New Year, Same Amazing School.
It’s a brand new year. We hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are getting back into the swing of things in 2022. At Ryburn, we are looking forward to an eventful year and have already seen a jam-packed half-term. Carry on reading to find out more about our Careers Day and the wonderful achievements of our hard-working and thoughtful students.
Banner Artwork: Year 11 Clay sculptures
last day of the academic year
Before we kick things off, we would like to make everyone aware that there has been a change to the date that we break up for the Summer holidays. As it is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year, we will be breaking up for Summer on Thursday 21 July. Click here for a full list of our term dates.
new s9 bus schedule update
If your child takes the S9 bus to school, there are going to be changes to the timetable from Monday 28 February (first Monday back after half-term). We have been informed that it will be setting off a few minutes earlier in the morning. Please see here for the revised timetable.
Sporting Success
On 13 January, our U16s football team competed in round 5 of the ESFA cup against Trinity Catholic College. Both teams played excellently, but Ryburn came out victorious winning 1-0 and making their way into the quarter-finals. For a full match report, check out the RVHS PE Department on Facebook.
A huge congratulations also to our U15 cricket team who played in the West Yorkshire final on Thursday at Woodlands Cricket Club. They secured a spot in the top 2 schools and will now go through to the Yorkshire round at Headingley in March. Well done girls, a fantastic achievement!
Endless Post-16 possibilities for Year 11
Friday 4 February was both our Careers Day and Ryburn Sixth Taster Day for our Year 11 students. Our soon to be Year 12 students got the chance to experience life at Ryburn Sixth for the day. They took part in taster sessions for subjects at Key Stage 5, as well as hearing from Leeds Beckett and Lloyds Bank about where their Ryburn Sixth Journey can take them.
For students looking to explore their post-16 options, we held a Careers Day. Employers and organisations set up stalls in the library, as well as giving talks and workshops to students. Year 11 were very engaged and networked well with organisations such as NCS, Covea Insurance, Whiterose Beauty and the RAF. Students came away feeling more knowledgeable about their options after Year 11 and our Vice-Chair of Governors commented that it was a “wonderful day and a wonderful event”.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our guests for coming in and inspiring our students. Check out our Careers page and keep an eye out on our Role Models section, as we will be uploading in-depth interviews with visiting organisations from the day.
our students are Brilliant Scholars
12 students from Years 8 and 9 were recommended by their maths and science teachers to take part in the Brilliant Club Scholars Programme. This was a 6-week course where they heard from a PhD student and learnt about diseases, prevention, treatment methods, and current issues surrounding these topics.
At the end of the course, our scholars became ‘Disease Detectives’ and used their learning to write their own assignments that would be assessed. We’re delighted to say that everyone achieved either a 2.1 or a first which is an absolutely fantastic result. They will even be able to reference this in their UCAS personal statements when they are in Year 13!
LGBTQ+ History Month
February marks LGBTQ+ History month and we ran a themed quiz on our Instagram and Facebook stories where the answers were all key LGBTQ+ figures throughout history.
Our LGBTQ+ Society has also been working hard to plan events and presentations for Pride Week at Ryburn later this year. The group have some great ideas and have been speaking to other students to get input on discussion topics and activities for the week. We’re looking forward to showing you the results of their efforts.
the re-shop
The ambassador teams have been really busy up-cycling and re-using potential rubbish into useable products. They have created furniture, lighting and a range of tomato planters from tin cans, waste textiles and unwanted timber. The results are amazing and are a credit to the students involved who have worked as a team to produce the products. There will be a pop-up after half term to sell the products to raise money to buy metal water bottles for all students to reduce the number of plastic bottles being thrown away.
Medical Society
We love the initiative of our students. When they want something, they make it happen. This is proven by Charlotte Wallace, one of our Year 12 students at Ryburn Sixth, who has taken it upon herself to set up a medicine society.
The group will be open to students in years 10-12 who are interested in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine; or planning on working anywhere else in the healthcare field. It will run on Thursday A weeks after school from 3:20 until 4:15.
Meetings will consist of presentations going over the process of applying to competitive university courses, the importance of A-levels and Key Stage 5 subjects, recommended programmes and more. Ryburn Sixth students will also be able to advise lower school students on Key Stage 5 subjects and how their choices may affect their path into a medical career.
The aim of the group is to provide support for anyone interested in a career in the field of medicine and gives students the chance to gain peers with similar interests and goals. Keep an eye on our social channels for the announcement of the first meeting.
Happy Valentines Day from ryburn sixth
Our Ryburn Sixth students set up a Cupid Delivery Service for Valentine’s day. Students were able to purchase roses for one another leading up to the event and they were all delivered by our very own Cupids throughout the day.
The Charity Committee were raising money to support the British Heart Foundations. Over 60 roses were sold which raised upwards of £190. Well done everyone!
Our Dancers really do shine
A group of our students attend Shine Theatre Arts and are part of a group selected to represent England in the 2022 Dance World Cup held in San Sebastian, Spain, this Summer. This is a fantastic achievement as they auditioned amongst over 3000 entries for the opportunity!
As the Dance World Cup is not funded by Sport England or the Arts council, all costs are supported by the parents of the children and the Dance School. With this in mind, the team are fundraising to make sure that everyone can go. If you would like to support them you can donate to their Go Fund Me page here. Our students will also be holding a bun sale at school to raise money for the trip so keep an eye on our social channels for more information.
Best of luck to Flora Howarth, Connie Horbury, Poppy Morse, Sophia O’Connor, Emmaline Smith, Evie Thompson, Sophie Thornam, and not forgetting our Ryburn Alumni Scarlett O’Connor, Rosie Horbury and Grace Smith.
Maths Homework Club
Our Maths Department has been amazing at running a homework club for Years 7-10 students. The club is for anyone needing help with their yellow homework sheet, revision or a topic missed in class. Come along for the first 20 minutes of lunch and receive some great support from a member of our team.
How best to contact our Teachers
Our teachers aren’t available to take calls while they are in lessons. If you would like to contact a member of our teaching staff the best way to do so is by email. You can find their email addresses on our staff contact list. If the member of staff you are looking for is not on the list, you can contact the head of the department who can put you in contact with them. All of our teachers will do their best to get back to you as quickly as possible.
Upcoming Dates:
Year 9 Options Launch - Monday 28 Feb
Careers Week - Monday 7 March
Year 9 Taster Selection Deadline - Wednesday 2 March
World Book Day - Thursday 3 March
Year 9 Taster Day - Tuesday 8 March
Year 9 Parents’ Evening - Wednesday 9 March
Year 9 Options Deadline - Friday 25 March
Year 8 HPV injections - Monday 28 March
Year 10 Parents’ Evening - Tuesday 29 March
Year 10 Study Skills - Tuesday 5 April
Are our emergency contact details and medical records up to date for your child?
If you have any feedback or suggestions for this newsletter, please feel free to email publish@rvhschool.co.uk.
You can also keep an eye on our social media channels for more frequent updates and stories.