o review a whole term of life in the Junior School is no easy task. School life is very busy both inside and outside the classroom. I always talk to the boys about taking up opportunities and ‘Aiming Higher’, and this term the boys have taken up the challenge across all aspects of school life.
TSeptember saw the launch of an updated system of pupil leadership. Providing opportunities for pupils to lead initiatives and have a voice in the development of different aspects of school is incredibly important. It has been wonderful to see the election of House and Vice Captains, voted for by their peers after closely fought elections, who have already started to fulfil their roles at school events such as the Remembrance Chapel Service. New Playground Pals, Reading Buddies, Digital Leaders and Librarians have been chosen after applying for their leadership roles: the Playground Pals can be seen every breaktime, encouraging and supporting pupils across the year groups, and led the school in our support of Anti Bullying Week and Odd Sock Day. Reading Buddies have run lunchtime sessions to support younger readers in developing their confidence; Digital Leaders have launched their first lunchtime workshops and the Librarians have been hard at work running library sessions, planning book displays and researching and sharing the best reads. Some boys have also been elected as our new Prefects for demonstrating excellent qualities and being role models to their peers in school.
We have also launched a new Sustainability Committee who is already working on a range of initiatives to support the Junior School community in becoming more aware of the environment and what we can do to be a more sustainable school. The new School Council has also started work with feedback on school menus and the tuck shop. Pupil involvement in school life was also evident through the Ventis Charity Day with the boys running a range of fund raising activities which raised almost £700 for Crisis and the Marie Curie charities.
Pupils continued to take up opportunities in other areas of school life. Boys have had an explosive time learning about rockets in Science, exploring Romeo and Juliet with the visit of the Young Shakespeare Company, life in the senior school with workshops at Warwick Senior School, collaborative problem solving with pupils from the Prep School, how to stay safe when visiting Hazard Alley, life in the past with a trip to Blists Hill and life as a rugby tourist with the Year 6 tour to Bristol and Cardiff.
On the sports front, the boys continue to shine with an
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
The Michaelmas Term is always full of wonderful activities and events which provide our pupils with an outstanding range of experiences, whichever of our Foundation schools they attend.
There are multiple factors which enable these to happen.
First, is the ethos of the Foundation as a charity, now so clearly articulated in our Purpose: to enable transformation through the power of education.
Second, the commitment to both excellence and a rounded, holistic education for every pupil, appropriate to their school context.
Third, the investment over generations in the facilities and infrastructure of the schools.
Finally, how all of these are brought to life though the coming together of outstanding staff, wonderful pupils, and committed families.
The activities in the run up to Christmas see these lived out in such vibrant ways. The concert halls used for wonderful performances, carol services which are not only deeply beautiful, but also true to the individual characters of our schools, not to mention our nativities and Christmas Fairs. Layer onto that the ongoing programmes of sport, theatre productions and the almost endless co-curricular programmes, and I cannot believe there is anywhere which truly lives more by the values we espouse.
However, to those who enable our schools to be everything they are, we need to add the support of members of wider community, not least our former pupils. Early next term we will be publishing our Impact Report, highlighting the importance of philanthropic giving. From Warwick Hall to Project One Campus, to means tested fee support, our Charity - our schoolswould not be what they are without the foresight and the generosity of those who went before us.
Thank you to everyone in our community, past and present, for making our schools and therefore the impact of the Charity, so unique and so inspiring. Richard Nicholson, Foundation Principal
incredibly busy season of rugby, hockey, swimming and chess fixtures across all year groups. Focus, skill, teamwork and sportsmanship were all on display and it is wonderful to see the boys’ enthusiasm for this aspect of school life. Musically, the boys always impress with their confidence and talent performing in Teatime Concerts, Rap Battles and a wonderfully festive Christmas Concert.
I look forward to seeing what opportunities 2026 will bring for the Junior School.
John Bond, Headmaster
A PAW-SOME START TO THE ACADEMIC YEAR SO FAR!
We kicked off the term with the opening of the new shared Outdoor Classroom with Warwick Prep School, in the Head Master’s Garden. This was a long-term fundraising project alongside WPSA. Junior PAWS contributed £6000 to the project.
