The Flagpole

 “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

You may recognise this quotation; it is the opening line from George Orwell’s famous novel 1984. Written in 1948, the thirteenth stroke symbolises significant and irreversible changes that had occurred in the futuristic but dystopian world Orwell created. Whilst there are parallels in the changes we have seen in our lives over the past 16 months, I am much more optimistic than Orwell about the future!

As we staggered towards the finishing line at the end of term, the wonderful House Activities Day was full of fun, joy, teamwork, collaboration and competition. The weather was amazing and that buzz of excitement was well and truly back around the College – the shape of things to come and a real symbol of optimism and hope.

The Upper Sixth and Year 11 Last day celebrations were also very special occasions and we have put together some edited highlights for you to watch by clicking on the relevant links.

In “normal” years my final letter would reflect some of the highlights of the year which we cover in the final Whole School Assembly. Although we were disappointed we couldn’t gather together in person for this assembly, the advantage of having to conduct it online is that you are able to watch it for yourselves via the link. It is quite long so to help you navigate here are some of the timings of different sections:

• Heads of school address; Caitlin Mason and Anthony Convey (1 min 49)
• da Vinci and EPQ Awards (4 mins 40)
• Musical interlude: You will be found (15 mins) 
• DofE award scheme (22 mins)
• Sports Highlights (29 mins 30)
• Musical Interlude: Jesus Christ Superstar (39 mins 10)
• Fashion Show (44 mins 10)
• Hildegard Awards (54 mins)
• House Activities Day Review (58 mins 30)
• Staff Leavers (1hr 12 mins)
• It’s coming home… (1hr 29 mins 30) – as I write, this might actually come to pass..!

Mary's Meals

In spite of the challenges of fundraising that all charities have faced, the Princethorpe College community has once again shown kindness and generosity in abundance raising over £9,979 this academic year which, with Gift Aid added, takes us to a grand total of £11,722.22

The fundraising began with our annual World Porridge Day celebration in October featuring porridge sold at break and year group welly-wanging competition, won by Harry Cheshire with a distance of 32.8m (myself coming a close second with 31.3m). Another memorable fundraising boost was provided by the wonderful PTA whose Burn's Night quiz in January led to a flood of donations to help us fund a daily meal in school for the 620 children at Makalanga School near Blantyre Malawi, which is the school we have been sponsoring for the last five years.

Finally, our annual 24-mile challenge took place on Sunday 4 July and sponsorship money is still coming in. 27 pupils taking part, joined by 11 staff walked more than 885 miles walked (not excluding the extra miles for slight detours!).

Needless to say we are incredibly grateful for the support and generosity of everyone in the Princethorpe College Community who have supported the Mary's Meals vision that 'Love reaches everywhere'.

Planning for Next Term and Latest DfE Covid-related Guidance

We have been doing much planning for next term, but of course there is still a vast amount to do over the summer. It is very welcome (and rather surprising) that we have already had some advance notice this week from the DfE on the following key points which I summarise here:

Bubbles will come to an end, with the guidance saying it will no longer be "necessary to keep children in consistent groups (bubbles)". This will allow for a more normal school day and we have been told that schools "no longer need to make alternative arrangements to avoid mixing at lunch".

NHS Test and Trace will be responsible for contact tracing - not schools. The current self-isolation rules for close contacts of a positive case will come to an end. From 16 August, the guidance says that "children under the age of 18 years old will no longer be required to self-isolate". Instead, primary and secondary school children identified as close contacts will be advised to take a PCR test.

Face coverings will no longer be advised for pupils, staff and visitors, either in classrooms or in communal areas.

The proposed system for asymptomatic testing will be as follows (quotes from the guidance):

• "Over the summer, staff and secondary pupils should continue to test regularly if they are attending settings that remain open, such as summer schools and out of school activities based in school settings."
• "As pupils will potentially mix with lots of other people during the summer holidays, all secondary school pupils should receive two on-site lateral flow device tests, three to five days apart, on their return in the autumn term. Settings may commence testing from three working days before the start of term and can stagger return of pupils across the first week to manage this."
• "Pupils should then continue to test twice weekly at home until the end of September, when this will be reviewed."
• "Staff should undertake twice-weekly home tests whenever they are on-site until the end of September, when this will also be reviewed."

It is worth pointing out that there may well be some changes to this advice and we will communicate our plans more fully regarding arrangements in August.

Vertical Tutoring

A huge bonus of the removal of bubbling is that we can return to our Vertical House Tutor Groups for Years 7 to 11 in September. Mrs Sharpe has spoken to the pupils about this and we will be emailing parents directly in week beginning Monday 19 July to confirm which tutor and tutor group your children will be in. Tutors and co-tutors will contact all parents within the first week of term so they can introduce themselves and give you an opportunity to update us on any changes that may have occurred over the summer break. Pupils will spend extended time on the first day of term in their new vertical tutoring group which will allow for the development of new friendships within the group.

Standards and Expectations

We will be sending home an updated copy of the pupils’ and parents’ handbook.  Can I take this opportunity to draw you attention to the uniform expectations and standards.  Understandably we allowed for some adjustments to our uniform to support families during this academic year, but we will expect all pupils to return to school in September in full Princethorpe uniform including games kit, please ensure you have replaced any ill-fitting and missing items before the start of term.  All pupils will be expected to wear black school shoes and not black trainers. Please note that we will continue to ask pupils to come into school in the Princethorpe games kit on the day they have their timetabled afternoon games session.

A-level and GCSE Results Days

We send our very best wishes to all students who undertook the A-level and GCSEs this year. For further information about the Results Days please see Dr Reddish’s article which can be found here.

