PEGI ratings are designed to inform parents of the safety rating of computer / online games.  Games should not be played by children under the age of the PEGI rating as the content could be potentially harmful or frightening.

Icons also show content descriptors about the game and indicate whether there are in-game purchases that parents should be aware of.

The Internet Matters website is a useful tool to help parents find out more about different online games that their children may request access to.

This week in assembly, I talked to the boys about Fairtrade Fortnight. Using the example of the humble banana, the boys learnt that as a country we eat 5 billion bananas a year. They also learnt about the banana supply chain and how farmers in the tropical regions don’t always receive a fair income. Linking to our current learning strength of Independence, we discussed how fairtrade helps provide farmers with a fairer wage, allowing them, and their communities, to become more independent. 

The fixture programme was busy this week with the U9s and U11s playing rugby against Blue Coat and the U10 and U11 travelling to Stowe School. There was also a U9,10 and 11 swimming gala against Blue Coat.  

The week finished with our Year 6 boys joining representatives from across our Foundation Schools at the Annual Foundation Service at St Mary’s Church in Warwick. 

Last Friday, we announced our new House Captains and Vice Captains for the year, details of which can be found below. We also gave out our first Care, Courtesy and Consideration certificates to boys who have been recognised by staff as showing kindness to other members of the community. It was also a pleasure to give out my first Headmaster’s Commendations of the term, recognising those boys who have produced excellent work, made good progress or have demonstrated effort and commitment in the classroom. 

Wishing you a restful weekend, 

John Bond 

It’s been a thrilling week of rugby for the Junior School, with pupils from Years 4 to 6 taking part in a variety of exciting fixtures and festivals that showcased their skills, teamwork, and sporting spirit.

The week kicked off on Monday with our U10 boys attending a Rugby Coaching Day hosted by the Senior School. The morning was filled with focused training sessions led by our outstanding Senior School coaches, followed by an afternoon festival where the boys put their learning into action. It was a fantastic opportunity to develop core skills and enjoy the game in a supportive environment.

On Tuesday, all of Year 4 played in a block fixture against Blue Coat. With the sun shining and a strong turnout of enthusiastic spectators, the boys delivered a spirited performance across all matches. It was wonderful to see every pupil involved and playing with such energy and enjoyment.

Wednesday saw our U11 and U10 teams travel to the prestigious Stowe Festival, where they faced some of the Midlands’ top rugby-playing prep schools. The competition was fierce, but the experience was invaluable. The boys showed great resilience and learnt a lot from playing against high-level oppositions.

Also on Wednesday, four other U11 teams took on Blue Coat, with our B team bravely matching up against their A team. It was a tough afternoon, but full of important lessons and moments of promise. The boys showed real character and determination throughout.

A huge thank you to all staff, hosts, and supporters for making this week such a memorable one for our young rugby players.

On Thursday, 18 September, we officially opened the new Outdoor Classroom. This is an amazing resource located in the Headmaster’s Garden for pupils from both the Junior School and Warwick Prep School to use.

The Garden is already used for a range of activities by both schools, including our own Warwick Outdoors Club, who have already grown some wonderful produce. However, the Outdoor Classroom now provides a great location for a wide variety of other lessons and activities. It also supports our sustainability drive as it has a wind turbine and solar panels!

Nine Year 6 boys who have already shown an interest in outdoor learning and sustainability joined Mr Bond, Mrs Dodsworth, girls from the Prep School, Mr Nicholson, members of the school community – past and present, and representatives from the Junior School (PAWS) and Warwick Prep School (WPSA) Parent Associations to ‘cut the ribbon’.

Both parent associations deserve our thanks and appreciation for supporting this project so enthusiastically, and we would also like to thank all our parents who have supported the various fundraising activities over the recent terms. 

It has been a great start to the new school year. The boys have approached school life with enthusiasm and this week we have seen them start to settle into the new routines and lessons. Well done especially to all those boys who have joined the Junior School this term. 

In assembly this week, I reminded the boys of the Warwick School motto, Altiora Peto, to aim for higher things. At the Junior School we encourage all the boys to improve academically, physically, artistically and personally by reflecting on our school learning strengths, the attributes we value in helping us be better learners and better human beings. 

The eight learning strengths are independence, resilience, creativity, focus, empathy, reflectiveness, responsibility and communication. Over the next four weeks, we will be focusing on supporting the boys in developing their independence. Please do support us at home by encouraging the boys to be more independent in preparing for their day in school, knowing their arrangements, collecting their belongings at the end of the day and hopefully also completing some tasks around the home without being asked! 

It was wonderful to welcome so many parents into school over the last week starting with the Year 3 BBQ last Friday and the Meet the Teachers event last Tuesday. For those parents who couldn’t attend ‘Meet the Teachers’ you can find the presentations on the school portal. 

Please do take some time to read through today’s copy of The Bear. Every week, we include updates regarding upcoming events and activities, reports on sports fixtures, reminders and news from across the Foundation. As always, if you have any questions, please contact the school office. 

Thank you for all your support of your sons during what has been a busy start to the school year, and I wish you all a restful weekend. 

John Bond