Oct 10, 2022 | Ackworth School
Life can be challenging, but how are we equipping our young generation that is growing up overwhelmed by physical and mental ill-health with the tools to face these challenges? In all aspects of life, we are what we consume and children are inspired by actions, not only words.
Here are 11 tips for looking after our Mental Health which you can start today:
- Get into nature, even for a short walk.
- Learn to manage your emotions.
- Become aware of your inner monologue and speak kindly to yourself.
- Talk to someone you trust or journal down your thoughts and feelings.
- Being kind to others.
- Get more sleep.
- Move your body.
- Eat healthy food and drink more water.
- Do not use drugs or alcohol to cope with difficult feelings.
- Be curious about life and never stop learning.
- Plan things to look forward to.
So, what do we do here at Ackworth School to support our children and help them retain a happy healthy minds?
Staff at Ackworth School, not only teachers, are very good at recognising when children are struggling. We have a very good pastoral system in which we have Tutors in every year group including pastoral and academic leads. Occasionally we have visits from Quaker Friends, who speak, listen, and is here for whomever wishes to speak with them.
We also trust the fact that there are pupils at the school who are very good at noticing if their friends are in a troubled position. An example of this is the support network surrounding our Ukrainian boarders at the moment. We do encourage and require parents to inform us of any ongoing issues, but not everything can be recognised right away. Additionally, we have a professional service available for the children and staff. This is an opportunity to sit and speak about what’s on their minds and how they can navigate their emotion.
A most recent edition to the mental health caring strategy is our peer mentoring, having up to 20 individuals from our Sixth Form come forward and volunteer to be mentors. Part of this will be training for those pupils, but also further training for staff. This is due to begin after half term. We encourage discussions within our PSHE and RSE classes. In our Art subjects children are taught how to express themselves into producing beautiful pieces of work, sometimes exploring hard hitting subjects, and Physical Education around the school always promotes fitness and wellbeing. Our school council are the voice of the pupils, and we work on empowering these children, filling them with the confidence to take on the outside world.
Reflections/Fragments of Self artwork by Harriett Metcalfe
As a school we are actively encouraging children to become more aware of looking after their mental health. Building relationships and trust is everything and as a community we are working daily to improve that. This is reflected in our Quaker culture and ethos. We encourage all individuals in our community to be open, transparent, honest, and approachable. During Quaker meeting, this time can be used to reflect. Taking the opportunity to turn our thoughts inward and ask – am I getting this right? The community feel is a large part of what we teach and live by here. The sense of being a part of something bigger gives us all a sense a purpose. In our boarding house the children are a family and look out for one another.
Out of everything, we encourage everyone to be approachable because you never know when that one individual might reach out to you for support. If you are concerned about a child or a friend, please reach out to Nancy Newlands on Nancy.Newlands@ackworthschool.com
Thank you to the Head, Anton Maree and Senior Deputy Head (Pastoral & Academic) Nancy Newlands for their assistance with this article.
Resources:
Five Steps to Mental Wellbeing – NHS
MIND Charity
Sep 13, 2022 | Ackworth School
Following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the death of our Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a period of national mourning has begun and will continue until the end of the state funeral. This is a period of time for reflection in response to the death of the Sovereign.
The official date of the State Funeral is Monday 19 September 2022. This day will be a Bank Holiday which will mean that school will be closed to day pupils and there will be no teaching on this day.
Aug 25, 2022 | Ackworth School
Pupils at Ackworth School, near Pontefract have yet again achieved a fantastic set of GCSE results.
Almost a quarter of all grades at the school were at the highest levels of grade 9 to 8, with 43.5% achieving all 9 to 7 grades, and 89% all 9 to 4 grades.
The results included a 100 per cent success rate at grade 9 to 7 in Biology and Chemistry.
Ink, from Thailand, was one of the school’s top performing students with nine grade 9s and one grade 8.
Other notable achievements include Bani, from Pontefract, who achieved six grade 9s, three grade 8s and one grade 7, along with Isabel from South Milford, who achieved seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and one grade 6. All three are going on to study A-Levels at Ackworth School Sixth Form.
Local boy, Alex from Wakefield should also be acknowledged for his fantastic personal achievement of a grade 9 in mathematics.
The Headmaster, Mr Anton Maree, commented: “Our 2022 cohort have worked extremely hard to achieve these outstanding results. They have shown a real zest for learning, and I am excited to see what they will achieve in the next few years as they now embark upon their new adventures in the Sixth Form. They have demonstrated outstanding dedication to their studies during the last two years, and they can all be very proud of their individual successes.”
Aug 18, 2022 | Ackworth School
Ackworth School in Ackworth, near Pontefract has praised its students for their unwavering dedication to their studies over the last two unprecedented years, and for achieving such excellent results.
The day and boarding school achieved a 97.6% A-Level pass rate (which as a non-selective school is exceptional) and is “especially proud that, despite the difficult circumstances they’ve endured, over 30% of students exceeded their predicted grades”.
