A Ripon Grammar School student has been selected to compete in next year’s BMX cycling world championships.
Elite Cruiser rider Jodie Musgrove, ranked number four in the UK, is now preparing to represent Team GB in Nantes, France.
The 16-year-old, who plans to study veterinary medicine at university, has been riding since she was 11 years old, having taken up the sport after watching her first race with her father James, a former BMX rider.
For the past five years, she has been competing at the highest level, travelling all over the UK to race:
She said:
“Getting into the world championships is a dream I have had since I started, and it’s fantastic to see all my hard work and training at last paying off.”
Jodie in action
Jodie now hopes she can make an impact at the 2022 contest, where the world’s top riders will be coming together to compete between July 26 and 31.
Her inspiration is gold medallist Beth Shriever, who became Britain’s first BMX racing Olympic champion in Tokyo this summer.
It was the adrenaline rush of off-road dirt racing which first got Jodie hooked on the sport:
She pointed out:
“Most sprint races last no longer than a minute, on purpose-built off-road, single-lap racetracks, made up of various jumps and rollers. So, it’s a very fast-paced, high-intensity sport.”
It can also be dangerous, with one crash in Manchester in 2018 resulting in Jodie needing stitches for a gash in her arm, knocking her out of racing for six weeks.
Jodie took on top competitors all over the UK in a challenging series of races throughout the year to qualify for the world championships on her 24-inch wheel, large-framed cruiser bike, taking the final Team GB spot in the 17 to 29-year-old female category.
Studying for A-levels in maths, chemistry, biology and psychology, she says she enjoys being a part of the BMX community, training with the North-East BMX Club in Hartlepool and travelling to Manchester’s indoor racing track at weekends in winter.
In addition to bringing back medals from Nantes, her ambition is to qualify for the World Championships again in 2023 in Glasgow and hopes she might get the chance to compete at the Olympics one day.
Ripon student earns £18,000 scholarship and a place at Sandhurst
A Ripon Grammar School student with ambitions of flying Apache helicopters has earned a place at a leading military school.
Marcus Bartlem, 17, has won an army scholarship worth up to £18,000, which will help fund him through university and guarantee a place to train as an officer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
He was chosen out of thousands of young men and women from all over the country to get one of the 100 annual scholarships available.
Sandhurst’s alumni includes Winston Churchill and both Prince William and Prince Harry. Foreign monarchs, such as King Hussein of Jordan and the Sultan of Brunei, were also trained there.
Marcus said:
“I was extremely happy but also relieved when I heard that I had obtained the scholarship, as it was a long and tough process.
“I am very grateful to have been selected.”
Studying history, economics and chemistry at A-level, he will now benefit from army funding of £3,000 through his final school year and £2,000 for each year he is at university, where he will also be eligible for further army bursaries.
The Year 13 student added that he was looking forward to the leadership opportunities, alongside the prospects of adventure training and travel which army life offers.
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The application process took place over nine months. Following medical assessments, virtual interviews and cognitive tests, Marcus, whose father served as an RAF fighter pilot, was invited to the final army officer selection board, which took place over two days.
Fascinated by flying
Marcus completed a series of demanding interviews, planning exercises, cognitive and written tasks, leadership challenges and fitness tests including an obstacle course.
But it was all worth it when he was informed, three weeks later, that he had been successful:
He said:
“I’ve always been interested in the military, most likely as a result of my dad’s involvement in the RAF. I hope to join the Army Air Corps as an Apache pilot as flying has fascinated me for a long time.”
Planning to study history at university, his sporting achievements helped in the selection process.
As well as representing his school and local club in rugby, he enjoys biking and walking expeditions and is completing his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
Poet Laureate brings the ‘primitive magic’ of verse to Ripon festivalSimon Armitage summed up the power of poetry when he read a selection of his works to a packed audience in Ripon on Saturday.
The Poet Laureate, whose poems brought laughter and sadness to 200 people at Ripon Grammar School, said words on a page take on a different character when spoken.
Armitage, who was the star attraction at the fourth Ripon Poetry Festival, described verse as having ‘a kind of primitive magic”.
The West Yorkshire-born and bred poet told the Stray Ferret he was delighted to perform at the four-day festival, where he brought some of his own primitive magic and talked about his local connections.
