Withernsea High School

For more than twenty years, the University of Cambridge’s ‘College Area Links’ scheme has helped to build relationships with schools and colleges across the UK as part of a commitment to widening access to degree-level study.  Led by a team of liaison officers, the scheme links each of the university’s 31 autonomous colleges with an area of the UK. This provides educational settings in each area with a dedicated contact for advice and guidance, while helping the Cambridge colleges tailor their outreach activities to the needs of their assigned locations. Leading the responsibility for outreach work at schools and colleges across Yorkshire and the North East is Ellie Nethaway, a liaison officer from King’s College. During a recent visit to Withernsea High School, Ellie shared information about life at Cambridge, its collegiate system and the wide variety of courses that are available. “As the King's link area of Yorkshire is some way from Cambridge, we find that the best way to encourage and support schools with applications to Cambridge and other competitive universities is to visit them in person. It was a pleasure to return to Withernsea High School. The students are among some of the nicest that I work with. They were really engaged with the session, were keen to learn and asked lots of great questions.” Among the topics explored were entry requirements and the subject combinations that admissions teams look favourably upon when assessing students’ suitability for joining particular degree courses. Students also discovered that a variety of courses they thought may be unattainable were actually more accessible than they had previously realised. The session also provided an opportunity to dispel some common myths, particularly surrounding perceived elitism, social barriers and financial disadvantages, which may otherwise discourage young people from exploring routes into Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group universities.   Explaining the importance of discussing these topics, Ellie said: “There are still a lot of misconceptions about attending Cambridge and other top universities, with some people thinking that they won’t fit in. One of the reasons why I really like working with schools is that I can help students to realise that they can actually study anywhere they want. Anyone from any background, regardless of location or status, has the potential to reach their destination of choice. “Another misconception is that people think it’s more expensive going to universities such as Cambridge and Oxford. They also think that the cost involved with attending university in general, and moving away from home, means they can’t afford to go. Explaining student finance and how loans work makes a big difference as well. There is so much support available, especially at universities like Cambridge who have access to a lot of money.” Student finance remains a primary concern for many people exploring university as an option. Ellie is keen to let parents, carers and students know that help is available.  “Some university websites and student finance documents can be a bit of a minefield. They can be overwhelming and a bit painful to work through. One of the best sources of information about student loans is Martin Lewis, the money saving expert. He explains things so well and has lots of information on his website and videos on YouTube that explain things in a very clear way. His advice is a great place to start for anyone wanting to explore student finance.” Viki Foster, Withernsea High School’s careers leader, said: “We are committed to supporting any students that want to aim for university in the future by ensuring that they are equipped with the knowledge, information, advice and guidance needed for them to achieve their ambitions. “As part of our obligation to deliver an impartial careers programme, opportunities such as our engagement with the Cambridge outreach initiative are essential in helping our students to make their own informed choices about their futures. If aiming for Cambridge or other Russell Group universities is their goal, we will encourage and support them. It is important for students to realise that study at Oxbridge is achievable and is not something that is beyond their reach. “Our year 10 students all engaged positively with the session, responding with some really good answers and asking their own well thought-out questions about the Cambridge college system and student life. This valuable session also provided an opportunity for students to explore university life in general – looking at how they should pick the routes and subjects for post-16 study, and the variety of degrees that are available.” The Russell Group represents 24 leading UK universities, including the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, whose collective belief is that ‘people and ideas are the key to meeting global challenges’. Together, the group’s member universities generate approximately £87 billion every year for the UK economy. They employ a quarter of a million people and teach one quarter of the UK’s undergraduate students. For Martin Lewis’ advice on student finance, please visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/students   ABOVE: Around 50 year 10 students were invited to take part in the aspirational workshop. ABOVE: Ellie Nethaway, liaison and outreach officer for King’s College, Cambridge, returned to Withernsea High School to lead a session on university life.          