Staff Changes

A school, of course, is only as good as its staff and we are tremendously fortunate to have such a large number of hard-working, caring and dedicated professionals; I would like to thank them again for all that they do for the pupils in so many ways, not least in the way they have risen to the challenges of lockdowns, Home Learning and home working. As always, we have a number of staff changes which I will summarise below:

We also wish Lisa Challinor well in her new role as Director of Wellbeing at King’s High, after 11 years at Princethorpe as Teacher of English, Head of Year and latterly Head of Benet House. Nicola Borman will also be leaving the English department to become Head of English at Stowe School. The English department welcomes Jess Proudlock from King Henry VIII, Coventry and Jack Parker on completion of his PGCE at the University of Warwick.

We are delighted that Faye Roberts has been appointed as Head of Benet and Catherine Warne will become Head of Biology to succeed Faye in this role. Also in the Science faculty, Emma Cooper, Head of Science and Chemistry has returned from her maternity leave, and Dan Lee has taken on the additional responsibility as Second in Department and STEAM Co-ordinator. Michael Spencer joins the Physics Department as Peter McLeish, who has worked in both the Mathematics and Physics departments leaves us. Sam Curtis who joined us mid-year as a Teacher of Chemistry will be taking on a permanent role.

The Mathematics department, will be joined by Alef Rosenbaum from Myton School and Isobel Turner-Pryce from Barr’s Hill School to cover for Leanne Rickart and Christina Baxter’s maternity leaves.

Alison Wakeley has recently returned from her maternity leave and we thank Helen Dean for her work in the Music department to cover for Alison. In the History department Katharine Darwood-Bredin will also be going on maternity leave in the Michaelmas term and we welcome Julia Lindsay back. Greg Lyttle joins us as Teacher of Politics and History and Abi Adams will be leaving us after two very successful years in the school. 

Jo Powell leaves the Psychology and Sociology department and Lizzie Caisey, who joined us mid-year from North Leamington School, takes on a permanent role. In the Economics and Business Studies department we welcome Laura Wilford from The Kibworth School and Daniel Lumb.

We also say goodbye to our Trainee Teachers, Sophie Rejali, Megan Lewis, Alice Reed and Ally Drury who all joined us as part of their teacher training courses; we congratulate all for securing their first teaching positions and wish them well with their future careers beyond Princethorpe. In September we welcome new trainees Evangeline Kane, Catherine Morrish, Harry Walters, Kyle Crompton, Debbie Brocklebank-Crowder along with Old Princethorpians Rob Rollason and Bethany Rees; we wish them well with their placements.

We bid farewell to our outgoing TAs, Katie Shorten, Laura Baskerville, Maddie Downey and Will Cooper-Harris and our Graduate Sports Coach and TA, Jack Forsythe who have all done sterling work in so many areas of the school.

We are looking forward to our new incoming TAs who are Upper Sixth leavers: Luke Brotherton, Sam Wincott-Thomas and Jessica Scott.

David Cotton, our Heath and Safety Manager also retires this summer and is replaced by Rob Heath.

We thank all our leavers for all they have done at Princethorpe and wish them all well in their retirement or future careers.

As we finish two Staff INSET days at the end of the Trinity Term it was lovely to have a short outside event to celebrate our longstanding members of staff as well as those leaving the College this year for pastures new.

Long service awards were made to Special Projects Officer, Gill Price and Lab Technician, Angela Morris for 20 years of service; Peripatetic Music Co-ordinator Felicity Coulson for 30 years of service; Catering Assistant, Colin Jamie, Head of Geography, Mike Taylor and Chaplain Fr Alan Whelan MSC for 40 years of service; Latin Teacher, Rachel Taylor for 45 years of service and last but by no means least Estates Assistant Gerry Lovely and Cleaner Judy Vick for an amazing 45 and 46 years of service respectively.

Thank you and best wishes to them all.

Finally, a huge thank you to each and every parent for your consistent and continuous support over the year, it has been enormously appreciated by all staff.

Very best wishes to you and your families for the summer,

Ed Hester
Headmaster

Princethorpe College’s Junior Boys Athletics team are celebrating after being crowned champions at the Midlands Schools Combined Events Regional Championships, at The Pingles Stadium in Nuneaton on Saturday 27 June. Their win qualifies the boys for the ESAA (English Schools’ Athletics Association) National Combined Events Championships that will take place in Bedford in September.

Ben Smith, André Onyekwe, Anjola Okusanya and Vincent McNevin all put in outstanding individual performances in the five athletics Combined Events: 80m Hurdles, Long Jump, Shot Putt, High Jump and 800m. Individually, Ben finished in 2nd place overall after an excellent run in the Hurdles setting a new school record of 14.1 seconds. André was 4th overall setting a new school record in the High Jump at 1.71 metres. Vincent broke the school’s 800m record running 2.15.6 minutes to finish in 5th place overall while Anjola won the Shot Putt to finish in 8th place overall. Together the boys’ formidable individual results ensured the Princethorpe Junior Boys claimed the team win.

Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, said, “The boys were incredible. They have been training hard this term with limited opportunities to compete. On Saturday they faced teams from across the Midlands and really rose to the challenge. Their team win is a fantastic achievement and I can’t wait to see them compete at the Nationals in September.”

It was an impressive performance by the boys.

Congratulations to Amelia Burgess and Olivia Rawle, who have both been awarded the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) Grade 8 Gold Medal in Acting.

Gold is the highest medal awarded by LAMDA and will have taken years of training to achieve. Their examinations in Acting are designed to develop the skills necessary to communicate dramatic text to an audience and for their Gold Medal exam Amelia and Olivia will have had to prepare three monologue speeches of between four and five minutes each from published plays.

Amelia performed scenes from Medea by Euripides, Once in a Lifetime by Kaufman and Hart and Things I Know to be True by Andrew Bovell.” She was awarded a Distinction and clearly impressed her examiner who commented, ‘You obviously enjoy bringing characters to life’. Amelia said, “It feels amazing to have completed all of the grades and I can’t quite believe I managed to receive a Distinction at Grade 8. Mrs Buckingham, my teacher, has been fantastic throughout and I wouldn’t have been as successful without her.”

