A level results are being handed out to students across the Harrogate district today.

It is the first time since 2019 that students have had an undisrupted exam period following a relatively normal academic year, thanks to the covid pandemic.

Nationally, the number of students achieving top grades has fallen, but the number of university admissions in the second highest on record.

The Stray Ferret will be sharing all the local schools’ results and stories as we get them today. Keep following our live blog for the latest news.

To submit your school’s news, email us with details and photographs by clicking here.

4.48pm ‘Remarkable’ year group complete A levels at Rossett School

Careers in medicine, law, architecture, physiotherapy and animation beckon as students at Rossett School in Harrogate receive their A level results.

The sixth formers were in school to collect their results today, after more than two years of disrupted schooling thanks to the covid pandemic.

Headteacher Helen Woodcock said:

“The resilience that our students have shown throughout the last two years since the cancellation of their GCSEs has been remarkable.

“They are all exceptional, inspiring, and talented young people and we could not be more proud of them.

“I would like to put on record my thanks to pupils, staff, and parents for what was an exemplary team effort over the two years of preparation for these outcomes – preparation that included learning remotely and, in many cases, overcoming challenging personal circumstances.”

The school has not published its overall grade percentages, but has highlighted the achievements of some students.

They include Lewis Ferry, pictured right, who will study maths at Durham University after achieving three A*s and an A, and Dan Jenking, left, who scored an A* and three As and will study medicine at the University of Manchester.

Zoe Hopkins, pictured centre, will study PE at Leeds Beckett University after being awarded two distinction* grades and a distinction.

3.48pm More celebrations as university beckons for A level students 

Pupils at Harrogate Ladies’ College have been celebrating together after receiving their A level results.

From medicine to graphic design, they’ll now go on to the degrees of their choice.

Jessica Jones

Chloe Foster

3.25pm Strong performance in STEM subjects at Harrogate Ladies’ College

Almost a quarter of A level grades at Harrogate Ladies’ College were A*s in today’s results.

As well as 22% of results being the top grade, 42% were A or above, and 69% were A*-B – and all further maths grades were A*.

Principal Sylvia Brett said the grades reflected the school’s efforts to ensure its pupils were able to follow the subjects they wanted.

She added:

“These are a fantastic set of results and a reflection of all the effort the girls, supported by our incredible staff, have put in.

“I’m particularly proud of our success in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), and that as an all-girls school we are leading the way in encouraging girls into careers in science and engineering.

“The most important thing for me though is that pupils are free to follow their own passions and aren’t restricted by their gender.

“We have girls going on to study an incredibly diverse range of subjects including politics, law and comic design. Our head of choir has also been accepted into the Royal Marines Conservatoire.

“This has been a long journey for these pupils who sat their exams in the aftermath of covid and all the challenges that surrounded that period, and today’s results are testament to their resilience and determination. They are incredible young people.”

Among the top achievers were Chloe Foster, who received three A*s and an A and will now study medicine at St Andrew’s. Jessica Jones, who also scored three A*s and will study medicine at Newcastle University, said:

“I am so pleased and I want to thank everyone who has given me so much support and made me believe I could do this. At times, we all faced a challenge with the rules around Covid but our teachers could not have done more to help us.”

Student Lauren Stott achieved two A*s, an A and a B to secure her place studying maths at the University of Nottingham. Ophelia Leyshon will go to the University of Bristol to study physics after gaining three A*s and an A, and said:

“The science and maths departments were fantastic and offered me so much help and encouragement, and I can’t wait to go onto study physics.”

Meanwhile, the head of the school’s chapel choir, Natasha Stevenson, who was awarded a music scholarship, has secured her place int he Royal Marines Conservatoire.

Students Anona Raphael and Laila Urquhart will study business management at the University of Liverpool and psychology at Lancaster University respectively.

2.51pm Celebrations after ‘year of unknowns’ at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher

Students at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form have been celebrating collecting their A level results today.

The sixth form’s leaders have praised the ‘remarkable’ way the students performed in their first formal exams, with their university places and other career plans on the line.

