Tuesday marked a historic day, as Year 7 pupils arrived following a fantastic summer to take their place at Etone College. With slight trepidation and heaps of excitement the day began with a warm welcome from Mr Smith, the wider staff and most importantly our Year 11 Prefects, in what was their first activity of the year.

With pupils on at both ends of the main school, there was a chance to share insights and values with their younger peers and they showed exactly the reasons they were selected to be prefects.

As a special surprise at the end of the day the Prefects were awarded their prefect ties to a thunderous applause and marked an opportunity to officially celebrate. We are so proud of our pupils and can't wait to work with them across the year.

Thursday marked the culmination of five years of hard work and achievement for our outgoing Year 11 pupils as they collected their GCSE results. This year was the first since the pandemic where pupils have received the full Etone experience from Year 7 to 11 and it was fantastic to see the result that our pupils have achieved.

Once again early reports suggest that pupils have excelled with them attaining nearly a grade above on average to national comparisons at a suggested 0.7 additional progress.

With over 70% of pupils achieving a pass in English and Maths (4+) and nearly 50% of pupils achieving a strong pass in English and Maths (5+), marking another year of increased progress and continuing the tradition of strong results at Etone.

We are really proud of our pupils and there were celebrations aplenty as they come with friends, family and their peers to rejoice and share in the good times. It was lovely to see the culmination of there hard work as it paid off and the cheers and tears of joy as we shared their results.

Whilst we are proud of all pupils we would like to highlight some key headlines and congratulations to:

• Jason with four 9’s, three 8’s, a seven and two 6’s
• Hang who has achieved four 9’s, two eights, a seven and two 6’s
• Hebe who has achieved the phenomenal results of nine straight 9’s
• Charlie with seven 9’s and two 8’s
• Zara with three 9’s, four 8’s and a 7
• Eunice who achieved three 9’s, three 8’s
• Diya who has earned her success with three 8’s, four 7’s, two 6’s
• Anisha with five 8’s, three 7’s and a 6
• Jia with two 8’s, two 7’s and four 6’s
• Ashanti with a Distinction, an eight, four 7’s and two 6’s

On the back of this we have another year of bumper intake going on in the Sixth Form with queues for admissions out of the door. This is a great show of all of the hard work and dedication from our entire team of staff and are very thankful for the determination from them to go the extra mile to achieve.

Please continue to follow the developments on our results as we update you further and remember that enrolment remains open for the next week and can be arranged by emailing the school.

A small group of students – Amy, Sharifa, Thomas and Paige – recently enjoyed an enriching afterschool visit to Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery, accompanied by Miss Clark and Miss Bnouhanna.

During our visit, students explored Nuneaton's fascinating history, discovering how Nuneaton Market has been at the heart of the town for over 800 years. They learnt about its importance to the local community throughout history and discussed how the market continues to adapt and thrive despite changing economic climates.

The group also explored the town's rich artistic and cultural heritage by viewing a range of historic and contemporary artworks created by local artists. Students examined different oil painting techniques, learning how artists use soft blending to create realistic skies and water, while palette knife application produces bold, textured surfaces with a striking visual effect.

To put their detective skills to the test, students completed an interactive museum quiz, exploring each gallery to uncover clues about famous local figures and stories, including George Eliot, Larry Grayson and the Gurkhas. They also took part in a fun scavenger hunt to spot hidden rubber ducks throughout the museum, adding an extra element of excitement to the afternoon.

The visit was a fantastic opportunity to bring local history, art and culture to life beyond the classroom. Our students represented the school brilliantly, showing enthusiasm, curiosity and excellent teamwork throughout the afternoon. Well done to everyone involved!

Last week a group of our Year 10 girls took part in the first session of our 4-week strength training programme with Pod Personal Training at Indigo Fitness.

The session focused on learning the fundamentals of strength training and developing confidence in a gym environment. Chloe and Molly from Pod Personal Training guided the students through a variety of exercises including deadlifts, chest press, lunges and resistance band work, taking time to carefully teach the correct technique for each movement. The girls also learnt why good form is important for both performance and injury prevention.

