Thank you to Mr Maddocks for the following report:  

“Richmond started off the first half as the better team. Lots of high pressing of the ball, great fluid football being played, and chances being created. Unfortunately, due to an uneven surface, Richmond conceded the first goal from a pass back to the goalkeeper gone awry. Admirably, goalie Charlie Davies was unphased by this error and went on to make numerous fantastic saves which kept us in the game.  

Midway through the first half, our powerful attacking play resulted in a number of corners, brilliantly delivered by Oscar Anderson. Jake Kirkbright managed to get on the end of one delivery and loop a header into the far top corner, an excellent goal to bring Richmond level. Towards the end of the first half, Archie Porter delivered a free kick into an extremely dangerous area. Our pressure on the goalkeeper caused him to spill the ball, with Kirkbright once again following up and firing it into the back of the net for his, and Richmond's second.   

In the second half, Richmond had to weather some pressure from Northallerton's tricky and pacey forwards. With Owen Mundell leading the back line, Richmond stood strong. Great attacking play led to Max Read picking up the ball on the edge of the Northallerton box and guiding it expertly in their bottom corner. 3-1 Richmond. We decided, with little time to go, to try and see out the rest of the game and switched to a more defensive formation. This seemed to work; however, a controversial decision from the referee meant Northallerton managed to claim a goal back. Thankfully, this was late in the game, and Richmond won the game 3-2. This was a brilliant effort from the whole team working together and working hard, never giving up until the final whistle. Well done lads, and onto the final!”  

Pictured from left to right: 

Back row: Harry Adams, Jake Kirkbright, Archie Porter, Noah Atkinson, Tom Pickles, Owen Mundell, Max Read 

Front row: Rhys Vinton, Jaxon Tarrant, George McKevitt, Charlie Davies, Oscar Anderson, Harry Cowperthwaite 

Callum was nominated by Miss Tucker who said: “Callum is always a very polite and hardworking student who strives to be the best he can be in everything he does. In Textiles this year, he has built up an impressive repertoire of practical skills, resulting in an excellently made cape inspired by his favourite character. For each technique required to make his cape, we provided a short demonstration, gave Callum a chance to practise, and then he completed the skill independently on his final piece. This included pattern cutting, hemming, machine‑sewing seams and buttonholes, and hand‑sewing buttons. 

The number of skills he executed to an excellent standard went above and beyond what many other students managed within the time. Callum demonstrated strong creativity in his design ideas and worked very independently throughout the project to bring his design to life.” 

We recently heard that Jack Ford, currently a Year 11 student at Richmond School, but also a part time apprentice at James Ford construction, has been making excellent progress in his training and qualifications with construction and farming machinery.  

The James Ford Construction Facebook page celebrated his recent achievements by saying: “Well Done, Jack! A huge congratulations to Jack, one of our apprentices, who has recently achieved some fantastic milestones in his training. 

Jack has successfully passed his 360 Excavator, Dumper, and Tractor tickets, and is continuing his progress by completing his Telehandler and Abrasive Wheels training as well. 

It’s great to see the hard work and commitment he’s putting into developing his skills, and we’re proud to support him as he continues to grow within the business. 

We look forward to sharing more of Jack’s successes in the future.” 

Jack also gave us a bit of background information to put these recent achievements in context: He’s grown up around farms, farming and construction work – it runs in the family. He’s been driving a tractor since he was 13! James Ford Construction is the family-run business, established in 2009. Jack is currently on a work placement at James Ford Construction and with a local farmer two days a week, as well as working effectively full-time around school. He gets up early to feed the cattle at 6:30am, then in the evening carries out general farm and grounds work. The cattle he helps look after are high quality Angus beef cattle – they raise them on the farm from four months to a year old, then supply the beef to Waitrose. His ambition is to join James Ford Construction as a full-time apprentice after his GCSEs. 

Well done to Jack for these recent achievements, and we wish him all the best for the future. 

Thanks to Mrs Southgate for this report about the recent ‘Girls Football Activators’ programme: 

“We’re incredibly proud of a group of our Year 9 girls who have planned and led football taster sessions at local primary schools as part of the Barclays Game On – Go Lead programme. 

After completing sports leadership training with a football focus and qualifying as Girls’ Football Activators, the girls chose to plan and deliver fun, inclusive football sessions for Richmond‑based primary schools. Along the way, they developed key skills in communication, organisation and teamwork, putting these into practice with some very enthusiastic Year 3 and Year 4 girls. 

It’s been wonderful to see their confidence grow week by week as they delivered the sessions. They used their creativity to adapt their sessions when they identified areas for improvement, demonstrating fantastic independence. Feedback from the schools has been overwhelmingly positive, with lots of pupils saying how much they enjoyed getting involved and having fun. 

A huge thank you to Trinity Academy Richmond and Richmond Methodist School for hosting our leaders, and to their fantastic Year 3 and 4 girls for getting stuck in and giving it a go!” 

Thanks to Emmy Raggett, Year 12 student at Richmond, as well as coach and manager of the U13 girls football team, for this report:  

“Last week, the U13 girls football team faced Easingwold in the final of the Area Plate.   

