The RP Weekly: 12 November 2021
The weekly digital newsletter from Rydal Penrhos School.
The RP Weekly
12 November 2021
Sixth Form
Few places remain for Information Evening
Sixth Form Information Evening
We warmly invite you to our Sixth Form Information Evening on Thursday 25 November from 5-7.30pm.
Once you have registered an interest, we will confirm a time for your meeting. It is important that we allow you the time and attention you need as a family with our key staff to consider the Sixth Form here at Rydal Penrhos.
Once you have registered an interest, we will confirm a time for your meeting. It is important that we allow you the time and attention you need as a family with our key staff to consider the Sixth Form here at Rydal Penrhos.
It will all be conducted with consideration of COVID-19 safety protocols.
There has never been a better time to become part of the Rydal Penrhos Sixth Form community. The school recently celebrated its best-ever A Level results, with a total of 70.5% attaining a pass rate at A*-A, which represents an increase of 20.3% year on year.
Those achieving A*-B grades stood at 84.1% – a rise of 9.9% – with 92% of pupils achieving A*-C grades as a result of their efforts.
This is an increase of 2.1% from the record-breaking A*-C mark set in 2020.
Rydal Penrhos’ pass rate (A*-E) remains at 100%, which is the seventh time since 2000 that the school has achieved this feat.
The mean number of subjects passed per candidate was 3.14.
Our ability to get the most out of each pupil brought an incredible ‘value-added’ score of 1.04. This means for every ten subjects taken, all of them came out with one grade higher than originally predicted.
To book, email admissions@rydalpenrhos.com, call 01492 530155 or use our online form.
Remembrance Day
War heroes honoured during Memorial Hall service
Rydal Penrhos lost 106 former pupils during World War One and Two. Their memory will live on forevermore and these individual sacrifices for the freedoms we enjoy today were honoured at the school’s annual Remembrance Day services on Thursday 11 November.
In accordance with tradition, Rydal Penrhos held two services. One at the Prep site and the other within the school’s fantastic Memorial Hall, which was led magnificently by the Reverend Dr Rob Beamish.
It was a very poignant service to commemorate those fallen heroes, with the school’s Combined Cadet Force featuring prominently throughout.
There were readings from Keira Luke and Ceylin Buckley, with Head Boy Arthur Hind and Head Girl Shuthi Ganapathi solemnly reading the Last Roll Call of fallen former pupils, which was followed by a quiet moment for reflection and Ethan Bytheway playing The Last Post and Reveille.
Deputy Head Boy Simeon Murphy-Thomas, who is also part of Rydal Penrhos’ CCF programme, laid a wreath under the stone tablet outside the Memorial Hall wall that lists the Last Roll Call before Rev’d Dr Beamish concluded the service with prayers for peace.
Following the service, wooden crosses were placed under the Mulberry tree in the Field of Remembrance, which is situated in the Memorial Quad.
Each cross was made in the Design Technology department and had the name of one of the fallen from Rydal Penrhos in recognition of their ultimate sacrifice.
Sixty-three former pupils lost their lives during World War One, with a further 43 killed in the Second World War. The service was observed impeccably by our staff and pupils.
We will be forever grateful to our former pupils and other fallen war heroes that gave their lives for the freedom we have today.
Fully-Funded Places
Registration open for 2022 entry
Each academic year at Rydal Penrhos, Year 7 and two Year 12 fully-funded places are awarded to bright children, currently in a state school that live in North Wales and who are financially eligible.
Occasionally, fully-funded places are available in other academic years and the popular initiative is something that’s brought an incredible amount of success in recent years, in keeping the with school’s charitable status.
Registration is now open for those entering these two specific year groups in 2022, and anyone wishing to apply should contact admissions@rydalpenrhos.com, call 01492 530155 or use the online form below.
The Year 7 places are awarded following reference to school reports, a Cognitive Ability Test and an interview with a senior member of staff. Year 12 places are allocated on the basis of achieved or predicted GCSE grades, a Cognitive Ability Test, school reports and an interview with a senior member of staff.
Parental criteria
These are means-tested awards, intended as an “opportunity” for a bright child or young person residing in North Wales who is currently being educated within the state school system.
The scheme is transparent and is based upon financial criteria. If a candidate is eligible, his or her parents/carers will be subject to a financial assessment which is limited to circumstances in which the combined family income is less than £35,000 per annum, with there being are no other significant assets that could be monetised.
