The Flagpole

As we approach the end of this academic year in glorious sunshine, we are mindful of our schools’ environmental responsibilities. We are currently compiling a series of metrics which will help us in our planning as we take on the challenge of moving towards “net zero”.

These include:

·         food waste,

·         food sourcing,

·         packaging,

·         recycling,

·         biodiversity,

·         and our carbon footprint. 

With regards our carbon footprint we have been carefully measuring (and reducing) our energy usage – electricity and gas this year – and have plans to reduce still further.

We now want to calculate our carbon footprint related to travel to and from our schools. To do this we need your help please. I would be extremely grateful if each family could fill in this short transport survey by Monday 26 June. It takes just three to four minutes to complete.

I will report back on the results and our wider plans regarding environmental sustainability in September.

Very best wishes for the last few weeks of term.

With best wishes

Ed Hester
Foundation Principal

Pupils from Princethorpe College put in outstanding performances to win ten events at last weekend’s Warwickshire Schools Athletics Championships helping the Eastern Area take both the Junior and Inter events. College athletes claimed a further five second place finished and six third place finishes. Grace McCollin was awarded the trophy for Best Girls Overall Performance at the Championships after setting a new County record in the 75m Hurdles (11.3 seconds) and equalling the County record (12.4 seconds) in the 100m. André Onyekwe set a new National Standard personal best jumping 1.95m in the Inter Boys High Jump.

In total, 21 College athletes took part in the competition that was held in Nuneaton, at the Pingles Athletics Track, on Saturday 10 June and an amazing 11 pupils have been selected to represent Warwickshire in the Mason Trophy Inter-County competition on Saturday 17 June at Northwood Stadium in Stoke.

Competing for the Senior Girls, Grace Darcey took 1st place in the 800m.

For the Inter Boys, André Onyekwe took 1st place in the High Jump and Triple Jump while Oscar Civzelis finished in 3rd place in the Discus and Shot and 5th in the 1500m. Freddie Knott claimed 3rd in the 100m Hurdles and 4th in the Triple Jump and Stuart Nedjati 4th in the Shot.

For the Inter Girls, Kate Pomerleau took 1st place in the 1500m Steeplechase while Lim Self claimed 1st place in the Triple Jump and 2nd place in the Long Jump. Olivia Monk had two 2nd place finishes in the 100m and 200m. Martina Grace finished in 3rd place in the 1500m, then Emily Glover was 4th in the 800m and Frankie Kelly 5th in the Shot.

For the Junior Girls, Grace McCollin took 1st in the 100m and in the 75m Hurdles while Penelope Jones claimed 1st in the Long Jump and 2nd in the 75m Hurdles. Lauren Tebbatt finished 1st in the Javelin and 5th in the 200m, Lily Hunter was 3rd in the 1500m and Skye Rotheram 4th in the High Jump.

For the Junior Boys, Hunter Staveley took 1st place in the Shot and 3rd in the 300m while Mark Message claimed 2nd in the 800m. Josh Harris was 4th in the 80m Hurdles and Dan Tomlinson earnt himself two 5th place finishes in the 100m and the Long Jump. Charlie Atkins also came 5th in the High Jump and finished 10th in the 1500m.

A fantastic effort from them all.

We wish the very best of luck to pupils competing in the Mason Trophy Inter-County competition this weekend:

• Mark Message - 800m
• Hunter Staveley - Shot
• Grace McCollin - 100m and 75m Hurdles
• Penelope Jones - 75m Hurdles and Long Jump
• Lauren Tebbatt - Javelin
• Ben Smith - 1500m S/C
• André Onyekwe - High Jump and Triple Jump
• Olivia Monk - 100m and 200m
• Evie Marston - 3000m
• Kate Pomerleau - 1500m S/C
• Lim Self - Triple Jump

Vanessa Rooney, our wonderful Registrar for the last seven years is stepping down from the role with effect from the end of June. She is handing over the reins to Assistant Registrar, Catherine Rogers, who has been appointed following a thorough recruitment process earlier this term.

Grove du Toit, Headmaster, comments, “Vanessa has done an exceptional job as Registrar at Princethorpe over the last seven years. She has been a welcoming face and voice to so many families, and parents often comment on how well they are looked after by her and the team. We will be sad to see Vanessa go, but Catherine is a worthy successor, having come out top of a strong field of candidates and will I know maintain the high standards and friendly approach we have come to expect from the team.”

He continues, “We thank Vanessa for her tremendous dedication and service to the College and wish her well in her new endeavours.”

The College is now recruiting for an Assistant Registrar to replace Catherine, the deadline for applications is Monday 19 June, click here for more information on the role.

