At Etone College we pride ourselves in prioritising attendance. As you will be aware we see each day as a piece in the jigsaw of a pupils education. If they achieve full attendance this completes the picture and sets them up for the best possible start in their future careers.

On Wednesday 12^th July we were thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate the pupils in school who have achieved 100% attendance across the year. Whilst we have the highest expectations of our pupils it is a significant achievement that they have attended each and every day, even when they perhaps have felt under the weather. Putting their education and future chances at the forefront of everything. With an increase in the number of pupils since 2021/22 it was also a lovely way for our pupils to complete their year with the ‘Invite Only’ event.

As pupils entered the hall they had the chance to get a first look of our updated Charity Video showcasing the hard work our pupils and staff have put in to raising nearly £6,000 since September 2021. Find out more about that here: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/charity-committee/

After their arrival it was time for our Attendance Lead – Mr Bowley to welcome the pupils and highlight the importance of their achievement in attending 100% of their session. It was particularly striking to realise across nearly 190 days of school pupils have taken part in over 900 lessons with over 30,000 minutes of education covered. A large portion of the welcome focused on how the support our pupils provide inn attending not only helps themselves but also helps Etone College be the best it can be. With that it was time to sit back and reflect on our ‘Review of the Year’ video highlighting some of the significant successes our school and pupils have achieved over the year.

Following this it was time for some key congratulations from across our Pastoral Team as each House paid tribute to those who have achieve 100% under their banner:

• Miss Harris wanted to particularly thank the pupils for their support in attending as she takes the reins of Centaur, continuing the great work Mr Astall has done in ensuring the House achieves success.
• Mr Baggot was thankful that Phoenix remain top of the leaderboard for attendance in no small part down to the efforts of those pupils in his House who achieved 100%.
• Miss Bali on behalf of Mr Khan focused on the achievements the pupils have made both academically and in extra-curricular activities due to the fact their attendance has afford them these opportunities.
• Mrs Wood provided a message through Mr Bowley which highlighted how the support of these pupils would have enabled them to make the most of all opportunities and ensure they are ‘Aspirational, Determined and ready for Success’

With a positive vibe in the air it was time for our pupils to collect their reward with each pupil receiving a Love 2 Shop gift voucher and certificate along with being entered into the prize draw to win an Amazon Echo Show, won by one person in each year group.

Finally all that was left was for Headteacher, Mr Smith to personally congratulate and thank the pupils for their efforts and support with the school – Highlighting the importance of attendance as we move forward to next year.

Well done to all of our attendance successes and we look forward to even more next year.

‘Your children will have noticed the activities on the school site for the start of the build of the new teaching block.  The foundations are in, and the ground laid, as you can see, ready for the structure to start appearing during the summer recess. 

Alcema Ltd, Principal Contractors, are in charge of the build from beginning to end; their professional, friendly team have vast experience in the education sector, and are working with us to produce a range of engagements with students, staff, parents and the local community.  

The students and staff will have the potential to view the build close up, from a specially designed viewing platform, and watch our new facility grow before our very eyes.  Watch out for more news and developments throughout the year!’  Paul Reeve, Alcema’s Project Director adds ‘It is wonderful to be working with a energised team at Etone College, collaborating on ideas to encourage students to be inspired by this project with potential futures in the construction industry, and to deliver this beautiful facility that will benefit generations to come.’  

We are extremely excited to be working closely with Alcema Ltd as we forge a strong partnership underlined by our Employability Skills and Etone Values shared by the business and our pupils. As we continue on this project we are looking forward to the opportunities we will have to work together to help not just Etone but the wider community.

Etone College pupils show integrity, care about each other and the community and support those around them.  One of the ways they do this is through collecting for local charities. Over the past year, Etone College has raised £3175.47 and collected hundreds of food items, toys and games to be donated to local charities and charities wh impact our local area. We are pleased to have been able to support 12 charities this year.  A huge WELL DONE to the charity committee for planning and supporting all the events across this year.

It has been an exciting year for our Football Education Academy. With a bumper cohort, our teams have performed brilliantly with some excellent results from our development program, expected record results and ending a second year as the reigning League Champions!

