A NORTH Yorkshire MP dropped in on pupils at a secondary school to see how their new sports facilities are coming on.

Thirsk and Malton Tory MP, Kevin Hollinrake, visited Outwood Academy Easingwold to hear about their new 3G sports pitch and community new sports hall, both of which are due to be completed in the coming months.

Mr Hollinrake also spoke to staff and students about the progress at the school since it joined the academy chain, and discuss his experiences as a politician.

The academy had the top performing sixth-form in North Yorkshire last year, with 83 per cent of students who took maths at A-level at the academy achieved an A* or A grade, with 25 per cent of all A-level students exams being graded at A* or A.

While there the MP was also given a tour of, and updated on, the construction work.

He said: “It was great to visit Outwood Academy Easingwold and speak with the staff and students about the fantastic results the students have achieved, making the academy the highest performing sixth-form in North Yorkshire, and the exciting sporting facilities that are currently being built.

“Once completed, the community will benefit from having first-class sports facilities, including the community’s first 3G sports pitch. It is always nice to visit the schools across the constituency and see the wonderful community spirit on show.”

The new sports hall will provide a four court facility and each changing room will have accessible individual shower cubicles and internal entrances for wet/dry changing.

Principal, Laura Eddery, said: “We are always delighted to welcome our local MP into the academy. It is a real treat for the students and you can see how incredibly engaged they are when they are discussing academy life with Mr Hollinrake MP.

“At Outwood we believe in playing a key role in the regeneration of the communities we are privileged to serve and the construction of the 3G pitch and sports hall are examples of this. We want the facilities to not only benefit the students who attend our academy, but also the wider community.”

During the visit, the MP also sat down for a brief Q&A with some students, which saw him discuss his role as an MP and life in general as a politician. Some lucky Year 7 students were also presented their Star Student certificates and were congratulated by Mr Hollinrake.

Last year’s GCSE results were also discussed, with Outwood Academy Easingwold students achieving 116 grade 9’s in the exams, with 68% of students achieving Grade 5 or higher and the 86% of students achieving Grade 4 or higher in English and Maths in their exams.

Ms Addery said: “We are so proud of the progress we are making. Last year’s exam results, both A-Level and GCSE are a great highlight of this progress.”