The Flagpole

We are well and truly back in the swing of all things academic, following a very welcome double Bank Holiday fortnight. I trust there was opportunity to rest and unwind, especially with fairer weather making an appearance last weekend. The sunshine does bring a different feel to the College – visitors always comment on how amazing our campus looks on a clear day. This has meant our cricket and athletics teams have been hitting their stride and I am proud to report some incredible results. We have also hosted several taster days for prospective pupils hoping to join us in September 2024. However, the real highlight is our Summer Open Evening, scheduled for Wednesday 7 June, where we will have the opportunity to put our very best foot forward. More than 180 families have already booked onto the event which is testimony to our strong reputation and popularity in the community. Another date for the diary you cannot miss is the National Two-Day Equestrian Event taking place next weekend, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May. The cross-country course on the Sunday is a must watch and is yet another example of the breadth of opportunity available to all Princethorpe pupils.

The rest of the school join our Year 11 pupils and Upper Sixth students taking exams next week, with our internal exam week beginning on Monday. May I request you spend some time with your child to ensure they have read all the relevant information? All they need has been emailed to them and it will help to lower anxiety if they know where to be, at what time, and what equipment they need. I'd also like to make a plea to our Year 11 and Upper Sixth parents to remind your children again of all exam regulations of which they are fully aware. We are regulated externally and have no choice in how we respond to any possible, intended or accidental, exam breach. We must follow guidelines and report everything to ensure the integrity of Princethorpe as an exam centre. We will follow the same strict approach during internal exam week to ensure the right culture develops in preparation for external exams. Any breach of our internal regulations will be sanctioned.

Thank you to all parents who have made the change to the online absence form. As we continue to phase out the option to report absence by phoning in, this is another reminder to access the online form on the landing page of “My School Portal”. We request it is used for all planned and unplanned absence reporting. However, if you need to discuss your child’s absence, please do call the school who will refer you to the relevant member of staff.

As we approach the final half term of this academic year, there will be even more opportunities for pupils and parents to get involved with events and activities at Princethorpe. Our PTA is hosting a Gin Tasting event – there are still spaces available – and we look forward to the Summer Fête and Motoring Festival. Pupils are heading off on various trips and visits, and choices for the Innovation and Adventure Days were submitted this week. During one of the taster days, I asked our prospective pupils what they thought about their visit. One of the boys said: “It looks really busy and exciting”. I feel this is a good description for the final few weeks of the year – busy and exciting. There is much to look forward to before July.

I hope to see you at the various events, please continue to come and say hello, and I hope that the half term break provides time to relax.

With best wishes for the weekend.

Grove du Toit
Headmaster

College athletes put in fantastic performances in the first round of the English School Track and Field Cup this week taking top spot in both the Inter Girls and Inter Boys competition, the Junior Girls also did well finishing in second place overall with the Junior Boys coming third. The event took place on Tuesday 16 May at Rugby Athletics Track with teams from 12 local independent and state schools taking part.

The English Schools Track and Field Cup is a competition for school teams, pupils score points based on their individual performances, with their scores contributing to the team total. It’s all about the combined team effort and Princethorpe’s athletes certainly performed, a testament to the strength of sports here at the school!

For the Inter Girls (Years 9 and 10) Grace McCollin was outstanding in the Hurdles, finishing in 11.8 seconds and scoring 28 points, then Olivia Monk did not disappoint earning 25 points after a super 26.5 second run in the 200m and a further 21 points after jumping 9.82m in the Triple Jump. Lily Hunter and Evie Marston also both ran strongly in the 1500m gaining 24 points and 22 points respectively in times of 5.16.9 minutes and 5.24.4. Super performances across all the events by the 14-strong team accumulated a final overall total of a 357 points.

The Inter Boys scored the top team score in the whole competition earning a whopping 414 points across the afternoon. André Onyekwe sailed over 1.85m in the High Jump claiming 29 points, Oscar Civzelis ran the 300m in 39.7 seconds for 22 points, and Max Phillips-Gore, Eddie Arkesden and Jesse Esler all delivered 21 points in their respective events. Max ran the 200m in 24.8 seconds, Eddie the 800m in 2.16.8 minutes and Jesse the 1500m in 4.44.2 minutes. Their scores were supported by fine performances across all the disciplines from the 14-man team.

Best performances in the Junior Girls team (Years 7 and 8) came from Marley Adnitt in the 800m, a time of 2.48 minutes earning her 22 points, and from Issey Cleary and Rosa Davis, who also scored 22 points after running the 1500m in 5.45.3 and 5.46.8 minutes respectively. The 12 strong Junior Girls team amassed an overall score of 294 points and claimed second place.

Then for the Junior Boys, Will Smith ran the 1500m in 5.03.1 minutes to claim 21 points as part of a strong overall team performance by the 14 boys that earned Princethorpe 316 points and a third place team finish.

Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, said, “It was a very good day for Princethorpe with outstanding performances across the school years. Everyone worked hard for their team, showing determination and resilience as every single point counted. We look forward to seeing the Inter Girls and Boys perform in the regional finals.”

