This has been a fantastic week for the Wellbeing team, the Wellbeing Ambassadors have been very busyhosting an event each day to support our pupils with our 5 top tips. ​

Monday started with an assembly first thing led by Mrs Price and the Wellbeing Ambassadors who talkedabout ways to support your mental health. This was followed by mindful colouring at break time, wherepupils came along and chilled out with some mindful music to go along with their colouring. Afterschoolbrought Brew Monday where pupils enjoyed their milkshake and biscuits while making positiveaffirmation paper chains to display on our ‘Top Tips pop up stand’ on Tuesday. ​

On Tuesday morning year 7 had their ‘Walk and Talk on the astroturf, supported again by the wellbeingambassadors. Our break time pop up stands proved very popular and it was lovely to see pupils wearingour positive affirmation stickers all week!​

On Wednesday break time we held our very popular board game break time where pupils from years 7-11tested their logical thinking skills on the 1% club questions, time got the better of us before we made it allthe way to the 1% questions gave impressive answers getting all the way down to 10% questions. ​

Thursday brought a calmer break time with craft club, here pupils made and decorated origami fans. Itwas was fantastic to see so many pupils enjoying the sessions and returning each day throughout theweek. ​

Following on from the success of this week, Brew Monday will now continue each Monday in T04 and wewill hold a 1% club break time quiz each Thursday in T04, all years welcome!​

As part of Mental Health Awareness week we have lots of exciting events taking place all week at Etone College. On Tuesday our Mental Health Pop Up took the cafe and hall by storm as our Wellbeing Team and Ambassadors led the charge in sharing our Etone top-tips for Mental Wellbeing, the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and tackling some of the taboos surrounding mental health for key groups including: boys, girls and body image and LGBT+.

These pop-ups are an important part of normalising the topic of wellbeing and making sure everybody is aware of how they can look after themselves. Join us throughout the week for more.

From Monday 11 May to Friday 22 May, come into school every day for your chance to win in our DAILY prize draws! 🌟

PLUS… pupils and students with 100% attendance across the two weeks will be entered into our SUPER DRAW! 🏆

Every day counts — be in to win! ✅ #AttendanceMaytters #EtoneCollege #EveryDayCounts

On Friday, 8^th May, Year 7 were joined by author, Bali Rai.  The day began with a whole year group talk on the theme of empathy with which pupils engaged with curiosity and courtesy.  Then many pupils took part in author writing workshops through which they explored their own identity through 'human pizza'.  As always, Etone pupils displayed their supportive nature and open minds while they listened to Bali's stories and shared their own sense of identity through precious memories, special places, people, activities and objects.  In sharing their sense of self with each other, year 7 dug deep showing self-belief and acceptance.

All pupils had the opportunity either at the end of their workshop or at lunchtime to have specially printed bookmarks signed as a memento of the day. Etone's competition to create a 'human pizza' opens on Monday with prizes of Bali Rai's signed books.

Have you ever wondered about the history of Etone College? From its beginnings and how it has grown over the years, to the meaning behind our school logo and values, there’s a story behind every part of our identity. Discover how Etone College has developed into the community it is today - and take a closer look at what makes our school unique. Check it out!

We are proud to announce that Etone are in the running for three highly prestigious awards at the Education Awards 2026. The categories that we are hoping to be successful for are:

School of the Year

Headteacher of the Year – Mr Smith

Lifetime Achievement Awards – Mrs Stafford

The year marks the special 10^th anniversary celebration of the awards creation, itself a celebration of the fantastic efforts of educators and organisations who put their heart and souls into making schools a positive experience for their young people. The Midlands Awards take place at the Millenium Point in Birmingham in July, with the national awards in London around Christmas time. The Midlands awards are sponsored by Birmingham City University which is an institute Etone has close links to, providing support to their teacher training programme, accessing enrichment opportunities for potential university students and taking part in projects that look to grow relationships between education phases.

The nominations are a recognition of the hard work leaders and staff at Etone have put into the school for over a decade. Together with Barr Beacon, Etone established the Matrix Academy Trust which now boasts over 10 schools and a very successful BB SCITT programme for aspiring teachers. The efforts at Etone over the years has been truly transformative with the school coming achieving consistently strong Ofsted inspections, positive exam results for every year since records began and even awarded Community School of the Year in 2025 for their fundraising efforts.

