The Flagpole

Firstly, many thanks to all parents who completed the parental surveys for their school before Half Term. As Principal I was particularly delighted to see the response to the first question “My child is happy at school”. Almost all parents who completed the survey agreed or strongly agreed with this statement which is a testament to the care and hard work of the staff in our all schools. As a member of the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate, I see survey results for other schools across the country, but rarely have I seen anything even close to our positive responses elsewhere.

The information you have provided via the survey will be analysed by the Heads and their teams with me and will help us focus on where any further improvement can be made in our schools. You will receive further feedback over the coming weeks.

Of course, during Half Term, we had the Government’s first Budget and this was not such good news. We were obviously extremely disappointed that the Chancellor confirmed that VAT will be applied to private school fees from January 2025 and Business Rate Relief will be removed from the following April.

As you may be aware, the Budget also contained some unexpected taxes including a significant increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions which adds significant extra financial burden. Despite this the Foundation stands by its commitment to you to minimise the impact on families by reducing our fees from January 2025 as outlined last August.

Princethorpe College Fees 2024-2025

Additional cost to parents over 2024-2025 year - £562

The figures for the Lent and Trinity Terms represent a termly net fees reduction of 12.5%, so that VAT is applied to a lower figure than would otherwise be the case. The increase passed on to parents is 5%. Whilst we appreciate the increase will be challenging for those balancing family finances, we hope that the rise being substantially below the 20% VAT rate, along with the assurance that we will remain focused on minimising the scale of any subsequent year increases, gives clarity and reassurance.

As stated previously, our strategy is to ensure our fees are as affordable as possible for parents whilst ensuring that we deliver the highest quality education. I was heartened to see from the parental survey that the overwhelming majority of parents think we have handled the difficult cards dealt us by the government very well, but having read all your comments I am only too aware that for a number of families paying school fees is a real worry.

Our underlying objective as a Foundation is to maintain the quality and variety of the pupil experience - delivering excellent teaching and academic outcomes, providing outstanding pastoral care, maintaining a broad co-curricular programme, and upholding the ethos that is central to our Foundation. As a charity, we must balance charging fees which enable us to deliver to this objective whilst holding our fees to the minimum level possible to ensure that they are as affordable as possible for fee payers choosing our schools for their children’s education. We are very mindful that parents will be keen to know the fees for 2025-26 as soon as possible; we have already started our financial modelling for the next academic year and will communicate with you as soon as we are able to.

Our schools remain strong and by continuing to manage our finances prudently, seeking to maintain the number of pupils we support, focusing carefully on our expenditure and increasing alternative income streams we will continue to focus minimising any increases in future years.

If you have any queries or comments on the January fee increase and the matters outlined here, please submit them using the link here.

Thank you as always for your support for our schools and to those parents who contacted their MP or made a submission to the public consultation.

How have you approached the imposition of VAT?

Our strategy in planning for this imposition of VAT has followed the following key principles:

• Many fee payers will not be able to meet a 20% increase in fees – so we must find a way of sharing the burden;
• We have found ways of reducing costs by forensically reviewing our budgets for 2024/25 and subsequent years, but without affecting the quality of education we provide;
• We may delay some new investment decisions for a period, without deferring our responsibilities to maintain our schools and estates;
• Being creative in how we can reduce base costs (for example we have invested in energy saving technologies over recent years to reduce energy usage and costs, we have driven a culture of minimising waste (energy, paper etc.) and have been driving efficiencies in terms of better use of IT and resources, moving to innovative digital solutions);
• We have been increasing income generation through commercial enterprise and fundraising and expect this to continue to grow;
• We will, of course, ensure that we claim back as much VAT as we are allowed, including from recent capital projects.

What are your main budget areas?

School budgets invest first and foremost in our dedicated and committed staff, both our teachers and support teams; that is not an area we can compromise on. Other expenditure involves all our support services as well as the maintenance of and new investment in our school buildings and estates. We do not therefore have large surpluses to offset against VAT charges but as a well-managed and carefully run Foundation we do hold limited reserves which can help us to manage unexpected circumstances.

