Letter From The Headmaster - September 2018
Welcome to the first Flagpole of the 2018-19 academic year and a special welcome to all parents new to the school. As I write, we are just finishing three very productive staff training days; these allow us to both prepare for the year ahead and also to focus on how we can deliver the best possible education to all the children in our care.
Over the holidays we had well over a hundred pupils and staff safely return from the Costa Rica Expedition, the 202-mile Wales cycling tour and the spiritual retreat to Taizé. These were rewarding, enjoyable and in many cases life-changing experiences and I thank the staff who gave up their precious holiday time to support our pupils.
You will be aware that each year we steadily develop our campus and improve our facilities. Although we had no major construction projects this summer, we have had a major upgrading of our ICT infrastructure and refurbished many areas of the campus including the Art corridor which now looks wonderful. In addition, we are also now in a position to request planning permission for our new Science laboratories; having had a “virtual tour” of this building last week I can assure you it will be a stunning addition to our campus and hugely benefit all our pupils’ learning.
Of course, towards the end of summer, the examination results loom large: this year was particularly nerve-wracking for both pupils and staff with so many new specifications, the phasing out of the modular A-levels and of course the new GCSE grading scheme with numbers 9 to 1 in most subjects. As I expect you will be aware by now, we are delighted with the results achieved by our pupils a few weeks ago both at A-level and GSCE. We strive hard to ensure that each member of the College’s community makes the most of their own talents. Princethorpe is certainly not an examination factory - when pupils leave, they do so with so much more than an examination certificate - but we do take great pride in trying to ensure that all our pupils achieve the very best possible academic results.
At A-level, we had seventeen high fliers who achieved three or more A* or A grades including Head Girl, Miriam Isaacs, Head Boy, Tim Duffy and the College’s highest achieving student James Fletcher, who will now go on to read Law at Trinity College, Oxford.
We were delighted that we have achieved our best ever haul of A* and A grades but also, more importantly, over 90% of our students have been accepted to study at their first choice university or on their chosen apprenticeship scheme, with the remainder also doing exceptionally well and securing their second choice. We wish all our leavers well for the next phase of their education and look forward to welcoming them back on Friday 16 November to the annual Prize Giving, which this year will be held at the Dallas Burston Polo Club. I hope that many of you will be able to attend this special occasion – further details will be circulated in due course.
At GCSE, 43% of all entries were graded the coveted new 9, 8 or 7 grades (A* or A grades) and a stunning 39 of our Year 11 pupils achieved eight or more 9, 8, 7 or A* or A grades. Overall 92% of the grades pupils received were A*-C or 9-4 grades.
Many Princethorpe pupils achieved the new 9 grade with the highest individual results achieved by Caitlin McBride who achieved nine 9s, two A*s and an A grade and Sophie Mitchell who achieved nine 9s and two A* grades.
We are of course delighted with the exceptionally high number of top grades but are proud of all our pupils who have worked hard and done their very best. Whilst academic results are important, we value their qualities of kindness, respect, determination and friendship.
As we look to the new academic year I thank, in advance, all parents for your support over the year ahead. At the first school assembly next week, I shall be talking about the importance of making a strong start and getting into good habits to ensure a successful year and will be talking about two things vital for the strong start: Sleep and Systems.
Sleep: As I am sure you are aware, getting a good night’s sleep is critical for the health and well-being of us all, but in particular teenagers. The evidence is that many are getting nowhere near the minimum of seven hours (eight is better) of proper regular sleep per night and that mobile phones and other electronic devices are quite often the main reason why. Of course this can have a hugely detriment effect on the child’s academic progress and social development. I would urge all parents to discuss these issues with their children (from Year 7 right through to the Sixth Form) and do all you can to support healthy sleep routines at home.
Systems: a few years ago we changed our report grade of “Organisation” to “Systems”. The difference is subtle, but whilst some seem to have better “natural” organisational skills, everyone can develop their systems to ensure they can successfully cope with the rigours of day-to-day life at school. We do a lot of work on developing good strategies and systems at school, but again I would welcome all parents’ support in helping develop their children’s systems at home to support their busy school lives.
If you would like any further help or advice on either sleep or systems, please do contact your son or daughter’s form tutor initially. Conversely, if you have any top tips that you have found work for your children on sleep or systems, please do send them to me and in the next Flagpole, I will share them (anonymously if you prefer…) with you all.
Finally, I hope that you and your families have had a peaceful and happy summer and look forward to seeing you over the course of the year.
With all best wishes
Ed Hester
Headmaster