Rising football star Archie Gray and referee-turned-charity walker Mike Riley were the Harrogate winners at the 29th Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards last night.

The awards, organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation, recognised the achievements of young people in seven categories from arts to sport.

Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray, 17, who completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate last year, won the achievement in sport award.

He joined the club at under-9 level and progressed rapidly through the academy, with an agreement being reached with the school to allow him to miss classes to train with the first team.

He was first named on the bench in 2021 and made his debut on August 6 this year against Cardiff City.

Archie was unable to attend the awards, having been called up for the England Elite League squad that faced Italy on the evening of the awards, so his great uncle Eddie Gray and another ex-Leeds player, Gary McAllister, accepted it on his behalf.

Former Leeds player Andy Hughes accepts the award on behalf of Mike Riley, who was on UEFA duty.

Harrogate’s other winner was Mike Riley, who received a special award for his contribution towards helping young people.

Mike walked 206 miles from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, via England’s highest peak of Scafell over 14 days to raise £4,000 for the foundation.

A long-term supporter of the awards, he is until the end of the season, head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited, the body responsible for match officials in England.

He has led the organisation for 13 years, overseeing the development of match officials in the Premier League, FA, EFL and National League competitions and more recently the Women’s Super League.

Peter McCormick, the chairman of the awards who also runs Harrogate law firm McCormicks Solicitors, which sponsored the event at Elland Road stadium, said:

“Every year we are astonished, inspired and, frequently, moved to tears by the amazing stories of our winners whose achievements underline the depth and breadth of the quality of the young people in our region.

The annual event has now raised more than £1.3m to support young people in Yorkshire.

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A school in Harrogate which served raw chicken to children has said “human error” was responsible.

North Yorkshire Council‘s environmental health officers visited St John Fisher Catholic High School after parents alerted them to the problem.

One parent, who contacted the Stray Ferret with photographs of the raw meat but asked not to be identified, said:

“They served raw, bleeding chicken. There have been pictures posted on social media of blood actually coming out as it’s been cut into.

“The parents have complained to school… They admitted to a full tray being served by mistake and it’s being investigated.”

The parent said she had raised concerns about the school’s catering over several months, after finding the quality of food on offer had fallen.

She said there was often not enough food for all the children to have a hot meal, and sometimes there were no vegetarian options available.

However, a spokesperson for St John Fisher said the problem with the raw chicken was down to “human error” and inspectors had been happy with the catering provision.

They said:

“The human error which was the cause of the undercooked chicken being served was promptly addressed resulting in no students or staff consuming the food.

“The environmental agency were satisfied with the explanation of the circumstances surrounding the error and the actions which were immediately implemented to ensure this situation does not occur again.”

Responding to the parent’s comments about the food on offer, the spokesperson said:

“With 1,500 students on site and a modest menu, it is inevitable that, on some occasions, students’ first choice of hot meal, including vegetarian options, will have run out.”

The incident happened in June, and North Yorkshire Council has now responded to a request for details from the Stray Ferret.

Its corporate director and monitoring officer, Callum McKeon, said:

“We can confirm a batch of chicken was under-cooked in what was regarded as an isolated incident.

“The school immediately fully assisted our officers who reviewed all food safety practices, documentation and checked temperature probes on site.

“Because we take food safety very seriously, incidents like these are few and far between, and no child was poorly as a result.

“We are satisfied with the way the school’s catering team responded to the matter and how they currently prepare food.”

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Saint John Fisher Catholic Academy in Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in a report published today.

Government inspectors visited the secondary school in December last year as part of its first inspection since it was converted to an academy in 2021.

The 1,405-pupil school on Hookstone Drive is now part of Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust.

Ofsted graded the school as ‘good’ in all areas and praised the “rich set of extra-curricular opportunities”.

It found that pupils who attend St John Fisher left “well equipped for their next step in education, employment or training”.

Inspectors added that pupils behave “considerately and maturely” and “wear their uniforms with pride”.

The report said:

“Their achievements are celebrated in rewards assemblies. However, a minority of pupils think that leaders do not celebrate positive behaviour as much as they could.”

Inspectors said the school had put “careful thought” into its curriculum.

