The RP Weekly: 22 October 2021
The weekly digital newsletter from Rydal Penrhos School.
The RP Weekly
22 October 2021
Sixth Form
Information Evening next month
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.
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.
Art
Sophie awarded scholarship premium
Every academic year, Rydal Penrhos also offers scholarship premiums to children with ‘exceptional talent’.
These are open to pupils already within the school as well as to those joining and are based on testing and recommendations from teaching staff who are constantly monitoring their development.
These may also be awarded to pupils at any point during their school career in Years 7 to 13. The reward is the title of scholar, along with a scholarship premium of £500 per annum for the pupil to further their talent in a specific field through the purchase of books or equipment, enrolling on a specialist course or anything else subject to approval from an allocated mentor.
Half-termly meetings will be held to discuss the pupil’s progress and to support in spending the money wisely and appropriately.
Another example of this was confirmed just before the half-term break, with Executive Principal John Waszek presenting Year 12 pupil Sophie Madden with an Art scholarship in recognition of her outstanding progress under the guidance of Mark Sherrington, the school’s Head of Art, and other teaching staff.
Mr Sherrington, said: “What sets Sophie apart is her technical skill with paint and drawing materials.
“The speed at which she is improving is breathtaking and I am certain this is because she has been prepared to read around the subject and investigate how other artists work.
“As a teacher, she is a fantastic pupil because she always listens, responds and reacts to being challenged. I am genuinely excited to have such a talented painter in the studio for the next two years.”
Sophie joined the Rydal Penrhos community in Year 7 and has thrived academically during her time at the school. This was reflected in some outstanding GCSE results this summer, with the pupil securing four A*’s, four 9 marks, one 7 and a Distinction in Additional Mathematics.
We would like to congratulate Sophie on her Art scholarship. Something that she is richly deserving of.
Rob Beamish
Chaplain to deliver BBC Radio Wales Sunday Service
Our new Chaplain, the Reverend Dr Rob Beamish, has settled in extremely well at Rydal Penrhos since the start of the academic year.
The respected figure was chosen as the man to replace Rev’d Nick Sissons, who departed the school after an incredible 12 years to become Superintendent Minister for the Bangor and Holyhead circuit and join the chaplaincy team at Bangor University.
Rev’d Dr Beamish has wasted no time in making an impact, both during events such as the Harvest Service and playing a leading role in Rydal Penrhos’ annual Food Drive which brought a significant response from the entire school community.
In addition to his work at the school, Rev’d Dr Beamish also contributes to the BBC Radio Wales religion department from time to time and he will be delivering weekly Sunday Service this weekend.
Rev’d Dr Beamish was educated at St John’s College Southsea before being awarded an MA in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He has a PhD in Theology from King’s College London and is also a qualified teacher.
He is currently sharing his responsibilities at Rydal Penrhos and serving as the Minister at Prince’s Drive Baptist Church in Colwyn Bay. Rev’d Dr Beamish has been an Accredited Minister for nearly 20 years and is a keen participant in outdoor pursuits, especially within mountain leadership and skiing.
Listen to Rev’d Dr Beamish on BBC Radio Wales’ Sunday Service here.
Osborn Hall
Work progressing rapidly on renovation
At Rydal Penrhos, we are always looking ahead to the future while remaining focused on our heritage and history.
The school’s proud ethos since its inception forms the core values that are evident across the site today, which is something that’s brought a significant amount of success both academically and through the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities available.
The school’s Senior Leadership Team, together with the Governing Body, have worked exceptionally hard in recent years to form a clear, concise plan to improve all areas of Rydal Penrhos. This is done with the sole purpose of putting our pupils first and ensuring they get the most out of their education with us.
Recognising the importance of this heritage and making it fit in with the current direction of the school is of paramount importance. This is further reflected in another big renovation project that is currently developing at a rapid rate.
Work is progressing well on the newly named Osborn Hall, which has recently been used as both the Dining Hall and Learning Resource Centre and is one of the more picturesque areas on site.
It is being created into a space that pupils can use to hold events, where guest speakers can come and talk to pupils and play a leading part in major gatherings alongside the Memorial Hall.
This was built by Thomas Osborn, who was the founding headmaster of Rydal School.
The Osborn Hall is a Grade II listed building with beautiful wood paneling, parquet floors and stained-glass windows. It is both an iconic and glorious building.
