The RP Weekly: 8 April 2022

The weekly digital newsletter from Rydal Penrhos School.

The RP Weekly

8 April 2022

The Donald Hughes Trust

Spring Campaign Update

We would love to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the work of our very important and well-respected Donald Hughes Trust, which was founded in 1970.

The fund was set up to honour its namesake, one of our former Headmasters. Donald Hughes worked tirelessly to ensure that disadvantaged children and young people would not miss out on the opportunity to have an outstanding education; through the Donald Hughes Trust, his benevolent project continues to this day.

The Donald Hughes Trust is now an important source of funding for our Fully Funded Places scheme at Rydal Penrhos, which each year allows disadvantaged local children and young people to join our school. As a charity, this is something we feel passionate about and we know that our alumni, parents and staff are similarly supportive and engaged.

We have lots of ideas on how we might revitalise donations to this fund and wish to make it an everyday part of what we do as a school. We have already made an incredible start thanks to the generosity of the Rydal Penrhos family and we are deeply grateful to all the wonderful givers who have contributed thus far.

These contributions have included both large individual gifts and smaller donations or legacies, however the single most popular way to contribute is through a small monthly donation with Gift Aid. We would ask anyone who feels they could help us in this way to get in touch so that we can assist them in setting up their donation or you could download the form here and return it to us.

We would like to say thank you to all our alumni who have already supported this project or others. Philanthropy is a huge factor behind the success of Rydal Penrhos over the years and we are beyond grateful to our benefactors.

We recently held a collection for both the Donald Hughes Trust and St David’s Hospice before the Prep Spring Concert, which saw over 200 people descend on the Memorial Hall to mark the occasion. The money raised will be split between the two causes and we would like to thank everyone who contributed. Even a little goes a long way!

Supporting the Donald Hughes Trust is not only a way of honouring a strong connection with the school, it is also a way of joining together with other alumni to support the next generation following in their footsteps.
We hope you will consider becoming part of our school’s incredible tradition of philanthropy. Every gift – whatever the scale, and whatever the reason – makes a huge difference to the work of the Donald Hughes Trust. It helps provide life-changing opportunities to children who are awarded a Fully Funded Place, each of whom adds to the vibrant internal diversity of the pupil body, in turn enriching the school community as a whole.

“I can’t express in words or actions how much this means to me, and how much it has helped me and will continue to help me and my future, but all I can say is how thankful and appreciative I am of this chance to prove myself" - a Rydal Penrhos pupil, who joined thanks to a Fully Funded Place supported by the Donald Hughes Trust.

Values such as compassion, tolerance, good humour and courage are instilled in our pupils from a very early age and are core components of the ethos that guides the Rydal Penrhos community on a daily basis. Help us continue our work in improving the prospects of our children and young people, and in turn our local communities, by donating to the Donald Hughes Trust.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so easily on our website (https://rydalpenrhos.com/society/donald-hughes-trust/donate/). For those wanting further information or an alternative way of giving, please contact 01492 530155 or email alumni@rydalpenrhos.com.

Open Day 2022

Booking open for May event

Rydal Penrhos is pleased to announce details of a special Open Day next month, which will take place on Friday 6 May 2022 and is set to provide prospective pupils and their families a first-hand opportunity to see for themselves what goes on during a typical day at the school.

This is an exciting time to join the Rydal Penrhos community. The school is flourishing from Pre-School to Sixth Form, examination results and value-added scores remain of the highest standard and things have a much more familiar feel to them across academic subjects and extra-curricular activities with decreasing restrictions from the Welsh Government.

The Open Day will be held in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines at the time and booking is advised for anyone looking wishing to attend. The event will be split into two sections to accommodate anyone looking to visit both Prep and Senior sites.

Prep visitors – 9am-12pm
Senior visitors – 1-4pm

Those in attendance will get individual tours from the school and speak with teaching and admissions staff to get a broader perspective of the day-to-day life of a pupil, the diverse curriculum and exceptional pastoral care.

There will be a host of things to enjoy throughout the showcase, which will feature core academic departments such as English, Mathematics, Art, Drama, Music and Science.

Our thriving extra-curricular provision will also be on full display as pupils young and old go about their usual activities.

The Open Day will take place from 9am-4pm and refreshments will be available following tours.

