The Flagpole

As we approach December and move towards the end of term, I write to update you on a few key areas:

Covid Update

The number of cases at present remains relatively low, although we have had a small spike recently in Year 7, which we are keeping a close eye on. Of course, most of this year group are not eligible for vaccinations yet, being under 12. There is an important update on vaccinations for school-aged children from our Senior Matron in today’s Flagpole which you can access here.

We are trying very hard to get the balance right between the ‘control measures’ we have in place and trying to run the school as normally as possible.

As you will be aware, during the course of the term we have relaxed the rules on wearing facemasks, taken away various one-way systems around the campus, put year groups together for break times and ended ‘bubbling’ of year groups in the vertical tutor groups.

As of next week, starting on Monday 29 November, we are now asking that parents come into school in person to sign children out from Prep or from the Student Hub during the school day.

We are, of course, closely monitoring the situation and will react appropriately to any changes in infection rates in the school. The latest news on a “variant of concern” may or may not have an effect here.

Assuming that the low infection rates remain, as of the start of the Lent Term on Wednesday 5 January: pupils will come in full school uniform (not games kit) on the days they have afternoon games session.

End of Term Arrangements

We are planning to put as many of the normal end of term festive arrangements in place as possible which include:

Friday 10 December - during normal school hours: College Feast Day Celebrations and Christmas Lunch for pupils and staff

Monday 13 December - 7.00pm in the Chapel: Parents’ Carol Service

Tuesday 14 December - during normal school hours: Pupils’ Carol Service and “Christmas Jumper Day”

For all those taking public exams

We have written a letter to parents of pupils involved in public examinations next summer with some information regarding the Mock Exams and latest DfE information. To read these please click here.

Towards Net Zero

We used COP26 as a vehicle for raising the awareness of sustainability and related issues across the school. We are in the process of putting together a wide-ranging strategic plan on this which I will be sharing with the whole community in the New Year.

The Science Campaign

We will shortly be receiving results from the tendering process for our new Science Building. I anticipate being able to give further news on this in January. I would like to thank all those who have already contributed to our fundraising campaign – this is a key aspect of our financial planning. We are hopeful that we can go ahead but also remain in need of further support from the Princethorpe community; if you are able to help, please do get in touch.

Launch Parent Webinars and other Support

The personal development of our pupils is clearly the cornerstone of their education at Princethorpe. Princethorpe Pupil Personal Development (3PD) includes developing:

• Self-understanding - developing pupils’ self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-discipline and resilience, including an understanding of how to improve their own learning and performance, so that they are well prepared for the next stage of their lives.
• Decision-making - developing understanding that the decisions they make are important determinants of their own success and well-being and the tools they need to make good decisions.
• Spiritual understanding - developing spiritual understanding and an appreciation of non-material aspects of life, whether religious, philosophical or other.
• Moral understanding and responsibility for their own behaviour – so that our pupils can distinguish right from wrong, understand and respect systems of rules and laws, and accept responsibility for their own behaviour, including towards others.
• Social awareness and collaboration - so that out pupils are able to work effectively with others, including to solve problems and achieve common goals.
• Community Responsibly – developing a culture of looking after others being able to contribute positively to the lives of others within the school, the local community and wider society.
• Respecting diversity and cultural understanding – so that our pupils respect and value diversity within society, show respect for and appreciation of their own and other cultures, and demonstrate sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds and traditions.
• Staying safe and keeping healthy – so that our pupils know how to stay safe (including on-line) and understand how to be physically and mentally healthy, particularly in terms of diet, exercise and a balanced lifestyle.

The curriculum for 3PD is constantly being refined a developed and the diagram here shows key elements of this broad curriculum.

Parents of course have the key role in their children’s personal development, and we know that parenting in these times can be exceptionally challenging and we are keen to support parents as best we can. With this in mind, we are going to be running a series of Webinars for parents with the opportunity for Q&A covering a range of topics, such as:

• on-line gambling and addiction
• relationships and sex education
• the effect of pornography on young people
• how to support your child’s studies
• Drugs and alcohol, what’s new…
• ‘Show me your phone’ – managing the smartphone at home
• LGBTQ+, what does it mean
• Impact of social media on body image
• Puberty
• The importance of sleep for the teenager

This link will give you access to this first webinar. 

If you have not done so already, I would be very grateful if you could fill in this brief questionnaire which gives you the opportunity to give us feedback on any extra help and support you would like to see put in place.

And finally, with snow forecast for the weekend and the start of Advent, I hope to see many of you at the PTA Christmas Fair on Sunday.

With thanks for all your continued support

E D Hester
Headmaster 

Coventry and Warwickshire School Aged Immunisation Service have confirmed new availability of clinics within Coventry and Warwickshire for those children aged between 12 and 15 who have not yet received their dose of Covid-19 vaccination. Please see the attached poster to help you book the new appointment opportunities that have been made available.

Should there be any difficulty accessing the links, please see the links below too for your reference:

·        Northgate House, Warwick

·        Coventry Central Library 

·        Bedworth Civic Hall 

The link for Bedworth Civic Hall may also present booking opportunities at alternative local vaccination sites that are also available on the National Booking Service (NBS). You can also access the NBS by calling 119.

Please also see the following link for the COVID-19 vaccination resources for children and young people that are available on GOV.UK in a variety of languages, Braille and Easy Read. These resources are to help children, young people and their parents or guardians make a decision about whether to get vaccinated: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-children-and-young-people

Please note that national guidance has now been updated to state that children under the age of 18 now need to wait 12 weeks after their most recent positive Covid-19 test result, as opposed to the 4 weeks indicated previously.