The atmosphere in the gym was fantastic, with students supporting and encouraging each other throughout the session. It was brilliant to see them step out of their comfort zones and demonstrate great self-belief as they tried new exercises and challenged themselves with weights. The session also highlighted the importance of resilience, as the girls pushed through the exercises and worked hard to improve their technique. Many of them even reported being a little achy the next day, which is always a sign that they worked hard and challenged their muscles! Most importantly, the students showed excellent integrity, listening carefully to coaching points, respecting the gym environment and representing the school brilliantly.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are already looking forward to the next session as they continue to develop their strength, confidence and knowledge over the coming weeks.

Once again we are delighted to share that we are in the news, with the recent visit from the Borough’s mayor. Check it out in the latest edition of the @NuneatonNews now!

This term has been an exciting one for the 17 staff new to Etone.  With their recruitment adding capacity and depth to both subject areas and wider support.

All of our new staff received their welcome packs in the first week to help them ease into their new roles as well as joining Mr Smith and other members of the Leadership team for a welcome breakfast at the end of the first week.

In their highlights of the first week they said “how friendly and welcoming everyone is and how close the staff are.”  They appreciated the “leadership presence and support,” and really enjoyed “seeing Year 7 starting to build their confidence.”

Also, within the first term our new staff have been welcomed by Sam Kibble from the Central Team at Matrix Academy Trust who outlined what was available as part of Matrix’s staff benefits and wellbeing support.

Teachers returning from maternity leave have also been welcomed back with bespoke return to school support and check ins ensuring that the transition is the best it can be. 

Every year we seek to improve and develop our new staff induction support so the induction survey completed by all new staff is essential to this.   Mr Smith met with new staff for a coffee and pain au chocolat at break time to support this evaluation and to thank them for their contributions to Etone so far.

As the year progresses, we will continue to check in with our new staff to ensure they have settled well, enjoy their role and can access the developmental opportunities on offer withing our school and Trust.

On Friday 19^th September the school did a tremendous job raising funds for Jeans for Genes, for the first time in a while. Whilst we would like to raise funds for every charity, this isn’t always possible. However, it was lovely to be able to add this event to our calendar to support individuals suffering from genetic disorders.

Across the day there were some tremendously fantastic displays of denim and we are so pleased to announce we have raised; £459.87 towards the charity. A big thank you for your show of support in helping us in our first fundraising event of the year.

Last weekend some of our junior cadets attended a multi-activity weekend hosted by Barr Beacon CCF. This was an actioned packed weekend where some of our cadets experienced camping and cooking their own food for the first time 

Fieldcraft skills were practiced where the cadets learnt how to see things in the field without being seen themselves. In addition, the cadets learnt how to patrol in an urban area. 

The icing on the cake for the weekend for most of the cadets was when they had the opportunity to be Robin Hood for a moment and use the newly acquired archery equipment.

10 of out cadets and two instructors will be travelling north on Sunday morning to attend a 6-day adventurous training camp

 Where they will be climbing, shooting, water sporting and even having a day at Blackpool pleasure beach

On Tuesday our Year 7’s were visited in their assembly by Flight Officer Gittings (AKA - Mr Gittings) from the Etone CCF to introduce them to the CCF and invite them to the June taster sessions for joining.

Each year our CCF build on their impressive numbers and as the contingent have evolved and developed, we are proud to share some of the highlights including their attendance at remembrance events, raising funds for key charities, success at cross trust competitions (winning the RAST and shooting ones recently) along with getting the chance to experience G Force in the air.

The quality and opportunities of our CCF are next to none, although rather than reading about it follow the link to the CCF page to watch our video sharing all of the amazing offers within the CCF: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/ccf/

To find out more about the Year 7 tasters check here: https://www.etonecollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CCF-Parent-Recruitment-Letter-June-2025-1.pdf