The Flagpole

As we come to the end of the academic year we are also rapidly heading towards the completion of the College’s fabulous new Science Centre. By the time pupils return to school in September, the building will be fully open and ready for lessons to commence.

Work continues apace inside and outside the building. In the ten new laboratories the finishing touches are being put in place. The final fixtures and fittings, handrails, balustrades and washrooms are all just about done. The loose furniture including racks of new pupil lockers are all about to go in. The commissioning of the mechanical and electrical systems has started, and the lift is in. Last week the Science department went for a tour and were utterly delighted with their fantastic new facilities.

Outside, the scaffolding is down, and landscaping continues. The site fencing has begun to be removed, allowing us all to see the new building clearly. The new courts are now all stoned up and tarmacking will start next week. External landscaping will continue until well into August.

Plans are also underway for the official opening of the new building to celebrate its addition to the College's superb facilities. It is all very exciting for us here at Princethorpe.

Year 8 explored the Battlefields of World War One last weekend on a trip to Belgium in support of their history studies. They had plenty to reflect on across the four days as the size of the cemeteries brought home the scale of the conflict.

On their first full day the groups visited key sites including the German Langemark cemetery where they took in the atmosphere of how differently German soldiers are commemorated. They moved on to the Allied cemeteries, including the Essex Farm Cemetery and Dressing Station and the Tyne Cot Cemetery as well as taking time to explore the Memorial Museum at Passchendaele and the Hill 62 Sanctuary Wood Museum. It was a day to reflect on the impact of war and an opportunity to remember all those who laid down their lives.

On the Sunday, Year 8 started at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, seeing the frontline where battle commenced. They also visited the Ulster Tower and Lochnagar Crater as well as the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Pupils were incredibly respectful at all the memorials we visited.

Monday was spent at the Bellewaerde Aqua Park enjoying some down time, but the day finished with the group attending the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. The College was immensely proud of Robert and Lola who laid a wreath on behalf of us all at the evening’s service. Members of the public commented on how wonderful and respectful College pupils were throughout.

Tuesday started with one last visit to the informative Flanders Field Museum before a quick stop at Leonidas Chocolate Shop and then it was on to the ferry for the return home.

A huge well done to Year 8. It was a thought provoking and informative trip for them all.  

Huge congratulations to Year 11 Ben Smith, Year 10, André Onyekwe, Year 10, Olivia Monk, Year 9, Grace McCollin and Year 9, Penelope Jones who competed for the Warwickshire Schools Team at the English Schools Athletics Championships in Birmingham over the weekend.

It is such a fantastic achievement for these pupils just to have been selected to compete at this national event, but to have five athletes reaching the standard is super exciting for us all here at Princethorpe College. We are proud to have had so many pupils selected from the College for the Warwickshire team.

Our young athletes competed in the Inter Boys 1500m Steeplechase, Inter Boys High Jump, Inter Girls 100m, Junior Girls 75m Hurdles and in a new event the Junior Girls Mixed Relay. Grace ran an outstanding race to claim the Gold medal in the 75m Hurdles while André soared over the bar to take Bronze in the High Jump.

We are hugely impressed with their commitment and dedication to their sports and are incredibly proud of them all. These young people really are up there with the top athletes in the country for their events and we are looking forward to seeing them achieve more athletics success next year.

The Warwickshire team had one of their most successful championships for many years and it was fantastic to see Princethorpe College pupils playing their part in the team’s success.

Many congratulations to them all.

As has become traditional at the end of June, it was a pleasure to once again host the OPs Summer Supper Reunion at the College on Friday 23 June.

Representatives from the classes of 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013 returned for their respective 50th, 40th, 30th, 20th and 10th anniversaries of leaving, along with a smattering of OPs from other years and former and current staff.

The evening started with an optional tour of school at 6.00pm ably led by Alex Darkes and Eddie Tolcher. The large group meandered excitedly around the campus, visiting areas such as the Chapel, the Library, the cloister corridors, Roundhouse, the newer Limes Building and Sixth Form Centre before venturing out to see the site of the new Science Centre which is nearing completion just off the Lime Walk.