This process is carried out by an external assessor and will include publicly-available data which is not part of the submission.
In addition, a home visit will be made – in line with any social distancing guidelines which may be in force at the time – so as to establish the family’s suitability for the award.
Once a candidate is awarded a fully-funded place, he or she will retain this benefit until he or she leaves at the end of Year 13, assuming that he or she remains an exemplary member of the Rydal Penrhos community and is not subject to any meaningful change in circumstances.
Anyone wishing to apply for a fully-funded place can do so here.
Act of Remembrance
Pre-School-Year 6 hold a poignant ceremony
Remembering our fallen war heroes at Rydal Penrhos and across the country is something staff and pupils take a great deal of pride in.
It’s important for those following in their footsteps to understand the significance of the sacrifices made to ensure that their memory and selfless acts are never, ever forgotten.
In accordance with the annual Remembrance Day services across Rydal Penrhos on Thursday 11 November, pupils from Pre-School to Year 6 also held a special Act of Remembrance on the picturesque playground situated in front of the Prep site.
During the service, there were readings from Head Boy Oscar and Head Girl Ella, with the Deputy Head Boy and Girl team of Charlie and Kenzie also lending their support with a reading of their own.
Mrs Devilleforte and Charlotte from Reception planted our Tower of London ceramic poppy in the Garden of Remembrance.
Several pupils stood with photographs and medals of family members who have served in the British Armed Forces.
Mrs Hughes played the Last Post and Reveille and Evan who is a Year 8 pupil and a member of Rydal Penrhos’ thriving Combined Cadet Force programme – was the flag bearer and gave the salute during the two-minute silence at 11am.
The poppy Petals of Peace and Hope were released into the breeze, carrying the pupils’ prayers across the local area to conclude what was a wonderful tribute of Remembrance.
Sixty-three former pupils lost their lives during World War One, with a further 43 killed in the Second World War.
We would like to thank all staff who helped arrange this year’s Act of Remembrance and our incredible pupils at Rydal Penrhos who observed proceedings in an exemplary fashion.
Rugby
Gabriel selected to Sale Sharks development squad
Rydal Penrhos has an illustrious history of success on the rugby pitch. The school is consistently producing outstanding talent who go on to achieve great things upon leaving, whether that be domestically or even plying their trade for professional clubs up and down the country.
Gabriel Speakman, who is a Year 10 pupil at the school, received some fantastic news recently with selection to the Sale Sharks U15 Development Squad, which represents a significant achievement for the pupil following a successful trial.
In order to attain a place in the squad, Gabriel attended a total of five sessions with Sale Sharks coaches, the final two of which were assessments before the squad was finalised.
Around 200 hopefuls participated at Caldy Rugby Club in pursuit of being selected from across North Wales, Cheshire and the North West. After impressing coaches in attendance, Gabriel will now form part of the 45-strong development squad, which is a fantastic accomplishment from the pupil.
Gabriel, who also represents Mold Rugby Club away from his Rydal Penrhos commitments, will now spend the next few months working with coaches at Sale Sharks to further hone his skills, with the development squad also gearing up for a series of tournaments in May.
This is the latest sporting achievement to celebrate in the Speakman household. Zach – Gabriel’s older brother and a former pupil – is aiming for Commonwealth Games qualification in swimming and achieved a wealth of national accolades during his time at Rydal Penrhos.
Gabriel – who is also a talented actor – recently captained the school rugby side and is sure to get a tremendous amount out of the experience with Sale Sharks.
Everyone at Rydal Penrhos would like to congratulate Gabriel on making the Sale Sharks development squad. We are enormously proud of his commitment and ongoing progress across a wide range of academic subjects and extra-curricular activities.
New Signs
Have you seen them?
Have you seen the new signs?
Our new fresh, clean and modern signs have gone back to our "heritage" colours as a nod to the proud history of Rydal Penrhos and its long-standing presence in the community for more than 140 years.
Revamping Brackley pitch is just one of the constants we need to do to maintain our beautiful estates of which we are so proud.
The new signs have proven to be a big hit within the school and the wider community so far.
The Watkinson Library
Area featured in Rydal Penrhos Society newsletter
Our incredible staff and Senior Leadership Team are constantly exploring avenues to enhance the provision of Rydal Penrhos pupils.
This is done in accordance with the school’s long-term strategic development plan and is bringing outstanding development across all year groups in addition to exceptional examination results consistently.
