The impact of the pandemic has been wide ranging and is still clearly present despite some time passing by. However, last week marked a historic event at Etone. We were delighted to be able to welcome back our Sports Day after a two year absence.

With busy schedules for venues and schools, like many, we have had to develop our strategies for staging events. Therefore this year was extremely special. Not only were we able to host classic favourites such as Pursuit and Tug of War, we were able to utilise our various on site venues and deliver a diverse and fresh take on sports day.

Starting on Tuesday our Year 9 and 10 pupils began proceedings with a ‘pep talk’ form their respective Houses. Eager to break away form the shadow of defeat in the past Griffin were focused on being a true underdog story, Dragon as usual entered the day as favourites to win, Phoenix hoping to capitalise on the change to events had prepared their table tennis team well and Centaur put forth an impressive football team for both the boy and girls events. Although a tough day for all contenders the results were as follows:

Centaur                270pts

Dragon                 250pts

Phoenix                220pts

Griffin                   180pts

On Friday our Year 7 and 8 pupils had the chance to bring home the glory and impact the overall results for the title. Going into this day our Heads of House issue rallying cries to either consolidate, improve their positions, or turn around their fortunes. Mr Astall hopeful to continue his trajectory towards gold, Mr Baggot eager to leapfrog from third and straight into first, Mr Khan passionate about maintaining the winning streak Dragon began at the end of day 1 into Day 2 and Miss Bailey striving to show that our only non-sport Head of House could best all that PE had to offer.

At the end of Day 2 the following were the Year 7 and 8 results:

Dragon                 530pts

Griffin                   380pts

Centaur                320pts

Phoenix                310pts

Across the two days, our pupils showed the strengths of their characters displaying all of our Employability Skills such as; Teamwork and Resilience and our Values. A particular highlight of the day being the sportsmanship shown when due to an error by both teams a rounders match was called a draw.

The full list of sports were as follows:

Netball, Football, Dodgeball, Benchball, Danish Longball, Team Pursuit, Tug of War, Table Tennis, Curling, Handball, Basketball, Rounders, Softball, Diamond Cricket, Ultimate Frisbee and Just Dance.

It was lovely to see pupils having the opportunity to work together more than what, perhaps usual athletics enables and it was fantastic to see the enjoyment our pupils had with taking part in the different sports on offer.

We are defiantly excited to see where our Sports Day will take us next year, who knows perhaps even Quidditch?

All that is left to say is a massive well done to Dragon who have done it again and with a 1-2 place in 7/8 and 9/10 respectively and reign supreme for Sports Day once again.

The final totals were:

Dragon                 780pts

Centaur                590pts

Phoenix                530pts  

Griffin                   500pts

A Level Results Day – Thursday 18th August 2022

GCE/BTEC Level 3 results will be available from 9:00am – 11:00am.

GCSE Results Day – Thursday 25th August 2022

GCSE/BTEC Level 2 results will be available from 09:00am – 11:00am

Year 10 GCSE Statistics – Thursday 25th August 2022

Collection will be available from 11:00am-12.00pm

On Monday the 20^th of June Miss Green had the privilege of travelling with 10 Year 9 students to Barcelona, for many of whom it was their first trip abroad. In addition to the 20 thousand plus steps a day exploring every corner and height of Barcelona, the students’ resilience, courteousness, and humour truly made the trip an unforgettable experience.

Day 1 – Students travelled to Birmingham Airport to meet their travel companions, 40+ other students from schools within the Matrix Academy Trust. Our 10 students immediately formed a close bond, which later in the week welcomed other students who could not believe how ‘posh’ the Nuneaton accent is. Arriving at our home for the week, Urbany Hostel, we dropped out bags off before exploring our local shopping sent Glories for dinner before an early night.

Day 2 – Our first ride on the Metro, which became our main mode of transport for the week, lead us to different sites around Montjuic. We visited the Olympic Museum and arena for the 1992 Olympics and the cable car up to Castell de Montjuic for some impressive views over the city. After this, we got the Port Vell Cable car across to Barceloneta Harbour (some of our students embraced the views, others hid behind their masks). We then enjoyed a lovely meal on the harbourside before heading back to recharge ourselves for another jam-packed day.

Day 3 – We began with a trip to Camp Nou, home of Barcelona FC, where we had a tour around their trophy room, stadium, and side-lines.  From there, we headed to La Rambla, where students were able to soak up the culture of one of the most famous streets in Europe. That evening, we had a movie night, watching some of the latest film releases (although students were pleased to hear the films were in English with Spanish subtitles). School groups were mixed up, providing the chance to get to know each other more.