Reviving it to its former beauty is felt by the school to be its duty and its honour.
A report on the speech day of 1905 gives an insight into Mr Osborn’s aims for the school.
“He did not aim at the idea of an ordinary English public school. He wished to make that domesticity which was incompatible with life in a large public school a feature of school life at Rydal Mount, and he wanted his school to be conducted on lines leading to the highest possible education, combined with high religious culture.”
The renovation – which can also be utilized for weddings and private functions outside of school hours – is expected to be completed in the coming days and will be yet another tremendous asset for Rydal Penrhos and its sustained future growth.
Nutrition
Feeding bright young minds at Rydal Penrhos
Rydal Penrhos recognises the importance of the “whole child”, including social and emotional learning along with academics.
And one good place to find opportunities to support our pupils in this sense is by providing all the nutrients needed during meal times to keep them focused in and out of the classroom.
Maintaining a balanced diet and regular exercise is important for all individuals, especially those within education no matter their age. These children are required to eat a variety of foods from each group to ensure optimal intake of all vitamins and minerals.
At the same time, they may face new challenges regarding food choices and habits. Decisions about what to eat are partly determined by what is provided in school, at home, the influences from friends and the information they gather from social media, which is becoming a growing influence.
School-aged children grow significantly, but at a slower rate, whilst being very physically active in general. As a result, their nutritional needs are high and critical. Additionally, genetic background, gender, body size and shape are all important determinants of nutrient requirements.
This is something Rydal Penrhos realises is a top priority and we work closely with catering partners Holroyd Howe on producing a balanced menu throughout the week, something that’s proven a big hit with pupils and staff alike.
Of course, for our pupils, it’s just eating delicious and varied dishes with friends. But to staff, it’s feeding bright young minds and enabling them to progress both academically and during their extra-curricular activities.
It might sound like a small thing. However, it makes a significant difference and is further reflected in our pupils’ development across all areas and consistently exceptional examination results at both A Level and GCSE.
This also gives our parents peace of mind knowing their children are eating the right things, being provided with multiple choices on a daily basis and learning all about the benefits of a strong nutritional foundation that they can take into higher education and later life.
Our menus are always being monitored and assessed by our incredible staff team, making tweaks and improvements where needed. This is part of the school’s ongoing strategy to provide a well-rounded and exceptional education from Pre-School right up until our Year 13 pupils are ready for the next stage of their respective journeys.
A healthy, balanced diet is a key component of this. As is providing all the necessary tools needed for our pupils to explore more about how food impacts performance and overall mindset in pursuit of making the right choices when presented with them.
Knowledge is power, after all.
Rydal Penrhos looks to provide specialist Food Studies and Nutrition lessons as part of the curriculum, which is yet another unique approach to providing our pupils with a heightened sense of awareness. Something our pupils thoroughly enjoy judging by a recent survey conducted with Year 7 to see how they are transitioning and what each child is liking most about the senior site.
Almost every pupil named Food and Nutrition as one of their top subjects, with the lunches also coming in for significant praise from the group.
Skiing
Medals galore from Welsh Primary Schools championships
Rydal Penrhos is extremely proud of the skiing success accumulated by our talented pupils over the years.
This unique element to the school’s exceptional extra-curricular provision is something that’s brought a vast number of achievements since the programme began to reflect the outstanding progress being made under the tutelage of our incredible staff team.
Many of our skiers have gone on to achieve individual and team achievements for the school and individually at regional and national competitions. Events that are now back in full swing thanks to COVID-19 restrictions at Alert Level 0 in accordance with Welsh Government guidelines.
Team Rydal Penrhos made the trip to Llangranog on Saturday 9 October for the Welsh Primary Schools Skiing Championships, which saw the group take on some of the best young skiers in the country at one of the most competitive events of the year.
The school was looking to build on some incredible achievements at the North Wales regional competition against tougher opposition, which brought out the very best in all of them en route to some impressive eventual finishes.
Margot finished second U8 girl after a superb effort, with William and Wilfred also shining to come third and second respectively in the U8 boys’ event.
Another standout performer from the competition was Freddie, who came third in the U12 boys’ category with a fantastic display on the dry slope.
There was further cause for celebration in the U12 girls’ category, which saw Beatrice and Ella come second and third to round off another outstanding overall performance from Rydal Penrhos on the national stage.
