Welcome back for a new year at Ackworth School. By the time you read this we will already be a third of the way through the academic year, and what a start to the year it has been! We witnessed the passing of an era with the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the ascent of Charles III to the throne. We celebrated our 243rd Founders’ Day, and an exciting charity week led by our Sixth Form raised over £3,500 (Ali Boucher helped considerably with his magnanimous offer of shaving his hair to raise funds). Sadly the war in Ukraine continues but we continue to support the pupils who attend our school.
I hope that you will enjoy this latest edition of Ackworth Today brought together by our school community.
It’s my great pleasure to be given the opportunity to contribute to this term’s edition of Ackworth Today. I have been in post as the new Director of Marketing, Admissions and Communications since the beginning of August and have been made to feel very welcome by the whole school community.
Ackworth School is a very special place; from the moment I stepped foot on campus for my interview back in the summer I instantly felt a connection and a sense of peace and knew that I wanted to join the Ackworth family. Whilst not formally being a Quaker myself, I am in sympathy with the Quakers and married into a Quaker family in 2011 at The Blue Idol Meeting House in Coolham, West Sussex, which was founded by William Penn in 1691. We have very strong links to the Quaker community here in Yorkshire and instil the Quaker values that we observe within our school community in our family life at home.
The diversity of our pupils here at Ackworth is one of the things that makes the school so special. We currently have pupils from over 20 different nationalities, with more due to arrive in January 2023. As part of my role, I am extremely fortunate to be able to travel to many different parts of the globe to introduce Ackworth School to prospective boarding families. Recently, I have returned from Poland
and Turkey, and will be visiting Grand Cayman, Bermuda, and the United Arab Emirates in the coming weeks. Future visits are planned to Thailand, Hong Kong and parts of Africa in 2023. It is wonderful to see so many young people from across the world in our school and our boarding house.
We are always looking for ways to introduce Ackworth School to prospective families overseas and a great way to do this is via our fantastic Old Scholars. If you are an Old Scholar residing overseas and you would like to help us with this please do get in touch with me at:
james.busson@ackworthschool.com
This term, Senior School Head girl Christine chose to complete her work experience in Year 5 French lessons. Year 5 pupils had the opportunity to ask Christine questions about life in the Senior School.
Here are some of the questions Year 5 pupils asked her:
• What is it like being in Senior School and completing all the work?
• What is the hardest word you had to learn in French for your GCSE?
• What inspired you to learn French?
• What is your favourite subject?
• What responsibilities do you have as Head girl?
• How did you become Head girl?
• Do you get any perks for being Head girl?
• What important life lessons have you learned from being Head girl?
They learnt how important it is to be organised and to complete work as and when you get it.
I was very happy to have the opportunity to teach the pupils of Coram. I loved answering their questions and seeing their ambition was really pleasing. Giving them the advice needed for the transition into Senior School will hopefully have helped them: I wish I would have had that experience of someone telling me and guiding me on the right path into Senior School. I am glad to be the person to do that for them and I am grateful for the opportunity.
“
- Christine O.Christine described the nomination process to become Head girl. She explained how important it is to be kind, patient, polite and understanding. She described how every little thing matters and how everyone is always watching what we do. Christine added that she had to be fair at all times.
Written by Sophie S.Visiting Jersey was a wonderful opportunity for the choir to bond, bringing together students from 1st Form to Upper 6th. We performed on three varying occasions, including a band-stand in a public park, Jersey Castle and a Methodist Church. All the performances were so enjoyable, but for me, the final performance was unrivalled. We couldn’t have asked for a better audience and the bond that the choir had formed over the year and on the trip reached its climax, meaning that everyone gave it their greatest energy and the atmosphere was amazing.
We sang a wide variety of songs, ranging from ‘Tintinnabulum’ to ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ to ‘Radio Ga Ga’ and there were several solo performances across the week. However, it wasn’t just the concerts which made our tour so memorable, it was the friendships and experiences - some highlights were singing on the bus, visiting the zoo and spending a day on the beach.
Emily, U6
‘If music be the food of love, play on’; Shakespeare was right – we sang, we played and we fell in love with Jersey. We improvised venues, I made my group get lost and ended up on the other side of the Island thinking I knew where I was going so we had to get help from a local police officer and Noah obtained a set of elderly fans. These are only just half a handful of the memories that we made. The trip didn’t start off so great for some of us when the lady on security made us reduce our liquids down to just one bag, but it turned out fine once Lucy and I found a Boots that saved us after security! When we stepped out of Jersey airport, the sun hit us; there was a fresh breeze with it too, we knew we were in for a great trip ahead. We arrived at the beautiful Chateau Vermont (Jersey Academy of Music) and were greeted by a lovely lady as we got off the bus who showed us around the Chateau.
The first night is always the most chaotic but the best night of the trip and that night we definitely had fun... TikToks were made, pillow fights occurred and silly make-up late at night was painted between Nina and I. Each day held something different and exciting; we performed at Howard Davis Park after a morning at the famous Jersey zoo. The next was a day of looking round at Mont Orgueil Castle followed by a performance in its grounds, and then a gorgeous day at St. Brelade’s Beach where we drank iced lattes and ate ice creams all day, followed by pizza for dinner and a final performance at Georgetown Methodist Church that evening. Everyone sung a very emotional version of ‘You Will Be Found’ (one of the chamber choir pieces) on the bus back to the Chateau to eat our desserts that were waiting for us. The next morning we went to the Jersey War Tunnels, before returning for some lunch that we ate sat on the grass and then we left the Chateau for the final time to head to Jersey Airport.
What I’ve mentioned in this piece is hardly anything of our trip. I have so many memories that I will cherish forever, like my obsession with singing ‘Always Forever’, our matching bracelets from the beach to remember our trip by, the 1,000+ pictures and videos I took, the amazing myths and legends of the island storyteller and the way his face lit up
as chamber choir sung their version of ‘Wellerman’, Rhys putting potato salad on top of his chocolate brownie, the amazing sandcastle we built on the beach (may I say I still think my group should’ve won that contest), Noah, Lucy and mine’s hourly ‘Suiii-ng’, the beautiful sunsets on the Chateau’s balcony and the daily ‘Bereal’s’ taken. I think it’s fair to say that Jersey will hold a special place in most of our hearts and will always be magical for us...
I make no understatement in saying that the 2022 Jersey Tour was absolutely perfect. School trips are always overcast with the fact people have differing interests, but in Jersey, everyone was there for one reason, and the most beautiful reason. We all love music.
The bubbling excitement of the matching hoodies set the tone from the very get-go as a flashmob of blue students burst through Leeds-Bradford. From then, I knew this trip was going to be a blast. Despite the cries for a detour to the famous Fortress Stadium, home of youtuber ChrisMD - a hero of mine and George’s - we arrived in The Chateau Vermont, on a beautiful summer’s day. We plunged straight into rehearsal, with a set-list, which, in my opinion, will never be topped. It was amazing. There was something for everyone, which is the beautiful idea of our choir: everyone likes different music, but everyone loves MUSIC. There is something for everyone.
The tour saw us go to the Jersey Zoo as well. As a kid who watched the Durrells growing up, to see that zoo would’ve blown 2015 Noah’s mind. We saw many great animals but the stand-out was Dagu, an Orangutan who had our hearts from the first look he gave us! We later performed at the bandstand, and the shows were underway! We all aced the show and went to explore the island, and our group thankfully got back in time due to Lucy’s excellent direction
You don’t need me to re-write the itinerary again, so these are my personal highlights! Rhys putting potato salad on his chocolate brownie... interesting to say the least!
Every rendition of “You Will Be Found” that chamber choir performed, Lucy and I’s daily rendition of Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration to start the day, Emily and I’s reviews of shakes and smoothies we bought at every given opportunity after shows, the “Tenor and Bass” dorm room and the jokes and laughter that came with it, the day off from performing when we went to the beach, and I was buried in sand by everyone! Elizabeth and Margaret, two big fans from Scotland who praised our final show at the Church, Emily and I promoting the show at the castle walking round finding people, and the final time we sang Karl Jenkins’ “Kayama” in the church. I still get chills to this day.
And finally, I got to sing Thunder Road, by my hero Bruce Springsteen, the song that spoke to me and said music was what I wanted to do. I made the best friends on this trip. Jersey. You were perfect. Just perfect.
The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine continue to impact lives within our school and the surrounding community. On Thursday 9th June, Ackworth School hosted “Concert for Ukraine” which featured choirs from the local primary schools, as well as our own. Final numbers of attendees exceeded 300 from the school and the community who came to show their support.
We heard from our Head of Music, Oliver McCarthy-Bell, who joined Ackworth School back in September 2020, coming into his new role as a music teacher during the pandemic.
“I hadn’t worked with the Primary Schools before, so this was a perfect way to start collaborating with them and begin a partnership.” The schools prepared two of their own songs, which included classics such as ‘Stand by Me’ and ‘Over the Rainbow’.