After a glass or two of Pimms in the Quad, the group was warmly welcomed by Foundation Principal, Ed Hester and invited to take their seats in the Refectory. Fr Alan Whelan, MSC, said Grace and the refectory became a hubbub of chatter and laughter as sat in their year groups or decades the gathered OPs happily caught up and reminisced over a delicious three course meal. They also enjoyed a rolling powerpoint prepared by archivist, Catherine Lewis, which featured images of many of the attendees from year books, prize giving programmes and the College’s magazine, The Tower.

After dinner, Ed Hester, thanked the College’s wonderful catering team and spoke to the assembled gathering about developments at the College, including the new Science Centre, the arrival of new Headmaster, Grove du Toit, and how the Development Office is making a Princethorpe education more accessible for a wider range of pupils, through its Bursary Programme.

Ed then invited Peter Rollason, Chairman of the OPs Association to address the gathering. Peter detailed the work of the Association and the annual programme of activity including OP Friendly Faces, networking, social events and the termly e-newsletter. He urged the OPs to spread the word, get involved and encourage other to join Princethorpe Connect, the College’s online alumni network. Finally, as Ed introduced them, Peter presented gifts on behalf of the Association to one longstanding member of staff, counsellor, Heather Tocher, and six members of staff who are leaving or retiring after serving at the College from between six and 42 years respectively, Anna Jelec, from the SEND Department, Vanessa Rooney, Registrar, Julie Satchwell, Student Hub Manager, Loretta Curtis, Development Assistant and former Registrar, Chris Kerrigan Head of English and last but by no means least, Mike Taylor, Head of Geography.

As the supper came to a happy close, guests mingled over coffee, teachers enjoyed hearing of their pupils’ achievements and plans were made for keeping in touch and more informal reunions in the future.

Thanks go to our wonderful catering team, the OPs Committee and all who contributed to the success of the event.

To see more pics from the evening visit Princethorpe Connect.

We will shortly begin planning for the 2024 Supper Reunion, which will be aimed at all those with a leaving year with a 4 and will take place appropriately on Friday 28 June 2024.

On Wednesday 28 June the College welcomed pupils who will be joining the school this coming September, most will be joining in Year 7 but some are joining higher years.

The Induction Day was a chance for them to meet their peers, familiarise themselves with the layout of the school, get a feel for the sorts of lessons they can expect and generally to answer questions, allay fears and ease the transition to their new school.

Our prospective Year 7s arrived looking excited and a little bit nervous in readiness for an action-packed day. Head of Transition, Susan Harris greeted them warmly and soon had them organised into groups before their friendly Sixth Form helpers led them off for an their exciting day.

During the day the new pupils met their Tutor Groups, got to grips with the lunch queue and the dining room, and in the afternoon after all the sample lessons, they met their Heads of House and enjoyed some fun team building activities. There was lots of excellent advice on offer from staff and current pupils and of course no induction day would be complete without that special treat, a legendary Princethorpe cookie!

We saw plenty of smiling faces and it is clear that everyone enjoyed making new friends. We look forward to welcoming the Year 7s back again just before the start of the autumn term for the Year 7 Activity Day on Friday 1 September.

Our annual fundraising sponsored walk took place last Sunday 2 July. 45 pupils and staff, including Headmaster, Grove du Toit, laced up their walking boots and took on the superhuman challenge of walking 24 miles in seven hours.

We had Lower Sixth students walking for Mary’s Meals, raising funds to support the College’s commitment to feed pupils at Makalanga Primary School in Malawi. Then there were Year 11 pupils walking for Bwengu Projects as part of their commitment to fundraise for the Malawi 2024 expedition.

Starting at the Queen’s Head Pub in Meriden the walkers followed the official Coventry Way route for 17 miles to Ryton before finishing with an eight-mile loop back to Princethorpe College. Thankfully the weather remained clement on the day, so the walking conditions were perfect.

