The Flagpole

A rite of passage for all new Princethorpians is a climb to the top of Princethorpe’s iconic tower. With spectacular views across the Warwickshire countryside, it really rewards the winding nearly 200-step climb. It can be seen from miles around, is integral to the College’s identity and even features on the school crest. On Tuesday 31 January, in the bright winter sunshine, and as he marks the completion of his first month at Princethorpe, Mr du Toit made the climb to the top to take in the panoramic views. On the way up he discovered the secrets of the rooms in the Tower, including the bell room with nine old bells and the old water tanks for the Chapel’s organ. From the top he had a bird’s eye view of the whole College campus and of the progress of the College’s new state-of-the-art Science Centre. 

The Warwickshire Schools County Cross Country Championships took place on Saturday 21 January here at Princethorpe College. 46 Princethorpe runners, drawn from across the school, competed against the best runners from 29 Warwickshire schools in what is always a well contested event. All the cross-country training paid dividends with another excellent set of individual and team results for the College. First three places count for the team.

The Minor Boys, Inter Boys, Senior Boys, Inter Girls and Senior Girls all placed first overall claiming the team County Cross Country Championship titles. The Junior Boys team placed second, the Junior Girls third and the Minor Girls fifth. A huge well done to them all.

Ben Smith and Evie Marston earned themselves Gold Medals, Felix Batty and Lily Hunter claimed Silvers and Grace Darcy a Bronze and a total of 12 pupils have qualified to run for the County in the ESAA National Championships on Saturday 18 March at Wollaton Park in Nottingham or in the National Primary and Year 7 Cross Country Finals on Saturday 25 March at Prestwold Hall in Leicestershire.

The Minor Boys ran superbly to claim team victory for Princethorpe, Charlie Leech came home first for Princethorpe in 5th place closely followed by James Bostock 7th, Sidney Penn 8th, Alvin Wamala 12th and Jack McKay 17th. The Minor Girls also ran a determined race with Katherine Lee finishing 16th, just behind her was Isla Harrison 20th, Dami Ajagunna 21st and Chloe Sarkies 27th, their hard work helped their team finish in fifth place overall.

The Junior Girls ran steadily to finish third overall. Trailblazer Lily Hunter led the team home in 2nd place with Rosa Davis finishing 11th, Anabel Davis 18th, Delilah Teeton 22nd, Marley Adnitt 24th, Jessie Murphy 25th, Clea Roach 26th and Ellie Maffey 29th. The Junior Boys went one better with the team finishing second overall. William Smith led the way home finishing 13th, hard on his heels was Mark Message 14th, Charlie Atkins 19th, Toby Iley 21st, Ollie Hawkins 23rd, Louis Reynolds 25th, Soren Wasley 28th, Freddie Stephenson 35th, Sam Grindal 36th and Rob James-Pantoja 37th.

Excellent performances by cross country stalwarts Ben Smith who finished 1st and Felix Batty 2nd, supported by Jesse Esler 8th, Eddie Arkesden 16th, William Gower 17th, Jamie Capelett 19th, Oscar Civzelis 23rd and Adam Chambers 25th helped the Inter Boys claim another first team place. As did the Inter Girls who ran a great race, with Evie Marston finishing 1st, Ava Farren, 7th, Kate Pomerleau 8th and Kaena Wasley 19th.

Finally for the Senior Boys, Toby Collett finished 9th, Edward Mitchell 11th and Guy Dawkins 12th to claim team victory and for the Senior Girls another excellent performance from the team saw Grace Darcy finish 3rd, Jess Evans 5th, Tasha Thomas 7th and Emma Sarkies 8th securing yet another team first.

Head of Outdoor Education and PE Teacher, Will Bower commented, "It was good to see the College so well represented at the County Championships. Well done to all of our competitors, we saw some excellent personal performances in tough races. I am delighted with the overall team results, not least placing first in five of the age groups we entered."

Huge thanks to Estates, Grounds, current and former staff, parents and the Games Captains for all their help with organising and running the event.

Princethorpe's cross country teams also had a really successful day at Bedstone College on Wednesday 25 January. We are just waiting on confirmation of the team places and will share news of the results as soon as we receive them.