Another key milestone has been reached in the construction of the College’s new Science Centre with the internal connecting doors between The Limes and the Science Centre now in place. Princethorpe’s new Science Ambassadors were the first lucky pupils to open the doors to the new building when they posed for a celebratory photo just before Open Evening on Wednesday 7 June.

Until now the connection to the Science Centre has been boarded up so it was an amazing breakthrough moment to see the panels removed and the doors unlocked to allow our Science Ambassadors to be the first pupils to see through.

Inside the new Science Centre, work continues around the clock with the fitting out of the ten new laboratories is nearly complete with each themed in a striking colour. Outside, the scaffolding is mostly down, and the front of the building has its cladding in place. Work continued on the landscaping over half term, and the new netball courts are now all dug out.

The building’s location at the top of The Lime Walk places it central to the College’s campus and the views from the laboratories are stunning.

The project remains on schedule to be handed over to the College in the summer, ready for teaching to commence in it next academic year.

It is all very exciting for us here at Princethorpe.

The atrium area of the Science Centre has been designed with two steel beams at ceiling level to incorporate suspended artefacts which can be viewed - without touching - from the circulation areas of both floors. These supports would allow either one object of mass 300kg or two objects at 150kg each, suspended on steel wires. Unfortunately we had two items promised, which have subsequently failed to materialise and we’re putting out a plea in case anyone can help. We are looking for something with a scientific and perhaps topical theme: maybe part of the transmission from an electric car, something to do with battery technology, a substantial car component or similar. This can be anything at all with a scientific theme and we would be happy to agree this as a loan or a gift to the school. If you think you may be able to help, please get in touch with Alex Darkes at alexdarkes@princethorpe.co.uk or 01926 634207.

The College’s annual Sports Day took place today, Friday 16 June, and it was a fantastic morning of friendly, but fiercely competitive sport. Field and track events took place simultaneously, so the playing fields were action-packed from the moment the starting gun fired. College staff were kept busy measuring, timing and recording all the running, jumping and throwing taking place.

The temperatures were sizzling, and the performances were too, as pupils and staff cheered all the competitors on. Everyone was hoping that their House would be victorious but, in the end, it was More House who claimed victory for the second year on the trot.

Our very own Clare Baldings, aka Mrs White and Mrs Allen were kept busy announcing all the races and interviewing the winners, adding to the excitement of the event.

Foundation Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, said, “It was another super Sports Day with plenty of excellent performances and lots of new College records set. The atmosphere was incredible, pupils were very supportive of each other, appreciating every individual effort and there was very little in it at the end.”

Huge thanks to all the staff and Sports Leaders involved in organising the event.

Have a look at the photos in the gallery, more will be shared with pupils and parents next week.

Year 7 enjoyed a day off timetable on Wednesday 14 June when they took part in an Immersion Day that included a variety of different sessions.

Working in House teams, Year 7 took on four STEAM challenges designed to develop their teamwork skills. They had maths riddles to solve, a series of puzzles to test them, the challenge of building famous landmarks out of play dough and finally they were asked to construct a tower to support an egg. Stonehenge proved to be a popular play dough landmark but sadly more eggs were cracked than uncracked (costing teams half of their points for the tower engineering challenge). Teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, communication and perseverance were all needed to be successful.

Their day also included a new challenge event for Year 7, a sponsored walk in aid of Mary's Meals. Year 7 walked just over five miles, either in the morning or afternoon accompanied by staff.

We were all impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment. A huge well done to them all.

Princethorpe College was once again delighted to host the National Schools and Riding Clubs Two-Day Event. Run in conjunction with Stoneleigh Riding Club, more than 200 competitors took part in the two-day competition, over the weekend 27 to 28 May, the only ‘long format’ event open to schools and riding clubs in the UK. It included dressage and show-jumping on the Saturday and roads and tracks, steeplechase and cross-country on the Sunday.

This was the ninth year the College has hosted the event on the Princethorpe estate, and the course looked magnificent against the backdrop of the Princethorpe Tower. This year the competition included a new 70cm class in addition to the 80cm, 90cm and 100cm events. Returning once again and causing much excitement was the challenging permanent cross-country water jump generously built by one of the event’s main sponsors, The Wigley Group. As well as being a fantastic enhancement to the course, the deep pools within the water jump are also used by pupils year-round supporting environmental and wildlife curriculum studies.

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

Riding for Princethorpe in the new 70cm class were Sam who claimed 1st place in the ISA event riding Mellow Marsh, while teammate Emilie finished in 2nd place on Caramac. As part of a joint Princethorpe/Kingsley team they earnt themselves a third place overall finish in the National Schools event.