Soon followed our ever-popular Macmillan Coffee Morning at the Senior School. It was wonderful to see parents catching up over coffee while the boys enjoyed the always fantastic cake stall. Together, we raised an amazing £771every penny of which has been donated to Macmillan. Thank you to everyone who baked, nattered, and bought cakes to support such a great cause!
Towards the end of this term, the Young Shakespeare company visited to host a workshop for the Year 5 and 6 boys. This year’s focus was the iconic Romeo and Juliet. Junior PAWS part-
funded this for the Junior School.
We also held multiple events towards the end of the term. Starting with a Movie Night for pupils in Year 3 and 4, featuring the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Boys enjoyed hot dogs, popcorn and ice cream! We then held our Christmas Activity Afternoon where the boys enjoyed a range of games such as pull a candy cane, open the Christmas box and knock the elf off the shelf.
Some exciting upcoming projects that Junior PAWS have agreed to fund to benefit the Junior School includes: a weather station, gardening equipment to be used for Warwick Outdoors afterschool club and five apprentice flutes for the Music Department.
Thank you to all parents who purchased tickets or attended one of our events. Your support is always much appreciated, and we look forward to next term.
PAWS NEARLY NEW UNIFORM SHOP
The PAWS Nearly New Uniform Shop is the perfect place to buy and sell pre-loved Warwick uniforms. We sell high-quality items on behalf of parents, keeping a small percentage of each sale to support PAWS fundraising. Donations are also very welcome where 100% of proceeds from donated items go straight to PAWS! So far this year, the team has held two hugely successful sales: a bumper pre- term September event and another in November. A massive thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who make these sales possible!
If you’d like to sell your outgrown uniform or find some great deals, visit our website for all the details: warwickschool. org/paws/nearly-new-uniform
Stay up to date with all things PAWS by following us on Instagram or checking the school newsletter. Instagram: @ juniorpawswarwick
Pupil voice in action
This year’s School Council is led by three Year 6 pupils — Hugo, the Chair, and Jasper and Ronnie, joint Vice Chairs. There are fifteen representatives from every class that make sure every child’s voice can be heard.
Meeting once every half term, the Council gathers suggestions from across the school and discusses key issues that matter to our pupils. Their most recent meeting focused on an important topic for all children: food.
This term, the School Council will also lead a Christmas Food Bank collection, supporting families in need within our community.
As always, the School Council continues to champion pupil voice, make meaningful changes, and show just how powerful young leadership can be.
MEET THE HOUSE CAPTAINS AND HOUSE VICE CAPTAINS
FIGNIS
ollowing an application process and presentations to their houses, our House Captains and Vice Captains were elected this term. Congratulations to the boys elected:
TERRA
l House Captain: Gregory
l Vice Captain: Edward
VENTIS
l House Captain: Leon
l Vice Captain: Grayson
l House Captain: Alfie
l Vice Captain: Fred
AQUA
l House Captain: Ted
l Vice Captain: Ike
Leading with sustainability
The Chair of the Sustainability Committee is Noah and the Vice Chair is Ethan. The Sustainability Committee is new this year, and their role is to promote sustainability across our school and create ways to help reduce our carbon footprint. So far they have launched two initiatives, which support the growth of sustainability, their ‘sustainabili-tree’ and a quiz. They will be promoting their ‘green-fingers’ next term!
INTRODUCING OUR PREFECTS
Congratulations to Jaiden, Edward, Alexis, Louis and Lucas who are this year’s Prefects. The boys have been elected by members of staff for
consistently showing leadership, commitment, and for being a great role model. They will carry out many duties at school during the academic year, and they have already made a great start!
Playground Pals is back!
Our new Playground Pals Leaders are Tristan, Barney, Harrison, Ruben and Alexis who will lead the peer support team, who are Piers, Jax, Ian, George, Arjun, Arjan.
The purpose of the initiative is to give pupils a friendly face during
break and lunch time to help them – it proved very popular last year.
We currently have a team of Year 5 and 6 boys. They will soon be joined by a group of volunteers from Year 4. Congratulations to our new Playground Pals!
