We hope everyone had a good half term break and has settled back into the routine of school life. Yesterday we held our annual Remembrance Service and the school gathered together, for the first time in a long time, to pay their respects.

Our annual Prize Giving Ceremony takes place next Friday 19 November at the Warwick Arts Centre. It will be lovely to see the class of 2021 back together again and we will enjoy celebrating their and our current pupils' achievements.

The next edition of the Flagpole will be published on Friday 26 November.

Click here to email The Flagpole.

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News

Generous Donation Supports The Foundation’s Fundraising Efforts

The Princethorpe Foundation has just received a significant donation of £100,000 thanks to the generous philanthropy of a Princethorpe family. At their request, the donation is to be spilt £75,000 towards the Science Campaign and £25,000 as an unrestricted gift to support projects at Crackley Hall School. Gift Aid takes the value of the donation up to £125,000.

The generous donors, who wish to remain anonymous, have children who attended Crackley Hall School and are now at Princethorpe College. Their support will have a significant impact in helping the Foundation move forward with our plans to improve and develop both schools.

This latest donation is another large step towards the realisation of our vision for Science. Together, the gifts and pledges we’ve received, including contributions through naming rights, sponsoring an element, and engraving pavers and bricks, will help to deliver a Science building that provides cutting edge, state-of-the-art facilities that will inspire generations of Princethorpe scientists for years to come.

The new Science Centre, Princethorpe’s largest campus project to date, will cost £8 million and provide 10 brand-new, state-of-the-art science laboratories. It will also enable the College to redevelop and cluster several other departments within the main school building.

Comments Ed Hester, “We are really thrilled with this donation that comes at such a critical time for our Science project. I would like to thank the donors for their generous gift. It is particularly pleasing that this contribution comes from a current Foundation family who can see the positive impact of an education at the schools.”

He continues, “We know that our pupils need the very best facilities to enable them to make the most of the opportunities for their future. The new Science building will provide inspirational facilities but will also enable us to improve facilities for other departments across the school.”

If you are interested in further information about supporting us and the Science Campaign, please contact Steve Kowal at stevekowal@princethorpe.co.uk or the Development Team at makingadifference@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634265.

Princethorpe Falls Silent In Remembrance

At the Eleventh Hour on the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month – We Will Remember Them.

On Thursday 11 November at 11.00am the College community gathered together to silently reflect on the bravery and the selfless sacrifice made by so many of our country's service men and women. This year’s Remembrance Service was held outside on a cold and damp school playground.

Father Alan Whelan MSC opened the proceedings with a prayer. Year 9 pupil, Sean Birtley read out a thought-provoking poem for Remembrance and then College trumpeter, Year 8, Henry Corbin sounded the melancholic and mournful notes of the Last Post.

The one-minute silence offered all a time for reflection, a shared moment to remember those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today. Sixth Form students then read out For The Fallen before the College community sang the hymn Abide With Me.

A wreath was hung at the Pupils’ Entrance by Michael Spencer, Assistant Head, Director of Studies.

Ed Hester, Headmaster, then brought the proceedings to a thoughtful close with a final prayer for peace.

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Bumper Number Of Candidates Sit College Entrance Examinations

It was all systems go on Saturday 6 November as Princethorpe welcomed some 280 children to take the Entrance Examinations for September 2022 entry. Seamless organisation made the day run smoothly with candidates being efficiently organised into colour coded groups for their busy day.

Headmaster, Ed Hester and our team of friendly receptionists welcomed girls, boys and parents before members of staff and Sixth Formers ushered the prospective pupils to their respective ‘base camp’ classrooms.

Papers were sat in English, Maths and Free Writing alongside an online CEM test of verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning.

With regular comfort breaks (involving Princethorpe’s legendary cookies of course), as well as a hot meal provided in the middle of the day, the prospective pupils were well supported at every stage.

Comments, Melanie Butler, Assistant Head - Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "We played host to some 280 prospective pupils across four year groups making this one of our largest exam sessions. Feedback from parents and candidates alike has been very favourable indeed, which bodes very well for next year's intake."

"The marking machine swung into action, even before candidates had left the building on the Saturday, and the Admissions Panel sat this week to decide on who will be offered places to join us in September."

Over the next few days the top achieving academic and all-rounder scholars are being invited back to interview with Ed Hester, the Headmaster or Neil McCollin, Assistant Head - Co-Curricular.

Results will be posted, first class on Thursday 25 November. The deadline for acceptances is Monday 13 December 2021 for Year 8 to 10 places and Thursday 3 March 2022 for Year 7 places.

Our thanks go to all the Sixth Formers and staff who helped in the run up to the exams, on the day and, last but by no means least, all those who helped mark the papers so efficiently.