He said:
“My auntie lives in Ripon and I have many memories of visiting here and going to the cathedral and seeing the hornblower.”
The festival anthology of poems (left) and programme.
Poetry boom
Talking about lockdown, he said:
“Sales of poetry books have done well during the pandemic, as people have had more time to reflect.
“Many recalibrated their lives and decided they were not going back to the way things were before.”
Lockdown also gave Armitage, who was appointed to the 10-year office of Poet Laureate in May 2019, the opportunity to focus on his work.
He said:
“It gave me the time to complete my translation of the long medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale.”
Saturday evening’s audience was given a taste of the epic poem, which focuses on the quarrelsome conversation between the two birds, as they show their mutual dislike.
The newly-published work featured recently on BBC Radio 4’s hit podcast, The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed.
There were also readings from Magnetic Field: The Marsden Poems, a collection that provides a guided tour in verse of the village where Armitage grew up.
Ripon festival success
His lines, which paint a picture of home-town life and experiences, were very much in keeping with the theme of the festival.
Andy Croft, who was one of the organisers of the four-day event, that included 17 sessions at venues across the city, said:
“We are pleased to report that we are now the biggest festival of its kind in Yorkshire.”
Testimony to the growing popularity of poetry was the fact that this year’s festival anthology, The Other Side of the Looking Glass, contains 92 poems covering a broad spectrum of styles and based on a wide range of subjects, including life in lockdown and the environment.
Mr Croft pointed out:
“It contains poems from people of all ages, who live locally and is the largest edition we have published.”
Ex-Ripon Grammar student completes 48 marathons in 48 days
Former Ripon Grammar School student John Clark has completed a remarkable feat of endurance by finishing 48 marathons in 48 days in 48 English counties.
In doing so, he has so far raised almost £38,000 for children in food poverty. He aims to achieve £48,000 and donations can still be made through www.JustGiving.com/campaign/484848
Mr Clark’s own family struggled to survive on benefits after his father suffered life-changing injuries in a work accident.
His mighty marathon venture, which amounted to 1,248 miles, finished in Worcester.
John Clark during his school days at Ripon Grammar.
The 34-year-old, who left Ripon Grammar in 2003, said:
“The challenge was even more physically and mentally demanding as I expected but the support of so many people kept me moving forwards.
“From injuries, to blisters, to extreme wet weather conditions and heatwaves there were new and interesting challenges almost daily but each day, 26.2 miles got finished regardless.
“The 48/48/48 wasn’t just about raising funding but also raising awareness.
“Throughout the challenge so many conversations were had, radio, television airtime given and newspaper columns written about the crisis this country faces and the 48. It felt like we were genuinely making a difference.
“It was about planting seeds around the country with the ambassadors, runners and schools that support the project and our hope is that those that ran with me will go on to create their own Miles4Meals events in the future to continue the financial support and awareness raising that our nations foodbanks and charities need.”
Mr Clark, who has competed in international strongman events and now owns a chain of gyms, set up the charity Miles4Meals to help families facing the same issues that he did as a child.
His life changed when his father Alan, a roofer, broke his back and shattered his foot in a fall after scaffolding collapsed.
Mr Clark added:
“I understand the difficulties families face and the hard choices that need to be made with minimal budgets available for basic living expenses.
“I hope to make a difference, so others don’t have to experience the same as I did.”
The coronavirus pandemic has increased problems faced by families across the UK with an estimated 8.4 million people living in food poverty.
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Live: Reaction to GCSE results from Harrogate district schools
The anxious wait is over for thousands of GCSE students in the Harrogate district who received their results this morning.
For the second year in a row, the results were based on teacher calculations due to the pandemic.
Our live blog will record all of today’s results as they come in.
Have you or someone you know received their results today? Let us know how it went. Call us on 01423 276197 or email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your grades and how you feel.
17.15pm – St Aidan’s headteacher thanks staff and students
Chris Burt, headteacher at St Aidan Church of England High School, Harrogate, thanked staff and students today after “difficult times” during covid.
Mr Burt added that year 11 pupils had shown “excellent attainment and progress”.
