News

Police Appeal For Witnesses

Police are appealing for any witnesses, anyone who followed any vehicles or local residents that may have CCTV of an incident which took place at approximately 08.40 hours on Tuesday 16 October 2018 at the junction of Leamington Road and Oxford Road, Ryton on Dunsmore. 

If you were witness to this incident please contact DS 960 Henry Scutt via 101 on extension 6107 or e-mail henry.scutt@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk

Letter From The Headmaster - November 2018

Dear Parents

As you may be aware, there are many ways we currently get feedback from pupils, such as House and School Councils, questionnaires and pupil discussions.  I am writing to tell you about a new initiative we will shortly be launching in school to further enhance our “student voice”.

Starting next week, all our pupils will be asked to fill in a short questionnaire on all of their teaching classes. The form has some simple questions about themselves and then about their experience of the class. After each of the questions there will be the chance to add individual comments. These could be to tell us about things that they think are really good or to tell us about how they think things might be improved.

The teachers will get this feedback anonymously – so it won’t have pupils’ name on it. However, I will know who has filled in each form and if necessary can follow up with individuals on any concerns.

As these surveys are going to generate a huge amount of data which we then need to process, we will be using an on-line form. We want the pupils to use their smartphones (if they have one) which will make the whole process quick and easy to complete. For those who do not have smartphones, a paper copy will be supplied which can be completed anonymously. We will be sending a hyperlink directly to the pupils’ school email account on Monday.

I would appreciate you discussing this survey with you sons and daughters (they have already seen the questions) and stressing the importance of taking each survey seriously so we get useful and constructive feedback.

I will write to you in due course to give you feedback on the result of this survey.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do contact Dr Reddish, our Academic Deputy Head, for further information.

Ed Hester
Headmaster 

College Prepares For Biggest Ever Entrance Exams Session

The College is preparing itself for its biggest ever Entrance Exams session tomorrow, Saturday 10 November, with nearly 320 children due to sit the exams across three age groups. 

Comments Melanie Butler, Assistant Head - Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "This year we have had particularly high levels of interest and, following a successful Open Morning 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 10 November 2018 - 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 their current school uniform and bring a pen, two pencils, eraser and ruler. Candidates for Year 9 (13+) should bring a calculator, protractor and a relevant language dictionary. Candidates will have the opportunity to play outside at lunchtime, if the weather is kind to us. 

Candidates for Years 7, 8 and 9 are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the online test here for a short demonstration.

The examinations will end at 3.45pm and parents are invited to tea with members of the Parent Teacher Association from 3.30pm onwards.

Princethorpe Marks 100 Years On From Armistice Day

100 years on from Armistice Day and the end of the First World War, the whole of the Princethorpe College community gathered together today, Friday 9 November, at 11.00am to commemorate the sacrifices our brave servicemen and women made.

Held outside on a cold and windy school playground the opening prayer by Deputy Head – Pastoral, Beth Sharpe, was followed by the reading aloud of the names of the fallen from the parish and the sounding of the Last Post, the plaintive call played confidently by two of Princethorpe’s pupils, Year 9, Ben Murray and Year 7, Chloe Hurworth.

The two-minute silence offered all a time for reflection, a shared moment to remember those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today.

Then came readings by Sixth Form students and the hymn Abide With Me, before a wreath was hung at the Pupils’ Entrance by former serviceman and Groundsman, Sergeant Michael Luis.

A final prayer by Headmaster, Ed Hester, brought the proceedings to a respectful close.

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Hannah’s Poetry Takes Her To Passchendaele And The Palace

New Lower Sixth student, Hannah Owens, visited Buckingham Palace this week to attend the Never Such Innocence Finale.  The event hosted by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence was a final commemoration and celebration of the charity’s work to engage children and young people with the centenary of the First World War.  It took place in the Palace’s main ballroom which is normally reserved for investitures and state banquets and afterwards in the drawing room.  

