Gateways Student Blog

Head's Letter 27 January 2012

2012-01-27T16:44:00.006Z

Dear Parents

The first snow has fallen and sadly disrupted our U9 Netball Festival, what a shame! However, all teams did play one game before the heavens opened.

We congratulated our Lower Sixth students and their teachers in assembly this morning as it was their excellent GCSE examination results of 2011 that secured our top position in yesterday’s Department for Education Performance Tables. With our 100% of students achieving 5 A* - C grades, Gateways is the top performing school in Leeds and the joint top performing school in North Yorkshire, Bradford and York. A fantastic achievement!

On the theme of examinations, last week we welcomed external candidates for our Upper 3 Entrance Examination. I also had the pleasure of interviewing both external and internal Scholarship candidates. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed talking with them to explore further their interests and strengths.

I was very proud to be invited to attend The Rotary Club of Leeds ‘Service Above Self’ awards, 2011-2012 ceremony at which Chloe Burnley received an award, from the Lord Mayor of Leeds for her charitable fundraising. Congratulations, Chloe!

I am delighted to report that all our Upper Sixth UCAS applications are returning successful offers; in fact, we have achieved a 91% success rate. The offers are from leading Russell Group universities such as King’s College, London, Durham, Warwick, The London School of Economics, York and Manchester to read a diverse range of subjects such as Astrophysics, Social Anthropology, American Studies, Economics, English Literature, Mathematics and Modern Foreign Languages. Well done girls!

Thank you to parents who joined us for our Upper 5 Parents’ Evening this week, it is good to have the opportunity to discuss the approach to the final stages of GCSE courses following ‘mock’ examination results. There is good reason for optimism as the significant majority were either in line with, or very close to, the YELLIS predicted grades for the summer examinations.

We are looking forward to next Tuesday, 31st January when we are holding the Upper 4 parents consultation and GCSE Information Evening. The Sixth Form Information Evening follows on Thursday 9th February – I warmly invite pupils and parents of Upper 5 and Lower 5 girls to this event.

There have been some excellent netball results over the last few weeks; the U13 team won against Moorlands 21-7, the U12 and U14 teams both won against Ashville 17-15 and 15-11 respectively, the U12 and U13 teams drew with Royds School with both teams fielding debutants. I would remind pupils that karate takes place on Thursdays at 4.00pm and that hockey continues on Tuesdays at 4.00pm. All pupils are welcome to attend any of the clubs.

The recruitment process to find my successor continues apace with the advertisement’s first publication, in the national press, appearing next Friday 3rd February; the advertisement will appear for 3 weeks. I am pleased to advise you that you see a copy of this advertisement by clicking here.

Yo, Ho, Ho. Rehearsals are underway for the Prep production of ‘Pearl and the Pirates of the Curry Bean’! I am very much looking forward to the performances on 14th and 15th February – it promises to be a fun filled play. In rehearsals yesterday the parrot presented a few challenges!

Mr Keeton has informed us this week that he has still not recovered sufficiently to return to work; we continue to wish him a speedy return to good health and I know that pupils and staff have sent him an enormous card letting him know how much he is missed. We have, in these circumstances, engaged Mrs Widera on a more permanent basis until the end of the spring term to ensure that there is continuity in the teaching of art.

We have been updating our School Improvement Plan over the last few weeks which has given a picture of just how far we have developed and improved over the last couple of years. The School continues to move forwards at a steady and busy pace, due in no small part to the enthusiasm of pupils and the commitment of our staff.

This mornings’ whole school assembly was a poignant reflection on Holocaust Memorial Day, sensitively and effectively conveyed by High School girls and Mrs Finan.

We are delighted that Tuneet Bahi, Upper Sixth, has secured a prestigious apprenticeship at PriceWaterhouseCooper having endured a rigorous interview and selection process since October 2011. We are very proud of you Tuneet!

Yours sincerely
Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Head's Blot 13th January 2012

2012-01-13T10:41:00.001Z

13th January 2012

Dear Parents

I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas break and I wish you every good fortune for 2012.

The process to select and appoint my successor is well underway. I spent most of yesterday, along with other colleagues, briefing TES Prime Recruitment Consultant Mike Abraham who is assisting us in our search for my successor. Advertisements for the post will appear in the national press in the very near future. I have been very touched by all the support I have received from parents and thank you for your kind words. Of course, I will ensure that the School is in very good order for my successor and will work tirelessly to ensure a very smooth transition.

As ever, the term has got off to a flying start; Sixth Form students are focussed on their A level modules and Upper 5 are sitting their mock GCSE examinations. I wish them well today with the ‘real’ GCSE ICT examination. I know the girls have been working hard over the Christmas break. We were inspected, unexpectedly, yesterday by a representative from JCQ, the Joint Council for Qualifications who monitor the conduct of all examinations boards, and we passed with flying colours! I am grateful to Mrs Brennan for her meticulous leadership of this aspect of school life.

I am delighted to welcome Miss Sarah Lavery to the Prep School as one of our Learning Assistants. I know she will enjoy every minute of work with us.

