Today we are delighted to be celebrating the fantastic performance of our students across The Consortium Sixth Form College. There have been many challenges over last couple of years, but our students have risen to the occasion and can now rightly celebrate the culmination of all their hard work. We would also like to thank all the staff in our schools who have supported them and enabled them to achieve their potential and progress onto the next exciting stage of their lives. Across our four sixth form campuses we have many individual success stories, including: 

At Cottingham Campus:

Charlie achieved a B in Business, B in History, and an A in Criminology which will allow him to progress onto an International Business course at the University of Liverpool. Abbie achieved an A* in the Extended Project Qualification, A in History, A in Geography and A in English Literature. She will study English and History at the University of York. Jemima achieved an A in Geography, an A in Maths, an A in Politics, an A* in the Extended Project Qualification and a B in English Literature, which has secured her a place at the University of York to study Law.

At Hessle Campus:

Marius achieved grades A*AAC and is going to Manchester to study Physics and Maths. Two of Hessle’s Head Students, Rose and Nick, both achieved A*AA, with Rose going to York to study English Literature and Nick going to UCL to study Comparative Literature. Ella achieved grades A*A*D and is moving on to a Fine Art course at York St John.

At Holderness Campus:

Amelia achieved an A* in English Literature, As in History and Music, and a B in Psychology and will go on to study English at York. Connie achieved an A* in Art, Bs in Biology and RE and a C in Chemistry and will study Forensic Anthropology at Dundee. Brandon achieved D* in BTEC ICT, A in Maths, B in Physics, C in Further Maths and will study Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology at Lancaster.

At Wolfreton Campus:

Law was a popular choice at Wolfreton. Rosie achieved an A in Law, A in Politics, and a B in English Literature and will study Law at Sheffield; Lewis achieved A* in Law, A* in Geography, and an A in English Literature and will study Law at York and Jess achieved an A* in Law, A* in English Literature, and an A in Geography and will study Law at Leeds. Oliver was delighted to be progressing onto an apprenticeship with the NHS and Joe anticipates training as a paramedic.

We wish all of our students lots of luck and happiness as they progress down their chosen pathway. 

Cottingham - Creative and Inspiring Workshops

Year 9 learners at Cottingham have been lucky enough to take part in two street art workshops in the summer term. They have been experimenting with new skills: working in an outdoor space and creating large scale outcomes. These workshops have been held by Steve Dixon AKA SD Art, a local street artist. He is passionate about inspiring others and introducing them to alternative creative processes. Steve is also the creative force behind the beautiful portrait of Marlowe that now sits in pride of place at Cottingham, providing a constant reminder of the continued impact Marlowe has on both learners and staff alike.

Croxby - Celebrating Achievements

Croxby are celebrating the achievements of two members of staff who have recently completed their degrees and are progressing professionally within the school. Michelle Skerrett, Art Lead, has completed her degree in Education Studies with the Open University and QTS at Hull University. Catherine Oldale will return in September as a class teacher after achieving First Class Honours. Catherine said “It is a fantastic feeling to have finally graduated. The Croxby team have been a great support during the course and through both my placements. Both Jade Rehman and Ally Hickey were very supportive mentors and deserve recognition.” Michelle Skerrett explained she is “eager to continue our fantastic work and to take the curriculum even further. I intend to pick up on my previous work with metacognition, and I would also like to build my coaching skills with the intention of eventually being part of the curriculum, teaching and learning team.”

Holderness - Stunning Murals

Throughout the term, ex-student Emily Dodgeson has been returning to Holderness to produce a range of stunning murals in the hallways and classrooms with Dream BIG Studios. Emily joined Holderness Academy & Sixth Form College in 2000 and was a student from Year 7 to Year 13. Emily explained that Holderness was the place where she first developed aspirations towards a career as an artist, especially in Sixth Form. She created a calming and relaxing sunrise scene for the Well-being Room as it is representative of new beginnings, fresh starts and hope. The beach and ocean evokes calming thoughts of waves washing over the beach, gentle breezes in the grasses and soft sand.

