Students at Richmond have an incredibly wide range of interests and hobbies, ranging from sport, drama and music, to nature, photography and local history. We recently found out that Michael Bagley, Year 7 student, is interested in World War 2 history and has started to build up quite a collection of artefacts on his visits to antique shops. This sounded fascinating, so we arranged a time for Michael to bring in some items from his collection and tell us a bit more information about his interest in WW2. 

When the allotted time came, Michael knocked on the door of the Media office and made quite an entrance. He was dressed in a military jacket, carrying a complex set of webbing and storage bags, and was topped by a slightly-too-large helmet. He looked brilliant! 

Michael unpacked items from his collection, including magazines, a diary, insignia, a model plane and spread them out on a table so we could take some photos. As he did so, he told us a bit about the provenance of some of his collection, explaining that he’d acquired the items from various antique shops in Richmond, Whitby and Cornwall. Some of the collection had also come from his grandad; Michael said that it was his grandad who’d got him interested in WW2 history in the first place and that his dad – Michael's great-grandad – had actually fought in the war.  

We then looked at a map of Richmond to identify the position of Michael’s favourite antiques shop – Antique Haven. Coincidentally, this is a just a few doors up from his grandma’s cake shop – Edwina's Cakes. Michael told us that he enjoyed visiting his grandma here as he often got free cake! He said that he liked visiting Antique Haven as the owner was really friendly, gave him discounts and had a lovely dog! Michael described a few of the interesting items he’d found in the shop – a periscope from a tank, cartridge cases and a coin from Vietnam. We talked about the helmet, jacket and webbing Michael was wearing as well as a beret he had and its regimental insignia. Michael also told us about his plans to expand his collection with a gas mask and, ideally, a tank! 

Thanks to Michael for giving us an insight into his collection and his family connection to WW2 – we wish him luck as his collection grows – maybe he’ll arrive at the prom in Year 11 in that tank! 

Thank you to Miss Hamer, Careers Adviser, for the following report: 

“Before half term, our Year 10 students took part in their work experience placements – and we couldn’t be prouder of how they represented Richmond School and Sixth Form College! 

Students worked across an incredibly diverse range of industries and locations, from healthcare and engineering to retail, education, hospitality and beyond. The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, with employers commenting on our students’ enthusiasm, professionalism, and willingness to learn. 

We hope this experience has inspired our students to work hard towards their goals, helped them discover new interests, and showed them that they are capable of far more than they might have realised. Many have developed new skills, grown in confidence, and taken important first steps towards their future pathways. 

A huge thank you to every organisation and individual who supported our students – your time, guidance and encouragement make a lasting difference. 

At Richmond School, we place great importance on providing real-world experiences for all our students. Opportunities like this are vital in helping them understand the world of work, build essential skills, and make informed decisions about their futures. 

We are incredibly proud of each and every one of our Year 10 students – you have done yourselves and our school proud!” 

These photos are just a selection – more can be found at the link below: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TWRGKiovHVMXEReq8 

Year 13 students celebrated the end of an era recently. Exam season is well underway, so formal lessons concluded on Friday 15th May, their final day at Richmond Sixth Form College.  

Students celebrated the end of seven years of secondary and college education by wearing their old school uniforms. They looked wonderful with several schools represented!  

We held a ‘Good Luck’ assembly where we reflected on all the achievements in the last two years as well as having a cheeky look at some photos from when the students were much younger.  

Ms Richardson, Head of Sixth Form, said: “We will genuinely miss the Year 13 students, and we are extremely proud of the young adults they have become. They are all so focused on their exams at the moment, and we hope the remaining ones go well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students for the brilliantly positive contribution they have made to our college community during the last two years - they really have helped to make the college the happy place it is. I look forward to hearing about the wonderful things our students do in the future. I know that whatever they choose to do, they will go on to achieve amazing things." 

After the exams have finished, we look forward to our final goodbye when we hold our Year 13 Prom. "The Prom is always a glamourous occasion - tinged with sadness but full of excitement for what lies ahead. It will be a real celebration!”  

These photos are only a selection - more can be found at the link below: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zNjASzQygHgi3SoJ6 

Olly was nominated by Mr Oliver who said: “I would like to nominate Olly Middlemiss (9BHO) for the Headteacher's Credit Value award. Olly has consistently displayed multiple of the CREDIT values throughout the year when representing the school in the Year 9 boys football team. Olly has shown these values throughout the year as part of the team that has recently won the Area Cup final. On the pitch, Olly has shown brilliant creativity and excellence scoring 9 goals throughout all the fixtures this year, including 5 in one game! A rough count suggests this makes him the top scorer of the year. Away from the pitch, Olly shows a brilliant attitude, demonstrating respect to every decision made without questioning and with a smile on his face, even if from a personal point of view this limits Olly's minutes on the pitch. Olly represents school in a positive way too, always remaining polite and respectful throughout the fixtures, as well as the travel to and from the fixture. Olly has also rarely missed a training session, showing brilliant determination and teamwork to learn and practice his skills. This outstanding attitude partnered with Olly's talent on the pitch makes him a true star student that any team would be lucky to have.” 