Competing for Princethorpe were:

Inter Girls
Emily Evans
Amy Farquharson
Martina Grace
Caitlin Horan
Lily Hunter
Penelope Jones
Evie Marston
Grace McCollin
Olivia Monk
Grace Paybody
Lim Self
Lauren Tebbatt
Delilah Teeton
Bella Ward

Inter Boys
Eddie Arkesden
Charlie Atkins
Max Black
Oscar Civzelis
Samuel Divers
Jesse Esler
Conor Horan
Xzavier Hutchinson-Hayes
Freddie Knott
Mark Message
André Onyekwe
Max Phillips-Gore
Hunter Staveley
Dan Tomlinson

Junior Girls
Marley Adnitt
Dami Ajagunna
Issey Cleary
Rosa Davis
Jess Eddleston
Lola Esler
Lillibee Harris
Emily Knight
Amy Robinson
Hattie Sarkies
Georgie Sowter
Darcey Wolsey

Junior Boys
Myles Bowley
Cody Glen
William Harvey
Rob James-Pantoja
Max Kiely
George Knott
Charles Leech
Harry Messenger
Isaac Nelson
Josh Olner
Louis Reynolds
Jo Sheeran
Henry Sims
William Smith

Princethorpe College’s Junior Girls, Minor Girls and Inter Boys teams delivered top scoring performances to finish in first place at the Warwickshire Schools Combined Events Championships. Hot on their heels were the Inter Girls and Minor Boys whose determination led to third place finishes, with the Junior Boys coming in only one place behind, finishing in fourth overall. It was another excellent athletics outing for Princethorpe at the Warwickshire Schools Combined Events, at The Pingles Stadium, in Nuneaton, last week on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 May.

16 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.

The Inter Girls took on the Heptathlon competing in the 80m Hurdles, High Jump, Shot, 200m, Long Jump, Javelin and an 800m middle distance run. Martina Grace finished 7th overall, Lim Self 12th, Caitlin Horan 13th and Emily Evans 16th, together they claimed a team third place overall.

The Junior Girls Year 9 team competed in the Pentathlon, with the athletes enjoying the 75m Hurdles, Shot, High Jump, Long Jump and an 800m run. The girls put in an outstanding performance with Grace McCollin finishing 3rd overall, Penelope Jones just behind in 5th and Lauren Tebbatt 10th, together they amassed a super score to take first place overall.

The Minor Girls also did very well delivering consistent results in the 80m, Long Jump, Shot and 600m run. An excellent performance in the Long Jump helped Issey Cleary finish 2nd individually, while Lillibee Harris came in 7th and Dami Ajagunna 9th ensuring the girls also claimed team first place overall.

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. André Onyekwe was dominant in the Long Jump jumping 5.83m and in the High Jump, sailing over a huge height of 1.93m, to help him finish in 1st place overall, his team mates also performed well with Oscar Civzelis 4th, Jesse Esler 7th and Max Phillips-Gore 8th, together they claimed another team first place for Princethorpe.

The Junior Boys took on the Pentathlon with the 80m Hurdles, Shot, Long Jump, High Jump and 800m events. Hunter Staveley finished 4th overall, Dan Tomlinson 13th and Conor Horan 17th, their team finished fourth overall.

Then the Minor Boys took on an 80m sprint, the Long Jump, Shot and a 600m run. George Knott finished 5th overall, James Bostock 11th and Alvin Wamala 12th, taking the team to third place.

After a very successful two days, Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, was thrilled with excellent early season results, commenting, “Princethorpe’s athletes shone across all the disciplines delivering outstanding performances in both field and track events to help the College to a super set of results. Well done to them all.”

Increasing numbers of girls at Princethorpe College are choosing to study Computer Science to learn the skills necessary for them to create new technologies. Thirteen girls have opted to study Computer Science in Year 9 next academic year, recognising the subject as an interesting and viable career option.

Those who choose to study Computer Science at Princethorpe College are very successful at it, with girls currently studying the subject on track to achieve outstanding grades in their Computer Science GCSE and A-level courses. Pictured are some of the girls choosing to study Computer Science with Computer Science Subject Ambassador, Chris Lock.

Computer Science is a core part of the Year 7 and Year 8 curriculum, with the department team providing a positive environment where girls and boys are encouraged to develop computational thinking skills and learn how to code. The Computer Science department works hard to promote the subject to girls by actively championing female role models for the subject, such as computer scientists Grace Hopper and Margaret Hamilton. The Computer Science teachers network girls interested in the subject and provide lunchtime and after school opportunities for all pupils to learn more.

Teacher of Computer Science, Edward Musson, says, “Through positive exposure and targeted encouragement, we are seeing an increase in the number of girls opting to study Computer Science and develop in demand programming skills. Our older girls are great role models for the younger years, helping to breakdown stereotypes and show that girls at Princethorpe achieve at the highest level. In Year 10, three of our top four attaining pupils studying Computer Science are girls.”

It’s fantastic to see girls embracing the opportunities Computer Science provides - learning skills to enable successful 21st century information technology careers.

Back in April, pupils from Princethorpe College took part in the 2023 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 92 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 pupils, Jay Patil and Tara Rodgers who were awarded a Gold certificate, and took the joint award for best performing pupils in school, and to Year 7 pupils, Dillon Horan and Charles Packe, who were awarded a Gold certificate, and took the award for best performing pupils in Year 7. Gold certificates were also awarded to Year 8 pupils Woody Osborn, Noah Cowlishaw, Theo Read-Jones, Thomas Zanyi and Jessie Murphy and to Year 7 pupils George Knott. Jay Patil and Tara Rodgers performed so well that have also qualified for the follow-on round, the Junior Kangaroo Challenge.

Silver certificates were awarded to: Isaac Frith, Erik Windham, Ayla Plumb, James Sinclair, Katherine Lee, Oscar Rexton-Watts, Elena Raiseborough, Callum Chadwick, Jo Sheeran, William Sutton, Dami Ajagunna, Noah Walker, Eve Tilley, Ellie Maffey, Jasper Nicholls, Teni Okusanya, Bohdan Nicholl, Charlotte Gower, Victor Ball, Jake Mainwaring and Jack Phillips-Gore.

