Head’s Weekly Update

Following continued growth in boys’ boarding, after half term, we are delighted to announce the opening of a second boys’ boarding house.

I am also pleased to share that Mr. Oliver Metcalfe has been appointed as Head of House for this new boarding facility. Mr. Metcalfe brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked in several schools and successfully led a boarding house previously.

We will be reallocating some of our current boarders from Port Jackson to the new house. Boarders will be informed of who will be moving before half term so that on their return, they will be moving into the new house. This will allow us to provide more space and continue fostering a supportive and vibrant boarding environment in which all our pupils can thrive.

We want to make you aware of a recent issue affecting some popular children’s books by Andrew Cope, including the Spy Dogs, Spy Cats, and Spy Pups series.

Some editions of these books include a printed web address at the back. This link used to go to the author’s website, but the domain is no longer under his control. It has since been taken over by another party and now leads to inappropriate adult content.

The publisher, Puffin, has paused sales and distribution of the books and is working with schools, libraries, and retailers to remove copies from circulation. They have stressed that the website has no connection to the author or publisher.

What this means for you:

• If your child has any Spy Dog, Spy Cat or Spy Pups books at home, please check the back for website links and make sure they do not try to visit the site.

• It is safe for children to continue reading the stories themselves — the concern is only with the outdated link.

• We recommend talking with your child about the importance of not following web addresses in books without checking with an adult first.

We are delighted to invite those with careers in the Sports sector to join us as delegates for an evening of networking and career conversations at Pangbourne College.

From 18:00, delegates will enjoy an informal meal and the chance to connect with fellow professionals.
At 19:00, our sixth form students will join us, eager to engage in conversations about your career journeys, seek advice, and gain inspiration for their future pathways.

If you are employed in the world of professional or amateur sport in any capacity, we would love to hear from you! We are looking for 15 delegates to take part in this event.

This is a fantastic opportunity to:

• Share your professional experience

• Support and inspire the next generation

• Build valuable connections with like-minded professionals

Places are filling up so if you are interested in taking part, please complete the attached Google Form here to register your place.

We very much hope you can join us for what promises to be a rewarding evening of conversation and connection.

The second College Service and Parade will be taking place on Sunday 12 October, please find information about the timing of the morning below:

08:30 Divisions open and pupils to arrive from this time

09:00 College Choir and Chamber Choir in Chapel

09:00 Refreshments available in the Mess Hall from 09:00 and also to be purchased in the Café between 09:00 – 10:45 and (but these must not be taken into Chapel please)

09:15 Pupils in Divisions for briefing with Division Chiefs

The Guest of Honour will be Sir John Madejski OBE DL. Please see his bio here with more information about his life achievements so far.

Please note: 

1. Pupils should arrive at College already dressed in their No. 1 uniform.

2. Year 9 pupils will participate in this Parade which will be their first one of this academic year. 

09:45 All pupils from Years 9 to Upper Sixth to be seated in Chapel

10:00 Service in Chapel - please be seated in good time  

Pupils in Years 7 & 8 are welcome but not required to attend. All parents are very welcome to attend.

10:45 Service ends and refreshments available in Mess Hall

11:15 Parade begins

11:45-12:00: Parade ends

A polite reminder: please make sure that your child has eaten a good, filling breakfast before coming to the Service and Parade.

Term will finish on Friday 12 December at 12:30 straight after the Carol Service. Buses will also depart at this earlier time. 

Boarders will return on Monday 5 January 2026 from 19:00 and day pupils on Tuesday 6 January 2026 from 08:00. 

We are delighted to announce our Pangbourne Poetry Competition for October.

• Entries must be submitted by 15 October

• This is open to all students

• Poems can be in any form: free verse, sonnet or Haiku are good places to start!

Poems must be:

• On the theme of Adventure

• Original

• College appropriate

Poems can be:

• Rhyming or free verse

Submit your entries to your English teacher or antoinette.keane@pangbourne.com

This webinar will be led by Mark Seccombe (Deputy Head Academic). He will outline some suggested revision strategies and how you can support your child in their preparations for examinations. Although this will have a focus on Upper Sixth and Year 11 in preparation for their Trial exams, it is applicable to all year groups.

This webinar will be taking place on Wednesday 15 October, 18:30-19:15. The link to join the recording is here.

Join us for what promises to be a very enjoyable evening in the company of Sir John Madejski.

Sir John is known for his work in property, media, hotels, publishing and as Chairman of Reading Football Club from 1990 to 2012. He transformed the club, leading it to the Premier League and overseeing the development of the Madejski Stadium, home of Reading FC.

A committed philanthropist, Sir John has made significant contributions to education and the arts.

Honored with an OBE in 2000 and knighted in 2009 for his charitable services, Sir John continues to inspire through his legacy of innovation, community service, and philanthropy.

Date: 13 November 2025

Time: 19:00 - 21:00

Location: The Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel, Pangbourne College

Book your place here.