LAMDA Teacher, Kathy Buckingham-Underhill, added, “Amelia has been taking LAMDA lessons since Year 7 and we are very pleased that she has finished her studies on such a high. Amelia has consistently had high marks in her examinations, a direct result of her diligence, ownership and understanding of the tasks involved. I am delighted she has achieved a Distinction.”

Olivia, who took her examination virtually from home, performed scenes from Amateur Girl by Whittington, Our Country’s Good by Wertenbaker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare. She was awarded a Merit and her examiner commented, ‘You are a sensitive actor’ with ‘a confident stage presence’.

Congratulating Olivia, LAMDA teacher, Chris Carpenter said, “I am very proud of Olivia. She has had to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the acting process and the characters she has portrayed. Her hard work has been rewarded, well done Olivia.”

The College congratulates both girls on their achievement.

As a fabulous finale to the end of the school year, Princethorpe College hosted its very first Fashion Show and it was a fantastic affair. Featuring four collections, Trash Fashion, Tie-Dye, Upcycle and Gold, Teacher of Design and Technology (Textiles), Miranda Porter and her team of fashionistas really wowed their virtual audience.

Fashion Academy has been a new co-curricular club for the College this year, with pupils meeting on Thursday evening to explore techniques, develop designs and make garments. Pupils from Year 7 and Year 8 have enjoyed the opportunity to create and transform clothing into exciting, new, on trend styles.

Many of the club attendees also took part in a full day workshop on Activities Day, designing and making a stunning garment in ‘Gold’ in just one day.

The Fashion Show was rehearsed and recorded on Tuesday morning and then streamed to the whole school as part of the final assembly of the school year. Our new young designers debuted their pieces in style in a slick and stunning spectacle.

Mrs Porter, commented, "I am so proud of everyone, they all worked so hard to bring the show together and it was simply amazing."

Fashion Academy has been a sensational success and will be returning as a co-curricular club next year, this time for pupils from Year 7 to Year 10.

Last Sunday 4 July, 27 students and 15 staff from Princethorpe College trudged a total of just over 885 miles to raise money for the charity Mary’s Meals. For the thirteenth consecutive year our Sixth Formers laced up their walking boots and took on the challenge of walking 24 miles.

Starting in Meriden they followed the Coventry Way route to Ryton before finishing with an eight-mile loop to finish back at Princethorpe College. Thankfully the weather remained clement on the day so the conditions were kind to our wonderful walkers.

Elizabeth Boyes, Anthony Convey, Zara-Skye Drinkwater, Ben Scares, Ciaran Smith and Pablo Scopes along with Charity Prefects Joe England and Hannah McBride were first across the line in a time of 8 hours and 20 minutes and they were followed home by a procession of jubilant finishers.

Organiser of the event and Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Mr Rod Isaacs, commented, “As always, 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.”

Through the College’s fundraising, 622 children at Makalanga Primary School, in Malawi, are already receiving a daily meal in school each year.

So far this year Princethorpe College has raised £11,082.90 for the project and there is still time to support our Sixth Form walkers. If you would like to donate, please visit:

www.marysmeals.org.uk/princethorpe-4-makalanga

Thanks to the generosity of so many, over the years Princethorpe College has raised well over £110,000 for Mary's Meals, from sponsored cycle rides and welly-wanging to cake sales and this year an amazing PTA Virtual Burn’s Night Quiz, as well as our epic Sixth Form sponsored walk.

Thank you so much to all who walked this year and to everyone who has donated.

What a finale we had to the Forensic Science Club after school on Tuesday 27 June. Over the course of the Trinity term, our Year 7 Princethorpe Police Department trainees have been busy learning all about different Forensic Science techniques, from fingerprinting and blood splatter analysis to footprint evidence and soil samples, as well as how to process a crime scene and hand writing analysis.

Last Tuesday they took part in their final Crime Scene Challenge. After an unexpected break in, Year 7 were called upon to investigate, reviewing witness statements, examining the crime scenes and collecting and analysing evidence. The pupils quickly donned their protective clothing and started to search for evidence. There was plenty to find, as the careless intruders had left many, many clues – there was even a body in the cellars! It was a deadly mystery but Year 7 were more than up for the challenge.

Acting Head of Science, Faye Roberts, was impressed and commented, “All Princethorpe’s trainee forensic scientists passed their assessment with flying colours, piecing together the evidence to recover the stolen diamonds. They certainly weren’t fooled by the double crossing going on between all the suspects.”

A huge well done to all the super-sleuthing scientists who took part!

Princethorpe pupils stepped into the mystical east as they explored Japanese traditions and culture in a series of themed activities for this year’s House Activities Day. Held on Friday 2 July, the biggest event of the House year is always a real favourite with pupils who go all out to win the house points up for grabs.

After an introductory Japanese tea ceremony hosted by House Activities Leader Sensei Jess Newborough, pupils set of in their form groups to work on a series of activities and challenges all around the school. From Nana’s Food Experience to the Rickshaw Challenge, being put through their paces by the Karate Kid or taking on Takeshi’s Castle, folding origami in the Buddhist Retreat or racing Mario Kart style, it was a non-stop day full of fantastic fun.

After all the challenges had been completed, the school came together for a finale on the Close. Mrs Newborough, thanked everyone for their participation commenting, “We have had a fabulous day, it has been great to see everyone getting involved. The atmosphere has been amazing.”

A huge well done to everyone for taking part and a massive thank you to those who made the day possible especially House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, the House Activities Co-ordinators; Hannah Carminati, Kieran McCullough and Jack Forsythe and to our stalwart Sixth Form House Captains who all worked so hard to make House Activities Day so much fun.

House Activities Day 2021 concluded with one final popular Japanese pastime, Karaoke as the Houses sang along first to Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline and then much to pupil’s delight the football anthem Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)!

What a fantastic day we all had!

Congratulations to the winners of Princethorpe's 2020-21 Creative Writing Competition. 

