I hope you have all had a wonderful half-term break. The boys have returned in great spirits, ready to attack what will be a very busy 7 weeks. The darker mornings and evenings have made it feel very wintery indeed. Please may I remind you all that boys should wear school coats or plain black or Navy blue for school. 

During the holidays we had two sporting success stories. Oliver J (Year 11) played as part of the Red Bulls' PDG (Player Development Group) matches in the North squad. They played against the South and West teams and there was some great rugby on show. The next step is a squad of 50 which will be chosen to train and aim to be selected for a match in mid-December against a touring Australian team. 

Secondly, Mason B (Year 12) has been selected to train with The Adhil Rashid academy. He attended trials in Bradford in August and was thereafter selected to attend the Adil Rashid Elite Academy for ten weeks. He currently travels to Bradford each Saturday to train with other Yorkshire and Lancashire County cricketers; some also play England under-19. He was recently put forward for the World Junior League draft to play in a tournament the beginning of November 2025 in Dubai for a week. Mason was shortlisted and later selected to play for an Indian team in the tournament. The World Junior League tournament, in part owned by Adil Rashid, will be live streamed on You Tube from Dubai. They have already started the social media announcements. I have included some links below with some further insight. Mason Has flown out to Dubai, and we look forward to hearing all about it on his return. 

On Saturday 18th October the school rugby club had its 175th anniversary and it was an incredible occasion. The day kicked off with an OD match against Clems Pirates, it was brilliant to see so many Pooleites pulling on the shirt for one more time. I feel there may have been some sore bodies the next morning. Following this, the 1st XV played against a Barbarian team made up of pupils from all over the UK. Pleasingly the 1st team managed to get the win in the closing minutes of the game. Finally, there was a celebratory meal at Ramside Hall on the evening where the history of the club was celebrated. It was an amazing weekend with over 700 people involved. 

Charity information 

We will be pushing the boys to start planning some activities which they can be sponsored for. We will be raising money for the Percy Hedley Foundation, a local charity which provides special education, care, support, accommodation, and lifelong learning for people with disabilities. More information on the wonderful work they do may be found on their website here; https://www.percyhedley.org.uk/. Keep an eye out for the events the boys have planned, and please do support the boys with this. 

Future Dates 

Tuesday 11th Year 8 Parents evening 18.00-21.00

Friday 14th School transport leaves at 4.30pm due to Lumiere 

Sports Focus 

Saturday 18th October 

1st XV V Barbarian side for the 175th Anniversary of the rugby club Won

Pooleites involved, Tom B, Toby H, Joseph S, Kaidon P, Isaac A, John S 

Tuesday 4th November 

Under 15s v Sedbergh Won 

Pooleites involved, Zac M, Harry VDG, Edward C, Henry W, James M, Henry E

Under 14s v Sedbergh Drew 

Pooleites involved, Kai M 

Wednesday 5th November 

1st XV v Park View School National cup Won 

Pooleites involved, Tom B, Toby H, Joseph S, Kaidon P, Isaac A 

Thursday 6th November

All year 7 and 8 boys from all houses played against Yarm School away in both contact and touch formats of the game. It was brilliant to see over 100 boys from both schools enjoying the game and playing in the correct spirit. There was some outstanding rugby on show, and it was a pleasure to see so many happy faces. 

Academic Achievements

Year 7 Kyle B 1, Ethan F 3, William H-B 2, Teddy H 4, Noah 1, Alistair K 2, Imbuji L 1, Edward S 1. 

Year 8 Alex G 3, Pradyoth K 4, Joseph P 1, Freddy S 1 

Year 9 Elliott B 2, Luke C 2, David J 1, Aaron K 1, Findley M 3, Christopher N 2, Fred S 1, Justin T 4 

Year 10 Benjamin D 2, James F 1, Matthew L 1, James M 2, Zac M 1, Sebastian W 3 

Year 11 Symeon B 4, Oliver G 1, Dominic W 2, David Y 1 

And finally, our 'Pooleites of the Week' this week go to: Oliver J and Mason B for their sporting success, also Teddy H, Pradyoth K, justin T and Symeon B for their outstanding collection of Lauds.

Have a wonderful weekend.

LET POOLE FLOURISH

Respect, Enjoy, Develop