The Flagpole

Old Princethorpian, Warwickshire and former England batsman Ian Bell, MBE, has announced his retirement from professional cricket. His decision brings to a close an outstanding 22-year professional career.

Over the course of his career Ian has had a wealth of achievements to his name, he helped his home county Warwickshire win six trophies and during his 11 years as an England player, he won five Ashes series, played 118 Tests and scored 22 Test centuries. He now intends to pursue a coaching career.

Ian who attended the College in the 1990s is remembered well by all at Princethorpe College and especially by former Director of Sport, Gwilym Price, MBE, who commented, "I know I speak for many others when I say that it was a true pleasure and privilege to teach and support Ian throughout his time at Princethorpe. It was a special moment when he and his family approached me about joining the College. He was already a promising sportsman but had shown a huge talent in the game of cricket having being involved with Warwickshire at the tender age of 10 and had set his sights on playing at the very highest levels.... it proved to be his destiny!"

He continued, "Like many youngsters arriving at the College he offered levels of play that enhanced our team performances, and he was always an inspiration to the aspiring players around him, setting a good example with both his work ethic and good sportsmanship. Ian proved that to reach your true potential you must show discipline, determination, dedication and an emotional maturity. He always impressed me with the way he handled success, how he encouraged those around him both on and off the field of play and how he became a respected player at all levels. It has been of no great surprise to anyone that Ian has received huge worldwide plaudits from fellow international players, coaches, managers, media and fans (even the opposition too) at the announcement of his retirement. The praise for his remarkable talents as a batsman and fielder and for his wonderful personal qualities is well deserved. Quite simply he is one of England’s ‘greats’ and a true servant and legend in the game. I know that the next chapter in his life as a coach or manager will be equally as successful and I look forward to following his contribution to the further development of the game. Thank you so much Ian, for being such a great ambassador for Princethorpe College, Warwickshire and England too! Being a true Princethorpian we are so proud of all you have achieved so far and we wish you every success in the exciting years to come."

Headmaster, Ed Hester, added, "It will be the ambition of many schoolchildren to represent their school, the county and even their country in their favourite sport. Old Princethorpian Ian Bell did this and more. A test batting average of 42.3 (anything over 40 is truly special) and a major contributor to fives Ashes victories is remarkable, but for many, including myself, it will be the style and finesse with which he scored his runs which makes him a true great of the game. Ian Bell made batting look easy, but what many will not appreciate is the hard, hard work that he put in behind the scenes to achieve his successes. As a teenager, he was found in the Princethorpe College Sports Hall one Christmas Day in the nets facing a bowling machine – having wangled the key off one of the staff. One small example of the dedication and commitment that helped him to success. Ian scored the last 90 of his 20,440 first-class runs last week. He will be sorely missed by all his fans but I hope will continue to work within the game. We offer our congratulations and best wishes for the future from all of us here at Princethorpe."

Ian last visited the Foundation in June 2019 when he ran a masterclass for Crackley Hall’s young cricketers. It was a unique opportunity to be coached by the England and Warwickshire cricketing legend and we were grateful for the generosity and patience he offered the awestruck boys. His focus on the basics and attention to detail was obvious to all and will no doubt stand him in good stead in his new coaching career.

Princethorpe College applauds you Ian, we are proud of you and all your achievements and wish you the very best with your future career.

(Ian Bell is pictured here with Gwilym Price presenting him with his Ashes shirt.)

Following the successful introduction at the start of term of online booking for the College’s bus services, we will shortly be introducing a swipe card system.

The move will speed up the process of boarding and alighting and will enable the College to monitor usage.  

Bus pass holders and regular individual journey users will be issued with a swipe card and will be asked to relinquish their current cards from Monday 5 October.

Users will simply have to tap their swipe card against the back of a mobile phone adjacent to the driver or present the QR code on their swipe card to the camera on the mobile phone. They will do this once in the morning when boarding and twice in the afternoon, when boarding and alighting.

Occasional users will be emailed with a QR code to use for each journey.

Comments Eddie Tolcher, Foundation Bursar, “We have been pleased with the changes we have made to the bus services this year and hope this latest initiative aimed at streamlining the service further will be welcomed by pupils and parents alike.”

Those wishing to book a pass or individual tickets can go to https://princethorpe.vectare.co.uk/ to check routes, prices and current availability.

On Thursday 24 September the Headmaster was delighted to present the Sixth Form Prefects with their badges.

These young people have made an excellent start to their term of office, acting as role models to the wider school, leading by example and supporting the College in so many different ways. COVID-19 and the restrictions the school is working within have made the prefects’ jobs more challenging but it has also made then even more important.