One prominent feature that became a priority during recent upgrades across the site is The Watkinson Library, which bears the name of the much-loved Peter Watkinson, Rydal School’s Headmaster from 1968-1991 who sadly passed away in August 2020.
Originally a library, the room was later used as a teaching space, but this year it’s been returned to its roots and is now the library for those pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4.
The Watkinson Library is the hub of the school’s new accelerated reading scheme, Renaissance Accelerated Reader, which aims both to improve ability and to encourage pupils to engage in independent reading.
A key principle of the scheme is that reading ability is most effectively improved when the difficulty of material falls in a happy medium between too challenging and not challenging enough.
Renaissance Accelerated Reader calls this happy medium the “Zone of Proximal Development” and the scheme’s whitepaper describes it as the range of difficulty in which pupils “are challenged and presented with new vocabulary, but are also given enough context to construct meaning without being frustrated”.
The scheme uses two tools to match pupils and texts:
- Book quizzes that, in conjunction with tests, assess reading comprehension and monitor pupils’ reading ability.
- A metric of text complexity that captures the difficulty of a book, taking into account average sentence length, average word length, and average word difficulty.
The scheme is part of a wider strategy at Rydal Penrhos that builds reading into pupils’ daily routines.
There are also specified library sessions, and the Watkinson Library now has a dedicated reading room – a calm and cosy space where pupils can sit and read comfortably.
Year 7 pupils stated that they are encouraged to read before lessons begin and to talk about reading in form time, and that every pupil keeps a book in their schoolbag.
When asked if they enjoyed reading, the answer was unanimous…
Yes!
Politics
Fayeth striving for Welsh Youth Parliament seat
Fayeth Jones, who is a Year 11 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, has put her name forward as a candidate in the current Welsh Youth Parliament elections, where she will represent Clwyd West if successful.
This is the latest achievement in Fayeth’s sights, with the pupil recently chosen as one of two Welsh ambassadors for the Right to Food Federation. Voting is now officially open and will close on Monday 22 November.
The pupil was presented with the Guild of Food Writers distinction, which was down to her investigative food work that is produced as part of her ongoing podcasts. Fayeth managed to beat out names such as The Guardian to the award, which is a testament to her tireless commitment within a field she is extremely passionate about.
As part of her campaign, Fayeth’s three key issues are children’s food insecurity, young carers rights and the mental health provision for young people across the country.
Her candidate statement, read: “As an ambassador for young carers and one of the two Welsh ambassadors for the food foundation I am passionate about stopping food insecurity and rights of young carers across Wales.
“I am also passionate about accessing mental health provision and finding suitable support for children and young people in my local area. I want to help stop food insecurity in Wales, I want to make sure all young people have access to affordable healthy foods and help them gain the knowledge of cooking preparing healthy food.
“I want to help access support for young carers, we have recently launched an ID card. I want to access safe support for all mental health issues. Get things in place to support young people before problems arise.
“I believe all children in Wales should have access to healthy food, support with any care needs and appropriate support when things get difficult. I’d also like to see youth groups reopen so young people have a safe place and adults they trust to support them.”
Anyone wishing to vote for Fayeth can do so at this link. Everyone at Rydal Penrhos wishes her the very best of luck.
STEM Club
Investigating the science behind Bonfire Night
Incorporating topical themes into learning is something that forms a core component of Rydal Penrhos’ ethos.
This allows our pupils to discover new things, engage in meaningful conversations and become inquisitive both within a classroom setting and throughout the varied programme of extra-curricular activities available on a daily basis.
STEM is much more than just science and mathematics concepts. The focus of hands-on learning with real-world applications helps develop a child or young person’s ability to think outside of the box, to project manage different scenarios, it enhances creativity and enables pupils to be more prepared for the 21st-century.
Other skills attained through STEM learning include problem-solving, real-time thinking, igniting curiosity, promoting leadership and perhaps most importantly, learning from mistakes and reacting accordingly.
These important development tools go a long way in preparing them to be innovative throughout their academic subjects and whatever our pupils choose to pursue in higher education and the working world.
Another fine example of putting themes into action came during a recent STEM Club session on Friday 5 November, which delved deeper into the science behind Bonfire Night.
Pupils in attendance got the opportunity to investigate different flame colours, in addition to the concept of sparkles and propulsion throughout what was a hugely enjoyable and informative session for all involved.
Politics
Nestor also looking for Welsh Youth Parliament seat
Our pupils at Rydal Penrhos are extremely conscious of the world around them. Their keen interest in various important topics such as the environment, politics and even community developments make them better-rounded individuals who thrive in and out of the classroom.
