The Flagpole

A very happy new year to you all.

I am writing to remind you that we are holding an E-safety talk for parents at 7.00pm on Thursday 1 February in the Clarkson Theatre. It will be given by Paul Hay, an expert in online safety. Paul will be giving technical tips, usage guidelines and information on the newest trends, all based on the latest research and information.

I would strongly encourage you to attend if possible. To aid our planning and catering, I would be very grateful if you could let us know if you are intending to come by clicking on this link and filling in the brief form.

Paul will also be delivering sessions to pupils and staff during the day. This is one of many strands of our Digital Citizenship Programme, which aims to ensure that pupils use of technology is productive, safe and healthy. We greatly appreciate your support in this. 

Other strands of our programme are covered in lessons, Life Skills sessions, assemblies and tutor time. All parents will also receive the latest copy of Digital Parenting, a very useful magazine providing some great advice for us as parents in the 21st Century. 

Finally, thank you to all the parents who contributed their thoughts to the survey in December on mobile phones, your feedback was incredibly useful. We have also consulted with our pupils, the School Council and of course our staff. I shall be unveiling the new mobile phone policy at the whole school assembly on Monday 29 January and will contact parents directly with full details.

Ed Hester
Headmaster

Latest school performance tables issued this week by the government confirm the substantial level of academic progress Princethorpe students make in Sixth Form.

Princethorpe is the top performing school in the local area and the only school to score ‘Well above average’ for Progress in A-level performance in 2017. The tables place Princethorpe in the top 5% of all schools or colleges in England.

Comments Ed Hester, Headmaster, “These progress measures indicate the “value-added”  by the school, looking at where the young people started and where they end up. Princethorpe is not, and never will be, an academic hothouse, but these results reflect the tremendous progress our students make. This, combined with the array of co-curricular, careers and enrichment opportunities puts them in the best possible position to realise their future plans."

For GCSE the data analysed by the Government includes the new-style GCSEs in Maths and English, which Princethorpe pupils did not take in 2017, so the College’s results for IGCSE are not published in the tables. 

To see the results click on this link www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk

Preparations for the College Careers Fair on the morning of Saturday 17 March are shaping up nicely.

Online registrations for the event, which is open to all pupils from Year 10 to Sixth Form, will open in February. 

A wide range of speakers and organisations will be on hand to offer advice and guidance on careers, universities and gap year options.  To date we have representatives from organisations as diverse as JLR and Rolls Royce Aerospace to Ernst and Young and the Cabinet Office giving presentations, and universities from across the country, such as Cardiff, Southampton, Loughborough and Surrey, with stalls in the exhibition part of the Fair.

Comments, Jacqui Quinney, Head of Careers, "Attendees will be able to select three workshops to attend over the course of the morning, alongside a visit to the Careers Exhibition.  We are delighted with the breadth of careers we will have on offer, there promises to be a wealth of information and advice available."

An email will be sent to parents with pupils in Years 10 to Sixth Form with a link to the online registration page and information about all the speakers.

Princethorpe College Development Office are delighted to report that in the 18 months since it was established, our incredibly generous regular givers have already raised £11,000 towards our Bursary Fund – a fantastic and much appreciated amount. However, there is still work to be done. We believe that every child with the potential and passion to benefit from a Princethorpe education should be given the opportunity to learn, grow and develop here.

In September 2017 the "Cut the coffee, change a life" campaign was launched with the concept of giving £12 per month to Princethorpe College’s Bursary Fund – the equivalent cost of three cups of coffee. If 84 families were able to do so, this would cover the cost of one child’s education through Princethorpe.

If you think you would be able to help us raise even more – our target is to fully fund at least 10 deserving children – please click here to take you to our Virgin Money Giving page where it is easy to find out more and set up your donation online. We are immensely grateful for every gift, of any size. Thank you.

Every year we hear of pupils’ triumphs securing much coveted places in the County Hockey squads and this year has been a bumper year indeed with some 30 Princethorpe College lower school pupils being selected for the Warwickshire U13, U14 and U15 development programmes. 

Securing a spot in the County line-up is no mean feat. Many pupils play for local clubs and are recommended for trials by their coaches, sometimes the College’s hockey coaches encourage pupils to try out, but either way along with their school and club commitments, pupils have to attend extra trials and training sessions before finally finding out if they’ve been selected. 

The County Hockey Development Programmes run on a calendar year so the selection process happens during the school's Michaelmas term with the results announced over the Christmas break. This year the College congratulates the following pupils who have been selected for Warwickshire Hockey.  

Year 7 boys: Will Antrobus, Tom Hollis and James Robinson and Year 7 girls: Jess Evans, Sophie Gray, Tilly Houghton and Alice Whittaker. 

Year 8 boys: Adam Ledbrook, Harry Scott, Jamie Smith, Sam Tubb and Madoc Williams and Year 8 girls:  Molly Harper, Jess Mackenzie, Evie Phillips, Jasmin Rose, Grace Thomas and Lara Tripp-Smith. 

Year 9 boys: Owen Armstrong, Alfie Kay, Archie Houghton, Seb Dibb, Alex Parfitt and Tom Palmer and Year 9 girls: Milly Hemmings, Charlotte Brotherton, Anneliesa Douglas, Keely Ball and Molly Minshull.  