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Introducing The Princethorpe Foundation’s Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is the cornerstone of philanthropy at The Princethorpe Foundation and allows parents, supporters, and friends in the wider community to make a voluntary contribution to support the school. Those who give to this fund, including many members of staff, have the satisfaction of knowing that their donations have a significant impact. Such gifts touch the lives of every pupil in all our schools, every day of the year.

Each year, this fund supports the purchase of necessary academic and co-curricular equipment, ensures educational, enrichment and entertainment opportunities for pupils, and helps maintain the Schools’ academic and sporting facilities. The Annual Fund helps us to move forward with our plans to improve and develop the schools and the teaching and learning experiences that take place within them.

Gifts to this fund are unrestricted, allowing the Foundation’s leadership to determine where support is most needed, and can do the most good. The Annual Fund contributions are at the heart of all that we do, and all that we give to our pupils.

Every contribution is meaningful, regardless of amount and many of our supporters choose to make regular contributions, monthly or annually, big or small. These regular donations are helpful and popular as they provide critical and predictable support for the School, year on year, whilst also allowing donors to plan their giving. Those that give regularly, make a significant difference to our pupils' experiences.

Every year, parents, grandparents, Old Princethorpians, staff and friends of the Foundation donate to the Annual Fund. We invite you to help us by donating to the Annual Fund.

To find out more or make a donation visit the school website here.

Victory For Girls Hockey First XI In Second Round Of National Plate

The Girls First XI Hockey team took on Moreton Hall on Wednesday 10 November in the second round of the Independent Schools Hockey National Plate.

The girls were dominant in a fast-paced match, controlling much of the play. Their speed and tenacity helping them to a super 9-0 victory.

Team coach, Rachael Mack, said, “It is fantastic to see the girls getting better, game by game, working hard as a team to improve their play. I am really proud of them. They now face Cheltenham College in the next round, and they will be a much tougher challenge. The girls will need to pull together and dig deep to overcome them.”

That game is on Wednesday 23 November at home, so do come along to support the girls as it is sure to be an exciting match.

 

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Great Effort By All At The Warwickshire Inter Area Cross Country

The Warwickshire Schools Inter Area Cross Country took place on Saturday 6 November in Stratford-upon-Avon. Taking part were 200 runners from 27 schools. Princethorpe College entered a team of 23 from Years 7 to 11 in the Minor (Year 7), Junior (Years 8 and 9) and Inter (Years 10 and 11) events. Thankfully for the runners, the weather remained dry.

The College had the largest team of competitors on the day and for a significant number of the runners this was their very first race. Cross country running has always been a strength of the school, so it was great to see so many new faces upholding the tradition.

In the Minor Girls race, Year 7, Rosa Davis placed 11th, she was followed home by Jessie Murphy 23rd, Ellie Maffey 27th, Charlotte Gower 29th and Clea Roach 30th. For the Minor Boys, Year 7 Will Smith finished in 9th, Freddie Stephenson was next over the line for Princethorpe in 20th then Freddie Young 25th.

For the Junior Girls Matilda Palmer finished in 37th place. In the Junior Boys race Eddie Arkesden and William Gower ran well together to finish in 10th and 11th respectively they were followed by Charlie Atkins in 15th, Toby Iley 23rd, Sam Grindal 28th, Connor Darcy 29th and Archie Dowling 40th.

For the Inter-Girls Julia Loftus finished in 12th, followed closely by Lottie O’Connor in 16th and Kaena Wasley in 17th. While for the Inter Boys Felix Batty finished in 7th, Albert Jackson-Bettles in 25th, Tom Smith in 26th and Rory Sarkies 27th.

Head of Outdoor Education, Will Bower commented, "Well done to all of our runners, a great effort against strong competition. I am very pleased with the results. A huge thank you to all the parents who took the runners to the race. It was great to have so many pupils competing.”

The next cross-country competition is the Warwickshire County Cross Country Championships at Kineton High School on Saturday 22 January, and this will provide a second opportunity for our runners to gain county selection.

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Near Perfect Marks In Mime For James

Many congratulations to Lower Sixth Former James Maclean who recently achieved the near-perfect score of 98 in his London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) Grade 5 examination in Mime.

The College community will all be familiar with James’ skill in the performing arts as he has starred in many productions and performances over the years, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop Of Horrors and Loserville.

LAMDA’s examinations in Mime are designed to develop the skills to articulate emotion and characterisation in storytelling without using a single word. It is a silent performing art using only movements, gestures and facial expressions.

James prepared and performed two scenes for the examination including a challenging piece called Brothers In Vietnam that called for a diverse range of movements and isolations as it told the story of the Vietnam war.