Anyone wishing to book their place at our Open Day, or for more information, please call 01492 530155, email admissions@rydalpenrhos.com or use our online form.

Open Day – Pre-School and Prep parents are invited to see their children’s classrooms and meet their teachers on the morning of Friday 6 May. The timetable for visits is below; please email lparry-williams@rydalpenrhos.com to confirm your attendance.

	Start	Finish	Guide
Pre-School	11:05	11:55	Miss Spencer
Reception	09:00	09:50	Mrs Devilleforte
Year 1	09:55	10:45	Mrs Woodthorpe
Year 2 (2CC)	11:05	11:55	Mrs Culver/Miss Richards
Year 2 (2RD)	09:00	09:50	Miss Davies
Year 3	09:55	10:45	Mrs Oliver
Year 4	11:05	11:55	Mr McLeod
Year 5	08:35	09:25	Mrs Chamberlain
Year 6	08:35	09:35	Mrs Pyves

Golf

Charley thriving for club and country

It promises to be a busy golf season for a Rydal Penrhos pupil that is continuing to make a name for himself across the region and beyond.

Charley Simpson, who is a Year 12 pupil at the school, has brought his game on considerably in recent years, deservedly earning accolades en route to becoming one of the brightest young talents anywhere in the country.

Charley has spent the winter participating in Transitional Squad training weekends for the Wales Golf Elite Athlete Programme, as well as keeping up his personal training with his coaches and staff at Rydal Penrhos in the newly refurbished Fitness Suite.

This has involved many hours playing and practising all aspects of the game, in addition to Charley taking part in skills testing and also improving strength and conditioning.

All Charley’s hard work is paying off with some outstanding accolades. He recently represented Wales U18s against Ireland in a special challenge match that took place at Cardigan Golf Club and the pupil will also represent his country at U16 level during the prestigious Quadrangular tournament, which sees the Welsh contingent take on Scotland, Ireland and Holland at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club from 12-14 April.

Although Charley is above the U16 age grade, the sport’s governing bodies are honouring 2021 selections after last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Charley has also made a strong start on the course, which has seen the Sixth Former secure qualification to the Scottish U18 Boys Championship in Aberdeen later this month.

He has once again been given the distinction of Junior Captain of Rhos on Sea Golf Club for the third consecutive year and will skipper the North Wales Boys’ Team for the 2022 campaign – another significant for Charley.

Everyone at Rydal Penrhos is enormously proud of everything Charley has and continues to accomplish. We look forward to following his progress throughout the season.

Speech & Drama

Incredible results from Chester Festival of Performing Arts

One of the most popular extra-curricular activities available at Rydal Penrhos is Speech and Drama.

Participating in the performing arts discipline allows pupils to understand others in new and exciting ways and provides training in the very practical aspects of communication so necessary in today’s increasingly information-centred world.

Pupils who have participated in speech and drama activities are less likely to have difficulty speaking in public, will be more persuasive in their communication, will be better able to be empathetic and will have a more positive, confident self-image.

This was once again evident as a large Rydal Penrhos contingent travelled to the Chester Competitive Festival of Performing Arts, testing their skills against other groups and schools from across the region in the hope of securing notable distinctions.

It proved to be a very worthwhile excursion for those who attended, with no fewer than 14 first-places awarded to pupils in various individual and group categories.

Nine entries were awarded second place as a result of their outstanding efforts, with many other pupils going on to achieve high scores and third places. This rounded off another superb competition for the group, who have all developed their skills encouragingly throughout their sessions with Mrs Christina Bloomfield over the academic year so far.

On behalf of everyone at Rydal Penrhos, we would like to congratulate every pupil involved on their accomplishments and for representing the school in a really positive fashion.