First over the line were Head of Boys’ Games, Joe Jackson and Lower Sixth students, Guy Dawkins and Will Harrison who completed the trek in 7 hours and 49 minutes. They were followed home by a procession of weary but jubilant walkers. Every single Year 12 student completed the distance with the last over the line at 9 hours and 36 minutes. Together the walkers totted up a huge total of 948 miles.

Organiser of the event and Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Mr Rod Isaacs, commented, “There was a wonderful spirit of camaraderie along the route. Everyone was helping each other and keeping focused on the aim to raise as much money as possible for impoverished children around the world.”

Thank you so much to all who walked and to everyone who has supported the walkers, it was a truly herculean effort.

There is still time to donate to both projects, just follow the links below:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/princethorpe-marysmeals2023

https://www.justgiving.com/page/princethorpe-malawi-bwengu

Princethorpe pupils ventured off around our wonderful earth in a series of themed activities for this year’s House Activities Day. The biggest event of the House year, it is always a real favourite with pupils who go all out to win the house points up for grabs.

After an introductory briefing from House Activities Leader Jess Newborough, pupils set of in their form groups to work on a series of activities and challenges around the school. Whether taking on the Yetis in the Himalayan Glacier Challenge on the Close, recreating Our Colourful Planet in Art, creating water purifying systems out on the North Lawn, following in the footsteps of dinosaurs around the Mile Walk, enjoying an Under The Sea roller disco in the Sports Hall, working as a pack in The Hunt on the Astro, setting up a small holding in the Good Life, reliving the magic of David Attenborough iconic nature films or taking on Mr Cowlishaw and Mr Spencer’s Taskmaster challenges, it really was a non-stop day full of fantastic fun.

After all the activities had been completed, the school came together for a finale. Mrs Newborough thanked everyone for their participation.

A huge well done to everyone for taking part and an absolutely massive thank you to those who made the day possible especially House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, the House Activities Co-ordinators, Ellie Callan, Hannah Carminati, Berenice Galano and Meg O’Gorman and our stalwart Sixth Form House Captains who all worked so hard to make House Activities Day so much fun.

Issue 33 of the Pinnacle has just been published, showcasing yet more of our pupils' excellent work. First published back in 2010, across the years the Pinnacle has always celebrated our pupils at their best. This bumper edition includes plenty more examples of their outstanding efforts, from Year 7 History projects and Year 9 clay Gargoyles to Athletics and Cricket success and plenty of certificates and awards in the Science Olympiads.

It's an extra special issue too, as creator and long standing editor Helen Pascoe-Williams is moving on to a new role in September as Head of English, making this her last edition.

As always, a double-sided Minnacle is included too, with equally impressive work by Crackley Hall pupils from Nursery to Junior 6 and Crescent pupils from Reception to Year 6.

Printed copies will be shared with pupils and parents, or you can read a copy of the Pinnacle on our school website here.

29 girls from Year 8 to Year 12 visited the British Motor Museum on Tuesday 27 June to take part in a special Girls in STEM careers workshop.

They enjoyed an exclusive keynote presentation and Q&A with Jenny Eyes, Digital Product Chief at Jaguar Land Rover. Pupils also had a Women In Motoring guided tour that included how women were instrumental in the development of the first combustion engine powered car. Then the girls became 'Engineering Apprentices' removing and replacing a wheel of a remote-control car in a race against time before racing their cars around a track. Armourers from MoD Kineton set a challenge to build a crane with pulley system to lift ammunition. There was also the F1 Pit Stop Challenge which brought out the competitive spirit as pupils were split into teams to complete a tyre change relay to simulate F1 pit stops.

The day culminated with the opportunity to meet Eliza Seville, Formula Woman 2022 winner and mechanic and test pilot at Roborace, and Chloe Grant from Laser Tools GB4 Racing Team, to discover what it takes to be a successful woman in motorsport.

