The Flagpole

As you will be well aware the situation regarding COVID-19 continues to develop apace and we are now moving into the government’s ‘delay’ phase of the action plan for the virus.

Latest Government Advice

The most up to date advice from the Government can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

Parents, pupils and staff need to follow the latest government advice which is to:

Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

• a high temperature
• a new continuous cough

This will help to protect others in your community while you are infectious.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

You do not need to contact NHS 111 to tell them you’re staying at home.

The government will not be testing people who are self-isolating with mild symptoms.

Detailed information and advice for the public about what they should do can be found here on the NHS.uk website (and will be regularly updated). There is some new Stay at Home guidance, which can be found on the same link.

People do not need to phone NHS 111 if their symptoms are mild but should do if their symptoms worsen/if they need medical care, or if symptoms do not get better after 7 days. There is also a 111 online service that people are being asked to use in the first instance.

Self-Isolation

Please alert school if you are self-isolating, so we can monitor the situation closely.

We have a small number of pupils and staff who are self-isolating at the current time and one pupil being tested for the virus, though we have had no confirmed cases of the virus within the community to date.

Isolation at school

In the event of a pupil becoming unwell and displaying Coronavirus symptoms at school we have made provision for an isolation room to be available.  We would contact parents with immediate effect and ask that you collect your child as a matter of urgency.

Additional measures

In the light of the latest information we have decided to take the following additional precautionary measures:

• Only essential visitors will be allowed onto the school site and will need to follow our COVID-19 Guidelines for Visitors
  
  
• All trips are cancelled until further notice (with the exception of DofE Gold which is still under review)
  
  
• All assemblies will be cancelled until further notice
  
  
• All sporting fixtures will be cancelled from after school today until further notice, Games and PE lessons will continue as normal
  
  
• All major school calendar events (with the exception of the parents’ evenings below) are cancelled or postponed
  
  
• The after-school sporting and non-sporting programme is continuing (with the exception of Rugby)
  
  
• The Prefect Inauguration at the end of term will be rescheduled to the Trinity Term

Parents’ Evenings

The Upper Sixth Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 17 March will go ahead but will now be conducted over the telephone. Subject teachers will contact parents alphabetically by surname over the course of the evening, using parents’ mobile numbers. Please make yourselves available for these calls. We will send further details of this on Monday.

The Year 11 Parents’ Q and A on Thursday 26 March will go ahead as an online event. More details will be sent to parents nearer the time.

Austrian Ski Trip Cancelled

The Austrian Ski Trip is now cancelled following the government’s announcement yesterday that schools are advised against taking trips abroad. The resort we were due to ski in has also announced that it is to close for the season from this Saturday. We are in liaison with the travel company and our insurers and a separate communication will be sent to all Ski Trip participants when more information is available.

GCSE and A-Level Exams

We recognise that pupils and parents will be concerned about the possible impact of coronavirus on the 2020 summer exam season. Our and Ofqual’s advice at this time is for pupils to continue to prepare for exams and other assessments as normal.

We continue to liaise closely with the exam boards, Ofqual and the Department for Education and will advise as more information becomes available.

Latest Government Advice Regarding Travel – please note this is liable to change before the Easter Holidays

Foreign & Commonwealth Office travel advice is constantly under review, so that it reflects their latest assessment of risks to British people.

In response to coronavirus measures they are advising against all and all but essential travel to some countries, cities and regions. They advise that you should check the travel advice for your destination and it is also possible to sign up for email alerts for your destination.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus#foreign--commonwealth-office-fco-travel-advice

If you are planning an overseas trip over the Easter holidays, we request that you alert us to any concerns, particularly should you need to self-isolate following a trip, so we can best advise you and discuss your child’s return to school.

Pupil social contact and sharing

We are asking that parents consider their child’s social interaction in and out of school to help slow down the spread of the virus. The government’s advice is that close contact (less than 2 metres) for 15 minutes or more significantly increases the risk of infection, therefore here are some things to consider for your children (and yourselves!):

• Avoiding attending non-essential events eg. parties, cinema etc
• Avoiding hosting sleepovers or group study sessions in your home
• Avoiding sharing equipment and resources eg. sports equipment and clothing
• Avoiding close contact activities, such as rugby

We also ask that pupils refrain from sharing drinks bottles, food and stationery with others, please ensure your child is self-sufficient when they come to school to avoid the need to borrow resources.

Home Learning

We are continuing to develop our planning and strategies and will shortly be issuing more information and advice for parents and pupils about Home Learning should that become a necessity.

Once again, many thanks for your understanding and co-operation at this time, it is hugely appreciated.

Ed Hester

The admissions process for Sixth Form entry in September 2020 is nearing its completion.  