He said:
‘These results allow students to progress to the next stage of their educational journey.
“We are extremely proud of them all and are looking forward to welcoming many students back into the Associated Sixth Form in September as well as wishing others well in their new settings.”
4.55pm – Rossett School students “showed resilience” this year, says headteacher
Pupils at Rossett School showed resilience and hard work this year, says headteacher Helen Woodcock.
Students received their GCSE results from the school today. More than a quarter of the grades awarded were at levels 7,8 or 9 with 15% being at the higher end of this measure.
Meanwhile, 82% of students secured grades 9 to 4 in English and a third of grades in economics, sciences, languages, philosophy and ethics and food technology were at 8 or 9.
Ms Woodcock said:
“We are so proud of each and every one of our students for their achievements during this challenging and uncertain year, and their fantastic results are well-deserved.”
14.25pm – Harrogate Ladies College principal: “I’m so proud of every single one of these pupils”
The principal of Harrogate Ladies College said she is proud of every single pupil at the school for their achievements on GCSE results day.
Overall a quarter of all grades at the school were at the highest level of grade 9; 62% were grades 9-7 grades, and 95% were 9 to 4 grades.
Sylvia Brett, principal of the school, said:
“I’m so proud of every single one of these pupils for the resilience and the determination they’ve shown in the face of so much uncertainty.
“They have been tested in ways they couldn’t have imagined and they all deserve to celebrate.”
Among those picking up their results today was Sophie McHugh, who received 10 grade 9s and one grade 8.
She said:
“I’m absolutely delighted with my results, I can’t quite believe it.
“It has been really challenging being in and out of school all the time and then not knowing whether we were going to be sitting exams or not, but I can’t wait to get back into school again in September and start to my A levels and hopefully have the full sixth form experience.”
14.05pm – Adult learners achieve 87% overall grade 9 to 4
Adult learners in North Yorkshire have also been picking up their GCSE results today.
This year, 87.5% of adult learners achieved a grade 9 to 4 overall.
It is the ninth year that North Yorkshire County Council’s Adult Learning and Skills Service has offered a range of GCSE English and maths courses.
In GCSE Maths 96% of learners achieved a grade 9 to 4 and results for GCSE English were very positive with 100% achieving a grade 9 to 4.
Cllr Patrick Mulligan, executive county councillor for education and skills, said:
“Congratulations to all of our adult learners who achieved their goals; it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all our students and staff during this very difficult period.
“Our aim is to help adults gain the skills and qualifications they need to be successful in employment. These recent results show it’s never too late to learn and improve your skills to get to where you want to be.”
13.55pm – Boroughbridge students “adapted quickly” to remote learning
The headteacher of Boroughbridge High School has said pupils adapted quickly to remote learning during the covid pandemic and can be proud of their achievements.
Among those pupils who got their GCSE results today were Ella Brophy and Martha Charlton who each achieved eight grade 9s and two grade 8s and Poppy Beasley who achieved seven grade 9s and three grade 8s. All are going on to study A Levels.
Kathryn Stephenson, headteacher of the school, said:
“It has been an absolute pleasure to congratulate students on their excellent achievements and we are very proud of the way in which they have approached the challenges of the last eighteen months, showing great resilience throughout.
“The results also reflect the commitment of the staff team, who have worked tirelessly, and the continued support of our parents, carers and governors.”
13.45pm – Nidderdale High School reports “outstanding achievements” by students
Nidderdale High School has said it is “very proud” of the achievements of its students on GCSE results day.
Students from the school are set to go onto take up A-levels at Harrogate and Ripon sixth forms, sports scholarships, high quality apprenticeships and college places in Harrogate, York and Askham Bryan College.
Among those who were high achieving include Rachael Hattan, who received 11 GCSEs which were all graded 9.
Meanwhile, Grace Pawson, Scarlet Wild, Mollie Wright and Jonathan Levy, are celebrating 36 grades at 7-9 between them.
Kath Jordan, the school’s headteacher, said:
“We are so very proud of all the work and achievements of our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year. They have worked with commitment and determination both in school and online during periods of school closure.
“Many of our young people have faced their own unique challenges, with health, family circumstances and facing uncertainty but they have shown strength of character and resilience.
