The Flagpole

Following on from the Year 11 Academic Reviews, we would like to remind Year 11 pupils and parents of the Sixth Form Scholarship process for September 2021 for internal candidates.

All of our Year 11s are able to apply for Sixth Form Scholarships - Academic, Art, Music, Drama and Sport. To do so they must complete a Sixth Form Scholarship Application Form and write a 'personal statement' outlining their achievements to date and why they feel they would make an excellent candidate for the scholarship (maximum 500 words).

Those pupils who currently have a scholarship, will normally retain their award for Sixth Form, but must also complete a Sixth Form Scholarship Application Form to re-apply for the scholarship.

The deadline for this application is Monday 1 February 2021. Applications should be marked for the attention of the Registrar, Mrs Vanessa Rooney.

Depending on the scholarship, prospective award holders may be interviewed and/or take part in a scholarship assessment in March.

Details of any awards will be confirmed when the Sixth Form Offer letters are sent out in writing during week commencing Monday 22 March 2021. Some awards may be dependent on final GCSE grades.

The criteria for each of the scholarships can be found on our website here. It is essential that pupils and parents look through this in detail before making an application. Sixth Form Application Forms for current award holders can be found here, and for new applicants can be found here.

We hope that this will be another motivational factor for our Year 11s as they focus on their studies and revision in the build up to the exam season.

Today (Friday 4 December) is the deadline day for registrations for the College’s Entrance Examinations for entry to Years 7 to 10 in September 2021.

If you would like your child to sit the Entrance Exams on Saturday 23 January and have unfortunately missed the deadline, please speak to our Admissions Team as soon as possible next week.

The Entrance Exams will follow a similar format to normal with additional Covid measures including staggered start times, small groups to enable social distancing and, where possible, the bubbling of children with others from their current school.

To contact the Admissions Team email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634201/262/297.

Another exceptional year of achievement, progress, creativity and contribution was celebrated at Princethorpe College’s annual Prize Giving Ceremony on Friday 20 November. This year the ceremony took place virtually, with the Class of 2020, their parents, staff and friends of the College coming together through Zoom.

Hosted by Headmaster, Ed Hester, members of the community from 165 locations logged on to join in the celebrations. Before the ceremony started, Peter Rollason, Chair of the Old Princethorpians Committee welcomed the newest OPs sharing his insights into the support the network can provide.

In his formal address the Headmaster, Ed Hester, gave thanks to all those who make Princethorpe the special place it is. In this year of all years his warm words paid tribute to all that is done by so many in support of the College, underpinning the success stories of all the Upper Sixth leavers and not just those who received prizes on the evening.

The atmosphere all evening was joyful and celebratory and there were superb musical interludes from the school Orchestra, who, accompanied by stunning graphics, performed a mesmerising rendition of Earth and the school choir who inspirationally sang the very appropriate Seize The Day.

Then it was time for the presentation of the awards. Listening to the citations was truly inspiring and humbling. The talent in evidence, the grit and determination, the passion, enthusiasm and commitment were all applauded and honoured.

Finally, we came to the main award, the Princethorpe Shield, the oldest and most prestigious College award presented annually to the student who is seen to embody the spirit and ethos of the College in many facets of their school life.  It was a very popular decision, with the audience cheering a delighted and surprised Katie Shorten who was thrilled to receive the Shield.

Then to close the proceedings current Head Girl, Abbie O’Carroll-Bailey, and Head Boy, Jack Neale, gave an eloquent vote of thanks before the evening finally came to an end with the enthusiastic singing of the College Hymn, Here I Am Lord by the online assembled throng.

The full list of Prize Winners can be found in the Prize Giving Programme here.

Perhaps the most challenging Physics test available to Sixth Form students, set by the British Physics Olympiad, was tackled by some of Princethorpe's finest physicists with resounding success. The students sat the Year 13 Physics Challenge; based on the curriculum, and featuring questions that relate to A-level topics, the challenge aims to stretch thinking into the application of Physics.

Congratulations go to Tom Cleaver-Cavalier, Damien Cowie, Mia Hornett, Jack Neale, Abbie O'Carroll-Bailey, Alex Rejali, Isaac Ryan, Oli Thomas, Josh Tidd, Will Marshall, Hugo Petry, Matt Wills, Jack Fletcher, George Saunders, Daisy Walker and a very special mention to Lauren Mason who achieved the highest possible accolade of Merit with an impressive score of 26/50.

