The Flagpole

Princethorpe College has received the highest possible ratings across all criteria from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) following an inspection in April 2022. The report, which has just been published, consists of two elements, a focused compliance inspection, encompassing statutory standards, and an educational quality inspection evaluating the achievements of pupils, including academic performance and their personal development.

Headmaster, Ed Hester, comments “We are delighted with the report, it is a ringing endorsement for everything we do here at Princethorpe and reflects a huge team effort.

He continues, “Pupil achievement and personal development are the two key benchmarks for any successful school and being graded as excellent in both of these broad areas demonstrates the incredible talent, dedication and professionalism of our staff, the outstanding attitude and approach of our pupils and the support of our parents.”

During the inspection, the ISI inspectors observed that, ‘Pupils have very positive attitudes towards their work and are highly focused in lessons’, that they ‘achieve a high level of results, exceeding predictions at every level’ and they ‘benefit significantly from an atmosphere in school which is positive and one where learning and trying one’s best are celebrated’.

Referencing the extensive co-curricular programme, the inspectors commented that ‘pupils embrace wholeheartedly the many opportunities to participate in a myriad of activities and many enjoy substantial success’ and are able to ‘find their own unique passions and relish taking part in them, broadening their perspective on life’.

Pupils’ personal development was also judged as ‘excellent’ with inspectors recognising that ‘pupils have a strong sense of moral responsibility, encouraged by an environment in which there are the key rules of Be Kind and Do Your Best’. The vertical tutoring system was mentioned with older pupils described as ‘excellent ambassadors and role models serving as examples that younger pupils aspire to’. Looking outwards to the wider world the inspectors found that pupils were ‘active in promoting an environmental awareness, reflected in their Planet Princethorpe project’ and that ‘the extensive range of charity work provides a social compass which guides all pupils in their thinking’.

The ISI Inspectors also noted feedback from parents that, ‘commented positively on the strength of the children’s learning and how this reflected the commitment of the teaching and the direction provided by the school’s leaders and trustees’.

Mr Hester concludes, “At Princethorpe our aim is to create a caring and supportive environment where pupils can develop to become well-educated, articulate young people, ready to take their place in society with a true sense of values and purpose. I am delighted that the ISI Inspectors have so comprehensively recognised this in their report.”

The ISI is the Government-approved body responsible for the inspection of independent schools and they consider every aspect of the provision. A copy of the full report is available from the ISI or the Princethorpe College website here.

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

The Nationals took place on Monday 13 June at the Manchester Regional Arena. Princethorpe took a team of 17 athletes to the event; the pupils had all qualified for the Nationals at the Regional Championships earlier in the season. For all the athletes this was an excellent opportunity to compete against high calibre opposition at a pre-eminent event.

Princethorpe’s medal haul included five Gold medals. Olivia Monk stormed down the track to win both the Year 8/9 100m and 200m Sprints in explosive times of 12.72 and 26.66 seconds respectively. Then Grace McCollin won the Year 8/9 75m Hurdles finishing in a super time of 12.07 seconds, with Oscar Civzelis taking the Year 8/9 300m Sprint in a fantastic 41.59 seconds. The College’s Year 8/9 Girls' Relay team also won the 4x100m Relay competition running a stunning time of 52.25 seconds.

Claiming a Silver medal were Ben Smith who ran the Year 10/11 Boys 100m Hurdles in 16.98 seconds and Anjola Okusanya who completed the Year 10/11 Boys 100m Sprint in 11.99 seconds; Anjola took a second Silver running for the Midlands team in the 4x100m relay as well. Then Penelope Jones leapt a super 4.97 metres to claim Silver in the Year 8/9 Long Jump and William Smith took Silver in the Year 7 1500m.

Freddie Knott won himself two Bronze medals running the Year 8/9 80m Hurdles in 13.60 seconds and jumping 10.25 metres in the Year 8/9 Boys Triple Jump. Kate Pomerleau also won a Bronze medal in the Year 10/11 1500m completing the course in 5.08.81 minutes while Martina Grace matched that result taking a Bronze in the Year 8/9 1500m in 5.08.81 minutes. Louis Reynolds also took a Bronze in the Year 7 Boys Javelin.

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 top-class competition they faced. Their tenacity, determination, good humour and genuine camaraderie made for a fantastic experience for the whole team, congratulations to all who competed in this outstanding competition.”

Princethorpe College was once again delighted to host the 2022 National Schools and Riding Clubs Two-Day Event. Run in conjunction with Stoneleigh Riding Club, nearly 200 competitors took part in the two-day competition, over the weekend 28 to 29 May, the only ‘long format’ event open to schools and riding clubs in the UK. It included dressage and show-jumping on the Saturday and roads and tracks, steeplechase and cross-country on the Sunday.

