year 3 developed a range of skills this year in art and design, including sewing, painting nebula art in their space exploration theme, and moulding and sculpting through their canopic jar project in their Egyptian theme.

Small worlds Children in Year 2 used donated shoe boxes to create their own small worlds in their polar exploration theme. The children carefully planned their designs first, considering what equipment they would need and how they were going to execute their desired features.

They then got to work! It was wonderful to see the children applying their creative skills to decorate, design skills to construct and problem solving skills when facing challenges. The teachers loved seeing the individuality and imaginations shine through with the project.

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St Peter’s 8-13 The Enterprise Project Ahead of their Enterprise project, J5s kicked off their team building with a Speedkixx Day. They worked their way around a huge range of tasks including tag archery, tug-of-war, can–off, zorbing...all whilst trying to work successfully as a team. They then used these transferable skills when working together in DT, English, Art, Music and ICT, creating a team and producing original products and stock to take to market.

In July we hosted The Enterprise Fair in the Shepherd Hall as a culmination of the J5’s Enterprise Projects. A variety of high-quality products all designed and created by the J5s were available for sale, including Bear & Bunny bags, hand crafted plant pots, Sea Glass art, and SpaceHydration Water Bottles.

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By Tulsi, J1

By Tom B, J1

Art and Design All pupils are given creative projects that immerse them, which are built upon each term to develop their skills. Their work includes collage, print making, drawing, painting, clay, electronics, textiles, woodwork and acrylic.

Projects this year included clay and glaze painted Japanese Dolls, Modigliani portraits, Christmas ties and arctic sketches.

By Darcey H, J2

By Tom W, J4

By Erin G, J2

By Charlotte R, J5

By Ella R, J3

By Sebastian P, J3

By Tilly P, Joy Elise M, Alice R, Lucy C and Erin G, J2

By Ivana C, J4

By Isabella Q, Dorothea G, Ella R and Albert A, J3

By Cate S, J4

By Scarlett K, J4

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St Peter’s 13-18

By Eliza, A Level

ART Our pupils enjoy a wide variety of opportunities in Art and Design beyond the classroom.

The Art Department is open to all pupils on weekdays, and most Sundays. Pupils can take advantage of the outstanding facilities including large drawing and painting studios, printmaking facilities, photographic darkroom, ceramics studio, an extensive art library and computer suite, and our own exhibition space The Whitestone Gallery. We also offer an Art and Pottery Club, Art Masterclasses and Life Drawing Classes.

Eliza Allison A Level

Art Awards presented at Commemoration 2023 were as follows: Junior Art Prize – Evie (Fifth Form) Senior Art Prize – Grace (Upper Sixth Form) Exhibition Prize – Rosy (Upper Sixth Form) On Your Marks…

The Third Form Art Exhibition this year was entitled ‘On Your Marks…’, and was housed in the brilliant Whitestone gallery. There was an amazing array of paintings, drawings, sculptures and mosaics on display.

Imagine 2023 ‘Imagine’ is the end of year exhibition in the Whitestone Gallery which features work from all pupils from Fifth Form to Upper Sixth Form. The work varied from painting, printmaking, and sculpture, and was captured in the Imagine 23 postcard set on sale on the night.

By Adam, GCSE

By Abbey, A Level

Adam Karbani GCSE

By Alex, GCSE

By Emma, A Level Abbey White A Level

A Level

Emma Franey

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Alex Vause GCSE

By Miranda, A Level

By Keizah, GCSE

Miranda Moulton

By Xiao, GCSE

A Level

Keziah Jones GCSE

GCSE

Xiao Xiao Chan

By Kat, A Level

By Penelope, GCSE

By Aiden, GCSE

Penelope Hay GCSE

A Level

Kat Hazell

By Izzy, A Level

By Amber, GCSE

Izzy Deri-Clark

By Barnie, GCSE

A Level

Amber Yang

GCSE

GCSE

Barnie Bennett

By Jack, GCSE

By Lily, A Level

By Martha, A Level

Lily Gilman

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A Level

GCSE

Jack Yates

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY VEX IQ Robotics 2023 Regionals & Nationals This year saw our first ever entry into the VEX IQ Robotics Competition. Two teams travelled to Durham for the Northeast Regionals Competition, with pupils Noah, Mikhail, Christopher and William taking first place alongside the Judges Award and the Teamwork Award. The team went through to the UK Nationals with their robot Guy Fawkes. The four were excellent ambassadors for the school in what was an intensive two-day tournament of alliance challenges, driver and autonomous robot skills and judges’ interviews. Though they didn’t get through to the World Finals, the team were inspired and presenting in assembly to 8-13 pupils launched VEX IQ as part of the Co-curricular offer and VEX V5 at 13-18. Watch this space!

Dimensional Measurement User Training Well done to our budding Lower Sixth engineers who took part in our first ever Dimensional Measurement and User Training Taster course. They fared well in what was industry standard assessments and should be incredibly proud of their efforts. Thank you to Jolyon Caplin from the National Physical Laboratory for his time and expertise for providing the opportunity to our pupils.

Visit to Ginetta Factory and Work Experience in Engineering This year saw the return of industry visits in Design & Technology with our Lower Sixth Product Design pupils taking a tour of renowned British heritage race car brand Ginetta’s 75,000 sq. foot facility. With many of the components for the road and race cars being manufactured on site, there was a wealth of learning opportunities on offer. Pupils gained insight into both fabrication of traditional steel framed ‘body in white’ and carbon fibre monocoques, and were lucky enough to visit Research and Development and Quality Control Departments on invitation from the Managing Director, OP Amy Tomlinson.

DT Exhibition 22-23 This Easter saw the return of the Design & Technology Exhibition in the Whitestone Gallery which showcased work from all year groups, including our Fourth Form DT award winners. The prototypes demonstrated the breadth of talents from our GCSE and A Level pupils as they explored the contexts including ‘Caring for animals’, ‘Souvenir from a place of interest’ and ‘Working from home’ alongside MAKERSPACE Co-curricular Projects and EPQ Artefacts.

Harry A Level Project for York Gin Harry’s A Level Product Design prototype was a particular highlight that saw him working alongside OP and York Gin Company’s founder Harry Cooke. His flat pack storage unit for York Gin was delivered to store and will provide the company with a showstopping display for their products at events such as fairs and tastings.

By Jack

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By Victoria

By Will C

By Harry

By Maggie

By Louis and Bill

By Will B

By Jennifer

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Key Moments

Engineering the Future

W

e have seen some exceptional design and engineering students come through St Peter’s over the last years, and through the excellent STEM departments we are helping them to go beyond their classroom learning to secure scholarships that further their career aspirations.

We have had great success with the Arkwright scholarship again this year, and new to 2023 we have introduced a Ginetta scholarship to further increase the support on offer to the STEM talent at the school.

22-23 Arkwright Scholarship Programme The Arkwright scholarship follows 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. The muchcoveted scholarships are widely respected by academia and industry; as well as receiving a financial award of £300 per year to help with the cost of materials, equipment and activities to optimize their studies, scholars are paired with a professional Engineering Mentor and get access to exclusive events and connect days to assist them with their career progression.

Congratulations to Will and Scarlett, who were successful in securing Arkwright Engineering Scholarships this year.

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Scarlett (2022 Arkwright Scholar, First Prize Technology Design and Innovation Award Winner, Intellectual Property Award Innovation Prize Shortlister) What does the opportunity of working with companies like GINETTA mean to you?

It would be great to get hands-on work experience. Opportunities to get into industry are hard to come by and those encounters can make or break your decision as to whether this is the industry for you. There are so many differing fields of engineering to choose from and when you are making decisions on university courses to apply for, or what apprenticeship companies you should look into, it provides reassurance that you’re heading in the right direction.

How has St Peter’s prepared you for the next stage in your engineering career?

We have a really supportive Design and Technology Department. I never would have looked at engineering as seriously as I did without their help. They guided me through the Arkwright Scholarship Application and to seize the opportunities to compete nationally through competitions the Technology Design and Innovation Challenge, Young Innovators and the Big Bang. I’ve been able to present my work to like-minded people and industry professionals, and it was such a confidence boost to get great feedback from people who are ultimately my role models.

What are your long-term ambitions?

I want to break into industry and make a difference. I’m applying to study Chemical Engineering at either Cambridge or Imperial College. I want to make current technology more efficient - ultimately leading a team to solve some of the biggest challenges facing society.

Will (2022) Arkwright Scholar What is it about a career in STEM that inspires you?

STEM has always played a central role in my life, from DT at school to tinkering at home,

I’ve always been around STEM. It allows me to express my own personality through designing and manufacturing and allows me to fix issues for others while also taking enjoyment in my work.

How has St Peter’s prepared you for the next stage in your engineering career?

St Peter’s has allowed me to study DT in an environment where I’ve always had opportunities to explore more. Without access to our workshop, I doubt my passion for metalwork and hot works would have taken off nearly as much as it has done. Furthermore, St Peters allowed me to pursue the Arkwright engineering scholarship and not only gave me the option to enroll in the scholarship, but also the support to take on each stage and ultimately to win the scholarship.

What are your long-term ambitions?

My goal is to train as an Explosives Ordnance Engineer in the Army and lead a team of highly skilled bomb disposal technicians throughout the UK and abroad delivering the expertise and skills required to aid the global war on terror and make the world a safer place. I hope to be able to train and develop the future generations of Explosives engineers and help bring aid in what would be many peoples darkest moments.

Introducing the Ginetta DT and Engineering Scholarship Thanks to the generosity of Ginetta, from 2023 we are able to make an annual scholarship available to applicants who are bright and ambitious with a demonstrable interest in engineering, design and technology who intend to take STEM subjects at A Level such as Physics, Mathematics, Design Technology and Computer Science.

This scholarship not only gives full access to a means-tested 100% scholarship for an outstanding all-round education in the Sixth Form at St Peter’s, but also a unique work experience and insight into Ginetta. Taking the lead in British race car manufacturing, Ginetta is putting the UK at the heart of world-class motorsport, selling cars across the world and training the brightest stars in motorsport.

For more information scan the QR code.

Amy Tomlinson, MD at GINETTA says: “The ultimate goal is to help more people get into engineering, pushing the abilities of students showing how we hand craft and engineer parts to bring to life our products. I would expect that scholars would find us supportive of their studies and with all of our departments we can put in practice what they are learning in the classroom. We are passionate about the education of the next generations and getting more people into engineering, especially being a family run business of engineers ourselves!”

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Clubs and Societies W

e offer over 80 co-curricular activities which continues to grow and thrive every year. Pupils can get involved in clubs and societies from chess to juggling.

St Peter’s 2-8 2-8 School Council Stewardship of the earth begins at our youngest years, with the School Council at 2-8 making a big impact across the school. A new set of councillors are elected by their peers each term, and get to wear special badges whilst they carry out important work around school. Well done to the 2022-2023 councillors; Aria, Emmy, Arthur, Zachariah, India, Owen, Joyce, Pip, Jack, Sasha, Thomas, Connie, Xander, George, Heidi, Japji, Eva and Finbar.

This year they concentrated on the impact the school has on the environment and met with Mr Swales who is Head of Maintenance here at St Peter’s. They discussed changing all light bulbs to LED, turning down the radiators on hotter days with new thermostats, as well as improving the swimming pool boiler.

As the year went on, they continued their mission by visiting the 8-13 cafeteria to direct pupils and members of staff to use the correct waste and recycling bins, adopted a “toothpaste tube” challenge where they collected and recycled over 100 empty toothpaste tubes, and tidied up and re-planted their happiness pathway. They also confidently welcomed Paula Widdowson, the executive member for environment and climate change from York City Council, to discuss how we as a school can make small changes that will contribute greatly in the long run.

It was amazing to see their confidence grow throughout the year, interacting with older pupils, visitors to the school and presenting their achievements in assembly.