The prefects are an essential and influential part of our community and we thank them for their service and commitment to the school.

The College Clocktower has been shrouded in scaffolding for over a year now undergoing some much-needed renovation. The clocktower is a landmark at Princethorpe and has played an important role in the daily lives of all who have lived and worked here. The current clock was purchased in 1861 and was last renovated in 1959 for the then Reverend Mother, Mary Augustine’s Golden Jubilee.

The stonework of the tower was badly in need of restoration, when the structure had originally been built the builders had used metal tie bars to hold the stonework together. Over the years water had rusted the metal and the rust had eventually blown the stone. Stonemasons, Midland Conservation, have replaced every defective piece of stone.

The clock is a cast iron chair frame design movement with hour strike and ting tang quarter chimes, it drove two external dials with an anchor escapement with pendulum action. The weight driving pulley system was badly in need of restoration, particularly the top pulleys and timber support above the weights, the pulleys needed to be removed for overhaul and the top fixing timber replaced, so it was decided that converting the movement to automatic winding was the best way forward.

Cumbria Clocks, church and public clock specialists, took on the work and were amazed by the ingenuity of staff, including former Head of Chemistry, John Miller and Estates Assistant, Gerry Lovely, had shown in keeping the old clock going

It has all now been carefully restored, with a new auto winding mechanism fitted, the clock movement dismantled and cleaned and the clock faces returned to their original size and given a fresh coat of blue paint. The dials and numbers are all now a beautiful bright shining gold.

The weather vane had also rusted and no longer moved. Its condition was so poor that we considered replacing it. However, the stonemasons were able to rebuild it and finish it with a new paint.

It has been wonderful to see the clock and weathervane atop the tower in the lovely autumn sunshine and to hear the distinctive chimes sounding. It can now once again be a focal point for the whole community to enjoy.

Throughout Europe, 800 million Europeans, of all ages, are encouraged to learn more languages. Incredibly, across the continent, there are some 24 official languages and over 200 different spoken dialects. Here in the UK four out of five adults regret not having learned another language, but that is something no Princethorpe pupil will ever be able to say.

At the College there are many opportunities to get excited about languages and celebrating European Day Of Languages is just one of them. Set up by the Council of Europe in 2001, Journée Européenne Des Langues promotes the importance of language learning and the cultural diversity that Europe provides.

Ahead of European Day of Languages on Saturday 26 September, the House and MFL teams  challenged Year 7 pupils to take part in a fun break-time language trivia quiz. In their first House competition, the Year 7s gathered excitedly to answer a wide range of language-based questions hoping to win points for their House.

For the rest of the school there was House Challenge 2 and a week to creatively explore European and International cultures, we can’t wait to see what pupils decide to do. We know it will be great fun whilst helping to inspire all our pupils too.

On Monday 14 September, Year 11 took time to think about life post GCSEs. In a special Year 11 Sixth Form Taster Day pupils experienced life in the Sixth Form and explored the subjects they might choose to study at A-level.

Welcomed by Headmaster Ed Hester and Head of Sixth Form Ben Collie, the day began with an informative session that looked at how the Sixth Form supports students' self-development, it included presentations on opportunities such as the Extended Project Qualification and the College’s Sixth Form Enrichment Programme.

Pupils then attended five different subject-based lessons that provided an insight into potential A-level choices and the different approach to teaching at this level. It was pleasing to see how engaged the potential Sixth Formers were.

While remaining in their bubble, pupils also took their break and lunch in the Sixth Form Centre and were able to explore the facilities the College’s dedicated Sixth Form has on offer. The day culminated in an online Futures Evening for the Year 11 parents, with presentations and a Q&A on going to University hosted by Princethorpe’s Head of Careers, Jacqui Quinney alongside Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie.

The timetable was action-packed but the Year 11s clearly enjoyed trying out life in the Sixth Form. Feedback has been very positive, with many pupils commenting on how much they enjoyed the Taster Day. For many it really was the first time they have thought about life after GCSEs.

Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie, was very pleased, commenting, “The Sixth Form team really enjoyed working with the Year 11s. They asked a range of good questions that will have helped with their decision making and we are looking forward to our Sixth Form Open Evening which takes place next month, on Wednesday 14 October.”

Princethorpe College was delighted to take part in this year's Heritage Open Day, England’s biggest heritage and culture festival.

It's a popular date in the calendar and the College always enjoys opening its doors to the local community and over the years has had hundreds of visitors attend. This year, however, because of the social distancing restrictions, Princethorpe decided to offer a virtual interactive Google 360˚ Heritage Day Tour instead.

