The Flagpole

This September, Princethorpe College has been thrilled to welcome a bumper intake of 30 new Lower Sixth students from a wide variety of schools. As they came up the drive for the first time, they joined over 100 returning Year 11 pupils, all enthusiastic to start the next stage of their education.

The Sixth Form at Princethorpe is a successful and inclusive community offering a great choice of qualifications and pathways. Whether it’s quality teaching in small classes, a vast array of sporting, co-curricular, leadership and service opportunities or excellent pastoral care and guidance, the Sixth Form team deliver an outstanding programme, tailored to the individual’s needs.

It’s going to be an exciting two years for our Lower Sixth, as they embrace the opportunities for academic achievement, explore their passions and prepare for the future. It’s fantastic to have them in the Sixth Form and we can’t wait to support them as they work towards whatever they want to be.

Year 7 begin their Religious Studies lessons at Princethorpe with an introduction to the origins of the College and its predecessor, the catholic community of St Mary’s Priory. Exploring the College’s history gives an excellent insight into the school and its ethos and is a really great way to bring pupils’ initial RS studies vividly to life.

In their first few lessons, pupils tour the College exploring the wealth of religious artefacts and treasures around the school site. They spend time in Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, the Cloisters and the Nun’s cemetery, reflecting on the incredible history of Princethorpe College.

Year 7 have found it all fascinating and have asked plenty of interesting questions and it’s their turn now to add to the College’s unique history.

They have made a great start - well done Year 7!

There is a fascinating timeline of the College's history on the OPs Page of our website here.

The school council met this week on Wednesday to discuss ideas and suggestions raised by Tutor groups across the school. Pupil voice is important here at Princethorpe, with the school committed to listening to and engaging with the views, wishes and experiences of the school community. This year, the School Council has been split into House groups, and Wednesday’s sessions were facilitated by the House Captains. Pupils raised topics including food choices, girls football, sports kit and more, as they enjoyed munching their way through a Princethorpe cookie.

In the final assembly of the year, I set a challenge to the whole school - a da Vinci competition for any age and any ability to create a response to the title 'Bounce', as our theme of the year had been resilience. 

There were some outstanding entries and they have been rewarded with da Vinci merits. 

The most creative was produced by Dami Ajagunna, who made an origami jumping frog accompanied by a roll out tongue on which was printed a beautiful poem that she had composed.

However, the overall winner was Luka Vrljicak, in Year 8, who produced this outstanding presentation and coded video game: Resilience and Bounce Project

We welcomed BOSCH to Princethorpe College on Thursday 26 September for our latest STEAM lecture. The BOSCH team included a Product Manager, Software Engineer and two Mechanical Engineering Interns from the company’s Nuneaton site. They spoke about BOSCH’s heritage and business specialisms and specifically about the role of BOSCH Mobility in providing expertise in vehicle technology hardware, software and services.

Pupils learned that the Bosch logo is a magneto starter motor which was first produced by Bosch to replace the need to manually crank a car, to start it, back in 1897. That Bosch Mobility makes up 70% of the company’s business while the more familiar Consumer Goods division, that includes domestic appliances and power tools, accounts for only 10%.

They also discovered that the Nuneaton site specialises in the premium car market (Lotus, Aston Martin, Morgan etc.) and that 'Active Safety' aligns with the company’s slogan of 'Invented For Life', and that they develop software and hardware to make travel safer, for example sensors that control the braking of individual wheels to allow the driver to retain control of a vehicle during an emergency manoeuvre.

The visitors also brought along a number of components that they had designed and manufactured for pupils to see. Although, unfortunately, due to technical issues they were unable to bring along the Bentley they had been testing.

Pupils from Year 7 up to the Sixth Form asked lots of great questions and gained a fantastic insight into the automotive industry. It was a very interesting and informative lecture that delivered a clear message to 'pick a career doing something you love'.

Many thanks to our BOSCH visitors for taking the time to come and talk to pupils and for anyone interested in finding out more there is an excellent video online, just search for No BOSCH No Car

It was European Day of Languages on Thursday 26 September and pupils at Princethorpe College joined in the fun. The House teams challenged pupils to solve a series of language-linked Escape Room tasks to discover a four-digit code. Tutor Groups took on the interactive activities in their 3PD sessions last week, with pupils having until the Thursday to complete the task. At break time, the House Captains were kept busy counting up the points. Thank you to everyone who participated and well done to all who got involved. This year it was a landslide victory for Benet - muy bien to them all!

From Friday 20 to Monday 23 September, 19 Upper Sixth Biology students visited Swanage in Dorset for this year’s Biology Field Trip. An essential part of their A-level studies, the trip allowed students to complete two required assessed Biology practicals, as well as experiencing a variety of field work techniques.