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St Peter’s 8-13 York Dance Fest This year our 2-13 Dance Club took part in the York Dance Festival. We are so very proud of all the pupils who worked hard to prepare and perfect their performance. The event was held at York University for the first time this year, and our team consisted of a group of pupils from both 2-8 and 8-13. The theme was ‘Picture This’ and the group performed a piece about global warming. During the day, they participated in workshops with other groups from all over Yorkshire, culminating in the performance and a shared dance. This finale is taught to the groups on the day and performed by all.

Chess success In June we hosted a round of the National Primary Schools’ Chess Championships 2023 tournament, involving 8 local schools with Scarcroft Primary School taking the win for both U9’s and U11’s.

Our U11 chess team also took part in the EPSCA national chess semi-finals down in Nottingham – a wonderful experience for them to play at such a high level.

Junior Dukes Junior Dukes is a life skills award for primary aged children that has been running since 2007 and is designed to encourage pupils to develop independence and discover new talents and passions. By completing personal challenges such as learning First Aid, learning to swim, cookery, domestic challenges, caring for others, making a presentation, playing chess and many other fun things, children can earn themselves the Junior Duke Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards.

This year it was wonderful to see so many children wearing their Junior Duke badges with pride and the number of badges achieved steadily increasing across school. Pupils take on Eco challenges, First Aid, Time Management, and drama.

This year Daniel (J3) was the first pupil to achieve his Platinum Junior Duke Award. He completed 7 tasks ranging from disaster management to trip planning and cookery. His Junior Duke Journal was so thorough and detailed he has also been awarded a ‘certificate of merit for most outstanding junior duke journal’. He said he has learnt a great deal through completing the challenges.

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St Peter’s 13-18 Young Enterprise In November, our Young Enterprise team visited England Cricket in Loughborough to fit three England Lion fast bowlers with the toe guard they have designed. The athletes trialled them at their camp in Dubai and fed back to the team on their performance.

CCF

By Graeme Norman The CCF has had a successful year, with highlights including the paintballing trip, range days, and Exercise Spring Dance on Strensall Common. Alex and Peter proved to be the best shots in the contingent, winning the clay pigeon competition and achieving the top scores on the range day.

The overnight exercise was an excellent opportunity for the senior cadets to step up into leadership roles. Lucy and Zoe deserve special mention, with Lucy being appointed Head Cadet for the coming year.

In July, the Fourth Form were awarded their Royal Yorkshire Regiment berets by the Headmaster. They proudly showed off their drill routine, and Henry and Hettie were promoted to the rank of LCpl. This year’s annual camp took place at the Cadet Training Centre in Driffield. The cadets undertook a wide variety of fun and challenging activities, including adventurous training, fieldcraft, team challenges, and rifle shooting. The culmination of the week was an inter-schools competition, consisting of five separate team challenges to put into practice the skills they had learned during the week. St Peter’s emerged victorious, proudly taking the silverware home!

Chess Our chess team did extremely well at the York Schools’ Chess Tournament this year, placing 2nd out of 11 schools – an amazing achievement!

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Debating

By Jo Lunardi This year has been an incredibly exciting and eventful period in Debate Soc. History.

Back in November, Helena and Anna participated in the York Civic Trust’s Public Speaking competition in which they represented the school well, discussing the value of tourism in York.

The Debating Dinner was a superb celebration of the best orators in the school, expertly chaired by Mitchell, Debating Captain 22-23, with two excellent teams, debating the motion This House Believes That Valentine’s Day Has Lost Its Meaning Of Love, with the proposition coming out on top.

We have been a very busy co-curricular department too and our highlights include: Our Mace team made it through, once again, to the Regional Finals, coming runners’ up – fantastic performances all round with some good learning opportunities – well done Will, Alice and Bea. In the Public Speaking competition run by the English-Speaking Union, our two teams were excellent ambassadors for the school with the team made up of Evie, Lewis and Jemima progressing through, for the first time, to the National Finals at Churchill College, Cambridge!

It’s been a wonderful year and could not have been possible without the incredible enthusiasm from our students and teachers, Mrs Bennett and Miss Jones as well fabulous leadership from our Debate Captain, Mitch.

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Key Moments

Duke of

Edinburgh

By Jon Whitehouse

At St Peter’s School, pupils can choose to work towards a Duke of Edinburgh’s award, at Bronze, Silver or Gold level. It is very much up to an individual to create their own programme of activities with the help of their DofE Leader.

A DofE programme can be an opportunity to test your limits, develop one’s skills, and grow in confidence. It’s your DofE, and you are encouraged to take ownership of your award, and see it through using your own initiative, together with the support of the staff at St Peter’s.

Record numbers of pupils at St Peter’s have chosen to start a DofE programme in the last year, and there has been plenty of commitment shown towards the various elements of the award.

It has been inspiring to see many of our pupils volunteering in the local community, and making a real difference.

Alongside the Skill, Physical and Volunteering components of the award, pupils have taken part in practice and qualifying expeditions over the last year, with groups venturing out onto the North Yorkshire Moors.

Our 3rd form enjoyed their time at Peat Rigg outdoor training centre, completing their 2-day Bronze expedition early in the summer term.

Our Silver and Gold pupils experienced some unseasonably bad weather in June when out on the Moors, but showed the resilience and determination to finish their expeditions. They were well prepared, having completed their training and an Outdoor First Aid course earlier in the year.

One of the highlights of the year was a visit to Buckingham Palace for nine Old Peterites, who were invited to London to celebrate the completion of their Gold awards, in the presence of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and reflect on what they had achieved.

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Drama

F

rom workshops to stage performances, pupils love using creativity and expression in their drama. It is wonderful to see their confidence and ability grow throughout the year as they master new techniques, and ultimately put on an amazing show for families and the community.

St Peter’s 2-8 Christmas Term At the end of the Christmas term, children at 2-8 had the opportunity to perform in their Christmas plays to an audience of parents, grandparents, family members and friends in person and live streamed across the world.

The Year 3 children performed ‘Aladdin Trouble’, Year 2 ‘Tinsel and Tea Towels’ and Year 1, ‘Christmas around the world’. Reception retold the Christmas nativity story, and Nursery performed Christmas songs.

Head of 2-8 Phil Hardy said “The children were amazing, singing their hearts out and acting so professionally, dancing with creative flair and having such a sense of fun! Their confidence shone through in all of the performances, and you wouldn’t believe that they are so young.”

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Storytelling week To mark the beginning of Storytelling week in January, three Sixth Form pupils, Mackenzie, Max and Lottie, led a workshop for 2-8 pupils, using the characters of Big Bad Wolf, the Ice Queen and Captain Hook to devise short scenes of drama.

It was brilliant to watch all pupils involved!

End of Year Performance Once again parents and teachers were blown away by the confidence of all of the children in the end of year celebration, showcasing a variety of singing performances. All children worked very hard in rehearsals and really enjoyed the final show.

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St Peter’s 8-13 Aladdin The J3 production this year was Disney’s Aladdin, and this year the production was double cast so there were twice the number of roles. With the whole year group involved, there were a lot of rehearsals and Ms Veasey was very impressed with the dedication of the pupils.

The art department worked tirelessly to create an elaborate set to include some beautiful pillars and the magnificent Cave of Wonders. With some cracking songs and joyous characters, the final performances were events to remember.

Shakespeare Schools Festival Our J5 cast performed ‘King Lear’ in the national Shakespeare Schools Festival in January at The Carriageworks in Leeds to a paying audience. They were phenomenal! It is a very difficult play but with Ms Veasey’s very clever direction they were able to get the plot across to the audience. Thank you to all the parents who braved the joys of Leeds city centre driving to support the children.

Pantomime Academy In June, 8-13 pupils put on a show ‘Pantomime Academy’ for the rest of the school and there were two special performances for parents and grandparents. The show was written so that every pupil had a speaking part – 60 in total!

The story was about a boy, called Maurice, who was always in the chorus or playing the back end of the pantomime cow. He was teased and overlooked. In the end, the characters acknowledged their unkindness and realised how much they needed Maurice.

LAMDA at 8-13

By Frances Simon It has been a while since sharing about the LAMDA courses but there has been much to celebrate! Students have had the opportunity to be their own creative writers and directors as they explored the Devising Syllabus and writing their own scripts! They have achieved great success with Distinctions and Merits in the last set of exams and are growing in confidence. One of the examiners particularly commended the current J2’s for their impressive performances and skill in the discussion part of their exam. Students are required to listen attentively to the examiner and reply accordingly, the importance of actively listening should never be underestimated.

I would like to recognise two J2 learners who have impressed me this term with their diligence and team-working skills. The two students are Teddy and Joe who were thrilled to have met their learning deadlines for their first pieces in preparation for their December exams. It was not an easy process but their determination and perseverance to succeed was noted.

We wish all students the very best for their exams on these rigorous courses which are not for the faint-hearted!

St Peter’s students at 8-13 have once again proved themselves to be excellent performers this academic year. Achieving overall Distinctions with a few Merits, young people are taking the craft of acting seriously which is showing in their exam sessions and results. Well done!

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St Peter’s 13-18 Theatre Director Masterclass St Peter’s Drama pupils learned from the best in October when they attended a masterclass with legendary director Richard Digby-Day who critiqued their rehearsal performances and offered valuable advice, organised by our LAMDA tutor. A former Artistic Director of York Theatre Royal, credited with discovering actors Hugh Grant and Ralph Fiennes, Richard watched four separate St Peter’s performances. He then broke down the scenes, offering suggestions on how to focus on the language used in order to shape and tighten the whole performance.

Shakespeare Schools Festival Each year thousands of young people from across the country unite in the world’s largest youth drama festival. A company of 22 pupils from Third to Fifth Form performed a highly physical version of Antony & Cleopatra. It was wonderful to see these pupils from different year groups collaborating with each other in rehearsals culminating in an evening performance with three other schools at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre. Their performance included shadow puppetry and dynamic sea battles choreographed using bamboo sticks.

Festival organisers’ feedback included the phrase “An eerie, creative and beautiful Antony and Cleopatra from a very professional cast!”, which delighted all involved.

GCSE Scripted In March GCSE Drama pupils performers scripted extracts to a visiting examiner and a packed studio audience. An eclectic mix of styles and themes were explored over two highly engaging evenings. Plays performed included Us/Them by Carly Wijs, in which two children describe the events of the Beslan school massacre, Prima Facie by Suzie Miller, which explored a lawyer who turns witness in her own court case, the verbatim text about two young carers’ lives in Who cares collated by Lung Theatre Company and McDonagh’s black comedy The Pillowman, which has recently received huge acclaim in the West End. A Level Drama & Theatre examined performance pieces Component 1 Devised The U6 company of eight actors performed two original plays using the key features of two practitioners.

One group used Martin Crimp’s play Attempts on her Life to devise a breathtaking piece which explored the often-troubling relationship between career advancement and family life. Often haunting and always engaging for their audience they were heavily influenced by the poetic style of their chosen practitioner Gecko Theatre.

The other group used Lucy Prebble’s The Effect to devise a thought-provoking and intense piece of physical theatre which explored future reliance on mood-changing drugs. Their dystopian future was presented in the style of Frantic Assembly, their chosen practitioner.

Component 2 Scripted The U6 pupils ended their practical components on a real high with two very different scripted performances. The often brutal and savage Marat/Sade told the story of a fictional meeting between the Marquis De Sade and French revolutionary Jean Paul Marat in the setting of Paris’ famous lunatic asylum Charenton. This cast of five showed extremely impressive commitment to this challenging text throughout rehearsal and fully immersed themselves in the highly physical style, which included elements of Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty.

Bronte by Shared Experience tells the story of Emily, Charlotte and Anne and their often tumultuous upbringing. The three performers decided to fittingly perform in our stunning library, as the playwright takes the audience into the fictional worlds that the sisters created, which often mirrors events of their real lives.

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The Odyssey In the final week of Summer term there was a fantastic performance of ‘The Odyssey’ in the Drama Studio to two sold out audiences. Seventeen talented cast members from Fourth and Third Form played Gods, Mortals, Fates and Shades taking the audience on Odysseus’ twenty year journey home to Ithaca. A crew of five Third and Fourth Form were responsible for the lighting, costume, sound, and stage management of this epic production, with the expert help of two returning Fifth Form (thank you so much Natalie and Mia). What made this task even more fantastic is that the cast and crew put it together in just two days. It was a huge task, with Will learning all the lines for Odysseus and showing the character going through so much emotionally and physically.