The Oxford University Computing Challenge is an invitational event for those who finish in the top 10% of the UK Bebras Challenge. Both challenges test skills such as logical thinking, pattern identification and decomposition as well as computer programming. The challenge encourages pupils to develop their skills one stage further and consists of a range of tasks and programming challenges to solve.

Year 9, Daniel Ovens Gibbs competed in the Intermediate section this year against just over 9,500 pupils who had qualified for this year’s competition. To add to the challenge, this year the time limit to complete the tasks was reduced to 45 minutes instead of an hour. That did not faze Daniel though, who finished in the top 1%, achieving a Distinction grade for his submission as well as beating his score from last year.

Head of Computer Science, Adam Depledge said, “This really is a fantastic achievement by Daniel. Computational thinking is such an incredibly useful and powerful skill and Daniel has shown he has mastered it to a level well beyond his years. It’s great to see his abilities recognised in such a prestigious competition.”

Master butcher Simon Kelly from Aubrey Allen in Leamington Spa visited Princethorpe College on Thursday 26 January to share his skills with Year 11 pupils studying for their Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE. Under Simon’s expert guidance the pupils worked hard to bone a chicken before being shown how to prepare two different dishes, first a sun blushed tomato stuffed chicken supreme wrapped in Aubrey Allen's smoked bacon and then a chicken ballotine.

Simon stressed the importance of working with top quality meat. He demonstrated using a knife confidently as an extension of your index finger, building pupils’ confidence with food preparation techniques. The curriculum they are following is strongly based on higher level skills, including boning meat, so the techniques pupils learned today will stand them in good stead when they take their practical exams later this year.

Many thanks to Simon and to Aubrey Allen for sharing their expertise.

How fantastic to see Foundation pupils’ work being celebrated in the Independent Schools Association latest National Art Competition Brochure.

Recent leaver, Grace Leigh’s stunning and atmospheric photograph Phantom Of The River received a Highly Commended in the national Key Stage 5 Photography class this year. Her picture was one part of her triptych that was presented at the College’s Art Show last summer. The photo is an original unedited work, and by all reports the water in the lake was exceptionally cold when the young artist staged her shot. Her super work is featured on page 38.

Then 2022 leaver and Art Scholar, Tillie Benford’s, compendium of drawings, Last Day Of High School, which qualified in the KS5 Sketchbook class, can be found on page 35. 

While Foundation Prep school, Crackley Hall School’s Junior 1’s A Fishy Tale which qualified for the Key Stage 1 3D Art Group class is also featured on page 20.

It's amazing to see our pupils' work being celebrated in this way.

Don't forget that Princethorpe will once again be holiding its Summer Art Show on Thursday 22 June and Sunday 25 June as part of Warwickshire Open Studios when this year's A-level and GCSE Art and Product Design examination work will be on display. Put the date in your diary now.

Well done to the U13 Boys Hockey team who competed in the National ISA Hockey Tournament at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre in the London Olympic Park this week on Wednesday 1 February. Facing 21 teams from across the country, they performed incredibly well throughout the day, not conceding a goal in open play. They came home with a Bronze Medal in the Plate competition after losing out in the semi-final on penalty flicks. A great achievement – congratulations to them all.

This week our Sixth Form Chemists enjoyed a fascinating lecture organised by the local branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry in conjunction with the University of Birmingham. The extra-curricular trip provided an opportunity to appreciate the practical applications of chemistry, as well as offering an insight into life and lectures at university.

Dr Tom Smith of CarnDu Limited spoke on the chemistry behind fireworks, colours, effects and using gas pressure to form different whistles and bangs. Our students were exposed to the dangers and challenges of unstable compounds, blast zones and organising impressive displays. The lecture was a pyrotechnical extravaganza of colour, light, sound and sparks. Dr Smith has plenty of experience on the subject having been involved in firework displays for events such as the London Olympics 2012, the Manchester and Melbourne Commonwealth Games and London’s New Year’s Eve displays.

Chemistry teacher, Jo Smith, commented, “The lecture was really interesting, Dr Smith was very engaging bringing his subject to life and giving students a greater understanding of the working scientific world.”

