The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) has topped the league tables in Yorkshire for its performance in the 2011 English Baccalaureate GCSEs. 

The English Baccalaureate is a measure which recognises where pupils have secured a C grade or better across a core of academic subjects – English, mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a language. 

In all, 86 per cent of GSAL students achieved the grades in the core English Baccalaureate subjects, while 99.2 per cent passed at grades A* to C across all subjects. This represents the highest score in Yorkshire, an honour shared with Bradford Grammar School, however GSAL takes the top spot as it has more students who achieved the standard. 

One student at the co-educational independent school achieved 11 A*s, while 12 others scored the perfect 10 A*s in last summer’s examinations. 

Principal Mike Gibbons said: “We are absolutely delighted for our students, as well as their teachers and parents who support them in their studies. 

“At GSAL we seek to offer a challenging curriculum which encompasses plenty of choice.  We want all of our pupils to do well and make the most of their talents and we encourage them to explore a range of subjects around a central core at GCSE.  That core includes English, maths, science, history or geography and a foreign language.” 

The English Baccalaureate was introduced as a measure in the 2010 performance tables by the Department of Education.  It is not a qualification but has been designed to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to study a broad core of subjects which carry real weight for entry to higher education or for getting a job. 

Mr Gibbons said: “Like it or loathe it, the measure would appear to be here to stay for the foreseeable future and consequently universities and, in time, employers will take increasing notice of it.”

Photo Some L6 students from The Grammar School at Leeds who achieved 10 A*s at GCSE are pictured (L-R) Beth Tapsfield, Oishik Raha, James Roberts, Leonora Cherry, Isabel Kempner and Katherine Ward.

The Grammar School at Leeds has joined forces with HSBC Bank to offer scholarships to prospective sixth form students.

HSBC’s Scholarship Programme is designed to support education for students with strong academic potential who come from state schools.

The funded places at GSAL will be available to students with a minimum of five grade B passes at GCSE and will be means tested.

One student who has benefited from the HSBC programme in the past is Matthew Livesey, now a second year medical student at Sheffield University.  Matthew, from Morley, attended the school from 2003 to 2010.

He said: “I received a first class education and fantastic support throughout my time here.  Getting into medical school is tough but the encouragement and practical help I got in the sixth form was invaluable.

“I really believe that getting the bursary to come to the school has put me where I am today.”

As well as the HSBC scholarships, GSAL also offers a range of other bursaries.  The deadline for bursary applications is January 31,2012, and further details can be obtained from Angela Boult, Admissions Manager, on 0113 228 5121.

The school has a long tradition of putting on significant dramatic productions and the intention in creating a Head of Co-curricular Drama is to ensure that the leadership in this area of our provision is secure. The role of the Head of Co-curricular Drama will be to take a lead in co-curricular Drama in addition to teaching in the Drama department and supporting the work of the Head of Curriculum Drama.

The Drama facilities include a small Theatre and a Drama Studio and considerable use is also made of the school’s Assembly Hall.

Salary
The salary is constructed from a combination of National Spine points and GSAL supplements to reflect the commitment that is expected from all staff. This additional commitment includes participation in the wide range of extracurricular activities offered. 

If you have any further questions about the department or the school you are welcome to contact the Head of Curriculum Drama, Mrs Antoinette Keylock (AK@gsal.org.uk) or the Senior Deputy Head (Co-Curricular), Mr Steve Field (SF@gsal.org.uk).

Application
Electronic application is encouraged. The letter of application and completed application form, accompanied by a full CV, should be sent to Mrs Elizabeth Carruthers elizabeth.carruthers@gsal.org.uk. Postal applications should be sent to Mrs Elizabeth Carruthers, The Grammar School at Leeds, Alwoodley Gates, Harrogate Road, Leeds, LS17 8GS.,

Closing date for applications: noon on Thursday 16th February 2012.
Interviews to be held: Wednesday 29th February 2012.

