Etone Exceeding Excellent took their first local cultural capital trip on Tuesday, 10^th February to Nuneaton Library where pupils had to think creatively to complete 'The Big Challenge'.  It was wonderful to see the range of answers they from 'The history of Africa' being the biggest thing in the library to a tiny 3d printed robot; pupils were inspired by chess, fashion books, the grand piano and cookery during their trip.  They also reminisced about childhood trips to the journey and explored the children's library!

Monday 9th February brought the start of Children's Mental Health week. All of the time and ideas the Wellbeing ambassadors have put into preparation for this week start to pay off. We have started the week with Brew Monday, this was our best attendance yet! With our trusty sixth form helpers sorting the drinks and biscuits with incredible efficiency the pupils set to work with wool, pipe cleaners and ribbons making some fantastic dream catchers. This week, look out at break and lunch times for the mindful colouring and puzzles, by popular demand - 'Just Dance' continues at break times in the hall and don't forget to come and visit our Mental Health stand on Thursday at break time and collect your sticker to support the theme of this year.

A big congratulations to Eunice in Year 11 this week who took part in England Athletics U15/U17/U20 Championships in Sheffield. Not only is she an excellent athlete but a role model in and around school. The event takes the fastest young people in the country and pits them to achieve their best. This is exactly what Eunice did by coming second in her heat with a new PB of 7.74 and qualifying to the semifinal.

With such improvements being made, we have no doubt this is just the start of the journey for Eunice. Well done from all at Etone.

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.”

Etone College students have been hard at work this weekend rehearsing their devised piece based on the famous “Seven ages of Man” speech by Warwickshire’s own William Shakespeare, originally from the play “As You Like It”. Our students have created a themed piece of performing arts using each of the seven ages in turn to tell the story of a human life using music, dance and drama.

Tickets available on the MAT app. Evening show at 7pm on Thursday 12th February.

During October we celebrated ADHD month to raise awareness of the challenges that can be faced by a young person with ADHD as well as celebrating the creativity and enthusiasm that they also experience.

Staff developed their awareness of ADHD by engaging with an information booklet and then completing a knowledge quiz.  Five staff were randomly drawn to win a selection of re-focus tools for their classrooms.

During our break time pop up, pupils tried and tested a range of re-focus tools with the clear winner being a ‘fidget cube’ followed closely by ‘thera putty’ and ‘fidget rings’.  These silent, hand-held tools are useful for pupils who benefit from keeping their hands busy whilst they’re listening.  As well as the kits won by staff, our team of LSAs will carry a selection of these new re-focus tools in their LSA kits which they can loan to pupils in lessons.

Pupils also completed a scavenger hunt searching for answers on our 10 poster display campaign with clues posted in each part of the school.  The lucky winners  got to choose their favourite re-focus tool from the new selection to keep.

Thank you to all staff and pupils who got involved in this month’s celebration of inclusivity at Etone.   We’re looking forward to December when we explore ‘Human Rights Month’.

On Friday we were honoured to be awarded the International Schools Award certificate by Jodie Gosling MP. The award was presented to Mr I Smith, Headteacher who was very pleased to accept on behalf of our Modern Languages Department. “Another award for the school is always a great thing to have. Each of these shows just how hard the staff and pupils work to make the Etone Vision a reality.” A big thank you to Jodie for coming to present the award.

On 29th January, 60 Year 9 pupils visited the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham to watch a live performance of The Woman in Black. For many pupils, this was their first experience of live theatre, and it proved to be a memorable one.

The production was a masterclass in atmosphere and storytelling. With a minimalist set, clever use of lighting and sound, and outstanding performances from the cast, the play built tension gradually and kept pupils fully engaged throughout. Gasps, nervous laughter and quite of lot of screams across the audience showed just how effectively the suspense was created!

Pupils behaved impeccably throughout the trip and represented the school extremely well, both at the theatre and while travelling. Many commented afterwards on how much they enjoyed the play and were surprised by how there were only two actors involved.

The trip supported pupils’ learning in English by bringing a key text to life and gave them valuable exposure to literature beyond the classroom. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and enriching experience, and one that will undoubtedly stay with them for a long time.