“Our ‘All Schools’ song was one which I had chosen from my time at school. At the time, we were celebrating 40 years of twinning our primary school and a primary school in Germany. It was a song we performed during a project for World War II community ties where both choirs came together to sing ‘No Wars Will Stop Us Singing’. I just knew this would be the perfect song for us all to sing and finish the concert off.”
The evening was emotional, absorbing, and reminded us all how important community spirit is! Money raised reached over £1,500 with all proceeds donated to charities to support Ukraine.
We would like to give thanks to Oliver McCarthyBell, Alison Wise, Rae Strong, Eleanor Younger, Ackworth Coram House and Ackworth School choirs for your hard work and dedication.
Additionally, thank you to Ackworth Howard C of E, Mill Dam School Ackworth, Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane, and their teachers Kate Wright, Ann Cleworth, and Holly Thompson, for making the effort to join us for the special concert.
Finally, a special thanks to Tadei and Mykhailo for their words at the beginning of the evening.
On the 9th of July Ackworth School was once again able to open its doors to friends of the school including current parents and former Scholars. The momentous occasion marks the start of summer and brings the entire school community together to celebrate the end of a wonderful school year. After not being held since 2019 it’s safe to say Open Day was back with a flourish.
The centre piece of Open Day was the complementary buffet, featuring lemon and dill poached salmon or Scottish smoked salmon with capers and mussels. Also on offer was, goats cheese and stilton pork pie, mature cheddar and red onion quiche and a selection of roasted beef, turkey, or gammon meats. These were all accompanied by the summer salad bowl section, all provided by the talented catering team at Thomas Franks. The marvellous weather permitted lunch to be consumed alfresco under the shelter of the marquees.
Drama productions ran throughout the day, showcasing the theatrical skills of the school’s actors. Act 2 of “The Crucible”, the portrayal of a crumbling marriage exacerbated by outside pressures, was incredibly moving from a cast so young. Later, Rick Wood’s two-hander on mental health, “Try”, played to a full Fothergill Theatre. It was ‘a fabulous performance by both students and a very powerful play’: a fantastic achievement for a play produced in a week! There is little doubt that Drama at Ackworth is thriving.
We were able to welcome audiences back into the Meeting House for the traditional Open Day concert. Both Coram House, our junior school, and Senior choirs came together at the end to reprise their performance of “No Wars Will Stop Us Singing”, which they debuted in the Concert for Ukraine back in June, together with other schools in the community.
Old Scholars certainly took advantage of the Open Day Reunions as we welcomed back two cohorts, one celebrating 50 years since leaving Ackworth School. There are always opportunities to reconnect with classmates throughout the year here at Ackworth School.
The day came to an end after the traditional Grand March took place, which marks the end of the summer term. A glorious day was enjoyed by all - and we hope to see you next year!
A huge congratulations to Harriet for being awarded the Old Scholar Cup 2022. Presented by AOSA presidents Stewart and Jane Huntington during Open Day on Saturday. Well done, Harriet!
“The award should be given to a scholar who, during the course of the school year, has shown the best qualities of initiative, innovation, enterprise and service. This service will be one that is to benefit the community, either within the school or locally. It shall not have any bearing on normal scholastic endeavour or with performance in sport.”
Throughout their school career this pupil has shown that they are thoroughly modest. A key attribute is making all of those around them trust and rely upon them. This pupil would never accept the words which have been used to describe them: ‘brave, bright, sparky, intelligent; a real old fashioned “good egg”; a paragon of virtue’. This student would underestimate their talents. On the surface this modesty seems to be focused inward, but actually it is how they see and respect others.
This student’s determination and dedication sets them apart. They notice the small things: when a staff member is prevented from taking a lunch duty, without being asked, they do the right thing. They lead by example, they help others.
This pupil’s form tutor has described how they have essentially looked after him for the past two years, with endless optimism and a sensible outlook - even tidying his classroom – and always putting everyone else first, sometimes to their own detriment.
They have been enormously giving of their time to support school drama. They have considerable artistic abilities to create and develop set designs and backdrops for the school productions, always delivering skilled, evocative designs under both time and budget pressure.
This student was not only a major contributor to Blank Canvas - the School’s Arts magazine - but also brought about its entire publication from design and photography, through to interviewing students. They have always been on hand to help organise and exhibit work across school and represent the department at Open and Options Evenings to recruit the next generation of artists at Ackworth.
This pupil, with relatively little recent experience, performed in Inter-House Music, when others with more experience and potentially more ability chose NOT to perform. In order to contribute for the House SHE played piano, when her heart rate was higher than it should have been, putting her peers and her house and competition before herself.
She has coached junior hockey teams and netball teams, as well as junior athletics. One member of staff records that she will turn up to the ‘opening of an envelope’ in order to show solidarity with her peers. When Lynda Barker left school she was instrumental in giving her the send off she deserved after a lifetime dedicated to teaching.
This student has overcome significant personal adversity to get through to today. It is rare to see a pupil so devoted to their studies and extra-curricular activities. Staff and other pupils have benefited from her kind, emphatic sensitivity and we all hold her in great respect.
She is the embodiment of the school motto: non sibi sed omnibus. We know that she will ‘KEEP BRIGHT THE CHAIN’.
The 2022 Old Scholars’ Cup is awarded to Harriet Metcalfe.
These are the five testimonies by which Quakers live. An education here at Ackworth School means that our pupils, your children, come into contact with these five testimonies daily. Finding answers and working towards creating a better future for themselves and those around them.
World Quaker Day took place on Sunday 2nd October this year. There are many shared Quaker values that allow us to live in a peaceful and positive way. There are no fixed rules or codes that determine how Quakers must act. We search for truth and develop new values as we learn.
Since September, several students have attended Mindfulness Club or have been studying it as an alternative subject on their timetable. In recent weeks, they have been exploring a range of techniques to help them turn their attention away from the ‘chatter of the mind’ and instead towards what is actually here in the present moment. By learning to train our attention in this way, we can avoid over-thinking and worrying (things which can ultimately lead to stress and anxiety). Mindfulness can also help us to make the most of silence and to recognise and be more appreciative of the good things in life. Throughout this year both staff and students will be offered opportunities to learn more about how Mindfulness can help to bring balance and happiness to their lives.
Katy Devine, House Parent & Mindfulness Tutor
“Since starting Mindfulness, I feel happier and calmer.”
3rd Form student
“I had a test and could feel myself getting anxious like I always do. I did some Mindfulness practice and my emotions settled down. I was then able to get on with the test without worrying and it was fine.”
5th Form student
“I like Mindfulness because it helps me to be really present with the things that matter. I feel more connected to the real world around me.”
5th Form student
“I like the silence in Mindfulness. It makes me feel nice and relaxed.”
1st Form student
This Autumn half term, we celebrated the day on which Ackworth School was founded, 18th October 1779. We commemorate this day by heading off for walks in the local area. We step foot in the steps of our founders, John Fothergill and Friends, as they once set their eyes on what would become Ackworth School 243 years ago. We celebrate all that Ackworth School has become, and how our values of sustainability, truth & integrity, equality & diversity, simplicity and peace remain at the heart of all we do.
Once back at the school for our traditional bangers and mash meal, we took part in activities which highlighted our Quaker values.
Our charities this year are Survivors Trust and RSPCA Leeds and Wakefield Branch. Our process for choosing charities is that the Sixth Form create a long list, which is narrowed down to a shortlist of six by the Charity Committee. These six charities are then voted for by the rest of the school.
Over the course of the week, during events including a bake sale, an auction and the ever-popular doughnut stall, and including the money for Mr Boucher’s head shave, we have raised over £3,000! A highlight of the week was the Staff Sixth Form Entertainment on Thursday night, where all the performers’ hard work paid off in a great show. Well done, everyone!
Ros NobleThe new school year brings feelings of excitement, anticipation, and first day nerves – especially when you are starting at a new school, as I have this year. My first days and weeks as Head of English at Ackworth have been very busy as I met and got to know colleagues and new classes, and gradually – very gradually – started to be able to find my way around the labyrinthine historic buildings!
What I really love about the new school year is the way autumn follows so fast on its footsteps. No sooner are we out of our shorts and flip flops, than we start to reach for an extra layer, a coat, maybe even a scarf. At this point my mind always turns to poetry, usually to Keats’ wonderful opening line ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,’ in his great ode to the season. Poetry is my favourite thing to teach. I find it such a versatile and personal form of literature and so it gave me great pleasure to work with the other members
of the English Department, Miss Axton and Mrs Hulse, on a range of poetry themed lessons to mark National Poetry Day on 6th October. Every pupil in the First to Third forms studied the same poem, the beautiful and deceptively simple Daisy Chains by Daniel Wale. Using this and this year’s theme of ‘The Environment’ as the inspiration for their own poems, the pupils got to work, completing their offerings in class and for prep. The department were delighted with the quality of poems produced, which were original, captivating and, at times, quite experimental.