They added that recent staff training had also increased teachers understanding of special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The report said:

“There is an effective programme to deliver reading support to those pupils who need it. Pupils with reading difficulties are identified swiftly. Well-delivered reading sessions build pupils’ reading competence and confidence over time.”

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However, while inspectors praised the school’s new leaders for bringing “stability” and “expectations” to pupils and staff, they said it needed to do more to involve the community.

Inspectors said:

“A small but significant minority of parents do not feel that communication between school and home is effective. Previous instability in leadership has not helped. Sometimes leaders are slow to respond to parents who raise concerns.

“Over time, some parents of pupils with SEND have not been involved sufficiently in their children’s education. Some parents recognise recent improvements in communication. However, more is needed to include the whole community fully in the school’s improvement journey.”

Ten year 13 students from the St. Aidan’s and St. John Fisher associated sixth form in Harrogate have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge for September 2023.

The neighbouring Christian schools created an associated sixth form in 1973 to pool resources. With 1,150 students, it is the largest school-based sixth form in the country.

A spokeswoman for St Aidan’s Church of England High School said:

“It reflects their hard work, impressive academic ability and the dedication of their teachers, whose encouragement and support has helped them to make successful applications.”

Each university has made five offers.

Ben Chumas (physics), Ella Colburn, Matthew Featherstone (maths), Euan O’Connell (geography) and Malachy Stockdale (maths) have been offered places at Cambridge.

Thomas Jenner (physics), Isabel Miles (French and Russian), Ben Mitchell (medicine), Manuela Pasman (French and Spanish) and Ben Roylance (history and politics) have been offered places at Oxford colleges.

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Calls to make Oatlands Drive safer for cycling feature prominently in the initial responses to a new survey on active travel in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council opened a public engagement this week on how to encourage more people to cycle and walk in the densely populated area bordered by Wetherby Road, York Place, Leeds Road and Hookstone Drive and Hookstone Road.

It is hoped the exercise will lead to the introduction of traffic calming measures that result in fewer vehicles and more cycling and walking, especially as the area includes two large secondary schools — St. John Fisher Catholic High School and St. Aidan’s Church of England High School.

People can have their say on an interactive map, which has generated 271 responses so far in its first week.

The narrow cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive.

Oatlands Drive, which passes St Aidan’s, has attracted a strikingly high number of responses, with many focussing on how unsafe the narrow cycling lanes are. The comments include:

“The cycle lane is actually worse than having no lane as cars see it as a segregated lane and pass really close in their lane.”

“Please, please do something to stop people parking their cars at the side of this road. When I cycle on this road, I am forced to undertake potentially dangerous positional moves.”

Other Oatlands area suggestions include banning hospital workers from parking in the Saints area and better cleaning of drains to prevent flooding.

Backlash to previous Oatlands Drive plans

The survey was launched this week — more than a year-and-a-half after proposals for one-way traffic on Oatlands Drive were scrapped following a backlash from residents.

A 20mph limit and traffic filters were then proposed, however, residents were still unhappy.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, has urged the council to “have the backbone to deliver” this time.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the authority, said previously: 

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.”

To have your say on the proposals, click here.

Schools across the Harrogate district are handing out GCSE results to their Year 11 students this morning.

After a tumultuous two years in their education, the 15 and 16-year-olds sat formal exams for the first time earlier in the summer.

Today’s results will confirm whether they can go on to their planned next steps in education or training.

Keep checking our live blog for the latest news and results from schools across the Harrogate district.

5.10pm Harrogate Grammar School celebrates results

HGS headteacher Neil Renton praised students and teachers for their hard work over the last two years.

92% of students at the school secured grades 9 to 4 in both English and maths. Almost half of all grades were at 7, 8 or 9, with students in biology, chemistry, computer science, product design, music, and physics achieving between 20% and 35% of grades at the top level 9.

Mr Renton said:

“These exceptional results reflect the tenacity of our students and their own unique story during the pandemic. We would like to thank our teachers, who have worked tirelessly during such an exceptional time, and fully appreciate the support that parents have provided during their children’s time with us. It is this partnership between home and school which continues to be the foundation for our success at HGS.”