Hannah described the experience as “incredible and utterly surreal”, and she was clearly honoured and amazed to have had such a remarkable opportunity.  She continued, “At the finale we listened to readings and reflections on World War One through poetry, music and art, there were speeches from inspirational members of the armed forces and statements from the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence.”

Over the past four years Never Such Innocence have run international poetry and art competitions giving young people the chance to play their part in the formal centenary commemorations.  Hannah submitted poems in 2015-16 and then again in 2016-17.  Both times her work was recognised, the first time with a third place for Indefinitely Burdening, but then again in 2016-17 when her poem Dear Ivy earned her first place.

Following her win, in July 2017, Hannah was invited to attend the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.  There, as part of the moving centenary commemoration, she read out her poem in front of the assembled dignitaries and guests.

Hannah has very kindly presented the College with a copy of Never Such Innocence’s legacy anthology of work, The Centenary of the First World War

Stunning Sicily Proves Spectacular And Unforgettable

During the Michaelmas half term holiday 22 Year 10 Geography pupils travelled to the Italian island of Sicily.  The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily is known for its diverse geography, flora and fauna, so the trip offered pupils an unforgettable opportunity to experience geography first-hand, supporting their GCSE studies and bringing the subject spectacularly to life.

Over the four day trip pupils visited some of Sicily’s most stunning geographic features including Mount Etna, the Alcantara Gorge and the small volcanic island of Vulcano.  

Leaving early on the morning of Monday 22 October, the group travelled to Luton Airport to board the plane for Sicily, by lunchtime they had well and truly left the cold of England behind and were on the coach heading for their first stop at Taormina on the hill of Monte Tauro and the chance to take in breathtaking views of the Mediterranean sea across the sweeping bays to the south of Mount Etna.  From there it was straight to Pizzeria Al Varo to get hands on with the culture of the island, making traditional Sicilian thick crust pizzas.

Georgie Clarke and Abbie O’Carroll-Bailey, explained, “The pizza was amazing, making it ourselves and having it cooked in a classic pizza oven definitely improved the taste. Then afterwards we enjoyed wandering round the town. The views over the sea were stunning and many pictures were taken. On the way back to the hotel the weather really became exciting, thunder clapped and lightning lit up the sky over the sea, creating a very exciting atmosphere.”

Day two started with an early morning swim and then the group headed off for Mount Etna.  Before ascending, they visited a lava field left after the 1992 eruption, which put into perspective the explosive power of the volcano.   Georgie and Abbie continued, “We were warned that it would be a cold and an extreme landscape at the top, we didn’t believe it until ice started forming on our hoods and in our hair. The poor weather stopped us reaching the very top, but we still had an amazing experience looking at the smaller craters as the freezing fog swirled around us.”  Mount Etna was followed by a trip to the Alcantara Gorge, where the group explored the spectacular rock formations sculpted by lava mixing with water.

The next day Princethorpe’s geographers visited Vulcano, a small volcanic island north of Sicily.  There they climbed to the top of Fossa di Vulcano.  Georgie and Abbie, said, “The smell of sulphur filled our nostrils, but after a while we got used to it and slowly ascended. The view was fabulous and the blue skies definitely improved the experience. It was a shock to all of us how enormous the crater was and how hot the stones around the sulphur fumaroles were.  After a long hot day we enjoyed cooling down in the sea and in the mud pools. They smelled awful, but were apparently good for our skin. It was a great way to end the trip.”

Day four saw the group enjoy one final sunrise before heading off to Catania Airport and the trip home.  

Georgie and Abbie, finished, “A huge thank you to everyone involved with the trip especially the teachers that put up with 22 of us for four days. It was an amazing experience full of extreme environments and unforgettable landscapes.”

Our thanks also go to the four staff who organised and accompanied the pupils: Anne Allen, Helen Baker, Stewart Dear and Mike Taylor.

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South Coast Sports Tour A Great Success

Over the half term holidays Princethorpe Sport took 38 pupils, two Year 8 netball teams and a Year 9 rugby team, on a four-day tour along the south coast.  Now a regular feature in the sporting calendar, the tour included three matches interspersed with plenty of off-pitch activities and fun.   It was a great chance for all to hone skills and practise technique against friendly but competitive teams.