Another exceptional year of achievement, progress, creativity and contribution was celebrated at Princethorpe College’s annual Prize Giving Ceremony at the Butterworth Hall, at Warwick University’s Arts Centre on Friday 19 November. Last year’s Prize Giving was held virtually, so to have this year’s ceremony able to take place once again in person felt all the more special.

Before the ceremony, the Old Princethorpians Committee hosted a special Drinks Reception for the returning Class of 2021 and their parents, providing a welcome opportunity for last year’s cohort to get together and catch up.

Chair of Trustees, Mrs Liz Griffin, opened the proceedings, warmly welcoming parents, friends of the College and Princethorpians old and new to the occasion and then Father Alan Whelan MSC then led the assembled community in an opening prayer.

In his formal address, the Headmaster, Ed Hester, gave thanks to all those who make Princethorpe the special place it is. His warm words paid tribute to all that is done by so many in support of the College, the kindness, the compassion and the values that underpin the success stories of so many of our pupils and not just those who received prizes on the evening. He congratulated last year’s Year 11 and Upper Sixth on their resilience and tenacity over the course of the last two challenging years and applauded them all.

All evening the atmosphere was joyful and celebratory and there were superb musical interludes from the school String Orchestra, Concert Band and the Year 7 Choir, whose performance of It Must Be Love was both enthusiastic and uplifting.

Then it was time for the presentation of the awards. Listening to the citations was truly inspiring and humbling. The talent in evidence, the grit and determination, the passion, enthusiasm and commitment were all applauded and honoured.

Finally, we came to the main award, the Princethorpe Shield, the oldest and most prestigious College award presented annually to the student who is seen to embody the spirit and ethos of the College in many facets of their school life. It was a very popular decision this year, with the audience cheering a delighted and surprised former Head Girl, Abbie O’Carroll-Bailey and former Head Boy, Jack Neale who were thrilled to jointly receive the Shield in recognition of their sterling service throughout the course of the pandemic.

Then to close the proceedings the current Head Girl, Caitlin Mason, and Head Boy, Anthony Convey, gave an eloquent vote of thanks. They were joined by Abbie and Jack on stage who added their thanks to the College community for all they had done.

The evening came to a close with the singing of the College Hymn, Here I Am Lord.

Emails with links to the photo galleries have been sent to the Class of 2021, GCSE certificate recipients and the Prize Winners.

Princethorpe College’s First XI Girls Hockey team have qualified for the quarter-finals of England Hockey’s Tier 2 Schools National Championships. 

The girls earned their well-deserved place in the final eight in a hard-fought match on their home turf against Cheltenham College on Tuesday 23 November. 

Talking about the match, Team Captain, Milly Hemmings, commented “It was a very close match against a talented and determined side, but we never gave up and made the most of any opportunity we had to break through. It was a very nervous last ten minutes, but the team showed real resilience to get a well-deserved win.”

Along the way the girls have beaten Solihull School 3-1, Bablake and King Henry VIII School 4-2 and Rugby School 2-0 to get to the fourth round and their excellent 2-0 victory against Cheltenham College means they will face Blundell’s School in the quarter-finals.

The girls now have an amazing opportunity to experience the knockout stages of a national competition as they look to progress into the semi-finals.  However, reaching the quarter-finals alone is a reflection of the effort, tenacity and dedication of pupils and staff over the season.  We wish them every success in their next match.

This year's winning College Christmas card design, chosen by Ed Hester, Headmaster, is by Year 9 pupil, Isla Lacey. Her super painting features a cheery robin and a star shining brightly as the sun sets behind the College in the Warwickshire countryside.

Head of Art, Paul Hubball, commented, “There was another strong field of entries this year, plenty of original ideas delivered with lots of attention to detail. Isla’s use of strong colour really helped her design stand out and made it a perfect choice for the College’s card.”

Congratulations also go to the Highly Commended entries, whose designs feature as cameos on the reverse of the card: Year 8 pupil, Fifi Lloyd, Year 9 pupils, Pip Evans and Bea Taylor and Lower Sixth students, Leah Burford, Ed Mitchell, Lottie Paybody and Lottie Stanley.

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on amazon.co.uk. The difference is that when you shop through the smile.amazon.co.uk web address, AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases to the charitable organisation selected by the customer.

So whenever you make an eligible purchase from Amazon via AmazonSmile, the charitable organisation benefits at no additional cost to you.

The Princethorpe Foundation is a charity and, within the Foundation the Development Office work to enable the provision of more bursaries to deserving pupils, to update our facilities and buildings, and to meet our strategic development plans. You can find out more about the work of the Development Office on our school website here. 

The Development Office is asking the Princethorpe community to consider choosing The Princethorpe Foundation as their nominated charity on AmazonSmile. 

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.co.uk from the web browser on your computer or mobile device.

Can I use my existing amazon.co.uk account on smile.amazon.co.uk?

Yes, you use the same account on amazon.co.uk and smile.amazon.co.uk. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same. Simply visit smile.amazon.co.uk and log in to your usual Amazon account.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?

Millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations to charities by Amazon. You will see eligible products marked 'Eligible for smile.amazon.co.uk' on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

How do I select to support the Princethorpe Foundation when shopping on AmazonSmile?