Stan Gambrill

Alesha Ndikumana

Mia Felstead and Baha Sabet

5.07pm Outwood Academy in Ripon celebrates ‘inspirational’ students

4.01pm Photos: Rossett School

Another selection of happy faces on GCSE results day – this time from Rossett School.

George Papadopoullos and Matthew Jarvis

Patrick Fleming

Yael and Matan Braunstein with their parents and, right, Rossett headteacher Helen Woodcock

3.44pm Young actress heads for stage school after GCSE results

Talented young actress Izzy Kirby will be heading to the prestigious Tring Park Performing Arts School in London after collecting her exam results today.

The Ripon Grammar School boarding student has her sights set on becoming a stage star, and scored a 9, three 8s, a 7 and five 6s to send her there.

Izzy has already starred as Tracy Turnblad in Upstage Academy’s hit musical Hairspray at Harrogate Theatre, as well as taking the role of Babette in her school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She said:

“I am so happy with my results, especially my 9 in art and 8 in music. I sing but I don’t play an instrument so music was a challenge to begin with, but I have learnt so much.

“I am so excited now to be pursuing my dream of a career as an actress and learning all the skills required for performing in musical theatre, hopefully eventually on the West End and, if I am very lucky, Broadway.

“My dream roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia, Velma in Chicago or the title role of Mary Poppins in the musical.”

Having trained with Upstage for the last four years, Izzy was offered places with three other drama schools but chose Tring as her preferred destination. Its past pupils include actress Lily James, singer Ella Henderson, and Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.

3.28pm Photos: Ashville College

Harriet Sammon with her parents

Luca Issacs

Lucy Parkinson

Seb Bate

3.21pm Adult learners also collecting results today

Adult learners across North Yorkshire have also been collecting their GCSE results today.

North Yorkshire County Council’s adult learning and skills service offers English and maths courses to help adults improve their key skills.

In maths, 85% of students achieved grade 9-4 and in English language, the results were 100% at grade 4 or above.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said: “Congratulations to all young people and adult learners in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“Students, adult learners and teaching staff should be very proud of their achievements today. I would especially like to thank our schools, colleges and adult learning providers for their outstanding commitment and support to this cohort of students during what has been a very difficult time.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education and skills, added:

“Huge congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“I have been very impressed by their resilience, hard work and commitment to their studies throughout the ongoing challenges brought by pandemic, their achievements today are well deserved. Good luck in whatever you choose to do next and well done!”

3.07pm ‘Success for everyone’ at Rossett results day

The headteacher of Rossett School in Harrogate has highlighted the achievements of all students, not just those scoring the top grades.

Helen Woodcock said the “many, many individual success stories” should all be recognised in the wake of two years of covid disruption.

She added:

“Each student has had their own individual experience of working towards their GCSEs through the pandemic.

“They have had to be self-disciplined, deal with anxieties, and rebuild their resilience. Some have also had to navigate bereavement, personal medical challenges and changes in family circumstances.

“And yet, they returned to school and exam preparation with real commitment for study and for being involved in wider activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, clubs and competitions.

“We are unbelievably proud of them all.”

Although it has not released statistics, the school said its results are “significantly higher” than the national average across all measures, including the number of grades 9-7 awarded to its students.

Among those to have scored particularly well were Yael Braunstein and George Papadopoullos, who achieved 13 grade 9s and 10 grade 9s respectively. The results – some of which were awarded in previous years, place them in the top 0.1% in the country.

Yael, whose younger brother Matan has just achieved a grade 8 in GCSE Latin at the end of year 9, has received a scholarship to study maths, history, chemistry and further maths.

Patrick Fleming achieved grades 9 and 8 across all his subjects and will return to Rossett’s sixth form next month to study maths, physics, computer science and further maths. Lucie Cliff, meanwhile, will use her four grade 9s, four 8s and one 6 to study sciences and psychology as she aims to get a place on a medical degree.

Deputy head Peter Saunders, who is in charge of quality of education, said:

“This year’s fantastic results fulfil the school’s aim of ‘success for everyone’, which we achieve through the strength of our tailored curriculum that allows students to develop their own individual strengths and talents.