Withernsea High School’s careers evening and futures fair aimed to promote different routes into employment including pathways through further and higher education, or through training and apprenticeship opportunities. It also brought together employers from a diverse range of sectors including finance, legal, media, engineering, renewable energy and healthcare to help highlight a broad selection of potential careers. Among those in attendance were representatives from Smailes Goldie Accountants, RWE Renewable Energy, Rollits Solicitors, Centrica Storage, Holderness Health, Martin Williams Hull (Ltd) and Cranswick Country Foods (Preston). Public services including Humberside Fire and Rescue, Humberside Police and the British Army were also present.    Helping to promote further learning opportunities were representatives from colleges including Wilberforce, Wyke, Bishop Burton, East Riding and Hull, and the sixth forms at Hornsea School and St Mary’s Secondary School. In addition, independent careers advice providers including Skills Hull and East Riding, Log on Move on, and Women into Manufacturing and Engineering (WiME) were also in attendance. Dr Kirsty Clode, chairwoman of WiME, said: “We enjoyed a lot of varied and positive conversations with young people and their parents/carers. It was a very worthwhile event.” Purposely held in the evening to enable parents and carers to attend alongside their children, this year’s event attracted approximately 150 families who took advantage of the opportunity to access first-hand information in the community about the availability of further learning and employment opportunities across the county and beyond. School careers leader, Viki Foster, said: “We are delighted to provide an opportunity for parents, carers and their children to access information, advice and guidance from a variety of sources in the heart of their own community. Last year, we made the decision to move our careers fair to an evening timeslot and we are delighted to have built on the success of this for a second year. It is a move that has not only boosted engagement from employers and education providers, it has also proven popular with the members of our school community – providing a platform for meaningful careers conversations and interactions. “I would like to thank the many companies and organisations who supported the event for their contribution towards making it such a great success. These events simply couldn’t happen without them. I would also like to thank all the students and their families who joined us to explore their futures.” Reflecting on the importance of the careers evening as a platform to promote opportunities, Viki continued: “For our year 9 students, the timing of the event coincided with them beginning the selection process for the GCSE subjects that will begin to shape their pathways for post-16 study and employment. For our year 10 students, who have already begun thinking about their formal progression to post-16 destinations, the event provided an opportunity for direct interaction with education and training providers as they explore their next steps. “Meanwhile, for our year 11 students, the event came just twelve weeks before the start of the summer examination period. While many of the cohort will already have a clear idea of their post-16 plans, we hope that the careers fair has helped to reinforce existing decisions for some, while helping to promote and inspire new opportunities for others who remain unsure.” This year’s event fell within National Apprenticeship Week - a collaboration between businesses and apprentices across the country to celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Helping to promote apprenticeship routes at the careers fair were representatives from HETA (Humberside Engineering Training Association) and Catch Apprenticeships. Yvonne Kershaw, outreach and engagement coordinator with Catch, said: “It was a great event and a great opportunity to network with other companies and providers. The students I met had a good understanding of engineering and had done some prior research on the six specialised engineering and operations-based apprenticeship programmes, encompassing mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, process operations, welder, metal fabricator and pipefitting specialisms, that Catch can offer. “We work with over 300 employers in sectors such as chemicals, oil and gas, cosmetics, food and drink, energy and pharmaceuticals and our apprenticeships align directly with industry requirements and will provide a pathway to fantastic career opportunities in exciting and innovative companies.” Viki Foster added: “Apprenticeships are a fantastic way for students to gain hands-on experience of work, whilst earning money and securing vital qualifications. Students can either find their own placement with an employer, who will then work with a college to provide the necessary training and qualification, or the students can go through a college or independent training provider to be placed with one of their available apprenticeships. “Apprenticeships are great for students who know what career path they want to follow. They will gain vital skills for employment and experience of the workplace - something which is highly desired by employers. Students can also enter degree-level apprenticeships, usually after A Levels or BTEC Level 3 or advanced level apprenticeships, and can gain relevant degree level qualifications whilst earning and gaining work experience.”     PHOTOS   Careers evening 01: Withernsea High School’s Careers Evening and Futures Fair returned for a second year, attracting over 250 visitors throughout the course of the evening. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 02: Among those in attendance were representatives from the City Health Care Partnership who were on-hand to promote careers in the healthcare sector. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 03: Humberside Fire and Rescue were among the public services that were represented at the event, with the crew from Withernsea Fire Station in attendance.  [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 04: Renewable energy providers, RWE, brought a virtual reality experience to the event. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 05: Hull College were among the colleges and further education providers who booked a stall at the event. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 06: Local businesses were also in attendance, with the Gazette’s own Zoe Broom and Sam Hawcroft helping to promote media opportunities and the town’s Blue Light Weekend. Not pictured: Bat Cat. Or is she? [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 07: Community Officer, Vicky Pennington, attended the event alongside Officer Darren Bainton to promote the role of the police. [Photo Credit: Darren Bainton] Careers evening 08: Skills Hull and East Yorkshire were among the impartial careers advice providers who attended. Through their website they provide labour market information and promote emerging job opportunities. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 09: The event attracted over 35 stall holders from the world of business and education. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall] Careers evening 10: The event fell within National Apprenticeship Week. Helping to promote apprenticeship opportunities in a variety of specialisms were Catch Apprenticeships. [Photo Credit: Tim Nuttall]   Article by Tim Nuttall February 2025