Representing the College in the 80cm class were Rosie on Long Story Short. Rosie rode superbly to finish 2nd overall in the National Schools event and 1st overall in the ISA class. Teammate Lizzie placed 3rd on Tickety Boo in the ISA class and together with Jasmine on Honey B they helped a joint Princethorpe/Abbey Gate team take the title in the ISA team competition and finish in third place overall in the National Schools event.

In the 90cm class Rosie rode Ballyrush Harry and had another great round to finish 3rd overall, and 1st in the ISA class. Teammate, Lottie earnt herself 3rd in the ISA event riding Laragh Cracker. Jessica rode Ballylee Tower and Claudia Annaghbay Storm and a super effort from all the girls saw the team finish in second place overall in both the National Schools and ISA competitions.

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

Congratulations to all the riders who took part. There will be more equestrian action taking place at Princethorpe shortly - the Inter-Schools’ Dressage Competition is scheduled for Sunday 2 July and spectators are most welcome.

This year, 62 Year 10 pupils competed in the British Physics Olympiad Junior Challenge, an online competition where pupils answer multiple-choice questions across two tests in just 50 minutes. The Junior Physics Challenge is designed to engage and stretch pupils by offering a range of problems to solve. It allows pupils to apply their curriculum knowledge of physics practically, while taking part in a competition at a national level. It is the first opportunity GCSE pupils have to participate in a British Physics Olympiad event.

Pupils' results were, once again, excellent this year, so a huge well done to all who took part. Particular congratulations go to Zach Hawkins who was the top performing pupil from the school, Zach achieved a Gold certificate, along with Anna Johnson, Jesse Esler, Amelia Chard and Theo Sparkes. Pupils at the College were also awarded 14 Silver, 41 Bronze and two Commendation certificates.

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

Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw took his Sixth Form BTEC Music students to The Revel Church of England Primary School in Rugby last Friday 9 June. The Sixth Formers were welcomed warmly and really enjoyed working with the children, sharing their love of music in its many forms and showcasing their many different talents. The Revel’s pupils were blown away by the skills of the Princethorpe singers, pianists, violinists, percussionists, saxophonists and guitarists.

Music makes an important contribution to the life of every school and our Sixth Form students were delighted to share their passion with the youngsters at The Revel. The students organised and led the session themselves and they were delighted and impressed by how well the young pupils responded.

Huge thanks to all at The Revel and we very much hope we can come back and visit again soon.

Pupils from across the College were invited to the Roundhouse on Monday 12 June, by Assistant Head - Co-Curricular, Neil McCollin, for a celebratory buffet lunch, to recognise their contributions, commitments and achievements.

All of the pupils had risen to the challenge of the College’s ethos; they had done their best in different ways, both in and outside of school. Some had been nominated for academic achievement; others invited along for their contributions to sport or drama; some for charity or community work and others for their commitment to school.

Mr du Toit congratulated every one of them and thanked them for the many ways that they enrich College life.

A number of pupils missed the event as they were taking part in the English School Athletics but to ensure they didn’t miss out Mr McCollin had arranged for them to have a special celebratory packed lunch. 

A huge well done to them all.

On Wednesday 14 June, Year 10 took time out of a hectic term filled full of preparations for Year 11 to think about their future post GCSEs. In a special Taster Day, they explored life in the Sixth Form and gained an insight into the opportunities and support on offer here at the College.

Welcomed by Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie, the day began with an informative session that looked at how the Sixth Form team supports students' self-development and progression, including information on opportunities such as the Extended Project Qualification and the College’s Sixth Form Enrichment Programme. 

Pupils then attended five different subject-based lessons that provided an insight into potential A-level choices and the different approaches to teaching at this level. It was pleasing to see how engaged the potential Sixth Formers were.

The timetable was action-packed but the Year 10s clearly enjoyed trying out life in the Sixth Form. Well done to all the pupils for their enthusiasm, we know for many it will have been the first time they have really thought about their future pathways.

Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie, commented, “The Sixth Form team really enjoyed working with the Year 10s. They asked a range of good questions that will have helped with their decision making and we are looking forward to meeting them again with their parents at our Sixth Form Open Evening which takes place in the Michaelmas Term on Wednesday 18 October.”

Our Summer Open Evening took place on Wednesday 7 June with the College warmly welcoming prospective parents and pupils into school.

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

Outside many chose to explore the outdoor classroom and Duke of Edinburgh camp or have a go at archery while in the Sports Hall the climbing wall was as a popular attraction. The Limes was bustling with a da Vinci display and parents and children exploring subjects such as Computing, Geography, English and Modern Foreign Languages and many visitors enjoyed looking through the newly installed glass doors into the Science Centre.

