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 

The Friday before half term saw the final full school day for our Year 11 students.  

All of the students took an exam in the morning, but afterwards the students enjoyed a longer break where they took the opportunity to show off the shirts they had brought in and have them signed by friends and teachers. At lunchtime, a large number of students took part in a final football match with a trophy awarded to the winning team. 

In the afternoon the students and a large number of staff members gathered together in a final assembly to share memories and photographs from the previous five years. It is always an emotional end to the day as students are able to see how they have changed during their time at Richmond School. 

Mr Coldwell, Head of Year 11, said: “The students entered into the spirit of the day brilliantly and it was a good-natured end to formal lessons. It has been a pleasure for me to have worked with this group of students as Head of Year. We wish them every success in the future, and we hope to see lots of them at the Year 11 Prom later in June and Results Day in August.” 

These photos are just a selection. An album with many more can be seen at the link below: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wmS9kG8xuQtmbVXu5

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!” 

In another installment of our almost-regular series of alumni profiles, we hear from Grant Dalton, currently working at the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Zanzibar, an island off the coast of East Africa. He tells us of his journey from Richmond to Africa via Oxford University, giving us a candid and enlightening assessment of Zanzibari office etiquette along the way - read on!  

Describe your time at and your memories of school / college.  

I was at Richmond School from 2008 until 2015, including a year at the old Lower School and seeing the building and renovation of lots of the school buildings. I remember school as being a constant churn of change, emotionally, physically and socially. I was quite an anxious kid and very nerdy so didn't always find social life easy, but I made some good friends and learned a lot.  

I loved languages so really enjoyed French with Madame Norman (including seeing Paris for the first time on the wonderful Year 12 Paris trip), the weird and wonderful world of learning Latin, and English with Miss Montgomery, especially being introduced to things like the Handmaid's Tale and Angels in America which felt very radical for Richmond! But my favourite was definitely history, which Mrs Mawer really brought to life. And a special shout-out to Mr Braham, my form tutor, who gave me one of my few detentions for drawing a rude cartoon of him!!  

I also did a lot of school music and drama, including the brass band (I'm afraid my trombone has been sitting gathering dust for about a decade now) and musicals like the Wizard of Oz. Playing the postman-turned-Nazi Rolf in The Sound of Music was my highlight!  

But I'd be lying if I said school was always easy. When we were in sixth-form one of my friends, Aaron Booth, one of the kindest, smartest and funniest kids in school, passed away, which was a huge shock to the whole school. I don't think any of us really knew how to deal with his death and I still think about him a lot, as I'm sure lots of us do.  

What did you do straight after school?  

I went straight to university to study History at Oxford. I loved it - the academic side was really interesting, with loads of time to really understand and read up on what you were studying and then discuss it in depth, and I made a lot of great friends. I also met my partner who I'm still with today, who was doing the same course. Definitely no regrets, although I probably spent more late nights in the library than would have been ideal! But lots of fun late nights doing other things too...  

I really enjoyed doing lots of pre-modern history, and was pretty good at it. My thesis - on European travellers dressing up as Muslims in the 1670s in modern-day Iran and Turkey - won the Joan Thirsk Prize for the best pre-modern thesis in the university, and I finished 6th out of my year of 250 students.  

Socially, Oxford felt difficult at first, especially with the dominance of private school kids in humanities subjects. But it was also easier in some ways than other universities as we were living, eating and studying on a small site with the same group, so it was easy to get over superficial differences and make good friends.  

What did you do next?   

I felt a bit lost leaving university - I knew I didn't want to be an academic, but didn't know what else to do. In the end I worked for the government for a little bit and then a think tank, which is a sort of institute advising the government, for nearly four years in London. I loved London and the institute was a great place to work, but I felt like I wanted to do something more impactful and international.   

So, I did a master's degree in Economic Policy for International Development at the LSE, which really made me realise that I wanted to work on policy and government in developing countries - countries with lots of poverty, mainly in Africa and Asia. I did a job for a year working between the UK and Sierra Leone and then in late 2025 made the move to Zanzibar.  