Bronze certificate: Noah Thompson, Millie Lammas, Tyler Moreton, Drew Ovens Gibbs, Chloe Sarkies, Andrei Bodorin, Jacob George, Louis Reynolds, Reuben Allen, Teddy James, Jake Swords, Ollie Hawkins, Emily Beadle, Isaac Fowle, Sachin Gupta, Victoria Benbow, Georgina Sowter, Stephanie Bolton, Henry Spicer, Ali Maddams, Noah Dando, John Owen, Freddie Stephenson, Veer Chayra, Jack McKay, Lucas Ross, Edward Hunt, Dax Frost and Arthur Reid.

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

What a finale we had to this year’s Forensic Science Club on Wednesday 17 May. Over the course of the Trinity Term, our Year 8 crime scene investigator 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.

After a body was found in the cellars, Year 8 were called upon to investigate, reviewing witness statements, examining the crime scene and collecting and analysing evidence. The pupils donned their protective clothing and set off to search the school for evidence. There was plenty to find, as the careless criminals had left many, many clues! It was a deadly mystery, but Year 8 were more than up for the challenge.

Science Teacher, Sam Curtis, was impressed by them all, commenting, “All Princethorpe’s trainee forensic scientists passed their assessment with flying colours, piecing together the evidence to solve the mystery and recover the stolen diamonds. They certainly weren’t fooled by all the double crossing going on.”

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

Longstanding staff at Crescent School are looking forward to catching up with old pupils when the school celebrates its 75th Anniversary in June. Many of the school’s staff have worked at the Crescent for an awful long time, in fact when we totalled it up those pictured here have 265 years of service between them. With the lovely catering ladies leading the way having served school dinners for an amazing 82 years!

Many Princethorpe families have connections to Crescent School and will be familiar with these faces. All former pupils, staff and parents are invited to attend the school’s anniversary fête which takes place on Saturday 10 June from 12.00pm to 2.30pm. In addition to stalls, activities and a BBQ organised by the wonderful Friends of Crescent on the school field, all Old Crescentians will be able to tour the school, visit our archive room, help us identify past pupils, visit our 'memory booth' as well as catch up with fellow past pupils and former and longstanding members of staff.

Everyone is most welcome so please do come along. If you would like to attend, please sign up on Princethorpe Connect here: https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/event/75th-anniversary-fete

House Bake Off was, as always, a popular competition with a tantalising display of 30 creative entries lined up for the judges in the College’s Food and Nutrition Room. The ‘Literary’ theme produced an incredible array of ‘book’ themed bakes with Harry Potter, The Hobbit and The Very Hungry Caterpillar featuring among the designs.

Mrs Newborough and Ms Scott took on the arduous job of judging all the entries, supported by Mr Cowlishaw and Mrs Sharpe, they considered taste, decoration and relevance to the theme. Staff and pupils crowded in at break time to chose their favourites too.

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:

Decoration

1st Sophia Deery

2nd BEM Tutor Group

3rd Eloise Keil

Staff Mrs Cowan

Taste

1st Damiola Ajagunna

2nd Amy Bull and Hannah Atkinson

3rd George York

Staff Mrs Munford

Popularity Vote

Marco Rodriguez Hernandez

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

Princethorpe’s U13A Girls Cricket team batted and bowled their hearts out at the Nottingham High Cricket Festival last weekend. In a superb performance, they won all their matches and took first place in the Cup competition.

The festival took place on Saturday 13 May at Nottingham High School and was for Year 7 and 8 pupils. Six schools took part in each age group category, the U13s and U12s. With the three teams scoring the most runs going through to the cup competition, while the lower scoring teams went through to the Plate competition.

The U13 Girls played two games in the pool stage, winning both:

Princethorpe 262 runs scored vs Loughborough High School 246 runs scored
Princethorpe 234 runs scored vs Nottingham High School 231 runs scored

The girls qualified second out of the six schools and progressed to the cup competition. Here the team upped their performance to win both of their games by a significant number of runs:

Princethorpe 261 runs scored vs Ratcliffe 217 runs scored
Princethorpe 253 runs scored vs Bablake 207 runs scored.

Team coach, Ellie Callan, said, “The girls were fantastic on the day. Each and every one of them played a role in the team to help them secure the festival win, whether that be taking a wicket, catching the opposition out, hitting a six or showing strong communication and leadership skills throughout the tournament. The girls were commended by several schools on the quality and consistency of their bowling, which ultimately helped them to knock down the run total of other teams.”

Anabel Davis received the coach’s player of the tournament award for bowling the best overs of the day and hitting a big six.

Charlotte Gower was awarded most improved player. She listened to feedback and was able to improve elements of her game in most of the matches we played.

Well done also to the U12s team, the tournament was a fantastic opportunity for them to gain valuable match experience.

On Wednesday 17 May, 43 Year 9 and 10 pupils from Princethorpe College visited the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge. As part of the day the pupils got to take part in taught sessions on controlling physical devices using Python code and 'The Megaprocessor' in support of their GCSE Computer Science studies. They also had chance to look around the museum and to have hands of experience of a wide range of computers going back to the 1960s. Head of Computer Science, Adam Depledge, said, “This was a really valuable experience for the pupils which will not only help them with their studies directly but also give them a deeper appreciated of the history of the topics they are learning.”

On Thursday 11 May, 42 Year 10 Geography GCSE pupils set off for Preston Montford, one of the Field Studies Council’s specialist outdoor centres. Lying close to the Welsh border, to the west of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, the field centre is a fantastic outdoor classroom where pupils were able to put into practise the geographical field skills they have been studying in their lessons. The two-day trip supported the geographical investigations modules that pupils undertake within their Geography GCSE.

