Skipton Girls' High School holds prizegiving (From Craven Herald)

Skipton Girls' High School holds prizegiving

11:00am Friday 25th January 2013 in News

Skipton Girls’ High School celebrated its designation as a teaching school at its annual prizegiving.

It is one of 200 schools in the UK that will lead the training and professional development of support staff, teachers and headteachers and help to raise the standards of education through school-to-school support.

“It was an obvious next step for Skipton Girls’ High School when the Government’s Education White Paper proposed a new national network of teaching schools,” said chairman of governors John Goodfellow. “The school has become a byword for excellence in girls’ education.”

He added that the new initiative built upon Skipton Girls’ existing ethos and practice and supported the educational system amid the demise of many local authorities.

“Being an outstanding school is not about headlines and league tables but about the opportunities this can bring to the school and its students, the calibre of staff we can attract and retain and, at the heart of all our thinking, is the quality of experience and standards we can create.

“While we can attract and retain outstanding teachers and offer them professional opportunities which would not otherwise be available in such a small school, what it means for our students is the opportunity to work across a regional and national stage; have greater access to top class universities and businesses and to work with partner schools and students to enrich their experience.”

Mr Goodfellow also congratulated students on their outstanding results. He said: “Every year on results day we delight in seeing our students reap the benefits of their hard work. This year was no exception with record breaking Olympic performances at A-level seen in an average points score per student of over a thousand, a medal table to be proud of in placements at top universities, and breathtaking individual performances.

“In a year when the government vowed to cap the number of high grades, the news doesn’t seem to have reached Skipton Girls’ High School. The national papers report that last year one in four papers gained the top marks of A*and A, with the proportion of A* grades restricted to 7.9 per cent.

“At SGHS, the girls’ results showed 14 per cent of grades at A*, 41 per cent at A* and A, and 70 per cent of all entries gaining Grade B or better.

“At GCSE, again 100 per cent of our students gained the benchmark five passes at grades A* to C including not only mathematics and English but also science.” And he added, against a national average of 17.6 per cent, 71 per cent of SGHS girls achieved the new English Baccalaureate measure of C grades in English, maths, science, modern foreign language and history or geography.

Guest of honour was old girl Dorinda Phillips, former associate director, consumer and market knowledge, at Procter & Gamble.

Prizewinners: Special prizes - Head Girl and Helen Hogg Prize for Engineering - Chloe Chew; Deputy Head Girls - Kelly Wood and Emily Giles; Jessie Broadbent Prize (highest academic achievement) and Monica Sanderson Prize for English - Bethan Roberts; Longden Smith Prize (best all round student) - Melissa Wright; Jackson Bell Award (service to the school) - Jessica Staton; The Grace Stapleton Award for Medical Science - Ruth Austin; Enid Wise Prize for Mathematics - Rhian Hopkins and Teresa Vernon; Sarah Woolmer Memorial Prize for History - Laura Critchley; Jean Walker Award for Art - Abigail Yeadon; Olive Harries Trophy for Languages - Jemima Jobling; Felicia Larner Prize for Drama - Kate Shaw.Subject prizes: biology - Emma Brook; business studies - Kelly Wood and Monica Yeadon; chemistry - Philippa Boothroyd; ethics and philosophy - Naomi Hicks; general studies - Zoe Andrews; geography -Chloe Moss; music - Rebecca Jansen; physics - Rhian Hopkins; psychology - Sally Greaves; government and politics - Catherine Wynn; PE - Christina Aston.