What are you doing now?  

In 2024 (unsuccessfully) and 2025 I applied for a scheme called the ODI Fellowship. The Fellowship has been running since the 1960s and pairs young economists and statisticians with governments in poor countries, who apply to have a 'fellow' posted to work as a civil servant for two years.  

I was matched with the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Zanzibar. Zanzibar is an island chain off the coast of Tanzania, full of tropical forests, monkeys and white sand beaches. It's become a popular holiday destination in recent years from Europe, but remains among the poorest places in the world, with about half the population living on less than $2 per day.   

I work with the Commissioner for External Finance to help Zanzibar attract and make good use of money from foreign governments, charities and loans from private banks to spend in Zanzibar. The job involves sitting in a lot of meetings with people from the German government or the World Bank; visiting sites where programs are being run or new roads or houses are being built; and supporting the team on things like Excel skills, improving the way we track projects, or writing briefings for the minister.  

It's a fulfilling job but also a very hard one. It's very self-directed - I don't really have a boss or a job description - and as a result it's often hard to find useful work to do. The office is quite dysfunctional, with people out of the office frequently, most work done in person or over the phone rather than email, and lots of hierarchical and bureaucratic rules. I've spent a lot of time sitting doing nothing or pushing for things which go nowhere in the past few months. And culturally I don't fit in. All of my colleagues are Zanzibari, devout Muslims with (for men) usually multiple wives. Burping and watching TikToks in the office is very tolerated. They don't know that I'm gay, and probably wouldn't like it if they did. And most meetings are conducted in Swahili, which I'm learning but can't really speak properly yet. So it can sometimes be very frustrating!!  

Do you have any other interests or roles - hobbies, volunteering, family etc?   

My interests have changed quite a lot out here - lots of scuba diving and time spent on the beach which are hard to do in the UK! I play a lot of racket sports, usually tennis and squash at home but have learnt padel here which I'm enjoying. I also enjoy reading - I'm aiming to read a book a week this year, although rapidly falling behind - and cooking elaborate meals.  

I also have just got my first car, which is fun - I never had space for one in London. It's a battered Japanese Toyota from the 1990s but it can survive anything, including a couple of scrapes I've already inflicted. But my friends taught me how to change a tyre when I got a flat recently which makes me feel like a proper adult!  

What are your plans for the future - near and more distant?   

I'm really not sure! I still have 18 months to go on the fellowship so trying not to worry too much about the future. But aiming to be back in the UK, most likely in London, when I'm done, and maybe try to get a job with the Foreign Office or with an interesting charity or NGO.  

I also am looking forward to reuniting with my partner, who is still based in London, and hopefully getting married at some point in the next few years.  

Looking back, what advice would you have for our current students?   

Don't limit your ambitions! There are all sorts of options and careers out there, and it's hard to know about them until you're there. But if you're really committed to do something, whether it's a certain course or apprenticeship you want to do or your dream job, there will be a way to do it.  

I would also say don't worry if you don't know what that dream job is. It has taken me four jobs and two degrees to find something that really aligns with what I want to do (and I still have plenty of doubts...) and a lot of that is just trial and error. It's okay to not know what you want to do.  

Finally - have fun at school. I think I was too in my head about friends and anxious about the future to really enjoy a lot of school and I regret it. It's such a pleasure to just be able to hang out with your mates and not something that is so easy to find time for as you get older, so enjoy it!! 

Izabel was nominated by Mr Wilson who said: “I asked Izzy if she would consider mentoring Izzy Fisher (9JMO) a couple of months ago, as I discovered in chatting to each of them that they both had an ambition to study/work in psychology. 

I have been overjoyed by how well this relationship has developed.  Izzy has gone above and beyond in advising, guiding and preparing materials for Izzy Fisher, who has, in turn, been incredibly mature and receptive to the scheme. 

Maybe it could be something that could be rolled out to other students with a common vocational dream next year.”