Earning a Bronze Award are Bella Ward (Year 7) for her dystopian theme-park thriller A Glitch in a Fantasy and Andrew Gordon (Year 8) for his story about a war veteran adrift in time, The Lost Hero.  Our Silver Award winners are Anna Johnson (Year 8) for her Medusa-inspired story Hunted and Dylan Williams (Year 8) for his Sci-Fi adventure, The Pocked Man. Taking the Gold Award are Alexa Holland (Year 7) with her reflective composition Who am I?, which featured in The Flagpole in January here, and Amélie Friess (Year 11) for her supernatural horror You're Still Typing, which you can read here. 

Well done to all the entrants on their creativity and hard work; there was certainly a lot of talent and commitment on display. Certificates and prizes were presented to our worthy winners in the final assembly of the school year on Tuesday 6 July.

Lower Sixth Form student Ishbel Kempton has gone the extra mile with her Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) after her research into ‘Depression’ sparked her to run a half marathon for the mental health charity Mind.

Ishbel has always been interested in Psychology and is enjoying studying it at A-level. Fascinated by how the brain works she decided to explore her interest further in an EPQ. An independent research qualification that allows students to explore their interests and passions.

Ishbel chose to investigate the question “Whether medication is the best treatment for depression?” and while undertaking her research interviewed psychiatrists and psychologists. Ishbel explains, “The research interviews were really interesting, especially the compelling examples the professionals gave of those affected by mental health problems.” In fact, Ishbel was so moved by those stories that she decided to run the Herts Half Marathon to raise money for the Mental Health Charity Mind. At the start of June, Ishbel completed her run in just under two hours raising a fantastic £540. She continues, “I am so pleased with how much we raised for such a great charity.”

Ishbel’s EPQ research conversations with professional psychiatrists and psychologists clearly inspired her, and in more than one way, as they also subsequently led to an invitation to write a blog post on her interest in psychiatry for the Royal College of Psychiatry website, where she explains why she is now determined to pursue a career in psychiatry and make a positive difference to people with mental health disorders.

Despite our hopes otherwise, this year’s Induction event for pupils joining the school in September once again had to be a virtual evening event. However, that didn’t stop the College from offering a very warm welcome to the prospective pupils and their families.

Headmaster, Ed Hester, Deputy Head Pastoral, Beth Sharpe, and Head of Transition, Sue Harris were all on hand on Wednesday 30 June to share plenty of helpful information all designed to facilitate the children’s transition to their new school. The pupils had friendly messages of encouragement from the College’s Head Boy and Head Girl, Anthony Convey and Caitlin Mason, and helpful advice from current Year 7s, Conor Horan and Lily Hunter.

After the main presentation, our new pupils also discovered which College House they will be joining and had the chance to meet their new Head of House.

Headmaster, Ed Hester, said, “We hope everyone found the virtual induction event helpful and informative, we can’t wait to welcome our new pupils properly into school. Your new Tutors and I are very much looking forward to meeting you. For now, I encourage everyone to enjoy the summer as it won’t be long before we are all back to school.”

The Year 7 Activity Day takes place on Friday 3 September 2021 and we look forward to seeing our new pupils then. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Admissions Team at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or 01926 634201/262/297 if you have any outstanding questions at all.

We were delighted to welcome Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School on Tuesday 29 June for some fantastic Outdoor Education fun. Their youngsters enjoyed three exciting activities, including exploring the campus in orienteering with Miss Callan, tackling the towering climbing wall with Mr Bower and fine tuning their athletics skills on the playing fields with Mr Holtom. Then it was off to the Outdoor Classroom at lunchtime before an extended cross-country walk returned them to their school.

It was great to work with them and we hope they all enjoyed their day!

The latest issue 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 celebrated our pupils at their best. This bumper edition includes success in Science, Maths and Computing Challenges, news of independent research project achievements as well as excellent examples of da Vinci work. There’s also coverage of the wonderful GCSE and A-level Art, and innovative Product Design and Fashion projects which were featured in our Summer Art, Photography and Design Show in June.

A double-sized 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. It's wonderful to celebrate their talents too!

Copies will be sent to parents as part of the summer mailing.

Click here to read The Pinnacle and click here if you would like to read The Minnacle.

Our Upper Sixth are all now officially Old Princethorpians, having completed their time at Princethorpe College, albeit in unexpected and unusual circumstances. To help them stay in touch and make the most of being an OP we encourage them all (and their parents) to sign up to Princethorpe Connect - our online alumni community for former pupils, parents and staff. 

We are always interested in hearing from past pupils about their achievements and next steps, but becoming a part of the Old Princethorpians network has other advantages too. OP Friendly Faces is a special scheme that offers our newest OPs a familiar face to welcome them to life post Princethorpe, at their new university. The initiative links past pupils now established at university with first year OP students, providing a friendly face to meet up with over a coffee (compliments of the OPs) or having someone to call in their new 'uni' town or city will, especially in these socially distanced times, make for a smoother experience in the first few weeks away from home. 

Our Upper Sixth Leavers have received information on the scheme but the best way to register for OP Friendly Faces is through Princethorpe Connect.  Joining Princethorpe Connect also offers all OPs the chance to network with the OP community, to read exclusive news articles, sign up for events (such as our pub meets, brunches and reunions), purchase merchandise from the online shop, support fundraising campaigns and see our private photo galleries. 

Leavers can connect in five simple steps: 

Step 1 - Click this link to go to Princethorpe Connect 

Step 2 - Go to 'Create a profile...' in the centre of the screen 

Step 3 - Register with your home email address (not your Princethorpe one) and please tick the box to give us permission to email you! 

Step 4 - Your registration will be reviewed and approved by the Community Admins as soon as possible 

Step 5 - Once approved your Princethorpe Connect profile will be live and ready to go! 

Comments OPs Secretary, Melanie Butler, "We have OP Friendly Faces at Universities across the country and we know the scheme has helped past students settle successfully into their new uni towns. After Results Day when we know where our new OPs are heading, we will start matching them to this year’s Friendly Faces." 