Look out for the upcoming Olympiad competitions for Year 10, 11 and Lower Sixth next term.

This year's winning College Christmas card design is by Year 9 Art Scholar, Henry Woodrow. His vibrant painting portrays the traditional Christmas nativity scene as a stained-glass window. It is a stunning image, so simple and yet so effective.

Head of Art, Paul Hubball, commented, “It’s great to see our Art Scholars getting involved and producing such great work for the Christmas card competition. There was an exceptionally strong field of entries this year, plenty of original ideas delivered with lots of attention to detail.  Henry’s use of strong colour really helped his design stand out and made it the perfect choice for the College’s Christmas card.”

Congratulations also go to our Year Group winners, whose designs feature as cameos on the reverse of the card:

Year 7: Isabella Bennett

Year 8: Bea Taylor

Year 10: Eloise Kell

Lower Sixth: Sophia Dibden

A huge well done to everyone who took part.

After school, on Monday 30 November, Year 11 GCSE Drama pupils performed an ensemble of key scenes from Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. The powerful tale of twins separated at birth, and the consequences of that decision, mesmerised the small socially distanced audience of their peers and teachers.  In the intimacy of the Clarkson theatre and against a stark background of Liverpudlian slums the pupils delivered a performance full of emotion and feeling. A huge well done to them all and a special mention for Kiera who was a last minute stand in for the main role.

As the Michaelmas term draws to a close it is time once again to recognise and celebrate the many pupils who have risen to the challenge of the College’s ethos.

In Tutor Time, last Tuesday 24 November, Assistant Head Co-curricular, Neil McCollin, congratulated 54 pupils from across the College who had been nominated by members of staff for recognition for their achievements. All had tried their best; some had excelled or showed commitment to sport, performing arts or academic studies, whilst others had gone over and above for their House or Tutor group. All were an outstanding example for their peers.

Mr McCollin thanked each and every one of them, recognising the commitment and effort they put in and all that they do to enrich school life.

This term congratulations go to:

From Year 7: Orla Fleming, Alexa Holland, Eva Holt, Grace McCollin and Mia Petrucci

From Year 8: Eden Chaplow, Tiernan Chapman-Apps, Hattie Gray, Martha Harris, Anna Johnson, Jessica Lane, Ignacy Librowski, Imogen Long, Olivia Monk, André Onyekwe and Jackson Roderick

From Year 9: Beatrix Boakes, Jayden Carr and Oscar Tebbatt

From Year 10: Lauren Bach, Darcey Heritage, Noah Kemp, Joseph Newborough, Katie Richards, James Robinson, Daisy Southgate and Erin West

From Year 11: Alex Allison, Issy Bunting, Florine Fuchss, Tom Knight, Toby Nicoll and Lara Tripp-Smith

From Lower Sixth: Tillie Benford, Harpreet Birdi, Amelia Burgess, Anthony Convey, Sebastian Dibb, Paddy Grace, Elsie Kelley, Amelia Line, Cam McGregor and Ciaran Smith

From Upper Sixth: Lauren Abba, Mia Darling, Henri Fuchss, Aimee Llewellyn, Arran Knight, Lauren Mason, Evie Nicholas, Alex Rejali, Lizzie Ridd and George Saunders

More information on pupils’ achievements can be found here.

This year’s Prize Giving featured two stunning performances by Princethorpe’s talented musicians. The Orchestra performed Earth by Hans Zimmer while the Choir sang Seize The Day from the musical Newsies.

Music making in the Michaelmas term has involved rehearsing in year group bubbles and then recording performances at home. The dedication shown by the College’s musicians is inspirational, especially as it is balanced alongside a full-time school curriculum. Once recorded all the audio mixing and video editing to pull the pieces together was carried out by Director of Music, Gil Cowlishaw.

Earth by Hans Zimmer was composed just last year and is a celebration of the amazing planet we all live on. The background footage that accompanies the orchestra’s performance is taken from the International Space Centre and is freely available from the NASA website.  Combined with a slow zoom into Princethorpe, courtesy of Google Earth, it provides a fitting backdrop and gives a real sense of perspective to Princethorpe’s place in the wider world, even if it is a huge part of our pupil’s lives.

You can watch Earth performed by Princethorpe’s Orchestra here.