Head of Physics, Dan Lee, commented, “The girls were an absolute credit to the school - they asked thoughtful questions, engaged in all of the activities and had a really positive experience.”

What an inspirational opportunity – we hope you enjoyed yourselves girls!

For Year 11, Tuesday 27 June was an important day. With their public examinations finally out of the way, the pupils and their families were invited back to the College to celebrate the end of their GSCE year in a final Year 11 Thanksgiving Service.

Led by Father Alan Whelan, the service was held in the College Chapel. A number of staff, including Heads of House and members of the Senior Leadership Team, gave emotional readings that reflected the aspirations the College holds for their future. Pupils performed celebratory music and the mood was one of optimism for the journey ahead. A plea for continuing kindness and generosity of spirit underpinned all the messages in the speeches.

Mrs Beth Sharpe, Deputy Head Pastoral, thanked all the parents for their support of the College and read a moving extract from a Denis Waitley poem called Roots and Wings. Grove du Toit, Headmaster, continued the thanks to the parents before inviting them to join with staff for refreshments after the service.

As friends, families and pupils trickled out of the Chapel towards the Sixth Form Lawn to catch up, dish out hugs and enjoy a fine spread for lunch, there was a buzz of excitement ahead of the evening’s all-important prom!

It was wonderful day of celebration and we wish all Year 11s a relaxing summer break before they move on to the next step of their life journey.

Congratulations to all the Princethorpe pupils who have completed their Duke of Edinburgh's Award Qualifying Expeditions this half term.

Unaccompanied and self-sufficient, pupils have trekked and camped their way across Snowdonia (17 Gold), the Peak District (49 Silver) and the Cotswolds (95 Bronze), working together in teams to achieve their expedition objectives.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Awards are recognised as the world’s leading youth achievement award. They provide young people with the opportunity to get involved, explore new interests, discover talents and make new friends and they are a big part of life here at Princethorpe.

Will Bower, Head of Outdoor Education, said, “I am very proud that so many of Princethorpe’s pupils embrace the challenge of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. They take the opportunity to develop skills and try new experiences, pushing themselves both mentally and physically to live up to the College’s ethos and be the best they can be and all with such commitment and enthusiasm.”

He continued, “We will be holding a celebration evening next year when pupils who have completed their Award will be presented with their certificates. The Gold Award participants will also receive an invitation to visit a royal palace, in London, for their official presentation.”

Well done to everyone who has taken part this year and make sure you all sign off the volunteering, physical and skills sections so we can celebrate your achievements next year.

Mrs Gawthorpe’s Year 7 Spanish class have been learning about fiestas in their Spanish lessons and this morning they enjoyed the chance to re-enact three of the most famous fiesta festivals.

Pupils played Dodgeball with red foam balls to represent La Tomatina, the most well-known of all the festivals, that involves thousands of participants tomato throwing. They then played, Duck-Duck-Goose to represent the running of the bulls in Pamplona (one person was the 'bull' and they took turns to chase another around a circle of pupils). Finally, pupils took turns to hurdle (jump blankets on the ground with dolls on them) to represent a real festival where men jump over mattresses on the ground with babies on them, the famous baby jumping festival is called El Colacho.

Year 7 enjoyed participating enthusiastically, getting into the fiesta holiday spirit. It was a lot of fun and a great way to discover Spanish culture and bring their traditions to life.

29 pupils from Year 7 visited the National Space Centre in Leicester on Tuesday 20 June to recognise their effort and achievement in Science this year.

Their visit began with a live Science Show It Is Rocket Science that looked at propulsion in space, with a good dose of Newton’s Laws of Motion, explosions and fire thrown in too. Pupils then toured the galleries, completing a discovery trail on the solar system, comets and mathematics. Before taking part in a workshop titled Our Earth Under Threat where they worked together in teams to assess the threat of an approaching asteroid. They used the Torino Scale, data for the probability of impact and for kinetic energy, to decide what action to take.