Rydal Penrhos Chester Competitive Festival of Performing Arts Results

GROUP PERFORMANCES

YEARS 7 & 8 GROUP IMPROVISATION

1st place (87 marks) Tilly Trueman, Lucy Ranales-Griffith & Amelia Williams
2nd place (86 marks) Oakley Calvert, Emily Nurse & Ella England-Bryant
3rd place (85 marks) Joshua Callan, Gregory Mathews & Lucas Davies

YEARS 7 & 8 PREPARED ORIGINAL SCENE

1st place (89 marks) Tilly Trueman, Lucy Ranales-Griffith & Amelia Williams
2nd place (88 marks) Oakley Calvert, Emily Nurse & Ella England-Bryant
3rd place (84 marks) Joshua Callan, Gregory Mathews & Lucas Davies

YEARS 9 & 10 GROUP IMPROVISATION

1st place (86 marks) Violet Roberts, Safa Maqsood, Rafe Commissaris, Finlay Perry, Phoebe Wood & Gracie Tavernor
2nd place (85 marks) Noah Lewis, Perry Williams, India Livingstone & Ruby Lewis

YEARS 9 & 10 PREPARED ORIGINAL SCENE

1st place (87 marks) Noah Lewis, Perry Williams, India Livingstone & Ruby Lewis
2nd place (86 marks) Violet Roberts, Safa Maqsood, Rafe Commissaris, Phoebe Wood & Gracie Tavernor

YEARS 9 & 10 GROUP MIME

3rd place (84 marks) Gracie Tavernor & Phoebe Wood

YEAR 11 AND ABOVE GROUP MIME

1st place (89 marks) Dylan Lloyd- Bloom, Jack Yelland & Theo Chapman

YEAR 11 AND ABOVE GROUP IMPROVISATION

1st place (89 marks) Ruby Merrick, Eve Durrans, Lily Davies, Ada Vonbank & Emily Jones
2nd place (87 marks) Jasmin Lewis, Tristan Martin & Saul Sugarman
3rd place (86 marks) Dylan Lloyd- Bloom, Jack Yelland & Theo Chapman

YEAR 11 & ABOVE PREPARED ORIGINAL SCENE

Joint 1st place (89 marks): Ruby Merrick, Eve Durrans, Lily Davies, Ada Vonbank & Emily Jones
Dylan Lloyd- Bloom, Jack Yelland & Theo Chapman

SOLO AND PAIRED PERFORMANCES

YEARS 7 & 8 SOLO MIME

1st place (87 marks) Lewis Jellicoe

YEARS 7 & 8 SOLO DRAMA

Isla Williams-Anderson – 87 marks
3rd place Tilly Trueman (88 marks)

YEAR 7 VERSE SPEAKING

1st place (87 marks – medal) Oakley Calvert

YEAR 7 PREPARED READING

Joint 3rd with 84 marks: Gabriella England-Bryant and Emily Nurse
Lewis Jellicoe – 83 marks
Isla Williams-Anderson – 83 marks

YEARS 7 & 8 SPIRITUAL READING

2nd place: Gregory Mathews (87 marks)

YEAR 8 PREPARED READING

Joint 2nd place with 86 marks: Joshua Callan and Lucy Ranales-Griffith

YEARS 9 & 10 READING AT SIGHT

1st place (92 – outstanding) Finlay Perry

YEARS 9 & 10 PREPARED READING

1st place (90 – outstanding) Violet Roberts
Finlay Perry (82 marks)

YEARS 9 & 10 SOLO DRAMA

2nd place (88 marks) Perry Williams
3rd place (87 marks) Safa Maqsood
Violet Roberts – 85 marks

YEARS 9 & 10 SOLO MIME

2nd place: Noah Lewis (86 marks)

YEAR 11 & ABOVE SOLO DRAMA

1st place (90 – outstanding) Tristan Martin
2nd place (89 marks) Emily Jones

YEAR 11 AND ABOVE DUOLOGUE

1st place (90 – outstanding) Tristan Martin & Jasmin Lewis

SHAKESPEARE DUOLOGUE

1st place (86 marks) Saul Sugarman & Jasmin Lewis

Gallery

Holiday Club in full swing!

Boys' Hockey

U18 side finish as national runners-up

After triumphing in the recent Eryri heat in fine fashion, the Rydal Penrhos U18 Boys’ Hockey squad travelled to Newtown on Tuesday 5 April for a tilt at the Welsh Schools’ Championships.

The school has enjoyed a wealth of success in this competition over the years, which is a testament to the expert coaching they receive on-site and how well they’ve performed as a unit upon returning to fixtures after COVID-19 restrictions eased.