On your first visit to smile.amazon.co.uk you need to select a charitable organisation to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping, simply search for and select 'The Princethorpe Foundation'. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.co.uk will result in a donation to support Development Office projects.

How will you use the donations you receive?

All donations received via smile.amazon.co.uk will go towards our Annual Fund. Each year, this fund supports the purchase of necessary academic and extracurricular equipment, ensures educational, enrichment and entertainment opportunities for students, and helps maintain the School’s academic and sporting facilities. Your Annual Fund contributions are at the heart of all that we do, and all that we give to our students.

To find out more about our Annual Fund please visit our website here.

Over three nights this week the Drama department is delivering a wonderful creative adaption of Louis Sachar’s Holes. Transported to the heat of the Texan desert and a compelling world of larger-than-life characters, what better way could there be to combat these dark November nights.

Stanley Yelnats is in the wrong place at the wrong time. When a pair of sneakers fall from the sky Stanley is convicted through the juvenile courts and sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys’ juvenile detention centre in Texas. There is no lake there, instead the boys spend each day digging five-foot holes in the dried-up lakebed under the watchful eye of the tyrannical warden.

Stanley believes his bad luck is because of a curse placed on his family after his great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, stole a pig from a gypsy, Madame Zeroni. The action transports us from New York City to Texas and Latvia of old in a fast-moving creative adaptation by our Key Stage 3 cast and creative team.

There is plenty going on is this comedy drama that explores important issues including inequality, sexism, and the general traumas of getting on in an adult world, alongside the importance of friendship and loyalty and the tragic things people do when they are desperate.

The first night was excellent, the young actors giving an enthusiastic performance that was received with thunderous applause at curtain call. Despite the pandemic significantly affecting the rehearsal process, drama clearly continues to flourish at Princethorpe College.

This month House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, challenged pupils to make a difference environmentally in the House COP26 Environment Challenge.

With COP26 taking place and societies’ concerns regarding our environment ever growing, pupils at Princethorpe College were invited to demonstrate how they would change their behaviour to make life better for the planet.

Tutor groups shared their Planet Princethorpe pledges on Teams with the best awarded House points as part of the annual House challenge. Pupils created videos, posters, powerpoints and even poems to show how they would be making a difference. They pledged to plant trees, go litter picking, turn off lights, shop environmentally, use environmental search engines, shop locally, eat less meat, walk instead of drive, recycle more and buy second hand. Pupils had lots of fantastic ideas to inspire us all.

The House team awarded five House points to every entry but chose the following as the overall winners:

1st place - Rafferty Jones for Austin for his Protect the Planet song
2nd place - Faith Katanda for More for her Pledges powerpoint
3rd place - Elwin Williams for More for his World on Fire painting

Adding together all the points, Austin House were the overall winners of the COP26 Environment House Challenge.

You can listen to Rafferty’s song here and look through the gallery to see a selection of the entries.

Congratulations to the U14 Girls Hockey team who have qualified for the Tier 2 Midlands Hockey Final after a very exciting afternoon of hockey on their home turf.

After their victory in the Tier 2 County Hockey tournament, the Princethorpe U14 girls progressed to the Midlands Zonal round, which was held here at the College on Tuesday 17 November. A tight opening game against Wellingborough saw Princethorpe fall behind in the first half but then fight back to earn a 1-1 draw in the second. After Wellingborough eased past Worksop in their second game, it was time for Princethorpe to play the same opponent, knowing a draw would be enough to go through. A much-improved performance, including a fantastic opening goal from Grace, saw Princethorpe through as tournament victors with a comfortable 3-0 win.

A huge well done to the U14 girls who now progress to the Regional Finals on Friday 26 November, and the dream of taking that all important final step on to the Nationals next year.

Princethorpe’s Magic Club had a special treat on Monday 22 November when they were visited by Mark Traversoni, member of The Magic Circle. Mr Traversoni popped into school at lunchtime to inspire our budding young magicians with a variety of tricks, and plenty of sound advice on becoming a magician.

His performance was very entertaining and included a number of card tricks, Princethorpe’s friendly ghosts even got in on the act when they helped to magically move the cards. Mr Scoutas trusted his wedding ring to Mr Traversoni and quite how it ended up in the sealed envelope nobody knows. Then there was paper that transformed into an ice cube and even a Rubik’s Cube that solved itself while inside a glass jar.

Mr Traversoni encouraged the young magicians to practise and advised them to join a local magic club for support and advice. He explained the difference between self-working tricks and sleight of hand and talked about the importance of entertainment when performing.

Teacher, Alef Rosenbaum, who runs the Magic Club said, “Huge thanks to Mark Traversoni for sharing his love of magic with our pupils. It was a marvellous session that had pupils wide eyed with wonder.”

Sixth Form House teams gathered excitedly at Tutor Time on Thursday 25 November for the annual House Sixth Form Christmas Tree competition. House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, turned up the Christmas songs as the crowds gathered and the anticipation built.

The four teams of students opened boxes, took off their jackets and rolled up their sleeves. In front of them lay the components of an artificial tree and decorations. Quickly piecing together the jigsaw of branches, the trees began to take shape. Lights were unravelled and artistically draped, decorations hung and then with seconds to spare, and one final stretch, stars were positioned on the top.

Judging considered the originality, appearance, environmental friendliness and House qualities and the results were – in first place Fisher followed by Austin, Benet and then More.

Well done to everyone, the countdown to Christmas has begun.

