The Flagpole

Last Friday 20 May, twelve Old Princethorpians, were invited to Buckingham Palace in London to be presented with their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. In the first award ceremony since the pandemic thousands of young people gathered at Buckingham Palace to celebrate their achievement. Weather was true to form but walking through the gates of Buckingham Palace and into the gardens to be met by music from The RAF Squadronaires and The Band of the Coldstream Guards, the rain was soon forgotten at the joyful festival-style celebration.

His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, a Gold Award achiever himself, congratulated all those that had completed this challenging award, commending them on overcoming the many obstacles that they had encountered over the past two years. He reminded them that many of the skills they had acquired would remain with them for life.

Lira Lewis, an Ambassador for the DofE, spoke of the many challenges she battled every day and shared how the experiences and lessons she gained from completing the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award had helped her build her confidence, shape her attitude, and succeed in her goals.

Hannah Cockcroft OBE, and Paralympian, spoke of how the Award had led to her career. She talked of the many challenges she had faced as a Paralympic athlete and the extra challenges of training for the Tokyo Olympics; her message was strong and clear, never give up.

Speeches over, the guests were left to enjoy the truly magnificent gardens and in true British style, a cup of tea and cake. As the guests left the Palace and looked back up The Mall with the Union Jacks lining the route, there was a sense that the sore feet and camping in the rain in Snowdonia National Park might just have been worth it.

Head of Outdoor Education, Will Bower, who attended the event, was very proud, commenting, “Completing your Gold Duke of Edinburgh takes real commitment and resolve, and the skills developed along the way benefit both the individual and their local community. All of these young people showed dedication and perseverance and their final expedition to Buckingham Palace while wet, was a really wonderful reward.”

Receiving their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award this time were: Freya Barnett, Leah Dunkley, James Fletcher, Will Hedderwick, Alys Hemmings, Anthony Lock, Sion Murphy, Issy Simpson, Katie Shorten, Cara Wallis, Louise Way and Jake Wilson.

We look forward to news of further awards presentations for those OPs who were unable to collect their awards this time due to university exams.

Eighteen-year-old, Princethorpe College student, Alfie Kay, is celebrating after being awarded a degree apprenticeship with the investment bank JP Morgan. The Upper Sixth Former, who is studying for A-levels in Economics, Politics and Psychology, went up against thousands of hopefuls and came out on top bagging one of only 50 much sought-after apprenticeship places.

Alfie will study for a BSc in Applied Finance from the University of Exeter while working full-time in JP Morgan’s Bournemouth office. His programme starts in September with ‘Boot Camp Week’ when the new apprentices settle into the company, learn about the way things are done and choose which area of the business they would like to work in.

After five gruelling rounds of assessments Alfie has already learnt a lot, having completed an online application and a telephone interview before being invited to an assessment centre then a group interview insight evening and a final in-depth video interview.

Alfie commented, “To be offered this opportunity with such a well-regarded company is a dream come true and I am determined to make the most of it. I’ve already learnt a lot through the application process particularly in regard to remaining positive, being yourself and trying your very hardest.”

Added Jacqui Quinney, Princethorpe Head of Careers, “This is amazing news for Alfie. His degree apprenticeship will develop invaluable skills that will certainly help him with his future career. Many of the top firms are recruiting degree apprentices and these make an excellent career choice for aspiring school leavers.”

Alfie continued, “My advice for anyone looking at going down the degree apprenticeship route is to consider all the options and know that it is definitely the career path you want to pursue. Do your research thoroughly so that you are prepared for the selection process, but most importantly be yourself as this is the truest reflection of you and this is what companies want to see; enjoy the process and go into it with a positive attitude. Although the experience will be incredibly daunting and nerve-racking, you will learn a lot, more than you think you will.”

We are all delighted for Alfie and wish him the very best in his apprenticeship in the working world.

On Friday 20 May, the Development Team hosted a very successful second Hidden Princethorpe event. Organised especially for those who support the work of the Development Office, Hidden Princethorpe Two offered an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the College campus.

The College was especially delighted to welcome back as guest of honour, long-serving and much loved teacher, former Head of Junior School, Sean Philpott, who spoke to the attendees of his time at the College, from 1978 to 2012.

The event included the unique opportunity to climb the Princethorpe Tower and our visitors all enjoyed winding their way up the spiral stone staircase to take in the stunning views over the parapets at the top.

