The Mount is Delighted to be a Finalist for Another Award for Excellence in Education – Talk Education’s ‘Support for Life Beyond School’ Category
The Mount is thrilled to be shortlisted as a finalist in Talk Education’s prestigious international schools awards, for the hotly contested ‘Support for Life Beyond School’ category.
We offer an amazing daily array of co and extra-curricular opportunities across our school week. We are also very proud of our track record in preparing pupils to make a difference in the world, supporting both their current outside-school opportunities and preparing them for life, post-school.
Judges were impressed with the vast opportunities pupils get to test themselves beyond the school gates. A few examples:
- Model United Nations for public speaking, regional competitions in all academic fields, such as the UK Maths Trust, and Physics Olympics, and performing arts contests like The Great Dance Off, plus sporting competitions.
- Supporting, encouraging and accommodating pupils’ external interests, too, whether it’s appearing on the West End, pursuing youth political aims, attending the World Dance Cup, or show jumping, jockeying and archery, all of which current pupils are excelling in.
- Groups undertake trips to Namibia, and Iceland or East Greenland with our Borealis Society where the integration of scientific and academic studies results in intrepid Arctic mountaineering expeditions. Sixth Form girls recently returned from a thrilling expedition where part of their brief was to look at solving local problems like the scarcity of key plants for medicines.
- Our unique ‘Explore, Discover, Create’ (EDC) topic-led curriculum in Junior School is an innovative way of teaching across the curriculum in ways the child learns best through independent thinking. The EDC curriculum is a mantra for life – to go forth and explore, discover and create across the globe!
- We introduce Drama as a life skill, to foster confidence for life. 52 girls took LAMDA exams in Years 3 – 12. 44 girls were awarded Distinctions and there were 8 Merits. We introduce Drama as a life skill, to foster confidence for life.
- The Mount hosts a regular series of free academic lectures for pupils and the public. Recent speakers have included scientists, successful businesspeople and talented Old Scholars who regularly come back to share their wisdom and journey to inspire today’s pupils.
- Seniors have joined the NewsQuest Young Reporters scheme which has seen them regularly published in the digital version of the local newspaper York Press. While this may inspire pupils to pursue journalism, it may also, more importantly, urge them to question things in adulthood and seek truth and justice, in line with our Quaker values.
- PeaceJam is one of our proudest legacies at The Mount as we have been part of it for decades. PeaceJam empowers youth to be the change they want to see in the world, and take this with them into adulthood. Through hands-on workshops, near-peer mentoring groups and social action planning sessions, young people find opportunities to be inspired and take action in their local communities.
Principal, David Griffiths said:
“Preparing pupils for life is our proudest legacy and what an excellent, rounded education at The Mount is all about. We add value in so many ways here so to have this recognised in this way is truly wonderful.
The expeditions to Greenland are close to my heart as I joined one of them myself and have seen firsthand how pupils adapt and respond once placed outside of their comfort zones. The invaluable team and leadership skills they have so ably developed will equip them for life, whatever path they choose. This is what The Mount does best.”
Co-Principal Jo Goudriaan, said:
“This award is really special to us because it recognises that our proudly Quaker school ethos shapes individuals as a whole and prepares them to face the world with confidence, not arrogance, and to be ambitious, and articulate disruptors when needed.
Pupils get so much choice at The Mount to focus on opportunities important to them that we see shy pupils blossom before our eyes with the confidence and skills to express their opinions, essential life skills for university, the world of work and beyond.
At The Mount, with the curriculum as a safety net, we allow our pupils to dive into new opportunities in order to grow into happy and successful adults, being the change they wish to see.”
Talk Education, said:
“We are thrilled to announce that The Mount School York has made the shortlist in our Support for Life Beyond School category. Huge congratulations! We were blown away by the sheer number and quality of entries this year from hundreds of schools around the globe, whittling down our shortlist to the schools that impressed us the most. Our awards celebrate schools changing the face of independent education by forging ahead with new, revolutionary ideas.”