Turning the page with our new Librarians
Our Librarians this year are Lucas, Brody, Kabir, George, Alexander, Myles, Zakk, George, Jonas, Joshua, Louie and Charlie. Our new pupil Librarians will be helping Mrs Evason to run the Junior School library at lunchtimes. They will be learning how to use the library computer to issue and return books as well as doing other important library tasks, such as helping pupils with book recommendations, book mending, library displays and shelving and tidying.
Supporting the use of technology
Our Digital Leaders this year are Edward, Arthur, Ben, Sam, Will, Louis, Teddy, Jaiden, Austin and Alden. Digital Leaders play an important role in school life, helping to support and develop the use of technology in our school. From leading assemblies, holding ‘popup’ clubs for younger year groups, maintaining responsibilities for equipment in school, supporting staff and boys, whilst raising awareness of online safety, boys are active and committed representatives. Our Digital Leaders have some great ideas for the year ahead to support pupils, staff and parents.
WELCOME, YEAR 3!
We celebrated the start of the new academic year by hosting a welcome BBQ for our new Year 3s and their families.
The boys took part in a range of rugby games and skill-based activities, followed by House tug of war matches. The boys had great fun, and most importantly, got to enjoy some hotdogs and ice lollies!
Our new Year 3 pupils made a wonderful start at Warwick Junior School, settling into their new classes, and we look forward to watching them learn and grow over the course of the year.
This term, Year 5 was investigating Newton’s Third Law of Motion by designing and launching their own water rockets! Each group estimated how much water to add to make their rocket travel the greatest distance. After some exciting competitions within each form, the winners went head-to-head — and 5S blasted their way to victory with a staggering 50-metre flight!
NEW OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
The new Outdoor Classroom in the Headmaster’s Garden was opened earlier this term, which was funded by PAWS and WPSA.
Pupils from Warwick Junior School and Warwick Prep School were joined by Junior School Headmaster, John Bond; Warwick Prep Headmistress, Hellen Dodsworth;
Foundation Principal, Richard Nicholson; Foundation Bursar, Victoria Espley; members of the school community, past and present; and representatives from PAWS and WPSA to ‘cut the ribbon’.
This fantastic new resource will be available to pupils from both schools as an outdoor learning facility where they can enjoy lessons and activities in nature.
A visit from the Warwick Town Crier
We concluded the half term with a visit from the Warwick Town Crier — a tradition that dates back over a century!
Historically, the Mayor of Warwick would send the Town Crier to the school to speak with the Head Master, to request that pupils were given half a day’s holiday. Continuing this long-standing tradition, the Town Crier delivered his proclamation, and to the relief of the boys it was agreed that our half term holiday could go ahead!
The Town Crier then toured the Junior School and the Senior School, inviting pupils to contribute to a collection in support of the Mayor’s Charity. This year, the funds will help provide a Christmas meal for older members of the community who may be experiencing social isolation.
YEAR 5 & 6 EXPLORE
THE ICONIC ROMEO AND JULIET
The Year 5 and 6 boys participated in a workshop hosted by The Young Shakespeare Company. This year’s session focused on Romeo and Juliet. The boys had a fantastic time engaging in the workshop, where they explored the main characters and key events of the play. They even had the opportunity to play some of the lead roles themselves! Not only did the boys have a lot of fun, but they also gained a deeper understanding of this iconic work by William Shakespeare.
Odd Socks Day and Anti-Bullying Week
During this year’s Anti-Bullying Week, pupils explored the theme of ‘Power for Good’, which focused on the importance of using power responsibly and encouraged kindness, support, and standing up for others.
We started the week with Odd Socks Day, which celebrated how everyone is unique in their own special way. The boys thoroughly enjoyed wearing all kinds of brightly coloured and themed socks!
LINK DAY FUN
Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 from Warwick Junior School and Warwick Prep School enjoyed a collaborative Link
Day. The Year 5 pupils worked together to build puff mobiles which could be powered by just one puff of air from a person’s breath. Their goal was to design a vehicle that travelled the furthest. The Year 6 pupils were tasked with constructing a bridge from straws and card. The winning team produced a bridge that supported a load of 16 Newtons!