Day 4 – Gaudí Day, exploring two of the most famous works of one of Spain’s most famous architects. First was a tour of the impressive Sagrada Familia where we were able to marvel at the detailed sculptures on the outside and the sunlight shining through the stained-glass windows on the inside, spreading fantastic colours through the interior. We even took a bit of time to make our own artwork, inspired by the building. We left the Sagrada Familia and after a lot of escalators, steps and hills made it to Parc Guell, where students were given time to explore this large fantasy-inspired park, before meeting at El Drac, a larger-than-life mosaic sculpture of a lizard. As we headed home that evening, we started to see the fireworks and bonfires being set up for the evening’s festivities, which took place all over Barcelona, including right outside our hostel, until the early hours of the morning.

Day 5 – Friday began with a well-earned lie-in, before a trip to see the Barcelona aquarium and an afternoon spent relaxing on the beach, followed by another delicious meal in the harbourside.

Day 6 – Saturday saw us heading to see some of the wildlife in the Barcelona Zoo, including tigers, rhinos, and elephants. After a wild day, we headed back towards La Rambla for a spot of retail therapy, before heading up to see the views of the city from the Palau Nacional.

Day 7 – Sunday was the day that some of us had been looking forward to the most, a trip to Portaventura Theme Park, which is home to over 50 exhilarating rides, including Dragon Khan and Shambhala. After a fantastic day, we returned to Barcelona before a final evening meal together.

Day 8 – A mad dash to the airport gate and a tearful goodbye! A huge thank you to both Miss Dunkley and the Turing Scheme for this once in a lifetime opportunity – our students truly had the most remarkable trip, one they cannot stop reminiscing about. They are eagerly awaiting their memory books!

On Wednesday 6^th July we were delighted to welcome our incoming Year 7’s to Etone College for their official induction day. Whilst many of them will have visited the school for Open Evenings, Induction Evening or perhaps our SEN Induction Day, it was their chance to take part in a day in the life of a secondary school and experience what Etone has to offer.

At the start of the day, Etone staff were on hand to welcome our excited and eager pupils through the gates and into their secondary journey. Whilst it is always an anxious time moving up to secondary, our Year 10 Prefects-Elect were on hand to help support our new Year 7’s and assist them in their very first steps at Etone.

Throughout the day the pupils had the opportunity to explore Etone, meet their new Form Tutors and experience secondary lessons including; Science, History and Learning for Life.

At Etone we pride ourselves in not only high-quality education within our subjects but also a personal development curriculum that really enriches a pupil’s opportunities in life. By providing a full and comprehensive set of skills and knowledge for any situation we can ensure our pupils are prepared. This began for our newcomers on Wednesday during their ice-breaker and Learning for Life tasters. It was a great chance for pupils to get to know their new forms and forge friendships that could go on to last a lifetime.

As the day ended our pupils were of course excited about what their future holds. For us at Etone we have said goodbye this year to a truly fantastic Year 11, however, it appears we are replacing them with an as fantastic Year 7 cohort. We would like to officially welcome our new pupils and look forward to getting to know you all better in September.

At Etone we pride ourselves on ensuring our pupils receive the best education possible. As part of that we dedicate time and resources to training and developing all of our team. From teachers to support staff pupils get the very best deal.

This year alone Etone has been relied upon to supply training and support not only to our own staff but the wider education community with; Education Evidence leads, National Professional Qualification facilitators and Teacher Training Subject leads to name a few of the roles we engage with.

However, we are always looking to grow our team further and on Friday 8^th July we were excited to welcome our new staff for the next academic year to Etone. As part of the day our newcomers had the opportunity retour the school, attend sessions to develop the knowledge of our school and its priorities and prepare for the impact they will undoubtedly have next year.

This year we are particularly happy to welcome three members of staff who have completed PGCE/ SCITT Teaching Training placements at Etone and even an Etone Alumni pupil who has already had an impact on our school as a previous Head Boy within our Sixth Form. We will, of course, share a more personal welcome with the team in September but for now, we would like you to join us in offering our new staff a warm, Etone welcome!

On the 20^th June 2021, forty pupils from the Matrix Academy Trust, travelled from Birmingham for a trip to Frankfurt with the Turing Scheme. The Turing Scheme is a fully funded government initiative that funds a range of international opportunities for young people to go abroad and experience different cultures around the globe. Pupils for this scheme are selected via criteria provided by the Department for Education.

After 15 long hours of travel, we arrived safely in Fulda, a beautiful city one hour North-East of Frankfurt. Upon getting settled at the accommodation the first evening was spent relaxing and preparing for the excitement of the week ahead.