What about the longer-term picture for fees?

Despite progress to contain costs and increase other income, you will appreciate it is impossible to offset the VAT charges without increasing total costs (including VAT) for fee payers and subsequent tax increases such as the NI hike, add more pressure on us all. But instead of a large one-off increase in January 2025 our intention is to phase any changes over the next three to four years. We have therefore agreed an increase (in total costs) in January 2025 of 5% on the basis that we will expect to have modest increases in the following two to three years.

In this way the Foundation shares the burden imposed by VAT with you and other fee payers.

Is there anything parents can do to further support the Foundation’s Schools?

This question was asked by a number of parents in the recent parental survey – thank you!
Yes, there are two specific things parents can do:

1. Continue to help spread the word about our schools. As parents you have your own networks, and endorsements from parents are very powerful, particularly when talking to families who do not know the Foundation schools and may be considering their options.
2. For those parents who are also donors, thank you, your donations are now even more valuable:

• For every £100 in fee income, we will now actually only receive £80 with 20% VAT applied;
• However, a £100 donation is not subject to VAT and as a charity we can benefit from Gift Aid. Under the Gift Aid scheme, for every £100 donated, we can claim an additional £25 from HMRC, making the total value of the donation £125. Additionally, donations may provide tax benefits for the donor.
• So donations are now 57% more tax efficient than paying school fees! This may be something we can utilize in the future to help keep the costs of sending your children to the Foundation schools as low as possible.
• If you are not a current donor but would like to find our more information, please do contact me directly.

The College is preparing itself for its Entrance Exams Day tomorrow, Saturday 9 November, with over 250 children due to sit the exams across four age groups. 

Comments Melanie Butler, Director of Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "This year we have had high levels of interest and, following a successful Open Afternoon in September and Year 6 Taster Days, the registrations have continued to flow in. We know that positive recommendations from current families will have played a large part in this success."

"We wish all the candidates the very best of luck, and look forward to seeing them bright and early in the morning!"

Arrangements for the Entrance Exams Day (11+, 12+, 13+ and 14+) are as follows:

Saturday 9 November 2023 - 9.30am to 3.45pm

Candidates are requested to report to the College between 8.45am and 9.30am; it is advisable that candidates should not arrive prior to 8.30am. Please enter the school via the Pupils’ Entrance in the playground. Candidates should wear comfortable clothes and bring a coat. The day is planned to give plenty of time between the exams for breaks, a hot lunch and time to play outside if the weather allows.

The examinations will end at 3.40pm or 4.20pm for those with agreed access arrangements, refreshments will be available upon collection of the candidates.

Thanks in advance to all the staff and students who help on the day.

Three Princethorpe Upper Sixth leavers have been awarded top honours in the Regional ISA Art Competition, a testament to the depth and range of talent in Princethorpe's Art and Photography Department. 

Gifted artist, Lara Cutri, was awarded first place in the Painting Over 16 class. Lara’s winning painting, titled The Sky, was part of her coursework for her A-level Art examination. It features the rituals associated with the Mexican Day of the Dead, when the gates of heaven open and souls return from the sky to their families on earth. It is a striking portrait and a well-deserved winner. Lara also earned herself a Highly Commended for her compendium of drawings in the Over 16 Sketchbook class. Her sketchbook submission, The Kiss, was of an incredibly high standard and showcased excellent examples of a range of techniques.

Then, talented photographer, Emilia Case took second place in the Photography Over 16 class for her stunning and atmospheric photo (In)Dependence. Her picture was one part of her triptych that was presented at the College’s Art Show in the summer that used high-powered LED lighting to feature the eyes. The photo is an original unedited work, part of her personal investigations into understated emotions. It was first-rate work and worthy of its recognition in the competition.