A special mention to Lewis for embracing the roles so brilliantly. Thank you to Miss Burns for our wonderful set, and to Mr Leary, Mrs Figgins and Miss Grindley for direction, and very importantly to the whole talented cast and crew that made this production special.

Wendy and Peter Pan In November St Peter’s visited Neverland - “first star on the right and straight on ‘til morning”. We were taken there by Wendy, the protagonist of the new adaptation by Ella Hickson. Wendy was a huge role played professionally by Madison with emotion and vigour.

Her antagonist Peter Pan is a complicated character, played with skill and endless energy by Max, finding a fabulous version of the playful, volatile lost boy. John’s villainous Hook was incredibly entertaining, as was Pan’s cantankerous sidekick Tinkerbell played by Mia. This production involved twenty-eight talented cast members - the grief-stricken Darling family, the spirited Neverlanders, a rambunctious crew of pirates and a rather unnerving crocodile.

Thirteen pupils made an excellent production crew led by Rosie. Thank you so much to all involved and to our audiences for their support, it was “an awfully big adventure”.

LAMDA 13-18 Across the whole of St Peter’s School we had 54 Distinctions and 6 Merits.

Stupendous Spoken Word achievements St Peter’s students at 13-18 scored 100% Distinctions in their Public Speaking Examinations ranging from Grade 3 – Grade 6 this academic year. The Public Speaking Syllabus is becoming more popular at St Peter’s as students are recognising the need to hone this valuable skill when it comes to interview techniques and excelling in the world of work. Well done to all students for their hard work.

The examiner commented on what delightful students there were at St Peter’s who were engaging communicators.

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Music

M

usic is the heartbeat of life at St Peter’s, and beautiful melodies can often be heard as you walk through the campus from choirs, ensembles or individual music lessons. The whole school was able to come together this year for the first time outside of school, performing a memorable show to a large audience at the Barbican.

St Peter’s 2-8 In the Christmas term, Year 2 and 3 performed in the first music concert of the year to families. The choir started by singing some songs they had learnt through the term. They then performed a range of musical instruments, including recorders, violins, cello, guitar, clarinet, piano, and even ukeleles from our new ensemble. They were brilliant and so brave, as for many it was their very first performance!

In December, all pupils from 2-8 performed so beautifully and respectfully at the Christingle service at York Minster. Reception and Year 1 sang and signed ‘Little Donkey’, accompanied by bell ringers, Year 3 pupils read the story of the first Christmas and said prayers. We then got to see the lighting of the Christingle candles, followed by the lights being switched off in the Minster. What a magical experience for all.

Finally, to wrap up the Christmas term we had a musical masterpiece performance of the Twelve Days of Christmas, performed by the whole school.

Young Voices Our Year 2 and 3 children joined 5,201 children from schools across the North to form part of the largest children’s choir. The children sang a wide range of music from folk songs to pop medleys, and arrangements created by the Young Voice Musical director Craig McLeish including ‘Milligantics’ (arrangements of music to many Spike Milligan’s poems). When the children sang ‘Sing from your heart’ it was heart-warming hearing that amount of children collaborating and sounding so beautiful. Towards the end of the concert the children had the opportunity to sing with Heather Small, where they sang ‘Proud’ which was then released as a charity single. The children sang their hearts out and danced all night long and all were tremendous ambassadors of our school.

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Music Partnership with Burton Green Primary School Across the year we welcomed pupils from Burton Green Primary School to take part in joint activities, such as a concert with our Years 2&3 which included an impressive 5 part harmony, and a 3 day music concert in May. Honeysuckle Singers Year 2 visited the Honeysuckle Singers in May as part of the Musical Connections project.

They very quickly settled into the session and happily spoke to the members of the group with confidence and lots of smiles! It really didn’t take much time before the conversations became animated and it was so lovely to see the older members of our community engaging with our pupils. Everyone enjoyed some balloon drumming and playing with the parachute, as well as singing lots of different songs, one in 4 parts!

Summer Term Music Concerts We had the pleasure of three music concerts at St Peter’s 2-8 in the Summer Term.

We started with our Year 1 children who sang so confidently, wowing everyone with their Alphabet in reverse and B A Star which was accompanied by our amazing recorder players.

It was the first time our recorder children had performed in front of an audience, there were a few nerves but plenty of smiles at the end of each piece! We also enjoyed Oscar and George’s piano pieces, it was lovely to hear what they have been learning at home.

Then Year 2 and Year 3 performed accompanied by the school choir (with more than 80 members). The children all sang beautifully and played a variety of different musical instruments. It was delightful to watch the children perform, they displayed so much confidence playing in front of their audience, all with a smile on their face.

On the third day, Year 3 patiently waited for their opportunity to shine. There were lots of tricky notes, pedalling on the piano and difficult sharps and flats to overcome but they all did brilliantly! The concert was rounded off by the Year 3 Ukulele group who invited everyone to join in to sing “You are my Sunshine” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. What a great way to celebrate all of our talented musicians.

Music Exams In St Peter’s 2-8, children who take individual music lessons can take a music exam at the end of the year. We usually have ABRSM and Trinity entries for Initial and Grade 1 exams in recorder, guitar, piano, and clarinet. We had over ten pupils taking exams this year, and all passed with flying colours, achieving Merits and Distinctions.

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St Peter’s 8-13 Advent The 8-13 pupils had a busy advent season this year, starting with the choristers singing in York Minster’s Candlelit Advent Procession, the first time the Minster has been filled to capacity since 2019. Our Cross Keys Choir sang at the opening of the Minster Christmas Tree Festival then we had our own joint candlelit Advent service with the senior school. It was a great experience for our Chapel Choir to sing with the senior school choir and they all sang magnificently.

York Minster Choristers The York Minster’s Carol Concert was a beautiful event this year and certainly got everyone into the Christmas spirit. The Minster revived a tradition that was stopped 500 years ago, that of Chorister Bishop. For one day in the year a chorister is chosen to be Bishop for the day and gives a sermon during a Minster service. Eliza H gave the sermon which she wrote with the other J5 girl choristers –it was a wonderful rallying cry for diversity in the church and the world.

To help other potential choristers understand more about what life as a York Minster Chorister entails, this year we filmed a short video with our amazing pupils, who showed us life inside the role. From the evening services to the extra curricular clubs, choristers are able to get involved with all aspects of school life. As one chorister put it, it’s just a school day with “extra WOW bits”.

To watch the full video scan the code

A night at the Oscars This year’s summer music concert was themed around “A night at the Oscars” and was phenomenal! The quality of performances from soloists through to the full orchestra was exceptional. Thank you to all the staff and children involved under Mrs Craven’s leadership.

National Children’s Orchestra Projects Congratulations to Elizabeth G (clarinet), Edward G (clarinet), Hannah T (flute), Viktoria A (violin), Yuhan F (violin), Oliver P (violin) and Daniel S (viola) who have been awarded places in the NCO ‘projects’ division. This scheme takes talented musicians from across 4 regions and gives them the experience of playing in a large orchestra, exploring a variety of pieces of music and developing ensemble skills. They get the chance to work with guest artists and inspiring conductors and travelled to Bolton School during the Easter and Summer terms to work with the national orchestra.

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Happy 3rd Birthday Virtualosity Concerts!

During the pandemic, 8-13 Music Department worried about how they would keep music going in such difficult circumstances and the idea of Virtualosity was born. The first concert ran end of March 2020, using Zoom and Teams, and by the end of summer term 2020, there were up to fourteen performances per concert. 8-13 Head of Music, Mrs Craven, described Virtualosity as her “happy place during the lockdown days.” She said that “seeing friends and pupils on the screen each week, still making music, really did brighten up the coldest Friday in February.” Now, there have been over 1,000 performances.

Mrs Craven said, “Children will often come and ask if they can sign themselves up to play; and to be able to give every child a performance experience each week is something that not many schools offer. I am beyond grateful to the music staff who got on board with the idea from the outset, and to the children for being such wonderfully enthusiastic participants.” Here’s to the next 1,000 performances!

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Carnival Fever – 8-13’s Vibrant Concert!

The 8-13 Music Department gave an exceptional ‘Carnival’ concert, inspired by the work of French Composer, Camille Saint-Saens. ‘Carnival of the Animals’ is a humorous musical suite of fourteen movements, including ‘The Swan,’ 25-minutes-long and written for two pianos and chamber ensemble. The concert opened with a performance of ‘Introduction & The Royal Pride’ from our Sinfonia Orchestra, followed by a performance of ‘Snakes’ & ‘Tiger Prowl, Tiger Roar’ from the String Quartet, made up of pupils from J4 and J5. Arina gave a flawless performance of ‘The Swan’ on the ‘Cello, followed by a vocal solo from Joy of ‘The Crocodile’ and a unique performance of ‘The Cuckoo’ from the Sinfonia Clarinettists. The concert ended with a rousing performance of the ‘Can-Can’ from Sinfonia and Sinfonietta, widely enjoyed by the audience as they enthusiastically clapped along. To have so many pupils performing at such a high standard was incredible and such a treat to listen to.

Electric Dreams Gig We enjoyed a fantastic evening with the Electric Dreams Gig, which included some beautiful solos on voice, guitar, piano and drums – including a composition by Isla in J4, which is currently in the top ten entries of the Young Songwriter 2023. The evening was wrapped up with some entertaining hits from the school Rock Band and our audience enjoyed dancing and clapping all the way through.

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Isla is Selected as International Top Ten Young Songwriter Super talented songwriter Isla, J4, was delighted to make the Top 30 in a national songwriting competition recently which had over 1,000 entries from across the world.

Isla’s mum described her as “over the moon” with the news that she is now in the Top 10 of the Song Academy’s Young Songwriter of the Year Competition (8-12 Category) 2023, and eagerly anticipating the final in September 2023. The Top 3 will perform live in London venue, The Tabernacle, in front of judges. Following in the footsteps of megastars such as Ed Sheeran, Isla recorded the song in her dining room, writing and producing it all singlehandedly.

Music Exams We had 42 children sitting ABRSM music exams this term, from Initial level through to Grade 6. All of them passed, with 9 of them at ‘distinction’ level.

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St Peter’s 13-18 Autumn Concert Wows the Audience We enjoyed a fantastic Autumn Concert with a wonderfully varied programme from Handel and Mozart to Steve Reich and John Williams. There were brilliant solos from our Upper Sixth musicians alongside contributions from the Upper Sixth String Ensemble, Clarinet Choir and Brass Ensemble. The first half of the concert was in Chapel, bookended by our talented Chapel Choir. We then moved through to the Memorial Hall where the Wind Band and String Orchestra combined to perform two 20th-century works for orchestra, which was a real spectacle with nearly 60 pupils performing together. The concert concluded with a debut performance from this year’s Boys’ Barbershop and two pieces from the Swing Band. Thank you to all pupils involved for your dedication, commitment and performance talents.

A Phenomenal Orchestral & Choral Concert Raises the 13-18 Roof The 13-18 Choral and Orchestral Concert was a triumph. The String Orchestra took on a challenging work by Nielsen to begin the concert, involving a number of technically demanding string techniques, and played this with real fluency and musicality. The Wind Band were on fine form with the Vaughan Williams Folksong Suite, a beautifully constructed piece that provides a showcase for all the sections of the band. This was followed by a Concerto Grosso by Vivaldi, which featured exceptional solo playing from Weiqing on the ‘cello and Joe on the violin. In the second half, we moved through to Chapel for an intimate

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performance of Mozart’s Missa Brevis in B flat, with a choir of 100 singers. Our Chapel Choir did so well to learn this in only two weeks, following our trip to St Paul’s Cathedral, and there was lovely solo singing from Beth, Miranda, Kit and Henry. Superb work, everyone!