His LAMDA teacher, Chris Carpenter, was delighted and impressed with James’ examination result, commenting, “I have had James as a LAMDA student since he arrived in Year 7 and he has proved himself to be very talented in all the performance skills we have tackled – Reading for Performance, Acting and Mime. I knew his two pieces of Mime for the exam were good but didn’t realise just how well he would do – I believe this is the highest Mime mark ever achieved in LAMDA examinations here at the College. A huge well done to James, we are all very proud of you!”

Two Princethorpe College Pupils Qualify For National Swimming Championships

Two Princethorpe College swimmers have qualified for the ISA National Championships at the London Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, at the end of November, after success in their events at the Midlands ISA Swimming Gala at Walsall Gala Baths on Thursday 14 October. Princethorpe’s squad of 14 put in some excellent performances helping the College achieve fifth place overall after the 36 events were completed.

Year 9 pupil, André Onyekwe swam a terrific race to claim the Gold medal in the Year 9/10 Boys 50m Freestyle in 26.63 seconds. Year 8, Sam Grindal was on form too, finishing in second place to claim the Silver medal in the Year 8 Boys 25m Butterfly in 16.34 seconds. Both boys will now swim for the Midlands regional team in the finals in London.

For the girls, stalwart of the pool Lower Sixth's, Jess Mackenzie earned herself a Silver medal when she finished in second place in the Year 11-13 50m Backstroke in 33.35 and then swam strongly to take the Bronze medal in the 50m Freestyle in 30.13. Year 8 pupil, Emma Becker claimed a Silver medal too, by finishing the 50m Breaststroke in 43.37.

For the boys, Year 8 pupil, Ewan Pearce put in a solid performance for a Bronze medal in the 50m Backstroke after completing the course in 38.50.

Across the team the swimmers pushed themselves in all their heats and many were unlucky to just miss the medal positions finishing in fourth place overall.

Foundation Director of Sport, Lee Cassell commented, “These results are a great achievement, the result of many long hours of training for our pupils with their swimming clubs. The ISA Championships are a superb opportunity for our swimmers to showcase their skills in the competitive school environment. Princethorpe is always a force in the water, and I was delighted to watch the scores build over the day.”

Across the Foundation’s Junior Schools pupils have seen success too, with Issey Cleary and Elora Hughes qualifying from Crackley Hall School and Stephanie Bolton from Crescent School. We wish them all good luck in the national final.

Representing Princethorpe on the day were - Year 8 pupils: Emma Becker, Matthew Crawford, Sam Grindal, Alexa Holland, Sophie Henry and Ewan Pearce. Year 9 pupils: Raef Dolly, Amelia Fry, Harrison Guest and André Onyekwe. Year 10 pupils: Jamie Bexon-Walsh and Charlotte Gledhill. Sixth Formers: Jess Mackenzie and Lucia McCosker-New.

 

Poppies Symbolise College’s Reflections On Remembrance

During November, the College has been reflecting on the theme of Remembrance. The month is the last in the Church’s calendar and commemorates all those who have departed from life. It begins with the Feast of All Saints, a tribute to the saints, and is followed by the Feast of All Souls, when we pray for those who have died, particularly our loved ones.

In Tutor groups pupils have considered the theme of Remembrance, the legacies of war and why we commemorate today those who fought and served in the World Wars, and in more recent conflicts, and the sacrifices they made.

The Junior Chaplaincy Prefects cut out over 1,000 poppies, enough for every member of the school community. Form Tutors shared the poppies with their Tutor groups and encouraged pupils to record their remembrances. They wrote down the name(s) of a special person or people in their lives whom they wish to remember, or wish to say thank you to, personalising the poppies with their dedications and messages. The poppies have been assembled into a prominent and impressive display in the Limes building. Thanks to Emily Knight, Isabella Kay and Annie Kowal (not pictured) for all their hard work.

The poppy is our society’s symbol of collective remembrance and the symbol of all our hopes for a peaceful future. The display provides our community with a powerful focus for prayer during this contemplative month of November. It is especially poignant for us all this year.

Foundation News: ISI Inspection Finds Excellent Pupil Achievement And Personal Development At Crescent School

The Crescent School in Bilton, Rugby, has received the highest possible ratings across all criteria from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) following an inspection in September 2021. The report, which has just been published, consists of two elements, a focused compliance inspection, encompassing statutory standards, and an educational quality inspection evaluating the achievement of pupils, including their academic and personal development.

Headmaster, Joe Thackway, comments “We are thrilled with the report, it is a real vote of confidence for everything we do here at Crescent School and reflects a huge team effort. Every single member of staff shares the same care and devotion to the education and wellbeing of the wonderful children entrusted to our care and I believe this sentiment shines through every word of the report.”

Mr Thackway continues, “Academic achievement and personal development are two key benchmarks for any successful school and being graded as excellent in both of these broad areas demonstrates the incredible talent, commitment and professionalism of our staff, the outstanding attitude and approach of our pupils and the support of our parents.”

