The Flagpole

Time flies when you are having fun, but never have seven weeks flown by so quickly. It is hard to believe we have completed the first half-term and only four school weeks lie between us and the Easter Holidays. This has been a half-term filled with so many exciting highlights.

The Addams Family completed its run of six shows on Saturday evening with another fantastic performance. Special mention must go to Mr Cowlishaw and Ms Newborough who have spent hours with our pupils in rehearsals - a big thank you and well done to every pupil and member of staff who was involved. Seeing the talent on display was inspiring and testament to our performers, as putting on a production of that quality during a remarkably busy term requires dedication, resilience, and a very positive attitude. We are all looking forward to next year.

I passionately believe that the best schools have the best teachers, and this half-term has seen us recruit some very strong new colleagues who will be joining us in September. The mix of experience, expertise, and enthusiasm joining Princethorpe will add a lot of value to our already strong teaching body. I am especially excited to announce that Mrs Pascoe-Williams has been appointed as our new Head of English, following a recruitment process of the highest quality. I would also like to extend our thanks to Mrs Ingram who is leaving us following the return of Mrs Parsons from maternity leave. Her dedication and impact in the classroom will be missed and we wish her well.

Below is a list of colleagues joining this term:

• Head of Finance: Claire Alcock, starts 01.03.23
• Head Librarian: Nicola Treadwell, starts 06.03.23
• Examinations Officer: Sarah Tsang, starts 08.03.23
• Teacher of Mathematics (maternity cover), Alan Harris, starts 24.04.23

And for the new academic year:

• Head of History: Adelaide Fretwell, starts September 2023
• Teachers of English: Jo Evans and Lydia Petrucci, start September 2023 

I have been asked on many occasions what drew me to Princethorpe and I always reference the Heads of School team who interviewed me. The strong characters and well-rounded young people I met made such a good impression. They provided one of the most challenging and enjoyable experiences during the interview process. I loved their insight, enthusiasm, and passion for the College. It was, therefore, a great privilege to appoint my first group of Heads of School, following a comprehensive process led by Mr Collie and the Sixth Form Team. This included letters of application, presentations, a task day, and interviews. This process continues, as we will be interviewing for the remainder of the Prefect Body after half-term. However, I am delighted to formally announce the new team as:

Heads of School:

• Izzy Wright
• Natalya Elden

Deputy Heads of School:

• Tom Lomas
• Connor Silvester
• Alice Whittaker
• Radley Evans

We started this half-term with mock examinations, and it will be the same after the break. With less than forty teaching days left before the end of year exams, we wish all our Year 11 and Upper Sixth pupils the best of luck with their preparations. I would say make every day count and use this opportunity to prepare for the summer. One of the most exciting things I have done this term was to conduct our internal Sixth Form scholarship interviews. I have met with well over forty Year 11 pupils and it was an incredible window into the broad, interesting, and inspiring lives of our Princethorpe students. Please be assured when I say that our future is in safe hands as we have remarkable young people who attend Princethorpe. It was also encouraging to see the strength and number of external candidates who are looking to join our Sixth Form in September 2023.

Personally, I have learnt so much more about Princethorpe College during the past number of weeks. It was good to attend the Catholic Independent School’s Conference with Mr Hester in Harrogate, to better understand the Catholic foundation of the College. We had very positive conversations about Independent Catholic Education and the role we, as a school, can play moving forward. I also want to thank the many parents I have met for your support, kind words, and positivity. My head is spinning a little less and even though I am looking forward to a short break, it will provide a valuable opportunity to take stock and plan ahead. This includes engaging with parental focus groups and acting on feedback from the parental questionnaires which are both in process.

Finally, next half-term is only four weeks, so it will be short and busy. Can I request the normal checks on uniform, ensuring your child is still compliant with all uniform requirements? Can I also request a quick look through the calendar to ensure families are ready for the many events coming up in a short period of time, especially the Careers Fair for those in Years 10 upwards, see the article in the News section and emails sent home today. I hope you all have a restful break.

With my very best wishes.

Grove du Toit
Headmaster