While exceptional draughtsman, Alexander Matheson, was rewarded with a Highly Commended for his brilliant lifelike work, a stunning, photo-realistic, drawn portrait titled Lara, in the Over 16 Drawing class. Alexander has been a skilful sketcher throughout his years at the College and is deserving of this public recognition.

Paul Hubball, Head of Art and Photography, comments, “Many congratulations to Lara, Emilia and Alexander. Their pieces were exceptional and the product of many hours of work. It is marvellous to see their talent recognised and rewarded in this way. Schools are allowed to submit only one entry in each competition class, so to have had four pieces recognised is a truly excellent result.”

Lara’s work now goes forward to the National Competition at the ISA Autumn Conference, which takes place in Kenilworth in November.

A huge well done to them all!

In October, talented students from Princethorpe College participated in the 2024 UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Senior Challenge, a prestigious national competition that celebrates the top young problem-solvers in the country. This challenging competition, held under formal exam conditions, requires students to tackle a series of multiple-choice questions. The papers are then marked externally by the UKMT, with the highest-scoring participants awarded Bronze, Silver, or Gold certificates.

Targeted at Sixth Form students, Princethorpe selected 34 skilled mathematicians from both the Lower and Upper Sixth to compete in this year’s challenge. The demanding nature of the competition is designed to stretch and sharpen mathematical thinking, and the College is thrilled to announce exceptional results.

Special congratulations goes to Upper Sixth Former, Ollie Hutton, who earned a Gold certificate and was recognised as the school’s top performer. Additionally, Lower Sixth student Zach Hawkins achieved a Silver certificate and was named the best-performing student in his year group. Ollie’s outstanding performance has also secured him a place in the prestigious Senior Kangaroo Challenge.

Our congratulations go to all who were awarded certificates:

Gold certificate: Ollie Hutton

Silver certificate: Zach Hawkins, Jack Fleming, Anjola Okusanya, Sam Elden, Dylan Williams, Amelia Chard, William Gower and Blessing Katanda.

Bronze certificate: Leo Flannery, Xander MacRae, Alex Lawrence, Arjen Randhawa, Sean Birtley, Harry Richards, Heather Allen, Annabel Brimley, Ben Heywood, Thomas Leret, Daniel Taylor, Isabel Barnes, Jamie Capelett, Mia Samra, Joe Woodward and Louise Gambling

Well done to all who participated, and many thanks for your excellent efforts. We hope you found the experience both challenging and rewarding.

Theo Scoutas
Post 16 Mathematics Co-ordinator

On Thursday 7 November, the Design Technology department took 32 A-level Product Design and Fashion students to London to explore, experience and be enriched by creative collections of the design and made world. Students visited the Design Museum and the V&A Museum, in Kensington, both leading museums devoted to contemporary design and decorative arts.

At the Design Museum, Product Design students took part in a workshop focused on Chair and Seating Design, they analysed a number of chair designs before generating and modelling their own. They then attended the Design Maker User exhibition at the Design Museum before heading to the V&A to visit the Design and Furniture exhibitions.

The Fashion pupils attended a workshop at the V&A where the students were inspired to design male/female fashion outfits from the V&A’s vast collection of objects. Demonstrating that creativity in fashion can be inspired by the world around them. They also chose a fashion garment from the V&A’s collection and redesigned it to a topic of their choice e.g celebrating your personal identity and heritage, making formal clothes informal, making fashion design gender neutral or designing for body confidence. Finally, they chose one of the designs to create a 3D garment on a mini mannequin, thinking about the silhouette, fabric, components and colour. They ended with a mini catwalk. 

Head of Design and Technology, Paul Scopes, said, “We had a very productive day out, with plenty of time at the exhibitions. The trip was engaging and inspiring and really useful extension for pupils’ learning.”

Before half term, Princethorpe’s aspiring young chefs showcased their super cooking skills when they took part in the Springboard’s FutureChef competition. The school’s first-round heats took place after school on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 October with nine contestants from Years 7 to 10 tasked with cooking and serving up a main meal in just one hour.

