The Flagpole

Interesting artefacts, objects and articles that reflect modern day life, along with letters to the future from Year 7 pupils, were placed in a time capsule and buried on Tuesday 27 September under the College’s new Science Centre for future pupils of the school to find.

The special composite capsule was buried under the entrance to the new Science Centre which is currently under construction. It included letters and articles produced by Year 7 pupils in their History lessons, reflecting life today and their hopes for the future. Amongst the treasures was memorabilia from 2022, including a flag from the UEFA Women’s Euros, newspaper articles about the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and news of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passing. Pupils also included popular comics, such as the Beano and The Week, as well as brochures and magazines reflecting the school. Then there was one last essential for life in the 2020s, a lateral flow test - something that hopefully will be a distant memory for those digging up the capsule in 2072. The location of the capsule has been registered with The International Time Capsule Society and can be opened in 50 years.

Year 7 pupils, Lauren Dent and Krishan Patel, together with their History teacher, Tracey Hester, and Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, handed over the time capsule to the contractors, Trendgrey Construction, who are building the new £8 million Science Centre at the top of the College’s Lime Walk. Lauren and Krishan then got to place the capsule in the cavity under the floor, assisted by Kevin Wynne, Site Manager, before the floor blocks were replaced and the cavity was sealed.

Comments, Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, “The new Science Centre is a significant project for Princethorpe and the burial of the time capsule is an exciting way for pupils to engage with and commemorate the new building.”

“There are some really interesting documents and artefacts in the time capsule that will be fascinating for future pupils to unearth in 2072. It was a pleasure to watch pupils come together to share these important memories, capturing the history of the school and life in 2022 and leaving behind treasures for future generations.”

An immense amount of hard work, and energy has gone into the new Science Centre project and the build is progressing well, with the current focus being on getting the building watertight. The project is on track to be completed by mid 2023 with the Science Centre opening its doors for pupils next school year.

The Lower Sixth enjoyed a fabulous few days at Dearne Valley, near Doncaster, last weekend. Their three-day trip, from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 September, offered the students the chance to develop leadership and initiative skills, build personal resilience and gave them the important opportunity to bond together as a group.

The 74 Lower Sixth Formers took part in a variety of outward-bound activities including Raft Building, Zip Wire, Night Line, Low Ropes, and Bush Craft. In the evenings they enjoyed sports and games in a mini-Olympic challenge and plenty of camaraderie around the campfire.

Everyone had fun and came back to school having made new friendships and discovered inner strengths. A great start to their time in the Sixth Form.

On Monday 26 September, our intrepid Year 11 Geography GCSE pupils set off for Preston Montford, one of the Field Studies Council’s specialist outdoor centres. Lying close to the Welsh border, to the west of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, the field centre is a fantastic outdoor classroom where pupils were able to put into practise the geographical field skills they have been studying in their lessons. The two-day trip supported the geographical investigations modules that pupils undertake within their Geography GCSE.

Pupils spent one day exploring human geography topics, investigating retail changes in the central business district in the county town of Shrewsbury. As part of their investigations, they completed questionnaires and took photographs which they will now put together with secondary data sources to complete their analysis. Then they also spent a day investigating physical geography topics in Carding Mill Valley, Church Stretton. There they surveyed the rivers, undertaking measurements and investigating how river channel characteristics change and how they relate to flooding downstream.

Mike Taylor, Head of Geography, said, “Preston Montford is an excellent Field Centre. We had a very busy two days and the trip has given pupils a fantastic head start in Component 3 of their GCSE, Geographical Investigations: Fieldwork and UK Challenges.”

Year 7 were lucky with the weather when they enjoyed a wonderful three-day programme at Whitemoor Lakes Outdoor Residential Centre.

Pupils took part in an itinerary that included fencing, canoeing, climbing, high ropes and problem solving. In groups they rotated around the different activities, working together to complete the challenges they were set. In the evenings they enjoyed team games and singing round the campfire. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend with plenty of old-fashioned fun.

There were lots of opportunities for pupils to develop their team working skills and the activities all encouraged pupils to show initiative, resilience and social awareness. Over the weekend Year 7 took on all the challenges with determination and enthusiasm making for a memorable three days.

Deputy Head (Pastoral), Beth Sharpe said, “This was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 7 pupils to bond together as a year group. They had an amazing time and were really supportive of one another as they worked together. I know they have come back into school with new friends and better able to work together as a team.”

Well done to everyone and a big thank you to all the staff who supported the trip.

In the UK four out of five adults regret not having learned another language, but that is something no Princethorpe pupil will ever be able to say. At the College there are many opportunities to get excited about languages and celebrating European Day Of Languages is a popular House activity every year.

This year the MFL and House teams challenged staff and pupils to take part in fun language-based activities. Staff were asked to use a foreign language in their lessons, either speaking it or including it in the lesson activity, with pupils acting as judges and completing feedback forms, the results will be announced next week.

Pupils were challenged to answer a wide range of language-based questions in a trivia quiz in the Limes foyer at break. Every correct answer won a point for their House, it was fast and furious and very competitive, all a lot of fun while helping to inspire pupils too.