The Pangbourne Parents’ Association would like to warmly invite you to their annual Christmas Market.

This will be taking place on Saturday 15 November from 10:00 - 14:30.

There will be a large variety of craft, gift and food stalls. There will also be refreshments, a tombola and a wine wheelbarrow.

It is free entry & free parking, everyone is welcome!

Since 2015, Pangbourne College has partnered with the Nabugabo Community Primary School, an NGO situated in a poor and rural area in south-west Uganda. The school is supported by The HUGE Partnership, a small UK registered charity established in 2013 to provide financial and resource support to the primary school and the community. The partnership is not about one-off visits but about developing relationships and experiences for Nabugabo and Pangbourne pupils alike. We have sent a team each year since the start of the partnership and in that time students have been engaged with community initiatives, building projects and primary age teaching alongside a wider activities programme including safari and white water rafting on and around Lake Victoria. 

A briefing will be held for interested students in Lower and Upper Sixth and their parents on Friday 17 October at 16:40 (half-term pick up time) in the Old Library in Devitt House.

The trip leader is Mr James Capel, Head of Geography, he can be contacted at James.Capel@pangbourne.com. 

A parent alerted us to another phishing email that is currently circulating. We thought it prudent to advise you of the contents and provide a reminder of how to identify genuine emails from Pangbourne.

Phishing Email

The email has the subject, ‘Boarding Tuition Fees Update’ and invites the recipient to ‘Review Documents’ via Docusign. It has the following appearance. Please see here.

There is further text relating to ‘attachments’ and ironically, ‘confidentiality’. It also mentions another school.

We do not use Docusign, nor would we communicate information to you in this way. Please delete this email, if you have received it and take appropriate action, if you have inadvertently clicked the link and entered your username and/or password.

How to Identify Genuine Emails from Pangbourne

• We use My School Portal for the vast majority of our communication with you. This sends an email and a copy is also stored in the portal under ‘My Children’ and ‘College Messages’.

• Unless the message is purely informational, it will be personalised with your details e.g. Dear Mr Smith and it will have a named member of staff in the sign-off.

• The Pangbourne brand will be clearly visible.

• The sender of a College email will have the email address format originator@pangbourne.com. Messages sent via the portal will have either the senders Pangbourne email address or noreply@pangbourne.myschoolportal.co.uk. Common email addresses we use include:

  • admissions@pangbourne.com

  • billing@pangbourne.com

  • reception@pangbourne.com

• Our emails will never ask you to disclose confidential or financial information and we will never advise you of a change of our bank details in this way.

• Some messages originate from ISAMS, our main information system. These are typically from admissions or billing, where a portal message is not practical or appropriate. They will follow the sames rules as above but do not appear in the portal.

How to Spot Fraudulant Emails

• Be cautious of urgent action emails: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency to pressure recipients into immediate action. If you receive an email threatening negative consequences or loss of opportunity, carefully review it for flaws or inconsistencies before taking any action. It is highly unlikely to be from the College.

• Pay attention to grammar and spelling mistakes: Phishing emails often contain noticeable grammar and spelling errors. Legitimate emails from the College are carefully reviewed and spell-checked. Unusual mistakes may indicate a phishing attempt.

• Verify the sender's email address: Hover your mouse over the sender's email address to check for misspellings or inconsistencies. Legitimate emails from the College will have a consistent and recognisable email address structure, as outlined above.

• Check for inconsistencies in email addresses, links, and domain names: Phishing emails may use deceptive email addresses, links, or domain names. Always compare the sender's address with previous emails from the College and hover over links to ensure they lead to legitimate websites.

• If it seems too good to be true... : Phishing emails often promise rewards or incentives to entice recipients into clicking on malicious links or opening attachments. Exercise caution when encountering such emails.

• Avoid sharing sensitive information: Emails requesting login credentials, payment information, or sensitive data should be treated with caution. Be wary of unexpected or unfamiliar senders and refrain from providing any information unless you are certain of the email's legitimacy.

If in doubt, contact College reception directly (0118 984 2101) and verify. Do not use any other number provided in the email.

Following some parental feedback we are making a change to the internet security settings on machines procured through the Easy4U scheme. After the end of the school day, 18.00, less restrictive web filtering is applied. This will enable pupils to use streaming services and social media websites for example.

They cannot install any apps and their internet use is still monitored. These changes also apply at weekends and ‘off-campus’ and is to reduce the need to have another device for recreational use. These changes are planned to be in place in time for half-term.

Pangbourne are hosting a match with Great Marlow School and Canford on Saturday 11 October. This will be a 3000m time trial followed by side by side racing between 09:30 and 12:30. There will be bacon rolls and hot drinks onsite.

During half term the Boat Club is hosting a J15 and Senior rowing training camp 08:00-15:00 Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd October. 

For further information contact ed.green@pangbourne.com