Congratulations to girls who were entered for the recent ABRSM music examination and LAMDA examinations – most impressive results that we will celebrate in assembly soon.

Our Entrance Examination Seminar was held on Tuesday evening and we had a very full attendance. The evening informs prospective families about the imminent Entrance Examination and how best to prepare. We had very positive feedback and look forward to the Entrance Examination on Wednesday 18th January.

May I remind you that all School policies are available for parents on our School Website, or alternatively you may obtain a hard copy from the School Office.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

2011-12-16T13:08:00.001Z

Dear Parents

Our Christmas celebrations during the past few weeks have been enjoyed by all. The Prep nativity play, ‘Glory, Glory, What a Story’ was a delight and the Prep Christmas Concert was an entertaining mix of voice and poetry. The School Carol Service at All Saints Church, Harewood was full of variety and beautiful singing; although a bit cold, it is a lovely setting!

The High School production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ was a triumph! It was a truly professional and highly technical production. My congratulations go to Miss Taylor on her first production at Gateways and to the girls for their outstanding performances.

Mrs Wilcox and I have enjoyed meeting parents of Lower 3 pupils. Our discussions have been a very positive experience and, as always, we have valued hearing parents’ views. We look forward to welcoming the Lower 3 girls into the High School next September.

I am delighted to report that this year’s UCAS application process has resulted, to date, in an impressive 94% success rate! Our Sixth Form girls clearly impress.

Following our first term of dance on the curriculum, and in the extra-curricular programme, we all enjoyed our Dance Showcase Assembly this week. Congratulations to Miss Fox and the girls for outstanding performances. It was good to see all ages exhibiting their talent.

Lower 4 pupils visited The Grand Opera House, York on Monday to see ‘Aladdin’. A truly traditional pantomime that presented a wonderful afternoon.

We also laughed our way through the Sixth Form Pantomime yesterday; Emma Kennedy’s portrayal of Mr Dutton seemed to raise the broadest smiles. I loved the Head’s crown – what an idea!

All of this was followed by House Drama today where the pupils prepared and then performedin one day. It was a wonderful afternoon, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

This year’s LEAP Team has been working hard behind the scenes this term in setting up their company, Embrace, and maximising selling opportunities. The 11 Upper 5 girls in the team have demonstrated their commitment and are ‘fine tuning’ their skills as businesswomen. The trading opportunity last weekend in the Merrion Centre, Leeds, was a positive experience.

We have been successful in our bid to join the ‘Get Set Network’, which is part of the London 2012 education programme. This membership confirms that our teaching, learning and playing echoes the Olympic values. We will be able to use the London 2012 logo, we may tour the Olympic Park, we have submitted a request for Olympic tickets and our pupils playing sport will be broadcast on the ‘live sites’ across cities and communities in the UK. Great news!

Our teams have enjoyed a very busy term of fixtures playing local schools such as St. Mary’s, Menston, Moorfield School, Richmond House School, GSAL, Woodhouse Grove and Tadcaster, as shown in the table below:

Played Won Draw
Under 8 4 2 2
Under 9 8 5 2
Under 10 9 5 1
Under 11 12 4
Under 12 5 5
Under 13 6 6
Under 14 5 4
Under 15 7 6
Senior 6 2 1
Total 62 39 6

Today we said farewell to Mrs Barbara Leeming who retired after many years as a Teaching Assistant in Prep. We are very grateful for all the support she has given to the School, as both a parent and as a member of staff. Miss Sarah Lavery has been appointed to this role and will join us in January.

Mr Keeton remains unwell and, at this moment in time, we are hopeful he will return for the Spring Term. We wish him a speedy and full recovery.

I wish you, and your families, a very happy Christmas and every good wish for 2012. We look forward to welcoming School back on Monday 9th January.

Thank you for your ongoing support for Gateways.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

2011-12-02T16:10:00.001Z

Dear Parents

Although we have just entered the season of Advent, Christmas does always arrive early in schools. We’ve enjoyed the Prep School Christmas Showcase, our Christmas Fayre and ‘Glory, Glory, What a Story’ – the Christmas story as presented by Pre-Reception and Reception children. As ever, it was absolutely delightful.

My grateful thanks go to Mrs Pick and the FOG committee for their time and hard work in ensuring the Christmas Fayre was a huge success. I am very grateful for the amazing £1,800 raised to benefit the children and pupils at Gateways – thank you.

I was pleased to welcome so many of you to the launch of our book, ‘Gateways to Harewood’ last Friday. The launch was the culmination of over a year’s hard work involving Gateways, Harewood House, Old Gatewegians and the residents of Harewood. The project involved all pupils from the youngest to the Sixth Form, all would see their work in print, feel that their own words were important and have a sense of ownership of this unique project – the result being an eclectic mix of poems, stories, observations, diary entries and facts combined with drawings, cartoons and school projects. We were very grateful for the support and involvement of Patricia, Countess of Harewood, who wrote the foreword for the book and to local author, GP Taylor, who wrote a story for inclusion. Copies of the book can be purchased from Mrs Sharrock in the Library; I certainly recommend it to you.

