Ackworth Today - Summer 2022

ACKWORTH

TODAY

70 YEARS AND COUNTING As we celebrate the Jubilee in style, Anton Maree looks back at Ackworth School over the past 70 years

School trips are back!

And we are making the most of it

80 Trees for 80 Years Ackworth School receives commemorative tree from the Association of Jewish Refugees

Pupil Perspectives

We hear what our pupils really think!

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HEAD’S ADDRESS ANTON MAREE

Seven decades at Ackworth School 1952 – 2022 (From Ackworth School by Elfrida Vipont, 1991) As we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we thought it would be interesting to look back to the 1950s and then track development at the school one decade at a time.

1950s

1980s

Co-education was introduced.

The Andrews Wing was opened by the Head Boy and Head Girl. As soon as the new classrooms became available common rooms were provided in the East and West Wings.

The “House” system was introduced to organise the school into competitive groups and Shed Court was restored thanks to the generosity of the Society for the preservation of Ancient Buildings.

1960s Great Garden was landscaped replacing the fruit and vegetable garden that had provided generations with real experience of growing food. Fruit gathered from the orchard had filled the cellars under Centre Passage. Sometimes the kitchen made “Cowboy’s Hat” an apple pie with an obvious shape which was a great favourite for generations of our pupils.

The Fothergill Hall was extended with a larger stage, the foyer and the link to Centre Block and several staff houses were built along Station Road.

The Tuck Shop, situated on the corner opposite the Armitage Gates, was transferred into the School and the original shop was turned first into a Hostel and then a staff house.

1968 Coram House, the Junior Boys’ house, so named after Captain Coram, the original instigator of the School buildings as a Foundling Hospital, was opened in 1968.

The old horse-hair mattresses from the boys’ dormitories were discarded, replaced by modern Dunlopillo mattresses.

By 1969 the school had 24 day pupils and 400 were boarders.

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The first micro-computer was purchased for use in the Maths and Science Departments.

70 Elm trees were felled because of Dutch Elm disease.

The Independent Schools’ Action Committee was formed in 1982 to take whatever action seemed appropriate against political threat to abolish private education. This was a year when great anxiety was felt regarding the future.

By 1983 there were 52 international boarders at the school.

Princess Anne was welcomed to Ackworth. Her helicopter landed on the School playing fields. She visited to recognise the work of the Riding for the Disabled Group working in the village.

The Junior School was opened in the modified old Nursery with 26 pupils and 2 staff.

The Armitage Sports Centre with a classroom and two squash courts was opened in 1988.

The Craft Design Centre was started and Gordon McKee retired after 18 years as Head of the School.

1970s The decision was made to use the swimming pool throughout the year and coal fires, still used in some rooms, were gradually replaced by other forms of heating.

Latin was phased out of the curriculum up to the Fifth Form and international boarders were admitted for the first time.

The Parents/Staff Association offered the School a twelve seater minibus to assist in camping and outdoor activities, as well as assisting those children in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Language Laboratories were introduced.

The external stonework of the Georgian buildings was cleaned. The Department of the Environment provided 75% of the cost. From the grimy blackened stone was revealed the glowing, honeycoloured sandstone of the original building.

1980s continued…

ACKWORTH TODAY The new library on the top of the East Wing was officially opened in 1977.

In 1978 a serious fire in Ackworth House destroyed the staircase and resulted in other damage. The girls had to be re-located whilst repairs were made.

The Bicentenary year was celebrated in 1979. Teachers and pupils visited our sister school in Westtown, Pennsylvania.

1988 The IT department was provided with a specialist teacher, largely funded by Friends’ Provident Life (founded at Ackworth School in 1832). IT was firmly established on the curriculum for 1st and 2nd Years.

The 4th Year and Lower Sixth were offered a 2-year Cambridge Certificate Course.

2022 This year we have been able to return the school to a relatively normal routine following a pandemic which started in March 2020.

2019 The Autism Resource was increased in size and finally moved into the West Wing studies where the small studies are fit for purpose. The Autism Resource is the second example of work done by our maintenance team. The school has had. To depart from putting construction work on large projects out to tender and has assembled a team with all of the necessary skills to convert and refurbish our buildings.

The old Library which had also been used as sixth form studies was returned to a large room and is now in use as a second sixth form centre renamed the Westwood Building. The school’s maintenance team did all of the work on the building and it is a wonderful example of what they are capable of producing.

The school decided to invest in Apple devices and all pupils from Year 4 in Coram to the Upper Sixth received an iPad and a Apple Pencil. We have come a long way since the first BBC computer in 1980.

In 1991 membership of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference was awarded to Ackworth School because it met with the high standards expected by the association. Ackworth School retained its membership of the smaller Society of Heads.

The boarding houses have been partially refurbished with modern kitchens and communal areas. 17 of the 44 rooms were modernised before the pandemic.

There was a great deal of development in the 1990s. In 1993 the long awaited new Music Centre was officially opened by Dame Janet Baker in March 1994 and the new Design and Technology centre was opened in November 1996.

Coram House has a new Multi Use Games Area and the Senior School has a very modern fitness suite and strength and conditioning coach.

1997

2018

In keeping with the trend at the time Saturday school came to an end and a full range of weekend activities for boarders was introduced.

A new air handling unit was installed in the swimming pool and a new plant room build alongside the west wall.

1990s

2000s In May 2003 the newly refurbished Boys’ School House opened with ensuite bedrooms.

In 2005 the International Centre was established.

Specialist English lessons were given to pupils some of whom could speak little or no English when they arrived. Ackworth developed a reputation for excellence in this regard.

In 2006 work started on the integration of ICT as a tool for learning, beginning with the construction of a school wide wireless network powered by cutting edge technology.

2010 The refurbishment of the Meeting House was completed and the official re-opening took place.

We developed a significant presence within our community and West Yorkshire by working with state primary schools where we provided access to table tennis and tennis.

Today thousands of primary school pupils know where Ackworth School is.

We have increased community use of our facilities as part of our partnership work and charitable work.

Ackworth Tennis Club has grown to over 200 members in three years and Ackworth Junior Football club have several age groups sides using our fields. This approach has completely changed perceptions within our village and encourages more pupils to come to our school.

2015 the old Art Room which had been used for sixth form studies was converted into a Sixth Form Centre.

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SPRING TERM

Duke of Edinburgh Diaries In the last week of the Easter holidays three groups, six pupils being in my group, went to Nidderdale for our silver DofE practice expedition. We set off from Pickering in the morning and walked by the lake for most of the day. I found going uphill at the start of the day the hardest point of the expedition as my rucksack was the heaviest then. When we got to camp, we set up the tents and ate lots of good food. My feet were so sore from walking, it felt like I was walking on hot sand.

For the second day, we walked through many sheep fields with newborn lambs. Also, around the villages, there were dead moles hung up on fences and one of the locals told us that they were advertisements for mole catchers, at one point we saw 17 in one row.

We climbed up to the peaks of the hills and walked on top of them for most of the day. The scenery was amazing. At one point we walked too far and couldn’t find the right path down the hill, so we had to make up our own path, going through a marsh and jumping over a stream - but it was all part of the fun. Overall, I loved being with my friends and walking through pretty scenery all day.

Isabel (Fifth Year, Fothergill) We were the last group to set off on Wednesday morning.

Our route started on flat ground, so we were not going up any big hills right from the start. This allowed us to get used to the walk which was quite nice. The first parts of the walk were quite ordinary. It was a nice day, so we just followed the route and enjoyed the scenery. We walked up a couple of fields around a reservoir. We walked through and around a couple of farms during the day and saw fields filled with sheep and lambs. We even saw a couple of horses in the morning. The horses walked up to us which frightened a couple of members of our group. For me this was the highlight of the day. Closer to the end of the walk we walked through a farm and saw rows of moles hung up

Easter Thank you to all those who donated chocolate eggs from the community.