Junior Music Festival We enjoyed the final of the Junior Music Festival in Chapel in June, with 33 exceptional performances, from Handel to Simple Minds. These were selected from 96 performances heard before half term from our Third and Fourth Form. The evening was expertly adjudicated by Hilary Suckling. The overall winner of the Junior Music Festival Prize for 2023 was Fred for his enchanting performance of Coquard’s Scherzo on the clarinet.

Senior Music Festival Beautiful music echoed in chapel with the diverse talents of our senior pupils. Following the rounds before half-term, we had an outstanding Senior Music Festival Final. Our adjudicator was Durham University’s, Alasdair Jamieson, who spoke highly of the performances and was very impressed by the overall standard. The winner of the Senior Music Festival Prize for this year was Joe, for a virtuosic performance of the first movement of Symphonie Espagnole by Lalo on the violin. Impressively, Joe performed it from memory! Congratulations everyone.

6-2-7 Concert Series Our 6-2-7 Concert Series continued to be a success this year, providing an informal and relaxed atmosphere for soloists and ensembles to perform. Pupils across all year groups play and sing in these concerts and it always wonderfully varied, with performances on instruments from all orchestral families with repertoire from classical to mainstream pop.

Evensong services Our first trip of the academic year was to Lincoln Cathedral in November, featuring the trusty Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D by Wood and the wonderful anthem ‘Blessed be the God and Father’ by Wesley, with a super solo from Head Chorister Beth.

Later in the academic year, the Chapel Choir sang Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral, London in March. It is always special to visit this national cathedral and the choir rose to the occasion producing expressive and musical singing. Their clergy and staff were very complimentary about the choir, writing that ‘our repertoire choices were excellent and beautifully sung’. We hope to return in two years’ time.

The Chapel Choir also joined the 8-13 choristers in York Minster for a special Orchestral Evensong to celebrate the Eve of St Peter in June. It was an honour to be joined by composer Philip Moore to conduct his own work ‘All Wisdom cometh from the Lord’.

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Christmas Concerts There was a myriad of talent on display, from instrumentalists perfecting one of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, to the Barbershop ensembles giving us festive renditions of classic Christmas songs. The Little Big Band also played ‘Jingle Bells’ in a completely new time signature! The School Choir enjoyed their first outing of the year with a medley from Grease.

Cabaret Sixth Form soloists shared their talents alongside the Swing Band, with performances from the School Choir, Girls’ and Boys’ Barbershops, Chamber Choir and Little Big Band.

The evening was an emotional farewell to our Upper Sixth musicians with a special jazz club atmosphere!

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Music Exams The standard of music at St Peter’s is off the scale with students reaching higher levels year on year. At St Peter’s, we have had 24 ARSM Diploma successes in the past six years since its introduction by ABRSM; results that have been made possible thanks to our committed, enthusiastic and talented Music Department.

Congratulations to Head Chorister, Beth, who passed her Singing ARSM exam with Distinction. Beth has come all the way through St Peter’s 8-13 and we have loved watching her flourish over the years.

Congratulations to Upper Sixth Pupil, Miranda, who achieved a Distinction in her ARSM Clarinet Diploma examination. ARSM is a performance-focused diploma for learners beyond Grade 8 level. Miranda has attended St Peter’s School for 11 years and Tim Bayley was her Clarinet teacher since she was 7. She has been singing and playing the clarinet since she was 7 years old, having been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra for 3 years before attending St Peter’s 13-18.

In her free time, Miranda loves to visit art galleries and attend orchestral concerts and operas. She is currently studying Maths, Physics and Art, and hopes to study Aerospace Engineering at University. Miranda is a true credit to St Peter’s and we are extremely proud of all she has achieved so far.

Ten pupils also achieved Grade 8, on a range of instruments and singing, with 70% at distinction and merit. Congratulations also to Grace on being offered a place to study violin performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

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Key Moments Cover Story

The first ever

t r e c n o C tion

a d n u o F hole

W

at the Barbican!

“Music is something we can all enjoy and be part of, and it is amazing when we do it all together.” Head Master, Mr Walker, summed up the evening perfectly at the end of what was an incredible Whole Foundation Concert, performed at York Barbican for the first time.

What was a huge logistical operation for our wonderful Heads of Music, resulted in a flawless performance on the night.

The St Peter’s 2-8 choir, directed by Mrs Hayden, opened the concert beautifully. They performed ‘One Moment, One People’ followed by ‘He Lives in You’, with great diction and enthusiasm.

This was followed by an arrangement of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ performed by the 8-13 ‘Cello ensemble, with soloist Arthur taking on the melody at a high register. The 8-13 Chapel Choir, directed by Mrs Craven, performed Rutter’s ‘The Heavenly Aeroplane’, Quartel’s ‘Carry the Music’ and closed with a gorgeous arrangement of ‘Fix You’, with the closing line sung as a solo by Lily.

The 8-13 Senior Wind and Brass Ensemble performed ‘Thunderbirds’, followed by an upbeat performance of ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’, given by the 8-13 Mini-Jazz Band. This was a hard act to follow, but the Combined Band, made up of pupils from 2-18, really brought the energy with their performance of ‘Tequila’, a crowd favourite of the night, with plenty of dancing and audience participation from pupils and audience members alike!

The Girls’ and Boys’ Barbershops were as quirky as ever, performing arrangements of ‘The Rose’ and ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’, with soloists Grace and Kit singing confidently.

The Clarinet Choir was the largest we have ever had at St Peter’s, so it was wonderful to hear them play so well together, followed by the Chamber Choir who performed Weelkes’ oldest Madrigal, ‘Sing We at Pleasure’.

The highlight of the night was the Combined Choir, directed by Mr Miles-Kingston, singing ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’. It was particularly moving to see all pupils come together to perform so well. One member of the audience said it was like seeing, ‘one big family come together. It was really emotional!’

Congratulations everyone!

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Outside the Classroom A

true love of learning goes beyond the classroom, and at St Peter’s we encourage pupils to explore the world around them, learn key skills and gain independence as they experience new things. We aim to help shape well rounded, interesting individuals who can thrive when they leave school.

St Peter’s 2-8 Eureka In February the Year 1s had the best time at Eureka. They explored the world of science through brilliant interactive installations, which helped to bring their learning to life, like submersing themselves in sound and visual delights to understand better how sounds are made. All the children were so well behaved and represented our school wonderfully. The staff at Eureka commented on the lovely manners, attitudes to learning and listening skills demonstrated by such young learners.

Residential to Newby Wiske In May our Year 3 children went on their much-anticipated residential visit to Newby Wiske Hall near Thirsk. They thoroughly enjoyed the many activities on offer including, climbing, zip-wire, survival, aeroball to name a few. This trip is a valuable opportunity to spend time away from home and school with friends in the year group and gain a little independence.

Children often return with a newfound confidence that may not have been so apparent before they left. Not to mention the huge smiles and excitable conversation we saw when they returned to school.

A trip to the capital To continue their learning on Egyptian civilization, in June Year 3 travelled by train from York to London. They visited the British Museum which is the setting for their themed text, and enjoyed visiting the Egyptian section and recognising many artefacts mentioned in the book. After lunch the children went to the Apollo Victoria theatre to watch a sensational production of Wicked, had a lovely dinner in an Italian restaurant before catching the train back to York.

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St Peter’s 8-13 A Day at Carlton Lodge On the second day of term, J4 headed out of school to enjoy a day of team-building activities at Carlton Lodge near Thirsk. This was a great opportunity for pupils to reconnect after the holidays as well as look to make new friends in their mentor groups and across the whole year group. The pupils were tasked with challenges such as a climbing wall, making fires in the wood and building shelters, toasting marshmallows, building and sailing a raft (and then throwing themselves into the water) and orienteering in groups around the site. The weather was kind, and delivered only one sharp shower – the thunder and lightning which had been threatening all day did not make an appearance!

Ripley Castle Trip In October the J3s had a fun day learning how to work better as a team as they went to the grounds of Ripley Castle to take part in a variety of different activities. This forms part of our Life Skills programme where we take children off-timetable to do activities which we think they will benefit like from first aid, cookery, and team building.

The Ski Trip For the annual ski trip to Folgarida, Italy in February we had a party of 110, and all had a thoroughly fantastic time. The weather and snow conditions were amazing. Aside from the brilliant skiing shown by the group which improved immensely during the week, the children had an amazing time at their evening award ceremonies, on pizza night, and enjoying a tuneful “Max Factor” karaoke night.

PGL Holiday Our J5 Leavers enjoyed a few active days away on a PGL holiday. The weather was wonderful so pupils could get involved in all the diverse activities planned. The trip started with a silent disco where pupils chose from two channels to dance along to...with even staff joining in to share some moves (from the olden days!). Pupils challenged themselves on highrope courses, enjoyed building rafts, axe throwing, fencing, rifle shooting and more. It was a truly action-packed few days, where the pupils were a credit to school, throwing themselves into some great challenges and having fun.

Delicieux Tarte Flambée J3 had their chance in the cookery rooms in the summer. All year groups take part in cookery during the year, and J3s experience was linked to their work in modern languages. The pupils produced some super-tasting dishes to take home and share, including French cuisine that would not be out of place in a restaurant!

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St Peter’s 13-18 Lucy completes her first solo flight!

St Peter’s pupil, Lucy, has excelled in her flight training.

After completing 18 hours of initial flight training outside of her schooling, Lucy completed her first solo flight on Tuesday 25 October 2022 – a day that will stay with her for a very long time. This is a massive achievement, especially at the age of 16!

Lucy said “I’m so thrilled with all I’ve achieved so far and look forward to exciting further milestones like achieving my Private Pilot’s Licence. I’m so grateful for all the wonderful support the school has given me.”

Racing Star Freddie (U6) raced in a Ginetta at a one-off event called the Silverstone Classic; a prestigious event with over 100,000 people attending. Freddie’s race was the Silverstone Classic Masters GT4 Challenge - a two-race event over two days in which various famous manufacturers compete. On the last lap, triumphant Freddie made it first over the line to win the race and lift the trophy.

Freddie continues to pursue his passion in racing as he moves on to a career in professional motor racing.

Spanish Sixth Form trip to Salamanca (Spain)

By Dori Lopez After four years, we are delighted to have been able to run our Sixth Form trip to Spain as study trips abroad are such a crucial element when studying a language. We decided to go back to Salamanca. Salamanca is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, home to Spain’s oldest university and is well known for its beautiful architecture.

Our pupils enjoyed a fully immersive linguistic and cultural experience which included daily intensive Spanish lessons, a chance to stay with host families and a wide range of cultural visits and activities. Estudio Sampere, the established language school we work with, organised a guided tour of the city, a treasure hunt in the food market, a visit to the beautiful city Zamora and a cooking workshop amongst other activities. Some of the most memorable highlights during the week in Salamanca were the daily ice cream, chocolate con churros each afternoon, the evening Easter parades, the tapas meal and the thousands of selfies and photos our pupils took. I guess the beautiful architectural background could not be wasted and had to be photographed. We thank all our pupils who took part on the trip.

They were great fun to be around and look after, showed real credit to themselves and the school behaving immaculately. I would also like to thank Mr Gwilliam, our minibus driver, who took us and picked up us from Stansted airport. And finally, my wonderful colleague Mrs Robinson whose invaluable help to look after our pupils in the trip is greatly appreciated.

Here I leave with a little reflection on the trip from one of our pupils, Kayla.

What an incredible opportunity it was to be able to spend a week in Salamanca. We were welcomed very warmly by our host families and spent plenty of time getting to know them and learning first-hand about what life is like over in Spain. Although rather intense, each lesson (spoken only in Spanish) was a fun mix of Spanish history, customs and modern life, followed by an afternoon activity; some highlights of which being a guided tour around the spectacles of the city and the trip to Zamora. One very special aspect of the trip was that we were there to experience the festivities of Semana Santa, including parades with traditional music and outfits – a truly incredible experience, and very different to anything in England!

Art Trips Throughout the year the art department organised trips to further enrich the learnings of their pupils, including London with the Lower Sixth Form to see Cornelia Parker retrospective at Tate Britain, Wakefield with the Lower Sixth Form to see Irvine Anderson at the Hepworth and Yorkshire Sculpture Park with the Fourth Form to see Robert Indiana retrospective.