The final ‘Master Class’ in the series this term took place on Thursday 24 November. We were joined by teams from Brodetsky School, Wigton Moor School, Harewood Primary School and Western Primary School in Harrogate to experience a range of sporting and team-building activities throughout the day. The morning kicked off with a two hour cricket training session led by YCCC (Yorkshire County Cricket Club) coaches, followed by a golf lesson and, finally, a fantastic karate lesson. We really enjoy extending and enriching the experience of our own pupils and that of other pupils in the local area.

I continue my programme of lesson observations which is always a great privilege. I have seen some great lessons competitive, active, engaging and challenging with much individual support and attention.

Sixth Form Art and History students departed for a residential visit to London last Friday. History students visited the Tower of London while the art students visited several art galleries. All the students visited Hampton Court to witness the size and grandeur of a royal palace; my thanks to Ms Feeney and Mrs Finan for their support.

I am proud to inform you that we are building on last year’s university application success of 92% securing their first or second choice place. To date, our offer rate for this year’s Upper 6 girls is 97%!! I read every application prior to sending and it’s clear to me that the girls have benefited enormously from the careful guidance and support of the Sixth Form Pastoral Team.

Please use the car park safely and with consideration for others. We continue to have instances of cars being parked on the pavements which endangers the children walking into School. Please ensure you do not block in others by parking inconsiderately and across bays. I would request that cars are only left unattended if parked in a designated parking bay.

I politely remind parents that your first point of contact for any concern or query, academic or pastoral, is your daughter’s Form Tutor. They know your daughter well and will liaise as is appropriate on your behalf with other colleagues. We respond swiftly to your contact.

On the Performing Arts front, rehearsals continue, a pace, for the High School production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ which takes place on Wednesday 7th December. Please be sure to order your tickets in good time, they are being sold at the Reception desk. May I also draw your attention to the new event in our Performing Arts calendar – on Monday 12th December at 9.00am, you are warmly invited to join us for our ‘Dance Showcase’ in the PAC. The girls have been inspired by Performing Arts activities such as the visits to the Film Festival at Harewood, break dancing extra-curricular lessons, the drama visits to ‘King Lear’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and this week’s the visit to see ‘Top Hat’. We are also looking forward to the visit in January to see Aladdin.

You should receive your invitations to the School Carol Service today; I warmly invite you to our service which is taking place on Wednesday 14th December 2011 at 2.00pm. This year we are pleased to be returning to All Saints Church on the Harewood Estate for this highlight in our School Calendar.

It is the time of year when consideration is being given to Senior School entry for 2012 and we are currently organising our Entrance Examination, I thought it timely, therefore, to remind parents that we operate a reward scheme where we offer a one off payment of £500 to any existing family that introduces a new pupil to the School.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Headmistress's Blog 18 November 2011

2011-11-18T16:34:00.002Z

Dear Parents

I do hope you enjoyed a good half term break with your family. In the past two weeks, the School has been a hive of activity; pupils continue to work hard in their lessons and preparations are well underway for the High School Production and the Prep Christmas performances.

Today we held our GCSE Presentation Assembly, with Mr Martin Shaw, Chairman of Governors, in attendance to present the girls with their certificates. It is always a very proud moment to see the girls recognised publicly for all the hard work and effort they put into their examinations; the younger girls find it aspirational too. This year we also presented certificates to the girls who took their Religious Studies GCSE one year early.

The latest in our programme of Master Classes took place on the 9th November; the theme was promoting locally produced or sourced food. We welcomed Mark Paine, the master baker at Betty’s, to demonstrate different ways to produce and shape bread. Pupils from Collingham School joined our Lower 3 pupils and they had a very interesting day culminating in some very creative loaves!

Over half term I had the great pleasure of reading the draft of our book ‘Gateways to Harewood’. This has been a very exciting project, written by the pupils and is being professionally published as the culmination of over a year’s hard work. We will be launching the book on the 25th November at 2.00pm and we warmly invite parents to join us for this occasion. The well known local author, G.P. Taylor has written a story especially for the book and will read it to us as part of our assembly. We are delighted that Patricia, Countess of Harewood, will be saying a few words and then switching on the lights in one of our trees in celebration. Our thanks go to Mrs Sharrock, Mrs Stubbs and Mrs Burns for their tremendous commitment to this unique project.

Offering an opportunity to gain some useful skills, Upper 4 pupils are kindly supporting our reception staff over the lunch periods on Thursdays and Fridays.

On the 8th November, we held a taster day for pupils wishing to join the High School next September. In the lead up to the Entrance Examination in January, we welcomed 16 girls for an exciting day experiencing life at Gateways. We continue our programme of ‘Open Gates’ on Friday mornings so if you know of any families who may be interested in seeing what Gateways has to offer, please do encourage them to attend.

Tuesday, 15th November was Enterprise Day when pupils from Lower 3 to Upper 4 planned a hypothetical visitor event for Harewood House. Some great ideas and some great glimpses of interaction and integration between girls of different years.