“We are absolutely delighted for all our students. Their achievements in the light of the particular impact of covid on their studies makes their results today all the more remarkable.”

2.44pm Photos: Harrogate Ladies’ College

A few more photos now – these from Harrogate Ladies’ College, where students were greeted by delighted principal Sylvia Brett.

Ilene Andisheh-Tadbir and Beatrice Nolan

Principal Sylvia Brett with delighted GCSE students

2.39pm Top results shared by students at Borougbridge High School

Two students shared the honours of top results at Boroughbridge High School today.

Toby Naish and Melody Neale each achieved eight grade 9s and one grade 8 in their GCSE results.

Headteacher Kathryn Stephenson said:

“It has been an absolute pleasure to congratulate students today on their excellent achievements.

“We are incredibly proud of the way in which they have approached the challenges of the last couple of years, showing great resilience throughout.”

2.12pm Strong performance in key subjects at St John Fisher

The core subjects of English and maths showed great results at St John Fisher Catholic High School today.

Across the year group, 86% of students secured at least grade 4 in both subjects.

The school said the results showed the students’ “diligence, commitment and tenacity”. Headteacher Steve Mort said:

“It is a privilege to work with young people who have such high aspirations, and it is wonderful to see them excelling academically as well as witnessing their spiritual and personal growth during their time with us.

“We now look forward to welcoming the majority of them back into our excellent Associated Sixth Form. For those students who are moving on to other post -16 establishments we wish them the very best with their future endeavours and thank them for their contributions to life at St John Fisher school.

“My thanks to our dedicated teaching and support staff. They have worked incredibly hard, under unprecedented circumstances, to enable our students to progress on to their post-16 studies.

“The support of our parents and carers has been crucial too. They have worked in close partnership with the school to enable us to provide high quality learning and pastoral care during the pandemic.”

St John Fisher student Archie Gray, who has been in the Leeds United first team squad while studying for his GCSEs, is also reported to have done well. The club posted on its Twitter account today:

https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1562787833261133824?s=20&t=_905is3jWHLGkJ6O1TCq3Q

2.04pm Top results at Harrogate’s Ashville College

More than half of the students at Ashville College achieved grades 9 to 7 in today’s results.

A third of them achieved the top two grades, while the school said its ‘value added’ measure of progress over the last two years showed a score of 0.8 per grade, per subject.

Headteacher Rhiannon Wilkinson said:

“We are delighted with the excellent results our Year 11 pupils attained, and I congratulate them on their success.

“They rose admirably to the challenges of the last two years, and their hard work and determination has certainly paid off with over half our results attaining the top grades of 9 to 7.

“Ashville pupils, families and staff are celebrating the fact that in 2022 we have seen the best ever progress made by GCSE pupils in GCSE examinations.”

Among those scoring highly was Annie Meehan, one of just 188 students across the country to achieve eleven 9s, who will go on to the school’s sixth form as she prepares for a medical degree.

Seb Bate scored nine 9s and two 8s, Lucy Parkinson got nine 9s alongside and 8 and a 7, Ethan Marshall achieved eight 9s, two 8s and a 7, Anna Jackson got four 9s, five 8s and a 7 and Luca Issacs scored six 9s, three 8s and a 7.

For Harriet Sammon, who has dyslexia, support from the school’s learning support team helped to achieve a 9, four 8s, two 7s and a 6, along with a value added score of just over two grades per subject. She said:

“They have been amazing and thanks to them I never gave up. I’m really pleased with my results and can’t wait to start sixth form.”

Lucy added:

“I’m absolutely delighted with my results, and one has come as a real shock – In my mocks I got a 6 in physics and I have passed it with a 9!

“I’m really looking forward to my A levels, studying the subjects I love in more depth, and then hopefully going on to university.”

1.38pm Pictures: Results day at St Aidan’s

Some photographs of delighted students collecting their results at St Aidan’s today.

1.24pm Results at St Aidan’s ‘over and above’ expectations

Students at St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate are celebrating their GCSE results today.

The school said its pupils’ progress was “over and above expectations” and that they had achieved “remarkably well” in today’s results.