Their tour started in the Quad where, with photos of the past, the history of what was once St Mary’s Priory was recounted. Guests then went on down to Front of House to see the limit of the enclosed area and the visitor’s Guest House, before going back past the Round House and the Mortuary Chapel to G4 to hear an explanation of what an enclosed order was and what life was like behind the door with the grille. Then it was outside to the site of the old swimming pool, by the Orchard Wall, on into the Orchard itself to see the alcoves that statues once adorned and then up to the playing field above Switzerland where the girls used to play hockey. Next was Switzerland itself to see the pond, an oasis for wildlife, and to hear the history of its creation. Then on around the Mile Walk, the path of many a cross country run, before descending to view the ruins of the Gas Works and take a peek into the Nuns' cemetery.

After all that exploring, the evening was finished with a BBQ and plenty of convivial chat. Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, commented, “Our Hidden Princethorpe events are a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the history and inner workings of the College, and we were delighted that our latest guests were all fascinated by the evening’s tours, talks and anecdotes. We are very grateful for their continued support of the Development Office.”

For more information on the work of the Development Office, please email the team at makingadifference@princethorpe.co.uk.

Back in April, pupils from Princethorpe College took part in the 2022 UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Junior Challenge, a prestigious national problem-solving competition that recognises the best young mathematicians in the country. The Challenge involves answering multiple choice questions and is sat under normal school exam conditions. The papers are then sent away to be marked by UKMT and the best pupils in the country are awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold Certificates.

The competition is aimed at pupils in Year 7 and Year 8 and Princethorpe selected 84 able mathematicians to participate in this year’s Challenge. It is a demanding exercise designed to stretch and test pupils’ mathematical skills, so the College is delighted that this year, Princethorpe’s mathematicians achieved exceptional results.

Congratulations to Year 8 pupil, Daniel Ovens Gibbs who was awarded a Gold certificate, and took the award for best performing pupil in school, and to Year 7, Noah Cowlishaw, who was awarded a Gold certificate, and took the award for best performing pupil in Year 7. Gold certificates were awarded to Year 8s Oliver Baker, Jorja Parris and Kathryn Flegg and to Year 7s Tara Rodgers, Jasper Nicholls and Woody Osborn. Daniel Ovens Gibbs, Oliver Baker and Noah Cowlishaw performed so well that have also qualified for the follow-on round, the Junior Kangaroo Challenge.

Silver certificates go to: Cassia O'Hanlon, Benjamin Jones, Lucas Summers, Jacob George, James Sinclair, Megandeep Thandi, James Wright, Sophie Henry, Toby Iley, Eve O'Brien, Charlie Atkins, Thomas Zanyi, Myles Bowley, Jessica Murphy, Jay Patil, Isabella Card, Jonjo Boyle, Annabel Slinger, Victoria Benbow, Matthew Crawford, Jessica Sarkies, Callum Chadwick, Finlay Williams and Oliver Hawkins.

Bronze certificates go to: Lucas Robinson, Soren Wasley, Charlotte Gower, Marco Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez, Henry Fox, Harry Messenger, Louis Reynolds, Joseph Sheeran, Elise Robbins, Fintan Bucke, Glenys Chapman, Jessica Johnson, Rosa Davis, Harvey Fisher, Maisie Mealing, Eloise Maffey, Isaac Nelson, Ewan Pearce, Samuel Beaman-Henderson, Sebastian Darch, Theo Read-Jones, Jessica Franklin, Alfie Nemeth, Oluwateniayo Okusanya, Harriet Sarkies, William Sutton, Henry Corbin, Ayla Plumb, Lily Hunter, Jimmy Loftus, William Long, Neve Anderson, Georgina Sowter, Roxanna Waldron, Ariana Gray, Penelope Jones, Isla Morrish and Isabella Ward.

Well done all and many thanks to all the pupils who took part, we hope you enjoyed the challenge.

Theo Scoutas
Post 16 Mathematics Co-ordinator

Princethorpe is celebrating after bringing home a huge haul of medals from the Independent Schools Association’s (ISA) Midlands Track and Field Athletics.

The event took place at the Norman Green Athletics Track in Solihull on Thursday 19 May with the College athletes joining competitors from 21 teams from across the Midlands region all aiming to quality for the National Finals later in June.

