On Thursday 3rd July, all Year 7 students took part in our first annual Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Spelling Bee, organised by Mrs Auton-Budds.

Throughout the competition, students demonstrated their impressive language skills by spelling a range of words in both French and German. The standard was incredibly high, with pupils showing great enthusiasm, determination and confidence.

Following the class heats, 12 grand finalists – two students from each MFL class – have earned their place in the final, which will take place on Friday 10th July. The finalists will compete in both French and German to be crowned this year's Spelling Bee champions.

The event was a huge success, and the students thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. It was wonderful to see so many pupils embracing language learning and celebrating their achievements in French and German. We wish all of our finalists the very best of luck for the grand final!

On Friday 3^rd July a historic event was marked as Etone College was named Secondary School of the Year at the Education Awards 2026.

The awards are given to schools across the country who are dedicated to inspiring and developing pupils experiences, working with communities and driving change in their environments. This year marked the 10^th year of the awards rounding out the decade with a magnificent event.

Entering the Millenium Point Auditorium, the packed room was met with a fantastic atmosphere as the suspense continued to build. For the Etone delegation led by Mr Smith, it was the biggest award of the night for Secondary Schools that was the main target for the event. As the nominees were announced there was a deafening cheer for the school as those in attendance showed their support.

Uniquely the winner in each category was shown via a pre-prepared video which had only been seen by the creator. However, as the video began to play it became clear that Etone had delivered on the promise and bought home the award.

With the entire delegation making their way to the stage to accept the award it was a poignant moment for the first year of the awards would have coincided with Etone being in special measures. This marks a decades long triumph with the school being awarded for Progress 8, community engagement and cultural opportunities to name a few.

As part of the video packaged there was also surprise recommendations for the awards by Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton and then-Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth Bhim Saru.

Following the event Mr Smith spoke to our report and shared "We have been successful with awards for the school in the past few years and each time it is special. However, this one is the big one - The one that really stamps our mark on education as being names School of the Year, it really is the pinnacle of what we can achieve. I'm so thankful for the support of the entire staff, pupils and our Etone friends and families. It is just a lovely way to end the year".

The award can be viewed in pride of place along with the other trophies, prizes and titles bestowed on the school in it's rich history in the School Foyer. A big thank you goes out to all.

On Friday we held our first Big Tea event ever. The Big Tea is in support of the NHS and celebrates the NHS's birthday which is recognised as the 5^th July. This year our celebration was marked by a tea party open to all year groups for the first time. As a result, the turnout got the event was nothing short of marvellous.

Leaning on the kindness of staff and pupils, we received over 100 donations for cakes and goodies to share out across the morning. This always amazes us as the donations of treats is literally the heartbeat of the event. Moreover this was fortunate as we had our biggest event yet, with over 200 guests there was the opportunity to get to know our pupils and families, talking through there experiences across the year and generally enjoying the event.

Marking the occasion was a wonderful arrangement of performances by our magnificent choir and musicians.  Whilst they always amaze, for some of these this marks the third and fourth year of doing these events. What is striking is how these pupils have cone from novices to such young professionals. It is a sight to behold.

However, there also has to be a special mention to the wonderful cakes that were entered as part of the NHS bake off. The cakes that came out of the imagination for the theme "NHS's Birthday" were brilliant. We are sure the NHS will be proud of the entries.

As the event came to a draw we have raised just shy of £300 which is a school best for a Coffee Morning and counting continues. A big thankyou to all friends and staff who have supported us in this amazing event.

June has been a busy month for the Wellbeing Ambassadors as we have now moved to hosting Brew Monday every week. This has proved popular with our regulars. We have been busy crafting and making posters for our upcoming events such as our 'thank a community carer', where pupils are currently making  plans for this year's delivery of goodies to our local volunteers. We have also been busy making positive affirmation paper chains to put on our pop-up stand for Diversity week. Here we also had the opportunity for pupils to nominate any volunteers they would like to thank for giving up their time and supporting young people. We have started to put plans into place for next year. If anyone is interested in becoming a Wellbeing Ambassador, please just keep an eye on Padlet and come along to the next meeting. For our current Wellbeing Ambassadors, we have opened up applications for Lead Wellbeing Ambassador and invite anyone interested from any year group to submit a written paragraph to Mrs Ratcliffe outlining why you would like to do this role by Monday 6^th June. 

Today was a very proud Deputy Headteacher moment when I visited a Maths lesson to be greeted with blazer lapels adorned with employability skills and values badges! Living and breathing our values every day and demonstrating the skills that they will need later in life, our very special Etone learners pictured here are examples to us all.  Well done - what a fantastic achievement. This year, we are proud to have awarded: points, values badges, employability points and employability badges - rewarding our pupils for being true Etone learners.  Watch this space as tomorrow I will be giving winners certificates for our values challenges for showing support for others each and every day

Etone's New Prefects Complete Inspiring Leadership Training Day

Our newly appointed Etone College Prefects for 2026–2027 recently took part in an exciting and engaging full-day training programme designed to prepare them for one of the school's most important student leadership roles.

The day brought together pupils from across all four houses to develop the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to become outstanding ambassadors for Etone College. Throughout the programme, pupils demonstrated exceptional maturity, enthusiasm and commitment, setting a fantastic example of what it means to be an Etone Prefect.