We counted 173 altogether!

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on the fence. We later found out that the farmers do this to show how good they are at catching moles. The farmer helped us find the way and we had a nice walk to the camp. We set up our tents and after we cooked our meal for the night we went to bed.

Setting out the next morning was possibly the hardest part of the expedition. Although the weather was nice, our route started on an uphill and after a day of walking this was the last thing we wanted to do. Nevertheless, we set out and once we got to the top of the hill and took a small break the rest of the walk was quite nice. We walked along the top of the mountains which meant that we got an excellent view of the valley and got to enjoy the view for most of the day. We couldn’t find the footpath that was shown on the map, so we decided to go through a field and over a river to join up with our route. After we got back on the footpath, we walked down the mountain just to cross a reservoir and walked straight back up another. At this point we were all tired, our feet were hurting, and we couldn’t wait to get back to the camp. So, after a short break at the top, we set off for the last stretch of the journey. It was fairly simple from here. We walked through a town and down a field and we were back at the camp. We threw down our bags and after another night of camping, we packed up our tents and got on the bus back to school.

Mikulas (Fifth Year, Penn)

ACKWORTH TODAY

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SUMMER TERM Visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park On Thursday 5th of May, Year 6 visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Touching on our topic in Art, everyone was looking for inspiration amongst the wide variety of sculptures. After a 40-minute journey we arrived at our destination, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. On this exhilarating encounter we got to engage in lots of activities using teamwork and creativity. Some of our Year 6s described it as overwhelming, inspiring, exciting, vast, terrific, and so big (500 acres) that it had a sense of quiet and distant presence.

We were accompanied and warmly welcomed by our tour guide, named Vinnie. After entering the classroom and a short introduction being said, he gave us a pencil and a notebook. On this paper we were challenged to let our imaginations take over and go wild. As we set off to our first sculpture, The Barnsley Rock, we were tested to draw the piece of art using charcoal or mud with sticks. Walking on, we faced some breath-taking Masayuki Koorida installations made purely out of granite. Using technical skills, we had to draw a piece using light, texture and dimension. Crossing the ‘HaHa’ bridge we all sarcastically laughed (it was hilarious to see everyone ‘fake’ laughing). Opening up into a vaster field of true beauty of greenery, we were in awe of the sheep giving signs of Spring and new life. visiting/passing by a few more sculptures including The Virgin Mother, Upright Motives and The Coffin Jump, we headed to lunch.

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We were delighted to be rewarded with a lunch outside on the fresh green. After that, we were divided into our groups and given a request to make our very own sculptures using two words for inspiration! Confronted with lots of materials we came together as a group to produce an abstract piece of art. We regrouped and came to appreciate and look at each other’s artwork.

Everyone was exhausted because of the scorching sun but in the end, it was all worth it as we went home with happy smiley faces.

Charlotte, Freya, Gabriella, Isabella (Year 6)

ACKWORTH TODAY

Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations “This is our Queen” was a fabulous way to celebrate Her Majesty, her life and her reign. We asked our children the following questions: • What do you think of when you think of the Queen?

• What does monarchy mean to you?

• What does it mean to be British to you? What does it mean to the rest of the world?

Year 2 chose famous landmarks, Year 3 worked on buns and cakes, Year 4 created a stamp collage, Year 5 used pointillism technique, Year 6B created a mosaic of paper clips and Y6N used Geo art to reproduce Her Majesty’s favourite things.

Pupil voice: I think it was a very good idea to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as she has been on the throne for many years. We are also celebrating many other rulers to come.

• Which are Her Majesty’s favourite things and what are her hobbies?

It was fun because we mastered a really good skill and we worked together to make a giant painting.

• Which presents would suit a Queen who potentially already has everything?

Our Queen is the longest reigning monarch ever so I think we had to celebrate her and her reign.

Throughout Coram House, from Nursery to Year 6, all the children got really excited about this project. Nursery used coins with her Majesty’s effigy as stamps to reproduce a Union Jack, Reception made a Union Jack collage, Year 1 designed flowers to illustrate Her Majesty’s love of nature,

I think it was a nice thing to get the whole class together to paint the Queen. I am looking forward to the picnic on The Green.

I think it was very nice to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee by making a nice painting.

I liked the idea that we used pointillism to do it.

We are very proud of our Queen as she is simply lovely, always smiling.

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SUMMER TERM Tree Planting Ceremony at Ackworth School April 28th, 2022 Holocaust Remembrance Day this year fell on Thursday 28th April. At Ackworth School we were lucky enough to be joined by a very special guest by the name of Ruth Barnett. Ruth was rescued from Germany by the Quakers and spent several years at the Friends School in Saffron Walden, Essex.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Ackworth School took in a number of Jewish children who were escaping from Nazi tyranny in Europe. They were sponsored by the Society of Friends. Most were boarders though some lodged with families in the village.

The first to arrive was Hans Freutel from Berlin on 18th September, 1935. From then on, a steady stream of boys and girls arrived at the school from Vienna, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Berlin and Poland. Rudi Schaffer, son of Oscar and Else who both died in the Holocaust, came to Ackworth in May, 1939 via the ‘Kindertransport ‘.

To mark this, the Association of Jewish Refugees selected the school to receive a commemorative tree among 79 other sites nationwide as part of their 80th Anniversary commemorations. We were pleased to welcome Ruth Barnett MBE to the school on April 28th to plant our tree.

This coincided with the Jewish community’s annual day for remembering the Holocaust. Ruth escaped to this country

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as a 4 year old. A time capsule containing details of Ruth’s life was planted at the same time.

Members of the Third Form had the opportunity to listen to Dr. George Dublon’s account of the fate of his German Jewish family as they are about to begin their study of the Holocaust in History lessons.

A beautiful copper beech is now flourishing in the peaceful surroundings of Great Garden to remind us of those lives that were lost to tyranny, and of those who were saved.

Hans Freutel became a well known actor (Paul Hansard) and Rudi Schaffer became a world renowned psychologist specialising in child psychology.

BOARDING

I can’t quite believe that as I am writing this, there are only 6 weeks to go until the end of the academic year.

Time really does fly when you’re having fun and that’s exactly what we have been doing in boarding.

ACKWORTH TODAY

When I became Head of Boarding last September, one of my targets was to ‘make boarding fun’. We might not run our ship like the old boarding school days, in fact, we live like it’s 2022 - we love to make memories and enjoy every moment possible in a safe and caring environment.

This term has seen some of our short stay pupils come and go already.

They use this as an opportunity to sample British boarding school life, with the view to returning at some point in the future. Although they are not here for that long, they certainly make an impression on the boarding community, and we are always sad to see them leave and hope that they want to return to join the hustle and bustle and what boarding at Ackworth has to offer.

One of the highlights for me so far this term was our trip to Blackpool.

Now for those that don’t know, Blackpool is where I grew up. I went to boarding school in Northern Ireland and would regularly travel back to my family home in Blackpool during weekends and holidays. So, to be able to take my boarders there was really special. We enjoyed a full day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, followed by my favourite ice-cream, which they all agreed was the best ice-cream they had ever eaten. It was all fun and games until we boarded the coach to travel back to Ackworth and the coach broke down. We spent 4 hours in a service station, and I have to say, this was by far my favourite part of the day. Memories were made (and so were TikToks) - I will look back on this day fondly for years to come.

Fifth Form and Upper Sixth are currently writing their public examinations and we as a team are supporting the boarders to revise and allow them the resources, they need to do their very best. We are so proud of each and every one of them.