“They and they families should be immensely proud of all they have achieved. Our whole staff team has worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto further education and study, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.”
12.15pm – Queen Mary’s school congratulates “inspiring and industrious” students
Queen Mary’s School, near Topcliffe, has congratulated its students today after 40% of entries achieve the top grade.
Students at Queen Mary’s received their results this morning. 40% of entries were grades 9-8 (A*).
The school also congratulated long-standing pupils Arabella Jaques and Lilian Roberts. The girls have attended the school from 2-years-old and could today leave with top grades.
All the school’s pupils received offers to their first choice sixth forms.
11.20am – Harrogate Grammar School praises student for “exceptional hard work” despite pandemic
Harrogate Grammar School commended its students for their resilience today after “an experience like no other”.
Of all the grades awarded, 40% were at level 7, 8, or 9 (A* and A) with 10% achieving the highest grade of 9.
In addition, 86% of the students secured grades 9 to 4 (A* – C) in both English and maths and 64% obtained grades 9 to 5 (A – B) in both English and maths.
Headteacher Neil Renton said:
“This is a cohort of young people who have had an experience like no other. We celebrate the success of our students today and take great pride in their achievements. The majority of Year 11 students have chosen to progress to our sixth form.
“As today’s GCSE results show, the Harrogate Grammar School class of 2021 have a very bright future ahead of them.”
11am – 97.2% 9-5 (A-B) grades for Ripon Grammar
Ripon Grammar School has congratulated its students for a second time this week but after its Year 11 GCSE results were announced.
More than 70% of all grades awarded were 9-7s (the equivalent of A*-As) with 97% being 9-5 (A-Bs).
It also said that 46% of students collected nine or more grades 9-7(A*-A).
In total 661 9-8 (A*) grades were achieved between the 132 students in the year.
This included two pupils who scored 10 grade 9s and an 8, while seven achieved a clean sweep of 9-8(A*) grades.
Headteacher Mr Jonathan Webb said:
“It is important to stress that we need to see these results in their context.
“We feel our students have undertaken a rigorous and fair process of assessment at RGS and their grades represent an accurate reflection of abilities and efforts. As always, they have worked extremely hard and with great resilience.”
Ripon Grammar School student Sam Cann, with his GCSE results this morning
Ripon’s Jack Laugher in Olympic diving final
Jack Laugher is bidding for further Olympic glory this morning.
A superb series of six dives took him into the men’s individual three-metre springboard final, which can be seen live on BBC TV from 7am.
The former Ripon Grammar School student, whose family home is in Littlethorpe, finished in third position behind China’s XIE Siyi and Wang Zongyuan in today’s semi-final.
Early-bird television viewers, who tuned in a 2am UK time, saw Laugher score 514.75 points in a stylish and controlled performance at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
It all started here – Spa Baths, Ripon where Jack Laugher was taught to swim at the age of 3 by Sylvia Grice MBE
If he can repeat the highly-disciplined display of diving excellence that he achieved in the semi-final, he has an outstanding opportunity to add to the Gold and Silver medals that saw him make history five years ago.
He and then partner Chris Mears, became the first-ever GB diving medallists, when they fought off a challenge from China to claim Olympic Gold at the Rio 2016 games.
Six days later, Laugher added Silver in the men’s individual springboard event, finishing behind China’s Yuan Cao.
The challenge from the Chinese pair of XIE Siyi and Wang Zongyuan, cannot be under-estimated, but it’s all to play for when the 12 finalists take to the springboard in Tokyo.
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Ripon student wins coveted National Youth Theatre place
Carys Peedell is following in the footsteps of leading British actors by winning a place on the National Youth Theatre summer course.
The Ripon Grammar School sixth form student will be treading the boards where the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig and Orlando Bloom developed their acting talent.
Carys, 17, won the highly-prized place following a two-stage virtual audition.
As well as entitling her to become a member of the National Youth Theatre company until she is 25, attendance on the course will open the door to casting auditions and opportunities for productions up and down the country.
Carys Peedell plans a career in acting
Carys has dreamt of being a star of stage and screen from an early age.
She said:
“I’ve loved acting for as long as I can remember – when I was little, I would constantly dress up and make films with my sister.”
