Friday 19 September 2025

Head’s Weekly Update

It is nice to be back into the rhythm of College life and to see the students immersed in all aspects of our provision. I have enjoyed hearing the shrieks of laughter coming from the low ropes course and seeing students hard at work in lessons. I aim to be much briefer this week.

Academic rigour

We held the first of our Year 11 and Upper Sixth webinars on Wednesday evening and I write this as we prepare for the Sixth Form Open Evening tonight. In terms of the academic side of College life, it has been wonderful to pop into lessons and talk with students. There is a clear sense, not only of purpose, but of belief that every student can secure great grades and achieve more than they thought they were capable of. The core approach in the classroom is the idea that, if we treat all students as intelligent and believe they can grapple with challenging content and ideas, that they will come to see themselves as intelligent and expect more of themselves. So our focus this year is to make the work 10% harder and enjoy seeing the students rise to the challenge. 

Adventure

A key part of Adventure is physical challenge and we see that played out in our sports sessions.

We have had a fantastic start to the sports season. Last year was our most successful year in over a decade and this year has started even more positively. There has been very purposeful and high quality coaching throughout the school. 

  • This has been reflected on the pitch with the best start of the year for the boys’ rugby squads with the 1st XV winning the first 3 out of 4 games, and overall winning two thirds of our games.

  • Girls’ hockey has also had a flying start with some excellent performances throughout the school, most notably our U15s have scored 13 goals and conceded 2 in the first 2 games. 

  • Rowing has had a hugely purposeful start with Mr Green, our new Director of Rowing, really raising the bar in terms of expectations on and off the water. The winter work now will set them up when the head racing season starts in the Lent term. 

  • Riding is just getting going after some work has taken place on Bucklebury arena to upgrade the facilities. They are preparing for their first competition on 28 September at Hartpury College and then the NSEA Championships in the middle of October.

The whole approach and purposeful nature represents the clear strategic direction sport is taking at the College. The 5 year strategy is intentional in its approach to ensure high quality coaching and meaningful competitive sport experiences. The great NFL coach Bill Walsh consistently referred to the fact the score will take care of itself if the processes behind it are high quality and effective. We will continue to focus on this as a principle and are seeing the green shoots continue to grow from last year.  

Community 

Every year we run our expedition to Nabugabo in Uganda. This is one of the most important experiences we offer and I wanted to share the feedback we received from the Charity on the students who went. This hasn’t happened previously but the award citations are so wonderful I can’t keep them to myself. To read these citations, please follow the link here. These awards demonstrate the core values of the College as lived by our students. 

Leadership

I spent the weekend reading the memoirs of Anthony Hudson and his time as Head of the College. One of the golden threads through his time here was the notion of leadership and that the students need to experience authentic leadership. To this end, the Parades were run by the students and the Chief Cadet Captains played a real and visible role in leading their Division. I am very much looking forward to our first Parade this Sunday. Our aim this year is to put the onus back onto the students and have them own and manage the Parades. This is where they not only learn the vital skills of team-work, discipline, excellence and accountability, but they learn how to lead and how to deal with setbacks as well as success. 

The College exists for the sole purpose of educating the students and so every experience and event we run must place them at the centre and ensure that, whatever the outcome, it is something they can grow and learn from. 

Best wishes,

Oliver Knight

Notices

  • There will be a Rowing meeting for parents on Saturday 20 September to hear more about the College Rowing programme. Please see below for an outline of the day. If this changes in any way we will be in touch to let you know.

    08:30 - Drop off your child at the river.

    09:00 - Meet at the Sixth Form café for teas/coffees and pastries.

    09:15 - Presentation and Q&A with Mr Green, Director of Rowing.

    10:45 - Make your way to the river to watch end of training and BBQ.

    13:30 - End.

    If your child is not yet rowing but you are interested in attending please do not hesitate to sign up. All parents are welcome!

    Pupils who are currently playing rugby or hockey this term should still attend their planned fixtures but if they are interested/planning to row from the Lent term they and their parents are welcome to attend.

    Please sign up via the Google Form here.

    In July 2025, the Boat House planning application was approved by the West Berkshire planning authority. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the College community, over £1.6m has been committed to the Appeal, and construction is planned to begin in 2026. The rowing team will share more information at the meeting on 20 September.

  • The first College Service and Parade will be taking place on Sunday 21 September, 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 to be purchased in the Café between 09:00 – 10:45 (but these must not be taken into Chapel, please)

    09:15 Pupils in Divisions for briefing with Division Chiefs

    Please note: pupils should arrive at College already dressed in their No. 1 uniform.