I also took the opportunity to go and work with some of the pupils in Coram House on National Poetry Day. I was kindly invited to teach Year 5 who I led through a guided writing task where they to produced poems from the point-ofview of World War Two evacuees. This tied in with their class reader, Friend or Foe by Michael Morpurgo, which I know they are enjoying immensely. It was amazing to work with the Year 5 pupils who were full of enthusiasm and energy, but also proved to be very talented poets too.
Paul Donald, Head of English
The winners of the National Poetry Day competition were:
1st Form Charlotte with The Ocean Jasmine with Conquering Conkers
2nd Form 3rd Form Overall Winner
James with Not His Branch
Alfred with Weeping Willow
A trip to the Etihad. The craziest experience I have had. All made possible with the help of Ackworth School. Particularly Miss Elizabeth Sochacka who shares the love for this amazing club. There are such over the moon experiences here at Ackworth. As an international student from Kenya I got to watch my favourite team play in a game that had me on my feet and at the edge of my seat. We set out after school and as soon as we reached the stadium, I could not contain myself. When I saw my favourite players just feet away from me… star-struck are the only words that come to mind. The atmosphere was electric. People screaming their names. Loads of smiles. Plenty of pictures being taken and blaring cheers for the home team. What topped it all is that I got to watch it with a bunch of people that I can call friends. Even within the short time that I have been here I feel at HOME! Great choice of club to support by Miss Elizabeth as well ;)
I love the Autumn Term. I think we all remember this term from our own school days as a term of new pencil cases, new books, old friends and new classes and form teachers. It is a time of celebration at Ackworth School: Founders’ Day and the harvest festival are all traditions that we must keep alive.
This term I particularly enjoy meeting the new school prefects, newly elected school councillors, members of our global committee and our digital leaders. We look forward to seeing what a difference they can make to our school community and our world.
I recently received a book written by Carmel Kelly who will be visiting us in Coram next term. Carmel’s book entitled “Anna Haslam, Pioneering Suffragette” commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of her life. Anna Haslam grew up believing in education and equality for everyone. She was a lifelong campaigner for women’s rights and lived through a time of incredible change and hardship in Ireland and as a Quaker the call of Christian duty motivated her always. One hundred years on we acknowledge that she made an important difference to the society we live in today. Anna attended the Mount School in York and was later a teacher at Ackworth School between 1847 and 1848 (she was a junior teacher receiving £20 pay). She was a truly inspirational woman and reminded me of just how much history there is within our school. We should all feel proud to be part of this unique setting which has been an inspiration to many of our pupils for so many years.
Our Quaker traditions are deeply embedded within the place. We uphold the Quaker values and they are an important part of us all. The Quakers were founded in 1652 by George Fox – he is supposed to have told a judge to “quake” at the name of God – and the name stuck! Quakers consider a good education to be important and on Founders’ Day we remembered John Fothergill who founded the school in 1779.
Now, enough history! Let’s look to the future and enjoy what we have now and what we look forward to achieving this academic year.
Sally Slater, Coram House, Head
Congratulations and welcome to our new Global Committee 2022-2023. There were many fabulous applications which really showed the passion the children have for our planet and environment. After having our first Global Committee meeting, the children decided on their new roles and will be working on developing an action plan over the next few weeks.
On September 16th, we joined in this national event and celebrated our amazing TAs: Sharon Brooke, Katie Flatters, Sean Hunt, Christopher Hyams, Shelley Preston, Emma Quinlan, Priya Raman, Paula Ward and Karen Withington. We wanted to give them the recognition they deserve, and to thank them formally for their diligence, commitment and unreserved dedication to our children, our staff, our school and our community.
“A Teaching Assistant takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart”. Thank you.
Sophie Schoukroun on behalf of all of us at Coram House.
RSE Day is a national annual event which celebrates relationships and sex education and promotes the wellbeing and safety of our children. The theme this year was: ‘Celebrating differences – everyone can sparkle!’. We had so much fun raising awareness of the differences between us and celebrating each other. We discussed diversity, prejudice, assumptions and stereotypes.
One pupil in Nursery said, “I sparkle because I love people”, and one pupil in Reception added “we sparkle because we care about each other”. One of our Year 5 pupils stated that they “had never been treated differently because I am very lucky that I am going to this school where everybody is treated the same.”
This term, our pupils have taken part in a “find RSE day 2023” campaign. Here are some ideas from our Year 3 pupils:
1. Let’s launch into kindness!
They thought we could have a space theme where everyone has their own rocket lolly.
2. Bring your light!
Everyone brings a light to school and can say how they light up their relationships/world around them.
3. Every print is unique
Making paintings with each person’s unique fingerprintwhat makes us unique?
Written by Sophie SchoukrounMiss Schoukroun asked our pupils Year 5 pupils the following questions.
1. Year 5B - Have you ever been treated differently? (They include times they have been left out because of their race or gender).
“No but I am sure because of my looks that people have judged me or not asked me to join their group but not said it to my face.” - VG
2. Year 5H - What does diversity mean to you?
“Diversity means that everyone is different and that we should all be treated the same no matter how we look or what our personality is.” - BH
3. Year 5H - Is it good to be different?
“It is good to be different because if we weren’t we would all be the same and that would be less exciting. Different is interesting.” - GB
Today was French day. We all dressed up in blue, white and red like the French flag “le tricolore”. We all gathered together to sing our French songs that we have been learning in class. The little ones had some cute little songs. We also had French-themed snacks at morning break - delicious croissants and pains au chocolat. At lunch time, there were many other French delicacies such as snails, frogs legs, boeuf bourguignon and baguettes and eclairs. The snails smelled weird, but they tasted liked garlic bread. Many children enjoyed the frogs legs.
We all took part in an inter-house “toss the pancake’ relay race; the winning House was Dalton.
We also did the finals of the boules tournament: Amelia S came first, Hector J came second and Ben H came third.
Today was a very fun French day. Thank you, Miss Schoukroun.
Phoebe
4. Year 5B - What would you do if someone was being nasty to someone else because they looked different?
“I would ask the person who was being mean if they would like to be treated the same way.” - SL
“Diversity makes me happy as it shows me that it is good to be you, and that people can like whatever they want. It makes the world a better place.”
We have now been shortlisted for one of our suggested themes for national RSE Day 2023! Year 3 ‘s idea “Let’s launch into kindness” has been chosen and public votes close on Friday 11th November. Good Luck!
The Autumn Term has seen the first round of our Prep InterHouse conker competition. Our Pre-Prep heard and watched in anticipation for when their turn will come to take part. There is uncertainty about the origins of the game and the name. Perhaps they were playing conkers in 1779 when our School was founded? The first recorded game using horse chestnuts was in 1848 on the Isle of Wight. The game spread gradually throughout Britain during the next hundred years.
The name may come from the dialect word conker meaning “hard nut” (perhaps related to French conque meaning a conch, as the game was originally played using snail shells and small bits of string). The name may also be influenced by the verb conquer. Another possibility is that it is onomatopoeia, representing the sound made by a horse chestnut as it hits another hard object.
Our Prep children went ‘bonkers for conkers’. All conkers and strings were provided by Aden Ball. After watching a demonstration and quick training by Aden Ball and Julie Hoar, the children took part in our conker knockout competition. Here is what some had to say: “I think it is really cool as it is like a competition”, “It is a good way to play with the younger and older years”, “I look forward to taking part next year when I am in Year 3”, “I like that it is something that everyone can do and that there is no age limit”.
We are eager to find out the results next week at the end of the second round. We thank Aden Ball and Julie Hoar for keeping this tradition alive and going at Coram House.
Sophie Schoukroun
“I look forward to joining the competition next year” - MW “My brother entered the competition” - HB “I have never done it before” MC “A good way to play with the younger and older years” RP “I like that it is something that everyone can do and that there is no age limit” - GP
“I hugely enjoyed being a part of The Crucible. It was a really exciting experience from start to finish. I made lots of new friends and will definitely be doing the next production. The most challenging part was learning blocking and stage directions but the sense of satisfaction when it all came together was amazing! Thanks Sir for steering us through.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed performing in Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’. Of all of the plays in which I have participated, I felt a particularly strong connection to this one and especially to my character. It was a truly memorable occasion, being my last junior play! I also found the part of Abigail Williams quite a challenge. Cast to play a villain was both thought provoking and surprisingly enjoyable. I am not used to taking the part of an evil character. The casting allowed me to explore new elements of drama and theatrical performance, including blocking for stage combat (a process of being violent towards someone without making contact [sorry Tallulah!]). It was also great to be able to work with such an enthusiastic group of actors who enjoy drama just as much as I do! The feeling of knowing that we were getting closer and closer to the performance brought a rush of collective adrenaline.”
