The Flagpole

Wednesday 21 February - 7.00pm to 8.30pm

Our first meeting of 2024 went off with a somewhat controversial start. Both novels we were reading, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough and The Figurine by Victoria Hislop, had very mixed reviews. McCullough's novel of love and passion in the outback felt somewhat dated and was considered a novel that was one to remember with affection but kept firmly in the past. Hislop's latest offering was not considered her finest, with The Thorn being considered overly descriptive and unnecessarily long. What was the aim of the novel? We were not sure. The Figurine looked the part but that was about all.

And so on we go to the next pairing. We are not meeting until after half term and so we decided to go for two books once more, to keep everyone going. The first is Girl A, by Abigail Dean which looks to be a thriller with a psychological edge. It's a novel that has sat by my bed for a while now so I'm happy to be moving it into the 'reading' pile. We are also going to read the teen Sunday Times Bestseller, Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. 

We meet on a Wednesday evening for a cuppa and a chat about all things bookish. If you fancy a change of scenery (especially as The Traitors has ended) please do come and join us. We love a fresh face. 

Friday 23 February 2024 - 6.45pm to 10.00pm

Join us for a night of good food, great company, and valuable insights into the future of farming.

Hear from two speakers:

• Jennie Wheildon: Unlock New Funding Opportunities and Plan for the Next Generation in Farming
• John Price (OP 2014): My Journey into Farming and Prospects for the Future of Farming

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with fellow farmers, enjoy delicious food and drinks, and gain valuable knowledge for the future of your farm.

Secure your spot here by Friday 16 February 2024.

Thursday 29 February - 4.00pm to 5.30pm

Our next English enrichment event will take place on Thursday 29 February, between 4.00pm and 5.30pm in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre.

This time we will be looking at Journalism. Where can the study of English lead you? To a career in journalism perhaps?

Join us for a talk by Georgina Fuller, a freelance journalist, editor and media consultant with over 20 years' experience. Georgina has had bylines in papers such as The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times, and has appeared on Channel 5, ITV, Radio 5 and Radio 2. She will explore the importance of investigative journalism, coming up with ideas, writing for the web versus print, researching articles and finding case studies.

All welcome!

Helen Pascoe-Williams
Head of English

Tuesday 5 March - 4.30-6.30pm

We warmly welcome you to an informal evening of drama presented by our KS4 and KS5 Drama and Theatre Studies pupils. Our pupils will present a mix of devised and scripted pieces from a range of plays and theatrical styles.

They would really welcome your feedback in the final stage of their rehearsals.

We encourage Year 9's who are opting for Drama at GCSE to attend this event.

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

Tickets are not required for this event, but to help us cater efficiently please reserve places by clicking here to book through My School Portal, no later than Friday 1 March.

Thursday 7 March 2024

Thursday 7 March is World Book Day and our College will be celebrating everything books and reading. 

Reading for pleasure is so important, not just for the enjoyment of a good book but also it also helps to relax, inspire, escape and also brings a new confidence in literacy and comprehension. We learn so much from reading books, without even realising it.

We are excited to announce that we have a week of events planned around World Book Day, please click here for further information.

As usual you will be able to use a WBD voucher to either claim your free £1 book from participating retailers or use for money off another book in store. This year the vouchers have been sent to us digitally, to download please click here. We do have some printed vouchers so pop into the library if you would prefer one of these. 

The library will also have a selection of the free World Book Day books that can be exchanged for a voucher, they will be offered on a first come, first serve basis during the World Book Day week.

There are lots of fun activities on the World Book Day website, just click the link below to join in the fun.

World Book Day

The Library Team

Friday 8 March 2024 - 6.00pm to 10.30pm

The OPs annual Local Meet takes place on Friday 8 March 2024. We are returning to Leamington Spa, but to a new venue, the upstairs function room of the Fox and Vivian on Clarendon Avenue.

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

There will be the customary welcome drink or two and the OPs Commitee will be laying on some delicious food, so do let us know if you would like to attend by clicking here by Friday 1 March.

Alumni of all our Foundation schools and partners and friends are most welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday 9 March - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Crackley Hall School and Little Crackers Nursery, are holding an Open Morning on Saturday 9 March. Come and find out why Crackley Hall School has been judged 'Excellent' in all areas by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. It's a great opportunity for prospective families considering Crackley Hall School to come and have a look around and get a feel for the school. There will also be opportunities to speak to pupils, key members of staff and to meet Mr Duigan, Headmaster.