This is something Rydal Penrhos actively encourages, with activities such as Debate Club and the Model United Nations forming a ley part of the school’s thriving extra-curricular provision, giving pupils a platform to express their opinions in a relaxed setting.
However, one pupil is looking to go one step further and earn a place within the Welsh Youth Parliament.
Nestor Pento, who is a Year 8 pupil at the school, is up for election as the potential Clwyd West representative and voting is now open until Monday 22 November.
Nestor is focusing his attention on three key topics in pursuit of gaining the support needed to emerge victoriously. These are health, the environment, and the media.
In his candidate statement published on the official Welsh Youth Parliament website, Nestor said: “Wales is a country with a long history and a language full of culture and beauty.
“As my favourite type of music is Classical music, one of my favourite Welsh composers is Karl Jenkins. His Requiem is a breath-taking piece that I really love listening to.
“One of my concerns is that there should be less waiting time at the A&E. Another of my concerns is that Wales is being littered every day. This means that wild animals and habitats are being hurt.”
Nestor is also lending his support to a newspaper specifically for young people, enabling them to “promote their ideas no matter what”.
“Your opinion is always heard and respected,” he added.
“I would be a good Welsh Youth Member because I want to help the Welsh community.”
Anyone wishing to vote for Nestor can do so at this link. We wish him the very best of luck.
Cricket
Former England international to attend coaching event at Rydal Penrhos
Rydal Penrhos has a long-standing history of cricketing success, with many pupils going on to play professionally and gain international youth honours thanks to their outstanding development.
Not only this, but the school has also formed strong links with prestigious organisations such as Cricket Wales and Marylebone Cricket Club to further enhance our status.
The school’s incredible sporting facilities have regularly hosted Welsh youth cricket internationals in recent years, and a special coaching event will take place at Rydal Penrhos on Saturday 13 November in partnership with Cricket Wales and Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
The Coaching CPD Day will run from 10.00am-5.00pm and is set to cover a number of topics from the disciplines of batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping to athletic development and talent identification.
Among those attending the session is Matt Maynard MBE, a former England international and Glamorgan star who has since gone on to become a successful coach.
He will be joined at the event by Rich Almond (Head of Talent Development at Glamorgan Cricket Club), Aimee Rees and Matt Thompson, who is Head of Talent Pathway at Cricket Wales.
The aim of the days are simply to provide coaches up and down the country with a refresher of technical, tactical and practical coaching content that can be applied throughout the Welsh cricketing pathway, from club level, to regional cricket and County Age Group cricket.
Coaches do not need to be a certain level of qualification to attend, and places are free of charge at each venue.
There are still a very limited number of places remaining, and anyone wishing to book their place at the event can do so online here.
We look forward to welcoming everyone to our wonderful school.
Stars of the WEEK
12 November 2021
- Year 6 Oscar
- Year 5 Lissy and Beatrice
- Year 4 Sebastian
- Year 3 Arji
- Year 2 Paige and Pearl
- Year 1 Zac
- Reception Nel
- Artist Josie in year 2
Vacancies
Pre-school Teaching Assistant (Early Years Practitioner)
Pre-school Teaching Assistant (Early Years Practitioner)
- 1 x permanent role
- 1 x 12-month fixed term contract
Rydal Penrhos School is an Independent School for children aged between 2 and 18 yrs., situated in Colwyn Bay. Rydal Penrhos is a progressive School with a passion for learning.
This can be an interesting opportunity to work alongside professionals, to learn and to become a part of an enthusiastic team.
The successful candidates will ideally have previous experience of working in a nursery setting and hold a level 3 in Children’s Care Play Learning and Development (CCPLD). Candidates with a level 2 qualification and 5 years experience working in a nursery setting will also be considered.
We are seeking to appoint professional, committed, and enthusiastic Teaching Assistants to join the staff in the Pre-school.
Rydal Penrhos School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share that commitment. The successful applicant will be appointed subject to an Enhanced DBS with Barred List check, satisfactory references, and medical report.
The closing date and time for applying for this role is 5pm, Friday, 26 November 2021. Completed Application Forms should be sent via email to Samantha Calderbank: scalderbank@rydalpenrhos.com.
Pre-school Teaching Assistant (Early Years Practitioner): Permanent role
Pre-school Teaching Assistant (Early Years Practitioner): 12-month fixed term contract