If you would like to find out more (either as a Friendly Face or a new undergraduate) you can also email oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk. 

The Parents' Reading Group has been running for many years now. A group of parents get together once a month to discuss a book we have all previously agreed on. It's an opportunity for readers to share their reading interests with others and to pick up suggestions to broaden their own reading. We are very eclectic in our tastes and completely unpretentious. We would welcome newcomers and can guarantee all a warm and friendly welcome when we are once again able to meet.

As circumstances will not permit us to meet at present many of us have kept in touch about books via email. Please let me know if you’d like to be on the reading group emailing list (chriskerrigan@princethorpe.co.uk) and I’ll add you to it. We look forward to welcoming a few new faces when permitted to meet, but until then we will continue to share reading suggestions via email.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English

Saturday 4 September 2021 - 10.30pm to 5.00pm

We are gearing up for the 9th annual Old Princethorpians vs College Sports Day (and 11th John Shinkwin Trophy Match) on Saturday 4 September.

We are planning to repeat previous years' successful format with a relaxing day that mixes sporting matches with music, a complimentary BBQ, ice cream van and a subsidised bar. In addition we are planning an after match sit down buffet meal at the end of the day when the awards will be made.

As in previous years points will be accumulated throughout the day, with the Alex Wallis Memorial Shield being awarded to the victors at the end of the main programme.

Format of day:

10.45am to 12.00pm Football OPs vs Staff

12.00pm to 1.00pm Hockey Princethorpe College 1st XI Girls vs OPs XI (x 2)

1.15pm to 2.15pm Hockey Princethorpe College 1st XI Boys vs OPs XI (x 2)

1.30pm to 2.30pm Netball Princethorpe College 1st VII Girls vs OPs VII (x 2)

2.30pm to 3.45pm Rugby - John Shinkwin Trophy - Princethorpe College 1st XV Boys vs OPs XV (leavers of 2020 and 2021) plus additional College vs Older OPs (for non contact adapted game)

4.15pm to 5.00pm After Match Awards and Buffet

OPs wishing to play should contact Neil McCollin. College players will be notified of their selection via SOCS.

Please come along and support all the teams!

Arrangements may be subject to change depending on the latest government guidelines.

Sunday 12 September 2021 2.00pm - 4.30pm

This September the College will once again be participating in the Heritage Open Day festival and you are all invited to come for a tour.

Built in 1832, St Mary's Priory was one of the first Catholic buildings in England after the reformation and until 1966 it was home to a congregation of Benedictine nuns. The Priory was purchased by The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart who established Princethorpe College. Today Princethorpe is a fully co-educational Catholic independent day school.

The archive team will be conducting free tours of the College on Sunday 12 September from 2.00pm - 4.30pm and will share the history of our magnificent building and the amazing people that made it the place it is today.

Cheltenham Science Festival for school children is being run as a digital event this year. They have published lots of free content that students can drop-in and watch on demand until 14 September. They can be filtered by age and theme, but are most suited to KS3 students.

Click here for further information.

The Science Department

Open Afternoon - Sunday 19 September from 2.00pm to 5.00pm

The College Open Afternoon will take place on Sunday 19 September 2021 from 2.00pm - 5.00pm. This will be a great opportunity for prospective families to hear a welcome address from Ed Hester, the Headmaster, meet members of staff and pupils, take part in activities around the different departments and tour the school and grounds.

Open Morning - Thursday 23 September 10.30am - 12.30pm

The College Open Morning is a chance to look around the school on a normal working day, prior to Entrance Examinations Day on Saturday 6 November 2021. Year 8 and 9 pupils will act as tour guides and light refreshments will be available.

To book your place at our September Open Events please click here

The Taster Experiences for children who will be in Year 6 in September is on Saturday 25 September. We have two sessions available for those who have not had the chance to attend previous Taster Experiences, 9.30am - 12.15pm or 2.00pm - 4.45pm. 

To register your child's place at a Year 6 Taster Day click here 

Those wishing to register for Entrance Examinations should do so by the deadline of Friday 1 October to facilitate the gathering of references from junior schools. Registration forms are available from the Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney on 01926 634201 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Entrance Examinations for Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 will take place on Saturday 6 November 2021 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. More information is available on our website, click here.

Thursday 7 October 2021 - 10.00am to 3.00pm

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers Nursery in Kenilworth, is opening its doors for an Open Day on Thursday 7 October 2021 from 10.00am to 3.00pm.

This is an opportunity to look around the school and to meet staff and pupils on a normal working day. All are welcome, to book your place please click here. 

We now are accepting registrations for Reception 2022, our early bird deadline for September 2022 admission is Friday 15 October 2021. Please speak to our Admission Secretary, Mrs Jenny Vaughan for availability throughout the school and for Reception 2022.

If you can't make the Open Day but would like to look around the school, please call our Admissions Secretary, Mrs Jenny Vaughan on 01926 514410 or email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk and come on a day to suit you, we welcome visitors on most days.

For more information visit http://www.crackleyhall.co.uk/.

Friday 8 October 2018 - 10.00am to 3.00pm

The Crescent School for 4 to 11 year olds in Bilton, Rugby, is opening its doors for an Open Day on Friday 8 October from 10.00am to 3.00pm.

This is an opportunity to look around the school and to meet staff and pupils on a normal working day.  All are welcome, to register your interest in attending the Open Day please click here.

We are now accepting registrations for Reception 2022, our early bird deadline for September 2022 admission is Friday 15 October 2021. Please speak to our Registrar Mrs Helen Morley on 01788 523851 or by email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk for availability throughout the school and for Reception 2022. 

If you can't make the Open Day but would like to visit the school, please call our Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley on 01788 521595 or email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk and come on a day to suit you, we welcome visitors on most days.

For more information visit http://www.crescentschool.co.uk/.

It is always a double delight when we receive recommendations from our pupils for books.