This was the eighth year the College has hosted the event on the Princethorpe estate and the course looked magnificent against the backdrop of the Princethorpe Tower. Returning once again and causing much excitement was the challenging permanent cross-country water jump generously built by one of the event’s main sponsors, The Wigley Group. As well as being a fantastic enhancement to the course, the deep pools within the water jump are also used by pupils year-round supporting environmental and wildlife curriculum studies.

The competition takes a huge amount of organisation, so our thanks go to the school staff and Stoneleigh Riding Club who, together with an army of volunteers, ensured the event was such a success.

Representing the College in the 80cm class were Rosie Moreton on Mountain who finished 4th overall and was awarded the ISA Gold medal, Grace Paybody on Extravagant Edition, who took the ISA Silver medal, Jess Hedgecock on Ballylee Tower and Daisymay McMurdo on Rise Up. Jess also had a second ride in the class on Miss Lucy and it was great to see Crackley Hall’s Jasmine Staveley competing on her pony Honey B. The 80cm team took the title in the ISA team competition and finished in third place overall in the National Schools event.

In the 90cm class Rosie Moreton rode Ballyrush Harry, Sammie Borland competed on Condor Goaviar, Lottie Paybody on Laragh Cracker and Claudia Newman on Annaghbay Storm. A super effort from them all saw the team finish in first place overall in both the National Schools and ISA competitions.

Riding in the 100cm class was Robyn Field on Two Tone Tilly, Robyn finished in 4th place overall and claimed the ISA Silver medal.

Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, Princethorpe’s equestrian event organiser, said, “The College was delighted to welcome school and riding club competitors to the Princethorpe estate for this year’s two-day event. It was great to see such a strong presence of school participants, many of whom had travelled long distances to take part in the competition. Our congratulations go to Tarporley School who took The Wigley Cup. The water jump was an exciting attraction in the cross-country course, and we enjoyed seeing competitors tackle it enthusiastically. Our thanks go to members of Stoneleigh Riding Club, the events key sponsors The Wigley Group and Newton LDP, and our Grounds and Estates Teams and all the volunteers, without whom we would have been unable to stage such a busy event.”

Congratulations to all the riders who took part. There will be more equestrian action taking place at Princethorpe shortly - the Inter-Schools’ Dressage Competition is scheduled for Sunday 3 July and spectators are most welcome.

The College’s new Science Centre is taking shape at the top of the Limes Walk. Due to officially open in September 2023, the 10 teaching laboratories will provide state of the art science facilities for the next generation of pupils to come through our doors. Work started back in mid-February and since then Trendgrey Construction Limited have been making good progress.

Last week we shared a short clip of time lapse photography of the work so far on social media, if you missed it, you can watch it here.

The building has now started to rise up out of the ground. Warwick Steel began to deliver the beams to the site last week and the installation of the steel framework is now well underway. Watching the crane manoeuvring each section into place is impressive but an even larger crane will be on site next week to lift the concrete floor blocks into place. Next week will also see the brickwork commence, it's amazing what can be achieved in such a short space of time.

What a finale we had to the Forensic Science Club on Thursday 16 June. Over the course of the Trinity term, our Year 9 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 handwriting analysis.

Yesterday they took part in their final Crime Scene Challenge. After an unexpected break in, Year 9 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 9 were more than up for the challenge.

Science Teacher, Sam Curtis, was impressed by them all, 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.”

Well done to all the super-sleuthing scientists who took part!

On Wednesday 15 June, Year 10 enjoyed a morning of leadership training. During the sessions, pupils discussed the attributes of good leaders, as well as finding out about how they could make the best of themselves.

They began with a theory session led by Victor Allen, an expert in emotional intelligence and developing skills for success, who supports our Prefect training, and then went on to take part in a practical activity that allowed them to explore and improve their own skills.

The Trading Game was great fun for them all, with pupils working in teams to manufacture and sell products, but the activity also helped them to develop important skills such as trust, conflict management, persistence, team spirit, managing behaviour, the act of giving concise instructions, and much more.

It was a very positive morning and as these young people move up the school there will be plenty of opportunities for them to put their new leadership skills to good use.

Our Summer Open Evening took place on Wednesday 8 June with the College warmly welcoming prospective parents and pupils into school.

Departments had prepared informative displays and had plenty of exemplar work on show, staff and current pupils were on hand to take questions and talk with parents and of course there were plenty of fun subject-related activities for younger (and older) visitors to enjoy. 

Outside many chose to explore the outdoor classroom and Duke of Edinburgh camp while in the Sports Hall the climbing wall and cricket nets were popular attractions. The Limes was bustling with a da Vinci display and parents and children exploring subjects such as IT, Geography, English and Modern Foreign Languages.

