Aysgarth School

As part of the staff training at the beginning of term, we had some fascinating input from Teenagers Translated on how boys change as they become teenagers, and how that development can be influenced by their environment and patterns of behaviour. We will be having a further session to help us understand how to adapt our management of the older boys to take account of these changes. This is linked to the Parenting courses that Teenagers Translated are keen to run with interested parents. It is also part of what Teenagers Translated cover with the 5th Form boys to help them prepare for the pressures of the teenage years, for the stress of exams and for the transition to their next schools.

Looking further ahead, I am pleased to announce the dates for Sports Courses at Aysgarth during the Easter holidays. They are as follows:

• Tues 10th April U9 Cricket • Wed 11th April U11 Cricket • Thu 12th April U13 Cricket • Fri 13th April U13 Cricket

The Ampleforth Pre-Season Rugby is for U11s and U13s is Tuesday 28th August-Thursday 30th August.

Happy New Year! I hope you had a good Christmas. We are looking forward to having the children back with us this week.

Susanna Ogden takes over as Head of Skills Development this term following Johan Welsh’s retirement. She will be supported by Louise (Squeeze) Southall, who will continue to support some boys in their literacy whilst continuing to work in the Pre Prep.

We will be joined at the beginning of term by four new Gap Students. Three from the Antipodes will stay for the usual year. Think of them as they come from summer to our winter! In addition, we have George Barrett (OA) returning to Aysgarth for two terms having finished at Uppingham where he was a music scholar, and Josh Lee, who has already spent a year with us is returning for another year.

Visit this week's bumper version of the Boarder to find out about our weekend activity 'German Spotlight' where boys had to try and break out of the school building without getting caught! Record numbers of boys managed to break through the guards in this year’s escape from the school. This was despite drafting in reinforcements, including the Headmaster of Fettes College, Michael Spens, as a guard! Lt. Colonel West very generously arranged for the guards to be supplied with extra powerful torches, for which we were very grateful, but the batteries did run out quite quickly.....in addition there was a member of the Italian Resistance providing the boys with guidance...

Michael Spens preached in chapel on Sunday. The weekend also included a 5th Form Social with Queen Mary’s girls, mountain biking and Aysgarth’s own X Factor.

1st XV Rugby - every team in the school is important! I am drawing attention to the 1st XV because they completed, today, an unbeaten season by winning emphatically against St. Olave’s in tremendous style having played some wonderful rugby on their tour to Edinburgh last week. They have shown great courage and skill and should feel very proud of themselves, as should their coaches, especially Gordon MacLelland.

Over the exeat Caroline and I took the opportunity of being down south to visit two schools in Dorset – Sherborne School, which is one of the few remaining all boys boarding schools with a national catchment, and Milton Abbey, a school which proudly focuses on the less academically able and does a brilliant job of it. Both schools are under new leadership and we were impressed with the people we met and what we saw as well as the plans they both have for the future. We were also delighted to meet some of our old boys!

Congratulations to teachers Gordon and Jo MacLelland on the birth of Pippa MacLelland! Mother and baby are doing well and father is about to go off on the rugby tour!

A very big thank you to those parents who have hosted or will be hosting our wonderful Spanish boys for exeats – the one just gone or the one which will be upon us in no time. We are very grateful, as are they and their parents; it makes their stay at Aysgarth an even more enriching experience and helps to build lasting international friendships. .

The whole school participated in ‘It’s a Knockout!’ at the weekend and much fun was had by all. The winning team will enjoy pizza and more in Mr. and Mrs. Barlow’s flat on Friday evening.

There was great support support for the Bonfire Party. A big thank you to those who helped their sons create a Guy to be burnt! The winner was made by Alex Bowman.

Some of you may have seen the publicity surrounding the Headmistress of St. Paul’s Girls School in London introducing parenting classes for busy parents. We are planning to give parents an opportunity to think about the challenges of their teenage sons……they will be there soon! We are working with ‘Teenagers Translated’ and they have offered to run a free taster session at the School for any interested parents.

The Bedale Hunt will meet at Aysgarth on Wednesday 7 December. There will be an opportunity to follow the Hunt on the boys’ own horses.

It was ‘Wet ‘n Wild’ at the weekend with over 120 boys going there and behaving better than ever! Saturday saw our charity group helping collect and press apples in the village. . On Saturday 5 November, we have our traditional Bonfire Party in which Guy Fawkes (or effigies of him) will be burnt on the bonfire. Each year we have a competition for the best Guy. The boys have been encouraged to make a Guy over half term, and the winning Guy (chosen by Mrs. Goddard) will have the position of honour (maximum heat!) on the top of the bonfire.

The Bedale Hunt will meet at Aysgarth on Wednesday 7 December. There will be an opportunity to follow the Hunt on the boys’ own horses.

Last weekend featured the first 4th and 5th Form party/disco at Queen Margaret’s. Reports suggest that the boys behaved well and that there were some cool movers! On Sunday, there was rather a lot of shooting of various types. The 1st Form had a great time at Solway Bank in Scotland. Look at the Aysgarth Boarder on http://www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder

About 20 boys have been making their pitch for election to the School Council. They have given speeches in assembly to the whole school and staff, and then gave more informal speeches in the Reynolds Hall. In between, they have been canvassing for support and the vote will take place on Friday using a transferrable vote system. It is always fascinating to see the emergence of budding politicians, with eloquent, populist speeches promising a bright new future, but will they be able to deliver? Watch this space for the results!