Fund Raising for the School Charity, ‘Cam Kids’, continued yesterday with Gateways hosting a Million Pound Drop evening! The event was based on the popular television show, with teams from Prep, High School and staff testing their knowledge. We note that our Sixth Form need to brush up on their geography!

The Great History Debate continues a pace and Gateways hosted the regional heat on the 15th November with tough competition from local independent and maintained sector schools. The judges were Alan Pease, Andrew Hamilton and Mike Baldock from the Bardsey Debating Society. Gateways Sixth Form Students, Pippa Webster and Bryonie Wood, were awarded second and third places respectively ~ well done!

We are looking forward to the High School production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the 7th December. Rehearsals are in full swing and, from what I have seen and heard, it promises to be an excellent event!

This year, our Carol Service is returning to All Saints Church on the Harewood Estate. We warmly invite parents to join the School on Wednesday 14th December at 2.00pm. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the Christmas season together.

An insight into A Level study and Sixth Form lessons was provided to parents at our recent Sixth Form Discovery. Student presenters spoke well about the benefits of Gatewaqys education and pupils and parents enjoyed their ‘tasters’ of Economics, Media Studies, Psychology and Biology. Brian’s afternoon tea and cakes were pretty good, too! Our next Sixth Form event is our Information Evening on Thursday 9th February 2011.

Please do come along and support the Christmas Fayre tomorrow, 11.00am to 2.00pm. I am sure, as ever, that it will be a merry event!

I shall be out of School attending the Head’s of GSA Schools’ annual conference next Monday to Wednesday.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Headmistress's Blog 18 November 2011

2011-11-18T16:34:00.000Z

Head's Blog 21 October

2011-10-24T12:05:00.001+01:00

Half term is upon us once again! School has been as busy as ever this half term, sometimes it feels as if there aren’t enough hours in the day! I am sure that all pupils are ready to relax and recharge having enjoyed a successful start to the autumn term.

I trust that parents of girls from Lower 4 to Upper 6 are in receipt of the first set of academic attainment and effort grades for the year. This is the second year of this revised assessment system and Mrs Titman, Director of Studies, has included an explanation of the schedule with each report for your information. Essentially, we report to parents each half term either in the form of a parents’ evening, a summative report of attainment and effort or a detailed formative report. I am pleased to confirm that the majority of girls have worked hard and can be justly proud of their achievements. We have received confirmation of our ‘Value Added’ at GCSE, based on attainment in the 2011 summer examinations, and I am proud to say we made a quantifiable, positive difference of almost a full grade to each girl.

I am always impressed by just how much, in addition to their academic studies, that pupils are contributing to, involved in and achieving! Our activities have included residential visits to Carlton Outdoor Education Centre, a Lower Sixth geography fieldwork visit to Blencathra, Duke of Edinburgh Award bronze, silver and gold expeditions, considerable success in sports matches and tournaments, Conker Day, a musical concert at the Etz Chaim synagogue and Leeds Town Hall, the successful launch of this year’s LEAP programme, support for Amnesty International, theatre and curriculum visits, visits to Harewood for the National Schools’ Film Week presentations, Harvest Festivals and rehearsals for our forthcoming performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’. This afternoon’s House Music Competition will ensure we conclude on a high note in every sense!

The Great History Debate continued this week and we were pleased to welcome Mr Finan to act as a judge for the presentations. The depth of research and variety of presentation, in response to ‘why history matters to you...’, was very impressive and our girls should be rightly proud of their performances.

The Friends of Gateways Annual General Meeting took place on 10th October; I am delighted to announce that Mrs Abi Pick was elected as Chair, Mrs Melanie Malcolm as Vice-Chair, Mrs Kate Plews as Treasurer and Mrs Helen Wallis, Prep School Teacher, as

Secretary. I am very much looking forward to working with the new committee members whose enthusiasm, energy and commitment I value enormously. FOG events raise funds to enhance the provision for all our pupils and are great fun. I am grateful for your support. I know it is ‘full steam ahead’ to the annual Christmas Fair which takes place on Saturday, 19th November.

We are pleased to note that Mr Keeton is now fully recovered and will be returning after half term. We are very grateful to Mrs Teresa Widera who has provided excellent teaching during his absence.

The Careers Road Show on the 13th October was a very informative evening. Our grateful thanks go to the advisors who gave generously of their time to guide our girls through the minefield of career choices.

Congratulations go to Ms Julie Smith who has been appointed as Nursery Practitioner to provide further support in our expanding Gatehouse Nursery.

I have visited three schools in the past week to attend Head’s meetings of one form or another. It is always good to get back and appreciate what an outstanding school Gateways is. I am also undertaking an inspection of another school in the week we return after half term; it is a real privilege to be able to observe another school at work.

During this half term I have been meeting with groups of Upper 5 pupils to discuss their plans for their Sixth Form education. This has been a very enjoyable process and I hope the girls have enjoyed this as much as I have. I look forward to seeing girls, and their parents, at the Sixth Form Discovery evening on Thursday 10th November.

