School Council have been working hard ahead of welcoming our new Year 7 pupils for transition to come up with some top tips for their first few weeks at Etone College. We are sure that you will agree that they have given some fantastic advice! We will be sharing these with our new Year 6 pupils on transition day and as part of their transition summer challenges. Well done School Council!

Etone College prides itself on the range of student leadership opportunities offered to our pupils. To find out more about the work of our student leaders, check out our website page.

During Refugee Week between 15^th and 18^th June, our KS3 students took part in a range of activities designed to increase their understanding of the experiences of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. This year's theme, "Courage," encouraged students to reflect on the bravery shown by those who are forced to leave their homes and start new lives in unfamiliar places.

Throughout the week, students learned about the challenges many refugees face, including leaving family members behind, adapting to a new culture and language, and rebuilding their lives after experiencing conflict or persecution. Students also considered the importance of kindness, inclusion and community in helping people feel welcome and supported.

Many students shared thoughtful reflections on what they had learned. One Year 7 student commented, "I didn't realise how difficult it would be to leave everything behind and start again somewhere new. It made me think about how we can make new students feel welcome." A Year 8 student said, "Learning about refugees helped me understand that everyone has a story and that we shouldn't judge people without knowing what they have been through."

To help develop empathy and understanding, students were placed in the shoes of a refugee and asked to make a series of difficult decisions. Working in groups, they considered four key choices that refugees may face during their journey to safety, discussing the risks, consequences and emotions involved in each decision. This activity encouraged students to think critically about the realities of displacement and the courage required to navigate such challenging circumstances.

Refugee Week provided a valuable opportunity for students to develop their awareness of global issues while reinforcing our school values of self-belief, integrity and caring. We are proud of the maturity, thoughtfulness and engagement shown by our Y7-Y9 students throughout the week and look forward to continuing these important conversations in the future.

On Monday 22nd June, Year 12 Law and Year 12 Criminology pupils attended a University of Warwick Law School workshop. The workshop was based around Criminal Law, with a focus on the landmark Tony Martin case (R.v Martin 2001) where a 54-year-old farmer was initially charged with murder for shooting at two burglars at his isolated farmhouse.

The pupils divided into two groups: prosecution, and defence, and in a mock trial scenario, debated whether Martin’s actions were premeditated, or whether he was just defending himself and his property.

In the end, Martin was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, but on appeal the conviction was reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. His sentence was therefore reduced, and he was released from prison in 2003.

On Thursday 11^th June, Miss Stafford (Deputy Head) was very proud to present at the Research Schools Conference representing Etone College.  The presentation discussed the work that the school had done to share evidence-based approaches, informed by the Education Endowment Foundation, and to share the fantastic opportunities that we have had to work in partnership with Staffordshire Research School. A number of staff at Etone College support Miss Stafford to contribute to the advocacy work of the school and we are very proud to have shared our approaches in a number of key areas. This has included writing blogs, providing training and producing podcasts which share how we have used the Education Endowment Foundation guidance reports and also how we have engaged in pilots and opportunities for research informed practice.  The work of the school in partnership with Staffordshire Research School can be found on our partnerships page and also as part of our Trust website. To find out more information about the role of Etone College in advocacy, please follow these links and take time to read some of the blogs from our amazing teachers. We would like to place on record our thanks to Staffordshire Research School for the amazing partnership opportunities that they provide.

Our pupils showing their problems solving and initiative skills here by making the talked paper hat out of paper and tape.

Given just 30 minutes to design and create the piece, which must stay upright on the head unsupported for 1 minute. Pupils had a tremendous time and some really unique ideas for how to succeed in the challenge.

The winning length was 1.1 meters and a very strong coil design. Well done Team Etone!

On Thursday, we were delighted to welcome the new Mayor of Nuneaton, Colin Cape and Mayoress, Julie cape to Etone for the first time during their tenure in office. Just three weeks into being elected and despite a whirlwind first month, they made the journey to come and see our amazing Rowing Challenge 2026 event.

After a heroic effort by the Mayor on the rowing machine for Dragon House, a couple of our dedicated Etone Press Corps were able to complete a short interview with the pair to air next week. Across the interview the Mayor briefly covered his life, passion for the local town and what led to him taking the office of Mayor. Whilst the Mayoress relived the moments leading up to the election followed by the need for some new dresses to go to events across the year.

We look forward to welcoming them both to the school soon and showing you our footage to go along with it.