The Flagpole

As we are blown into half term by Storm Eunice, I would like to thank you again for all your help and support.

This is always a busy time of year in school and I think we are all ready for a break and a recharge of the batteries. There have been many highlights this term, with major successes on the sports field, the school musical Matilda Jr and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Presentation Evening yesterday exemplifying the depth and variety of activities the pupils are involved in with the support of our staff.

Of course, the Year 11 and Upper Sixth go straight into mocks after the break; they have had a lot of guidance regards preparation for these exams and it it is important that they strike the right balance between revision and rest.

With COVID cases steadily decreasing (there are only five positive cases currently in school) it has been great to continue to move towards reducing the number of additional measures in place. We are very much hoping that there is no spike in cases over Half Term and would ask all pupils to take an LFT on Sunday 27 February before returning to school.

Assuming the trajectory remains good in terms of positive case we are planning:

From Monday 28 February (immediately after Half Term)

All pupils return to wearing full uniform each day on arrival and departure from school, changing into games kit at school, using their lockers to store any valuables. Pupils should also ensure their games kit is kept in their locker and not carried around all day.

With the mock exams running in the Sixth Form Centre, Year 11 and Upper Sixth must use their lockers to store their bags/laptops during the exams as there is very limited space outside the examination rooms.

Parents picking up from Prep or the Student Hub will now be expected to sign their child in and out please.

From Monday 7 March

House assemblies and meetings will be “live” and held in the Chapel or the Clarkson.

From Monday 14 March

We are reverting to a common tutor time from 10.35am to 10.55am for all years and a common first break time from 10.55am to 11.15am. Years 7 to 11 can use either the Tuckshop or Main Refectory and the Sixth Form can use the Sixth Form Dining Room.

Parents’ Evenings

The parental feedback from on-line parents’ evening has been exceptionally positive and we will be keeping these on-line for the future. We are trialling new software which we hope will make the booking process much more straightforward for parents.

Science Centre

We are very excited that the building work on the new Science Centre will begin in earnest over Half Term. We have already implemented the timetable changes necessitated by the removal of the portacabins and we look forward to seeing this project taking off as the term progresses

With all best wishes to you and your families, I hope you all stay safe and well over the Half Term break. 

The College was proud to see five Princethorpe pupils competing in the England Athletics Age Group Indoor Championships in Sheffield last weekend. The event took place over two days at the English Institute of Sport, with pupils representing their athletics clubs.

Their performances were all outstanding, and it was clear that these pupils have been training hard. Each and every one of them put in personal bests over the weekend, breaking school records, and we were really delighted for them all.

Year 8, Grace McCollin competed in the 60m sprint. In the heats she ran a personal best of 8.37 seconds. She then ran in the 60m Hurdles qualifying for the semi-finals where she achieved another personal best of 9.69 seconds.

Year 8, Penelope Jones also ran in the 60m Hurdles qualifying for the semi-finals where she ran a personal best of 9.65 seconds.

Year 9, André Onyekwe took 1st place and the gold medal in his age group for the High Jump. André simply soared through the air jumping 1.82m, a personal best and a new school record. André also competed in the Long Jump placing 5th with another superhuman leap of 5.43m.

Year 9, Olivia Monk ran in the 60m sprint where she finished in 6th place in 7.96 seconds a personal best and new school record. Olivia then took on the challenge of the 200m, finishing in 7th place in 26.49 seconds with another personal best and new school record.

Lower Sixth Former, Cam McGregor ran in the 400m finishing just out of the medals in 4th place in 48.84 seconds, also achieving a personal best and a new school record.

We are all looking forward to watching this next generation of young Olympians develop, it is going to be a really exciting summer of sport!

Princethorpe’s runners had an excellent outing at the Midlands Regional ISA Cross Country at Bedstone College on Wednesday 2 February, winning five out of the six team competitions. Lots of top ten finishes helped the U16 Boys, U16 Girls, U14 Boys, U14 Girls and the U12 Boys teams all place first, with the U12 Girls not far behind in second place. It was a really super set of results.

For the U16 Girls, Kate Pomerleau put in a strong performance for Princethorpe to finish in 2nd place, with Grace Darcy and Ava Farren hot on her heels in 3rd and 4th place. The U16 Boys also ran well with Ben Smith finishing 2nd, Felix Batty 4th and Guy Dawkins 7th.

In the U14 Girls race Martina Grace had a confident run and crossed the line in 1st place with Evie Marston just behind in 2nd and Lily Hunter in 6th. For the U14 Boys Charlie Atkins finished 2nd with Jesse Esler 3rd and Toby Iley 10th.

Then in the U12 Girls race Rosa Davis finished 3rd and in the U12 Boys race William Smith came 4th and Ollie Hawkins 8th.       

Head of Outdoor Education and PE Teacher, Will Bower, said, “It was brilliant to be back at Bedstone after the event didn’t take place last year. There were lots of excellent performances and it was great to welcome some new runners to the team. We had red vest after red vest crossing the line at the front of the field; our runners took on the arduous terrain and did very well.”