On Monday we held the third in our programme of Master Classes, this time with an art theme. The Doncaster based artist, Rosemary Firth led workshop sessions, with our own Lower 3 pupils and Year 6 pupils from Harewood Primary School, on batik making and mixed media painting. The pupils enjoyed the opportunity to sample different techniques to create their autumnal leaf and bark designs. Their finished work was impressive.

I have been presented with the draft copy of our book, ‘Gateways to Harewood’ today and I am looking forward to reading it next week. So much work has been inputted, so many hours of commitment, enthusiasm and dedication; my grateful thanks go to Mrs Sharrock, Mrs Stubbs and Mrs Burns.

My thanks go to everyone who supported our Harvest appeal for stationery items to support the victims of the Japanese earthquake. This was inspired by an Old Gatewegian, Alison Nemoto, who now lives in Japan and who experienced the earthquake first hand. Alison is teaching as a volunteer in Minami Soma City, the nearest town to the nuclear plant, and was very touched by the support she received from her old school.

Building on the enrichment that curricular and extra-curricular dance has brought to Gateways, we are currently preparing a bid for the award of Arts Mark status. I shall keep you informed of our progress.

Please could I politely remind parents that School begins with registration at 8.40am with teaching commencing at 8.50am in High School and Prep. I would be grateful if you could ensure pupils arrive on time. Thank you for your support; it ensures that the pupils have a prompt and ordered start to each day.

I wish you and your family an enjoyable autumn break and look forward to seeing you again on Monday 7th November.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Head's Blog

2011-10-07T15:46:00.001+01:00

7th October 2011

Dear Parents

I would like to thank you, and the pupils, for your support at our recent Open Days. We were blessed with excellent weather which showed the School at its best. The pupils, as ever, were our best ambassadors and they received many words of praise from our visitors.

I was pleased to meet parents at our Upper 3 ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening; I know parents and teachers value the opportunity to meet early in the year and be reassured about how well the girls have settled into the High School.

Parents of Reception Class children were ‘put through their paces’ practising and refining their spelling ability at the Literacy Workshop.

I would like to thank parents for completing the school improvement questionnaire; the information will inform our planning. The significant majority of responses were positively reaffirming with one or two areas where we need to review. With this in mind, may I politely remind parents that our School policies are available for you to read on the School Website? I will also resume sending my ‘Head’s Blog’ through Schoolcomms, as well as publishing it on the website, to ensure it is received directly by parents. In addition, we are also ‘tweeting’ our latest news and updates. You are able to follow Gateways on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gatewayschool. We are currently working on a re-development of our website, any ideas are welcome.

I am continuing my programme of lesson observations. It is good to get out of my office and a privilege to observe my teaching colleagues. I love, of course, having the opportunity to be part of what our pupils are doing.

Mr Keeton and Mrs Derrig are, I am pleased to say, making steady progress during their convalescence and are looking forward to joining us again once fully fit. In the meantime we are grateful for the support of Mrs Widera who is a fully qualified and experienced teacher of art. Her work involves preparing, planning, assessing and delivering our schemes of learning, including examination specifications.

We continue to support eco friendly initiatives at Gateways and have recently appointed the pupil Eco Representatives for each year. We remain very keen to reduce the School’s carbon footprint and during the summer we changed our waste collection company so that all the School’s waste is now recycled. We joined the national ‘Girls Go Green’ initiative last Monday with a special assembly presented to School by the Eco Representatives.

I was please to represent the Gateways community at the ‘Thanksgiving Service’ last Friday afternoon for the late Earl of Harewood. It was a fitting tribute, with beautiful music, for a remarkable man.

‘A Play in a Day’ was the latest workshop in our programme of ‘Master Classes’ last Wednesday. We welcomed Year 6 pupils from Harewood Primary School to create and perform a play with our girls in Lower 3. The day’s activities included improvisation, memory exercises and use of props which all supported the final productions. For those pupils interested in further drama experiences, I would mention that we are hosting Stagecoach Workshops during the October half- term break suitable for 3 to 6 year olds and 6 to 16 year olds. Details can be obtained from the School Reception.

Congratulations go to Josephine Dobson, Upper 3, and Lois Coleman, Lower 4. Josephine won first place in the Yorkshire Tumbling Championships last weekend and Lois has been selected to play netball for the Yorkshire County Squad. Hockey training has been very well received with many girls attending, and enjoying, our Tuesday sessions at Weetwood Astroturf pitch. Break dancing has arrived too! We welcomed Mr Jaron Joiner to run a Master Class with High School girls – they loved it!

We welcomed Mr James Archer from the Theo Trust to our Cycle Tour 2011 Assembly on Tuesday morning. The girls cycled 220 miles and raised £2,500 in support of the Theo Trust helping the charity to support Russian orphans. Mrs Titman is to lead the Cycle Tour in 2012 and is already making plans – watch this space!