St Aidan’s director of sixth form Chris Kidman said:

“There can be no denying that this year was full of unknowns for our students.

“Not only is it the first set of results based on examination performance since the pandemic, but these students also didn’t get the opportunity to sit their GCSEs in the typical way two years ago. This was their first full and formal exam experience.

“Despite all of that, our students have performed remarkably. Their collective results stand shoulder-to-shoulder with outcomes achieved last year – despite a national picture that has seen results drop slightly.”

The associated sixth form has not yet released statistics for its results.

Jon Sharpe, St John Fisher’s director of sixth form, said there was a ‘buzz’ as students collected their results this morning:

“What is most exciting is where these results will take our students. This was our first results day in person since 2019, and I think it would be fair to say that we all loved listening to the buzz of excitement as students talked about their next steps.

“It is amazing to hear that so many will be heading off to the leading universities to study some incredible subjects.

“What we shouldn’t forget, however, is that every student has a story. They have worked tirelessly over the last couple of very difficult years and they deserve their success.

“They have achieved outstanding academic results, but they are impressive young people who we know will make a positive impact on the world.

“It would also be wrong not to acknowledge not just our dedicated staff but also parents, carers and wider family. This has been a real team effort.”

2.41pm Young Ripon carer set for medical degree

A young carer has her sights set on a medical career after receiving her A level results this morning.

Febe Elsayghe was inspired to apply to study medicine after helping to care for her sister Monica, who is autistic and has a learning disability.

The 18-year-old today found out she had gained three A*s in maths, chemistry and biology to secure her place at Newcastle University. She said caring for 23-year-old Monica had been particularly challenging over the last two years:

“It was definitely harder during lockdown as we were all inside and trying to balance that with online school was a hard task.

“Monica was taken out of her normal routine and wasn’t able to understand the unusual situation. It was difficult to deal with, but we all came together as a family to help.”

Monica has difficulty communicating and needs help with everything from dressing to feeding. as well as Febe, she relies on their 20-year-old sister Jessica and parents Reham and Joseph for support.

Febe praised the support she has had from Ripon Grammar School to help her through time in sixth form, achieving top grades while carrying out a part-time admin job in an estate agency and enjoying dancing in her spare time.

She added:

“When I was young, I was curious about my sister’s condition and would ask her care team questions as well as doing my own research. That’s when I began to get interested in a career in medicine.

“I found the genetics and intricacy of the human body really interesting, and I knew I wanted to help people.”

2.08pm In pictures: Delighted students collect results

Students have been calling in to collect results from Harrogate Grammar School, now knowing what their next steps will be.

Here is a selection from today’s A level results day at the school.

Elisia Spears and Betsy Martin

Head students Elena Blair and Ollie Martin

Oliwia Gorczynska celebrates her results

Gab Mosso Zolezzi

Alice Tolhurst and Perla Rhodes

1.58pm Harrogate Grammar School says results are ‘where we anticipated’

A level grades at Harrogate Grammar School have met expectations as many students sat formal exams for the first time.

Exam boards set grade boundaries to between the 2019 and 2021 levels, following two years of grades being marked in unusual ways, including by teacher assessment.

The school said it was “pleased that the results for our school are where we anticipated they would be between these years”.

Across 286 students in the sixth form, 32% of grades were A*-A and 59% A*-B. With 92 per cent of students applying to university, more students achieved their first choice place than before the pandemic.

Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“Our students started sixth form during one of the most challenging times with many restrictions in place due to the pandemic.

“When rates of covid were high, we had to close the year group. Students had to adapt to new online environments, learning remotely from home in the second lockdown.

“They faced covid tests and vaccinations in school, along with having to adapt to changing rules about wearing face coverings. In all of this, our students showed determination, patience, and positivity to complete their studies.”

1.13pm Students across county praised for ‘resilience’ 

Education authority North Yorkshire County Council has commended the area’s students for the way they have taken on unprecedented challenges in the run-up to today’s A level results.

This year’s A level students were due to take their GCSE exams in summer 2020 before the covid pandemic hit, cancelling exams and leaving a great deal of uncertainty for them all.