The independent co-educational school has bursaries to cover seven years of senior school education for one or two boys who either live in the Beeston area, or attend primary school there.

However, applications from the area are rare and the school is appealing for Beeston families and local primary schools to put forward candidates.

Finance director David Naylor, said: “The funding is here waiting for students to use, so we really want to find boys who are currently in Year 6 at primary school to take advantage of this opportunity.”

All applicants will have to sit the school’s entrance examination in January and the financial award is means-tested, however full bursaries are available to those who meet all the criteria.

Funding for the places was bequeathed to the former Leeds Grammar School in the will of a past pupil, Dr Raymond Harker, who died in 1996.  He came from Beeston and attended the school from 1938 until 1944, before going on to study chemistry at Leeds University.  

Under the terms of the bequest the recipient must be a boy who has connections with the Beeston area.  So far there have been two Beeston scholars.

Lee Wood attended the school from 2001 until 2008 and views his time at the school as one of opportunity and achievement.

He said: “Really it was a huge privilege for me to attend the school.  Everything about my time there was first class – the education, the teachers, the facilities and the chances to develop.

“My parents wanted to give me the best education they could but they wouldn’t have been able to do   it without this bursary.”

Lee, who graduated in business management and marketing from Nottingham Trent University this year, was unaware that the bursary he received was only available to a boy from Beeston.

He said: “The funding certainly provided me with a great education and I will always be grateful for that.”

The school is now writing to head teachers of primary schools in the Beeston area to encourage them to put forward candidates for its entrance examination on Friday, January 27, for entry to the school in September 2012.

David Naylor said: “We cannot change the terms of Dr Harker’s will, so we are desperately trying to find boys who would benefit from the education that this money can pay for.”

Anyone who is interested in applying should contact the school’s admissions manager, Angela Boult, on 0113 228 5121.

GSAL students have been inspired by a Harrogate woman’s trek to Everest base camp to help women in war-torn countries and raise awareness of the role of women in bringing about peace.

Jackie Terry-Schuhmann visited the school to talk to Y10 and 11 students about the vital work being done by Women for Women International UK, a charity which helps women victims of war to rebuild their lives.

She was part of a team of 10 women who vowed to raise £100,000 from the 12-day inspirational hike.

Jackie has so far raised £7,700 of the £10,000 which she has pledged and received a further £777 boost from GSAL students. Following her talk, the 14 and 15-year-olds collected just over £388 which was doubled by the Big Give, a charitable organisation offering to match donations for a limited period.

Jackie told the students how the team had taken a chain of prayer flags on the trek, bearing messages from women all over the world.  They attached them to flags already left at Everest base camp for future visitors to see.

She said: “As well as raising much-needed funds, we also wanted to raise awareness of the need for real investment in women in order to bring about sustainable peace and development in countries affected by conflict.

“In taking on the challenge we wanted to connect with the women in these countries who are facing their own much greater challenges, and to show how we can support each other to bring about a more peaceful and equitable world for everyone.”

Jackie Terry-Schuhmann is pictured with students. They are (L-R) Demi Patel, Clarissa Pearce, Charles Etchells and Jeremy Huitson.

Environmentally-aware pupils at Rose Court have scooped an award for having ZERO grams of waste in their lunch boxes…for the second successive year!

This is also the third year in a row that pupils from the school have come top in the schools’ competition run by Skelton Grange Environment Centre in South Leeds.

The eco-conscious youngsters spent a day at Skelton Grange in Stourton to learn about ecological issues. As part of the day each child brought a packed lunch from home and, after they had eaten, they helped to sort and recycle any leftovers.

Waste which could not be reprocessed was then weighed…however staff at the centre were amazed to discover that there was none.

Head of Rose Court, Miss Anne Pickering, said: “Our pupils set a record at Skelton Grange by achieving zero waste for the first time last year and we are delighted to have done it again.”