The Headmaster and Head of Sixth Form have been interviewing potential scholars and existing scholarship holders over the last few weeks and assessments have taken place for Sixth Form Art, Drama, Music and Sport Scholarships.

Comments Ed Hester, ""It has been an absolute pleasure interviewing our Year 11s, there are many fine internal candidates and together with some excellent external candidates they promise to be an excellent Lower Sixth group going forward."

Details of any awards will be confirmed when the Sixth Form Offer letters, including option choices, are sent out in writing during week commencing Monday 23 March 2020. Some awards may be dependent on final GCSE grades.

Those wishing to accept their place in Sixth Form need take no action, other than to check that their subjects are correct and let us know if there are any changes.  Those not wishing to take up the place have until Wednesday 22 April to inform the Headmaster, copying in the Registrar. 

Princethorpe has been taking part in British Science Week, a national celebration of Science run by the British Science Association. Encompassing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, throughout the week pupils from across the school have been enjoying entertaining and interesting activities designed to highlight the importance of Science and inspire and engage the next generation of scientists.

Pupils in Year’s 7, 8 and 9 have taken part in Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons that have included bath bomb making and testing, meal worm choice chamber investigations and bridge building and testing. All of the lessons have combined hands on practical investigations and experiments with key scientific skills such as recording observations.

In Tutor Time pupils from Years 7 to 11 have faced design technology challenges, such as making the tallest spaghetti and marshmallow tower or constructing a balloon chair. They have also all participated in the inter-tutor Science Quiz which tested pupils’ knowledge across the science disciplines and beyond. 

Year 8 pupils also enjoyed a trip to the British Motor Museum where they participated in a series of science shows and activities with programmable RVR Robots, LEGO Gears workshops, Land Rover art activities and also explored the museum’ superb collection.

Science teacher, Rob Southern has held a series of science themed assemblies featuring an electric car, an amazing original Sinclair C5 from 1985, and Sixth Form Physics and Design Technology students have even had the chance to drive it.

Within the school pupils have had the chance to take part in a STEAM themed inter-house public speaking competition. Talking for three minutes on a topic related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Design or Maths to win points for their House. Finally, pupils have been producing posters on the theme of ‘Our Diverse Planet’ for a British Science Week competition.

Comments, Head of Science, Emma Cooper, "British Science Week has really allowed us to shine a spotlight on Science and provide a platform to engage pupils. They have enjoyed a wide range of fascinating and fun activities running alongside their normal day-to-day lessons."

The College is committed to providing the best science teaching and learning in the region, with plans presently at the detailed design phase for a new £8 million 10 laboratory dedicated Science Centre that will inspire generations of Princethorpe scientists for years to come.

Princethorpe’s Development Team is looking to recruit a talented team of telephone fundraisers for our summer campaign to raise money for our Science+ Campaign, to take place between 17 – 31 August (inclusive).

These roles are ideally suited to current Upper Sixth students and recent leavers and calling will take place on site at Princethorpe.

We fundraise in many ways already, but none of these are able to contact a large number of alumni and parents in a personal manner in the same way as a telephone campaign.

Our current Upper Sixth students are ideally placed to undertake this work as they will have the special Princethorpe link with those that they will be speaking to and will end up having many good conversations.

The calls aim to build and strengthen relationships, raise awareness, bring alumni back to the school and seek donations. This isn’t ‘cold calling’ - everyone that will be called will be sent a letter outlining that we are planning on contacting them, and are also given an option to choose not to receive a call. On average 40-50 per cent of those called will donate and the remainder will have enjoyed their conversations.

This is a fantastic, paid opportunity to gain some hands-on work experience in the field of fundraising. Full training (also paid) will be given. If you have a child in Upper Sixth who is a good communicator, is confident on the telephone, able to work well as part of a team and has the ability to deal with confidential information in a discrete and tactful manner, please ask them to apply by using the below link before 1 April;

https://buffalofc.formstack.com/forms/princethorpetelephonecampaign2020

The pay is £8.61/hr (including holiday pay) which equates to approximately £500 for the two-week campaign. Calling takes place evenings Monday – Friday and day times on Saturdays and Sundays. Callers must be available for the duration of the campaign. More information, including working hours, is available as part of the application pack, accessible via the above link.

For more information please speak to our Development Director on 01926 634265 or makingadifference@princethorpe.co.uk.

Last Sunday 8 March, 91 walkers from Princethorpe College trudged just over 2,000 miles to raise money for the charity Mary’s Meals.  For the twelfth consecutive year Sixth Formers and staff laced up their walking boots and took on the challenge of walking 24 miles in seven hours.

The route followed a big loop around the side of Coventry from Ryton to Meridian, taking in varying terrain. This year’s relentless rain made for waterlogged conditions underfoot but thankfully the weather remained clement on the day.