On Monday, the pupils travelled into Fulda for a guided walking tour. With three different tours on offer, each group was able to experience a different aspect of the city and share this over dinner in the evening. Pupils were taken to visit the oldest church in Germany and explore its history, the engineering around it and importance it has on the local community today.

Pupils also had the opportunity to meet German pupils from a local school with a meet and greet arranged in a local park. With a range of activities and games, some familiar and some new it was an opportunity to develop language skills and see how life was different for a pupil in Germany. During the afternoon, we headed to a local school for some German taster lessons and then to a lovely Italian restaurant for dinner, which would go on to become a firm favourite of the group! On Tuesday, pupils returned to the German school to experience a day in the life of a German pupil. Our pupils were fascinated to see how different school was in Germany, with one of the pupils even saying they would not mind going to school in Germany over the UK!

As the next few days followed, we had an action-packed schedule; visiting Point Alpha, a memorial to East German citizens and learned about the shocking history of the East German regime, pupils bravely conquered the high-ropes at an adventure park, which involved a range of obstacles and bridges suspended between trees, we were shown the sights of Frankfurt by a local tour guide, went swimming in an outdoor pool, explored the inside of a model heart at the Museum and visited Fulda’s very own palace!

Friday was a much more sombre day for the group, as we took a coach to Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial. Here, we learned about the horrifying actions that took place during the Third Reich and to reflect on what took place. After first watching a film explaining the history of Buchenwald, the pupils were led on an audio tour of the camp itself. This was an incredibly emotional day and all pupils showed the utmost respect while here.

It’s safe to say that everyone had a wonderful time on the trip. Although exhausted, we all returned to England with big smiles and new friends.

Comments from parents:

“We would just like to say a big Thank You to all of the Staff that organised and went on the trip. Without the staff putting in this tremendous effort and taking on so much responsibility many children would not get these experiences.  They have certainly had extra challenges Covid restrictions and birds hitting planes to deal with.“

“I would just like to say a massive thank you for choosing my two sons to go to Germany as part of the Turing scheme. They had a wonderful time and haven’t stopped talking about it since they got back. Highlights for the boys were the high ropes, swimming pool and the heart at the museum. They also enjoyed trying the different foods. It was lovely to hear that they made some friends from different schools and spent this evening chatting on the phone and have even arranged to meet at the weekend. Please pass on my gratitude to the staff involved for organising and looking after the children, it must have been a challenge especially when things didn’t go to plan. Thank you once again for giving them this wonderful opportunity which I am sure they will never forget”.

On Monday 20^th June, 10 students and 2 staff set out for a week’s residential trip to Barcelona. We met the other pupils from the other schools in Matrix Academy Trust at the airport, just before checking in. For some of the pupils, it was their first-time experiencing flying, but all of the pupils fully committed themselves to the experience, a trait which was repeated throughout the week.

When we arrived at Barcelona airport, we met our bus and then went to our home for the week, the Urbany Hostel. After a quick meal at Glories, the local shopping centre, we went to bed to get an early night ready for the busy week ahead.

On the next day, we braved the Barcelona Metro for the first time, which was our main mode of transport for the week. We visited a few different sites around Montjuic, including the Olympic Museum and arena for the 1992 Olympics, and the cable car up to Castell de Montjuic for some impressive views over the city. After this, we got the Port Vell Cable car across to Barceloneta Harbour (Mr Larvan was not a fan of the ride!). We then enjoyed a lovely meal on the harbourside before heading back to recharge ourselves for another busy day.

Day 3 started with a trip to Camp Nou, home of Barcelona FC, where we had a tour around their trophy room, stadium and sidelines.  From there, we headed to La Rambla, where the pupils were able to soak up the culture of one of the most famous streets in Europe. That evening, we had a movie night, watching some of the latest film releases (although pupils were pleased to hear the films were in English with Spanish subtitles!). This allowed us to mix up the schools, giving the pupils chance to get to know each other more.

Day 4 was Gaudí Day, exploring two of the most famous works of one of Spain’s most famous architects. First was a tour of the impressive Sagrada Familia, which is still unfinished 140 years after construction started. We were able to see the inside and outside of the church, marvelling at the detailed sculptures on the outside and the sunlight shining through the stained-glass windows on the inside, spreading fantastic colours through the interior. We even took a bit of time to make our own artwork, inspired by the building. We left the Sagrada Familia and after a lot of escalators, steps and hills made it to Parc Guell, where pupils were given time to explore this large fantasy-inspired park, before meeting at El Drac, a larger-than-life mosaic sculpture of a lizard. As we headed home that evening, we started to see the fireworks and bonfires being set up for the evening’s festivities, which took place all over Barcelona, including right outside our hostel, until the early hours of the morning.