Not willing to stop there we were delighted to welcome our incoming Year 12’s to take part in our taster sessions. Taking place at our Tavistock training facility our current Year 12 boys team paired up with the incoming to train and put their raw skills to the test. With some impressive set ups and shots we are certain the level of talent can lead us to a 3rd successful title.

in addition to the boys, our brand new girls team were also present as they began their training ready for the academic year. It was fantastic to see the high level of performance and skills from the team and makes  us very excited about what possibilities could happen next year.

We are really proud to be able to launch our Girls FA in a time where women’s football is at it’s biggest and with the inclusive values of Etone College it starts the next chapter in our sporting history.

On Tuesday evening we were delighted to welcome our incoming Year 7 parents for our Induction Evening event. With a record intake for the academic year 2023-2024 our hall was packed out and after taking advantage of the refreshments on offer and checking out our uniform it was time for the choir to serenade our guests with their fantastic performance.

For this occasion our choir gave an eclectic mix including classics such as Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley and modern hits like Budapest by George Ezra. As always the songs were well received and with everyone in good spirits it was time for Mr Smith to take to the stage.

Sharing the key reminders for Year 7 and the recent successes at Etone, parents got the chance to explore what their child’s journey will look like at secondary school. With all bases covered it was great to see the enthusiasm from all involved and we look forward to welcoming them in September.

Just a reminder that Induction Day is 10th July and starts at 8:40am.

On Monday 3^rd July our Year 9 pupils were visited by The Riot Act as they gave a live performance of their What Went Down theatre production during their Learning for Life lesson.

The extremely powerful and engaging drama aims to demonstrate safe behaviour around roads to students at a critical age, highlighting the importance of recognising and understanding how peer influence effects our choices and behaviour and how to deal with it. Following the story of an incident taking place around a busy junction pupils were able to consider the lasting impacts of inappropriate behaviour around roads. 

Whilst we know that Etone College pupils are considerate and hold our Etone Values it is always good to give pupils the opportunity to consider the impacts in helping them to develop themselves as leaders of their age group. The session was well received with one pupil saying “It was the best performance I have ever seen.”

We would like to thank The Riot Act for coming to see us and delivering a faultless performance.

We will be holding open events this year to give all prospective Year 7 parents and pupils the chance to come and visit us. These events will give you a little insight into what is means to be a pupil at Etone College and give you the chance to ask any questions you may have.

Open Evening will take place on Thursday 28th September 5:00pm – 7:30pm.

Open Morning details will be confirmed in the coming months.

Did you know that one of the largest music retailers in the UK, if not Europe, is just down the road in Birmingham? Specialising in guitars PMT (Play Music Today) is one of the longest established music shops in the midlands. Over the weekend a few of our pupils from Etone College had the delight of visiting the store as they looked to upgrade some of their equipment as part of their passion for music.

Over the course of the visit the pupils had the chance to check out the latest instruments, try out their skills and use some of the newest technology in music.  At Etone we are serious about giving pupils all sorts of opportunities that feed into their personal development and establishing their Employability Skills and Etone Values. This visit was no exception and was great to see the pupils enjoying their time considering a subject they love. Thank you to the staff at PMT for looking after us and for our Etone staff in accompanying the pupils. Wish-lists are being completed in preparedness for Christmas!

At Etone College we are committed to being researched informed to ensure we deliver the best education to our pupils possible.

To that end our staff are dedicated to their own professional development and take part in lots of opportunities both internally and externally to ensure our pedagogical approach is as effective as possible. This year we have been thrilled to see a record number of staff complete National Professional Qualification courses and interact with our membership to the National College.

However, we also see it as our duty as one of the top providers in our area to be a part of leading the research. With Education Evidence Leads, EEF affiliated research projects and facilitators for a range of training courses we ensure we do our bit to developing the world of education.

We are therefore thrilled to share the recent success of Deputy, Miss Stafford who has recently been published by the Gateway Alliance sharing Etone’s efforts in providing effective transition for pupils from KS2 to KS3. The Gateway Alliance are a leading provider of professional development and providing school improvement support, who have been o instrumental in sharing research that helps schools to progress across the country.

It is a great honour to be featured in their most recent edition of their materials and on their website and a testament to the efforts of Miss Stafford and the wider transition team. Thank you to the GA for sharing our approach. To find out more about our transition provision check out the article here: https://gatewayalliance.co.uk/spotlight-on-transition-how-can-we-plan-for-effective-transition-to-support-pupils-and-teachers/