On Saturday 15 January, four teams from Years 8 to 10 participated in the regional round of The International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD) in the prestigious Oxford Union. It was a privilege for

them to debate in world’s foremost debating society, which has hosted many key figures in history. Throughout the day we had a number of successful teams winning numerous debates on a range of topics such as online schooling, the use of social media and parenting.

Excitingly, Year 10 pupils Morgan Cnockaert and Lexie Owens were crowned regional champions, having won every debate and gaining incredibly impressive speaker points. They will go on to compete for the international title in April. Novices Jack Stow and Timucin

Duyan were also incredibly successful winning all but one of their debates. The boys were delighted to finish high up in the rankings and become reserve finalists. The Hill House debating society love to support each other and are looking forward to returning Oxford for another ICYD finals day.

Debating Coordinator, Miss Chappell, said, “ICYD is the world's largest junior debating competition with over 700 teams from around the world. Getting to the finals is a superb achievement, we are delighted for Lexie and Morgan and are very proud of them. It is wonderful that we continue to uphold our national reputation for top quality debating. Debating activities, like the ones we run at Hill House

School, help young people develop excellent life skills that will come in particularly useful in later years. Being able to stand up and talk confidently in front of a room full of people is vital for many jobs and we are proud that we are preparing these pupils for later life. All our debaters can be proud of their results, this competition once again showcasing the strength of our pupils and debating at Hill House”.

Following on from the previous success of Hill House students going to Oxford University to read a diverse range of degrees, spanning subjects such as Medicine, Law, Geography, Philosophy and Psychology, we are delighted to announce that three of our students have also received offers this year to study Medicine, Classics and Theology and Religion. This not only demonstrates the strength of our students, but the breadth of specialism offered at Hill House Sixth.

Congratulations go to Samuel Honeybone who has received an offer to read Classics at Jesus College. Samuel's achievements go far beyond his academic studies, having also attained several music Diplomas. A superb achievement for someone of Samuel’s age. Further congratulations also go to Hannah Simpson receiving an offer to read Theology and Religion at Mansfield College. We are also thrilled for Tasneem Mazai who following her Gap Year is off to Somerville College to read Medicine. Tasneem is an excellent Hill House all-rounder and her place at Oxford is thoroughly deserved.

We are proud of all our students, and these Oxford offers are the first this academic year in what we hope will be a series of offers from prestigious universities for Hill House students. We await further news for our candidates applying to Cambridge University, the Russell Group universities, and universities overseas, as well as those applying for medicine and veterinary medicine.

Miss Jo Chappell, our Head of Sixth Form, commented: “Our warmest congratulations go to these students. Competition for places at Oxford is ever-increasing, and this is a tremendous achievement indeed. Their success in securing offers is down to their personal rigorous preparation, along with the support of their subject specialist mentors, the Sixth Form Team, and our bespoke Oxbridge and competitive course preparation programme. We are thrilled for them.”

One of the oldest derby matches in the school rugby calendar was played under the floodlights at Castle Park this week, as Doncaster Knights hosted the Under 16 Yorkshire Cup tie between Doncaster’s Hill House School and Sheffield’s Mount St.Mary’s College.

Played in cold and wet conditions, the match was a classic encounter with all the passion and effort associated with derby matches. Despite early Hill House pressure, a long clearance from the Mount’s Fly half led to a turnover and try to take them 7-0 ahead. After Isaac Sprenger crashed through the Mount defence in response, the game reached half time with the Sheffield school leading 7-5. They then extended their lead from the restart as Hill House failed to gather the ball, moving 14-5 ahead.

With Hill House remaining calm, handling well despite the cold and slowly asserting forward dominance, and with some sensational tacking by the backs, led by Henry Westmorland-Smith, the Doncaster boys began to get the upper hand; a deft chip by Flynn Love-Edwards was collected by Jonah Tucsemskyi who finished the try with outrageous skill, bringing the game back to 14-12. Powerful running by forwards Paul Mellor, Finnan Doody, Henry Jones, Nate Close and Isaac Sprenger, and a dominant performance in the line out by Spencer Butt, then proved decisive, as first Sprenger and then William Burridge crossed the line to finish the tie with a 26-14 win to Hill House.

Hill House Director of Rugby Chris Rose was delighted with his team’s efforts, saying ‘this was a defining performance for these boys; to come from behind in these conditions and overcome a strong Mount St.Mary’s team was a tremendous result, and they can only improve from here.’

Hill House now move on to the semi-final of the Yorkshire Cup in the New Year.

Hill House hockey players are celebrating after being named Under 18 T4 North East champions this week in Leeds. 

Representing Yorkshire in the North East Finals, the Doncaster girls started quickly in the semi-final with Trixie Morrison-Parry scoring early against Barnard Castle School. The Durham school fought back to equalise, but after a stunning goal-line clearance from Darcey Caulton, the Hill House girls earned a place in the final after a penalty corner was converted by Emily Bloomer to secure a 2-1 victory.

In the North East Final, the girls faced an impressive team from Yarm School, champions of Durham and Northumbria. Hill House started brightly, but finished with a goalkeeping masterclass from captain Charlotte Westmoreland-Smith, who kept Yarm at bay in the closing stages. After a tense 0-0 draw, the final was decided in a penalty shoot-out, with Hill House finishing 4-3 winners, with the last act fittingly a save from player of the match Westmoreland-Smith.

Director of Hockey James Ross was delighted with the girls’ victory, saying ‘the girls were great, and this shows how strong the hockey programme is at Hill House. We have lots of hard work ahead and the excitement of another visit to the National Finals!’

The Hill House girls now go on to represent the North East in the Under 18 National Hockey Finals in London.

A massive congratulations to Year 10 pupil Morgan Cnockaert who rode in a NSEA competition at Epworth yesterday, successfully qualifying for the NSEA National County Championships which will be held at Hickstead in May. 

This incredible achievement makes Morgan the first competitor to qualify riding for Hill House School since we re-established our riding team earlier this year.