Seize The Day was chosen for its lyrical themes ‘Wrongs will be righted/If we’re united/Let us seize the day’, composed by Alan Menken, it is a really uplifting song for what is always an uplifting occasion.

You can watch the Choir perform Seize The Day here.

The latest edition of the College’s magazine, The Tower Review, has just been published.

It tells the story of the school year, term by term, reflecting on the whole host of activities, achievements and successes that pupils from Year 7 through to Upper Sixth took part in.  It includes highlights such as Prize Giving and the College production as well as reviews of sporting events, House competitions and school trips. 

2019/20 was an incredible year, one like no other in the College's long history, but there were many wonderful and memorable moments to reflect on. We hope this annual souvenir review will be treasured by pupils and parents alike.

The magazine is being mailed to parents with the Lent Term calendar and the Leavers of 2020 will also be sent a hard copy in the post.

If you would like to receive an additional copy please email marketing@princethorpe.co.uk with your name and address.

On Wednesday 2 December, a small group of 16 Sixth Form students hosted a virtual Christmas Concert on Zoom for local care homes. The special event replaced the traditional senior citizens Christmas lunch that due to the current restrictions we were unable to host this year.

Featuring music, songs, jokes and even a Christmas quiz, the concert was part of an ongoing programme of virtual activities that the Sixth Formers have been organising for our local care home communities.

We were delighted to welcome Cubbington Mill, Galanos House, Overslade House, Homewood and Lillington House to the concert. It was wonderful to see the residents all enjoying the show.

Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Rod Isaacs said, “Many thanks to Abbie, Jack, Charlotte, Lauren, James, Damien, Issy and Liv for your wonderful performances. The concert was a great example of Princethorpe’s ‘spirit of family’, helping to keep our communities connected but we do hope that next year we can once again host our traditional lunch for all the residents to enjoy.”

Following on from the success of previous countryside calendars, we are delighted to announce that the 2021 College Calendar is now available.

This year featuring 12 superb images of the College and its grounds, the calendar is a celebration of the wonderful scenery and countryside that surrounds us here at Princethorpe.

Capturing the College and Tower through the changing seasons, and including key dates from across the school year it is sure to be a handy addition for any kitchen or office.

The 2021 Calendar is priced just £5 and there are a limited number available so do be sure to get yours before the end of term. To get a copy, pupils can visit the School Shop and the price will be added to their parents' next bill or order them online at https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/shop

On Tuesday 24 November the College hosted a Year 11 GCSE Revision Evening and was delighted to welcome educational researchers Martin Griffin and Steve Oakes, from VESPA Mindset, to work with parents and pupils.

Martin and Steve spoke about the characteristics of successful pupils and shared their wisdom on the different approaches and techniques that would support pupils in achieving good grades.

Both are well equipped to give expert advice in this area, having spent many years in teaching, and in leadership roles in schools. They have seen a lot of successful and not so successful pupils over the years, and their strategies are based on real pupil experience. Their presentation was full of excellent, practical and constructive advice.

Dr Liz Pyne, Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning, said, “We were delighted that Martin and Steve could join us once again to share their VESPA Mindset approach. We know from feedback we have received in previous years that their strategies work for pupils and parents. Their techniques are an important part of our study skills curriculum and staff will be following through on the revision evening to reinforce their advice and approach in the classroom and in exam preparation.”

Feedback from parents and pupils about the evening has been very positive with lots of comments on how useful it was.

Dr Pyne continued, “At Princethorpe we want our pupils to be the best they can be. We work hard to create a ‘can do’ environment and we know getting to grips with the VESPA mindset as they focus on their studies will make a difference to their final grades.”

Sixth Form House teams gathered excitedly at lunchtime on Friday 27 November for the annual House Christmas Tree competition. Christmas songs echoed in the atrium and fellow students crowded around the balconies as the anticipation built.

Down on the ground floor four teams of six students opened boxes, took off their jackets and rolled up their sleeves. In front of each of them lay the components of an artificial tree and a box of lights and decorations.

Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie, briefed the teams and sent them speedily on their way.  Quickly piecing together the jigsaw of branches, the trees began to take shape. Lights were unravelled and artistically draped, decorations hung and then with seconds to spare, and one final stretch, stars were positioned on the top.

Judging considered the originality, appearance, balance and House spirit and the results were in - first place was Austin followed by Fisher, Benet and then More.

Well done everyone, the countdown to Christmas has begun.