They joined teams from 12 other Hull, East Riding and North Lincolnshire schools at the initial stage of the event in January. This saw more than 50 year 10 students complete a series of science practical experiments alongside a written assessment. With the support of Hymers’ sixth form students, who acted as mentors throughout the competition, participants were tasked with completing challenges in biology, chemistry and physics which covered topics including respiration and electronics. Accompanying the students was Dr Emma Finer, teacher of science, who said: “As always, our student representatives were a credit to themselves and to the school. We selected students based on their enthusiasm for science, the skills they demonstrate in the classroom and those who we believe have a bright future in science. These are students who we knew would thrive at such an event thanks to their scientific knowledge, their hard work and their ability to work as a team.” To recognise the talents and achievements of those who participated in the triathlon, Hymers College recently held a celebration evening which saw dozens of students and their families welcomed back to the college for an awards ceremony to celebrate their successes.  Securing a bronze award was participant Elizabeth C, who said of the experience: “The whole day was challenging but fun. We started with an all-sciences A Level test. This was followed by a chemistry challenge where we had to identify eight unknown solutions through testing. Our school and Hornsea School were the only two teams to figure out all eight. “After chemistry, we moved on to a physics challenge where we built a circuit to show how different resistors work. This was followed by biology where we were given a simplified method for an experiment and had to improve it. This involved testing yeast in different water temperatures and measuring how much gas was released.” Fellow team member Ellie-Rose T won a silver award, while Sam B and Olivia B both won gold. Olivia was also the recipient one of 12 named-awards on the evening, taking home the Croda ‘Improving Lives’ Independent Award for Sustainability. Praising the team Dr Emma Finer, said: “I am very proud of what our students have achieved, especially their excellence in the chemistry section. On the day, they worked hard and put one hundred per cent effort in and this is clearly shown in the awards they have achieved. The Science Triathlon is a challenging event involving aspects of A Level learning and I am very proud of our students’ success.” Daisy Gearing, head of science, added: “Well done to the students who took part. Their dedication and perseverance truly paid off and resulted in them securing worthy recognition at the awards evening. This is testament to their hard work and passion for science, proving that knowledge, problem-solving and determination can lead to success. I hope the students enjoy this well-deserved victory and may it be the first of many more to come!” The Science Triathlon is designed to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) as well as learning beyond the science curriculum. This year’s event and its subsequent celebration ceremony were sponsored by businesses including Croda, Reckitt and energy company, Phillips 66. Henry Kilpatrick, company representative from Phillips 66, said: “Promoting STEM in schools is essential for encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers. It's initiatives like these that give students a glimpse into the exciting possibilities that lie ahead and help them discover their passions. Congratulations to Hymers College for spearheading this initiative. I hope it continues to grow and inspire many more students in the years to come.” A spokesman for Hymers said: “This competition saw students complete a series of science practicals along with a written assessment. Our own year 12 students acted as team mentors on the day. The competition culminated in a celebration ceremony where the students returned to Hymers with their families to mark their success on the day. “The 2025 Science Triathlon was kindly sponsored by both local and global businesses Phillips 66, Wood, Croda, Reckitt, Vuba, The John Good Group, Kalibrate and Doreen’s, without whose support this initiative would not be possible. Well done to all the students who took part on the day, and a big thank you to our sponsors for their support.”   High school students 01: Withernsea High School students (left to right) Sam B, Olivia B, Elizabeth C and Ellie-Rose T pictured completing one of the practicals at the Science Triathlon on Wednesday, January 22. [Photo credit: Dr Emma Finer] High school students 02: Withernsea High School student Olivia B was the recipient of one of 12 named-awards at the subsequent awards evening, taking home the Croda ‘Improving Lives’ Independent Award for Sustainability. [Photo credit: Hymers College] High school students 03: Students involved in the triathlon were invited back to Hymers on the evening of Tuesday, February 11, to celebrate successes with their families at a dedicated awards evening. [Photo credit: Hymers College]   Article by Tim Nuttall February 2025        