Since then, they have had their two-year A level courses interrupted by lockdowns and some of their lessons delivered online.

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, NYCC’s executive member for education and skills, said:

“I would like to offer my congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire who are receiving their A-level, BTEC and T-level results today.

“Our young people have work tirelessly for two years under challenging circumstances; their hard work and determination has been inspirational and they should be very proud of themselves. Well deserved credit also to their families and teachers for supporting them.

“I wish everyone the very best for their next steps and longer term futures.”

Stuart Carlton, director of children and young people’s services, said:

“Our students have shown great resilience in the face of significant challenge and deserve credit and every success as they move to the next stage of their education, employment or training.

“If you did not get the results you wanted, there are still plenty of options. Talk to your family and school about your next steps and explore the opportunities available through clearing.”

The county council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, added:

“We recognise that for many young people this year has been their first experience of public examinations and so I would also like to thank our schools and colleges for their exceptional work and for the care and support they have offered to this cohort of students during a very challenging time for young people.”

12.23pm Best ever results at Harrogate’s Ashville College

Ashville College in Harrogate is celebrating its best ever set of A level results, again bucking the national trend.

With a 100% pass rate for the school overall, 23% of students achieved all A*s and 52% got all A*s and As. Meanwhile, 78% got all A*-B, while 94% got all Cs or above.

Ashville head Rhiannon Wilkinson said:

“We are delighted with our outstanding upper sixth results which are the best ever A level examination results at Ashville College: 52% of our grades are at A* or A in a year when the A* to A rate is lower nationally after the grade inflation of the last few years.

“I am extremely proud of our pupils whose results reflect their hard work and commitment. They are the first cohort never to have taken GCSE examinations and they have missed substantial periods of schooling whilst getting to grips with online learning.

“I am enormously grateful to every member of staff for their dedication and encouragement. I know our pupils will join me in thanking their teachers and, of course, their parents.”

Among the high achievers were Reuben Aston, pictured left,  who secured his place to study theology at Cambridge University, and Amy Brown, pictured right, whose two A*s, one A and one B will take her to Liverpool University to study psychology.

Meanwhile, life-long friends George Jackson and Dom Callister, pictured below, each got three A*s.  Their mothers met at maternity classes when their babies were just two weeks old and they have been at Ashville together since year 7.

Dom will now study aeronautical engineering at Sheffield while George heads to Edinburgh to study history.

Ashville student Rosa Dobson has more reason than most to celebrate her two A*s and an A.

Having missed much of the last three years of school due to illness, she has secured her place at Imperial College London to study biology. She said:

“I’m feeling really good about my results. It was a tough three years as I’ve been ill for most of it. I missed the entire lower sixth year, was in and out of upper sixth, and missed a lot of my mocks.”

Destinations this year’s leavers will be heading to include a range of Russell Group universities, such as Cambridge, Warwick, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, and Imperial College London.

11.18am Photos: delighted students collecting results in Ripon

Here are a few photographs as students pick up their results at Ripon Grammar School this morning.

11.02am Ripon Grammar School results

The number of top grades achieved by Ripon Grammar School students has risen today, against the national trend.

More than 83% of all grades were a A*-B, and 61% were A* and A, while not a single grade awarded fell below E.

In total, 153 A*s were handed out and 19 of the 157 students achieved A*s in all of their subjects.

Among the top performers were Eleanor Chaplin with four A*s plus an A* in her extended project qualification (EPQ) and Ellen McKeag who got four A*s.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:

“This is a testament to their resilience and hard work after several years of disrupted education.

“I am incredibly pleased that so many have secured their first choice university destination. Despite the fact grading has been recalibrated to a mid-point between 2019-21, results at RGS have actually improved on last year’s record.”

Mr Webb said the results showed the integrity of the school’s grading when it was carried out by teachers during the pandemic, as well as reflecting the strength of online learning during lockdowns.

The school said the majority of students will now go on to Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, where they will study a wide range of subjects including medicine, law, veterinary science, politics, psychology, engineering and modern languages.

