The Flagpole

As we reach the end of an incredibly busy school year, I write to thank you all for your support for the College. The COVID rollercoaster is not yet over I suspect, but it is so good to reflect on a lockdown-free year. With two years without public exams the fact that both the Year 11 and Upper Sixth finished the year taking real GCSEs and A-levels was a huge boon. And after all the hard work with the exams finished it was so good to see the Year 11s and Upper Sixth return to the College with their parents for their Thanksgiving Services in the Chapel this week. We also hugely enjoyed the Upper Sixth Leavers’ Ball at Coombe Abbey on Wednesday and look forward to celebrating with the Year 11s at their Prom next week.

The Trinity Term is always hectic and the dreaded “phone call” from the inspectors on the first day back after Easter now seems a long time ago. We were, of course, delighted that they found the College to be excellent in all respects and they were so complimentary in their report both about the pupils and staff. As I said in the most recent school assembly, excellent does not mean perfect and we are well aware that there is always more we can do to improve the school. Getting feedback from all quarters is a key aspect when making improvements and I want to say a huge thank you to all members of the Student Council this year as they have played a really important role in this process under the leadership of outgoing Heads of School Caitlin Mason and Anthony Convey and our new Heads of School Pratheesh Prabakaran and Freya Mills. Well done to all. One of the new initiatives we have in store for the new academic year is a pupil-school charter…more to follow on this in September.

Parental feedback is of course key too and I'd like to remind you that our questionnaire regarding how we best communicate and feedback to you both online and in person in the “post-lockdown world” closes on Monday so if you haven’t yet had the chance to complete it, the link is here.

There is so much that goes on in school and I am sure you will all have your own personal highlights of the year. There are so many times when the pupils inspire us with their creativity, hard work and perseverance: the House Talent Show; Matilda: The Musical Jr; the Spring Music Concert; the LAMDA Showcase Evening, the Summer GCSE and A-level Art, Photography Design and Textiles Show; seeing the inspirational work produced for da Vinci projects and The Pinnacle; Planet Princethorpe initiatives and of course the wide variety of sporting achievements and fixtures throughout the year. It’s hard to single-out individuals but some of the stand-out performances include: the 1st XI Hockey Girls making it to the England Hockey Schools Championships semi-final, the U13 Netballers and U14 Footballers becoming ISA National Plate champions, our Equestrian Team qualifying for Hickstead Eventing and Showjumping, a full girls’ cricket programme this year, fantastic team performances by our cricket and cross country teams and of course six of our pupils selected for the English Schools National Athletics final next weekend – we wish them all good luck!

It has been super to see key elements of the Princethorpe calendar return this year. To have our first Sports Day in four years was tremendous and we congratulate More on their success on the track. Residential trips have also made a welcome come back this year, with both Year 7 and 8 visiting Whitemoor Lakes and the Lower Sixth heading to Dearne Valley for outward bound and team-building activities. This summer sees us venture into Europe for the first time since 2019 with the History and Music trips and next year sees the return of several eagerly awaited sporting trips - the Holland Hockey Tour, South Coast Sports Tour, the Ski Trip to Italy and the Senior Sports Tour to South Africa.

It is also tremendous that since September 274 of our pupils will have completed a Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition, equating to ten expeditions and a total of 39 days of in school training and trips. We wish good luck to the 11th group, Bronze B, who are setting off this weekend for the final expedition of the year. It was also lovely to see the pictures in May of the 12 strong group of recent Old Princethorpians together at Buckingham Palace receiving their Gold Medals at the first Award Presentation for over two years. There is a large team of staff involved to thank, but special thanks must go to Will Bower for his leadership of this key pillar of our co-curricular programme.

The multitude of House events at all levels are also inspiring, giving each pupil the opportunity to contribute and represent their houses. The pinnacle of these events is of course the tremendous House Activity Day where every single member of the College is involved. With this year’s theme being ‘Gap Year’, staff and pupils had some amazing tasks to tackle including the ‘Airport Run’, ‘Camp America’, ‘Mardi Gras’ and the ‘Samba Stop Over’, all in all a wonderful day. Huge thanks to all the House Activity Co-ordinators and prefects and particularly to Jess Newborough for her leadership of the House programme this year.

Some of the most memorable and special moments are when the whole school community comes together. This is often by giving both time and energy to some wonderful charitable causes and living out the ethos of the school by showing kindness, compassion and love for others. This has been another bumper year for projects and activities run with the sole aim of helping other people, not just by raising money but also by giving of time.

We have had cake sales, ice-lolly sales, pancake races, 40 mile and the upcoming 24-mile walks, non-uniform days, pink days, blue days, Valentine’s flowers, visits to the Leamington night shelter, lunches and social events. The situation in Ukraine has of course been at the forefront of our minds and much-needed support has been given to aid the humanitarian effort there, but a wide-range of other charities have also benefited both at home and abroad; Mary’s Meals, CAFOD, Breast Cancer Now, Friends of the Holy Land, Graham Fulford Trust, Father Hudson’s Society, British Heart Foundation, MIND, Aid to the Church in Need and SHELTER, our House Charity.

The money is still coming in, but the total raised by the Princethorpe Community so far this year is just over £18,000 which is a tremendous achievement. Many thanks to all staff and pupils who have been involved in these events, but a special mention must go to Mary Benham, our Chaplain, who also co-ordinates our charity events and Rod Isaacs who leads our Youth SVP and Sixth Form community outreach programme.

Of course, our wonderful PTA also raise funds which are ploughed back into the school to benefit pupils and we thank the Committee and all their helpers for the work they do, in particular with the organisation of the fantastic Christmas Fair and Summer Fête, popular events enjoyed by so many in our wider community.

Summer and beyond

As we move into the summer holidays our staff again will be working exceptionally hard to prepare for the new academic year. The teaching staff have a number of training days both post and pre-term and all staff will be undertaking a First Aid Course run by the Red Cross next Thursday. There is a small army of estates and grounds staff who work all through the summer to complete the annual programme of maintenance, redecoration and refurbishment of our wonderful buildings and campus – not least a complete refurbishment of the toilets by the student hub.