The Junior Play of 2022, held as ever in the Summer Term, saw one of the strongest young casts I have seen in some years being pushed far out of their comfort zone. Arthur Miller’s epic play, ‘The Crucible’, is one of the great classics of 20th century theatre. It is a brilliant play that speaks volumes to us now in the 21st century as it did to Miller’s McCarthyite America of the 50s, it being a probing examination of truth (‘fake news’), intolerance, and moral ambiguity. As is the way with canonical texts, it is hard: intellectually demanding, heavy in static dialogue, thick in terms of language, challenging in terms of characterisation, and loo-oo-oong… in short, no easy feat. This was no summer term sop for young and developing actors: this was, rather, an Everest for them to climb in the Meeting House.
They have risen to the occasion wonderfully. Over the two months of rehearsals, I have had to constantly stop and remind myself that the oldest principal in this play is 14 years old. There were a number of students performing who were just 11, who were doing a play for the first time, who have never before had to learn so many lines, let alone perform them sensitively, empathically, and convincingly in an echoey space to an audience. They have achieved a staggering feat. What right did they have, these students from 1st-3rd form, to tackle this mountain of a play?! I haven’t had the courage to do such a play with senior students, yet I give it to my youngest and least experienced? Such is my belief in their abilities, their talents and their determination to work hard. It was not an easy journey - that final week of rehearsals was pretty stressful, as they will well remember, I am sure - but when was anything worthwhile ever straightforward? If it’s not challenging, after all, you’re not growing. Their efforts have been rewarded with some lovely feedback.
Our junior drama production is well worth the watch (even on the Meeting House benches). Seeing our students in a completely different light - out of the context of our own teaching classroom - is so refreshing.
A brilliant play with brilliant performances. Each individual performed with high efforts and passion.
It was a pleasure to watch a play which hitherto I was unfamiliar. I felt the pupils did a superb job on a challenging piece. The months of hard work and the passion that each individual had for their art was clear to everyone there. Well done to one and all. I look forward to the next production.
Thank you to your tremendous cast - some remarkable performances in a very challenging play. I thoroughly enjoyed myself (if ‘enjoy’ is the right word for The Crucible!).
And this one I think counts slightly differently, as it is written by a colleague of mine who is a Drama teacher themselves, and so knows the demands and pressure of school productions.
“I will be thinking about that production for a long time. It was out of this world brilliant. So well directed, so professional and gripping and emotional and maturely performed. I cannot believe the cast are as young as they are. As good as any professional production I could have gone to see of The Crucible. I didn’t know the story fully until tonight and I absolutely loved it. I really truly mean it when I say I utterly believed the characters and more so, I cared about the characters and could relate to them. They felt so real and that’s a testament to your talented cast and all their hard work and investment in their characters and in the story which they told so truthfully. Please pass a huge congratulations on!”
They deserve such congratulations indeed. This super group of students kept the focus and attention of nearly a hundred people a night through the power of their storytelling. I don’t think any of us imagined that we could have attained such focus, emotion and skill. It’s one thing to tell the story - it’s another to live it, and get it to live for others. These wonderful young actors managed that, time and time again, for so many. I was, and am, beyond proud.
Ali Boucher, Head of Drama
It feels such a privilege to be able to sit and reminisce on the innumerable theatre trips I’ve had the opportunity to go on over the last school year. From ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ to ‘Leaving Vietnam’, ‘A Doll’s House’ to ‘Dreamgirls’, there has been a huge variety of genre, theme and narrative. The stories and music the other theatre-trippers and I have been able to experience have touched us, and taught us so much.
After a show, the bus is alive with theatre babble, dissecting character, story, set, song. There is a certain rush of adrenaline when you leave the playhouse. Your ears are buzzing, and, after a musical, there’s a sudden inscrutable urge to see if you can belt a high C like they could onstage (you can’t). Consequently, the silence that consumed us after watching Maggie May spoke with incredible volume. It’s rather funny how you can go from crying with laughter to sobbing into someone’s shoulder within two hours. The magic of theatre is truly its ability to make you really feel. We felt the painful truth of Vergette’s ‘Leaving Vietnam’, felt the tenderness of Chris Singleton’s ‘How To Be A Better Human’, and certainly felt the desire to strut around in fishnets after Rocky Horror… but that was mainly Mr. Boucher.
If you haven’t been on a school theatre trip, I could not advocate for it more. Every show unearths more curiosity. You find new ways to look at the world around you, new ways to understand people, new songs to obsess over for a week. There is so much comfort in theatre. After a hard day, the ability to be free from worriment is beyond price. It’s an escape, yes, but it also spotlights real life. Real people. Real stories. Real fun. And there is so much relief in that.
Please do go to the theatre. It is invaluable education. The conversations theatre sparks are of such importance, in both a personal and global sense. It has been such an incredible joy discovering the huge diversity the theatre world has to offer.
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms: the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being” - Oscar Wilde
Try was the third play that took Ackworth School’s annual Cawood Slot, an end of year production that is more student-driven than anything else put on during the year. Students can choose the play, choose to act in it, direct it, produce it - whatever they choose. Grace and Adam elected to perform Rick Wood’s beautiful play about love, life and OCD, respectively playing Holly and Kyle. They asked Ali Boucher to direct it; later in the process, Ella Hinchcliffe came aboard to light it. Try shows us two people in love - except that Holly has severe mental health issues. Written from Rick Wood’s own first-hand experiences of mental health, the play explores the challenges love has to face when confronted with OCD. The play was performed on Open Day 2022, and the production was reprised at the start of the Christmas Term in September 2022.
I’m so thankful for what Try has done for me, close ones around me and the people who watched, especially those who it moved and deeply touched. Doing Try was an unbelievably rewarding experience. I will always cherish everything that we put into it and all the support we were given to do it. I’m proud of myself, Grace and Bouch; proud that we were able to share this story, with the justice that it deserves. Try has thousands of different things to take from it, but first and foremost it has a message that you are not alone, and that you should never feel alone. This is something our society needs to keep shouting about, sharing this massively important message. Try for many has had an effect that cannot be shaken off: it sticks with you, and allows people to be able to speak up about their own mental health and to feel better about themselves. I will forever be in awe of the impact that Try has had.
For me, Try is the gift that keeps on giving. Try is that one fond memory I will always hold dear. Whether I’m at my worst or my best, Try will be vividly accessible in my mind. I know it’s with me for life.
Try is for people like M: the overwhelmingly real reaction you showed was admirable and moving. It was a moment I will never forget, signifying the powerful influence Try can have. Thank you.
Adam and I met Holly and Kyle one drizzly Monday in the studio. We went to leaf through the script; we left with an ineffable compulsion to do this play. Try defies description that can be printed onto paper. Like running into a web, its invisible intricacies tangle around your skin and suddenly it’s all-encompassing.
We all gave so much to this play. I had to work the hardest I’ve ever worked to be able to understand Holly from an organic perspective, rather than just as a clinical diagnosis. Mental health is the heaviest theme in Try. We wanted to lift this play from the paper as not just an example of this idea in theatre, but an example of why talking about mental health will never be not important.
Often in theatre, you spend months connecting with a character. We connected with Kyle and Holly within a week, and somehow, during those 5 days, we knew them better than ourselves. We built the set ourselves, positioning the furniture with imperceptible exactness, making and unmaking the bed over and over, choosing what to fill the shelves with and shaping stories of where they came from. We often visited their home during breaks and lunches, to let Holly re-organise the books into alphabetical order and to let Kyle lay on the bed with his shoes on.
Throughout our time working with Try, we realised the importance of people like Holly and Kyle. Rick Wood, the writer, was a constant reminder that this was not just an imaginary play-pretend dress-up script. This play has its foundations very much rooted in reality. Now myself and Adam have departed from Holly and Kyle. Their apartment has been sent back in parts, books and DVDs we picked with unseen precision have been stacked back away, their moment passed too. But, I believe, just as tiny shards of sugar glass remain pressed between pages and cracks in the boards, Try will remain pressed into my mind, and Holly and Kyle’s footprints will stay pressed into that stage for as long as the Apollo footprints are imprinted on the moon.
Thank you Rick. Your play has touched Adam, Boucher and I so very deeply. And thank you, C. Your words shaped Holly and helped me find her when I felt lost. You’re an inspiration. This was for you.
The moment I knew that Try was something different to the other plays I directed was when the playwright, Rick Wood, came to watch it. Though that in itself was something extraordinary - this is not the kind of thing that happens to a school production - that wasn’t actually the moment.
I was talking to Rick about Scene 3, when Holly is trapped in a full-scale, blown-out OCD episode. Stuck in tormenting thoughts that literally lock her into place, torturously tapping the TV controller and chair legs, Holly can’t live her life: everything she does is a risk to everyone she loves. She is watching her mind collapse in on itself, and the tappingfive on the top, three on the bottom - is the only way she can try to regain any semblance of control over it all. She repeats these movements again and again, hoping that her actions
- however small, however stupid - are somehow enough to stop her world from imploding. Grace is mesmerising when she plays this scene - her stillness unravels desperately into something wretched and painful and awful to watch. And Rick said to me, that was just how it was. Grace captured what it felt like. It was just like that. Another member of our audience agreed, saying of that moment, “I had to close my eyes. It was too close.”