One great way to relax, whether at home, or anywhere else on holiday, is by reading, and we hope you have already got some great books lined up and are possibly already in the middle of one. However, you might feel like something different to what you usually read, or not know where to start when it comes to choosing a book. The books on the book list attached here have been recommended by you.  We hope that you will choose a few of these to try over the summer holiday. We are looking forward to talking about what you have been reading when you arrive back in September. Happy Holiday Reading.

Mrs Scott and Mrs O'Connor
College Librarians

All the Teacher Assessment Grades (TAGs) were checked and uploaded by the deadline of Friday 18 June and samples were requested by exam boards as part of their external quality assurance the following Monday. No further samples have yet been requested and, in common with all schools across the country, we are hoping to be verified shortly.

I would like to salute the Year 11 pupils and the Upper Sixth once more for all their hard work and fortitude in these extraordinary times. We anticipate very good results in August but do please remember the appeals processes that are in place; there is a very useful overview by JCQ here. The Enquiry About Results form that is used for the appeals is available here and should be submitted by email to our Examinations Officer, Mrs Shellagh Dodds.

The government has confirmed that exam results will be published on the following days and results can be collected on the mornings of:

Tuesday 10 August 2021 – A-level and AS results
Thursday 12 August 2021 – GCSE and Latin L1 and L2 results

Please rest assured that we plan to be in school to support pupils in the usual ways – pastorally, academically and offering careers advice. We will release precise details of how the Results Days will work nearer the time when we know the current government guidelines but please make sure to protect the dates in your diary.

We are delighted that one exam board has now published the discount on their fees; WJEC have reduced their fees by 42%. Other exam boards have yet to confirm whether, or how much they will offer discounts, but whatever those discounts may be they will all be passed onto parents. We hope to be able to confirm those details for you at the Results Days in August.

May I take this opportunity to thank you and wish you all the very best for the future at Princethorpe College, and beyond.

Dr Michael Reddish
Deputy Head - Academic

Fr Alan Whelan MSC and Mrs Mary Benham, our wonderful Chaplaincy Team, share this End of Term Prayer for Students with us:

God of all beginnings and endings,

We praise and thank you for the gift of this academic year.

It has been a time filled with grace and blessings,

A time of home learning and its many challenges

A time of opportunities, joys and sorrows.

The days have passed so quickly, Lord.

The weeks, the months, the seasons and the holidays.

The exams, the assemblies, the extracurricular activities,

The travelling to and from school.

All have come forth from your hand.

Now give us the rest and refreshment we need this summer.

With family and friends may we appreciate their love.

Let our efforts of this past year bear fruit.

Bring all of our plans to a joyful conclusion,

And bless us, according to your will,

With the fulfilment of our summer hopes and dreams.

Watch over us in the weeks of rest ahead,

And guide each day as you have done this past year.

Help us return to school with a new spirit and a new energy.

Refreshed for the new challenges ahead, the new friends to be made.

May we continue to grow

In age, wisdom, knowledge and grace

All the days of our lives.

Amen

A reminder that the Leavers' Hoodies and Yearbooks will be ready for collection on A-level Results Day, Tuesday 10 August from 8.30am.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form

We would like to remind Sixth Form students that high standards of personal appearance and presentation are expected of them at all times. Our Sixth Formers are the main ambassadors of the College and role models for the lower school pupils.

Please click here to download a copy of the dress code. If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of items you purchase during the summer, please retain receipts and consult myself, Mr Vella or Mrs Allen before you wear them.

Please pay close attention to the sanctions which will be incurred if you do not adhere to the dress code.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form

We are still hoping that Year 11 pupils can undertake some work experience this year.

I know that this is a very challenging time, and that getting some work experience could be less easy for the next few months, but as things start to open up, it could be possible.

Placements can be done at any time during the summer holidays. They can also be undertaken during the early part of Lower Sixth, for example October half term 2021.

I would also suggest looking at the website Springpod which offers a virtual work experience programme which has been highly recommended by our Careers Advisor.

Many thanks to those who already have managed to help their son/daughter obtain a placement; in the meantime please could you let me know if you have managed to arrange something by emailing miketaylor@princethorpe.co.uk

Mike Taylor
Work Experience Co-ordinator

Student Finance applications for students starting their university study later this year are open now.

Please see below some top application tips.

Gather together the right information
To apply, students will need to gather the following information:

• Passport (or original birth/adoption certificate)
• University and course details
• National Insurance number
• Bank details

Parents who are supporting the application may find it helpful to have their P60 for 2019/20 and any other income information to hand.

Apply early
Students should apply early to ensure that you receive your loan payments in time for the start of the university term. You can do this by visiting www.gov.uk/student-finance

If you are planning to take a gap year, then you don’t need to apply now; you will need to make your application at this time next year.

Apply even if you don’t have a confirmed place
It doesn’t matter if you haven't yet decided where it is you want to study. Just apply using your current first choice and this can be updated easily later through your online account.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers

We were delighted to hear from OP Lawrence Chapman (Class of 2018) about his 500-mile cycling challenge for the charity The Way Of The Horse. Starting last Saturday 2 July, Lawrence cycled from Edinburgh Castle down to the Tower of London on a demanding route following the backbone of the UK. His charity bike ride took in southern Scotland, the mountains of northern England, the hills of Yorkshire and long stretches of eastern England before reaching the capital city.

Lawrence, who is currently studying Law at Leicester University, is raising money for a charity close to his home and his heart. The Way Of The Horse is based in Lutterworth and provides self-help programmes for children and adults facing mental health challenges. Their equine assisted therapies harness the power of the horse to support and enable people to resolve their difficulties, form better relationships with others, and move their lives in a positive direction.

If you would like to find out more or donate then please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/laurence-cycle500

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Cam McGregor and Year 8 pupil André Onyekwe who have been selected to represent Warwickshire Athletics in the English Schools Athletics Championships. The event will take place from the 9 July 2021 to 11 July 2021 at Manchester Athletics Arena. Cam has been selected in the senior boys' 400m and André will be in the junior boys' high jump.

