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July 2010 - News Stories | |
St Leonards-New Park pupils do like to be beside the seasidePicture: SLNP at beach 3 St Leonards-New Park pupils do like to be beside the seaside! Taking advantage of some cracking summer weather, children at the St Andrews school made the short journey to the East Sands to take part in a sand castle building contest. Buckets and spades were put to good use as pupils across all year groups got together in groups to construct stunning sand-based citadels! Andrew Donald, Headmaster at St Leonards-New Park, said, “We are very fortunate to have this stunning coastline right on our doorstep. “With the end of term approaching, today’s event was a chance for the children to have a bit of fun and make the most of the sunny weather.” Picture: SLNP at beach 4 Picture: SLNP at beach 2 Fun, games and serious sporting competitionPicture: SportsDay7 There was fun and games as well as some serious competition at the St Leonards School Sports Day. Pupils in Years 1-3 (P1-3) at St Leonards-New Park kicked things off, impressing proud parents as they took part in relay races, potato and spoon races and sack races. Next up, youngsters in Years 4-7 (P4-7) took to the playing fields to take part in a variety of events including the long jump, high jump, javelin and sprints. Not to be outdone, senior school students got in on the action, wowing parents and staff with some outstanding performances in disciplines which included races, discus, shotput and hurdles. In all more than 30 new records were set, the most impressive of which saw Year 11 pupil Halina Rees break a record for the girls 800m which had stood since 1974! With the sun shining brightly for all of the year groups, Director of Sport at St Leonards, Iain Watson, was delighted with the proceedings. He said, “It’s great to see the pupils taking part in so many events and having fun as well as competing. “There were some fantastic performances from students across all year groups.” * Professional photographer Trevor Ledger was on hand to take pictures at Sports Day. To see the images and find out how to buy them, please visit www.swilken-photography.co.uk Picture: SportsDay1 Picture: SportsDay3 Picture: SportsDay2 Picture: SportsDay4 Picture: SportsDay5 Picture: SportsDay6 Picture: SportsDay8 Picture: SportsDay9 Picture: SD10 Water way to have fun!Picture: Elie Boys and girls from St Leonards-New Park are making the most of the summer weather. Pupils in years 5-7 (P5-P7) have been enjoying regular after school water sports classes, taking advantage of the calm East Neuk waters to try their hand at canoeing, banana boating and rubber ring riding! According to Rosie Dawson, PE teacher at St Leonards, the multi-splash sessions have been a real hit with the children. She said, “The kids have a great time, especially when the sun is out. It’s good for their confidence in the water too.” IB exam success for studentsPicture: IB students celebrate The latest batch of pupils to study for the International Baccalaureate Diploma at St Leonards have come through their exams with flying colours. 55 Upper Sixth Form (S6) students gained the diploma, scoring an average of 32 points in the process, equivalent to 435 UCAS points and more than 5 As at Higher Level and more than 3 A*s at A Level. Eight pupils scored more than 38 points, thereby achieving the minimum entrance requirements for Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and the St Leonards cohort also outperformed the 2009 Diploma worldwide average of 30 points. With 45,000 youngsters across the globe receiving their results today, the IB Diploma is very much an international qualification, a point illustrated by the fact that 30 of the St Leonards students obtained Bilingual Diplomas, indicating fluency in at least two languages. The two year course is also widely seen as providing the ideal preparation for university and, having excelled in their final tests, that’s exactly where the students are headed with destinations including Cambridge, St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Munich and Boston. Leading the way with 43 points was Sophie Cole from Newport whose score will put her in the top 0.75% of worldwide candidates. Sophie, who is off to Bristol to study French and Spanish, said, “I’m really happy. It has been a tough couple of years but it’s been worth it. “I’m glad I’ve got such a good qualification behind me. I think it will make university life easier as the IB teaches you how to write essays and to be organised.” Kenneth Reid from St Andrews was also celebrating after scoring 38 points. After spending time working in France, Kenneth will be going on to university. He said, “I was always planning on taking a gap year but after that hopefully I will have some good university offers to consider. “There’s no grade inflation with the IB so it will stand the test of time and prove that I can perform at a high level.” Dr Michael Carslaw, Headmaster at St Leonards, was understandably pleased with the results of the third group of students to complete the qualification at the St Andrews school. He said, “I’m delighted that our pupils have performed so well. “These excellent results are both a reward and a testament to the hard work that the students, and their teachers, have put in over the past two years.” He added, “A recent survey of admissions tutors has confirmed that the IB is the most highly rated pre-university qualification for its ability in preparing students best for undergraduate study. “I’m delighted that our leavers will now be going on to universities throughout Scotland, the rest of the UK and indeed across the world. “The IB is the platinum standard.” | |