At the Burstwick headquarters of Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd, year 10 engineers benefited from a day of hands-on activities which incorporated elements of graphic design, electronics, vinyl wrapping and metalwork.  These skills were used in a number of contexts, from helping to build a commercial vehicle in the company’s workshop to testing electrical circuits. Elsewhere, the company’s graphic design team used their expertise to help create a new logo for the school’s hair salon. Using a hand-drawn design as inspiration, the team produced a digital version suitable for printing on to vinyl. The sign was designed by year 10 student Abigail W who won a school-wide competition to create a logo for the recently relaunched salon. Explaining her involvement, Abigail said: “An idea popped into my head and I visualised it straight away. I’m quite an arty person and enjoy drawing in my spare time. I put a fair amount of time and effort into creating the design by hand and it felt really good to know that my artwork was going to be turned into a proper logo. One of my friends was on the trip and gave me one of the finished stickers, so I have seen how the final design looks and I love it!” Amy Norris, head of Design Technology, said: “Abigail should be very proud of her winning design. Being able to see her artwork come to life for use in a real-life context is a great opportunity for her. The sign’s creation also provided the engineering students with a fantastic opportunity to witness the work involved in turning an initial idea into a finished product.” Reflecting on the overall success of the visit, Amy added: “The students were fully engaged in the activities and their high work ethic was praised by various staff members throughout the day. It was clear that the students thoroughly enjoyed the visit, with many expressing an interest in securing a placement at the company during this summer’s work experience week. “I would like to thank everyone at Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd for making us feel so welcome and for helping to inspire our students and support their ongoing learning. I am also grateful for the company’s help in creating the new sign for our hair salon and for a kind donation of vinyl offcuts to our DT faculty. These will be put to good use in the classroom for the benefit of both our GCSE students and the members of our extra-curricular craft club.” Praising the students for their involvement, managing director Nick Williams said: “The students surpassed our expectations in their knowledge of the subject, their interest in what they were participating in and their overall positive attitudes. They had the opportunity to participate in solving electrical circuit problems, assisting on the build of a commercial vehicle and working in our vehicle graphics department. “All students worked in all areas, some preferred one area more than another but on the whole, every student had a skill set that they had learnt in lessons that they were able to transfer to the tasks in hand. It was a pleasure to host them.” Student feedback was equally positive with Jayden N saying: “I had a very good day. I enjoyed helping to build the vehicle and couldn’t believe how quickly we got it done. I have asked to go and get some work experience in the summer holidays.”. Louie Eldon-Thompson added: “Building the vehicle was really fun and I also enjoyed working on the electronic circuits.” As well as encouraging the application of practical skills in a real-life setting, the visit also afforded students an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of careers and specialisms associated with the day-to-day running of the business. Such experiences offer a valuable insight into the world of work and are encouraged through the Gatsby Benchmarks – a national framework developed to support schools in the delivery of good careers guidance. In relation to employer interactions, the benchmarks state that every student should have ‘opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace’ and that every learner should have ‘first-hand experiences of the workplace’. Nick Williams said: “As a local family business, we employ over 150 people and believe that it is important to encourage the next generation to explore the opportunities within our trade, which is quite bespoke and not something they would necessarily come across in the mainstream.  “We have ex-Withernsea High students as both apprentices and experienced staff members and believe the foundation they received from the school has contributed to their success within Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd. We hope that this experience helps to spark something within the students and leads them to become the next generation of engineers.” Reflecting on this support, school careers leader, Viki Foster, said: “We are grateful to Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd for their continuing support of our careers programme. They are regular supporters of our events and have also opened their doors to our students for work experience placements. As a nationally renowned business, headquartered in our local area, we are delighted that they see the benefit of providing opportunities which have paved the way for apprenticeships and successful careers, both in our locality and beyond.” Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd is one of the UK’s leading providers of commercial and specialist vehicle services, incorporating body build, accident repair, paint and maintenance divisions. The company celebrated 30 years in 2020 and supplies a diverse range of market sectors, ranging from industry and commerce to the UK government, law enforcement and defence. Young engineers shine 01: Sam, Lennon, Jayden, Louie, Jack and James in the workshops at Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris] Young engineers shine 02: Abigail’s hand-drawn design which was selected as the new logo for the school’s hair salon. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris] Young engineers shine 03: The graphic design team at Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd turned Abigail’s drawing into a digital design. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris] Young engineers shine 04: Year 10 student James gets to grips with the finished hair salon design, printed on vinyl. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris] Young engineers shine 05: Circuit testing with Louie, Lennon and Jayden. [Photo Credit: Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd] Young engineers shine 06: Circuit testing with Meredith, Isabelle and Logan. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris] Young engineers shine 07: Logan and James get practical experience of vinyl vehicle wrapping. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris] Young engineers shine 08: Students lend a hand with building a vehicle in the workshops. [Photo Credit: Amy Norris]    

The experience provided the members of the school’s Enhanced Resource Provision (ERP) with an opportunity to tour their local fire station, where they were given a behind-the-scenes look at the work of firefighters who demonstrated how they prepare for emergencies and showcased the different types of equipment they use.