To find out more and to book your visit to Crackley Hall and Little Crackers Nursery visit our website here.

There are a number of opportunities to visit the school during the course of the year. We encourage prospective parents and pupils to visit us both formally and informally to get a true flavour of the school.

Most of our pupils enter at Nursery and Reception, though pupils are welcome at any age, dependent on a place being available.

Applications for places in the current Reception to Junior 6 are treated on an individual basis as places are limited. In years where there is no place available, we operate waiting groups. 

Little Crackers Nursery are now accepting registrations for September 2024 onwards. If your child is turning two, get in touch and come and take a look around our Nursery or come along to our friendly Stay 'n' Play Toddler Group on Wednesday mornings in term time. 

Saturday 16 March - 10.00am to 12.00pm

Crescent School, Princethorpe's prep school in Bilton, Rugby, will hold an Open Morning on Saturday 16 March. Come and find out why Crescent School has been judged 'Excellent' in all areas by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. It's a great opportunity for prospective families considering Crescent School to come and have a look around and get a feel for the school. There will also be opportunities to speak to pupils, key members of staff and to meet Mr Thackway, Headmaster.

To find out more and to book your visit to Crescent School visit our website here.

There are a number of opportunities to visit the school during the course of the year. We encourage prospective parents and pupils to visit us both formally and informally to get a true flavour of the school.

Most of our pupils enter at Reception and at Year 3, though pupils are welcome at any age, dependent on a place being available. The school is proving popular so parents are being encouraged to apply early for places in Reception. 

Applications for places in the current Reception to Year 6 are treated on an individual basis. We are currently operating waiting groups in most year groups. Please get in touch with our Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley, regarding our availability for September 2024. 

We are now taking registrations for September 2025 entry to Reception and Year 3. 

Saturday 16 March - 12.00pm to 2.30pm 

Princethorpe College will be hosting its first Arts Festival on Saturday 16 March from 12.00pm to 2.30pm. All are welcome for a celebration of the arts and performing arts at Princethorpe, with displays of art, drama, music and more.

Entry is free; however, we would appreciate if you would book a ticket in advance of the event. Please click here.

We hope to see you there!

Tuesday 19 March 2024 - 2.00pm to 4.00pm

To mark St Joseph's Day on Tuesday 19 March, Crackley Hall School is holding a St Joseph’s Day Mass.

We cordially invite all former St Joseph's and Crackley Hall pupils and former staff to join us. The Mass will take place from 2.00pm to 3.00pm and afterwards there will be light refreshments for visitors and an opportunity to tour the school.

All are most welcome so please do sign up for the event on Princethorpe Connect here.

More information will be shared with all those registered before the event takes place.

Tuesday 19 March 2024 - 7.30pm to 10.00pm

Mrs Margaret-Louise O'Keeffe, former Deputy Head - Pastoral at the College, is delighted to join us once again to delve into the life of Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionism’s Mystery Man.

Who knows Caillebotte? Where does he come from? In what school was he trained? No one has been able to tell me. All I know is that Caillebotte is one of the most original painters to have come forward in some time, and I am not afraid I shall compromise myself by predicting that he will be famous before long.

So wrote the critic, Marius Chaumelin, after first seeing Caillebotte’s striking works in the Impressionist Exhibition of 1876. The prediction was correct for Caillebotte did become famous, not just as an artist but as an indispensable organiser, financier and publicist of other Impressionist Exhibitions and then also as a  patron and collector. As a wealthy man who never needed to work thanks to his family’s fortune, Caillebotte kept most his paintings or donated them to friends and, ironically, this led to a long period of neglect when his dramatic cityscapes, portraits, still-lifes and landscapes were not on public view.

The dramatic purchase by the Art Institute of Chicago of his sensational Paris Street: Rainy Day in 1964 changed everything and led to a revaluation of his work. Before then, he was best known for the ultra-generous donation to the French state of major Impressionist works he had purchased, a donation which required his executors to negotiate patiently to persuade some intransigent officials to accept them.

This talk will illustrate the intriguing oeuvre of this unusual character, so aware of his own mortality, who died aged 45 in 1894.

Click here to book your place.