The Flagpole

Don’t miss the always much-anticipated Princethorpe House Talent Show that will stream this evening on Teams. We say ‘break a leg’ to all the acts performing, we have been super impressed by your enthusiasm and commitment to your House.

It is going to be a huge challenge for the judges to choose a winner from the array of talents on show, from tap dancing and gymnastics through to song and dance routines with singing and musicianship of all sorts and varieties. But your vote also counts as this year for our special virtual show, the voting will be split 50:50 with the audience as well.  

So, do make sure you watch the show and vote for your winner and help your House to victory. The results will be revealed in school next week.

The fun all starts at 6.30pm!

The countdown to the College's Entrance Exams for admission in September 2021 has officially begun and our friendly Admissions Team are busy accepting registrations and dealing with enquiries from prospective parents. There are just four weeks now until Friday 4 December, the deadline day for registrations for the College’s Entrance Examinations that will take place this year on Saturday 23 January 2021, government guidelines permitting.

Following the government’s announcement that England will be in lockdown for the next four weeks, sadly we will not be in a position to go ahead with our Open Morning in November. We will however, still be hosting a Virtual Admissions Q&A Session on Monday 16 November from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, where the Headmaster and the Admissions Team will answer any last questions about the admissions process and entry to the College in September 2021.

For more information on these events and entry to the College please visit the Admissions pages on our website www.princethorpe.co.uk/admissions or email the Admissions Team at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call on 01926 634201/262/297.

All pupils took part in assemblies on Thursday 15 October that encouraged them to dig deeper, look closer and think bigger about Black History Month. Led by Head of History, Peter Bucknall, the assemblies explored how Black history is entwined with British history.

His presentation reflected on the legacy of the slave trade and the impact it still has in society today. It explored the history of black people in the United Kingdom, from Roman times through the Elizabethan era, the Battle of Waterloo and into the 20th Century, the World Wars and the Windrush generation and the vital contributions black people have always made. Using stories of real people, he reflected that history can be misleading and delving deeper and understanding the past properly, helps to explain the present today.

Black History Month, and the contributions of black people, has also been the focus for House Activities with pupils challenged to celebrate the achievements and contributions made to our society by those of African and Caribbean heritage. Pupils have been sharing their ‘hidden stories’ through mediums such as art, drama, writing, presentations and video in a competition to earn house points.

Headmaster Ed Hester commented, "These activities all support the College’s important theme for the year ‘Caring’, and challenge us all to appreciate black history and the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion both in society today and in our own lives. I am delighted that after feedback from parents, current and former students, we have written a new College policy on equality, diversity and inclusion. We will continue to engage with all members of our community to ensure that our ethos, often referred to as our ‘spirit of family’, celebrates the diversity of all members of our community."

It’s been a few months since our last update on the Science Centre, and we wanted to let you know how things are progressing.

All the preparatory planning for the building is now nearing completion, including the detailed technical design of the building and the Bill of Quantities. This means that the project will be ready to go forward to tender, the stage where we appoint the main building contractor, as soon as we judge the time to be right.

Of course, it will come as no surprise that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has, inevitably, meant that we are taking time to consider the financial situation, as well as seeking expert advice on when it would be best to advance the project to the tendering stage.

The good news is that we anticipate that our Trustees will be in a position to finalise the timeline for the Science Centre build within the next 12 months.

Comments Headmaster, Ed Hester, "We remain totally committed to the project and are very excited about the campus-wide benefits it will bring. The additional time we now have will allow us to firm up plans for other improvements, including enhanced dining facilities, new department homes for Art, Economics, Business Studies and Geography and the removal of the last portacabins."

We will continue to keep you updated on the project over the coming months. If you want to read more about our plans for the new Science Centre and other campus developments, further information is available on our Science+ Campaign webpage.

Princethorpe College Upper Sixth Former, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, is one of a small number of local school pupils selected to narrate Leamington History Group's latest video Leamington’s Victorian Legacy that was released on Friday 23 October.

A sequel to their first video: Birth of a Spa Town, the film tells the story of Leamington’s development during the second half of the 19th Century.

Charlotte is the opening narrator and features alongside local experts telling the story of Leamington's development.

She said, “I decided to audition for the Leamington History Group documentary because I love learning about the history of places and I also like performing, so I thought that I might make a good candidate for a narrator for the documentary. I was asked to read two extracts in a Zoom audition with the maker of the film, Mark Ellis, and was delighted to find out that I was one of three local students selected to take part. At the end of September, I received the full script and then went into the recording studio to record my part.”

Charlotte, who is studying Maths, English and Drama and Theatre Studies at A-level, has made an excellent job of the narration, delivering her lines in a confident and informative manner.