Though these things in themselves were both extraordinary, neither was the moment that made me realise that Try was something different.
The moment that changed things for me was the conversation I then had with Grace, in which I told her what Rick had said. For so long, Grace, Adam and I had struggled with this play. Fear smothered us. Who were we to tell these stories? Where was our authority? What right did we have? There was so much we got and that we understood and that we could connect with: falling in love, arguing with the people we love, caring vs carelessness, the fight to try to get others to understand us, the struggle to understand ourselves. But there was so much that felt so outside of our shared lived experiences: mental health trauma, OCD, suicidal ideation, parental neglect, the impact of death. How could we possibly tell these sides to the story with any accuracy, with any authenticity? What if we get it wrong? We just couldn’t get it wrong. The stakes were massive.
And - from the mouth of the very person whose lived experience the play charted - we didn’t get it wrong. We didn’t screw it up. We. Got. It. Right. I cannot tell you the relief: I wanted to cry. I knew how much Grace was fighting with herself to work out how to get this moment right. I wanted her to know, and for her to share my pride, feel my relief. And this is the moment.
When I told her what Rick said, Grace didn’t feel relief. She felt sadness. Grace was so sad that somebody had actually gone through this, had actually felt those feelings, had thought those thoughts. While I was focused on directing it right, on trying to help Grace to tell Holly’s story as truthfully as I could manage - all that time, Grace was living it. She was beyond acting Holly’s story: every time she performed that
scene, she felt it. And unlike Rick, unlike so many generous people who shared their own stories with us about mental health and mental illness and personal struggle, Grace recognised that she had the privilege of being able to step away from it when they couldn’t. Her sadness was the most extraordinary act of empathy and care, not just for Holly, and not just for Rick, but for everyone who struggled in the way Holly did. I could not believe the goodness and kindness of Grace’s response.
Adam and Grace will have their own moments. We have been lucky in that we have had many to choose from. How Adam and Grace built the world of Holly and Kyle themselves, decorating their flat, building their shared history together. The Happy Goat Coffee Company. Adam’s dancing to Shaggy, and our discovery that Kyle was more than just a foil. How we all discovered the play’s music: from the Beatles’ Wedding March to Joji to Tom Odell. To Adam unwittingly breaking whiskey tumblers due to his superior strength, to Grace never remembering to throw paper in the air. We have taken care to share these with each other, after every rehearsal and performance, our own ritual and tribute of laughter and tears, our own way of looking out for one another and looking after each other. We have had the most extraordinary good fortune of playing Try to a lot of people, and they will have had their own moments. They have been unbelievably kind and generous to us, fulsome in their praise and vulnerable with their tears. The three of us have not always known what to do with the honesty and kindness of peoples’ reactions. We have just stayed with them, recognising that we felt it too, knowing that us together is stronger and better than us apart.
I have been lucky enough to have students and drama be at the heart of my working life for the last four years. I mean it when I say I am lucky. I create and co-create and help others create for a living: it is the biggest privilege, an astonishing joy. I feel genuinely lucky to work with committed, passionate students to tell stories. I feel genuinely lucky to give our students tangible, authentic opportunities to push through real challenges that make them genuinely scared, in order to grow. I am genuinely lucky to work in a discipline where both I and they can see how they have become stronger, how their abilities have grown, how their self-belief has deepened, how their sense of potential of what they can do has expanded. Every day, I work with astonishment and awe. I feel genuinely lucky to help give our students a platform to astonish themselves (‘I never thought I could do this’) and to astonish others, who will watch them perform and think, ‘I never thought you could do that!’ Every production I have directed, seen by many or seen by few, has had the potential to change lives for the people involved, and to that end, every production is of vital importance.
And yeah, I know, it’s just a play, come off your high horse. On the grand scale of things, it’s nothing really: it’s trivial, small fry, just people prancing about on a stage, pretending and playing and make-believing and escaping, and not doing anything real or creating anything permanent and lasting. But the thing is, it’s also not. The right play, in the right hands, at the right time, for the right reason, can change everything about how we see the world. It can change everything about how we perceive our place in that world.
With the right play, we may enter the theatre as one person but leave as someone very different. The right play can spark, can detonate, change. The right play can tilt the axis of your world - slightly, imperceptibly but tangibly, fundamentally - so that you see differently, walk differently, navigate differently, be differently. Plays have the power to change who you are, what you believe, what you do, how you see others, how you see yourself.
That was what Try did, I think. For us and for the audiences who came to see it for our two performances some three months apart, I think things changed. This play punched through and landed and stuck. For me, for Adam, for Grace - things are different now. And whatever the future holds for the three of us, we have shared this moment. Our lives are better for Try, and I will always, always be grateful for it, and for them. Try will always be ours.
Ali Boucher, Head of Drama
On 16th of October, the boarding house went on a trip to art museums in Leeds. There were a mixture of modern and old-fashioned works. In the first room, I was drawn to sets of paintings depicting how women of colour were viewed in the past century. There were pieces portraying immigrants’ experiences in the UK. In the next room, there were portraits of Jamaican women created by mixed media; they explored the ancestral relation of women to the land and their knowledge of plants.
After lunch, we went to the Henry Moore Institute. When we first stepped into the exhibition, we were faced with a room that was covered in sand and clay. There were mesmerizing translucent glass sculptures decorated throughout the room. The artist, Lungiswa Gqunta wanted the visitors to reflect the bumpy surface of the floor to the experiences of Black people who had their movement regulated in Apartheid South Africa.
There were so many spectacular pieces that we saw on that day. I was astonished by the diverse representations that were modified into delicate artworks.
Noodee, Lower Sixth
Ackworth U13 girls played their first match of the season against Airedale on 6th October. Ackworth won the game 3-2 with goals from Isla and Zarah. All the girls played tremendously in such a highly competitive game. The girls are going from strength to strength and they are eagerly anticipating their next match!
The boys are also having an unbeaten run this season so far. They had an 11 – 1 win to finish off the first half term. Well done to Tar for scoring 8 goals and taking home man of the match!
On Thursday 6th of October 3rd form went out on a school trip to the Black Country Living Museum. It was a very fun and lifelike experience, with our tour guides dressed up in old time clothes and people riding around on horse-drawn carriages. We got to look at how they modified their lamps to work deep in the mines, and how people were having to go to the shop every morning for the day’s food! We also got to buy some old-fashioned sweets and had a look inside a replica of one of the old houses. After we had some lunch, we looked at the boats that once floated on the canal and how they made anchors, including the Titanic’s anchor, and how dangerous of a job it was. But my favourite part was having a go with some of the old toys they used, specifically the hoop and stick!
Heather Gordan, Head of HistoryMusic at Ackworth is a key element of our school. From performances at beloved events such as Party on the green and Open day, to spreading the Ackworth talents in many different places, such as Jersey - like we did during the summer.
By attending choir each week, students can thrive in a pleasant environment, free to develop their skills and talents. As well as receiving opportunities to perform in front of others, with some having solo sections in a few different songs that we do (for example, we are currently working on a few Hamilton songs, which all contain solo sections of rap.) We plan to be much more focused on Christmas songs once entering the season.
I really enjoyed visiting the Black Country Living Museum. Since we have been learning about the industrial revolution, it linked in very well with our knowledge and let us expand on it. When we entered the museum, it felt like reality! Our tour guides were extremely friendly and showed us around the museum which felt like going into a time machine. We visited the coal mines, entered multiple life-like houses and even went shopping in a mini town centre! Overall, this was an amazing trip and I believe it was definitely worthwhile to allow us to feel the atmosphere of the industrial revolution.
AlfredOn the 6th of October, the third form went on a historical trip to the Black Country living museum, and it was a very exciting experience. The tour guides were very nice people, and they made sure that everyone in their group could all have an equally exciting time. The tour included looking around the shop in which the townspeople bought groceries, watching experiments with the gasses they might have found in the mines, and even watching how to make chains. My favourite part of the entire trip was looking around at what England used to be and comparing it to what life is like now, so I can see how much it has changed. Overall, the trip was very fun, and I would love to go again.
Rhoda
Chamber choir, is a more refined, smaller group of older, invited students. We are working on songs which may be considered harder, and we all have an equal opportunity to perform, just like choir, orchestra, strings, and solos. My favourite song which we are doing in chamber choir at the moment is White winter Hymnal.
When there is an opportunity to perform, we take it. Therefore, some of our upcoming events are: The Christmas concert, Rothwell music festival, trip to Steinwell hall, and Easter concert, with other opportunities being looked into, and hence perhaps slotted later into the year. We do have some in-school occasions, as well as options outside this environment.
Anna, Upper Sixth FormDuring the summer holidays, I visited India to see my grandparents. They recently moved houses and I haven’t seen them for three years.
In India, they have multigenerational families. The older people live with their children and other members of their family. You will find grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all living together. The younger people are expected to look after the older people. In the west, we have nuclear families with only the parents and their children living together.