The FutureChef competition challenges young people aged 12 to 16 to cook their way through a series of rounds, gaining experience, meeting professionals and developing their skills, all while getting an insight into the culinary industry.

All our would-be chefs wowed the judges, Jacqui Scott, Grove du Toit, Michael Spencer and Beth Sharpe, with their culinary creations. From the off, they worked quickly, demonstrating technical skills such as knife work and bread making and the finished plates of food looked tantalising and were full of flavour. What's more the contestants’ attention to detail was superb with plates polished, the food presented artistically and their work surfaces scrubbed clean.

It was a hard decision to choose between them and the judges deliberated carefully as they argued the pros and cons of first one dish and then another. Emily Divers took first place with a beautiful mushroom risotto, but the judges just could not agree on second place. In the end they decided that there would have to be a further heat to decide whether Jasper Nicholls, Chloe Iley or Mia Williams would be the second contestant to go forward to the next round.

The cook-off took place this week, on Tuesday 5 November, when Jasper, Chloe and Mia had 30 minutes to produce an autumn-themed dessert. Previous FutureChef Regional winner, Sophie Henry joined Grove du Toit and Jacqui Scott to judge the puddings and they all agreed that Chloe Iley had managed to hold her nerve and deliver a delicious dessert to take the second place in the Warwickshire final.

Teacher of Food Technology, Jacqui Scott, said, “There was so much enthusiasm and skill shown by this year's contestants. Pupils cooked food to be proud of in a very short period of time. It was really very difficult to pick our winners and I’m excited to see how far Emily and Chloe can go in the competition.”

Well done to all who took part, you all produced fabulous plates of food.

Competing this year were Year 7 pupils: Blythe Camilleri-Willis and Sienna Lenton, Year 8s: Emily Divers, Scarlett Harbury, Joseph Hillier, Chloe Iley, Sam McCormick and Mia Williams, and Year 10 Jasper Nicholls

Over the Michaelmas half term, Princethorpe’s U15 Boys' and U14 Girls' Hockey teams travelled to the Netherlands for the first leg of this year’s annual Hockey Tour. Organised by the Princethorpe Sports department, over the years thousands of pupils have participated in the hockey training camp and enjoyed the opportunity to experience another country and culture.

The five-day tour had an early start and a long day of travel on Saturday 19 October. On arrival at Hopbel Hockey Club the tour party were greeted warmly and whisked away by their Dutch host families to make friends and experience traditional Dutch family life.

In addition to three days of training and tour matches the pupils and their hosts managed to squeeze in plenty of fun, including a tour BBQ, a walking tour of the local town, Den Bosch, and a trip to de Efteling theme park.

Hockey wise, we were up against some very good opposition. Princethorpe battelled well and showed great improvement throughout the course of the tour, making use of all that extra coaching and practice. In their first two matches the Girls U15A went down 0-5 and 2-4 but they remained resilient and were pleased to take the final match 4-3. The Girls U15B had similar fortune losing out 1-9 to start but upping their game play to win their second match 3-1. The Boys U15A had a challenging run just losing out 3-2 and then losing 4-2 in their final game.

Assistant Head Co-curricular, Neil McCollin, said, “We had another super Hockey Tour and I am very proud of all our pupils. They made the most of opportunity to get to know their host families, played some excellent hockey and gained a good insight into how another country plays the game. We look forward to welcoming our Dutch friends in the spring for the return leg. If you are interested in being a host family for our visiting Dutch hockey players, please look out for the Flagpole article in the New Year.”

Huge thanks go to all the staff involved in supporting and running the hockey tour: Neil McCollin, Rachael Mack, James Long, Natalie Hardy and Paul Whitehead.

Year 9 pupils visited the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Newark on Tuesday 15 October to develop their knowledge of the events and their awareness of the causes and complexities of the Holocaust. The cross curricular trip supported both their Religious Studies and History topics this year.