Our Lower Sixth Geographers very much enjoyed their residential field trip last week. They visited the excellent Cranedale Centre at Kirby Grindalythe near Malton, in the Yorkshire Wolds from Tuesday 24 to Friday 27 January to conduct field studies on costal places including measuring beach profiles as well as exercises in planning and carrying out small scale projects and investigating housing and land use, all important for their A-level studies.

As well as working in and around the Field Centre, they visited Flamborough Head, the Holderness Coast and Scarborough Town. The weather treated them fairly, staying dry and for the most part bright and the students worked hard to collect and analyse their data. As always, the trip was an invaluable learning experience that will assist them all in completing their important NEA coursework.

Last week, Alex Darkes, Foundation Assistant Head, was delighted to welcome James Davies OP, CEO The Wigley Group, Tilley England, Newton LDP, Katie Wigley OP, The Wigley Group, and Bud Jackson, Stoneleigh Riding Club, to Princethorpe to discuss this year’s National Schools and Riding Clubs Two-Day Event.

Entries are now open for the two-day event which takes place on Saturday 27 May and Sunday 28 May. The only event of its kind in the UK, and attracting up to 300 riders each year. Backed by local firms The Wigley Group and Newton LDP the ‘long format’ event encompasses dressage and show-jumping on day one, with roads and tracks, steeplechase and cross-country disciplines running on day two.

This year’s event includes a new 70cm class to open up the competition to a wider field of riders, and includes a new spectator area to satisfy growing demand. The 70cm competitors will have a shortened roads and tracks course which excludes the steeplechase, before moving onto the unique cross-country course designed and built by Lloyd Hunt from LandS Eventing. As well as the new 70cm class, the event retains its 80cm, 90cm and 100cm disciplines.

Pupils interested in taking part in the event should message Mrs Fielding on Teams, or email at louisafielding@princethorpe.co.uk. 

More information is available from www.stoneleighridingclub.com

Huge congratulations to Rod Isaacs, Cyp Vella, Andy Compton, Ellie Callan, Clare White, Ben Collie and OP Tom Pilling who pounded the pavements and paths around Leamington and Warwick in a half marathon last Sunday morning. The hardy runners were fundraising for a charity close to Princethorpe's heart, Mary's Meals. Well done to them all for completing their challenge.

If you would like to show your support for their intrepid efforts please follow the link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/princethorpemarysmeals

Senior Cricket at Princethorpe is fully into preseason preparations under the guidance of two experienced cricketers, teacher, Alex Phillips, former Herefordshire and Shropshire opening batsman, current Vice-Captain of Knowle and Dorridge men's first team and the second-highest scoring batsman in the history of the Birmingham Premier League, and Harry Walters, first team all-rounder for Cropredy Cricket Club. 

This year, the College has successfully trialled Senior Cricket training on Fridays after school. The comprehensive training programme providing players with the opportunity for year-round skill development in preparation for the cricket season. The club has been a great success and Mr Phillips and the young players are all looking forward to the season ahead.

In the sessions Mr Phillips and Mr Walters have been able to focus on different elements of fielding, batting, bowling and wicketkeeping. Each session has included fielding technical skill development along with game-based drills to improve awareness, communication and leadership. Using the College’s indoor nets, the players have also been working on their batting and bowling technique to become more powerful and consistent performers, as well as their decision-making in pressured match scenarios such as a run chase. The high standard of players has helped the group discuss tactics for bowling and batting when pitched against one another and it has been fantastic to see the talent on show.

First team Captain, Upper Sixth Former, Will Hawkins, explains, “Cricket this term has been an excellent chance to hone my skills. All the players have benefitted from the dedicated facilities and high-quality coaching, and I am looking forward to building a competitive First XI for next summer. It has been refreshing to see the depth of talent in the younger year groups too, and it would be great to see some more new faces on a Friday night!”

Year 10, Jesse Esler, U15 Captain and Warwickshire U15 County player, commented, “Cricket training has allowed me to maintain my skills throughout the winter giving me more confidence in my ability when I train with the Warwickshire team.”

Year 10, Will Hughes, U15 cricketer, added, “Working with boys of the same ability across age groups has been fantastic giving me the opportunity to work on my weaknesses ready for the season.”