This term will see the sad departure of Brenda Hodge as she retires to spend some quality time with her family in Lancashire. Brenda will be sorely missed in boarding and across the school. We also say goodbye to Mike Windsor as he is leaving boarding to be able to spend more time with his family. Again, Mike will be missed by us all in boarding but he will still be holding up the DT department.

I hope to see as many of you as possible on Open Day - it really is a spectacular day when the school is displayed in its finery.

Nicola Gilbert

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NURSERY Update • T his half term the nursery children have been learning about ‘Growing’. We’ve focused on humans, flowers, vegetables and butterflies.

• T he older children have started their Kindergarten class on Fridays. So far they’ve enjoyed doing a messy drama and science session.

• W e now have a new water wall and wooden train in our outdoor area.

• Our vegetable shop is now in the home corner, and always busy.

• T he children have thoroughly enjoyed planting seeds and helping them grow.

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CORAM HOUSE

ACKWORTH TODAY

Head’s Address I love the Summer Term and this year it seems extra special. The days are longer and lighter, the gardens around school look stunning, and the children seem to have grown and flourished as they anticipate their next part of the learning journey.

We look forward to many events in school such as Sports Days, Party on the Green, Open Day and the Year 6 play, Disney’s “Aladdin”. As we return to our pre-pandemic state, the summer is certainly helping.

The best schools have a real sense of community, and our school community is now getting back together and rekindling its strength.

Adversity is often seen to bring people together and our social interactions make sure that everyone understands that support for one another will lead to more positive and coherent outcomes for all. I love our school community. Whenever I show visitors around, they comment on the calm and warmth felt within the school.

We spend time encouraging our pupils to step beyond their comfort zone, to overcome fears and aim beyond their limits. I hope that you all enjoy a rest, a little time to reflect, and some time to recharge over the summer. It has been quite a year.

Sally Slater, Coram House, Head

Year 3

Science In a bid to keep Science enquiry a top priority, each week the Year 3 children take home the class Science Bag. Inside is a fantastic investigation book, white coat and goggles and the rest is quite simply up to the children. They absolutely love presenting their ‘findings’ back to the class and often feature whizz and popping, with amazing results to share to inspire their classmates. Here are a few examples of science in action at home…

Katie Staton (Science Coordinator, Head of Teaching and Learning)

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CORAM HOUSE Pupil Perspective

Our links to school across the world When we go to Myanmar we visit Linthar English school near Thanwe town. Mama Sue and her teachers provide free English lessons for children and adults in the local area. The children get up early to come to lessons before going to their main schools at 8.30.

When we visit we take clothing, books and spectacles to donate, and I help my Mum do the eye tests.

The children will be very happy with their new reading books, kindly donated by Coram House.

Harrison Year 3 Myanmar is situated in South East Asia and is bordered on the North and North East by China, on the East and South East by Laos and Thailand.

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ACKWORTH TODAY

Year 4

Geography During their Geography topic exploring the country of Japan, Year 4 became fully immersed in their culture. They were taught how to make sushi by Ms Schoukroun (it was delicious) and tried on authentic Samurai armour brought in by Miss Liddle.

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CORAM HOUSE Pupil Perspective

Global Committee and Outdoor Learning What sort of things do you learn in Global Learning?

Do you think our planet is important?

Zarah - It is really good to have teachers that care about Global Committee.

Kria - Yes because there is no other place that we can go.

Holly - We learnt to save the world by recycling like when we had a paper free day.

Ben - Yes it is what we live on and if we keep polluting it we won’t be able to live.

Jacob - We learnt about reducing pollution and COP26

What does our school do to help the Earth?

Sebastian - We wore something green to raise money for the World Land Trust.

Effie - We raise money for charities - Go Green for Coram.

Sebastian - Energy monitors - turn off taps and lights.

Broedan - ‘Go green for Coram’ we wore something green to protect forest. Every £100 saved 1 acre of forest.

Holly - We have made a large banner in the car park to encourage people to turn engines off.

Is it important to learn about the environment and why?

Do you feel that Global Committee represents your views?

Kria - Yes because we need to know what changes are happening in the world.

Sofia - We want to keep our planet safe.

Henry - Yes because people can tell Global Committee about things like litter and they can arrange litter picks.

Effie - Saving our planet is important so it stays clean.

Broaden - You can tell GC to talk about anything you are worried about and then they can discuss.

Broaden - Throwing litter means animals can get sick.

Turtles think litter is food and they can die.

What do you learn about in Outdoor Learning?

Sebastian - Basking sharks eat rubbish when they are feeding.

Beau - Sometimes we might do art. We learn how to survive if you live in a forest.

What lessons do you take part in learning about the world?

Holly - In English we learnt about COP 26 Olivia - In PSHE we learnt about the situation in Ukraine.

Alannah - We made pictures of animals out of leaves. We learn how to make fires.

Gabby - I would like to learn what to eat.

Sebastian - We build fires, make dens, we learn about other topics - we once made a long house.

How do you feel when learning outside the classroom?

Henry - If you are outside it feels nice because you have fresh air and that is good.

Gabby - It is more fun because sometimes we get free time in the forest to build dens. We learn about teamwork.

Henry - Instead of arguing we work together.

What do you think about our new outdoor classroom?

Henry - It good to have somewhere to take off your muddy clothes.

What lessons do you take outdoors?

Henry - Art, Science experiments Beau - It would be good to have Maths and English outside, like if you are doing fractions, we could use chalk or sticks.

RS - Holly and I threw powder paint at each other.

Is it important to learn outside?

Beau - Yes because if you are stuck inside it can be hot and feel tired.

Gabby - In my old school there was no forest. I had not been in a forest before.

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CORAM HOUSE

Eco-School Green Flag Award with Merit comes to Coram House It has been nearly two years now since Global Committee was founded in Coram House. Since then the Committee has worked tirelessly to promote all things environmental. The children have debated environmental issues, implemented changes, raised money for the World Land Trust to protect acres of forest and promoted a better understanding for our planet. Activities have ranged from creating banners, running the allotment and using the produce in the school kitchen to holding valuable education awareness days. I have been struck by the children’s passion and enthusiasm for this subject. Their most recent endeavour will be to hold the Great Green Global Festival 2022 which will take place from 15th-17th June. This will be a largely child led event where pupils can begin to direct their learning and take responsibility for their actions.

The Green Flag application itself required a lot of work documenting all the aspects of school life that we can link to Global Learning and the environment. At Coram House we have introduced a Climate Curriculum to highlight current concerns and investigate possible solutions.

Children have been inspired by politics and have actively voiced concerns during COP26. Our younger children have undertaken a pond restoration project and improved the biodiversity of the landscape at Ackworth School.

Global Committee wished to share some feedback from our Eco-School application: Your Global Committee took a lead on creating your Action Plan, this is exactly how the Eco-Schools programme should work! The Action Plan they decided on is impactful and engaging, particularly impressive is the way they so obviously thought about how they could engage as many of their schoolmates as possible in their actions. Step 4 of your application is incredibly strong, without doubt one of the strongest sections the EcoSchools team have assessed this year.

Organising an environmentally themed day or week of learning is a great way to make environmental

Outside of School Gabrielle wanted to raise money for the hospital which looked after her for a week when poorly, so she thought of a lemonade stand during Easter. Such a good idea!

She manned it herself with her younger cousin.

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education a celebratory experience that involves an entire school – to link this to the important COP 26 event is inspired and will surely create memories that will last a lifetime for students at Ackworth Students have been empowered with the belief that they have a voice and should use it.

The fact that outdoor learning is so well integrated into your curriculum is again something to be applauded, pupils are truly lucky to attend such a forward-thinking school.

