Posted on: 26/06/2023Amery Hill School Announces New HeadteacherAmery Hill School in Alton is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Headteacher, Mr Rob Jeckells, who will take up the position, in September 2023, after the summer holidays. Mr Jeckells is a highly experienced Deputy Headteacher from Kings’ School in Winchester. The comprehensive recruitment process included seeking external independent advice as well as involving a broad cross-section of Trustees, staff and students in the school. One of our objectives was to find a Headteacher who understands and shares our outlook, which is rooted in strong values. Throughout our discussions it was clear that Mr Jeckells, not only shares our focus on academic excellence and high achievement for all, but will continue to develop our ethos and vision in the future. We would like to congratulate Mr Mann, our current Headteacher, who has been appointed as CEO of Wildern Academy Trust and will take up his new position in September. Rob Jeckells said: ‘It will be my honour and privilege to lead Amery Hill School. I am a strong believer in the power of education to transform lives, and I’m ambitious to build upon the work of the current Headteacher and staff. The opportunity to lead Amery Hill School and serve the whole community is hugely exciting for me and I’m looking forward to leading the school into the next phase of its history.’ Lorna Vickery, Chair of Trustees, said ‘We are very sad to see Mr Mann depart and thank him for all the hard work and dedication he has shown to ensure the very best for the students at Amery Hill School. Mr Mann has worked tirelessly with the Senior Leadership Team, staff and Trustees over the last five years to strengthen the academic excellence of our school and maintain our caring ethos, whilst steering the school through the Covid pandemic. We look forward to a bright future for the school with Mr Jeckells, whilst wishing Mr Mann every success, health and happiness with his future career.’View Article
Posted on: 18/07/2023Hartfield House - House Champions 2023Congratulations go to Hartfield House who, after taking the lead in the Championship in October, continued to steadily accumulate house points over the spring and summer terms and emerged House Champions after the thrilling final Championship event - Sports Day. This is an incredible achievement to have held on to the lead for so long! The Championship ended incredibly close with just over 600 points separating the winners and runners-up. Well done to Pemberley, who finished last year in fourth place, who are runners up this year. Commiserations to Northanger, who were defending champions, whose late spurt took them off fourth place at the expense of Mansfield, who I am sure will bounce back next year. Well done to everyone who sent in a picture of their pet, sang their heart out to Backstreet Boys, took part in the army days, in extra-curricular clubs, Science Week competitions, Maths Pi Day, built an island in RS, guessed the correct flag in geography and every other competition we had - every point counted and it went right down to the wire. The House Championship has been fun and rewarding to organise and I would like to thank our student leaders - House Captains, Vice House Captains and House Representatives - who have been instrumental in helping to organise events and encourage students to embrace the competitions with enthusiasm. I hope that you have enjoyed it as well. So, looking ahead to next year, can Pemberley go one step further and win the championship, can Northanger reclaim the crown or could Mansfield go all the way from fourth place one year to champions the next? Will Hartfield become the first House to win the competition back to back? We go again in September!View Article
Posted on: 7/04/2022Bar Mock TrialsMembers of the Jury, I stand before you to deliver the closing statement for the prosecution, my name is Mrs Pretsell and I represent the Crown in the case against Amery Hill. The charge is that the students of Amery Hill performed brilliantly at the Southern Region Mock Trials Competition, and brought prestige and honour to both themselves and the school. Members of the Jury, this is an occasion when the only credible verdict you will be able to return is guilty: they were brilliant. Let me remind you of the facts of the case; our barristers: Lucy D, Albie P, Isabel P and Chloe S were dedicated and clever lawyers who prepared their cases meticulously and questioned with an unerring dedication to clarity and precision. They were brutal - woe betide anyone who ever wants to take them on in an argument. Supporting the barristers were the four witnesses who were questioned in these cases. The Amery witnesses: Max J, Griff P, Aleya S and Orla T were guilty of knowing all the facts of their stories, conveying their testimony with great confidence and standing stalwart against fierce questioning. Running the court were another two students guilty of brilliance and coolness in the demanding courtroom drama. Anya F, our court clerk, was peerless and Sophie J (usher) was as cool as a very cool cucumber. Finally, other schools were kept on their toes by the brilliant and incisive services of jury members Sian L and Hazel R - nothing was going to get past them as they exercised their civic duty with true professionalism. Admittedly, the Amery Hill Team did not win the competition but in mitigation it must be noted that they were Year 10 students and they were challenging teams from 6th Form Colleges. They are David facing very many Goliaths. They might not have defeated Goliath but they gave him bruised shins, broken fingers and a nasty suspected concussion. So finally, members of the Jury, as you decide if this team from Amery is indeed guilty of being brilliant, I charge you to remember that these students worked so hard for five months preparing this case, they conducted themselves perfectly and they made Mrs Smith and me feel so incredibly proud to be their teachers. You must return a unanimous verdict of guilty.View Article