As part of the County selection process, pupils are introduced to England Hockey’s ‘Player Pathway’. The programme provides Development Centres and Academy Centres as progressive staged steps to help all junior hockey players realise their potential.  

For a very small number of players, there is a one further stage for their talent to progress to – the Performance Centre and this year the College is delighted to congratulate Year 9 pupil Lucy Gribben who has had the honour of being selected for the County Hockey Performance Centre training programme. 

New Head of Hockey, Kat Berns, commented, "Princethorpe College pupils have a passion for hockey, they show great enthusiasm and excellent technical skills which has clearly been recognised by the County selection teams.  This is a fantastic achievement for all these pupils and I am pleased to have such a depth of talent to call on for the school’s fixture programme.  I offer my congratulations to all of our Warwickshire stars." 

Image shows some of our talented Warwickshire hockey players from Years 7 to 9.

The Warwickshire Schools County Cross Country Championships took place on Saturday 20 January 2018 at Kineton High School.  Competing in freezing conditions and battling rain, sleet and snow Princethorpe College pupils doggedly ran the undulating course around the school's exposed playing fields.  

25 Princethorpe runners took part from Years 7 to 11 competing against runners from some 15 Warwickshire schools, including King's High, Stratford Girls' Grammar, Southam College, Kineton High School and Kenilworth School. 

It was another set of good running results for the College with the Year 7 Girls (Minors) finishing overall as County Champions.  The girls' team comprised Grace Darcy (finishing in 6th place), Julia Loftus (10th), Jess Evans (11th), Molly McGrory (13th) and Tilly Houghton (18th).  

Other team placings included Junior Girls 2nd, Minor Boys 2nd, Junior Boys 2nd and Inter Boys 4th.

Finishing in the top eight in their races and selected to represent the Midlands in the English Schools Athletics Association (ESAA) Cross Country Cup taking place in Leeds later this year were Molly Minshull (6th) and George Dunkley (7th).

Year 7’s Grace Darcy (6th) has also qualified for a Year 7 only competition to be held at Prestwich Hall in Loughborough in March. 

Finishing close to the top eight and earning a place as reserves were Will Crowfoot (9th), Tom Crowfoot (10th), Julia Loftus (10th), Jess Evans (11th) and Zak Johnson (12th). 

Head of Girls’ Games, Mrs Debs Brookes commented, "Well done to all of our runners, we saw some fantastic performances in what was a hard race in freezing, wet conditions." 

Next up for Cross Country is the ISA Midlands Championships running the infamous course at Bedstone College on Wednesday 31 January.  

Princethorpe College is delighted to be hosting a Development Reunion Dinner for Old Princethorpians on Saturday 14 April 2018 at The Hong Kong Club, 1 Jackson Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Almost 40 guests have already showed an interest in attending and the Development Office would be delighted to hear from anyone else based in Hong Kong, China or elsewhere in the Far East who would like to attend the dinner. The invitation only event will consist of a drinks reception followed by a formal dinner and will be hosted by Headmaster, Ed Hester, former teacher and Director of Boarding, Fr Teddy O’Brien MSC (1970 – 1981) and Rachel Hadley-Leonard, Development Director.

The group hope to meet with as many OPs to share news first-hand about, not only how Princethorpe is flourishing as it enters its sixth decade and its plans for the future, but also how philanthropic work is changing the lives of less fortunate children through the new Princethorpe Bursary Initiative. It is also hoped that this will also be a wonderful opportunity for old friends and new to get together, reminisce and hear about how the College has changed over the years.

This is the first official visit to Hong Kong from a current Princethorpe Headmaster, former Headmaster Fr Dan O’Connor MSC visited with Fr Teddy in summer 2013. That informal visit was orchestrated by a group of Old Princethorpians who had boarded at the College and this latest visit has been greatly facilitated by OP Alan Young, who left Princethorpe in 1981.

If you would be interested in attending the dinner please email Loretta Curtis (Development Office Assistant) on lorettacurtis@princethorpe.co.uk by Friday 16 February for further details and a formal invitation.

For details of the 50 +10 Bursary Fund click here.

Two Princethorpe College Sixth Formers have just received offers for Oxford University.  Nick Bonsall who completed his studies at the College last July, and is currently on a gap year, has received an unconditional offer to read English at St Anne’s College.  Whilst Upper Sixth Academic Prefect, James Fletcher, has a conditional offer to read Law at Trinity College. Both students were surprised and delighted with the news which they received last week.

Following a rigorous application process, English scholar Nick explained, “I knew that already having good A-level grades put me in a strong position but I also knew that Oxford University would want more. The interview itself was challenging, but the support of Mr Kerrigan, my English teacher, was invaluable in preparing me for it. I am very grateful to him for all the time he dedicated to me and the support he continues to give others.”

James Fletcher shared a similar story about his application to Trinity College, “In the interview I had to think on my feet. Every statement I made was argued against, it was clear they wanted to know my opinions.  My practice interviews with Director of Studies, Dr Reddish, proved very helpful.”  He continued, “A place at Oxford is now within my reach, I am thrilled to have been given such a prestigious opportunity.”

Princethorpe College Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie commented, “Applying to Oxford is, in itself, an extremely rigorous and character-testing experience and it seems to get tougher every year. Over their time at Princethorpe, Nick and James have applied themselves both to academic studies and to developing themselves as confident and mature young people. They have earned this success and we are exceptionally proud of their achievement.”