We recently received an email from Gary Harrer, dad of Ronnie, Year 7 student at Richmond School. He informed us that Ronnie was taking part in a double-race weekend at Teesside Karting circuit, racing his 200cc kart in rounds 8 and 9 of the 2025 NRG Teesside Series, competing in the Honda R200 Inter category. He wondered whether we’d be interested in finding out more about Ronnie and how he got into karting – we said yes, of course! Gary provided us with a few more details as well as some photos, and we recently caught up with Ronnie himself to get his side of the story and to find out how he did at his race weekend. 

RS: So, Ronnie, your dad has given us a few details, saying that you started karting on your 10th birthday – not that long ago! Tell us what happened. 

RH: I went to a place called Level X in Middlesbrough for my 10th birthday party. I had wanted to try karting for a while, so this was my first time. I was there with some friends, and I got absolutely destroyed by them - I loved it! I wanted to get better and also move on from electric karts to petrol, so we went to TeamSport in Stockton – an indoor place where they have petrol karts. I was quite quick, even to start with, and really enjoyed it, so we started going there a bit more.  

RS: It sounds like you’d been bitten by the karting bug! 

RH: Exactly! My dad and grandad bought me a helmet and then a race suit and I joined the race academy there. They taught us how to race, and we got lots of practice. I went through the rankings – Starter, Intermediate, and then Advanced. I felt I was getting better and faster and entered the Grid Series at TeamSport. I kept improving as the series progressed – up to third in some races. The karts at Teamsport were ok, but not always completely reliable, though. It was also about now that a friend of ours suggested that we try outdoor karting. That was very different! 

RS: I bet it was! Where did you go and what was different about it? 

RH: We went to Warden Law near Sunderland first. The karts are a lot more powerful, the track is so much bigger, and the weather makes a massive difference! I loved it even more than indoors, and progressed quite quickly. Then there was a big surprise – my parents got me my own kart – that was so exciting! 

RS: I can imagine! 

RH: It’s a proper racing kart – so much more capable than the rental karts I’d been racing before, though to start with I wasn’t driving it much faster. It didn’t take me long to get my foot down, though!  At about this time, earlier on this summer, we started to go to Teesside autodrome track which is where they hold the NRG Teesside Series I started racing in. 

RS: Ok. Before you tell us about that, tell us a bit more about this kart. 

RH: It’s a Honda R200 – 200cc. It was virtually brand new when we bought it, so it didn’t take too much work to get it ready for me to race. It came with two race engines. My dad does most of the work on it, but I do help out sometimes – I like the mechanical side of it, though it is quite complicated! 

RS: Ok – thank you – now back to the racing. How did you end up entering the Teesside series? 

RH: We did lots of practice and my times gradually improved. We got an invitation from someone in the Honda R200s to come and see how the racing works – we learned a lot and decided that after another couple of practice sessions we should have a go at the series. My first race in my own kart was round 6. 

RS: And how did that feel? 

RH: I was absolutely petrified - my leg was shaking just holding the brake! Most people had been racing in the series from the start, so they knew what they were doing. This was my first race, and I’d really only just started driving outdoors and this kart very recently. It was quite scary! 

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Thanks to Emmy Raggett, Year 12 student and coach and manager of the U13 girls football team, for this report about a recent County Cup match against a strong King James side: 

“The U13 girls faced King James once more this week in the County Cup. The girls initially looked strong, repeatedly playing the ball into crucial areas and making promising attacks. However, King James made the most out of their chances and the half time whistle blew at 0-3 King James.  

After a shuffle round at half time, Richmond started again looking eager and ready and once again passed the ball around well, playing some lovely football. A couple of fantastic strikes pushed King James 5-0 up.  

The final few minutes came, and Richmond’s last few attacks looked very encouraging, but unfortunately the game ended 5-0 King James!” 

This team and coach are known for their resilience and determination. Every match, win or lose, adds to their experience – we look forward to hearing about their next game. 

Note: Photo is of the team, but not from this game. The team was slightly different on the day. 

Thank you to Miss McFall, coach and manager of the Year 8 and 9 girls football team with Miss Abbey, for this report about a recent trip to away to Harrogate. 

“The Year 8 and 9 girls travelled to St John Fisher School, Harrogate, for a recent fixture and came away with a superb 5–0 win.  

From the first whistle, they applied early high-tempo pressure that the opposition struggled to match. This intensity led to a quick succession of goals that set the tone for the rest of the match. Liv Rogerson was outstanding throughout, completing a brilliant hat-trick with confident finishing – she even ended the game in goal! 

The other two goals came from Pippa MacLelland and Annie Holliday, from a corner and open play. The team continued to dominate possession, showing great composure in midfield. Their pressure forced mistakes and kept the opposition pinned in their own half. Defensively, the girls stayed organised and disciplined to secure a clean sheet.  

Overall, it was an impressive away performance full of energy, teamwork, and quality.”  

