This week saw Etone Football Education Academy in partnership with West Bromwich Albion take the EFL title for the first time since their launch, having come runners up on the previous couple of seasons it was the Academies year to clinch the title and they did so in style losing only two games and achieving a +72 goal difference which is a fantastic achievement. As the academy has developed over the past few seasons the teams have won several different cup competitions and AOC league titles but this seasons achievement is the biggest yet as they have beaten established academies from Aston Villa, Wolves and Nottingham Forrest to name a few in the race to the title. Academy Director Mr Petch said ‘the cohort of lads involved have been brilliant, they work so hard and their dedication has been second to none which is both a credit to themselves as well as the academy, two special mentions have to go to the Academy captain Callum Brown who leads by example on a daily basis and Josh Atkins who was the leagues top scorer with 49 goals’

Not only do the team receive the League title which will be a nice addition to the Etone Football Academy trophy cabinet but they will also receive their award during the EFL Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 26^th May, this will be a fantastic experience for the lads and a nice way to complete another very successful season. We’re hoping to spot a few of them on TV.

Mr Smith head of Etone college stated ‘The success of the academy is truly astounding. Whilst we are proud of all our students and pupils, the ethos of the academy is to provide an opportunity for those who might otherwise move on from education. In the past few years the academy has really developed a strong reputation in the area, both for the quality of the football played and the outcomes of our students results. The win is of course the cherry on top of the cake.”

If any current year 11 pupils are still undecided on their steps and are interested in the Academy further details and expression of interest can be found at www.etonecollege.co.uk/Football with the next taster session taking place on Tuesday 28^th May.

As you are aware, attendance in schools is a hot topic with the Department for Education focused on supporting schools to improve attendance.

With this a host of new research has revealed some interesting facts. For example the month of May has one of the biggest impacts in a pupils year long memory retention. With the summer break weeks away, May is a time where strong attendance can help consolidate the knowledge learned since September across the extended break.

In a recent study pupils with excellent attendance in the summer term retained 40% more than their peers when tested the following September.

With the drive to ensure our education is the best possible we are announcing this half terms competition: Maytime Matters! Drawing on the theme of the above, pupils who are putting in the effort to achieve will be in for the chance to win a slew of prizes including:

-The highest form time average in each House will receive entry into a prize draw for 2 x £10 vouchers.

-For each day you attend in the final week, you get an entry into a prize draw for 5 x £20 and 3 x Echo Shows.

-If your attendance for this half term is above 97% you will also be entered into an additional draw.

Good luck and stay tuned for updates.

We are so proud of our Year 11’s for starting their exams in such a dedicated and mature manner.

Since that start of last week our pupils have completed the final aspects of a number of their courses, with the exam season building up to a very busy week.

It was also time to award the next set of pupils the coveted “Celebrating Success” badge. With this being the new must have accessory it was great to see our Year 11’s happy that their hard work was paying off.

Stay tuned for more updates!

#Classof2024

After our sixth form students visited Auschwitz as part of the Holocaust Ambassador scheme ran by  Holocaust Ambassador Trust the next part of the project required them to share what they know and encourage others to remember the Holocaust. 

Below is T. Sweets' article she has written to share what she has learnt:

On Thursday afternoon, Etone welcomed the return of Gaby Songui who worked with a small group of year 12 pupils to make the 'big decisions' about setting, characters and plot alongside writing script for the community 'Body in the Library' project.  We are so proud to be involved in this arts project which will be performed both at Nuneaton Library and - a special performance at Etone College - in July.  We don't want to give too much away but with the creative ideas from the year 7, 8, and 9 workshops and the year 12 superbrains working on collaborative planning and writing, this performance will be one not to be missed.

As part of stress awareness month we have handed out over 150 sunflower seeds for students to take home and grow. Gardening is a great way to help with stress and links with Etones’ 5 top tips Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Give and Keep Learning.

Connect – The sunflower project allows students to connect and have a healthy competition between themselves

Be Active – By spending time in the garden caring for your sunflower you are looking after your physical and mental health

Take notice – Take a minute to appreciate nature and watch how your seed grows into a beautiful sunflower, you may notice yours is not yellow as sunflowers can also be red and purple!!

Give – by taking part in The Big Grow Sunflower challenge you are supporting the local community

Keep Learning - Learning about gardens and nature can be a wonderful personal journey for someone to go on.

The seeds, pots and compost were kindly donated by The Makery - Guardians of the grow charity who have arranged the Sunflower competition for all schools, nurseries and other community organisations in Nuneaton to take part in. Etone College have also arranged their own competition and invite all students and staff to share their sunflower photos by the 1^st July. There will be prizes award for the biggest sunflower.

Embarking on a journey beyond borders can be a transformative experience for students, offering them a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures, languages, and traditions. Recently, a group of 35 adventurous pupils from across Matrix Academy Trust had the incredible opportunity to explore the city of Stockholm, Sweden through the Turing Scheme. This government-funded scheme enables pupils to experience other cultures. 

