The Flagpole

Princethorpe College is celebrating another year of excellent exam results.

108 students sat A-level and BTEC examinations and completed the Extended Project Qualification this summer and, continuing the strong performances of previous cohorts, two thirds of all grades awarded were A*- B, with more than a third being A*- A. Impressively, 17 pupils achieved three or more A* or A grades.

At GCSE, Princethorpe pupils also performed well, from a cohort of 150 pupils, 44% of all entries were the coveted 9, 8 or 7 grades, with 32 pupils achieving nine or more 9, 8 or 7 grades.

Grove du Toit, Headmaster, commented, "We are delighted with the excellent results that our Sixth Form students and Year 11 pupils have achieved. They have worked incredibly hard and deserve these results. It was wonderful to see all their happy faces on results day, and we congratulate them all on their well-deserved success. We are thrilled that our pupils have received such good grades but also, more importantly, that the overwhelming majority are moving on to their first choice of next step."

He continued, "We are proud of their academic achievements, but all these pupils have many other fine qualities: kindness, respect and a strong sense of right and wrong, which will be tremendously important for them in the next phase of their lives. We wish them all the very best."

Prospective families can now discover all the ins and outs of applying to Princethorpe College in a new informative podcast series, Pathway to Princethorpe.

From choosing the right school to preparing for the entrance exams, the podcast is designed to help parents navigate the admissions process step by step. This is perfect for parents whose children are looking to join Princethorpe in Year 7 to Year 10. Join Registrar, Catherine Rogers, and new Assistant Registrar, Georgia Newborough, plus special guests, as they explore many aspects of Princethorpe life, share expert tips, and demystify the journey into independent secondary school.

Launched at the beginning of the summer holidays, there are now seven informative episodes in the series which can be found on Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music. More will be released over the coming weeks as we approach Entrance Exams in November.

Comments, Registrar, Catherine Rogers, "We hope that these bite-sized episodes, which cover many areas that we get asked about frequently, will allow parents to listen and gather essential information at their convenience, whether commuting, relaxing, or enjoying a cup of tea."

Click here to access the Pathway to Princethorpe podcast series. 

With just ten weeks to go, the countdown to the College's Entrance Exams for admission in September 2025 has begun. This year the exams for Year 7 to 10 entry will take place on Saturday 9 November from 9.00am to 4.00pm.

Our friendly Admissions Team have been kept busy over the summer accepting registrations from prospective parents. The deadline for registration is Friday 27 September, to enable the processing of applications and seeking of references from junior schools. For Year 7 to 10 entry please register online by clicking the link here.

There are still plenty of opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents to visit the College before the Entrance Exams, including our Open Afternoon on Sunday 15 September from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. Our Open Afternoon will allow prospective families to look around the school, join in with department activities and hear from our Headmaster, Grove du Toit. 

Our Year 6 Taster Days are also a great way for prospective pupils to really experience Princethorpe. Our Taster Days typically involve four lessons, a question and answer session with some of our current pupils and the chance to talk to the Headmaster, Mr du Toit.

We have three sessions available on Tuesday 17 September, Thursday 19 September and Wednesday 25 September for those who are in Year 6 and have not had the chance to attend a previous Taster Day.

All our events are by appointment. To book your place click here

If you have any queries relating to admissions please feel free to email the Admissions Team, Catherine Rogers, Registrar and Georgia Newborough, Assistant Registrar, at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call them on 01926 634201/297.

At the start of the summer holidays, 30 Princethorpe pupils embarked on a memorable trip to Malawi in East Africa to build on the College’s ongoing commitment and support of projects provided to local communities in the country, through Mary’s Meals, Classrooms For Malawi and Bwengu Projects Malawi.

During their two-week trip, the Year 11, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth students toured round the south of Malawi from the city of Blantyre to the shores of the spectacular Lake Malawi. They visited Steka orphanage to deliver back packs of clothing and supplies and enjoyed learning about the local culture and local dances with the children. They spent time at EcoLodgy Sustainability & Permaculture Centre, learning about their work to educate local communities on sustainability. They admired the incredible Mulanje, the highest peak in Malawi and ventured into the wilderness to see the wildlife on a safari.