Over the years, many of the younger generation in India have left the country for economic reasons - better living conditions and pay. As a result, the older people feel lonely and neglected at home. Nowadays, many active retirement villages have developed, where the older people can live safely surrounded by friends. These villages have well laid out roads for smooth walks, lots of space and plenty of activities to engage them.
On our flight to India, I was thinking about how the retirement home would be and wondering what it would be like as I hadn’t seen one before. My grandparents only moved into it last year and because of the COVID pandemic, we hadn’t been to visit them since 2018. I was so eagerly excited to see them too.
Overall, I think a retirement home is a very good place to move into as you age as you can enjoy going on walks and doing common activities in the club house with your friends and neighbours.
During our visit to India, my parents took me to a foster home called Udavum Karangal which means “helping hands” in Tamil. Udavum Karangal is a home for the homeless from abandoned or orphaned new-born babies to destitute aged people. I was curious to see this home as my parents sponsor a little girl who lives there. I was a little anxious because I didn’t know what to expect.
After a long drive, we arrived at Udavum Karangal. The founder, Mr Vidyaakar, was waiting to receive us and take us around the place. As he took us on the tour, he described the different activities of the home. We were able to see groups of young children running about and playing. There was a nursery where the new born babies were sleeping in cradles. We also visited the dining halls and the children’s rooms.
At the end of the tour, we went to Mr Vidyaakar’s office where I was able to interview him to get more information about how he started this foster home.
When we landed, we took a taxi to the retirement village. It was a very long way and it was hot. There was a lot of traffic too. We arrived by noon and my family and I were so happy to see our grandparents after three years. The retirement village was beautiful and I was amazed to see the clean gardens and buildings, wide well-laid roads and quiet surroundings. It felt as though we were in some other country.
The next day, I took my grandfather for a walk and I noticed that he was walking much better because of the road was smooth as butter and there wasn’t any litter on it. It was also so different from the city as there wasn’t the noise of cars speeding past.
After lunch, I went to play badminton at the club house. It was beautiful with a dining hall, a shop, a snooker table, a table tennis room and a swimming pool. It also had a media hall where they screened movies and held music concerts. It was good for the retired people to go to the club house as there were lots of activities for them to do if they were feeling bored. There was also a library and an area where they could just sit and chat. The retirement home also has a temple for those who wanted to pray.
I was satisfied in my mind that my grandparents had moved to an ideal place where they would be happy and safe.
Mr Vidyaakar wanted to be a nurse and started as a social worker with a local charity in a poor area in Chennai (which was previously known as Madras). One day, in 1983, a rickshaw man brought in a new-born baby, which was found in a cinema hall after a show. Mr Vidyaakar tried to find a solution but, as no one was willing to help, he decided to foster the child himself. Once this news spread, he found more abandoned children being left at his doorstep. He decided to use his house to maintain this new family of his and registered Udavum Karangal as a charity. He went from house to house to collect money to feed his children. Soon, people started supporting him by giving him money and donations. In the 1990s, he built a new headquarters and a free school. Today, Udavum Karangal helps over 2,000 people from students, to elders and people with additional needs and has about 120 employees.
Mr. Steven Vidyaakar is today only known as Papa Vidyaakar because he has played the role of a lovable father and friend to around 314 children, 572 psychiatric patients and 377 old and dying destitute under his care. New-born babies, brought to the foster home, grow surrounded by love, study and train to go out to find jobs and settle down. However, their happy memories at Udavum Karangal makes them want to come back to help new children coming into the home to settle down.
Every rupee that comes in helps a little bit and this great charity deserves to be helped to carry on its caring mission.
As I write, today marks the final Monday of my first half term in my new position as Head of Sixth Form. Historically, this half term is often the busiest of the year, however, in Sixth Form it is a different animal. Although this week is the final week before half term, it does not slow down: this is Charity week, the opportunity for the school, led by the Sixth Form students, to raise thousands of pounds for charities both home and abroad. Activities range from staff stocks, to bake sales and it culminates in Sixth Form entertainment. An event I am really looking forward to, but not so much my dancing part way through!
In the space of this half term we have hosted our Sixth Form open evening, both in-person for current students and virtually for those abroad. A small group of students attended the annual Quaker Pilgrimage weekend in Clitheroe and the Lake District, learning about Quaker heritage and mixing with students from other Quaker schools in England and Ireland. Our UCAS early applicants have sent their applications to Oxbridge for their respective medical and veterinary courses. Our student committee in Sixth Form are planning the inaugural Christmas Ball, a Sixth Form-only, formal event, that will take place at the end of term in school. Also, a number of our Sixth Form student body have signed up to train to become peer mentors, a position that they will start before Christmas. This is an opportunity for those students to take leadership positions and be available to the rest of the student body, should they need someone to speak to.
I am incredibly proud of how the students, both Lower and Upper, have risen to any challenges they face and this, in no small part, is helped by a fantastic tutor team in the Sixth Form. Students and parents alike know that they can contact tutors should they have any queries or need clarification.
When we arrived at Clitheroe Meeting House we were immediately warmly and kindly welcomed, and generously provided with unlimited tea and biscuits. It was lovely to connect with other sixth formers from other Quaker schools (Bootham and Newtown) and compare/share experiences. Climbing Pendle Hill, where George Fox (the founder of Quakerism) had a vision, was challenging but rewarding. However, the bigger hill to climb was the one-hour meeting for worship at Settle Meeting House on Sunday morning, which, whilst daunting, was actually a really peaceful and beautiful experience, in which several people were moved to speak, making our 10 minutes on a Thursday feel almost too short. We also shared several moments of silence at other locations, including at the top of Pendle Hill, at Brigflatts Meeting House, on Firbank Fell and in the common room of the Youth Hostel. It was interesting learning about the significance of our school in
Next half term is another opportunity for our Sixth Form students to make their mark, in particular, academically. The Lower Sixth will sit their November assessments soon after their return, and the Upper Sixth will sit their mock examinations in the final two weeks of the term. We have made this change to mock examinations, as it will give staff more opportunity to put effective strategies in place for each student to fulfil their potential, and to continue the fantastic results and value added that we are so very proud of in the Sixth Form.
Daniel Jones, Head of Sixth FormQuaker history, especially when seeing the Kendal Quaker Tapestry where we discovered the Ackworth sampler styles and the origins of Quaker schools, as well as when meeting Old Scholars who shared with us their own experiences of Ackworth and Quakerism beyond the school.
Emily, Upper SixthBefore going on the Quaker Pilgrimage, I had barely any prior knowledge of Quakerism, and didn’t really know what to expect, other than that it was a chance to meet new people and go on a hike. Although the first day may have been the coldest and rainiest, we did walk up Pendle Hill and the views and the conversations had along the way were definitely worth it. The second morning was spent in Kendal looking at the Quaker Tapestry, which, prior to the trip, I had thought to be one large tapestry, yet is in fact a collection of 77 panels illustrating the Quaker history, from the 17th Century to present day. While we had our fair share of outdoor adventures, we also visited three Meeting houses, all completely different, yet all as welcoming and friendly as the other. By the end of the trip, I can assuredly say that I developed my understanding of Quakerism, met new friends from Ireland and Bootham School, and made fun memories while listening to my friends’ eclectic taste in music on the bus. At the Meetings, we met Old Scholars from Ackworth School, who were more than happy to share their fond memories of their time here, meaning I now know some rather interesting facts about my school that I might not ever have known otherwise. I found a new appreciation for Silent meeting every Thursday morning, after taking part in an hour-long meeting in Settle Meeting House, where I even found the confidence to speak in front of a large group.
Annabel, Lower Sixth
Between the 7th and 9th October, I took six Sixth Form students to join with staff and students from Bootham School and Newtown School on the 2022 Northern Friends Pilgrimage. Unlike the other schools, we had not selected students in positions of responsibility, but opened the opportunity to all who wanted to go, on a first-come, first-served basis! I came home so proud of the open and cheerful way our students had embraced the experiences on offer. For some, their character was shown in the physical challenge of the hills, for others in the meeting of new people and sharing a room, or in coming to the point of speaking in the Sunday Meeting for Worship. There was so much to do and learn crammed into our three days, and I would highly recommend it to any staff or students in future years.
Rosalind Noble, Assistant Head of Sixth Form
I feel like I have blinked, and it is half term! It has certainly been a busy one. We began the new academic year by welcoming our boarders back. So far, we have boarders from over 21 different countries.
During the summer break, I spent some of my time in Africa on recruitment trips. It is such a pleasure to be able to meet the pupils that join us in their home countries. Nothing fills my heart more than meeting new pupils and talking to them about how special our boarding offering is. I will continue to do this to ensure we are filling our boarding house with students that will add value, whatever that might be.
Our Footballers have settled in well. They are well underway with their Educational Football Programme, enjoying training and playing in fixtures. They bring so much team spirit to the boarding house and I admire that.
During the first weekend we went on an excursion to Ninja Warrior – a large, inflatable obstacle course. It was a great way to break the ice and make new friends.