Pupils participated in workshops and learnt about the Holocaust and why it happened. They heard directly from a Holocaust survivor who shared their personal survivor testimony. They explored the museum’s exhibitions and saw exhibits, including real examples of the yellow stars Jews had to wear. Year 9 also had the opportunity to visit the memorial garden where they were encouraged to add their own pebbles to a stone memorial to the 1.5 million children of the Holocaust. The museum’s ambition is to eventually have a mound of 1.5 million stones, poignantly reflecting the Jewish tradition to lay pebbles on a grave.

Head of Religious Studies, Cyp Vella said, "Hearing the personal stories of survivors will have helped pupils connect with the Holocaust and built their understanding of the roots of discrimination and prejudice. I was impressed by the conversations it provoked amongst the pupils. The sensitivity and care taken by Year 9 while we were at the museum was an absolute credit to them. It was a moving and thought-provoking place to visit."

Princethorpe College’s cross-country runners raced in the English Schools Regional Final at Bromsgrove School on Tuesday 5 November.

Princethorpe had qualified four teams, the Junior Boys, the Inter Boys, the Senior Boys and the Senior Girls, so had 24 runners competing in the event. Our cross-country athletes all ran well delivering respectable finishes for their teams.

Stand our performances came from William Smith who finished 4th in the Intermediate Boys race and Ben Smith who was 17th in the Senior Boys competition. In terms of team placings, the Senior Boys finished 6th, the Inter Boys were 6th, the Junior Boys 9th and the Senior Girls 10th.

Teacher of PE and Games, James Long, commented, "Well done to all of our runners, who put in a great effort against strong competition. I am very pleased with the results. It was great to have so many pupils competing at this event."

Over the half term holidays, Princethorpe’s PE and Games Department took 36 Year 8 and 9 pupils on a four-day tour along the south coast. The 17th Annual South Coast Sports Tour included training and matches interspersed with plenty of off-pitch activities and fun. It was a great chance for all to hone their skills and practise technique against friendly but competitive teams.

The Year 9 boys faced Portsmouth RFC first where a strong performance delivered a 46-0 victory. Their second match involved a trip across the water to the Isle of Wight where they faced Ryde School with Upper Chine. The team played well and comfortably won the game 31-14. They finished their tour facing Clifton College claiming a third victory 36-14.

Head of Boys’ Games and Tour Leader, Joe Jackson, commented, “The boys were competitive across each of their three fixtures. They came up against solid competition but played confidently and scored plenty of fantastic tries. They were unbeaten on tour which bodes well for the remaining games of the season.”

The Year 8 Netball girls had some good results too, their games included good ball handling and individual play and what was most pleasing was their determination throughout the tour. Fielding two teams, the girls first played Ryde School. The U13As played with grit and decisiveness and secured an excellent 30-8 win. The U13Bs did just as well and their consistency throughout their fixture earned them an excellent 22-5 victory.

In their second match the girls faced Clifton College where they came up against fierce competition and teams that were very well practised. Despite displaying tenacity and remaining resilient in very competitive games both teams lost out but they took plenty of learning away from their games.

On tour, off the pitch is always a great chance to build team spirit through lots of different activities. Pupils enjoyed Splashdown, the all-action, flume filled waterpark in Poole, had time for shopping at Gunwharf Quays, went ten pin bowling and of course enjoyed a competitive morning of games on the beach.

Joe Jackson, continued, “We had a great tour group this year. Pupils were impeccably behaved, mixed well with their opponents and with each other, but what pleased us most was how enthusiastic our pupils all were. It made for a very successful tour.”

Huge thanks to the dedicated sports staff who accompanied the tour: Ellie Callan, Tom Gleghorn, Joe Jackson and Carly Walton. A big thank you of course to the schools and sports clubs that hosted us; their hospitality was outstanding, and we look forward to continuing the relationship with them for future tours.

Monday 11 November - 1.15pm to 1.45pm

Our next STEAM lecture is in celebration of 'Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2024' and explores careers in the space industry. We are welcoming, Daniel Martin, from Third Planet Orbital Ltd, online via TEAMS, to talk about his career path, which includes working at the European Space Agency, and some of the projects he has worked on.

