Anti-bullying ambassadors are a collective of students who work together with staff to make Etone College a safer, more inclusive environment where negative behaviour is not tolerated. Our main aim is to create awareness about bullying and give support where it is needed. We have regular meetings with staff where we discuss plans and activities in school such as pop-ups and events for students to enjoy, so they are educated about bullying, its different types, and its impacts on others so they can also help their friends if needed! We are put in place so students can talk to other students who can act as a listening ear for those experiencing bullying and provide support for those who may not feel they can speak up.

On Wednesday 1^st October, a selected group of high achieving Y9 pupils took part in a language outreach session with GCHQ, one of the UK’s main intelligence agencies. We had two speakers who work as language analysts at GCHQ, who explained to us what they do and why languages are so important to them. We looked at the different types of crimes they help to prevent, as well as the various agencies they work with to help keep the country safe. The pupils were then tasked with a challenge to use their French skills as well as their logic and problem-solving skills to analyse intelligence to prevent a large shipment of drugs arriving in the UK. They had to understand and use the Caesar cipher to intercept a series of texts between the two drug smugglers, as well as translate the decoded messages into English to work out where and when the shipment was due to arrive. They then had to draft a report to send to the National Crime Agency, all typical of a language analyst’s day to day work. The feedback from the pupils was really positive, they described the session as “fun and interesting” and that “it made me really proud of my French that I could work out the messages”. One of them even left saying “It really made me think about job opportunities at GCHQ” so we could perhaps have the next generation of language analysts with us!

On Friday 26^th September, we celebrated European Day of Languages with a day jam-packed with fun, language themed activities. We started the morning with a French breakfast in T010. Pupils tucked into croissants, brioche and pain au chocolat and had a nice chat with the MFL department staff before heading off to form. Y7 and 8 were tasked with a challenge to find out the different languages spoken by our staff, and during form time KS3 forms took part in an escape room activity which put their knowledge of European languages to the test! During our MFL lessons, Y7 took part in an inter-house quiz about all things European, with lots of house points up for grabs and some special prizes for the winners. At break time, we ran various language taster sessions to give pupils the basics in a range of languages from Spanish to Korean to BSL. In the afternoon, a specially selected group of Y9 pupils took part in a Futbol Lingo webinar, in which company founder and professional coach Pierce Kiembi explained the importance and benefits of speaking languages in the football industry. We looked at various multilingual players, coaches, officials and journalists, and explored different roles available both on and off the pitch to those who can speak other languages. In the build up to Friday, Y7 have also spent their language lessons taking part in a postcard project where we write and exchange postcards with 23 other partner schools all around Europe, from Spain to Slovakia and everywhere in between! Our catering team also treated us to some typical European dishes throughout the week which were all delicious! All in all it was a fantastic celebration of European languages and we’re already looking forward to next year!

We're excited to remind you about our upcoming virtual work experience opportunities with HSBC, taking place next week for students in year groups 7-9 (First Step) and 10-13 (Next Step). Our events take place outside of school hours, making them easily accessible for all students.

Please share the details below with your students. 

FIRST STEP - Student year groups 7-9 England & Wales, S1-S3 Scotland, 8-10 Northern Ireland

Wednesday 1st October May at 4.30pm (virtual session hosted on MS Teams)

“Pitch for a Purpose: Plan the Ultimate Charity Event with HSBC”

• A 45-minute briefing with the HSBC team
• Complete the career challenge at their own pace
• Certification awarded on completion
• Register now! (students)

NEXT STEP - Student year groups 10-13 England & Wales, S4-S6 Scotland, 11-14 Northern Ireland

Thursday 2nd October at 5pm (virtual session hosted on MS Teams)

"HSBC the National Trust - Nature Projects That Make a Difference"

• A 45-minute virtual briefing with the HSBC team
• Complete the career challenge at their own pace
• Certification awarded on completion
• Register now! (students)

On Thursday it was time for our annual Open Evening event. Like all schools, the aim of the evening is to share the goals and hopes for the pupils of our school with perspective Year 7 parents and families. However, unlike other schools Etone is an extremely special place and our open evenings are unlike any other.

Each year our team of dedicated staff along with pupil helpers deliver a truly fantastic showcase of all the school has to offer. Not only do we share our curriculum, but we show just how much we care about our community and wellbeing of all Etone stakeholders.

There was no exception this year as the place was abuzz. First, our prospective parents were welcomed into the hall with a rendition of Stand by me by the Etone Choir. After a few more numbers, it was time for Mr Smith to share the values of Etone and the importance this has in everyday life at the school.

It was particularly nice for Mr Smith to be able to share with parents our achievements in being awarded Community School of the Year and SuperKind Secondary School of the Year. Something we are incredibly proud of as it shows our full range of values.

With some old time Etone classics including Businesses’ taste testing, where a packet of McVities Bourbon Creams costs 180% more than their Asda alternatives, then of course our delicacies from Modern Language and our canteen.

On Friday 4^th October Etone College hosted our biggest Coffee Morning yet. The event was held to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support as our first Charity event of this academic year.  As you are aware, Etone with the help of our Community Champions, take part in lots of events and initiatives to raise fund and show support to a number of local and national causes. Last year we were proud to take our total to beyond £20,000 since 2021 and take the title as Community School of the Year and Superkind Secondary School of the Year.

As a staple of our Autumn term we like to invite our Year 7 parents into the school to join in with the fun as they eat cake and drink coffee whilst getting a chance to catch up with their child in the school environment. It was lovely to see how our pupils were able to convey the importance of the event and how it showed active citizenship, underpinning our Etone Values including caring. One parent describe the event as “a great way to introduce ourselves to the school. Supporting a very worthy cause and giving us a chance to see how good it is here for my son.” With plenty of cakes on offer our parents were also generous with their donations and we are pleased to say we raised a total of over £450 and counting, a record for this event.

During the morning two other special events took place. First of all, it was the first full performance of our Etone Choir and School Band. The pupils had been busy rehearsing and played a full set list including some classics form the Beatles, a very heartfelt rendition of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen followed by their finale, a performance of their rendition of the Four Chord Song as made famous by the Axis of Awesome.  

The other event which has to be mentioned was the Etone Bake-Off, we are so proud of our staff entries and we can’t wait to find out the result.