Pupils spent one day exploring human geography topics, investigating the impact of internet shopping and consequent retail changes in the central business district in the county town of Shrewsbury. As part of their investigations, they completed questionnaires and took photographs which they will now put together with secondary data sources to complete their analysis. Then they also spent a day investigating physical geography topics in Carding Mill Valley, Church Stretton. There they surveyed the rivers, undertaking measurements and investigating how river channel characteristics change and how they relate to flooding downstream.

Helen Baker, Joint Head of Geography, said, “Preston Montford is an excellent Field Centre. Thankfully, we enjoyed dry and at times sunny weather and the pupils’ engagement and conduct was exemplary. We had a very busy two days and the trip has given pupils a fantastic head start in Component 3 of their GCSE, Geographical Investigations: Fieldwork and UK Challenges.”

Princethorpe’s boys took four titles at the ISA National Tennis Tournament which took place on Wednesday 10 May at Rugby School. Princethorpe’s pupils were runners up in a further event, took third place in another and also won a Sportsmanship Award, making for a very respectable performance from the College teams.

Jen Law, Head of Girls’ Games, said, “Pupils played brilliantly. The standard of tennis was high, and we had some fantastic results. All in all, it was a very successful day.”

The results included:
U13 National ISA Champion – Will Harvey (Year 8)
U13 National ISA Plate Champion – Will Smith (Year 8)
U13 National ISA Doubles Champions – Will Harvey and Will Smith
U13 National ISA Doubles Plate Champions – Angus Griffin (Year 8) and Noah Walker (Year 7)
U15 National ISA 3rd place and Sportsmanship Award Winner – Henry Fox (Year 9)
U15 National ISA Doubles Runners-Up – Will Gower (Year 10) and Alex Sykes (Year 9)

Well played to all the pupils who took part.

Head of Religious Studies, Cyp Vella, took the Lower Sixth RS students to the Stratford Literary Festival on Friday 5 May to listen to a discussion about the existence of God between David Baddiel, a secular Jew, and Rev. Giles Fraser, a Church of England vicar.

David Baddiel explained why he doesn’t believe in God, and Rev Giles Fraser gave his perspectives on why he does believe. It was a really interesting and thought-provoking talk that was directly relevant to the A-level syllabus the students are studying. It provided plenty to debate further and will support students in a key element of their studies, evaluating the different arguments for the existence of God.

It was wonderful to host a large group of interested OPs, former staff and parents at our OPs Science Centre Preview and Brunch on Saturday 13 May.

The group, who were warmly welcomed by Foundation Principal, Ed Hester, enjoyed a delicious brunch in the Refectory before setting off in three groups to be ably toured round the construction site by Architect, Tony Pugh, Project Manager, Alex Darkes and Deputy Head (Academic), Michael Spencer.

Contractors were hard at work while the parties toured the two floors, taking in the ten laboratories, break out area, prep rooms and staff bases. All were suitably impressed by the progress to date including the space, facilities, views and the positive impact the Science Centre will have on other areas of the campus when it comes online.

The build is on schedule to be handed over to the College in the summer and will be officially opened early next academic year.

The next OPs event is the Summer Supper Reunion on Friday 23 June, this event is aimed specifically at those celebrating their 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th and 50th year of leaving the College, so if you were in a Leaving Class with a 3 at the end of it or know someone who was, visit Princethorpe Connect for more details and to sign up. OPs from other year groups are most welcome too of course.

https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/event/summer-supper-reunion-2023

On Saturday 13 May, Princethorpe College hosted its popular annual ‘Say Hello to Hockey’ taster session. Despite the decidedly cold temperatures, the weather stayed dry and nearly 50 Year 4 and 5 pupils, from surrounding primary schools, enjoyed a fun introduction to this exciting field game.

Rotating through different training drills, the children learned about the key skills of dribbling, passing, tackling and shooting. They quickly got to grips with the fast-paced sport. After a quick pit-stop the children then took part in a mini-tournament in front of a crowd of enthusiastic parents, it was great to see their new hockey skills being used so effectively.

Princethorpe College Games Teacher, Rachael Mack, was impressed at how well the children took to the sport commenting, “Some children were nervous at the beginning, having never been to Princethorpe or ever held a hockey stick before but everyone soon settled, and they were all chatting like old friends by the end of the morning. They progressed enormously and the standard of hockey played in the mini-tournament was really very good.”

At the end of the session, Princethorpe’s Headmaster, Grove du Toit, spoke to the children and their parents before everyone was sent on their way clutching a legendary Princethorpe cookie.  

A big thank you to all the staff and Sixth Formers who gave up their morning to run the event.

The College hosted its annual U10 Football Tournament this week. Nine teams from local primary schools joined us on Monday 15 May and enjoy the chance to play football on the College’s Astro.

Princethorpe’s Primary School Sport Liaison Teacher, Hannah Carminati, masterminded the event and had the teams quickly out on to the two pitches playing eight minute, one-way matches. Split into two pools the teams started with a round-robin of games. Refereed and supported by Princethorpe Sixth Formers, Finn Osborn, Jacob Illey, Darcey Heritage and Mary-Ellen Boyle, the mixed teams of girls and boys threw themselves into each game enjoying the opportunity of putting their skills into practice in a competitive environment.

The coaches gave good side line support shouting advice to their players whose enthusiasm was clear to see. Matches were fast paced, and the teams focused. The ball was moved skilfully up and down the pitch and there were some excellent shots at goal. At the end of the pool round the scores were added up and the teams then all finished with one final game playing their matching placing from the other pool.

