Our Year 6 students embraced the week, exploring roles as varied as private investigators, outdoor activity instructors, retail, manufacturing and nursing, collaborating to present their findings creatively to family and friends.
Giving Day Support:
The Hymers community has raised over £85,000 (including Gift Aid) for our bursary scheme, enabling students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to benefit from a private education. Our inaugural Giving Day to support the John Hymers Bursary Scheme, named after our founder, was held over 36 hours allowing our international alumni to follow events online. The Giving Day featured a range of fundraising activities including the colour run, yoga sessions, Paint and Sip and market stalls.
VE Day:
To mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, our History Club gave a very informative assembly.
They told their fellow students all about the significance of VE Day and how the first VE Day was celebrated in Hull and at Hymers. They had also spent weeks working with our Development Office to research our Old Hymerians who fought in WWII and shared what they had found with our staff and students.
Maths and English Fun Challenges:
Over 110 pupils from local schools joined us for our Maths and English outreach workshops - We’ve Got Problems and We’ve Got Issues. Assisted by our Sixth Form mentors, they spent their day tackling challenges designed to stretch their knowledge and boost their confidence in these key subjects, as well as having a lot of fun along the way - we hope!
GENERAL REVIEW
Junior School Careers Week
Every year, during the Summer Term, the children in the Junior School take part in a themed week.
As with Japan Week (2021), Eco Week (2022), Best of Britain Week (2023) and Olympic Bid Week (2024), the principles centre around developing creativity, collaboration, pupil-centred learning and resourcefulness.
This year the theme of the week was careers. The pupils’ remit for their work was to produce a creative, interactive showcase for a Careers Fair which parents, grandparents and friends were invited to attend on the Friday.
The week began with a variety of exciting ‘Wow Day’ workshops led by the teachers. These included activities looking at the role of detectives, outdoor activity instructors, retail and manufacturing.
The rest of the week it was over to the children. They worked in their mixed-age groups to research and present a career they were interested in and the results were truly amazing.
All visitors attending Friday’s Careers Fair were treated to fun and interactive presentations demonstrating each group’s hard work and enjoyment of the week.
Wear it Green Day
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, our whole school took part in Wear it Green Day to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation and to raise awareness for mental health.
Our wellbeing nurse, Mrs Picton, was out and about checking in with our students about easy, age appropriate ways they can take care of their own mental health and how to be mindful of the wellbeing of others.
Culture Day
Culture Day returned to Hymers, turning the Main Hall into a mosaic of sounds and scents to delight the senses and enrich the soul.
Staff and students were invited to come in traditional dress and enjoy a food market selling ethnic foods and cultural entertainment providing an opportunity for our students to share their culture, and learn about others.
This is the third year Hymers has celebrated Culture Day, and each year the event grows. It is a day when we come together to celebrate the wide diversity we enjoy at Hymers, and increase our sensitivity and awareness of those around us. Originally created by an ex-student, the day continues to be entirely student-led, with months of planning involved for the voluntary committee.
Krithi R, Chair of this year’s committee, told us: “While Culture Day is undeniably a fun event where you get to eat delicious food and listen to good music, I believe it is so much more important than it might initially appear. Culture Day is a celebration of the student body at Hymers and is proof that good things come from embracing our differences.
“It was hard work organising the event, but it was also a privilege to work with a diverse group of my peers who helped make the day a huge success. Above all, I hope that Culture Day managed to inspire students to learn something new and take pride in their heritage.”
Award-Winning Video:
Congratulations to Maddison, Emily, Amelia and Boeima in Year 8 who have won the 12 and over media category in the Backtrack Railway Anti-Trespass Competition from the Community Rail Education Network and Rail Safe Friendly! The girls created a brilliant two minute stop motion video to make young people aware of the dangers of trespassing on railway lines and each won a Go-pro camera and also one for the school.
Culture Day places a strong emphasis on community. This year everyone made extra food to donate to Welcome House, a local charity which supports asylum seekers and refugees, and all the money made during the day was donated to our school Charities of the Year, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and Doreen’s Hull, which came to a grand total of £2202! The committee also organised a clothing drive in aid of Hull Help for Refugees in the weeks leading up to Culture Day, which saw an impressive number of donations.
Lending a Hand:
Our Sixth Formers are always delighted to give a helping hand! They volunteered to tidy the garden at the Home from Hospital charity. They received so many compliments from service users and the local community for their amazing work!
Trés Bon, Ben:
We are incredibly proud to celebrate that for the first time a Hymers student has reached the national final of the Year 7 Spelling Bee! A big congratulations to Ben C who finished in third place for French, out of over 17,400 entries!
Scientific Success:
Our Year 10 students took part in the National Scientific Thinking Challenge, an online test designed during the Covid pandemic to give students something positive and enjoyable to try at a difficult time. Even though the pandemic has ended, the challenge continues as a fantastic way to test and encourage deep thinking skills in STEM related contexts.