The competition is open to all schools visiting Skelton Grange, which is run by BTCV, the UK’s largest charity involving volunteers and the environment.

Photographed with their waste-free lunch boxes and Skelton Grange award are (L-R) Lucy-Mae Musgrave, Luca Christon, Adam Ajmal, Mabel Dodman, Ruby Nieuwoudt and Amirali Foroutani.

Three Y9 girls were delighted when a computer game which they designed was in the running for a prestigious BAFTA award.

Amelia Webb, Katriona Lawrenson and Elizabeth Kracik-Dyer reached the final 10 in this year’s BAFTA Young Game Designers Award.

The competition was open to 11-16 year olds in teams of three and attracted hundreds of entries from around the country.

Katriona and Elizabeth, who are both members of GSAL’s ICT after-school club, designed the game, entitled Finger Wars. Amelia acted as trouble-shooter, pointing out issues with the game, and working with the team to solve them.

Head of ICT and Computing, Tim Street, said: “To be shortlisted and reach the final stages of the BAFTA awards was a remarkable achievement.  Well done to the team.”

Pictured with their computer game onscreen are (L-R) Elizabeth Kracik-Dyer, Katriona Lawrenson and Amelia Webb.

A team of young mathematicians from Ashlands Primary School in Ilkley is celebrating coming top in the annual primary maths competition organised by The Grammar School at Leeds.

The Year 6 pupils, Matthew Hall, Jamie Spiller, Tom Shaw and Elizabeth Francis were up against teams from 30 primary and prep schools in a closely fought final at Alwoodley Gates, Leeds.

The youngsters had initially beaten off stiff competition from 80 West Yorkshire schools in the first round of the challenge, which is aimed at pupils in their final year at primary school.

Runners-up were Fulneck School, Pudsey, with Menston Primary School, Ilkley , finishing in third place.

“It was great to see so many talented children taking part and enjoying maths. The standard was extremely high with just 1 point separating the winning teams” said Mr Pat Brotherton, maths teacher at GSAL.

The winning team from Ashlands Primary School are (L-R) Matthew Hall, Jamie Spiller, Tom Shaw and Elizabeth Francis.

A team of table tennis enthusiasts at GSAL have won the Leeds North West schools competition, beating Benton Park (8-0) and Horsforth School (5-3) en route.

The youngsters, Ben Roberts and Nick Brown of Y8 and Alex Rode and Pablo de Pablo of Y7, now go through to the regional finals in January.

Table tennis is a new venture in the school and a team of 12 from Y7, 8 and 9 has also taken part in a match against Bradford Grammar School which they narrowly lost 16-14.

With more matches coming up, and Junior School talent Shayan Siraj, joining the Senior School players, the future is looking bright.

The winning table tennis team are back (L-R) Ben Roberts and Nick Brown. Front (L-R) Alex Rode and Pablo de Pablo.

GSAL swimmers have excelled at the prestigious John Parry relays…winning five of the eight events and coming second and third in two others.

The youngsters competed against 21 other independent schools in the competition in Blackburn, winning the U15 boys and senior girls 4x50m medley; plus the U15 boys, U15 girls and senior boys 4x50m freestyle.

The senior girls came second in the 4x50m freestyle while the senior boys finished third in the 4x50m medley.

This latest success follows hard on the heels of the school’s 28-gold medal win at the recent English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) north east division championships.

Four GSAL teams are now through to the ESSA national finals which will be held in Southampton next Saturday (November 26).

Head of swimming at the school, Maria Collins, said: “We have a very strong set of swimmers and they are going from strength to strength.  They are dedicated to their sport and I am very proud of their achievements.”

Some of the John Parry relay winners are photographed back (L-R) Gordon Benson, Ellen White, Cleo Gorringe and Kent Sampson; middle (L-R) Harriet Long, Eleanor Hall, Maddie Fale and Serra Hale; front (L-R) Mats Crisp, Will Stevenson, James Thompson and Shahaab Farooq.

