The Flagpole

Friday 8 June and Saturday 9 June

The College is looking forward to welcoming back the Sudden Impulse Theatre Company in June for two outdoor performances of William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors.

The Comedy of Errors is believed to be one of Shakespeare's earlier written plays; a true farce ahead of its time. The story involves two sets of twins, separated at birth, being thrown together in a tale of mistaken identity.

The performances are open to the public and will take place on the Sixth Form Lawn as follows:

Friday 8 June - 6.30pm to 10.00pm

Saturday 9 June - 3.30pm to 7.00pm

So bring a picnic and, if last year’s performances are anything to go by, enjoy some perfect summer entertainment.

Tickets will be available on the door or from www.suddenimpulse.co.uk priced at £12 or £10 for concessions.

Saturday 9 June 2018

Both Princethorpe College and Crackley Hall School will be out in force at the Kenilworth Show on Saturday 9 June 2018.

A great day out for all the family, there is so much to see and do. Returning for 2018 will be the infamous Bolddog Lings, The Sheep Show, Grand Parade of Livestock plus the Countryside Arena and displays of farm machinery to name just a few of the exciting activities that visitors can enjoy.

There will also be over 100 trade stands from arts and crafts, jewellery, homewares, through to artisan breads and pies in the indoor trade marquee (where you can also find us!), with clothing stalls, garden furniture, plants and local club stands outside.

Visitors to the show can come and find out about our upcoming open events, admissions for September 2019 and beyond, and we would love to say hello to any former St Joseph School pupils and Old Princethorpians!

Tickets are just £10 and under 16s go free! For more information about the event and to buy tickets, please visit: www.kenilworthshow.co.uk

We hope to see you there.

6.00pm Thursday 14 June 2018

PALs Theatre would like to invite you to an original production of Lost Girls, a sequel, with a twist, to Peter Pan written and directed by Year 10 pupils Abbie O'Carroll-Bailey and Georgia McCallum. 

The performance will be in the Clarkson Theatre at 6.00pm on Thursday 14 June. This is not a ticketed event, but seating for the performance is limited so to reserve your places please click here. Charitable donations can be made at the door and all proceeds will go to our supported charities. We look forward to seeing you in Neverland.  

Abbie O'Carroll-Bailey and Georgia McCallum
Year 10

Friday 15 June 2018 6.30pm to 8.30pm

This is the final call for Lower Sixth students and their families to get their tickets to the BBQ. This provides a great opportunity to socialise, relax, have some fun and raise money for the charity The Ups of Downs.

The BBQ will be held outside the Sixth Form Centre from 6.30pm to 8.30pm and tickets will cost £10 per parent/Lower Sixth student and £5 for children under twelve. The cost of the ticket will include food, a drink on arrival (prosecco for the adults, a soft drink for everyone else), live music and games. There will be a paying bar available too.

We hope you will be able to join us for our first ever parent/student summer social. Please click here to book your place today.

For thoses football fanatics among you the World Cup match, Portugal v Spain, will be shown in the Sixth Form Dining Room during the evening.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form

Tuesday 19 June 2018 - 7.30pm

Sixth Form Lecture Theatre

Followed by wine and light refreshments in the Atrium

The Christian church is one of mission. At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples to go and teach all the nations, baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This talk will look at the different ways art was used to communicate God’s Word in early Medieval times.  Our investigation will begin in the Mediterranean, where we will gaze upon sparkling mosaics, intricately carved ivories and wooden doors. We will then consider what was going on in the British Isles in the seventh and eighth centuries, and how Mediterranean art influenced creative minds in the far reaches of the ‘known’ world. Beautifully illustrated manuscripts, like the Codex Amiatinus, impressive stone crosses, such as the one at Ruthwell, not only communicated Scripture but also encouraged emotional responses in the viewers and contributed to prayerful relationships with the Divine.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door, adults £5.00; but advance notice helps with catering, please. Princethorpe, Crackley Hall and Crescent pupils free of charge. Please complete the booking form here. We are happy to receive provisional bookings by e-mail, please, to alexdarkes@princethorpe.co.uk

Wednesday 20 June 2018 at 7.30pm

At our meeting in May, we discussed Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor.  This was enjoyed by members of the group as a very sensitively observed and credible portrayal of village life.  The book opens with the disappearance of a young girl which leads to much media interest.  It is worth pointing out, however, that the fate of the girl is never discovered.  It is helpful to know this as otherwise readers can be looking out for clues that are simply not there.   The book charts the ebb and flow of the lives of the villagers but does not have a conventional plot.  This seems to be McGregor’s point.  He is simply giving us a slice of life and letting us draw our own conclusions about the material.   