During the first few weeks of term the Religious Studies department have introduced Year 7 to the religious history of the College and shown them numerous artefacts, from statues to paintings, which are dotted around the school. Pupils spent a couple of lessons in the Chapel, learning about the architecture and symbolism of it and 7XM took a trip up the tower on Thursday 22 September as a nice treat to round off this sequence of lessons. The climb to the top was challenging but the view from the top was stunning.

On Tuesday 27 September, the Drama department ventured out to see Frantic Assembly's reimagining of Shakespeare's Othello at The Curve theatre in Leicester.

Set amongst the backdrop of The Cyprus pub, the tale of deception, loyalty and treachery thrilled pupils with a dynamic energy that left the audience in the palm of the actors' hands.

Frantic's signature style of fast paced choreography, sound tracking and design impressed both our Technicians and English Literature pupils too, who had joined them for the evening, and it was a pure delight to see them sharing their understanding and knowledge of the play and its production values.

On Tuesday 20 September, the College hosted the next round of its Science Family Challenge. Teams of Year 8 pupils and parents enthusiastically competed for the prestigious first place trophy. Practical skill, teamwork and problem-solving were all essential as the parent and pupil teams completed challenges in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Each challenge started with a demonstration, before the competitors completed experiments and quizzes to score points.

Congratulations go to the winners, Year 8 pupil Georgie Sowter's team, 'Up and Atom', who accumulated an impressive total score of 49 points. The full results were:

• 1st place 'Up and Atom' 
• 2nd place 'E=mc pair'
• 3rd place (joint) 'Archimedes' Angels' and 'Nerdy Neutrons'

Look out for the return of this popular competition next half term when Year 7 pupils and their parents will have their opportunity to experience Science at Princethorpe College - more information will be shared shortly along with details of how to sign up.

Thanks also to our wonderful Laboratory Technicians, pupil helpers and Science staff who made the evening possible.

We hope pupils and parents all enjoyed taking part.

Princethorpe’s Sixth Form students put their culinary skills under the spotlight in the College’s latest inter-house competition, Ready Steady Cook.

Ready Steady Cook is always a popular inter-house competition and this year's event took place on Monday 26 September. Teams of Sixth Formers enthusiastically took part in what proved to be a hotly contested challenge, preparing a student staple, an omelette, in the Food Technology suite.

The students were presented with a set of ingredients and challenged to produce their omelette in just 12 minutes. What’s more they had to cook, clean and tidy their workstation before presenting their dish.

There were knives chopping, whisks stirring and pans sizzling as the House teams went to work. Onlookers encouraged from the side as the judges, Jacqui Scott, Lee Cassell and Georgia Newborough surveyed the proceedings.

The finished plates of food were lined up along the table and, under the watchful eyes of the competitors and their supporters, the judges carefully taste-tested the dishes.

The results were close with just a few points separating all the Houses. This year first place went to Benet, closely followed by More and then Austin and Fisher.

Huge thanks to all of the competitors for their enthusiastic efforts, to our judges who braved the tasting and to the House teams for organising and supporting the event.

It was great to welcome some budding Year 6 Scientists to the College's Science Investigators’ Workshop on Saturday 24 September. This was one of the last opportunities for prospective pupils for September 2023 entry to visit the College before the registration deadline on Friday 30 September.

Ably assisted by Miss Cooper, Mr White, Mr Southern and pupil helpers, the children were put through their paces with some fun Chemistry, Biology and Physics activities. They found out how long it takes for an alka seltzer rocket to explode, discovered the favourite conditions for meal worms to live in using a choice chamber and last but by no means least, designed and constructed paper bridges that withstood some amazing masses.

The morning has also included a run around in the beautiful College grounds near the site of our new Science Centre which will open next year, a legendary Princethorpe cookie at break and a delicious buffet lunch with their parents at the end.

A huge well done to them all, we hope they have enjoyed their investigations and that it will fuel a love of Science and STEM subjects in secondary school!

Many thanks to the staff and pupil helpers who have made the morning possible.

Father Alan MSC introduced 'Change' as the Chaplaincy’s theme for the year in our whole school Eucharist on Wednesday 14 September. He reminded the school that change is all around us, that we should embrace change, as it is only through change that we grow. Pupils were asked to consider what change they could make to be kind to others, recording their individual thoughts on a card.

Those cards have now been put on display, just outside the Chapel, around a wooden silhouette of an oak tree. They will act as a powerful visual reminder to us all that ‘Change’ is a part of life and to embrace change is to grow, just like the acorn grows into the oak tree.

Our thanks go to the Junior Chaplaincy Prefects, Father Alan and Chaplaincy Co-ordinator, Mary Benham, for their help in leading the service and creating the display and to Senior Estates Technician, Dekk Brain, for carving the striking wooden representation of the oak tree.

Sunday 18 September saw Princethorpe College taking part in the annual Heritage Open Days festival that offers the general public an opportunity to explore England’s history, culture and places of interest for free.