Bronze certificate for Sameer S, Silver for Riya K and Gold certificates for Amelia H and Philip W. Well done to all who took part!
Elite Swim Club at Hymers:
We have partnered with three outstanding swim schools to create a pathway to elite swimming.
We are proud to be working with Tom Dean Swim School, South Hunsley Swimming Club and Kingston upon Hull Swimming Club to offer your child the very best swim coaching.
From September 2025, whether your child is learning to swim for the first time or aiming for the Olympics like Tom Dean himself, they’ll be able to train in our fantastic pool.
Triathlon Returns:
We were delighted to host the The Brownlee Foundation Pho3nix Kids Triathlon again, welcoming over 1700 children to our site to swim three sides of our pool, cycle 800m and run 300m. Our entire Junior School took part this year and had a fantastic experience doing so!
Leo Chases His Dream:
Year 9 student Leo plays for the Leeds Knights ice hockey team and is currently trialling for the England U14s squad!
His dedication, hard work, and passion for the game are truly inspiring — both on and off the ice. We’re incredibly proud of you, Leo, and we’re all cheering you on as you chase your goals!
Holderness Wins at Gala:
Our swim teams’ classmates were out in force to support the teams in the fantastic House Swim Galas. It was a double triumph for Holderness as they won both the Hymers Hessle Mount and Junior School Swim Galas. Well done Holderness!
Junior Golfers Tee-Off SPORTS REVIEW
A group of 23 of our aspiring golfers took part in the newly revamped Hymers College Junior Open, held at Hull Golf Club.
Sri Lanka MultiSports Tour
The multi-sports tour departed for a country rich in culture and for our students to take part in tennis, cricket and netball in a different climate.
The students experienced the picturesque landscape, mountains and forests as well as pitching their skills against teams steeped in sporting traditions.
Planned trips visited Kandy, Minneriya for a jeep safari and a tour of the Galle Fort World Heritage Site awaited our travellers.
The competition has a rich history, dating back to 1922. With so many enthusiastic golfers at the school, we are proud to offer even more sporting opportunities.
Footballer Seb Returns to Hymers
Our Junior School pupils had a very exciting visit from an Old Hymerian, Grimsby Town Football Club goalkeeper Seb Auton.
Seb dropped by to tell our pupils all about how much he enjoyed his time at our
Junior School, along with passing on lots of tips to our keen football players as they head off for the Premier League Cup Finals and ISFA Finals. He also made time to sign a photo for every child and presented Mr O’Hara with a signed shirt too!
Success in the Stadium:
Many of our athletes saw success at the Track and Field Athletics Cup at University of York.
This included first places to our Junior Boys Relay Team, Senior Girls Relay Team, Henry C in high jump and Joey P in javelin.
Junior Sports Assembly:
An incredible number of Junior School pupils won awards at our Summer Sports Assembly. It is a testament to the hard work they have all put in this year. Well done to everyone in school and thank you to all the staff who have helped on and off the sports field.
CatZero Sets Sail:
The crew of the CatZero yacht were delighted by a pod of dolphins playing on the bow wave whilst on their voyage to Norway. As well as learning how to sail the boat getting stuck in hoisting the sails, the students enjoyed some sightseeing whilst on dry land by walking up to Pulpit Rock.
A message from the Headmaster
The end of the Summer Term marked the end of an era as we make final preparations for the transfer of Pre-School to Year 2 from the Hessle Mount site to the main site in September. The governors and I know how special a place Hessle Mount holds in the hearts of generations of Hymerians, and so it was lovely to see so many parents and grandparents at the end of term barbecue that was held to mark the closure of the Jenny Brough Lane site. We look forward to welcoming you to look around the new facilities at the start of the new year I wish to refer you to a video clip that I used in a Senior School assembly last September, at the start of the academic year that has now drawn to a close. The video has a sporting context: that of a post-race interview with an athlete at last summer’s Paris Olympics. However, the contents and messages that emerge from the interview have far wider applicability and could have come from a leading musician, stage performer or, indeed, from any person at the top of their field. Jemima Montag is an Australian athlete who has just won a bronze medal in the one of the walking races and in the immediate aftermath of her event she speaks with remarkable clarity, composure and fluency, offering personal advice that seems valuable to us all, both young and old.
In the interview, Montag does the following:
n She reflects on the pressure she felt in the build-up to the race and how it was greater than it had been during the Tokyo Olympics when there had been no spectators because of Covid restrictions.
n She expresses gratitude to the friends and family who have supported her journey to the Olympics, without whom her success would not have been possible.
n She informs us that she has been on a pathway of hard work that has led to this success for a period of 15 years.
n She expresses how much, of course, she wanted to succeed at the Olympics, but she explains how it’s important when you are chasing a goal to not give it too much weight – your goal must not become allconsuming; and you should not let the goal define you and your own self-worth
n She reminds us that there are times for us all when we do not manage to achieve something that we had really wanted
n Finally, in answer to a question about being a role model to girls and young women in their sport, she gives an answer that is just as pertinent to boys and men, referring to the enjoyment and value to be gained from sport or any healthy group activity. She reminds us that there are likely to be low points when things are not going so well for us, and she reminds us that we are all valued for our role and contribution, encouraging us simply to take part and feel included
Whatever our hopes, dreams and aspirations both for ourselves and our children – in exams, for university or career goals, for the jobs for which we apply – this young Australian athlete seems to have advice worth heeding
Please do spend 1 minute and 41 seconds watching this interview with your children.