Music entertained our visitors in the Round House while drama rehearsals attracted audiences to the Clarkson Theatre. Through the length and breadth of the school, visitors were invited to attempt a dissection in Biology, to taste scones in Food and Nutrition, to watch explosive Chemistry experiments or to delve into the archives in the Library.

Ed Hester, Headmaster, welcomed parents in the Chapel with an inspiring address, talking about the school, its plans for the future and the ‘Spirit of Family’ ethos that allows Princethorpe to help every child to succeed. it was lovely to welcome our Headmaster in waiting, Grove du Toit, who joined Mr Hester on the stage and introduced himself to prospective families.

Many families attended the evening, with lots completely new to the school. For all it was a great chance to soak up the special Princethorpe atmosphere and to get a flavour of day-to-day life. The sun shone brightly and everywhere enthusiastic staff and pupils extolled the virtues of Princethorpe’s tailored individual approach.

A huge thank you to all the staff, pupils, prefects and parents who helped on the evening and to those involved in the preparations.  The school looked amazing and the feedback from our visitors as they left was very positive.

Families looking at entry in September 2023 have one more chance to visit the school at the start of the next school year. The College is holding an Open Morning, on Thursday 22 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The deadline for registrations for Entrance Exams is Friday 30 September. For more information visit our website here or email the Admissions Team at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

The Junior Physics Challenge is hosted by the British Physics Olympiad through the University of Oxford. The Challenge is now in its fifth year and takes the format of an online competition where pupils answer 60 challenging multiple-choice questions across two tests in just 50 minutes. The Junior Physics Challenge is designed to engage and stretch pupils by offering a range of problems to solve. It provides a low stakes opportunity for pupils to apply their curriculum knowledge of physics practically while engaging in a competition at a national level.

Princethorpe College’s results were, once again, excellent this year, so very well done to all who took part.

Special mention to Ben Smith, Jack Fleming and Sammie Borland for achieving the highest level of ‘Gold’. Pupils at the College were also awarded 14 Silver, 45 Bronze with 2 pupils received a participation certificate, both just outside the score needed for Bronze.

Dan Lee, Head of Physics, said, "Congratulations to all the participants, it was great to see our Year 10 pupils engaging with such enthusiasm in the Junior Physics Challenge."

Six Lower Sixth Form and Year 11 pupils have just completed a two-day course in Teaching English As A Foreign Language (TEFL). Taught by Nathan Lomax, an experienced TEFL Teacher Trainer, and former Modern Foreign Languages university lecturer, the course took place in school on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 June. The course covered topics such as teaching English language skills, identifying learning styles and creating learning materials through a series of engaging and fun activities.

Princethope’s Sixth Form has offered the TEFL qualification as an extra-curricular option for a number of years as TEFL certification is particularly useful for those students considering a gap year abroad. The qualification offers a good way to help fund travel. Despite giving up two full days of their weekend, all the participants really enjoyed the course.

As an added extra the pupils were also all given access to a TEFL job prospects site set up and run by Mr Lomax that provides details of contacts and opportunities for teaching English abroad.

All the pupils passed with flying colours, congratulations to them all. We wish them all well in their TEFL adventures!

House Bake Off was, as always, a popular competition with a tantalising display of 44 creative entries lined up for the judges in the College’s Food and Nutrition Room. The ‘Platinum Jubilee’ theme produced an incredible array of ‘royal’ themed bakes with fabulous flags, classy crowns and even a cute corgi.

Mr Hester took on the arduous job of judging all the entries, supported by Mr Cowlishaw with Mrs Newborough and Ms Scott on hand to help, they considered presentation, taste and relevance to the theme. Staff and pupils then crowded in for the lunchtime viewing.

House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, commented, “Our House bakers are just incredible, the effort and creativity put into making these cakes was amazing. House Bake Off is always a super competition. Well done to everyone who took part.”

The results were:

Best Tasting Cake or Baked Good (Years 7-10)
Winner - Alex Bonsall (Fisher)
Runner up - Isla Morrish (Austin)
Highly Commended - Annie Kowal (Austin)
Highly Commended - Stuart Nedjati (More)
Highly Commended - Amelia Chard (Fisher)
Highly Commended - Matthew Carr (Fisher)
Highly Commended - Luke Abrahamson (Fisher)

Best Tasting Cake or Baked Good (Sixth Form)
Winner - Eleanor Page and Grace Thomas (Benet)
Runner up - Harvey Mellett (More)