I would like to finish by acknowledging the true stars of the show, our passionate Global Committee. May they continue to inspire others and make the changes they want to see in the world!

Catherine Bradley

SENIOR SCHOOL

ACKWORTH TODAY

Wishing a warm welcome to our new Deputy Head We heard from Nancy Newlands-Melvin As I drove down winding lanes approaching Ackworth, I felt a flutter of nerves and excitement. I was about to have an interview for my dream job, pastoral and academic lead at a Quaker school. After two days of intensive testing and probing, I felt the panel knew everything about me, bar my shoe size! I was delighted to receive the call offering me the position.

It is an absolute privilege to serve the Ackworth School community. I myself attended Sidcot School, a Quaker school in the Mendips, and feel the Quaker ethos has had a long-lasting impact on the way I live my life personally and professionally. I went on to study French and Linguistics at the University of York. I met my husband and York has been my base ever since, raising my family there. I have worked in a variety of different school contexts, both private and statefunded, guided by the compass of the Quaker testimonies.

Ackworth School is on an exciting post-COVID journey. My vision is for a deeply child-centred approach; an education

Jasmine U6

House Reading for Gurney I thought for this house reading, as I’m coming to the end of my time here at Ackworth I would share some things I’ve learnt along the way through school and some key principles I try to live by. I must say that I don’t always stick to my own advice 100% of the time but I do try my best.

For those of you who don’t know I’m in the Upper Sixth and I started here at Ackworth in my Second Year so I’ve been here 6 years. I’m hoping to go to medical school this September and become a doctor if I get the grades this summer – so fingers crossed.

I’ve put together five of the main principles I try to live by and hopefully you can take even just one of these and try and apply or improve it within your life.

The first is to appreciate others.

I think one thing I’ve learnt throughout school is to listen to the people around you and their wisdom and whether that be teachers or your peers. Everyone is unique and there’s so much you can learn from others. A great thing at Ackworth is that you can easily get to know others and form friendships across year groups every lunch with the family dining in place.

that embraces both tradition and modern technology and pedagogies; a curriculum that inspires and prepares our young people for the future. I am keen to raise pupil voice, and to encourage pupils to take an active role in serving their school and community, to be brave and approach life with integrity and purpose.

I would like to thank the pupils, staff and parents for your welcome. There is a warm buzz about the place, and I feel like I have come home.

Nancy Newlands-Melvin

Yes it is initially awkward and you just want to sit with your friends but in time it is nice to have friends across year groups.

I remember I was on a table at lunch in 3rd and 4th Year with this 6th Former, called Kevin and he was an international student. Without sitting with him at lunch that friendship would never have formed. I’ll never forget the time at Christmas one year when he bought me and Ruby (another girl who sat on my table) a giant chocolate reindeer.

He was really lovely and he gave me lots of good advice.

I would never have probably spoken to Kevin if I didn’t sit on his table at lunch. Listen to others, learn from them and appreciate their input in conversations.

The second is to take new opportunities.

Don’t fixate your mind into one thing. You can be good at more than one thing. Yes, it might require a bit of effort but when you’ve done it and achieved it the feeling you get is great. If you have a chance to try something new – whether that’s learn a language or a new skill then just have a go, try it out. It may go horribly wrong and you might hate every second but at least you tried and it could transpire into something which become an integral part of your life.

For me, I never thought I would be any good at Karate, I am quite a gentle person, not aggressive at all but, when I was five my Dad introduced me (rather forcibly) to Martial Arts.

I didn’t like it at first to be honest but then I started to enjoy it as time went on and I am proud to say I am a black belt in both Taekwondo and Karate and I love it. I’ve met so many people through martial arts and I actually ended up in the same Karate class as Mr Roots once, which was interesting to say the least! www.ackworthschool.com | 17

SENIOR SCHOOL At Ackworth, there are so many clubs to get involved in and try out. So I encourage you to just try a new club while you still have that chance at this school.

I don’t want to be morbid or anything - it’s a bit early on a Wednesday morning for that, but most people on their death bed regret the things they don’t do in their life not that they did. So I’ll leave that thought with you.

The third is to be kind to yourself.

I’ve learnt it’s important to listen, recognising your emotions and not ignore them and being unnecessarily hard on yourself. If you have a hard day, you feel like you’ve failed at something take some time for yourself, do something that you enjoy. Also, reflecting on the so called failure can be really beneficial in the long term. It means you can park that experience aside but you’ve also still learnt from it and you know how to improve for the future so that you can continue to improve yourself little by little each day.

Being able to look at the bigger picture and putting things into perspective is something I have actively tried to implement when I am faced with difficulties or failures. I think quite a recent failure of mine would be getting rejected from a university and this specific university actually rejected me twice, for Medicine and then Pharmacy so it did knock my confidence a bit. I was able to turn it into a positive, thinking maybe that wasn’t the right university for me and it wouldn’t suit me.

As exam season is coming up, it gets really stressful and overwhelming. Just try and be kind to yourself don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Get enough sleep and take breaks and don’t do what I did and get locked in the Westwood building on a Friday evening while revising in there. I did luckily get let out by Mr Maree though.

The fourth is to be grateful for what you have.

Trying to not take things for granted but being appreciative of it and doing good with it.

Life can change in an instant and I think we don’t truly realise how much we have until it gets taken away from us.

I remember when I was younger and I was on my summer holidays in Ireland and I used to run around on the beach, laughing and not having a care in the world while my Grandad would watch and play with us. Unfortunately, he passed away many years ago, but I am so grateful that I had him in my life and I have so many fond memories of the time I spent with him and my cousins.

And I think for all of us just being at this school, a private school, is something to be grateful for - only around 7% of children currently attend one in the UK. A quote attributed to Maya Angeluo is ‘Be present in all things and thankful for all things’.

You’ll be glad to know I only have one more piece of advice and that for me is the most important one and it’s self-belief.

I know that might sound cliché but how can you expect anyone else to believe in you if you can’t believe in yourself?

So walk your own path and don’t let other people’s view on you damage your self-esteem or belief. It’s your life, so have your own goals and carve your own future.

I think self-belief is courage. They’re synonymous. It takes courage to believe that you can get to a destination that doesn’t exist yet and that what you’re doing now will get you closer to where you want to be. Just remembering that each step you take no matter how small will get you there in the end.

For me I have never been confident at speaking in public, it’s just never been my thing. I’ve always been the shy kid who sits at the back of the class and spends most their break doing revision or prep. For me being able to do this – to stand in front of you and talk is a big achievement.

Yes, I was bricking it inside ten minutes ago, but I have belief in myself and I have got through it.

I hope that you all could take something away from this reading. I wish you all the best for the future in everything you want to do in life.

Thank you

Duke Of Edinburgh

The Bronze Trip Many Fourth Form pupils participated in the bronze DofE expedition on 14th/15th of May. On day one we started in Bulmer and ended in Slingsby. The walk on the first day included sunny weather and very heavy bags which took some getting used to. We ventured up the Howardian Hills and saw lots of picturesque scenery on our route. When we arrived at Robin Hood camp site everyone was thrilled to set up their tents and have fun with friends for the night. Everyone cooked a hot meal which we all enjoyed while playing games with each other. On the second day another long walk was complete with a few more people getting lost however, this only built our resilience. The expedition strengthened our friendships and teamwork skills while allowing us to all be leaders and learn new skills along the way. It definitely made lifelong memories and taught us all important lessons.

Claudia and Owen 4D 18 | SUMMER 2022, ISSUE 15

SENIOR SCHOOL

ACKWORTH TODAY

English

Letters Home From The Trenches Last term we wrote letters from the trenches, impersonating a soldier from the First World War. Pupils took many different angles when approaching this task: some pupils wrote about specific dates such as Christmas Day and others wrote about daily life in the trenches.