Many congratulations to all who took part.

The ESAA Championship, at Hopwood Farm in Kent, and the ISA National Championships, at Worksop College, are up next and the College will have a strong squad running at both competitions.

It's exciting times for cross country!

Congratulations to Princethorpe’s equestrian teams who placed first and second in the Bloxham School Eventer Challenge Championships at Washbrook Farm last weekend.

The eventers and their hard-working support crew of parents have been competing all winter and had been extremely successful in qualifying two teams for the series championships that took place on Sunday 13 February in really challenging conditions in Aston le Walls.

The 90cm team finished first overall and are now reigning champions – an amazing result against some really experienced teams. Well done to Lower Sixth Former, Lottie Paybody, Year 11 pupils, Claudia Newman and Sophie Glover and Year 9, Jess Hedgecock.

The 80cm team of Year 9 pupils, Grace Paybody, Emily Glover, Jess Hedgecock and Year 8, Rosie Moreton, just got pipped at the post to finish in second place.

The championship saw scores from the day added to points earnt over the series to determine the final placings for the league. Thank you to all of the competitors that have managed even one outing this year, riding for their school. We are really proud of all their achievements but also and more importantly their sportsmanship as the winter weather requires real dedication to keep horses fit and in training.

It’s a fantastic finish to the season and it is all looking promising for Princethorpe’s inter-school two-day event on our home turf in May.

The deadline for the acceptance of places for September 2022 entry to the College is fast approaching. Over the last couple of weeks, a good number of acceptances have been coming in, but parents wishing to accept a place are reminded that they need to send their signed Confirmation of Acceptance Form and £300 deposit back to Mrs Vanessa Rooney, the Registrar, by Thursday 3 March 2022 please, to secure their child’s place.

Please be aware that we can only guarantee places that are accepted by the above deadline date.

Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or queries about the admissions process, the Admissions Team will be available throughout half-term on 01926 634201/262/297 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

The College production of Matilda Jr was a truly magical show. The Clarkson Theatre was filled full of the smell of rebellion as our talented cast of revolting children (many new to the College this year) told the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dared to take a stand and change her own destiny.

The fearsome Agatha Trunchbull, played by Chloe, was delightfully diabolical while Mrs Wormwood, played by Lauren, was a real class act. Miss Honey, played by Megan, was touchingly sweet and Nigel, Lavender and the kids were all just spectacular, full of vibrant energy and enthusiasm. Matilda, played by Year 7 Amelia, was truly terrific. A super huge well done to them all.

We are all still humming along to those awesome songs. Congratulations to everyone involved, on stage and behind the scenes and especially to the Directors, Mr Cowlishaw and Ms Newborough. We just can't wait to find out what their plans are for next year!

This term pupils in Year 11 and the Lower Sixth have been putting their physics skills to the test in the British Physics Olympiad online challenges. The challenges go well beyond the standard curriculum and are a valuable enrichment experience for pupils and are designed to stretch the best.

At the beginning of February our top Year 11 physicists tackled the online Intermediate Physics Challenge, a multiple-choice quiz that taxed their knowledge, understanding and problem-solving prowess. Their results were outstanding with two pupils, Harry Fitzpatrick and Joseph Newborough securing the highest accolade of Gold, and many others receiving Silver, Bronze and Commendation awards. 

Then 13 Lower Sixth students took part in our most successful online Senior Physics Challenge yet (the first one was only last year). Harry Hewitt, Oscar Page and Josh Apaya all received Gold certificates, a really fantastic achievement. The remainder received Silver or Bronze awards - the first time all have successfully achieved one of the top tiers within the competition. 

Head of Physics, Dan Lee, commented, “The British Physics Olympiad Challenges are well respected tests. They encourage participants to approach problems with an open mind, taking the principles of physics and applying their learning to the real world. Our pupils all did very well, congratulations to them all.”

Pictured are some of the certificate winners.

As part of our Sixth Form CoRE programme we welcomed a number of Old Princethorpian speakers into school on Thursday 17 February to talk about their journey post-Princethorpe and the different career paths they have taken.

The 'Careers Carousel' offered the Lower Sixth the opportunity to broaden their awareness and knowledge on a range of careers relevant to their interests and aspirations and the event was designed to help students make more informed decisions about their future work options.

The Lower Sixth each attended three of the short talks, gaining insights into some of the different options available to them as they think about their next moves.

Our thanks go to all the OPs who supported the event including:

• Harvey Broadbent - Product Design (Positive Outlook Clothing)
• Ben Oliver – Psychology (Positive Outlook Clothing)
• James Ireland - Mechanical Engineering (with Red Bull Internship)
• Jacob Stone - Medicine (Qualified)
• Carmen Simpson - Physiotherapy (Qualified)
• Zoe Hyland - Psychology (Nursing)
• Etienne Callaghan - Business Management and Entrepreneurship (Broadcast Media)
• Charlie Rooney - Sports Science (Army)
• Lucy Coulson - Law (Barrister)
• James Carney - Real Estate (Property Asset Management)

Later this year the Lower Sixth will also participate in an Interview Skills day, where they will all prepare their CVs and then take part in short mock interviews providing them with the opportunity to perfect their interview technique, sharpen communication skills, presentational qualities and their ability to respond to feedback.

