Traffic - Campus Safety

The College takes the safety of pupils, staff and visitors very seriously and we have taken various measures to minimise the risk of an accident involving a vehicle. Please take care when driving on campus particularly at busy times such as the start and end of the business day.

The start of term is exceptionally busy and we recommend that new pupils use the bus service from the first day of term. For busy times we usually have staff managing traffic on site and all drivers are asked to cooperate and to follow instructions. Our aim is to make it safe and as easy as possible for everyone.

The College has updated its risk assessment on the management of traffic on site to ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicle which you will find here. Parents are asked to review this document and to discuss with their children, how to keep safe.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Anti-Fraud

Cyber-crime – please be vigilant

Parents are asked to be vigilant when reading emails relating to the payment of school fees and any other items to the Foundation.

We continue to receive reports regarding spam emails being sent to parents of independent schools asking them to pay future fees to a ‘new’ school bank account.

Please be advised there has been no change to the bank details of either Princethorpe College, Crackley Hall or Crescent and there is no intention to make any changes in the foreseeable future. Any electronic notification that appears to be from any of the Foundation schools changing these details may be fraudulent.

Our bank details are available on the Parent Bills, the Online Payment Portal and for Princethorpe in the Princethorpe College Information Booklet 2019 – 2020, and only those details should be used.

Parents are asked to be vigilant in respect of any communications purporting to be from the Foundation requesting money that do not match our normal procedures.

Please note:

• invoices are only available through the on-line parent fee portal;

• our bank account details will NOT change during the academic year 2019-20;

• if you receive an email purporting to amend our bank details, do not make any payment and please contact us by telephone immediately to clarify;

• we do not email details of unsolicited discounts for payment of funds.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleagues in the Bursary if you are have any doubts about the correct details or indeed if anything appears suspicious.

Please contact the Bursary if you have concerns about any communication you receive and in particular if you receive any request for payment of funds outside our normal routines.

Please note we do not accept payment in cash for the fee bill.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Bus Services 2019-20

Bus Briefing

The College’s bus briefing for the services starting Monday 2 September can be found here. There have been a number of changes and improvements to the services including the addition of a new route, the S12 service, from Henley-in-Arden. Please do refer to the briefing to check the timetable and bus stops for your child.

Arrangements For The First Week Of Term

Bus passes are issued during the first week of term. Pupils may simply board the bus in the first week of the year, as long as bus fares have been paid. Thereafter, all bus users will need to show a valid pass or a ticket for every journey.

For those not purchasing a bus pass please ensure your child has sufficient bus tickets for their journeys.

Bus Services - Twitter

Parents and pupils aged 13 and over are encouraged to sign up for our Twitter feed on the bus service using @PCBuses. We will use this to keep pupils and parents informed of anything that happens during the journeys to and from school.

Simply go to twitter.com/PCBuses. From here you can follow @PC Buses, if you have a twitter account, or if you do not regularly use twitter you can bookmark this link on your mobile or computer and check it whenever you need to.

Travelling To School

The safety of pupils using the bus service is of paramount importance. We ask parents to talk to their children about how to keep safe going to and from the bus stop and ensure they know what to do if the bus doesn’t arrive. There is a briefing for pupils who use the bus service at the start of each academic year. The College’s risk assessment of the bus service is attached here and a copy is also on the My School Portal.

Temporary Road Closures

We keep an eye out for future road closures or upcoming road works and welcome any advance information from parents about such closures. We discuss them with the bus operators and communicate any changes necessary as soon as possible.

Cubbington Road S9 & S12

We are aware that there is a potential closure for a day next week and will communicate any changes as soon as we have more information.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

School Shop Opening Hours

The school shop is open for pupils during both break and lunch time, every school day. For parents wishing to visit the school shop, this can be done without an appointment between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, every school day.

Should you be unable to visit the shop during the above mentioned times and would like to make an appointment, please contact the Foundation Shop Manager, Miss Nicola Browne on 01926 634272 or via email at nicolabrowne@princethorpe.co.uk.

Nicola Browne
Foundation Shop Manager

Catering - New For 2019-20

As we move into a new school year we have revised our menus, keeping some of the old favourites as well as bringing in some fresh new ideas. Here's a couple of the new recipes for anyone wishing to try them at home.

Our menus are checked and endorsed by Holroyd Howe’s Director of Nutrition and Food Development, Amy Roberts.

Andrew Williams
General Manager

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Chana Masala

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

800g canned chickpeas or 720g jar giant chickpeas
3 onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves
5cm piece of ginger
2-3 green chillies, roughly chopped
1½ tbsp ghee
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli powder (Kashmiri if possible)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 ½ tsp amchoor powder (optional)
3 medium tomatoes (around 300g), roughly chopped, or 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 lemon, juiced
½ small pack coriander leaves, to serve

Method:

1. Drain the chickpeas, add to a large pan with 400ml of water and season. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and set aside to allow the chickpea flavour to infuse the water.

2. Blitz the onions with the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Melt the ghee in a large saucepan, then add the onion mix with a pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 minutes, until softened.

3. Stir in the spices, and cook for 3 more minutes, adding a splash of the chickpea water to stop them sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and another splash of water and cook for 5 mins, squishing the tomatoes with a spoon as they soften. Tip in the chickpeas, along with their cooking water. Cook for 10 minutes. Season well, add the lemon juice, and a splash of water if you like a looser curry. Scatter with the coriander, to serve.

Braised Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 lb pork loin
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
2 green onions chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Cut the pork in about 1 inch pieces and saute in a pan with the vegetable oil for about 3 minutes, until pork is no longer pink.

2. In a medium bowl mix the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the pork and bring to a boil. You may think there's too much water, but it will reduce. Once it's boiling turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until there's only about 3 tbsp of sauce left.

3. Stir the pork in the sauce to make sure each piece is coated.

4. Serve with steamed rice.