The Year 9 boys comfortably won their first two games, with some super score lines: 55-15 against Portsmouth Junior Rugby Club and 74-5 against Gillingham and Ringworth Rugby Football Club. Their hard work in training prior to the tour, and two sound victories under their belts, paid off in a very well-matched fixture against Dauntsey’s School. The team 'weathered the storm' well in the first half, having to be disciplined in their defence for the majority of the game. Their commitment in defence resulted in a penalty kick to the corner, where they set up a maul from their line out - patient play resulted in a "well organised and professional try" said, PE Teacher, Mike Turns. Who was thoroughly delighted with the overall performance of the squad finishing with an 8-0 win.

Men of the matches were awarded to: Robbie Minshull, Jack Tripp-Smith and Wilf Sansum.

The Year 8 netball girls also had some great results in their games, and what was most pleasing was their progression throughout the tour. Fielding two teams, the girls first played Portsmouth High School, in the 13th year of this fixture. The A team won 41-20, but the B team lost a well matched game 24-37.  Next came New Forest Netball Club, the A team won 18-11 in an end to end game where they had to really focus on their team tactics, but the B team lost 22-9.  In their final matches against North Dorset Netball Club, the girls fought hard and both games were incredibly close, the A team finished with a 26-26 draw but the B team’s determination finally delivered and they were delighted with a 15-14 win. Head of Academic PE, Louise Harrison commented, "It was a well-deserved final victory for the B team who had learnt a lot since their first game and did tremendously well to pull out the win against a strong team."

Girls of the matches were awarded to: Darcey Heritage and Mary-Ellen Boyle, Sophie Gray and Grace Isaacs, Maddie Burgess and Freya O'Mahony.

Most improved players of the tour went to Oscar Page, Abi Hewson and Emma Sarkies for their progression throughout the tour.

Girl/Boy of the tour was awarded to Sophie Gray and Harry King - for their manner both on and off the field throughout the tour.

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

Huge thanks go to the dedicated sports staff who accompanied the tour - Hannah Carminati, Stuart Friswell, Louise Harrison and Mike Turns.

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.

For all involved, both boys and girls, the tour was a great success.

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Boys and Girls Bring Home Hopbel Hockey Tour Cups

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. The exchange trip, organised by the Princethorpe Sports department, is a regular item in the school’s calendar, and 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 20 October but the journey passed quickly thanks to some excellent singing.  On arrival at De Hopbel Hockey Club the tour party were greeted warmly and whisked away by their Dutch host families to enjoy such traditional family delights as ‘Dutch pancakes’.

In addition to three days of training and tour matches the pupils and their hosts managed to squeeze in plenty of fun, including a fantastic trip to PSV Eindhoven, where the pupils got to see the team preparing for their Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur, as well as climbing, bike riding, visits to ice cream parlours and the chance to explore the cobbled streets of local town, Den Bosch.

The girls team played a series of matches against De Hopbel teams whilst the boys faced De Hopel, Den Bosch and then Sint Oedenrode.  All the extra coaching and practice proved very profitable, with the boys remaining unbeaten on tour, with results of 8-1, 8-4 and 12-1 and the girls’ team doing nearly as well with match results of 12-0, 4-2, 3-1 and 0-2.

Princethorpe College was delighted to take home both the Boys’ and Girls’ Cups and team captains, Jess Mackenzie and Tom Palmer, were pleased to accept them on behalf of all of the players.

Director of Sport, Neil McCollin, commented, “We have had another very successful hockey tour and I am very proud of all our pupils.  They made the most of the intensive coaching sessions, played skilfully and gained a good insight into how another country plays the game.  All in all, they represented the College superbly.”

Princethorpe looks forward to welcoming our Dutch friends back once again in the Trinity Term for the return leg of the tour.

Huge thanks go to all the staff involved in supporting and running the hockey tour: Jen Law, Neil McCollin, Emma Nobes and Paul Whitehead.