Individual red and white carnations were hand delivered by Sixth Formers to classrooms across the College on Monday in celebration of St Valentine’s Day.

In the preceding weeks Princethorpe’s Sixth Form students had been busy promoting the charity fundraiser in aid of the British Heart Foundation. On the Friday afternoon, Princethorpe’s very own Cupids, began preparing the flowers, delicately wrapping and handwriting personal messages for the anonymous gifts, ready for their surprise deliveries. There were red carnations for that special someone and white carnations as a thank you to a great friend.

This year the Sixth Formers have raised £280, all of which will be donated to help the British Heart Foundation.

On Tuesday 15 February, Year 7 visited the local Sikh Temple, called a Gurdwara, in Leamington Spa. Pupils have been studying Sikhism in their Religious Studies lessons this term, so this was a great opportunity to see Sikhism as a living faith and hear about Sikhism from a member of the local Sikh community.

Pupils listened to a talk on the background of the Sikh faith, including the story of the Gurus who founded Sikhism, and then spent some time in the main prayer hall where the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scriptures, are read out. The prayer hall was not being used during the pupils’ visit and as the Holy Scriptures are treated like a living Guru they were able to see them at rest in their room. Staff were really impressed with how respectful and reflective all the pupils were.

It was an excellent, informative trip, many thanks to the Sikh community for allowing pupils to visit their temple.

Fisher have been crowned champions of the annual House University Challenge, after winning all their matches in this year’s competition.

Princethorpe’s University Challenge is a popular annual House event, based on the long running TV quiz show. In the College’s University Challenge, teams are required to have representatives from each year group and the pupils face questions on subjects that include science and nature, music and popular culture and food and drink. Across two weeks the House teams took part in three matches as they faced each other in turn.

Quizmaster for the competition was as always, our very own Jeremy Paxman, House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, asking the infamous starter for 10 and follow up bonus questions.

Playing for Fisher this year were: Year 7 pupils, Noah Cowlishaw, Harry Prance and Hartley Fielding; Year 8 pupil, Daniel Ovens-Gibbs; Year 9 pupils, Luke Abrahamson and Issy Farrow; Year 10 pupils, Matthew Carr and Chloe Henderson; Year 11 pupil, Amy Hogg; Lower Sixth Formers, Jack Henderson and Freya Mills and Upper Sixth Formers, Greg Burford and Ben Scares.

After the final match Ms Newborough commented, “Thank you to all of the pupils who have participated in this year’s competition. It is very different being on stage to when you are in the audience or watching at home. The questions were challenging, and the matches were all exciting. Well done to everyone who took part.”

Thanks also to all the staff who have helped support the competition.

The final results were as follows: 1st Fisher, 2nd More, 3rd Austin and 4th Benet.

This year we were delighted to be able to introduce eighteen new students to an OP Friendly Face during the Michaelmas Term. In universities across the UK, as far afield as Edinburgh and Exeter and Nottingham to Plymouth, the students enjoyed the benefits of a welcoming friendly face whilst settling into their first year.

The scheme links past pupils established at university with first year OP students. Providing a friendly, familiar face to meet up with over a coffee (compliments of the OPs) or having someone to call in their new uni town or city, does, we know, make for a smoother experience in those first few weeks away from home. 

Many of the current Upper Sixth are receiving their offers and will shortly be choosing their first and second choice destinations and we will shortly be contacting them with more information, to introduce them to the OP Friendly Faces scheme and to the benefits of joining the Old Princethorpian Association.

Former Deputy Head Girl, OP Lauren Mason, who left the College in 2021, has already volunteered to help.  She comments, "I am a current student at Cambridge (first year), studying Natural Sciences at Selwyn College. I would love to be a friendly face to anyone coming to Cambridge from Princethorpe, and am looking forward to getting involved."

Comments OPs Secretary, Melanie Butler, "We now have OP Friendly Faces in around 35 university towns and cities and are hoping to expand on that again this year so we can get more of our leavers matched up for the new academic year. Understanding where our current Upper Sixth hope to study will help us plan for next year's scheme."

All leavers and their parents are automatically given free membership of the OP Association and are welcome at all of our events. They can also sign up to join PC Connect our online alumni community to stay in touch with the school.

For more information, please email oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

The latest issue of The Old Princethorpian, the Princethorpe Foundation’s termly e-newsletter for past pupils, staff and parents, old and new, has just been published and was mailed out over last weekend. 

The newsletter aims to keep our alumni in touch with each other and news, developments and events across the Foundation. It includes the latest Foundation and College news, and plenty of news and updates from OPs across the decades.

Coming up soon is our popular Pub Meet at Inside the 22, in Rugby, on Friday 4 March and then the 75th Anniversary Open House at Crackley Hall School on Saturday 19 March. Full details can be found in the Events section on Princethorpe Connect here: connect.princethorpe.co.uk/events

We hope our alumni enjoy reading the newsletter and finding out what is going on in the alumni community. The next edition will be published in May.