Despite coming up against some top schools from across the country, this did not stop the Rydal Penrhos contingent from making their presence felt en route to the final, which saw them take on Ysgol Glantaf from South Wales.

As expected, it was a hugely competitive affair with both sides enjoying good spells of possession during what turned out to be a fantastic final showcase. Year 12 pupil and current Wales U18 international Alex Starling was the driving force for Rydal Penrhos and was ably assisted by some outstanding contributions from his teammates.

Although Rydal Penrhos were unable to take the overall crown following a narrow loss, to secure runners-up from the competition represents an outstanding achievement and one the team can look back on with a great sense of pride.

It’s been a strong start to the season for the group, who brought their skills and teamwork on considerably under the guidance of coach Dan Rippon. This is despite the significant lack of activity over the last two years and something each squad member deserves an exceptional amount of credit for.

We would like to congratulate our U18 Boys’ Hockey team on securing the Eryri championship and runners-up on a national stage. A fine set of achievements!

Rydal Penrhos U18 Boys’ Hockey squad: Alex Starling, James Gilman, Edward Altoft, Adam McGuigan, Jacob Cousins, Liam Farrell, Ollie Davies, Gabriel Speakman, Jonathan Osbourne, Laurence Richardson, Will Tavernor, Kosi Iwobi, Gregory Perry.

Year 6

Field trip boosts Geography topic

We are always looking to use our fantastic location on the North Wales coast as part of our thriving curriculum at Rydal Penrhos.

This comes during trips and excursions throughout the academic year in addition to an exceptional outdoor education provision that builds key skills away from a typical classroom environment.

This has proven highly beneficial for pupils of all ages. Whether it’s Pre-School children making the trip to Colwyn Bay beach for Coastal School or Year 13 pupils participating in their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Rydal Penrhos endeavours to enhance experiences and challenge our pupils on a daily basis in pursuit of reaching their goals.

Year 6 have been busy over the Lent Term discovering plenty about coastal erosion and protection methods during a special Geography project surrounding a topic that is especially evident across the area in which they call home.

Coastal erosion is the process by which local sea-level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast.

Led by the expert guidance of Mrs Pyves and Mr Granger, the Year 6 group took another field trip down to the Colwyn Bay shoreline, which is just a stone's throw from Rydal Penrhos, to further boost their efforts within a typical classroom environment.

This particular excursion focused primarily on different methods of protecting the coastline specifically, but also looked at how we promote tourism and why it's important to invest in both.

Tourism is a huge part of the North Wales economy, with thousands of people descending on prominent areas such as Llandudno and the Isle of Anglesey throughout the summer to relax and have fun in picturesque surroundings.

A huge well done to all pupils for their exemplary conduct and commitment throughout the field trip. Thanks also go to Mrs Pyves and Mr Granger for their incredible support.

Duke of Edinburgh

Year 9 begin Bronze Award journey

Since it began in 1956, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been dedicated to the personal development of young people from all backgrounds and is now widely recognised as the world’s leading youth achievement award.

It certainly is a real adventure from beginning to end for our pupils at Rydal Penrhos, which helps them develop their independence and leadership qualities among many other things.

Rydal Penrhos is a Duke of Edinburgh Directly Licensed Centre and offers all three levels of the Award, beginning with Bronze in Year 9, continuing on to Silver in Years 10 and 11, and culminating with the prestigious Gold Award as Sixth Formers.

The programme can be full of activities and projects that get each pupil excited, allowing them to develop existing talents and discover new ones, whilst meeting new friends and learning a great deal about themselves along the way.

The Award Scheme at Rydal Penrhos is supported by several enthusiastic staff, who are highly skilled and assist greatly in maintaining exceptional standards that enable our DofE candidates to reach their respective goals.

Members of Year 9 have now officially embarked on their Duke of Edinburgh Award journey after activities were permitted to resume following the period of disruption surrounding COVID-19. Accompanied by Mrs Lucy Davies, Deputy Principal, the Bronze Award candidates participated in a walk across the picturesque Conwy Mountains before the end of term, which was their first actual real-life navigation exercise.

They displayed outstanding resolve and supported each other extremely well, developing their skills and improving communication to ensure they stayed on track throughout.

This was a very worthwhile exercise for the group, who will progress through other elements of the award upon returning from their well-deserved Easter break. Well done to all!