High grades allowed the majority of students to secure places at Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, to study a diverse range of subjects including veterinary science, medicine, law, politics, psychology, engineering and modern languages.

10.42am Teachers’ union says comparisons with previous years ‘inaccurate’

A union has urged people to resist comparing today’s A level results with any previous year.

The NASUWT said after years of disruption, it would be unfair to draw any conclusions about this year’s cohort of students.

It comes as the number of top grades has fallen across the country.

General secretary Dr Patrick Roach said:

“Congratulations must go to pupils and their teachers who have worked so hard in uniquely challenging circumstances to secure today’s results.

“These grades are a reflection of the circumstances in which exams were held and it would be wrong and wholly inaccurate to compare these results to previous years or make comparisons about performance in relation to previous pupil cohorts.

“It will be essential for higher and further education providers and employers to recognise the challenges pupils have faced this year and to act sensitively when considering their place offers or offers of employment to young people.”

Dr Roach praised teachers for ‘pulling out all the stops’ to get students the results they deserved as A level results are published today.

He also called for more money to help education recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“Young people due to sit qualifications next year have also faced substantial and relatively recent disruption to their learning that can and should be addressed in qualifications arrangements and in forms of wider support. This needs to include greater investment in education recovery.

“Government plans and funding for education recovery fall far below that seen in other comparable countries.

“The results achieved today were secured largely in spite of, rather than because of, the support received from Government for education recovery programmes.

“Teachers have pulled out all the stops for their pupils and after a decade of real terms pay erosion, deserve for their hard work to be matched with a restorative above-inflation pay award.”

10.30am Student’s tribute to late aunt after A level success

A grieving student has paid tribute to his late aunt as he collected top A-level grades, saying she inspired him in his work.

Bertie Wood has achieved A*s in maths and chemistry, an A in economics and an A* in his extended project qualification, despite the death of his aunt Jay Blundell as he studied for the exams.

The Ripon Grammar School student was mentored by Ms Blundell, who was a chemistry teacher and headteacher in Wokingham, and suffered from sporadic Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD). She died aged 55 just weeks after being diagnosed.

Bertie, who lives in Brafferton, said:

“She was a fantastic teacher and had a real passion for her subject and learning in general.

“My mum had to be with her for the final two weeks of her life and her death affected the whole family. It would be good if we could raise awareness about such a rare and horrible brain disease.

“She was always more than willing to help me with any problems, and I was very lucky to have her. I hope I can make her proud with my results.”

Bertie now plans to study law at the Universty of Leeds. he also hopes to join sports teams and try new hobbies, having already played badminton for Yorkshire.

He added:

“I would like to thank the amazing teachers and the school for their tireless work to help me achieve my results and guide me through such an important time of my life.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has announced it will have three female speakers at its June meeting.  

The business networking event will include talks from Sarah Barry, chief executive of Harrogate Town, Rhiannon Wilkinson, headteacher at Ashville College, and Charlene Lyons, chief executive of Black Sheep Brewery.

Sue Kramer, president of the chamber, said:  

“For my first meeting as chamber president, I’m delighted that we are hearing from three inspirational women leaders.  

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from Sarah, Rhiannon and Charlene about their career paths, and it will be interesting to learn if they faced any challenges along the way.” 

The meeting will take place on  June 13 at 6:15pm at Harrogate’s Crown Hotel, and is open to non-members.  

Doors open at 5.30pm for informal networking.  

Rudding Park to host ‘dine in the dark’ 

Rudding Park will host its first ever ‘dine in the dark’ experience on Friday to raise money for Guide Dogs charity. 

Guests will be served a three-course meal whilst blindfolded, with the main course being eaten in complete darkness.  

The event aims to raise awareness of how visually impaired people experience daily activities, and educate people on the work of guide dogs in the region.  

Organiser and guide dog owner, Kim Murphy, said:  

“Even eating a meal without dropping the peas or knocking a glass of wine over is quite a challenge and that’s just one part of your day when you’ve lost your sight.”