A group of 14 A-level Mathematics students travelled to the University of Warwick on Tuesday 9 November to attend the annual Maths in Action enrichment event. This event comprises of talks from leading mathematicians and maths communicators, bringing students an insight into the often asked question: “When will I ever use this in real life?”

The students enjoyed five fascinating talks on flight engineering, viral maths, statistics in the news, error correction in data transfer, and the stock market. There was also a useful session on exam technique.

The event was chaired by quiz show host, and maths social media presence, Bobby Seagull.

The Sixth Form students had a thoroughly enjoyable day and it was also a great opportunity for them to visit a leading campus based university.

If you are on the hunt for presents, we have a wonderful range of Old Princethorpian merchandise available from ties to cufflinks, pin badges to scarves and, not to mention, some very snazzy socks that would make a perfect Christmas gift.

Copies of A Spirit of Family, the first fifty years of Princethorpe College, by Alex Darkes and Nick Baker are also available.

Then we have prints and greetings cards available featuring the Soaring Red Brick Tower image and prints also of St Joseph's School.

Finally, the 2022 College calendar featuring 12 superb images of the College and its grounds is a perfect present and is sure to be a handy addition for any kitchen or office.

To ensure UK orders can arrive in time for Christmas, orders and payment will need to be received by 12 noon on Monday 13 December 2021 please.

Purchases can now be made easily via our online shop at https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/shop or from the OPs/College stall in the Sixth Form Centre at the PTA Christmas Fair on Sunday 28 November.

Sunday 28 November 2021 - 2.00pm to 4.30pm

The PTA Christmas Fair takes place this Sunday, 28 November - a fun, festive event for all ages including:

• Christmas shopping market – choose from a range of artisan crafts, jewellery and gift
• Christmas craft room – make a Christmas table decoration
• Refreshments – mince pies and mulled wine, hot drinks and cake
• Bottle and Chocolate Tombolas
• Many other fun stalls

We do hope that you and your family and friends are able to come along to what promises to be a wonderful festive event.

Monday 6 December 2021 at 7.00pm in the College Chapel

The Music Department extends a warm invitation to all parents and friends to join us in a Christmas celebration of music and poetry.

This will be an informal evening offering pupils the opportunity to perform a range of out-of-the-ordinary Christmas pieces. Pupils from the various music ensembles, LAMDA lessons, as well as individual music recitals will be taking part in the evening. Please feel free to enter into the spirit of the occasion by wearing a Christmas jumper or similarly festive outfit. There will be an award for the finest example of Christmas knitwear!

This promises to be an enjoyable and memorable introduction to the festive period. If you would like to join us then please note that due to our restrictions on numbers this will be a ticket-only event. To apply for tickets please click here and complete your details. Please note that due to the number of seats available in the Chapel there is a limit of four seats per family. If you think you may need any more, please contact me directly at gilcowlishaw@princethorpe.co.uk

We hope that you will partake in a little festive mulled wine and mince pies following the performance in the Sixth Form Centre. Please note that tickets are free of charge, but there will be a retiring collection in aid of Save The Children's Christmas Jumper Day Appeal.

With thanks for your continuing support.

Gil Cowlishaw
Director of Music

Monday 13 December at 7.00pm

Parents and friends of the College are invited to our Carol Service in the College Chapel on Monday 13 December at 7.00pm.

The service will follow the traditional form, with the College Choir leading our singing.

There will be seasonal refreshments after the service in the Sixth Form Centre.

Due to the popularity of this event, seats need to be reserved in advance. You will understand that the Chapel can only hold a finite number of people and for Covid-19 and safety reasons we need to limit numbers. Seats are available on a first come first served basis.  Please click here to reserve places and reply by Friday 3 December 2021.

Mary Benham
Chaplaincy Co-ordinator

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC, the parish priest for St Anne's, Wappenbury and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Princethorpe College warmly invites you to attend any or all of the services over the Christmas season.

Friday 24 December 2021
Family Christmas Mass         
5.00pm      Princethorpe Chapel

First Mass of Christmastide   
9.00pm      Princethorpe Chapel

Saturday 25 December 2021
Mass of Christmas Morning   

9.30am      St Anne's, Wappenbury

Sunday 26 December 2021
Boxing Day                         

8.30am      St Anne's, Wappenbury

10.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury
 
Sunday 2 January 2022

8.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury

10.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury

Sunday 9 January 2022            

8.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury

10.30am    Princethorpe Chapel

For any further information please visit the link to St Anne's website here
 
 

As you may be aware, the Department for Education recently published further guidance concerning public examinations in the summer of 2022 which has been widely discussed in the press. In light of this, we wanted to update you on what this means for those members of the Princethorpe community completing GCSE courses this academic year.

Most importantly, it is clear that the government is both keen for examinations to go ahead and very much expecting that this will indeed be the case. As we will continue to remind our pupils, it is essential that they work in the expectation that they will sit full exams in the summer.

In order to reflect the disruption to their education that pupils have experienced, awarding bodies have also been directed to make adjustments to some aspects of the summer assessments, either by reducing the content covered or by providing advance notice of the focus of the content being examined. Precise details are expected to be published by Monday 7 February 2022, as this information is released, each individual department will make sure that pupils are fully aware of how this should affect their own revision and preparation.

In in the highly unlikely event that public examinations are cancelled once again next summer, the contingency arrangements would be a similar method of teacher assessed grades (TAGs) to that used last year.

In which case the two sets of mock examinations scheduled for Year 11 in January and February 2022 would provide key evidence for the TAGs. If summer examinations were to be cancelled, an additional internal assessments window could then be arranged, as was done last year.