Congratulations go to overall winners Grange Farm Primary School who just pipped Bilton CofE Junior School on penalties to take first place. Finishing in third place was Foundation Prep School, Crescent School.

Miss Carminati enjoyed seeing all the talent on display, saying “I thought the event was a real success. It was lovely to see the children having so much fun; they all deserve huge congratulations for their energy and enthusiasm. It was fantastic to have nine teams participating and it proved to be a very exciting end to the day.”

Our thanks go to all of the staff and pupils involved in the organising and running the tournament and to the many parents who turned up to support the children.

Playing in the tournament this year were Barford Primary School, Bilton CofE Junior School, Crackley Hall School, Crescent School, Crick Primary School, Dunchurch Boughton CofE Junior School, Hampton Lucy CofE Primary School and Grange Farm Primary School.

Wednesday 24 May 2023 - 7.00pm

It was great to see such a good turn-out for our last meeting in April. We were discussing Still Life by Sarah Winman – a huge tapestry of a book spanning generations and evoking both the earthiness of the East End of London and the artistic world of Florence. Despite its length, this is an easy and engaging read where both the triumphs and tragedies of life are explored with a warm heart.

As our next book, we will be reading How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee. This is one of the 70 books selected for the big Jubilee read. Set in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion, the book has been well-researched and explores the consequences of this on the lives of a variety of characters including the “comfort women”. We’ll be meeting in the library at 7.00pm on Wednesday 24 May. You’ll be guaranteed a warm welcome so do please join us whether or not you have had a chance to read this particular book. 

Thursday 25 May 2023 - 7.00pm to 8.30pm

There will be a recital from some of the most talented pupils taking music lessons at Princethorpe College in the Clarkson theatre on Thursday 25 May at 7.00pm.

It will be a friendly and informal evening, and a great chance to experience some of the vast talent shown by our pupils. There will be a combination of solo and small group performances on the evening, and an opportunity after the event to meet up with your child’s peripatetic teacher for a chat if you would like.

Everyone is welcome to attend, and there will be light refreshments after the event. Tickets can be booked through My School Portal by clicking here.

Gil Cowlishaw
Head of Music

Saturday 27 May – Sunday 28 May 2023

The National Schools And Riding Clubs Two Day Event will take place for the eighth year running on the magnificent Princethorpe estate.

Entries are now open for the National Schools and Riding Clubs Two-Day Event, which is the only event of its kind in the UK and attracts up to 300 riders each year.

Now in its 22nd year, this year’s event includes a new 70cm class to open it up to a wider field of competitors, with a new spectator area introduced to satisfy growing demand.

The event takes place from Saturday 27 to Sunday 28 May at Princethorpe College, near Rugby, and is backed by local firms The Wigley Group and Newton LDP as its returning main sponsors.

Entry for spectators to the event is free so we do hope you can come along and enjoy a wonderful weekend of equestrian events.

For more information and or to enter please click here.

Open Evening - Wednesday 7 June - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

The College's annual Summer Open Evening will take place on Wednesday 7 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity for prospective families looking for a place in September 2024 and beyond to visit the school, for children to take part in departmental activities and for parents to meet and chat to members of staff and pupils.

The Headmaster, Grove du Toit, will also address visitors during the evening. Light refreshments will be available.

Please click here to book your place. 

Year 6 Taster Days - September 2023

Our Year 6 Taster Days are a great opportunity for pupils who will be in Year 6 in September 2023 and are interested in joining Princethorpe in September 2024. 

The days run from 9.30am to 3.00pm and typically involve four lessons, a question and answer session with some of our current pupils and the chance to talk to the new Headmaster, Mr du Toit. Snacks and lunch are provided and there is no charge for the day.

We have three dates available in September, Tuesday 12, Wednesday 20 and Tuesday 26 September 2023. Places, which are available for those children who have not already attended a Year 5 Taster Day, are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Please click here to book your place. 

Friday 9 June 2023 - 6.45pm to 9.30pm in the Sixth Form Centre

Please note the new start time for this event

Princethorpe PTA would like to invite you to a Gin Tasting evening with Rugby Distillery to sample their fantastic range of crafted gins, that are produced in copper stills using traditional methods.

Upon arrival you will be welcomed with a gin cocktail or mocktail. The evening will then continue with four gin tastings from Rugby Distillery’s range, paired with a recommended Fever-tree mixer. Throughout the evening you will be guided by Richard and Emma, the owners of the distillery, who will give an insight into their business and how Rugby Distillery craft gin came to be.

A small bar will be available throughout for alternative beverages.

Tickets cost £25.00 for gin drinkers including a cocktail, four gins and cheese platter and £10.00 for non gin drinkers including a mocktail and cheese platter.  Please click here to book your tickets.

Need a taxi?

Why not book our friendly Princethorpe taxi service aka the South Africa Tour teams to drive you home once the event is finished. All proceeds will go to the South Africa tour. If you would like to book this service, please email PTAssociation@Princethorpe.co.uk

Princethorpe PTA

Saturday 10 June - 12.00pm to 2.30pm

Crescent School will be holding a 75th Anniversary Summer Fête on Saturday 10 June from 12.00pm to 2.30pm. All Old Crescentians, former staff and parents are most welcome to attend.

In addition to stalls, activities and a BBQ organised by the wonderful Friends of Crescent on the school field, Old Crescentians are warmly invited to come along, have a tour of school, visit our archive room, help us identify past pupils, visit our 'memory booth' and catch up with fellow past pupils and former and longstanding members of staff.

If you would like to attend please sign up via Princethorpe Connect here.