Nicola Ridgway, community fundraising manager at Guide Dogs,  said:

“Dine in the Dark experiences are just a small insight into the world of sight loss, but people often come away feeling enlightened and more aware of the challenges people with vision impairment face day to day.” 

The evening will take place from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. Tickets are available here. 

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Harrogate charity calls for new trustees 

Harrogate charity Disability Action Yorkshire is seeking new trustees to join its board after a number retired.

The charity, based on Hornbeam Park, is keen to attract those who themselves are disabled, or who have other personal experience of disability.

Business people with professional skills are particularly well suited to the voluntary roles. Disability Action Yorkshire is particularly in need of people with skills in digital and IT, investment management, law, HR, marketing and business development.

The organisation recently received planning permission to replace its residential care home on Claro Road with 36 apartments, which will give disabled people the chance to live independently whilst having support staff nearby 24/7.

Jackie Snape, Disability Action Yorkshire chief executive, said:

“We are a long established, Harrogate-based charity which believes that disabled people should have exactly the same access, rights and services as everyone else. In order to further this, we provide a number of practical solutions and services which include personal assistance, support in employment and access advice.

“We welcome applications from all sectors of the community, and whether you are an experienced trustee or looking for your first post at board level, we would love to hear from you.”

To find out more, click here. Applications close on May 31.

New head starts at Harrogate independent school

A new headteacher started this week at Ashville Prep School, an independent school in Harrogate that caters for pupils aged five to 11.

Asa Firth took on the role after 14 years teaching at schools in the United Arab Emirates, including 12 years at Dubai’s top independent school.

Mr Firth said there would be a new approach to learning from September and his top priority now was to speak to every parent and pupil about their views of the school to help determine the direction of the school going forward.

He said:

“Ashville Prep School is a fantastic school and I want to make it even better. I’m delighted to be its new head, and starting now means I have a whole term to get to know the school inside out before the beginning of the new academic year.”

He also said he wanted to “reintroduce Ashville Prep School back to the wider community” and focus on its “really strong” music, sport and performance departments to set the school apart from others locally.

Mr Firth with pupils from years four, five and six

Harrogate Triathlon will return on May 8 — and as many as 300 people could take part.

The triathlon, which will take place in the grounds of Ashville College, has been going for about 10 years and new event director Paul Sykes hopes it will get bigger each year.

The most recent event, in September 2021, saw an increased number of participants after a covid hiatus. Harrogate Tri Club, which organises the event, hopes to capitalise on the eagerness of people to get back into events after lockdowns.

Mr Sykes said:

“Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and our sprint and GO TRI distance events are perfect for anyone who is curious about or new to the sport. We have a great venue at Ashville College, and this year’s event will be bigger than ever as we will be hosting an under-18s event for the first time.

“It promises to be a great family day out and I’d really encourage people to either sign up or come along and spectate if they’re at all curious.”

The event is run by Harrogate Tri Club volunteers. Photograph: Harrogate Tri Club

The main event is the sprint triathlon, which involves a 420m pool swim, 24km bike ride and a 4.6km run. The run goes along Green Lane and Yew Tree Lane whereas the bike ride takes participants towards Beckwithshaw.

The second event, called a GO TRI, is aimed at people who are less confident about tackling the sprint triathlon. It consists of a 180m swim, 12km bike ride and a 2.3km run.

There is also an event for juniors, aged 8 to 18-years-old, which ranges in distances depending on age.

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The Tri Club, which organises the event, said the event was set up in 2012 following the London Olympics.

There will be stands from multiple brands including Harrogate’s Cold Bath Brewery and OTE Nutrition from Leeds.

A Harrogate district private school receives over £8m a year from the government to pay the school fees of children whose parents serve in the British Army.

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate is an independent boarding school for boys and girls at Thorpe Underwood, close to Little Ouseburn.

The school has a capacity of 1,600 pupils and around 400 are children of people serving in the armed forces. It’s situated about 30 miles from ITC Catterick and 17 miles from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College.

Members of the military are entitled to use the Continuity of Education Allowance grant, which is a state payment that covers 90% of the cost to send a child to private boarding school.

The grant is paid so children do not have their education disrupted when their parents’ army jobs require them to move around the world.

