News

The Countdown To Entrance Exams For 2022 Entry Has Begun

With just eight weeks to go, the countdown to the College's Entrance Exams for admission in September 2022 has begun. This year the exams for Year 7 to 10 entry will take place on Saturday 6 November from 9.00am to 4.00pm.

Our friendly Admissions Team have been kept busy over the summer accepting registrations from prospective parents. The deadline for registration is Friday 1 October, to enable the processing of applications and seeking of references from junior schools.

Our Open Afternoon on Sunday 19 September is now fully booked but we are running a waiting list so please do contact us if you would like to look round the school. 

Our Year 6 Taster Experiences are another great way for prospective pupils to really experience Princethorpe. Each session will involve a welcome introduction from Mr Hester, Headmaster and two taster lessons. We have two sessions available on Saturday 25 September for those who are in Year 6 and have not had the chance to attend previous Taster Experiences.

Our events are by appointment only. To book your place click here.

If you have any queries relating to admissions please feel free to email the Registrars at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call them on 01926 634201/262/297.

 

First Review For Princethorpe By Prestigious Good Schools Guide

Princethorpe has received its first ever review by the prestigious Good Schools Guide. The Guide, which selects schools to be included on merit alone, is famous for its unbiased and candid reviews of state and private schools, and is trusted by families worldwide. Princethorpe is now one of just 1,300 schools currently reviewed by the Guide, out of over 30,000+ schools in the UK.

An editor from the Guide visited the College in May, interviewed Ed Hester, the Headmaster, toured the campus, observed lessons and spoke with pupils and parents.

The 2,500-word review, which now appears on the Good Schools Guide’s website and will be included in the next hard copy edition, includes a pen portrait of the Headmaster, plus insights into exam results, teaching and learning, co-curricular life, discipline and the College’s ethos and heritage.

Commenting on the College's approach to pastoral care, the Guide says: 

“There are two rules at the school: be kind and do your best. The whole school runs on this ethos and it appears to be all that is needed as pupils and staff adhere to it. The school is renowned for its pastoral care and kindness. Every parent we spoke to mentioned it and for virtually all of them it was the reason they chose the school. ‘It really is like a family and we are included too.’ These two old fashioned values shape the school. It’s open minded and all are very welcome but the Catholic teaching permeates throughout. Every child is treated as an individual ‘and they really are,’ said parents. The overall feeling that this is a kind school, we would concur.”

The very comprehensive and positive review concludes with a Last Word, which sums up the Guide’s findings:

We have the impression that Princethorpe College just gets on with things, modestly feeling no need to blow its own trumpet. But during the long-term tenure of this head it has gained in confidence, reputation and status and parents have sat up and taken notice. They know that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to educating their children and have found the school that agrees with them; a good outcome for all.

To read in full What the Good Schools Guide says click here.

Comments Ed Hester, Headmaster, “It was a pleasure to welcome the Good Schools Guide to Princethorpe. We are delighted that they have recognised our ‘spirit of family’ and found us to be a ‘kind school’ and that every parent they spoke to was ‘hugely impressed by the diligence and commitment of our staff’. They have successfully managed to get under our skin and paint what we feel is an accurate picture of life at the school.

He continued, "Thank you to all the parents and pupils who kindly spoke to the Guide's editor about their experience of the school."

Another Year Of Excellent Results For Princethorpe’s A-level And GCSE Pupils

In spite of the unprecedented challenges that the last 16 months have presented, Princethorpe College is celebrating another year of excellent exam results.

Out of a cohort of 104 Sixth Form students who completed their A-levels, BTEC and Extended Project Qualification this year, at the top end 55% of all A-level grades were A* or A and overall 95% of grades were A* to C. Impressively, 39 high-flyers achieved three or more A* or A grades. Special mention must go to Sophie Cheshire, James Gallagher, Charlotte Lister, Lauren Mason, Grace McGrory, Prajeet Prabakaran, Alex Rejali, Carmel Spelman and Daisy Walker who all achieved straight A*s.

At GCSE Princethorpe pupils also performed well, from a cohort of 137 pupils over two thirds of all entries were graded 9, 8 or 7 and 56 Year 11 pupils received nine or more 9, 8 or 7 grades. There were many exceptional personal achievements, special congratulations go to Joshua Apaya, Keira Eaton, Amélie Friess, William Hawkins, Freya Mills, Eleanor Page, Oscar Page, Pratheesh Prabakaran and Madoc Williams, who all achieved eight or more grade 9s. Overall, over 99% of the grades achieved were levels 9 to 4.