Click here to view
Impressive Art:
We were super impressed with the variety, high standard and creative minds of our Year 10 students. Here you can see some impressive work by Bethany H, Sophie W and Evie A. Well done girls!
Music Assembly:
Thank you to all of our incredible musicians who performed in the Music assembly during the last week of term.
Going for Gold:
Four Year 13 students embarked on their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award assessed expedition at the beginning of the summer break. Trekking for four days and three nights, they were entirely self-sufficient on their expedition staring from Coniston, via the Langdale Valley and ending at Keswick in the Lake District. Well done Maisie, Chris, James and Elodie
ARTS REVIEW
Intermediate Drama Club Production
In July, our Intermediate Drama Club presented a production of Johnny and the Dead, based on the book by Sir Terry Pratchett, adapted by Stephen Briggs.
The show involved 42 student actors from Years 7, 8 and 9 and six student theatre technicians, who were responsible for the design and operation of lights, sound, cameras, fog hazers and projections, as well as stage managers.
Johnny and the Dead also featured
the talents of Year 7 student Lucy U, who danced two solo pieces that she choreographed herself.
Directed by Miss Witts, the play tells the story of 12 year old Johnny Maxwell, who befriends ‘The Dead’ in his local cemetery. Johnny and his friends, old and new, work together along with his Grandad to save the green spaces within Blackbury Town and celebrate the significant contributions to society made by those buried there.
Junior Art Showcase
The Junior
It was a wonderful opportunity to share the amazing artwork our pupils created this year with our Hymers family!
International Chemistry Olympiad
Our Sixth Form students entered the UK round of the International Chemistry Olympiad, an annual competition for the world’s most talented chemistry students.
We’re delighted to announce the following results:
Bronze certificate awarded to Ali Q. Silver certificates awarded to Lydia A,
Guruguhan B, Vignesh B, Tim B, Michael H, Samuel H, Parul K.
Gold certificates awarded to Pranav K, Nandhan S, Alice X.
Well done to all the students who entered. A special mention goes to Nandhan whose performance put him in the top 0.6% of all 16,216 entries!
Author Visits Hymers
We were delighted that East Yorkshire-based author S J Baker dropped by to visit our Year 8 students and talk all about her enthralling dystopian thriller Calm.
She made plenty of time to answer their many questions and stayed to sign books and chat with each student too!
Feast of Song:
We had some incredible performances from our singers at the Feast of Song concert. It was particularly special to see our Y13 leavers perform for the last time and we wish them the best of luck for the future.
Hymers Garden Party:
What an incredible showcase of musical talent at the Garden Party. Thank you for adding to the incredible atmosphere.
Intermediate Chamber Concert:
Congratulations to all the performers who took part in the incredible Intermediate Chamber Concert in May.
Music to Our Ears:
Great to see one of our Year 11s wanting experience in the music field teaching one of our Year 3s recently.
School held their first summer exhibition in the Junior School Art room at the beginning of July.
Hymers Hessle Mount
Great Fire of London
Challenge Cup Visit
Sports Day:
Our Infant School students had a brilliant time during Sports Day. Despite the sunny weather they even had energy to spare for dancing in between races!
Pink Pig Farm Visit:
Our Pre-School pupils had the best time at The Pink Pig Farm, which offered a host of hands-on learning experiences and lots of fun too.
Fun and Games:
A big thank you to Tranby Park Care Home for welcoming our Year 1 pupils. They joined their residents, families, staff and the local community for a fun afternoon of games and ice cream!
Year 2 learned about the Great Fire of London, how it started and why it was hard to put out.
They made models of the houses in Pudding Lane and recreated the fire on the school field. Just like in 1666, it was hot, dry and windy, and the flames spread quickly. Soon all their hard work was reduced to a pile of ash - bringing history to life!
Hall Park Farm Trip
To immerse them in their farm animals topic, the Reception children enjoyed a visit to Hall Park Farm.
They met lots of different farmyard animals and were lucky to be able to feed some of the cows, pigs, ducks, donkeys and sheep. A highlight of the trip was taking the goats for a walk and enjoying a ride on the back of a tractor.
Smiling faces if you are a Robins fan as the Challenge Cup Trophy dropped by for a visit.
Teddy and Mr Copeland were delighted.
VE Day Celebrations
The Year 1 children enjoyed learning about why we celebrate VE Day and as part of the celebrations took part in a whole range of activities.
They spent the morning making a colourful Union Flag bunting and designed a VE Day medal, all whilst listening to music from the 1940s.