Of course, the major building project this summer is the new Science Centre, which is on track to open in Autumn 2023. As you will be aware our fundraising activity this year, was a key component in the financing of the new Science Centre. This is one of a number of projects which would not have been achieved without the generosity of our community who gave to this and other development projects. Your gifts really make a difference. These new facilities will help create an exceptional learning environment and will create an outstanding legacy at The Foundation.

As a charity, our commitment to providing financially assisted places remains the key theme for our fundraising activity. Our bursary programme has increased this year, allowing us to support over 50 pupils with a bursary place. Our financially assisted places and partnerships activities are key to how we deliver public benefit as a charity.

The whole of the Foundation has been inspired by the generosity of our parents and alumni supporters this year. Without donations, Princethorpe would not be able to progress our plans as quickly in support of bursaries, pupil experience or creation of inspirational spaces that enable our pupils to collaborate, question and explore. We value the relationships we have with each of our supporters. Fundraising is vital for sustaining and generating income for projects and we have exciting plans that can only move forward with significant support from within our community.

On behalf of myself and the Trustees, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all the donors who generously gave to our fundraising activities this year. We have made real progress and the impact of our fundraising is making a real difference. This simply would not be possible without the gifts of all the donors. Thank you for your support.

A-level and GCSE Results Days

We send our very best wishes to all students who undertook A-level and GCSEs this year. For further information about the Results Days please see Mrs Dodds’ article in the Academic section.

Staff Changes

A school, of course, is only as good as its staff and we are tremendously fortunate to have such a large number of hard-working, caring and dedicated professionals; I would like to thank them again for all that they do for the pupils in so many ways. As always, we have a number of staff changes which I will summarise below:

We wish Lou Harrison well in her new role as Assistant Director of Sport and Head of Girls’ PE and Games at King Henry VIII Senior School, after 15 years at Princethorpe as a Teacher of PE and Girls’ Games and latterly Head of Academic PE. Lewis Clarke will also be leaving the PE Games Department after a year at the school. We are delighted to welcome Joe Jackson from our sporting rivals at Bablake and King Henry VIII as the new Head of Boys’ Games and he will be joined by Harry Walters already a Trainee Teacher at Princethorpe. Congratulations to Hannah Carminati and Ellie Callan who will jointly take on the Head of Academic PE role and we are delighted to welcome back Megan McDonagh (OP) to the Games Department from Hornsby House School.

We say goodbye to Christina Baxter from the Mathematics Department, who will be joining the Warwickshire Schools Foundation and are delighted that Alef Rosenbaum and Isobel Turner-Pryce are staying at the school and will be joined by Gabor Toth from the Parker E-ACT Academy in September.

In the English Department, we send Becky Forde our best wishes as she takes on the Head of English role at The Kingsley School. Fortunately, this allows us to retain Ellie Cullen and we welcome Madeleine Hughes who will cover the remainder of Jess Proudlock’s maternity.

During this forthcoming academic year Mike Taylor will be sharing the Head of Geography role with Helen Baker and we welcome Edward Musson to the Computer Science Department, who joins us from Trinity Catholic School.

We wish Kat Brittain, Learning Support Assistant (LSA), well as she leaves to start up her own business and the Learning Support team will welcome two wonderful new LSAs, Josie Wheel from Ousedale School, Newport Pagnell and Milly Hemmings from Sherbourne Fields Special Needs School.

As you may know, in conjunction with Warwick University and the Lion Alliance we run a trainee teacher programme at Princethorpe as part of their PGCE. This year our trainees have included Catherine Morrish, Bethany Rees and OP Rob Rollason; we wish them well with their future careers beyond Princethorpe and will welcome new trainees in September.

We bid farewell to our outgoing Teaching Assistants (TAs) Elyse Hyland, Imo Butler, James Walker and Tom and Will Crowfoot - all recent OPs - who have each done sterling work in so many areas of the school and look forward to our new incoming TAs for the next academic year. We also say goodbye and good luck to Alan (Sticky) Wickett, our drum teacher here for the past 17 years.

Becky Underhill, our Assistant Director of Studies is leaving after nearly seven years at the school in various roles supporting the academic team; she has been replaced by Chella Franklin as Academic Systems Co-ordinator who has a vast experience from Lawrence Sheriff School. Helen Morgan is also leaving us after 13 years, most recently as Assistant Registrar and will be replaced by Catherine Rogers who is promoted from Admissions Administrator. Caroline Houghton, Pastoral Secretary also departs with recruitment for her replacement well underway.

We thank all our leavers for all they have done at Princethorpe and wish them all well in their future careers and projects. We will celebrate our longstanding members of staff as well as those leaving the College this year at the end of term. Long service awards will made to Adrian Moore, who has been a piano and organ peripatetic music teacher for 30 years at the school along with Paul Hubball, Head of Art and Photography and Carmel Hopkins, Office and HR Systems Manager for 20 years of service each.

Thank you and best wishes to them all.

As I am sure you are aware, Grove du Toit starts as Head of Princethorpe in January 2023 as I concentrate on my Head of the Foundation role; to avoid any confusion with the other Heads, I will be called Foundation Principal. Grove will be visiting the school on a number of occasions next term, and we will make sure parents have the opportunity to meet him as soon as possible.

As we move into the summer, we have much to look forward to, as Nelson Mandela said:

“Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.”

I hope you and your families get a good dose of the sun and have a safe, happy and relaxing summer.

With best wishes

Ed Hester
Headmaster

On Tuesday 28 June, Headmaster, Ed Hester, visited the Science Centre construction site for his first official tour of the new building. He was accompanied by Trendgrey Construction MD, Nick Henderson, Princethorpe’s Project Manager, Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, along with, Head of Science, Emma Cooper, and two Sixth Form Science Subject Ambassadors, Hannah Lawrence and Tom Dodsley.

The Princethorpe contingent could clearly see the structure of the new Science Centre rising triumphantly at the north end of The Limes. The size and scope of the building evident to them all. It was also possible to see where most of the rooms and circulation areas will be and how the building will link to The Limes. This has been ‘Week 3’ of the steelwork, the final bolts of which should be tightened by the end of this week. The first-floor slabs are being craned into place by the steel erectors and the staircase at the north end is already in place. On the building the visitors could see silver I-beams, which are zinc galvanised to prevent the steels from rusting where they’re exposed to the weather. It was also possible to see the structure for the supports of the wooden arches which flank the two wings on the front of the building. A long-reach Liebherr 110t crane was in use on the site at the time, supplied by Ainscough, who have their local base just across the A423 in Princethorpe. Over the next weeks work will continue installing the first-floor slabs, on the sub-masonry and with the drainage.

Ed Hester, commented, “It was fantastic to be able to visit the site as the final stages of the steel work were being completed. Whilst we can see the new building progressing, to be able to get close up to the new structure and see how the drawings and plans are becoming a reality was exciting. I am amazed by the progress over the last few weeks. It is good to recognise the hard work and expertise that has brought us to this point.”

Significant progress has been made with the project since work started back in mid-February. It will be exciting for us all to see how the project has progressed when we return to school in September.

Princethorpe College had nine pupils representing Warwickshire in the Midlands Combined Events Championships that took place at North Oxfordshire Academy in Banbury last weekend.

For the Junior Boys, André Onyekwe placed 1st taking the Midlands individual title, while Jesse Esler finished 11th overall, together they helped the Warwickshire Junior Boys team finish in first place. They both now go forward to represent the Midlands at the Nationals on Saturday 17 September.

The Inter Boys were an all-star Princethorpe team. They finished in second place overall just losing out to Derby, despite the Year 10 boys pulling out all the stops in the 1500m. Their individual results were Ben Smith 4th, Vincent McNevin 8th, Ollie Farquharson 9th and Anjola Okusanya 10th.

Year 10 Ava Farren was a part of the Inter Girls team, she finished in 11th place overall.

Then competing for the Senior Girls were Princethorpe’s Lower Sixth Formers, Evie Phillips who finished in 4th place and Lucy Randall who was just behind in 5th. Their results helped the Warwickshire Senior Girls finish in 1st place overall qualifying them both for the Nationals too.

What an amazing season these young athletes are having.

On Thursday 30 June, Princethorpe College welcomed Dr Gina Rippon, Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre.

Dr Rippon spoke to the whole school who had assembled in the Sports Hall. Her talk was inspiring and revelational, informing pupils and staff that after 200 years of scientific research there is no evidence that the male brain is superior to the female brain, instead that we now know that there is no difference between the male and female brain when we are born. It is the environment and stereotyping, both conscious and subconscious, that contribute to how the brain develops from birth, and makes us believe that a male or female brain is superior at certain tasks.

Dr Rippon discussed gender gaps and highlighted how far the human race is away from equality and left us with the main message that our brains are all the same and that you can do anything regardless of your gender, race or background.

It was a thought provoking session that challenged how we all think about each other.

Princethorpe pupils jetted off on a ‘Gap Year’ travelling the world in a series of themed activities for this year’s House Activities Day. Held on Friday 1 July, the biggest event of the House year is always a real favourite with pupils who go all out to win the house points up for grabs.

After an introductory briefing from Captain Jess Newborough, pupils set of in their form groups to work on a series of activities and challenges all around the school. From Camp America’s obstacle course to making masks in Mardi Gras, being put through their paces at the Samba Stop Over or crossing the alligator infested river in Up the Creek to even creating their own mocktails in Mocktail Madness or getting ahead of their fellow travellers in the First Aid Frenzy or the Gap Year Fashion Challenge, it really was a non-stop day full of fantastic fun.

After all the challenges had been completed, the school came together for a finale or Ibiza Party on the Close. Mrs Newborough thanked everyone for their participation commenting, “We have had a fabulous day, it has been great to see everyone getting involved. The atmosphere has been amazing.”

A huge well done to everyone for taking part and an absolutely massive thank you to those who made the day possible especially House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough, the House Activities Co-ordinators; Ellie Callan, Hannah Carminati, Bérénice Galano and Meg O’Gorman and our stalwart Sixth Form House Captains who all worked so hard to make House Activities Day so much fun.

What a fantastic day was had by all.

21 girls from Year 8 to Year 10 girls visited the British Motor Museum on Wednesday 29 June to take part in a special Girls in STEM workshop.

They enjoyed an exclusive keynote presentation and Q&A with Louise Reynolds, Vehicle Line Director at Jaguar Land Rover, Louise spoke about her current role within Jaguar Land Rover, her career, and the challenges that she faced in a heavily male-dominated workplace. Pupils then had a Women In Motoring guided tour that included how women were instrumental in the development of the first combustion engine powered car and how early female motorists were encouraged to pack three essential items when driving a motor car: a pet for company, a box of chocolates for sustenance and a loaded revolver to deter any bandits!

Pupils then became 'Engineering Apprentices' removing and replacing a wheel of a remote-control car in a race against time - Georgie's group achieved an impressive time of 10 seconds, beating the current Museum record by a whole 3 seconds! Pupils then raced their cars around a track and to their credit none of the wheels fell off. Armourers from MoD Kineton set a challenge to build a crane with pulley system to lift ammunition with which the pupils had varying success at achieving, this in a very short time frame.

Their day culminated with a special presentation from members of the all-female driver line-up of Laser Tools GB4 Racing team. The F1 Pit Stop Challenge brought out the competitive spirit and pupils were split into teams to complete a tyre change relay to simulate F1 pit stops. A brief self-guided tour of the exhibits closed the day before the girls departed with STEM goodie bags in hand.

Head of Physics, Dan Lee, commented, “The girls were an absolute credit to the school - they asked thoughtful questions, engaged in all of the activities and had a really positive experience.”

What an inspirational opportunity – we hope you enjoyed yourselves girls!

On Wednesday 29 June, Princethorpe College said farewell to much loved peripatetic percussion teacher, Alan Wickett. Alan first joined the College some 17 years ago as our ‘second drum teacher’ when lessons on the drum kit really took off. He was soon called upon to take the lead teaching over three very full days – willingly driving across from the Welsh Borders to stay locally, just to foster Princethorpe pupils’ love of drumming. Alan chooses not to teach anywhere else; he is a gigging performer by trade.

Mrs Coulson remembers well the day Alan brought along his talented son for a whole day Drumming Workshop titled Don’t Stop The Beat, when Alan ‘filled’ the Clarkson Theatre (on the flat) with more drum kits than one could imagine would ever fit into two VW Touring Vans! Before proceeding to introduce the history of drumming to all years in school, taking it in turn to explain the journey of Drums and how they developed so very gradually to suit the mood and habit of the music of each period – one explaining with the other performing music from each genre on the ‘appropriate’ kit! For an amazing, and much appreciated finale, Alan encouraged those who took drum lessons, to try out the Vintage sets for themselves. Seeing pupils (and staff) learn so much, through such sensitive and knowledgeable practical teaching skills, was a joy to encounter and it was no surprise at all when his Teaching List grew rapidly over the next term.

Alan has decided to retreat from teaching Drums this summer; but will remain very much a forefront leader of swing and jazz drumming; he will continue to perform ‘live’ with his own Swing Band; recently recording extensively with Van Morrison and currently specialising in online Vintage Drum Tuition for connoisseur Drummers globally.

Many of you will have had cause to walk along the Music Corridor and be ‘deafened’ (we jest) by the pupils in their lessons. Alan has been a sensitive and amazing mentor to 100s of Princethorpe pupils since joining us in 2005!

We wish him all the very best. He will be much missed by us all. Long may he continue drumming and enjoying his music.

With thanks to Mrs Coulson for writing this tribute to Alan ‘Sticky’ Wickett (Sticky Wicket is genuinely his stage name).

Pupils in Years 7 and 8 have been treated to a very special coaching session courtesy of professional cricketer and Old Princethorpian, Bethan Ellis. Bethan returned to Princethorpe College last week to run cricket coaching sessions with the Year 7 and Year 8 girls.

Bethan currently plays professional cricket with Lightning Cricket, the number one T20 side in the East Midlands, her team also competes in the Women’s Elite Domestic competition. She left Princethorpe in 2017 and is at Loughborough University studying for a Masters.  

Bethan put through the girls through their paces, stressing the importance of getting the basics right, looking at grip, stance and alignment and you could see their play improve as they put her advice into practise. They enjoyed a coaching session in the nets followed by a mini match. Bethan even made time for a one-on-one session with talented young cricketer Year 8 pupil, Amy. The session finished with a Q&A.

It was an amazing opportunity for the Princethorpe girls. Many thanks to Bethan for coming into school to work with our pupils.

For over 130 Year 11 pupils, Thursday 30 June was an important day. With their public examinations finally out of the way, Year 11 pupils and their families were invited back to the College to celebrate the end of their GSCE year in a final Year 11 Thanksgiving Service.

Nearly four hundred guests attended the service held in the College Chapel. Father Alan Whelan welcomed them all and opened the service with a hymn. A number of staff, including Heads of House and members of the Senior Leadership Team, gave emotional readings that reflected the aspirations the College holds for their future. Pupils performed celebratory music and the mood was one of optimism for the journey ahead. A plea for continuing kindness and generosity of spirit underpinned all the messages in the speeches.

Mrs Beth Sharpe, Pastoral Deputy Head, thanked all the parents for their support of the College and read a moving extract from a Denis Waitley poem called Roots and Wings. Ed Hester, Headmaster, continued the thanks to the parents before inviting them to join with staff for refreshments after the service.

As friends, families and pupils trickled out of the Chapel towards the Sixth Form Lawn to catch up, dish out hugs and enjoy a fine spread for lunch, there was a buzz of excitement ahead of next Monday evening’s all-important prom!

It was wonderful day of celebration and we wish all Year 11s a relaxing summer break before they move on to the next step of their life journey.

Congratulations to all the Princethorpe pupils who have completed their Duke of Edinburgh's Award Qualifying Expeditions this half term and good luck to the Bronze Group B who will be out this weekend completing theirs.

Unaccompanied and self-sufficient, pupils have trekked and camped their way across Snowdonia (38 Gold), the Dark Peak (53 Silver) and the Cotswolds (54 Bronze A and to come 59 Bronze B), working together in teams to achieve their expedition objectives.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Awards are recognised as the world’s leading youth achievement award. They provide young people with the opportunity to get involved, explore new interests, discover talents and make new friends and they are a big part of life here at Princethorpe.

Will Bower, Head of Outdoor Education, said, “I am very proud that so many of Princethorpe’s pupils 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 live up to the College’s ethos and be the best they can be and all with such commitment and enthusiasm. Since September 274 pupils have completed a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition, amounting to a total of 39 days of in school training and trips.”

He continued, “We will be holding a celebration evening next year when pupils who have completed their Award will be presented with their certificates. The Gold Award participants will also receive an invitation to visit a royal palace, in London, for their official presentation.”

Well done to everyone who has taken part this year and make sure you all sign off the volunteering, physical and skills sections so we can celebrate your achievements next year.

On Wednesday 29 June the College welcomed 150 pupils who will be joining the school this coming September, most will be joining in Year 7 but some are joining higher years.

The Induction Day was a chance for them to meet fellow pupils, familiarise themselves with the layout of the school, get a feel for the sorts of lessons they can expect and generally to answer questions, allay fears and ease the transition to their new school.

Our prospective Year 7s arrived looking excited and a little bit nervous in readiness for an action-packed day. Head of Transition, Susan Harris greeted them warmly and soon had them organised into groups before their friendly Sixth Form helpers led them off to try sample lessons.

During the day they also met their new Tutor Groups, got to grips with the lunch queue and the dining room, and in the afternoon after more lessons, they met their Heads of House and enjoyed some fun team building activities. There was lots of excellent advice on offer from staff and current pupils and of course no induction day would be complete without that special treat, a legendary Princethorpe cookie! 

We saw plenty of smiling faces and it is clear that everyone enjoyed making new friends. We look forward to welcoming the Year 7s back again just before the start of the autumn term for the Year 7 Activity Day on Friday 2 September.

Princethorpe’s Upper Sixth celebrated the end of the examination season and their time at Princethorpe with a beautiful Thanksgiving Eucharist and a fabulous farewell Ball. It was one last chance for them to gather together to reminisce over their time at the College, the friends they have made and the many adventures they have had along the way.

Parents and students enjoyed a moving Eucharist service and delicious buffet supper that took place on Tuesday 28 June in the Chapel at school and then afterwards in the Sixth Form Atrium. The Upper Sixth Ball followed one day later on Wednesday 29 June at a former royal residence, the beautiful and historical Coombe Abbey.

The students smartly attired in black tie and ball gowns enjoyed a sparkling reception, followed by a delicious sit-down dinner, much anticipated speeches and then dancing until dark. 

It was a joyous occasion with lots of laughter, shared memories and plans for the future. Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie said, “We wish all the Upper Sixth the very best as they move on from Princethorpe. We very much hope that they all keep in touch and come back to tell their teachers and future pupils all about their fascinating endeavours and achievements. They have been a delightful year group, have worked hard and we are confident they will be rewarded with success when the A-level results are published in August.”

Photos from the Sixth Form Leavers' Ball will be shared shortly on Princethorpe Connect. If you haven't already done so, sign up now so you can view them as soon as they are uploaded.

The College’s annual Sports Day took place on Friday 17 June and it was a fantastic morning of friendly, but fiercely competitive sport. Field and track events took place simultaneously, so the playing fields were action-packed from the moment the starting gun fired. College staff were kept busy measuring, timing and recording all the running, jumping and throwing taking place.

House colours and flags were spread across the field and the Heads of House: Lizzie Caisey, Louisa Fielding, Adam Rickart and Faye Roberts cheered on their pupils hoping that this year their House would be victorious. In the end it was More that took the victory, followed closely by Benet, then Austin and Fisher, but it was a close-run competition where every performance, sprint, middle distance or field event counted, and the result was only decided after the very final event – the relay.

Our very own Clare Balding, aka Mrs White, was kept busy announcing all the races and interviewing the winners, adding to the excitement of the event.  

Foundation Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, said, “It was a super Sports Day with plenty of excellent performances and lots of new College records set. The atmosphere was incredible, pupils were very supportive of each other, appreciating every individual effort and there was very little in it at the end.”

Huge thanks to all the staff and Sports Leaders involved in organising the event.

The scores have been checked and verified and the final results were 1st More (1060.6 points), 2nd Benet (979.5 points), 3rd Austin (905.5 points) and 4th Fisher (874.5 points).

You can find the current Sports Day Records here:
Girls Sports Day Records
Boys Sports Day Records

Meet our new Junior House Leaders who will be supporting House Activities Leader, Ms Newborough, the House Activities Co-Ordinators, and the House Prefects. They will be developing their leadership, teamwork, and communication skills through championing House activities with pupils and supporting and encouraging House charity fundraising.

Our new Junior House Leaders went through a rigorous selection process before being selected that included written letters of application and a challenging interview. Huge congratulations to them all.

Most of our new Junior House Leaders are pictured here but the full list includes:

Austin House
Betsy Burgess (7)
Alexa Holland (8)
Martha Harris (9)

Benet House
Roxy Glenn (9)
Chloe Potts (9)
Jess Lane (9)

Fisher House
Noah Cowlishaw (7)
Freddie Rodd (7)
Ruth Oritsejafor (7)
Amelia Reynolds (8)
James Reynolds (10)

More House
Michelle Gichiri (7)
Amber Sandhu (8)
Georgie Pollock (9)
Malavika Sabith (9)

Huge congratulations to Upper Sixth Former, Cameron McGregor, Lower Sixth Former, Lucy Randall, Year 9, André Onyekwe, Year 9, Olivia Monk, Year 8, Grace McCollin and Year 8, Penelope Jones and who have all been selected to compete for the Warwickshire Schools Team at the English Schools Athletics Championships in Manchester on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July.

They will be competing in the 400m, Javelin, High Jump, 100m, Hurdles and Long Jump respectively. It is such a fantastic achievement just to be selected to compete but to have six athletes reaching the standard is super exciting for us all here at Princethorpe College. These young people really are up there with the top athletes in the country for their events.

We wish them all the very best of luck and we look forward to hearing how they get on.

On Tuesday 21 June, 20 teams of Year 8 pupils and their parents competed in Princethorpe College's first ever Science Family Challenge. Practical skill, teamwork and problem-solving were all essential on the day, as each parent and child team completed six different challenges across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The challenges were interspersed with a series of demonstrations that included supersonic ping pong balls, explosions, fire and some mind-blowing brain puzzles and tricks.

The competition was very close, with the following four teams all clocking up a hugely respectable 45 points and finishing in joint 2nd place: Special Relatives, Team Big Bang Little Bang, Josh's Giants and Event Horizon. The overall winners with a massive 47 points were Boyle's Law (no pressure) and congratulations go to Jonjo and Mr Boyle for their impressive win, they are this year's recipients of the coveted Science Family Challenge trophy.

Thanks go to our wonderful Laboratory Technicians, pupil helpers and Science staff who made the evening possible.

Look out for the return of the Science Family Challenge next term for current and new Year 7 pupils, plus Princethorpe College's first ever Science Christmas Lecture.

The termly Celebration of Achievement Lunch recognises pupils from across the College for contributions, commitments and achievements. This Trinity Term, 78 pupils from across the year groups were nominated by members of staff and invited to the College Roundhouse by Assistant Head - Co-Curricular, Neil McCollin, for an informal, celebratory buffet lunch.

All of the pupils had risen to the challenge of the College’s ethos; they had done their best in many different ways, both in and outside of school. Some had been nominated for academic perseverance; others invited along for their contribution to sport or drama; a number for voluntary and charity work.

Mr McCollin congratulated every one of them and thanked them for the many ways that they enrich College life.

You can find out more about their achievements here.

On 28 June, after many weeks of preparation, a group of Lower Sixth students from Princethorpe College took part for the first time in the Independent Schools Mock Trial competition.

Students took on the roles of prosecution and defence barristers, witnesses, court clerk, usher and jurors in two Crown Court trials. The first case was R v Summers – where the defendant was accused of witness intimidation; the second, R v Piper – a case of actual bodily harm, with a defence of self-defence. Both cases required students to use their skills of analysis and critical thinking to prepare for their examinations in chief, cross examinations and opening and closing speeches, ready to present their case on the day.

After a final day of preparation on Monday, where they were able to rehearse their parts with the kind assistance of barrister and Old Princethorpian, Lucy Coulson, students went head-to-head with other independent schools, including Westminster School and St George’s Ascot. Students not only demonstrated their superb oracy, but also excellent teamwork – and, most importantly, the ability to think on their feet – just like real barristers they had to be prepared to deal with the unexpected! 

Mrs Essery, Head of Law commented “I was immensely proud of the students – not only of their fantastic performance on the day – but also the hard work and commitment they demonstrated up to that point. They worked brilliantly together as a team, and all gained great experience of how the criminal justice system works, and of the skills and knowledge required for success in the legal profession.”

This year, due to issues arising from the pandemic, the competition took place virtually via Zoom – with the students being observed, given feedback and scored by real judges. Despite an outstanding performance, and definitely getting the better of their opponents on the day, the team just missed out on third place by a whisker – to teams in the other part of the draw. We hope to go again in the competition next year – this time in a real rather than virtual court room.

Team

This year’s Summer Art, Photography, Design and Textiles Show opened on Thursday 23 June with a special evening reception for the artists and their families, friends and guests. The displays remained on show until Sunday 26 June allowing visitors to the College’s Summer Fête and Motoring Festival to enjoy the superb standard of work this year’s GCSE and A-level pupils have produced.

Those who know the College will be familiar with its formidable reputation for quality Art and Design and the work at this year’s show was no exception. On display was work from pupils exploring a diverse range of mediums and themes. In the Sports Hall fascinating portraiture sat alongside superb studies, imaginative illustrations and phenomenal photography. Intermixed were intricately stitched dresses and jackets, showcasing this year’s Textiles pieces. Recycling or repurposing was a theme running through many Resistant Materials’ final products. Oil barrel chairs and BBQs sat alongside plenty of multipurpose furniture.  

Visitors were audibly impressed with what they saw, stopping to stare in wonder, exclaiming over the ingenuity and talent and enjoying the fine collection of work.

Our congratulations go to all our GCSE and A-level pupils for producing such a worthy display. Thanks go to the Art and Photography Department and the Design and Technology Department for all their support and inspiration to pupils this and every year and for putting together such an outstanding display.

The College’s exhibition was once again one of many venues across Coventry and Warwickshire taking part in Warwickshire Open Studios 2022.

The College’s annual Summer Fête and Motoring Festival is always a delightful afternoon. So much hard work goes into organising the event and the College is hugely grateful to our dedicated PTA who do such an excellent job every year.

Sunday 26 June was no exception. The Orchard was transformed thanks to plenty of enthusiasm, gazebos and bunting and the British weather remained warm and dry, allowing organisers and visitors to relax and enjoy themselves.

At the bottom of the Orchard there was line upon line of classic and unusual cars on show.  Polished to perfection by loving owners, proud to show off their prized vehicles, Hillman Imps sat alongside Morris Minors, Maseratis and TVRs and visitors wandered appreciatively in between, stopping to ask questions and admire their favourites.

An array of stalls offered all sorts of entertainment, goods and services, including homemade food, arts and crafts, gifts, fundraising activities, tombolas and so much more.  

A monumental number of burgers and sausages were barbequed and jugs full of Pimms poured and the crowds were entertained by members of the College’s Choir and Orchestra. 

What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and best of all, on the day, nearly £4,500 was raised which will benefit the learning of every pupil in the school.  Huge thanks to all the organisers and visitors, see you again next year for more fun!

Wednesday 14 September - 7.00pm

We enjoyed a lively discussion at our May meeting about Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout. As a great fan of Strout’s writing, I was interested to see that the rambling nature of the first person narrative and the preoccupation of the novel with much of the minutiae of life were a little off-putting to some. Others did not warm sufficiently to the character of Lucy Barton but at the very least the book generated some engaging discussion.

Our next meeting will not be until next term on Wednesday 14 September at 7.00pm, when we will be meeting in the library as usual. We are hoping to welcome some new members then. As we will have plenty of time before then, we have opted for a few books for this occasion, including Learning to Swim by Clare Chambers and Foster by Claire Keegan, as these are both authors we have enjoyed in the past. We have also opted for The Whale Rider by Witi Ihumaera. All these are short reads and there’s a bit of choice here for those who don’t have much time for reading.

I hope you’ll be able to join us in the new academic year. We are a warm and welcoming group of readers who are always ready to try something new. We look forward to hearing of fresh recommendations from others after their summer reading.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English

Tuesday 20 September - 7.30pm

On Tuesday 20 September at 7.30pm Dr Nick Baker will present a fascinating talk on the myth, legend or reality that was King Arthur.

It is thought that King Arthur was a British warrior who, in the late fifth and early sixth century, defended Britain against hordes of invading barbarians. Although early records for this military superman are few and far between, Arthur has featured in popular culture for centuries. Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Welsh cleric, famously promoted Arthur in his History of the Kings of Britain (1136), a history book which details the king’s birth at Tintagel Castle. Later still, Medieval romances speak of Arthur’s chivalrous behaviour, his Knights of the Round Table, Excalibur and the enigmatic Merlin. His bones were unearthed by the monks of Glastonbury in 1191, which formed part of an elaborate hoax to put Glastonbury on the map! Arthur has also been the subject of cinematic treats like Walt Disney’s The Sword in the Stone (1963), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981). 

This talk will attempt to introduce the historical evidence for Arthur and separate fact from fiction. It will also consider the diverse ways he has been portrayed in literature, art and film, over the centuries. The audience will then be able to make up their own minds about the ‘real’ King Arthur!  

The presentation will take place in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre.

You can reserve your place by clicking here 

We look forward to seeing you and enjoying the evening together.

For those families looking at entry to the College in September 2023 for their child, there are still several opportunities to visit the College before the registration deadline on Friday 30 September. 

Year 6 Taster Days

Parents of prospective pupils who have yet to attend a Taster Day can register their interest in their child attending one of our Year 6 Taster Days in September, by clicking here.

Open Morning
Thursday 22 September 10.30am to 12.30pm

The College's Open Morning will give prospective families a chance to visit the school on a normal working day, with Year 8 and 9 pupils acting as tour guides. Light refreshments will be available.

All are welcome please book your place by clicking here.

Entrance Examinations Day for September 2023 entry will take place on Saturday 5 November 2022 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The deadline for registrations, scholarship and bursary applications is Friday 30 September 2022.

If you have any questions please contact the Admissions Team on 01926 643201/262 or 297 or email admissions@princethorpe.co.uk.

One great way to relax, whether at home, or anywhere else on holiday, is by reading, and we hope you have already got some great books lined up and are possibly already in the middle of one. However, you might feel like something different to what you usually read, or not know where to start when it comes to choosing a book. The books on the book list attached here have been picked from a selection of new releases. There should be something to please everyone, whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction. We hope that you will choose a few of these to try over the summer holiday. We are looking forward to talking about what you have been reading when you arrive back in September.

Happy holiday reading.

Celia Scott and Karen O'Connor
College Librarians

Thursday 18 August 2022 – A-level results

School will be open at 8.00am. Results will be published to My School Portal at 9.00am. 

Thursday 25 August 2022 – GCSE results

School will open at 9.00am. Results will be published to My School Portal at 10.00am. 

Full details will be sent to all pupils who sat exams in the summer by Monday 8 July.

Results cannot be given out over the phone. If a student is unable to collect their results in person and wishes to nominate a third party, the Examinations Officer must be informed before the end of July. The student must email: examinations@princethorpe.co.uk from their school email address. Information to be included is:

In order to collect the results, photographic ID must be provided.

Shellagh Dodds
Examinations Officer

Please click for here the summer holiday homework expectations.

Thank you 

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning

Recovery And Wellbeing Academy Online Courses

There are some very useful online courses run by the Recovery and Wellbeing Academy, free of charge, through a partnership of organisations across Coventry and Warwickshire.

These include courses such as 'Understanding and Supporting School Aged Children who Self-harm' , 'Understanding Self-esteem in Children and Young People' and 'Understanding and Supporting Children Aged 12+ Years with Anxiety'.

For more details, please see their website https://www.recoveryandwellbeing.co.uk, email Recovery.Academy@covwarkpt.nhs.uk or call 0300 303 2626.

Kind regards, 

Mrs Beth Sharpe
Deputy Head - Pastoral

The Right Reverend William Kenny, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Birmingham will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in the College Chapel on Friday 3 March 2023.

Fr Alan Whelan MSC and Mrs Mary Benham, our wonderful Chaplaincy Team, share this End of Term Prayer for Students with us:

Gracious God, as we come to the end of the academic year we give thanks:

for the teaching and learning that has taken place both in and outside of the classroom;

for the gifts and talents that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced and overcome.

for the burdens lifted and the hurts that have been healed;

for the strength and courage to do what is right and for the care shown to us by others;

for the friendships made and strengthened;

for overcoming the daily struggles of life and for the days when a kind word lifted our spirits;

for the love of family and friends;

for the teachers who have accompanied us on our educational journey;

for the staff unknown to us who prepare our food, clean our classrooms and work on tasks unknown to us and unseen;

for staff who give of their time to run out of school activities;

for the holidays to be enjoyed over the coming weeks, keep us safe in our activities;

for our students awaiting the results of their GCSE and A Level exams;

for the students who are leaving us to go on to university, further studies or apprenticeships;

for the cherished memories of the past year.

May we return in September renewed and refreshed from our holidays, keen and eager to learn, to give of our best and to be kind to one another.  We make our prayer through Christ Our Lord. 

Amen

The Lower Sixth are enjoying being back in the Sixth Form Centre and are now looking forward to the final few days of the Summer Term.

I am pleased to confirm an update on the car parking situation for Sixth Form students. There are currently 22 bays and permits have been issued to qualifying students. More bays will be added over the summer, and should the number required exceed capacity a system of shared bays will be introduced.

UCAS Offers

For advice on replying to university offers or anything careers related please contact Mrs Quinney directly by email at jacquiquinney@princethorpe.co.uk.

Lower Sixth Reminders

Lower Sixth Trip to Alton Towers

Monday 4 July 2022

Personal Statement Workshop in the Sixth Form Centre

Tuesday 5 July from 9.00am until 1.00pm followed by sporting activities

Lower Sixth BBQ for parents and students

Tuesday 5 July 2022 from 5.00pm to 6.30pm

With best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable summer break.

Ben Collie 
Head of Sixth Form 

We would like to remind Sixth Form students that high standards of personal appearance and presentation are expected of them at all times. Our Sixth Formers are the main ambassadors of the College and role models for the lower school pupils.

Please click here to download a copy of the dress code. If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of items you purchase during the summer, please retain receipts and consult myself, Mr Vella or Mrs Allen before you wear them.

Please pay close attention to the sanctions which will be incurred if you do not adhere to the dress code.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form

If you are a parent of a Lower Sixth student and are trying to support them with the overwhelming choice available to them, then this guide might help here.

If you missed my presentation at our recent Higher Education Parents Evening then you can find it here 

For individual queries or guidance about anything to do with university applications, gap years or applying for apprenticeships and jobs, please contact me directly via email.

I'm always happy to meet parents on Teams. 

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers

Many thanks for your help over the past year or so in helping your son/daughter find some work experience; I do hope it has been beneficial, as it can help so much with career, reference and course planning in the future. This last two years has, of course, been rather difficult with the COVID situation, but there have been over 90 placements arranged, and a lot completed, which is great.

If you have already let me know of a placement (either to come this summer or which has already taken place) then I already have the details and have sent out the relevant paperwork. If you have recently arranged a placement and haven’t forwarded the details, please could you let me know and I can then confirm and forward the necessary forms?

Once again, thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Mike Taylor
Work Experience Co-ordinator

Sunday 3 July

It's a long road... 

Princethorpe students in Lower Sixth will be walking up a storm this Sunday 3 July as they take on the 24/7 Challenge in aid of Mary's Meals, the amazing charity that can feed a child for a year for just £15.90. With over 40 pupils and more than a dozen staff taking part plus many parent helpers on checkpoints there is strong support for the event that is in its 12th year.  

Beginning at 8.00am at the Queen's Head Pub in Meriden the walkers will follow the official Coventry Way route for 17 miles until Ryton and then branch out on a figure of eight route for a little over 7 miles for the remainder to end at Princethorpe College sometime around 4.00pm. This year the route distance has been carefully recalibrated to equal exactly 24.7 miles. 

Please use this link below to our fundraising page if you would like to support the fundraising for Mary's Meals. The charity commits to using 93p in every £1 on their hands on work feeding hungry children in their place of education. We are not far from this year's target to feed every child at Makalanga School in Malawi. Anything over and above this will go to Mary's Meals vital work providing food for children in Yemen and Tigray as well as next year's fundraising for Makalanga. 

giving.marysmeals.org/en_gb/projects/vt0p-princethorpe-5-makalanga

Pre-season hockey training will take place this summer and is open to all girls, no matter their ability. Pupils are to attend the sessions for the age/year group they will be in for September 2022. 

Wednesday 31 August 2022 - 4.00pm-5.45pm - U14 and U15 

Thursday 01 September 2022 - 4.00pm-5.45pm - U13 and Seniors (Year 11,12 & 13)

Friday 02 September 2022 - 3.30pm-5.30pm - U13, U14 and U15

These pre-season sessions, tournaments and matches are vital to ensure we are ready for the upcoming season, and we hope to see as many girls there as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact Miss Law at jenlaw@princethorpe.co.uk

There are still a handful of places available for boys’ rugby summer rugby training, taking place on Tuesday 30 August, Wednesday 31 August and Thursday 01 September.

Please email peterbucknall@princethorpe.co.uk for further information if you would wish to come along.

Next term your child will be taking part in rugby and hockey and following national governing body and school guidelines, it is compulsory that your child wears a mouthguard during these sports.

Therefore, in the interest of your child’s safety, we have invited OPRO, who specialise in the provision of custom made mouthguards, to visit the school on:

Thursday 8 September from 12.30pm – 3.45pm

On that day the OPRO dental team will take impressions of all pupils who want to be fitted and the finished mouthguards will then be delivered back to your home address approximately 7 working days later.

OPRO offer a number of benefits with their service:

• Prices start from £39.99
• Our exclusive school design mouthguards are priced at £44.99 and can be found at the following links:

https://opro.info/PrincethorpeCollege

• Buy one mouthguard and get a second mouthguard for half price
• Your child will receive a complimentary Snap-Fit mouthguard at the dental visit so they have something to use whilst they wait for their Custom mouthguard to be delivered
• Each mouthguard comes with a dental warranty which covers up to £22,500
• Your child’s name and the school name will be included on the mouthguard and case
• OPRO store all of the models in case a replacement is required
• All mouthguards carry the CE mark

If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity and have your child fitted, please place an order with OPRO on their website www.opro.com.

If you have any questions about the products or OPRO’s service please contact their customer care team directly on 01442 430690 or email info@oprogroup.com.

Once all the bookings have been confirmed we will inform you or the time slot that your child will be having their fitting.

Pupils do not need a custom made mouth guard to participate in sport.  They can use mouthguards that can be purchased from the school shop or any sports shop

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport

Thursday 15 September 2022
Sixth Form Centre Dining Room - 7.00pm

The PTA extend a warm welcome to all, and hope you will be able to join us for cheese and wine at the PTA AGM on Thursday 16 September at 7.00pm.

The AGM will give new and current parents an opportunity to find out what the PTA does for the school, and how you could help us by supporting activities such as Open Days and the Christmas Fair and Summer Fête.

There will be an opportunity to meet other parents, those who are new to the PTA and existing members. We have a number of parents who are involved in the PTA to differing degrees. As well as welcoming those parents who may wish to join us on the committee – we also very much welcome parents who may be able to spare an hour supporting the fairs or welcoming visitors to the school on Open Days. It really is an excellent way to get involved with school life, and you can offer as little or as much of your time as you feel is possible.

Our main aim is to provide the ‘extras’ for the school which are very much appreciated by pupils and staff alike; we support events such as Trips, House Activities Day, Planet Princethorpe, the Library and hopefully the proms which the children missed out on last year. 

If you are interested and would like to discuss what is involved in being on the PTA please feel free contact the Committee at pta@princethorpe.co.uk. 

We hope you will be able to join us on the night and very much look forward to meeting you.

Princethorpe PTA

Please note that all peripatetic music and LAMDA lessons will finish for the year on Friday 1 July. Pupils must remove all their musical instruments from the school premises before the summer holidays.

If you have any questions, please contact me via email on felicitycoulson@princethorpe.co.uk. Thank you for your support with this matter.

Mrs Felicity Coulson
Peripatetic Co-ordinator for Music and LAMDA

Henry and his brother Isaac joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford last month. Following some pretty tough auditions, they have been successful in gaining roles in the company and will perform as Princes Edward and York in the new Play Richard III.

Henry performed on opening night last week and will be busy performing in the play throughout the summer until the beginning of October. We wish them all the best for these amazing roles and hope they enjoy the whole experience of being on stage in such a fantastic environment.  

Well done to all Gold, Silver and Bronze participants who have completed their qualifying expedition over the last couple of weeks. Good luck to the rest of Year 9 on the Bronze B trip, full details regarding the expedition have been distributed via email.

Your expedition assessors will upload your assessor reports onto eDofE for you before the end of term. In the meantime, please continue to sign off your volunteering, physical and skills sections. For gold participants, prioritise booking your residential.

Please could all expedition kit borrowed from school be returned by the end of term. A large amount of equipment is still to be returned to the school store. Please return to the PE Office or the Student Hub, label the items with your name so we are able to sign them back in.

The History, Politics and Design and Technology Departments' Residential Trip to New York and Washington will take place between Saturday 21 October and Saturday 28 October 2023. Please click here for more information.

Please see below our current vacancies: 

Princethorpe College

• PA to Deputy Head Pastoral and Pastoral Office Manager
• Evening Caretaker
• Weekend Painter/Decorator

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.

Please find below the Term Dates for 2021-22 and 2022-23, including the forthcoming Bank Holidays.

2021-22 (two page document)

2022-23 (two page document) 

2023-24 (two page document)