Music entertained our visitors with the Concert Band playing in the Quad while drama rehearsals attracted audiences to the Clarkson Theatre. Through the length and breadth of the school, visitors were invited to watch explosive Chemistry experiments, guide the robot round the track in DT, taste scones in Food and Nutrition, delve into the archives in the library or figure out the puzzles in Maths.

Grove du Toit, Headmaster, welcomed parents in the Chapel with an inspiring address, talking about the school, its plans for the future and the ‘Spirit of Family’ ethos that allows Princethorpe to help every child to succeed.

Nearly 200 families attended the evening, with lots completely new to the school. For all it was a great chance to soak up the special Princethorpe atmosphere and to get a flavour of day-to-day life. The sun shone brightly, and everywhere enthusiastic staff and pupils extolled the virtues of Princethorpe’s tailored individual approach.

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

Families looking at entry in September 2024 have one more chance to visit the school at the start of the next school year. The College is holding an Open Afternoon, on Sunday 17 September from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. The deadline for registrations for Entrance Exams is Friday 29 September. For more information visit our website here or email the Admissions Team at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

Past and present pupils, parents, staff and trustees came together on Saturday 10 June to mark Crescent School’s 75th anniversary. Out on the school playing fields the Friends of Crescent hosted a traditional summer fete, while inside the school old pupils enjoyed wandering through the classrooms and exploring the archive displays.

The anniversary fête was well attended with pupils and teachers from across the generations, from the sixties through the eighties and on to more recent years, returning to visit their old school. Many were delighted to find old photos of themselves, and fascinating memorabilia retrieved from the archives. Foundation Archivist, Catherine Lewis, was kept busy as old pupils put names to photos and shared memories and even donations for her collection. The oral history booth was popular with all, who were happy to record their memories of life at Crescent School.

The school fields were transformed thanks to plenty of enthusiasm, gazebos and bunting and the British weather blessed us with superb sunshine, allowing all to relax and enjoy themselves and their ice creams.

It was a very special occasion, enjoyed by everyone, that gave many the chance to reconnect and share fond memories.

Our thanks go to all the staff, pupils and parents who contributed to the celebrations and also to all the past pupils and teachers who attended and made the event such a great success. We do hope they enjoyed their walk down memory lane.

We encourage everyone who has a connection to the school, or who would like to share their memories and be kept up to date with news from the school, to register on Princethorpe Connect here or to email oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

In the latest of our series of STEAM lectures, on Thursday 16 June Professor Thomas Hills from the University of Warwick gave a very interesting talk titled ‘Searching For Our Future Selves’. The session was attended by Lower Sixth Psychology students and a number of staff. Professor Hills spoke briefly about his educational journey that took him across the USA and then went on to share his amazingly varied work. Professor Hills has carried out research in a number of different fields associated with Psychology, with a significant amount of Biology and Chemistry multi-disciplinary crossover. He discussed the difference between exploitive and exploratory behaviour and the link to dopamine, sharing insights from his research with worms. He then went on to explain how the same behaviour occurs in humans, using Van Gogh as an example. He then talked about self-projecting, the ability to imagine the consequences or outcomes of decisions and how experiences allow us to build maps to make better decisions from a more refined ability to self-project.

It was a fascinating lecture, many thanks to Professor Hills for sharing his work with our students.

Two Year 8 pupils, Harry Messenger and Louis Reynolds, played for the Midlands team in this year’s Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) U13 Regional Football Festival. The tournament took place over the Easter holidays at Shrewsbury School.

Princethorpe’s boys were pitched against representative teams from across nine UK regions and Shrewsbury provided an excellent setting for the Festival with its fantastic facilities located on the banks of the River Severn.

Both Princethorpe boys played well and were thrilled to have represented the Midlands team. Team coach, Stuart Turpin commented, “They were great lads to have in the squad and a real credit to their school both on and off the pitch.”

What a great experience for the boys.

Year 7 visited Warwick Castle on Wednesday 7 June to help bring their studies of Medieval England to life. Originally built by William the Conqueror, the castle with its motte, portcullis, murder holes and battlements, provided the perfect backdrop to their history lessons allowing Year 7 to see and experience its defensive structures and understand its significance and impact on everyday medieval life.

Year 7 also took part in a Medieval Battle Skills workshop finding out how weapons were used on the battlefield and the role of Warwick Castle in the Wars of the Roses.

It was a fantastic opportunity for Year 7, and we are sure they enjoyed the splendour of the castle and of course the 500+ step climb up and around the castle ramparts!

36 Old Princethorpians were invited to Buckingham Palace in London to be presented with their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. They join thousands of young people and their families celebrating their amazing achievements.

On Friday 19 May, at his first award celebrations as the charity’s Patron, His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, a Gold Award achiever himself, congratulated all those that had completed this challenging award, commending them on their perseverance, creativity and resilience.