You can read the newsletter here: www.oldprincethorpian.co.uk

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC invites the Princethorpe Community to any or all of the Lenten and Easter services at either St Anne's, Wappenbury or the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Princethorpe College.

Wednesday 2 March         
7.00pm  Mass of the Ashes, St Anne's, Wappenbury

Thursday 14 April             
7.00pm  Mass of the Last Supper, Princethorpe College

Friday 15 April                 
3.00pm  Commemoration of the Passion of Christ, Princethorpe College

Saturday 16 April             
8.00pm Vigil Mass for Easter, St Anne's, Wappenbury
                                                            
Sunday 17 April               
8.30am  Easter Mass, St Anne's, Wappenbury
10.30am  Easter Mass, Princethorpe College

For an update on the weekly news in the parish bulletin please use the link here

Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 8.30am at St Anne's, Wappenbury and in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Princethorpe College at 10.30am.

On the first Sunday of each month Mass is offered for the deceased members of our families. Please join us if you can.

Fr Teddy looks forward to meeting you all.

Thursday 3 March 2022

To celebrate World Book Day this year, we are holding a Big Book Swap stall. Please can you support the event by asking your child to donate suitable books they no longer want (in good condition) so that everyone can have lots to choose from.

Pupils may hand in their book donations to their Form Tutors, English class teacher or to the Library before Monday 28 February. Fiction and non-fiction books are most welcome. Thank you. Happy Reading!

Friday 4 March 2022 - 6.30pm to 10.30pm 

The OPs annual Local Meet takes place on Friday 4 March 2022. After a hiatus of two years we will be meeting once again upstairs at Inside The 22, on Lawrence Sheriff Street, Rugby, CV22 5EJ.

Now a live music venue, as well as bar, our guests will also be able to enjoy The SOS Rock Blues Band who hark from Leicester from 9.30pm.

All OPs, VSOPs, Old Crescentians and alumni of St Joseph's and Crackley Hall School are most welcome.

There will be the customary welcome drink or two and the OPs Committee will be laying on some delicious food, so do let us know if you would like to attend by registering at Princethorpe Connect, so we can cater for you.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Spring Open Morning
Saturday 5 March 2022 - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers, Princethorpe's junior school and nursery in Kenilworth, is opening its doors for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 5 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The day will be split into two sessions, 10.30am and 11.30am and will start with a short introduction from Mr Duigan, Headmaster, followed by a tour of the school. 

This is a great opportunity for prospective families to look around Little Crackers Nursery and Crackley Hall School and meet key members of staff. The school will come alive with musical performances and sport in action as well as an activity trail around the school for visiting children. 

Come and find out more about what a Crackley education can do for your child book your place here. 

In terms of availability current Years 4 and 5 are now full with waiting groups and we have a limited number of places in current Reception to Year 3 and Reception for 2022. If you would like more information or details on specific year group availability, please call Jenny Vaughan, our Admissions Secretary on 01926 514410 or email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk.

For more information visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk.

Monday 7 March and Tuesday 8 March - 4.00-5.30pm - Clarkson Theatre

We invite pupils from Year 9 to Upper Sixth to an informal sharing evening of devised and scripted work, prior to their final exam.  

On Monday 7 March our Sixth Form Theatre Studies groups will be performing their work:

• Lower Sixth: Finding Alice is a powerful social commentary on drugs and addiction and provides a spectroscopic view since post war on use and abuse exploring torn lives and failed policy;
• Upper Sixth: an extract from Louis De Berniere's play for voices Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World in the playful style of Kneehigh Theatre. We take you to a suburb of London...Earlsfield at the centre of the World!

On Tuesday 8 March our GCSE candidates will perform both scripted and original work:

Wednesday 9 March - 7.00pm

We enjoyed a great discussion this month about The Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. All members seemed to have got something out of this book. Set in a hospital, it explores the unusual friendship between a 17-year-old and an 83-year-old. Both are dying but the novel is quite uplifting and there is a light humour which brightens the tone. The backstory of each character is revealed in such a way that we share both their triumphs and tragedies.

We will be meeting again at 7.00 pm in the library on Wednesday 9 March. On this occasion we plan to discuss The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak. This comes well reviewed and is certainly visually appealing, although we all know not to judge a book by its cover! It has been great to welcome newcomers recently and you’ll get a warm welcome if you can join us, whether or not you have read this particular book.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English

Saturday 19 March 2022 - 10.00am to 12.00pm

The Crescent School, Princethorpe's junior school in Rugby, is opening its doors to prospective and current parents and children for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 19 March 2022 from 10.00am to 12.00pm. 

This is a perfect opportunity to come and have a look around the school, meet key members of staff and to find out why we have been awarded excellent in all areas by the ISI in their recent inspection. 