In a dominant display, Princethorpe’s medal haul included 23 Gold Medals, 8 Silvers and 9 Bronzes, helping the College to score nearly double the points of any other team on the day.

Foundation Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, was delighted commenting, “A huge well done to all of our athletes for an excellent performance. They responded so well to the competition they faced. We are looking forward to hearing who has been selected to compete at the Nationals.”

In the 100m sprint:

Year 7 Girls - Lola Esler took bronze in 14.93s

Year 7 Boys - William Harvey took Gold in 14.91s

Year 8/9 Girls - Olivia M took Gold in 12.79s

Year 8/9 Boys - Jimmy Loftus took Bronze in 12.91s

Year 10/11 Girls - Evie Berger took Bronze in 13.91s

Year 10/11 Boys - Anjola Okusanya took Gold in 11.83s

In the 200m sprint:

Year 7 Boys - Josh Olner took Silver in 31.13s

Year 8/9 Girls - Olivia M took Gold in 26.95s

Year 8/9 Boys - Max Phillips-Gore took Bronze in 26.16s

Year 10/11 Boys - Ollie Farquharson took Gold in 24.70s

In the 400m sprint:

Year 8/9 Boys - Oscar Civzelis took Gold in 40.61s

In the 800m race:

Year 7 Girls - Clea Roach took Bronze in 2.57m

Year 8/9 Boys - Eddie Arkesden took Gold in 2.18m

Year 10/11 Girls - Ava Farren took Silver in 2.36m

Year 10/11 Boys - Vincent McNevin took Gold in 2.29m

In the 1500m race:

Year 7 Boys - William Smith took Gold in 5.22m

Year 8/9 Girls - Martina Grace took Gold in 5.19m

Year 8/9 Boys - Jesse Esler took Gold in 4.51m

Year 10/11 Girls - Kate Pomerleau took Silver in 5.04m

Year 10/11 Boys - Ben Smith took Gold in 4.29m

In the Hurdles:

Year 7 Boys - Cody Glenn took Gold in 15.67s

Year 8/9 Girls - Grace McCollin took Gold in 12.26s

Year 8/9 Boys - Freddie Knott took Gold in 14.91s

In the 4x100m Relay:

Year 7 Boys - William Harvey, Josh Olner, Louis Reynolds and William Smith took Gold in 1.00.34m

Year 7 Girls - Lola Esler, Emme Edge, Amy Robinson and Clea Roach took Bronze in 1.00.62m

Year 8/9 Girls - Grace McCollin, Penelope Jones, Olivia Monk and Lim Self took Gold in 52.16s

Year 8/9 Boys - Max Phillips-Gore, Andre Onyekwe, Eddie Arkesden and Jimmy Loftus took Gold in 50.84s

In the Long Jump:

Year 8/9 Girls - Penelope J took Gold with 4.55m

Year 8/9 Boys - Andre Onyekwe took Gold with 5.59m

In the High Jump:

Year 7 Boys - Cody Glenn took Bronze with 1.3m

Year 8/9 Girls - Grace McCollin took Bronze with 1.3m

Year 8/9 Boys - Andre Onyekwe took Gold with 1.8m

Year 10/11 Girls - Ava Farren took Silver with 1.55m

Year 10/11 Boys - Ben S took Gold with 1.66m

In the Triple Jump:

Year 8/9 Boys - Freddie Knott took Gold with 10.25m

Year 10/11 Girls - Evie Berger took Silver with 8.4m

In the Shot Put:

Year 10/11 Boys - Matthew Thomas took Bronze with 8.61m

In the Discus:

Year 7 Girls - Georgina Sowter took Silver with 11.85m

Year 7 Boys - Isaac Nelson took Silver with 15.10m

Year 8/9 Boys - Max Phillips-Gore took Bronze with 21.6m

In the Javelin:

Year 7 Girls - Georgina Sowter took Silver with 15.7m

Year 7 Boys - Louis Reynolds took Gold with 20.76m

Princethorpe Girls’ Football Club has welcomed local Long Itchington Football Club manager, OP Oscar Rose, and his coaches Stav, Sophie and Lucinda to their Friday afternoon training sessions for the last four weeks.

