The Chronicle

At the end of the Michaelmas Term we are bidding farewell to a much loved member of the Crackley team. Assistant Head, James Ferris is leaving Crackley Hall for an exciting new role at The Croft Preparatory School, Stratford Upon Avon. James, an Old Princethorpian, joined Crackley from Balsall Common back in September 2013.

James has led and developed the core subject of Mathematics at Crackley Hall introducing and managing the ever popular 'Maths Passport' and 'Mathletics' programmes that have advanced 'mental' maths skills across all years in school.

James has been a popular teacher and has been passionate about all things co-curricular helping the children to enjoy a wide range of exciting opportunities and developing a co-curricular offering that was recognised in the recent ISI inspection as exceptional and outstanding. His enthusiasm for sport was infections, his teams fought hard with a smile on their face and were always worth more than the sum of their parts; many remaining unbeaten throughout the season and taking regional and national honours.

Despite working tirelessly during his time at Crackley he has also managed to 'tie the knot' with his lovely wife Simone and welcome baby Maisie into the world. James has positively enhanced the lives of us all, his calm, caring demeanour and wish that all might succeed will be much missed.

We wish him all the very best in his new role.  

Dear Parents and Pupils of Crackley Hall School,

The past four years at Crackley Hall have been a fantastic experience - full of challenge, enjoyment and achievement. As I explained in Friday’s assembly, the joy of coming to school to teach is that you never know what will happen each day. Importantly, being able to play a part in pupils’ progress and attainment is a very privileged position, one which I am very grateful and humbled to have had the opportunity to do.  

Having had time to reflect on what makes a successful student, it is clear that it is a very complicated recipe and one that is not straight forward…. However, having discussed this with one particular Junior 6 pupil, it is evident that you can’t just work hard for a week and rest on your laurels. You must work hard day after day, week after week and when your determination allows, month after month. Although there are ‘speed bumps’ on the way, this is the true mark of an excellent student – consistency and always striving for the very best. As a sportsman, although I also find it challenging, perfect practice in some way goes towards reaching supposed perfection.        

Whilst it is with sadness that I leave today, I feel proud to have played some part in creating a vibrant, caring and high achieving school. My ‘locker’ is most certainly full of some fantastic memories. I’d like to thank all of the Crackley Hall community for their support and kindness during my time here and I look forward to returning to visit in the future.

I am excited for the new challenges that lie ahead for my family and I wish all Crackley Hall families the very best for Christmas, the New Year and beyond!

Best wishes,

James Ferris 

Crackley Hall’s Key Stage 2 Christmas Advent Service was a celebration of the Spirit of Christmas.  It took place on the evening of Wednesday 13 December in the gloriously atmospheric setting of Princethorpe College’s Our Lady’s of the Angels Chapel.  Led by Junior 4 and 5 the service was filled with carols, readings and music, punctuated by the careful lighting of the candles on the advent wreath.

Parents, grandparents and friends were welcomed by Head Boy, Fynn Walker before the service opened with the traditional solo verse of Once in Royal David’s City, sang beautifully by Martha Harris.

Recorder and flute performances lifted the spirits, as did the music of the orchestra who played Away In A Manger and Merry Christmas Everyone. Annika and Yichen’s performance on clarinet and piano of Good King Wenceslas was utterly magical. 

Choral poetry from Junior 4 and 5 and the sublime sound of the Chamber Choir singing An Earthly Blessing and Winter Carol blended excellence with wonderful storytelling. The audience couldn’t help but clap their approval in between each programmed item.

There was a wealth of singing and solos showcasing superb voices and real talent, with Junior 4’s The Christmas Candle and What Christmas Means To Me, Junior 5’s Super Santa and the Choral Group’s Somewhere In My Memory.

So many musical moments glittered throughout the sixty minutes that it was no surprise that Headmaster, Rob Duigan, was almost lost for words as he thanked parents and friends for coming to watch the concert.