Families are invited to book on to one of two sessions, 10.00am and 11.00am. After a short welcome presentation by Mr Thackway, Headmaster, you will be guided around the school where you will be able to watch sporting displays and listen to instrumental performances; there will also be the opportunity to visit classrooms and children can participate in an activity trail. 

To book your place please click here.

In terms of availability, Reception and Year 3 for 2022 entry are now full, with a waiting group available. We are also operating waiting groups in most other years apart from our current Reception and Year 1 classes (Year 1 and 2 for September 2022 entry). We are now taking registrations for Reception and Year 3 entry in 2023 and beyond. 

For more information about availability or about the Open Morning please call Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley on 01788 523851 or email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk.

Alternatively please visit our website www.crescentschool.co.uk for more information.

Saturday 19 March 2022 - 10.00am to 1.00pm

We are looking forward to welcoming former pupils, parents and staff back to Crackley Hall School for the Crackley Hall and St Joseph's Convent School's postponed 75th Anniversary celebrations.

On Saturday 19 March (St Joseph's Day) we will be holding an Open House event at Crackley Hall School and all past pupils, parents and former members of staff of the school and of St Joseph's Convent School are invited to join us.

Plans for the event include a Mass from 11.00am to 12 noon, an archive display, music and drama performances by current Crackley pupils and the chance for past pupils, parents and staff to chat and reminisce. Light refreshments will be served.

We have already had high levels of interest in the event and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone back.

To register your interest in attending the celebrations please click here.

Wednesday 8 June 2022 - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

The College's Summer Open Evening will take place on Wednesday 8 June from 6.30pm - 8.30pm. This is an informal opportunity for prospective families to look around the college and to meet members of staff and pupils.

There will be activities in each department for children to participate in, and there will be two opportunities to hear from Ed Hester, Headmaster, at 6.45pm or 7.30pm. Light refreshments will also be available.

To book your place please click here.

For more information about the admissions process and entry to the College, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Team on 01926 634201/262/297 or by email at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

As you will be aware, last week examination boards published guidance about the content of summer examinations for 2022.

All of the information provided by the awarding bodies will be shared with pupils and we will also be sending home a document to summarise the implications for all of our courses at Princethorpe College. This information will be shared with pupils by their individual subject teachers, but we wanted to provide a single point of reference for parents.

The format and nature of the guidance varies by both examination board and subject, but broadly speaking falls into one or more of the following categories:

1.    Notice of content which will not be assessed at all

2.    Notice of content which will form the main focus of papers

3.    Notice of content* which may be assessed for low-tariff or synoptic questions

*some of this content is not named explicitly but is instead indicated by its omission from other lists

At A-level there are very few cases of any content being entirely excluded.

For most subjects, we will be encouraging pupils to revise broadly at first and only to specialise on the named topics closer to the final examination; this will allow them to draw on a broad range of knowledge to link ideas together and so access the very highest marks. There will be some exceptions, but in most cases, this is likely to be the most fruitful approach, particularly at A-level, where subjects are assessed with a large degree of synopticity.

For February’s mock examinations, departments have already offered specific guidance about the content that is being assessed. As far as is possible, this will be broadly aligned with the published topics for the summer.

The second set of mock examinations for Year 11 and Upper Sixth will take place from Monday 28 February to Monday 7 March, using the Sixth Form Centre as the primary venue. This mirrors our plans for the summer examinations in light of the imminent Science building project. Timetables have been emailed to both parents and pupils.

This is a final opportunity for both Year 11 and Upper Sixth to test themselves and to learn from both successes and difficulties before sitting their public examinations in the summer. Departments will also brief all pupils on some of the likely content, in light of the guidance published by examination boards.

Please remind them to have exam-compliant equipment, including clear, unlabelled pencil cases and water bottles in preparation for these assessment.

Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 March 2022 - 6.00pm to 8.30pm

The Year 11 Parents’ Evening will take place on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 March 2022 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. As you will be aware, the pandemic forced schools into conducting Parents’ Evenings online and this has proved to be a successful approach which we are continuing. However, after half-term, we will be trialling an alternative platform for these events, delivered by SchoolCloud. This is widely used by many schools and should make the booking and appointment process simpler. We will send out detailed information in advance of events and will gladly listen to your feedback on the new system.

Meetings will still be booked online and further details will follow on how to book the appointments.

It is hoped that all parents will be successful in gaining an appointment, however if this is not possible teachers may contact you via email to update you about your child’s progress.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

Thursday 3 March 2022 - 6.00pm to 8.30pm

To support the progress of our Year 8 and 9s we will be offering face to face meetings in the Sports Hall with your child’s tutor to discuss progress and future targets in light of recent reports. It will be an opportunity for you to discuss all subjects and overall study skills. Importantly, targets will be made for further improvement in the second half of this year and therefore it is expected that pupils will also attend the meeting.

Parents will be given the opportunity to electronically book a 15 minute slot with their child’s tutor. Parents will also be able to attend a series of workshops on how best to support their child whilst at Princethorpe. An email will be sent out to parents with more information and booking details during half term.