After his speech, the Duke met Award holders, including our very own OP Archie Hancock (Class of 2022), hearing about the positive impact their DofE experience has had on them.

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

Receiving their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award in ceremonies this year are:

Ellie Partridge, Will Dunderdale, Luke Brotherton, Luke Palmer, Josh Whitby, George Saunders, Will Crowfoot, Tom Crowfoot, Henri Fuchss, James Walker, Angus Griffin, Will Marshall, Lauren Mason, Will McCormack, Eve Howard, Erin Darcy, Victoria Heritage, Ben Scares, Anthony Convey, Sam Warne, Jessie Crawford, Archie Hancock, Dan Wildey, Joe England, Louis Rodgers, Jack Collins, Ella Mason, Emily Scrivens, Ishbel Kempton, Tobias Lambe, Pablo Scopes, Elizabeth Boyes, Ed Foster, Zara Hendy, Laurel Arkesden and Erin Arriordaz.

We look forward to news of further awards presentations and don’t forget that the maximum age limit for completing your awards is 25 years. We encourage all OPs who haven’t quite signed off all their sections to complete the requirements and get their moment at the Palace as well.

Mr Bower suggest you have a look at these helpful resources:

Complete Your DofE Award OPs

Assessor Report Guide 2022-23

Just before half term we published the latest issue of The Old Princethorpian, the Princethorpe Foundation’s termly alumni e-newsletter for past pupils, staff and parents. If you haven’t seen it yet then you can find it here: http://www.oldprincethorpian.co.uk

The newsletter aims to keep our alumni in touch with each other and news, developments and events across the Foundation. It includes the latest Foundation and College news, and plenty of news and updates from OPs across the decades.

The next OP event is our annual OP Summer Supper Reunion which takes place on Friday 23 June. Full details can be found in the Events section on Princethorpe Connect here: https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/events

We hope everyone enjoys reading the newsletter and finding out what is going on in the alumni community. Please do share it with any alumni you know.

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 Sports Hall 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.

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

Wednesday 28 June 2023 - 7.30pm

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. 

Saturday 2 September 2023

We are gearing up for the 12th annual Old Princethorpians vs College Sports Day (and 14th John Shinkwin Trophy Match) on Saturday 2 September 2023. 

We are planning to repeat our previous format with a relaxing day that mixes sporting matches with music, a complimentary BBQ and ice cream van and a subsidised bar.

As before points will be accumulated throughout the day, with the Alex Wallis Memorial Shield being awarded to the victors at the end of the day.

Format of day:

• 10.15am to 11.30am Football OPs vs Staff
• 11.30am to 12.30pm Hockey Princethorpe College Mixed Team vs OPs XI
• 12.30pm to 1.30pm Netball Princethorpe College 1st VII Girls vs OPs VII
• 1.45pm to 3.15pm Rugby - John Shinkwin Trophy - Princethorpe College 1st XV Boys vs OPs XV (leavers of 2023 and 2022)
• 3.30pm - After Match Awards by the BBQ

Excitingly this will be the first time the new Netball Courts by the Science Centre will be used competitively and we hope to be able to allow visits into the Science Centre during the course of the day.

We are keen to get as many leavers of 2023 and OPs from across the generations participating. If you are interested in playing in any of the sports please complete the short online form here asap or by Tuesday 29 August at the latest. 

Wednesday 13 September 2023 - 7.00pm

It was an absolute pleasure to see so many people at the last Reading Group session this term, which was sadly the final one for me. I must extend my thanks to old friends and new for the little party we held, for the cards, the good wishes and for all the very special gifts of books. I will be reading every one of them in the holiday – a real treat to enjoy all these recommendations from others. I’ve even got a couple of much loved titles to share with my grandsons as I nurture their love of books. We barely found time to discuss The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde but I would thoroughly recommend this as a superbly inventive book fed by an anarchic imagination which gives us a scenario where people are able to enter the world of a novel and change its course. Very cleverly written, it almost defies description, but it was refreshing to read a comic novel written with such flair.

I want to thank all who have made running this Reading Group such a real pleasure for the last fifteen years or so. There is something special about a forum where parents and staff can meet as people and connect over something as simple as a mutual love of books. It is great that the Reading Group will continue and I’d like to thank Jess Newborough for offering to take it on. The first session of next year will be on Wednesday 13 September in the library at 7.00pm. The first book on the agenda will be Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, an Irish writer who is building up a great reputation for herself. This book takes us back to the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and is written with great sensitivity. It was recommended to me by Jess herself; I’ve dipped into it but will be reading it myself over the summer.