Thursday 22 June from 6.00pm to 8.30pm and Sunday 25 June from 2.00pm to 4.30pm

A celebration of our pupils' GCSE and A-level Art, Photography and Design work will take place in the Sixth Form Centre on Thursday 22 June from 6.00pm to 8.30pm and on Sunday 25 June from 2.00pm to 4.30pm.

A range of design and technology projects, from resistant materials to textiles, will be showcased alongside the stunning art and photography work the College is renowned for.

Comments, Paul Hubball, Head of Art, "This is a great opportunity to share our pupils' fantastic creativity with a wider audience and to welcome more art and design lovers to Princethorpe."

Adds Head of Design and Technology, Paul Scopes, "We look forward to welcoming all the exam pupils and their families from across Design, Art and Photography to enjoy the fruit of their labours."

All are welcome. On Thursday evening admission is free, on the Sunday admission will be £2 per car including entry to the College's Summer Fête and Motoring Festival. Light refreshments will be available.

Friday 23 June 2023 - 6.00pm optional tour, 7.00pm drinks reception, 7.30pm supper

OPs who left the College in 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013 (or those who were in the same year groups) are cordially invited back to the OPs annual Summer Supper on Friday 23 June to celebrate their respective 50th, 40th, 30th, 20th and 10th anniversaries of leaving. Other year groups are also most welcome. 

The evening will start with an optional tour of school at 6.00pm, drinks in the Quad at 7.00pm followed by a delicious complimentary three course meal with wine at 7.30pm in the Refectory.

Comments OPs Secretary, Melanie Butler, "This event is proving very popular and we already have some 50 guests booked to attend. We know many OPs are keener to come to these events if they can be sure of seeing some familiar faces. By focusing on year groups ending in a 3, we hope to get a critical mass of attendees, although OPs from other years are of course welcome too!"

The Summer Supper is an established event in the OPs calendar, attracting a large number of OPs, former and current members of staff. The supper is preceded by an optional tour and drinks in the Quad. Every year the OPs recognise long-standing members of staff and say farewell to any staff leaving the College.

Numbers are limited to around 100 guests, so if you would like to attend please go to Princethorpe Connect by Friday 2 June to reserve your place.

Sunday 25 June 2023 - 2.00pm to 4.30pm

As the College enters the Trinity Term the PTA focus our attentions on the highlight of summer – the PTA Summer Fête and 26th Annual Motoring Festival.

There will be the usual array of stalls including our school supported charity stalls; countless fun games and activities. We'll be firing up the BBQ and for those of you who find days like this thirsty work we'll be providing an array of drinks in the refreshment tent.

We are always seeking new supporters for this event so if you could help us out for an hour at the Fête or at future events, please do contact us at pta@princethorpe.co.uk or via Twitter@PrincethorpePTA.

We are once again running the popular ‘Pre-loved Uniform Stall’ and if you have any uniform which is no longer required this can be given in at the Student Hub. School blazers, ties, skirts, jumpers, PE kits and PE bags are always welcome, with proceeds of this stall going directly back to the PTA and the pupils of the College.

Should you have any ideas or queries regarding the Fête or the PTA, please contact us at the above email address.

Many thanks

Princethorpe PTA

Tuesday 27 June 2023

The British Motor Museum are hosting a Girls in STEM Careers Day on Tuesday 27 June.

Girls in Years 8, 9 and 10 who are interested in STEM subjects and would like to participate in this exciting STEM Careers Day, should send Mr Lee a brief email/letter of application to  danlee@princethorpe.co.uk stating why they would like to attend.

The visit will be free of charge to successful applicants and is sponsored by the Princethorpe College STEAM budget.

Places are limited and successful applicants will be notified in the coming weeks.

Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 11.15am in the Sports Hall followed by a buffet lunch on the Sixth Form Centre lawn at 12.30pm

Invitations to this event were emailed to Year 11 parents on Thursday 4 May 2022 - RSVPs are due please by Friday 9 June using the link here

An extract from the email can be found below.

Keren Andrews
PA to the Headmaster 

Extract from the email to all Year 11 parents:

There will be a Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday 27 June 2022 at 11.15am in the Sports Hall followed by a buffet lunch on the Sixth Form Centre lawn at 12.30pm for all Year 11 pupils.  

This is a beautiful occasion and parents are warmly invited to both the service and to lunch.  If you would like to attend, and to enable seating and catering arrangements, I would be very grateful if you would rsvp by Friday 9 June using the link here.

This will be a special day for the pupils.  They come into school wearing suits\smart clothing following the Sixth Form dress code.  Pupils need to arrive in school at the normal time on this day ie 8.40am and will be free to leave school after the buffet lunch, from 2.00pm.

On Wednesday 28 June at 7.30pm in the Chapel, organist Tim Campain,will play a wide variety of pieces celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. 

The renowned Princethorpe Binns’ organ of 1901 was built by James J Binns, Bramley Organ Works, Leeds. It was restored by Hugh Page in 1984.

From our archives we have a fascinating insight into the numerous letters that were written between Peter Paul Pugin and Sister Procurator of the Priory regarding the organ and the delay in placing the organ. An extract from one of the letters:

March 30th 1901 

...."it is all nonsense Binns saying the organ would be finished long ago if he had has a design for case. I sent him the design for case with full working drawings which he never acknowledged. He could have worked on it at once. The console is quite a separate affair. When I see Binns I will give him a bit of my mind. I was not at all extravagant in the design for the case and a tracing of it is now enclosed which you will kindly return after M Prioress has seen it. I will send on details of console as soon as I can!"

Please click here to reserve your place

Tickets - £5.00 including refreshments. All Foundation pupils free of charge.