The recent Community Outreach assembly highlighted the importance of involvement in the wider community, both local and worldwide, and the charity for this year was announced as ‘The Cambodian Childrens’ Charity, ‘Cam Kids’. This charity was set up to support poor or abandoned children in Cambodia; orphans, street children, children living in poor rural areas and those affected by natural disasters, such as flood or famine. The charity carries out specific projects and has funded the construction of an Education Centre at the orphanage in Takeo in Southern Cambodia which girls from Gateways will be visiting as part of their Expedition next Summer. ‘Cambodia Friday’, today, was particularly exhausting as girls ‘virtually’ trekked, by various means, the 546 kilometers across the country. A fantastic effort and great fun! I thank you for your donations and kind support of this expedition.

Mrs Wilcox, Head of Prep, has asked me to politely remind parents in Littlegates that School commences at 8.40am, with our doors opened at 8.30am. This removes the necessity to wait outside, particularly in inclement weather. May we ask for your co-operation to ensure the safety of all of our children, including those who are in the care of our ‘Early Birds’ staff, at the beginning of the day.

Last week, pupils took part in the House Group Charity Challenge where six house groups presented ideas for an innovative charity event to be held on the 17th November. The challenge will raise money to support ‘Cam Kids’. There were some very imaginative ideas and the winning team will be advertising their event very
shortly! Do add the date to your diary!

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Head's Blog 23/9/11

2011-09-23T15:54:00.001+01:00

23rd September 2011

Dear Parents

I hope that you have received the Examinations 2011 Leaflet which was posted earlier this week. Our excellent results certainly ensured that we started the term with much to be proud of.

I was pleased to welcome back parents and girls to our High School Curriculum Evenings last week, and trust they were informative. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time should you have any queries or concerns. Similarly, staff in Littlegates presented the Numeracy curriculum to parents of our Reception Class; as ever, it was a lively presentation involving conkers and feet!

As a Head, the one thing that you really miss is teaching. I am, therefore, back in the classroom teaching geography to Upper 3, and I hope the girls have enjoyed the lessons as much as I have. In addition, you may be aware that I have been visiting and observing lessons and shall continue to do so throughout this term. The warmth of welcome I receive is always gratifying and, of course, I love the opportunity to see, and be a part of, what the girls are doing. Our younger girls scrutinise me very closely so I have learnt that I have to look my best on these days! They make some delightful comments.

We welcomed girls from Upper 3, Lower 4 and Upper 4 back to School on Monday following their team building weekend at Carlton Outdoor Activity Centre. The girls entered into all the activities with ‘gusto’ and didn’t allow the torrential rain to dampen their spirits.

The first of this year’s Master Class Programme took place this week with ‘Hold the Front Page’. Some of our Lower 3 pupils were joined by pupils from Bardsey Primary School and Brodetsky School to become young reporters for the day, creating the front page of a newspaper. The course focussed on news reporting, interview techniques, headline writing, picture selection and page design from our guest host, author and journalist Yvette Huddleston.
On Wednesday we welcomed again our Spanish exchange guests and pupils from Mendebaldea School in Vitoria to enjoy a week in Gateways and Yorkshire. They were impressed yesterday by their visit to Harewood House and today are heading to Skipton and down into the caves. Thank you for kindly hosting girls.

We have been piloting ‘Pasta King’ meals for High School pupils at lunchtime this week and, judging by the queues, it is a great success! We will adjust the lunchtime rotas next week to enable all pupils to enjoy these dishes, including Prep.

On the sporting front, the term has started tremendously well with netball players of all ages recording some impressive victories over our rival schools. Next Tuesday, hockey training and team selection commences, the girls will train on astro turf at the Weetwood Playing Fields of the University of Leeds and will be coached by a hockey specialist. As a once keen hockey player who has hung up her boots, I’m delighted to bring this competitive dimension to the School.

Some of our senior sports girls went ‘Gold’ on Wednesday, attending a national Girls Schools’ Association conference in Birmingham, titled ‘Girls go Gold’. They joined hundreds of girls from across the country and listened to some impressive speeches, in particular Dame Kelly Holmes.

Our senior choir performed in Leeds Town Hall last Saturday; they sang beautifully and were a credit to themselves and the School. We enjoyed an insight into their performance in this morning’s whole school assembly. May I kindly remind you that parents are very welcome to join us at assembly on Friday mornings? We commence at 8.45am. Also, please do continue to ‘spread the word’ that every Friday morning is ‘Open Gates’; we warmly welcome prospective families to see our school in action.

‘Heads Time’ continues and I look forward to meeting girls from Prep and High School at Wednesday and Thursday breaktime ~ I am pleased to see their ‘commended’ work but also just love the opportunity to talk with them.

The School Council has held two meetings so far and has given me much to think about! I have reported back in assembly today and am responding to their requests on a venue for GBay, year group Common Rooms, lunch rotas, water fountains and aerobic classes.

Lunchtime picnics have introduced new members to the Houses and have strengthened the House spirit. The girls really appreciate the new picnic tables that have been kindly purchased for them by FOG. We are fortunate to be well supported by our Parents’ Association, who extend a warm invitation to you to join them at their Annual General Meeting on Monday 10th October. I look forward to seeing you.