The Ghost Walk around York has set the creative juices flowing for writing of Goths and ghosts, and the character parade featured a vast variety of Draculas and Frankensteins along with some more weird and wonderful outfits. Congratulations to Charlie Doyne, winner of the overall award.

We now have a full contingent of boys, and I am delighted to say they have settled in very well. The latest Aysgarth Boarder is on-line – please go to http://www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder and make sure you scroll down to the end to see a Ferret in one of the boy's trousers!

The boys had a good weekend, most going to Adrenalin to enjoy the assault course (and mud!) and the high ropes, and the 5th Form were involved in a Leadership Day to help them understand more about leadership and to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

This week I look forward to welcoming children and staff back to Aysgarth.

Staff

We welcome one new teacher joining us this term; Harry Paget will teach RS to the 4th Form and Maths to Jo MacLelland’s classes whilst she is on maternity leave from 1 November to end March. This will enable him to spend time with Jo and her classes before he takes them over. He has worked in two other prep schools before qualifying as a teacher.

Spanish Boys

There will be 8 wonderful Spanish boys in the school this term – 3 in 5th Form, 3 in 4th Form and 1 in each of 3rd Form and 2nd Form.

Projects

The Estates Department has not rested in the holidays; the showers and toilets in the attic have been renewed, and the main toilets downstairs have also been renewed with the addition of 4 new showers. The English and Music classrooms have been refurbished with new ceilings and lighting. The main science laboratory and preparation rooms have been re-equipped and refurbished. There have also been a number of projects to upgrade the infrastructure, repair roves etc. All this was completed whilst the school was let for 3 weeks of the holidays, so Andrew Francis and his team have been very busy.

Website & Prospectus

We are in the process of developing a new website and prospectus. Launch date for the new website will probably be the summer term 2012. We have had some very useful input from a group of parents, and will probably seek more.

Over the weekend, the 3rd Form had a wonderful camp on the Bolton Estate, thanks to Lord and Lady Bolton. They got on with each other extremely well. We also managed to find a window of warmer weather on a Sunday to get the boys on the waterslide and they were joined in the afternoon by girls from Queen Mary’s – see the Aysgarth Boarder www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder

The next Harrow Headmaster, Jim Hawkins, and his wife Zoe visited the school last week to meet the Chairman of Governors, staff and boys. He takes over from Barnaby Lenon in September and will also become a Governor of Aysgarth.

We have just come to the end of a very creative Arts Week which started with a whole school visit to the Baltic Gallery and the Sage in Gateshead, and this was followed by about 15 workshops which included “Whacky Machines”, Pottery, Knitting and Mini golf courses; you will be able to see the output at the weekend. Many thanks to Stuart Smith for again providing such a fascinating programme.

Inter-House Sailing Regatta

The first of these took place this afternoon on the reservoir at Thornton Steward. About 18 boys participated in sailing, paddling, swimming and capsizing races and it was tremendous fun.

Save the Date

We are planning a wonderful party in support of the Aysgarth School Foundation to take place on Saturday 30th June, 2012. Please put the date in your diary!

Chatsworth Concert and Supper

We are immensely grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire who invited the Senior Choir to perform a concert at Chatsworth, hosted a wonderful supper for 90 local Aysgarth parents, prospective parents and parents of the choristers, and allowed choir and staff to stay in the house. It was an experience of a lifetime for boys and staff alike!

The boys performed brilliantly in the concert and behaved well throughout, and we were extremely proud of them. In addition, there was a film crew there making a programme that will appear on BBC TV in the autumn called “Behind the Scenes at Chatsworth” in which we might appear, if we are not edited out!

UPDATE FROM AYSGARTH – 5 May 2011

Term is well under way after the excitements of the Royal Wedding. The Aysgarth Boarder will be available shortly – we have had some technical problems! Please try clicking on www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder in about 24 hrs.

The boys enjoyed a busy first weekend with outings to Lightwater Valley and Beamish. The weather has been wonderful and we have been able to play lots of cricket.

Theatre Trips

The top year watched ‘Private Peaceful’ on Tuesday in Leeds on Tuesday evening. It is one of their Common Entrance readers. We are trying to get the boys to the theatre more often than previously, with the 3rd Form watching ‘Goodnight Mr. Tom’ last term, 2nd Form going to ‘The Jungle Book’ next week and the 4th Form to ‘Macbeth’ in July.

UPDATE FROM AYSGARTH – 26 April 2011

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday.

Academic Presentation

We will be giving a presentation on Academic Matters starting at 6.15pm on Wednesday 27 April. This is open to all parents, and is aimed at giving you an overview of Academic issues – how we do assessments, the purpose of exams, how parents can help etc. It will last about 30 minutes. It would be helpful if you could advise us if you plan to attend.

Projects in the holidays

All of the attic dormitories have been refurbished and a new dormitory created. These dormitories set a new standard with individual lights for each bed and will be for just for 4th and 5th Form boys. The Attic washrooms will be refurbished in the summer holidays. We have also reroofed the old library and Skills Development rooms.

