Friday 10 October 2025
Head’s Weekly Update
Academic Rigour
Mr Seccombe delivered a very informative webinar on Wednesday evening on our academic data and how we both generate and use it. The primary purpose of all data is to enable teachers to make better decisions than they would in the absence of that data around the impact of their teaching and what they need to do next to move student learning forward. If you did not watch it live, the link to the recording is below and is well worth a watch.
Our view last year was to blend the best of what currently happens in the education sector. This means taking the best from both the maintained and independent sectors and applying them to our unique context. There are some aspects of education that have been seeded in inner-city schools in London that are decades ahead of the independent sector; one such idea is that of instructional coaching.
So, alongside our new approach to academic data and our mastery quizzing model, we have launched a model of instructional coaching. This simply means that every teacher has a trained coach and receives frequent, low-stakes feedback on their teaching. The aim being that a teacher at Pangbourne improves as much in one year as most would do over twenty years. Development is seen at Pangbourne as a right rather than a nice to have and we want to invest in and develop our staff.
Our commitment is to have the best trained and happiest teachers in the country. This in turn will create the climate where all students flourish and get to realise that there is more in them than they realise.
Adventure
We are currently in the design phase of two new exciting events aimed at our local prep and primary schools, with the ambition to create a sense of energy about Pangbourne. These events will fully utilise our adventure ethos and demonstrate the true spirit of Pangbournians. We are hoping to get a glut of Prep Heads together for an afternoon of challenge and adventure. I am aiming for this to culminate in having them all abseil down Devitt Tower in front of their students, but we need to jump through a few H&S hoops first apparently!
Community
During the design of Campus 2030 Phase 1, I visited and spoke to many Heads in the sector. One school I did not manage to get around to visiting last year, I had the pleasure of visiting earlier this week. It is a prestigious and well-respected school that is coming up to its 500th Anniversary and is a true giant amongst Independent schools. I was particularly interested to look at how they were managing their Day/Boarder split and what their offer was. I also wanted to compare this to another big-hitter in the sector who is moving to a day offer. Needless to say, as prestigious schools, they typically have day fees £15,000 - £20,000 a year above Pangbourne's. What struck me most, and seems replicated across the sector though, is the separation of day and boarders.
There were many examples of how this divide manifested; from where you ate to how you managed your day, and whilst logistically and optically this is the simplest model with the least short-term change in experience, I left feeling pleased with how we had avoided this trap. We took the more difficult but better longer-term position to properly manage the competing demands of business efficiency, student experience and school culture. Day houses and boarding houses would pull against our core mission and ethos. Whilst still a work-in-progress, being only 6 weeks old, our model at least does not differentiate against where you sleep and enables both vertical and horizontal integration of year groups and genders.
We are sending out a survey to all students this week and parents next week to look at where we are and what the next steps in the development of the experience might be.
The other clear take-away from the visit was that academic learning and scholarship sat very much front and centre of the school. It was clear that this was a place of learning and that academic excellence and intellectual curiosity were both nurtured and developed. Each academic space had a place for reading and quiet reflection and students were dotted about all over the campus, immersed in lessons or intellectual enhancement. The students seldom, if ever, returned to their Houses during the day, instead spending time out of lessons with friends outside or working in the Library or café. The school noticed that this had grown exponentially since the banning of mobile phones and that all students were learning to manage both their time and their logistics to ensure they were becoming leaders of their own learning.
Leadership
Since our last College Parade, the Chief Cadet Captains have been overseeing the weekly parade practice and staff have been instructed to take a back seat. The Chiefs have taken the lead, organising their Divisions and setting the standard. If we are to lean into the historic legacy of the College and build on the strong leadership habits a Pangbourne education provides, leadership experiences such as this are crucial. Similarly with the Band and the Guard, the Chiefs lead this and develop their teams. I am excited to see how this materialises on Sunday and am delighted that Sir John Madejski OBE DL, has agreed to take the parade as Guest of Honour.
It has been wonderful to see these leadership traits developed with equal intent on the sports pitch and the Captains of the Michaelmas term sports delivered their first sports updates to the College in assembly last Monday. Whilst no doubt a slightly nerve-wracking experience, standing up and talking in front of 400 of your peers, it is an important part of being a leader and they all delivered their messages with clarity and confidence.
The final piece from me is that we are launching a new pastoral programme on the 3 November. Its aim is to equip girls with the skills to navigate the choppy waters of friendships and adolescents as the captain of their own ship. It is called Girls on Board and the website can be found using this link
Best wishes,
Oliver Knight
Notices (Please click on the + sign to expand for full information)
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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:
Pupils should arrive at College already dressed in their No. 1 uniform.
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.
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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 Monday 20 to Thursday 23 October 08:00 - 15:00.
For further information and to book your place on the rowing camp contact ed.green@pangbourne.com
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This webinar will be led by Mark Seccombe (Deputy Head Academic) and Krissie Ellis (Assistant Head, Teacher Development & Expertise). They 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 webinar is here.
