Friday 13 December 2024
Head’s Welcome
It has been a wonderful Michaelmas Term at the College and, whilst very full on, it has been fantastic to witness so many great events and happy students. As I write this our 1st XI Girls are on their way to Kent in the England Hockey Plate Round 4 vs Ashford School. I am hopeful for a win and a place in the quarter finals, which will be played at home.
Sport at Pangbourne, 2025-26 and Beyond
We are ambitious for sport at Pangbourne and want to support all students in achieving their sporting goals. Sport provision is planned 18 months to a year in advance and we will be hosting a briefing to share the 2025-26 academic year sports strategy and to involve parents in shaping our provision for the future. This briefing will take place on Friday 10 January at 17:30 in The Nancye Harding Recital Hall. To sign up, please complete this form.
Divisional Come Dine with Me
A highlight of the past week, and one which I was pleased to survive, was on Friday last week when I joined in as one of the judges for the Divisional Come Dine with Me competition. I was blown away by the efforts from our students, with each division producing an incredible all-around dining experience ranging from boarding the Polar Express to fishing for our food. It was a close competition and I look forward to announcing the winners soon and sharing the video of the evening.
Year 11 and Upper Sixth Trial Exam Results
I have spent a lot of my time over the past two weeks digging into the Year 11 and Year 13 mock exam results. Whilst I always retain a healthy dose of scepticism, the data is very pleasing, with both year groups securing mock results in line with the actual summer results from last year. This means, with six months to go, the students are well ahead of the College’s historical GCSE and A Level data and are definitely on the right track. Oxbridge interviews are taking place currently and we hope for some happy students shortly.
Staffing Updates
I am very excited to announce the appointment of Krissie Ellis into the new role at Pangbourne College of Assistant Head Expertise and Development. Krissie will join us in April 2025 and will bring a wealth of experience in education and leadership, having served as Director of Teaching and Learning at Sherfield School since 2022 and as the Head of English at The Emmbrook School in Wokingham. With an MA in Education from the University of Reading and a BA in English and French from the University of Oxford, Krissie brings a passion for innovative teaching practices to support the development of academic excellence at Pangbourne.
I am also delighted to announce that Abbie Stephenson, currently Teacher of English, will become the new Interim Head of Key Stage 4 at the College in the New Year. Please join us in congratulating Abbie and wishing her well in this new role.
Hockey and Rugby Festival for Under 10s and Under 12s
On Sunday we were delighted to host a slightly larger than planned Hockey and Rugby Festival for clubs across the Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and West London regions. Although the weather was certainly not on our side, it was great to see such a good turn out of both players and spectators. Thank you to everyone who was involved in making the day run as smoothly as it did.
Charity Appeals
Over the past couple of weeks our divisions have been collecting things for both the ‘Toys and Teens’ appeal by Reading Family Aid and ReadiFood food bank. Christmas is the perfect time to give back to the local community and it has been great to see such a good show of donations. Later on today we are doing the headshave in aid of the OddBalls Foundation - not quite sure what this will look like on Monday but it is all for a good cause!
Uniform
As I mentioned in my welcome letter at the start of September, we are proud and privileged to wear His Majesty The King’s Uniform and need to wear it with the pride and respect it deserves. I have spotted a few infractions creeping in lately and have asked all staff to hone in on these in January. I have reminded staff that ‘the standards you walk past are the standards you accept’ and so perhaps a proportionate reminder at home over the holiday about uniform and hair would help all students meet the standard.
And finally …
Thank you to the Catering Team for a spectacular Christmas feast for lunch today! It certainly felt different being behind the counter with the rest of the Team to serve the staff and pupils.