Howden - Holderness

On Wednesday 13 July, Howden School held a charity event in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust in honour of Luke Stevens, a Howden learner who recently lost his battle with cancer. The “A Shining Light” event raised £6847.00 with more than 200 people in attendance. The event was kindly sponsored by Wren Kitchens and The Luke Stevens Award for Inspiration was presented to the Howden learner showing the most determination to succeed

Penshurst - Penshurst Positivity

The first week of July was Well-being Week at Penshurst. Head of School, Jo Spencer said “It has been a pleasure to see all pupils from Nursery to Year 6 being taught by different teachers and using the outside area to its full potential. Nursery yoga was a highlight! There have been a number of different activities throughout the week which the children have accessed on a rotation to ensure they participate in all events.”

Keyingham - A Smoothie Bike Ride!

Keyingham Primary School pupils thoroughly enjoyed a lunchtime of fruitful fun with our caterers, ABM and their Smoothie Bike! A selection of pupils were invited to take their pick of healthy treats to make a smoothie and were tasked with blending the mixture with the power of peddling! Children from all year groups got involved to learn about the importance of healthy eating and staying active.

Hessle - A New Home at Hessle

June saw the arrival of Hessle High School and Sixth Form College’s first two Ukrainian learners. New Year 8 learners, Mira and Miroslava were joined by their parents at the school gates. They looked immaculate in their school uniforms and delighted to be able to resume their schooling after a terrible period in their lives. Headteacher, Vince Groak said “A great deal of work has already gone into preparing for their arrival - thankfully, we have members of staff in school that can speak Ukrainian, Russian and Polish and these language skills have been invaluable in helping us to understand the needs of the children and their families so that we can get them settled into school.”

Winifred Holtby - A Fabulous Farewell

Winifred Holtby Academy said farewell to their Year 11 leavers on 24 June with a spectacular Prom held at the MKM Stadium. The grand evening was organised by Matt Anderson, Claire Smithson, Gemma Coulson and Anita Hoy who chose an “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here” theme, complete with palm trees and neon lights. The night was an all-round success and it was fantastic to see how much learners loved every minute of it after all of their hard work over the last five years.

Wolfreton - Tomorrow's Global Leaders

Year 10 learners from Wolfreton got a taste of the working world as part of a visit by staff from Donaldson, who are global leaders in their industry and are also Wolfreton’s Enterprise Advisors. Learners were set a task to move a production cell from Poland to Hull and then produce a job advert for one of the roles needed to run the cell. They had to consider what factors were needed for the successful transfer such as a Project Plan, Budget/Costs, Health & Safety, Location/Transport and Staffing /Training. They then presented their plan to a board of judges. In the Autumn term the learners will visit the Donaldson's site for a tour of the premises and see how their project fitted into a real working environment.

June marked Pride month where learners and staff have raised awareness for LGBTQ+ issues and uplifted those in our communities who identify under the rainbow flag. 

Mal Bullivant, Facilities Manager - Cottingham

Loz Wilson and I set off from school during the Easter holidays heading for the Polish / Ukraine border with a minibus full of donated aid for Ukrainian refugees.

After a round trip of 3000 miles we successfully delivered the aid to three different organisations to take it over the border to the areas in the Ukraine where it is most needed. On our return journey we drove 10 refugees from the humanitarian aid centre at Medyka to start a new life in Leipzig, Germany. The photo sums up the reality for these people. This is the total worldly goods of ten people who have left their homes, jobs, family and life behind, not knowing where they are going to. Many thanks to all who donated, sponsored and supported us to make the trip happen.

Deb Harrison, Food and Childcare Instructor - Winifred

What a fantastic turn out for our ‘Cinco De Mayo – Mexican cook off’! With 19, yes 19! teams, made up of one student and one staff member per team, the competition was strong. This was evident in the quality of food produced. I can’t decide who were the most competitive, the students or the staff! The judging was the most difficult bit. Well done and thank you to all who took part. Congratulation to our winners!!!

James Green, Teacher of Creative Arts

Friday 13 May saw the return of the ever popular art department residential visit to London. Mr Green, Mr Cotson, Mr Pearson and Mrs Abbotts took an excited 31 art and design students from Year 9 - Year 13 on a journey that began early morning at Hull railway station. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, our first stop was 35 floors up in the Sky Garden, where students got the chance to see London from a completely new perspective. Visits to Tate Britain, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, Leake Street graffiti tunnels and Camden Market gave students an array of valuable 'learning outside the classroom' experiences to inspire them.