The video is now available to watch on Leamington History Group's website https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/ and gives a fascinating insight into the history of the town.

This year's Sixth Form Open Evening took place on Wednesday 14 October and offered Year 11 pupils the opportunity to discover what Princethorpe’s Sixth Form has to offer. External candidates and their parents were welcomed into school in two carefully planned sessions in line with government guidelines, while current Year 11 pupils and their parents participated in a virtual version of the event.

The sessions began with a presentation from the Headmaster, Ed Hester and Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie, in the Sports Hall. They talked about the College’s family ethos, its focus on adding value for the individual and in supporting sixth form students to achieve their personal best. They also spoke about Princethorpe's strengths, such as the dedicated Careers team and the unique Princethorpe Diploma, that add so much value to students’ future university, apprenticeship or employment applications as well as the high expectations and excellent academic results that are a vital feature to any Sixth Form provision.

Visiting families then enjoyed a self-guided tour around key locations, including the Sixth Form Centre, with staff and Sixth Formers on hand to point everyone in the right direction.

In addition all the prospective Sixth Formers were able to view pre-recorded subject introductions on the College website from our Heads of Department on the A-level and BTEC options. Information on the vast array of sporting, co-curricular, leadership and service opportunities was also available.

It was a busy evening with plenty of interest being shown. Feedback has been very positive with the subject introductions proving to be especially helpful. Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie, said, “The next stage for all our prospective Sixth Formers is to decide on the subjects you might wish to study, as a rule of thumb you should focus on the subjects you enjoy and are doing well in. Our current Year 11s will be well supported throughout the process, which will pick up speed after the GCSE mocks.”

The A-level options survey has now been circulated to parents and Year 11 pupils and the form should be completed online by Tuesday 17 November.

A copy of the Sixth Form presentation can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/468913347/c514671509

To download a copy of the 2020/21 Sixth Form Admissions Information Booklet, please click here.

Princethorpe’s pupils have generously supported the Parish Christmas Shoe Box Appeal, filling boxes full of gifts for children overseas.

A grand total of 115 boxes have been collected and assembled this year. All packed full of little gifts and educational and hygiene essentials such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes, paper and pens. Every day, ordinary items to us but of great value to those who would not otherwise receive a Christmas gift.

The boxes will be distributed by Teams4U and will be given to a vulnerable child or family, through schools, nurseries, hospitals and orphanages. Teams4U share the shoe boxes in the local communities they work in as part of an ongoing programme of support.

This year the donations were all collected through the College’s Tutor Groups and it was wonderful to see the whole school community supporting the appeal. Thanks to all the pupils, parents and staff for giving so generously but especially to AFR, FMT and FDL who collected the most.

Thanks also to Junior Chaplaincy Prefect and Year 9 pupil, Jemima Teeton (pictured) who has worked tirelessly helping to sort and pack all the boxes together with Chaplaincy Co-Ordinator, Mary Benham.

Fine art prints of a new painting by Debbie McLaughlin - The Soaring Redbrick Tower - are now available to buy from the Princethorpe Connect online shop.

Local artist Debbie has a long association with the College having worked closely with the Marketing Department on all its design work for the past 14 years.

The new painting, completed during the lockdown, is in the artist’s favoured urban sketching style and depicts the famous Princethorpe tower and the main reception entrance to Princethorpe College.

Debbie told us, "When driving up to meetings at Princethorpe I have always been in awe of the beautiful soaring tower, so was thrilled to have the chance to paint it."

The high-quality, fine art giclée prints have been reproduced from the original painting using 11 lightfast inks to provide a gamut of colour and printed on 285gsm, 100% cotton rag white portrait paper.

Available in A3 and A2 sizes, they are supplied rolled in an 80mm postal tube, ready for framing. Individual A5 greetings cards with the same design, which are blank inside for your own message, are also available to buy.

This first run is strictly limited numbers, so please order early to avoid disappointment. A perfect gift for birthdays or Christmas for all Princethorpians, all profits from sales will support the Making A Difference at Princethorpe campaign.

Our Development Director, comments:

"It’s been nearly 20 years since Princethorpe College last commissioned a painting of the building, and we thought it was right time to commission a new artwork, which in itself could support Making A Difference at Princethorpe."

"The prints and the cards would make perfect gifts for Christmas. The A3 print is almost identical to the original painting in size, but for those who want more of a statement piece, the A2 print really makes an impact. Scanned from the original painting in super-high resolution and reproduced using the giclée printing process, the result has been amazing. This initial run is strictly limited, so please do order early to avoid disappointment."

The A3 and A2 giclée prints and greetings card can be ordered online here. The A3 print is priced £25 (plus P&P), the A2 print is priced £40 (plus P&P) and greetings cards are available for £3 each (plus P&P).