Ed Hester, Headmaster, commented, "This year’s A-level and GCSE results have been arrived at in a very different way to normal. That said we are delighted that the results are a fair reflection of the hard work and achievements of these year groups. Pupils remained resilient throughout periods of lockdown, home learning and self-isolation. It has been an extremely demanding time for them all and all credit goes to our pupils and staff for their commitment and hard work."

He continued, "We are proud of their academic achievements but all these pupils have many other fine qualities: kindness, respect and a strong sense of right and wrong, which will be tremendously important for them as they move on to the next phase of their lives. We congratulate them all on their well-deserved success."

View Gallery

Princethorpe College’s Exciting Plans For Science Plus

Princethorpe College’s plans for a new Science Centre are moving apace with the project almost ready to go to tender.

The state-of-the-art £8 million Science Centre, which will allow the College to redevelop and cluster several other departments, was granted planning permission in 2019 and the College has since revealed further plans for a new suite of Art studios, additional space for Maths and Technology, increased dining capacity and sporting facilities.

Comments, Foundation Headmaster, Ed Hester, “Princethorpe is situated at the heart of the UK’s automotive industry, where Science and Engineering meet Art and Design. We know that our pupils need the finest facilities to give them the best opportunities for their future.”

All the preparatory planning for the building is now nearing completion, including the detailed technical design of the building and the Bill of Quantities. This means that the project will shortly be ready to go forward to tender, the stage where we appoint the main building contractor, as soon as we judge the time to be right. It is hoped that the new science centre will open its doors for teaching in autumn 2023.

Mr Hester continues, “This is a large, complex and exciting project. The next few months will be critical as we prepare thoroughly for the tendering process.”

A fundraising campaign has been launched to work hand in hand with the delivery of the project. The Science Plus Campaign outlines a menu of giving including engraved pavers and bricks, sponsorship of elements on a giant periodic table and personal and corporate naming opportunities.

More information on the new Science Building and campus improvements and the Science Plus campaign can be found here.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.

View Gallery

Year 7 Forensic Scientists Solve The Crime Scene Challenge

What a finale we had to Forensic Science Club last year! Over the course of the Trinity term, our Year 7 Princethorpe Police Department trainees were kept been busy learning all about different Forensic Science techniques, from fingerprinting and blood splatter analysis to footprint evidence and soil samples, as well as how to process a crime scene and hand writing analysis.

At the end of June they took part in their final Crime Scene Challenge. After an unexpected break in, Year 7 were called upon to investigate, reviewing witness statements, examining the crime scenes and collecting and analysing evidence. The pupils donned their protective clothing and started to search for evidence and there was plenty to find, as the careless intruders had left many, many clues – there was even a body in the cellars! It was a deadly mystery but Year 7 were more than up for the challenge.

Acting Head of Science, Faye Roberts, was impressed and commented, “All Princethorpe’s trainee forensic scientists passed their assessment with flying colours, piecing together the evidence to recover the stolen diamonds. They certainly weren’t fooled by the double crossing going on between all the suspects.”

It was a huge well done to all the super-sleuthing scientists who took part!

View Gallery

Princethorpe’s Junior Boys Crowned Midlands Combined Athletics Champions

Princethorpe College’s Junior Boys Athletics team celebrated after being crowned champions at the Midlands Schools Combined Events Regional Championships, at The Pingles Stadium in Nuneaton on Saturday 27 June. Their win qualified the boys for the ESAA (English Schools’ Athletics Association) National Combined Events Championships that will take place in Bedford this September.

Ben, André, Anjola and Vincent all put in outstanding individual performances in the five athletics Combined Events: 80m Hurdles, Long Jump, Shot Putt, High Jump and 800m. Individually, Ben finished in 2nd place overall after an excellent run in the Hurdles setting a new school record of 14.1 seconds. André was 4th overall setting a new school record in the High Jump at 1.71 metres. Vincent broke the school’s 800m record running 2.15.6 minutes to finish in 5th place overall while Anjola won the Shot Putt to finish in 8th place overall. Together the boys’ formidable individual results ensured the Princethorpe Junior Boys claimed the team win.