Being a quiet child, she was only offered minor parts in primary school productions but she confesses she wrote her own version of a play at nine years old to guarantee a leading role.
Through performing, Carys has conquered her shyness. She said:
“I found I could be loud and confident when playing someone else. People saw me in a different light and that’s when I decided I wanted to be an actor.”
The National Youth Theatre now beckons. She said:
“It’s an amazing opportunity and has been the launch pad for many successful acting careers.”
Carys, who studied acting, dance, singing and musical theatre with Upstage Academy in Ripon, achieved distinctions in all her London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art exams, including grade eights in solo acting, duo devising drama and group acting.
One of the highlights of her acting career so far has been, along with acting partner Alfie Davies, winning at the Harrogate Competitive Festival for Music, Speech and Drama last year.
A regular in Upstage Academy’s Harrogate theatre summer musicals, Carys most recently played the part of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and is now preparing to film High School Musical, in which she is to play Sharpay Evans.
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She is also working on a production of Two by Jim Cartwright with a cast of keen Ripon Grammar School actors, to be performed at Ripon Grammar School on July 19.
Previous school roles include parts in Toy Story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Oliver and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for which she also won awards.
Former Ripon student to run 48 marathons in 48 days
A former Ripon Grammar School student is to run 48 marathons in 48 days to raise £48,000 for children in food poverty.
John Clark’s own family struggled to survive on benefits, after his father suffered life-changing injuries in a work accident.
The 34-year-old will attempt to run the 48 marathons in a different county every day for a grand total of 1,248 miles.
John Clark from his school days at Ripon Grammar.
Former international strongman Mr Clark set up the charity Miles4Meals to help families facing the same issues that he did as a child.
He explained why he is attempting the extreme feat of endurance:
“I grew up in a household with a disabled father and a mother who was his full-time carer.
“We lived in food poverty, reliant on government support to make ends meet.”
His life changed when his father Alan, a roofer, broke his back and shattered his foot in a fall after scaffolding collapsed.
Mr Clark said:
“I understand the difficulties families face and the hard choices that need to be made with minimal budgets available for basic living expenses.
“I hope to make a difference, so others don’t have to experience the same as I did.”
The coronavirus pandemic has increased problems faced by families across the UK with an estimated 8.4 million people living in food poverty.
Mr Clark, who left Ripon Grammar in 2003, owns and operates a chain of gyms.
He is appealing for volunteers and supporters to help him along the way in their local county, starting in Northumberland on July 5. reaching North Yorkshire on July 16 and eventually finishing in Worcestershire on August 21.
After leaving Ripon Grammar, Mr Clark studied sports and exercise science at university and took up strongman competitions after breaking his neck in a scrum collapse, which left him unable to play rugby.
Read more:
- How Olympic Gold hero Jack Laugher has stayed loyal to his Ripon roots
- Advance warning of delays for Ripon bypass motorists
Now living in Worcester, he was crowned Britain’s Natural Strongest Man in 2015 and 2016, and when further injury curtailed his strongman career, the former Malvern Rugby Union player took up triathlon.
The Miles4Meals charity, which he set up in May, also works with the Trussell Trust, which campaigns to end hunger and destitution by supporting more than 1,200 food banks in the UK.
For more information visit: www.miles4meals.co.uk/484848. You can follow Mr Clark’s journey on Instagram www.instagram.com/_john.clark
Ripon student is taking to the skies for charity
A Ripon Grammar School student is planning to jump out of a plane at 10,000ft to raise money for a teenage suicide prevention charity.
Robyn Munday, who will complete the skydive on July 10, said:
“This is not something I would do without good reason.
“I have struggled with my mental health in my teenage years but have family and friends around me who are patient, compassionate, understanding, and loving – which has been just what I needed.
“However, not every young person is so lucky.”
The 17-year-old has set a fundraising target of £750 and is already more than half way there. She is covering the cost of the skydive herself.
The money will go to Papyrus, which is a national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.
It provides confidential support and advice to young people through its helpline – Hopeline UK – and runs training programmes to teach suicide prevention skills to staff at schools, healthcare providers and local councils.