Our first activity was a visit to the Paradox Musuem, which offers an engaging exploration of optical illusions. Visitors are invited to pose for some great pictures as part of these illusions, before walking to the Avicii Experience, where our pupils enjoyed DJing alongside the groundbreaking DJ and producer, experiencing his music in a unique and immersive setting. 

Later that afternoon, our students had the opportunity to visit Gamla Stan, Stockholm's charming Old Town, exploring landmarks such as the Royal Armouries. They also delved into the world of Nobel laureates at the Nobel Prize Museum, learning about the importance of science, literature, and peace in shaping our world.  

On our second day, we visited the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. As you step into the museum, you're greeted by the Vasa ship, a preserved warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was salvaged centuries later. Our pupils also enjoyed exploring Lego versions of the world's most famous shipwrecks. 

Following this, our students had the pleasure of exploring the iconic music of Sweden. At the ABBA museum, they were immersed in ABBA's iconic costumes and memorabilia, exploring interactive exhibits and singing and dancing along to timeless hits.  

On day three, we paid a visit to the Tekniska Museum of science, technology, and innovation. Here the pupils enjoyed interactive exhibits, followed by lunch at Max Burgers – Sweden's (significantly better) answer to McDonalds.  

In the afternoon, we took a scenic boat tour around Stockholm's archipelago, where we got to see the city's iconic landmarks from a unique perspective. And in the afternoon, the competitive natures of staff and pupils kicked in with an outdoor escape room adventure around the historic town. Divided into teams, pupils navigated their teams and their teacher through the narrow cobblestone streets, solving clues and unravelling mysteries, where only one of our groups solved the clues to find the final code! 

On day four, our pupils had the opportunity to visit Töjnaskolan, a Swedish school located in the suburbs of Stockholm. Stepping into the classrooms of Töjnaskolan, our pupils were struck by the differences between British and Swedish educational systems. Aside from being instant celebrities, they noticed smaller class sizes, a longer lunchtime and no school uniform. The visit sparked discussions between both sets of pupils about the different educational models, encouraging our students to reflect on their own learning experiences and cultural perspectives. 

On day 5 was a visit to Skansen, the world's first open-air museum, showcasing Swedish life from centuries past to the present day. Our students were delighted to explore the native animals of Sweden, with the highlight of the visit being the opportunity to hand-feed some of the friendly birds that call Skansen home. 

On our final day, our pupils experienced an adrenaline rush at Skypark Vaxholm, an exhilarating outdoor adventure park. They navigated treetop obstacle courses, zip-lined across forests, and conquered thrilling challenges, pushing their limits and building confidence. 

As our pupils bid farewell to Stockholm and boarded their flight back to London Heathrow, they carried with them memories that will last a lifetime. The trip embodied Matrix Academy Trust’s ethos of Education without Exception. Through experiences like the Stockholm trip, we empower our students to open their minds to endless possibilities and shape them into compassionate, informed global citizens. 

In March, pupils across Matrix were invited to enter a Maths competition to celebrate Pi Day. Pupils were asked to use their imagination to bring Pi to life and to illustrate a real life example of Pi. We received entries from Smestow Academy, Etone College and Turves Green Boys School. M Harris from Smestow was our overall winner and has received a £30 Amazon voucher. C Bettison from Etone College and E Keegan from Turves Green Boys’ School received a £10 Amazon voucher for runner up prizes.

Huge congratulations to all three pupils!

The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) are an organisation that Coordinates national and international mathematics challenge every year. These challenges are designed to provide young people an opportunity to demonstrate their fantastic understanding of complex and obscure mathematical based problems. On 25^th April, a group of 60 students across year 7 and year 8 who have demonstrated outstanding assessment results throughout the academic year were given the opportunity to compete in the 2024 Junior Mathematics challenge. This is a great opportunity, that is thoroughly enriching and gives the students a chance to demonstrate their excellent numeracy skills. All students demonstrated fantastic maturity when completing the challenge, giving the challenge their best effort, despite being their first time competing for the majority of students. When a small group of year 7 students were asked about their experience completing the challenge, they responded that they were "nervous before it started, but found it really fun" and that given the opportunity next year would love to compete again. We now await students results from the challenge... Well done all involved!

On Monday this week, Year 7 students attended a session run by Warwickshire Police about the impact of hate crime on all of its facets.  This formed a part of our Learning for Life provision.  During the session, students examined a case study where hate crime had taken place merely due to the clothing that a young girl had chosen to wear.   Sessions such as this are an invaluable part of the pupils’ wider education and we wish to thank the police for working with us to deliver such  helpful and informative sessions. 

As pupils reflected on the session, they were able to discuss the definition of a hate crime and how it differs from other types of crimes. They were able to relate it to the Protected Characteristics and how physical or verbal abuse based on such characteristics falls into this type of hate crime.  To find out more about our personal development curriculum, do visit our website.