The mocks will continue to serve their primary purpose of supporting pupil preparation for the summer. We are mindful of the fact that they could form part of a grading decision in the unlikely event that examinations are cancelled but our advice to pupils is to view them as a learning experience, requiring thorough preparation but also providing guidance of how to improve in the future. Teachers will be giving plenty of guidance to pupils as to how best to prepare for the mocks and how to use the Christmas holiday wisely in this regard. 

We have already shared this information with the Year 11s and we hope that this summary is helpful for you to understand the current situation so that we can work together to support pupils to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic of the last 20 months or so, Princethorpe pupils are in a strong position as they move towards their exams and the past two years’ exam results highlight that our staff have a great track record of supporting our pupils.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions or concerns.

As you may be aware, the Department for Education recently published further guidance concerning public examinations in the summer of 2022 which has been widely discussed in the press. In light of this, we wanted to update you on what this means for those members of the Princethorpe community completing their A-level and BTEC courses this academic year.

Most importantly, it is clear that the government is both keen for examinations to go ahead and very much expecting that this will indeed be the case. As we will continue to remind our students, it is essential that they work in the expectation that they will sit full exams in the summer.

In order to reflect the disruption to their education that students have experienced, awarding bodies have also been directed to make adjustments to some aspects of the summer assessments, either by reducing the content covered or by providing advance notice of the focus of the content being examined. Precise details are expected to be published by Monday 7 February 2022, as this information is released, each individual department will make sure that students are fully aware of how this should affect their own revision and preparation.

In in the highly unlikely event that public examinations are cancelled once again next summer, the contingency arrangements would be a similar method of teacher assessed 7grades (TAGs) to that used last year.

In which case the two sets of mock examinations scheduled for Upper Sixth in January and February 2022 would provide key evidence for the TAGs. If summer examinations were to be cancelled, an additional internal assessments window could then be arranged, as was done last year.

The mocks will continue to serve their primary purpose of supporting student preparation for the summer. We are mindful of the fact that they could form part of a grading decision in the unlikely event that examinations are cancelled but our advice to students is to view them as a learning experience, requiring thorough preparation but also providing guidance of how to improve in the future. Teachers will be giving plenty of guidance to students as to how best to prepare for the mocks and how to use the Christmas holiday wisely in this regard.

We have already shared this information with the Upper Sixth and we hope that this summary is helpful for you to understand the current situation so that we can work together to support students to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic of the last 20 months or so, Princethorpe students are in a very strong position as they move towards their exams and the past two years’ exam results highlight that our staff have a great track record of supporting our students.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions or concerns.

Now we are in to the second half term, it is important to recognise the stresses and demands on our Lower Sixth students. You should have noticed the level of study has increased somewhat but be aware that this level of load can cause difficulties and anxieties. Here are some tips to support your youngster.

Encourage your youngster to ask for help when they need it – seeking out a teacher before stress starts to build up is essential. This could be as simple as finding the teacher before class, chatting to their tutor or sharing worries with friends.

Stay organised – consider how your youngster is scheduling their time and ensure that they are setting aside time for each subject throughout the week. Encourage them to start assignments early, set deadlines and make the most of study periods in the school day.

Mix up your study routine – talk to your youngster about staying focused and positive during their study time. It is important that they use a variety of study techniques from using flashcards or mind maps, writing summaries and watching online tutorials to getting a friend or family member to quiz them, completing practice tests under exam conditions and working through questions from the text book.

Take time to research your post-school options – get your youngster thinking about their future aspirations. Taking time to research and make plans for post-school life can provide a nice break from studies, while also helping them to stay motivated by reminding them of the bigger picture. This may include researching institutions and courses of interest, organising things for a gap year and putting together course applications.

Stay calm and keep things in perspective – Sixth Form studies are rewarding but also demanding. Your youngster’s mental health is a vital component to success. Take time to encourage them to be involved in other activities and have a balanced life style.

For more suggestions, please click on this link.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

Progress Reports for Year 9 will be published on Friday 3 December, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

Deputy Head - Academic 

Progress Reports for Lower Sixth, Years 8 and 10 will be published today, Friday 26 November 2021, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

Deputy Head - Academic 

Thursday 2 December 2021 - 6.00pm to 8.30pm

The Lower Sixth Parents’ Evening will take place on Thursday 2 December 2021 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. It will be hosted virtually through of a series of Microsoft Teams meetings with your child's teachers. Meetings will be booked online. Further details will follow on how to book the appointments.

It is hoped that all parents will be successful in gaining an appointment, however if this is not possible teachers may contact you via email to update you about your child’s progress.

You can find a list of your child's teachers under Teacher Contacts on MySchoolPortal.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

Tuesday 7 December 2021

We warmly invite all parents of Year 9 pupils to join us for our Online GCSE Options Information Evening on Tuesday 7 December. This event will be held online following the success of this format last year.

The welcome address at 6.00pm will explain the Princethorpe GCSE curriculum and the process for selecting options, followed by a series of subject presentations across four time slots; you will be able to choose which to attend based on the subjects your son/daughter is considering choosing. All sessions will also be recorded.

Additionally, should you wish to speak to Jacqui Quinney, our Head of Careers, regards the impact of subject choices on future pathways or any other careers/further and higher education matters, she will have a limited number of personal appointments available on the evening.