The coaches have been putting the girls through their paces, working on fitness, tackling, holding the ball, passing, shooting and match play. In their final coaching session, they split the girls into four teams and held a mini ‘World Cup’ to put all those newly honed skills into practise. The event was fiercely contended with plenty of shots on goal. It ended with a nail-bitingly close final, where Mr Lee's team were beaten by a single goal.

Huge thanks to Oscar and his coaches for their support and encouragement and for helping the girls develop their football skills.

The after-school club is run by Mr Lee and Mr Compton and will continue next term with players of all ability levels welcome to get involved.

Our Upper Sixth are now focusing hard on their A-level examinations but as they went on study leave, they shared a message of thanks with their parents for all the support that they had given them over the years.

We hope you all feel, as we do, that this year group have developed and grown not just academically but also has matured into fine young adults with a good set of values to guide them through the years ahead.

Our outgoing Head Girl and Head Boy, Caitlin and Anthony, recorded the message of thanks on behalf of the Upper Sixth, and made one final request. Please take a moment to view it here.

Every year parents choose to donate their deposit to the school’s bursary fund, enabling more children to benefit from a Princethorpe education. To donate your deposit and change the life of a future Princethorpe pupil, please click here. Or to find out about other ways to support the work of the Development Office click here.

Gorgeous sunshine greeted attendees of our OPs Bluebells and Brunch event on Saturday 14 May. The occasion attracted a lovely mix of OPs, former staff and former parents from the late 70s to the early 2020s. The group happily mingled in the Refectory over coffee and tea and after a warm welcome from Headmaster, Ed Hester, sat down together for a delicious brunch.

Our catering team put on a super spread as ever, with a Full English on offer, plus fruit salad and pastries to round off the meal. With appetites well and truly satisfied there was the option to walk off brunch with a tour of the College and a wander around the Mile Walk to see the bluebells.

Visitors enjoyed seeing the College’s heritage locations including the Chapel, Quad, Library, Cloister Corridors and the Chemistry Lab, before moving onto newer additions, the Sixth Form Centre (set up for public exams) and the Limes. They even got a sneak preview of how work is progressing on the new Science Centre, which is due to open in 2023, before viewing the Orchard, Astroturf and Playing Fields.

The party enjoyed a leisurely stroll up and round the leafy Mile Walk, taking in the view of the College from the top of Switzerland, before descending to the Sixth Form Lawn and the end of their tour.

Comments, Melanie Butler, OPs Secretary, “It was a lovely, relaxed event and so good to see all our alumni groups enjoying each other’s company, sharing their memories and appreciating Princethorpe in the sunshine. It was particularly lovely to have generations of families attending, including our youngest visitor at just one-years-old. It’s definitely never too early to enjoy a visit to Princethorpe!”

Our next OPs event is the Summer Supper Reunion on Friday 24 June, which is already nearly fully booked, to find out more visit Princethorpe Connect.

Princethorpe College’s Senior Girls, Inter Girls, Inter Boys and Junior Boys teams delivered top scoring performances to finish in first place in the Warwickshire Schools Combined Events. Hot on their heels were the Junior Girls Year 8 team whose determination led to a deserving second place overall, the Minor Boys who finished third, the Minor Girls who finished fourth and the Junior Girls Year 9 team who finished fifth. It was a super start to the athletics season at the Warwickshire Schools Combined Events, held at The Pingles Stadium, in Nuneaton, from Wednesday 11 to Thursday 12 May.

19 schools from across the county sent their best athletes to the two-day event. Standards were high as competitors aimed to accrue as many points as possible across the track and field events.

In the Senior Girls Heptathlon, the College’s girls took first place; they attacked the Long Jump, High Jump, Javelin, Shot, 100m Hurdles, 200m and 800m with Evie Phillips finishing 1st and Lucy Randall placing 2nd.

The Year 10 girls put in a magnificent effort in the Inter Girls Heptathlon. They competed in the Long Jump, High Jump, Javelin, Shot, 80m Hurdles, 200m and 800m. After all the events Ava Farren finished in 4th place overall, with Kate Pomerleau just behind in 5th, Evie Berger 8th and Lottie Hunter 11th; their consistency helping Princethorpe clinch team first place.