This was another wonderful experience for the skiing team, who also got the chance to enjoy a film night, play rounders on the beach and also assist in a beach clean-up that was taking place throughout the weekend.
Mr McLeod put together a fantastic highlights video detailing their experiences throughout the trip and we are absolutely delighted with not only the team’s success but the way they represented Rydal Penrhos in an exemplary fashion.
Well done to all!
Sport
Facilities & Success go hand-in-hand
Rydal Penrhos has a long-standing tradition of sporting success throughout its history.
The school has produced a wealth of international-calibre athletes over the years, who all built their early foundations as pupils before going on to achieve great things.
Whether it’s Wilf Wooller – widely regarding as one of the greatest all-around sportsmen the country’s ever produced – or the Prince of Centres Bleddyn Williams, Rydal Penrhos is proud of its sporting heritage which is continuing right up to the present day.
This was no more evident than during the summer, with Georgia Wilson securing two bronze medals at the Paralympic Games and Vicky Thornley also representing Team GB en route to securing fourth in the women’s single sculls rowing event having previously won a silver medal at the Rio Olympics.
All this comes from exceptional coaching delivered by the school’s staff team, who are constantly monitoring the progress of our aspiring athletes and developing programmes to enhance conditioning and overall performance in pursuit of reaching their respective goals.
Not only this, but our pupils benefit from first-class facilities to give them another major boost as they look to follow in the footsteps of those who’ve been so incredibly successful in years gone by.
These are not only used by pupils during school time, but Rydal Penrhos is delighted to host local clubs and teams who train with us on a weekly basis.
This also includes Welsh youth rugby, cricket, netball and hockey squads who hold residential training camps with us. The school’s incredible New Field sporting venue -which has its own pavilion – regularly hosts Cricket Wales youth matches and has seen iconic figures such as Andrew Flintoff attend.
Rydal Penrhos has a vast array of facilities, including a Sports Hall and Fitness Suite that can be used for netball, basketball and indoor cricket nets, with the astroturf surface providing a floodlit training area for pupils and clubs across the region to utilise.
The school also has its own outdoor cricket nets area, no fewer than five immaculate rugby pitches, seven outdoor tennis courts, two squash courts, four Eton Fives courts and a dedicated short game golf area for anyone wishing to hone their bunker, chipping or putting skills.
If that wasn’t enough, Rydal Penrhos has an RYA accredited Sailing and Water-Sports Centre as part of our campus and this is available to visiting groups.
Our instructors can put together taster sessions or a day on the water for our more qualified visitors, which has been part of the school’s history for more than 60 years and something pupils absolutely love all through the academic year.
The school’s sporting facilities are available for evening and weekend hire and during all school holidays. For more information email events@rydalpenrhos.com or call 01492 530155.
Year 2
Exploring life forms in Coastal School
Learning how to learn is a skill we teach from the outset at Rydal Penrhos, and those in Reception-Year 2 could not reflect this thinking more closely in all that it does around their academic studies and extra-curricular activities.
It is a wonderful age group where really effective learning is about opening minds and encouraging the sharing of ideas, which in itself develops communication skills and the ability to work as a team.
Not only this, but Rydal Penrhos uses its stunning location on the North Wales coast to maximise a child’s development, with regular trips to prominent locations in the region in addition to Forest School and Coastal School sessions hugely popular over the academic year.
Year 2 pupils got the opportunity to explore the picturesque Penrhyn Bay shoreline before the half-term break during a Coastal School activity with Mrs Pyves and Mrs Roberts.
Pupils thoroughly enjoyed searching in the rock pools for all sorts of signs of life, something that brought additional knowledge of various beach and sea creatures as well as provoking some thoughtful discussion from the group during a series of fact-finding activities.
They found numerous hermit crabs as well as some regular ones, some starfish and lots of whelks, periwinkles and limpets, colourful seaweed and pretty shells.
Not only was this a thoroughly enjoyable experience for Year 2, but it also provided them with plenty of additional knowledge to take back into the classroom once they return for the second half of the autumn term.
Great work from everyone involved and our thanks go to the staff for their incredible and continued determination to ensure each child gets the most out of their Rydal Penrhos education.