In total, 51.8% of all Ackworth’s A-Level entries gained A-B grades (30.1% of entries were A*-A grades). The majority of students at Ackworth have gained their first-choice place at the country’s top universities including the University of Edinburgh, University of Liverpool and University of Bath.
Local pupils Charlotte and Jasmine, both from Pontefract, achieved four A* grades and three A* grades respectively. Charlotte has secured a place at the University of Edinburgh to study Biological Sciences, while Jasmine will be taking up a place at the University of Dundee to study Medicine.
Other pupil successes to note include Tom who achieved A*AB and secured a place at Cardiff University to study Architecture, as well as Sam and Leo who secured places at the University of Bath to study Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence. Jade secured a place at the University of Liverpool to study Business Management with two A*s and one A grade.
Jade and Harriet receive their results!
Ackworth School’s Head, Anton Maree said: “The drive and resilience of our students never fails to amaze me. Every one of our students should feel proud of what they have achieved and look forward to the bright futures they have ahead of them.”
Aug 17, 2022 | Ackworth School
Harriet, Jasmine, Tom, Emily, and Harriet
On Thursday 11th August, five Upper Sixth pupils headed to the Yorkshire Dales to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition; this consisted of 4 days walking and 3 nights camping. The group had to plan their routes and meals in advance and carry everything they needed for the entire trip.
“We set off from our starting point in Rylestone with maps and compass at the ready, as well as plenty of water and suncream to get us through the day with the hot temperatures. The first campsite was in Malham; the second day started with a 06:00 wakeup to be able to eat breakfast, pack the tents away and get ready before walking up the gruelling stairs to the top of Malham Cove and then continuing on towards the second campsite at Kettlewell.
During the expedition we met several other walkers and would often talk to them about where they had come from/where they were going. One person reminded us to keep looking behind (especially when walking up the hills) as we should appreciate the environment we were in instead of solely focusing on the challenge of the Award itself. We invited another walker to sit down with us during one of our rest breaks. It was fascinating listening to them talk about when they discovered their love for ‘the mountains’ just after they finished their own A Levels many years ago. They also told us about how they have never owned a phone and how much they embrace living life in the moment, similar to what we had to do during the expedition – it was incredible to learn so much about someone in such a short period of time.
The third day was our longest and toughest day. We had a difficult walk along the moorland but it was worth it to be able to see Mr Bailey’s friendly smile when we finally reached the campsite over 10 hours after setting off. The day was made even more difficult by ending at a forest campsite with no running water and limited facilities (very different compared to the previous 2 campsites). We cooked our food and put up our tents before sitting around the campfire and mentally preparing for the final day.
Sunday was our shortest day but still consisted of several steep hills – this was especially challenging with tired legs and limited sleep. We took shorter rest breaks and our pace increased allowing us to slowly tick off each kilometre. There was a great sense of relief when we saw the school minibus at our final checkpoint and even greater when we were told by our assessor that we had all passed!
The expedition allowed us to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone and allowed us to work well as a team as we knew how much it meant to each other to complete the award. We would highly recommending giving DofE a go as we have gained so much from completing it.
Thank you to Mr Bailey, Mr and Mrs Lunn and Mrs Burren for giving up their time during the summer to allow us to complete the expedition and extra thanks to Mr Bailey for carrying 12 litres of water up the hills to meet us at checkpoints and make sure we stayed hydrated.”
Harriet, Harriet, Emily, Tom and Jasmine
Aug 9, 2022 | Ackworth School, Old Scholar
Ackworth Old Scholar James Willstrop wins GOLD in the Commonwealth Games for Men’s Doubles Squash alongside fellow teammate Declan James.
Born 1983 in Yorkshire, James was with Ackworth School from 1995 until 2002. James was recognised as a squash sensation at an early age. In 2002, he claimed his third consecutive British Junior Under-19 National Championship title, to establish himself as England’s most successful under-14, under-17, and under-19), and British Junior Open trophies at under-17 and under-19. In the same year, he established himself as the world’s top junior player, claiming both the European and the World junior titles.
James has gone on to be one of the youngest players ever to play for the senior England team, representing his county for the first time at both the European and World Team Squash Championships in 2003.
In 2005, having finished as a runner-up in the British Open and then winning the Qatar Classic trophy, James was ranks as the world No.2 in the PSA world rankings.
In the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, James won a Silver Medal in the Mixed Doubles. He won the British National Squash Championships title in 2007 and 2008, and in January 2010, he won his first Tournament of Champions title in New York.
In 2011, Willstrop put himself into first place in the PSA World Series rankings by winning 15 matches in a row heading towards winning the Hong Kong Open, the Kuwait Open, and The Punj Lloyd PSA Masters. James ranked as the World No. 1 in January 2012.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, James won the Gold Medal in the Men’s Singles and in 2020, won the British National title.
Well done from us, James. Ackworth School continues to enjoy watching your career in Squash. We know you’ll be celebrating winning your well-deserved GOLD in the Men’s Doubles Squash!