After a lunch break, Year 7 pupils enjoyed the planetarium show Astronaut Education. It was a rollercoaster ride that began inside the bloodstream of an astronaut in a rocket on the launchpad as the countdown to take off commenced. The experience simulated the physiological response of the body to extreme stress and environmental conditions, such as g-force. It then showed a panoramic look at space from the perspective of an astronaut in a low Earth orbit, followed by insights into a series of gruelling training tasks to conquer in order to qualify to take part in a mission into space.

It was a fantastic day and staff were impressed with Year 7's excellent engagement in all the activities. A great trip enjoyed by them all.

Many thanks to Peter Kay from DCA Design International Ltd who joined us on Friday 23 June to talk to our Lower Sixth Product Design students.

Peter began by sharing his incredible product design career journey before giving the students an overview of the history of DCA International and some of the iconic projects they have worked on.

He then moved on to talk about the process of product design, using the double diamond model, and talked the students through the product design stages using the example of a toothbrush. He shared how the design team work together to develop new and innovative products.

Many thanks to Peter for his time today and for providing a fascinating insight into the world of product design.

On Wednesday 21 June, eight students took part in the Lower Sixth Inter Schools Physics and Engineering Competition at the National Mathematics and Science College. In an invitational event, they joined pupils from Rugby School and the National College, and worked in mixed teams to complete three different activities designed to stretch them.

Their first task was an estimation challenge, the second involved complex problems to solve, then the final round was a physics ‘Pub Quiz’ that tested their knowledge of all things related to the subject. It included rounds such as 'Name the famous physicist picture?', to 'Which famous physicist won the Nobel Prize for what?' and 'Name the experiment?'.

Four Princethorpe Sixth Formers, Archy Walker, Louis Harper, Alex Flegg and Jack Grindal, were all in winning teams and were awarded medals for their achievement.

Well done to all who took part in what was a tough but hopefully engaging and enjoyable ‘physics’ experience.

On Wednesday June 21, Princethorpe College’s Yoto Carnegie Medal Shadowing Group gathered at lunchtime in the Library to celebrate the announcement of this year’s winner of the award.

College pupils were among thousands across the country who had enjoyed reading and discussing the shortlist of seven novels. An activity which broadens reading choices, challenges preconceptions and sharpens debating skills.

The winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2023 was the novel The Blue Book Of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros. Telling the story of isolated survivors of a nuclear war and told through interwoven diary extracts of both mother and son, it’s a poignant story of coming to terms with a complicated past. It is also our College Library Book of the Month!

This year the Shadowers’ Choice Award, the most popular book amongst the Shadowers nationally, was voted as I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. A complex story about the tensions and dangers of Romania in the 1980s.

Princethorpe's pupils have had enjoyed taking part in the Shadowing this year and look forward to doing it all again when next year’s short list is announced.

The library stocks the full list of this year’s Yoto Carnegie shortlist and pupils are encouraged to pop along and have a browse.

Princethorpe is celebrating after bringing home a haul of 12 medals from the Independent Schools Association’s (ISA) National Track and Field Athletics Championships that was held on Monday 19 June at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. Princethorpe took a team of 18 athletes from Years 7 to 11; the pupils had all qualified for the Nationals at the Regional Championships earlier in the season. It was an excellent opportunity for them to compete against high calibre opposition at a pre-eminent event.

Princethorpe’s medal haul included six Gold medals. Olivia Monk stormed down the track to win both the Year 10/11 100m and 200m Sprints in explosive times of 12.65 and 26.21 seconds respectively. Then Grace McCollin won the Year 8/9 75m Hurdles finishing in a super time of 11.47 seconds and took another Gold in the Year 8/9 200m Sprint running 25.71 seconds. Issey Cleary won Gold in the Year 7 Girls Long Jump, jumping a fantastic 4.46 metres, and Grace McCollin and Penelope Jones helped the Midlands Year 8/9 Girls' Relay team finish first in the 4x100m Relay competition, earning themselves gold medals in a stunning team time of 50.57 seconds.

