The Chronicle

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Last Saturday Crackley Hall U11 and U10 Netball teams were given the prestigious accolade of providing the guard of honour for the top to bottom of the table clash between title holders Wasps and Team Northumbria.

Alongside Towcester Netball club our twenty-two girls resplendent in Crackley team strip stood proudly waving their Wasps flags for the Guard of Honour as the players ran through the tunnel.

And so the incredible action began... Courtside, our girls were gripped by how fast the game of professional netball was and how tall all of the players were! It was an amazing experience to watch both teams, made sweeter still as most of the Wasps team also belong to the England Roses. The game became even more exciting when the Goal Keeper from Northumbria, was given a red card and sent off for the last 12 minutes of the game, leaving their team with only six players! Eventually the scoreline mirrored the table, as Wasps pressed their advantage to run out winners 74 points to 38.

After the game, our by now very excited girls were allowed on to the court to meet and greet the Wasps players and get signatures and photographs. Their behaviour did Crackley proud, as four different people approached Mrs Vaughan and Miss Jones to say how impressed they were with the girls' behaviour and manners during the game.

The girls had a most marvellous time and all are indebted to Mrs Vaughan and Miss Jones for organising such an informative and special trip.

On Tuesday 13 March Crackley Hall School visited fellow Foundation junior school, Crescent School for a day dedicated to all things orchestral.   It was a second chance for the young virtuosos to work together following a very successful Choral Workshop at Crackley Hall back in the Michaelmas Term.  The event drew 25 members of the Crackley Hall Orchestra together with 20 Crescent instrumentalists for a day designed to develop and stretch their music and performance skills. 

Pupils from both schools worked together under the guidance of Directors of Music, Julie Barnes and Susan Olden, to prepare and rehearse a mixture of pieces ready for an afternoon performance for parents.

The children enjoyed a busy morning and afternoon of rehearsals, they relished making music together especially in such a big group.  They worked hard to prepare three very different pieces, including 'Rondeau' by Purcell, the fun-packed theme from 'Scooby Doo', and a very challenging arrangement of Queen’s 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which tested the players’ technical and music-reading ability to the limit.  

The afternoon concert was superb, a sensational symphony of sound.  As well as featuring the full 45-piece orchestra playing their now nearly perfect pieces, it also included four solo performances, two from each school, on piano, trumpet, clarinet and cello. Samuel Lau played 'Cavalry Gallop' by Kabalevsky on the piano, Christopher Gibson played the slow movement of the 'Haydn Trumpet Concerto', Chenchen Pan played 'Veslemøy's Song', from Suite Mosaïque, by Johan Halvorsen on the cello and Annika Saravana played 'Kale Mazel Tov' on the clarinet.

Mrs Olden, Director of Music at Crackley Hall, commented, "I thought it was a brilliant day for all the children. They learned so much challenging music in such a short space of time, it was simply great for them to play with so many other talented musicians."

Mrs Julie Barnes, Director of Music at Crescent, agreed commenting, “Joining forces like this takes our music-making to another level. I was impressed with the children’s concentration and focus right from the word go. They played to an extremely high standard, way beyond their years, and also bonded with each other in their playtime which was a pleasure to see.”

What a successful Foundation day with the young musicians enjoying working and learning together!  We can’t wait for the next joint initiative.

On Saturday 10 March, 15 children from Crackley Hall supported a special Mass for housebound parishioners at St Francis RC Church in Kenilworth.  The Mass was organised by the local branch of the St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), an international Christian voluntary organisation with local and regional networks dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage through the provision of practical support to anyone in need.

The Crackley children had spent the first part of their day assisting with Crackley Hall’s Open Morning before volunteering to come and help at the church.  There the Minnie Vinnies helped to serve the Mass.  After the Mass was finished the children joined the parishioners in the Parish Hall where they entertained with a selection of Crackley’s best talent showcasing a selection of music and songs, all whilst the parishioners enjoyed an afternoon tea.  During an interval in the performance, the children took time to talk to some of the parishioners, something the older generation very much welcomed.