During the inspection, the ISI inspectors observed that, ‘Pupils have excellent and positive attitudes to learning’, that ‘They are highly curious, resilient learners’, and that ‘Pupils’ excellent knowledge, skills and understanding are reflected in their achievements across the curriculum’. The report also says, ‘Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage attain well above national age-related expectations’, ‘Older pupils consistently exceed expectations for their age and abilities’, ‘Pupils are consistently successful in entrance examinations to their first-choice school’, and that ‘Many pupils win scholarships for music, drama, art, sport and academic achievement’.

Pupils’ personal development was also judged as ‘excellent’ with inspectors recognising that ‘behaviour is excellent’, that pupils ‘behave with empathy and care towards one another’ and that ‘the open and embedded culture of kindness underpinned by deep mutual respect ensures successful outcomes for all’.

The ISI Inspectors also noted that, parental feedback ‘praised the school’s preparation of former pupils who had successfully and easily transitioned into their new senior school’.

Mr Thackway concludes, “At Crescent School we are committed to providing our pupils with an outstanding all-round education, instilling in our children life-long learning skills while fostering the qualities of kindness, tolerance and mutual respect. I am very pleased that ISI Inspectors have so comprehensively recognised what we do.”

The ISI is the Government-approved body responsible for the inspection of independent schools and they consider every aspect of the provision. A copy of the full report is available from the Crescent School website here.

Bronze Group B Finally Complete Their Qualifying Expeditions

Congratulations to all the Year 10 pupils in the 2020-21 Bronze Group B cohort who finally completed their qualifying expedition over the half term.

Walking a route on the borders of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire including the villages of Cropedy and Upper Boddington, unaccompanied and self-sufficient, the pupils walked together in teams to achieve their expedition objectives.

Conditions were good for both walking days with just the one heavy downpour early on Sunday morning and it was great to see everyone outside and working so well together.

Will Bower, Head of Outdoor Education, commented, “Well done to all the walkers for completing their Qualifying Expedition. Despite all the disruption and delays this last year they just got on with the challenge, it says so much about the resilience and tenacity of our young people.”

He continued, “I am proud that so many Princethorpe pupils continue to embrace the challenge of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They take the opportunity to develop skills and try new experiences, pushing themselves both mentally and physically to be the best they can be and all with such commitment and enthusiasm.”

A super effort by them all.

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Christmas Gift Ideas

If you are on the hunt for presents, we have a wonderful range of Old Princethorpian merchandise available from ties to cufflinks, pin badges to scarves and, not to mention, some very snazzy socks that would make a perfect Christmas gift.

Copies of A Spirit of Familythe first fifty years of Princethorpe College, by Alex Darkes and Nick Baker are also still available.

We also have prints and greetings cards available featuring the Soaring Red Brick Tower image and prints also of St Joseph's School.

To ensure UK orders can arrive in time for Christmas, orders and payment will need to be received by 12 noon on Monday 13 December 2021 please.

Purchases can now be made easily via our online shop. https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/shop

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Events

Crackley Hall Nursery And Reception Open Evening

Thursday 18 November 2021 - 7.00pm to 8.00pm 

Crackley Hall and Little Crackers, Princethorpe's Junior School and Nursery in Kenilworth are holding a Nursery and Reception Open Evening on Thursday 18 November 2021 from 7.00pm to 8.00pm.

This is an opportunity to gain an insight into the Early Years at Crackley Hall and Little Crackers.  Parents will be able to visit the Nursery and Reception classes, see examples of children's work and activities and to talk to the Headmaster, Rob Duigan, and Assistant Head Early Years and Key Stage 1, Susan Glen-Roots and meet members of the Nursery and Reception Team. 

To book your place click here.

If you can't make the Open Evening but would like to look around the school, please call our Admissions Secretary, Mrs Jenny Vaughan on 01926 514410 or alternatively email admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk and come on a day to suit you.

For more information visit www.crackleyhall.co.uk.

 

Prize Giving Ceremony

Friday 19 November - Butterworth Hall, University Of Warwick
Doors Open 7.00pm

We are delighted to inform Prize Giving invitees that confirmation emails have been sent out today, these include ticket numbers and parking information. Tickets will be posted home next week.

This year's Prize Giving promises to be a full house, so please arrive in good time to take your seats. Doors will open at 7.00pm in time for everyone to be seated by 7.25pm.

Year 11 GCSE Revision Evening For Parents And Pupils - Reminder

Monday 22 November 2021 – 6.30pm to 8.00pm

As part of our VESPA strategy, Princethorpe College will be holding a virtual, interactive GCSE revision evening, on Monday 22 November between 6.30pm and 8.00pm, for the parents and pupils in Year 11.