A record number of applications for places at GSAL have been received so far with demand up across all year groups, in some cases by 50 per cent.

Helen Clapham, director of external relations, said: “Our tremendous A level and GCSE results combined with a fantastic inspection report have strengthened our position as one of the best schools in the region.  These successes have certainly played an important part in the increased number of applications we are seeing now. We encourage parents to apply before the end of December for the January entrance exams as places could be limited.”

Entrance examinations will be held on Friday, January 27 2012.

Swimmers from GSAL scooped 28 gold medals at the English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) north east division championships in Huddersfield.

The 18 medal winners, aged from 11 to 17 years old, competed against 16 other school in medley and freestyle events.

GSAL swimmers finished first in seven of the 12 relay races and second in another, picking up 28 gold and four silver medals.

Three teams are now through to the national finals which will be held in Southampton on November 26.  They will compete in the intermediate girls’ medley relay, the intermediate boys’ medley relay and the senior boys’ freestyle relay. Two other teams are first reserves for the junior boys’ medley and the intermediate boys’ freestyle relays.

Head of swimming at the school, Maria Collins, said: “This is a tremendous result.  All of our swimmers are training very hard and their commitment to their sport is certainly paying off. Congratulations to a fine team.”

Fifteen of the 18 GSAL gold medal winners are photographed back (L-R) Sophie Taylor, Ellen White, Jonathan Harries, Gordon Benson, Angus Hall, Nathan Hale, Douglas Walker and Mats Crisp; middle (L-R) James Thompson, Will Stevenson, Kent Sampson and Max Emmott; front (L-R) James Coates and Jacob Butterfield.

Young netballers at GSAL have triumphed in a schools’ netball tournament which they hosted.

GSAL Junior School was the venue for the annual Headmasters’ Conference (HMC) north east division netball competition which attracted 11 schools from across the region.

The GSAL U11 squad displayed a high level of skill and awareness of court positioning to win the event without losing a match, playing some stunning netball in very windy conditions.

Their first round results were: 6-2 against Yarm; 6-0 against Silcoates; 5-3 against Lyndhurst; 6-2 against Hymers and 9-1 against Barnard Castle.  They went on to beat St Olaves 5-2 in the semis and scored 7-4 against Bronte House in the final to lift the trophy.

Jan Hemsley, Head of Junior Girls’ PE at GSAL, said: “This was an excellent achievement.  The girls played brilliantly throughout the tournament and we are all very proud of them.”

The jubilant team are back row (L-R) Hannah Marriott, Ellie Jones, Lily Reynolds (captain) and Priyanka Misra; middle (L-R) Holly Hudson, Natalie Green and Georgia Pexton; front (L-R) Cesca Akerman, Molly Harris and Lindsey Fowler.

Four year 11 talented netball players Lauren Fraser, Hattie Grant, Lucy Harris and Aneesah Kabba-Kamara from The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) have been successful in being selected to be part of the Netball Talent League (NTL), the Yorkshire Jets U19.

This followed very competitive trials which were held at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield, where heptathlon champion, Jessica Ennis trains.

GSAL has an excellent track record of successful netball players as last season the U16 and U19 netball teams qualified for the national finals for the third successive year and the school’s U15 team won the Independent Schools’ Championships.

The girls are all dedicated netballers and each play in their own specialist positions.  Three of the girls, Lucy, Hattie and Lauren all started in Nursery aged 3.

As the tallest of the quartet Lauren is the goalkeeper; Lucy plays in goal attack or centre court; Hattie is centre or wing attack and Aneesah plays in wing defence position. As well as playing for the GSAL U16, all four girls play for Leeds Athletics U16 squad.

More GSAL netballers have also made it through to prestigious squads.  Rosie Harris, Lucy Stead and Truly Ogbonson all of year 9 have been selected for the U19 NTL Development squad.