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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
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Half Term will start next Friday 17 October at 16:35. School buses and minibus shuttle to the station will leave at 16:45. There will be no optional prep taking place. Please make sure all pupils are collected at 16:35 if they are not travelling on school transport.
We wish you all a restful half term and look forward to welcoming boarders back Sunday 2 November 2025 from 19:00 and day pupils on Monday 3 November from 08:00.
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In order to undertake the work in the locker rooms in the four Divisions during half term, all pupils must take all their belongings home before half term. Please ensure you remove all items from the lockers themselves as well as the locker rooms. This must be completed by Friday 17 October so please ensure you plan in advance when you will take items home.
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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.
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Now that our new Sixth Form Centre is up and running and we have lived in the space for six weeks, we are enhancing the offer we provide. We are currently recruiting for a Sixth Form Officer who will oversee the culture and climate of the sixth formers as they work outside lessons. Half RSM, half Matron, they will ensure all sixth form students are maximising their time and getting the most out of their study periods.
Alongside this, we are in the process of appointing a dedicated and independent careers adviser to be based in the Sixth Form Centre. The aim is to ensure every student has 1:1 impartial careers and future destinations advice from a fully trained expert and so that we can offer alumni at University and in the early stages of their career continued advice and support with their career development and internships etc.
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Thank you to everyone within the Pangbourne Community for your support with Open Morning last Saturday and for making it such a success. It is not possible to showcase the College without the input of our current students and they were all fabulous and a real credit to the College. We are very proud to receive positive feedback from prospective families which included: ‘Shining advocates’ as well as ‘Our tour guide was open and extremely knowledgeable about the school. They spoke with a passion that only comes from being in an environment that nurtures great humans.’ Finally thank you to parents who facilitated logistics to enable their child to attend.
If you know of any families who were unable to attend but would like to visit, please do let them know that we have the following Open Events scheduled:
Whole School Open Morning - Saturday 25 April 2026 09:30 - 13:00
Head’s Introduction to Pangbourne events this term:
Wednesday 15 October 08:50 - 10:45
Thursday 6 November 08:50 - 10:45
Friday 28 November 08:50 - 10:45
Please visit pangbourne.com/visit to book or contact admissions@pangbourne.com if you have any questions.
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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.
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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 if you have inadvertently clicked the link and entered your username and/or password, please take appropriate action.
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 sender’s Pangbourne email address or noreply@pangbourne.myschoolportal.co.uk. Common email addresses we use include:
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.
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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.
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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: Thursday 13 November 2025
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Location: The Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel, Pangbourne College
Book your place here.
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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!
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The MFL department at Pangbourne College is organising a day trip to France in order to visit the Christmas Market in the beautiful city of Lille. In 2024, it was voted the third best in the country and in the top 10 in Europe.
We will be going on Sunday 7 December 2025 and the departure time will be early in the morning at 04:00 while we plan to be back in Pangbourne College at 22:30. As usual with international travel, there will always be the possibility of a delay but we will let you know as we are travelling.
Please see more information and how to book your child’s place here.
Year 7 - 8 (Dunbar)
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We have scheduled an early meeting for parents of Dunbar pupils with teachers and tutors. The focus for these conversations will be the start of the year and expectations for the year ahead.
Appointments commence at 16:30 for most staff and run through to 19:30 and will take place in Drake Hall. There is a planned break between 18:05 and 18:20, when a brief talk by Mr Seccombe and Mr Hammond will be given.
Booking opens today, Friday 10 October at 18:00 on School Cloud and a user guide can be found here, should you need it.
The easiest way to access School Cloud is via the College Portal here, then click the 'Parent Evenings' tile on the dashboard. You should be automatically logged in. A grade card will be available for you to review ahead of the event.
For parents new to Pangbourne, Drake Hall is in the Main Quad, opposite the Library and adjacent to the Sports Hall. -
Please see here for more information about the flamenco workshop for Year 7 & 8 which will take place on Friday 28 November.
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The timetable for Trials 1 has now been shared with Year 11. Please view the timetable here.
Students will be given further details about this on Monday. They will design and plan their revision timetables for half term onwards with their tutors over the next week. These will be shared with you electronically before half term.
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Mr Knight has been delighted to have conversations with students, staff and parents about study habits, study spaces and work ethic. In order to ensure our Year 10 and 11 students can put their best foot forward and capitalise on the great teaching they receive, from Monday 13 October, Year 11 pupils will be able to access the Gerres Room in the Library as their quiet study space. Year 10 students can, and should, be using the Library at lunchtime. These are dedicated and supervised work spaces that have a mix of individual and group tables with comfortable seating. This will ensure that Year 11 students have a quiet place to study during lunchtimes and downtime as they prepare for their first set of trial exams and Year 10 can hit the ground running as they start their journey to summer 2027.
