On Wednesday 13^th February we were delighted to host our next Parent Support Session on Supporting Your Child with Literacy and Numeracy Skills at KS3. 

In this modern world, the need for strong literacy skills and a good diet of numeracy has never been more important. With the reading gap (the difference between those who do ready form an early age and those who don’t), being a barrier to pupils progressions in next steps and recent research that suggests over 40% of the population struggle with numerical skills to support financial management in later life, we make sure that at Etone College our pupils are given the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills both in school and at home.

The session was once again well attended and an opportunity to share the strategies and models we have in place that build strong skills in both numeracy and literacy. Whilst the range is extensive below are just some examples of what we do to support include:

• Drop Everything and Read
• Word of the Week
• Numeracy Ninjas
• Freya models for unpicking meanings of words
• Form numeracy
• Maths challenge

In addition to support in school, it was an opportunity to share some strategies and resources that can be used at home to support with your child’s development at home. We want to say a big thank you to Miss Darling and Mr Mckenna for hosting the event and for all of those in attendance. We look forward to seeing you in the session on supporting with Mental Health in March.

For the recording and resources of this session and past sessions please click here: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/parent-carer-support-workshops/

For information our Literacy and Reading website click here: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/reading/

To read more about our support of this years World Book Day event: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/world-book-day-2/

Music students at Etone College have been working hard with Caius Lee and Richard Hughes on behalf of the Armonico Consort in preparation for our upcoming concert with the Grammy award winning King’s Singers at St Mary’s Church Warwick on Thursday 16^th March as part of the King’s Singers current global tour.

They have been helping our students learn a number of pieces including the acapella piece Suitcase Full of Songs, written to raise awareness of the challenges facing refugees. Through the five week project Etone students (and staff) will develop their skills for this upcoming concert with the aim to participate in future National concerts arranged by the Warwickshire group.

The King’s Singers, currently on tour in North America, sent a message to our students “Looking good guys!” and we can’t wait to meet them at the concert!

Saturday 4^th February, Nuneaton Table tennis league had their annual town championships for juniors. There were a handful of students that attended from Etone college. There were multiple age categories in which students were able to compete and lots of games for them to play. It’s great to announce that Etone had lots of success in the competition. 

Ryley, Ingso, Isa, Muhammed Ismail, Uzair and Abdul-Hadi all demonstrated some excellent table tennis over the day, impressing some of the senior players that were competing in the other events. Ryley was able to win the under 15’s singles, under 18’s singles, under 18’s doubles and then came runner up in the under 21 singles. This was a fantastic achievement as he almost got a clean sweep of all the competition on the day.

Ingso also had a great tournament, winning the under 21’s singles competition and coming runner up in the under 18’s singles. This was a brilliant effort considering this was the first time he had enter the competition.

More table tennis information can be found on the Nuneaton table tennis league Facebook page.

Etone Football Academy 3-0 Win Vs Derby.

With a few players missing through injury it was always going to be a tough ask going into the match however, our team rose to the occasion and played very professionally against a Derby side who had made a few changes since we played them in the previous fixture. A solid start to the game with a few chances created and dealing with the Derby attacks with ease. Even better when N Bown leaped above everyone else within the box from a corner and made it 1-0. The half fizzled out with some great play at times however no finishing touch. 

During the second half, it was more of the same with the back line and Zain dealing well with the few chances Derby created. The lads stayed fixed to the task and made it 2-0 thanks to T Stenton, to partly put the game away. The change of positions and change of formation from Derby didn’t phase the players and they kept creating chances throughout the rest of the game. The game was finally put to bed when Tom Stenton scored again, this time from the half way line after the opposition GK went in for a corner. 3-0.

The team came away with 3 points and a clean sheet.

Etone 2-0 Win V's Sandwell

Our second fixture this week saw Etone Football Academy take on Sandwell Academy at the Pingles Stadium in a must-win game for the home side. With a squad of 11 players due to injuries, the pressure was on for the team to work hard and be resilient for the 90 minute period. Chances were to come and go during the first half with a frustrating number of misses for Etone. A goal just before halftime after a well worked move down the right side of the pitch saw C Baker make it 1-0 at the break. The second half was more of the same with opportunities at the Sandwell end. Nerves were eventually settled when we made it 2-0 with a near post strike from the edge of the area. A couple of injuries could have been enough to take Etone down to 9 men but the lads fought on and won the 3 points in return. 2-0 W v Sandwell Academy.

Tuesday 7^th February 2023

Safer Internet Day is held every February in over 170 different countries. The goal of Safer Internet Day is to call on people across the world to work together to make the internet a safer and better place for all, but especially for young people. In the UK, the UK Safer Internet Centre run a campaign especially for the day which aims to start a national conversation about using technology safely and positively. 

Last year over half of children and young people in the UK heard about the campaign, but it also involves and influences government, charities, police forces and tech companies including social media and gaming platforms. 

This Safer Internet Day asks everyone to make space for conversations about life online, especially with young people.  