Before beginning this task, we read some letters from the First World War to give us some perspective and inspiration for writing our letters. We also watched videos relating to World War One in order for us to understand daily life in the trenches to a larger extent. The work we were doing in history at the time aided us with our research and knowledge on the subject. To make our letters feel authentic, many coffee or tea stained their work. Some even included certain sentimental items such as dried flowers for their loved ones, postcards, a paper ring, and even a telegram announcing a soldier’s death. These letters were heavily description-based and focused on bringing the trenches to life for the reader; as well as this we described conditions and jobs that they had to participate in as members of the army. In our letters we also asked questions related to home life, which gave our letters an element of authenticity. We enjoyed this task as it allowed us to show our creativity as well as our originality to be able to create an interesting piece of work.

Dystopian Film Trailers Third Year students have been studying Dystopian Literature this half-term - including extracts from important dystopian works such as Nineteen Eighty-Four. One of the tasks they were set was to use their knowledge of dystopian genre tropes to create a dystopian film trailer.

Eleanor KY and Charlotte A (3Z)

Maths 29 students achieved gold, silver or bronze awards in the Intermediate Maths Challenge back in March, with seven qualifying for the next round.

www.ackworthschool.com | 19

SENIOR SCHOOL

Art

First Year Architecture project Drawing outdoors in our beautiful grounds

A-Level Art trip Yorkshire Sculpture Park 20 | SUMMER 2022, ISSUE 15

ACKWORTH TODAY

Football Ackworth were the winners of the Wakefield U16 Division 2 Competition.

Opponents - Thomas Beckett School. Final score 5-2.

PE

Netball During March, Ackworth played in the U18s netball tournament hosted by Silcoates. The girls achieved both wins and losses in the first round of the tournament. They played with high spirits against talented teams. Well done!

Chemistry

Following the Chemistry Department tradition, A Level students completed their final practical by making their own Silver Mirror flasks.

Royal Society of Chemistry - 54th Annual Chemistry Olympiad 2022 (UK round 1)

Awards: Rufeng: Gold | Charlotte: Silver

www.ackworthschool.com | 21

SENIOR SCHOOL Music Extra-curricular news The Senior Choir have had quite a busy term preparing for two public performances – the Rothwell Music Festival, back in March, and a recital at Wakefield Cathedral earlier in May. Here are some students’ viewpoints of the events…

Our repertoire and talents are wide and varied in the Senior Choir. March saw us win our category in the Rothwell Music Festival when we performed ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ and ‘Viva la Vida’. May gave us the opportunity of an hour long performance at Wakefield Cathedral as part of their ‘Tuesdays at one’ performance schedule.

The cathedral itself is an amazing place to perform - the sound reverberates beautifully through the building and highlights the vocal tones of the singers in our Choir. Soloists were Bella who sung ‘Burn’ from Hamilton and Mikulas who played ‘Chanson Triste’ by Tchaikovsky.

Preparations are already under way for our Choir Tour to the Island of Jersey at the start of the Summer Break. We are due to perform at a number of venues whilst in Jersey including the world famous Jersey Zoo and Orgueil Castle, among other venues.

Alexandria, 3rd form One of the many disruptions we’ve had from Covid-19 is the restrictions of gatherings including choir concerts.

Now these restrictions have been eased, the school choir has jumped at the opportunity to perform in our first set of live concerts since December 2019. In the spring term, we competed in the Rothwell Music Festival and performed “Whistle Down The Wind” and “Viva La Vida” and we came first place in our category. At the beginning of the Summer term, we performed at Wakefield Cathedral, which is something the school has done every year, but this has been on hold since the pandemic. As we returned to the

Curricular News

Scan Me!

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Lucy, Lower 6th On Tuesday 10th May, Senior Choir visited Wakefield Cathedral and performed for an hour in the beautiful building. We started off with ‘Dum-de-Dum’, ‘A Million Dreams’, ‘Radio Gaga’ and ‘California Dreaming’, then we performed ‘Above My Head’, ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ and ‘Viva la Vida’. The Chamber Choir also performed, singing ‘Ave Verum Corpus’ and ‘Somewhere’ (from ‘West Side Story’). There were two stunning solo performances from Bella, who sang ‘Burn’ from ‘Hamilton’, and Mikulas who played ‘Chanson Triste’ on the violin. The acoustics of the Cathedral are amazing and complement both the blend of our choir and the talent of the soloists perfectly. I think one of the things that made our performance unique as well as so enjoyable was the range of our set list - which the Director of Music at the Cathedral pointed out - we performed rock, pop, gospel, musical theatre and more classical pieces. We even received a letter from Dr Ed Jones, the Director of Music thanking us for our performance, and we are already booked in for this time next year!

Emily, Lower 6th

Once again, students have enjoyed an eclectic mix of topics at Key Stage 3 this term. 1st Year students have learned about Gamelan music, a style of tradition Indonesian music and took part in creating their own piece of music inspired by Gamelan, using glockenspiels, keyboards and drums. 2nd Year students have been studying the topic of Minimalism – a modern style of music where less is more! 3rd Year students have been looking at music for film, and created an example of “Mickey Mousing” (music that imitates the visual onscreen) to fit a short Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Two examples of work – 2nd year minimalist piece by Ruby and 3rd year film scores by William and Alara.

Cathedral, we really wanted to pull out all the stops and we performed seven songs as a Choir. We were joined by Chamber Choir, who sung two songs: ‘Ave Verum Corpus’ and ‘Somewhere’. Additionally fifth form students Bella and Mikulas performed vocal and violin solos respectively. As the term progresses, we look forward to preparing for Party on the Green and Open Day and let the whole school hear us sing again after some time.

SPORTS ACADEMIES

ACKWORTH TODAY

We are delighted to announce that Rebecca has been selected to represent England in the senior schools competition. This is a wonderful achievement for her and Ackworth School.

Table Tennis

English Junior National Championships 2022 Day 1

This clearly shows that with this programme, alongside dedication and hard work, wonderful things can be achieved.

Rebecca started at Ackworth with both myself and Eli and her development as a person and player has been clear to see. We are very proud of her.

The programme should receive good recognition for this and both Eli and I will continue to push for more players to be on board our programme and the school.

Sam Mabey, Head Coach

U17s singles and doubles Felix played incredibly well and was a few points away from reaching the final, only losing to England no.1 and no.1 seed. In the end he settled for a bronze medal and his best junior nationals result to date.

rivalry (Grantham) who have 25 students and yet they didn’t manage to pick up any medals.

In the boys’ doubles he matched his individual result by picking up another bronze medal, losing to the eventual winners.

U19 boys, Felix started the day looking like he wants to win a title by beating Louis Price in the group. Louis, who is ranked no.5, plays in Germany and is regarded as the current best junior player in England.

Rebecca, unfortunately was not physically feeling well and it showed. Yet she fought with all her might as she always does and eventually lost in the quarter finals. Her highlight came when she beat the no.3 seed in the round of last 16.

Again, despite difficulties this was Rebecca’s best junior result at the Junior Nationals.

In the girls’ doubles Rebecca and her partner played brilliantly to reach the semi-finals and picked up a bronze medal.

3 BRONZE MEDALS at the national championship is a wonderful achievement. If we compare our academy

Day 2

Felix also beat Larry who went on to win the U19s.

Unfortunately for Felix, his energy started to filter, and he met his bogey player in the quarters, narrowly losing in the last end 3-2.

In the mixed doubles with his partner Jasmin Wong (former Ackworth student) they once again lost in the semis to pick up one more bronze medal.

