THE MILLTHORPIAN is a Millthorpe School publication. Editing and design: Jon Deamer © Millthorpe School 2015

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Dear Reader

We are at the end of another full

term of learning at Millthorpe. As I

read through the Millthorpian, I keep

asking myself, “Did we really do all

that in this one term?”. We have

explored our history and culture

through the two Battlefields trips, the

Holocaust Memorial Day and the

Centenary Commemorations of

World War I. These are all topics

studied in lessons, but also pursued

through trips and special events, and

we have much to learn from such

study. We also showed our mettle in

Maths and Science competitions with

a win and a third place – well done to

those representing us! The Big Read

now seems settled as an annual event

for us, and I really enjoyed our

students and staff costumes for it.

We celebrated our Historical

Association Quality Mark with a visit

to the House of Lords (and we snuck

out of the reception to eavesdrop on

the Commons debate on lowering the

age of voting to 16 – very exciting!).

Finally, for those of you who may

have been a student at Nunthorpe

Grammar School (or know someone

who was) please see the call for old

Nunthorpians towards the back who

may wish to attend the grand

reunion on 24 July. There will be

many more events during the next

year as we celebrate the 30th

anniversary of the formation of

Millthorpe from the merger of Mill

Mount Girls Grammar and

Nunthorpe Grammar Schools.

I wish you all a good break over the

two weeks of Easter, and I hope Year

11 manage some worthwhile revision

in preparation for their forthcoming

examinations.

Trevor Burton

Headteacher

Visiting the battlefields of the First World War on page 5

Millthorpe School Nunthorpe Avenue York YO23 1WF 01904 686400 admin@millthorpeschool.co.uk www.millthorpeschool.co.uk

Miss Avey and Miss Morley dressed as Harry Potter characters for World Book Day on page 11

Students armed themselves with a range of instruments to

observe the solar eclipse on Friday 20 March. A group of

staff and students gathered on the school field from 9.30am

to watch the eclipse, noting the gradually dimming light and

the surprising drop in temperature. The last total solar

eclipse in Britain occurred in August 1999 and the next one

will not be until 2090!

Phases of the solar eclipse photographed by Mr Hardy

The Main House at Millthorpe has

recently undergone an extensive

refurbishment to help preserve the

wonderful period features for

many years to come.

The project, funded by City of

York Council and managed by

Houlton, restored the roof,

windows, chimney stacks and the

stone balustrade to their original

glory, using traditional materials

and craftsmanship in keeping with

the building’s origins as a grand

Victorian mansion.

The exterior of the building,

which dates from 1856, has

changed remarkably little while

the school has grown and changed

around it, but many of the original

features had become increasingly

worn and damaged.

The timber sash windows have

been repaired to full working

order using techniques that are

now increasingly rare; and

specialist stonemasons William

Anelay have undertaken the

restoration of the intricately

designed balustrade with a

combination of repair work to

surviving stone sections and the

addition of new carved elements

mined to order to match the

original stone.

We hope this wonderful asset will

remain at the heart of the school

long into the future.

One of the chimney stacks before and after restoration, above, and some of the construction drawings used for the new balustrade stonework below

On Friday 13 February, forty two

Year 10 and 11 students set off for

Zeebrugge in Belgium for a

weekend visit to the battlefields,

cemeteries and memorials of the

First World War. After a smooth

overnight crossing, and two good

feeds aboard the ferry, we arrived

bright and early for a busy day of

learning and remembrance. Our

guide, Steve, explained the causes

of World War One en route to the

first site, Hooge Crater and this

served as excellent revision for all

students as this is on their GCSE

exam. The staff were thrilled (and a

little smug) when some of the

students corrected a slight error

from Steve which showed that our

students definitely know their

history! We explored the preserved

trenches and squeezed inside a

German bunker before making our

way to Essex Farm Cemetery,

where we visited the grave of V.J.

Strudwick, who was just 15 years

old when he lost his life. We also

visited the memorial to the poet

John McCrae, and explored the

casualty clearing station that he

worked in.