However, it can also be used by troops serving in the UK and many of the families using it are well-paid officers.

One critic of the CEA grant told the Stray Ferret the payments to Queen Ethelburga’s were effectively a “state subsidy of a very large private school” and an obstacle to social mobility.

Long-standing relationship

The Stray Ferret sent a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Defence to ask which private schools in the district have been in receipt of the CEA grant over the past three years.

Other private schools, such as Harrogate’s Ashville College, also receive the grant but not on the scale of QE, whose relationship with the armed forces goes back over 100 years.

The figures show that in 2020/21, QE had 427 children receiving the grant, worth a total of £8.5m.

Over the last three years, Ashville College has received around £300,000 a year for between 18 and 20 children. Ripon Grammar School and Harrogate Ladies’ College also received the grant for a small number of children.

‘State subsidy’

Robert Verkaik is a journalist and author who wrote a book on the public school system called Posh Boys. He is also the former home affairs editor at the Independent newspaper.

Mr Verkaik told the Stray Ferret he was troubled by the amount of money received by QE, which he called “morally and economically wrong”.

Social mobility charity the Sutton Trust has said people at the top of the armed forces were seven times more likely to go to private schools — a situation that Mr Verkaik believes is reinforced by the CEA grant.

Robert Verkaik

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The journalist submitted an FOI request of his own to the MOD in 2015 that revealed, across the UK, the majority of troops using the grant are ranked officer or above.

These include lieutenant colonels, colonels, brigadiers and generals, who are paid between £75,000 and £123,000.

Mr Verkaik said:

“Taxpayers’ money should not be used to fund privileged and wealthy families.

“The grant is an obstacle to social mobility. What happens with the CEA is that officer families receive the bulk of the subsidy. So all you’re doing is promoting the education of already very privileged children”.

State boarding schools

Whilst the CEA grant covers most of the cost for children to attend private boarding schools like Queen Ethelburga’s, 10% of the fees are expected to be paid for by the family.

But with boarding fees of between £11,214 and £14,012 per term at QE, Mr Verkaik says a lance corporal earning under £30,000 would not be able to afford the 10% termly contribution, which still equates to thousands of pounds a year for one child.

He believes children of people serving in the forces should go to state boarding schools instead and save the taxpayer millions.

“The children of non-officer ranks don’t benefit to the same extent. It’s exacerbating the hold a narrow group of families have over the education of children.”

QE response

Queen Ethelburga’s said the college provided a “secure and supportive home from home for students whose parents may need to travel or live abroad for work”.

The school did not respond to our questions that asked what rank the armed forces personnel who send their children to the school hold, and how many are based in the UK.

Dan Machin, Queen Ethelburga’s principal said:

“Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate (QE) has a long-standing relationship with the British forces, welcoming students from forces military families for over 100 years.  QE is CEA-accredited, which means that forces families can use the Continuity of Education Allowance offered by the Ministry of Defence to assist with the funding of a boarding place for their child, at any school of their choice. The aim of the grant is to provide continuity of education for forces children.

“Across the collegiate there is an understanding of the importance of providing a secure and supportive home from home for students whose parents may need to travel or live abroad for work. Staff strive to create the right learning and living environment in which every one of the students at QE can thrive.  QE also has two specialist forces liaison officers, a keeping in touch club for students, and support clinics.

“In these sessions, staff help students to contact parents who may be deployed abroad, chat about issues that are important to them and anything else that they might need help and support with. Our forces children contribute significantly to our QE community with their approach to their education, boarding and activities. They are a valuable part of our QE family.

“In addition to being CEA-accredited, QE is signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant to further our commitment to families, particularly by offering the possibility of employment opportunities to veterans from all branches of the armed forces, to whom we all owe a great debt.  QE also has its own Combined Cadet Force, bringing together an army section (Yorkshire Regiment) and an RAF section. The CCF offers students the chance to develop real life skills that will help them achieve success in life and in the workplace.

“This holistic approach to supporting forces families makes QE a very popular choice.”