The College is committed to providing an environment where young players can work to achieve their potential and is delighted with pupil engagement with the College's Senior Cricket programme.

On Sunday 22 January, our determined equestrian teams entered the Schools Eventer Challenge at Washbrook Farm in Aston le Walls. Despite the freezing conditions, Claudia, Sophie, Emily and Harriet finished in second place in the 90cm team event, a fantastic result. Weather conditions have made training horses difficult these past few weeks so a huge well done to all the girls who took part!

Recognition also to the parents for getting ponies, pupils and kit to the venues and spending many cold hours supporting from the ground.

Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from local primary schools enjoyed an introduction to the sport of Rugby when they took part in Princethorpe's Try Tag Rugby event. The after-school session took place on Friday 20 January and was organised by the College's PE team on a cold all-weather pitch.

Working in small groups, with Sixth Form students and coaching staff, the children started with some fun warm up activities. They then enjoyed skill building drills before finishing with a mini game. Of course, after all that energetic fun the youngsters were sent on their way clutching certificates and legendary Princethorpe cookies.

Assistant Head Co-curricular, Neil McCollin, was impressed at how well the children took to the sport commenting, “It was fantastic to have so many enthusiastic boys and girls here on a Friday afternoon. They had a great time getting to grips with Tag Rugby, quickly mastering the game.”

The successful workshop was just one of a series of activities and opportunities the College organises for prospective pupils to introduce and familiarise youngsters with the school. Next up on the sporting front is Princethorpe’s High 5 Netball Tournament for local schools on Tuesday 7 March and then in the Trinity Term we are offering our Say Hello to Hockey event for Year 4 and 5 children on Saturday 13 May and our local schools U10 Football Tournament on Monday 15 May.

Wednesday 8 February - Saturday 11 February 2023

From the 8 to the 11 February, Princethorpe College has some kooky visitors! Join us in the Clarkson theatre as we present The Addams Family Musical - School Edition, our College Musical Theatre production for 2023. A talented cast from Year 7 right up to Sixth Form will be bringing the legendary family to life.

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, is all grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows. She's fallen in love with a sweet young girl from a very respectable family. With his cherished Morticia in the dark, will Gomez manage to keep his daughter’s secret until the two families meet for a fateful dinner with hilarious consequences?

Join them, plus Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley and more for a heart-warming story of love, family and friendship… with a twist!

Tickets are still available for performances on Wednesday, 8 February and Thursday 9 February.

Please click on the day you require in order to book tickets on My School Portal.

Tuesday 28 February - 4.00pm

We warmly welcome you to an informal evening of scripted and devised work from KS4 and KS5 Drama and Theatre Studies pupils.

Our Year 11s are busy in the throes of preparing their two extracts for their GCSE exam the week after and Year 10 and Lower Sixth will be presenting their original devised pieces.

Please come and support them as they would love to hear your feedback.

Please note that this evening is recommended for 14+ as there are themes and language of strong content.

Tickets are not required for this event, but to help us cater efficiently please reserve places by clicking here to book through My School Portal, no later than Thursday 14 February.

Aileen Cefaleillo and Vicky Roberts
Joint Heads of Drama

Saturday 4 March 2023 - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers, Princethorpe's prep school and nursery in Kenilworth, are opening their doors for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 4 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Mr Duigan, the Headmaster, will deliver two short presentations at 10.45am and 11.45pm, staff will be available to talk to prospective parents, current pupils will be performing music and participating in sports activities. There will also be a fun activity trail through the school for visiting children.

This is a great opportunity for prospective families to look around Little Crackers Nursery and Crackley Hall School and meet key members of staff. The school will come alive with musical performances and sport in action as well as an activity trail around the school for visiting children. 

Come and find out more about what a Crackley education can do for your child book your place here. 

In terms of availability, we have limited places in current Year 4 (Year 5 for September 2023) and we still accepting registrations for Reception and Year 3 for 2023. Our ontime deadline for September 2023 entry is Monday 13 February 2023. 

If you would like more information or details on specific year group availability, please call Jenny Vaughan, our Admissions Secretary on 01926 514410 or email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk.