The girls started eagerly and played some brilliant football, displaying what they’ve learnt over the past season. Crucially, we gained a few early goals, scored by Charlee Stead who proceeded to secure herself five in total! 

The second half arrived, and the girls comfortably set themselves back up.  

An extremely quick Easingwold striker and some lovely link-up plays meant the opposition regained a few goals, putting pressure on Richmond. The girls remained calm, worked together and produced some great attacks which were finished with fantastic strikes from Kezia Rodway, Phoebe Percival, Phoebe Willis and a penalty from Orla Noone, meaning when the final whistle blew the game ended with a score of 9-4 to Richmond - Area Plate Winners! A brilliant end to a successful season for the U13s”  

Mrs Southgate, joint Lead Teacher of PE, added: “The girls and I would like to say a huge thank you to Emmy who has devoted so much time this season to planning and leading fantastic coaching sessions for the U13 girls and expertly managing and refereeing their fixtures. Her dedication to supporting each individual player's development has been amazing, and we are so grateful for her expertise and commitment. She is a fantastic role model for our younger students. Thank you, Emmy!” 

Last week, one of the most significant milestones in Richmond School and Sixth Form College’s calendar was reached – the Spring Leavers’ Concert. This concert is designed to showcase the hard work and talents of our Year 13 musicians, some of whom have been at Richmond for seven years, as well as wishing them all the best for their futures. It also provides a chance to hear our brilliant music ensembles in full voice, as they work their way through a varied and challenging repertoire. 

The concert was compered by Miss Abbey and supported by Mr McCormack and Mrs Howard. All three took turns conducting and playing with the various ensembles – true multi-tasking! Mr Harris provided technical and guitar support and Mr Harbuckle accompanied a number of performances on the piano. 

Miss Abbey said: “"The Spring Leavers’ Concert was a truly memorable celebration of the exceptional musical talent at Richmond School and Sixth Form College. Our Year 13 students delivered outstanding and wonderfully diverse solo performances, each reflecting their individuality, creativity and passion for music. It was an inspiring evening that our audience wholeheartedly enjoyed, capturing the enthusiasm, dedication and commitment of our young musicians." 

Five Year 13 students are leaving us this year, and Miss Abbey duly celebrated their contribution to music at Richmond in the now time honoured way – by presenting them each with a coveted mug! 

The five Year 13 students are: Sam Pickles, Edwin Carr, Grace Baker, Grace Barker and Jessica Miller.   

These photos are only a selection. An album containing many more can be found at this link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BkdDFKfLDbnjKR6W6 

Thomas was nominated by Mrs Wardle who said: “

Richmond School recently hosted a successful Cricket Skills Festival, bringing together pupils from across the local area in Years 2 and 3 to take part in a fun, inclusive and engaging introduction to cricket. The festival created a positive environment for young people to develop core skills while experiencing the enjoyment of the game. 

Many thanks to the following schools for supporting the event; 

Pupils rotated around a variety of cricket-based activity stations designed to develop fundamental skills. These included: 

The stations were led by Year 8 Sports Leaders from Richmond School who have a passion for cricket. 

The festival placed a strong emphasis on participation and enjoyment, encouraging pupils to engage positively with physical activity. Alongside skill development, there was a clear focus on building key personal characteristics, including determination, teamwork and confidence. The event provided pupils with a valuable introduction to cricket in a non-competitive setting, helping to build enthusiasm for the sport and increase confidence in fundamental movement skills. Teachers and staff also gained ideas for delivering cricket activities within curriculum and extracurricular settings. 

Last week, 26 Key Stage 3 students from Richmond School enjoyed a fantastic ‘Purple Up Picnic’ hosted by Carnagill Primary School. 

Our students made the most of the sunshine with Mrs Cheesbrough and Miss Charlwood, enjoying ice creams and getting involved in a wide range of sport and craft activities to mark the end of the Month of the Military Child. The day was a wonderful celebration of our service families and the community support they foster.  

It was brilliant to see our service community come together, with many students catching up with old friends and teachers – and even helping to run events themselves. Every single student was a real credit to Richmond School, supporting the primary pupils brilliantly with the obstacle course and colour run in particular. 

A huge thank you to Carnagill Primary School, Angela Campbell and all those involved for hosting and running such a special event. 

More photos can be found at the link below: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F6TiH9CKewaJhdKb8 

Thank you to Miss Spittlehouse for the following report:  

“In the recent Trust-wide photography competition, the chosen winner was Tommy Carter from Nunthorpe School for his stunning photograph of Roseberry Topping and an emu. Tommy will receive a £40 Amazon voucher in recognition of his excellent work.  

Second place goes to Joe Tranter of Richmond School for his beautiful photograph of a sheep in the Dales, capturing the essence of our local landscape. Joe will receive a £20 Amazon voucher. 

 Third place goes to Daisy Knifton, also of Richmond School, for her excellent photograph capturing the skyline of Dubai, the perfect combination of human and physical geography. Daisy will receive a £10 Amazon voucher.  

Emelie Robinson, Year 8 student at Richmond, was the winner of the Art x Geography David Attenborough Birthday Card competition, a superb card that we will send to David Attenborough for his 100th birthday from Richmond School. Emilie will receive a £10 Amazon voucher.”