Unfortunately with Rebecca’s physical condition, she was unable to get through her group stage and pulled out of all double events.

Overall both Eli and I are very proud of how our players have done.

We had nothing but positive feedback from people and coaches and of course four medals from the national championship is a great achievement.

Report by Sam Mabey www.ackworthschool.com | 23

AUTISM RESOURCE Update Autism Acceptance week was celebrated in school with the aim to showcase the wonderful talents and abilities that our Autism Resource students have.

This short video (found by following the QR code) shows students taking part in Music, Sports, Art, Cookery, Outdoor Learning, Textiles and Languages.

We hope that this video, alongside a presentation shown in Form Time, and a display board in the Vestibule will promote Autism Acceptance for students and staff alike.

6th form students, Claus (pictured far right), took part in the video and said that he very much enjoyed showing off his talents in languages.

He taught himself to speak a small Scan Me! amount of Ukrainian after learning about current events in the country and he was proud to show off what he learnt.

OLD SCHOLARS Gatherings Old Scholars’ Glenthorne Weekend November 2021 It was two full years since the last “official” meeting of Ackworth Old Scholars. Only three months after the 2019 Glenthorne weekend, COVID-19 had spread around the world. Ackworth School skilfully weathered the storm, but all OS events were put on hold, with two successive Easter Gatherings being cancelled. Pete Causer had his term as President extended by a further two years, making him the joint longest holder of the position, the only other being during the 1914-18 war.

As ever, preparation for the Glenthorne Weekend had progressed efficiently, but this year, Mike McRobert and his co-organisers had much more to consider, with safety and ever-changing COVID regulations a constant worry.

Sadly, Stephen and Joyzelle Kelsall were unable to be with us, but Anne Telford-Kenyon stepped in to prepare the Friday 24 | SUMMER 2022, ISSUE 15

evening quiz, which had a Cumbrian theme (a topic Anne is well-versed in, being a local resident). The generous Ackworth spirit prevailed, as the winning team shared their prize with the entire group. Several of this year’s visitors didn’t attend Ackworth School as pupils, but were either friends or relatives, all of whom took a full part in activities.

On the Saturday, a walk was arranged by Nick Seed and Mike McRobert, but with a choice of challenges. The weather throughout the weekend was characteristic of the Lake District, particularly on the Saturday. As we set out (in the wrong direction, but Nick dealt with that most diplomatically) it was dull and misty, but reasonably dry. The main focus was Alcock Tarn (which many of us had never heard of), but before reaching that, it was agreed that a few walkers would do a higher-level walk. Some Lakeland walkers are more competitive than others, so when Aidan

ACKWORTH TODAY Mortimer and friends branched off to the higher challenge, a few of us decided to follow them, while the “sensible” people continued towards Alcock Tarn. It soon began to rain, and the wind increased. We passed the Wainwright summit of Stone Arthur, but sadly one of our number had a niggling knee injury, so two walkers decided to descend, before things became worse. The rest of us progressed upwards as the weather deteriorated. We reached the ridge of the Fairfield Horseshoe, close to the summit of Great Rigg. This is normally a great viewpoint in all directions, but the mist prevented any such reward. Fortunately, we had maps, compasses and a reliable GPS unit to guide us along the ridge towards Heron Pike and Nab Scar. We searched for a suitable place to consume our Founders’ Day style packed lunches (kindly provided by Glenthorne Quaker Guest House).

By the time we had found a soggy, walled area for shelter, the rain had penetrated our rucksacks, and the sandwiches were drenched. Nevertheless, we ate them. Meanwhile, the sensible group enjoyed their packed lunch at a picnic bench, albeit a damp one.

Our high level walk became windier and wetter. Two of our group saw their waterproof rucksack covers blown off the ridge and lost forever.

Sometimes a gust of wind would blow us to the ground, but we were in no real danger, as the ground was mostly soft and the ridge was wide. As we descended from Nab Scar, the mist cleared and the view was magnificent. We had hoped to catch up with the other group, who were on the path that skirted the opposite banks of Rydal Water and Grasmere, but were much too late for that, so opted for the shorter “Coffin Route” that led us directly to Grasmere village.

Leeds Reunion During the month of May, West Yorkshire based Old Scholars met for pizza, beer, and a chat, by the Leeds canal city centre. It was great to see a few regular faces as well as new ones!

Regional based Old Scholar reunions will continue into the new academic year. If you would like to become an ambassador for your area, please contact Rebecca Edgington on Rebecca.edgington@ackworthschool.com

Glenthorne has a drying room. It was full of clothes, shoes, and people trying to find spaces to squeeze in yet more shoes and clothing. Saturday’s evening meal was appreciated more than ever.

Nici-Fletcher Causer and Trudy Seed co-hosted the rowdy, but exciting Saturday evening entertainment: “Play your cards right”.

Sunday morning included Meeting for Worship, individual walks and coffee at the Wordsworth Hotel.

An interesting distraction during Sunday dinner was seeing a number of red squirrels in the Glenthorne garden, after which we dispersed to our homes, regretting that the weekend has been so short.

David Wood (scholar 1961-69)

If you would like to join the Glenthorne Gatherings, please contact Mike McRobert at mikeandannabel@hotmail.com

www.ackworthschool.com | 25

OLD SCHOLARS

Easter Gathering 2022 This year we saw the return of Easter Gathering at Ackworth School, a weekend spanning the Easter Bank Holiday weekend where Old Scholar families can return to the school to take part in activities and dining.

Thank you to those who helped organise our first event back. Here’s to next year!

Easter Evening Reading 2022

Being a Quaker, and the Role of Music within my Faith I was born into an essentially Quaker family, although there were links with both the Church of England and the Baptist Church.

Spirit, the Quaker Song Book compiled by The Leaveners approximately 15 years ago. This first song, taken from the words of Psalm 46, is usually my starting point:

I grew up attending Meeting for Worship weekly, progressing through Children’s Meeting – the younger children’s group led by my mother, and moving on to the older group with my father. I learnt to tell the time by watching the clock to see when it was time to go out to the Children’s Group - “Is it time yet...?” “No, five minutes...”

“Is it time...?” “Two minutes...” in loud whispers. I learnt my times tables counting the panes of glass in the windows and multiplying them – in panels of 3’s, 6’s and 9’s, similar to those in the Meeting House at Ackworth, although not so large! It was interesting to note that in Charles Stuart’s Easter quizzes a few years ago, when asked “How many panes of glass are there in the Meeting House?” many of us were only a few panes out, and teams could be observed mentally counting the windows and multiplying the panes in each. (The answer is 300, by the way.) I forgot one of the round windows, so was only 5 panes out.

Be Still/There is that of God

Friends who don’t know I’m a Quaker find it hard to believe – I’m noisy, a chatterbox, fidgety, love to sing and enjoy a drink. However, it also fits another trait: I don’t like being told what to do!

I find the discipline of sitting quietly for an hour particularly good for me, even though I still fidget. It’s often hard to clear my mind and I find words from songs invaluable in helping me to settle – particularly many from Sing in the 26 | SUMMER 2022, ISSUE 15

I’m essentially a “glass half full” sort of person, which encourages me to look for the good in people, as we are encouraged in the Quaker Advices and Queries, no. 17.: “Do you respect that of God in everyone, even though it may be expressed in unfamiliar ways or be difficult to discern?”

I also need to remind myself of the rest of the advice: “Each of us has a particular experience of God and each must find the way to be true to it. When words are strange or disturbing to you, try to sense where they come from and what has nourished the lives of others. Listen patiently and seek the truth which other people’s opinions may contain for you. Avoid hurtful criticism and provocative language.

Do not allow the strength of your convictions to betray you into making statements or allegations that are unfair or untrue. Think it possible that you may be mistaken.”