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Sixth Form ‘Wear It Pink’ In Support Of Breast Cancer Charities

Princethorpe College’s charity-minded Sixth Formers blitzed the school day with an array of pink costumes as the College celebrated its annual ‘Pink Day’ on Friday 19 October.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and, with one in eight women being diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime, the Sixth Form #wearitpink to raise funds for the research programmes funded by Breast Cancer charities.

In true Princethorpe tradition, the Sixth Formers wholeheartedly embraced the theme and the Sixth Form Centre and College corridors were graced with fluffy pink costumes and onesies galore. Every pupil in the school made a cash donation for the non-uniform day and the coffers were swelled by a break time cake sale. Pastel coloured cup-cakes and biscuits went down a treat, all in a bid to raise awareness of the women who suffer from this terrible disease.

Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Cyp Vella was delighted with the support students gave to the cause. “The Sixth Form are always keen to embrace a good cause and work hard to make it as successful and enjoyable as possible.”

Special lunch-time events caused much amusement amongst younger pupils who happily enjoyed pay-as-you-go entertainment, such as sponge-a-teacher and the photo-booth.

“We are still counting but it looks likely that we will have raised well over £750 for breast cancer charities,” commented Mr Vella. “Another successful fund raising effort where our College community came together to support a good cause.”

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A-Level Inspiration Aplenty At Sixth Form Open Evening

Our Sixth Form Open Evening took place on the evening of Wednesday 17 October. It was an ideal opportunity for Year 11 pupils to discover what Princethorpe’s Sixth Form has to offer. Over the course of the evening some 150 internal and external applicants and their parents toured the school, visiting the various A-level departments, meeting staff and current Sixth Formers and hearing more about subjects and exciting enrichment and co-curricular opportunities.

With some 29 different courses available there was plenty to choose from, including completely new subjects to consider such as Law, Theatre Studies and Sport (BTEC).

Headmaster, Ed Hester, Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie and Sixth Formers, Alys Hemmings and Jack Bent, gave a series of short overview presentations and it was great to see the theatre packed to the gunnels with parents and prospective pupils. Excellent academic results are of course a vital feature of any Sixth Form provision, but Mr Hester talked about the College’s family ethos, the focus on adding value for the individual and supporting students to achieve their personal best.  He also spoke about the uniquely Princethorpe opportunities, such as the Princethorpe Diploma, that add so much value to students’ future university, apprenticeship or employment applications.

As always the evening was very busy with plenty of interest being shown across the subjects. Sixth Formers acted as tour guides for our external visitors and talked enthusiastically about their experiences. External candidates have the opportunity to join us for Sixth Form Taster Days in either December or January. More information on these days is available from the Registrars.

Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie reminded everybody, “The next stage is to decide on the subjects you might wish to study, as a rule of thumb focus on the subjects you enjoy and are doing well in. Current Year 11s will be well supported throughout the process, which will pick up speed after the GCSE mocks in January.”

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Princethorpe’s Chefs Showcase Their Amazing Culinary Skills

Princethorpe’s aspiring young chefs showcased their superb cooking skills as the College hosted its first ever heat in the Springboard’s FutureChef competition.  The Stage 1 School Heat was held on Tuesday 16 October and the eight participants cooked and served two portions of a main meal in one hour, with a budget of just £5.

The FutureChef competition challenges young people aged 12 to 16 who are keen to learn more about cooking, to cook their way through a series of rounds, allowing them to gain experience, meet professionals and develop their skills, all whilst learning invaluable lessons and getting an insight into the culinary industry.

Amongst Princethorpe’s participants were Key Stage 4 pupils, studying GCSE Food and Nutrition, a pupil Food Ambassador, a number of Year 8 pupils considering taking Food and Nutrition next year and even a Year 7 pupil.  All of our would-be chefs really wowed the judges, Jacqui Scott, Rob Southern and Greg Hunter, with their culinary creations, serving up a range of tempting chicken, fish and vegetarian meals.  From the off, they worked quickly, demonstrating technical skills such as knife work and pasta making.  The finished plates of food were tantalising, full of flavour and seasoned expertly. What's more the contestants’ attention to detail was superb with plates polished, the food presented artistically and their work surfaces scrubbed. 