The station’s crew led an interactive session on fire safety, teaching students how to prevent fires at home and informing them what do in the event of an emergency – with particular focus given to the importance of home smoke alarms and fire escape plans. 

The visit was organised by head of additional provision, John Blades, who said: “I would like to thank the team at Withernsea Fire Station, in particular crew manager, Carl Frith, for giving up their time to accommodate our students. The visit was not only educational but also an inspiring experience for our young people – some of whom may now even consider becoming future firefighters.”

The visit ended with a question-and-answer session where the students asked a variety of questions about firefighting, emergency rescues and the challenges of the job.

Crew manager, Carl Frith, said: "On behalf of everyone at Withernsea Fire Station, I would like to extend a big thank you to the students of Withernsea High School's ERP for taking the time to visit us. It was a pleasure to welcome them and share an insight into the work that we do. The students showed real enthusiasm, asked some excellent questions and displayed brilliant behaviour throughout the visit. Their interest and engagement made the experience enjoyable for us as well, and we hope they found it both educational and fun."

The school’s ERP is a dedicated provision for students who can often struggle with mainstream learning. It caters for full-time learners with Social and Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs – a type of Special Educational Need where a child can have difficulties in managing their emotions or behaviour, causing them to feel scared, anxious or misunderstood.

Students are supported through individual EHCP (Education Health and Care) Plans which describe their needs, the support they require, and the outcomes they would like to achieve. Crucially, the support of this process within the ERP base means that students are able to continue their education in a mainstream school, with a view of eventual reintegration back into regular classroom settings. 

John Blades added: “We offer a bespoke curriculum, differentiated to the needs of each individual learner, with the aim of helping them regain access to main school lessons to learn alongside their peers. To help prepare them for this, a number of students currently enjoy a package of hybrid learning which sees them split their time between the ERP unit and mainstream lessons.

“We are delighted with the impact that we’ve made so far. There is positive engagement in classes and strong attendance - with students really starting to thrive. They are demonstrating a real sense of belonging, with a purposeful presence in lessons.

“Key to this success is a positive relationship with parents/carers which is crucial for all involved. We are delighted to hold half-termly engagement events which are well-attended and allow us to welcome parents/carers into school, both to celebrate the successes of their children, and to showcase the excellent work that is being done by our dedicated staff.”

ABOVE: Students from the ERP enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at Withernsea Fire Station on Thursday, 30th January. 

The money was raised during an end of term ‘Santa Run’ - an event which saw more than 700 students each donate a minimum of £1 to run or walk a mile-long lap of the school field in aid of Dove House Hospice.

The final donation figure matches the total raised through similar events held at the school in both 2022 and 2023 – the successes of which paved the way for the most recent run and for the event to become an annual activity.

Visiting the school last week to accept the donation on behalf of Dove House Hospice were Tiff Brodie and Dan Clipson, senior fundraiser.

“We are incredibly grateful to the staff and students of Withernsea High School” said Dan. “They are fantastic supporters of the hospice and work tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for our cause. Each December they are excited to support our seasonal fun runs, with this year’s theme being our Santa Run.

“62 nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools chose to support us over the festive season, with more than 10,000 staff and children donning Santa hats and beards in the name of local hospice care. We anticipate that this year’s Santa Run will raise over £47,000 for Dove House Hospice. A huge thank you to the staff and students of Withernsea High School for their kind and continued support”.

Head of humanities and Santa Run organiser, Sarah Harris, said: “Our Santa Runs are meaningful in a number of contexts, from raising money for a very worthy cause, to keeping students active while promoting physical and mental well-being. It was a genuine pleasure to see the enjoyment that the Santa Run brought, with students enjoying the time to run or walk with their friends.

“We are very pleased to finally hand over the donation which the school community put lots of effort into raising back in December. I would like to thank everyone who helped make the event possible and also thank those who donated towards such a worthy cause. I’m extremely proud of our students’ dedication and enthusiasm.”

Dan Clipson added: “Santa Runs are a fantastic way for secondary schools across Hull and East Yorkshire to celebrate Christmas while raising funds for the hospice. Everything we do is free for all of our patients and we wouldn’t be able to offer that if it wasn’t for the kindness, generosity and support of local communities. Every penny raised really has such a big impact on what we can do to support local families at really difficult times in their lives.”

For almost 40 years, Dove House has been caring for people in Hull and East Yorkshire. The hospice is a core part of the health provision in the region, providing a range of services and support including end of life care, therapies to help people with life-limiting illnesses improve their quality of life, and support for bereaved families.

ABOVE: Dove House fundraisers Tiff Brodie (extreme left) and Dan Clipson (back right) with staff and student members of the school’s running club.