We welcomed three new members of boarding staff to the team this year. Rebecca Edgington, Annette Hull and Daniel Roots. Rebecca also works in our Marketing Department, Annette is an EAL teacher and Daniel is a language teacher. They all bring so much to the team and we are very lucky to have them. Katy Devine continues to add so much value to the boarding house, as does Todor Doychinov. I thank them all for their hard work this half term.
At the start of term, we elected our boarding council. They continue to offer valuable contributions and as I always say, their voice is the most important voice to me.
We look forward to the second half of the Autumn term!
Nicola Gilbert, Head of Boarding
Following the return to school at the beginning of September some pupils from Autism Resource have been attending a weekly ‘Wheels 4 All’ cycling session at Doncaster cycle track. This has been a great opportunity for them to engage in the community as well as gain skills to progress them in their cycling. We look forward to continuing this throughout the year and encouraging more pupils to share the experience.
Jane Burren, Autism Resource Teacher
We have had a lot of success over the past year with players competing all over the world. We currently just played the Junior British league competition where our Ackworth team is in third place. This is the best league in the whole of the UK for Junior players (U19). Everyone individually had some great performances and worked very well as a team. We started off the competition a bit slow then turned it around and came back even better! I am very proud of them for this as they are competing against the best players in the country!
Going forward we have a lot of competitions ahead to train for and work towards our goals. Each player is giving 100% during training and showing a lot of improvement.
Sam Mabey, Table Tennis Coach
This term in Autism Resource, pupils have been able to experience a new sport - golf! Thank you to the Golf Foundation for supporting our application for the HSBC Golf Roots Project, where our funding has been used to purchase brand new Golfway school equipment. So far, pupils have enjoyed exploring the equipment, as well as practicing their putting and chipping skills. Please visit www.golf-foundation.org for more information on the HSBC Golf Roots Project.
Back in June, William C was selected to represent Yorkshire in the U15 County Age Group for Cricket. This will be William’s fifth consecutive year at representing the county. Additionally, he was selected for the Emerging Players Programme (EPP) based on the observation of outstanding abilities on the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Performance Pathway Framework as well as previous performances on the Performance Pathway.
William travelled to Headingley Stadium in May for an EPP Player Day, where he received his cap and took part in an Introduction to Coaching course as part of his commitment to give back to the cricketing community as a young role model for Yorkshire Cricket.
Will has has a successful season for representing Yorkshire U15s and Fairburn Men’s First XI, culminating in Fairburn being crowned League Champions and Will scoring his first century for Yorkshire with 101 not out against Northumberland U18s.
Zac, Fifth Former (Penn), has had an exciting season with Ginetta over the summer, making the podium in Thruxton! With two races left this season, he will then move to RAM Mercedes AMG for a three-year deal in England and Europe. A fantastic achievement for Zac, who is just 15 years old!
Jack, Fifth Form, has been invited by England Athletics to be part of a talent programme. It’s a two-year course whereby only the most elite athletes get picked and, once complete, is the equivalent of an A* A level. Jack has been chosen a year early due to his progress so far. Congratulations, Jack!
Fearne Copley has recently been making her name known across Squash tournaments. Fearne is playing up and age group and winning girls under 15’s North East Regional championships, girls under 15’s Yorkshire championships, and girls under 15’s national silver event. On 9th October she came runner up in the Nordic European open in Sweden in the under 13’s. An exciting journey for Fearne and we look forward to following it! Well done.
Our swimming pool complex is in need of refurbishment to be able to continue to provide a modern facility for the School and our wider community, and we need your help to raise the necessary funds.
To support this venture we are inviting you to become a member of our 250 Club. To be eligible you must donate £21 a month for the next seven years If 250 donors join us we will raise £437,500 and if 1,000 donors join we would raise £1,750,000.
This amounts to £250 every year In exchange, you will be invited to regular events at the School where our architects and contractors will present their plans and progress to you.
The original swimming pool was built in 1858 as an open-air pool. Today it is enclosed, with heating, air-handling, and filtration. Many of you will have learned to swim in the pool and thousands of children continue to share your experience. The pool was last refurbished in 1971. To preserve it for the future we must refurbish it again and add to the facilities available around it.
The buildings in the swimming pool complex
are now old and unused but present us with a wonderful opportunity to add to the range of facilities on offer, and therefore retain the School’s appeal to future generations.
We need new changing rooms and a modified surface around the pool with drainage and non-slip areas. There also is room for a new fitness suite, a café, dance studio, or more space for our sixth formers and boarders to learn and relax during the day and after hours.
Scan Me!
As we look forward to the future and our 250th anniversary in 2029, we plan to celebrate this important milestone in a manner which benefits both the Quaker ethos of our School and the vision of our founder, John Fothergill.
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Please return this donation form to: Ackworth School, Pontefract Road, or Email: alumni@ackworthschool.com Registered Charity No: 1175704
White Cat by Simon Cole
A not entirely fictitious novel set largely at the time of the Boer War. One of the characters Isabella Davy (AOS 1881 86) volunteered as a nurse in the camps set up to house Boer famiies.
Irish Quaker Anna Haslam was a pioneering suffragist and forward looking educationalist. She helped to set up soup kitchens and cottage industries for girls during the famine years in Ireland in the later 1840s. Anna had been a teacher at Ackworth School in the mid 1840s. The book is aimed at readers from eight years upwards. We look forward to Carmel visiting Coram House next year to talk to the children about Anna.
Diary of a Wakefield Man - John Edward Bowman. Edited by Lorraine Simpson.
John Edward Bowman (AOS 1879 - 1883) came from a long line of Ackworth scholars. His diaries covering the period 1896 to 1953 have been drawn together in this publication where he comments on life in Wakefield through two world wars and a global pandemic and as a member of a vibrant Quaker community.
A biography of Prof. Fiona Wood (AOS 1970 - 75). Pioneering plastic surgeon, Australian of the Year 2005, and Ackworth School’s Head Girl 1975.
Available in Britain in 2023
Also, a new biography of Lord Joseph Lister by David Wilson. Joseph Lister, the discoverer of antiseptics, was the son of Isabella (Ackworth School teacher) and Joseph Jackson Lister (member of the School Committee).David spent time at school in August consulting Ackworth’s archives.
16 Ackworth Old Scholars and friends met for a delicious lunch at the Vinehouse Cafe, Helmsley, followed by chance to wander around the Walled gardens there. We were delighted that our National Joint Presidents, Stewart and Jane Huntington, could join us on the day. Later in the afternoon we held our AGM at Kirbymoorside Meeting House.
Back in June Gill Cox (née Leach), Leonora Davies (née Alonso), and Fiona Faulkner (née Birkett) met for their annual get together.
“ Of course we’re getting on a bit, but the friendship is stronger than ever. We usually meet at least once a year, but the pandemic prevented this. So, our get together in June this year was even more precious.”
- In friendship, Leonora.
This year’s Founders’ day meal was once again held at Worfolk Cottage, Staintondale, in the North York Moors. 18 Old Scholars and friends celebrated with the traditional bangers and mash meal, prepared by Annabel and Mike McRobert, and Trudy Seed. Their effort and attention to detail ensured a most satisfying occasion, further assisted by Heather Jones and others.
Delicious desserts were provided by several of the attendees. Those of us who were at Ackworth in the 1960s may recall the school’s bread and butter pudding, which was so dreadful that most of it was returned to the kitchen uneaten. Not so with the same dessert prepared on this occasion for East Coast Old Scholars; it was scrumptious.
1. Anton Maree, 2. Alison Maree, 3. Michael Bliss, 4. Stephen Lonsdale, 5. David Wood, 6. Stuart Huntington, 7. Martin Dickinson, 8. Chris Jones, 9. Susan Dickinson, 10. Trudy Seed, 11. Sarah Horne, 12. Denise Johnson, 13. Heather Jones, 14. Mike McRobert, 15. Annabel McRobert, 16. Marjorie Bliss, 17. Helen Beaumont, 18. Colin Farrington
The Lesters (my family name) go back many years: my grandfather was at Ackworth, along with my father and mother, aunts, and uncles. I was there with my two brothers and three cousins (boys), two of which were Bensons: their mother was my father’s twin sister.
We are all Quakers from birth and my father and his sister, being conscientious objectors, were in the Friends Ambulance Unit during the first World War in France with many of their classmates.
However, seeing the school these days through your eyes is soul destroying! The wonderful “houses”, the lovely bedrooms, the extensive classes, and surroundings. I have been over many times to Ackworth since leaving, mainly at Easter. After I moved to South Africa in 1955, after marrying a South African, I tried to go to UK to my parents over Easter so that I could catch up with my class friends.
If it wasn’t at Easter, we used to gather at a pub in Yorkshire (I would be based in Lancashire or Cheshire). Those were joyous times and the names, Jelly Ellison, Tubby Turnbull, Helene Souva, Nancy Lonsdale, etc. plus which husbands wished to join us.