After lunch, we visited the “In

Flanders Fields” museum before

heading to Langemark German

Cemetery. The contrast between

the British and German cemeteries

is stark and many students said

that they considered it to be more

upsetting. Jack laid a wreath on

behalf of the group at the side of a

mass grave which is the final

resting place for 24,000 German

soldiers. We then made the short

journey to Tyne Cot, the largest

Commonwealth War Graves

Cemetery in the world where nearly

12,000 men are laid to rest or

commemorated on the memorial.

Here, Tyler Wilson was able to

locate his relative and pay his

respects.

We had an early start on the

Sunday and the first visit was to the

battlefield of The Battle of the

Somme. The students were able to

stand in the trenches and look out

over No Man’s Land as the

Sheffield and Accrington Pals did

on 1st July 1916. This was followed

by a visit to the preserved trenches

at Newfoundland Park and finally

to the Lochnagar Crater, the site

where a colossal mine was

detonated that has left a permanent

scar on the landscape.

There was just time for one final

stop and this one would have

personal resonance for one of the

members of staff. We were able to

visit the grave of Jesse Heyes, who

was awarded the King George V

Military Medal for “Bravery in the

Field” under enemy fire and who

sadly later lost his life aged just 26.

Jesse is the great uncle of Mr

Baybutt’s Step-Dad and this was

the first time that a member of the

family had been able to pay their

respects at his grave.

By Mr Baybutt

Saxon Director of Achievement

On 2 March, four students from

Year 10 took part in the Maths

Feast at Bootham School

organised by the Further

Maths Support Programme.

This was a fun afternoon which

saw the students working as a

team to complete a series of

maths activities against the

clock. Lucas Hindle, Bethan

Law, Rebecca Foster and Luke

McDonnell-McKeown were

undaunted by the task and

took everything from origami

to set theory in their stride.

Competing against sixteen

other teams, we were

delighted to come third. The

competition was very close for

the top four places all after-

noon and we were narrowly

beaten by Bootham A team

and St Peters. Congratulations

to all four of you, you were a

credit to the school.

Mrs Ainsworth

Maths Department Menin Gate Memorial

Laying a wreath at the site of a mass grave, the final resting place for over 24,000 German soldiers

Normal lessons were put on hold

on Tuesday 27 January as students

in Year 9 undertook a whole day

devoted to remembering the

Holocaust. The rest of the school

attended dedicated assemblies, as

the school joined thousands of

people across the country in

marking Holocaust Memorial Day.

The students were given

special lessons run by the

History, RE and Modern

Languages departments to help

understand the Holocaust and its

impact and to consider what they

can do in their own lives to tackle

racism and intolerance. At the end

of the day, students wrote their

reflections on luggage tags, which

were hung on a memory tree in the

school reception, part of the theme

for this year, chosen by the event’s

organisers, the Holocaust

Memorial Trust, of ‘keeping the

memory alive’.

The Languages department has

run a scheme of work based

around the non-violent German

resistance movement within Nazi

Germany to help students

appreciate the complexity of such

an event and underlining the

importance of avoiding prejudice.

“As subsequent genocides have

shown, persecution did not end

with the overthrow of the Nazi

regime” commented Mrs Lingard,

Head of History, “so although it is

70 years since the end of World

War II, it has never been more

important for students to learn

about and reflect upon these dark

episodes in history.”

Holocaust Memorial Day is

marked on 27 January, the

anniversary of the Soviet liberation

of Auschwitz concentration camp

in 1945. It is a national

commemoration day in the United

Kingdom dedicated to the

remembrance of those who

suffered in the Holocaust, under

Nazi Persecution, and in more

recent genocides in Cambodia,

Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

This is the fifth year Millthorpe

has delivered a day of special

activities on the 27 January to help

students learn more about the

significance of these atrocities. The

RE department also arranges an

annual visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau

and the History department has

been running a series of activities

linked to remembrance. “This is

another great example of our

students learning something that

will help them gain a better

understanding of the world and

their place in it; school is not just

about passing exams, important as

that is,” noted Mr Burton.