The Heritage Open Day virtual tour included 13 different scenes of Princethorpe, with each scene combining a 360˚ photo with either narrated or written information. Visitors were able to explore the chapel and take a behind the scenes look at what was once St. Mary’s Priory. It included the quintessential Quad that has featured in BBC period productions, the stunning stained glass in what is now the Library, the nuns’ final resting place in the Roundhouse, the hidden secrets of Little Switzerland and so much more.

It was a rare opportunity to get under the skin of one of Warwickshire’s iconic landmarks. Whether you attended the school, are a history enthusiast or just live locally and have always wanted to visit, it was a fascinating insight into the history of the school.

Many thanks to the Foundation’s Archivist, Janette Ratcliffe, and to Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, for putting together the interactive tour.

The tour has been very popular with over 650 views so far and the great news is, that even if you missed Heritage Open Day this year, you can still take the tour yourself, just visit Princethorpe Heritage Tour

The latest edition of the College's Admissions Update e-newsletter has just been published and can be found here.

This edition is for those looking at entry to the school specifically in September 2021 for Years 7 to 10 and Sixth Form. Full of information and news, it gives a feel for College life, tells you about forthcoming events which are open to prospective pupils and their parents and has plenty of helpful advice about the admissions process.

This term we will be conducting our events for prospective families differently, they will be available on an appointment only basis and in a socially distanced way, to enable us to manage numbers and adhere to government guidelines.

Don't forget the deadline for registration for the 2021 Entrance Examinations is now Friday 4 December 2020, with the examinations taking place on Saturday 23 January 2021. Please register as soon as possible.

If you are looking at entry to the College post September 2021 then do put Wednesday 9 June 2021 in your diary as we will be holding our Summer Open Evening on that day. The College also hopes to run Taster Days for current Year 5 children next May and June. Do email the admissions team if you would be interested in registering for these events.

The Admissions Update newsletter is issued twice a year to coincide with key admissions periods, the next edition will be published in Spring 2021.

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

On Saturday 12 September, we celebrated the biennial (virtual) reunion for the former pupils of St. Mary’s Priory, who were at school here at Princethorpe prior to 1966, known to us as VSOPs (Very Special Old Princethorpians). It was our first ever virtual reunion – hosted on Zoom – and we were joined by 14 former pupils who were all at school here in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was a truly international gathering, with former pupils joining the call from as far afield as Miami, Pennsylvania and Dinklage in Germany. Hosted by Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, they enjoyed two hours of reminiscing, a virtual school tour, a look into Princethorpe’s archives, a Princethorpe-themed quiz, and a special Mass led by Father Teddy O’Brien MSC from the Princethorpe chapel.

It was a fascinating session and as always, we enjoyed hearing stories and facts from Princethorpe’s past. The event was so well-received that we will be hosting future VSOPs reunions in a hybrid format – to allow those who can’t be there in person to join us as well.

Assistant Head, Aled Darkes, said, "Princethorpe friendships continue to be strengthened and renewed. Our Very Special Old Princethorpains (VSOPs) express enormous enthusiasm for their school days at the priory. Their stories help us to fill in missing pieces of the jigsaw and the VSOPs are also keen to celebrate the College’s ongoing success, we have 919 pupils in 2020 compared with only 60 back in the 1960s. This is all so fascinating for me, having spent nearly 49 years of my life here, as a pupil and as a member of staff! Sadly, because of Covid, this year the reunion had to be virtual, but it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good – four of our attendees were from overseas this year and there is no way that they could have journeyed to be with us in person at Princethorpe. With this in mind, we are already busy planning a hybrid event for next year." 

We have rescheduled the in-person meet up to next year, on Saturday 11 September 2021, and we hope to see many of our wonderful VSOPs again then.

On Saturday 19 September, Princethorpe College was delighted to host Year 6 pupils from the Foundation’s Junior Schools. The Junior 6 children, from Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth, were welcomed in the morning, while pupils from Year 6 at the Crescent School in Bilton, Rugby were hosted in the afternoon.

Their Senior School Taster Experiences were carefully planned following government COVID guidelines. They began with a warm welcome from Headmaster, Ed Hester, before the children were split into groups and enjoyed sample lessons in either Psychology, Music, Science, Maths or Art. In a break between lessons there was even the opportunity for a legendary Princethorpe cookie, along with a good run around in the warm September sunshine.

It was great to see them all enjoying a taste of senior school life.

Many thanks to all the staff who supported this special event.