They also visited Lauderdale School, the first school that Princethorpe College worked with in Malawi back in 2007/8, where they completely refurbished two classrooms, work that was funded by their own pre-trip fundraising, repainting the buildings and installing new desks. There they also took part in one of the highlights of their visit, when they supported the school’s feeding project serving Mary’s Meals porridge to hundreds of smiling students in the school’s community.

The memories made on their trip to Malawi will last a lifetime, the landscapes, the bustling communities, the wildlife, the vibrant colours but most of all the genuine kindness and generosity displayed by all the people. It was an incredible experience for them all.

Grace McCollin, Olivia Monk and André Onyekwe competed for Warwickshire at the English Schools Athletics Track & Field Championships in Birmingham at the start of the summer holidays.

It was a fantastic achievement for these pupils to have been selected for this prestigious national event, but to have three pupils reaching the standard was super exciting for us all here at Princethorpe College.

Our young athletes competed in the Hurdles, Mixed Relay and High Jump. Grace ran an outstanding race to take the Silver medal in the 80m Hurdles while Olivia claimed a Bronze in the Mixed 4x100m Relay. André cleared the bar at 1.94m to finish in 5th position in the High Jump.

Grace subsequently went on to represent England in the Home Nations Championships the following weekend.

We are all hugely impressed by their commitment and dedication to their sports and are incredibly proud of them.

The College welcomed specialist conservator, Alexandra Carrington, and her colleague, Dawn Jessop, to Princethorpe during the summer holidays to renovate the final Station of the Cross and a decorated Altar Alcove in the former Nuns’ Library.

Part of the incredible story of Princethorpe, the artworks had been hidden for around 40 years until last year when refurbishment work began on the old G22 and G23 Physics Labs, after the opening of the College’s new Science Centre.

Both the Station of the Cross and the Altar Alcove had been preserved behind classroom boards but were suffering from damage and the build-up of decades of dust and grime. The conservators used a range of cleaning, consolidating and retouching techniques to reveal and restore the charming nature-based design and stencilling on  the painted wall above the alcove, which would have been specially commissioned by the nuns who founded the Priory, and to repair damage and restore the vibrant colours of the last station, which depicts Jesus being laid in the tomb.

Director of Estates, Rob Heath, commented, “It is wonderful to see these unique works, part of Princethorpe’s rich heritage, brought back to their original splendour and saved to be studied and enjoyed by generations of pupils to come.”

The work was generously funded by the College's PTA and will be available for visitors to see on Sunday 8 September when the school is opening for Heritage Open Day. If you want to come along you can find out more here.

Princethorpe College is welcoming plenty of new faces this Michaelmas Term, as in addition to all its new pupils, the school also has a number of new staff members joining the school.

Pictured here on their Induction Day, our new staff have enjoyed an informative and busy start to their time at Princethorpe. Together they bring a wealth of new experience to the school and we extend a very warm welcome to them all.

Joining the College teaching staff are:

Katy Burrows - Teacher of MFL
Lynsey Dixon - Head of Psychology and Sociology
Rachel Fox - Teacher of Dance
David Leach - Teacher of English
James Long - Teacher of PE and Games
Joanna Turner - Teacher of English
Tiegan McCann - Graduate Teaching Assistant
Sion Murphy - Graduate Teaching Assistant

Joining as trainee teachers are:

Rebecca Downey - Trainee Teacher (Art)
Thomas Godbehere - Trainee Teacher (French)
Savannah Grindell - Trainee Teacher (Art)
Samantha Harding - Trainee Teacher (PE)
Aderyn Herondale - Trainee Teacher (Chemistry)
Katherine Hester - Trainee Teacher (English)
Sophie Hunter - Trainee Teacher (PE)
Phoebe Tankard - Trainee Teacher (Biology)

Joining the College support staff are:

Graham Burden - Estates Operative
Hannah Thomas - Science Technician
Gemma Tilley - Administrator/Receptionist
Holly Summers - Events Co-ordinator