For more information visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk.

Friday 10 March 2023- 6.30pm to 10.30pm

The OPs annual Local Meet takes place on Friday 10 March 2023. We are moving back to Leamington Spa and will be meeting in the upstairs function room at The Royal Pug, 141 Regent Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4NX.

Our local meets are usually very popular, so we are hoping for a really good turnout of OPs from across the decades to attend, plus a few former members of staff.

There will be the customary welcome drink or two and the OPs Commitee will be laying on some delicious food, so do let us know if you would like to attend by going to Princethorpe Connect and clicking on the "Register for the event" button.

Partners and friends are most welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday 11 March 2023 - 10.00am to 12.00pm

The Crescent School, Princethorpe's prep school in Rugby, is opening its doors to prospective and current parents and pupils for a Spring Open Morning on Saturday 11 March 2023 from 10.00am to 12.00pm. 

This is a perfect opportunity to come and have a look around the school, meet key members of staff and to find out why the school has been awarded excellent in all areas by the ISI in their recent inspection. 

Families are invited to book on to one of two sessions, 10.00am and 11.00am. After a short welcome presentation by Mr Thackway, Headmaster, you will be guided around the school where you will be able to watch sporting displays and listen to instrumental performances; there will also be the opportunity to visit classrooms and children can participate in an activity trail. 

To book your place please click here.

In terms of availability, Reception and Year 3 for 2023 entry are now full, with a waiting group available. We are also operating waiting groups in most other years apart from our current Year 1 class (Year 2 for September 2023 entry). We are now taking registrations for Reception and Year 3 entry in 2024 and beyond. 

For more information about availability or about the Open Morning please call Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley on 01788 523851 or email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk.

Alternatively please visit our website www.crescentschool.co.uk for more information.

Tuesday 14 March 2023 10.30am to 12.30pm

The College's Open Morning will give prospective families a chance to visit the school on a normal working day, with Year 8 and 9 pupils acting as tour guides. The Leadership and Admissions Teams will be available to answer any questions visitors might have. Light refreshments will be available.

All are welcome, please book your place by clicking here.

Entrance Examinations Day for September 2024 entry will take place on Saturday 11 November 2023 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The deadline for registrations, scholarship and bursary applications is Friday 29 September 2023.

If you have any questions please contact the Admissions Team on 01926 643201/297 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Friday 18 March 2023

The PTA will be holding a St Patrick's Day Race Night. More information will be coming out shortly so please keep your diary free for what promises to be a fun and enjoyable evening. 

We are always looking for volunteers so if you would like to help at this or any future event, please sign up here at the Ptasocial website or email us at pta@princethorpe.co.uk

You can also follow us on Twitter - @PincethorpePta, Instagram - @princethorpepta or Facebook - Princethorpe PTA

Saturday 18 March 2023 - 9.30am to 1.00pm

Our biennial Careers Fair returns to taking place in person on Saturday 18 March from 9.30am to 1.00pm. Open to all Princethorpe pupils from Year 10 to Sixth Form, this year's fair is set to be our biggest one yet!

With a wide range of speakers and organisations on hand to offer advice and guidance on careers, universities and apprenticeship options, there really will be something for everyone! 

The event will start with a keynote speech from OP and consumer affairs journalist, Felicity Hannah. Attendees will then be able to attend up to three workshops plus the exhibition depending on their personal interests.

There will be around 40 speakers covering a whole wealth of careers from accountancy to engineering, physiotherapy to investment banking, property to law, medicine to technology, the armed forces to entrepreneurship and many, many more. We'll also have universities from across the country, such as Cardiff, Sheffield, Surrey, Plymouth, Nottingham Trent and closer to home Warwick, with stalls in the exhibition part of the Fair.

Registrations will open on Friday 17 February.

Wednesday 22 March - 7.00pm

At our January meeting we spoke about both The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. Certainly it would be hard to find two novels that are more different than these. We all enjoyed The English Patient but agreed this made quite heavy demands upon the reader, with its time shifts, differing perspectives and mysteries – but it is without doubt a highly evocative portrayal of disparate lives and settings that come together in strange and difficult circumstances. The Reading List is a much less ambitious read – quite heartening nevertheless, but perhaps a little glib in its handling of some fairly dark themes.

Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the scheduled meeting on 15 February, so our next meeting will be in the library at 7.00pm on Wednesday 22 March. On that occasion we will be discussing Proust and the Squid – the Science of Reading as a non-fiction choice and also The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, a modern classic that inspired a wonderful film. Do join us if you can. We always welcome new faces and are always open to new reading ideas and suggestions. 

Progress Reports for Year 9 will be published on Friday 10 February 2023, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

The Year 9 Subject Progress Evening will take place online on Tuesday 14 February 2023 from 5.00pm to 8.30pm. Details of how to book appointments will be emailed week commencing Monday 6 February 2023.

Full reports for Year 8 and Year 10 will be published on Friday 10 February 2023.  They will also be available to view on My School Portal.

January exam results for the IGCSE Maths candidates will be distributed to pupils on 2 March 2023.

January exam results for the BTEC Level 3 candidates will be distributed to pupils on 23 March 2023.

Summer 2023 - the whole college exam timetable can be viewed here. Personal exam timetables and exam entry statements will be distributed to pupils before half term and the information will also be displayed on the pupil and parent portals; any exam clashes will be resolved after the half term break.

Shellagh Dodds
Examination and Assessment Manager

On Friday 27 January, all pupils from Year 10 participated in a PSHE Immersion Day. Over the course of the day, pupils took part in six different sessions, and will complete the seventh session in their next PSHE lesson.

Pupils had a specialist sexual health session with Pastoral Deputy Head, Mrs Beth Sharpe. They also had a mental health session looking at different coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety, which allowed pupils to discuss which mechanisms might be best/worst for their own characters and personalities.

Practical sessions included practicing CPR on resuscitation dummies and looking at the use of automated external defibrillators. Pupils also learnt about first skills for asthma and allergies, including how to administer epipens, using training pens to practise. In addition, pupils took part in a Rights and Equality quiz, using and building on their knowledge from PSHE lessons earlier in the academic year.

The final two sessions were both looking at skill sets which are developed not only in PSHE, but across the whole school curriculum. Mrs Helen Pascoe-Williams, Learning Skills Coordinator, devised a booklet of mixed activities linking to the core skills of VESPA, while Mr Andy Compton, Director of Digital Strategy, created a session looking at Online Self Esteem and Identity.

Overall, the pupils had an engaging and enjoyable day, embracing the chance to focus fully on essential life skills. The next PSHE Immersion Day will be in the Trinity term, for Year 8 pupils.

We will be celebrating Year Group Eucharist for Years 7 and 8 in the Lent Term 2023.

• Thursday 9 February - Year 8 - 9.40am-10.30am
• Thursday 16 February - Year 7 - 9.40am-10.30am

Family members are invited to join the relevant groups in the College Chapel and to stay afterwards for light refreshments.

Please use the main exterior Chapel entrance. Car parking will be clearly indicated.

If you would like to attend please click on the relevant year group above to confirm your attendance.

If have any queries please email Mrs Mary Benham, Chaplaincy Co-ordinator at marybenham@princethorpe.co.uk

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC would like to invite you to participate in any or all of the services that will take place during the season of Lent.

Wednesday 22 February   
Ash Wednesday Mass              7.00pm St Anne's, Wappenbury

Thursday 6 April               
Maunday Thursday Mass         7.00pm Princethorpe College

Friday 7 April                 
Good Friday Service               3.00pm Princethorpe College

Sunday 9 April             
First Mass of Easter                8.30am St Anne's, Wappenbury
Mass of the Day                   10.30am Princethorpe College

If you would like further information about St Anne's, Wappenbury please use the link here.

Looking ahead to next term and the February Mock Examinations, Upper Sixth students have been given permission to take time out for Study Leave when they are not sitting an exam. Each time an Upper Sixth student comes into school during this period, either to sit an exam or to study in school, they must sign in and out at the Student Hub. Failure to do so will result in the student losing the privilege of having Study Leave.

UCAS and Careers

Any questions about UCAS or careers related advice please contact Mrs Quinney directly by email at jacquiquinney@princethorpe.co.uk.

