Senior and Sixth Form students enthralled audiences with an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic Hamlet
Top of the Bench:
Congratulations to Aryan K, Rayan M, Kowthar K and Eva Maria K who came an outstanding third place in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench final.
NCS Volunteers:
Our National Citizen Service (NCS) Life Skills group volunteered at Welcome House, a local charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers. They helped on the front desk, served teas and coffees, and supported during an art class, all whilst having the opportunity to talk to the refugees and find out more about the worthwhile work the charity is doing!
Children’s Mental Health Awareness:
As part of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week we checked back in with the Kindness Tree our students’ created during Anti-Bullying Week, and what a change we found. Spring has sprung and it has grown many acts of kindness leaves, illustrating that our students are focusing hard on making Hymers a kinder place for everyone.
French/Spanish Spelling Bee:
We’re incredibly proud of our talented Year 7 linguists who represented Hymers at the regional final of the French/Spanish Spelling Bee at University of Leeds. Aiza A came first in Spanish, Ben C came first in French and Alice B-G came third in Spanish. All three have now qualified for the national final at the University of Cambridge in June. Well done!
GENERAL REVIEW
Hymers Welcomes New Chair of Governors
Hymers College is pleased to welcome a new Chair of Governors to the Board - alumnus Dr John Kittmer. Having left Hymers in 1985, John went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and King’s College London. He gained degrees in Classics and in Modern Greek, plus a PhD in Modern Greek Literature.
His professional career in the civil and diplomatic services saw him work for the Department for Education and Employment, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office. Over nearly 25 years, he held numerous positions, including as the British Ambassador to Greece (2013-2016). In 2021, he received an honours award from the Greek state.
When discussing why he had chosen to volunteer his time to support Hymers College, John shared that it was in large part because of his studies at the school. He said: “I am fully aware of everything that this school did for me… Hymers College takes the transmission of knowledge seriously, whether that is through academic knowledge, transferable skills or wider life skills, such as teamwork and publicspeaking.
“Most importantly, Hymers inspires young people to learn and to be curious about the world, to be exploratory and ambitious, to enter adult life with the knowledge, skills and confidence to develop learning further and to make a real contribution: to the professions, to enterprise and to society. The teachers who inspired me directly influenced the course of my life, they opened my mind to possibilities I wouldn’t have dreamed of and changed my life for the better.”
John has worked in the private sector as a non-executive director of an international maritime business and has substantial experience in the voluntary sector. He spent four years as the chair of the Gilbert Murray Trust and was the chair of the Anglo-Hellenic League from 2018 to
2024. Speaking of the charitable nature of Hymers College, which supports 10% of its students through its bursary scheme, he said: “Hymers College was founded in the belief that the provision of high-quality education is a reasonable, achievable charitable objective. I am strongly committed to that belief. The teachers at Hymers are sources of inspiration, engines of possibility, life-changers.”
Dr Kittmer succeeds John Redman, who served as the Chair of Governors for six years and will remain on the Board until the end of the academic year.
Mr Justin Stanley, Headmaster at Hymers College, welcomed the appointment. “The commitment Mr Redman has shown to the role has been quite extraordinary. One of his great qualities is his deep understanding of education and empathy for everyone with a stake in school life: the pupils, the parents, the staff.
“Whilst we will miss John Redman, I know that the Board have found an excellent and experienced successor, and I look forward to working closely with Dr John Kittmer in the years ahead.”
Cricket for England:
Congratulations to Ashwin K in Year
10 who, after being nominated to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) team last month, has now been selected to attend Phase 1 of the 2025 ECB North of England U15 Programme.
Rosslyn Park Rugby Sevens:
Our U11 boys team took part in the Howden Rosslyn Park National School Sevens. They have trained hard all term and are really looking forward to taking part in the largest schools 7s competition in the world. They’re all very proudly wearing their hoodies. Thank you to Butler’s Grove for sponsoring the team.