The talk takes place on Monday 11 November in SG03 at 1.15pm. All pupils and staff are welcome.

Thursday 14 November - Clarkson Theatre - 7.00pm

The House Talent Showcase is back for another year, showcasing an array of wonderful talents from Princethorpe pupils and students. Auditions are underway, and the House Captains are busy preparing their own exciting act, to be revealed on the night. Don’t miss out on what is sure to be an incredible evening of talent! The Talent Showcase is one of the biggest nights of the House year, with 1,000 house points at stake for the winner.

Tickets are free via My School Portal, linked here, with an optional charitable donation on the night. Refreshments will be available to purchase.

Friday 22 November, 7.00pm - Butterworth Hall, University Of Warwick

We are looking forward to welcoming guests to our annual Prize Giving Ceremony.

Additional tickets are now available through Eventbrite and can be booked via the link below.

Eventbrite Additional Ticket Bookings

These complimentary tickets are released on a first come, first served basis; after booking you will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite with your seat details. Please see the FAQs on the event listing for more details.

There are also a limited number of accessible seats available, again, allocated on a first come first served basis. If you require accessible seating, please contact post@princethorpe.co.uk. 

This year's Prize Giving promises to be a full house, so please arrive in good time to take your seats. Doors will open at 6.30pm in time for everyone to be seated by 6.55pm.

We hope you can join us for the Prize Giving Ceremony.

Thursday 28, Friday 29 and Saturday 30 November - Clarkson Theatre - 7.00pm

Roald Dahl was a spy, ace fighter-pilot, chocolate historian and medical inventor. He was also the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This story is perhaps the most popular of his irreverent, darkly comic novels written for young people and tells the story of an impoverished young boy who wins a golden ticket to tour the mysterious and magical chocolate factory of Willy Wonka. 

We invite you to step inside our very own peculiar Chocolate Factory! 

Chocolate rivers, everlasting gobstoppers, gum that tastes like a whole three course meal....there are wonders galore in store...It’s pure imagination! 

Please click here to book your tickets. Refreshments will be available on the night, with the option to pre-order via a form closer to the time. 

Sunday 1 December 2024 - 2.00pm to 4.30pm

The Princethorpe PTA are looking forward to welcoming families across the Foundation and beyond to their annual Christmas Fair, taking place at Princethorpe College on Sunday 1 December.

The fair will have all the things you need to get you in the mood for Christmas including a Christmas Market, craft activities and igames, mulled wine and of course Father Christmas. There are lots of new additions to entertain all ages, and music to get you in the spirit.

Raffle tickets will be sent home with pupils next week in their house colours. The house that returns the most tickets will each receive a Princethorpe cookie! The raffle will be drawn on the day of the Fair, with some fantastic prizes t be won, including:

• Apple Air Pods
• Smartwatch
• Gin Tasting experience
• Optara Lux brush
• Sephora voucher
• Champagne Afternoon tea for two
• Christmas Family Hamper
• Escape Room voucher
• Cineworld voucher
• Weekend Health Club Pass – The Warwickshire

Plus lots more…

Entry is £2 per car so come along and get into the spirit of Christmas with help from our PTA!

See you there!

Princethorpe PTA

Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 December - 7.00pm

Our Christmas Wreath Making Evening has proved so popular in the past that this year we will be putting on two evenings in support of the South Africa Tour fundraising effort.

The evenings will take place on Wednesday 4 December and Thursday 5 December in the Sixth Form Centre. Arrival time is 6.45pm for a 7.00pm start. Cost for the evening will be £30 per person and includes all the materials to make your beautiful wreath, a welcome drink and mince pie.

It is open to all Princethorpe parents, staff and friends. In order to book your place(s) please click here by Friday 29 November. One person can book for a group of people – recommended if you would like to sit together for the evening.