Well done to everybody for the resilience they have shown in this full Michaelmas Term. Having lived a Michaelmas Term at Pangbourne now, I have made a slight amendment to the provisional Term Dates for 2025-26 and have taken two days off the end of the Michaelmas Term 2025, so that it now ends on a Friday (12 December) and not a Tuesday.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Best wishes
Oliver Knight
COLLEGE NEWS THIS WEEK
We are thrilled to share the outstanding achievements of our students in this year’s Bebras Challenge, a national competition that tests problem-solving and computational thinking skills. The challenge focuses on logic, creativity, and perseverance - skills that are valuable not just in Computer Science but across a wide variety of academic subjects. These abilities also prepare students for diverse fields of employment in later life.
This year, our students rose to the challenge, earning an incredible twelve Gold Awards for placing in the top 10% nationally! Among the many impressive performances, we would like to celebrate the following outstanding individual achievements:
Sophie, the top performer in Year 7, achieved a perfect score of 220, earning the title of Best in School for the Juniors Category and ranking 1st equal nationally out of over 133,491 participants. In Year 8, Charlie was recognised as the top scorer, while Tom, the best in Year 9 and the Inters Group, achieved an impressive score of 208, placing him in the top 0.5% nationally out of 240,651 entrants. Charlie in Year 10 earned the highest score in school for the Seniors Category, whilst Taha led Year 11 with an excellent performance. Rory, the top scorer in Year 12, was also named Best in School for the Elite Category, and Ben achieved top honours in Year 13.
Congratulations to all our students who participated in this year’s Bebras Challenge - we are incredibly proud of your dedication and accomplishments!
CELEBRATING SUCCESS IN THE BEBRAS CHALLENGE
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been collecting donations for both ReadiFood food bank and Reading Family Aid’s ‘Toys and Teens’ appeal. Well done to our students and wider College community for collecting the items. Special thanks to Immy, our wonderful Charity CC who has been great help in arranging and collecting all of the donations.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
YEAR 8 TRIP TO WILLIAMS F1 IN GROVE, OXFORDHIRE
On Tuesday, our Year 8 pupils had a trip to Williams F1 HQ in Oxfordshire. The pupils learnt about the science behind crumple zones and deceleration, before producing a number of models to test their learning.
During the day the pupils were able to have a go on a racing simulator, and visit the largest private collection of F1 cars in the world.
The pupils had a wonderful day, and learnt a lot about they types of careers available in the F1 industry, and STEM as a whole.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday 16 December 15:15-17:30
Divisional Ergo
Sports Hall
Monday 16 December 18:45 - 21:30
Dunbar Boarders’ Trip to COSMO
Boarding
Monday 16 December 19:45-22:00
College Disco
Sports Hall
Tuesday 17 December 11:00-12:00 (Y7-10) and 14:00 - 15:00 (Y11-U6)
Carol Service
Chapel
Tuesday 17 December 12:00
End of Term for Years 7-10
Parade Ground
Tuesday 17 December 15:00
End of Term for Years 11- Upper Sixth
Parade Ground
Saturday 21 December 19:30 - 21:30
Pangbourne Choral Society Christmas Carol Concert
Chapel
Sunday 19 January 09:00-14:00
College Sunday #4
Chapel/ Parade Ground/ Devitt House
NOTICES
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Timings for the final day of term, Tuesday 17 December, are as follows:
11:00 Year 7-10 Carol Service (Dunbar Choir sing with the main College Choir)
12:00 End of term for Years 7-10
14:00 Year 11 - Upper Sixth Carol Service
15:00 End of term for Year 11 - Upper Sixth
Parents are very welcome to attend the service their child will be involved with. Seating will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The Chapel doors will open 20 minutes before the service.
The Café will be open for parents to use throughout the day.
Please can all Year 9 - Sixth Form students ensure they are wearing their Number 1’s uniform for the Carol Service.
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In Key Stage 3 English, we are delighted at the success of the weekly Literacy lesson which was introduced at the start of the academic year. On Friday, every one of the 116 pupils brought in a reading book to enjoy 15 minutes of silent reading. As well as improving their general Literacy skills, it is also encouraging Dunbar pupils to engage with the Reading Challenge.