We are into the final week of the term. Last weekend was dominated by the rehearsal for the Senior Play with a number of other activities going on for the younger boys. If you want a preview of the Treasure Island production, go to www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder A group of 3rd Form boys were very kindly taken to the Uppingham Skills Day by Philip Southall.

Future events

• Rosslyn Park Sevens Tournament

A group of 10 boys will be travelling south on Sunday to compete in this national sevens tournament. They will come up against some very strong schools and it will be an excellent challenge for them.

• French Trip

Twelve 4th Formers will depart on Tuesday 26 April for the trip to Paris. Madame Pearson and Monsieur Oakshott are accompanying the boys who will be travelling on Eurostar and spending what should be a fun and stimulating time in Paris, returning on the first Saturday of term. The purpose is to whet the boys’ appetites for all things French, and to give them an opportunity to practice their spoken French and hear it being spoken all around them.

• The Royal Wedding

We shall celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding with due decorum whilst ensuring that plenty of work still takes place although I think Mrs. G is hatching some plans! .

UPDATE FROM AYSGARTH –10 March 2011

Thank you to all the parents who gave such amazing support in giving to and running in the 9th Aysgarthian and raising funds for Jason Jameson. Jason, the son of Michelle, who has worked as a matron at Aysgarth for 12 years, was severely wounded whilst serving with the Bomb Disposal Squad in Afghanistan in December. Jason is making good progress in his rehabilitation programme, and the Prep and Pre-Prep School wanted to help raise funds to support his recovery. The event raised over £7000 which is an astonishing sum way above our highest expectations!

The Speech & Drama recital was also well supported and witnessed some excellent performances. The boys will do their LAMDA exams later this term.

Recent Events

On Saturday the Senior Choir sang at Millie Bowring’s wedding in Lancashire which was a wonderful occasion and the boys were well fed before returning for their usual Saturday evening entertainment.

Congratulations to the following winners of awards:

• Archie Erskine on a Sports Scholarship at Sedbergh
• William Westgarth on a Sports Exhibition at Sedbergh
• Harry West on an All-Rounder Scholarship at Fettes
• We have had a visit from Barnaby Lenon, the retiring Headmaster of Harrow School
• The U11 7s Rugby team were the runners up in the Durham School 7s Tournament

The boys enjoyed a trip on Sunday to watch Leeds Tigers being beaten by Leicester Tigers.

Those who stayed here, had fun in the pool and in the CDT workshop.

Recent Events

• Congratulations to Jonathan Vincent on winning a Headmaster’s Exhibition (All-rounder award) to Repton.

• We have had visits from Mark Turner, the new Headmaster of Shrewsbury School, and Gareth Doodes, the new Headmaster of Milton Abbey. Both schools are in excellent hands.

• Alan Stevens, the new Headmaster of Barnard Castle School visits us tomorrow.

Whilst many of the boarders were having their Optional Weekend, Mrs. Goddard was being “murdered” at Aysgarth – see more on the Aysgarth Boarder! www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder

Recent Events

It has been a music dominated week! Just before the exeat, we had a wonderful concert from the 5th Form boys, and this week, 33 boys took music exams. Two boys have had outstanding achievements:

• Congratulations to Jamie Wallace-Woodroffe on winning a Music Exhibition to Eton. Jamie plays the trumpet and the piano and is a member of the Senior Choir.

• Congratulations to Hugh Hollins on winning a place in the National Children’s Orchestra. Hugh’s main instrument is the bassoon. The new School Council met and came up with some excellent suggestions as well as some old chestnuts for how we can improve the school for the boys.

Lt. Col. Robin Bolton gave a fascinating lecture to 4th and 5th Forms on “Peacekeeping in Sudan”.

Aysgarthian Run Sponsorship

The Aysgarthian Run will take place on Sunday March 6 and as ever, will be an opportunity for boys, siblings, parents, dogs and even ferrets to participate! What new participants will we see this year? Sponsored ones! This year we are asking the boys to get sponsorship for their participation in order to raise money for Jason Jameson. Jason is the son of Michelle Jameson, who has worked at Aysgarth for many years and is currently a matron. Jason was severely wounded whilst serving with the Bomb Disposal Squad in Afghanistan in December. He has lost both legs and sustained injuries to an arm and an eye. He is making good progress in his rehabilitation programme, and we would like to support him by raising a good sum to help him in his new life. Your sons will come home at half term with sponsorship forms, and we would be most grateful if you could support them in getting sponsors.

I hope you had a happy exeat. The boys have settled well on their return.

Recent Events

Last week was dominated by School Exams and you will shortly be receiving an e-mail setting out how we will be reporting the results to you, which will be available at half term.

We also managed to fit in 9 teams playing football against Cundall Manor, a Cross Country match at Sedbergh, a Prefects outing to go bowling and a Mechanics outing to see the Army Air Corps operations at Dishforth, including the maintenance of the Army Lynx helicopters - perfect for Prep School boys of all ages!