We’ll hope to recruit some new readers for next year and those who have enjoyed the Reading Group this year will be spreading the word. Please give it a go next year. There’s no commitment to attending every session, of course, but you’ll certainly be guaranteed a warm welcome from a wonderful body of parents and friends. 

Year 8 and 10 Examination Reports will be published today, 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. Appointments will be available to book from Monday 19 June 2023, with details of how to book appointments emailed late afternoon on Monday.

The Year 10 Subject Progress Evening will take place online on Wednesday 21 June 2023, from 5.00pm to 8.30pm. Appointments are now available to book on SchoolCloud.

The Blue Book Of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros

Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the 'normal' 21st century world he knew disappeared. Now he's 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living. Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets, which emerge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook - the Blue Book of Nebo.

(Nominated: Medal for Writing - The Yoto Carnegies 2023)

On Thursday 29 June the Immunisation service will be in school to offer Year 9 pupils the Diptheria/Tetanus/Polio vaccine and the Meningitis ACWY vaccine. 

Further information and a link to the electronic consent form has been emailed to all parents and guardians of Year 9 pupils. Please note that this link to the consent form will expire on Sunday 18 June.

Individual appointment times will be emailed nearer the time. 

Any concerns or queries please contact pcmatrons@princethorpe.co.uk.

Many thanks

Mrs Paula Greig
Senior Matron 

Can I please remind you all that we are a nut aware school. We kindly ask that pupils do not bring anything to school containing nuts as part of their lunch or snacks. Allergic reactions can be extremely serious, so this is really important to make sure everyone in our community is kept safe.

Thank you for your continued support. 

Beth Sharpe
Deputy Head - Pastoral

With the new Science Centre preparing to open we are taking the opportunity to reallocate lockers to pupils and students in zones according to their year groups.

Pupils and students will be asked to give in their current locker keys on Friday 30 June 2023; lockers will be cleaned and reallocated over the summer ready for their return for new school year in September.

Please could you please remind pupils to look for their locker key before Friday 30 June 2023 as we will be asking for it to be returned. Any lost locker keys will incur a £5 charge for a new key to be ordered.

As you can imagine this is a huge task and your support would be greatly appreciated. 

Beth Sharpe  
Deputy Head - Pastoral

The Upper Sixth are coming to the end of their exams and many of them are turning their thoughts to the summer holiday. The Princethorpe community are very much looking forward to celebrating the end of the exams with them all at the Leaver' Ball.

Having completed their end of year exams, the Lower Sixth are now starting to think about next year as they enjoy some sunshine in their free time. There is a lot of information coming through to the Lower Sixth about Universities, Apprenticeships and future careers so please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions at all.

UCAS and Careers

This can be an overwhelming and confusing time for Sixth Form students (and their parents) when faced with the huge choice of university courses and apprenticeships available. The Careers and Sixth Form teams are available to help and advise students on all aspects of these decisions but we are also here for parents too. Below is some information that may help but please do get in touch if you any specific queries that are not answered.

Feel free to contact our Head of Careers at jacquiquinney@princethorpe.co.uk.

University applications

All applications to university are made through UCAS.com which produces a very comprehensive Parents Guide. 

Parent guide to UCAS

Students will receive comprehensive guidance this half term on all aspects of the UCAS application.

Deadlines

Applications to Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Vetinary Science/Medicine need to be checked and approved by the school so the application should be submitted by the student on or before Monday 9 October 2023 in time for the deadline on 16 October 2023.

All other applications are encouraged to be completed by the end of November to ensure that the process doesn’t interfere with exam preparation.

Predicted grades

Predicted grades are a very important part of the application and play a significant role in a university’s decision whether to make a student an offer. We take a very positive view of the student’s likely performance when deciding predicted grades and, at the same time, try to ensure that these are a realistic prediction of the student’s attainment at the end of the course.

Predicted grades will be available for students to view via Unifrog the week beginning 26 June 2023 and will be based on a combination of the May exams, classwork and teacher judgment. There is a further opportunity for students to sit assessments in September with the final predicted grades being issued on 15 September 2023. We suggest that any enquiries regarding predicted grades should be made to me directly at bencollie@princethorpe.co.uk, rather than the subject teachers.

Apprenticeships

Students interested in applying for apprenticeships can find lots of information both on Unifrog and also UCAS.com. Applications are made directly to the employer and many larger schemes open for applications from November onwards. However, many smaller employers will continue to recruit throughout the year. Due to the competitive nature of many degree apprenticeship schemes, students may want to consider applying to university too, as a back-up.  