Five of our Year 10 students recently had an incredible opportunity to experience life in the Army during a four-day Army Work Experience Week at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall, near York. They were Taylor Edmonds, Nia Aston, Amelia Jones, Sophie Blair and Alice Rhodes. All students are current cadets with aspirations for military careers. They threw themselves into every challenge and impressed everyone with their enthusiasm and leadership. 

From the very start, the group took leading roles in tasks such as bed making, drill, and life in the field, showing off their cadet skills. They learned essential techniques including camouflage and concealment, detaining an enemy, and life in the field—even packing up camp in the rain!  

One of the biggest highlights? The assault course! Students climbed and jumped off walls, swung on ropes, crossed bars, and overcame any fear of heights, proving their resilience and teamwork. Another unforgettable moment was having a tour inside a Chinook helicopter, thanks to the Army staff who were also thrilled to share this experience. 

Mrs Cheesbrough, Richmond School’s Service Children’s Advocate, who accompanied the students on the trip, said: 

“The students were keen to learn and it’s fantastic that some are considering careers across all fields of the Armed Forces. This residential gave them a real insight into Army life, developing discipline and teamwork skills. They were a delight to take and fully immersed themselves in everything.” 

The group left such a positive impression that the Army outreach team can’t wait to welcome Richmond School back. Our students also enjoyed meeting peers from three other schools, building friendships and working together as one team. 

We couldn’t be prouder of these young people—they truly represented Richmond School at its best! We are very much looking forward to working with the British Army next year again for their work experience residential programme and skills sessions for students across the whole school. Students should look out for information on these events and how to participate in these excellent opportunities.  

Amelia said: “The best part of the four days was making friends and sleeping out in the field. I enjoyed this because I was able to help people as a cadet and make jokes with people that I'd just met! The hardest bit was the obstacle course because you needed to trust people to pull you up a 10ft wall and let you down. I learnt that the army is reliant on teamwork and working hard.” 

Nia added: “My favourite bit would have to be the obstacle course as it pushed me out of my comfort zone and put me an unusual situation, but it was very fun to do. The hardest bit was also the obstacle course because it was quite fast paced and there were a lot of things for you to hurt yourself on and to avoid doing, but it was very fun. I’ve learned a lot, like how communication and teamwork is a stepping stone in the army and it’s important to work as a team and help one another.”  

More photos can be seen here: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AqMncJpjP7BnTnub9 

Earlier on this term, Mr Haye, Lead Teacher of Science at Richmond School and Sixth Form College, received a lovely email from an ex-student – Holly Briggs. It had been ten years since Holly was at Richmond, and she updated Mr Haye with some amazing news – she had embarked on a research career after her undergraduate degree at Manchester, which had very recently culminated in a PhD. Mr Haye wrote an equally lovely email back to Holly, congratulating her on this fabulous achievement. He started the email: ‘Dear Dr. Briggs’, of course! 

We wanted to find out a bit more about Holly’s decade since she left Richmond, and she was kind enough to answer the questions we sent her with insight and candour. Read on for an insight into what it takes to become a research scientist! 

RSFC: Describe your time at and your memories of college. 

HB: I joined Richmond school for sixth form and was really excited to start my A levels. Although my time was short at Richmond, I did enjoy it. I took maths, biology, chemistry and geography. I worked very hard throughout those two years, although I found myself struggling with the step up from GCSE to A level. Mr Haye was always a very supportive teacher for Biology and always believed in me when things did not quite go to plan. I was what you might consider quiet and shy. I had a lot of issues with my confidence and found it really hard to speak sometimes, but I tried my best especially with undertaking an EPQ which required a presentation. My A level results, however, were not up to my standard and resulted in me going to a completely different university than planned.  

RSFC: What did you do straight after school? 

HB: I went straight to university. I ended up going through clearing and went to Manchester Metropolitan university to study biomedical sciences. At this point my heart was still set on studying medicine afterwards. I thrived in my first year of university and found it easier than my A levels. I won a couple of academic excellence prizes during my time at MMU. I also formed a society with my friends called the Society of Scientific Research to focus on journal clubs and more lab time.  

Third year came around fast, and this is when I started my project looking at inflammation markers and cognitive decline.  This was the real turnaround moment for me where I realised I loved research. At this point I had already sat the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) and did well, but decided medicine was no longer for me. I took a year out after graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science, just working in retail until I could figure out my next steps. I ended up deciding to pursue a master’s. I only applied to one at the university of Leeds: MSc Molecular Medicine. I ended up getting an unconditional offer and could not wait for September to come around.  

RSFC: What did you do next? 

HB: My master’s year was when I really homed in on the research I enjoyed. I combined two of my interests: the brain and cancer biology.  My research project was based around glioblastoma, and I couldn’t wait. Covid hit, however, and I suddenly had to learn bioinformatics and how to code for my project as the labs had closed. I still really enjoyed it and felt like I had proved to myself I was good enough regardless of my A levels.  

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