On-line Safety

I have had comments and questions from a number of parents about the issue of On-line Safety. The CEOP website is a very useful source of information with sections targeted particularly at parents and advice on what to do in certain situations. We do also address this issue with the boys in IT and Form Tutor lessons and in assemblies. Here is the link - <http://www.ceop.police.uk/> www.ceop.police.uk/

Choir Optional Weekend

Please could boys who are in the Senior Choir take their Optional Weekend on this weekend, if they want to have an Optional weekend. This is also a good weekend for other full boarders to have their Optional Weekend. For those who stay in for the weekend, it will be a Murder Mystery Weekend and boys can dress up as Detectives - Poirot, Sherlock Holmes etc.

The most recent Aysgarth Boarder is available on <http://www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder> www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder

Happy New Year! I hope you had a good Christmas.

The holidays have seen much activity at school, much of it caused by the freezing weather which caused several burst pipes and a lot of damage around the school. Thanks to outstanding work by Andrew Francis and his team, and a number of staff who helped out, almost all the damage has been repaired and all should run as normal when term starts.

Staff News

We have a couple of changes on the pastoral and boarding staff. Sue Marshall is now in Afghanistan serving with the TA and will be away all this term. Her role as School Nurse will be covered by Jane Mathieson. Michelle Jameson, one of the team of matrons, is looking after her son injured in an explosion in Afghanistan whilst serving with the Army Bomb Disposal squad. We are not sure when she will return, and have therefore recruited a temporary replacement, Rebecca Boll.

We will be joined at the beginning of term by 4 new Gap Students. They will stay for the usual year. Think of them as they come from an Antipodean summer to this winter!

Sports Courses

Looking ahead, the dates for Sports Courses at Aysgarth are as follows:

. Tues 12th April U9 Cricket

. Wed 13th April U11 Cricket

. Thu 14th April U11 Cricket

. Mon 18th April U13 Cricket

. Tues 19th April U13 Cricket

The Ampleforth Pre-Season Rugby is for U11s and U13s is Tuesday 30th August-Thursday 1st September.

With best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011,

Recent Events

Recent Events

• Edward Nainby-Luxmoore, who left Aysgarth in July 2006, has just won the OCS Young Sports Person of the Year for his rowing. He is currently Captain of Boats at Eton and represented Great Britain in the Youth Olympics in Singapore. He may not have learnt his rowing at Aysgarth, but he loyally wears his Old Aysgarthian tie at awards events! He is hoping to follow in Sir Matthew Pinsent's footsteps in more ways than just going to the same schools! Congratulations to him - read more at <http://www.ocs.co.uk/news-article/ysp-winner-2010>

Forthcoming Events

• Monday 13 December - 7pm Carol Concert at Ripon Cathedral in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support (ticket only). This will involve all three choirs.
• Tuesday 14 December - 6.30pm Carol Service at Aysgarth for local parents.
• Wednesday 15 December - 11am Carol Service at Aysgarth for more distant parents.

Recent Events

• Circus Theme Night was on Saturday evening and we saw some magnificent Ring Masters, Clowns and Jokers and the odd Magician. Supper was circussy and the boys then had to eat chocolate with a knife and fork wearing thick gloves. They learned some serious life skills on Sunday, including the art of spinning plates and juggling which should stand them in good stead in later life.

• We had a very happy visit from Mr. Robert Taylor, Registrar of Harrow School who preached an excellent sermon, including the first time someone has attempted to achieve a hole in one in chapel! He failed in the attempt, but his sermon gained in impact.

• Tobogganing and Snowball fighting have dominated the games timetable as matches have been cancelled.

• We have managed to keep most lessons going as the vast majority of staff have managed to get in each day - many thanks to them, especially the kitchen staff who have made sure that cooked breakfasts were still available despite having to leave home at horribly early times. Thank you too to the grounds staff who have tried to keep roads and paths clear.

The boys have settled well for the final phase of term after the exeat weekend.

Recent Events

1st & 2nd Form Play - Aesop's Fables proved a great success as each of the fables was a short play in itself, and therefore all the boys had meaningful parts. There were many entertaining moments in an excellent production, with budding new talents discovered.

Charity Committee - A new charity committee has leapt into action by asking the boys to help raise money for Children in Need. Thank you to those of you who helped their sons do something to raise money.

Ampleforth College teachers - we have had three Ampleforth teachers here today, giving master classes in English, Maths and Science to the 4th Form boys, helping to stimulate their interest and broaden their understanding of the subjects.

Trial Common Entrance - the 5th Form are doing their trial exams this week to give them practice in advance of the real thing. They will have one more practice in March.

Mothers' birthdays

We are keen that the boys remember some of the most important dates in the year, one of which has to be their mother's birthday! Please could you e-mail your birthday date (just day and month!) to Caroline on cgoddard@aysgarthschool.co.uk

The weekend included a happy Bonfire Party.

The weekend included a happy Bonfire Party in which the lanterns were once again greatly admired, especially Charles Nainby-Luxmoore's sailing boat as it went up in flames! On Sunday, the whole school took part in 'It's a Knockout' and we also heard Mr. James Stileman preaching an excellent sermon and telling us about the summer activity holidays that he runs.

Recent Events

•  Congratulations to Harry Adair in winning a Sports Scholarship to Shrewsbury.
  