It will be hosted by Martin Griffin and Steve Oakes who have worked with more than sixty schools to develop effective character education systems using the VESPA model. During the session, Martin and Steve will explore the key principles of having a positive and proactive learning mindset and share tools and strategies for effective coaching and intervention with parents and equip parents and pupils with practical ideas and strategies to support their children throughout their GCSE courses. We do hope that Year 11 parents and pupils will be able to join us for what promises to be a very useful and informative evening.

We look forward to you joining this event. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at lizpyne@princethorpe.co.uk

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

School Production - Holes - Reminder

Thursday 25 November to Saturday 27 November - 7.00pm

We will warm your hearts with a little help of the heat from the Texan desert in the cold dark November nights....Princethorpe Drama Department will be presenting a wonderful creative adaptation of Louis Sachar's Holes.

The Story  

Stanley Yelnats is in the wrong place at the wrong time….. 

When a pair of sneakers fall from the sky Stanley is convicted through the juvenile courts and sent to Camp Green Lake. 

Camp Green Lake is a boys’ juvenile detention centre in Texas.

There is no lake there.  

The boys spend each day digging five-foot holes in the dried up lakebed.  

Stanley believes his bad luck is because of a curse placed on his family after his great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, stole a pig from a gypsy, Madame Zeroni. 

The action transports us from New York City to Texas and Latvia of old in this wonderful creative adaptation by our Key Stage 3 cast and creative team.

Tickets are free and performances will take place on Thursday 25 November, Friday 26 November and Saturday 27 November at 7.00pm in the Clarkson theatre here at Princethorpe College. Please click on the day you require in order to book tickets on My School Portal.  

We do hope you can join us for this event.

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PTA Christmas Fair - Reminder

Sunday 28 November 2021 - 2.00pm to 4.30pm

The PTA Christmas Fair will take place on Sunday 28 November - a fun, festive event for all ages including:

  • Christmas shopping market – choose from a range of artisan crafts, jewellery and gift
  • Christmas craft room – make a Christmas table decoration
  • Refreshments – mince pies and mulled wine, hot drinks and cake
  • Bottle and Chocolate Tombolas
  • Many other fun stalls

You can also participate in the Christmas Raffle and tickets will be sent out after half-term.  We have some fantastic prizes:

  • 1st Prize £250
  • 2nd Prize Fortnum and Mason Champagne and Chocolate Hamper
  • 3rd Prize £100

Plus, many more….

We would be very grateful for donations of bottles and/or chocolates in order to run the ever-popular tombolas - these can be sent in to school via the Student Hub.

Help Needed:

If you love decorating for Christmas and would like to help in the preparation for the Fair or even at the Fair itself, we’d really like to hear from you. Setting up begins after school on Friday 26 November and runs through the weekend. We greatly appreciate any help, so even if you can only spare half an hour we’d love to see you. Please email PTA@princethorpe.co.uk for more information.

We do hope that you and your family and friends are able to come along to what promises to be a wonderful festive event.

Parents' Reading Group

Wednesday 8 December at 7.00pm

At our meeting this month we discussed Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. This was quite a demanding book in some ways as a result of a structure that moved constantly from present to past – but all engaged with the issues behind the book to do with addiction and its impact both on individuals and family members. The book certainly generated some sustained discussion and it was good to see that different readers took away slightly different things from it.

We have decided on something very different for our next read – a book by Caroline Williams called Move! The New Science of Body Over Mind. It is some time since we read any non-fiction and this has certainly been very well-reviewed. We will be meeting in the Library at 7.00pm, on Wednesday 8 December. All welcome. It would be great to see some new faces. Just come as a listener if you haven’t read the book. You’ll be assured of a very warm welcome.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English

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Services For The Season Of Christmas

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC, the parish priest for St Anne's, Wappenbury and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Princethorpe College warmly invites you to attend any or all of the services over the Christmas season.

Friday 24 December 2021
Family Christmas Mass         
5.00pm      Princethorpe Chapel

First Mass of Christmastide   
9.00pm      Princethorpe Chapel

Saturday 25 December 2021
Mass of Christmas Morning   

9.30am      St Anne's, Wappenbury

Sunday 26 December 2021
Boxing Day                         

8.30am      St Anne's, Wappenbury

10.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury
 
Sunday 2 January 2022

8.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury

10.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury

Sunday 9 January 2022            

8.30am     St Anne's, Wappenbury

10.30am    Princethorpe Chapel

For any further information please visit the link to St Anne's website here
 
 

 

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Academic

STEAM Essay Competition

To celebrate the launch of the new STEAM TEAM, Mr Lee and the STEAM Ambassadors Caitlin, Ben and Ciaran are inviting pupils to take part in an interdisciplinary essay competition. Entries should be approximately 500 words or less on a topic that involves a STEAM subject and any other interdisciplinary topic of pupils’ choice. For example, how psychology influences literature; or the maths that can be found in a piece of art!

