An introduction by the Head Teacher, Mr Graham Hamilton
Welcome to Ermysted’s Grammar School, a selective boys’ grammar school set in the market town of Skipton, close to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
Following our OFSTED inspection of October 2008, the school was regarded as ‘Outstanding’ by the inspection team, a fitting recognition for staff and boys of their collective hard work and commitment.
This sense of common purpose is also reflected in our examination results which place the school amongst the highest five percent of schools nationally. Results have been consistently high over many years and 2009 again saw high achievement at all levels.
At ‘AS’ we achieved a 100% pass rate with 72.5% of grades being judged A/B: at ‘A’ level students achieved 78.8% of grades A/B (including General Studies) and at GCSE 99.1% of boys achieved 5A*-C with A*/A grades representing 61.4% of overall grades. At Key Stage 3 almost all boys made at least two levels progress 98.2% achieving Level 6 in English 100% achieving Level 6 in Maths and Science.
Whilst we are proud of these results they do not give the full picture of the school. There is a wide variety of extra curricular activities and the school has enjoyed distinguished success in rugby, football, cross-country and orienteering. We regularly enter teams for public speaking competitions, mock legal trials and drama events. The school’s music provision is extremely strong and the ‘Big Band‘ regularly perform at concerts and public events.
We are fortunate to have the support of an active Old Boys’ Society and a enthusiastic Parents’ Association which regularly raise significant sums of money to develop the school’s facilities.
We have many advantages but we are not complacent. We are determined to make ‘Aiming for Excellence’ more than a simple aspiration. By focusing on the craft of teaching, selecting the most effective educational initiatives combined with high expectations from all who work on the school site we will ensure our students fulfil their considerable potential.
This is my second year as Headteacher and I would like to thank parents, staff and students for their continued good wishes for success. The job brings many challenges but it remains a job I thoroughly enjoy and find enormously fulfilling.
This can only give you a flavour of our rich diversity. For further information please follow the website links and I hope you enjoy reading about the school.
Mr G Hamilton
Headteacher