There will be a bar on the night and a raffle, so if anyone has a raffle prize they would like to donate, please get in touch with leecassell@princethorpe.co.uk

Tutor Reports for Year 8 will be published on Friday 15 November 2024, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

Tutor Reports for Year 9 will be published on Friday 22 November 2024, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

Tutor Reports for Year 10 will be published on Friday 29 November 2024, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

This month the theme is Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and the cross curricular links you can find in many subjects. As it is Fibonacci day on 24 November, some of the articles and videos relate to the Fibonnaci sequence and how it impacts on many areas, including poetry, music, art and architecture. November also sees Marie Curie's birthday celebrated; there is an article to find out how fireworks used on 5 November get their colours and a special poetry competition for Remembrance Day. 

I hope pupils enjoy looking at the articles and watching the videos - the Gresham series on Sir Christopher Wren is fascinating, only one of the four lectures is included but pupils are able to explore the further talks if they wish.  

A copy of the November Challenge Calendar can be accessed here.  

Now we are in to the second half term, it is important to recognise the stresses and demands on our Lower Sixth students. You should have noticed the level of study has increased somewhat but be aware that this level of load can cause difficulties and anxieties. Here are some tips to support your youngster.

Encourage your youngster to ask for help when they need it – seeking out a teacher before stress starts to build up is essential. This could be as simple as finding the teacher before class, chatting to their tutor or sharing worries with friends.

Stay organised – consider how your youngster is scheduling their time and ensure that they are setting aside time for each subject throughout the week. Encourage them to start assignments early, set deadlines and make the most of study periods in the school day.

Mix up your study routine – talk to your youngster about staying focused and positive during their study time. It is important that they use a variety of study techniques from using flashcards or mind maps, writing summaries and watching online tutorials to getting a friend or family member to quiz them, completing practice tests under exam conditions and working through questions from the text book.

Take time to research your post-school options – get your youngster thinking about their future aspirations. Taking time to research and make plans for post-school life can provide a nice break from studies, while also helping them to stay motivated by reminding them of the bigger picture. This may include researching institutions and courses of interest, organising things for a gap year and putting together course applications.

Stay calm and keep things in perspective – Sixth Form studies are rewarding but also demanding. Your youngster’s mental health is a vital component to success. Take time to encourage them to be involved in other activities and have a balanced life style.

For more suggestions, please click on this link.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

Parents will be aware of Princethorpe College's partnership with Schools Mobile, who have developed a system to add ready-made, age-appropriate settings and filtering to each of your child's devices in just 90 seconds, making it easy for parents to be confident that their child is safe from harmful content and to manage their screen time easily. 

For parents of pupils new to Princethorpe, or parents who have not yet tried Schools Mobile, you can sign up to SchoolsMobile and receive a three month free-trial of the service.

Schools Mobile ran a webinar for Princethorpe parents on Thursday 17 October.  The recording can be accessed here.

For more information on Schools Mobile, please visit Schools Mobile Information - Princethorpe College

Kind regards,

Monday 11 November 2024 - 11.00am 

On Monday 11 November at 11.00am the Princethorpe College community will gather together to silently reflect on the bravery and the selfless sacrifice made by so many of our country's service men and women.

This service will take place outside on the playground, so please can pupils ensure they bring a coat to school with them that day if the weather is cold. 

Beth Sharpe
Deputy Head - Pastoral

Thursday 28 November 2024 

On Thursday 28 November 2024 the Immunisation Team will be in school to offer all pupils in Years 7 to 11 a nasal flu vaccine.

Further information and a link to the consent form has been emailed home.

Please note the link expires on Sunday 17 November 2024.

All forms are submitted direct to the Immunisation Team so should you need to contact them please email SOUTHIMMS@covwarkpt.nhs.uk

Please contact pcmatrons@princethorpe.co.uk if you have any questions or queries.

Mrs Paula Greig
Senior Matron

Sixth Form Update - Michaelmas Term

We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable half term break. As we transition into the second half of the Michaelmas Term, we are excited to reconnect with your children and continue our journey towards academic excellence and personal growth. The weeks leading up to Christmas are always a bustling and vibrant period in our school calendar, filled with opportunities for learning, development, and celebration. 