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Sixth Form Art trip to Florence & Rome During October half term, nine Sixth Form Art and Art History pupils spend three days in Florence and three days in Rome.

In Florence, they visited the Bargello, Uffizi and Academic galleries, the San Marco Convent and the Palazzo Medici, in which they were able to see Botticelli’s ‘Primavera’, Fra Angelico’s ‘The Annunciation’ as well as many “Davids”. They even saw some Tracey Emin all under the impressive presence of the 15th century Duomo.

In Rome, the pupils were lucky enough to see Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’ in St Peter’s Basilica, as well as exploring the Vatican Museum and marvelling at the beautiful ceilings of the Sistine chapel, climb St Peter’s Dome and see yet another David in the Borghese.

The upper sixth pupils absolutely loved the Trevi Fountain and the Piazza Novona, as well as people watching on the Spanish steps, and superfluity of gelato!

Classics trip to Rome and Pompeii In October, 77 classics pupils arrived in Ostia for the start of their fascinating trip to Italy.

They listened to many “Ed Talks” as they roamed around the historical sights of Rome and Pompeii, including at Ostia, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. In total there were 124,510 steps taken, 425 bowls of pasta eaten and 6 classical sites visited.

Lower 6th Exploration week As Mr Walker says, “Quirky, creative variety seems to be at risk of being lost in our qualification-driven society but it lies at the heart of fostering a true love of learning.”

A great way that the Sixth Form get to explore that variety in learning is during the annual Exploration Week, where this year we saw all of the Lower Sixth take part in over twentyfive activities from potion making and rat dissection to lessons in human psychology, solving cryptic crosswords and pop art.

Third Form ‘Lessons for Life’ talk As part of the Lessons for Life programme, which contributes to work the Third Form are doing on peer influence, James from Changing Lives gave an insightful talk on the frequent misuse of alcohol and cannabis, and the potential consequences.

Mrs Anderson ended the talk by explaining to the Third Form that we all become defined by our choices in life, and that we must acknowledge this in order to make good, pragmatic and informed decisions.

Relationships and consent Relationships can be tricky but our Fifth Formers approached the subject with frankness and maturity in their PSHE Lessons for Life. Building ‘Relationship Towers’, the groups used building blocks to represent key aspects of successful everyday interactions.

The important subject of Consent was discussed by Fifth Form and Lower Sixth when PSHE expert and playwright Isla van Tricht gave a fascinating and frank talk. Pupils learnt about the issues around consent and asked thoughtful questions towards mutual respect.

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Key Moments

p i r t e g n e hall

C d l r Wo

Vibrant Vietnam

By Jon Whitehouse

We arrived in Hanoi, and our transfer to the hotel gave us our first glimpse of the bustling streets of the capital city. Located in the Hoan Kiem district of the city the Serenity Hotel was to be our little sanctuary at various points during our trip to Vietnam.

Our first full day in Hanoi was an opportunity to split into smaller groups and explore the shops in the Old Quarter, and the many museums and tourist sites. As you walk the city you realise that the shops on each street seem to specialize in particular products. If you want a plastic bucket, you head to the street where they sell plastic buckets. If you need a frying pan, you head to the street where they sell frying pans.

Hanoi is a very visual city, and it has an incredible atmosphere. The web of roads and narrow shopping alleys all blend together into one chaotic muddle. Hundreds of motorbikes cross each other in the small gaps between the cars, and as you try to navigate the road crossings the riders fly round you with millimetres to spare.

Our arrival the next day in Da Bac for the community project, was a stark contrast to the city chaos. Besides the cloud cover, we found ourselves off the beaten track and a part of a more authentic and rural community. This Northern province is a corner of Vietnam relatively untouched by tourism. It is fair to say that our stay in Da Bac was one of the most authentic and rewarding parts of our trip.

Our pupils got their hands dirty, working alongside the local people, building shelters for the animals owned by the households in the community. At the end of the busy days we

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had time to walk through the village, and play football with some of the locals. Da Bac district is located in Hoa Binh Province, about 100km from Hanoi. Hoa Binh means ‘peace’ in Vietnamese, an apt name for such a beautiful location.

We stayed in the village homestays, which are essentially an annex to the villagers’ houses.

We received the most generous hospitality from our hosts, and we were all very sad to leave our little peaceful corner of Vietnam. On our last night the village community came together, to sing and to dance, and to express their thanks to us, and we to them. It is difficult to express quite what a magical and memorable experience it was.

After a brief trip back to the less tranquil streets of Hanoi, we headed off for our trek starting at Na Cuom Village. We had three days on foot passing through the rice fields and small villages, resting at the end of the day in our homestay, where you have the chance to see local life up close, and find out how things are done the Vietnamese way. These authentic moments were the very best bits of our trip.

A short trip to Halong Bay, and a final shopping spree to pick up a souvenir or a North Face bag, brought us to the end of our two weeks in Vietnam.

It is true that travelling helps us to see new places and cultures, and in a way that can change our way of thinking and interacting with the world. It breaks down barriers, creates understanding, and brings people together in unique ways. I am sure all of our L6 travellers would suggest you try a World Challenge trip yourselves.

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Sport

S

t Peter’s is renowned for its excellent sports department, and we are lucky to celebrate many individual and team successes across the year, but it’s the large number of fixtures played at all levels and encouraging participation for all that really chimes with our values.

St Peter’s 2-8 In the Early Years, Physical Education focuses on developing fundamental movement skills and promoting physical activity through play and structured activities. The emphasis is on providing a fun and inclusive environment that encourages children to explore and develop their physical abilities. Activities may include running, jumping, hopping, throwing, catching, and basic coordination exercises. Games and activities are designed to develop gross motor skills, spatial awareness, balance, and coordination.

During Year 1 and Year 2, Physical Education continues to build upon the fundamental movement skills introduced in the Early Years. Children are introduced to a wider range of physical activities and begin to learn basic techniques and rules for specific sports and games. They explore different ways of moving and learn to work cooperatively with others.

Activities include; team games, athletics, dance, gymnastics, and basic ball skills such as dribbling and striking. Physical Education lessons also focus on developing social skills, communication, and fair play.

In Year 3, Physical Education expands further to develop competence in a broader range of physical activities and sports. Children continue to refine their fundamental movement skills whilst learning more advanced techniques and strategies for specific sports. They participate in team games, individual activities, and outdoor adventurous activities. Physical Education lessons also incorporate elements of fitness, health, and well-being, promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. Children are encouraged to take on leadership roles, solve problems, and work collaboratively in group activities.

Overall, the progression from early years to Year 3 Physical Education involves the development of fundamental movement skills, the introduction of various sports and activities, and the cultivation of social and personal skills. The aim is to provide a solid 86 || The Peterite 2022-23

foundation for a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity and promote the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle.

Year 3 were introduced to a double games lesson in 2022. The weekly session consisted of fun drills and mini matches focusing on a variety of different sports (rotating every half term), with each session lasting 80 minutes. This allowed St Peter’s 2-8 to make excellent use of the schools outstanding facilities and gave the children more time learning and applying fundamental skills. By increasing the lesson time to 80 minutes, this allows the children to build further on their endurance levels and ultimately creates a smoother transition for their next step in their St Peter’s journey.

Sports Workshops The Year 3 children continued to take part in Sport Workshops, which were either hosted at St Peter’s or other local schools. This is their first introduction into a typical fixture and allows the children to work on not only their interaction skills with other children, but experience traveling to a different school for the first time. In 2022/2023, we took part in 3 workshops focusing on various sports with Yarm School. The afternoon started by combining groups with the other school and involved taking part in a carousel of activities and mini matches.

Congratulations must go to the following trophy winners: Athlete of the Year – This award goes to the children who shone in PE and Sport all year round. Leading by example with their behaviour and acting as role models to the rest of the children in their year group. Rafferty (Reception), Winnie (Reception), Erin (Year 1), Archie (Year 1), Esme (Year 2), Iker (Year 2), Sofia (Year 3), Eddie (Year 3).

Rita Resilience – Our Rita Resilience award goes to the children who we feel never give up and work extremely hard to become the best version of themselves in all aspects of sport and PE. Luke (Year 1) and Kate R (Year 3) Fair play award – Our Fair play/sportspersonship award is given to children who we feel have displayed excellent values throughout the year. From helping others, congratulating the opposition in defeat, or cheering on their House. Amalie (Reception) and William (Year 2) Monk won the Reception and Year 1 Sports Day in the morning, with Micklegate taking the win for the afternoon with Year 2 and Year 3. The overall winners of St Peter’s 2-8 Sports Day 2023 were Monk House.

Nursery PE Showcase Following Sports Day, it was time for our littlest athletes to show off their skills in the Nursery Physical Education Showcase Lesson for family members and carers, who once again provided excellent support. The activities were designed to demonstrate their fundamental skills through various games, movements, and balances. Finishing off with a semi-competitive obstacle relay race.

Miss Flockhart, Head of PE, said: It was so lovely to see so many smiles. The children really do enjoy their PE and it makes us so proud when they’re able to show this to their parents.

I’m sure this cohort will flourish moving through Reception and continue to show their sporting ability.

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St Peter’s 8-13 It was an extremely busy year of sport at St Peter’s 8-13. Cargillfield Prep School came down from Edinburgh on a short rugby tour and we also had Spratton Hall Prep School come and stay with our host families whilst they played hockey and rugby matches. Both tours provided a fantastic opportunity for students to meet and socialise with those from touring schools and there were some challenging and valuable matches played too.

We hosted three rugby 7s tournaments over two weeks in February, with 40 schools and over 400 children competing. St Peter’s also hosted the York & District U12 netball tournament and several rounds of the national In2Hockey competition.

Our J5 students enjoyed a sports tour to Venice to play rugby in November, whilst the girls travelled to Barcelona to participate in a netball tournament at Easter. Both groups had a fantastic time away. Students on both tours enjoyed cultural trips to visit local architecture, sights and enjoyed a number of fixtures too.

At the HMC swimming competition there were some impressive performances, with the J1 girls winning their category, the boys winning the overall trophy, and the girls finishing third overall in the competition. Fourteen children qualified for the IAPs National Finals at the Olympic pool in London and at the ESSA competition the combined U10 and U11 teams came in the top 20 of all primary schools in England in both freestyle and medley relays.

Two of our J5 girls, Sophia and Eva, competed alongside the senior school swimmers in the World Schools Swimming Finals at the Olympic Pool, in London. Between them they had quite the medal haul.

All three of our U11, 12 and 13 boys’ hockey teams qualified for the North of England In2hockey finals, whilst our U11, 12, and 13 girls’ teams all qualified for the In2Hockey County finals.

The U13A netball team came third at the IAPS regional finals, narrowly missing out on a place in the national finals, whilst the U11B team won the HMC netball plate competition. Our U13 and U12 A and B girls won the York & District netball tournaments.

The U11 boys’ cricketers won their match in the England Schools Cricket Association Cup at Aysgarth School, but the U11 mixed cricket team narrowly missed victory by 3 runs in the final of the Repton Cricket Tournament. The U11 boys cricket team qualified for the English Schools Cricket Association national finals after winning the North of England stage of the tournament.

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The U13s won their IAPS National Cup match against Aysgarth. Sam and Ansh in J5 have both been selected for the North Yorkshire U13 cricket team - a tremendous achievement.

We hosted a boys’ and a girls’ U12 Super 8s cricket tournament – our girls won their competition and the boys lost by the narrowest of margins in their final.

Our U11s won the Aysgarth Spirit of Soccer tournament in March, where the winning team is the one who not only played well but displayed the best attitude and approach to the game as judged by the other coaches.

We took 27 pupils to the York Schools’ Cross Country fixture, all of whom finished the race and enjoyed competing against the other twelve schools from around York. With over one hundred competitors in each race, it was a great spectacle of colour and mud as they thundered past. Eight of our competitors finished in the top twenty in each race, earning them a chance to represent York in the North Yorkshire Schools Championships in January.