•  Congratulations to Archie Erskine, Bertie Turner and George est for being selected for the Northern Prep School Barbarians teams to Play the Midlands later this month.
  

•  Well done to all the music exam candidates; all of the 14 boys
  

  passed with 3 gaining Distinctions and 6 gaining Merits.

•  Remembrance Sunday is this Sunday and we welcome as many parents as can make it, including parents of day boys and weekly boarders.  It is a great opportunity to recognise the sacrifice of those who died for their country, including the many OAs, and parents are welcome to come in uniform and/or to wear their medals.  Mr. Justin Nolan, an Eton Housemaster, will be preaching.
  

I hope you had an excellent half term. The boys have settled remarkably well after their return and we are now back into the swing.

Recent Events

• The Classics Trip to Rome was a great success and seemed to stimulate the boys' interest in ancient history and Latin.

• A presentation took place on Wednesday evening by Torquil Johnson-Ferguson on Rua Fiola, and I suspect that a number of boys will be expressing interest in going there next summer.

• The Guys Competition had seven entries - thank you to those parents who assisted. The winning Guy, made by Harry Tennant will have pride of place on the bonfire on Saturday evening.

• French Day - We have just had our French Day; the dining room was decked out with 'tricoleurs', we ate Boeuf Bourguignon and Tarte Tartin for lunch and the boys were engaged in all sorts of activities with a French flavour.

Bonfire Party

• The Bonfire Party is on Saturday 6 November. The fireworks start promptly at 6pm. Please do not bring your own fireworks. We will provide the boys and siblings with sparklers and would be grateful if you could help encourage them to use them safely.

You now have your boys at home and do not need me to tell you what they have been up to, but when you ask and they say “I can’t remember”, this normally means that they cannot be bothered to remember! Could be you when you were their age!?

Recent Events

• The Poetry recital took place during Book Week, and the winners were:

o Junior Prize – Harry Stephenson

o Senior Prize – James Trevelyan

• The Classics Trip to Rome departed and arrived safely. 15 boys, 2 staff and 4 parents have travelled, and their itinerary is mouth-watering, including trips to the Colosseum, the Vatican City, the Historic Centre and the Gladiator School. Hopefully, this will stimulate their interest in the classics.

• We have had various musical performances in chapel – the string orchestra, and a few individuals have played their instruments in front of the whole school.

Bonfire Party and Guys Competition

• The Bonfire Party is on Saturday 6 November. There will be a Guys Competition after half term. If you are interested in a creative project with your son or the whole family over half term, make a Guy and the one judged to be the best will have the position of honour on the top of the bonfire with the rest at its feet! The fireworks start promptly at 6pm. Please do not bring your own fireworks. We will provide the boys with sparklers and would be grateful if you could help encourage them to use them safely.

Miscellaneous requests

• We would be most grateful for any spare Apples. We take them to Ampleforth where one of the monks presses them into delicious apple juice which the boys have at breakfast. If you have some spare, please leave them in a bag or box under the arch with a note so that we know from whom they came.

• A 1st World War Medal has been found in the school grounds. It belonged to Private F. Bridger of the Hampshire Regiment. If anyone knows anything about it or him, please get in touch with me.

I hope you have a very happy half term.

The school office will be closed during half term, and will reopen on Monday 1 November.

Although many boys took their Optional Weekends, the ‘elite’ remained at school and enjoyed roasting marsh mallows on camp fires and playing ‘Mars Attack’ on Saturday night, and then a range of outings and activities on Sunday.

Picking of teams

• Boys and their parents are generally very keen that they are picked to play in school matches. We are also very keen that as many boys as possible get the opportunity to play. It is probably worth mentioning our policy:

• We have been steadily increasing the number of fixtures for B, C, and D teams in the last few years and we have more fixtures for boys than any of the other schools we play.

• Selection for A teams is clearly on merit, but there is more rotation within a squad for B and C teams to ensure that those who want to have a chance to represent the school.

• We encourage the boys to play to win – that is one of the purposes of sports – but we also expect the boys to play fairly and to lose well.

• Team sports are not every boy’s idea of fun, and we work hard to provide a rich variety of activities on match days for those not participating in matches.

Headmaster’s Annual Fund for the Aysgarth School Foundation

• I am very grateful to those of you who have already been very generous – we have been able to buy a number of the items identified in the last appeal – the cover for the cricket wicket, the fume cupboard for the laboratory, the bank of laptops etc. Please do consider helping us with this year’s appeal, either with one of the smaller items or the major projects of the Reynolds Hall redevelopment and the bursary fund.

We have had all sorts of activities this week that have been out of the ordinary:

• Book Week in which the theme has been the Second World War

• The 2nd Form went to Eden Camp, where they experienced something of what the Second World War was like in this country

• The 3rd Form went to Crucial Crew where they learnt about what to do in various real life situations, with a particular emphasis on safety

• The 5th Form went on a Geography Field Trip to a meander on the River Swale

• We had a fascinating lecture from Mr. Nigel Milverton on ‘Conflict in the Holy Land – The Gaza Strip’. This was attended by all of 3rd, 4th and 5th Forms and have them a fantastic overview of one of the most disputed territories in the world.

• The elections to the School Council took place this morning and we will learn the outcome in assembly tomorrow.