The competition is open to all pupils and judging will be in two separate categories for KS3 and KS4/5 pupils. All entries will receive a Grit Stick, the top three entries will receive a Da Vinci Merit and the winner a book token.

Closing date for the competition is Monday 22 November at 4.00pm. Pupils should hand in or email their entries to Mr Lee at danlee@princethorpe.co.uk.

It’s a great opportunity to share your STEAM passions while developing your skills and interests.  

Parents Of Lower Sixth Students - A Survival Guide

Now we are in to the second half term, it is important to recognise the stresses and demands on our Lower Sixth students. You should have noticed the level of study has increased somewhat but be aware that this level of load can cause difficulties and anxieties. Here are some tips to support your youngster.

Encourage your youngster to ask for help when they need it – seeking out a teacher before stress starts to build up is essential. This could be as simple as finding the teacher before class, chatting to their tutor or sharing worries with friends.

Stay organised – consider how your youngster is scheduling their time and ensure that they are setting aside time for each subject throughout the week. Encourage them to start assignments early, set deadlines and make the most of study periods in the school day.

Mix up your study routine – talk to your youngster about staying focused and positive during their study time. It is important that they use a variety of study techniques from using flashcards or mind maps, writing summaries and watching online tutorials to getting a friend or family member to quiz them, completing practice tests under exam conditions and working through questions from the text book.

Take time to research your post-school options – get your youngster thinking about their future aspirations. Taking time to research and make plans for post-school life can provide a nice break from studies, while also helping them to stay motivated by reminding them of the bigger picture. This may include researching institutions and courses of interest, organising things for a gap year and putting together course applications.

Stay calm and keep things in perspective – Sixth Form studies are rewarding but also demanding. Your youngster’s mental health is a vital component to success. Take time to encourage them to be involved in other activities and have a balanced life style.

For more suggestions, please click on this link.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

 

Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 November 2021 - 6.00pm to 8.30pm

The Year 7 Parents’ Evening will take place on the 23 and 24 November 2021 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. It will be hosted virtually through of a series of Microsoft Teams meetings with your child's teachers. Meetings will be booked online in five-minute slots. Further details will follow on how to book the appointments.

It is hoped that all parents will be successful gaining an appointment, however if this is not possible teachers may contact you via email to update your about your child’s progress.

You can find a list of your child's teachers under Teacher Contacts on MySchoolPortal.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

 

Lower Sixth Parents’ Evening

Thursday 2 December 2021 - 6.00pm to 8.30pm

The Lower Sixth Parents’ Evening will take place on Thursday 2 December 2021 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. It will be hosted virtually through of a series of Microsoft Teams meetings with your child's teachers. Meetings will be booked online. Further details will follow on how to book the appointments.

It is hoped that all parents will be successful in gaining an appointment, however if this is not possible teachers may contact you via email to update you about your child’s progress.

You can find a list of your child's teachers under Teacher Contacts on MySchoolPortal.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

 

Year 9 Online GCSE Options Information Evening

Tuesday 7 December 2021

We warmly invite all parents of Year 9 pupils to join us for our Online GCSE Options Information Evening on Tuesday 7 December. This event will be held online following the success of this format last year.

The welcome address at 6.00pm will explain the Princethorpe GCSE curriculum and the process for selecting options, followed by a series of subject presentations across four time slots; you will be able to choose which to attend based on the subjects your son/daughter is considering choosing. All sessions will also be recorded.

Additionally, should you wish to speak to Jacqui Quinney, our Head of Careers, regards the impact of subject choices on future pathways or any other careers/further and higher education matters, she will have a limited number of personal appointments available on the evening.

Evening Programme

6.00pm Welcome address, explanation of the options process

6.15pm to 6.30pm - Subject session 1

6.35pm to 6.50pm - Subject session 2

6.55pm to 7.10pm - Subject session 3

7.15pm to 7.30pm - Subject session 4

The links to all sessions and a link for booking career appointments will be emailed to you before the event.

Deputy Head - Academic
Assistant Head - Director of Studies

 

Year 11 360 Evening - Presentation Materials

I hope you were able to attend the Year 11 360 Evening last week and that you found it informative and helpful.

Presentations from the Academic Review Evening are available below:

Online Health – Andy Compton

Online Health (handout) - Andy Compton

Learning Skills for Exams – Helen Pascoe-Williams

Making Career Choices – Jacqui Quinney

Making Career Choices (handout) – Jacqui Quinney

Preparing for Sixth Form – Ben Collie

Preparing for Sixth Form (handout) – Ben Collie

Revision for Pupils with SpLD (handout) – Lorna Prestage

Wellbeing and Mental Health- Ed Hester


Deputy Head - Academic

Pastoral

Update On Vaccinations

Unfortunately we have been informed that the Flu vaccination clinic planned for this month has been postponed until January. The Immunisation Service have passed on their apologies for this. Pupils in Years 7 to 11 will be offered a flu vaccination.