The Inter Boys had the Long Jump, High Jump, Javelin, Discus, Shot, 100m Hurdles, 400m and the 1500m to contend with in their Octathlon event. Super throws in the Javelin and Discus helped Ben Smith finish 1st, just in front of teammates Ollie Farquharson 2nd, Anjola Okusanya 3rd and Vincent McNevin 4th. Their hard work earned the College another first place team finish.

The Junior Boys took on the Pentathlon with the 80m Hurdles, Shot, Long Jump, High Jump and 800m events. André Onyekwe was dominant in the Long Jump and High Jump claiming individual 1st place overall, Jesse Esler finished 3rd and Max Phillips-Gore 6th. Against one of the biggest fields of the day the team amassed a super score to take first place overall.

For the Junior Girls Year 8 team, Grace McCollin finished 5th, Penelope Jones 8th, Lauren Tebbatt 20th, helping the team finish in 2nd place overall. While for the Junior Girls Year 9 team Martina Grace finished 13th, Olivia Bacon 18th and Isla Lacey 21st taking their team to 5th place overall

In the Minor Girls, Lola Esler finished 10th, Emme Edge 12th and Faith Katanda 16th giving a 4th place finish for the team overall; and for the Minor Boys Josh Olner finished 7th, Max Kiely 9th and Harry Messenger 18th, earning them a 3rd place finish for the team.

Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, was thrilled with the early season performances, commenting, “This was an excellent start to the athletics season, Princethorpe’s athletes shone across all the disciplines delivering consistent solid performances in both field and track events to help the College to a super set of results. Well done to everybody.”

Pupils from Years 9 and 10 had the opportunity to visit the National Museum of Computing in Bletchley on Tuesday 17 May.

The museum traces the history of computing and includes working reconstructions of the Turing-Welchman Bombe that broke the Enigma code and Tommy Flowers' Colossus that broke the Lorenz cipher, used by Hitler to communicate messages with his High Command in World War II. It charts the development of computing from these ultra-secret pioneering efforts through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, on to the rise of personal computing in the 1980s and up to the internet and mobile world of today.

Pupils took part in sessions on BBC Basic programming, Artificial Intelligence and the History of Computers as well as having the opportunity to explore the museum.

Head of Computer Science, Adam Depledge, said, “This was a fantastic opportunity for the pupils, supporting their learning for their Computer Science GCSE as well as giving them a deeper appreciation of just how far the subject has come over the last 70 years.”

Year 8 were lucky with the weather when they enjoyed a wonderful three-day programme at Whitemoor Lakes Outdoor Residential Centre.

116 pupils took part in an itinerary that included fencing, canoeing, climbing, high ropes and problem solving. In groups they rotated around the different activities, working together to complete the challenges they were set. In the evenings they enjoyed team games and singing round the camp-fire. All in all it was a fabulous weekend with plenty of old-fashioned fun.

There were lots of opportunities for pupils to develop their team working skills and the activities all encouraged pupils to show initiative, resilience and social awareness. Over the weekend Year 8 took on all the challenges with determination and enthusiasm making for a memorable three days.

Assistant Head Co-curricular, Neil McCollin, said, “This was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 8 pupils. They had an amazing time and we were impressed with how supportive they were of one another. They have come back into school with new friends and better able to work together as a team.”

Well done to everyone and a big thank you to all the staff who supported the trip.

Aspiring young singers from local primary schools enjoyed a super day of song when they joined Princethorpe's Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw, Music Teacher, Alison Wakeley, Peripatetic Music Co-ordinator, Felicity Coulson, and members of the Princethorpe College Choir for a fabulous Choral Fun Day.

The Year 5 and 6 pupils tackled a variety of choral pieces from popular favourites such as Bruno Mars' Count on Me, traditional works such as Siyahamba and Canon, to the inspirational High Hopes by Panic at the Disco.

As well as rehearsing furiously, the visiting children took part in a musical team scavenger hunt and enjoyed lunch in the Refectory.

The day culminated in an impressive gala performance of their newly learnt pieces in front of an enthusiastic capacity audience of family and friends in the College's Clarkson theatre, followed by afternoon tea for all.

Commenting on the day, Gil Cowlishaw said, "We were really impressed by the children. They achieved such a lot in just a few hours, learning so many songs and then taking to the stage to perform in front of an audience is no mean feat, a huge well done to them all!”

And a special thank you to all of the fantastic Princethorpe pupils and staff who came along to support the Choral Fun Day.