Luggage tags with students thoughts about remembering the Holocaust

On Wednesday 25 February, a

select group of fifteen students in

Year 10 were chosen to take part in

a trip to Oxford University. We

were accompanied by Miss Watts,

who kindly drove the minibus

down to Oxford, and Mr Burton.

Everybody who went on the Oxford

trip said that they found it to be

very beneficial and informative,

especially since it allowed us to

peek into the workings of a real life

university system. Additionally, it

was very nice that we were shown

around the college of Mansfield by

actual students, and that we were

able to sit in on a real lecture, just

to see what it would feel like.

Once we arrived at the university,

we were greeted by a group of

students who led us to a room

where we were greeted with tea and

biscuits. After helping ourselves to

a share of the snacks, the pupils

introduced themselves as

undergraduates who were studying

sciences or the humanities.

We then proceeded to sit through

a PowerPoint presentation talking

about the university and what

qualifications were needed at GCSE

and A Level to study certain

subjects at an undergrad level. This

was also when we had the college

system explained to us, and we

learnt about the different methods

of teaching at Oxford. I think we all

found this very interesting and

helpful since being secondary

school students we had had no

experience with the functioning of

a university.

Then, after lunch, we had the

opportunity to sit in on a lecture. It

was an English lecture where we

learnt about how certain

civilisations in the past used to

carve shapes known as runes into

rock as a way of communicating.

Personally I did not find the lecture

particularly interesting as I am

more interested in science, but it

was still good to see what a

university lecture feels like. The

lecturer we had seemed to be very

nice and engaged with the class a

lot. It made our group feel more

confident on what lectures will be

like in the future should any of us

attend Oxford (or any other

university). Overall the Oxford

trip was very interesting and

informative, and everybody

enjoyed it since we all learnt

something new. The students we

met there were really nice and

explained very clearly what it’s like

to be studying at Oxford. It proved

to be an extremely enjoyable day

that benefited everyone involved.

By Tom Percival and

Luke McDonnell McKeown

Year 10 students Holly, Emma and Ella at Oxford University

Finally, we handled some items

such as bayonets, a Lee Enfield

rifle, grenades and medals.

On Saturday, our first stop was

Lijssenthoek Cemetery, where we

visited the grave of Nellie Spindler

from Harrogate, a nurse who was

killed in an artillery attack in 1917.

We also visited the grave of Sikh

soldiers and members of the

Chinese Labour Corps who

survived the war but were killed by

the devastating influenza outbreak

in 1919. This was followed by a visit

to the Death Cells at Popperinge,

where a number of British soldiers

were executed during the War.

Many were undoubtedly suffering

from “Shell Shock” but the lack of

understanding about mental health

at the time resulted in their deaths.

A visit to “In Flanders Fields”

Museum followed by the Last Post

Ceremony at the Menin Gate

completed the day.

Sunday’s first visit was of

particular significance as Angus

was able to lay a wreath at the

memorial where his Great Uncle

Arthur is commemorated. After

laying the wreath, Angus said “I

felt emotional with a mix of

sadness and sorrow and the

question, why?”

As part of the many events planned

to mark the centenary of the First

World War, the government have

organised to take two students and

one teacher from every school in

the country on a trip to the

Battlefields. Millthorpe School was

quick to register and we were

allocated a place on a trip in

March. As we have well established

links with History Departments at

other York schools, we asked the

Institute of Education if we could

run a York Trip, whereby all of the

schools of York would be able to go

on the same trip. Fortunately, the

IOE agreed and the York Schools

Battlefields Trip was arranged.

On the second day back in

September last year, Mr Baybutt

launched this exciting opportunity

to Year 9 students in assembly and

asked interested students to

complete an application in order to

qualify for this unique (and free)

trip. The History Department were

inundated with excellent

applications and the decision of

selecting just two students was

incredibly difficult. The eventual

winners were Kirstin in 9BJP and

Angus in 9MWS. Their answers

included; “Boys as young as fifteen,

who today would just be doing

their GCSEs, died fighting for their

country. They had their whole lives

ahead of them. Without their

sacrifice, the world would be a very

different place for us.” “We should

remember the great loss of life on

both sides, from young boys to

men. Those who returned realised

that peace is a fragile thing”.