We will be meeting again at 7.30pm in the library on Wednesday 20 June.  On this occasion we’ll be talking about Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, a first novel by Gail Honeyman which has been a best-seller now for many weeks.  Please come along whether or not you have read this book.  We’ll be thinking about books for summer reading and giving each other a few recommendations.  We’re a small friendly group and always welcome new faces, so we’d be very pleased to see you.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English

Thursday 21 June from 6.00pm to 8.30pm and Sunday 24 June from 2.00pm to 4.30pm

A celebration of our pupils GCSE, AS and A2 Art, Photography and Design work will take place in the College's Sixth Form Centre on Thursday 21 June from 6.00pm to 8.30pm and on Sunday 24 June from 2.00pm to 4.30pm.

A range of design technology projects, from resistant materials to textiles, will be showcased alongside the stunning art and photography work the College is renowned for.

Comments, Paul Hubball, Head of Art, "This is a great opportunity to share our pupils' fantastic creativity with a wider audience and to welcome more art and design lovers to Princethorpe."
Added Head of Design Technology, Paul Scopes, "We look forward to welcoming all the exam pupils and their families from across Design, Art and Photography to enjoy the fruit of their labours."

All are welcome. On Thursday evening admission is free, on the Sunday admission will be £2 per car including entry to the College's Summer Fete and Motoring Festival. Light refreshments will be served.

Thursday 21 June 2018 to Saturday 23 June 2018

Grease meets The Big Bang Theory, as the College’s Musical Theatre group show what it’s like to be an American teenager in this fun and energetic performance of Loserville. 

It tells the story of Michael Dork and his closest friends, a group of socially awkward teenage boys struggling through High School in 1970s America. Michael is trying to invent email, Lucas is writing his first Sci-Fi novel (Galaxy Battles; Episode 4) and Marvin and Francis spend all their time building a space ship from a shopping trolley. They are constantly being thwarted by popular and privileged school quarterback, Eddie Arch and his cronies.

Then one day, a new girl arrives at the school. Holly is intelligent, funny and harbours a desire to become NASA’s first woman in space. Her sudden arrival throws everyone’s world into turmoil.

Loserville is filled with brilliant and energetic rock songs by James Bourne of Busted. Come along for the ride to find out if our heroes ever get their “Ticket Outta Loseville”.

Tickets for the production are priced at £5.00 each with a concession of £2.50 for children and can be booked here. Please note there are limited seats and tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

Gil Cowlishaw
Head of Music

Friday 22 June 2018

11.15am in the Chapel\12.30pm buffet lunch on the Sixth Form Centre lawn

The RSVP date for this event is Friday 8 June. If you would like to attend but are yet to reply, please use the link below to let us know that you are coming:

Please click here to RSVP  

The car parking for this event will be in the Orchard. 

Staff will be on hand to direct traffic on the day and access to the Chapel will be via the external door; please kindly walk across the North car park to the Sixth Form Centre and continue through the glass link.

Pupils must arrive in school at the normal time on this day ie 8.40am and will be free to leave school, after the buffet lunch, from 2.00pm.

Carmel Hopkins
PA to the Headmaster

Friday 22 June 2018 - 6.00pm optional tour, 7.00pm drinks reception, 7.30pm supper

OPs who left the College in 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008 (or those who were in the same year groups) are cordially invited back to the OPs annual Summer Supper on Friday 22 June to celebrate their respective 50th, 40th, 30th, 20th and 10th anniversaries of leaving.

Comments OPs Secretary, Melanie Butler, "We know many OPs are keener to come to these events if they can be sure of seeing some familiar faces.  By focusing on these year groups we hope to get a critical mass of attendees, although OPs from other years will of course be welcome too!"

The Summer Supper is an established event in the OPs calendar, attracting a large number of OPs, former and current members of staff. The supper is preceded by an optional tour and drinks in the Quad. Every year the OPs recognise long-standing members of staff and say farewell to any staff leaving the College.

Numbers are limited to around 100 guests, so if you would like to attend please email oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk by Friday 15 June to reserve your place.

Sunday 24 June from 2.00pm to 4.30pm 

The Motoring Festival always coincides with the College Summer Fete, which takes place on the last Sunday in June. This year's event is on Sunday 24 June 2018.

The Festival is open to anyone keen to bring any sort of classic, vintage, veteran or interesting vehicle along for the afternoon. There will be rally plaques for all pre-booked vehicles and awards for self-judged competitions.