Any pupils between the ages of 12 and 15 who missed the Covid vaccination clinic in school and would like to receive a Covid vaccination may now book an appointment at one of the NHS vaccination centres using the link here.

Pupils between the ages of 16 and 18 may also book an appointment via this link. At this time there are no plans to hold a catch up clinic for Covid vaccinations in school.

Paula Greig
Senior Matron

Universities and Careers

Year 11 Work Experience - Reminder

Work experience is now back on the post GCSE agenda, and, as things open up after COVID, we hope that all our Year 11 students will be able to find a placement in Summer 2022.

I would also suggest looking at the website Springpod which offers a virtual work experience programme which has been highly recommended by our Careers Advisor.

Many thanks to those who already have managed to help their son/daughter obtain a placement; in the meantime please could you let me know if you have managed to arrange something by emailing miketaylor@princethorpe.co.uk

Mike Taylor
Work Experience Co-ordinator

Sport

New Princethorpe College Zaini Hats

With dark nights upon us and the cold weather of winter fast appoaching, the new Princethorpe College Zaini hat is now available. The hats can be bought for £15 from the school shop.  These would make a fantastic Christmas present.

PE And Games For Michaelmas - Update 2021

I would like to say thank you to all the pupils and staff for their hard work in all of the PE and sport activities that happened last half term. It has been great to see so many pupils participating in sport on site and representing the College in competitive fixtures. 

For Games, pupils will continue to come to school in their Princethorpe College PE kit and the correct footwear for their activity, it is recommended that pupils bring their College waterproof with them with a change in the weather expected.

The extra-curricular programme will follow the same programme although some small changes have been made to boys' football.

Year 9 boys football training – Tuesday lunchtime on the astro turf

Year 8 boys football training – Thursday lunchtime on the astro turf

Year 7 boys football training – Friday lunchtime on the astro turf

All pupils must ensure that they attend all sporting activities in the correct College kit. 

Sports Kit Reminder

Just as a reminder, with the weather likely to change, below is the PE and Games kit required and, as always, we value your support and commitment to our team and our school. When coming to school in PE kit for Games lessons boys must wear black Princethorpe tracksuit bottoms and girls can either wear black Princethorpe tracksuit bottoms or leggings with a skort.

Curriculum PE Lessons:

Boys - black sports shorts, white socks, white polo shirt or House polo shirt;

Girls - black skort, white socks, white polo shirt or House polo shirt;

Games Lessons – Boys:

Rugby - black rugby shorts, red and black rugby shirt, Princethorpe black socks, football/rugby boots, gum shield;

Hockey - black sports shorts, white polo shirt, black socks, trainers or astro-turf trainers, gum shield, shin pads;

Football - black sports shorts, white polo shirt, Princethorpe black socks, football boots, shin pads;

Games Lessons – Girls:

Netball - black skort, white polo shirt, white socks;

Hockey - black skort, white polo shirt, Princethorpe black socks, trainers or astro-turf trainers, gum shield, shin pads;

In cold weather black Princethorpe tracksuit bottoms, black sports fleeces and/or Princethorpe sports jackets may be worn;

In any PE or Games lesson if you wear base layers or “skinz” then they must be black in colour. No jewellery or watches are to be worn and long hair must be tied up.

Only Princethorpe sports kit can be worn for sports lessons and sports fixtures.

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport 

PTA

Christmas Fair - Help Needed Please - Reminder

Our friendly PTA here at Princethorpe College are keen to welcome new volunteers. There are a wide range of events and activities that are organised and run throughout the year that help raise important funds for the school.

The Christmas Fair is the biggest fundraiser in the school's calendar and this year it will be held on Sunday 28 November. It is a fabulous festive event that is a treat for the whole family and if you are able to come and help out at all we would be delighted to hear from you.

For more information about the PTA and getting involved in any aspect, please email pta@princethorpe.co.uk or fill in the form here to send the PTA your details.

Thank you.

 

Join The Princethorpe PTA Community - Reminder

Our friendly PTA here at Princethorpe College are keen to welcome new members. 

By joining our PTA community, you are not committing to volunteer, but just to joining our community and if you do wish to volunteer you will receive emails when we require help to run our events.

For more information about the PTA and how to join please email pta@princethorpe.co.uk

Princethorpe PTA

Co-Curricular

Year 7 Science Club

Year 7 Science Club is for any Year 7 pupil who loves Science. It runs every Tuesday lunchtime this half term in G4 and everyone is welcome. There will be plenty of Science practicals to enjoy including making slime, creating bath bombs, erupting volcanoes and of course plenty of exciting explosions that will be sure to get everyone fired up.