Upper Sixth Mock Exams - From Monday 18 November 2024

As we move though this half term, our Upper Sixth students will be preparing for their mock exams which commence on Monday 18 November. This period is crucial for our students as they assess their understanding and readiness for their final exams. We encourage all parents to support their children during this time, ensuring thay have a balanced routine that includes study, rest and relaxation.

Prize Giving at Warwick Arts Centre - Friday 22 November 2024

Following the mock exams, we are eagerly anticipating our Prize Giving Ceremony at Warwick Arts Centre. This prestigious event will be an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students. Their hard work and dedication throughout the year will be recognized, and it promises to be a memorable occasion for all involved.

Ben Collie 
Head of Sixth Form

The Upper Sixth Subject Progress Evening will take place online on Tuesday 3 December, from 5.00pm to 8.30pm. Details of how to book appointments will be emailed during week commencing Monday 25 November 2024.

Progress Reports for the Lower Sixth will be published today, Friday 8 November, and will be available to view on My School Portal.  

Michael Spencer
Deputy Head - Academic

Did you know you can support the Princethorpe PTA online?

Follow, like, and share our social media posts to help us reach a wider audience. The more people who are aware of our fundraising events, the greater impact we can make for the school community! Please see below the links to our social media pages:

Facebook: PTA Princethorpe

Instagram: @princethorpepta

Thank you for all your support this academic year. 

Princethorpe PTA

Please don’t forget that Princethorpe College PTA is registered with easyfundraising. 

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.

Jolabokaflod (Christmas book flood) is the Icelandic tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve. The tradition began during World War Two, when rationing was in effect, but paper remained plentiful. To this day, families in Iceland gather on Christmas Eve to gift each other with books, before spending the evening reading side by side, usually with some hot cocoa to ‘sweeten the deal’.

Princethorpe College, will again this year be holding our very own Jolabokaflod (dates to be announced shortly). Pupils will be asked to bring in a pre-loved book or books from home that they are willing to donate to the event. In return they will receive a merit for each donation. Pupils will also receive a ticket for each book donated, which can be exchanged for another prevloved book during Jolabokaflod week. 

All donations need to be received in the Library by Friday 29 November. We kindly ask that pupils only bring in books appropriate to their own age groups. 

Thank you.

Enrolment for Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme has gone well, with excellent numbers across all three awards. The information is in the process of being uploaded to eDofE and the welcome packs will be sent directly to the home address provided on the form.

The presentation, expedition dates and other useful information is live on My School Portal under the Co-curriclular - Princethorpe page. Link here.

The new Duke of Edinburgh's staff team have completed their training and will be aiding last year's participants to sign off their awards over the coming weeks to ensure completion by the Christmas deadline.

For any Duke of Edinburgh's enquires please use the dedicated email dofe@princethorpe.co.uk with the subject DofE-B, S or G-Surname.

School Fee Plan are a provider of finance for School Fees and they may be able to offer parents the ability to pay their fees monthly. To find out more please go to the Payment of Fees section on our website here.

Anyone wishing to apply will need to do so by Monday 9 December 2024, so this  can be put in place in time for the Lent term bill.

Claire Alcock
Foundation Head of Finance

We would like to remind parents of some useful contact details.

To report a pupil absence please do so 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 find below the Term Dates for 2024-25 and 2025-26.

2024-2025 (two page document) - revised Sixth Form Open Evening and Christmas Fair dates. Updated June 2024

2025-2026 (two page document) - revised Sixth Form Open Evening

We are delighted to welcome back Daniel Hogg to the IT team as an Apprentice IT Assistant.

Daniel has been a familiar face at Princethorpe College for many years. Firstly, as a pupil and then returning to complete work experience within the IT Department. Daniel joins us from Warwick School to complete his IT apprenticeship with us and we’re pleased to have him back.

Outside of school, Dan enjoys watching films with his family, playing online games with his friends and listening to rock music.