    As in all previous years, Year 9 pupils do not participate in the first Parade of the year. Year 9 pupils should attend and watch with their parents. Year 9 pupils should be wearing their No. 1 uniform but as they are not taking part in the Parade on this occasion, there will be some leniency for any new pupils who have not managed to get their No. 1 uniform fully sorted yet.

    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.

  • We are delighted to be supporting this year’s Macmillan Coffee Morning, which will take place on Monday 22 September.

    • For pupils: Please bring in some money or a card to purchase cakes (cakes will be £1 each), which will be on sale at break time outside the Mess Hall and the Sixth Form Café.

    • For parents: You are warmly invited to join us in the Sixth Form Café after morning drop-off to purchase a coffee. We kindly ask that parents also make a donation for each item purchased. This will be a wonderful opportunity to catch up with other parents over coffee while supporting a fantastic cause.

    All proceeds will go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that provides vital care, advice, and financial support to people living with cancer and their families. Every cake purchased – along with your generous donations – helps make a real difference.

    A huge thank you to our caterers, Thomas Franks for generously donating the cakes for this important cause.

  • As mentioned in last week's newsletter, this year’s Divisional Music Competition, is taking place on Thursday 25th September in the Chapel. This year’s adjudicator is Mr Oliver Tarney, Assistant Director of Music at Tiffin School, who will be judging a lively programme of performances including Division songs, solo instrumentalists, and solo singers. The performance will run from 19:00 to 21:00, with refreshments available for parents who are attending as audience members in the Sixth Form Café from 18:00. All pupils in Years 9 and above are required to attend and participate, and an evening meal will be provided for them in Mess Hall before the performance; pupils will need to be picked up from the parade ground after the event at 21:00.

    Owing to limited space, tickets are only available to parents of pupils in Year 9 and Upper Sixth, as well as parents of any pupils entering one of the solo classes; if any tickets are still available shortly before the event we may be able to offer these on a first-come, first-served basis. We very much look forward to welcoming some of you to what promises to be a vibrant and entertaining evening of music. For those parents who are unable to attend in person, a live stream link will be provided nearer the time.

    Tickets are available here.

  • We have been informed that Pangbourne Hill will be closed for resurfacing works on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September. The closure will be in place from Little Bowden Lane to Bere Court Road and will include the main entrance to the College.

    To minimise disruption, the road closure will not take place until 09:30, thus allowing parents and school buses to drop pupils at the College as usual in the morning. The works are expected to finish by around 15:00 each day. The road will then reopen and the College will be fully accessible for pick up.

    During the closure, emergency access to the College will be available via Little Bowden Lane as shown on this map. This is a narrow track and we would ask that only essential visits to the College are made between 09:30-15:00 on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September.

  • Please view the schedule here for upcoming webinars.

  • VMT lessons resumed this week, with most pupils remembering to turn up on time for their scheduled session. All pupils and parents have been sent a link to join a new platform, Involve Education, where they can find details of lesson times each week; this system will allow us to monitor lessons more closely, provide weekly updates to pupils and parents on what to focus on in private practice, and make communication between VMTs and parents easier.  As parents, you will be able to see your child’s lesson schedule each week and, if you use the app version, opt in to notifications to help you support their musical progress (including reminders on the morning of their lesson). SOCS will still be the primary source of information for sports fixtures.

    There is still time to sign up for instrumental or vocal lessons; if your child is interested in exploring this, please contact Mr Thornhill (andrew.thornhill@pangbourne.com).We can also arrange a fifteen-minute taster lesson for those who would like to try an instrument or voice lesson before committing.

  • The Sixth Form Café will now be open from 07:30 - 15:30. This change has been made due to parental and student feedback.

  • Just a reminder that the next overnight leave weekend will take place from 16:35 on Friday 26 September to 19:00 on Sunday 28 September. This means that pupils may leave at an earlier time but school buses and station shuttle buses will depart at their usual time. Provision will be made for pupils up until this time if they are unable to leave earlier.

    Overnight leave will also take place on the following dates this academic year:

    Friday 21 November to Sunday 23 November 2025.

    Friday 1 May to Monday 4 May 2026.

  • 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

    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.

  • All parents are warmly invited to attend a coffee morning for parents in your child’s division on the following dates:

    Harbinger - Tuesday 7 October

    Hesperus - Tuesday 14 October

    Illawarra - Thursday 16 October

    Macquarie - Monday 13 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.