Pupils demonstrated teamwork, communication, resilience and a lot of creativity! Our Link Days continue to be a fantastic way for the Junior School and Prep School to regularly come together and nurture their love for learning.
Experiencing life at the Senior School
Our Year 5 pupils were invited to the Senior School for a taster afternoon. The boys learnt about the Roman Empire in Classics, made a pizza in Food Science and were introduced to ‘puddle’ Chemistry in the Research Lab. The boys got a feel of what to expect in the Senior School and had a lot of fun exploring different subjects!
AN EGGSTRAORDINARY PENGUIN RESCUE BY YEAR 3
Year 3 were given the mission to save all the penguin eggs! We had to design a container to protect a precious penguin egg and keep it safe from the rocky playground. In teams, we designed them and then worked together to build our containers. Some groups designed parachutes and others designed small boxes and used small amounts of bubble wrap, tissue paper, plastic, paper and cardboard to protect the egg from the fall. Once our design was complete, we dropped our containers, with the egg inside, from the balcony. Some penguin eggs unfortunately did not survive, however, six did!
By Rideh and Aarav, 3B
THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On 4 December we held our Christmas Concert in Warwick Hall, which certainly put us all in a festive mood. The Big Choir opened the concert with the powerful song ‘Power In Me’, which they will also be singing at Young Voices in the New Year. We were treated to performances from all our ensembles, from jazz to rock, film music, and traditional Christmas pieces.
Michaelmas Tea-Time Concerts
40 students proudly performed solos in the Tea-Time concerts this term. For some, it was their first time playing to an audience, but everyone remained extremely professional and made the most of performing to an encouraging, smaller, friendly audience.
Rap Battle
Four groups made it through to the Rap Battle final this year! From a dedication to Ozzy Osbourne to an impassioned rap about students reforming their attitude in school, they all took the brief very seriously and performed with enthusiasm and great charisma! Judged by a panel of teachers from the Music Department, led by Mr Tibbitts, the winners this year were… Bad Boyz! They performed in the Christmas Concert in front of the whole school and parents. A huge well done to all of Year 6 for a fantastic Rap Battle this year.
VENTIS HOUSE CHARITY DAY
On Friday, 28 November, Ventis House held their charity day. Their chosen charities this year are national charities and they voted to raise money for Crisis and Marie Curie.
Ventis House planned a range of activities to raise money for their charities, including guess the name of the teddy, Christmas bauble making, and bingo. There was even boys busking for donations during their breaktime!
Throughout the day, they managed to raise nearly £700 that will go to Crisis and Marie Curie. Well done to Ventis House for organising the first successful charity day of this academic year! Thank you to everyone who took part and to all of those who donated.
Ventis house raised nearly £700 for Crisis UK and Marie Curie
REVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR
Towards the end of term, we launched our ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’. Any donations will be given to the Trussell Trust, who are a local food bank. Fitting with the theme of spreading peace, love, joy and hope in the build up to Christmas, the initiative – which is being led by our school council – had an amazing response. Thank you for all your support.
A HAZARDOUS TRIP
BLISTS HILL
The Year 6 boys visited Blists Hill Victorian Town as part of their History studies, where the boys experienced what everyday life was like in 1900. They visited Victorian shops and cottages, met craftspeople demonstrating their trades and tried out old-fashioned clothes. They even got to taste authentic food, with everyone getting to grips with shillings and pennies that they used to buy sweets and fish and chips. The boys also got to experience a Victorian lesson in the school – they had never been so quiet in front of a teacher! Overall, the boys had a fantastic day, and much fun was had by all!
On 10 November, Year 4 took a coach to Hazard Alley where they learnt all about keeping safe. We had a lot of fun learning about hazards. Some scenarios we explored:
• Railway safety
• Crossing roads
• Being safe in unknown places
• Online safety
• Keeping safe near water
• Car safety
• Phoning 999
Each group was shown around by a volunteer who was informative, and we learnt a lot.
A couple of boys had birthdays on the day of the school trip, so it was like an extra present for them.