Luke Brotherton, Ellis Chaplow, Louis Coleby, Thomas Crowfoot, William Crowfoot, Siôn Murphy and Tomas Wilcox crossed the finish line first completing the course in 6 hours and 41 minutes.

They were followed home by a procession of jubilant finishers with the final walker completing the challenge at 6.16pm.

Organiser of the event and Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Mr Rod Isaacs, commented, “As always there was a wonderful spirit of camaraderie along the route. Everyone was helping each other and keeping focused on the aim to raise as much money as possible for impoverished children around the world.”

However, the fundraising doesn’t stop there because on Sunday 5 April a team of walkers will attempt the Coventry Way Challenge, a 40-mile circular walk.

Through the College’s fundraising, 622 children at Makalanga Primary School, in Malawi, are already receiving a daily meal in school for the first time.

There is still plenty of time to support our Sixth Form walkers, who would appreciate your support.  They are aiming to beat last year’s total and raise over £10,000.

If you would like to donate, please visit:

www.marysmeals.org.uk/princethorpe-4-makalanga

Following a rigorous selection process Princethorpe College is delighted to announce that next year’s senior prefects have been chosen.  Our congratulations go to Abbie O’Carroll-Bailey and Jack Neale who will be Princethorpe’s new Head Girl and Head Boy.

Abbie and Jack were appointed following a pupil and staff vote and a final interview with Headmaster, Ed Hester.

The position of Head Boy and Head Girl are extremely important ones, they are the most senior student roles in the school, they are the leaders of our pupil community and an important link between pupils and staff.

Working closely alongside Abbie and Jack will be Lauren Mason, Grace McGrory, James Gallagher and Prajeet Prabakaran who have all been chosen as Deputies.

All of our senior Prefects play an ambassadorial role within the school and at high profile public events such as open days and Entrance Exams. They act as role models for the wider school community and together with the wider team of Prefects they play an important role at school events and activities.

The Old Princethorpians’ Pub Meet at Inside the 22 in Rugby on Friday 6 March, was the association's most popular pub meet ever with well over 50 OPs and Old Crescentians in attendance, including current and former members of staff.

There was a lovely friendly atmosphere as OPs from across the decades socialised and caught up with each other's news over drinks and a delicious buffet. The leavers of 2014 were once again out in force including former Head Boy, Paddy Mills and Head Girl Hannah Brindley, plus strong contingents from the Cahill, Lowe, Hedderwick, Hilditch and Lea families.

Our next gathering is the London Pub Meet at Balthazar, Covent Garden on Friday 15 May. Visit the events page at Princethorpe Connect to let us know if you would like to attend.

To see further pictures from the evening login to Princethorpe Connect here.

Princethorpe College was delighted to welcome world-famous British Jaguar car designer, Ian Callum CBE, owner and Director of Design at CALLUM, and Phil Popham, CEO of Lotus Cars, to the College on Tuesday 3 March 2020.  Mr Callum and Mr Popham visited the school to find out more about the College’s development plans for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) subjects.

On their visit Ian Callum and Phil Popham toured the school and grounds, taking in the Design and Technology workshops and the Art studios as well as the wider campus buildings and grounds. They also visited the site of the new Science building, heard about the school’s plans for improvements across the campus and the work underway to drive the Science+ fundraising campaign forward.

Ian Callum and Phil Popham were impressed by Princethorpe College’s strong design heritage commenting, “This school has got it right, the creative design and STEM subjects are hugely important for all our futures. It will be down to the young people of today to address the challenges and schools should be equipping them with the skills to do so. The design work on show here at the College is just amazing.”

During the tour Ian and Phil met with Sixth Form Product Design students and took time to answer their questions on a wide range of topics that ranged from their route into the design world and the process of design through to the challenges facing designers today.

Our Director of Development, said, “It’s been a privilege to welcome Ian and Phil to Princethorpe and showcase all of the fantastic work our pupils and staff are doing. We’re situated right in the heart of the UK automotive industry here in the West Midlands, and it has been incredibly valuable to hear from two giants of the car industry that we are getting things right here at Princethorpe with our STEAM agenda. Our Science+ Campaign, which includes the building of a brand-new, 10 laboratory Science Centre embodies our STEAM agenda, which will not only transform our teaching and learning of Science, but also hugely upgrade our Art department.”

On Tuesday 3 March the U13A Girls Netball team took part in the ISA Midlands Netball Tournament in Loughborough. Taking part were seven teams from across the Midlands region and the competition kicked off with a round robin tournament.

Princethorpe started with a good win, 12-1, against Tettenhall College. Bedstone College were next and in a close match against a strong team the girls were disappointed to go down 8-10. They then played tournament hosts, Loughborough Amherst School and claimed an excellent 15-0 win.  In three further fast-paced matches the girls beat Stafford Grammar School 11-7, St Dominic’s Grammar School 16-4 and RGS Dodderhill 12-6.  That put them through to the semi-finals.