The main image shows the original position of the organ console - it was moved to the gallery in approximately 1908 to make way for a statue of St Peter. This statue was taken by the nuns to Fernham when they left St Mary's Priory in 1965. 

Thursday 29 June 2023 at 7.00pm 

(RSVP by Friday 9 June 2023)

Invitations to this event were emailed on Wednesday 3 May 2023 - RSVPs are due please by Friday 9 June using the link here.

An extract from the email can be found below.

Keren Andrews
PA to the Headmaster

You are warmly invited to the Upper Sixth Thanksgiving Eucharist and Buffet Supper on Thursday 29 June 2023.

The evening starts at 7.00pm with a celebration Eucharist in the College Chapel, after which we shall all adjourn to the Sixth Form Centre for a buffet supper. This will, I’m sure, be a very enjoyable and beautiful occasion; it is a celebration of all that this Upper Sixth group and their parents have contributed to the Princethorpe community over the years. I very much hope you will all be able to come, the dress code is smart.  

To enable seating and catering arrangements, I would be very grateful if you would rsvp by Friday 9 June 2023 using the link below, indicating whether or not you will be able to join us for this evening and how many people will be in your party.

RSVP form

On Wednesday 14 June, Year 10 pupils will be invited to spend the day in Sixth Form. This will include five sample lessons to explore possible subject choices and presentations from the Sixth Form Team. This is an early part of the journey to Sixth Form intended to begin conversations ahead of Sixth Form Open Evening in Year 11.

We have emailed Year 10 pupils a link with which to indicate their subject choices. Please encourage them to complete this before half-term.

Year 8 and 10 Examination Reports will be published on Friday 16 June and will be available to view on My School Portal.

Year 7 and 9 Examination Reports will be published on Friday 23 June and will be available to view on My School Portal.

The Year 7 Subject Progress Evening will take place online on Monday 26 June 2023, from 5.00pm to 8.30pm. Details of how to book appointments will be emailed week commencing 12 June 2023.

The Year 10 Subject Progress Evening will take place online on Wednesday 21 June 2023, from 5.00pm to 8.30pm. Details of how to book appointments will be emailed week commencing 12 June 2023.

Pupils and parents in Year 8 are reminded that the following textbook needs to be returned to their Science teacher by Friday 16 June 2023.

Year 8 - Smart Science textbook.

If a textbook has been lost, a charge will be made for this book.   

As we turn to the final weeks of this half term, we say farewell to our leaving Upper Sixth students and wish them well for their exams. The Lower Sixth students are hard at work in preparation for their mock exams and I wish our whole community the very best over the coming weeks and months.

UCAS and Careers

Please find below links to the presentations from the Lower Sixth UCAS Evening.

Oxbridge with UCAS 2023

Options after Sixth Form

Slides from the Degree Aprenticeships Presentation 

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

Key Dates 

Thursday 29 June - Upper Sixth Thanksgiving Eucharist and Buffet Supper 7.00pm-9.30pm

Monday 3 July - Lower Sixth UCAS and future planning day and evening BBQ

Wednesday 5 July - Upper Sixth Leavers' Ball 7.00pm-11.55pm, Warwick House

Best wishes

Ben Collie 
Head of Sixth Form 

All Lower Sixth students and their families are invited to the Lower Sixth BBQ on Monday 3 July at 5.00pm. An opportunity to celebrate the year and look forward to the summer break.

Please order your tickets via the email from Ben Collie or you may click here.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form

Examination Reports for Lower Sixth will be published Friday 9 June 2023, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

Thursday 15 June 2023 

The Lower Sixth Subject Progress Evening will take place on Thursday 15 June from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. The evening will be conducted online using SchoolCloud. Details of how to book appointments will be emailed week commencing 5 June 2023.

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

The Allied Health Professions Careers Fair takes place on Wednesday 5 July 2023 9.30am-3.30pm.

For more information and to register your interest please click here. 

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers

Virtual Work Experience programme with the Civil Aviation Authority is available to apply for right now, and takes place on Monday 24 July 2023.

The programme takes a closer look at the CAA as an organisation, while also taking students on a journey into the careers they could go into within the aerospace industry. Whatever their interests or career ambitions, there's a lot for students to discover here and get excited about.

The CAA are a public corporation, established by Parliament in 1972 as an independent specialist aviation regulator. They have a number of responsibilities including regulating UK airports, dealing with drone permissions and ensuring pilot medical standards are met.

The programme can be completed flexibly around students' studies. Even just half an hour per day is enough to finish the programme.

Most importantly, it's completely free for students to apply and complete.

Click here for the link to access and apply to the programme before Wednesday 19 July 2023.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers

As part of our preparations for the Malawi 2024 Expedition, the 30 pupils on the trip have pledged to raise £2000 to fund two sets of toilet blocks at Namatubi School in the northern part of the country. The project is managed by Bwengu Projects which already has strong links with Cresent School. Tony Melia, the founder writes: 

"The village and school community have already made a start with Bricks/Sand/Quarry stone for drainage of the pits. All they are doing now costs nothing but their labour, so they are keen to get at it. I also had the Namatubi Head teachers girls absence report for the period January to first week April. 261 girls were absent because of poor toilet hygiene and no washing facilities. Your project will really make a difference". 

To rally funds, Assistant Head of Sixth Form Rod Isaacs is hoping to get somewhere near his last year's Edinburgh Marathon time on Sunday 28 May. Please sponsor him 50p a mile if you can. The link to our Just Giving page is here.

Please do share and many thanks for your support. 