This festive cornerstone of Crackley Hall’s calendar did not disappoint. Much loved music and prayer brought families together to joyfully bow their heads for the final blessing as the Advent Service came to its end.

Friday’s Celebration Assembly concluded with the first public assembly of the newly formed Crackley Hall Steward body. The children voted for a specific aspect of school life in which to be a Steward and for the first time they offered areas of school life that they thought might benefit from their considered intervention. This may have been curricular, community or pastorally based. New fields of interest included; morning uniform check and social care. Indeed, Mr. Duigan commended their good thinking by adding, "The iniative shown by the children in this selection process has been nothing short of inspirational. We therefore expect each pupil to excel, as they have truly made each role their own."

The pupils beamed with pride as they wore their badges of office for the first time. Crackley Hall’s latest Junior 6 year group will, we are sure provide the younger children with excellent role models to follow. We wish you all every success in the fulfillment of your duties this year.

Congratulations to Dari Kotlarsky who is now a published author.  Dari was one of a small number of Junior 6 pupils who have been working with Mrs Spillane on extension activities in English.  The pupils studied different types of Christmas poems and were asked to identify what they liked and disliked about them before they all wrote their own poems.

Dari entered her poem into the Write Christmas 2017 competition and her work was chosen to be one of the top 50 poems compiled into a Christmas book.

Jenny Shrimpton from Democracy, the company organising the competition, said, “We received hundreds of entries and the standard of writing was exceptional. Please pass on our congratulations as this is a huge achievement! Our judges had some very tough decisions to make. They wanted to stress how impressed they have been with the creativity and standard of writing.”

Mrs Spillane commented, “The children wrote their poems in our very first extension session and I am delighted that Dari’s work has received such recognition.  Her poem will also feature in the next edition of The Minnacle, the Foundation’s magazine that showcases exceptional work, due to be published shortly.”

Dari will be presented with a copy of the book in Assembly next term.

The inspiration behind this wonderful idea can be traced to Ms Holmes, History Co-ordinator and J4H Class Teacher. Ever alert and compassionate, she happened upon a young homeless man who slept outside in the doorway of Argos in Leamington Spa. Rather than pass by, as most would do, a conversation was struck up and a rapport was formed. Her subsequent trips to the stores were now peppered with at first random acts of kindness and then the certainty to help a person in need.

With this in mind, a plan was hatched, where the J4H children and Ms Holmes promised to bring useful items in during advent and then collect them together as a gift for the young man in need and the St. Francis Giving Tree. Reverse advent, where people put in rather than took away, focused the mind of young and old alike. An understated and rightly proud Ms Holmes told the Chronicle, "Each child has really enjoyed thinking about someone in need this year. They've got really excited for their turn and now truly understand the real meaning of Christmas."

In a few short weeks our pupils and staff members at Crackley Hall have played and performed at four Christmas Nativities, three Christmas Concerts, Celebration Assemblies and even the Kenilworth Lights switch on. So it was with no surprise when Mrs Olden revealed what we already know - you children are amazing! The subsequent roll call of honour, read out by her, detailed the personal musical achievements of our Key Stage 2 pupils as judged by the University of West London. 

Presentations were made to over 30 children, with nothing less than a merit or distinction in every genre of instrument and musicality from Grade 1 to Grade 4. With such individual talent on show, we at the Chronicle venture that the annual Summer production will no doubt be packing them in.

This year, Pyramid Pantomimes brought their hilarious and tune-laden Aladdin panto to shine under the Gables' stage lights. The level of anticipation and excitement within the children and staff was palpable, as Aladdin stepped forward to take us all on a magical journey in search of a magic lamp, meeting an elephant and the Genie, who can make all his dreams come true. Oh how we gasped as Aladdin sought the lamp before his arch rival Abanazar. Happily, the world was saved and Jasmine became the true star she had always wanted to be; and all before morning break!

Our grateful thanks are extended to the PTA for providing such a delightful panto to entertain the children. We at the Chronicle certainly do wish you a very Merry Christmas.