As we start the run-in to the first set of trial exams we are also going to bring the Year 11 lunch forwards so they can maximise the extended lunch break for revision and exam prep.
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In readiness for this, all Year 11 should be sending you a copy of the revision timetable which they've planned out in tutor time. You should receive this today or at the latest Monday.
Please can you help them by printing this out and displaying it somewhere prominent in the kitchen so everyone in the family is aware of when work should be happening over half term.
Please do remember to watch the revision webinar on Wednesday evening which will be focused on revision.
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These have now arrived and are being distributed to students through departmental lessons. Please encourage them to keep them safely at home until they are needed.
Year 9 - 11
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With four ‘school’ weeks until trials please do help us by supporting your son/daughter with their revision at home.
Please view the timetable here.
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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 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.
Sixth Form
Friday 10 October, 19:00 - 23:00
Dunbar Divisional Dinner for Parents
Goring & Streatley Golf Club
Sunday 12 October, 09:00 - 12:00
College Parade
Chapel & Parade Ground, Community
Monday 13 October, 09:15 - 10:30
Divisional Coffee Morning for Parents: Macquarie
Ground Floor, East Building
Tuesday 14 October, 09:15 - 10:30
Divisional Coffee Morning for Parents: Hesperus
1st Floor, West Building
Wednesday 15 October, 08:50 - 10:45
Head’s Introduction to Pangbourne
Prospective Parents, Old Library
Wednesday 15 October, 18:30 - 19:15
Webinar Wednesday - Supporting Revision at Home
Academic, Online
Thursday 16 October, 09:15 - 10:30
Divisional Coffee Morning for Parents: Illawarra
2nd Floor, West Building
Thursday 16 October, All Day
DofE Silver Day Walk
Year 11, Co-Curricular
Friday 17 October, 16:30 - 18:30
Year 7 & 8 Parents’ & Guardians’ Meeting - In Person
Drake Hall
UPCOMING EVENTS
COLLEGE NEWS THIS WEEK
Annual National Service for Seafarers at St Paul’s Cathedral 2025
On Wednesday members of the College Choir and the Pangbourne Choristers had the great privilege of leading the music for the Annual National Service for Seafarers at St Paul’s Cathedral, performing alongside the choirs of the Royal Hospital School and the London Nautical School. They were joined by a colour party from the Guard and the Chiefs of College. This special service is held each year to commemorate and celebrate all those who serve at sea across the maritime profession. Representatives from the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, fishing industry, nautical colleges, maritime youth groups, and veterans’ associations gathered together in an act of remembrance and thanksgiving.
St Paul’s Cathedral was filled with around 2,000 people, including Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and the Bishop of London (Archbishop of Canterbury Designate), The Rt Revd Sarah Mullally DBE. In total, 56 pupils and staff represented Pangbourne, with pupils looking exceptionally smart in their No. 1 uniform.
The Pangbourne singers performed well, singing Upon your heart by Eleanor Daley and They that go down to the sea in ships by Herbert Sumsion. Those attending this Sunday’s parade service will have another opportunity to hear the Sumsion as our anthem.
Sixth Form Taster Day
Today our Year 11 pupils took part in our Sixth Form Taster day. Pupils were off timetable and instead attended Sixth Form subject taster lessons. We also welcomed a number of external prospective candidates to join us for the Taster and would like to thank the Year 11 pupils for making them feel so welcome.
The aim of the taster was to give students the opportunity to experience a range of A Level or BTEC style subject lessons as well as experience what life is like at Pangbourne in the Sixth Form.
SPORT
U14 Berkshire County Cup
On Monday 6 October our U14 Girls Hockey played in the County tournament. They got to the semi-finals and unfortunately lost and ultimately placed 4th. This was against larger schools or those who have been together since year 7 so they did a fantastic job against the competition they were faced with. Hopefully, they will take some of the key learnings away from this tournament to propel themselves to the next level for the remainder of this year and beyond.
U13 Girls’ Prep School Hockey Tournament
On Wednesday we hosted our annual prep school U13 girls’ hockey tournament. The tournament was split between St Andrew’s School and Pangbourne College. It was great to welcome 15 local prep schools to the college for the afternoon. Most of the matches were extremely close with the semi finals and finals both resulting in penalty shootouts. The final round saw Shiplake College and Holme Grange battle it out for the win. In the end, Holme Grange were crowned the champions. It was great to have one of our own coaches, Rebecca Daniel, who also plays hockey for Team GB to give out the prizes to the girls.
DIVISIONAL UPDATES
Divisional Coffee Mornings
All parents are warmly invited to attend a coffee morning for parents in your child’s Division on the following dates:
Macquarie - Monday 13 October
Hesperus - Tuesday 14 October
Illawarra - Thursday 16 October
These will provide an opportunity to meet the Pastoral Divisional Leads as well as other parents and will take place from 09:15 - 10:30.