A Year 4 pupil commented, “It was really fun because we walked around a pretend village, and everyone who lived in the village didn’t know much about the hazards around”
By the time we left, we felt confident in how to keep safe – maybe we could teach the villagers a few safety tips!
By Aidan and Dayaal, Year 4
YEAR 6 RUGBY TOUR
On Friday, 21 November, our Year 6 boys went on their rugby tour to Bristol for two nights.
Friday began with playing a fixture against Clifton College. After a competitive performance on the pitch, the evening brought lots of laughter and friendly rivalry at the bowling alley and arcade — special mention to Mr Herringshaw, who claimed the bowling crown!
Saturday started with a focused training session in Lockleaze, where the boys worked on their skills and teamwork. After enjoying a threecourse dinner at Bella Italia, they headed to Cardiff where the boys had an unforgettable experience watching the Wales vs New Zealand!
On Sunday morning, the boys faced Clifton Rugby Club and St Brendan’s, delivering strong performances and showing great sportsmanship. They then made it back to school, with
the boys still buzzing from their trip. This tour was more than just rugby — it was about creating lasting memories, building friendships, and representing the school with pride. A huge thank you to all the staff for accompanying the boys over the weekend, as well as the parents for their support.
WARWICK RUGBY TRAINING DAY
Our U10 boys attended the Senior School for their annual U10 Warwick Rugby Day, which welcomed over 130 players from nine local schools.
The day began with a high-energy morning session led by Warwick School’s rugby coaches, where players rotated through a carousel of skillbased and game-focused zones. These activities were designed to develop core rugby skills in a fun and engaging environment.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to match play with a festival format. Two pools were formed, and teams participated in a round-robin, each playing four or five matches. This gave players the perfect opportunity to apply the skills they had learnt earlier in the day, in a game scenario. All matches were played in excellent spirit, with every player showing commitment, teamwork, and enthusiasm throughout the day.
U8 TAG RUGBY FESTIVAL
Warwick Junior School proudly hosted the U8 Tag Rugby Festival, welcoming teams from Solihull, The Croft, and Blue Coat for an afternoon of fun and friendly competition.
Every boy in Year 3 took to the field, showcasing the skills and teamwork they’ve developed over this term. From lightning-fast runs to sharp passes and even some tagging, the boys demonstrated fantastic progress and enthusiasm for the game.
The festival was a brilliant opportunity for the children to apply what they’ve learned in Games lessons, and to experience the excitement of playing alongside and against peers from other schools!
Warwick 25s
16 swimmers from across Year 5 and 6, took part in the Warwick 25s Gala hosted at Warwick School. The event was a great opportunity for our boys to showcase their progression in swimming and compete against other top swimmers from schools across the Midlands and beyond.
It was a great afternoon of swimming with many of our boys winning races across various strokes, which resulted in Warwick winning both the U10 and the U11 competition. Collectively, we were the overall school winners on the day.
Well done to all the boys who took part!
U10 & U11 WARWICK RUGBY FESTIVAL
Warwick hosted the U10 and U11 Rugby Festival. Over 450 boys took part in playing over 130 matches against schools from as far as Berkhamsted and Winchester.
The festival was a true showcase of everything that makes rugby special at Warwick – teamwork, respect, and a passion for the game. The standard of play on display was exceptional, with every match played in the right spirit and demonstrating impressive skill and determination from all involved.
It was wonderful to see so many boys enjoying the game and creating lasting memories with their peers. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year for another fantastic day of rugby at Warwick!
CHRISTMAS STAGGER
Within their year groups, all pupils took part in this year’s Christmas Stagger during their games or PE lessons. Everyone was encouraged to wear something Christmas themed and all pupils brought in an anonymous gift. All boys had to race and at the end, everyone got to choose a present. Well done to everyone that took part!