The Festival is preceded by an informal morning road run of about 30 miles through the Warwickshire countryside. Vehicles taking part in the run need to arrive at Princethorpe for 11.00am. There is no charge for classic vehicles entering the festival or taking part in the road run.

Barbecued food is available for a nominal charge on return to Princethorpe at lunchtime, or feel free to bring a picnic.

The Summer Fête takes place in the Orchard between 2.00pm and 4.30pm, unless the weather is inclement when we will retire indoors.  There will be lots of entertainment both for children and adults alike including a large inflatable slide for the kids, BBQ, refreshments, bar, pupils’ stalls, over 30 external stalls, a raffle and many, many more exciting things for all the family to enjoy.

On-line registration for the 2018 event is open now! See below.

For a Motoring Festival 2018 Newsletter click here

To register a vehicle online click here

For a booking form in Word click here

For a club booking form in Word click here

Further details from Alex Darkes on 01926 634207 or email alexdarkes@princethorpe.co.uk

Tuesday 26 June 2018 at 7.00pm (rsvp by Friday 15 June )

Thank you to the many parents who have already replied to the Headmaster's invitation to this event. If you are yet to reply, please use the link below to let us know whether or not you will be attending.

Please click here to RSVP. 

An extract from the Headmaster's letter can be found below.

Carmel Hopkins
PA to the Headmaster

Extract from the letter posted to all Upper Sixth parents and students:

You are warmly invited to the Upper Sixth Thanksgiving Eucharist and Buffet Supper on Tuesday 26 June 2018

The evening starts at 7.00pm with a celebration Eucharist in the College Chapel, after which we shall all adjourn to the Sixth Form Centre for a buffet supper. The dress code is smart jacket and tie for men and equivalent for ladies. This will, I’m sure, be a very enjoyable and beautiful occasion; it is a celebration of all that this Upper Sixth group and their parents have contributed to the Princethorpe community over the years. I very much hope you will all be able to come.

To help with catering arrangements, I would be very grateful if you would rsvp by Friday 15 June using the link which will be sent to you shortly by email, indicating whether or not you will be able to join us for this evening and how many people will be in your party.

Saturday 30 June 2018

A reminder to let you know that the annual Inter-Schools' Dressage Competition which incorporates the Inter-House Dressage Competition takes place at Princethorpe on Saturday 30 June 2018 and is an NSEA qualifier.

This competition is a qualifier for the NSEA Championships taking place at Keysoe in October 2018.

Click here for the schedule

Click here for an entry form in Word

Entries close on Thursday 21 June 2018

The Area 5 Dressage Competition organised by Stoneleigh Riding Club will take place at Princethorpe on the following day, Sunday 1 July 2018.

A link to the Princethorpe Equestrian page of the Princethorpe College website can be found by clicking here

A link to the National Schools’ Equestrian Association (NSEA) website can be found by clicking here

Further information from Alex Darkes at Princethorpe on 01926 634207 or alexdarkes@princethorpe.co.uk

Tuesday 3 July 2018 at 7.30pm in the Chapel

Followed by refreshments in the Atrium

Once again, Tim Campain, Director of Music at Warwick Road United Reformed Church, Coventry, will play a wide variety of pieces from various genres on the renowned Princethorpe Binns’ organ of 1901.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door; but advance notice helps catering, please. Princethorpe, Crackley Hall and Crescent School pupils free of charge. Please complete the booking form here. We are happy to receive provisional bookings by e-mail, please, to alexdarkes@princethorpe.co.uk

Sunday 9 September 2018 2.00pm - 4.00pm

Built in 1832, St Mary's Priory was one of the first Catholic buildings in England after the reformation. Come for a tour of the magnificent building and learn all about its history, including the amazing women that made it the place it is today.

From 1833 until 1966, St Mary's Priory was home to a congregation of Benedictine nuns who ran a boarding school for girls. This community sold the priory in 1966 and a new school was established by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who had previously run a boys' school in Leamington Spa. Princethorpe College is now a fully co-educational Catholic independent day school.

Our archive team will be conducting free tours of the College on Sunday 9 September from 2.00pm - 4.00pm. Areas open include Pugin’s magnificent chapel, the cloisters, nuns’ cells, library (former church) and roundhouse.

No booking is required; just turn up and join the next available tour. Entrance is via the glazed link off the North Car Park.

Admission is free and there is complimentary tea and coffee available. We would be delighted to see you!