In addition seven GSAL girls have attained places in the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional U17 squad; nine students have made it into the County U16 squad and a further 16 have been selected for the County Satellite U16 squad.

Cathryn Johnson, Head of netball at the school, said, “This is a phenomenal achievement which is well deserved and we are very proud of all of them.”

Photographed from left to right are: Lucy Harris (Roundhay), Hattie Grant (Headingley), Aneesah Kabba –Kamara (Horsforth) and Lauren Fraser (Shadwell.)

GSAL students, parents and staff dusted off much-loved – but now unwanted – books for the Big Yorkshire Book Sale in aid of St Gemma’s Hospice.

The response to an appeal to help the sale was overwhelming with books arriving by the box load, and even case load!

The sale will be held in the Theatre Foyer on Sunday, October 2 from 9am to 4.30pm and organisers say there will be about 10,000 books on offer ranging from children’s and fiction books to cookery, travel and other non-fiction books.

It is the brainchild of local entrepreneur, Jonny Picot, who runs Yorkshire Physiotherapy Network.

Jonny decided to organise the book sale after losing his dad, David Picot, last year following a sudden short illness.

When GSAL heard about Jonny’s efforts, they were only too delighted to pass on some great reads to support Jonny and raise money for St Gemma’s.

Jonny is pictured (centre) with head girl Abbie Hopkins (left) and head boy Callum Kenny.  Front (L-R) are Junior School pupils Zac Tobias and Laura Casey-Marten.

Espionage was on the timetable at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) when celebrated American author Ally Carter visited the school.

Ally, who wrote The Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series of books about a school for genius girls who train as spies, spent a morning at GSAL as part of her UK tour.

She gave talks to girls from years 7 and 8 about her inspiration for the stories and also took time out of her busy schedule to sign copies of her books in the school library.

Photo files attached: GSAL students spot an undercover author in the school library!  They are (L-R) Katie White from Garforth, Ria Ansari from Shadwell and Amy Dawson-Kavanagh from Rawdon, with author Ally Carter in the foreground.

72.6 %  Pass rate at grades A*& A,    35.6 % achieve  A* grades

The Grammar School at Leeds is celebrating its best ever set of GCSE passes at A*- C with 99.2% of pupils achieving the grades.

Some 72.6% of the girls and boys have achieved a pass rate at grades A* and A, with 35.6% achieving A*s and three students clocking up 10 A*s each.

The school has also pulled off outstanding results in a number of subjects with an 80% pass rate at A* and A in mathematics, 68% at A* and A in English literature and in English language, 85% in geography and 77% in religious studies.

Principal Mr Mike Gibbons said: “This is an excellent set of results, particularly this year as GCSEs are moving away from reliance on course work to being more exam based.  This is expected to have the effect of levelling off the big annual rises that schools have seen in previous years, so it is gratifying that so many of our pupils have achieved A* and A grades.

“I offer my warmest congratulations to all our students and staff for their hard work, enthusiasm and commitment.”

Yoel Scoops 11 A*s

Harrogate boy Yoel Sevi is celebrating 11 A*s, including a GCSE in Mandarin which he completed in just six months!  Yoel, who is a pupil at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), sat 10 GCSEs at school and studied Mandarin in his spare time.

Two Pupils Score The Perfect 10!

Two GSAL pupils clocked up 10 A*s each at GCSE. Christopher Jarvis from Alwoodley and James Roberts (pictured)  from Collingham, are both celebrating straight A*s in this year’s examinations.

Georgia Takes GCSEs And Plays At Wimbledon

Young tennis hopeful Georgia Craven had the added pressure of playing in her first Wimbledon tournament while sitting her GCSEs.  Georgia from Scarcroft, who is the current No 1 in women’s U18 tennis in Great Britain, achieved seven A*s and two A grades in her exams.  She played in the qualifying rounds of Wimbledon Juniors this year.