On Friday 6 March, Angus,

Kirstin and Mr Baybutt met the

other staff and students at The

Mount School and set off for an

activity centre in Kent. Here,

students got the chance to play

on high ropes assault courses and

get to know each other whilst Mr

Baybutt was given a taste of his

own medicine and put in a class-

room with the other teachers for

a training course! Later, students

were given a chance to research

local soldiers of the War. Angus

focussed on his relative, Arthur

Gatus, who died during the conflict

and whose memorial we hoped to

visit whilst Kirstin research a

soldier who had lived about 200

yards from

her house

when the

War

broke

out.

Students explore excavated trenches, above, and visit the Ulster Tower below

Moderation magic A big well done to the Year 11

GCSE PE class who had their

final performances for their PE

practical recently. Despite the

cold conditions and having a

stranger watching them (the

moderator) the class worked

tirelessly to help gain the

highest grades they could in

football, rounders, badminton

and fitness.

The process of completing

these performances continues

with sports as wide ranging as

ju-jitsu to mountain biking to

horse riding to complete. If the

class continues to work hard the

PE department has high hopes

of some good GCSE grades.

Good luck everyone!

Boys football The end of the season has seen

the usual late flurry of fixtures as

the deadline fast approaches.

The Year 8 team got to the semi-

finals before being beaten by

Fulford 5 - 2. The Year 8s have

had a great season with a total

of up to forty boys attending

training and the help of star York

School boys players Joe Crosby

and Nick Hutton in their ranks.

Well done to the boys and good

luck in Year 9.

The Year 9 team have had an

excellent year having just been

crowned York and District Inter-

school Champions after a victory

over Archbishop Holgate’s.

Sporting practices The summer term will bring a

new range of practices and

competitions in sports such as

cricket, athletics, tennis and

rounders: details to follow.

Mr Randall

Head of PE

From the Arras Memorial, we

travelled to the site of the Battle of

the Somme and Mr Baybutt was

pleased to see that the poppy cross

he left a few weeks earlier at the

Accrington Pals memorial was still

there. We then visited the Thiepval

Memorial which commemorates

72,000 British and French soldiers

who died on the Somme but were

never found. Here, we laid a

wreath on behalf of the Deamer

Family, 2 of whom work at

Millthorpe, whose relative Arthur

Cammidge is commemorated on

this memorial. Monday was spent

at the Passchendale Museum, Tyne

Cot and the German cemetery

Langemark before the Eurotunnel

back to blighty and the long drive

home!

Whilst the trip was over, the work

was not yet complete as part of the

programme requires those who

visited to participate in Legacy 110.

If all 8,000 students that

participated in the programme

manage to share their experience

with 110 people, a total of 880,000

people will developed their

understanding of the First World

War and this is the number of

British troops who were killed

during the conflict.

On Tuesday 17 March, Angus,

Kirstin and the other students

organised an Act of Remembrance

service at York Minster. The

students talked about their

personal reflections, the impact of

the tour, what they had learned

and how their understanding had

been altered. Those in attendance

were left with no doubt of how

significant an impact the tour had

made on the young people

involved.

In order to further communicate

their experiences, Kirstin and

Angus will be involved in creating a

display focussing on 1916 for the

Castle Museum. Whilst this will be

created in the coming months

whilst the visit is still fresh, it will

go on display in the summer

months of 2016 to mark 100 years

since the events.

By Mr Baybutt

Saxon Director of Achievement

If you could offer any support

with this project or you have any

other ideas about how Kirstin

and Angus might share their

experiences, email Mr Baybutt on

a.baybutt@millthorpeschool.co.uk

Angus and Kirstin with a bugler from the Last Post Association at the Menin Gate

This summer, there will be

a grand reunion of Old

Nunthorpians at Millthorpe

School. It will take place on

Friday 24 July at 6.30pm so

please save this date in your

diaries. The event is being

organised by Darrel Buttery,

former Nunthorpe teacher

and Chair of the York Civic

Trust (a name that I’m sure

will be very familiar to some

of you!) Full details will be

announced in due course; in

the meantime, if you are

interested in attending or

want to find out more,

please contact Mr Buttery on

darrelbuttery@hotmail.com Nunthorpe Grammar School: Class of 1954

To celebrate the launch of the

Historical Association Quality Mark

for schools we were very pleased to

accept an invitation to the House of

Lords on Monday 2 February. As

you will remember, the History

department was assessed as part of

the pilot scheme in October and we

are proud to be the first secondary

state school in the country to

qualify for the award.