Best Decorated Cake or Baked Good (Years 7-10)
Winner - Martha Harris (Austin)
Runner up - Georgina Barnes (Austin)
Highly Commended - Alex Bonsall (Fisher)
Highly Commended - Amy Farquharson (More)
Highly Commended - BHC Jubilee Street (Benet)

Best Decorated Cake or Baked Good (Sixth Form)
Winner - Will Gibson-Sexton (Fisher)
Runner up - Leah Burford and Keira MacRae (Fisher)
Highly Commended - Ed Foster (Austin)

Best Cake or Baked Good - Staff
Winner - Tanya Cowan (Benet)
Runner up - Julia Lindsay (Fisher)

The final overall house placings were:

1st Fisher
2nd Benet
3rd Austin
4th More

Scroll through the gallery to see all the amazing entries. All entries to the competition were awarded house-points.

29 pupils from Year 7 and Year 8 were offered the opportunity to visit the National Space Centre in Leicester on Tuesday 7 June for their effort and achievement in Science this year.

The visit began with a workshop titled Our Earth Under Threat where pupils worked together in teams to assess the threat of an approaching asteroid. They used the Torino Scale, data for the probability of impact and for kinetic energy, to decide what action to take. They also had to justify their reasons why.

The pupils then enjoyed the planetarium show Astronaut Education. It was a rollercoaster ride that began inside the bloodstream of an astronaut in a rocket on the launchpad as the countdown to take off commenced. The experience simulated the physiological response of the body to extreme stress and environmental conditions, such as g-force. It then showed a panoramic look at space from the perspective of an astronaut in low Earth orbit, followed by insights into a series of gruelling training tasks to conquer in order to qualify to take part in a mission into space.

A live Science Show It Is Rocket Science looked at propulsion in space, with a good dose of Newton’s Laws of Motion, explosions and fire thrown in too.

There was also a self-guided one-hour tour of the galleries that included many artefacts that have been into space (including a real piece of the Moon), hands on exhibits and interactive displays with highlights including the space toilet (not interactive), stellarium (3-D star chart of our closest few hundred stars) and a take-off simulator.

Finally, a quick stop at the gift shop and café provided souvenirs and sustenance for their return trip.

The pupils were fantastic ambassadors for the College and staff at the Space Centre remarked on their exemplary behaviour and excellent engagement in all the activities.

It was a great trip enjoyed by them all.

Pupils from Princethorpe College put in outstanding performances to win 12 events at last weekend’s Warwickshire Schools Athletics Championships helping the Eastern Area take both the Junior and Inter events. Two talented Princethorpe pupils, Olivia Monk and André Onyekwe were also awarded the trophies for Best Girls and Best Boys Overall Performance at the Championships.

In total, 22 College athletes took part in the competition that was held in Nuneaton on Saturday 11 June. 11 pupils have now been selected to represent the County in the Mason Trophy Inter-County competition on Saturday 18 June at Northwood Stadium in Stoke.

Competing for the Senior Girls, Evie Phillips took 1st place in the 200m and 1st place in the Long Jump whilst Lucy Randall finished in 1st place in the Javelin.

For the Inter Boys, Ben Smith took 1st place in the 1500m Steeplechase, 1st in the 400m Hurdles and 3rd place in the Discus, with Anjola Okusanya finishing in 2nd place in the 100m.

For the Inter Girls, Kate Pomerleau took 1st place in the 1500m Steeplechase and 3rd place in the 1500m, Grace Darcy finished in 2nd place in the 1500m Steeplechase, Sage Westbury was 3rd in the 200m and 3rd in the High Jump, while Ava Farren finished in 4th place in the 800m.

For the Junior Girls, Olivia Monk was 1st in the 100m and also 1st in the 200m (equalling the County record in a time of 25.7 seconds). Penelope Jones was 1st in the Long Jump and 2nd in the Hurdles, Grace McCollin took 1st place in the Hurdles and 4th place in the High Jump. Martina Grace finished in 2nd place in 1500m while Evie Marston was 3rd in the 1500m, Lim Self finished 3rd in the Long Jump and Frankie Kelly was 4th in the Discus.

For the Junior Boys, André Onyekwe took 1st place in the Long Jump and 1st place in the High Jump (setting a new County record of 1.90 metres). Sam Divers finished 2nd in the Javelin, Max Phillips-Gore finished in 2nd place in the Discus and in 6th in the 200m, Charlie Atkins finished 3rd in the 800m, Eddie Arkesden was 5th in the 800m, Jesse Elser was 5th in the 1500m and Dan Tomlinson was 5th in the triple Jump and 8th in the Long Jump 8th.

Best Performance Trophies for the Championship were awarded to:

Girls - Olivia Monk for her performance in the 200m

Boys - André Onyekwe for his performance in the High Jump

A huge well done to them all.