The group were based at Leeson House Field Studies Centre in Langton Matravers, on the Jurassic Coast. Across their long weekend, the biologists visited the River Piddle to do a comparison between the species found in slow- and fast-moving water as well as Kimmeridge Bay to undertake work on the rocky shores examining the distribution and morphology of limpets and periwinkles, both perfect opportunities to practise their sampling techniques. Their field trip also included studying Studland sand dune succession, surveying wood lice populations and examining mammal and moth traps. The Upper Sixth also had the opportunity to visit the RSPB Arne, where they completed a guided ramble through heathland and woodland learning about the different habitats. The students also visited a bird hide on the sandy shores of Shipstall Beach, where they were lucky enough to observe a grey seal, migrating Black-tailed Godwits and Egrets.

Head of Biology, Catherine Warne, commented, “Our Sixth-Formers made the most of their jam packed itinerary, they learnt a lot but had plenty of fun too. It was a very successful trip.”

14 keen climbers from Years 8 to 12 travelled to The Roaches in the Peak District on Saturday 21 September to take on one of the best gritstone crags in the country. The day trip, led by Head of Physics, Dan Lee, and supported by Head of English, Helen Pascoe-Williams, was a great opportunity for the College’s Climbing Club to put into practice the skills and techniques they have learnt on the College’s own Climbing Wall.

The Roaches is a prominent rocky ridge situated above Tittesworth Reservoir and the town of Leek. After warming up with a bit of bouldering, pupils successfully climbed a variety of classic routes graded from ‘very difficult’ to ‘severe’. They were rewarded with the most magnificent views from the top of the crag.

There was even a special visitor as an extra treat, as former Head of Outdoor Learning, Will Bower, couldn’t resist turning up to encourage everyone on.

Year 8 Amalia summarised the trip saying: "The climbing trip was outstanding, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We managed to do four walls each and had one or two goes on each one. As the day rolled on, we did some scrambling around on the rocks. The weather was amazing, and we were very lucky as when we got on the minibus to go back it started raining and there was lightning. For me, it was my first outdoor climbing experience, and I would 100% do it again. Everyone had a go at everything, and it all ran smoothly. Alan Stapleton was an amazing guide who also set everything up before we arrived so that there was no delay. When we went scrambling, he also had great names for some of the rocks, such as 'The Chasm of Doom'.
Thank you to Mr Lee, Mrs Pascoe-Williams and Alan for giving us this opportunity. Also thanks for the surprise visit by Mr Bower who came to help for the afternoon."

Many thanks to the staff who supported the trip and to Alan Stapleton, from 1010 Ventures, for leading the climbing on the day.

Crescent School has been recognised for its work to create a sustainable environment.

The school has been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag with Distinction in recognition of its environmental consciousness and commitment to sustainable practices. The award is given to schools that work through a seven-step framework outlined in the Eco-Schools programme.

The school has also had its sustainability efforts recognised by the Independent Schools Association (ISA) in its annual national awards, with the school shortlisted for the Sustainability Award, which will be voted on later this year.

Last school year, pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 formed a Green Team, and identified three key focus areas for sustainability improvements: Biodiversity, Waste and Water. Across the year, the committee launched numerous activities and campaigns, including 'Cut Your Carbon Month', a ‘Paper Free Day’, and the 'The Big Plastic Count'. Pupils also took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and held their own school mini COP 28.

During the year, pupils also worked together to construct a bug hotel and pollinator bed, installed rainwater harvesting water butts, completed a biodiversity survey, organised a book swap and pen recycling, installed bird boxes, planted trees and herbs, made wildflower seed bombs and much more.

The Green Team also developed a Crescent Eco Code that encourages everyone to ‘Go Green and Stay Green’.

Jacqui Johnson, the teacher leading the Green Team at Crescent School, said: "We are thrilled that our environmental efforts have been recognised. We are proud of the enthusiasm of our pupils to make real changes for the benefit of our planet. Their mature and inspirational attitude aligns with our school and wider the Foundation’s sustainability ethos, and our shared goal to make the world a better and brighter place."

Headmaster, Joe Thackway, added: "It has been wonderful to see our school community working together to improve our sustainability. The dedication and passion of the children has been inspiring, and they deserve their recognition at the highest level by the Eco School Awards and also by the ISA."

The Eco Schools Award team said: "Your school has truly gone above and beyond to make environmental education engaging for young people. It has been an absolute joy assessing your application and learning about the impact you’ve had, not only on our planet but also on the young people you work with every day."