Ermysted's Grammar School 'continues to excel' (From Craven Herald)

Ermysted's Grammar School 'continues to excel'

12:00pm Friday 20th July 2012 in News

Ermysted’s Grammar School continues to excel in the world of academia, music, drama and on the sports field.

That was the conclusion of headteacher Graham Hamilton when he addressed boys and parents at the Skipton school’s annual speech day.

He said the educational landscape was in flux with no relaxation of the Department of Education’s drive for improvement, through academies, teaching schools, free schools, a revised funding formula and a revised national curriculum.

And he added: “In this maelstrom of initiatives and change it is easy to become lost – and in that confusion and uncertainty what do we cling to? The answer is quite simple – what we value are the boys in our care. If we can keep the welfare and future of our pupils at the very centre of our vision then we cannot go far wrong.

“That doesn’t mean we cannot be ambitious for the school, whilst those around us are evolving to the changing environment that somehow we must stagnate.

“But we must carefully choose those initiatives which benefit most directly the students and staff and will lead to improved opportunities for all.”

He said the school had continued to play to its many strengths and examination results in 2011 proved Ermysted’s could hold its own against the biggest and best in Yorkshire. At GCSE, examination results improved with 66.67 per cent of results graded A* or A and 99 per cent of grades being C or above while at A level 70 per cent of results were graded A* -B.

For the first time in its 500- year history, the boys were being taught to cook in the newly-built food technology room and the development coincided with the BBC becoming interested in acclaimed food writer Dorothy Hartley, daughter of Edward Hartley, who was headteacher between 1875 to 1906.

Mr Hamilton said a BBC crew visited the school in May to film footage for a documentary on Miss Hartley, which was likely to be screened in the autumn.

Chief guest was the BBC’s political correspondent Chris Mason, who was a pupil at Ermysted’s from 1991 to 1998.