Year 11 Presentation Evening 2024
Superb GCSE results of Ilkley Grammar School students is celebrated in annual prize evening at The King’s Hall
‘Red tie’ students, class of 2024, marked their superb GCSE results in motivating ‘Prize Presentation’ event.
Ilkley Grammar School held its annual celebration event at The King’s Hall, Ilkley on Tuesday 19th November. The event was attended by over 500 guests, including students, parents, carers, school staff and local dignitaries.
All students received their GCSE certificates and awards were presented by Carly Purnell, proud Headteacher, Clare Robun, dedicated Head of Year, Peter Shelley, Chair of Governors, and Chris Borrett, Guest of Honour.
Students received many prestigious awards during the evening, ranging from awards that recognise outstanding achievement, dedicated attendance, demonstration of IGS ‘Personal Best’ values and those that recognise sporting excellence, citizenship and the arts. Ilkley Grammar School are fortunate to have many students with excellent achievement and many more students deserved praise beyond those who were awarded prizes.
Students were awarded prizes for exceptional attainment and outstanding progress, recognising those who received the highest GCSE grades across the curriculum and those who received the highest progress scores from key stage 2 to key stage 4. Students were also awarded prizes for outstanding attainment and progress within subjects, as they celebrated the achievements of students across 31 different areas of the curriculum.
The evening also celebrated students who excelled in other areas such as commitment to sport, community, music, theatre, the ‘Harvard Book Prize’ award and our school values, in a range of ‘Special Awards’, which were accompanies by a citation from nominating staff members.
Emelyn McCann and Alex Wolfenden were first to collect their special awards for demonstrating their ‘Personal Best’ as Mrs Purnell invited them on stage to collect their awards. This award is particularly special as it takes the namesake for the ethos, vision and values underpinning the school. Mrs Purnell spoke of their sustained commitment to learning across 5 years at IGS, their hard work and perseverance which led to outstanding progress and a set of impressive GCSE results.
The two winners of The Young Musician of the Year award were announced as Sam Roberts and Caitlin Robson. Sam was described by Mrs Purnell as a “talented violinist with a beautiful tone and a real ear for detail who has been a dedicated member of the school orchestra over 5 years”. Caitlin was described as the “dream drummer” and was praised for her “grasp of technical skills, musicality, feel and responsiveness” as well as her “infectious passion for music” in a resounding citation read aloud by Mrs Purnell.
Dylan Hurst and Alfred Griffiths were awarded the Commitment to School and Community award, both of whom were praised for their outstanding dedication to IGS since joining year 7. Mrs Purnell described Dylan as “a wonderful pillar of the IGS and wider community” whose “desire to help and support his peers, staff and the public shine through in every way” from his smooth running of the Backstagers’ Team, support for Creative Arts and his work with St John’s Ambulance and Ilkley Good Neighbours. Similarly, Alfred was described “a shining example of everything the award stands for” and a “worthy winner of the award”. Over the years he has invested hours of his own time to support school events and productions, ensuring their smooth operation and utilising his technical expertise to the benefit of all.
The Personal Development award was awarded to Daanial Mirzapour who was mentioned as “a kind, thoughtful and hardworking young man who always strives to achieve his personal best both academically and personally”. His infectious smile, positivity and hardworking attitude were also commended, with Mrs Purnell adding that “he has the attributes to achieve anything he sets his mind to!”.
George Bayne and Matilda Irvine were the two deserving winners of the Community Sports award. George has consistently demonstrated strong leadership skills and acted as a superb role model to his peers and younger students, with an inspirational love of sport. He was praised for his support for extra-curricular clubs, his contributions to the Sports Council and “his exceptional commitment and dedication in both participation and performance sport.” Matilda was described a “stalwart member of the IGS Sports Council since year 7, participating in multiple PE and charity fund raising events.” She was thanked for “encouraging students to flourish and achieve their personal best and to overcome challenges by using sport as a vehicle.”
Roseanna Williams was awarded the Ilkley Town Council Citizenship award, which was presented by Councillor Jane Gibson, the Deputy Mayor of Ilkley. Mrs Purnell cited Roseanna’s kindness, dedication to others and volunteering and stated, “Roseanna’s actions remind us that true citizenship is about showing up for others, rising to challenges, and taking pride in contributing to something bigger than yourself and her commitment to community service and her leadership make her an incredibly well-deserving recipient of this award.”