The president of the St. Francis and St. Augustine SVP, Mrs Jane Leek, thanked the children for their help, commenting that she hoped the children realised just how much their support was appreciated.

Minnie Vinnie activities like this really do give joy to all involved.

On Monday 12 March, our Junior 6 class pupils and staff welcomed PCSO Sarah Louise in to school. Resplendent in her uniform and adorned with police insignia Miss Louise hosted a 'mock court', where the children gained a thorough understanding of the English court system by the re-enactment of the case of the allegedly stolen DVDs.

Each pupil was assigned a role and gave voice to characters from the case. Crackley's dock housed a suitably non-committal Erin King and Harriet Sharpe as the accused, with Judge Minshull and Shipton presiding. It goes without saying that the room listened as one when Alex Richards and Giorgio Kleinmann gave their witness statements.

The one thing for sure, is that the events as told were beyond reasonable doubt, as our court cast closely followed a legal script. A quick 'Q & A' to finish, then it was time for goodbyes and the promise that all would be very good. 

Thank you once again to PCSO Sarah Louise for her time.

Chess is an ancient art that is flourishing within the confines of Crackley Hall School. Testament to this is young Eden Oshri's (J3V) recent 'clean sweep' at a National Chess tournament in Manchester.

Eden, who is an established member of the Warwickshire County Team, played three and won three, helping his team amass a winning 29.5 points to take the National title. We know for a fact that several of Eden's 'chess mates' that attend the school's weekly chess club are so, so proud of him, yet the competition for top honours within our four walls as ever remains close.   

Congratulations Eden! 

Five times a year Crackley Hall throws its doors wide open to welcome prospective pupils and parents into school.  It is their chance to see what is so very special about Crackley Hall and what makes it a place that has been described as the ‘next best place to home’ by its pupils.

The latest Open Event took place last weekend on Saturday 10 March 2018 and the staff were pleased to see the rain hold off long enough to welcome lots of interested parents and would be pupils.

Rob Duigan, Headmaster commented, “We were delighted with the level of interest in admission to the school.  We know many families who already have children at the school will have recommended it to friends, but our ‘Excellent’ grades achieved across the board in the recent ISI inspection has clearly heightened parental interest." 

Current pupils gave up their Saturday morning to come into school and showcase their talents in music and sport, as well as leading tours of the school, confidently answering questions whilst they promoted the school’s fantastic facilities. Staff organised activities in their classrooms for visiting children and were available for parents to talk to.

Parents are reminded that the deadline for final registrations for entry in September 2018 is Friday 25 May 2018. Parents interested in applying for places in current Reception to Junior 5,  are advised to contact Jenny Vaughan, Admissions and Marketing Secretary on admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk or 01926 514410 to enquire about availability.

Crackley’s next Open Event takes place on Tuesday 8 May from 5.00pm to 7.30pm. 

Click on the attachment below to download the latest ‘In the News’ posters featuring some of the Foundation's recent media coverage.

In the News

In the last few months we have had stories in the local press including the Leamington Courier, Kenilworth News, Rugby Advertiser, Daventry Express, Leamington Observer, Rugby and Lutterworth Observer and the Coventry and Warwickshire Telegraph.  The Foundation has also been featured in Catholic Today and the Independent Schools’ magazine Attain.

The staff and pupils of Crackley Hall are excited to announce that plans are well underway for our first Whole School Art Exhibition on Wednesday 16 May 2018.

Featuring works of art inspired from all corners of the world, all Crackley Hall School and Little Crackers Nursery children, from the Terrific Twos up to Junior 6, will be exhibiting their masterpieces in the main school hall from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

There will also be the opportunity to buy a framed copy and order prints of your child’s work. Invitations and further information will be sent out closer to the time.

We look forward to your support of this exciting event.