In the first session on Tuesday 4 November, 27 pupils pretended to be witches and made potions for Halloween. They had fun mixing together different chemicals to see if there were signs of a chemical reaction and saw lots of colour changes, bubbling and temperature changes! Next week our young scientists will be making slime.

All Year 7s are welcome, from 12.15pm to 12.40pm - just come along and develop your passion for Science – it promises to be a whole lot of fun.  

 

View Gallery

Celebrating Pupil Achievements Outside School

It is great to be able to share another round up of pupils' co-curricular successes outside of school.

Year 9 pupils, Charlie Wilcox, Séamus Meakins-Owens and Max Phillips-Gore have all been selected for the Worcester Warriors Developing Player Programme. The boys were scouted at a recent rugby fixture and we were delighted to hear their news. It's a great opportunity for them and it is also great news for the College team. Well done boys!

Four Princethorpe pupils, Jasper Nicholls, Thomas Zanyi, Andrea Zanyi and Erika Zanyi joined 60 musicians attending the English Symphony Orchestra's Intermediate Youth Workshop at Bromsgrove School over the half term. They took part in two days of rehearseals and finished with a performance that included Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture and a Harry Potter medley, arranged by Michael Story. It was a fantastic opportunity that they all very much enjoyed. 

A huge shout out for all these young people we are always impressed to hear of your endeavours.

Duke Of Edinburgh’s Award - Complete Your Award 2020-21 - Reminder

Please continue to prioritise signing off your volunteering, physical and skill sections.  Many have already completed their award in full.  Guidance can be found on a DofE Completion email sent to you and your parents, the advice documents below are also available on MySchoolPortal.

For help, please refer to this eDofE Completion Guide and the Electronic Assessor Report Guide. You may also find it useful to refer to the Temporary Changes Summary or Gold Temporary Changes Summary documents.

The Y10 Bronze eDofE lunchtime drop-in clinic continues this week on Thursday 13.05 in LG01.  The Y11 Silver clinic takes place on Tuesday 13.05 in LG02.  Please prioritise completing your award before the end of term.  The Certificate Presentation Evening is in the New Year.

Will Bower 
Head of Outdoor Education – DofE Manager 

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Duke Of Edinburgh’s Award - New Starters 2021-22

Online eDofE accounts have been created and you have been sent an email with the login details.  Please sign in as soon as possible. The DofE will then send a participant handbook directly to your home address.

Further course materials are being distributed at the DofE Start-Up Meetings. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for pupils. The next steps will be discussed.

Gold - Wednesday 17 November – Tutor Time – the Clarkson theatre

Silver - Thursday 18 November – Tutor Time – the Clarkson theatre

Bronze took place in REAL Time this week.

Please could all new bronze, silver and gold participants complete the steps listed below by Tuesday 14 December.

1. Download the DofE app or find www.edofe.org

2. Login using the username and password sticker on your folder

3. Update your personal details

4. Set timescales (for example at bronze physical 6, volunteering 3 and skill 3 months

5. Complete programme planners for the physical, volunteering and skill sections. This includes;

  • selecting the activity  
  • inputting start dates
  • setting a goal to achive
  • recording your assessor details (please speak to your potential assessor to ask permission before you upload the details)

6. Submit your ‘programme planners’ online to your DofE Leader for approval. Once approved you can start your award.

An email will be sent to pupils and parents with further advice. Resources can also be found on here on MySchoolPortal. 

Will Bower 
Head of Outdoor Education – DofE Manager 

Housekeeping

Pam Phull - School Nurse

The Pastoral Team welcomes Pam Phull as one of their two new School Nurses. Pam qualified as a nurse in 1992 and has worked in many different areas of nursing including special schools and Complex Care for the last 15 years. Pam moved back to Coventry after living in Kent for 20 years to be closer to her family. She has three grown up sons and is a keen baker - Pam modestly says that she is not quite ready for Great British Bake Off but can make a fabulous chocolate chip cookie - we look forward to sampling those!

 

Christine Hawley - School Nurse

The Pastoral Team welcomes Christine Hawley as one of their two new School Nurses. Christine previously worked for the SWFT (South Warwickshire Foundation Trust) for 18 years as a Health Visitor. She lives in Leamington with her husband, two children and little dog Summer. Originally from Belfast, Christine has worked in many different areas of nursing and lived in various parts of the UK.

Christine says she is really looking forward to working in the role of School Nurse within the Princethorpe community, but is still working on navigating her way around, so asks if you see her looking lost please point her in the right direction.

 

 

Employment Opportunities

Please see below our current vacancies:

  • Early Years Assistant - Little Crackers Nursery 
  • Lead Examination Invigilator - Princethorpe College

Full details and how to apply are available via the following link: Join Us

Should you know anyone who might be interested in this post, please do share this information with them.