Michael Spencer
Deputy Head – Academic

January 2022

Results for the January exams will be published on the following dates:

Thursday 3 March 2022 – All Maths Qualifications

Wednesday 23 March 2022 – BTEC Qualifications

Summer 2022

Pupils have checked their examination entries for this summer and these entries have been sent to the exam boards. Individual exam timetables can now be viewed on My School Portal by both parents and pupils under the heading Exam Timetable; room allocations will appear nearer the time.

Please note: For the IGCSE Spanish and French Exam, both the Listening exam and the Reading and Writing exam are timetabled to start at the same time on the same day. This is not a clash; the Listening exam will take place at the time shown and the Reading and Writing exam will follow immediately after.

An exam clash occurs when two examinations for different subjects are scheduled to start at the same time. If the total duration of the two examinations is 180 minutes or less, the exams will take place one immediately after the other. If the total duration exceeds 180 minutes one exam will be moved to the other session that day and pupils will be supervised in-between exams. I will notify pupils and parents by email of the timetable adjustment.

In some cases, a pupil may have three exams timetabled in a day. Again, the duration of the exams will determine the options open to the candidate, I will discuss these on an individual basis.

Any queries regarding an exam entry or an individual timetable should be sent to examinations@princethorpe.co.uk

Shellagh Dodds
Examination and Assessment Manager

The Parent Toolkit webinar, entitled RSHE (Relationship and Sex and Health Education) - What we do at Princethorpe which was due to take place on Tuesday 15 February has unfortunately had to be postponed until after half-term. We will confirm the new date for this via the Flagpole as soon as possible and will add the details to the Parent Toolkit Section of My School Portal.

The next webinar, Managing Sleep, takes place on Wednesday 6 March at 6.30pm. The link to the webinar, along with the programme of all future webinars and links to access them, can be found on My School Portal here.

Please send any suggestions for future webinar topics that we have not already planned to cover to Mrs Beth Sharpe at (BethSharpe@Princethorpe.co.uk)

Message From Coventry And Warwickshire Immunisation Service:

We would like to confirm a list of vaccination sites that are offering vaccinations for 12-15 year-old children throughout half-term, and to signpost parents accordingly should they wish to access this. For any children that have not yet received their first dose, or it has been at least 12 weeks since their 1st dose, please click here for the pathways where they can receive the vaccination during half-term.

We would always encourage you to pre-book appointments before attending one of these sites, however there may be a number of which that are operating walk-in appointments. More information on which sites are accepting walk-ins, and when these are being run, can be found at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-walk-in-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-site.

As a reminder, if your child has had a positive COVID-19 test, you need to wait before getting any dose of the vaccine. You need to: wait 12 weeks (84 days) if you're aged 12 to 17 years old, or wait 4 weeks (28 days) if you're aged 12 to 17 years old and at clinically considered to be at a high-risk from COVID-19.

The pathways are also applicable to any child that was not able to be vaccinated during the visit by our service to your school during this term, or to any child at a school yet to be visited.

Thank you for your support, and hope you have a good half-term.

Mrs Paula Greig
Senior Matron 

The Upper Sixth Leavers' Ball will take place on Wednesday 29 June 2022 at Coombe Abbey.

Make sure you 'save the date' as it will be a wonderful event and a fabulous opportunity to celebrate your time together in the Sixth Form.

Anne Allen
Assistant Head of Sixth Form 

Year 10 careers interviews will start at the beginning of March. These interviews are a great first step into individual careers planning, and Y10 pupils will be allowed time out of lessons to attend with the careers team. It’s always a bit nerve wracking knowing what it will be like and what is expected, so here’s just a brief outline of what to expect on the day and how they (and you) can prepare.

Pupils will be notified via their tutor in the Pupil Briefing about their careers interview. Parents are not expected to attend the first session, although they are welcome to attend second and third careers interviews should they wish to do so. In the interview, the pupils will be asked about their hobbies, in and out of school, to reflect on the decisions they have already made, such as Y9 options decisions, and of course if there are any careers ideas they would like to explore. The pupils are not expected to come with fully formed ideas or plans at this stage. We can look into any careers ideas, but also, the interview process is designed to inspire them to be aspirational.

Pupils will be introduced to a range of ways they could use their unique skills in the workplace in the UK and abroad, and shown how to start matching themselves to jobs. The careers team work on a natural fit for careers selection, with the student using their preferred skills to form a satisfying and interesting career journey. We will ask them to consider scenarios and give us their thoughts.

Did someone say homework?

If pupils wish to prepare for the interviews, the most useful thing is to start with an analysis of themselves. What are they good at? What do they enjoy? What can’t they stop doing? (I became a careers adviser because I’m nosey and like asking questions which got me into trouble in school). All these elements give the careers team a great sense of a pupil's personality which is a core element of being able to create, manage and sustain a great career. And parents, I have some homework for you too. You can help your young people by helping them identify and verbalise their unique skills and identify times that they have been totally engrossed in a task. These are all great clues to what will make a career that looks and feels like success. The other element parents can assist with is helping the young people verbalise what their own values are? What do they particularly care about and what makes them angry? Again, great clues for careers areas to start exploring.  