Acting headteacher Chris Ives said:

”These results are testament to the fantastic group of students we have had in Year 11. For the last two years they have not only had to embrace the demands of their GCSE courses, but also handle the uncertainty and pressures of the pandemic.

“We are immensely proud of each and every one of them. They have been there and supported one another through a great deal.

“After not being able to have students pick up their results up in person for the last two years, it is truly amazing to see them celebrate together as a community today.

“Our staff have also given so much of their time to help and support these young people – using their knowledge and expertise in their subjects, and providing assurance and guidance through an examination process that these students will not have seen their peers go through over the last few years.

“The support we have all felt from our parents and carers has also been incredibly heartening.”

The school has not released any statistics publicly, but said a “large number” of students would return to sixth form in September.

12.11pm Top grades set young farmer on path to future career

A young farmer has scored top grades in his GCSE results despite juggling the challenges of school with his work on a local farm.

Despite getting up before dawn and going to bed long after sunset, Will Jarvis managed to achieve nine grade 9s and two 8s.

The Roecliffe teenager, who attends Ripon Grammar School, is also a keen Yorkshire Academy rugby player and trombone player in the school brass ensemble. He said:

“I choose to work long hours, alongside my school life, because I have always had a huge passion to educate people where their food comes from, as well as produce the food they are about to eat.

“Farming is more of a way of life than a career, whether it be through the constant work required to keep livestock fed, watered, bedded, and healthy and happy too, or the working of land to prepare, plant, and maintain healthy growth of crops that will then be used the following year.

“I love my job because it varies hugely, no two days are the same, even if I am driving the same tractor or working with the same cows and calves.”

Will plans to return to school in September to study A levels in biology, chemistry, maths and geography, before taking a gap year to work as a cattle rancher in Australia then silaging and large-scale harvesting in New Zealand and America, before beginning university.

11.28am Hundreds of top grades for Ripon Grammar School students

More than 600 top grades have been handed to students at Ripon Grammar School today.

The GCSE students achieved a total of 601 grades 8 and 9 in their results, with 69.9% of all grades being 9-7 and 94.5% being 9-5 – equivalent to a B or above under the old system.

Among the highest achieving were five students who achieved 10 or more grade 9s.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:

“We are delighted for our GCSE students who have worked so hard during two years of disrupted education and I would like to congratulate also the teaching staff who supported students through the lockdowns with an effective online programme which left them well-placed for exams this summer.”

11.11am Nidderdale High School sends students on to next steps in education

Nidderdale High School is singing the praises of its students, who have overcome the challenges of the last few years to achieve their GCSE and BTEC results.

Across all subjects, a third of students achieved at least one top grade of 9, 8 or 7.

Among those celebrating top results are Jeevan Shergill, whose 11 results were all graded 9-7, and Martha Wood who achieved 10 out of 11 results at grades 9-7.

Ethan May had nine 9-7 grades, while Elspeth Raw and Dylan Sawyer both achieved eight grades 9-7. All four will now study A levels in local sixth forms.

Across the year group, students are also going on to sports scholarships, apprenticeships and college places.

Headteacher Kath Jordan said:

“It is difficult to put into words just how challenging the past few years have been for this year group, from choosing their options during live online lessons, to returning to school with limited movement around the building, weekly lateral flow tests, disruption to internal mock exams and periods of absence for students and staff.

“This coupled with the uncertainty about what would be tested, how much information would be released to support preparation and how exams would be graded, has required the very highest levels of determination, resilience, flexibility and commitment from students.

“It has also seen exceptional levels of support from staff and families. We are proud of everything our school community has done to overcome the many obstacles and ensure success for our students and help them to take their next steps towards their future studies and careers.

“Many of our Year 11s have been role models for the kindness and respect that is so important to who we are as a school. We hope that they have felt that both when things are going right and in times of difficulty, we have been there for them and now we wish them all the very best for their future.”

9.52am Promising athlete achieves top grades despite dad’s cancer diagnosis

A high-flying athlete whose father was diagnosed with cancer six weeks before he sat his GCSEs is celebrating top results today.

Isaac Henson achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and three 7s, having also competed in the Yorkshire track and field championships while preparing for his exams.