Key Dates

Tuesday 7 February - Interview Skills Day

Monday 13 February at 6.00pm - Oxbridge and Medic Presentations

Saturday 18 March - Careers Fair

Saturday 25 March – Prefects and Subject Ambassadors training

Thursday 29 June - Upper Sixth Thanksgiving Eucharist and Buffet Supper

Wednesday 5 July - Upper Sixth Leavers' Ball 

Best wishes

Ben Collie 
Head of Sixth Form 

Maybe you were lucky enough to get away over the Christmas holidays and now there are a few foreign coins or notes still lurking in a pocket or a handbag?

Why not round them up and put them to good use? All donations would be gratefully received and all money raised will be split between UK projects of the SVP (St Vincent de Paul Society), including support for the homeless, elderly, handicapped and those coming out of prison and an overseas SVP project helping to fund secondary school education children - especially girls - in India. Click here to discover what the SVP organisation is about and how your donation can help.

The money can be current or out of date, British or foreign; anything is welcome.

Click here and watch the video to see how cash4coins works. This is what you can donate:

• All foreign coins and banknotes
• Current UK coins and banknotes
• Any old British and Irish money
• Even obsolete currency

Please send in money in a strong envelope labelled ‘Rod Isaacs - Cash4Coins’. This can be handed in to form tutors to pass on. We raised nearly £170 last year. 

Many thanks

Rod Isaacs
Assistant Head of Sixth Form

As part of the fundraising for the Senior Sports Tour to South Africa this summer we will be selling refreshments on Saturdays before home sports fixtures begin.

Hot drinks and cakes will be available from the Tuckshop so please come and support. 

We are continuing with the process of organising the return visit of our Dutch hosts from October 2022. We are looking forward to reciprocating the fantastic experience which our pupils received during our four night experience with the players from Hopbel Hockey club. The return dates are from Saturday 29 April through to Wednesday 3 May.

The girls and boys (mainly girls) are a variety of ages, between 12 and 15. This may be of interest if your child would like to attend the Holland visit in October 2023, however this invitation is open to all families. In order to host, we are looking for families who can offer to host a pair (or more) of Dutch visitors and willing to entertain and involve them in your family life for the four nights. We will organise an itinerary of fixtures, activities during the school day and a BBQ for our guests with their host families on the final evening. We will let you know who the other host families are so that you can organize other events together if you wish. We will supply bus tickets for the Dutch visitors should these be required but they will need to be picked up after fixtures each day from College.

Due to requisite safeguarding checks, all adults (members of the family over 18 years old) within the household must hold an enhanced DBS certificate, to be sent for by the Princethorpe Foundation, even if they currently have a DBS certificate from another employer. If you are subscribed to the DBS Update Service, please do let us know. To allow plenty of time for the DBS certificates to be received before the tour, please do book an appointment with our Recruitment Co-ordinator at recruitment@princethorpe.co.uk, as the DBS check has to be done within the three months prior to the visit. It will only take 15 minutes per person to apply for the DBS certificates, and one person from the household can bring the documentation on behalf of everyone in the household. The recruitment team are available Monday to Friday from 8.00am until 5.00pm. If you have any questions, please do contact Claire Wildsmith or Suz Jeffery on 01926 634269.  Please see the attached document entitled ‘Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks’ for the ID documentation required.

Many thanks for your continued support of Princethorpe Sport and we hope that you can continue this by hosting some Dutch guests in April. 

A warm welcome to the Lent Term programme of Physical Education and Games at Princethorpe College. 

Our PE and Games Department have created a helpful guide for pupils and parents ahead of the Lent Term 2023 which includes further information about: 

• Team coaches and how you may contact them
• Instructions on how to access the Princethorpe Sport app
• Information about fixtures, including selection and cancellations
• Sports kit expectations
• Postcodes for away fixtures (which can also be found in the Lent Termly Calendar)

If you have any questions, please direct them to your son/daughter's team coach or email myself, Lee Cassell (Foundation Director of Sport), Jen Law (Head of Girls' Games) or Joe Jackson (Head of Boys' Games).