Mr Cassell said, "It is great that the boys' hard work in their athletics training has paid off and in a difficult year the fact they can compete in a very prestigious event in a world class arena against the best athletes in the country is an amazing achievement."

Princethorpe College now have athletics records for each age groups in the track and field championship. The records have been created from collating and checking through past results of the pupils in the college.  The link to the records can be found here

For a pupil to break a college record they must either have the result on the Power of 10 website or an accredited ESAA athletics official to be present at the event.  If anyone thinks that they have broken a record please email Mr Cassell with the details.  Pupils will have until the start of September 2021 for a record to be counted for this year. 
 

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport

Next academic year your pupil will be taking part in an extensive sports programme which will include sports which require them to wear a gumshield.

To support this, we have invited OPRO to come into school to fit and create custom made mouthguards. They will be visiting on Tuesday 7 September 2021 from 12.15pm–4.00pm. On that day, the OPRO dental team will take impressions of all pupils who want to be fitted and the finished mouthguards will then be delivered to your home address or school approximately 7 working days later.

OPRO mouth guards start at £39.99 and they offer a number of benefits with their service:

· Buy one mouthguard and get a second mouthguard for half price;

· Your child will receive a complimentary Snap-Fit mouthguard at the dental visit so they have something to use whilst they wait for their Custom mouthguard to be delivered;

· Each mouthguard comes with a dental warranty which covers up to £22,500;

· Your child’s name and the school name will be included on the mouthguard and case;

· OPRO store all of the models in case a replacement is required;

· All mouthguards carry the CE mark;

· Our exclusive school design mouthguards are priced at £44.99 and can be found here.

 If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity and have your child fitted, please place an order with OPRO on their website.

If you have any questions about the products or OPRO’s service please contact their customer care team directly on 01442 430690 or email info@oprogroup.com.

Once all the bookings have been confirmed, we will inform you or the time slot that your child will be having their fitting.

It is not compulsory for the pupils to have a custom made mouth guard to participate in sport. You are welcome to purchase one from other avenues such as from your own dentist, the school shop or any sports shop. This facility with OPRO is just to make the process easier for families at the College.

If you have any questions about Princethorpe sport for next year, please feel free to get in contact via email at leecassell@princethorpe.co.uk.

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport

Before the Michaelmas term starts, there is an opportunity for our hockey players to attend some training sessions to help with their preparation for the forthcoming season.

If your child is currently in Year 7, 8 or 9 please click here for further information.

If your child is currently in Year 10, 11 or Lower Sixth, please click here for further information.

Many thanks

Jen Law
Head of Girls' Games

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased tickets for the Princethorpe PTA Summer Raffle.

There were thirteen fantastic prizes up for grabs and on Thursday 1 July we were delighted to welcome Paula Hernandez and Mark Rumsey from the PTA into school to help Headmaster, Ed Hester, make the draw. You can watch the Headmaster announcing the first three winning ticket numbers on our Facebook page.

Our congratulations go to all the winners, who have been contacted directly, if you haven't yet had the chance to collect your prize then please pop into the Main Reception to collect it.

Thanks once again to everyone who got involved!

Please don’t forget that Princethorpe College PTA is registered with easyfundraising. So, although we’re unable to get together and hold fundraising events in person, we can continue to raise free funds, at no extra cost to you.

When you shop via the easyfundraising website or app, with over 4,100 of your favourite retailers, including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Amazon and many more, you will raise FREE donations for the school.  

If you’re not already registered, please visit our easyfundraising page here:

This will really make a difference to our school! Thank you for your support.

Thursday 16 September 2021
Sixth Form Centre Dining Room - 7.00pm

The PTA extend a warm welcome to all, and hope you will be able to join us for cheese and wine at the PTA AGM on Thursday 16 September at 7.00pm.

The AGM will give new and current parents an opportunity to find out what the PTA does for the school, and how you could help us by supporting activities such as Open Days and the Christmas Fair and Summer Fête.

There will be an opportunity to meet other parents, those who are new to the PTA and existing members. We have a number of parents who are involved in the PTA to differing degrees. As well as welcoming those parents who may wish to join us on the committee – we also very much welcome parents who may be able to spare an hour supporting the fairs or welcoming visitors to the school on Open Days. It really is an excellent way to get involved with school life, and you can offer as little or as much of your time as you feel is possible.

Our main aim is to provide the ‘extras’ for the school which are very much appreciated by pupils and staff alike; we support events such as Trips, House Activities Day, Planet Princethorpe, the Library and hopefully the proms which the children missed out on last year. 

If you are interested and would like to discuss what is involved in being on the PTA please feel free contact the Committee at pta@princethorpe.co.uk. 

We hope you will be able to join us on the night and very much look forward to meeting you.

Princethorpe PTA

It always impresses us just how much our pupils achieve in addition to their academic studies. So many regularly take part in co-curricular activities, managing the demands of training, competing, performing or even fundraising in addition to their busy school lives.

Assistant Head, Co-Curricular, Neil McCollin is always keen to hear of pupils’ endeavours so that we can celebrate their commitment and dedication, so do please continue to share their news.

Across the Trinity Term:

Year 11 pupils, Jamie Smith and Adam Ledbrook played for Warwickshire County U17 hockey team against Northampton on Sunday 6 June and won 2-0.

Year 7 pupil, Henry Jeffries came first in his age category in the West Midlands orienteering championships that took place on the last weekend in May.

Year 8 pupil, Topsie Egan completed the Dare Skywalk and Abseil at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to raise money for The Children’s Air Ambulance charity, together with her Dad, Topsie managed to raise £2080!