Alumni

Elinor on publishing internship in Paris

Elinor Davies, who attended Rydal Penrhos from 2006-18, has thrived since departing the school with exceptional A Level results and many track and field records.

After deciding to take a GAP year that was divided between au-pairing for two French families in Reims and teaching cookery to American teenagers in Camp America in Maine, the former Prefect then took her well-deserved place at Jesus College Oxford, which is regarded as one of the most illustrious higher education establishments anywhere in the country.

After two years of reading French, Elinor has now once again ventured abroad to gain further experience. She spent September to December as a student at the Université de Toulouse and has now embarked on a translating internship at the prestigious publishing house Flammarion in Paris.

Elinor, said: “Flammarion publish all sorts of books from novels to academic textbooks. I work in the picture book department which is basically any book that happens to have a lot of pictures (cookery, fashion, art, architecture etc.).

“The language itself is pretty much the same (with the exception of a few bits of vocabulary – ‘pain au chocolat’ becoming ‘chocolatine’ in the south, for example) but the accent is very different; it’s quite nasal in the south with some sounds being completely different to how I had learnt them in school and university.

“There is a form of Parisian slang called ‘verlan’ where the syllables of the standard French word are reversed (‘metro’ becoming ’trome’, for example) but I don’t think it is that popular anymore, a bit like the waning use of cockney rhyming slang.”

Elinor’s superb commitment to her studies under the support and guidance of Rydal Penrhos’ teaching staff saw her come away with some superb A Level results, which included an A* in Business and A grades in French, History and Home Economics (AS Level).

Publishing and journalism have always been a passion of Elinor’s. During her time at the school, she spent a week working alongside communications manager Dean Jones, where she got a crash course in all things related to the profession and interviewed figures such as chef Bryn Williams for an article.

Congratulations, Elinor. Everyone at Rydal Penrhos is so proud of you!

Pat Kerfoot

Teacher turned invigilator reflects on 42 years of service

Pat Kerfoot was a science teacher, first at Penrhos College and then at Rydal Penrhos following the merger with Rydal School. Many of our current pupils and younger alumni will know her better from her time as an invigilator – a role which she retired from recently to bring an end to a remarkable 42 years’ service to the school.

Pat took her PGCE in 1979 at Chester College, then part of Liverpool University, after attaining her degree in Chemistry at the University of Aberystwyth. Her teaching practice was at a particularly difficult school in Deeside, and her experiences prompted a speculative application to Penrhos College – something that would change her life.

She was rewarded with an invitation to interview from the school’s then-Head, Mr Nigel Peacock, who was looking to increase the school’s emphasis on science, where Pat took in the famous “Penrhos College afternoon tea for the first time before getting the job.

During Pat’s second year at Penrhos, the school began the exciting work of building new labs. The Head’s pro-science attitude was “somewhat rare amongst girls’ schools at the time“, but with around half of Sixth Form pupils taking Chemistry as a subject, this was an immensely popular decision.

During more than 20 years of teaching, Pat stated she had to raise her voice only once and also remembers the “school’s spirit of community” very fondly.

“Girls would rush up to me at the beginning of the day to wish me good morning, and in the classroom would help each other readily, with the more able in a particular subject aiding their teachers in encouraging and supporting the less able.”

After the amalgamation of Penrhos and Rydal, Pat became a member of the Senior Management Team at Rydal Penrhos. She taught the girls who had moved across, seeking continuity in their teaching. It was an obvious period of adjustment for all at the time, but Pat was complimentary of the school it became once everyone acclimatised to the new arrangements.

“It became an excellent school, a super school.”

Pat retired officially in 2003 but ended up returning for the rest of that academic year. After that, she marked exam papers for AQA and worked as an invigilator, enjoying the sense of camaraderie it brought.

Some additional free time allowed Pat to join the Soroptimists’ Llandudno branch in 2009 and is currently Secretary for the Cheshire, North Wales, and the Wirral Region. The branch is involved locally with food banks, a women’s refuge centre, nationally with modern-day slavery and internationally with the organisation Women for Women, which focuses on improving life for females in Nigeria.

Rydal Penrhos is immensely grateful to Pat for her incredible 42 years at the school and wish her the very best in a well-deserved retirement!