Evening Programme

6.00pm Welcome address, explanation of the options process

6.15pm to 6.30pm - Subject session 1

6.35pm to 6.50pm - Subject session 2

6.55pm to 7.10pm - Subject session 3

7.15pm to 7.30pm - Subject session 4

The links to all sessions and a link for booking career appointments will be emailed to you before the event.

Deputy Head - Academic
Assistant Head - Director of Studies

At the College’s Remembrance Service, Year 9 pupil, Sean Birtley read out a thought-provoking poem for Remembrance. It’s an excellent piece, well-written and poignant and it really captured the essence of remembrance. His moving poem had been recorded and is available for the community to listen to here.

From Monday 29 November, parents will be required to sign pupils out at the Student Hub if they are being picked up during the school day and from the Sixth Form Centre during Prep. We are essentially returning to pre-covid procedures in this regard.

Many thanks for your co-operation and support.

Beth Sharpe
Deputy Head - Pastoral

Gillman & Soame took individual Year 7, 10, 11 and Lower Sixth portrait photographs in September. If you haven’t already and would like to, please order these photographs as soon as possible (by Friday 26 November if you would like them for Christmas).

Please contact Gillman & Soame directly at enquiries@gillmanandsoame.co.uk or on 01869 328200 quoting the security password princethorpe629mctec2021 if details have been mislaid.  

Beth Sharpe
Deputy Head - Pastoral

The Christmas break will soon be here, and this could be the perfect time to think about catching up on some reading. Relax, read and recharge over the break. Click here for a link to a collection of twelve recommended titles that will inspire, entertain and enthral as they appeal to pupils and adults of all ages.

Mostly published within the last few months, they are an opportunity to sample new authors, stories and genres. Happy reading!

Celia Scott
Librarian

Applications open soon for Buzzacott’s 2022 apprenticeship programme, with early career opportunities in accountancy, audit and business services starting in September 2022. Begin your journey towards becoming an Buzzacott apprentice by attending their free, virtual insight event on Thursday 2 December.

Who are Buzzacott?

At Buzzacott, nearly 500 people work together under one roof in St Paul's, London, making it the largest single office accountancy firm in the UK. Buzzacott are also part of PrimeGlobal, an award-winning association of independent accounting firms.

In 2019, Buzzacott celebrated 100 years of business – although a modern firm, they are proud of their rich history and the success achieved over the past 100 years. Buzzacott has developed expertise and transitioned from being accountants to advisers, and now acts as a strategic partner to clients, whether they are individuals, businesses or not-for-profit organsiations. 

What will you find out at their insight event?

• Learn about Buzzacott’s mission, vision and values
• See what a day in the life at Buzzacott’s office looks like – from their culture of trust, to their social atmosphere
• Get the inside track on the recruitment process, and find out how to make your application stand out.

Who will you hear from?

You will hear from several members of the Buzzacott team, including current apprentices, hiring managers and firm partners, as well as 'GetMyFirstJob' recruitment experts.

Places are limited, so register here for this free event.

Book your place now for a day of inspiration, information, and opportunity to engage with potential employers. Featuring everything you need to discover if an apprenticeship might be right for you – all packed into one day, and online. 

Save your virtual seat here

The day will include the opportunity to:

• Meet and chat with well-known employers including the NHS, PwC and Rolls-Royce
• Discover popular apprenticeships and where they can lead you
• Join live interview clinics and CV workshops
• Take part in Q&As with employers
• Get tips on how to improve your apprenticeship application
• Hear what it’s really like from current apprentices
• Find out how to secure your dream apprenticeship
  
  

Whether you are just starting out on your research, and need help with deciding if an apprenticeship is for you, or if you are ready to take the next step and start the application process this event will be useful for you.  

If you join this online workshop you will discover more about how you can kickstart your career in accounting, business or technology, and also have the opportunity to hear from people who have already had experience of the Flying Start Programmes. In addition you will learn about the application process, and how university and work can be combined to gain the best of both worlds.

There are a range of degree programmes run by PwC in partnership with top universities across the UK. 

The event takes place on Thursday 9 December from 5.00pm to 6.30pm.

Find out more and register here. 

Work experience is now back on the post GCSE agenda, and, as things open up after COVID, we hope that all our Year 11 students will be able to find a placement in Summer 2022.

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

Princethorpe is fortunate to have two talented young goalkeepers this year, playing for the College’s first team. Alexander Hammond and Finn Osborn, who are both in Year 11 and currently preparing for their GCSEs, have also impressively both recently seen success in their chosen sport outside of school.

Alexander is an accomplished and determined player who currently plays for Aston Villa Academy. Last year, he was put on standby for the England football squad and just recently he took part in an England Men’s Goalkeeping Development Camp at the National Football Centre, St George’s Park. The camp was an opportunity for an elite few of England’s up and coming goalkeepers to showcase and develop their skills and was an amazing opportunity for him.

Finn, who has previously played at West Bromwich Albion Academy, is currently playing for the Independent School Football Association’s (ISFA) U18 South squad and after a particularly strong performance has just been selected to go forward to the final national trials for the ISFA U18 National squad. Finn has also given up his Thursday evenings this year, to help coach and referee the U12 and U13 school teams.

PE Teacher, Ross Holtom, comments, “It is great to see these young players performing so well, it is unusual to have two such gifted, dedicated and hard-working goalkeepers to call on for a school team and it is fantastic to have them so committed to playing for the College.”

Well done to both boys, we are delighted to have such fine shot-stoppers here at Princethorpe.

