ARCHIVE PAGE: this website is gradually being updated from May 2022
Headmaster's reports were submitted to the Governing Body by Mr Gresswell: they were saved separately from minutes, and some survive. Additionally annual reports survive, which were written for presentation to the Annual PTA meeting, and first appeared in 1975.
Where staff departures and appointments are recorded, they have been added to the staff database. Exam summaries are given in more detail where data permits - in the exam summary pages. A selection of some of the more interesting items follows:
"A willingness to put dispute behind us" was welcome following the strikes of the previous year. "However, the world of education as we now experience it is one of rapid and sometimes radical change, not always supported by the resources or time for the preparation we would wish and not always of a nature that the professionals in schools readily accept as steps forward."
Numbers continued to fall - not due to parents choosing not to send children to Malton, simply due to there not being many children in the primary schools. Primary populations suggest the coming years would see intakes of 79, 86, 87, 89, 85, 76, 83, and 80 - once there had been between 120 and 140. Further contraction up to 1990 was likely. Enrolment is down to 529, and staffing consequently to 36 + Head. Mrs Hanson left, and Mrs Julie Dowson Boyes replaced her. Caretaker Ken Hopwood retired due to ill health. Christine Smith returned from a one-year secondment to Scalby.
GCSE had arrived. Concerns were expressed about time for assessment of coursework , with no reduction in class sizes from when all assessment was exam based. It appeared to cater for the middle, not being ideal for either end of the ability range.
TVEI extension funds were on offer, and a bid was submitted. This should help improve Information Technology resources, Technology and Careers. It seemed to require an increased time allocation for "Core Studies" - Careers, IT, RE, Health. A new proposal from the secretary of state was The National Curriculum. It suggests all students follow Technology for 10% of their time, and Science for 20%.. RoA is definitely coming. Mr Lees is setting up a pilot study. One-to-one profiling would be welcome, but only if properly resourced and prepared.
The 1986 Education Act brought changes for 1988. School governors changed in format - a higher proportion of parental representation, and more responsibility for finance. An Annual Governors meeting at which they report to parents must now take place (it had on 14 July 1987). Corporal punishment was abolished. The 1987 Act changed salary structure and conditions for staff: five extra days were introduced for staff training (initially called Baker days, as Kenneth Baker was the education secretary), and stipulated 1265 hours directed time, plus marking, preparation and reporting on top of this. Many staff saw this as an insult to professional integrity, and resented the change. Morale lowered.
Change increases bureacreacy and demand on communication. Malton was one of 12 schools selected to pilot computerised administration and accounting. As with many other initiatives, it was implemented on top of existing workloads - with inadequate preparation time. A link between the two wings was not installed up front.
Work experience continued for fourth years and foundation sixth. Work shadowing was introduced for 6L. The tuck shop was given to sixth formers to manage as a business. On Miss Baker's initiative a school magazine was revived.
The house system was restructured to three houses: Derwent (Mrs Baxter and Miss Rowland), Rye (Mr Horsman) and Seven (Mr Settle). There is great enthusiasm in the lower school.
Most extra curricular activities returned after the strike action. The Senior Citizens Party welcomed 130 guests, the Carol Service, visits to Malton Hospital to sing in the wards (Christmas), a concert for local primary schools. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was produced in the Spring. Tracey Cooke (6U) gave a flute recital at St Michael's. The 4/7 Dragoon Guards gave a concert at the school to years one to four.
Theatre visits continued with Mr Joannidis and Mr Ashworth. (Listed in Trips). 4 3rd years spent 7 Saturday mornings at York University on a Mathematics course. Two business challenges faced 6th formers, with Westlers and Ward Brothers. Lucy Capstick won the school election for Labour - against the national trend.
Yorkshire-Lille and Yorkshire-Westphalia exchanges continue. 53 pupils went to Pila, Italy on the skiing trip. Messrs Williams, Miller and Spencer took 5th and 6th on a watersports 10-day holiday. Langdale camping also took place.
Sport: for girls there were 6 Hockey teams, 6 netball teams, 5 Rounders teams, 2 tennis teams; for boys, 6 soccer teams, 5 cricket teams, 4 basketball teams, a senior hockey team, plus tennis and cross Country fixtures. In a given week there were usually 8 lunchtime practices, one after school recreational class, one gym in use each lunch hour. All this in addition to House matches and district tournaments. Rugby coaching was provided by Malton & Norton Rugby club on one lunch-hour per week. (These activities were listed in response to press suggestions that sport was not receiving the time it used to "in the olden days" in Britain's schools.
Academic achievement - this year was probably one of the most successful. At A level there were more A's than ever (19), and a 79.5% pass rate. Susan Thomas went to read English and German at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. 33 went to Higher Education. O level and CSE were equally pleasing, as were results in AEB Basic tests and City and Guilds.