Friday 27 June 2025

Head’s Weekly Update

Academic Rigour

Today we have the privilege of hosting the 2025 NACE  conference. For anyone who is not familiar with NACE, it is an independent charity founded 40 years ago and the National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) works with schools, education leaders and practitioners to improve provision for more able learners and increase challenge for all. The conference is a day of CPD and networking dedicated to sharing effective ways to better serve all young people and as we are hosting the event this year, our staff are able to attend for free. It is a fantastic opportunity for all teachers to hear from inspiring keynote speakers and explore further removing barriers to learning. 

Young people are sadly spending a significant amount of time on their phones, with a study by Fluid Focus finding that they average 5.5 hours per day. This could lead to an estimated 25 years of screen time over their lifetime if habits don't change. The study also revealed that nearly three-quarters of students believe their phone usage negatively impacts their studies, and over 75% report adverse effects on their mental health. As noted in The Times,

“What’s powerful is how students feel that it’s damaging their academic performance. That awareness — that ‘I could do so much better if I managed this’ — is telling.”

But it’s not just academic performance at risk. Sleep, relationships, focus, and mental health are also being affected. It is with this in mind that I am reviewing further strengthening our mobile phone ban for next academic year and what devices can and can’t access when tethered to our network. 

Adventure & Exploration

We were blessed with glorious sunshine for the inaugural Pangbourne Proms on Devitt Lawn. The variety of music on offer was marvellous, with performances varying from voice, drums, piano solos to ensemble groups and our wonderful marching band. During the evening we also launched our brand new initiative, Transforming Futures - Pangbourne’s campaign to provide life-changing Sixth Form boarding bursaries for children from underserved communities. A huge thank you to everyone that was a part of this fantastic event. We are looking forward to bringing it back next year and will keep our fingers crossed that the weather will be kind to us again. 

On Monday, the Junior College production of the ‘Wind in the Willows’ took place at Piggeries and again they were blessed with lovely summer weather for the outdoor performance. Huge congratulations to all our budding young thespians who performed so brilliantly. You can see some pictures of the performers in the news section below. 

Community

On Wednesday, myself and Ms Kaur hosted a fantastic Introduction to Sixth Form event for all of our current Year 10 parents. Parents had the opportunity to hear from our newly appointed Chief Cadet Captains of the College, Faith and Ed, as well as chat to two of our Chief Cadet Captains, Emilie and Sam. It was a fantastic opportunity for parents to hear about what their child can expect of life in Sixth Form and the plans for the exciting new Sixth Form centre that will be opening in September. Thank you to all those parents who attended. If you were unable to attend on Wednesday, please see the notices section below for some key information. 

Yesterday, we held the last Head’s Introduction to Pangbourne of the academic year for our prospective parents. This was our busiest one yet this year and there was certainly a buzz. We already have two dates in the calendar at the start of Michaelmas term as well as our next whole school Open Morning on Saturday 4 October so please do spread the word to any families that you know who may be interested in their child joining the wonderful Pangbournian community. 

Leadership

In the big lead up to the Henley Regatta I wish all the crews the best of luck next week. Next week the College is going to be extremely busy with many Divisional events (both new and old Divisions) throughout the week and lots of preparation for Founders’ Day. I am thoroughly looking forward to experiencing all of this for the first time and seeing the College really come together in true Pangbourne community spirit.

Best wishes 

Oliver Knight 


COLLEGE NEWS THIS WEEK

Pangbourne Proms

What a fantastic evening we had last Friday for our first ever Pangbourne Proms. The musical talent was truly incredible to see with performances varying from voice, drums and piano solos to ensemble groups. During the evening we also launched our brand new initiative, Transforming Futures - Pangbourne’s campaign to provide life-changing Sixth Form boarding bursaries for children from underserved communities. You can read more about this important campaign via our news page on our website. A huge thank you to everyone that was a part of this new event. We are looking forward to bringing it back next year.

Junior College Production of Wind in the Willows

On a warm summer's evening at the back of Dunbar, junior students from Years 7 to 9 brought The Wind in the Willows to life in a charming outdoor production. With picnic blankets spread and the sun casting a golden glow, friends and families were treated to a delightful performance full of heart and humour.

The talented cast captivated the audience, with standout performances from Isla as the wise Badger, Freddie as the exuberant Toad, George as the loyal Rat, and Ruby as the gentle Mole. The remaining ensemble, including Maximus as Head Weasel and the Otterly-brilliant Leo, played all the additional roles including the cars, river and carol singers at Christmas. Kudos to Tom for his hilariously sarcastic horse clip-clopped to perfection.

The production was a wonderful blend of kitsch creativity, cute costumes, and clever staging, making imaginative use of the natural setting. From witty dialogue to energetic scenes, every moment reflected the dedication and joy of the young performers. Behind the scenes, many more students contributed to the magic, seizing a fantastic opportunity to be part of a collaborative and innovative theatrical experience. A huge thank you goes to Ms Atack, and Mr Kearney for their tireless support and guidance in making this memorable evening possible.