Gap Years

Many students decide to take a gap year, either to gain new experiences or simply to gather their thoughts before deciding on their next step. Whilst many will apply to university whilst still at school and simply defer the place, many others might want to apply during their gap year or, indeed, might decide to reapply after a change of mind! We are more than happy to support these students and they just need to get in touch after the summer exam results are released, to organise support.

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 

As part of the careers curriculum Year 10 will start to have careers interviews in school. The pupils not seen in the remainder of this term will be offered interviews in the Michaelmas Term (when they will be in Year 11). We will work through the year group but if your son/daughter is very keen or you feel needs the motivation careers work brings do get in touch by emailing Jacquiquinney@princethorpe.co.uk or kerrylow@princethorpe.co.uk and we can arrange to see them earlier.

To help pupils know what to expect here is a quick explanation of what happens in the session. A careers guidance interview is an impartial, one-to-one meeting between the pupil and a professionally qualified careers adviser. It will last about 30 minutes and there will be the chance for second, third and fourth interviews after mock exams in Year 11. A careers guidance interview is not like a job interview, there are no right or wrong answers. The careers interviews will be held in F49 and pupils will be asked to bring their laptop so they can logon to Unifrog which is our careers computer database which they can use for self directed research.

The benefits of having guidance interviews are, increased motivation and self-confidence, greater self-awareness, improved decision making skills and increased awareness of opportunities aswell as tackling internal and external barriers to success for the student.

During a guidance interview we can do this by:

• identifying personal qualities and skills
• identifying skills they would like to develop
• coming up with ideas for study and work
• exploring specific career areas
• exploring current and future job opportunities
• understanding the process of job search, writing a CV and going for interviews
• exploring interests, likes and dislikes, family influences, personal barriers and work experience
• thinking about how study, work experience, and home-life can all contribute to employability

 The careers adviser will give:

• accurate and up-to-date information
• the opportunity, if suitable, to complete a personality-based assessment which helps individuals to know themselves better
• alternative sources of information and help if required
• a summary of the session on Unifrog under “interactions”

If you would like to help your young person prepare for their interview you could talk to them about:

• their current situation – what planning they have already done, if any
• qualifications or additional qualifications and experience required for the career they are interested in
• how much control they feel you have in making choices
• the ideas they already have but don't know how to move forward with or perhaps they have no ideas at all.
• Any ideas for work experience using your family contacts (even just a chat if it’s a career they can’t experience – psychology,medical,police).
  
  

During the careers interviews we can move the pupils forward in their planning no matter how much or how little preparation they have done. Year 10 is just the right time to start the conversations in a generalist way. Pupils will often say they do not know what they want when asked but then go on to tell us a great deal about what they want for their future lives once settled into the interview. It is easier to have a pupil with no planning than a stressed one who has been trying to figure it out in their own mind. Please also let us know if a pupil is overly worried about the session as we do not like them to be dwelling on it too long and will pull their tutor group forward or slow their session down to spend more time on rapport before talking about the future.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers
 

There are a limited number of spaces left to take part in the Army Officer Insight Day on Saturday 22 July 2023 at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

This is an amazing opportunity to receive a tour of RMAS, meet serving officers and receive a presentation. To secure a place click Army Officer Insight Day.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers

Over half term, on Sunday 28 May, Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Rod Isaacs, completed the Edinburgh marathon in an amazing 3 hours 47 minutes and 33 seconds. Rod was running in aid of the Princethorpe Malawi 2024 expedition, helping to fulfil the school's commitments to raise £2,000 to fund work at Namatubi School in the northern part of the country. You can find out more and support his efforts here.

Sunday 2 July

It's a long road... 

Princethorpe Lower Sixth students will be walking up a storm on Sunday 2 July as they take on the 24/7 Challenge in aid of Mary's Meals, the amazing charity that can feed a child for a year for just £19.15 With over 40 pupils and more than a dozen staff taking part plus many parent helpers on checkpoints there is strong support for the event that is in its 13th year.  

This year some pupils in Year 10 and 11 are also taking on the walk to support the Malawi fundraising through Bwengu Projects to fund two new toilet blocks for girls and boys at Namatubi School in Northern Malawi.

Beginning at 8.00am at the Queen's Head Pub in Meriden the walkers will follow the official Coventry Way route for 17 miles until Ryton and then branch out on a figure of eight route for a little over 7 miles for the remainder to end at Princethorpe College sometime around 4.00pm. This year the route distance has been carefully recalibrated to equal exactly 24 miles. 

Please use the links below to our fundraising pages to support either of the two charities. The Mary's Meals charity commits to using 93p in every £1 on their hands on work feeding hungry children in their place of education. We are not far from this year's target to feed every child at Makalanga School in Malawi. Anything over and above this will go to Mary's Meals vital work providing food for children in Yemen and Tigray as well as next year's fundraising for Makalanga. 

