WORK carried out by a partnership of state and private schools in York has scooped a top award.

The York Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) received a prestigious award at an awards ceremony at the Tower of London.

York ISSP was chosen, as one of only four schools/school groups across the UK, to receive one of the Legacy 110 Outstanding Contribution to the Centenary Remembrance Awards 2014 – 2018.

The award is in recognition of the exceptional work undertaken by staff and students on First World War Centenary ‘Legacy 110’ projects, designed to ensure a lasting remembrance of the First World War across the local community.

It came about after the York ISSP campaigned to persuade the government to allow independent school students to take part in the government-sponsored First World War Battlefields visit three years ago alongside their state-school peers.

The visit was followed with a joint project coordinated by York ISSP, to host a student-led service of commemoration in York Minster and a public exhibition at the York Castle Museum called ‘1916: It’s more than just the Somme.’

The students chose the theme because they wanted visitors to remember and respect other key events of 1916, whilst also remembering the more well-documented Battle of the Somme.

Millthorpe School was one of the schools involved in the project.

In 2016, two of its students, Angus Gatus and Kirstin Thornton, joined the York ISSP and other local school pupils on the battlefields trip and then pursued their own research and interests as part of the ISSP project.

Kirstin completed a project about the impact of the Zeppelin raids on York in 1916, with the help of the Clements Hall Local History Group.

Angus, who has a passion for naval history, undertook a project on The Battle of Jutland in 1916. In addition to producing information boards, he hand-made a number of model battleships so that visitors to the exhibition could see the types of vessels involved in the battle.

Adam Baybutt, senior director of achievement and teacher of history at Millthorpe School said: “All of the students involved in the legacy project demonstrated unbelievable commitment and an unwavering desire to ensure that their generation never forget.

"I am immensely proud of all of them and delighted that this opportunity has had another lasting legacy in terms of a supportive and beneficial collaboration between history teaching colleagues across the city. I would also like to publicly thank York Minster and the Castle Museum for being such welcoming and supportive venues for our legacy projects.”

Angus and Kirstin are both now studying A -levels at All Saints Sixth Form in York.