The Ilkley Playhouse award was presented by the President of the Ilkley Playhouse, Samantha Hill, and the worthy winner was Matthew Disney. Matthew was described as “a dedicated and talented performer who clearly loves working with others to create engaging and memorable performances.” Stand out performances over the years include his exuberant characterisation of ‘Brit’ in ‘We Will Rock You’, his more measured performance as Baron Von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music’ to his joyful portrayal of Kenickie in ‘Grease’. The school now look forward to his performance as Javert in the upcoming school production of ‘Les Miserables.’
Following the community Special Awards, the evening commenced with The Ilkley Grammar School Values awards for Respect, Courage, Responsibility, Kindness, Resilience and Pride. These are awarded to students who model and promote our school values in all that they do with the winners announced as: William Naylor; Lexie Thorpe; Hannah Cressey; Mia Leighton; Harry Nolan and Isaiah Sison.
And the final set of Special Awards were then announced, the first of which is incredibly close to the hearts of the Ilkley Grammar School students and staff alike: The Janet Buckley Award. This is an award that recognises exceptional progress and learning in Geography, awarded in memory of Ilkley’s late colleague, Janet Buckley, who was much loved and highly regarded by all. The Geography Department nominated Isabelle Clough for this prestigious award and Mrs Purnell took a few moments to commend Isabelle’s achievements and work ethic in Geography, and noted the pride Janet Buckley would have felt for Isabelle, who was taught by Janet in her first year of GCSE Geography. Mrs Purnell noted Isabelle’s commitment, passion for geography, her desire to achieve, impeccable behaviour, resilience and attention to detail – all qualities which Janet would have respected and admired.
Mrs Robun proudly stood on stage for the next award- the Head of Year award, which was presented to Evie Adams. The nomination was hard-earned, but very well deserved. Mrs Purnell spoke of Evie’s time throughout her 5 years at Ilkley Grammar School, noting how she had navigated challenges with calmness and resilience. Described as having “a true heart of gold” and “an amazing friend who would stop and help anyone in need”, Evie was honoured as a valued member of the red tie community who embodies the school’s Personal Best values.
The awards ceremony then concluded with the incredibly prestigious Harvard Book Prize award. This award recognises academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, and a passion for reading and learning and is nominated by The English Department. The winner not only receives a commendation letter from Harvard University, but a gift of recent literature and a special citation. Amelia McLoughlin took away this final prize, which was awarded for their impressive achievements and flair, as well as their “love of English which has shone through since year 7” and the sheer “commitment and dedication to creative writing.”
The evening then closed with a speech from the Guest of Honour, Chris Borrett- Investment Director with Mercia Ventures, who inspired the students and guests alike about his journey into the competitive world of venture capitalism. Chris talked about the lessons he’d learned along the way in a sector that is known for innovation, reminiscing about his involvement in varied financial endeavours and ‘start-ups’ in artificial intelligence, orbital aerospace, precision therapies and digital consumerism, to name a few. As a local resident from childhood, Chris spoke warmly about what inspired him, what motivated him and his academic pursuits, relating to the young people in the audience. Chris’s speech culminated in some parting advice for the audience, encouraging them to find their passion, mission, vocation and reason, drawing upon the Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai’, and urged the young people to be curious of the possibilities and learning opportunities in life, optimise for what they find interesting, work hard and with focus and always be kind to others, actively seeking to build a network of people and support.
Guests were also treated to highly accomplished musical performances by students of their own year group, including a flawless introduction of Elton John: Your Song by Dylan Hurst on piano, a captivating interlude of Gabriel’s Oboe by Orla Murray, Xanthe Gutch and Emelyn McCann, and an outstanding performance of ‘The Sun’ll Come Out in Five’ by Matthew Disney, Cailtin Robson and Edward Shelley.
Headteacher Carly Purnell said: “It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the success of our red tie students and take pride in what they have achieved and the people they have become. They are a fantastic group of young people who have the skills and qualities, as well as now having the qualifications, to make a positive difference through the lives they lead. They have been, and will continue to be, a credit to themselves, their families, and their school and I want to thank them for everything they have contributed and given to IGS over the last 5 years. Whatever their next steps, whether in Post-16 at IGS or elsewhere, college or apprenticeships, I wish them all the very best – they all have a bright future ahead of them.”