It was a hard decision to choose between them all and the judges deliberated carefully moving plates up and down as they argued the pros and cons of first one dish and then another.  In the end they decided that Jonti Spillman and Chloe O’Caroll-Bailey had managed to hold their nerve and execute their dishes superbly to win Princethorpe’s local heat.  The pair will now progress on to the local final where they will compete against the winners of other school heats.

If successful they will then have the chance to go on to the regional final, and maybe even the national final which will be held in London, in March next year.

Commenting on Princethorpe’s first foray into the competition, Food Technology Teacher, Jacqui Scott said, “I have been really impressed with the level of interest in the FutureChef competition. The competitors demonstrated a wide range of culinary skills and all the dishes produced were of a professional standard, despite the time pressure. It was really very difficult to pick our winners and the judges thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful we tried. We have two strong competitors going through to the next stages and I’m very excited to see how far they can go in the competition.”

Huge congratulations to our two worthy winners and well done to all of the participants who took part, it was an excellent effort all-round and as such all the competitors were awarded a da Vinci merit. 

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Year 7’s Creativity Delivers A Stunning Solar System Display

This term our new Year 7 have been studying the solar system in Science. They completed the topic with a three-week project designed to develop their research skills. The project has helped them learn the correct scientific terms and also developed their knowledge and understanding of the solar system as they selected and rejected information to present to their class. To complete the project, pupils were asked to display their research but with the caveat that they weren’t allowed to use a PowerPoint. Instead, they were challenged to creatively exhibit their findings to their peers. The results have been amazing.

On display in the school library are a fantastic array of 3D models, posters, leaflets and even cakes and a piñata. In their Science classes, in the run up to the half term break, pupils have presented their findings and displays to their peers and they have all clearly learned a lot.

School librarian, Celia Scott commented, “We have been doing this research project with Year 7 for several years now and the standard of work this year is simply superb. The pupils have clearly put in a lot of effort and what a stunning display it has made.”

Pictured here are just a few of the model makers. Well done Year 7 you have clearly made an excellent start to your Science studies here at Princethorpe.

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Princethorpe Cemetery War Memorial Restoration

Princethorpe Cemetery war memorial is benefitting from a grant of £3,750, towards the total cost of £6,000, from the Grants for War Memorials scheme supported by the First World War Memorials Programme and Historic England.  The grant has enabled the war memorial to be deconstructed, allow the corpus and plaque to be cleaned and preserved, provide a new oak cross and cover the re-instating of the surrounding mound, which signifies Calvary.

All Princethorpians and villagers within the parish who have any contact with Princethorpe Cemetery are invited to attend the re-dedication ceremony at 10.45am following the 10.00am Mass in Our Lady of the Angels’ Chapel, Princethorpe College on Remembrance Sunday, 11 November 2018.

Frances Moreton, Director, War Memorials Trust said, “War memorials are a tangible connection to our shared past creating a link between the fallen and today. It is vital we ensure all our war memorials are in the best possible condition for their age and the charity is delighted to support this project. The centenary of World War 1 is a wonderful opportunity for local communities across the country to protect and conserve their war memorials. If anyone knows of any other war memorials in need of help please contact us.”

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC added, “As Parish Priest responsible for the cemetery and the war memorial in it, I am delighted and grateful to receive this grant from the War Memorial Trust. This makes possible the restoration of the memorial in time for a re-dedication ceremony at 10.45am on Sunday 11 November 2018. This ceremony will mirror that which was composed for the dedication of the memorial in 1922 and will serve as a reminder of the values that underpinned the erection of the memorial in the first place.”

Please visit the St Anne's, Wappenbury website click here to learn more about the restoration project.

Images are attributed to John O'Kelly, parishioner of St Anne's, Wappenbury with Our Lady of the Angels' Chapel, Princethorpe College.

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