    Just as a reminder, you can contact your child’s Divisional teams on the following email addresses:

    Harbinger@pangbourne.com - Jehan Dyer and Stephen Hennah

    Hesperus@pangbourne.com  - Laura Besley-Piggott and Alex Unsworth

    Illawarra@pangbourne.com - Donatienne Poitrat and Werner Nel

    Macquarie@pangbourne.com  - Steph Kingsland and Tom Walford

  • Whole School Lost Property is now going to be stored in Macquarie in the old boot room. Please make sure that all items of your child’s uniform are named.

Year 7 - 8 (Dunbar)

  • I am delighted to be able to announce the date and venue for our forthcoming Dunbar Parents’ Dinner, which will be held at the Goring & Streatley Golf Club.

    It will take place on Friday 10 October, with a 19:30 start time. The cost will be approximately £50 per head, which will include a welcome drink on arrival, three course meal followed by cheese, coffee and port.

    There will also be a cash bar available, and the only downside is that you will have to listen to my speech - which I promise to make either amusing or short, and possibly both.

    The formal invitations will be coming out shortly, but please put this event into your diary and it would be great to see as many of you as possible on the 10 October, for what is our main social event of the term.

    The dress code will be black tie, and last year’s Dinner was a tremendously enjoyable evening.

    Dr Ian Hart, Head of Junior House

  • There will be an online Webinar for Year 7 parents on Wednesday 24 September, running from 19:15 - 19:55. This will be hosted by Anthony Hammond (Head of Key Stage 3) and Dr Ian Hart (Head of Junior House) and will provide useful information about academic, social and pastoral aspects of life at the College.

    The Webinar will include advice on how to get the best out of the various College systems available, explain the roles of the key staff at the College, and help you to support us and your child through the next two years in Dunbar (Year 7 and 8).

    Please follow the link here to join.

  • All the Dunbar pupils have been informed about the system in place for when to wear uniform and when to wear games kit, and all seems to be going relatively well, however I thought this would be the ideal opportunity to just clarify what our expectations are.

    For parents information, Dunbar pupils may wear games kit for any morning/afternoon session in which they have games, PE or another outdoor activity. All changing should take place at lunchtime, and we have changing rooms and showers available in Dunbar for when the weather turns wetter. In practice this means that the pupil’s should come into College in games kit on Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings, changing into their Number 2 uniform at lunchtime on those days. They should come into College in their Number 2 uniform on Wednesdays and Thursdays, changing into games kit at lunchtime on those days.

  • Just a reminder that if you arrive before 08:00 in the morning, please drop your child at the Mess Hall, so that they can walk down to arrive at Dunbar for 08:00. You are of course most welcome to drop bags outside Dunbar earlier to save them being carried down if you prefer. In the afternoon, pick-up is either 17:15 or 17:45 from Dunbar (depending on whether they will be staying for the optional prep session). Please note that on Wednesdays all children can be collected at the end of their fixtures/training, but we do run a prep from 16:00 - 17:15, after which all pupils may be collected.

    Buses leave at 17:20 (early station bus), 17:25 (main routes) and 17:50 (late station bus), including Wednesdays. I would advise all pupils travelling by bus to have access to a mobile phone, and please feel free to pass on the Dunbar Duty mobile number for them to use in an emergency.

  • Please follow the link here to join the Year 9 Welcome Webinar on Wednesday 24 September, 18:15-18:55.

  • Saturday attendance at sports fixtures or training is expected, if for any reason attendance is not possible then an absence request should be submitted through the parent portal. If your child cannot attend on the day, such as due to illness, the coach should be contacted.

  • An early heads up that on Wednesday 1 October there will be a 'Welcome to Year 10 webinar' which will set out the plan for the year and our expectations of your child in Year 10. 

    Link and further details to follow in next week's parent newsletter.

  • Thank you very much to all the parents who attended the webinar on Wednesday evening. For anyone who was unable to attend the live session, the link to the recording is here. We ran out of time to say our final message, which is that with joined up conversations between school, you and your child we can navigate the mighty year 11 successfully. Well-being is key and has to come before all else - we are proud not to be a work-factory, but with intentional work and good planning on all sides, your child can achieve the success of which we know they are capable. 

    We hope that you enjoyed the Sixth Form Open Evening too and that this has opened up positive conversations at home about the exciting next stage of your child's educational journey.