Claiming a Silver medal were Penelope Jones who ran the Year 8/9 100m Sprint in 13.27 second, Ben Smith who finished second in the 1500m in a time of 4.24.56 minutes and Issey Cleary and Lillibee Harris who helped the Midlands Year 7 Girls’ Relay team run the 4x100m course finish second and take a Silver medal in a team time of 56.99 seconds.

Dami Ajagunna earned herself a Bronze medal after throwing 19.58 metres in the Year 7 Javelin while Lauren Tebbatt took Bronze in the Years 8/9 Javelin throwing 24.90 metres and Martina Grace claimed a Bronze in the Years 10/11 1500m running the distance in 5.26.87 minutes. A number of pupils only just missed out on medals after finishing in fourth place.

Foundation Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, was delighted commenting, “A huge well done to all of our athletes for an excellent performance. They responded so well to the top-class competition they faced and we had a number of new personal bests. Their tenacity, determination, good humour and genuine camaraderie made for a fantastic experience for the whole team, congratulations to them all.”

Competing for Princethorpe were: Year 7s Issy Cleary, Lillibee Harris, Charlie Leech, Henry Sims, Olly Moore, James Bostock, Dami Ajagunna and George Knott, Year 9s Lily Hunter, Lauren Tebbatt, Penelope Jones, Grace McCollin and Josh Harris, Year 10s Olivia Monk, Martina Grace, Lim Self and Emily Evans and Year 11 Ben Smith.

This year’s Summer Art, Photography, Design and Textiles Show opened on Thursday 22 June with a special evening reception for the artists and their families, friends and guests. The displays remained on show until Sunday 25 June allowing visitors to the College’s Summer Fête and Motoring Festival to enjoy the superb standard of work this year’s GCSE and A-level pupils have produced.

Those who know the College will be familiar with its formidable reputation for quality Art and Design and this year’s show was no exception. On display was work from pupils exploring a diverse range of mediums and themes. In the Sports Hall fascinating portraiture sat alongside superb studies, imaginative illustrations and phenomenal photography. Intermixed were intricately stitched dresses and jackets, showcasing this year’s Textiles pieces. Recycling or repurposing was a theme running through many Resistant Materials’ final products.  

Visitors were audibly impressed with what they saw, stopping to stare in wonder, exclaiming over the ingenuity and talent and enjoying the fine collection of work. There were some lovely comments received, including; "A fantastic range of pieces, some superb talents, well worth a visit!", "Vibrant celebration of Princethorpe's talent, well done!" and "Such great talent, lovely to see such a range of creativity."

Our congratulations go to all our GCSE and A-level pupils for producing such a worthy display. Thanks go to the Art and Photography Department and the Design and Technology Department for all their support and inspiration to pupils this and every year and for putting together such an outstanding display.

The College’s exhibition was once again one of many venues across Coventry and Warwickshire taking part in Warwickshire Open Studios 2023.

The College’s annual Summer Fête and Motoring Festival is always a delightful afternoon. So much hard work goes into organising the event and the College is hugely grateful to our dedicated PTA who do such an excellent job every year.

Sunday 25 June was no exception. The Orchard was transformed thanks to plenty of enthusiasm, gazebos and bunting and the British weather delivered, allowing organisers and visitors to relax and enjoy themselves and their ice creams.

At the bottom of the Orchard there was line upon line of classic and unusual cars on show.  Polished to perfection by loving owners, proud to show off their prized vehicles, Hillman Imps sat alongside Morris Minors, Maseratis and TVRs and visitors wandered appreciatively in between, stopping to ask questions and admire their favourites.

An array of stalls offered all sorts of entertainment, goods and services, including homemade food, arts and crafts, gifts, fundraising activities, tombolas and so much more.  

What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and best of all, on the day, nearly £3,750 was raised which will benefit the learning of every pupil in the school. Huge thanks to all the organisers and visitors, see you again next year for more fun!