• And, the boys have also done some work!

Cross Country

• We do quite a lot of cross country running as a means of helping the boys get fit.

• We also attend about 3 Cross Country events each year when we compete with several other schools.

• This week the U13 team came 3rd, and the U11 team 2nd in the Malsis tournament.

I hope you had a happy exeat. Your boys have settled well on their return.

• Boys’ Personal Development

The 1st Form go to an outdoor activity centre in Dumfriesshire for the weekend. This is the first stage of the Leadership Development Programme for boys, which carries on throughout their time at the school. This programme includes the 3rd Form Camp in the summer term, the Leadership Day at the beginning of their final year, and the Leavers’ Camp in their final term. It is designed to help develop their personal skills, in particular their leadership, team working and self reliance skills. Much that goes on in the school on a daily basis will help with these skills, but I thought you would be interested to know about the overall scheme.

• Weekend Activities

You will notice that some weekend activities are mentioned in the calendar. I would like to clarify that what is mentioned in the calendar does not represent everything that is going on, but shows the major pre-planned activities. Every weekend there are always a range of other home-grown on-site activities for the whole age range.

Our first weekend was very busy with activities for every year group, in particular for 1st Form and the Leadership Day for 5th Form.

• Elections to the School Council will be taking place. The School Council is made up of representatives who are elected from each form, and is chaired by the Head Boy. It meets every term, normally twice/term, to allow boys to make suggestions via their representatives as to how the school could be improved, and to taste new offerings from the Aysgarth kitchens.

• The Walled Garden has seen something of a renaissance in the last 9 months as members of staff and the boys have taken on allotments and the garden is once again becoming productive. The school will eat some of the produce, and there is an active gardening club. Congratulations to our gardeners who won prizes over the summer!

• Sports activities will be continuing with rugby matches, a swimming gala and clay pigeon shooting.

Boys have settled generally very well and we are enjoying having some life back in the school. All the new boys are now here safely and have made a fine start.

Forthcoming Events

• This first weekend will see training matches and I will be preaching in Chapel on Sunday morning. This will be followed by a number of planned activities including a trip to Go2H2O, a water activity centre, and all sorts of mystery games for the 1st Form and a Leadership Day for the 5th Form.

• Further ahead are more training games with St. Olaves's in York and the 1st XV vs. Bramcote match played at Aysgarth The 1st XV and U11A rugby teams will be competing in the Sedbergh Tournament

• Parents are welcome to come to the school for tea on Saturdays at around 3.30pm when there are matches, whether their sons are playing or not. It takes place in the school dining room and is a good opportunity to meet other parents. If you are too distant to be able to make this, please do not worry as the majority of parents are not there!

Since my last blog, there have been lots of happy events:

• Most important of all, the boys achieved 100% success rate in Common Entrance – congratulations to them and to their teachers.
• The concert, art exhibition and sports day went well with only 10 minutes of rain – we have to be grateful for small mercies!
• The 1st XI completed a very successful southern tour in which they defeated some of the best cricketing schools in the south – the Dragon School in Oxford, Prior Park who were the finalists in the JET Cup, and St. John’s Beaumont U12 side. Well done to a wonderfully talented group of boys, and thanks to their coaches, Ben Wicling and Gordon MacLelland.
• The leavers spend two days in London, and for some, this was the first time they had visited the capital. They also went to ‘As You Like It’ at Ripley Castle and to a Brewery!
• A cricket match between N. Yorks U11 and Cleveland U11 took place at Aysgarth with 6 Aysgarth boys playing in the victorious N. Yorks side.
• New Boys’ Weekend went well and we anticipate an intake of around 40 new boys in September.
• 10 boys went to the Military Bagpiping School in Edinburgh thanks to Colonel Simon West. We love our pipers and are keen to encourage them!
• The School Water Fight took place on the main pitch on Friday evening on a World Cup theme, following a S. African braai! Spartans were the winners.

The Common Entrance results have just come in - I will be reporting back on this as soon as I have communicated with all parents. Last weekend included the 3rd Form Camp in which the sun shone on them for most of it, but before they could get too rose-tinted a view of camping, the heavens opened at 5am on Sunday! The 1st XI got to the final of the Worsley Cup cricket competition at Ampleforth, only for the rain to stop play; we are, of course, convinced we would have won! The Aysgarth Boarder is on line at www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder.

The visit to the Bowes Museum was much enjoyed, and so was the whole of 'Arts Week'. More news on this to follow ...

World Cup Water Fight

This will take place for the whole school on the evening of Friday 2 July. There will be a Braai (South African barbecue!) and battle will commence afterwards on a World Cup theme.

UPDATE FROM AYSGARTH – 25 May 2010

The weekend was a celebration of Grandparents! It was great fun to have so many here – about 100, and they were very appreciative guests! We will aim to repeat the event every 2-3 years so that each generation of Aysgarthians has the opportunity to welcome their grandparents to their school. The Aysgarth Boarder is on line at www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder and includes some photos of the grandparents and other activities at the weekend, including the first outing for the water slide.

Tennis Competitions The 4th and 5th Form Parents and Sons competition was won by the formidable combination of Freddie Adair with his uncle, defeating the joint runners up of Harry West and his father, and Tom Bilborough and his father.