Posted on: 4/09/2023Amery Hill School Students Do it Again!Many congratulations must go to the Class of 2023 who have, yet again, achieved some outstanding GCSE results. Against a backdrop of two years of disrupted secondary education due to the pandemic and then the Government's decision to engineer GCSE grades back to 2019 levels, our students have shown that tenacity, courage and hard work can overcome many obstacles when learning within a school environment which is supportive, caring and highly aspirational. The school’s core values of Independence, Creativity, Active Learning, Resilience and Empathy and our school motto ‘Education for Life’ has helped ensure that our students are well placed to embrace all the challenges of this ever-changing world, with each and every one of them in the very best place to take those positive next steps into college, apprenticeships or training. We are incredibly proud as a school community and the achievements of the Class of 2023. Our students are all exceptionally talented and inspiring young people who have demonstrated all the core values and qualities that Amery Hill School stands for. The resilience they have all shown over the last five years is remarkable and we wish them all every success, health and happiness for the future.View Article
Posted on: 6/04/2022Quiz Night SuccessOn Friday 1st April, Friends of Amery Hill held their first fundraising event in a long time with a well supported Quiz Night raising funds for the school; it was a great success in so many ways. It was wonderful to see the hall so busy and everyone really enjoying themselves. We had over 100 attendees, comprising of 14 teams. The cash bar, offering a selection of Prosecco, red and white wine, ale, lager, water and soft drinks was well supported and the picnics brought by individuals looked delicious. A very special thank you to our quiz master, Hannah Fry. Hannah was amazing and kept the noisy hall of people under control, whilst testing their knowledge with a great selection of questions, some of which had the teams stumped. Many congratulations to the winners, ‘Where’s Graeme and Liz?’ who received a trophy and a small box of Easter Eggs! The losers, ‘Govs and the Old Govs’, were awarded a very appropriate wooden spoon, carved with an upside-down smile. During the interval, the £1 coin roll brought out everyone’s competitive streak. After the throwing of many coins, the winner was Fiona Pearce who won a lovely bottle of champagne. Many congratulations Fiona! A fabulous £1,106 was raised from ticket sales, proceeds from the bar and the coin roll, which will go a long way to buying additional equipment for the school. We have recently been able to purchase a new PA System for the hall, with remote microphone, sound system and speakers - it certainly proved its worth on Friday night. A big thank you to the parents and staff who helped at the event. We really do appreciate all of your support and this could not take place without you. We do have a few more events planned for the summer term. Do keep a look out in the weekly parental bulletin for updates. If you would like to become involved with helping at these events please email us at friendsofameryhill@gmail.comView Article
Posted on: 26/04/2023Sicily 2023Amery Hill School Year 10 students returned to Sicily this year for an action packed five days of tectonics, rivers, food and culture. Setting off in darkness, 48 students and five staff flew direct to Catania Airport passing over one of the main attractions of the trip – Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. It was clear from the steam clouds being generated by “Mamma Etna” (as Sicilians call her) that she was ready to greet us! The next day, after a coach ride up the mountain, cable car and four-wheel drive vehicle we were close to the summit of Mount Etna with a special guide to inform us. Conditions were perfect as we listened to information about past eruptions and took pictures off the huge caldera. Friday was a highlight for many students. The morning was a thrilling River Trekking activity session. Students got suited and booted in wetsuits, buoyancy aids, helmets and waterproof boots and entered the chilly waters of the Alcantara River, created from snowmelt on Mount Etna itself. Scrambling over rocks, students were presented with an increasingly challenging series of waterfalls to jump off in this two-hour activity. The final water fall was estimated at seven metres high! The afternoon was more sedate with an opportunity for some retail therapy and the chance to visit an Italian pizza restaurant. The twist here was that all the students were shown how to make their own pizza, from kneading the dough through to choosing toppings, all under the watchful eye of the restaurant staff. After a late night, the final full day involved a short ferry ride to the island of Vulcano, after which all volcanoes are named. There were a few green faces, after the slightly choppy crossing, as the challenge of climbing to the volcano summit was contemplated. No cable cars here! Fortunately, due to the volcano currently being seismically too active and consequently too dangerous, a smaller summit was scaled instead with a local guide. This was challenge enough for some students and still provided some spectacular views. On our final day, we revisited the beautiful town of Taormina. Students had a last chance to enjoy some Italian food and buy souvenirs before we headed to the airport for the flight home and the chilly reception from the UK, not from the parents waiting to greet the students, but from the weather, after we had been spoiled by 20 0 C temperatures! We are hoping to return again in 2024 with next year’s Year 10 students.View Article