On Friday 23rd May  Etone Elect will be running a cake/bake sale in the sixth form social area. 

Please come along - with your change! And buy some cakes and treats to support a great cause. All proceeds will go to the charity Mind which supports thousands of people with their mental health. 

Pupils will be selling some cakes for as low as 20p! What a steal!

Please see the attached poster and come along to support our sixth formers. 

As you are aware at Etone we pride ourselves in supporting each pupil to achieve their best. In 2020 we introduced our Football Education Academy as an additional programme to complement our Sixth Form offer.

We are therefore pleased to announce one of our academy teams clinched the league title for the second season running with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Derby County, not only does this mean the team lift the trophy for a second time, but it also means another trip to Wembley Stadium during the Championship play-offs to receive the trophy in front of 80,000 people.

With one point needed to secure victory, it was all to play for and our team delivered with fantastic form. From the first whilst the team took control of the game goals from Grant, Marston, Griffin and Hollis secured the points and ultimately the title. Leading to our consecutive win and putting the Academy firmly in place.

On Thursday 10^th April Etone College had the delight of welcoming Nuneaton MP Jodie Gosling and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Bhim Saru to the school in order to celebrate our recent win as Community School of the Year.

As you will be aware the award win is historic for many reasons including our first national award in recent memory. The award presented to the school in London is a great reward for our pupils for all of their hard work.

Over the course of the visit pupils had the opportunity to enjoy a sit down discussion with Jodie and Bhim as they shared the tremendous work they do in building links between the school and the community, discussed how the Community Champions could further support Nuneaton and brainstormed future plans for the town and the school.

Upon discussing the wider community impact of Etone and the importance of our win on our community Jodie had some kind words of inspiration for the pupils to share stating “It is a great opportunity to come in and congratulate your win. This is big news not just for you but for the community as it is a key focus of our goals to regenerate and celebrate the area. The pride you have in your community and school is truly amazing.”

Our pupils were particularly enthused when discussing plans for a local Youth Council and the opportunities to be involved in the regeneration of the town centre. Mr Saru also shared his journey into politics with the pupils and his pride of being the first Nepalese Councillor, Deputy Mayor and Mayor-elect along with heaping further praise onto our team of young leaders agreeing “it is really important that we share this, the community is such a special place. Having settled here it is what brings us together and helps us to understand each other. A big well done to Etone College.

As the session drew to a close there was an opportunity to tour our visitors around the new Tanner building and share some of the sustainable features whilst discussing some of the ideas the Community Champions would like to implement in the town.

Finally, we were honoured to be invited to attend the Civic rooms at the Town Hall for a meet and greet with the Mayor-elect in the following term.

On Friday our Sixth Form Business and Economics pupils travelled to Star City Birmingham, where they took part in Tutor 2 U’s Grade Booster workshops. These are hgigh quality sessions delivered by exam specification experts aimed at giving pupils some key reminders and tips to securing the highest results in their exams.

As the day began the pupils attended their first session for their respective courses. These events are always well planned and involve high levels of engagement from pupils. Split into the key specification areas they provide a clear path to success for any pupil.

Following the successful sessions pupils had the chance to reflect on the themes of the day, before coming back with revision resources and materials along with online log ins to continue their journey.

This is always a well attended and meaningful trip, which in turn has a fantastic impact on our pupils prospects.

The theme for the 2025 Turing visits was ‘not just tourists’. We wanted to encourage our pupils to not just visit a place, but experience the cultures within it immersing themselves in daily life through food, religion and cultural activities.

Our first Turing visit for 2024-2025 was for Year 12 pupils travelling to Morocco. We spent a week in Marrakesh and the surrounding areas learning about life in this country. 

Food plays an important part in any culture. During our visit, we attended a cooking class where we learned about traditional Moroccan dishes, what the Common ingredients in Morocco are and how these are prepared in line with religious rules. We enjoyed trying the dishes, with Chicken Pastilla (a sugary pastry filled with chicken) and Beef Tagine being particular favourites. Some pupils experienced their first McDonalds ever as Moroccan McDonalds serves Halal meat which is not common in the UK.

We tried our hand at using Arabic to communicate with locals. We also attended a calligraphy class where we learnt about the types of Arabic script, the traditional inks and pens before having a go at writing our names in Arabic. The biggest challenge was remembering to write right to left! 

We travelled to Marrakesh during the holy month of Ramadan, and so we were able to experience the regular call to prayer. Many of our tour guides and hosts were able to talk about the importance of Ramadan to Muslims and we were able to respect our tour guides by not eating and drinking in front of them and allowing them to break fast in the evening. A number of pupils were able to enter the Koutubia Mosque in Marrakesh to pray and were blown away by the sheer scale and size of the mosques with hundreds of Muslims praying together. 

Marrakesh is very different to the cities and towns that we live in, it is much busier and noisier! We were able to experience the souks and markets seeing differences in the ways that goods are sold - we didn't see one supermarket ! Many of us tried our hand at bartering for souvenirs and sunglasses, with the Wednesfield pupils in particular discovering new haggling talents. We found it tricky as it involved a lot of confidence but we did manage to get some real bargains!

Thankfully we were able to escape the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh for the calm of the Jardin Marjorelle, a peaceful garden once owned by Yves Saint Laurent , a great space to regather our thoughts before heading back out into the city.