The U13 Hockey Girls had a fantastic day at the National ISA Tournament at the London Olympic Park on Wednesday 17 November.

Facing the best players from 20 schools from across the country, the girls began with a morning of round robin games in the first round group stage. They made an excellent start winning their first game against Luckley House School 2-0. That was followed with two tight matches against Tranby School and Alton School that both ended as goalless draws. They finished the first round with an unlucky loss, going down 1-0 against Langley Prep.

That qualified the team for the afternoon’s Trophy competition. In their semi-final the team faced Bedford Greenacre School. In a fast and exciting game, the girls worked hard and scored twice to take the win 2-0. They then faced Cundall Manor School in what was a tough final that finished in a 1-0 loss.

Head of Girls' Games, Jen Law, said, “The girls played some great hockey and represented the College excellently. We had a fantastic day full of hockey, they have learnt lots and should be proud of finishing second in the Trophy competition. Well done to all the girls who took part.”

The College’s Cross Country Team can congratulate themselves after another good run at the English Schools’ Athletics Association’s Cross Country Regional Finals. The event took place at Bromsgrove School on Saturday 13 November and running conditions were good for the field of over 300 runners, from 32 schools, on what was a mild dry autumn day.

The Junior Boys team finished in 6th place overall after a strong run by Charlie Atkins helped him home in 3rd place. He was followed over the line by William Smith in 25th, Sam Grindal 37th, Connor Darcy 40th, Henry Fox 55th and Soren Wasley 56th.

The Inter Girls also ran well, Kate Pomerleau was first home finishing in 5th place with Ava Farren just behind in 9th, Olivia Bacon 39th, Kaena Wasley 45th and Olivia Sarkies in 54th. The Inter Girls team finished 9th overall.

The Senior Girls had a good outing with Grace Darcy finishing in 6th, Julia Loftus in 22nd and Emma Sarkies in 33rd.

Head of Outdoor Education, Will Bower, was delighted and commented, “We have a strong team of runners who support each other and never give in.  They ran well today against tough competition taking on the course tenaciously.” He added, “We have a brilliant turnout every Wednesday morning for our breakfast cross country club.  Week in week out, we always have runners out early and their hard work, discipline and commitment are commendable.”

Well done to all the runners who took part.

Congratulations to the Princethorpe’s Equestrian Team, who had an excellent outing at the Bloxham School Eventer Challenge.

The event took place at the Aston-Le-Walls event centre on Sunday 14 November and welcomed riders from across the country. Princethorpe College entered two teams: Jess Hedgecock, Rosie Moreton and Grace Paybody took on the 80cm challenge while Sophie Glover, Claudia Newman and Lottie Paybody rode in the 90cm class.

The competition involved jumping an exciting mix of show-jumping and cross-country fences, including water, banks, drops and ditches, in a continuous round.  

All the girls competed with confidence against a very strong field of talented teams. They rode with determination and assurance to claim great results. Sophia, Claudia and Lottie finished third overall while Grace, Jess and Rosie finished fantastically in first place.

A really accomplished performance and well-deserved success – a huge well done to them all!

With dark nights upon us and the cold weather of winter fast appoaching, the new Princethorpe College Zaini hat is now available. The hats can be bought for £15 from the school shop.  These would make a fantastic Christmas present.

I would like to say thank you to all the pupils and staff for their hard work in all of the PE and sport activities that happened last half term. It has been great to see so many pupils participating in sport on site and representing the College in competitive fixtures. 

For Games, pupils will continue to come to school in their Princethorpe College PE kit and the correct footwear for their activity, it is recommended that pupils bring their College waterproof with them with a change in the weather expected.

The extra-curricular programme will follow the same programme although some small changes have been made to boys' football.

Year 9 boys football training – Tuesday lunchtime on the astro turf

Year 8 boys football training – Thursday lunchtime on the astro turf

Year 7 boys football training – Friday lunchtime on the astro turf

All pupils must ensure that they attend all sporting activities in the correct College kit. 

Sports Kit Reminder

Just as a reminder, with the weather likely to change, below is the PE and Games kit required and, as always, we value your support and commitment to our team and our school. When coming to school in PE kit for Games lessons boys must wear black Princethorpe tracksuit bottoms and girls can either wear black Princethorpe tracksuit bottoms or leggings with a skort.

Curriculum PE Lessons:

Boys - black sports shorts, white socks, white polo shirt or House polo shirt;

Girls - black skort, white socks, white polo shirt or House polo shirt;

Games Lessons – Boys:

Rugby - black rugby shorts, red and black rugby shirt, Princethorpe black socks, football/rugby boots, gum shield;

Hockey - black sports shorts, white polo shirt, black socks, trainers or astro-turf trainers, gum shield, shin pads;

Football - black sports shorts, white polo shirt, Princethorpe black socks, football boots, shin pads;

Games Lessons – Girls:

Netball - black skort, white polo shirt, white socks;

Hockey - black skort, white polo shirt, Princethorpe black socks, trainers or astro-turf trainers, gum shield, shin pads;

In cold weather black Princethorpe tracksuit bottoms, black sports fleeces and/or Princethorpe sports jackets may be worn;

In any PE or Games lesson if you wear base layers or “skinz” then they must be black in colour. No jewellery or watches are to be worn and long hair must be tied up.

Only Princethorpe sports kit can be worn for sports lessons and sports fixtures.

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport 

Our friendly PTA here at Princethorpe College are keen to welcome new members. 