Mary's Meals Just Giving Page

Bwengu Projects Just Giving Page

Maybe you were lucky enough to get away over the May half term 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

Coventry Netball is running netball camps during the summer at the University of Warwick.  

Click here for further information and to book places.

Next academic year your child will be taking part in an extensive sports programme which will include sports which require the pupils to wear a gumshield.  

To support this, we have invited OPRO to come into school to fit and create custom made mouthguards. They will be visiting on Thursday 7 September from 12.30pm – 2.30pm. On that day, the OPRO dental team will take impressions of all pupils who want to be fitted and the finished mouthguards will then be delivered to your home address or school approximately 7 working days later. 

OPRO mouth guards start at £40.99 and they offer a number of benefits with their service: 

• buy one mouthguard and get a second mouthguard for half price; 
• your child will receive a complimentary Snap-Fit mouthguard at the dental visit so they have something to use whilst they wait for their Custom mouthguard to be delivered; 
• each mouthguard comes with a dental warranty which covers up to £22,500; 
• Your child’s name and the school name will be included on the mouthguard and case; 
• OPRO store all of the models in case a replacement is required; 
• All mouthguards carry the CE mark; 
• Our exclusive school design mouthguards are priced at £45.99 and can be found at the following link: SchoolClub - OPRO (oproschools.com)

If you have any questions about the products or OPRO’s service please contact their customer care team directly on 01442 430690 or email info@oprogroup.com. 

Once all the bookings have been confirmed, we will inform you or the time slot that your child will be having their fitting. 

It is not compulsory for the pupils to have a custom made mouth guard to participate in sport. You are welcome to purchase one from other avenues such as from your own dentist, the school shop or any sports shop. This facility with OPRO is just to make the process easier for families at the College.  

If you have any questions about Princethorpe sport for next year, please feel free to get in contact via email at leecassell@princethorpe.co.uk.  

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport

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

Well done to the Silver participants who completed their qualifying expedition last weekend. Good luck to the Lower Sixth Gold and Year 9 Bronze groups in your upcoming trip. Full details regarding the expedition have been distributed via email and are available on MySchoolPortal. Please make sure you meet with your group to discuss the trip.

Following the trips your expedition assessors will upload your assessor reports onto eDofE for you before the end of term. In the meantime, please continue to sign off your volunteering, physical and skills sections. For Gold participants, prioritise booking your residential. Guidance can be found on MySchoolPortal here, for help, DofE clinic takes place every Tuesday 1.05pm in LG02.

Please could all expedition kit borrowed from school be returned by the end of term. A large amount of equipment is still to be returned to the school store. Please return to the PE Office or the Student Hub, label the items with your name so we are able to sign them back in.

We are introducing a bit of fun to start the week off. Every Monday games will be available in the library for all pupils to participate in at break and lunchtimes. Games include 4 In A Row, Chess, Draughts, Snakes & Ladders, Dobble, Uno, Boggle and Horrible Histories. Pupils are invited to join in the fun. The games will also be available on Friday, so it makes a great start and end to the week. We do ask that whilst enjoying the games that pupils are respectful to other pupils that may be working. Please note, games are not permitted on devices in the library at any time. 

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.

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head - Co-Curricular

It is always great to be able to share news of pupils' co-curricular successes outside of school.

Lower Sixth Form student Dawson Barnett played rugby for Warwickshire U17s last month. Dawson played in a home training game against Notts, Lincs and Derby scoring the opening try within the first few minutes. He was further selected for the next three games against Oxford, North Midlands and Leicestershire. Dawson played in his favoured position at outside centre and for a short time at fullback. He made a great contribution to the team, progressed personally and clearly enjoyed the experience immensely.

Congratulations also to Bella Ward who has been chosen to be part of the U15 Severn Stars Nova Academy for the remaining part of the 2023 season. Bella had been extremely dedicated and worked incredibly hard to get this opportunity with such a prestigious club. She plays in Goal Attack and Goal Shooter and is really enjoying the challenge.

Well done also to Year 7s Charlie Deas, Harry O’Rourke and Harry McKerlie who took part in the recent Old Laurentian U12 rugby tour to Southport. They had a fabulous weekend and were delighted to finish as overall winners.

Congratulations to them all.

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.

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

Current bus users (who did not give notice last 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 wc Monday 19 June to Wednesday 5 July initially from our bus website here. The Vectare Team are still working on the next year's website and it will be available during w/c Monday 19 June. 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 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 Open Morning date

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

• Assistant Registrar
• Pastoral Support Manager
• Pupil Hub Manager
• Teacher of Religious Studies - Maternity Cover
• Administrator/Receptionist
• IT Engineer
• 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.