In 2017, more than 338,000 young people were referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), but fewer than a third received treatment within a year, according to the Local Government Association.
Robyn is a sixth-form student at Ripon Grammar School
Robyn added:
“This can leave young people feeling despondent and lonely, and ultimately let down and not cared about. That’s why I would like to do something to help those young people who don’t get the help they need.
“I’ve chosen to support the charity Papyrus, and so I’m doing this crazy skydive to help raise much-needed funds for them.
“I want to help ensure that more young people are able to talk and receive the help they deserve.”
To donate, visit Robyn’s JustGiving page and for more information about the charity visit papyrus-uk.org.
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Pupils ready for return to classrooms across Harrogate district
Pupils across the Harrogate district will be returning to classrooms this week after online learning since the start of term.
While teachers have remained on site to support children of key workers and provide virtual lessons, for many families it is the first time children have been in school since before Christmas.
As well as readjusting to classroom life, including wearing masks, secondary school students will be expected to begin a covid testing regime as the government aims to reduce the number of cases in schools. However, schools are keen to make the return to classroom teaching as normal and positive as possible.
For Harrogate Grammar School, one of the key aims over the remaining weeks of the school year is to ensure students do not become “the covid generation”. Headteacher Neil Renton said they had shown their resilience through all the challenges of the last 12 months:
“They have gone through so much in the last year, they have been used to adapting and changing. They have been at home, then brought back, then had periods of isolation – there have been lots of different scenarios.
“That’s why we should call them ‘generation remarkable’ because they’re more independent and they’re more resilient.”
Read more:
- Schools open for covid testing as classroom return looms
- Harrogate covid testing site to become rapid test collection point
Mr Renton said the government’s announcement about the way exam grades will be awarded this summer had given reassurance to students, and the school had organised online sessions to give more information about how teacher assessments will be completed.
With all the grammar school’s students having access to an iPad for home learning, and now being back in the classroom, he said teachers had had regular contact throughout the year to inform their assessments. However, any further lockdown before the summer could pose new challenges.
“Year 11 and year 13 have got three weeks when they get back, then seven weeks after Easter, and in that time we have got to do some assessments so we can come up with teacher-assessed grades.
“If we have to close again, it means doing assessments remotely and that’s much more difficult to achieve. It’s a critical period for schools.”
At Ripon Grammar School, students will return to in-person lessons from Thursday. Sixth form student Hannah Burfield said she and her fellow pupils were nervous but excited about returning to the classroom.
“Despite my positive attitude throughout this lockdown, I admit there have been moments when my motivation has wavered.
“To help cope with stress I made a promise to myself that I would go outside at least once every day, and I feel that this has really helped to keep me grounded and improved my mental health.”
She said many students have enjoyed the additional time with their families, as well as having enough time to complete extra projects or begin planning their university applications. However, they know a more normal routine has to return and hope to adjust quickly to life in school again.
Ripon Grammar School sixth form student Hannah Burfield
Hannah added:
“Despite my initial anxiety about returning back to school I recognise that it is time for things to finally move back to normality and I hope our routines won’t be disrupted by any more lockdowns.
“It will be challenging for all students to return to school and many will find it difficult to motivate themselves and may feel overwhelmed by their work at first. That’s why it is so important, now more than ever, to check in with your friends and to make sure you speak up if you ever need any help.”
It is not only the students preparing for an adjustment this week. Jonathan Webb, headmaster of Ripon Grammar School, said the return to classrooms is important for everyone in schools:
“One thing is clear – that there is no substitute for school when it comes to the social and emotional benefits we all get from interacting and learning together. This applies, I am sure, as much for staff as it does for students.
“We all miss being be able to read on our students’ faces those expressions of joy and confusion, enlightenment and frustration, grumpiness and happiness; in essence, all the things that make us human.”
At St Aidan’s High School in Harrogate, staff are also looking forward to seeing all pupils in school again. A spokesperson said:
“Over the past few months we have been delighted with the way that students have adapted to learning at home and over the last year have been hugely impressed by their resilience and ability to manage the challenges that have been put in front of them.
“We very much look forward to the corridors being filled with happiness and laughter once again and, crucially, face to face personal interactions becoming an integral part of students’ everyday lives again.”