The Flagpole

On Monday 7 October, Princethorpe College competed in the ISA National U13 Girls' Football Championships. The tournament took place at Dixie Grammar and featured 12 teams from across the country. On a beautiful sunny autumn day, Princethorpe’s Girls played exceptional football, were crowned champions and awarded the ISA National trophy.

The College took a squad of nine Year 8 and Year 7 girls, who worked fantastically well together and showed great team-spirit, determination and quality. Huge congratulations to Sophie, Ava, Emmeline, Jess, Leela, Jessica, Alice, Darcy G and Captain Darcy F!

The group stages started with a 0-0 draw against a strong King's High School side, who would go onto finish 3rd, that was followed by a 3-0 victory against Dixie Grammar School A. After a short break the team had a tough game against Hulme Grammar School, where Princethorpe eventually prevailed 1-0, thanks to a last-minute winner. This was followed by a 5-0 win against Birchfield School. The last group game, against St Joseph's College Ipswich, featured a come from behind win. After going 1-0 down, the girls battled back to take the game 2-1 and top the group on goal difference over King's High.

The semi-final was a very tight affair against Scarisbrook Hall School, which finished 0-0. In the penalty shootout, Darcy G scored first for Princethorpe, followed by a great save from Sophie, in goal, from Scarisbrook's first penalty. Alice then scored, as did Scarisbrook from their second, meaning Jess had the chance to win with the third penalty. She confidently stepped up and placed a great shot into the bottom right corner to send Princethorpe through to the final.

The final, against Dixie Grammar B, was another tense affair. Princethorpe went 2-0 up after great goals from Jessica and Jess, before, with just two-minutes to go, Dixie Grammar pulled one back from a deflected shot. However, Princethorpe defended resolutely to the end, winning the final 2-1.

The team were then delighted to be presented with their medals and trophy by former Premier League striker Jermaine Beckford.

Jess top scored on the day with six goals, with Jessica, Alice and Darcy G all contributing to the scorelines. Sophie was excellent in goal, giving the team confidence from the back and making some great saves, while Darcy F, Emmeline and Ava all showed great positioning and quality in the defence. Jess, Jessica and Leela provided excellent footwork, passing and work rate in midfield, while Darcy G and Alice worked tirelessly and showed excellent quality in attack.

As well as their excellence on the field, the girls conducted themselves brilliantly off the pitch showing sportsmanship and team spirit and representing the College with aplomb.

A huge well done to them all!

Year 11 parents and prospective families, looking to join Princethorpe College's Sixth Form, can tune into the latest episodes of Princethorpe College Admissions podcast, A Pathway to Princethorpe, to hear all about life at Sixth Form and useful tips and hints on how to navigate your child’s journey into Sixth Form.

In the latest episode (10), our Registrar, Catherine Rogers, and Assistant Registrar, Georgia Newborough, sit down with the Head of Sixth Form, Mr Ben Collie, to talk about Sixth Form life.

Also, don’t forget to go back and listen to last week’s episode (9) all about the admissions process into Sixth Form.

Tune in on, Spotify, YouTube or Amazon Music

Year 7 were lucky with the weather when they enjoyed a wonderful three-day programme at Whitemoor Lakes Outdoor Residential Centre last weekend.

Pupils took part in an itinerary that included fencing, climbing, high ropes, zip wire, gladiator, canoeing, buggy building and problem solving. In groups they rotated around the different activities, working together to complete the challenges they were set. In the evenings they enjoyed team games and a fabulous Saturday night disco. On the Sunday morning Father Alan Whelan MSC joined the group and led a service reflecting on the importance of kindness and doing your best. It was a fabulous weekend with plenty of old-fashioned fun.

There were lots of opportunities for pupils to develop their team working skills and the activities all encouraged pupils to show initiative, resilience and social awareness. Over the weekend Year 7 took on all the challenges with determination and enthusiasm making for a memorable three days.

Deputy Head (Pastoral), Beth Sharpe said, “This was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 7 pupils to bond together as a year group. They had an amazing time and were really supportive of one another. I know they have come back into school with new friends and better able to work together as a team.”

Well done to everyone and a big thank you to all the staff who supported the trip.

You can see pictures from their visit here.

Princethorpe hosted the first round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup on Monday 7 October, welcoming runners from 11 Warwickshire schools. The College teams all ran well, and we were incredibly proud of stellar performances.

The highlight of the day was the Junior Boys team, who raced their way to 1st place overall with a dominant display of teamwork and determination. In the Intermediate Boys category, Will Smith led the charge with a brilliant 2nd-place finish, helping the team secure an impressive 2nd place overall. The Intermediate Girls also delivered a standout moment, with Issey Clearey claiming 2nd place in her race. Our Senior Boys put up a powerful performance to earn 2nd place, with Ben Smith and Felix Batty both finishing in the top three. The Senior Girls rounded off a strong day for our school, taking 3rd place overall, thanks to Lily Hunter’s determined effort in 4th.

Congratulations to all our athletes for their passion, hard work, and fantastic results. You’ve made our school proud with your incredible achievements at this prestigious event!