After a late night, Friday started with a well-earned lie-in, before a trip to see the Barcelona aquarium and an afternoon spent relaxing on the beach, followed by another delicious meal in the harbourside.

Feeling refreshed, Saturday saw us heading to see some of the wildlife in the Barcelona Zoo, including tigers, rhinos and elephants. After a wild day, we headed back towards La Rambla for a spot of retail therapy, before heading up to see the views of the city from the Palau Nacional.

Sunday was the day that some of us had been looking forward to the most, a trip to Portaventura Theme Park, which is home to over 50 exhilarating rides, including Dragon Khan and Shambhala. After a fantastic day, we returned to Barcelona before a final evening meal together and then a morning flight (and run through the airport!) to head back home.

Every single one of the pupils represented themselves, the school and the Trust extremely well and we were so impressed by their manners, fantastic attitude and willingness to embrace new experiences, whether that was trying new food, travelling abroad or going on cable cars. We hope that we have instilled an interest in travelling and have opened the pupils’ minds to see more of the world.

Comments from parents:

“My son, has just returned from the Turing Tour to Spain and I just wanted to thank the school for this great opportunity. He has come home full of information about the places he has visited, the friends he has made, and it is so evident just how much he has enjoyed it. I also feel it has given him a confidence he did not have before”

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at the Turing Scheme for giving my son an amazing experience and for looking after him so well – you are amazing”

Pre-pandemic we had developed strong curriculum links with our primaries as we shared resources, provided taster sessions and collaborated in the professional development of our teachers. This week, Etone has had the joy of opening its doors, once again, to some of our primary feeder schools in the Nuneaton area.

In the last couple of weeks, we have been delighted to welcome pupils in Year 5 from: Chetwynd Junior, Queens C of E, Wembrook Primary and St Nicholas C of E. The pupils have enjoyed taking part in some really interactive sessions including:

• Harry Potter Chemistry workshop including exploding Elephants Toothpaste
• Mastering Gaming where pupils have created their own playable games using Kodu
• Ultimate Frisbee – taking part in the number 1 University Sport 2021
• Curling – emulating the success of the Winter Team GB
• Wizarding Word – mastering IT skills that really impress
• Taster sessions in German and French learning how to greet each other and say our colours and numbers

All pupils have really enjoyed their days and were extremely excited to collect their certificates at the end of the sessions to evidence that fantastic work they have completed.

The primary curriculum transition is something we are incredibly proud of as we share expertise and resources with our colleagues in primary schools, get to know our potential pupils and reduce the anxiety that pupils at primary feel when they are faced with moving up to secondary.

We look forward to working more with our current primaries in the future and developing relationships with more as we work to ensure that all of our pupils achieve their full progress potential.

Thursday 30^th June marked a historic evening for Etone College. We were delighted to host the first Year 11 Prom in three years following the disruption of the pandemic.

With significant events taking place during their time and not to mention the disruption of the pandemic, our pupils have come through it all and now leave Etone as mature, responsible, young adults. Taking place at the Heart of England, Coventry our pupils had the opportunity to celebrate the memories and their achievements across the five years they have attended Etone.

At 6:00pm our VIP guests started to arrive as always, in style. As the limos started descend those in the small village of Astley would be forgiven for thinking a worldwide premier was taking place. There were; luxurious limos, classic campervans, roaring motorbikes, top of the Range-Rovers and even a rally car or two making an appearance.

After their arrivals the guests were escorted inside, down the red carpet and to the magical world of their prom. Upon entry pupils were given a welcome drink, take home Etone College Prom jar glass and keyring in a wonderous setting of stars in the sky. As the party got underway pupils had the chance to feats on a buffet of burgers, hotdogs, fries and kebabs with eclairs and donuts for dessert.

After dinner Mrs Price came up to officially open the prom and share a very special surprise with our pupils, but not before our own Mr Bowen surprised her with a birthday cake and led us all in rendition of the classic song. A big thank you to Mrs Price for celebrating her birthday by organising the prom.

With that the pupils got the chance to see their own surprises as the back curtains opened up to reveal the wonders put on for their prom including; candyfloss machine and sweet stall as a treat, mirror on the wall photo booth to log the happy memories along with some fantastic activities including air hockey, light force and even a Bucking Bronco!

The fun and dancing went on all night and it was fantastic to be able to recognise the achievements of our pupils and the bittersweet opportunity to say a fond farewell.

We would like to say a massive thank you to Mrs McNeal and Mrs Morton who organised such a fabulous evening and the Heart of England for hosting the event.

We hope you have a safe, relaxing summer and we will see you in August for results.

Following on from the information evening for our enrichment week residential to Cologne, here’s a copy of the details which were shared at the time. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.