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Key Moments

A historic Season for

Tennis

14

Ranked

in the UK (LTA School Rankings)

Runners Up in the LTA Senior Students Competition

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1st Pair (Darya and Millie) made the final of the Loveband Plate at ISTA Tennis Championships at Eton College. The school has had a team in a final just x3 times in the last 30 years.

Reached the National Finals for the first time in the school’s history

Winners of the St Peter’s Senior Girls Tennis Festival

Unbeaten in regular season fixtures

National Finals The LTA School National Finals Team consisted of Darya (Capt), Anna, Izzy, Millie and Ailsa.

By reaching the LTA National School Finals our senior girls team made history, the first time a St Peter’s girls team have played at the prestigious tournament held at the enormous Nottingham Tennis Centre (which a week before had seen Andy Murray competing at the same venue!).

Two wins stand out on their path to the finals with the most significant being the quarter-final win away at perennial winners Strathallan School in Perth, Scotland (a 500 mile round trip).

The team prepared well, travelling the night before and training at a local tennis club the morning of the match.

2-2 after the singles matches it came to the doubles, St Peter’s were losing in both (amazingly 0-6 1-5 down in one match) but staged a dramatic come back to steal a hugely impressive 4-2 victory overall.

To clinch St Peter’s spot at the top table of school tennis the team played Bradford Grammar School away in their indoor tennis facility. Against some regional level players it was wonderful to see the concentration and discipline from our team to win every rubber and qualify with a 12-0 win.

Nottingham – National Finals Our Senior Girls team were magnificent at the National Finals.

To be included in the top 16 teams in the UK and to get to share the court with some of the best players in the entire country was a wonderful experience and one that our players really grasped with both hands. We were thrilled with the efforts of the team from day one, when we played the 4th seeded Culford, right through to the close of day 4 when we finished our journey against Peter Symond’s (Winchester).

The level of tennis on show was incredible, with each team we faced having county and national standard players but St Peter’s played to their best, kept their heads and picked up a few wins on the way. We could not have asked for any more from any of the players and we are so grateful to them for all their efforts in this incredible season!

Other tennis news The senior boys had another good season, progressing well through their regional stage of the National Cup. They made it all the way to the final qualifying match where they drew with Ilkley Grammar School. After a draw the match came down to a tiebreak shootout to 10 where Ilkley narrowly prevailed.

To come so close to getting to another National Finals, which would have meant joining the girls team at Nottingham this year was a great effort. They ended the year ranked 19th in the UK (LTA School Rankings) and were unbeaten in regular season fixtures.

Junior tennis remains a very popular option with lots of students representing the school in LTA League matches, regular fixtures with other schools and playing in Road to Wimbledon competitions.

This year the teams had some commendable achievements, including both Junior Girls teams winning their respective LTA Leagues (Div 1 & Div 2), Junior Boys winning their LTA League (Div 1), U15 A Boys undefeated in regular season fixtures, U14s Runners Up and Winners (Plate) at the Chapman Cup, and U14 Girls winning the St Peter’s Tennis Festival.

In July there was a memorable day for one family, with siblings Anna and Rob being crowned Champions of this year’s Tennis singles competition! Anna won the Shepherd Cup, shortly before Rob clinched victory in the Alcuin-Shread competition.

Nottingham to Eton!

Our Senior girls had the quickest of turnarounds as immediately after the Nottingham National Finals they joined the rest of the St Peter’s tennis teams travelling down to Eton College for the ISTA Championships.

At Eton the teams brilliant season continued as our first pair of Darya and Millie collected a series of excellent wins against Reeds, St Mary’s Ascot, St George’s, Cokethorpe and SHSK (Oxford) to make the final of the Loveband Plate, just the 3rd time St Peter’s have contested a final at this huge school event.

In the final they were wonderfully supported by the rest of the St Peter’s tennis students and played out an excellent contest with a strong team from Rugby. Ultimately, they lost in a close 3rd set tiebreak after once again showing their fighting spirit to take the second set. Another exceptional effort and being awarded their medals by the ISTA President was a brilliant way to finish the best year of tennis.

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St Peter’s 13-18 Hockey Highlights It has been another hugely successful season for the girls’ hockey programme this year. What has been prominent is the feeling of commitment and enjoyment from all the girls. Every girl who picked hockey as their games option regularly represented the school. The 4th XI epitomised the feel-good factor and played 9 fixtures and always represented with passion.

Congratulations should also go to the 7 girls who made the England Hockey Talent Academy Squad, and also to Cora who represented the UK Lions Squad.

The 1st XI had an excellent season. The quality of the side was evident from their historic win at the Rugby School Invitational Tournament. Overall, they won 11 games from 13. The quality of the hockey they have played has been superb and always on the front foot. Highlights of the season include wins against Denstone and Kirkham. Holly led the team well and finished top goal scorer with 21 goals in 13 games. The 2s and 3s played with equal passion forming strong team identities, training and competing with dedication.

The senior and junior sides have been committed and a pleasure to coach. All sides had successful seasons, and the girls themselves were always looking to improve. The 15As only lost 1 game all season and showed clear development both technically and tactically each week.

The U14 Squad has had an outstanding season. This was epitomised by their fantastic run in the England Hockey Tier 1 National Cup Competition. The squad went unbeaten in all their cup games and were crowned District, County and Regional Champions on their way to qualifying for the National Finals in February. These were held at Lee Valley Hockey Centre at the Olympic Park in London. It is a fantastic achievement to finish 8th in the Country, and most importantly it was an experience that will live long in the players memories.

It was a remarkably busy and successful season for the boys’ hockey programme. More boys than ever are playing the sport, and the standard of play continues to rise. The 1st XI had an excellent season winning 9 of their 14 matches to date. They also made the last 16 of the National Cup, an achievement to be proud of. The team was well led by the leadership group of Mitch (Captain) and his Vice-Captains Louis and Finlay. The 2nd and 3rd XI sides played with freedom and enthusiasm, and it was so pleasing to see more boys than ever before on the Hubbard pitch each week. The U14A side only lost 1 game all season and developed quickly into establishing a good understanding of the 11 a side game. The 15A had a stellar season,

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winning all their matches. They have won 8 regular season fixtures, and they also won all 6 of their games in the Yorkshire Cup to be crowned County Champions, playing with authority and flair. Overall, it has been a pleasure seeing the commitment each week of all our teams in their fixtures and representing the school with such skill, passion, and sportsmanship.

This year, we were proud to see the U14 hockey team make the National Finals at the Olympic Park and the boys 1st XI hockey reach the last sixteen in the National Cup with the Under 15A team having an unbeaten season and crowned as Yorkshire Champions.

The 2nd XI had a most enjoyable and successful season despite many games being cancelled.

We were very fortunate to be able to call on a really top-class keeper in Jack and this made a significant difference at the back, where there was real confidence in the defensive unit that normally consisted of John, Jonny, Oscar, Monty, Henrie and Archie. Up front we had considerable pace with Chris and finishing power with Will, Alex, Freddie and Wills. Our midfield ran hard both in attack and in transition with Oli P, Oli St, Gabby, Harry, Callum and Ben all putting in the hard yards. It was also welcome to have the services of Hatty and Olivia whose passing skills and calmness on the ball were excellent.

Rugby Highlights In rugby we had an unbeaten season for the 1st VII, very excitingly our captain Toby played his debut for England U18 v France in The Six Nations and Lucas, Aidan, Archie, and Anesu all became part of the Yorkshire Rugby Academy.

The 1st VII and U16 made it through as ¼ finalists at Rosslyn Park Sevens competition, and the U15 and U14 were the last 32 in the National Cup. Throughout the year we had a full and varied fixture list travelling both locally and nationally with regular A and B fixtures for all ages as well as over 70 Sixth Formers representing the senior rugby teams – highlighting our industry leading participation levels. One particular highlight was the 3rd XV playing St George’s Argentina with a large and vocal crowd! For more Rugby Highlights please see the Sports Tour.

Squash Highlights We had a very successful year for squash. We reached the boys National schools trophy finals at Edgbaston Priory and finished a very respectable 8th position. The mixed first team re-entered and competed well in the York and District men’s Squash league. Angus won the York & District under 19’s junior squash tournament and Squash continued to grow in all years at St Peters school. Thank you to the captains Angus and Martha. Player of the season in the national school’s side was Angus and in the local league side John M. Cricket Cricket is very much alive and thriving at St Peter’s. In the performance side of the programme there was National success this summer with the U17’s reaching the last 8 of the National Cricket Paper Cup, the U18’s reached the last 16, and the U15s reaching the last 16 also in their respective Cup campaign. The U13s reached national quarter finals and U11s reached the National Finals at Oakham School to become 4th in the country.

The 1st XI won 18 out of its 26 fixtures, with captain Alex scoring over 1,000 runs this summer with 4 hundreds to his name; 1 of only 2 school cricketers in the country this summer to do so.

Wills played for Yorkshire 2nd XI this summer, Alex trialled at Regional U15 level and many of our players in the programme achieved great success and recognition at club level.

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This season the 2nd XI played 20 assorted fixtures from 35 over games against adult club sides to our final T 20 competition at Durham school. There were close calls with Ben nearly pulling off the miracle shot to win at Worksop only to see us lose by a run, and Archie pulling off the one wicket win vs Revesby CC. There were miracle deliveries with Bertie and Harry vying for the title of YARNEY (Yorkshires Warn). Ben, Harry and Archie all vice captained and contributed a great deal in the field.

The participation side of the programme is flourishing with over 100 fixtures in the season across the programme, with the school able to field 3 full senior XIs on a Saturday, and regularly fielding B, C, and D teams all the way down from U15-U9. I think this was all highlighted beautifully in the final Wednesday of the summer term; the 1st XI was involved in the final day of its festival with Repton, Epsom, and Bradfield; while 30 boys from the 2nd and 3rd XI sides were involved in a mixed internal fixture at York Cricket Club in a game that went down to the penultimate ball of the match; the U15s were at the last day of their festival with Haileybury, Trent, and Durham and the U14Bs played a touring side from the Oman. St Peter’s also hosted the National Prep Schools Finals Day for the 2nd year running, and the Winter IPL (Indoor Premier League) is back to pre-Covid levels of interest and excitement. Participation levels remain high and enthusiasm for the game is extremely strong throughout the school.

Netball Highlights The U14, U15, U16 and U19s won the area tournament of Netball National Schools.

The U14s and U19s won their respective Yorkshire County tournaments, and both reached the Regional finals. The U19s finished 3rd, missing out on qualification to the National Finals by 1 goal. The U16’s finished 5th in Yorkshire.

For the first time in St Peter’s history, the 1st VII were SISTERS n SPORT National Plate winners. They also completed the regular season on a perfect record, with an unbeaten season. They converted an impressive 505 goals throughout the season, averaging 50 goals a game, over 10 matches.

Congratulations to Anna for the International Honours for Scotland U21’s and Scottish Thistles as a reserve in the Netball World Cup, in South Africa, to Sophia and Anna for Representative Honours for Manchester Thunder U19 in the National Performance League and National Premier 1 Caps, to Amelie for being selected into the U15 Leeds Rhinos development squad, and to Ruby, Amelie and Mufaro who were all selected for the North Yorkshire County Netball programme.

The 3s & 4s season saw the teams go from strength to strength, building on strong foundations. Highlights include both teams rising to the challenge of taking on Harrogate Ladies and The Read School at 1st and 2nd team level.

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The U15A finished their season as ‘Area’ Champions, unbeaten in the tournament with a decisive 10-0 lead in the final. They scored 190 goals over 8 fixtures in the regular season, as well as recording standout scorelines over Pocklington and Ampleforth.

The U15B’s led the way in defence with this team boasting the best junior defensive record, only conceding 99 goals across the whole season. Highlights for them include a resounding win against Bootham 31-0.

Swimming The Under 18 boys went yet another season unbeaten in regular fixtures, making this 8 years in a row, led by captain Jacob. The highlight of which was away against GSAL with a backs against the wall performance with people missing.

In the ESSAs, after a fine performance in the qualifying round the boys finished 37th nationally, just outside the qualifiers for the national final.

