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/

On Thursday 29^th June our Year 11 pupils were suited and booted and dressed to the nines as they enjoyed the Etone Prom 2023. Over the course of the past five years our pupils have worked hard in all aspects of their life to develop their Employability Skills and show the Etone Values they share as Etone Learners. Throughout this time, they have undergone some of the toughest periods in educational history with the impacts of Covid-19. Throughout each year they have held our values well and most recently showed their resilience across the exam season. We are incredibly proud of this cohort and it was lovely to be able to say goodbye and celebrate with Prom.

As the evening began our pupils were welcomed to the red carpet by our very own paparazzi along with adoring fans, from proud parents to staff who still can’t quite believe how fast the past five years have gone. As always we were truly amazed by the inventive and exciting entrances and the splendour our pupils displayed looking their finest. 

This year the most popular choice by far was the classic Range Rover with Evoque’s, Discoveries, Velars and even a Defender. Some opted for more retro transport with a Austin Healey whilst others decided to live their best Bond life and arrive in an Aston Martin. Limousines, sports cars and even a game of ‘Who’s Behind the Helmet’ from our only bike of the evening. However the most original entrance has to be our very own Jay arriving on a horse and elegantly dismounting for a photo.

Once our guests had arrived and received their funky mocktails the excitement began to build as the explored the entrance hall and outside veranda. Just as it seemed they could not contain themselves anymore our Year 11’s were escorted to their venue for the night entering the main hall. 

Here they were in awe of the lights, dance floor and flashing sign sharing that Etone College’s Prom 2023 could get underway. With that the dancing began along with the chance to dig into the fantastic BBQ feast prepared for us including ribs, burgers and some extremely delicious veggie kebabs.

Just when they thought they were settled for the night Mrs Price took to the stage to provide a heartfelt speech where she thanked our pupils for attending and their support over the past five years. Before the next surprise of the evening, when the curtains in the venue were thrown open to reveal: a retro games arcade, sweet stall completed with popcorn and candyfloss, donuts, brownies and eclairs for dessert, a 360 photo booth and EVEN a Bucking Bronco! With all of this for the price of admission our pupils were beyond excited to begin their evening for real. 

With the games and dancing in play it was time for the traditional embarrassing dance moves form a couple of the staff, who had attended in the masses to celebrate the end of an era. The even itself was a major success and all that was left was for the tones of Take That’s ‘Never Forget’ to echo around the room as our cohort joined together in one final dance. As a last surprise our pupils were showered with confetti from the confetti cannon and that drew a very memorable night to the close. We would like to say a massive thank you to our Year 11 pupils and parents for their support, our staff for showing their support by attending and of course Mrs McNeal, Mrs Morton and Mrs Price along with the rest of the organising party.

See you on results day Year 11!

On Thursday a group of our Year 8 and 9 pupils were lucky enough to attend a talk at Etone from Sarah Barrington to discuss potential careers in STEM. Sarah is a local resident who has had a very successful career and was able to share her inspirational story without pupils as we strive to drive their aspirations and share with them the possibilities. Throughout GCSE’s and A Levels Sarah was determined and shared how the hours of hard work and dedication to studying paid off as she achieve top results which enabled her to look at some of the most prestigious universities in the country. Finally settling on first choice Cambridge University, Sarah attended her course studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering before moving onto a Masters in Engineering with a specialism in manufacturing. 

Following this Sarah discussed her experiences working for McLaren Racing and being part of the team that was integral to improving the results of their racers, using engineering and coding to make marginal gains. Whilst one of the many highlights of the session the impressive story did not end there. Sarah shared her current status as a PhD student focusing on the developing world of Artificial Intelligence along with the work she is doing with the highly prestigious Berkeley University in California. Working in such a fast paced industry the pupils were amazed to hear about projects from driverless technology to uncovering methods used by criminals to create deep fakes. 

After the presentation pupils had the chance to explore their own questions and consider the reasons they might like to get into a career in STEM. It was particularly great to see how our Year 9 and 10 girls responded to Sarah as a positive female role model in STEM, something which is a real focus at the moment. Finally all that was left was to say a big thank you and present Sarah with a small token of appreciation from our pupils.

The event itself really underpinned why our Etone Values, Employability Skills and hard work are such and important aspect at Etone College as Sarah shared the same ideals of the Etone Learner with our pupils. A big thank you to Sarah and good luck with the rest of the PhD – Wherever you find your start in life, it can take you anywhere!

On Wednesday 28^th June a group of Year 8 pupils went on a trip to Warwick University to take part in their FabFest Arts and Humanities Event. The event kindly hosted by the university was to provide pupils from a younger age the chance to experience what university life is like as we look to promote high aspirations from our pupils. This term our value is Being Supportive and it was great to see how the university was sharing that value with the event. It was also great to see how supportive our learners were with other schools as we made our way through the day. 

Over the course of their time at the university the pupils had the chance to learn about Latin American History through an engaging interactive seminar session and what it is like to study film industry through analysing clips from Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. They also had the chance to use virtual reality headsets and write their names in mandarin during a bespoke lunchtime session. In the afternoon, pupils were guided around Warwick university campus and learned about the different sculptures on the site and the artistic design behind them. They also designed and names their own sculptures. At the end of the day, pupils had the opportunity to ask additional questions to the students guides about what life is like at Warwick University, the benefits of going to university and the different courses available. 

We want to say a big thank you to the university who complimented our pupils on their conduct and shared with us just how fond they are when Etone arrive for a visit. With such a strong relationship with the university it ensure that our Humanities and Create departments can share some truly inspirational opportunities with our pupils. We can’t wait to come back next year.

On Wednesday 28^th June we were thrilled to welcome our prospective Year 12 students to Sixth Form for our Taster Day. In recent years Etone College has enjoyed many successes out of our Sixth Form provision including a record number of applications, continued strong results, prestigious destinations. Most recently we have celebrated with our Football Education Academy as they have succeeded in winning the WBA Challenge Cup for a second year in the row.

As the day began, we were greeted with the excited faces of our outgoing Year 11 pupils who are eager to rejoin us in September along with some new faces from pupils joining us around the Nuneaton area. Each student received their individual welcome pack including their very special limited edition Etone pen and their individual timetable for the day. Following the gifting Miss Churchard, Head of Sixth Form welcomed our students for the day and delivered some key messages about the fantastic opportunities the next two years will hold for them.

With that our pupils then got the chance to explore life at Post 16 with some truly inspiring taster sessions such as developing an understanding of the psyche of a serial killer, taste testing best loved brands against supermarkets own and constructing code in Computer Science. Whatever subjects our pupils selected for their options they were extremely enthusiastic about the experiences of the day and now anticipated results day with a yearning to arrive at Sixth Form ready to start Year 12. With just the Year 11 Prom left to go we can’t wait to see you all in the new year!

On Saturday 17th June a small group of students attended the university open day for South and City College in Digbeth where there is a university degree in Popular Music. The course is different to traditional music degrees as it has a focus on developing musical skills relevant to the music industry while providing opportunities for students to work in the industry as they study. Students were able to visit the university’s own venue where students are able to organise and perform in their own gigs as well as visit the recording studios. Highlights included visiting the area around the college and seeing the art and incredibly we were allowed to have a close look at a mixing desk donated to the college by Metallica

For more information on the course itself, you can find it here: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/popular-music-ba-hons-2023-24