WARWICKSHIRE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
n Thursday, 20 November, teams representing Warwick Junior School and Warwick Prep School travelled to Bablake School for the Warwickshire Primary School Chess Team Championships, to
OSuccess at the Junior Individual Chess Championships
The Warwickshire Junior Individual Chess Championships took place at Tudor Grange Academy. Once again, Warwick chess players produced some outstanding performances. In the U10 section, Jason did very well to win a bronze medal with 4/7. In the same section, Alex won a silver medal with 5/7; an excellent result! Well done boys.
compete in mixed teams. Diego, Ansh, Alyssa and Lily finished in joint-second place. All gave a great account of themselves, with Lily finishing as the team’s big hitter with three points from the four team matches she played. James, Leon, Alex and Ellie were the
Chess brilliance for the Junior School and Senior School
On the weekend of 29-30 November, the Junior National Chess League with James from the Junior School and Gregory from the Senior School, both of whom had been selected to play for one of the county’s four teams across the two divisions.
The team won all their matches to finish top of division two! Some highlights included Gregory’s miniature from round four which he won and James’ brilliant rook sacrifice forced checkmate in his round one game.
convincing winners of the Zonal with a 100% score. James, Alex and Ellie each won all of their four games for the team. Furthermore, both teams qualified for the final which will take place in the New Year. Well done to everyone who took part!
Warwick Schools Foundation achieves Food For Life Served Here Bronze certification
Warwick Schools Foundation achieved Food for Life Served Here Bronze certification from the Soil Association earlier in the term.
Food for Life Served Here certification recognises and celebrates caterers who use sustainable ingredients, champion good practice, and cook from scratch. It also verifies that the meals we serve are healthy and sustainable, that they are freshly prepared by trained chefs, and that all ingredients are free from additives, artificial trans fats, and GM ingredients.
Certification also means that the meat we serve can be traced back to the farm and meets or exceeds UK animal welfare standards, eggs are free range, fish is sustainable, and menus make the most of seasonal ingredients — all of which reduces the environmental impact of menus.
DELIVERING VALUABLE MENTORING FOR LOCAL PUPILS
We are delighted to be working with Oppidan Education as they mentor Year 12 pupils from King’s High School and Year 6 pupils from two of the Warwick Schools Foundation Multi Academy Trust Founding Schools.
The partnership, which began in September, consists of two programmes: Programme One — The Mentor Training Journey — sees Oppidan train Year
12 pupils from King’s High to become inspiring mentors to younger students, with subsequent reflection sessions to further improve their mentoring capabilities.
Programme Two – The Primary Mentoring Journey – is a series of termly 1:1 mentoring sessions for Year 6 students, each on focused on one of Oppidan’s key outcomes: character, oracy, and readiness for the move into secondary school.
Celebrating the launch of Warwick Schools Foundation Multi Academy Trust
Following the launch of the Warwick Schools Foundation Multi Academy Trust on 1 September, Clapham Terrace Community Primary School and Nursery, Evergreen School, and Westgate Primary School each held celebratory ceremonies during the first week of term. Each of the ceremonies marked an exciting new chapter for the schools and their pupils, setting in stone a commitment to improve the educational experience of all pupils in the years to come. To symbolise the occasion, each school unveiled a commemorative plaque that recognised their founding role in the Trust.
FOUNDATION SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING 2025
Tur annual Foundation Service of Thanksgiving was held in The Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick on Friday, 26 September, and once again proved why it is a highlight of the academic calendar.
As we brought together our whole Foundation community – pupils, staff,
parents, and Governors – the service provided the platform for outstanding music-making, with pupils from across each of our schools being represented fantastically by a number of different year groups as they joined forces to share their love of music. A historic moment came as we welcomed the Warwick
Schools Foundation Multi Academy Trust Schools to the service for the first time. Beyond this, the service provided a moment to reflect on everything that our community - past and present - has achieved, and to recognise everyone who has made, and continues to make, our charity such an extraordinary force for good.
New era of festive sparkle in the Market Square thanks to the Foundation
The iconic curtain of light is a cherished part of Warwick’s Christmas celebrations and has illuminated Warwick’s Market Square each festive season since 2015. Unfortunately, the current display reached the end of its life this year, but the Foundation proudly supported the town’s festivities by funding a completely new display in time for Christmas 2025. For many in our community, the iconic lights switch on event signifies the beginning of their Christmas celebrations, and we were delighted to support this much-loved tradition.
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