Visitors enjoyed a guided tour around the College conducted by Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, Archivist, Catherine Lewis and former archivists, Janette Ratcliffe and Nick Baker. The tours took visitors around the most historic parts of the building along Lower Pugin into the Library, down to the Round House, back along the Cloisters to the Chapel and then for refreshments in the Sixth Form Centre.

Catherine, commented, “We were really busy, with people queuing up for tours from 2.00pm, and there was a nice mix of visitors from near and far and young and old.”

She added, “It was wonderful to meet everyone and to share the fascinating history of St Mary's Priory.”

It was fantastic to have the OPs vs College Sports Day back in full swing and to see so many familiar faces on Saturday 3 September, kicking off the College's sporting calendar for the year ahead.

With the new Science Centre construction underway, the hub of the event, including the BBQ and OPs marquee, moved to the top of the Orchard, which seemed to work well for players and spectators alike.

The Staff Football Team started the morning in good spirts and the result - a resounding victory for the younger OPs team - does not reflect the quality of the game.

With the College Girls away at a tournament, all hockey attention was focused on the Boys’ match, with the OPs taking the honours in a highly entertaining game. 

Moving on to the Netball, the OPs showed their experience and quality on the court with a high scoring performance against the College team.

The OPs v College 1st XV John Shinkwin Trophy match produced the closest score line for years, with the OPs (leavers of 2021 and 2022) winning by just two points!

The results of the matches were as follows:

•           Football – Staff 0 v OPs 7

•           Netball – College 14 v OPs 30

•           Boys’ Hockey – College 5 v OPs 8

•           Rugby – College 12 v OPs 14

At the After Match Awards, the OPs proudly raised both the Alex Wallis Memorial Shield and the John Shinkwin Cup.

Attendees enjoyed seeing the progress of the new Science Centre, which is halfway through its build now. As well as OPs from across the decades and current families, we were delighted to welcome incoming Headmaster, Grove du Toit, and his family.

Lee Cassell, Foundation Director of Sport, commented, “It was fantastic to see so many OPs returning to play in some very competitive games against the College teams. Once again it showed the true spirt of the Princethorpe community and gave staff, pupils, OPs and parents the opportunity to watch entertaining matches over the course of the day and enjoy some fabulous food.

A huge well done to all those who played and made the day so special. I look forward to seeing them all again next year on Saturday 2 September 2023 for the next OPs vs College Sports Day.”

Thanks to all the players, supporters, organisers and caterers for making the day such a lovely, relaxed affair.

Save the date: Next year’s OPs vs College Sports Day will take place on Saturday 2 September 2023, we are looking at the format of the day and may mix things up a little, watch this space!

With the new school year now in full swing, members of the Princethorpe community have one last chance to leave their mark on the College's new Science Centre.

This incredible development, due to be ready for teaching in September 2023, will facilitate not only state of the art science education at Princethorpe but also the opportunity to redevelop the existing site for complete cross-curricular enhancement.

This last chance to contribute is available in several different ways:

• By having a name engraved on a wall brick to be displayed in the entrance lobby of the Science Centre (£100)
• By having a name engraved on a chemical element on our Periodic Table display in the Science Centre (£250). As the elements are given on a first come first basis please contact the Development Office to find out what is still available.
• By having a name engraved on a granite paver to be placed outside the entrance to the Science Centre (£500)
• By you or your company sponsoring a display panel featuring the picture and biography of a particular scientist, as well as your name, message and company logo (£1500)

You could also choose to name a specific laboratory or piece of equipment (if you would like to discuss this further, please contact stevekowal@princethorpe.co.uk)

The closing date for donations will be Friday 14 October 2022. Don’t miss out on this final opportunity to ensure your chosen name or message is recorded in perpetuity in the future of the Princethorpe Foundation.

To participate, visit the link below where you can donate online: connect.princethorpe.co.uk/pages/leave-your-mark

So many of our parents, staff and friends have done much already to support the Foundation and we are incredibly appreciative of this.

"What sort place is Crackley Hall School?" That’s the question that followers of the school’s social media were teased with last week.

The school repeatedly posed the cryptic question alongside a series of images of children at the school in the countdown to a big reveal on Friday 23 September, at 4.00pm, when the new Crackley Hall School film, A Place To Change, was premiered.

Comments, Headmaster, Rob Duigan, “Crackley Hall School has long been known as ‘the next best place to home’ by its pupils, but it is also a place to learn, grow and develop. As children progress through the school from nursery to Junior 6, we see their self-esteem and confidence grow as they discover at an early age where their talents and passions lie. By the time they reach Junior 6, children have built strong foundations, socially and academically and are well prepared for senior school life and beyond.”

Produced by the Foundation Marketing Team and award-winning Affixxius Films, the new school film was shot in the Trinity Term and captures glimpses of school life as staff support and guide the children on their individual journeys.

There were gasps of excitement in school in their Celebration Assembly when we previewed the new school film. It was wonderful to see the children’s delight as they spotted each other in the film. There were a few tears in the eyes of the adults too.

With thanks to the staff and children who took part (they were all stars!) and the film crew for bringing what makes Crackley so special to life on the screen.

We hope you enjoy it. We'd love you to like and share it on social media too!

A Place To Change