Dan Machin

A British Army spokesman said:

“The Ministry of Defence provides support to eligible service personnel with school age children in order to help them provide the continuity in their child’s education that can be difficult to achieve within the state education system, due to the inherent mobility of service life.”

“Continuity of Education Allowance is one of a range of measures for service personnel of all ranks and their families to allow greater parental choice in providing a stable education for their children.”

Former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls was quizzed by students about politics and life with a stammer during a visit to Harrogate’s Ashville College.

Mr Balls visited last week at the invitation of sixth former Thomas Grattoni-May, who is an advocate for stammering children and youth panel member of the charity Action for Stammering Children.

The former politician and TV personality, who is vice president of the charity, spent half an hour chatting to pupils about their studies, interests and aspirations.

Students from St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate and All Saints Roman Catholic School in York also attended and were able to take part in a question and answer session.

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Thomas Grattoni-May, Ed Balls and Leanne Norton, head of sixth form at Ashville College.

Leanne Norton, assistant head of sixth form at Ashville College, said:

“He showed a real interest in our learning support department and how the team helps pupils like Thomas throughout their school life, and prepares them for the next stage in their careers, be it further education or into the workplace.

“It was also a fantastic opportunity for our pupils, plus those from St Aidan’s and All Saints, to hear from a former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer about his own personal experiences. In the audience were our own Year 11s who have opted to study our brand new government and politics A Level in the 2022-23 academic year, so this was a great insight into what a life in government can be like from someone who has experienced it first-hand.”

Thomas Grattoni-May said:

“I am incredibly grateful to Mr Balls for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit Ashville and to help promote Action for Stammering Children. He is a superb advocate for the charity, and it was fabulous having him here.”

Adventurer Jamie Ramsay will be sharing tales of astonishing feats of human endurance in Harrogate next month.

Mr Ramsay, who has completed more than 43,000km of human-powered adventuring in 31 countries and 25 different adventures, will be appearing at Ashville College as part of the annual Kendal Mountain Tour.

The tour features adventure films and guest speakers at venues across the UK, and Ashville is once again one of the chosen locations.

The highlight of the Harrogate event on February 19 will be Mr Ramsay’s appearance.

He will tell the audience about his Atlantic to Andes cycle touring adventure, which started in São Paulo, Brazil, and passed through Paraguay before entering Bolivia and then saw him cycle over the Andes to the Salar de Uyuni and on to La Paz, covering 3,700km in 28 days.

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Festival director Steve Scott will compere the event, which anyone can attend,

Anna Rakusen-Guy, Ashville’s events and lettings manager, said:

“It’s superb to be welcoming the Kendal Mountain Tour back to Ashville College next month, with what promises to be another evening of superb films and fascinating talks.”

Tickets are available here.

Pupils at Harrogate’s Ashville College have planted hundreds of trees in an effort to boost biodiversity on campus.

In partnership with the Woodlands Trust, pupils under the supervision of the independent school’s grounds team added 420 native British trees to the site.

The trees included a mixture of hazel, blackthorn, crab apple, dog rose and rowan and created a hedge running adjacent to one of its sports pitches and a public footpath.

Annual tree-plantings are among many initiatives led by the College’s dedicated Green Committee, which works hard to encourage pupils to think about how their actions can either harm or benefit the environment.

In the last two weeks of term, the Green Committee also ran a Fairtrade stall in the College’s Pre-Prep, Prep, and Senior Schools, where pupils were the vendors.

Cathy Price, Ashville College Green Committee lead, said: 

“The latest round of tree planting and the Fairtrade stall have come at the end of an extremely busy term for Green Committee members.

“Climate change and the environment have been on everyone’s radar, and this is going to continue. By making even small changes to our daily routines, collectively we make a big difference to the environment in which we live, work and go to school.”

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The trees planted are in addition to 500 native trees that were planted last November to enhance existing hedges or establish new ones to the southwest edge of the 64-acre campus.

The Woodland Trust has provided all the trees as part of its Big Climate Fightback campaign, which has so far seen more than 1.8 million trees planted by schools, community groups and businesses around the UK.