In the Reading Challenge, we have more Bronze Award winners. This means they have read three different books - both fiction and non-fiction - so far this term. Our congratulations go to:
Year 7: Lloyd, Jago, Niamh, Elizabeth, George, Henry and Wilf
Year 8: Bello, Kate, Benedict, Molly, Amelia, Freddie, Joseph, Mason, Nate, Chris, Leo and Chloe
Special congratulations go to the Silver Award Winners who have read six books so far this term:
Year 7: Alexa and Jessica
Year 8: Will, Sam, Alex and Fred
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The ever popular PPA Quiz Night in aid of Nabugabo returns on the 6 March 2025, More details and ticket sales will be available in the New Year, so put the date in your diary and brush up your general knowledge skills, who knows, you could be our next champion.
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If your child boards, please can you ensure that they take all of their belongings home this Christmas so we can deep clean the rooms over the Christmas period. It might be helpful to take home some things this weekend.
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Pangbourne College Sixth Form students are raising funds for Young People and Children First, known as Bridge for Young People. The charity provides a home and support to young people (aged 16-25) who are leaving care or who are homeless. Our fundraising efforts will go towards furnishing one of the flats at Wessex House in Newbury, which will be named 'Pangbourne'. Our Sixth Form students will be taking on various challenges, including a skydive to raise the much needed funds. We are hoping to raise a total of £3,000.
Donations can be made through our Just Giving page. Any donations are much appreciated.
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The divisional parties will run from 18:45 - 19:45
The disco will run from 19:45 - 21:30 (Year 9 - 11) and until 22:00 for Sixth Form.
Pupils are not expected to go home before the College Disco however buses will be running as usual.
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It is highly recommended that our students ‘read around their subject’. The Pangbourne Reading Canon has been compiled based on teacher recommendations so there is something for everyone!
Years 9 -11
SIXTH FORM
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Future Thought Leaders is an essay competition and summer leadership programme aimed at helping young people think analytically about the challenges their generation will face over the coming decades. The Patron is Sir Anthony Seldon.
Both the essay competition and leadership programme is relevant to ambitious STEM pupils who want to think more deeply about the ethical implications of developments in their fields (or who may be asked to do so at university interviews). It would also be relevant to humanities and social science pupils applying to degrees like law, politics, philosophy, economics, or PPE.Pupils pursuing careers in medicine or law are particularly encouraged to apply, given the technological upheavals that are likely to transform these fields.
For 30% off enter ‘Pangbourne College’ on the application form to be charged the discounted price if your application is successful.
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Explore a range of upcoming career tasters and employability skills workshops for students and parents.
Click here to view their website.
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As we continue to build our Careers Programme to be able to provide the best advice and guidance to our Sixth Formers, please do have a look at the following opportunities that are currently available:
These links will also be shared with the pupils. We look forward to sharing more opportunities over the academic year.
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It is highly recommended that our students ‘read around their subject’. The Pangbourne Reading Canon has been compiled based on teacher recommendations so there is something for everyone!
DIVISIONAL UPDATES
Divisional updates will be fortnightly. Next update on Friday 17 January.
SPORT
U14A Hockey Team - Unstoppable this season!
The Pangbourne U14A girls’ hockey team has had an outstanding season, remaining undefeated in all their Saturday fixtures. Their impressive record includes scoring a staggering 36 goals while conceding only one—a testament to their attacking brilliance and defensive resilience.
This incredible success is the result of the team’s dedication and hard work. The players have consistently pushed themselves during training sessions and taken the initiative to attend extra practices, honing their individual skills and strengthening their team dynamic.
However, the work doesn’t stop here. In January, the team will take on a new challenge as they compete in the Regional Tournament. With their current momentum, drive, and discipline, the U14A team is well-prepared to take their game to the next level and represent the College with pride.