To assist with this process each Year 10 pupil has access to our Unifrog Careers Platform. The “interests” and also “personality profile” quizzes in Unifrog can be taken every six months in acknowledgement of the flurry of changes the young people experience in their ideas at this time. Careers ideas will change rapidly but Unifrog can be used to find impartial careers information in the “careers library” to help those who want to see if they like the sound of specific job roles.  

The last element that parents can help the pupils with is to share their own career timelines. Having a great match to a career takes work and research over a lifetime, and changes as we do, so ideas identified now morph and grow and not everyone can choose a career on demand. Career choice and satisfaction take development of self and the exploration of new environments outside the young people (which Covid has severely limited). If I told you chocolate cake was disgusting but never let you try it you would never know what you thought about it and so could never make a well informed, realistic decision. So, whether your children get to the end of Year 11 with just subjects they know they find fascinating and really want to follow, or whether they have a ten year plan (those pupils really do exist) we will support them (and you) along the way.

Kerry Low
Careers Advisor

A brand new webinar series has been launched focussing on what the University of Southampton is doing to help 'save the world'. You’ll learn how graduates are tackling some of the world’s biggest problems – from fighting climate change and cleaning up our oceans, to protecting human rights and building inclusive, sustainable communities. You will hear about their inspiring career journeys and discover how a degree from this university could help you to change the world for the better. Each webinar is designed to demonstrate how the university is committed to addressing the seventeen United Nations sustainable development goals.

All webinars are open to students interested in studying any subject and will run from 5.00pm - 6.00pm. Please click here for more information about the webinars and to secure your place.

So Phil, 'what's the future of jobs in construction?' Phil is a careers adviser at CITB, the Construction Industry Training Board. They oversee the training and development of people in the building industry.

"Ask people about careers and most know the craft trades of brickie to plumber but in the future we are going to see the development of self-healing concrete and machines that actually lay bricks. The job of the physical brick layer will be replaced with engineers controlling robotic bricklayers. The jobs are becoming more qualified. There is also the whole business and management side of building, logistics, buying and selling, the environmental roles, energy and project management. Who has heard of a 3D Visualiser (it’s an IT job)? There is a lot of work happening that will really change the construction industry and it’s happening now.” 

"There are a huge array of careers with plant machinery (that's diggers,excavators etc to you and me). Someone needs to sell them, build them, design them and generally we need 25,000 more people across the industry within the next 5 years. There are huge exciting projects locally, as well as HS2, that have just been granted permission to proceed, and Rugby as a town is due to benefit”.

We also have big shortage areas in structural and civil engineering, quantity surveying and building surveying all of which can be accessed through fantastically well-paid degree apprenticeships. Details of which can be found here. 

My question is, what do archaeologists have to do with all this? What do they do in modern building projects?

"The short answer (and the alternative is a very long answer steeped in local authority planning law) is that we are building homes on land that may have never been disturbed before. Treasures like the Staffordshire hoard and a whole underground Victorian garden have been discovered under farming land, and no one knows what other finds our countryside holds. Legally, before ground is broken up by housing developers the ground has to be explored by a qualified archaeologist. In fact we have such a shortage in the UK of people studying archaeology to degree level and beyond, that it is delaying builds all over the country." 

Personally I'm excited about the 3D printed buildings that are predicted to provide solutions to our housing shortages and help house people in Africa and other developing areas. I've spent many a careers interview watching a huge factory machine pipe concrete into patterns that look like giant cake icers to form walls and buildings (thanks YouTube and Arup building technology). There are degrees in construction management and even masters degrees in 3D construction - yes that's full size, two storey buildings.

Locally, companies like Apple Technology in Southam are keen to promote building careers and offer students an experience in their 360 degree simulator which reflects a real building site. They use this to help train building services engineers and architects as well as craft trades. Coventry Technology Centre employs actors to act as either disgruntled clients or local property owners affected by the build to help students develop skills through role play. Archaeological digs are in progress constantly, and they always need students to train to dig and catalogue.

So whatever subject students are interested in there will be a well-paid career that can match their unique interest and skills. The construction industry in particular is growing by 6% a year and expected to grow further with carbon net zero initiatives. Employers and educators are working together with the national and international skills councils and careers hubs across the UK to create learning opportunities that provide our students with the knowledge that they will need to get a job in our ever changing world.

Kerry Low
Careers Advisor

Work experience is now back on the post GCSE agenda, and, as things open up after COVID, we hope that all our Year 11 students will be able to find a placement in Summer 2022.

I would also suggest looking at the website Springpod which offers a virtual work experience programme which has been highly recommended by our Careers Advisor.

Many thanks to those who already have managed to help their son/daughter obtain a placement; in the meantime please could you let me know if you have managed to arrange something by emailing miketaylor@princethorpe.co.uk

Mike Taylor
Work Experience Co-ordinator

As the Trinity term is fast approaching we start moving our thoughts to summer sports and the cricket season. The cricket kit is not compulsory for all, however, for those who will be representing the College in the Boys' A and B teams and those who would like to wear the kit we offer a cricket shirt, trousers and sleeveless slipover. 