That’s why this year, the theme for Safer Internet Day is: 

Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online 

To help raise further awareness of the importance of keeping safe online, pupils in all year groups have written their own pledges about how they will keep safe online.    

So, this Safer Internet Day we are challenging everyone to talk about it. 

Talk to your friends. Talk to the adults you know and trust. 

Most importantly, tell them if something is worrying you. It’s never too late to share an online problem and get help and support that can make things better. 

Happy Safer Internet Day everyone!

On Sunday 5^th February one of Etone’s own achieved ultimate glory by winning a national competition. Mr Kitching, one of our inspirational sport teachers travelled once again to Cardiff to compete in the Welsh National Badminton Tournament. Playing in the Mixed and Men’s Doubles Mr Kitching showed his potential with some convincing wins over his initial opponents. During the round of 16, along with team mate Daniel Font, they saw off the challenge of the first seeded player. It was inevitable then that for the Men’s Doubles the Champions were already crowned. In the final match the duo won in straight sets with a convincing lead and lifted the trophy. In the Mixed Doubles there was a tremendous effort with Mr Kitching and team mate Devi Tika Permatasari going all the way to the final and narrowly missing out in a three set epic.

We are so pleased and proud of Mr Kitching who always shows each and every one of our Etone Values and Employability Skills but in this achievement especially. It is amazing to have a national champion within the teaching staff and we know just how much this means to our pupils who can see that hard work, determination and dedication prove to be the ingredients for success.

Despite being more than qualified to take victory laps around the sports hall Mr Kitching remains very humble about his win however, we at the Etone News have to report this is not the FIRST time national success has been achieved by Mr Kitching. In total he now adds his Sixth title to the mix showing a dominance in Badminton.

His previous wins including: 

Mens Singles 2016, 2017, 2020

Mixed Doubles 2019, 2021

Mens Doubles 2023

Whilst these may seem like monster success his career highlight remains winning the Staff vs Sixth Form Badminton Challenge last year, we’re glad to see it hasn’t gone to your head sir!

Please see attached the Mens doubles draw: https://badmintonwales.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament/draw?id=24B87935-98EF-4233-B255-4FD74CA3D1FE&draw=11

Just a reminder that our next workshop takes place on Wednesday 15th February, online and is aimed at supporting your KS3 child with Numeracy and Literacy. 

We are really proud of our slate of sessions and look forward to seeing you there as our Numeracy and Literacy Leads share some strategies and advice on how to make the most of your child’s time at Etone.

If you would like to attend please complete the link below no later than Wednesday 8th February: https://bit.ly/3lb61x4

A teams link will be sent out shortly after closure. We look forward to seeing you there!

On Monday 13^th February we start our Valentines themed attendance competition – Love Attendance Week. During the week we have issued the challenge to all Houses and Form Groups to have the highest attendance during that week. 

As you will be aware, the best way for your child to make use of the opportunities at school is for them to be present each and every day. By being in school they are exposed to our enriched curriculum that ensures each and every pupil makes progress and prepares them for a successful future. As a school, our expectation remains that pupils attend 100% of the time they are scheduled to.

Over the course of the week we will be updating each group as to their attendance and promoting them aim for 100%. The lucky winners in each Key Stage will receive a special themed breakfast Form Time which will be attended by the successful Form groups, Assistant Heads of House and Mr Smith. So make sure you are attending each and every day and contributing to your Houses success Mr Baggot, Miss Bailey, Mrs Harris and Mr Khan are counting on you.

Hockey club continues on a Friday after school. All students have the opportunity to become part of the Nuneaton School's Hockey Academy. Students from a variety of schools in Nuneaton have been training on a Friday with Warwickshire and England Hockey Coach, David O'Brien. If you are interested in progressing in hockey and representing Etone and Nuneaton please see Mrs Harris for more details. 

Two of our students have been selected to represent Warwickshire as they successfully made it through numerous rounds of County Hockey Trials. 

Well done to I. McNeal and H. Holt in your huge achievement. 

The reading event of the year is fast approaching: World Book Day. Created by UNESCO on 23^rd April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is currently celebrated by over 100 countries around the world. Each year authors and publishers work hard to spread the values of reading, particularly with the younger generation. This is a fantastic opportunity for KS3 classes. Etone College staff and pupils intend to observe the day with the full credit it deserves with some fantastic activities.

On Thursday 2^nd March 2023 we will be celebrating World Book Day.

During World Book Day pupils will get the opportunity to be part of at a fun quiz, guessing who is behind the book where they will need to use their best inference and communication skills to work out which member of staff is behind the book.

Alongside World Book Day, each tutor group in KS3 has been challenged to see how many texts they can read from around the world. They will be travelling around the world through a variety of texts; from America, Asia, Europe, England and Australia. This will hopefully give pupils a wider understanding of different countries. They can do this through a variety of texts (and audio books!).

We can’t wait to hear about all the fantastic texts that KS3 have been reading!