Dance classes and activities are, as expected, enormously popular proving the Studio to be a great asset to our School. Indeed, Break Dancing arrives next week!

Girls continue to be busy devising new methods of raising much needed funds for their expedition to Cambodia in June 2012, and are in training for the trek across Cambodia on 7th October. I know they would value your kind support.

You will have noticed from the website that we are currently in the process of developing it in line with our new prospectus (expected any day now!). I would welcome any feedback or ideas from you on how we can ensure this is a most effective form of both communication and information.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Head's Blog-First Week Back

2011-09-09T16:35:00.001+01:00

Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LE
Tel: 0113 2886345 Fax: 0113 288 6148
Email: gateways@gatewayschool.co.uk

9th September 2011

Dear Parents

It has been a real pleasure getting back into the swing of School again. School has settled well and I have enjoyed welcoming everyone back.

We have welcomed three new members of staff; Miss Lindsay Taylor to lead the Drama Department, Mr Andrew Copeland joins the Prep Team as Head of Prep PE and Games and Mr Andrew Trotman who joins the marketing department on a one year placement. We are also delighted to extend a warm welcome to 52 new girls and boys of all ages who have joined us. We had hoped to be joined by 5 international girls in the High School having secured the Tier 4 status of ‘a highly trusted sponsor’ with the UK Borders Control Agency; what a pity, therefore, that their relocation and accommodation arrangements have prevented this at this time. We shall keep in touch with them!

I am extremely proud to announce that our public examination results were excellent once again, the girls, and their teachers, have much to celebrate. At A2 level, 46% of all passes were awarded A* or A grade with 81% A* to B grades and 100% pass at A* to D. In this year of competitive university entrance, 92% of girls secured their first choice university and are preparing to head off to Warwick, Durham, Imperial College, London, Edinburgh and even Idaho in the States! At AS level the girls achieved an 11% increase on last year with 65% A to B grades. August brought celebration for the Upper Sixth girls as they attended Graduation Dinner. It was a very positive evening for the girls and their parents and everyone enjoyed an excellent meal prepared by Brian and his team – especially the pudding! We have just received our Value Added figure from the University of Durham for Post-16 qualifications, confirming, once again, the very positive difference that our teaching and learning makes to the attainment and achievement of our girls.

At GCSE, 100% achieved 5A* to C grades, including Maths and English and 55% of all entries were passed at A* to A grades. 13 subjects, including Maths, English Literature and English Language, achieved a 100% pass rate. In ICT, 95% of grades were at A* and A in ICT with 68% at A*. In geography 93% of grades were at A* and A, with 60% at A*. 24% of all candidates gained straight A*/A grades. In addition, our first 'early entry' for Lower 5 girls studying GCSE Religious Studies yielded really impressive results; 25% of girls achieved A* and 96% achieved grade B or above.

During the summer break there has been some exciting new developments to our facilities. A state of the art Dance Studio has been created in the Sports Hall Gallery and Miss Fox will be introducing dance into lessons and extra-curricular programme. We have also created a new Sixth Form Study in the Dower House equipped with new PCs; in fact 46 new computers have been installed throughout the School with plasma TVs being installed in Youngers Hall and the Sixth Form cellars. A new Listening space has been created out of an old locker room in the Dower House and a new PE office has been created in Youngers. We have restored some of the lovely old wooden floors in the Dower House, and for the safety of all, we’ve installed a new alarm and security system with CCTV (externally) throughout the School. We have also erected the first ever rugby posts at Gateways! We are grateful for the tireless work of the Maintenance Team.

Next week, Upper 5 students will have the opportunity to experience further Sixth Form life and curriculum. We hope this informs positively their future choices. I look forward to meeting individually with all our Upper 5 students to discuss their progress and future choices in the weeks ahead.

Well done to the pupils and parents who travelled 220 miles coast to coast on our annual cycle ride. Once again this year we were able to support the Theo Trust by inviting three Russian children to join the ride. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and cycled every inch of the way. I know Flamborough Head was a welcome sight and my thanks to go to everyone involved for their support.

Our new prefects are going to be great school leaders. Last week they undertook a two day training session with enthusiasm and bags of chocolate! I enjoyed a very pleasant evening with the girls on Thursday.

The new Physical Education kit is very impressive and well-liked by the girls. Pupils have returned wearing their uniform with pride, although as in other schools, we are watching the hemlines of skirts very closely! Thank you for supporting us in ensuring your daughter’s skirt is of the appropriate length. A parent has recently asked me to consider introducing black trousers as an optional item of school uniform. I would welcome your views, please. I shall ask School Council to discuss this also.

The full list of staff can now be found on the School Website – www.gatewayschool.co.uk. Should you require any further information please contact the School Office.

Thank you to parents and girls in Lower 4 and Upper 4 who joined us yesterday evening for our first in the series of Curriculum Evenings; I trust it was informative. I would draw to your attention that these sessions are primarily for parents although, should childcare be problematic, your children are welcome to accompany you. On Wednesday and Thursday of next week there are the Sixth Form and Lower 5 evenings respectively, I look forward to welcoming you.