Over our last 2 days, we ventured out of Marrakesh to experience rural Morocco. We headed into the Atlas Mountains where we hiked up the Imlil valley to see the highest peak in Morocco, Mount Toubkal. Whilst on our hike it started to snow – which was totally unexpected. We all had to show a lot of reliance climbing the steep hill but were greeted with amazing views. We were able to discuss the similarities and differences between life in the UK and life in Morocco with our guides. We were surprised on the way up the mountain to get stuck in a traffic jam of sheep! On the way down we found a common language with some local boys playing a quick game of football.

Our final night was spent in the desert. A complete contrast to life in the mountains, we enjoyed an off road adventure to get to our campsite where we were able to relax in the comfort of luxury tents. We were treated to Moroccan music on the Oud and drums before we tried some of the moves! We especially enjoyed the traditional hats with tassels to spin around our heads.

By immersing ourselves in Moroccan life, we learnt lots about this remarkable part of the world as well as gaining a greater understanding about our own cultures and practices. We didn't just visit Morocco - we lived Morocco! 

Within the further education system in the UK two universities stand out as centres of excellence in academia and research. Oxford and Cambridge have a combined history of; over 1000 years of education, 55 Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and has laid the foundations of some of the worlds leading experts in their area.

With the rich history it is clear to see why the universities are classed as competitive. On Tuesday 11^th February a group of Year 12 students journeyed to Cambridge to experience a taster event at Clare College. The aim of the event was to give them the opportunity to consider applying to the prestigious university and seeing what it had to offer them.

Upon arrival at Clare we joined with schools form the Coventry area and were met with Cambridge alumni who gave the students some interesting thoughts to consider on their journey around. Following a short introduction, the students were treated to a tour around the Clare campus (a micro campus within the University) as they explored the College’s library, chapel and dining rooms.

Following the tour the students attended a taster session in Social Science Medicine with Phd student Evelyn Hope. Evelyn discussed her subject in considerable detail and the links to the multitude of subject areas within the university. Starting her studies at St. Andrews for her undergraduate degree, her research took her to Baltimore to explore how social medicine impacted on the day to day life of individuals and the systemic disadvantages that are present within the class systems worldwide. A truly inspiring talk which led to both interest in the specific subject and the consideration of university life and studying.

Finally the day was complimented by a session supporting students in writing their personal statements with prestigious universities in mind. The day was well receive by all pupils who felt it had really enthused them as they start the journey of applying to University.

A truly festive feeling was delivered by our Etone Elect on Monday as they (along with Mrs Sweet) gave out hot chotolate and treats to their fellow Sixth Formers. The nice gesture was an opportunity to spread the season of goodwill and show some Christmas cheer as all enjoyed a drink, topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. The values that this showed embodies what it means to be an Etone Learner and an Etone Student Leader. We are proud of all of them – Well done Elect!

On Thursday 28th November, Etone College once again hosted the annual Historical Association's 'Great Debate' competition. Entrants from right across the Midlands attended, including 2 of our own Year 12 students. Each student was required to make a five minute speech for the question “How can your local history tell a global story?” followed by two questions from the judging panel. We were particularly proud of our student entries, who spoke about the significance of two local historical figures, one from Birmingham, and the other an enslaved person taken from Nevis who was ultimately buried in Oxhill, Warwickshire.

It was a great night all round for our student orators, who demonstrated key employability skills - particularly effective communication, and later organisation when answering questions from the judges. The winner of this regional heat will now go on to the next round, the national semi-finals. Well done and thank you to everyone involved!

On Thursday 14^th November, the Sixth Form hosted their annual Open Evening for incoming Year 12’s next academic year. As always the event was planned with enthusiasm, led by Miss Sandilands (Head of Sixth Form) and the wider team. The Sixth Form was abuzz as departments prepared to once again welcome existing pupils and new faces to our centre of education.

Helping with that set up was an amazing team of Sixth Form students who have supported their college and subjects by providing subject session advice, touring new faces around the building and sharing their experiences with of Etone Sixth Form. It is always a pleasure to see how much these students care about their Sixth Form.

During our Open Evening we take a slightly different approach to the usual set up with the Etone package of Subject Specialist Sessions, where the expert teachers deliver discussions of the various courses on offer at Sixth Form. These sessions are always well received and give the opportunity to focus more on the course provision due to the extended nature of the discussions.

Attendance was once again record breaking and early indications show we are yet again set to achieve a record number of applications. With the results getting stronger year on year, intake making us the biggest Sixth Form in Nuneaton and our fantastic Enrichment curriculum supporting pupils outside of their subjects – There truly is not better time to join the Sixth Form.

A big thank you to all of our staff, student helpers and visitors for supporting the event.

Applications for the Sixth Form are now open and can be completed at the following links:

• Internal Applications: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=hVh-eMTdU0Wnv6udzkyo6imlXNuWEk9FmPKrtK5mLdFUODQ2MEI3QjJMNjZIOVBUOVNXWVQzTjFTVy4u&route=shorturl
• External Applications: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=hVh-eMTdU0Wnv6udzkyo6imlXNuWEk9FmPKrtK5mLdFUNDhPNDlHM0M3QUlDRTM4T1lVNkk1VFhTWi4u&route=shorturl

Please check out or prospectus detailing all of the 30 courses we offer at Sixth Form: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Etone-Main-Layout-Document.pdf

Applications close: Wednesday 26^th March

Taster Day: Wednesday 2^nd July