Lee Cassell 
Foundation Director of Sport 

As the Trinity term is fast approaching we start moving our thoughts to summer sports and the cricket season. The cricket kit is not compulsory for all, however, for those who will be representing the College in the Boys' A and B teams and those who would like to wear the kit we offer a cricket shirt, trousers and sleeveless slipover. 

As a general guide we normally run an A and B Boys' team for U12 through to U15’s who are required to wear the school cricket kit.

This year, for the first time, the Girls' cricket teams have the opportunity to wear the female fit cricket shirt with their skort if they would like to for their weekly fixture programme.

All orders must be placed before the end of the school day on Thursday 16 February 2023 using the order form here, you will be notified by email when they are available to collect from the School Shop.

We have one of each size available to try on in the School Shop. The white PE polo is also a good size guide.

If you need any help with your order please contact Tamsin Frost on 01926 634272.

Barbara Bromwich
Foundation Shop Manager

Please don’t forget that Princethorpe College PTA is registered with easyfundraising. So, even when we are not hosting fundraising events in school, we can still continue to raise free funds, at no extra cost to you.

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

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

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

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

Timetables for peripatetic music and LAMDA lessons for this term can be found on My School Portal, please follow the link here.

It is always great to hear about our pupils' successes that take place outside of school; please do keep us updated if your son or daughter has won a competition, is performing in a show or competing at a high level with a sporting team outside of school, we would love to hear more. 

We would like to invite parents to submit this information to us via a nomination form by clicking here so we might celebrate these achievements in school too.  

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head - Co-Curricular

Thursday 16 February 6.30pm

The DofE Certificate Presentation Evening will take place on Thursday 16 February 2023 from 6.30pm to 8.00pm. The event will start with tea and coffee in the Limes Atrium followed by the presentation in the Sports Hall.  

Invitations have been sent out to all who have completed everything on the eDofE website and all who completed the Gold qualifiying expedition last summer.

A number of those who took part in the scheme last year have yet to complete their award.  Please follow the instructions provided in this guide to complete your sections and guarantee your invite to this exciting event.

Will Bower
Head of Outdoor Education

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. 

We would like 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's Award). Please click 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

Monday 6 February 6.15pm

An on-line information evening for parents of pupils going on the Easter ski trip will take place on Monday 6 February at 6.15pm.

The link for the evening has been sent out.

Jen Law
Head of Girls' Games and Ski Trip Co-ordinator

Users posting fraudulent links on social media sites, usually via bogus accounts, is a common way for cyber attackers to attempt to gain credentials. These links are often posted as comments under legitimate posts, often pretending to be relevant to the original post. Clicking on the link would then prompt the user to enter credentials which would be stolen, or would attempt to download malware onto the device.

It has come to our attention that some phishing links such as those described above have been posted as comments on Princethorpe College Facebook posts, by unknown accounts. Our marketing team have been quick to hide and remove the comments and links, but it is important to be aware of this practice and avoid any suspicious links. Public facing social media such as the school’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles can be targeted in this way, as can the social media profiles of any organisation, and we will always do our best to remove suspicious posts quickly.

The links in question purported to link to live streams of school hockey matches. The school does not live stream any sports matches, and would certainly not publicly post any links in the event we were to stream these. This is one example but please do beware of this practice both on school social media posts and all other forms of social media, in order to protect your accounts and data.

We would like to remind parents of some useful contact details.

To report a pupil absence please email attendance@princethorpe.co.uk or telephone the Attendance Line on 01926 634260.

For other enquiries please use the email addresses below:

Bus related queries - princethorpe@vectare.co.uk

School Shop - uniform@princethorpe.co.uk

Medical Centre - pcmatrons@princethorpe.co.uk

School fees -  accounts@princethorpe.co.uk

General enquiries - post@princethorpe.co.uk

Lost property - lostproperty@princethorpe.co.uk

Wisepay catering - cashless@princethorpe.co.uk

Email addresses for members of teaching staff can be found on My School Portal.

Please see below our current vacancies: 

Princethorpe College

• Head of Academic PE
• AV and Theatre Technician
• Grounds Supervisor
• Admissions and Marketing Administrator

Crackley Hall

•  Aftercare Leader

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.