Wednesday night saw the performance of our amazing annual talent show, 'Etone's Got Talent 2025' and - my goodness - do they have talent! 

As the lights went down, and an expectant hush spread across the hall, Etone's choir opened the show with their rendition of 'Crazy Train'.  We then moved into the first ten acts of the evening: from bands, violinists, flutist, singers and dancers, we had it all.  At the interval, refreshments were served, before Etone's Dance squad kicked off Act 2 with their amazing choreography to 'Better when I'm Dancin''. The following eight acts completed the competition. 

A brief interval enabled the audience to reflect, discuss and cast their votes, as our esteemed judging panel of judges: Mr Mammatt, Mrs Whitmore, and Mr Evers, led by John Parnell or 'Hoop Man' (as seen on Britain's Got Talent), retreated to deliberate.  They found it almost impossible to award the prizes, and as Mrs Whitmore said, 'everyone was a winner'.  Competitors displayed every Etone value, ably summarised by Mr Evers, they showed self-belief in auditioning and performing; care and integrity towards each other as an ensemble, and support of their school, community and the performing arts department: we are so proud of them all!

But, there do have to be winners, and assisted by our audience vote, the final awards were:

First place - Bazzar (Band: Felix, Jacob, Daniel) with their original song 'Don't Belong' - Y10 (Griffin)

Second place - Amelia and Belle - acrobatic dance duet - Y8 (Griffin and Centaur)

Third place - Aniela - solo singer 'The Girl is on Fire' - Y7 (Dragon)

We want to - once again - congratulate all of our competitors and thank our community for supporting this event and out talented young people.  We can't wait for you to see what we have in store for you next academic year!

The Gardening Club has had a successful first year, we have got to grips with new skills, planted lots and learnt some new techniques. Gardening has helped us to check in with our mental health and wellbeing each week by connecting with others and helping the school community.

. We have now achieved the RHS School Gardening Level 2 by coming up with some plans of things that we would like to achieve next year, developing new skills (including working out what is a weed and what is a prized plant!!)   and using our gardening on a weekly basis to support our wellbeing.  As part of achieving the award we received a book about how to garden in a low carbon way, some seeds for next year and a £50 voucher to spend on Gardening equipment next year.

We are really excited to  continue learning through gardening next year we are looking forward to trying to grow more vegetables, looking at ways we can encourage more nature to the school site and supporting the site staff to take care of the flower beds around the site.

On Monday 14th July, twenty-three Etone College pupils from Years 8 and 9 attended a School Trip to the UK Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. The trip included a tour of Parliament and a workshop on petitions and e-petitions, based at Parliament's Education Centre.

Students went on a guided tour of Parliament, including Westminster Hall, the oldest part of Parliament, where King Charles I was put on trial and sentenced to death in 1649. More recently, the hall was used for the lying in state of the late Queen, Elizabeth II. The students also walked through the Members' Lobby, which contains the statues of former UK Prime Ministers, including Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher and David Lloyd George. From the Members' Lobby, students were taken to the House of Commons' division lobbies, where MPs vote 'aye' or 'no' on Parliamentary bills. From these lobbies, students entered the House of Commons chamber, which was rebuilt following a bomb attack during the Second World War, with its iconic green leather benches. It was whilst in the House of Commons chamber that students learned from our tour guides that there are only 427 seats for the 650 MPs, and that Winston Churchill had insisted that the Commons chamber be rebuilt with the same confrontational character, with the government benches and opposition benches directly facing each other. Students also went through the iconic Central Lobby, which contains the statues of numerous English and Scottish Kings and Queens all the way from King Edward I.

Following the tour, students returned to the Education Centre and participated in a workshop focusing on the significance of petitions to Parliament. A petition is a list of demands or a call to action, and people sign their names to show support for it. Anyone can start a UK Parliament petition as long as they are a British citizen or UK resident. The pupils firstly split into four groups - based around Education, Health, Science & Innovation, and Transport, and had to come up with ideas/proposals for petitions. Each group then chose their most significant petition proposal, presented it to the whole group, and we then all voted for the petition we thought would be the most successful. In the end, the 'Transport for England' petition, which proposed a public transport system for England to resemble that of London, came second with 8 votes. The winning petition, with 10 votes, called for improved river water quality, tackling pollution and waste in our waterways.