Football and Rugby Success:
We had a double whammy of semi-final qualifiers in February.
Our U15 boys rugby team beat Warwick School 22-12 to progress through to the semi final of the Continental Tyres UK England Rugby Schools Cup and our U12 boys football team made it through to the semi-finals of the English Schools’ Football Association National Cup. Well done boys!
SPORTS REVIEW
Premier League Finals for U11 Girls Football Team
Our girls U11 football team is through to the finals of a prestigious national competition – and were seen by millions of people on TV. The team is through to the finals of the Premier League Primary Stars tournament for the first time.
The Hymers team won every game in the Hull round of the competition, hosted by the Tigers Trust, to progress to the Humberside round.
The girls again won every match and moved onto the regional finals, where they represented Hull City for the chance to play in the national finals. In preparation
Hymers Football Team Win National Cup Competition
The U15 boys football team claimed the title in the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) National Cup. The team battled it out at Beaconsfield Town Football Club, playing against St James School from London and clinched the win with a final score of 5-2.
The match against St James was a display of skill, resilience and teamwork, as the boys played with a level of composure and confidence that showcased their growth over the years.
was able to train at the Tigers Trust arena. They then had to compete against schools representing Doncaster, Bradford, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Huddersfield, Lincoln, York, Barnsley and Leeds for a place in the national finals.
The regional finals were filmed by Sky Sports for its popular Soccer Saturday programme, which is watched by millions of viewers each week.
Kristian Walmsley, head of football at Hymers College said: “This success marks the culmination of years of blood, sweat and tears from near-misses. The heartbreak of those close calls only fueled the team’s desire to improve, and this year they came back stronger than ever, fully prepared to take on the challenge.”
A New Development for Girls’ Rugby
We are over the moon to announce that girls rugby has arrived at our Junior School!
Our Year 6 team have really embraced the game and are fully kitted out ready for their first tournament next week. A big thank you to Edwardson Associates for sponsoring their new shirts.
With the Women’s Six Nations having kicked off, and the World Cup taking place this summer, we’re sure there will be plenty of inspiration from England Rugby to see girls rugby thrive here at Hymers.
Yorkshire Wold Music Competition:
Congratulations to our Sixth Form band members Joe A, Sam B, Seth C, Anay D, Emilia J, Thomas O-C, and Srikar V who won the Yorkshire Wolds Music Foundation’s gig competition final in March.
Great Big Dance Off:
We’re super proud of our Year 6 dancers who entered the regional round of The Great Big Dance Off in Halifax and won! They will now dance at the national finals in June. Good luck girls.
World Book Day:
Our Junior School celebrated World Book Day in style with a fun afternoon of book themed games. We particularly enjoyed the ‘Feely Box Game’, which involved contestants guessing the book by feeling the associated object. Our pupils came to school dressed in book themed costume or pyjamas, and our staff couldn’t resist joining in the fun.
Ancient Drama Festival:
Our Classics department headed to the University of Warwick for their annual Ancient Drama Festival last week. Our students took part in a series of lectures on Greek drama and watched a riveting performance of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon.
ARTS REVIEW
Senior Production of Hamlet
In March, our Senior School and Sixth Form students enthralled audiences with an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic ‘Hamlet’, that was closer to home than anyone had ever seen it before!
Reimagined by our Head of Drama Miss Witts, this special production saw the drama unfolding in the city of Hull, set in the 90s.
Bringing the story to a more relevant time and location for the audience only served to give the intrigue a more authentic feel, increasing the tension in the theatre, as the cast unfolded the plot before us.
Many 90s Hull landmarks were resurrected on stage, such as Fletcher’s fountain and our infamous white telephone boxes.
Year 5 Performs Peter Pan
What an amazing production of Peter Pan which saw every child in Year 5 play a part in this well-known tale of the boy who never grew up.
With 12 fabulous songs, the children sang their hearts out and almost raised the roof of our theatre! We hope you got the chance to see it .