Outdoor Education
Year 7 explore the Little Orme
Taking advantage of our wonderful surroundings is something that forms a key component of a Rydal Penrhos education.
We are fortunate enough to be situated in a beautiful part of the world and the school's teaching staff are always seeking ways to put this to good use for the benefit of pupils young and old.
This is evident from a very early age with Coastal School for Pre-School children and carries on right up to Year 13 for those participating in Rydal Penrhos' thriving Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
Another initiative that's proven highly beneficial is the weekly outdoor education sessions for Year 7, which is part of the curriculum and gives them a chance to experience new things and boost skills outside of a typical classroom setting.
As part of the Year 7 Outdoor Education provision, a group had the opportunity to visit the Little Orme prior to the half-term break, led by Dr Jim Lewis, who is a mathematics and geography teacher at Rydal Penrhos.
This follows on from visits in recent weeks to a sandy West Shore, where pupils investigated species diversity and adaptation while also documenting human impacts on the environment.
Their first stop was Porth Dyniewaid - known locally as Angel Bay- where Year 7 received a briefing from Claire, a volunteer with the North Wales Wildlife Trust, about the colony of grey and common seals that inhabit the coastline.
A lot of interest was shown, especially in relation to how volunteers monitor and occasionally have to rescue stranded pups.
The group also found out more about their moulting habits at this time of year, as well as the pupping that takes place on the beach. Notably, tagged seals from this area have been known to travel as far afield as Cornwall.
Around 30 seals were present, including one two-week-old pup, which was observable through binoculars once the pupils had deciphered its incredible camouflage.
Also as part of the trip, the group ascended the steep incline through the old quarry workings to visit the summit of the Little Orme, affording fantastic views across the coast.
Pupils learnt about the habitat importance of this SSSI, and made observations on some of the specialised and rare flora present in the clints and grykes of the limestone pavement, appearing as a world in miniature beneath our feet.
This was an enjoyable and educational excursion, highlighting the incredible diversity of landscapes and fascinating ecosystems that we have right on our very doorstep.
Events
NW Crusaders hold Awards Evening at Rydal Penrhos
Rydal Penrhos is fortunate to have exceptional facilities and an incredible location for sailing, sport and outdoor education, helping many people go on to achieve incredible sporting careers and achievements throughout the school’s illustrious history.
The school is also proud to have an association with the North Wales Crusaders, who have been busy forming links with local businesses and people to grow their presence in the area following their move from Wrexham to Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay.
Players, coaches and supporters descended on Rydal Penrhos for the Crusaders’ annual End of Season Awards ceremony on Saturday 16 October, which was held in the school’s fantastic Ferguson Centre.
It proved to be a fantastic occasion for those in attendance, which celebrated a tremendous campaign for the Crusaders that eventually came up a little short in the playoffs in pursuit of promotion.
A lavish meal was put on by the school’s catering staff from Holroyd Howe at the event, with a large number also receiving special awards in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments throughout the campaign.
One of the big winners from the evening was Jordan Gibson, who took home the Players’ Player of the Season and Fans’ Player of the Season after a sensational series of performances to further enhance his growing reputation.
Alex Eckley won the Young Player of the Year Award, with Conrad Anderson presented with the Jacqui Walker Most Contributed to the Club Award for all the fantastic work he does off the field.
The duo of Rob Massam and Tom Johnson were crowned joint-winners of the Coach’s Player of the Season. Rob also won the Try of the Year after his memorable score against Barrow Raiders.
Rydal Penrhos has formed a successful working partnership with the Crusaders after the rugby league side made their move, with the club holding events and making use of the first-class facilities on offer during training weekends in the not-too-distant future.
Vacancy
Casual/Relief Minibus Driver
Rydal Penrhos School is looking to recruit a relief, ‘zero-hour' driver, starting as soon as possible.
Working as part of a team to provide school transport services to the children attending the School, to provide cover for morning and evening bus runs in the North West Conwy area, reporting to the Transport Manager.
Profile
The following gives candidates an idea of the characteristics that we are looking for in the successful candidate:
- Total reliability
- Excellent time-keeping
- Ability to deal firmly but kindly with children aged between 4 and 18 years.
- Ability to deal politely and tactfully with staff and parents
- Cheerful disposition
- Flexibility
The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring Health and Safety matters are adhered to at all times.
Full information and how to apply can be found here.