A large part of that success has stemmed from the steady and careful leadership of Mr Smith. Having joined the school in April 2017 his decade long headship so far has allowed for sustained success, navigating the tricky difficulties sin the world of education paired with the complexities of life such as the Covid pandemic. Whilst not an individual who aspires to hold the spotlight, his dedication to the school and the individual pupils is inspiring making him the perfect role model for Etone pupils. His achievements throughout this time deserve no less than this nomination, so well done Mr Smith!

The nomination for Mrs Stafford in the Lifetime Achievement category is equally deserved. Having served in the world of education for more than three decades she has established herself as not only an expert teacher, but a dedicate leader in helping new and existing teachers deliver the best lessons possible to pupils. In an illustrious career she has led on supporting newly qualified members of staff as they enter the realm of teaching, supported Geography teachers across the country in achieving excellent outcomes for pupils, helped develop programmes in the world of Workload and Wellbeing, Mental Health and the entire Personal Development curriculum to name just a few achievements. Her roles include; Deputy Headteacher, School Improvement Lead on Personal Development, Education Evidence Lead for the EEF, Lead Examiner in Geography and an all round model educator. We are extremely proud of her achievements and wish her all the best at the final awards.

Speaking of the nominations Mr Smith had the following to say: “When I heard about the nominations, I was once again thrilled to hear that Etone had been recognised for the contributions it makes to the Nuneaton area. Whilst education is never an easy industry it is one that we all care deeply about and have invested heavily in. I am overjoyed to hear of Mrs Stafford’s nomination for the Lifetime Achievement award, an honour she truly deserves. Regarding the nomination for myself, I have to say I am a little embarrassed however, it is lovely to be nominated and to have the last decade recognised in some way.”

Wish us luck in the awards which take place on Friday 3^rd July at the Millennium Point in Birmingham.

For Mental Health Awareness Week, we are going to focus on Etone’s Top Tips to support positive mental health. Each year group will go out to the astroturf or tennis courts and walk the perimeter on a given day.

Taking time to keep active and connect is important for mental health. It helps to reduce anxiety, improve self-esteem, improve concentration, reduce depression and help you sleep well. If you find this helps you concentrate for the day – think about how you could add more active time to your day (e.g. walk to school)

1. Register in form
2. Go through the expectations below
3. Leave bags and coats in form
4. Off you go!! Effort and laps will be rewarded with house points!

Expectations

- Walk sensibly at all times

- You will be spread out by your tutors so you are not walking as a big groups, you need to stay this way.

-Follow all instructions from your form tutor

-Return back to your tutors as soon as they  blow the whistle

-You may track this on your watch if you have one that can do this but you must not use your phone.

-Movement is an important part of having a healthy mind, so please take this opportunity to enjoy the time outside and do your house proud.

- This will be called off if it is raining.

Monday – Year 9

Tuesday – Year 7

Wednesday – Year 10

Thursday – Year 8

Friday – Spare day

This week at Etone College, Year Group Assemblies have been our second round of Progress Praise celebration assemblies. This has been a wonderful opportunity to recognise pupils who have excelled in their learning and in their contribution to school life.

During the assemblies, pupils were proudly awarded for Outstanding Progress and Attainment across a wide range of subjects. These awards celebrate not only strong academic outcomes, but also the resilience, self-belief and positive learning habits pupils have shown over time.Our award recipients have demonstrated a consistent positive attitude to their learning, responding to feedback, challenging themselves, and striving to be the very best they can be in their studies.

Alongside academic success, pupils were also recognised for their service to their House. These awards highlighted those who have shown commitment, leadership and teamwork by supporting House events, representing their peers and contributing positively to the wider school community. Their efforts reflect that they are fantastic ambassadors for their House, demonstrating our Etone Values.

Pupils who have maintained outstanding attendance and behaviour were also awarded for meeting our expectation of ‘100% in all that you do’

A key focus of Progress Praise is celebrating pupils who consistently demonstrate our Etone Values. Award winners showed respect for others, responsibility for their own learning, and integrity in the way they conduct themselves each day. Whether through care, resilience, or setting a positive example, these pupils embody the values that underpin life at Etone.

In addition, many pupils were recognised for demonstrating strong Employability Skills, including teamwork, communication, organisation and problem-solving. These skills were evident in lessons, group work, leadership roles, and extracurricular activities, preparing pupils not only for success in school, but for their future education and careers.

All certificate winners were placed into the ‘Wheel of Names’ to have the chance of winning vouchers and Amazon devices.

We are incredibly proud of all the pupils who were recognised and look forward to seeing them continue to grow and thrive.