Music has always been a big part of my life. As I said earlier, there were also links with both the Church of England and the Baptist Church. My mother had been brought up in the Anglican Church and still regularly attended Sunday Evensong. My sisters and I were all part of the church choir, where we had our first experience of choral music. We also earned pocket money, as choristers were paid – 2s: 6d for a wedding, and sometimes we would sing for two, three or even four weddings on a

ACKWORTH TODAY

Saturday! I thought I was really rich when I was promoted to joint Head Chorister and earned the princely sum of 7s: 6d per wedding.

At school, I was always part of one of the choirs and enjoyed competing at the Pontefract Music festival, both with the choir and performing duets.

Prior to World War I, my father’s patents had been Baptists, after which my grandfather joined Friends to witness to his conviction as a pacifist. There was never much to do on a Sunday afternoon, so we would often attend the Baptist Sunday School near the house, which generally good fun and gave me a sound introduction to the Bible and its teaching. I found worship songs lively, but didn’t like the doctrine, or being told what I should believe.

In early adulthood, I found the restrain of the established church didn’t fit with my beliefs - of looking for God in everyone, no matter what their creed, colour or sexual orientation. I began attending You Quaker events, where I met my first husband. Young Quakers felt even then a sense of urgency about our place in the world and how to make it better for all. Young Quakers also enjoyed singing.

The Leaveners – a Quaker Youth Theatre formed in the early ‘70s, took themes from concerns about the world, and commissioned musical dramas, including “The Gates of Greenham” about the American airbase and women’s peace protest at Greenham Common – written by Tony Biggin, an Ackworth Old Scholar. More dramas followed with themes varying from Quaker history and world peace to conservation and refugees.

Being a Quaker gives me space to think about what is important in my life: to reflect; to take part in bigger collective action and to remember to be kind to myself too; to recharge my batteries and take away something positive for the busy week ahead.

He wanted to buy the lease of the building and run the nursery for 51 weeks of the year, from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., unlike its previous role as a pre-school playgroup, leaving Quakers no access to the building. I muttered to my neighbour “I could do that!” to which she replied, “Why don’t you?” After a shuffle break, we settled into Meeting for Worship to consider the way forward. There were several contributions from other Friends, when I experienced one of those rare Quaker moments. I felt myself trembling and almost as though I was being pulled from my seat. I knew it was a moment for Ministry, but tried to resist as I had no idea what I was going to say.

Eventually I got nervously to my feet and spoke briefly about my work as a nursery nurse. I was, at the time, working as a classroom assistant in a local school and not enjoying it. I shared that before having my family, I had considered a proposal to run a nursery at a local private hospital, an idea which I didn’t follow through, as I became pregnant. “Perhaps I could buy the nursery...” I said, and was perhaps more shocked than others at what I had said.

“How exciting. We could have a Quaker nursery... Area Meeting would continue to own the building... We would all support you... We could loan you funds to buy the business...” were some of the contributions that followed.

The rest is history. I bought the nursery with a business loan and help for the deposit from local Friends. Nineteen years later, I am now considering my options, as I look forward, eventually, to retirement.

The next piece of music, “Discernment” from Sing in the Spirit, Laurie and I used at our wedding, sung by members of my family and Nici. Again, it inspires and reminds me to be still, and listen following the promptings of Love and Truth as pronounced by George Fox. Discernment (sung by Janet Blann, Nici Fletcher-Causer and Tom Bootyman)

The next choice of music that inspires me is also taken from Sing in the Spirit and helps to centre my mind into worship:-

Period of silence

Wait in the Light (sung by Janet Blann and Nici FletcherCauser)

In 1656, George Fox implored us to:

Being a Quaker has been important at work; in fact it led me into running my nursery. My Area Meeting was considering selling one of our local Meeting Houses, as there was no longer an active Meeting for Worship held there. Birmingham has a lot to choose from within close proximity to each other. However, the Meeting House was one built by George Cadbury and many of us didn’t want to see it being lost to the Society of Friends. There were two proposals for its future use: one for it to be used by The Leaveners as a base for their work, office space, storage of costumes and rehearsal space for projects; the second to sell it to the nursery that already met there and had been running for 20 years or more. The present nursery owner was wanting to sell the business to retire and had offered it back to the chain that used to own it.

We held an extraordinary Area Meeting where the two proposals were to be considered. I went with the intention of supporting the work of The Leaveners, as by then my children were involved in their projects. I listened to both proposals and was not at all impressed by the presentation of the Nursery business owner; he also owned a local garden centre and a local ambulance service.

“Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that you carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.”

It’s a big ask, but one I try to live with in my daily life.

I’d now like to ask you to join in singing “How can I keep from Singing?”. As you may not be familiar with this, I’ll ask David to play it through once, before we join in.

Hymn: How can I keep from Singing?

Silence This ends my address, but as we leave the Meeting House, my final piece of music, also from Sing in the Spirit, is more uplifting, and I hope also a message for us all to take with us, in our hearts and in our lives.

CD track: The Harmony Calypso Janet Blann – Scholar 1966-72 www.ackworthschool.com | 27

OLD SCHOLARS Obituaries AOS Josephine Beaumont (AS 1943 – 1946) Josephine Beaumont, educated at Ackworth School between 1943 and 1946, has died aged 91 years. She followed a long line of Bowman scholars and had fond memories of her time at Ackworth School.

Josephine was a lifelong Quaker, embodying the values of her religion which was very important to her; she was a calm and peaceful soul who thought the best of others.

After leaving school in 1946, she worked for the recently opened offices of the Bradford Observer in the Bull Ring in Wakefield, being the ‘first lady clerk to be employed there’ according to her grandfather and for a time as a trainee journalist.

Following this she completed a secretarial course at Wakefield Technical College and worked at Stewart and Chalker, solicitors, amongst others in Wakefield. She travelled to London in 1951, attending an interview with the BBC for secretarial work.

Following this she trained as a teacher and worked for many years at Sharlston Primary School; she particularly enjoyed playing piano for the school concerts.

Her attitude to life and others led her to become a Samaritan in the 1980s and she worked there for several years; she was also a prison visitor at Wakefield Prison.

In her retirement she enjoyed walking and painting.

Josephine will be much missed by her friends and family.

Lorraine Simpson, May 2022

AOS John David Houghton (AS 1951-56) David was the eldest of three brothers who all attended Ackworth and both his parents also attended Ackworth School in the 1920s where their romance first started. His mother’s elder brother was his father’s best friend at Ackworth. In those days the girls and boys schools were completely separate but relatives were allowed to meet 28 | SUMMER 2022, ISSUE 15

once a week on Sundays for a walk on the Terrace where his father’s best friend apparently came in “useful”. His mother’s two younger sisters also attended Ackworth.

When David arrived at school the sexes were still segregated, apart from lessons, and only in his 4th year were mixed common rooms introduced, indeed several of the Staff were still in post who had taught his Mum and Dad. By the time his youngest brother Andrew left Ackworth in 1964 life in the school had been improved immeasurably.

On leaving Ackworth David began a career in the Iron Foundry Industry, completing a technical qualification in Foundry practice and worked his way from shop floor worker to Director of the Foundry division of Neepsend Steel and Tool Corporation in Sheffield, pioneering several new processes in casting techniques during this time.

Despite these technical improvements, the UK Foundry industry collapsed in the early 1980s due to a combination of cheap imports and lack of UK demand and David was made redundant.

Following a brief period with another firm David embarked on a career in the Probation service where his Industrial experience was put to good use for the benefit of his “Clients” until his retirement.

David is survived by his wife Carol, with whom he travelled extensively, daughter Catherine and grandson Hugo aged five.