As the saplings grow, they will provide a habitat and movement corridors for wildlife and produce pollen, nectar, nuts, fruit and berries for insects, birds and small mammals.

Harrogate student Thomas Grattoni-May has been named as one of 100 global winners of a programme launched by Eric Schmidt, the billionaire former chief executive of Google, to identify exceptional young people who help others.

More than 50,000 15-17-year-olds entered the Rise Challenge, which aims to find young people with the potential to tackle the planet’s most pressing challenges.

Thomas’ ‘big idea’ was a global speech and language therapy app for stammerers who have limited access to support.

Thomas, 17, who is in Year 13 at Harrogate independent school Ashville College, has a stammer himself and has been a vocal advocate for the charity Action for Stammering Children. He hopes to bring together charities across the globe to share resources and expertise.

As a winner of the competition, Thomas will receive a lifetime of personalised support. This includes free tuition to any accredited university and a fully funded invitation to an annual three-week summit of winners. This is combined with access to careers advice, mentoring, and access to further funding in a package that could exceed $500,000 in value.

Thomas said:

“I’m feeling ecstatic, and really can’t quite comprehend what it means to be one of the 100 Global Rise winners. It’s just amazing.”

“I have met so many inspirational young people through this competition, and I am so proud and humbled to have been chosen as a winner alongside them.”

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Through his application, Thomas submitted 14 video responses to various challenges, and spent more than 50 hours developing his big idea. After being shortlisted in May, the 17-year-old participated in a series of gruelling interviews.

Steven Gauge, chief executive of Action for Stammering Children, of which Thomas is a youth panel member, said:

“Thomas is already a role model for younger stammerers, and this will increase his standing even further as it demonstrates that if you have a stammer there are no limits to what one can achieve.”

“We couldn’t be happier, or prouder of this achievement.”

Ashville College head Rhiannon Wilkinson said it was a “remarkable achievement”, adding:

“To be chosen as one of the Rise 100 Global Winners is a testament to his sheer determination not to let his stammer hold him back and, of course, his tremendous hard work and ability.”

The rollout of covid jabs to 12 to 15-year-old pupils in Harrogate schools has been delayed, amid fears they now won’t happen until February.

The government initially said all children in that age group would be offered jabs by half-term, which starts this weekend.

Harrogate’s Ashville College issued a statement today saying vaccinations were due to be supplied and administered by the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust childhood immunisations team on school premises.

The independent day and boarding school added:

“Ashville College can confirm there is unfortunately a delay to the roll-out of the 12 to 15-year-old covid vaccinations.

“The college has notified parents of this and will re-organise vaccinations on-site as soon as supplies allow. In the meantime, we have advised parents of pupils aged 12 to 15 to arrange their own vaccination at a drop-in clinic via the NHS website page, ‘Book or manage your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination’.”

The college, which was unable to give an estimated start date, blamed the situation on vaccine shortages.

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But a spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said this was incorrect. They added:

“Whilst our covid vaccination programme for children aged between 12 and 15 is operating across North Yorkshire and areas in the North East, current staffing capacity has impacted on how soon we can visit some schools.

“We are continuing to develop our timetables and have given all schools a provisional date as to when we will be visiting and will notify them at least one week before our planned visit. Consent packs will be sent to families one week prior to the session. If the opportunity arises, we will look at bringing forward these dates so that we can undertake vaccinations sooner.

“We welcome the recent announcement that parents will now be able to check the NHS National Booking System to see if they can book a covid vaccination for their child at a convenient location, such as a vaccination centre.

“The booking service provides an additional choice alongside the school immunisation programme so that children can be vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

Two parents, who asked not to be named, have contacted the Stray Ferret today saying they have been told by their children’s schools that vaccines won’t be given now until February.

One parent said the Harrogate district’s vaccination programme was lagging five months behind other parts of the country.

“Why are we so far behind given that Harrogate is a hotspot for covid cases at the moment? How many young people will unnecessarily develop long covid as a result of these delays?

The district’s covid rate was 727 per 100,000 people yesterday — the highest in the county.