Maybe you were lucky enough to get away over the Easter break and now there are a few foreign coins or notes 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

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 PTAssociation@Princethorpe.co.uk

Princethorpe PTA

The Innovation and Adventure Days this year take place during the last week of term on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 July. Normal lessons are suspended and a wide variety of activities are on offer at school and off-site. Please note that the school day will be extended on Tuesday 4 July and the buses will depart at 5.00pm.

The forms for pupils to make their final choices has been emailed to them and the booking form is now open. This form will close at 10.00pm this Sunday, 21 May. Activities are offered on a first come, first served basis.    

Some activities attract a charge – this charge will be added to the school bill with parent consent. If you have any queries about the Innovation and Adventure Days, please do not hesitate to contact me.

We have some really exciting activities planned and the days will be a great way to end the term.

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head - Co-Curricular

Wednesday 7 June 2023

This academic year, pupils in Year 7 have been looking at life in Medieval England, particularly focussing on castles throughout the period and their impact on the people that lived in and around them. In order to support this program of study, the History department have organised a trip to Warwick Castle on Wednesday 7 June 2023. This is a fantastic opportunity to visit a local attraction that will help all students understand the significance of the structure and its impact upon life in Medieval England.

The intended areas of study are:

• The structure of the castle and how it was an effective defensive fortress;
• Life in Warwick Castle and how it can help us learn about life if Medieval England;
• The role of Warwick Castle in the Wars of the Roses and its relevance to the story of King Richard III;
• There will also be a Medieval Battle Skills workshop with the staff at Warwick Castle, which is an additional experience open to schools to engage and learn in a more hands on manner.

All Year 7 pupils are expected to go on the trip to the castle as it is a central part of the study of History this academic year. The cost of the trip will be £26.00 per pupil, which covers, transport, admission and guided tours/activities. The coach will leave Princethorpe College at 8.45am and return for 3.45pm. An electronic consent form will be sent by email which will provide consent for the trip and the £26.00 cost to be added to the Michaelmas term bill.

History Department

Monday 12 June 6.15pm

An online information evening for parents of pupils going on the Year 8 trip to the WW1 Battlefields this summer will take place on Monday 12 June at 6.15pm.

The link for the evening has been sent out.

Greg Lyttle 
Trip Co-ordinator

We will be sending out emails next week regarding instructions for returning textbooks, locker keys and fobs.

Bus users are advised that due to the various closures having a significant impact on how a coach would get around Snitterfield village. The operator is unfortunately not going to be able to serve the village between Tuesday 9 May and the end of term.

Bus users are requested to please board the bus at the next stop - Barford, Wellesbourne Road adjacent to Lambert Court at 07:30am, returning in the afternoon at 16:53pm.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

Current bus users (who have not given notice by this half term or who are not leaving the school this summer) will shortly be receiving an email confirming their bus booking for 2023-2024.

The renewed booking will be based on the same service, stop and type of pass used for the Trinity Term.  

Bus passes are booked on an annual basis and are invoiced termly, starting with the Michaelmas Term fees. Payment must be made by the start of each term in order to guarantee the place.

Those wishing to book a new single or return bus pass will be able to do so from Monday 19 June to Wednesday 5 July initially from our bus website here. Please be sure to select the 2023-24 service.

Ad hoc journeys for the next academic year will be available to book from the bus website from 21 August 2023. All ad hoc users must pre-book a seat to travel. A £10 penalty fare will be charged per journey for those who fail to do so.

Should you have any queries please email princethorpe@vectare.co.uk.

Please note that half a term's notice is required if a pupil no longer needs to use the bus service provided by the school.

Parents wishing to give notice should contact Vectare by email princethorpe@vectare.co.uk.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

The Library welcomes Harriet Hallam who will be working alongside Sally Chadwick, Library Assistant and Nicola Treadwell, Head Librarian.

Harriet has worked in retail for the last ten years and is excited to pursue a new career working with children and young people, having recently qualified as a Level 2 Teaching Assistant. Harriet is lookingforward to supporting Princethorpe pupils in the Library.

Harriet’s home life is kept busy with her two young daughters but when she does get a minute to herself, she loves to escape into a good book.

Emilie Bergerat, join us in the Learning Support and SEND team this week, as our newest Learning Support Assistant. 

Emilie has recently relocated to the local area from the South-West of France. She brings with her extensive experience of working in several French secondary schools, particularly in pastoral roles. Passionate about education, Emilie is excited to continue her journey at Princethorpe.

In her spare time, she enjoys painting, swimming, and exploring nature.

At Princethorpe we do everything possible on our own systems to ensure all correspondents receive emails from Princethorpe staff. However, sometimes emails do not get through to parents due to automated filters on email providers, such as Gmail or Outlook. Most email providers allow you to whitelist email addresses and domains, so you will always receive emails from these addresses to your inbox. Therefore, it is sensible to do this for the Princethorpe.co.uk domain to ensure no emails from the school end up in your spam or junk folders.

The following link shows you how to whitelist email addresses and domains for a variety of popular email providers: How to Whitelist an Email in Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo

If you have any issues with receiving emails from Princethorpe and would like support with this, please email servicedesk@princethorpe.co.uk with details of the issue and one of our team will be in touch to help.

Please find below the updated Term Dates for 2022-23 and 2023-24, and now 2024-25.

2022-2023 (two page document) -  new Bank Holiday for the King's Coronation

2023 -2024 (two page document) - revised Prize Giving and PTA Christmas Fair dates

2024-2025 (two page document)

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

To report a pupil absence please use the online absence form available on My School Portal

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

• Teacher of Religious Studies
• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Graduate Sports Coach
• Rugby Coach 

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.