Several years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and although treatments have improved, the last few years have been testing, particularly during the Covid Pandemic restrictions. David passed away at home with his family around him on 25 February 2022.

AOS Nick Seed (AS 65 – 70) As this was going to print the sad news reached us that Nick Seed died peacefully in his sleep on 21st June 2022. Nick was a member of School Committee and an Old Scholar who many will remember with great fondness. More will follow in our Autumn edition of Ackworth Today.

“We saw in everything that Nick did how much Ackworth meant to him” – David Bunney.

Our thoughts and support go to Nick’s wife Debbie, his family, and his friends during this time. He will be remembered with deep affection by all who have been privileged to know and work with him.

AOS Mary Robinson (AS 1945 – 1949) Died peacefully on the 26th of April 2022, aged 88.

ACKWORTH ARCHIVES

ACKWORTH TODAY

Isabella Davy, 1871-1957.

AOS, 1881-1886 This remarkable Old Scholar was recently brought to my attention by a writer seeking information for a work he is preparing for publication.

When Isabella left Ackworth School in 1886, she trained and became a Staff Nurse, specialising in Midwifery. During the Boer War she went to South Africa on behalf of the Society of Friends to nurse among the Boer families interned in the dreadful, disease ridden camps set up by the British. During the First World War, she gave voluntary nursing help to the British wives and families of interned Germans, mostly in the East End of London. She also nursed at Ackworth during the great influenza epidemic of 1918. Starvation was rife in Europe after the First World War and Isabella undertook relief work in Vienna in 1919 and 1921.

Isabella truly put her Quaker principles into practice through her deep natural sympathy for her fellow human beings.

Celia Wolfe, Hon. Archivist

West Wing Heating Replacement Homage to a Radiator

Sir James Reckitt Charity One hundred years ago the Sir James Reckitt Charity was set up in Hull. Since then, it has donated over £30 million to good causes in that area. To commemorate the centenary of the Charity, a new centenary fund has been launched to help local organisations. Yorkshire post article attached!

Work is planned to go ahead from late May to September to update the heating on the ground floor of the West Wing. This means that parts of the old heating system which are over a hundred years old will be replaced. This includes the old radiator at the bottom of Girls’ School House stairs. How many of us have lingered over this wonderful radiator on cold winter days?

Sir James Reckitt (Ackworth Old Scholar, 1845 to 1848) - putting Quaker values into practice.

You may be familiar with the framed portrait of four scholars taken in 1903 which hangs on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. The radiator can clearly be seen in the bottom corner. To commemorate the passing of the radiator, the scene has been recreated by four of our present day boarders.

Celia Wolfe, Hon. Archivist

Ukraine – how you can help?

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Bursary Appeal Ackworth School has always been a place where helping hands have been within reach. A place where children can have a step up into life surrounded by people who care and believe in them. So, why should this change now? In a time during conflict help is needed now more than ever. Our Ackworth School community has achieved so much, could we go even further? A gift towards our Opportunities Fund might secure a place for a Ukrainian child seeking refuge in our country. www.ackworthschool.com | 29 25

STAFF NEWS

Everest Base Camp Challenge with Ciaran Hannington During March, our very own Ciaran Hannington, a member of staff in the Autism Resource tackled the challenge of trekking to Everest base camp to raise awareness of male infertility. He set off on the trek on 8 March and reached base camp within 2 weeks, at an altitude of 5,364m.

“As a child I fell in love with the mountains during our annual holidays to the Lake District. Since then I have always had the dream of summiting Mount Everest and standing on top of the world. When I was asked if I wanted to trek to Everest base camp to raise awareness of male infertility and raise much needed funds for Fertility Network UK I jumped at the chance.

Nepal is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The people were welcoming and the mountains inviting. I was asked yesterday whether I would return, and the answer is yes!

Despite chilling temperatures of -21º and the gradual onset of altitude sickness it was an experiment that changed my life.

The thing I took most from the experience was gratitude. Gratitude for the world we live in and the opportunities we have available to us. Things that we take for

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granted, like clean running water, are not available in most of the world and I was humbled by the peace and happiness the Nepalese people presented despite facing so many daily difficulties.

Everest base camp sits 5,364 metres above sea level. The oxygen levels are 50% lower than that of sea level and with an average temperature of -17 degrees it is a challenging experience. Despite all the difficulties I felt driven to succeed. I felt empowered by the support I received and by the knowledge I was actively raising awareness of male infertility and Fertility Network UK. Male infertility is on the rise, with some research suggesting that fertility levels in men have fallen by 1% each year since the 1970s. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to visit such an amazing place and feel overwhelmed and humbled with the support I continue to receive in relation to the trek. The whole experience is something I will never forget.”

STAFF NEWS

ACKWORTH TODAY

Special Mention

Staff Leavers This academic year, we will be sad to say goodbye to: Brenda Hodge As I retire thank you to everyone over the years for all your kindness and support. I wish you all well for the future.

Those of you who have been at Ackworth School for at least a full spring and summer will appreciate the time and effort that goes into keeping the grounds looking well kept. We are surrounded by so much green space at Ackworth and for at least half of the year it needs to be kept trimmed and tidy.

For over 46 years Steven Lee has tended the lawns and green spaces of the school. Steven has now decided to retire from his role. We hope to be able to welcome him back to visit, some time soon.

Staff remembrance - Liz Finn

Sarah Liddle Thank you to all at Ackworth for making my time here so special.

The children at Coram are one of a kind; they will stay with me for a long time.

One of the hardest things in life is to say goodbye. Sadly, we have had to do this recently with the news that Liz Finn, Specialist Learning Mentor in Autism Resource, passed away in May of this year.

Alexandra Collingwood It has been a privilege to work with such wonderful students and talented colleagues at Ackworth School. To be part of a community in such beautiful historic surroundings has been a History teachers’ dream come true. Non Sibi Sed Omnibus!

We remember with love and fondness her warmth and her sense of fun. She always put the pupils first in everything, taking great pride and enjoyment in all their triumphs. Liz’s guidance, patience and encouragement has benefited so many of our lives, and she was rightfully extremely proud of her work.

Ackworth School is a better place for having known her – thank you, Liz, for such happy memories.

Lynne Ward, Head of Autism Resource

Health and Wellbeing Yoga with Katy Devine

Michael Dancer 5 years teaching, very enjoyable time, many good friends, and colleagues, wish everyone well in the future.

The class is designed for all levels including complete beginners and those who consider themselves to be ‘very stiff!’ It is also suitable for students with experience since the class is tailored to individual needs.

My style of teaching incorporates gentle movement to bring more mobility, strength & tone to the physical body whilst also cultivating a sense of calm and ease for the mind.

Here are comments from three people who’ve been attending the classes: “I never thought I’d enjoy yoga; I thought that my weak wrists would prevent me from being able to do lots of the poses. How wrong I was, and after less than six months of practice my wrists feel much stronger and I generally feel so much more flexible. Thank you, Katy, for persuading me to give it a whirl.”

Kate Maeer Laura Hilton

“Yoga has improved my core strength and flexibility. Both have helped to strengthen my back and helped control the back ache I suffer from.

Never thought I would enjoy it, as I have always done pilates, but Katy is such a super and inspirational teacher.”

“Katy’s gentle and cathartic yoga practice is the perfect way to unknot all the tensions of the day. I love using the bolster which, through Katy’s expert teaching, provides heavenly relaxation. I would encourage anyone and everyone to give it a go. You will be made to feel very welcome, and it might just change your life!”

Ben Watts …and Sarah Wiseman

Elysia Midgley

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Pontefract Road, Ackworth, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF7 7LT Tel: +44 (0)1977 233600 Email: admissions@ackworthschool.com

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