By joining our PTA community, you are not committing to volunteer, but just to joining our community and if you do wish to volunteer you will receive emails when we require help to run our events.

For more information about the PTA and how to join please email pta@princethorpe.co.uk

Princethorpe PTA

Year 7 pupils tried out zinc electro-plating in Science Club this week. Electroplating is an important industrial application of electrolysis that involves coating a metal object with another metal to protect or enhance its surface properties.

Copper sheets of metal were first coated with wax, pupils then scratched off a design before the sheets were placed in a bath of zinc sulfate to plate them. The young scientists washed off the remaining wax with hot water and the copper and zinc patterns they’d created were revealed.

It was lovely to see so many pupils turning up to enjoy science in their free time.

Princethorpe’s Year 7 Science club runs every Tuesday in G4 for the first half of lunch.

The History department Year 8 trip to Ypres and the Somme will take place between 1 July and 5 July 2022. It is an exciting opportunity to visit the battlefields of WW1, discover how the war was fought and won, and what life was like in the trenches. It is a great introduction to the scheme of work followed in Year 9 which focuses on conflict of the twentieth century and its impact on the people of Europe. Please click here for more information.

Please email peterbucknall@princethorpe.co.uk to register your interest or for more information.

Peter Bucknall 
Head of History

Co-curricular trips and educational visits have always been a major part of life at Princethorpe. These experiences for pupils enrich their lives, enhance their learning and develop their understanding and appreciation of the world around. Over the past 18 months, opportunities for these have been sadly lacking but it has been great for us to be able to successfully run the Year 7 residential to Whitemoor Lakes and the Lower Sixth residential as year group bubble trips this term. Supporting the curriculum, we have had Maths Challenge to Warwick University, Geography field trips for Year 11 and Upper Sixth, as well at the Fashion and Design Technology trip to London.

We know that there will be concerns this winter about more spikes in COVID cases; however, it is important to look forward and plan for the summer and beyond making the best, informed judgements at the time. We have, as always, been hugely gratefully to parents for their support in this aspect of Princethorpe so wanted to update you with the provisional major trips and visits plans as they currently stand (this does not include academic department day trips or Duke of Edinburgh). Please see here for the planned school trips in the coming years.

Please also ensure that you read the information about individual trips with care when they are released, in particular in relation to consent, cancellation and insurance.

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head - Co-Curricular

Please see below our current vacancies: 

• Caretaker - Full Time - Crackley Hall School
• Caretaker - Part Time - Princethorpe College
• Cleaner - Saturdays - Princethorpe College
• Examinations Invigilator - Princethorpe College
• Lead Examinations Invigilator - Princethorpe College
• Early Years Assistant - Crackley Hall 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.

With the cold weather setting in, just a reminder that school jumpers are available from the School Shop. The school jumper for girls' is red in Years 7 and 8 and green for Years 9 to 11. The boys' school jumper is black. Sixth Form students wear a plain dark coloured jumper.

Written permission from home is needed to add items to the school fee account. Cash, cheque or card payments are of course welcome.

Barbara Bromwich
Foundation Shop Manager

Please note that the school shop will be closed from 2.00pm on Tuesday 14 December 2021 and reopen at the beginning of the Lent term on Wednesday 5 January 2022.

Shop opening hours during term time are Monday to Friday during the following times:

• For pupils - break and lunch time
• Pupils and parents - Mondays and Wednesdays, after school until 4.30pm

Remember you can email orders for uniform to uniform@princethorpe.co.uk or call direct on 01926 634272.

If your child would like to purchase any uniform, please give written permission or contact the school shop. Items can be paid for in cash, by cheque or added to the school bill.

Barbara Bromwich
Foundation Shop Manager

Friday 10 December 2021

Pupils will be able to enjoy a festive Christmas lunch, Friday 10 December, served in the Main Refectory and Sixth Form Dining Room.

Tickets will be on sale from Monday 29 November and are available until Monday 6 December. Tickets cost £5.50 and can be purchased via the dining outlets during this period. 

Please note the tickets will be needed on the day to obtain your festive Christmas lunch.

Andrew Williams
General Manager - Holroyd Howe

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

2021-22 (two page document)

2022-23 (two page document) 

As it is the time of year when there is the threat of snow, it might be helpful for everyone to be familiar with the arrangements should there be significant snowfall. Where possible and if it’s safe to do so, we always remain open, even if we have to end the school day earlier than usual.

Should there be bad weather overnight, we talk to the bus companies a little before 6.00am and they brief us about their ability to operate our services. The Headmaster then makes a decision about whether the school will open.

Information will be available via the channels detailed below:

• The home page of the website www.princethorpe.co.uk will normally be updated shortly after 6.00am.
• We will also post on the College Twitter page @PrincethorpeCol and Facebook Page www.facebook.com/PrincethorpeCollege shortly after 6.00am.
• If there is likely to be disruption we will send text messages to parents’ mobiles and the mobiles of pupils who use the buses, usually by 6.30am. Please note that we are not able to receive text replies on this service. 

If you want to look online at reliable weather forecasting, then www.weather.co.uk and www.metcheck.com are both sites which we use. In the case of flooding, then www.environment-agency.gov.uk is also useful. If you look under Flood and then use the river search word Leam, that will give you a good idea of the conditions around Princethorpe and the surrounding villages.

Should we have to close in the course of the day we will send text messages to let you know the  arrangements.  

In such circumstances we will publish regular updates on the website.

Where possible, we will make sure that our main number 01926 634200 is staffed or carries a recorded message.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar