13th October 2021 — A talented dancer from Harrogate is set to be a rising star in the UK Championships. Phoebe Russell was placed 1st and 2nd place in a national dance competition in Southampton, quickly followed by 2nd and 3rd place in a national competition in Blackpool Winter Gardens. At 16, she was the youngest competitor in her age group which spans 16-29 year olds.

Phoebe, who joined Harrogate Ladies’ College on a dance scholarship, plans to become one of the few people in the world to specialise in dance physio at university.

She excels in Ballroom and Latin dance and even designs her own costumes for her pro-am competitions.

She started ballet at just two and developed her passion for Ballroom and Latin long before the phenomenon of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing show.

Phoebe plans to enter international competition and one day dreams of setting up her own dance school in her home town of Harrogate.

Phoebe, who is a Year 11 pupil at the school, is even hosting dance lessons for fellow pupils in one of the school’s boarding houses.

And she credited sports teachers at the school for the extra help in core strength work and exercise.

“I absolutely love it, it’s given me great strength and also perseverance.

“I really enjoy the competitions and the training in Manchester every weekend with Amy and Alex at A Class dance Studios.

“Dance teaches you many things and as soon as I saw Ballroom & Latin as a much younger child, I knew I wanted to do it, and my first teacher Darren Hodgson at The Harrogate Dance Centre saw something in me. He encouraged me, telling me to do it again and again!” she said.

Mrs Sylvia Brett, Principal of the School, said the whole school was thrilled to see Phoebe’s remarkable progress.

“She has an amazing raw talent which shines through, and which inspires younger pupils to really believe in themselves and follow their dreams,” she said.

“Phoebe has shown real grit and determination in her pursuit of her ambition and great physical and mental resilience alongside her school work.”

13th October 2021 — A Harrogate schoolgirl is literally aiming high in her bid to play for England one day.

Ruth Bertenshaw has been picked to join the Leeds Rhinos Under 17 Netball Academy - at the tender age of 13.

The Harrogate Ladies’ Club pupil one day dreams of donning the famous red dress to play for the England Squad following in the footsteps of her idol Helen Housby.

She said landing the place in the Rhinos Squad was a step further along her netball journey.

“I’m so pleased, really thrilled because it’s great opportunity. I’m literally on a high just thinking about it,” she said.

Ruth, who lives in Harrogate, credited much of her success to the sports teachers at school.

“The teachers have been amazing and really supported me all along. It’s definitely helped me and one day I would love to be able to play for England,” she said.

She even plays in the same Goal Attack position as her hero Ms Housby, the acclaimed England shooter.

“She’s an absolute hero of mine and I would love to be like her one day and achieve her success,” she added.

Principal Sylvia Brett said Ruth had shown great promise from her early days as a pupil at Highfield Prep.

“We’re thrilled Ruth has achieved so much and we will behind her every step of the way as she seeks to fulfil her dreams. The whole school is watching her success with a great sense of pride”

28th September 2021 — A budding writer from Leeds has picked up a prestigious award at her first attempt.

Harrogate Ladies’ College pupil Elizabeth-Rose Sandhu, 17, penned a poem, inspired by her love of nature to win the award at the Ilkley Literary Festival.

Elizabeth-Rose said she was thrilled to win the Young Writers’ Competition years 10-11 and she travelled to Ilkley to pick up her award earlier this summer.

The lower-sixth pupil wants to study English Literature at Edinburgh University and one day dreams of becoming a head teacher.

Her passion for the subject was sparked by teachers at Harrogate Ladies’ College who helped develop her love of Sylvia Plath and the Bronte sisters.

“I wrote the poem about sunflowers because it was at a time when they were in season and I was thinking about their magic. I write poetry when I am in the mood for it and it’s something I love to do.

“I was really surprised to receive an email saying I’d won, but also really happy because I had achieved something for me,” she said.

Elizabeth-Rose, who boards at the school in Clarence Road, Harrogate, said her head teacher Mrs Sylvia Brett was the inspiration for her desire to teach.

“I adore the school and all the support we get from our teachers and it made me think it’s something I’d like to do and I will continue with my writing,” she said.

The school is planning a number of trips for literary students this year, including a trip to Wordsworth’s Lake District and the Bronte’s home in Haworth.

Principal Sylvia Brett said Elizabeth-Rose had a talent for writing which shone through her work.

“Elizabeth-Rose shows enormous promise as a writer and she shows great aspiration for her future in the world of literature.”

The 2021 Ilkley Literary Festival is due to get underway next month.

20th September 2021 — Talented young musicians from a Harrogate School have hit the high note in their music exams.

A total of 44 pupils from Harrogate Ladies’ College and Highfield Prep School achieved significant musical success in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams results this summer.

The results included four Grade 8 results in piano, piano performance, flute and singing.

The pupils also achieved results in violin, clarinet, and singing performance.

Principal of the College Mrs Sylvia Brett said she was very proud of their achievements, particularly during the Covid pandemic.

“Our love of music is a well-established tradition at school, and our pupils excel in music and performance. These are yet another great set of results which reflect the pupils’ hard work and dedication, and a tribute to our teaching staff.”

7th September 2021 — A Leading Harrogate school has announced the new appointment of two new education experts to enhance academic innovation and build on this summer’s results.

Harrogate Ladies’ College has appointed Monica Perry as the Assistant Head of Teaching & Learning, and Kate Enright as Director of Teaching and Learning at Highfield Prep School.

Mrs Enright, who has moved from Edinburgh to take up the new role, said she was looking forward to working with staff to enhance and enrich the school curriculum and pupils’ experience.

“Highfield is a fantastic prep school and this is a great opportunity to add even more to the teaching, build on personal development and ensure the transition from the prep school to senior school as a seamless as possible.

“There was so much innovation in teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic that it seems the right time to build on that success and create new and fresh ways of invigorating teaching in the classroom.

Mrs Perry, who has significant experience in the education sector, said: “I am excited to be leading teaching and learning in such a wonderful environment. Our focus is in ensuring that we are preparing our pupils with the skills and experiences needed to thrive in their futures.”

Her previous role at the school was as Head of Personal Social and Health Education, charity co-ordinator and teaching Religious Studies.

Sylvia Brett, Principal of the School, said: “We have always been and continue to be pioneers in education and we maintain our long tradition of putting academic excellence at the heart of everything we do.

“We had a fantastic set of GCSE and A Level results thanks to the hard work and endeavour from our pupils and creative and outstanding teaching from staff, and these appointments will build on that success.”

12th August 2021 — After all of the challenges of the global pandemic, pupils at Harrogate Ladies’ College are celebrating an excellent set of GCSE results and the Principal paid tribute today to their resilience. Commenting on the results, Sylvia Brett, Principal of the school for the past 8 years, said:

“I’m so proud of every single one of these pupils for the resilience and the determination they’ve shown in the face of so much uncertainty. They have been tested in ways they couldn’t have imagined and they all deserve to celebrate.”

Overall, a quarter of all grades at the school were at the highest level of grade 9; 62% were grades 9-7 grades, and 95% were 9 to 4 grades. Pupils also achieved a clean sweep of top 9-7 grades in Further Mathematics, French, Spanish, Latin and Textiles.

Sophie McHugh was among the school’s top performing pupils, with ten grade 9s and one grade 8. The Harrogate pupil said: “I’m absolutely delighted with my results, I can’t quite believe it. It has been really challenging being in and out of school all the time and then not knowing whether we were going to be sitting exams or not, but I can’t wait to get back into school again in September and start to my A levels and hopefully have the full Sixth Form experience.”

Another top performer at the school was Helia Mirakhori, who also achieved an incredible ten grade 9s and one grade 8. Helia, who lives in Leeds and is originally from Iran said: “We had such incredible support from our teachers. They even managed to make home learning seem quite fun, but I’m definitely looking forward to being back in school next year.”

Both Sophie and Helia intend to study Maths, Chemistry and Physics A Levels in the school’s Sixth Form next year.

Hannah Grant, who also achieved a clean sweep of eight grade 9s and one grade 8 said: “We had so much support with online learning and tutorials, and the teachers were really focused on our wellbeing as well. They were always there to answer any questions and even when we weren’t in school it still felt like we were part of a community.”

Sylvia Brett added:

“It’s only in the most challenging times that a true community shows its strength. I am hugely grateful to the staff who have found new and innovative ways to teach during the pandemic, and our parents who have been so supportive. I hope they are all celebrating today as well. I am very much looking forward to welcoming back our pupils into the Sixth Form in September and helping them to achieve their next level of success.”