A young team consisting of Third Form and Fourth Form as well as two Sixth Form finished a well respected 5th place at the national Bath and Otter relay event. At the World School Games Swim Championships 2023, Freddie was the sole competitor in the under 18s picking up a huge haul of 7 medals. The Under 15s had another unbeaten season, this time for the under 15 boys. Strong performances throughout from Charles and Tristan, ably supported by twins, Henry and Abelard along with new addition Harvey. For the World School Games Swim Championships, the boys put in some fine performances against very strong opposition.

Charles and Tristan picked up well deserved medals.

The Under 18 girls had their finest year to date going unbeaten. Captain Charlotte featured prominently throughout with a fantastic display all year round. In the ESSAs, we had the best result the girls have had, managing to get 2 teams entered. One team finished in 1st reserve position, and the other top 50, which out of 300 schools this is an amazing achievement.

For the Bath and Otter event, a team of Charlotte, Em, Raya and Alice picked up the freestyle trophy for the first time in the school’s history. They also claimed 3rd place in the medley relay which was a wonderful achievement.

For the World School Games Swim Championships, a completely different group of girls (Eliza A, Eliza B, Rachel, Becky) competed in this event, eventually taking the overall title. This shows the amazing strength and depth within the girls swimming this year, with 2 teams of different girls winning huge events in the same age group.

The Under 15 cohort of girls have never lost a fixture or competition since forming together at u9s. Once again, they did not disappoint. The ESSA team of Raya, Phoebe, Alice and Eloise qualified with ease into the national finals in both events. The finals, at the London Olympic pool were tough going but the girls secured 9th and 11th place nationally out of almost 350 schools. What an incredible achievement. In the World School Games Swim Championships, Raya was the only representation from this talented cohort. She went on to secure 6 medals in various events.

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Rowing The Boat Club is in excellent shape with lots of pupils taking part and numerous wins in various regattas including the senior boys’ quad winning the Yorkshire Head overall.

Rowing has had a good year, gradually building momentum and improving fitness and skills.

We opened our “new” Gym – the repurposed ex-rifle range vastly improving our ability to land train at different times of the day or when the river is in flood. It has been partly kitted out (with contribution from the Supporters and Guy Fawkes BC). We’ve also benefited from a new coxless quad, thanks to a donation by a parent.

Over the year, girls and boys from all years have raced in all boat types at a variety of Heads and Regattas, winning 75 events between them. Over 70 boys and girls won events for the school. This reflects the big improvement in sculling skills across the whole club (for instance every Third Former raced at least once in a single).

The performance highlight of the year has been the Senior Boys Quad winning the Yorkshire Head overall and competing creditably in the Schools’ Head and the National Schools’ Regatta, and just missing out in the Henley Royal Regatta Qualifying Races.

Football Both the 1st and 2nd XI football teams made some very good progress this season, which really started to show through in the second half of the Easter term fixtures. This was a reflection of the strong approach to training throughout the season and the fact our patterns of play became much more coherent. Highlights of the season included a strong performance to secure a draw against Sedbergh along with our best performance of the season against the Old Boys’ XI.

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Sports Tours 2023 Over the summer 46 boys and 33 girls were involved in the first major overseas sport tour since Covid. For both the boys and the girls touring wasn’t just about the Games. The girls were able to see some key sights in Malaysia, while the boys toured the various sights of Singapore. In Australia, all tourists (bar the unfortunately injured) were able to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Great fun was had (at least by the staff) travelling out on some very bumpy waters to the Great Barrier Reef where we were able to snorkel on the reef. And both groups were able to head to Moreton Island where we could feed wild dolphins, snorkel some ship wrecks (seeing sharks and Turtles) as well as doing some sand tobogganing which was also great fun.

The Girls’ Tour

By Mrs Williams The girls’ tour began in Malaysia playing Kuala Lumpur Sports School. They were delighted to host us and their welcome will stay with the girls for a long time and we were all humbled by their kindness. The girls played well in humid conditions – competing in 4 netball matches and 2 hockey matches.

Next stop was Sydney where we were hosted by Loreto Normanhurst School again playing both hockey and netball. The competition was well matched and the success from Kuala Lumpur continued into dominant performances from all our teams.

In Cairns the girls faced their biggest challenge of the tour. The opposition were a lot more physical and well skilled – the 1st XI Hockey played a regional boys’ team who made it difficult to break down their attacking play. The netball team faced a number of girls who also played Aussie Rules, hence a most physical and exciting battle on the netball court!

On the Gold Coast, as we enjoyed the 25 degree Australian winter, the girls played their final matches of tour in a friendly and most hospitable manner.

Throughout all the matches that we played, the girls demonstrated discipline, commitment and flair. A total of 17 netball games and 9 hockey matches were played during the 16 day tour.

Most importantly, the girls were a credit to themselves and the school. Their behaviour and good humour was appreciated at all times, not only by the staff, but the general public and the schools we visited. Touring can be hard – physically and mentally and they adapted to these challenges with a resolute mindset. I would like to thank Miss Wilson, Mr Hardy and Miss Gowdy for their support, thoughtfulness and hard work – the tour would not have been possible without their hard work and effort.

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The Boys’ Tour

By Mr Gwilliam and Mr Savage The boys began their tour in Singapore with two games against a combined Centaurs and Dragons side – both teams winning their fixtures well. The next fixture against St Joseph’s College, Nudgee was an altogether different challenge. The 1st XV played against Nudgee 2nd XV on their main field which, as could be seen by the seating, regularly attracts crowds of between 5 to 10,000 spectators for school fixtures against local rivals. Even their 2nd XV was strong and as they were mid-season, while we were pre-season the difference in organisation proved to be the main difference. The 2nd XV played Nudgee 3rd XV and also lost that game.

In Cairns, the 1st XV beat a well-organised St. Augustine’s 1st XV while the 2nd XV played a thriller of a game against a Far North Queensland Development XV. Not only did the new tackle height law not apply in that one. Seemingly the old one did not apply either!

The final games of tour were in Sydney against Oakhill College. The 2nd XV played a strong Oakhill 2nd XV losing that game. The 1st XV had a much closer game against Oakhill 1st XV. For large parts of the game, we were dominant, but just couldn’t convert our pressure into scores. Oakhill made the most of their opportunities and with further injuries to some of our key players in the end they finished on top. The progress of both teams was excellent throughout the tour and the engagement of all the players in the video analysis of games, the post-match video debriefs and target setting for the next game was excellent to see.

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Individual Sporting Success outside School Head Boy Toby is an England Rugby Star...

Head Boy, Toby, attended the Six Nations Festival in Dublin, having been selected for the U18 England Rugby squad. Until a few months ago, Toby had been undergoing rehabilitation after injury and had not played rugby for some time. Despite this, he was selected for England based on only 55 minutes of rugby play. What a wonderful achievement and comeback. As if playing Rugby for England and gaining three caps was not a big enough achievement, Toby also signed his first professional Premiership contract for the Bristol Bears Senior Academy in the same week he made his England debut. Toby said, “it was pretty surreal for both to happen, let alone one, especially in the same week.” He was so excited to be given the opportunity to represent his country and to start a potential bright future in a sport he loves. Toby talked about his progression through the school, having been at St Peter’s since he was three years old: “Growing up through 8-13, Mr Savage and Mr Humphries were amazing at developing me as a rugby player and keeping it fun and challenging for us all. As I moved through the school, Mr Slingsby and Mr Stephen accelerated my play and during the hard times of Covid really kept rugby going for all of us, and obviously Mr Williams and Mr Paterson have supported me through the last years at school.”

We are all so proud of Toby whose perseverance and determination has been truly remarkable, setting a great example to other pupils in his role of Head Boy. We can’t wait to follow his journey playing for the England squad, Bristol Bears and the other opportunities in store, beyond school.

Sophie is a British Gymnast After placing third in the Double Mini Trampoline (DMT) World Championships in Bulgaria at the end of November, talented Sophie was then selected for the 2023 Double-Mini Trampoline Senior Development Programme at British Gymnastics. To compete with seniors at such a young age is a huge achievement in itself and we are so proud. Her amazing journey started when she competed in the National Age Group Finals for DMT (17-21 year olds) at Birmingham Arena and was crowned National Champion. Following that, Sophie represented England in the Frivolten Cup in Sweden and won the Gold medal in the Open Women’s DMT. This earned her selection for the England Squad, 2022.

Helen Barnard, Head of Girls’ Sport at St Peter’s, said, “These are consistently outstanding achievements, a testament to Sophie’s dedication and talent. She manages to train and compete, whilst significantly contributing to first team school sport and her academic studies. This level of accomplishment and commitment is excellent.”

Tom Joins the British Judo England Talent Development Squad Congratulations to Tom who has been selected for the England Talent Development Judo Squad. Following his incredible performance at the English Judo Championships (Under 17s – Tom is only 15), Tom received confirmation that he was selected for the England Talent Development Squad at U17, which, given his young age and the standard of competitors, is a huge achievement. This involves weekly England squad training, England training camps and possible selection to represent England and GB in European competition.

Judo is in the family A judo dynasty has emerged with potential future Olympians, as Tom’s brother Jack is also a superstar in the U12 competition. Although technically being an Under 10, Jack managed to win a silver medal in the Under 12 National Judo Championships held in Guilford this year.

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Leavers’ Destinations

Forename Surname University Course Year of entry Other Molly Ake University of Birmingham International Business with Language 2023 Emil Akyol UCL (University College London) Biochemical Engineering 2023 Eliza Allison Loughborough University Management (with placement year) 2023 Richard Alvis

Gap year Ellis Anthony-Tychowski Loughborough University Politics and International Relations (with placement year) 2023 Toby Baker Professional Rugby Romilli Bennett Newcastle University English Literature 2023 Frederick Black University of Reading Real Estate 2023 Tara Black Newcastle University Archaeology 2024 Gap year Holly Bletcher The University of Edinburgh History of Art 2023 Matthew Briggs Northumbria University, Newcastle Business and Marketing 2024 Gap year Oscar Bristow University of Bath Chemical Engineering with professional placement 2023 Joshua Brookes Gap year William Brunton University of Warwick Politics and International Studies 2023 Imani Caglar University of Derby LLB Law 2023 Nok Man Chan Fashion institute of

techonology, SUNY Matthew Child University of Nottingham Philosophy 2023 Ho Chit Chu Durham University Politics 2023 Chun Hei Chum University of Bristol Aerospace Engineering 2023 Curtis Cornwell University of Chester History 2023 Joshua Dagwell Newcastle University Mathematics 2023 Charlotte Deniz Leeds Arts University Isabella Deri-Clark Northumbria University, Newcastle Finance and Investment Management 2023 Elizabeth Desport University of Kent English Literature and Film 2023 Edward Dewhurst Northumbria University, Newcastle Business Management 2023 Grace Dorling University of Liverpool Architecture 2023 Martha Dunsmore University of Cambridge Engineering 2023 Elizabeth Eaton Durham University Geography 2023 Joshua Ellis Northumbria University, Newcastle Business and Supply Chain Management 2023 Jessica England University of Liverpool Business Economics 2023 Anna Fairclough University of Nottingham Veterinary Medicine 2023 Josephine Ann Field Newcastle University Law 2023 Kinga Frackowiak Edge Hill University Biomedical Science 2023 Emma Franey Newcastle University Business Management 2023 Charles Gardner Oxford Brookes University Business and Management 2023 Weiqing Ge The University of Edinburgh Architecture 2023 Lily Gilman Gap year Luke Gilmour Leeds Conservatoire Music (Electronic Music Production) with Foundation Year 2023 Oliver Goddard Royal Agricultural University Real Estate 2024 Gap year Dylan Goodwin Northumbria University, Newcastle Finance and Investment Management 2023 Carlos Grevstad Mela IE University Spain Hannah Guggenheim Gap year – reapplying Mitchell Guppy Newcastle University Sport and Exercise Science 2023 Harry Hall Gap year – reapplying Anna Hanson Oxford Brookes University Architecture 2023 Jacob Hardisty Durham University Biological Sciences 2024 Gap year William Harpin University of Leeds Mechanical Engineering 2023 George Harrison Cardiff University Economics with a European Language (Spanish) 2023 Katerina Hazell University of Liverpool International Business with a Year in Industry 2024 Gap year Eleanor Hewitt University of Manchester Drama and English Literature 2023 Joanna Hill Gap year Madison Hill Bath Spa University Drama 2023 Henry Hobson Newcastle University Agri-Business Management 2023 William Holmes Anglia Ruskin University Philosophy 2023 Charlotte Hopwood University of Warwick French and History 2023 Charles Hughes University of Nottingham Law 2023 Frederick Iles University of Exeter Economics with Industrial Experience 2023 Joseph Jacques University of Nicosia