Year 9 - 11

  • If you missed the Upper Sixth Welcome webinar that took place this week, you can watch the recording here.

  • We have scheduled an early meeting for parents of Upper Sixth pupils with teachers and tutors. The focus for these conversations will be the start of the Upper Sixth year, expectations for the year ahead and UCAS applications. Appointments commence at 16:30 for most staff and run through to 19:30. Some teachers, with large classes, will be available from 16:30. There is a planned break between 18:05 and 18:20, when a brief talk by Mr Seccombe and Ms Kaur will be given.

    Booking opens today, Friday 19 September 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. 

Sixth Form

Saturday 20 September, 08:30 - 13:30
Rowing Parents Welcome & BBQ
Parents, Co-Curricular

Sunday 21 September, 09:00 - 12:00
College Service & Parade
Community, Pupil, Staff

Monday 22 September, 08:00-08:30
Parents’ Macmillan Coffee Morning
Café

Monday 22 September, 10:50-11:10
Students’ Macmillan Coffee Morning
Café, Mess Hall

Tuesday 23 September, 12:00-14:00
Blackberry & Kale Pop-Up Stall at Lunch
Pupil, Staff, Mess Hall

Wednesday 24 September, 18:15 - 18:55
Webinar Wednesday - Welcome to Year 9
Year 9, Academic, Parent/Guardian

Wednesday 24 September, 19:15 - 19:55
Webinar Wednesday - Welcome to Year 7
Year 7, Academic, Parent/Guardian

Thursday 25 September, 19:00 - 21:00
Divisional Music
Community, Pupil, Music

Friday 26 September, 16:30 - 19:30
Upper Sixth Parents’ & Guardians’ Meeting
Drake Hall, Academic

UPCOMING EVENTS

COLLEGE NEWS THIS WEEK

Community Welcome Walk

Last Saturday we strolled through our stunning 230 acre campus with parents, staff, and some dogs. A huge thank you to Mr Radford (pictured with Jerry) for leading the way, and to Annie Pride and the PPA Committee for the warm welcome (and delicious refreshments!). It was such a lovely morning welcoming new and familiar faces into the Pangbournian community.

Lower Sixth Physics Trip

This week, our Lower Sixth students enjoyed their first trip of the year. The lecture was given by Dr Chris Pearson, Head of Astronomy at RAL Space on Harwell and his talk titled ‘The Life of an ATOM’. Have you ever wondered where the carbon in our bodies, the oxygen in the air or the gold in your jewellery come from? The answer was of course The Stars! He finished with the fact that we are all effectively nuclear waste.


Sixth Form Open Evening

On Thursday evening we welcomed current Year 11 and prospective families to our Sixth Form Open Evening. It was a brilliant event where we displayed our brand new Sixth Form centre and the wide range of subjects we have on offer. Thank you to all who attended, we hope you found it informative.

SPORT

Leo (Year 12) - Double Victory at Silverstone

Leo received a last-minute call-up to race in the LMP4 class at Silverstone last week, stepping into a car he hadn’t even seen before Friday morning.

Despite limited preparation, Leo quickly adapted, qualifying 3rd and 1st for the two weekend races. He went on to secure two race wins, set the fastest lap, and broke the lap record for the class which is an impressive achievement at any level, let alone on debut.

He’s now aiming to race again in the sports prototype class in Portugal next month.

Rugby 1st XV and 2nd XV vs Hereford Cathedral School

Brilliant set of fixtures against Hereford Cathedral School with a split block in terms of outcomes with 1st XV and 2nd XV winning with plenty of close games throughout. It was also great to play at Cheltenham Rugby also as a neutral venue.

Hockey Night Game vs St Edward’s School, Oxford

Last Friday our 1st XI girls hockey had their first Friday night fixture v St Edward’s. It was a great match where the team went 1-0 down in the first 10- minutes and then showed grit and determination to make a comeback to leading 3-2. Unfortunately they conceded in the last 90 seconds following a breakaway goal against the run of play to make the final score 3-3. Pangbourne then successfully defended two late and very controversial two short corners in the last 30 seconds of the match! We are super proud of this relatively young squad which is made up of mainly Lower Sixth and Year 11 students who showed great resilience in this match at the start of the season. We can’t wait to watch their development over the course of this season.

DIVISIONAL UPDATES

Divisional updates will begin shortly. Please see the information about the Division Coffee Mornings for Parents in the Notices section above.