Students in Year Thirteen at The John Kyrle High School have been breaking records for University applications this year. Seventy five percent of all Upper Sixth students have applied for places at University and the offers have been rolling in!

Head Boy, Duncan Alston has been accepted to read medicine at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Camilla Millard received her offer for Food Technology in just five days, Simon Hill has a place on Britain's top-rated Maths course at the University of Bath.

The students have had noted success across the full range of courses including engineering, teaching, nursing, design and physiotherapy from all of the leading universities including Oxford, Durham, Exeter, Bristol, Warwick, Cardiff and York.

Headteacher, Nigel Griffiths, said he was delighted with the success which had built upon work done in previous years. He was particularly pleased for the current crop of Year Thirteen students who are promising record examination results in the summer and for the new Head of Sixth Form, Rob Wallace. Mr Griffiths said, 'This success was further justification for the school, the Local Authority, Learning Skills Council and DfES investing almost £1 million in the new Sixth Form Centre opened in November 2005. The school offers an excellent resource for its students from 11-18 and increasingly into higher education for the vast majority of its students.'

Pictured below - JKHS students off to university.

The Symonds Yat & Wye Valley Tourism Network held its second formal meeting at Wyastone Business Park on Thursday, 26th January. Using one of the formal meeting rooms, available thanks to Mr Anthony Smith of Wyastone Estates, the group had a social gathering to accompany a splendid buffet lunch provided by Apricot Catering of St Owens Cross.

The serious business of the meeting was given over to three sub groups, each of which was given a different heading and discussed the benefits of the current status of tourism in the region and what is needed to promote the region to the benefit of all tourism providers and local businesses. At the end of the meeting each group reported a list of bullet points, which have now been collected and will be refined before being submitted to the group for further discussions.

It was clear from the points raised that the tourism industry requires to be raised to a higher level of promotion and that this area of the Wye valley has a great deal to offer for both day and overnight visitors. It is planned to hold a further meeting on this subject in March, after the ideas of every member have been collected. The group is now nearly 40 strong and anybody related to the tourism industry is welcome to join.

For further information please contact either John Jarvis, treasurer on 01600 891133, or Richard Jackson Secretary on 01600 890046