Simon Hopkin, Teacher of PE - Howden

The Year 9 Sports Studies and GCSE students had a trip to the Eco Power Stadium, home of Doncaster Rovers and Doncaster Rugby League team on Thursday 5 May to learn a bit more about how the sporting world worked. They had a tour of the stadium, including changing rooms, press room and physiotherapy area. They were then treated to a question and answer session with ex rugby players, rugby coaches and the media department of Doncaster Rugby League. The trip finished with a rugby coaching session and mini tournament on the training pitches.

Lucy Richardson, Operations Manager - Keyingham

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed our "artist in residence" this term to help transform our school library. Emily Dodgson, of Dream Big Studios, created this beautiful indoor forest in just a week - much to the children's delight and wonder. We love spending time in this space now and everyone from Nursery to Year 6 have dedicated sessions with staff and pupil librarians. The tree branches are stocked with books that reflect our curriculum and are changed by our librarians regularly - the monarchy and our royal history is their current choice. Book Club takes place in the library every week now too on a Wednesday lunchtime and is a truly popular choice with the children.

Rebecca Wright, Cirruclum Leader - Croxby

Croxby Primary entered a royal Jubilee card competition following an invitation by the HM Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire. Each year group used a variety of print-based techniques and added their own creative flair. The Year 6 classes created their own tonal island stencils to print over their base silhouette of the Queen, replicating similar techniques of their recently studied artist Banksy.

Toni Bullock, Specialist LA - Hessle

Myself, Samantha Hodgson and Michelle Edwards took three students to the Active Humber Special Olympics held at Costello Stadium, we had a fantastic day. The event was really well organised and the Youth helpers were very supportive of our girls and encouraged them to try a number of different activities including curling and tabletop cricket. We received a free rucksack with PE equipment that had been used throughout the event. The girls arrived back at Hessle High sporting their games t-shirts and lots of smiles.

Michelle Preston, Assistant Head - Penshurst

This year, our Penshurst allotment has gone from strength to strength. The pupils, supported by Mrs Smith, recently created a raised bed from the Eco Bricks that we made in collaboration with our sister school, Dryden Street Primary in Cape Town. Watch this space for more wonderful structures made from these innovative bricks.

Andy Richardson-Medd, Subject Leader Art - Wolfreton

A big but bittersweet highlight was seeing our amazing Year 11 Art and Photography students completing their GCSE courses after months of hard work. We received many thoughtful cards from our students before their final lessons with touching messages of appreciation for the last five years of learning Art at Wolfreton. We wish them luck in their exams!

The Trust have taken the Let’s Go Zero pledge, declaring our aim to become zero carbon by 2030. We’re joining schools and other Multi Academy Trusts across the UK in this national campaign to show the overwhelming support for zero carbon schools, and inviting government and local councils to work with us to reach this goal.

Headteacher Vince Groak reports on the success of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme at Hessle Academy:

“Students develop exceptional character - this statement is at the top of all of our school vision documents and, of course, it is very difficult not only to deliver, but also to measure. And yet, in a world full of change and worry, an individual’s character is arguably of far more value to young people than any bagful of qualifications that we might help them to secure.

Which is why the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is such an important arm of what we do at Hessle Academy. This was reintroduced to our school in 2018, but it has been under the leadership of Art teacher, Kate Moore, since 2019 that this has really blossomed.  Before, and throughout Covid, Kate (and Michelle Edwards) have been quietly building up this program and carefully making minor adjustments to it to ensure it can still be delivered regardless of the pandemic. And now it is a genuine strength of our school, providing unique opportunities for some of our more vulnerable students and giving them a real opportunity to shine.

On a weekend in mid-March, it was time for the practice expedition for the Bronze Award cohort. 48 students in Years 9 and 10 walked for around six hours each day (a total of around 28 kms) around our area as well as practising their campcraft skills. As you would expect, there were many tired and blistered feet by the end of the Sunday hike, but all were deeply satisfied with what they had achieved. This would not be possible without the voluntary support of so many of our staff. 

In early April, many of these colleagues will be doing it again, this time to support our Year 11and 12 students who are camping out for their Silver Award. It is remarkable that so many of our staff are prepared to give their precious weekend time to support our students and we are very grateful to them.''