In the semi-final the team faced RGS Dodderhill again and another strong team performance helped them to another 15-4 win.

The final was against Bedstone College, so the girls knew they had a challenge on their hands. They worked extremely hard, putting into practise all their training; providing plenty of passing options, marking tight to force turnovers, protecting and maintaining possession of the ball which provided plenty of scoring opportunities. It was a very close match but the girls never gave up and were able to force two crucial turnovers in the last 30 seconds of the game to win 12-11.

Team Coach, Ellie Callan, was delighted and commented, “We had an excellent day and the girls gave 100% showing high levels of grit, determination and perseverance in every game. They made progress in each match and it was great to see the team grow in confidence throughout the tournament. The girls communicated well, were composed when in possession of the ball and put great amounts of pressure on their opposition forcing several crucial turnovers. The highlight of the day has to be the final game, where the girls played some of the best netball I have seen them play this season. A fantastic performance by all involved.”

Playing for Princethorpe College were Year 8s: Sammie Borland, Georgia Dowling, Abigail Gillard, Emily Hennegan, Honor-Mae Minshull, Anna Reay, Rosie Reeve, Mia Samra, Liv Sarkies and Sage Westbury (Captain).

Congratulations to the U13A netball team they were worthy winners of this year’s ISA Midlands Tournament.  Onward to the Nationals now! 

The College's GCSE and A-level pupils mesmerised their audience on Tuesday 3 March with a stunning evening of devised and scripted work. 

Year 10s' original creations Liese, Everyman and Vi Rose portrayed powerful and emotive visions of the Holocaust, dystopian rebellions and cyber bullying. Whilst Year 11s gave a variety of beautifully observed and convincing portrayals of characters from plays such as Blink, Tissue and Art.

The evening ended with a mature and highly topical expressionistic piece entitled This is not a moment - It is a Movement, performed by Charlotte Fitzpatrick and Elsa Isaacs with a maturity and vigour beyond their years.

Joint Head of Drama, Aileen Cefaliello, said, “Congratulations and well done to all the pupils involved and a huge thank you to our audience for supporting the performance and especially for all the astute and critical feedback.”

Click on the attachment below to download the latest ‘In the News’ posters featuring some of the Foundation's recent media coverage.

In the News

In the last few months we have had stories in the local press including the Leamington Courier, Kenilworth News, Rugby Advertiser, Rugby and Lutterworth Observer, and the Stratford Herald.  The Foundation has also been featured in the Catholic Universe and the Independent Schools’ magazine Attain.

Four Warwickshire primary school teams took part in Princethorpe College’s High 5 Netball Tournament. Welford-on-Avon Primary School was joined by Ettington Church of England Primary School, Radford Semele Church of England Primary School and Claverdon Primary School.

The competition took place on Tuesday 10 March on the College’s outside netball courts and the teams had the chance to test their skills against their opponents in a round robin of matches playing to England Netball High 5 netball rules; a popular entry format of the traditional game that has players rotating positions and ensures the ball keeps moving. With vocal support from the side-lines, the children threw themselves enthusiastically into the matches clearly enjoying the competitive nature of the tournament.

Umpired by Princethorpe’s Young Sports Leaders, you could see the children’s skills developing game by game as they took on board feedback and suggestions. Each team played three 10-minute matches.

After completing the first round the teams all played one further match to decide the final placings. Claverdon faced Radford Semele in a fast-paced final, both teams played with flair and enthusiasm but Claverdon just clinched the title 1-0 with a super shot on goal.

Presenting the certificates, PE Teacher and Primary Schools Sports Liaison, Hannah Carminati, said, “It was great to welcome all the teams to Princethorpe and to be able to offer these young players the chance to play in a netball tournament.  All the pupils were so enthusiastic; I saw great ball work, tremendous teamwork and plenty of energy on court today.”

Well done to all of the players and thanks also to Princethorpe’s umpires, Mia Darling, Maddie Glasspool, Mia Hornett, Nell Johnston and Emelia Tubb, for officiating all the games.

The latest edition of the College's Admissions Update e-newsletter has just been published. This issue is packed with news to give prospective parents and pupils a feel for College life, information on forthcoming open days and events and helpful advice about the admissions process, particularly for those who are looking at entry in September 2021.

The newsletter is issued twice a year to coincide with key admissions periods, the next edition will be published in Autumn 2020, just prior to our Entrance Exams on Saturday 7 November 2020.

Click here to go to the Admissions Update newsletter.

Or if you have any queries relating to admissions please feel free to email the team at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634201.