Pupils on top form

2:21pm Tuesday 15th July 2008

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PARENTS at a York secondary school heard how the school has notched up another outstanding year.

At Speech Day 2008 at Archbishop Holgate’s CE School, head teacher John Harris listed the achievements of the school in the past 12 months.

Mr Harris said he had been invited to meet the chief inspector of schools to advise on changes to the Ofsted inspection regime and was asked by the Specialist Schools And Academies Trust to contribute to a national conference on applied learning.

He said: “We want, as a Church school, to build on 2,000 years of faith and values to foster in today’s pupils qualities to shape the society of tomorrow a belief in the uniqueness of each person, concern for justice, care for others, equality, sustainability, simplicity, peace, integrity and truth.

“As well as hard work, and determination to succeed, we want pupils to develop fully as individuals, not only nurtured and sustained by the security of this church school, but also being challenged by it to accept responsibility for themselves and for others.”

This year’s guest speaker was Professor Dianne Willcocks, vice- chancellor of York St John University. There are strong historical connections between the two institutions which shared the university’s Lord Mayor’s Walk site for a century up until 1963.

During her address she gave an account of her own personal journey, with clear messages as to how to seize opportunity and reach for success.