On Thursday 3 October, Princethorpe’s pupils enjoyed celebrating National Poetry Day. Our fantastic English department and College Library encouraged everyone to get involved, with themed activities in lessons that allowed pupils to express themselves in rhyme and verse. Pictured are Miss Petrucci’s Year 7 English class reading and performing poetry and Mrs Pascoe-Williams' Year 8s comparing and contrasting poems about London, by the romantic poets Wordsworth and Blake. The Library team promoted poetry too with a poetry reading on Instagram and a big display of poetry books for pupils to choose from. Poetry can unlock imaginations and help children to be creative and, here at Princethorpe, on National Poetry Day, pupils had a little bit of poetry fun.

Princethorpe College sent a team of four enthusiastic young sailors to the ISA National Regatta at Draycote Water this week. 

Year 10, Jasper Nicholls, Year 9, Jai Dhaliwal, and Year 8, William Shaw, competed in the Main Fleet event while Year 8, Alex Mullhall, took on the challenge of the Rookie class. All of Princethorpe's pupils were competitive, with much jostling for position in very close races. Sailing conditions were ideal, a nice dry day with a steady 10-12 knots breeze from the north. Princethorpe's team took it all in their stride and everyone had great fun.

Congratulations to William Shaw, who claimed Bronze in the Main Fleet. Jasper finished 9th and Jai was 12th, while in his event Alex was 7th. 

Well done to them all, it is great to have sailing as a sport to the College’s competition schedule.

Peter Kay from DCA Design International Ltd visited to College on Thursday 10 October to talk to our Lower Sixth Product Design students.

Peter shared his incredible product design career journey before giving the students an overview of the history of DCA International and some of the iconic projects they have worked on.

He then moved on to talk about the process of product design, using the double diamond model, and talked the students through the product design stages using the example of a toothbrush. He shared how the design team work together to develop new and innovative products.

Many thanks to Peter for taking the time to talk to our students and for providing a fascinating insight into the world of product design.

Last weekend, the Lower Sixth enjoyed a fabulous few days on their residential. Due to the number of students in the Lower Sixth this year, they were based across two separate sites; The Towers in the heart of Snowdonia National Park and Sealyham which is on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast.

Their three-day trip, from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 October, offered the students the chance to develop leadership and initiative skills, build personal resilience and gave them the opportunity to bond together as a group.

The Lower Sixth Formers took part in a variety of outward-bound activities including kayaking, rock climbing, high ropes, coasteering, surfing, archery, orienteering and team building challenges

Everyone had lots of fun and has come back to school having made new friendships and discovered inner strengths. It was a great start to their time in the Sixth Form.

Thinking of becoming a teacher? Then why not consider training at Princethorpe College.

Whether you are a new graduate or contemplating a career change, we have opportunities available across the subjects but particularly for those with a degree relating to STEAM.

Through our association with the Lion Alliance, we offer a year’s training as part of the School Led Route, leading to Qualified Teacher Status. Placements would be at Princethorpe and also at other schools within the Lion Alliance. Our training via the Lion Alliance is supported by Warwick University.

Teacher training at Princethorpe is a popular and successful scheme, we have trained over 50 teachers with our programme now in its sixth year.

Bursaries from the government of between £10,000 and £28,000 are available to support those training in Chemistry, Computing, Maths, Physics, Languages, Geography, Biology, Design Technology, Art and Design, English, Music and Religious Studies.

Our Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, Dr Liz Pyne is happy to offer advice about the different routes into teaching and what Princethorpe can offer you. Please email: lizpyne@princethorpe.co.uk

Further information about the Lion Alliance can be found here: www.thelionalliance.co.uk

Information about Getting into Teaching and possible bursaries can be found here: getintoteaching.education.gov.uk

Princethorpe College pupils and staff marked World Porridge Day this week by raising money for the Scottish charity Mary’s Meals. Championed by our Sixth Formers, pupils participated in a posse of Scottish and porridge fundraising fun.

At break time pupils were invited to dig deep and purchase a traditional Scottish breakfast, a pot of porridge, with a selection of luxurious toppings.

Then at lunchtime, the Scottish theme continued out in the Orchard where the brave participated in the annual Welly Wanging Challenge. Organised by House, there were plenty of contenders lined up ready to enthusiastically fling, hurl, chuck and toss the wellies down the field. Douglas Bray delivered a whopping welly throw of 31.5m for Benet House, More’s best throw was by Ollie Farquharson at 32m, Sam Divers hurled his welly a super 34.1m for Fisher, but the best welly wang of the day was from Austin’s Joel Nicoll who managed a magnificent 37.8m.

Ben Collie commented, “Congratulations to our Sixth Form students for organising the fundraising on World Porridge Day. Their hard work in planning and executing this engaging event is commendable. It showcases their ability to organise and lead but also reflects their commitment to making a positive impact in their community and beyond. Their initiative and generosity are a testament to their character and a source of pride for us all. Keep up the excellent work and continue making a difference in the world!”

You can find out more about Princethorpe’s ongoing fundraising for Mary's Meals or make a donation here.