Richmond School Sports Partnership hosted two days of Dynamos Cricket competitions for pupils in Years 3–6 recently. 

Despite challenging weather conditions, both competitions successfully went ahead. Matches were relocated from the grass pitches to the all-weather Astroturf to ensure play could continue. This was particularly important as the events formed part of a national competition pathway, with area finals scheduled for the first week after half term. 

The events were expertly officiated by Richmond School’s Year 8 Sports Leaders. Their enthusiasm for cricket shone through, as they supported, motivated and guided the younger participants throughout the competitions. 

We would like to thank the following schools for their support: Brompton, East Cowton, Ravensworth, Richmond Methodist, Richmond St Mary’s and Trinity Academy Richmond. 

Congratulations to the following schools who have qualified for the Area Finals in June: 

Many Richmond School students play football at a high level, both at school and for many local teams throughout the area. One of the biggest local leagues is the TJFA – the Teesside Junior Football Alliance League. According to the Middlesborough FC website, “The Teesside Junior Football Alliance is one of the largest, longest-running and most successful junior football networks across the whole of Europe. More than 95 clubs from Whitby to Durham make up the set-up, with age categories from Under-7 to Under-18.” 

As the 2025/26 season has recently come to an end, we recently heard from three parents telling us about the success of their young players in the TJFA – two in the U12s Darlington FC Quakers U12 team and one in the Stockton Town U14s. 

Well done to these three players, though we are aware there are many others who we haven’t heard from yet! 

Firstly, Nick, dad of Archie Porter in Year 7: 

“Archie plays for Darlington FC Quakers U12s in TJFA Division 1, having joined the team at just 9 years old. This season has been another incredible milestone, with the team once again securing the Division One title. This makes it three league championships in a row following their successes in 2024 and 2025. 

To cap off an outstanding year, they also lifted the TJFA League Cup - the final held at Rockcliffe Park on Sunday 17th May. This completes an exceptional achievement for Archie and his team mates - three consecutive seasons winning both the league and the cup.” 

Then Kelly, mum of Olly Griffiths, also Year 7: 

 “Huge congratulations to Year 7 students Olly Griffiths and Archie Porter alongside their Darlington FC teammates, who have achieved an incredible double this season by winning both the Under 12s TJFA Division 1 League and the TJFA League Cup! 

This is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of their hard work, teamwork, commitment, and dedication throughout the season. Well done boys, what a season!” 

And finally Debbie, mum of Harry Coyle, Year 9: 

“Harry played in the TJFA League Cup Final at Rockliffe Hall recently, and out of around 90 teams, Stockton Town U14s made it all the way to the final against Norton and won 3–0! 

They also finished second in the top league, Division 1 — such an amazing achievement for the boys!” 

We will publish an updated version of this article in the July edition of our Newsletter. If there are any parent/carers who would like information about their young players to be included, please email swardle@richmond-alt.uk with some brief information and at least one photo. 

Thank you to Ms Thornton for the following report: 

“Richmond School was recently invited to take a group of Year 9 and 10 girls to Teesside University's Hello World day -  an event designed to get girls excited about careers in animation, games design, concept art, programming, and digital forensics by taking part in hands-on, practical workshops in the new state-of-the-art digital life building. Events like these are important as only 29% of the digital technology workforce is female. 

The day started with a presentation from a panel of industry experts, including a data analyst, a senior software project manager and a cyber security specialist, to inspire the girls into considering a role in technology. The students were then able to ask questions of the experts, such as how they got into the career they are in and what obstacles they have faced in a male dominated environment. The experts reminded the students that despite the industry being male dominated, there are many male allies who are incredibly supportive. 

We then took part in two practical workshops; I think we hit gold with Games Development and Digital Forensics! 

In Games Development we learnt how to use a game engine to create a platform style game. This enabled our students to showcase their creativity and technical skills. After lunch we had a snapshot of 'a day in the life of a digital forensic investigator'. Here the students’ problem-solving skills and attention to detail really paid off as they searched through a digital forensic report looking for evidence of criminal activity! 

The girls represented Richmond School impeccably, fully immersing themselves in the activities whilst gaining invaluable insight into life at university.” 

Thank to Ms Garrick for the following: 

“A group of Year 12 Economics and Business students visited London for the day recently. The focus was to increase understanding of economic policies and political influences on businesses in the UK economy. 

Following a tour around parliament, the students had a sit-down Q&A session with Rishi Sunak. Some great questions were asked regarding Rishi's time in office, fiscal policy and climate change regulations. 

The students then visited the Bank of England where they explored the museum and learnt about monetary policies and the importance and creation of currency. They also held a gold bar which was very heavy! 

During down time, the students visited Covent Garden and took part in some escape rooms where they built their teamwork skills.  

Overall, it was a brilliant day, and the pupils were a genuine pleasure and represented Richmond Sixth Form College brilliantly!”