The school being separated into two at that time, I saw my brothers rarely and I am interested to see that the Houses have changed names, I was in Pendle, and they were in Drayton, a very strong sporting side! In those days I had a motor bike and used to go over to Easter on that or on the back of my brothers’.
After my husband died in 2002, I moved to Australia, leaving my son and family behind in S.A. to be closer to my daughter and her family here in Sydney. I used to go to the local Meeting at Wahroongah but now being 90 I don’t drive so far, but the meeting still keeps in touch. I am in a retirement village and am very active, always having been so throughout my life.
I wish you all the best, Staff and Students. You have really kept things alive for me – thank you very much.
In Friendship Doreen Wright (Lester - commonly known as Doodles!)
Dominic Sanderson left left in 2018 and has recently completed his MA in English Literature at Liverpool University. In October he had his first book published. It is a critique of all the albums and tracks released by the Australian artist Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, published by Sonic Bond Publishing. Not only that, but he met the Nick Cave recently at his own book signing at Waterstones in Leeds. Dominic will be gifting one of his books to the school library as he has such fond memories of the school.
Nick was born on the 1st May 1954 in Bradford to Mary and John Seed. He was the eldest of six children and their only son. His sisters are Annabel, Trudy, Juliet, Katie and Andrea. The family grew up in Bradford.
He cared deeply for his sisters and remained supportive of them all of his life.
Nick’s family were Quakers and his association with Ackworth started in 1936 when his mother, Mary Cordingley, as she was then, started at the school. It was always her wish that her children would follow in her footsteps. Nick became an Ackworth pupil in September 1965, aged 11. He particularly enjoyed swimming, geography and natural history and he would often be found in the woodwork centre. He always remembered his Ackworth years fondly.
On leaving Ackworth, in 1971, he became a life member of the AOSA and eagerly waited to be able to book his first Easter gathering in 1972. His great love of being an Ackworth Old Scholar was cemented and he returned to many Easter gatherings over the years, getting involved even in the running of the event. He was very proud to be elected as National President of the AOSA in 2016 – 2017.
His career in nursing started in 1974 following two years of working as a House Father at The Royal School for the Deaf in Derby. He started his Mental Health Nurse Training first at Pastures Hospital. He was an excellent student and won the prize for best student in his year. He loved his job and had found his passion for what would follow to be a lifetime career and commitment to the NHS.
After qualifying as a Registered Mental Nurse, he started his General Nurse Training at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. His speciality after qualifying as a State Registered Nurse was male surgical and he was quickly promoted to be a Charge Nurse in this Area. Alongside this Nick studied for an additional qualification – A Diploma in Nursing, which was a new initiative.
Following this, Nick began various managerial roles which included being one of the first Clinical Nurse Managers in this hospital. He later moved into the role of General Manger in surgical service. Nick’s final management role before retiring was to commission the new Derby Hospital, which is now called the Royal Derby Hospital. This was a challenging rolebut Nick was always up for a challenge.
One of the things he used to do, which must have been a royal pain for his colleagues, was to have a ‘snagging list’ which ran into 100s of items - and he made sure that every single thing was completed before being checked off the list!
Nick was a dedicated, consummate professional, loved by all his colleagues. He took pride in ‘walking the walk’ and listening carefully to what was a concern for people. He would always go the extra mile and held the patient in mind at the centre of everything. He was a great role model and advert for the NHS, in which he passionately believed.
After retirement in 2014 Nick became a governor at the hospital Trust. He spent nine years in this role helping to look after the best interests of both patients and staff. Alongside this Nick became a member of School Committee 2014 –2022. He took on the role of Clerk to the Compliance and Policies Sub-Committee.
He sadly died on June 21st 2022, just before what would have been his very last Committee meeting. It was a fitting tribute to his dedication to the school that the flag above centre Library was lowered to half-mast at this time. His colleagues said “it is difficult to imagine a more hard-working and committed individual who was also such a warm, decent and good-humoured human being. He will be in our thoughts for a long time to come.”
In his personal life Nick met Debbi in the long, hot summer of 1976 at St David’s in Wales, where they were both holidaying separately. They were married in 1979 and their son, Adam, was born in 1984. Grandchildren followed in 2012 and 2015, making their family complete.
Nick led a very full and busy life following his retirement. As well as his hospital and Ackworth commitments he enjoyed long distance walking, tending his beautiful garden, growing vegetables in his allotment, keeping fit, cycling and going on holiday, especially in his caravan. He had always been interested in DIY and when he wasn’t working on his own house, he was only too happy to help others in theirs. There were never enough hours in his day.
He touched the lives of many and his life was taken too early. He will be very sadly missed by all who knew him, but never forgotten.
We were also sorry to hear of the passing of:
Vivian Baker
David Houghton
Stephen Anthony Stringfield
Rachel Thompson (née Lee)
Anne Rowntree
Our thoughts are with all the families who have lost loved ones.
I joined Team Manvers Dragons, a local Dragonboat team, when it was founded in the Summer of 2019. Over the last few years I have regularly trained with them as well as gaining my helm and coaching qualifications from the British Dragonboat Association. Dragonboating is a popular sport worldwide. It takes place in large boats which can carry up to 20 paddlers as well as a helm who steers and a drummer who sits at the front to motivate the crew. We have been working hard towards the recent BDA Dragonboat Nationals which was held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham on the 1st and 2nd October. The event certainly did not disappoint as teams from all over the UK came together to battle against each other for the titles. I am very proud to say we had outstanding achievements throughout the weekend. Which were the product of dedication, hard work and team effort. Team Manvers Dragons came 1st in the senior 200m, 3rd in the 2000m open event, 2nd in the men’s 200m, 3rd in the open 200m and 1st in the men’s 200m! If you are interested in finding out more about dragonboating, or would like to come and try the sport, please contact me and I can arrange tasters to help get you started: jane.burren@mwbc.org.uk
Jane Burren, Autism Resource Teacher
It really doesn’t seem that long ago that I was sitting in the most exquisite Visitor’s Room awaiting my interview for the position of the Head of Girls’ PE and Games at Ackworth School.
I was fortunate to be offered the post alongside the role as Assistant Housemistress with Lorna Warren in the beautiful Ackworth House – the boarding house for over forty 14 to 16 year old girls from all over the world. So not only did I have an exciting new job but also a lively and interesting new home! What struck me most, apart from the impressive school environment, was the amazing, friendly, welcoming and supportive staff team. The opportunities for the girls to engage in sporting activities was extraordinary during the lessons, clubs, fixtures, voluntary bathes and weekend activities. The scope to teach a wide variety of sports was especially appealing, including trampolining, gymnastics, dance and swimming, as well as all the traditional games.
I have always been thrilled to see the development of sporting skills of pupils of all ages and the clear enjoyment that this brings to them as they progress through the school.
There have been numerous highlights in my career from seeing pupils master a skill and improving their performances, teaching swimming and games to pupils in the Autistic Unit, taking committed sporting teams to fixtures and tournaments around the county, inter-house competitive events and even a pupil completing the Hessle Run on crutches in the Cross Country Championship.
For the past 14 years at Coram House, I have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside great colleagues (some of whom I previously taught!) and have had the privilege of teaching children in all year groups.
More recently, I have had the wonderful opportunity to develop PE into the Nursery Curriculum and swimming lessons during the Kindergarten sessions.
It has all been a family affair as my father, Tony Hoar, worked in the Autism Resource for 4 years and our son, Harry Dean, thrived throughout his time from Nursery through to Coram House and the Senior School.
Having taught both Old Scholars and their children, it makes me realise how long I have been at the school!
Julie HoarChristopher Baily also celebrates 25 years!
A warm welcome to all our New Starters!Laura Young Head of Business Studies Helen Hare Teacher of Business Studies Nicole Marshall Teacher of Girls’ PE Jean Banks Specialist Learning Mentor Paul Donald Head of English Annette Hull Teacher of EAL/French Chris Sands Head of Computer Science James Busson Director of Marketing, Admissions and Communications James Bower Teacher of Boys’ PE Melanie Norcup Specialist Learning Mentor Belle Wagner Coram Teacher Andy Penman Committee Member Hannah Walker AR Deputy Hannah Ellis Operational DSL Amy Slater Coram Teacher Mary Hartshorne Committee Member
We were sad to see Neil Fitzgerald, Head of English leave Ackworth School last summer after five years with us. Neil is a fantastic teacher, an exceptional head of department and a real advocate for his subject. He will be sorely missed by pupils and staff alike and we wish him all the best. Neil has left England to live in France where we have no doubt he will be successful.
On a Tuesday night during Autumn Term, Ackworth School PSA held their autumnal flower arranging evening. What a creative and pleasurable evening it was, and great to see so many attend. Thank you to Karen from Castleford Flower Club for hosting!
And a fairwell to our leavers, we will be sad to see you go!Sue Raphael Committee Member Helen Cross Donna Morley Food Technician Emma Louise Rose Jayne Petersen Teaching Assistant 1:1 Sarah Bentham