A team from Bilton Church of England Primary School, in Rugby, took first place in this year’s Princethorpe College Year 5 Maths Challenge. While teams from Paddox Primary School came second and Milverton Primary School were third.

Organised by Princethorpe’s Deputy Head - Academic, Michael Spencer, and Head of Maths, Sharon McBride, this year’s Maths Challenge included a series of engaging and stretching maths activities for primary school pupils.

The Maths Challenge took place on Monday 7 October when Princethorpe College welcomed 54 pairs of enthusiastic and talented Year 5 mathematicians from 29 local schools. After a welcome from College Headmaster, Grove du Toit, the pupils took on a series of puzzles against the clock. In five eight-minute rounds they tackled Tangrams, the 24 Game, Shape Arithmetic, Number Detectives and Matchstick Puzzles. Ably supported and marked by a team of Princethorpe Year 8 pupils, the competition stretched and challenged the youngsters with mathematical activities that required both reasoning skills and mathematical knowledge. The challenge was engaging and fun for all who took part.

The winning teams all received mathematical prizes presented by Deputy Head, Michael Spencer, and everyone who participated received a certificate and a legendary Princethorpe cookie.

Comments, Sharon McBride, Head of Maths, “The College was delighted to host this event and provide local schools with the opportunity to put their pupils’ maths skills to the test. It proved to be an exciting morning of mathematical fun and we were really impressed by all the children, well done to everyone who took part.”

Princethorpe College’s Year 7 Science Family Challenge took place on Wednesday 2 October. We welcomed 26 family teams (pupil and parent) to the Science Centre to take part in a range of hands-on practical science activities, competing against other pairs to win the coveted Science Family Challenge trophy.

Sixth Form students Ollie, Louise, Ben, Alex, Roxy and Isla organised the starter activity based on safety in the lab (the first Year 7 topic) along with some tricky multiple-choice questions on general science. The teams then watched exciting demonstrations involving fire, explosions and tricks of the mind, before tackling some challenging tasks across the fields of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They had to apply practical skills and answer challenging questions to earn points. 'Alkal-I- Like Science', 'Comical Flasks', 'H2Woe' and the 'Newton Ninjas' were just some of the teams that scored the extra two points available for the best team names.

At the end of the evening the top three teams were separated by just half a point, with 'The Reactors' and 'Pyrotechnicians' coming in joint second place, with an impressive 36 points, while the winning team 'Excellent Edisons' secured victory with an amazing 36.5 points. Congratulations to Year 7, Freya Harvey, and her dad, who took home the the 2024 Year 7 Science Family Challenge Trophy (made in-house by our very own DT Technician).

Do look out for the Princethorpe College Science Christmas Lecture on Tuesday 10 December 2024 from 6.00pm to 7.30pm. Hosted by the Lower Sixth STEAM ambassadors, it promises to be a festive evening with prizes, refreshments and music, the chance to be part of amazing science demonstrations and to test your knowledge of science in our interactive quiz. Look out for the link to book free tickets in future editions of the Flagpole and on social media soon.

On Friday 27 September, the Old Princethorpians' London Meet took place at The Clachan on Kingly Street, a unique city centre pub with a rich history, tucked just behind the iconic Liberty's.

For this well-established annual OP event, it was a bumper turnout comprising an enthusiastic and diverse crowd of over 40 OPs from across the decades. In fact, every decade from the 1970s to the 2020s was represented, with the Class of 2018 being the specific year group with the largest number of OP representatives.

Guests were greeted warmly by the Princethorpe contingent, which included OPs Secretary Melanie Butler, Alumni Relations and Development Officer Caroline Spencer, Foundation Bursar Eddie Tolcher and Assistant Head Neil McCollin. Former longstanding and much-loved teacher and Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, was also in attendance, and the whole team enjoyed catching up and reminiscing with the OPs. As ever, it was a delight to see the OPs enjoying each other’s company, networking and swapping stories.

The evening unfolded happily in the upstairs room of this bustling pub, with Welcome Drinks provided courtesy of the OP Committee, and the friendly Clachan staff laying out a tasty buffet during the evening, much appreciated by all. You can find more photos from the evening on Princethorpe Connect.

We are always looking for suggestions for our next London Meet venue, so if you can suggest a good pub with a function room, in a good location, please email oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

Our next OPs Pub Meet is the Local Meet, taking place on Friday 7 March 2025 at The Micro Pug on Clemens Street, Leamington Spa, so if you are an OP and would like to attend, you can register your interest on our Events page here. We'd love to see you there.

The latest issue of The Old Princethorpian, the Princethorpe Foundation’s termly e-newsletter for past pupils, staff and parents, old and new, is out now!

Visit: www.oldprincethorpian.co.uk to have a read.

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.

If you have any comments on the e-newsletter or news to please do get in touch, email us at oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

The next events in the OP calendar include our Prize Giving Drinks Reception for last year's Upper Sixth on Friday 22 November and the College PTA Christmas Fair on Sunday 1 December.

We look forward to seeing you soon!