The training covered a wide range of leadership themes, including:

• Understanding the role and responsibilities of a prefect

• Developing leadership, teamwork and communication skills

• Mentoring and supporting younger pupils

• Safeguarding awareness and professional boundaries

• Conflict resolution and problem-solving

• Representing Etone College as proud ambassadors

• Personal leadership development and action planning

The day was packed with practical activities, including team-building challenges, leadership tasks, mentoring role plays, safeguarding scenarios and ambassador presentations. These interactive sessions encouraged pupils to work collaboratively, think critically and develop the confidence to lead others.

One particular highlight was the leadership challenge, where teams were tasked with constructing the tallest free-standing structure using limited materials. It was fantastic to see pupils demonstrating creativity, resilience, communication and collaboration whilst reflecting on how effective leadership can influence success.

Another key element of the day focused on mentoring younger pupils. Prefects were shown the importance of active listening, asking effective questions and using the GROW coaching model to support younger students in a safe and supportive manner. A huge well done to Evie H who volunteered to demonstrate this with Miss Bali in front of all her peers.

Safeguarding remains at the heart of everything we do at Etone College, and prefects completed Level 1 safeguarding awareness training. They developed a clear understanding of their responsibilities, recognising that being a student leader is not about solving every problem themselves, but about listening carefully, acting responsibly and ensuring concerns are passed on to the appropriate members of staff.

The afternoon challenged pupils to think about what it truly means to be an Etone Ambassador. Working together, they explored the many strengths of our school and prepared "elevator pitches" explaining why families should choose Etone College. Their pride in our school community was evident, and many spoke passionately about the opportunities, support and sense of belonging that Etone provides.

Throughout the day, our new prefects consistently embodied the Etone Values and in addition to these values, pupils developed many of the essential employability and life skills that will benefit them well beyond school, including leadership, communication, organisation, teamwork, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, public speaking and decision-making.

Mr Evers, Deputy Headteacher, said:

"I was incredibly proud of the maturity, enthusiasm and professionalism shown by every pupil throughout the training day. They embraced every activity with positivity and demonstrated exactly why they were selected to represent our school. I have every confidence they will become outstanding role models and ambassadors for the Etone community."

The training day marks the beginning of an exciting journey for our new prefect team. Over the coming year they will support school events, welcome visitors, mentor younger pupils, contribute to student leadership projects, represent student voice and play a vital role in promoting the values and culture of Etone College.

We look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make across our school community and wish them every success as they begin their leadership journey.

This week our Year 7 pupils enjoyed a fantastic reward trip to Drayton Manor, and our Year 10 pupils visited Alton Towers, recognising those who have consistently demonstrated excellent attendance, positive behaviour and our Etone Values throughout the year and/or the qualification window.

Both days were a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the commitment and effort shown by so many of our pupils. On both trips, our pupils were outstanding ambassadors for Etone College. Their kindness, respect, manners, responsibility and positive attitude were evident throughout each day.

We were especially proud to receive compliments from adults from other schools, who took the time to comment on how polite, respectful and well-behaved our pupils were. It is always rewarding to hear others recognise the high standards and values that our students demonstrate every day.

The trips provided plenty of excitement, with pupils enjoying a wide range of rides and attractions, creating lasting memories with their friends while celebrating a successful year.

A huge thank you goes to all of the staff who gave up their time to make the trips possible. Their enthusiasm, care and commitment ensured that every pupil had a safe and enjoyable experience.

A special mention must go to Mrs Smith, who spent much of the day at Drayton Manor accompanying pupils on the water rides, ensuring that every child who wanted to experience the attractions had the opportunity to do so. Her willingness to get soaked in the name of making the day memorable certainly did not go unnoticed and was greatly appreciated by both pupils and colleagues!

Congratulations to all of the pupils who earned their place on the trip. You should be incredibly proud of the way you represented Etone College. Your excellent attendance, positive behaviour and commitment to living our Etone Values made this celebration thoroughly deserved. We look forward to seeing you continue this success next academic year.

Etone's Drama Club shone on stage last night at their full technical rehearsal at The Belgrade Theatre; working with The Belgrade's professional lighting and sound team alongside their director Jacob Whitehorn from Dauntless Evolution, they ran their whole performance 'Hope' in the B2 theatre.  Claire Proctor, The Belgrade's Education & Young People’s Producer said, "It was brilliant to see your young people's work last night - they were absolutely amazing. I can't believe how much their confidence has grown."  We can't wait to see them in their final performance on Friday!

At Etone College we are all about ensuring our pupils grow a sense of community, to take responsibility for their role in society and to contribute positively to the environments we live in.

As part of this we access lots of role models across the local and global context for our pupils to look up to. However, we are delighted to be able to announce our first Community Ambassador for Etone College: Councillor Bhim Saru.

Since early 2025 Bhim has played an important part at Etone, being amongst the first from the community to congratulate us on our award for Community School of the Year. In his year as Mayor of the borough, he not only showcased all of our Etone Values in how he upheld himself and the office of Mayor but also formed a bond with pupils, staff and the overall school with a joint goal to support the Nuneaton community. Throughout this we have been so appreciative of this close working relationship.

With the acceptance of the role Bhim has agreed to champion Etone’s causes wherever possible, collaborate on community projects and support the school in various endeavours. We are honoured to have Bhim take on this and continue the strong bond, which has led to a successful relationship between the school and Mayors Office. As a direct result of this the school has enjoyed a visit by new Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth, which has got off to a roaring start.

We would like to thank Bhim for taking on the role and look forward to working with him in future, along with Mayor Colin Cape and the other stakeholders of the community.