Head’s Weekly Update

I would like to invite any young rower parents and pupils to our Sixth Form rowing programme information evening that we are holding on Tuesday 2 December. I am delighted that Eve Allen, alumna and GB rower will also be joining us.

The timings of the evening will be:

17:15 – 17:45 – Nibbles in Café

17:45 – 17:50 – Welcome from The Head  

17:50 – 18:15 – Presentation in Chapel from Ed Green, Director of Rowing and Eve Allen, alumna & GB rower

18:15 – 18:30 - Q&A session with Oli Knight, Ed Green & Sam Hewick

This event is mainly aimed at Year 10 and 11 parents and pupils but any other year groups are welcome to attend.

Please book your place via this link.

A recording of the event will be shared afterwards for any parents or pupils unable to attend.

Mr Ed Green, Director of Rowing

We understand that children occasionally need to stay home when they are unwell. To ensure we can correctly and legally record your child’s absence, we must receive daily notification from parents/carers.

The Daily Check-In

If your child is ill and unable to attend school, please remember:

1. Notify us on the first day: Email the Division

2. Notify us for every subsequent day: We cannot assume your child is still ill. If they are absent for multiple days, you must contact the Division each morning to confirm their continued absence and the reason.

3. Why this is crucial: Without daily notification, we are unable to authorise the absence. Unauthorised absences can trigger welfare checks or formal attendance procedures.

Your cooperation helps us accurately monitor attendance, meet our safeguarding obligations, and ensure your child's record is correct.

Thank you for helping us keep our attendance records up to date.

The Christmas holidays are a prime target for hackers and fraudsters because people are busy preparing for the festivities and may not pay close attention to any emails they receive. As a result, we wish to reiterate our guidance on how to identify fraudulent and genuine emails from Pangbourne.

How to Spot Fraudulent 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 below.

• 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. Be particularly alert to the domain part of the email address – the @pangbourne.com part. it is common practice to use a slight variant e.g., pangburne.com etc.

• 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.

In addition, we do not offer discounts for paying school fees in advance. Many of our parents now pay by direct debit, which is covered by various financial guarantees and there is an option to pay annual fees over 9-months on an interest free basis. More information on this is available by emailing billing@pangbourne.com.

How to Identify Genuine Emails from Pangbourne

• We use My School Portal for much 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. Our bank details are clearly stated on the fee invoice.

• 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 same rules as above but do not appear in the portal.

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

Improvements to the Securly Home Service:

From Monday 1 December we will activate alerts on the Securly Home service. This means that you will now receive a pop-up in the app if your child attempts to access a restricted site or other concerning activity. If your child makes use of an Easy4U device and you have not yet registered, please complete this form.

On Thursday 4 December, Moulsford Prep School will be using the Chapel for their annual Carol Service. Moulsford parents have been requested to arrive after 18:30 but in case of any early arrivals, please could all parents be aware that traffic may be busier than normal around this time. 

Looking ahead to the Charlotte Drake Society’s January meeting, we are looking for female delegates to speak to girls in Years 10-13 about their careers.

The Women's Careers Network Event will take place on Monday 26 January between 19:00 - 21:00 in Devitt House. Now in our fourth year of this successful event, we hope to be able to host as many delegates as possible to come and speak to the Charlotte Drake Society.

If you would be interested in coming to talk about your career and help inspire the girls to see what they can be, please email cds@pangbourne.com 

Mrs Elly Hayward, Head of English

Enhancing our Adventure offering, we're running a two day Rock Climbing trip on Friday 8 to Saturday 9 May 2026 in the Brecon Beacons. This is open to all pupils in Year 8 and above and it is a chance for pupils of all abilities to develop existing skills as well as to try out something new. 

Overnight accommodation will be in YHA and approx. cost will be £220 per pupil. 

For more information please contact fergus.yuille@pangbourne.com. 

Previous climbing experience is not essential but is beneficial. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

This festive season, we’re inviting you to join our school-wide appeal in support of the local charity Reading Family Aid. They are collecting gifts for teenagers aged 13–16, an age group that too often misses out. By donating a thoughtful gift, you can help make a real difference in a young person’s life.

Here’s how you can help:

• Please choose new items if possible; high-quality second-hand goods are also accepted. 

• Aim for items that suit ages 13–16: something fun, practical or creative.

• Drop your gifts in the collection box in Divisions by Monday 8 December.

Every gift counts. Together, we can spread a little extra joy this Christmas!

Thank you for your generosity and kindness.

Please see the poster here.