We are all looking forward to another great year at Gateways.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

2011-06-24T16:32:00.002+01:00

24th June 2011

Dear Parents

Gateways just isn’t a School that winds down towards the end of year. It is definitely quieter around the place because so many pupils are involved in visits, trips, work experience and, of course, ongoing study leave.

‘Gateways Flyers’ were in action again at the Knaresborough Bed Race on the 11th June; it was great fun and a huge effort from the girls taking part. Our Prep School cheerleaders got the event off to a great start.

The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh girls succeeded in their final expedition on the 11th and 12th June, even though the heavens opened and it was a wet Sunday afternoon collection. Well done girls!

The lunchtime concert at Kirkby Overblow Church was delightful; our girls represented their talents and the School impressively. Anna’s performance of ‘Bessie the Black Cat’ provided me with a trip down memory lane.

‘New Girls’ Afternoon welcomed many new faces; the Prep School pupils also spent the day in their new classes for September. It was a busy afternoon enjoyed by everyone.

The variety of the Prep Summer Concert on the 16th June was enjoyed by all, particularly the audience participation in ‘What Should we do with the Drunken Sailor’!

The rain held off this time for Prep Sports Day on 17th June and we watched talented athletes compete keenly, particularly in the mums and dads races.

Mrs Burton, Mr Davison and I have been interviewing the many Lower 6 students who applied to be Prefects and Head girls. What a pleasure the interviews were; to talk with such mature, enthusiastic and impressive young women is a joy. We now have to make the difficult choices – it’s so hard! Results will be announced shortly.

I have received a letter from Harewood Parish Council asking for our support with parking in the village. There have been several instances of dangerous parking, particularly adjacent to the Harewood Arms, where parents drop off their children for school. Please could I ask that parents avoid this area and use the school car park; this will help to reduce the likelihood of an accident in the village.

I would just draw to your attention our school bus services, and encourage their use, particularly given our green credentials. We have been reviewing routes and the service generally; details should come to you in the summer mailing. The girls often look forward to the journey to and from School; it helps them to get to know well other girls in different year groups.

Looking forward to Prize Giving, in the Harewood House marquee, on the 7th July, we are delighted to be strengthening our links with Harewood and look forward to you joining us.

Yours sincerely
Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress

Mrs Wilkinson's First Blog!

2011-06-10T15:18:00.004+01:00

I do hope you enjoyed a good half term break, although I know that for pupils it was a time of revision in readiness for examinations. The school has certainly been quieter this week as girls in Lower 3 to Upper 4 have also been undergoing (internal) examinations. I have been very impressed by the way in which the girls have approached their exams and the diligent manner in which they have worked – well done girls!

Over the half term break, the maintenance team continued their work on improvements to the school site. We now have new dining room doors, new planters and window boxes round school and the programme of painting and redecorating continues.

I was pleased many of you were able to join us for the excellent GSCE and A Level Art Exhibition on Wednesday; the artwork is truly impressive. The A-Level art moderation took place on Thursday with the GCSE moderation scheduled for 14th June; we look forward in anticipation of successful results all round!

On Wednesday, we welcomed our new Upper 3 parents for a familiarisation meeting ahead of the new girl’s afternoon next week. This was an opportunity for staff to introduce themselves, give an outline of life in the High School and answer any queries. We are now looking forward to welcoming the girls on the 15th June for their first afternoon in High School.

On the 27th May we said our ‘first’ farewell to Upper Sixth with a leavers barbeque which marked the beginning of their preparations for their A2 examinations; we shall miss their lively presence around School. We look forward to a more formal farewell on Thursday the 18th August when we will celebrate their success at Graduation Dinner with their parents.

Just before half term we hosted a ‘Spring Dinner’ to thank our Prefects for their support during their year of office. The Chair of Governors presented each of the girls with a photograph of the prefect group and praised the girls for the manner in which they had carried out their duties.

There is a busy weekend ahead; tomorrow pupils from Lower 4 and Lower 5 are participating in the Knaresborough Bed Race, we wish ‘The Gateways Flyers’ every success. . . . do support them in Knaresborough on Saturday, the parade begins at 1.00pm and the race at 3.00pm. Also this weekend, Lower 5 pupils are taking part in their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award final expedition; we hope the weather is kind!

Could I encourage you to join us at the Friends of Gateways Summer Soiree being held on Saturday 2nd July in the Performing Arts Centre? The live music, food and drink will ensure the evening goes with a swing! All funds raised enhance the girls’ experiences; this week’s lovely sunshine has meant girls have been able to enjoy our newly purchased outdoor furniture.

Our congratulations go to Mrs Santosh Roth, Nursery Practitioner, on the birth of her son Dhiyaan.

Our girls have enjoyed a successful week in sport. The U8 rounders team beat GSAL and our High School teams were equally successful in their matches against The Mount School.

How sophisticated our Lower 5 pupils look this morning for their Sixth Form Acquaint Day. I’m sure they will rise to the challenge of Sixth Form lessons.