As a general guide we normally run an A and B Boys' team for U12 through to U15’s who are required to wear the school cricket kit and the Girls' cricket teams are required to wear their school PE polo and skort.

All orders must be placed before the end of the school day on Monday 7 March 2022 using the order form here, you will be notified by email when they are available to collect from the School Shop.

We have one of each size available to try on in the School Shop in size 11-12, XS, S, M and L. The white PE polo is also a good size guide.

If you need any help with your order please contact Tamsin Frost on 01926 634272.

Barbara Bromwich
Foundation Shop Manager

Please don’t forget that Princethorpe College PTA is registered with easyfundraising. So, although we’ve been unable to get together and hold fundraising events in person for a while, we can continue to raise free funds, at no extra cost to you.

When you shop via the easyfundraising website or app, with over 4,100 of your favourite retailers, including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Amazon and many more, you will raise FREE donations for the school.  

If you’re not already registered, please visit our easyfundraising page here:

This will really make a difference to our school! Thank you for your support.

Our friendly PTA here at Princethorpe College are keen to welcome new members. 

By joining our PTA community, you are not committing to volunteer, but just to joining our community and if you do wish to volunteer you will receive emails when we require help to run our events.

For more information about the PTA and how to join please email pta@princethorpe.co.uk

Princethorpe PTA

It is always great to hear about our pupils' successes that take place outside of school; please do keep us updated if your son or daughter has won a competition, is performing in a show or competing at a high level with a sporting team outside of school, we would love to hear more. 

We would like to invite parents to submit this information to us via a nomination form by clicking here so we might celebrate these achievements in school too.  

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head - Co-Curricular

We have received complaints and concerns from parents, neighbours and the general public about lengthy queues on the drive backing down onto the Leamington Road. This seems to be a particular problem in the afternoon and more specifically on a Friday.

To help improve the situation we would ask that parents do not arrive at the College to pick up their children before 3.30pm. The playground gates are kept closed until this time for the safety and safeguarding of children and queuing traffic on the drive impedes normal traffic on site including visitors with appointments at the school. In emergencies and exceptional circumstances, the gates may need to open early or remain closed beyond 3.30pm to enable us to respond effectively to the situation.

The queues on the road cause a significant problem for local traffic and on occasions vehicles have been known to overtake dangerously in both directions simultaneously.

The College has worked for many years with the local authority and parish council regarding safety on this stretch of road and paid for the addition of double white lines a few years ago.

We want to do our utmost to avoid any accidents or indeed a situation where we are faced with sanctions being imposed on traffic near the College or the police becoming involved.

As an alternative to collecting your child you may wish to consider using the school bus service after school, individual tickets as well as pass bookings can be made using the Bus Services website here. There is currently good availability on all buses for the evening journeys. You need to create an account on the website before making your booking.

We will be monitoring the situation closely and would appreciate your co-operation in this most important matter.

In emergencies and for exceptional circumstances, the gates may open early or remain closed beyond 3:30pm to enable us to respond effectively to the situation.

Rob Heath
Director of Estates

The bus bay at the front of school has now been reserved specifically for parents who are dropping off or collecting during the school day, allowing them to park for a short time and providing pupils with a safe walkway to and from the student hub.

Please do not use the bus bay for the normal morning and afternoon drop off/collection.

Rob Heath
Director of Estates

Parents wishing to access their on-line billing account should visit https://parent.princethorpe.co.uk/api/homepage/.

At the top of your screen you will see a menu that allows you to see your invoices and your statement.

To view your invoices please click “School Fee Invoices”. This will provide you with a list of all invoices raised for all your children within the Foundation. To open an individual invoice, select the pdf icon from the download column and click to open. A box will appear on your screen, please click the box to view your invoice.

To view your statement please hover your curser over “School Fee Invoices”. A drop-down box will appear “Statement of Account”. Please click on this. This screen will enable you to see the date, account code and current balance. A list of the transactions made during any given month will appear (any brought forward balance from previous terms will appear under this section). To change the month you wish to view please click on the “v” to the right hand side of the box containing month and year.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Please find below the Term Dates for 2021-22 and 2022-23

2021-22 (two page document)

2022-23 (two page document) 

Please note that half a term's notice is required if a pupil no longer needs to use the bus service provided by the school. 

This is particularly relevant for pupils in Year 11 and Upper Sixth who have exams in the Trinity term and for members of Upper Sixth who pass their driving test. For example, we need to be advised in writing before the start of the Trinity term if the bus service is not required after half term in May. Parents wishing to give notice should write to Barbara Bromwich in the Bursary or email buses@princethorpe.co.uk.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Please see below our current vacancies: 

• Head - Princethorpe College
• Health and Safety Manager - Princethorpe Foundation

Full details and how to apply are available via the following link: Join Us

Should you know anyone who might be interested in these posts, please do share this information with them.