Year 8, Fin Calder and, Year 7, Marco Rodriguez Hernandez took part in the UK U13 Festival of Hockey Championships. Playing for BAHA (British Asian Hockey Association) the boys finished top of their pool, then in the knock-outs won against West Panthers 2-1 but lost the final to a very strong Tensworth team. Well done to both boys and especially to Fin, who on the basis of his performance, has been selected for the UK Lions U13 squad for the next 12 months.

Lower Sixth, Jonti Spilman who took the Junior Champion title at the English Open Helice Championship 2021.

We congratulate them all.

As we reflect on the past year, we are incredibly proud of all the co-curricular opportunities which we have been able to offer this year. All the teachers have been amazing and I am so very proud of all those who have contributed, the pupils who have engaged and made the most of the experiences which we have been able to host as a school. Since May half term we have been able to participate in 95 fixtures, showcase pupils work in the Art, Photography, Design and Textiles Show, run the Japanese Theme House Activities Day and enjoy 16 different activities and trips on Monday 5 July. 

As we look ahead, I am delighted to announce that residential trips will be returning next term. As always, we will be monitoring Government guidelines but planning is full steam ahead for the following trips: 

• Incoming Year 7's will go to Whitemoor Lakes in September and we are planning to take the current Year 7's later in the academic year as they have missed out on this oppportunity this year.
• Current Year 7 girls' and Year 8 boys' will go to the South Coast at the start of half term for the annual Netball and Rugby tour. 
• At the same time the current Year 8 girls' and Year 9 boys' will go to Cardiff for the Hockey tour.
• Geography and Biology have their Field trips planned for the current Year 10, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth respectively.

More trips will be announced soon and Evolve emails detailing the sports fixtures will be sent to parents shortly. 

The provisional Co-curricular programme for the Michaelmas term can be found here so have a look to see what the next academic year has to offer. 

Have a lovely summer and I look forward to seeing you all in September.

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head - Co-Curricular

Well done on your commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme this year. 363 pupils have completed a DofE expedition since last July, an outstanding effort by all involved. Please continue to log your hours and sign off your physical, volunteering and skills sections over the summer holiday. Once these have been approved on eDofE you will receive a Certificate of Achievement from DofE Central Office for completing this element. Full Award Certificates will be distributed at the Presentation Evening in the new year.

For help, please refer to this eDofE Completion Guide and the Electronic Assessor Report Guide. You may also find it useful to refer to the Temporary Changes Summary or Gold Temporary Changes Summary documents.

Please be reminded of the remaining expedition dates for the 2020-21 cohort:

Gold Qualifying Expedition, Snowdonia Tuesday 31 August 9.00am to Saturday 4 September, 2021, 9.00pm.

Bronze Group B Qualifying Expedition, South Warwickshire and Oxfordshire – Saturday 25 September, 8.30am – Sunday 26 September, 2021, 5.00pm.

I will contact Gold and Bronze DofE participants and parents in due course to confirm the final details for these expeditions.

I hope that being involved in the Award Scheme this year has provided a welcome focus and distraction from covid. Seeing you all outside, working together and helping one another has been a great privilege.  I hope you have enjoyed the challenge; now is the time to complete it by signing off your award.

Will Bower 
Head of Outdoor Education – DofE Manager 

The Foundation is moving to a new financial system this summer.

Parents will be able to access their fee account via My School Portal. Information for the Michaelmas 2021 term will be available from the New Billing Portal. Historic information will be available via the Old Billing Portal which will remain in place until all information has been transferred across to the new finance system.

You will still be able to pay your bills online, more information on this will be coming to you soon.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

The deadline for the booking of single and return passes has been extended to Monday 12 July, parents planning on booking a pass are urged to do so by then as availability may be limited after this date.

You can access the Bus Services website at https://princethorpe.vectare.co.uk.  Please ensure that you select the 2021-22 academic year when visiting the site. As well as availability, the site shows clear information on all bus routes, stops and fare information.

Those families wishing to book a new single or return bus pass will need to do so by first setting up an account at https://princethorpe.vectare.co.uk/. Please enter your child’s year group as the one they will be in from September 2021. Bus passes are booked on an annual basis and you will be invoiced termly, starting with the Michaelmas Term fees. Payment must be made by the start of each term in order to guarantee the place. Should you wish to give notice please do so at least one half term before by emailing buses@princethorpe.co.uk.

As indicated previously, those families wishing to book ad hoc journeys will be able to do so from Monday 23 August.

Should you require any new uniform items for your son or daughter in readiness for September, please email uniform@princethorpe.co.uk and the Uniform team will be in touch when your order is ready to collect.

New Lower Sixth parents can email the shop at uniform@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634272 for an appointment for sports kit.

Sports kit embroidery will be done over the summer holidays and items will be ready to collect from the Uniform Shop on the first day of term.

Barbara Bromwich
Foundation Shop Manager

Parents may recall paying a deposit when their son or daughter first started at the College. We will write to the parents of pupils in the Upper Sixth regarding instructions for the return of deposits this term and return them in the summer holidays.

We will write to parents of Year 11 pupils who do not return to the Sixth Form in early September. Deposits will be returned at the end of September/beginning of October.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Please see below our current vacancies:

• Teacher of PE and Boys' Games
• Summer Estates Assistants
• Estates Assistant 
• IT Engineer
• IT Apprentice
• Lunchtime Supervisors (Crescent School)

Full details and how to apply are available via the following link: Join Us

Should you know anyone who might be interested in this post, please do share this information with them.

Please find below the Term Dates for 2021-22 and 2022-23

2021-22 (two page document) - updated 30 April 2021

2022-23 (two page document) 

Cyber-crime – please be extra vigilant

Parents are asked to be vigilant when reading emails relating to the payment of school fees and any other items to the Foundation. You can protect yourselves by only making payments to us in line with our normal, published methods. Any email offering a large discount on fees for the coming academic year if paid immediately is fraudulent.

There has been no change to the bank details of Princethorpe College, Crackley Hall or Crescent Schools 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 in the Information Booklet for each school, and only those details should be used.

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.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar