The Flagpole

I am delighted to be able to share our newly published Environmental Sustainability Plan with you. A huge amount of work has been done by so many staff and pupils to put this plan together and I hope it gives you a really good insight into what we are doing and what we are aiming to achieve in the future.

You will be aware that the UK government has set ambitious plans to achieve Net Zero. In parallel, the Princethorpe Foundation is taking its own steps on the journey to sustainability. Our ambition is to become carbon neutral, whilst making sure that our environment is safe, fit for-purpose and healthy. Our aim is to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as we emit. Firstly, by reducing our emissions as much as possible and secondly, by offsetting what we do emit.

As part of our journey towards net zero, we have measured the Foundation’s carbon footprint and we will further refine these metrics to measure our progress.

We feel optimistic about joining the fight to build a better future for us all and for the planet, and we are determined to engage and play an active part in the sustainability solution. As part of this we have a central role in educating all our stakeholders about the importance of environmental sustainability. We want our school communities to clearly understand the current global issues and embrace the solutions.

By mobilising our pupils with the requisite knowledge, skills and the desire to effect positive change, we know that the next generation will become the creative problem-solvers of the future.

You will see from the plan that we are working hard to embed environmental sustainability into our thinking and actions in nine key areas and it is particularly heartening to see the high levels of engagement from our pupils. This week the Environmental Sustainability Board approved our plans and we are delighted to share them with you here. We would welcome feedback on the plan from all stakeholders via our new netzero@princethorpe.co.uk email address.

Finally I would like pay tribute and thank our Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, who has led the project for the Foundation and chaired our Environmental Sustainability Board so capably. As Alex retires at the end of April I am delighted to take over this role and spearhead our future work in the area

E D Hester 

This week sees a few important highlights and notices as we head towards the Easter break. Following a rigorous and extended process, the new prefect body for 2024-25 was announced. Congratulations go to all the successful candidates, and I am delighted to announce our new Heads of School as Megan Shipton and Seb Bainbridge. They will be supported by Ruby Clark, Jemima Teeton, Blessing Katanda, and Oscar Reynolds as Deputy Heads of School. We will formally welcome all new prefects to their new roles, and say farewell to the outgoing body, on the final day of term.

The free trial for School’s Mobile ends at the end of this month. There is an activation clinic taking place next week with more information in the Pastoral section in this edition of the Flagpole. It is an excellent app to support parents with managing their children’s online behaviour. Please do contact Mr Compton if you have any queries.

Tomorrow sees our 1st XI Football team play in the ISFA Cup semi-final. This is a fantastic achievement, and we wish them all the best. Kick-off is scheduled for 11.00am in the Orchard and I know they will appreciate as much home support as possible. Our sport has experienced a very strong term with the U15 Rugby team losing their semi-final in the national cup narrowly last week. We are also due to host our friends from Holland on their annual, reciprocal Hockey tour. Part of this enriching experience is that we billet the players with Princethorpe families. Our pupils have the same experience when we visit them. We are still looking for a few families that can support us with hosting. Most of the supervising and meals are provided by the College, so the impact on hosting families is very manageable. If you can host, could I ask you to please get in touch with Mr McCollin at neilmccollin@princethorpe.co.uk who can provide further details.

Finally, we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jules Chevallier, founder of the MSCs, the religious order who established Princethorpe College in 1966. There are various events and activities planned for next week, as it is important to reflect on our history and the values of the founders of our school. Do keep an eye on social media where more information will be posted as we move through the week. It is also worth noting the “save the date” from our PTA who are busy planning a big social event in the summer. Details are in this Flagpole.

With best wishes

Grove du Toit
Headmaster

The Foundation's new advertising campaign, which launches next week across a variety of media, takes a joined-up approach to communicate the values and ethos of a Princethorpe Foundation education to prospective parents and pupils.

The new Foundation for Life campaign has been developed to highlight that our schools provide more than just an education, preparing pupils with the skills, learning and experiences which will put them on the road to happy and fulfilled lives. The concept underscores the unique strength of the Foundation and that there is a Princethorpe Foundation setting for every stage of a child’s educational journey. It also incorporates a gentle play on words.

Using a distinctive new graphic style emphasising the Tower icon, alongside eye-catching photography, the individual school logos and palette of Foundation brand colours, plus a new gold Foundation colour, the campaign is designed to be both visually impactful and incorporate strong messaging. Text panels emphasise that every individual is valued and that our family of schools aim to nurture, inspire and challenge our pupils to achieve great things.

Comments Melanie Butler, Foundation Assistant Head for Marketing, Admissions and Communications, "We have long wanted an overarching Foundation advertising campaign that encapsulates what the Foundation offers as a whole, as well as being adaptable to the personalities and nature of the individual school or nursery settings.

"Foundation Marketing and Communications Executive, Jo Flowers, and I have really enjoyed developing the campaign with the help of Marketing Consultant and OP, Nigel Bromley and our designer, Debbie McLaughlin. We hope the campaign will resonate not only with prospectives in terms of what they are looking for from a school or Foundation for their child, but with the whole Princethorpe community - staff, parents, pupils and Old Princethorpians alike."

Timed to coincide with the launch of Princethorpe’s 2025 admissions cycle, the Marketing Team will be working over the coming weeks to roll the campaign out across digital, outdoor and traditional media for all the Foundation schools. 

Check out the first of our advert concepts in the gallery!

Following a rigorous selection process Princethorpe College is delighted to announce that next year’s senior prefects have been chosen. Our congratulations go to Seb Bainbridge and Megan Shipton who will be Princethorpe’s new Heads of School. Working closely alongside them, will be Ruby Clark, Blessing Katanda, Oscar Reynolds and Jemima Teeton who have all been appointed as Deputies.

The positions of Heads of School are the most senior student roles in the College, they are the leaders of our pupil community and provide an important link between pupils and staff.

Reacting to the news of their appointment, the Senior Prefects said, "We are thrilled about our appointments and look forward to serving and representing the Princethorpe student body."

The full Prefect team will be announced shortly, their inauguration will take place on the last day of term, Friday 22 March, and they will begin their new roles after the Easter break.

All our Sixth Formers play an ambassadorial role within the school and at high profile public events such as Open Days and Entrance Exams, led by the Prefect team they act as important role models for the wider school community.

Congratulations to Ben Smith, in the Lower Sixth, who is the ISA National Cross Country Champion and to Grace Darcey, in the Upper Sixth, who placed second in the Senior Girls race to claim the Silver medal.

After qualifying at the regional championships at Bedstone College, ten Princethorpe pupils travelled to Worksop College, in Nottinghamshire, on Saturday 2 March, to represent the Midlands in the ISA National Championships. They were on excellent form with five pupils finishing in the top ten and two earning themselves prized positions on the podium.

In the Senior Boys race, Ben delivered an outstanding performance finishing first across the line to take a well-deserved Gold Medal, hot on his heels but just missing a medal, in 4th place, was Upper Sixth Former, Will Harrison. In the Senior Girls race, Grace ran determinedly to finish second overall claiming herself a Silver Medal while Upper Sixth Former, Natasha Thomas finished not far behind in 8th.

All of Princethorpe’s pupils put in fantastic performances. In the Inter Girls race, Year 10, Lily Hunter finished 9th overall while in the Inter Boys, Year 10, Charlie Atkins was 25th. For the Junior Girls, Year 8, Issey Cleary was 14th. Then in the Minor Boys race, Year 7 pupil, Rufus Jones was 13th and for the Minor Girls, Year 7s, Esme Card finished 11th and Ellie Gane 16th.

Head of Outdoor Education, and PE Teacher, Will Bower, said, "It was good to see the College so well represented at the ISA National Championships. Well done to all of our competitors, we saw some excellent personal performances in tough races. I am delighted with the results."

It was fantastic to see OP Mike Cleary (Class of 1986) at the ISA event, he is pictured here with his daughter Year 8 Issey and the College's former Director of Sport, Gwil Price. 

Year 7 pupils Rufus, Esme and Ellie were in action one day later as well, at the Year 7 National Cross Country Championships where they delivered another excellent performance.

Next Friday, 15 March, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Father Jules Chevalier, the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC). It was the MSC who established Princethorpe College in 1966 when they purchased St Mary’s Priory from the Benedictine nuns, so it is safe to say that our school would not be here today had it not been for Father Chevalier’s remarkable life and dedication to his mission. We are very much looking forward to celebrating his life in school next week with special activities, assemblies and a display of archive items.

Jules Chevalier was born on 15 March 1824 in Richelieu, France. His upbringing was not a wealthy one, and in order to support the family’s finances the young Jules left school early to become an apprentice to a shoemaker. Although Jules wished to enter religious life, his family could not afford the fees for him to attend the seminary; however, when he was 17, his father’s employer kindly offered to cover the costs and enabled him to fulfil his vocation to the priesthood.

Following his ordination, Father Chevalier served as curate in three different parishes before being sent to the town of Issoudun, which at that time was known as the most de-Christianised community in the diocese. Also serving as curate in the parish was Father Chevalier’s close friend from the seminary, Father Emile Maugenest.

Since his time at the seminary, Father Chevalier had had a vision of a group of people dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus who would bring a message of love and hope to the world around them. At that time, France was experiencing considerable unrest in the aftermath of the French Revolution, with increasing levels of apathy and even hostility towards religion. Father Chevalier saw the love of the Sacred Heart as the remedy to these issues. Together with Father Maugenest, who shared his vision, he resolved to found a religious congregation of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

Before embarking on their project, Father Chevalier and Father Maugenest sought a sign from God that this was His will. Their prayers were answered by two generous donations from anonymous benefactors; these gave them the affirmation and the means they needed to make Father Chevalier’s vision a reality, and the two priests formed the first community of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1854.

From its humble beginnings in a former vineyard in Issoudun, with a barn which was renovated to become the first MSC chapel, the MSC quickly grew across Europe and beyond. Father Chevalier lived to see his mission extending to America, Indonesia, Australia and the Pacific Islands before his death in 1907.

Father Chevalier’s vision lives on through the work of his extended MSC family, now present in over 50 countries around the world, who continue to share the message of God’s love for humankind. We look forward to celebrating with them next week as we give thanks for the life and mission of Father Jules Chevalier.

At the end of January, 11 Lower Sixth students took part in the online Senior Physics Challenge set by the University of Oxford’s British Physics Olympiad team. Across the country, almost 6,000 pupils from 297 schools participated in the competition, where 40 tricky multiple-choice questions are answered on a variety of Physics topics within a 50-minute time limit.

Congratulations go to: Joseph Baker, Ruby Clark, Leo Flannery, Jack Fleming, Louise Gambling, Seb Hume-Chignell, Ollie Hutton, Blessing Katanda, Giorgio Kleinmann and Anjola Okusanya, who all achieved a Bronze certificate. Special mentions to Leo, Jack, Ollie and Anjola, who were just one mark off a Silver certificate.

Then, 44 Year 11 pupils took part in the online Intermediate Physics Challenge, which also asks a series of challenging multiple-choice questions within a time limit. Just over 5,000 young physicists from 171 schools participated. Congratulations to all the Princethorpe pupils who took part but in particular to Max Phillips-Gore and Louis Yuen, (pictured) who both received a Gold certificate, the highest achievable award.

Congratulations to the Upper Sixth Form students who took part in this year’s British Biology Olympiad, that is organised by the Royal Society of Biology.

Designed to challenge and inspire, it offers the opportunity for biology students to develop their thinking and problem-solving skills and test their knowledge of biology across and beyond the A-level Biology specification.

The results of this year’s competition have now been received and the four students who took part in the 2024 British Biology Olympiad have all been awarded certificates. Lola Ashley and Rahul Samra received Bronze awards, while Lauren Bach and Alice Whittaker were awarded Commended. They faced tough national competition, and we congratulate all four on their success.

The British Army STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) outreach team visited Princethorpe College this week to deliver a series of workshops to Year 9 pupils.

The curriculum aligned interactive workshops gave pupils a chance to test their critical thinking, teamwork, perseverance, and leadership skills to overcome real-world challenges.

Pupils participated in one of three workshops. In the first, ‘Disaster Relief’, the scene was set with a video of the 2005 earthquake that devastated Kathmandu, Nepal. The pupils’ task was to provide much needed humanitarian aid in the aftermath of the natural disaster and it required the teams to build a Lego Mindstorms robot (with no instructions) from scratch, programme it and use it to locate people trapped beneath the rubble caused by the earthquake.

The second workshop, ‘Who’s the Hacker?’ challenged pupils to solve a puzzle using mathematical skill and logic. The teams had to plot the co-ordinates of mobile phone masts on a map, then use the range of each mast to determine who used their phones where and when, decipher codes to read encrypted messages, eliminate suspects and use evidence to deduce who the hacker was.

The third workshop, ‘Rocket Car’ introduced the Bloodhound Land Speed Record attempt, pupils learnt about rocket cars, and the foundational STEM principles behind them before moving on to the challenge of working in teams to design, build and launch their own rocket cars made out of a foam block, axels and wheels. They even assembled the rocket cartridges and were able to record real-time data such as their car's speed for analysis.

Year 9 engaged brilliantly with the activities, showing their competitive sides whilst being creative and working outside of their comfort zones. Pupils were enthusiastic in the sessions learning a lot.

Thank you to British Army STEM team for coming to join us and to all the staff who were involved in the organisation and delivery of the two-day event.

Back in February, pupils from Princethorpe College took part in the 2024 UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Intermediate Challenge, a prestigious national problem-solving competition that recognises the best young mathematicians in the country.

The Challenge involves answering multiple choice questions and is sat under normal school exam conditions. This year the challenge was taken on-line and the best pupils in the country were awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold Certificates.

The competition is aimed at Years 9, 10 and 11 and 77 Princethorpe pupils were selected to take part. It is a demanding exercise designed to stretch and test pupils’ mathematical skills, so the College is delighted that once again Princethorpe’s mathematicians achieved exceptional results.

Congratulations to Dylan Williams in Year 11, who was awarded a Gold certificate, and took the award for best performing pupil in school. Dylan Williams, Daniel Ovens Gibbs, Jay Patil and Zach Hawkins all performed so well that they have qualified for the follow-on round, the Intermediate Kangaroo challenge.

Gold certificate: Dylan Williams, Daniel Ovens Gibbs, Jay Patil, Zach Hawkins, Samuel Divers, Jesse Esler, Amelia Chard and William Gower

Silver certificate: Kathryn Flegg, Leo May, Olivia Monk, Thomas Leret, Anna Johnson, Sean Birtley, Andrei Bodorin, Jorja Parris, Oliver Baker, Daniel Taylor, Louis Reynolds, Jessica Eddleston, Jessica Sarkies and Isabel Barnes

Bronze certificate: Harriet Sarkies, Arabella Pinder, Jonjo Boyle, Lucas Summers, Henry Sparkes, Mark Message, Luchia Oatridge, Georgina Sowter, Sebastian Darch, Abbas Hazra-Omer, Teni Okusanya, Henry Curnow, William Sutton, Mohammad Abedi, Emilia Parmenter, Jessica Murphy, Joseph Sheeran, Alexander Sykes, Benjamin Jones, Ewan Pearce, Oliver Hawkins, Frederick Knott, Luke Abrahamson, Abigail Mandava, Eloise Maffey, Thomas Zanyi, Sophie Nicolle, Eve O'Brien, Aaron Cooper and Olivia Wilde

Well done all and many thanks to all the pupils who took part, we hope you enjoyed the challenge.

Theo Scoutas
Post 16 Mathematics Co-ordinator

The Cross Country Squad had a super afternoon at this year’s Shrewsbury Spring Relays, on Wednesday 6 March. The sport of cross country running originated at Shrewsbury School, so it was a wonderful opportunity for our College runners to compete against some serious opposition in one of the final school races of the season.

A team of 21 travelled to Attingham Park to compete in the Senior Boys, Open Girls, Junior Boys and Mixed relay races.

The Mixed team claimed a Bronze for Princethorpe against a talented field with Ben Smith leading the way, followed by Jess Evans, Charlie Atkins, Natasha Thomas, Felix Batty and Grace Darcy. They ran the course in an overall team time of 47:03 minutes. Ben delivered the second fastest boys’ lap at 6:40 minutes while Grace was the third fastest girl at 7:34 minutes. Captain Grace ran a remarkable anchor leg almost claiming the team Silver on the line.

The Senior Boys just missed a medal finishing fourth overall with Ben Smith, Will Smith, Freddie Hadley, Tom Windley, Charlie Atkins and Felix Batty completing the course in 48:06 minutes.

For the Junior Boys, Mark Message, Toby Iley, James Bostock, Abbas Hazra-Omer, Sam Grindal and Soren Wasley all ran well against quality opposition finishing in 50:15 minutes to claim fifth place.

Princethorpe’s Girls did just as well, with the A team coming fifth after Jess Evans, Natasha Thomas, Delilah Teeton and Grace Darcy completed the course in 36:33 minutes and the B team eighth, with Penelope Jones, Marley Adnitt, Anabel Davis and Grace McCollin finishing in 39:04 minutes.

It was a fantastic afternoon’s effort by all and a wonderful send off for our Upper Sixth runners, Grace, Jess and Natasha, whose commitment to running over the last seven years at Princethorpe has been extraordinary.

Meet our new Junior House Leaders who will be supporting House Activities Leader, Miss O’Gorman, the House Activities Co-Ordinators, and the House Captains. They will be developing their leadership, teamwork, and communication skills by championing House activities with fellow pupils.

Our new Junior House Leaders were in action last week enthusiastically supporting the House Pancake Challenge, next week they have an exciting new House Competition to promote, House Of Games.

The House teams are looking forward to working with them all - well done everybody!

Austin House
Izzy Johnson (7)
Dami Ajagunna (8)
Evelyn Waterworth (7)
Adelaide Teeton (7)

Benet House
Josh Gorbutt (10)
Penny Thomas (7)
Zach Darare (7)
Evie Johnson (8)

Fisher House
Sam McCormick (7)
Gilbert Millward-Boyton (7)
Megan Thandi (10)
Delilah Clay (7)

More House
Lola Foulteron (10)
Jonjo Boyle (10)
Lola Esler (9)
Jess Sarkies (10)

Our Year 10 scientists had a fascinating and informative day when they attended GCSE Science Live at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Monday 26 February.

62 pupils had the chance to hear from five of Britain’s top scientists all working at the cutting edge of their specialisms. Their speakers included, the renowned Professor Lord Robert Winston, geneticist, Professor Steve Jones, material scientist, Dr Anna Ploszajski, theoretical nuclear physicist, Professor Jim Al-Khalili and, neuroscientist, Dr Hannah Critchlow, talking on topics as diverse as IVF, Swimming the English Channel, Time Travel and Consciousness.

Pupils also heard from Lead Examiner, Stewart Chenery, who led two sessions full of tips and guidance on how to improve GCSE science examination performance.

The day provided excellent curriculum enrichment together with inspirational insights into how science offers solutions for many of the world’s great problems.

At lunchtime, on Monday 4 March, we recognised and celebrated the many pupils who have risen to the challenge of the College’s ethos. 70 pupils from across the College came together to enjoy a celebratory buffet lunch. All had been nominated by their teachers; some had excelled or showed commitment to sport, performing arts, co-curricular or charity work, whilst others had gone over and above in their academic studies. All were an outstanding example for their peers. Headmaster, Grove du Toit thanked each and every one of them, recognising the commitment and effort and all that they do to enrich school life. A huge well done to them all. You can find out more here.

Saturday 16 March - 10.00am to 12.00pm

Crescent School, Princethorpe's prep school in Bilton, Rugby, is holding an Open Morning on Saturday 16 March. Come and find out why Crescent School has been judged 'Excellent' in all areas by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. It's a great opportunity for prospective families considering Crescent School to come and have a look around and get a feel for the school. There will also be opportunities to speak to pupils, key members of staff and to meet Mr Thackway, Headmaster.

To find out more and to book your visit to Crescent School visit our website here.

There are a number of opportunities to visit the school during the course of the year. We encourage prospective parents and pupils to visit us both formally and informally to get a true flavour of the school.

Most of our pupils enter at Reception and at Year 3, though pupils are welcome at any age, dependent on a place being available. The school is proving popular so parents are being encouraged to apply early for places in Reception. 

Applications for places in the current Reception to Year 6 are treated on an individual basis. We are currently operating waiting groups in most year groups. Please get in touch with our Registrar, Mrs Helen Morley, regarding our availability for September 2024. 

We are now taking registrations for September 2025 entry to Reception and Year 3. 

Saturday 16 March - 12.00pm to 2.30pm 

Princethorpe College will be hosting its first Arts Festival on Saturday 16 March from 12.00pm to 2.30pm. All are welcome for a celebration of the arts and performing arts at Princethorpe, with displays of art, drama, music and more.

Entry is free; however, we would appreciate if you would book a ticket in advance of the event. Please click here.

We hope to see you there!

Tuesday 19 March - 2.00pm to 4.00pm

To mark St Joseph's Day on Tuesday 19 March, Crackley Hall School is holding a St Joseph’s Day Mass.

We cordially invite all former St Joseph's and Crackley Hall pupils and former staff to join us. The Mass will take place from 2.00pm to 3.00pm and afterwards there will be light refreshments for visitors and an opportunity to tour the school.

More information will be shared with all those registered before the event takes place.

To register please go to Princethorpe Connect.

Tuesday 19 March 2024 - 7.30pm to 10.00pm

Mrs Margaret-Louise O'Keeffe, former Deputy Head - Pastoral at the College, is delighted to join us once again to delve into the life of Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionism’s Mystery Man.

This talk, which will be her last, is specifically in honour of Alex Darkes who is retiring after 45 years of service at Princethorpe, and also in celebration of the Arts Society which he co-founded in 1995.

Who knows Caillebotte? Where does he come from? In what school was he trained? No one has been able to tell me. All I know is that Caillebotte is one of the most original painters to have come forward in some time, and I am not afraid I shall compromise myself by predicting that he will be famous before long.

So wrote the critic, Marius Chaumelin, after first seeing Caillebotte’s striking works in the Impressionist Exhibition of 1876. The prediction was correct for Caillebotte did become famous, not just as an artist but as an indispensable organiser, financier and publicist of other Impressionist Exhibitions and then also as a  patron and collector. As a wealthy man who never needed to work thanks to his family’s fortune, Caillebotte kept most his paintings or donated them to friends and, ironically, this led to a long period of neglect when his innovative cityscapes, portraits, still-lifes and landscapes were not on public view.

The dramatic purchase by the Art Institute of Chicago of his sensational Paris Street: Rainy Day in 1964 changed everything and led to a revaluation of his work. Before then, he was best known for the ultra-generous donation to the French state of major Impressionist works he had purchased, a donation which required his executors to negotiate patiently to persuade some intransigent officials to accept them.

This talk will illustrate the intriguing oeuvre of this unusual character, so aware of his own mortality, who died aged 45 in 1894.

Click here to book your place.

Friday 22 March 2024

Parents of students elected to serve on the Prefect Body, for the term of office which commences at the start of the Trinity Term 2024, will have received an invitation from the Headmaster inviting them to attend the Sixth Form Leadership Inauguration and Award Ceremony.

The ceremony takes place on Friday 22 March 2024 at 2.35pm, in the Sports Hall, as part of our final assembly of the term, and will be followed by afternoon tea and light refreshments in the Sixth Form Centre.

Replies will be due in by Friday 15 March.

Saturday 15 June 2024

The PTA are planning a Summer Party on Saturday 15 June. More information will be coming out shortly so please keep your diary free for what promises to be a fun and enjoyable evening!

Follow our social media pages to stay up to date:

Facebook - PTAPrincethorpe

Instagram - @PrincethorpePTA

X (Twitter) - @PrincethorpePta

There is now a channel on the Whole School Team for pupils where there will be a monthly menu of challenge activities.

Each month a new menu of activities will be provided. March activities are all related to women as March is International Women's History Month. 

Pupils do not have to complete all the activities. They are available to all pupils in all years, so they can investigate areas that interest them - most areas of the school curriculum are covered each month with the aim that all areas are included over the whole year.

Pupils can do these activities in their own time and in prep - or any quiet moment when they are looking for something to do.

These activities are designed to widen pupils' experience and understanding, they are not always directly linked to what they are learning about, but provide culture capital and broader learning experiences. Pupils can simply click on the links in the Challenge Curriculum channel on the Whole School Team to access the materials and are welcome to take it further from there.

Summer Exam Season

All pupils have been given their personal exam statement of entry. Timetables and, nearer the time, allocated rooms can be viewed on the pupil and parent portals.

A few pupils have exam clashes, and will be contacted over the next couple of weeks to discuss a resolution. A clash of exams only occurs when two exams for different subjects are timetabled to start at the same time on the same day.

Where two exams for the same subject are timetabled to start at the same time on the same day, they will be taken one after the other. This applies to GCSE History, IGCSE French, IGCSE Spanish and A-level Maths.

All candidates have now received an email with a link to the Candidate Handbook, which contains important information about the summer exam season. All candidates should complete this form to confirm they have read the handbook by Friday 15 March.

A copy of the Candidate Handbook can be accessed here.

Year 11 Mock Exam Reports will be published on Friday 15 March 2024, and will be available to view on My School Portal.

The Year 11 Subject Progress and Sixth Form Admissions Q&A evening will take place in person, on Thursday 21 March 2024 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. Details of how to book appointments will be emailed next week.

As you will know, Princethorpe College is working with SchoolsMobile to offer parents an easy way to add ready-made, age appropriate settings and filtering to your child's device.

To support setup of the SchoolsMobile system, and answer any questions from parents, SchoolsMobile will be running online setup clinics on the following dates and times:

Thursday 14 March 2024 - 10.00am
Thursday 14 March 2024 - 7.00pm

These clinics will be conducted online, providing a valuable opportunity to learn how to activate your SchoolsMobile account and address any questions you may have regarding the policies it offers. Feel free to drop in for as long as you need to gather all the information you require and have any queries answered by their experts.

To register for the activation clinic, please click on the following link:  

https://schoolsmobile.com/princethorpe-dropin-clinics/

For more information on SchoolsMobile, please go to https://schoolsmobile.com/princethorpe/ 

The SchoolsMobile team look forward to seeing you online.

To assist in achieving its aim of raising awareness, understanding and learning about different faiths, the Warwick District Faiths Forum, which Foundation trustee, Jatinder Birdi is involved in, has arranged a Faiths Trail to visit different places of worship on Saturday 20 April 2024.

The Faiths Trail is free to attend and everyone is invited, which will enable people to walk, talk and learn about different faiths.

Please see the attached flyer here for further information.

Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC would like to invite you to participate in any or all of the services that will take place during the season of Lent.

Sunday 24 March    
Palm Sunday Mass               8.30am St Anne's, Wappenbury
                                         10.30am Princethorpe College

Thursday 28 March              
Maunday Thursday Mass      7.00pm Princethorpe College

Friday 29 March                
Good Friday Service             3.00pm Princethorpe College

Sunday 31 March - Easter Sunday           
First Mass of Easter              8.30am St Anne's, Wappenbury
Mass of the Day                   10.30am Princethorpe College

If you would like further information about St Anne's, Wappenbury please use the link here.

Upper Sixth Mock Exam Reports will be published today, Friday 8 March 2024 and will be available to view on My School Portal.

The Upper Sixth Subject Progress Evening will take place, in person, on Wednesday 13 March 2023 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm. Appointments are now available to book on SchoolCloud.

Michael Spencer
Deputy Head - Academic

This is a short but remarkably busy half term, and I am pleased to report that the Sixth Form are making the most of the time available. This term has combined growth, leadership development, and community engagement, and we are delighted to journey alongside our students and their families.

Sixth Form Leadership Inauguration - Friday 22 March 2024
On this day we will honour the exemplary leadership qualities of our Sixth Form students at the Leadership Inauguration. This event serves as a testament to their dedication, initiative, and commitment to making a positive impact within our school community. It will also be our chance to welcome our new prefect body to their roles.

Prefect Training - Saturday 23 March 2024 
Empowering our students to lead with integrity and resilience, Prefect Training provides an invaluable opportunity for personal and professional development. Through interactive workshops and team-building exercises, students will hone their leadership skills and cultivate a sense of responsibility towards their peers and the wider community.

40 Mile Walk - Sunday 7 April 2024 
As advocates for social change and community service, our students will embark on a transformative journey during the 40 Mile Walk. This symbolic gesture not only demonstrates their commitment to charitable causes, but also fosters a sense of solidarity and empathy towards those in need. We encourage parents to support their children in this noble endeavour and join us in making a difference.

24/7 Mary's Meals Walk - Sunday 12 May 2024 
Continuing our tradition of philanthropy and global citizenship, we are proud to participate in the 24/7 Mary's Meals Walk. This initiative aims to support Mary's Meals in their mission to provide nutritious meals to children in some of the world's poorest communities. By walking together, our students exemplify the values of compassion, empathy, and solidarity.

In conclusion, as we navigate the opportunities and challenges of the Lent Term, we extend our deepest gratitude to all parents for their unwavering support and commitment to their child's education. Together, let us empower our Sixth Form students to embrace leadership, service, and personal growth. Ensuring that they emerge as confident, compassionate, and resilient individuals ready to make a positive impact on the world. 

Key Dates

Friday 22 March - Sixth Form Leadership Inauguration and Award Ceremony

Saturday 23 March - Prefect Training

Sunday 7 April - 40 Mile Walk 

Sunday 12 May - 24/7 Mary's Meals Walk

Tuesday 2 July - Upper Sixth Leavers' Ball 

Ben Collie 
Head of Sixth Form 

Austin and Fisher have made a flying start to the book bingo, but More and Benet are beginning to catch up. There is still time for pupils to sign up as the competition is running until the end of Summer.

If pupils would like to get involved in this reading house competition and explore reading different genres, please go to the Library and they will be given a bingo card.

The rules of the game are to choose a book from one of the nine genres on the bingo card, read the book then write a review of the book, which can be exchanged for a coloured token for their house pot, worth one point. When they have read a book from all nine genres and have a full bingo card they will get a gold token worth ten points for their house pot. The winning house with the most tokens will be revealed at the end of the term!

The Library Team

Our PE and Games Department have created a helpful guide for pupils and parents for the Lent Term 2023-24 which includes further information about: 

• Team coaches and how you may contact them
• Instructions on how to access the Sports homepage and teamsheets
• Information about fixtures, including selection and cancellations
• Sports kit expectations
• Postcodes for away fixtures 

Please click the link here to view the guide. 

If you have any questions, please direct them to your son/daughter's team coach, or email me at leecassell@princethorpe.co.uk.

Lee Cassell
Foundation Director of Sport 

Any items of sports kit that require initialling during the Easter holidays can be brought into the School Shop prior to Friday 22 March 2024 in a clearly named bag with a completed form attached.

If you do not have access to a printer a form may be collected from the School Shop in advance at break or lunch time. Please note all articles of clothing must be new or freshly laundered and dry, if they are to be sent to the embroiderers. This service is only available on items bought directly from the School Shop that have not been previously embroidered.

Initialling is not compulsory but is highly recommended to look professional, help reunite any lost items with the owner and is already included in the price. Initials can be a maximum of three letters and should not spell out a first name or nickname. 

Items will be ready for collection from the school shop when school re-opens on Monday 15 April 2024.

If you have any queries please contact the school shop on 01926 634272 or email uniform@princethorpe.co.uk

Barbara Bromwich
Foundation Shop Manager

Please don’t forget that Princethorpe College PTA is registered with easyfundraising. 

When you shop via the easyfundraising website or app, with over 4,100 of your favourite retailers, including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Amazon and many more, you will raise FREE donations for the school.  

If you’re not already registered, please visit our easyfundraising page here.

This will really make a difference to our school! Thank you for your support.

Did you know you can support the Princethorpe PTA online?

Follow, like, and share our social media posts to help us reach a wider audience. The more people who are aware of our fundraising events, the greater impact we can make for the school community! Please see below the links to our social media pages:

Facebook: PTA Princethorpe

Instagram: @princethorpepta

X (Twitter): @PrincethorpePta

Thank you. 

Princethorpe PTA

Are you interested in joining the PTA Committee?

Comprising a dedicated group of volunteer parents and guardians of Princethorpe students, the committee orchestrates and assists in various school events, including the immensely popular Summer Fête and Christmas Fair, aimed at raising funds for projects within the school that enrich the student experience and foster a sense of community.

If you are interested in offering your support or wish to become more actively involved in event planning by joining the committee and attending meetings, please don't hesitate to email us at ptassociation@princethorpe.co.uk.

We have been celebrating all things books this week, in line with World Book Day (Thursday 7 March)

What’s been happening throughout the week ….?

All week our staff have been wearing a badge displaying a book, and pupils have been challenged to see how many they can spot. We are collating all the answers and will be shortly announcing the winner who will bag themselves a brand new book and a £10 voucher (in the event of a tie, the winner will be selected at random).

We came in on Monday to find a body in the library. Using the clues, we asked pupils to identify the body, find the witness, establish what weapon was used in the murder and crucially WHODUNNIT?!!  Then they had to come up with an inventive reason for the murder. The winner will be announced next week and again, the prize is a £10 voucher and a book.

A Treasure Hunt, took place during breaks and lunchtimes. Pupils had to find the clues scattered around the library until they discover where the treasure is hidden. Again, the winner will be announced next week.   

There were also lots of activities in the library on the actual World Book Day – Thursday 7 March, including WHO AM I?, Book Anagrams and Wordsearches. There were also some fun book related quizzes in the staffroom.

Teachers spent time with pupils talking about books and reading from books during their lessons to promote our reading culture and some KS3 teachers have also taught some fabulous reading themed lessons.

The £1 book vouchers were handed out in tutor groups and are available to use in local bookshops and supermarkets until 31 March (subject to stock availability).

Over the course of this term, we have had some really exciting sessions at book club with pupils volunteering to take over a session each, their enthusiasm has been wonderful to see, and we have had some really memorable sessions. It started off with a creative writing task in which pupils had to re-write the ending of a popular book allowing us to consider alternate outcomes. We also had a murder mystery event where we had to find clues from around the Library to unmask who the murderer is. We have explored the popular genre of graphic novels with a comic strip competition, with the winner receiving a bag of sweets! There has also been a Hunger Games themed session where one student made cupcakes with the symbolic phrase “May the odds be ever in your favour”. And many more successful sessions. It’s been inspiring to see pupils actively participating and taking charge of the book club sessions. With pupils having to plan and deliver the sessions has added a fresh perspective to book club and we plan to do it again in between our book shadowing. After Easter we will be shadowing the 2024 Yoto Carnegies' shortlisted books up until summer.

Book club is on every Tuesday in the Library and everyone is welcome for book chat and of course, biscuits. It’s great to see so many pupils attending and new faces coming along too. 

Bronze

The hand in deadline for the expedition forms is Monday 11 March. Please return the Pau Medical Consent, Code of Conduct and kit request forms marked ‘Bronze DofE Forms’ to the Student Hub.

You will receive an email confirming the full details regarding the upcoming expeditions and groups allocation. Thank you to those who have been in contact recently confirming availability.

Silver

A reminder that the practice expedition meeting for pupils takes place this Wednesday 13 March, at Tutor Time in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre.

Gold

Your training and practice expedition is fast approaching from Sunday 24 to Thursday 28 March. An email will be sent over the weekend confirming the full details regarding the upcoming trip. The preparation assignment has been set on Teams, please complete by Friday 22 March.

Will Bower
Head of Outdoor Education - DofE Manager

Educational and co-curricular visits have always been a major part of life at Princethorpe. These experiences for pupils enrich their lives, enhance their learning and develop their understanding and appreciation of the world around them. 

We would like to remind you of the provisional major trips plan as it currently stands (this does not include academic department day trips or Duke of Edinburgh's Award). Please click here for the planned school trips.

Please also ensure that you read the information about individual trips with care when they are released, in particular in relation to consent, cancellation and insurance.

Neil McCollin
Assistant Head, Co-Curricular

Many of you will have noticed the tankers and traffic lights on the edge of the village by the pump station. We have been in regular contact with Severn Trent who have informed us that there is a significant fault with the sewerage pump. As a result, they are having to manually remove sewerage using tankers which is a 24/7 exercise and will continue until the pump is replaced.

In order to protect road users and the tanker drivers, 2-way lights have been installed to make their manoeuvre into the station safer. We are in regular communication with Severn Trent management and the local councils over the matter but it is important to highlight that this project will take some time to resolve. We will keep you abreast of any significant updates.  

Parents are reminded of the notice requirements according to our terms and conditions.

A term's notice is required if a pupil will not be returning to the school. Notice must be in writing, addressed to the Headmaster, via the Registrar, Mrs Rogers by the first day of term.

All letters are acknowledged within seven days; if you do not receive an acknowledgement then please contact the Registrar immediately. 

Specific notice requirements for Year 11 pupils will be communicated after offer letters are issued.

Eddie Tolcher
Foundation Bursar

We are delighted to welcome Helen Barnes to the Sixth Form team as a Sixth Form Administrator on a Thursday and Friday, job sharing with Amanda McKenzie.

Before joining Princethorpe College, Helen was a Primary School Teacher in Hampshire for seven years. She then joined the Food Manufacturing Industry, during which she enjoyed a number of exciting roles including Customer Demand Manager. In this role she collaborated with the largest UK supermarket chain and got to try plenty of cakes.

Outside of school, Helen enjoys spending time with her young family and cheering them on at their sporting activities. She also likes visiting historical sites, reading crime books, and helping run events for her local community.

We would like to remind parents of some useful contact details.

To report a pupil absence please do so on My School Portal.

For other enquiries please use the email addresses below:

Bus related queries - princethorpe@vectare.co.uk

School Shop - uniform@princethorpe.co.uk

Medical Centre - pcmatrons@princethorpe.co.uk

School fees -  accounts@princethorpe.co.uk

General enquiries - post@princethorpe.co.uk

Lost property - lostproperty@princethorpe.co.uk

Wisepay catering - cashless@princethorpe.co.uk

Email addresses for members of teaching staff can be found on My School Portal.

Please see below our current vacancy: 

Princethorpe Foundation

• Digital Transformation Leader

Princethorpe College

• Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages
• Head of Outdoor Pursuits
• Minibus Driver

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.