Director of Sport, Lee Cassell, said, “The boys were incredible. They trained hard but had limited opportunities to compete. At the Chapionships they faced teams from across the Midlands and really rose to the challenge. Their team win was a fantastic achievement and I can’t wait to see them compete at the Nationals.”

It was an impressive performance by the boys.

Princethorpe Pupils Rise To The Junior Mathematics Challenge

Back in April pupils from Princethorpe College took part in the 2021 UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Junior 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. The papers are then sent away to be marked by UKMT and the best pupils in the country are awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold Certificates.

The competition is aimed at pupils in Year 8 and Year 9 and Princethorpe selected 73 able mathematicians to participate in this year’s Challenge. It is a demanding exercise designed to stretch and test pupils’ mathematical skills, so the College was delighted that this year, Princethorpe’s mathematicians achieved exceptional results.

Congratulations went to Year 8 pupil, Zach, who was awarded a Gold certificate, and took the award for best performing pupil in school, and to Year 7 pupil, Emily, who was awarded a Silver certificate, and took the award for best performing pupil in Year 7.

Gold certificates were also awarded to Year 8 pupils Noah, Amelia and Dylan. Our Gold certificate winners (pictured) all performed so well that they also all qualified for the follow-on round, the Junior Kangaroo Challenge.

Well done to the many Silver and Bronze certificate winners and to all the pupils who took part.

Fashion Academy Wows With A Stunning Show

As a fabulous finale to the end of the 2020/21 school year, Princethorpe College hosted its very first Fashion Show featuring four fantastic collections, Trash Fashion, Tie-Dye, Upcycle and Gold.

Fashion Academy was a new co-curricular club for the College last year, with pupils meeting on Thursday evenings to explore techniques, develop designs and make garments. Pupils from Year 7 and Year 8 really enjoyed the opportunity to create and transform clothing into exciting, new, on trend styles.

Many of the club attendees also took part in a full day workshop on the College's Activities Day, designing and making a stunning garment in ‘Gold’ in just one day.

The Fashion Show was streamed to the whole school as part of the final assembly of the school year and our new young designers debuted their pieces in style in a slick and stunning spectacle.

Fashion Academy was such a sensational success that it is returning as a co-curricular club this year.

View Gallery

Another Exceptional Summer Art, Photography And Design Show

The College's Summer Art, Photography and Design Show took place in June. 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 with striking portraiture and photography sitting alongside technically complex product design.

The Sixth Form Centre and Lecture Theatre were transformed into an eclectic exhibition space, the light and airy atrium helping to showcase the work at its best. On display was work from A-level and GCSE pupils exploring a diverse range of mediums and themes. In the main hall fascinating portraiture sat alongside superb studies, imaginative illustrations and phenomenal photography. In the Design and Technology studio, intricately stitched dresses and tutus showcased this year’s Textiles pieces. With multipurpose furniture a theme running through many Resistant Materials’ final products.

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 putting together such an outstanding display.

View Gallery

Issue 30 Of The Pinnacle And Minnacle

The latest issue of The Pinnacle is available, showcasing our pupils' excellent work. First published back in 2010, across the years the Pinnacle has celebrated our pupils at their best. This latest bumper edition includes success in Science, Maths and Computing Challenges, news of independent research project achievements as well as excellent examples of da Vinci work. There’s also coverage of the wonderful GCSE and A-level Art, and innovative Product Design and Fashion projects which were featured in our Summer Art, Photography and Design Show in June.

A double-sized Minnacle is included too, with equally impressive work by Crackley Hall pupils from Nursery to Junior 6 and Crescent pupils from Reception to Year 6. It's wonderful to celebrate their talents too!

Click here to read The Pinnacle and click here if you would like to read The Minnacle.

A Year At Princethorpe - 2019/20 Tower Review

Every year the College’s magazine, The Tower Review, is published. It tells the story of the school year, term by term, reflecting on the whole host of activities, achievements and successes that pupils from Year 7 through to Upper Sixth took part in.  It includes highlights such as Prize Giving and the College productions and performances as well as reviews of sporting events, House competitions and school trips. 

The latest published edition celebrates the 2019/20 school year with its many wonderful and memorable moments and unusual challenges.  The Tower Review gives an excellent insight into life at the College and you can view a copy here.

The 2020/21 review will be published later this term in December.