In the Repton Prep Schools tournament, for which we were the holders of the U13 doubles, both pairs reached the semi-finals but were knocked out at that stage. Well done to the team for doing Aysgarth proud!

With best wishes for a happy half term!

Start of Term

I hope you all have had a wonderful Easter break!

We will be joined for the first three weeks of term by the headmaster designate of Summer Fields, David Faber. He will be here from Monday to Thursday each week to see how another prep school works. As a former Conservative MP and author of history books, he will have much that he can contribute, and he will open the boys’ eyes to the joys of a General Election by running a Politics Club and an Aysgarth election.

Air Travel

There seems to be an emerging hope that some restrictions will be lifted. We look forward to seeing those boys affected as soon as possible.

Life is dominated at the moment by preparations for ‘the Pirates of Penzance’, with boys scampering all over the school in strange garb!

The 1st Form returned from Solway Bank on Friday having had enormous fun, but completely exhausted. They undertook challenges that have stretched them and I am sure that their friendships and confidence will have benefited. A big thank you to Paul Barlow and Sue Marshall for taking them. There are two volumes of the Aysgarth Boarder this week on www.aysgarthschool.com/news/the-aysgarth-boarder

Scholarships

Congratulations to Mungo Fawcett on being awarded an All-Rounder Scholarship at Radley in addition to his Music Exhibition. This brings the number of awards won to five.

French Trip

Eleven 4th and 5th Formers will depart on Sunday morning for the trip to Paris. We (Mrs. Pearson and I are accompanying the boys) will be travelling on Eurostar (no BA for us) and spending what should be a fun and stimulating time in Paris, returning on the day after the end of term. The purpose is to whet the boys’ appetites for all things French, and to give them an opportunity to practice their spoken French and hear it being spoken all around them. We plan to do this annually and hope that a number of this year’s 3rd Form will be planning to come next year.

Rosslyn Park Sevens Tournament

A group of 10 boys will be travelling south on Sunday to compete in this national sevens tournament. They will come up against some very strong schools and it will be an excellent challenge for them.

We enjoyed a happy weekend at the beginning of February with a visit from the lovely girls of Queen Margaret’s who joined the choir in chapel and then had a social at the school. There was also an outing to watch Newcastle Falcons being beaten by London Wasps.

Congratulations are due to a number of boys:

• Mungo Fawcett has been awarded a Music Exhibition to Radley College.

• Troy Lockyear has been selected to play for the U13 England Prep School Barbarians Team and Sam Hoddinott for the U11 team, both to tour Ireland in the holidays.

Inspection results

I am delighted to advise you that the ISI Inspection completed at the beginning of term was a great success. The inspection of the Prep School and classes 1-3 in the Pre Prep was covered by the main ISI report and the outcome was that the school received the highest possible grade of ‘Excellent’ in two of the three categories.

The Nursery and Reception in the Pre Prep were inspected separately under the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and we were thrilled to be awarded the highest grade of ‘Outstanding’ in all four categories.

This weekend

It will be a busy one (see below for the events) and a good one to come to the school for one or all of the events.

Forthcoming events

Wednesday 24 February – the U13 Spirit of Soccer Tournament at Aysgarth has been cancelled. The U13 and U11 Sevens Tournaments at Woodleigh and Terrington respectively may still be on – a decision will be made tomorrow morning and will be texted to the parents affected. Thursday 25 February – CE Mental Arithmetic Trials Saturday 27 February – football matches vs. Cundall Manor (see calendar/website) Sunday 28 February – an ‘All-in’ weekend, but do join us for: 10am Chapel with Mr. Charles Milne, Admissions Tutor at Eton College, preaching. He will be accompanied by Mr. Paul Gilham, Housemaster designate 2pm The 8th Aysgarthian Run – parents, siblings and dogs are encouraged to join in 3.30pm Speech & Drama recitals – open to all followed by tea Tuesday 2 March – Common Entrance Trials for 5th Form until Thursday Tuesday 2 March – Chris Vine, author of the ‘Peter’s Railway’ series of books, will be speaking to Pre Prep and Forms 1-3 and letting them see his model train. Wednesday 3 March – 1st Form outing to Bolton Castle, U13 Sevens Tournament at Terrington and U11 Spirit of Soccer at Aysgarth. Wednesday 3 March – Lecture to whole school on ‘Wood as Renewable Energy’ by Mr. Ralph Assheton. Friday 5 March – 2nd Exeat starts at 12 noon, followed by the 4th Form Parent/Teacher meeting.

Last week we were visited by Inspectors. I am delighted to say that we have come through it very well. However, nothing further can be said until the report is published.

We have had a happy weekend for those who have been at the school and you can see the evidence on the 'Boarder' section of the website.

Forthcoming Events

Wednesday 3 February – football matches vs. Mowden Hall and Cundall Manor (see calendar or website) Wednesday 3 February – lecture on “Cycling home from Siberia” – Rob Lilwall. Saturday 6 February – football matches vs. Woodleigh and Moorlands. Sunday 7 February – the School Service will be at 11am and Rev. Simon Austen will be preaching. The Aysgarth choir will be joined by a choir from Queen Margaret’s School.