His father Ant was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April, just before the exam period began at Ripon Grammar School. Isaac said:

“My dad being poorly really put things in perspective for me, and spending many hours a week training for athletics has made me determined to do my best.

“But it’s been hard work and I could not have done this without the dedication of my teachers. They are passionate about their subjects, which really helps.”

Isaac was crowned triple Yorkshire champion in shot put, discus and 100m hurdles, winning silver in javelin and pole vaulting too. Since sitting the exams, he has won the Northern regional javelin competition, as well as silvers in pole vault and discus.

He now plans to study A levels in art, biology, chemistry and maths, before applying for sporting scholarships to study chemistry in the USA.

Mum Fiona said:

“We are over the moon with all his achievements and are so proud. We can’t thank the school enough for all their help and guidance.”

Alongside his studies, Isaac continues with his sports, including being selected for the School Games national finals at Loughborough University next week, with the national pole vault and octathlon championships later this year.

Having been the North Yorkshire U15 indoor pentathlon champion, he’s now working towards competing in the decathlon.

Although he only took up pole vaulting recently, he is currently placed sixth in the country in his age group.

Isaac, who received his results on his phone while working at a local cattery and kennels, added:

“I can’t thank my English teacher Miss Levhan enough for helping me get grade 7s as I struggle with it so much; she has been a fantastic teacher.

‘Chemistry is my favourite subject as my teacher Dr Grime has drummed into me that it’s the best subject in the world!”

9.48am Top results for Harrogate Ladies’ College pupils

Results at Harrogate Ladies’ College today are the best achieved by the school since the new GCSE grading system began five years ago.

The number of top grades of 9-7 – equivalent to A**-A in the old system – increased to 64%, with 24% of all grades achieving the highest possible score of 9. In six subject areas, all of the grades were 9-7.

School principal Sylvia Brett said:

“Once again these are a fantastic set of results which reflect our talented and hard-working pupils.

“These are the highest set of grades we have seen since the new national grades were introduced 5 years ago, and we have incredible success across a huge range of subjects including languages, creative arts and sciences.

“I was particularly pleased to see how well the girls have performed in the sciences, but equally that pupils who opted for languages and humanities have performed so well.

“They should all be very proud of their success today.”

Among those celebrating is Ilene Andisheh-Tadbir, who achieved seven grade 9s and four grade 8s, and Beatrice Nolan who achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and a 7.

Emily Walker scored five grade 9s, two 8s and three 7s, while Harrogate’s Emily Reid achieve five grade 8s and four 7s.

Ilene said:

“I’m thrilled with my results and feel overjoyed at the thought of coming back to school in a few weeks to start my A levels and then think about university choices. I’m really, really pleased with the results.”

Beatrice added:

“I’m really delighted with today’s results and want to thank everyone at school who supported me and now I can’t wait to start the next chapter at school and think about what my future holds.”

Sixteen-year-old St John Fisher Catholic High School student and talented footballer Archie Gray enjoyed jubilant scenes in the Leeds United dressing room yesterday after the club secured their Premier League status.

But the celebrations didn’t last long as he had to be at school for 9am this morning to sit a geography GCSE.

Archie was an unused substitute in Leeds United‘s dramatic win over Brentford yesterday.

He’s in year 11 at the Harrogate secondary school and is still two years from legally being able to have a celebratory alcoholic drink with teammates.

Less than 24 hours after celebrating survival in Brentford with star internationals like Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips he was back in Harrogate to sit in a silent exam hall for his GCSEs.

St John Fisher deputy head Matthew Flanagan said Archie’s quick progress in his football career has been a “fantastic achievement”.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“From the school’s perspective, what impresses us about Archie is not just his sporting aptitude. He is polite, engaging and has a real humility about him.”

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The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the first team but scored a wonder goal for the under-23 team against rivals Manchester United earlier in the season.

In April he also captained England under-16s at a tournament in France.

Mr Flanagan called him a “wonderful ambassador” for St John Fisher.

“There is no sense of arrogance, he is popular with his peers. He’s a nice young man who deserves all the accolades and success that will come his way.”

Archie is highly rated by the club and was just 15 when former manager Marcelo Bielsa put him on the bench for a Premier League game.

He’s the great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.