On Thursday 21^st August, it was time to open the doors and finally welcome our Class of 25 Year 11 pupils, into college to collect their results.

Since records began in 2017 Etone has proudly delivered positive progress each and every year. However, with this cohort being unable to complete assessment measures in 2020 progress is a measure that cannot be generated this year.

However, we are overwhelmingly pleased to announce that Etone results continue to be amongst the strongest in the area and across the country. With early available data suggesting progress would be once again be a very positive figure, we can also share that pupils have made the progress predicted along with delivering a significant increase in grades 7-9.

This however is the result of the tremendous work of our pupils and their families and teaching staff. Not only have the hours of intervention and study paid off, but there is also a clear optimism as our pupils look towards this next steps.

Whilst we are proud of all of our pupils we would like to share a taste of some of the success stories including;

• Kira who achieves five 9’s, a Distinction and three 8’s with a total attainment score of 85
• Anthea who achieves four 9’s, a Distinction*, four 8’s and a 7 and attainment of 85.5
• Jake who achieves five 9’s, three 8’s and a 7 also with attainment of 85
• Vinish who achieves five 9’s, an 8, two 7’s and a 6 for attainment of 83
• Cosmina who achieves three 9’s, a Distinction *, three 8’s, a 7 and a Merit with attainment of 82.5
• Abdullah who achieves two 9’s, four 8’s, a 7 and two 6’s with attainment of 80
• Robert who achieves three 9’s in all Sciences amongst his other achievements

We are also once again pleased to announce a successful enrolment session with record numbers of pupils joining us for their Sixth Form journey. With many pupils looking to continue their partnership from Etone in Year 11 we are so pleased to welcome back our Class of 25 cohorts. Additionally, we would like to give a warm welcome to our new students from across the local area.

Well done to all Year 11’s receiving their results today. Please remember we are always on hand to support all of our pupils new and previous.

Etone College is thrilled to once again claim International School Award status for 2025-2028. 

The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life work in today’s world.

 At Etone our international work has been commended, with our programme including:

- Celebration of international cultures with European Day of Languages

- Taster courses for various languages amongst our full GCSE/ A-Level suite

- Partnerships with universities including abroad ones

- Curriculum exploration of international cultures in all subjects

- A wealth of overseas opportunities with 10 different countries visited in the last two years alone

On hearing the news Mr Smith was once again overjoyed and had the following to say; “We know how important community is to Etone and the local area. But the international community is just as important. Opening up opportunities and inviting pupils and families to explore the world beyond the UK is a big part of our curriculum package. We are so proud of the achievements of our Languages faculty and all of our teams for working hard to achieve this.”

Scott McDonald, Chief Executive of the British Council, said: ‘Etone has earned this prestigious award through its inspirational international work and links with schools abroad.

The International School Award is a chance for schools to be recognised for their important work in bringing the world into their classrooms. This is especially commendable when schools have been deeply affected by the global pandemic. The desire to build on their international work shines through and it is with utmost pride that we celebrate their achievements.  

By embedding an international dimension in children’s education, these schools are preparing their students for successful lives in the UK or further afield, empowering them to be global citizens, and are creating vital opportunities in an increasingly global economy.’

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school

• A whole school approach to international work

• Collaborative curriculum-based work with internationalpartner schools

• Year-round international activity

• Involvement of the wider community

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded with the SuperKind Secondary School and West Midlands School of the Year award.

The award comes after sharing with the organisation all of our community initiatives and detailing how each and every one of our pupils take part in wider community elements.

Spokepearson for the Social Impact Awards by SuperKind had the following to say: “

I’m delighted to share the news that Etone College has been named the winner of the Secondary and West Midlands School of The Year Awards, based on logging the highest action:student ratio among these categories.This award recognises Etone school’s commitment to social action and the positive difference your staff and pupils are making in the community. It’s an achievement to be proud of and a reflection of the work you’ve all put in.”

We are so proud to be able to share with our pupils the amazing work they have done. Thank you to all for your support too.

We will be holding open events this year to give all prospective Year 7 parents and pupils the chance to come and visit us. These events will give you a little insight into what is means to be a pupil at Etone College and give you the chance to ask any questions you may have.

Open Evening will take place on Thursday 25th September 5:00pm – 7:30pm. No Booking Required. 

Open Mornings can be arranged on enquiry, please contact us if you wish to book an open morning.

A big thank you to everyone from our staff and pupils for supporting our aim to raise funds this week for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. In total we have raised £620.78 across the week brining our joint total for Birmingham Children’s Hospital to £5,115.78 across the year.

This leading to a yearly total of £10,116.50 for 2024-25 and £20,450 since September 2021. It is amazing how much we have raised however, this doesn’t take into account the amazing work our pupils have done donating items and taking part in community projects. A big thank you to everyone who has supported this year.

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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