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.”

On Thursday 10^th July our current cohort of TIGERS took one more step forward to graduating and earning their ‘TIGERS’ badge. The programme looks to support pupils in showcasing TIGERS and Etone Values. As part of this pupils took part in a fishing trip with the Reel Rod Squad from Nuneaton. The group are a supportive Youth organisation that look to encourage young people into the world of fishing. A calm and reflective sport our Tigers took to it like ducks in water (pardon the pun) as they patiently cast their rods and waited for their first catches. Not long to wait until the first fish hooked, across the day the size of the fishes grew bigger as our pupils gained confidence.

Showing their integrity and supportive values they released the fish back safely to the water, all understanding the value of their time and for many committing to doing more in future.

On Tuesday our Year 12’s took part in their UCAS launch day. This event is set to offer our students the chance to consider their next steps post Sixth Form. An important cornerstone of their career education and in supporting their value of ‘Self-Belief’.

Across the day students attended five different sessions geared towards supporting them in understanding what is next. In some cases our students are clear on pathways into the next phase and for others, it offered some consolidated time to consider their options;

Session 1; Students were given the chance to consider alternatives to university in the form of “Apprenticeships”. The focus of this session gave students an opportunity to look at what kind of careers might exist out there for them in the world as an apprentice. For some this involved dispelling myths such as, apprenticeships are only for people looking to complete a trade, you are likely to earn less than someone with a degree and of course that apprenticeships mean you will not get a degree.

Session 2; Students had the chance to explore how UCAS operates in “Setting up UCAS”, navigate the site and get some hands-on experience of how to use the systems to ensure the information required is accessible. Often a barrier to deciding on a pathway is getting the right details. UCAS and it’s user-friendly system, is a great way for pupils to access this.

Session 3; Following this students explored what made a strong personal statement with a chance to put together the framework for their personal statement in “Personal Statement” writing. With a limited word count and an often awkward task of writing positively about yourself, it was a great chance for pupils to consider the different activities they have taken part in over the years.

Session 4; In “Student Loans and Accommodation” students were able to explore what finance actually means for pupils. Often another barrier is students wanting to avoid debt, however with the many different schemes out there a ‘student loan’ can sometimes be a great way to support future wealth growth for your own careers. Something which our pupils were able to consider as they completed this session.

Session 5; Finally with the information fresh in their minds, students had the chance to begin to write their own personal statements in “Writing my Personal Statement”. This is a great opportunity for pupils to get a head start on their statements and consider it over the summer.

Overall the students had a fantastic time and the feedback from Sixth Formers has been overwhelmingly positive. With some pupils stating this has helped them see that University is not the big scary adventure it seemed to be before the day. For more information see below

Careers: Etone College – Matrix Careers Guidance

Sixth Form: Sixth Form - Etone College