- Medical School Cyprus Henry Jameson London School of Economics and Economics and Economic History 2023

Political Science, University of London Keonhee Jang UCL (University College London) Theoretical Physics 2023 Darsh Johar Gap year Emily Johnson Bath Spa University English Literature 2023 Thomas Johnson Imperial College London Mathematics and Computer Science 2023 Matthew Jones University of Liverpool Economics with a Year in Industry 2023 Rosemary Jones UCL (University College London) Architecture 2023 Sorcha Kelly Newcastle University Business Management 2023 Darya Kuzmina University of Bristol Law 2023 Jodie Tsz Hei Lau University of Exeter Law with Business 2023 India Lawrance Gap year

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Forename Surname University Course Year of entry Other Holly Lindley Newcastle University Modern Languages and Business Studies 2023 Chun Hei Liu London School of Economics and Sociology 2023

Political Science, University of London Elizabeth Mannion University of Liverpool Classical Studies 2024 Gap year Grace Marwood Durham University Music 2023 Phoebe McKelvie UCL (University College London) Geography (International) 2023 Ellenor Mercer Cardiff University Law and French (Integrated) 2023 Sophie Moir Newcastle University Medicine and Surgery 2023 Mitchell Moisley Durham University Ancient History and Archaeology 2023 Miranda Moulton University of Nottingham Aerospace Engineering 2023 Valentina Mountain University of Portsmouth Applied Languages 2023 Mahesh Nimmagadda UCL (University College London) Mathematics 2023 Grace Nixon Heriot-Watt University Business and Finance 2023 Franco Padgett Newcastle University Food Business Management and Marketing 2023 Oisín Papadopoulos University of Bath Economics with professional placement or study abroad 2023 Noah Pearey Lancaster University Zoology (Placement Year) 2023 Holly Pears University of Berkeley

(hockey scholarship) Miles Phillips Northumbria University, Newcastle Accounting 2023 Mariya Popova Architectural Association School, London Daniel Pye University of Surrey Economics 2023 Jack Raper Newcastle University Food Business Management and Marketing 2023 William Rathbone Durham University Biochemistry 2023 Finlay Recchia Newcastle University Business Management 2023 Luke Redman Newcastle University Accounting and Finance (with Placement) 2023 Jack Roberts Newcastle University Civil Engineering 2023 Angus Robinson Newcastle University Civil Engineering with Year in Industry 2023 Ella Roebuck Gap year – reapplying Juliet Round Manchester Metropolitan University Politics and Philosophy (with Foundation Year) 2023 Joseph Rudge University of Oxford Music 2023 Martha Rycroft University of Nottingham History of Art 2023 Finley Savage University of Exeter Marine Biology with Professional Placement 2023 Matthew Saxby Newcastle University Architecture and Urban Planning 2023 Joseph Scott Newcastle University Biomedical Sciences (Integrated Masters) 2023 Joshua Shaw Newcastle University Agri-Business Management 2023 Astrid Smith SOAS University of London Law and Global Development 2024 Gap year Elias Smith University of Berkeley Jessica Spence University of Nottingham Veterinary Medicine 2024 Gap year Esther Stevens Gap year Grace Szpak University of East Anglia UEA Biomedicine 2023 Emelia Taylor Northumbria University, Newcastle Business and Management Foundation Year 2023 Christy Thompson University of Liverpool Economics 2023 India Thompson University of Bristol Geography 2023 Louis Todd Newcastle University Computer Science (Software Engineering) 2023 Freddie Tomlinson Professional Car Racing Christopher Trevett University of Oxford History 2023 Joshua Uren JP Morgan Degree Apprenticeship Lizete Viljoen Durham University Computer Science 2023 Henry Vincent Newcastle University BSc Honours Computer Science (Cyber Security) 2023 Tierney Walsh University of Bath Chemical Engineering 2024 Gap year Abbey White Gap year Lucas Winn Cardiff University Mechanical Engineering 2023 Kin Hang Wong University of Manchester Biomedical Sciences 2023 Alexander Wood Gap year – Australia Frederick Woodcock Northumbria University, Newcastle Business Management 2023 Thomas Yates Newcastle University Accounting and Finance (with Placement) 2023

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Careers F

or the first time since the pandemic, the Careers & Higher Education department were able to organise a plethora of talks and larger scale events for pupils and parents of St Peter’s and those from local schools. Alongside a host of virtual talks and webinars, it was lovely to invite a broad range of exhibitors and speakers into school to share their expertise and knowledge about universities, professions, gap year opportunities and more.

The Futures Fair is always the highlight of the Careers calendar and this year’s offering was no exception. With a record 500+ young people and parents in attendance, feedback about the exhibitors present and the talks they offered in the Lecture Theatre that evening was fabulous.

Watch this space for ‘Back to the Futures Fair 2024!’

Mentoring programme The 2023 mentoring partnership between Old Peterites and the Lower Sixth Form ended its final round of sessions in May, with pupils, paired with Old Peterites to understand more about the choices ahead of them and the world of work.

The programme is a great way for St Peter’s pupils, past and present, to connect with one another and hear how a St Peter’s education equips alumni with skills for life.

We are looking for mentors for future sessions. To be a mentor you will need to commit to 4 x 30-minute sessions spread over a month, to talk with a group of up to 10 pupils over Zoom.

All Old Peterites are welcome to apply, so if you think you could inspire our young people do get in touch by completing this short application.

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s l i a t k c o M It’s the 1980’s and Club Tropicana is open for mocktail mixing. Year 1s showed off their measuring and mixing bar skills in class creating their own 80’s mocktails, and you can create your own at home with their delicious recipes!

LEMON DROP MARTINI MOCKTAIL Ingredients ½ lemon, zested, plus 15ml lemon juice 1 tbsp golden caster sugar 50ml alcohol-free gin (or use water) 1 tsp white wine vinegar 1 tbsp marmalade Ice Method STEP 1 Combine the lemon zest and sugar on a small plate. Dip the rim of a coupe glass in water, then the sugar mixture. Set aside.

STEP 2 Put all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels icy cold. Strain through a fine sieve into the prepared glass.

FRUITY MOCKTAIL Ingredients Handful of green grapes Handful of blueberries 4 tbsp grenadine 300-400ml orange juice Sparkling water, to top up You will also need 4 bamboo skewers Method STEP 1 Thread the grapes and blueberries onto the skewers to make stirrers.

STEP 2 Pour the grenadine into four glasses. Gently tip the glasses and pour the orange juice down the inside of the glasses so it sits on top of the grenadine.

Top up with sparking water, and add the stirrers to serve.

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Old Peterites O

ur brilliant Alumni Team work with the Old Peterite community to strengthen the connections they have with each other and the school.

Each year they have drop ins, events with the opportunity to network with OPs across the years and reunion meet ups.

This year was no different, with some exciting events including reunions of classes 1992, 2012 and 1972. We had a fantastic afternoon organised by Sarah Thomas (2003) in collaboration with Fenwicks celebrating local businesses centred on wellbeing, lifestyle and fashion which raised £500 for bursaries.

London drinks and dinner continued with attendees from a range of different backgrounds, ages and life stages coming together to share their memories of St Peter’s.

We were not put off by the rain on OP Day 2022, with a great turnout for the wide range of activities on offer. An event for both the school community and OPs, we all enjoyed great food, children’s entertainment, sports, choir practice, chapel service and school tours. Sports competitions included Hockey, Netball, Rugby, Rowing and Cricket.

In May we saw eight recent OPs attend the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to mark the completion of their Gold DofE awards. Mr Whitehouse said, “It was a pleasure to work with them after their time at St Peter’s.”

If you are a recent OP or haven’t been contacted recently about OP events but would like to be, email Rachel Whittaker r.whittaker@stpetersyork.org.uk.

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

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A tribute to Professor Tom McLeish 1 May 1962 – 27 February 2023

All at St Peter’s were saddened to hear the news that Professor Tom McLeish had died recently after a short illness.

Tom was a familiar face at St Peter’s. He was a committed governor in recent years and brought his considerable experience of higher education and local networks to the governing board, as well as his perspective as a former parent at the school.

Tom and Julie’s children – Katie, Nicholas, Max and Rosie – all contributed in so many ways when they attended St Peter’s. All four were well known in school, not least for being part of their own sibling string and wind quartets, and also found time to develop their sailing skills outside school.

Even after the children had left the school, Tom remained involved, giving public lectures and attending events. The whole McLeish family remain a valued part of our school community.

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the University of Leeds, Professor of Physics at the University of Durham from 2008 to 2018 and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research between 2008 and 2014. Tom also was the first Chair of Natural Philosophy at the University of York. He worked to increase understanding of the properties of soft matter; matter easily changed by stress including liquids, foams and biological materials. He published hundreds of papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals over the years and was invited on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day.

Tom was so popular and modest, considering his plethora of achievements, and he had a unique talent for making every person he spoke to feel important.

He was a true polymath, a man of deep faith, esteemed academically for his razor-sharp intellect and renowned for connecting seemingly disparate ideas.

Tom was made a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Royal Society. He achieved many awards including Weissenberg and Bingham medals from the European Society of Rheology. He received the Sam Edwards Medal and Prize for “his sustained and outstanding contributions to the fields of molecular rheology, macromolecular biophysics and selfassembly” and the Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship “for his record as one of the most outstanding scientists of his generation, and the leading contemporary lay Anglican voice in the dialogue of science and faith”. Tom gave the 2021 Boyle Lecture for the International Society for Science and Religion, entitled “Rediscovering Science as Contemplation.”

His long list of impressive accolades include: lecturer in Physics at the University of Sheffield from 1989 to 1993, Professor of Polymer Physics between 1993 and 2008 at

He was also a lay preacher in the Anglican Church, regularly delivering sermons at St Michael le Belfrey, York, something very important to him.

“Whilst we will miss his intellectual input into our debates, we will also miss the fellowship and friendship of the kind and considerate man that was Tom.”

William Woolley, Chair of Governors at St Peter’s School said, “Tom joined the Board in 2021 and we immediately benefitted from his incisive questions and comments in our discussions. He would always be prepared to challenge accepted norms if he felt there was a better way of reaching the desired outcome. Whilst we will miss his intellectual input into our debates, we will also miss the fellowship and friendship of the kind and considerate man that was Tom.” Jeremy Walker, Head Master of St Peter’s School added, “Tom knew St Peter’s, and was known by the school, incredibly well, as a committed and interested parent over many years and as a Governor. His range of expertise and intellectual ability was vast and always applied with a lightness of touch and sense of enquiry. He had the wonderful ability to speak to anyone, and for them to know that he was genuinely

interested in them, and all they were doing. As a result, he was held by all in great admiration. On a personal level, I am so grateful for having known Tom and he will be remembered with tremendous affection by all at St Peter’s.”

Tom and his wife Julie were both very supportive of our Music department over a ten-year period and regularly attended concerts and events. Rosie played a principal part in Beauty and the Beast in 2018, and Nicholas was a principal in Les Misérables in 2012, which I know were productions that Tom and Julie really enjoyed watching. The whole family came to Rosie’s Cabaret performance in 2019, which was their final major event as parents at the school. This was a very special moment.”

We will miss Tom’s kindness, wisdom and great company.

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School Office, St Peter’s School, York, YO30 6AB Tel 01904 527300 Email enquiries@stpetersyork.org.uk

www.stpetersyork.org.uk