Happy New Year! I hope you had a good Christmas and are enjoying the snow! The school is looking beautiful with over 1ft of snow.

We will be joined at the beginning of term by 4 new Gap Students (from New Zealand and South Africa). They will stay for the usual year. Think of them as they come from an Antipodean summer to this winter!

We are looking forward to seeing boarders on Wednesday and day boys and Pre-Prep children on Thursday.

With best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2010.

Last weekend's main activity was a demonstration of circus skills where the boys had an opportunity to try out the various skills themselves! We certainly have a variety of activities here at the School!

It was also great to see so many parents at the Inter House and rugby matches on Saturday. It is a great opportunity for every boy to play and these matches are keenly contested. The U13 competition was won by Corinthians on points difference, the U11s by Thebans, who were clear winners, and the U9s by Corinthians, who were also clear winners. As of last week, Athenians were leading the House Competition, so the tension is building as to which house will win the prize at the end of term.

Forthcoming Events:

Wednesday 2 December – the Bedale Hunt meets at Aysgarth at 10.30am.

Saturday 12 December – 11am Carol Service for the local community. 6.30pm-9pm Christmas Party. The weekend is an ‘All-in’ weekend for all Full and Weekly boarders.

Monday 14 December – 7pm Carol Concert at Ripon Cathedral in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support (ticket only). This will involve all three choirs.

The main activity at the weekend was ‘German Spotlight’ on the Saturday night. Please go to the 'Aysgarth Boarder' to find out more.

Cyber Bullying and the Internet - during this week we have focused on the issue of Cyber Bullying. This has become one of the most common forms of bullying in the country, where children use various electronic media to be unkind to each other. Using the internet seems innocent enough, but we were sharply reminded of the risks of Social Networking Sites. We have advised parents that internet access should be possible for children only where you can see what they are doing.

• Junior Play - “A Surprisingly Happy Ending” will be performed on Thursday 19 November at 6pm. All are welcome! • 3rd Form Concert – the 3rd Form Instrumentalists will give a concert in chapel at 11.15am on Friday 20th November

The main activity at the weekend was the ‘Y Factor’ – Aysgarth’s version of the X Factor! To read all about it and to view photos, click on ‘Aysgarth Boarder’.

One of the highlights of the last few weeks has been the emergence from an under cover printing press of a newsletter produced by the boys called ‘The Randomer’. Its journalists have investigated key issues such as “Did Mr. Oakshott really play for Leeds United?”, “Did Mr. Barlow play for ACDC?” and “Is Mr. Goddard really 24?”. The latest issue asks “How did Mr. Southall save the world?”.

5th Form RS Project – Conscientious Objection

Thank you to the parents who have helped with the 5th Form RS projects by completing questionnaires. Thank you too to Mrs. Selwyn-Sharpe who came and spoke to the boys. We were also delighted and impressed that William Hague, our local MP and Shadow Foreign Secretary, took the time to respond in detail to a letter asking for his views.

The weekend included a visit from 20 Casterton girls for a social with the 5th Form whilst the 4th Form escaped to do some clay pigeon shooting. We also had great fun collecting up fallen branches to rebuild the bonfire and the 1st & 2nd Form went to Thorpe Perrow to see the birds of prey, meerkats and the like.

Higher Sports Dinner

Higher Sports will be holding their dinner at Aysgarth on Saturday 5 December. The after dinner speech will be given by Henry Olonga. If you are interested in tickets or want to know more, please contact Bryan Mason on bryan@highersports.lccnet.co.uk

Sedbergh Prep Schools Rugby Tournament

The Sedbergh Tournament is the most competitive tournament held in the north, and the U13s age group attracts schools from all over the country. The 1st XV played 7 matches and lost just one, winning the final of the plate competition. The U11s won their tournament with six straight wins. Well done to all those boys, their coaches and thank you to the supporters.

STOP PRESS

Congratulations to Aysgarth staff members Gordon and Jo MacLelland on the birth of Archie James MacLelland. Both mother and baby are doing well.

Book Week

One of the highlights of Book Week was a talk by Jonny Beardsall about journalism and travel. He spoke about his experiences of Borneo and the Puna people, and managed to get a ‘poison tipped’ dart stuck in the New Hall ceiling with the aid of a blow pipe! He knows how to get the boys’ attention!

The boys are settling well back into the Prep School after the Summer and the delightful collection of new boys are a great addition.

Immediately after the first exeat, there will be a competition to decorate the dormitories. For details on the winners, watch this space….

Forthcoming Events

• This weekend and on Wednesday we have rugby training games against St. Martin’s Ampleforth, Cundall Manor and St. Olave’s. Sunday’s Activities will include the 5th Form Leadership Day, 4th Form outing to Carlton Lodge Outdoor Centre, 3rd & 2nd Form Water Slide and 1st Form Activity Day. There will also be cooking and swimming.
• Next week is Book Week and we have a journalist and travel writer, Johnny Beardsall coming to speak to the boys. A travelling Book Fair will also visit.
• Parents’ Prayer Meeting – this will take place again at 11am on Thursday 22 October. If you are interested in attending, please contact Caroline on cgoddard@aysgarthschool.co.uk.