On arrival at the House of Lords,

we had photos on the terrace and

then an opportunity to mingle with

a variety of influential guests. The

girls were asked their opinion on

the future of the new GCSE by the

Head of the AQA History exam

(who also apologised to them for

the Controlled Assessment tasks!)

They also chatted to Lord Guthrie

about York. Douglas Hurd, Antonia

Fraser, Al Murray and Baroness

Shirley Williams were also among

the guests. We were then lucky

enough to be invited for a whistle

stop tour of the parliament build-

ings, ending with a chance to watch

the final part of a Commons debate

on lowering the voting age to 16 -

very topical! At the end of the

debate, we were bustled out the

back entrance as the house was

just about to divide and we made it

back to Kings Cross, just in time to

catch the last train home.

By Mrs Lingard

Head of History

Special invite: Mrs Lingard with students Holly and Freya at the House of Lords

Millthorpe attends Historical Association Quality Mark for schools launch

Mr Collins dressed as Poldark for World Book Day

World Book Day was celebrated in

style this year at Millthorpe School.

As well as our Big Read, where

everyone dropped what they were

doing on the sound of a bell and

took up a book and read, many

staff members spent the day

dressed as book characters.

Our celebrations haven’t stopped,

however. As part of our ongoing

celebration of books and reading,

Key Stage 3 students are taking

part in a quiz, whereby they are

identifying staff members’

favourite books from posters

around school, and a group of Year

8 students have been invited to

attend a talk, next week, from teen

author, Anthony McGowan. Our

author visits are always enjoyable

and the experience is enriching for

students in many ways, often

inspiring them to read and write

more.

Classes will also be invited into

the library to help select books to

go on a list

entitled,

Books to

Read

Before You Leave Millthorpe,

which will form an ongoing

reading challenge throughout

students’ school careers.

Reading for enjoyment is not only

pleasurable in itself, it can also

have a significant positive

impact on a young person's

educational outcomes. Most

notably, reading develops a broad

vocabulary, it enhances

concentration, it enables students

to grasp abstract concepts and

apply logic, and it encourages

students to recognise cause and

effect. This not only leads to

improvements in reading tests and

English, but also it enhances

progress across the curriculum,

including maths and science.

Reading in the holidays also

allows students to retain skills that

can easily impair without practice.

With this in mind, Year 8 and

9 students have had the books they

took out of the library for World

Book Day renewed until after the

holidays. Students were also

provided with a Mini Book Review

book mark, which they can

complete and hand in

when they bring their

books back; their name

will then go in a prize

draw.

Year 7s are always

encouraged to read as

part of their library

lessons. Key Stage 4

students can also

complete their Mini

Book Review and

enter the prize draw.

By Miss Brooks

Library Manager

The Annual York Inter-schools

Science Quiz 2015 was held on

Thursday 12 March at St Peter’s

School. Twenty two school teams

competed for the trophies and

prizes including our team, the

Millthorpe Lions: Alex, Jack, Will

and Dom, all in Year 11.

I am not lion when I say the

competition was fierce but

Millthorpe’s mane men showed

that they were truly kings of the

jungle when they won the prize in

the category: top team for a school

without a 6th form.

As well as having a fun evening,

the team won prizes and a trophy

which will no doubt take pride of

place in the trophy cabinet once it

is engraved.

We send a huge well done to the

lions and thank you to Mr Morris

of St. Peter’s school and all others

who worked so hard to make it a

very enjoyable evening.

By Dr Powell

Science Department

Millthorpe Lions: Alex, Will, Dom and Jack feline great about winning!

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