Wye Valley Rock Climbing Trip

On Saturday, a group of our keen rock climbers went on a day trip to Wye Valley to enjoy some outdoor rock climbing. Everyone got away promptly at 07:30 and the passengers made the most of the chance to catch up on some sleep as we crossed the Severn and made it to our meeting point near the Welsh border comfortably before our 10.00 start time. After practising abseiling horizontally, we did the real thing vertically. We then split into two teams of three and worked in our teams on a pair of climbs. Lunch came next and while we ate, the instructor set up the next pair of climbs. He raised the bar with a more challenging second pair of climbs, saying that we were the best group that he had worked with - our experience meant that we coped well with the challenge with a few of us managing the hardest climb. The chance of one last climb was too much to resist and we attempted to climb up the route that we had originally abseiled down.

Even though the heat would have been draining back in Berkshire, the tree canopy above us protected us from the worst of the sunshine as well as the occasional heavy rain.

We arrived back at Pangbourne at 18:30 having had a memorable, stretching and enjoyable day.

Year 10 Flag Values Activities Day

Flag values day actually took two days! On Tuesday each year 10 tutor group presented on one of our flag values. This was very successful and presentations included an impressive range of drama, role-play, quizzes videos and even a rap! We thought about the idea that if we practice our flag values then they can become our habits And ultimately part of our character. On Thursday we got the chance to practice these down at the Dolphin Centre in Pangbourne. There was some great resilience, industry, selflessness, respect, and kindness on show. The students had a lot of fun on and in the water and enjoyed some time to relax.

Year 8 Dinner

Thursday 26 June saw the highlight of the Dunbar social calendar, with the long-awaited Year 8 dinner. Commencing at 19:00 with a mojito mocktail drinks reception in Devitt, the girls and boys were resplendent in their evening dresses and dinner jackets and for many of those present this was their first experience of a 'Black Tie' event. Moving through to the Old Library for the meal, we began with speeches from the Michaelmas term Head Boy and Head Girl, Freddie and Chloe, who spoke eloquently and movingly about their time in Dunbar. Our starter was a combination of crispy spring rolls and sushi, accompanied by fresh prawn crackers, which went down extremely well and this was followed by two further speeches from Ben and Molly, our Head Boy and Head Girl from the Lent term. Once again, anecdotes and reminiscences were shared before we enjoyed the main course - a superb combination of sticky rice, bao buns, shredded pulled beef, chicken balls and crispy pork strips, all served with either teriyaki or sweet and sour sauce and a selection of stir-fried vegetables. Our final speeches were delivered by the current Head Boy and Head Girl, Will and Kate, who also spoke with poise and good humour. The meal was finished with some delightful mochi ice cream balls, deep-fried dough sticks and star anise delice.

Spilling out onto the veranda and the grass behind Devitt we were joined by the Year 8 parents who were able to take some memorable photographs at the end of a glorious evening.

Enormous thanks go to our wonderful catering team who planned, cooked and served such a culinary treat, and to my colleagues who joined us for the evening. I must also say thank you to the very kind gifts presented to Jehan, Miss Tremlett and me at the end of the evening - they were greatly appreciated.


UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday 30 June, 08:15 - Wednesday 2 July, 17:30
Year 11 DofE Silver Assessed Expeditions
Co-curricular, Trip

Monday 30 June, 18:30 - 21:00
Dunbar Boarders' Cosmo Trip
Boarding, Trip

Tuesday 1 July, 08:30 - 17:45
Divisional Drama
Pupils Only

Tuesday 1 July - Sunday 6 July, All day
Rowing: Henley Royal Regatta
Sport

Wednesday 2 July, 19:00 - 21:00
Dunbar Disco
Dunbar, Pupil

Wednesday 2 July, 19:00 - 21:00
Charlotte Drake Summer Formal
Old Library, Pupil

Thursday 3 July, 14:30 - 17:00
Divisional Athletics Competition
Sport, Pupils Only

Thursday 3 July, 17:30 - 21:30
Boarders Divisional BBQ
Pupils Only

Thursday 3 July, 20:30 - 22:30
Upper Sixth Evening Event
Pupils Only

Friday 4 July, 09:30 - 12:10
Divisional Swimming Competition
Sport, Pupils Only

Friday 4 July, 09:30 - 15:00
Dunbar Trip to Burghfield Water Park
Trip

Friday 4 July, 18:30
Upper Sixth Divisional Meals
Pupils Only

Saturday 5 July, 08:30 - 12:30
College Founders’ Day
Parade Ground, Community

Saturday 5 July, 19:00 - 23:30
Leavers’ Ball
Drake Hall, Community

NOTICES

Years 7-8

No new notices this week.

Years 9 -11

SIXTH FORM

SPORT

EVE SELECTED FOR TEAM GB ROWING TEAM

Eve has been invited to the final J18 GB trials which will take place over the summer holidays. We wish her the best of luck in these and will be cheering her on every step of the way! 

DIVISIONAL UPDATES