Old Hymerian Lunch
Our student musicians frequently help out at the Old Hymerians bi-monthly lunches by entertaining the alumni with their wide range of musical talents.
During the most recent lunch in March, the guests listened to guitar, piano and bongos played by Declan H, Annay D, Ryan G and Daniel P.
Francesca’s EPQ Project
Francesca W in Year 13 has been undertaking an Extended Project Qualification in addition to her A Levels. For her EPQ she decided ‘to write and illustrate a children’s book that explores the power of friendship, kindness, and empathy’ after being inspired by reading to Year 1 pupils at Thoresby Primary School - HCAT last year.
Francesca carried out research for her project, holding focus groups at local primary schools. She learnt to use Adobe Photoshop so she could illustrate her book herself, and enrolled on a writing class to improve her storyboarding and rhyming.
The final stage of her project was a visit to our own Hymers Hessle Mount to test the success of her finished book on our pupils... and what a success it was! They were all very enthusiastic and clearly enjoyed it.
Author Philippa Leathley Returns to Hymers
We welcomed Philippa Leathley, author of Inkbound, in March for an interactive session that enthralled our students.
Philippa told us about her new book and gave lots of tips on becoming a writer,
Barnardo’s Choir Competition:
Our Year 6 choir travelled to Birmingham to compete in the National Finals of the Barnardo’s Choir Competition. They are one of only 16 junior choirs to be selected for the finals, so competing today is an achievement in itself; we’re already so proud of you!
Ferens Art Gallery Visit:
Our Year 3 pupils enjoyed a visit to Ferens Art Gallery. They evaluated and analysed the art, developing their visual literacy skills by making suggestions about the narratives within them. They explored their favourite works and recorded their observations in their sketchbooks before heading back to school to develop their ideas further. Well done Year 3!
before answering questions and chatting one-to-one whilst signing books.
Cambridge Chemistry Race:
Our Head of Chemistry, Mr Prescott, took a group of our Sixth Form students to his alma mater, the University of Cambridge, for the Cambridge Chemistry Race recently.
Vignesh B, Parul K, Guruguhan B, Nandhan S and Alice X made up the Hymers team, calling themselves the ‘Hysomers’.
It was a tough challenge as the teams raced against the clock to solve chemistry problems, but our students finished an impressive 12th out of the 60 schools present.
Hymers Hessle Mount
Bird Week:
The children at Hymers Hessle Mount were very excited earlier this term when Parrots and Pirates came for a visit! This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to not only learn more about the birds and how they fly, but also test their bravery and see if they dare hold one on their arm or even their head! The parrots were a lot noisier than expected though!
The Show Goes on the Road
In the penultimate week of term we were treated to the wonderful performance of There’s a Sunflower in my Supper from our talented Year 1 children.
Forest School:
This half term Year 2 have been enjoying weekly sessions in our forest school!
They’ve been learning about plants, creating artwork with natural materials and making bird feeders. Fresh air fun!
Dental Hygiene:
Our in-house registered paediatric nurse, Mrs James, visited to talk to our Pre-School pupils about the importance of brushing your teeth and the different techniques they should use for maximum protection.
The children performed three times and then took the songs on the road to Tranby Park Care Home to spread some Easter joy to the residents. It was amazing to see how the pupils have grown in confidence, their acting and singing was simply superb. However, the most pleasing thing to see was how much fun they were having putting on the show in their fantastic costumes.
Learning About Penguins
Pre-School children took an imaginary visit to Antarctica with the book Penguin Huddle where they learnt that penguins stand really close together to stay warm. It was very exciting to look at our classroom world map to find the real Antarctica together. We made lovely creative penguins that are now proudly sitting on our world map in their huddle.
World Book Day
Once again, World Book Day proved a popular day in the school.
We were so impressed with the amazing costumes as the children dressed as their favourite character.
We were also extremely proud of 2A as they presented with confidence their Chinese New Year assembly to the whole school.