We are currently planning our Annual Careers Day at Etone College and would be delighted to invite businesses, universities, and colleges to participate by hosting a stand. This event provides a valuable opportunity for students to engage with professionals, explore potential career paths, and gain insight into a wide range of industries and educational opportunities.

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Teams of 6 pupils from each of our Trust schools recently enjoyed a football-related language learning enrichment activity with a company called Futbol Lingo at Barr Beacon School.
Owner Pierce is an inspirational football coach and linguist, who aims to inspire future linguists and open young people’s minds about the wealth of opportunities for people who speak other languages, and also understand other cultures in the football industry.

Pierce has a wealth of experience in the football industry as both a professional player and a coach and worked last week with Year 8 and 9 pupils from across the trust. There was a motivational talk on the value of languages followed by a practical football session conducted in French/German!

With the aim of gaining points for participation throughout the day, in competition with the 6 other schools in our Trust, our pupils showed excellent teamwork in preparing and delivering a presentation on why their Francophone or German speaking country should host a football tournament. Presenting to a group of French & German teachers, conversing in French as well as English did not daunt our pupils, who spoke confidently about their country's food, transport links, stadia and star players.

Then out on the pitch, our football fanatics collaborated with their peers from other Matrix academies, demonstrating their football skills whilst collecting vital coaching tips from Pierce and improving their languages as they competed.

The overall winners for this year were Turves Green Boys School who have taken home the Matrix trophy for this year.

From 1st – 5th July, pupils from all Matrix Academy Trust schools, including Elmwood School who are joining the Matrix family in September, embarked on the final International trip of the 2024–2025 academic year. The 55 children experienced an unforgettable week in the heart of Italy.

During their time in Italy, students explored some of Rome’s most iconic landmarks, including the awe-inspiring Colosseum and the Pantheon. A hands-on gladiator school experience gave everyone a taste of ancient Roman life — a highlight for many, even with the heat!

Adventurous spirits were tested on the high ropes course, followed by visits to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the lively Piazza Navona. Although a planned trip to the Vatican was sadly cancelled due to a metro line closure, spirits remained high. Instead, the group enjoyed a sunny afternoon on the beach at Ostia, where paddling in the sea proved the perfect way to end a packed itinerary.

The behaviour of all students was exemplary throughout the trip — a real credit to the Trust and to their schools. The final trip of this year was a resounding success, leaving everyone with memories that will last a lifetime – and a lot of enthusiasm to participate in next year’s adventures!

We are delighted to share that we have been awarded the @superkind_org #SocialImpactSchoolsAward this year. This is a testament to the wonderful social action work that our pupils led by our Community Champions have put in this year to make a positive impact on our local community and wider. We are thrilled to have earned this recognition as an extension to our Community School of the Year award @bizzeducation #superkind 

As you will be aware we are proud of all our pupils do to engage with the community and how they themselves take pride in their social impact.

Just this week events such as the Trust Sports Day and Sixth Form Summer Fair have shown how important the Etone Values are to our pupils who show these day in and day out.

We are therefore overjoyed to announce we have been awarded the Social Impact Schools Award by the SuperKind Organisation. The award is a quality mark for schools who are making their impact on the communities they serve. Through providing opportunities for pupils to give back and share their experiences.

We are honoured to have received this and would like to thank all of our members of staff, pupils and their families for the amazing support they give us, always!

Mr Smith said of receiving the award “It is of great personal pride to see how far Etone has come in the last decade. From our point of view we know how important education is to all pupils, but especially in places like Nuneaton. With such a rich history whilst battling its own barriers, the town is a place where community matters much more than others. I’m overwhelmed that Etone College represents just a little bit of this.”