The show must go on: how this York school bounced back after a deliberate fire

Burnholme School. Picture David Harrison.

Former York teacher JOHN FLETCHER recalls his time at Burnholme School in the 1990s

I'LL never forget the 'great fire'. No not 1666, but 1993 and right in the middle of a major school production.

Started deliberately in the middle of the night, it destroyed half the stage and must have been heartbreaking for the cast and everyone involved.

The main hall was a scene of devastation in the cold light of day with water and soot-blackened items strewn everywhere.

An appeal went out for help and as the morning progressed more and more people arrived. Students, parents, staff, and locals all pitched in, cleaning chairs, repairing sets, remaking costumes, rebuilding the stage, and in an incredible show of Tang Hall community spirit the production ran again that night.

The smell of smoke hung in the air, and you had to ignore the scorched curtains only covering half the windows, but as a shining example of student’s love and pride in their school, this episode was hard to beat.

Cutting from The Press archive about the Burnholme School fire in March 1993

In my dedicated role of managing careers advice and arranging work experience for pupils at Burnholme School (later Burnholme Community College), one of the pilot schemes I was lucky enough to negotiate through business links was “Entrepreneur In Residence”.

David Perry, successful businessman and famous ex-Great Britain Rugby Union player joined the school to give students business insight and to raise their aspirations.

He suggested a trip to his main offices in London and 30 of our brightest students set off in wide-eyed anticipation. Some of these students had never been further than Tadcaster, so it was heart-warming to see their faces as they rode up the huge escalators in Canary Wharf and were suddenly confronted with the UK equivalent of Times Square!

2003 - Entrepreneur in residence David Perry with the Burnholme Community College stockbrokers group (from left) Chris Copeland, Lauren Palphreyman, Gemma Smith, Andrew Bilton, Jennifer Cook, Laura Ward and Luke Phillippo.

The sense of awe and wonder was increased tenfold as they arrived at the top of the HSBC building where David had his office and gazed at the whole of London spread out below them! For some, this example of success in business far exceeded anything they had read about or seen in school, and left a huge lasting impression on all of them.

Business links gave me another opportunity to get students involved and raise money at the same time.

2004 - TV presenter Philippa Forrester, left, talks to students Hayley Wrigglesworth, Nick James, Lisa Mak, Zack Douglas and Laura Ward, at Burnholme Community College before a question and answer session. Picture David Harrison.

I’d become friendly with Diana Golding, manageress of the Coppergate Centre and during one of our conversations it transpired they had no way of recording how many shoppers were using the centre.

“What if I could provide you with a way of doing that?" I suggested. And so it transpired that teams of two students were positioned at all four entrances to the Coppergate Centre during St Nicholas Fayre week with clickers and clipboards for an hour in the morning and in the afternoon to count the shoppers!

Thousands of people flooded into York during that week, and we ran the project for three years to give the manageress a comparison.

The work was intense for the hour “on duty” and I even had to rope in my wife to help. Visiting the young volunteers to check on their welfare and progress I was unceremoniously told to go away. “Please Sir, don’t talk to us – we’re missing people!”

But the reward for this incredible effort by the students, and the grateful thanks of the Coppergate Centre management, meant that they contributed handsomely to a brand new school minibus…provided their logos were prominently displayed on the side!

2004 - (Foreground) Headteacher Tony Galvin with Sue Braybrooke and Director of Business Ben Sutherland with (left) John Fletcher. Picture : Garry Atkinson

(Image: staff)

And finally, the crowning achievement of that original decision to link businesses to Burnholme paved the way for the school to apply for Business and Enterprise Specialist Status.

This was a government scheme designed to pump money into schools which had specific strengths, and unlocked vast sums of cash if the bid was successful.

To become eligible, schools had to raise £50,000 themselves – a huge undertaking for a small secondary school drawing most of its students from a council estate.

We linked with Reed Employment through the Specialist Schools Trust, which said, after relentless lobbying from Tony Gavin (the headteacher), if we could raise £25,000 they would match it! All we had to do was prove we had raised the money.

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Once again the whole school began to pull together. Car boots, quiz nights, fundraising events, sponsorship, favours called in, pledges made, plus half-promises, arm-twisting and tin-rattling saw the funding barometer gradually rise towards the total.

As the deadline for the bid submission drew near, efforts intensified with even small sums like £50 gratefully added to the pot.

Gaining this status was key to securing Burnholme’s future, plus a statement of confidence in the school, and Tony Gavin and I wrote and rewrote the bid to ensure it met all the criteria.

Finally, on the very last day of the deadline, Reed faxed its confirmation of financial support, and we both met in what seemed like the dead of night in a deserted supermarket car park to assemble paperwork and collate everything into one precious brown envelope.

Following a little celebratory dance and with barely two hours left I set off in my car for the Department of Education offices in Darlington. Arriving about 11.50pm and with minutes to spare I pushed the precious document through the door, knowing their security cameras would prove we’d met the deadline.

Time passed, school life continued as normal, but when Tony received the confirmation of success he called me in my office at the other end of the school and we ran down the central corridor to meet each other in a scene reminiscent of a slow-motion love scene in a French railway station! Students stood open-mouthed as their respected Headteacher and their Head of Careers high-fived, whooped and hugged each other in pure joy and excitement!

2004 - Staff and pupils at Burnholme Community College who have been awarded Specialist Status for Business and Enterprise. Back (from left) Headteacher Tony Gavin, Assistant headteacher Simon Gumn, Head of I.T. Stephen Cook and Head of Maths Andy Rosie, with pupils Sammy Roy and Tina Bruin. Picture : Garry Atkinson

(Image: Staff)

The success of this monumental achievement for a small but fiercely proud secondary school cannot be understated, as it unlocked nearly half a million pounds of funding, gave the school status and respect, and underlined just what can be achieved when a whole community comes together to fight for a common cause.

Even now, when I tell people about my working life at Burnholme Community College, I stand a little taller, remember the amazing staff and students, and speak of it with pride.