The Flagpole

The College takes the safety of pupils, staff and visitors very seriously and we have taken various measures to minimise the risk of an accident involving a vehicle.  Please take care when driving on campus particularly at busy times such as the start and end of the business day.

The start of term is exceptionally busy and we recommend that new pupils use the bus service from the first day of term.  For busy times we usually have staff managing traffic on site and all drivers are asked to cooperate and to follow instructions.  Our aim is to make it safe and as easy as possible for everyone.

The College has updated its risk assessment on the management of traffic on site to ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicle which you will find here.  Parents are asked to review this document and to discuss with their children, how to keep safe.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Bus Services – first two weeks

The bus services have settled down and routes are running well, bar temporary traffic lights. Almost all bus passes have been issued and new pupils seem to be happily using the service. The new S12 service has proved so popular that we have moved to a double decker. We were surprised on the first day as 45 pupils were expected based on the communications from families but 66 pupils wanted to use the service so a second service was despatched.  

Bus Services - Twitter

Parents and pupils aged 13 and over are encouraged to sign up for our Twitter feed on the bus service using @PCBuses. We will use this to keep pupils and parents informed of anything that happens during the journeys to and from school.

Simply go to twitter.com/PCBuses. From here you can follow @PC Buses, if you have a twitter account, or if you do not regularly use twitter you can bookmark this link on your mobile or computer and check it whenever you need to.

Requests for additional stops

We have received quite a number of requests for additional stops which would involve almost 20 additional bus stops. All requests are reviewed and we consider the impact on those who use the bus of adding additional stops as it could mean earlier departure/arrival times for pupils on the service.

Unfortunately we cannot agree to all the requests, but where it is possible we will make changes and we will communicate this to parents. Our aim is to keep timetable changes to a bare minimum to avoid any confusion and disruption to the service from a new timetable. Major changes are unlikely until next September.

Temporary Road Closures

We keep an eye out for future road closures or upcoming road works and welcome any advance information from parents about such closures. We discuss them with the bus operators and communicate any changes necessary as soon as possible.

Bus Survey

We have been conducting bus surveys for the last few years. These provide us with accurate information on bus usage. We use this to improve our services when possible.

This year we are conducting two bus surveys; the first starts this evening and will run for two weeks.  The second survey will take place in the Lent term and drivers have been asked to record the number of pupils who get on/off at each stop.

If you have any queries please email the bus team buses@princethorpe.co.uk

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

Cyber-crime – please be vigilant

Parents are asked to be vigilant when reading emails relating to the payment of school fees and any other items to the Foundation.

We continue to receive reports regarding spam emails being sent to parents of independent schools asking them to pay future fees to a ‘new’ school bank account.

Please be advised there has been no change to the bank details of either Princethorpe College, Crackley Hall or Crescent and there is no intention to make any changes in the foreseeable future. Any electronic notification that appears to be from any of the Foundation schools changing these details may be fraudulent.

Our bank details are available on the Parent Bills, the Online Payment Portal and for Princethorpe in the Princethorpe College Information Booklet 2019 – 2020, and only those details should be used.

Parents are asked to be vigilant in respect of any communications purporting to be from the Foundation requesting money that do not match our normal procedures.

Please note:

• invoices are only available through the on-line parent fee portal;

• our bank account details will NOT change during the academic year 2019-20;

• if you receive an email purporting to amend our bank details, do not make any payment and please contact us by telephone immediately to clarify;

• we do not email details of unsolicited discounts for payment of funds.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleagues in the Bursary if you are have any doubts about the correct details or indeed if anything appears suspicious.

Please contact the Bursary if you have concerns about any communication you receive and in particular if you receive any request for payment of funds outside our normal routines.

Please note we do not accept payment in cash for the fee bill.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

The school shop is open for pupils during both break and lunch time, every school day.   For parents wishing to visit the school shop, this can be done without an appointment between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, every school day.

Should you be unable to visit the shop during the above mentioned times and would like to make an appointment, please contact the Foundation Shop Manager, Miss Nicola Browne on 01926 634272 or via email at nicolabrowne@princethorpe.co.uk.

Nicola Browne
Foundation Shop Manager

As we start the new academic year, our catering team are proud to introduce their new and improved menus. All the menus offer a selection of healthy meal options and have been endorsed by Holroyd Howe’s nutritionist.

All options will be served in both the Refectory and Sixth Form dining room on a three-week rotation. Each term the menus will be reviewed and updated. To see the Michaelmas term menus just use the link below:

Michaelmas Term Menu

Andrew Williams
General Manager