St Ivo School

St Ivo School is a secondary school in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire.

Awards

ICT Mark – This award shows that St Ivo is at the forefront of using information and communication technology to enhance teaching and learning. The new quality mark recognises schools who can demonstrate they use ICT to support all learners and all school activities. The ICT Mark was awarded by Becta, the government's lead agency for ICT in education, and recognises the success that St Ivo has in developing a strategic approach to its use of ICT across the whole school.

Artsmark Silver Award – This award aims to recognise the work done in departments such as dance, drama, music and art. Artsmark schools are committed to giving young people a wide range of arts experiences both in the classroom and in after-school clubs, and to provide visits or partnerships with artists and arts organisations.

European Award For Languages 2006 Winner – This award recognises creative ways to improve the quality of language teaching, motivate students and make the best of available resources. Award-winning projects provide a potential source of inspiration for others – in different languages, contexts and even different countries – and have an international dimension. St Ivo School has received this award as part of our participation in the Junior CULP (Cambridge University Language Programme) which enables students to learn a new language through intensive all day and twilight sessions, which are held at either the university or school.

Specialist and academy status

In September 2008 St Ivo School was designated a Specialist Humanities School. The school became an academy in 2011.

St Ivo Entomology and Natural History Society

The St Ivo Entomology and Natural History Society was founded in 1957 and existed under the guidance of biology master Mr Henry Berman until c2007. The buildings were part of the science block and included an extension with its own entrance door to a "sluice" area, an amphibian room a "tropical" room and a "stock area". There was also (adjacent, but within the main science block) a mammal room and a classroom/laboratory, part of which contained a "museum" of specimens. These specimens included fossilised mammoth teeth from Erith sandpits, a mummified monkey and a large dried sturgeon which hung from the ceiling.

The buildings were all badly damaged during a fire in 1991 and subsequently demolished. A former society member and fireman managed to saved the inhabitants of the reptile room by drilling a hole in the roof to release the smoke, but the mammals died in the fire. The animals were rehoused in a purpose built building in 1994.

The society consisted of four groups: Mammals, Amphibians, Reptiles and Invertebrates. The organisation also included the annual election of a president, secretary and treasurer. Regular meeting were held in the class room, with the committee seated along the centre bench. New members would undergo an eight week introductory period, with two weeks in each section, subsequently deciding which to join on a permanent basis. Members were required to keep a scrap book of information about varied animal species and there were regular examinations in each speciality and an additional one available in arachnidology. Prizes (for example the Edward Elkan prize) were awarded to students with the best results. The senior member in each group was known as a supervisor or senior supervisor.

Notable animals that were kept included a snapper turtle, an African rock python, a tokay gecko and Round Island skinks.

Members from the society exhibited the animals on an annual basis at the Amateur Entomologists' Society in London, usually based at Hounslow. In addition, the animal collection was a regular feature at local fairs and were sometimes exhibited to other Cambridgeshire school classes. The society members also had trips themselves, usually pursuing local natural history but sometimes further afield, for example to Dieppe. The trips away from Cambridgeshire combined the Bermans' interest in natural history and in youth hostelling.

Known amongst pupils as "ento" or less often as "ent soc", members wore a small yellow badge with a picture of a two spot ladybird "Adalia bipunctata". The society motto was "There is no they", meaning that members must take individual responsibility and not leave this to others (although the informal motto was actually "beg borrow and steal" to encourage resourcefulness!). It was normal for members in the sixth form to step back from leadership, but many members remained in close contact both in the sixth form and afterwards. A significant number of former members pursued careers relating to animals and natural history.

Comic relief 2009

In 2009, the whole school made a tremendous effort to "do something funny for money." Many students had sponsored silences, handcuffed themselves to each other and dressed up as many recognisable characters. One notable student, Tom Bletsoe, raised £509.43 by impersonating deputy headteacher Martin McGarry, who, in turn, wore school uniform. The school raised over £2,000 from these events and from having a non-school uniform day.

Notable alumni

• Leanne Jones, actress
• Dominic Byrne, The Chris Moyles Show, BBC Radio 1
• Paul Clammer, author of Lonely Planet guide to Afghanistan
• John Ruddy, Norwich City goalkeeper
• Annemarie Wright, artist
• Scott Barron, Brentford F.C. footballer
• James Sykes, cricketer
• Jonnie Peacock, Paralympic sprinter
• Alan May, radio broadcaster 6 towns radio

Robert Eggett, philosopher, raconteur and gentleman scholar.

References

External links

• Official website