The Chronicle

As we move towards the end of Lent and towards the great feast of Easter, I come to the end of my first term as Foundation Principal. Having been able to take a step back and look at all our schools from a different perspective has been exciting, interesting and also very enjoyable.

As an Independent Schools’ Inspector (ISI) I visit many other schools and whilst all schools have pictures of happy children and shiny facilities on their websites, this is not always the reality. What is absolutely clear to me is that that our schools all have their own special character and shared identity, that “spirit of family” - based on shared values of kindness, courtesy, respect for others, valuing difference and diversity, compassion, forgiveness and friendship – is uniformly strong and is in the DNA of all our schools. Similarly, the sense of purpose, direction and amazing opportunities both inside and outside the classroom are genuine strengths of our schools. I have to say that I really enjoyed spending a few days at Crackley Hall – my highlight was teaching a Maths class to Junior Six who were bright, enthusiastic and good fun to be with.

One of the reasons for the quality of our schools is the quality of our Heads. We are fortunate to have such strong leaders who are passionate, energetic and caring. Our Heads also listen; to their staff, their pupils and their parents and they continuously strive to keep looking at ways to improve. I want to thank them here for all their hard work and particularly say well done to Mr du Toit in his first term.

So, what are the challenges for the Foundation? There are many of course but one major focus for me has been (and will continue to be) to ensure that our schools continue to offer both great quality of education – academic, pastoral care, co-curricular opportunities – alongside great value-for-money.

Another key focus is how we take on the challenge of moving towards “net zero”. There is much we are doing but still much more needed to be done and we are currently looking at the following areas:

·         Carbon and Energy;  

·         Water;

·         Waste and Resource Use;  

·         Biodiversity;

·         Clean Air;

·         Construction and Refurbishment;  

·         Catering, Food Sourcing, Food Waste and Packaging;  

·         Daily Transport, Commuting, Educational Visits, Conferences and Meetings;  

·         Operations;

·         Strategic planning of campuses;

·         Training, Teaching, Learning and Awareness. 

We will publish a strategic vision for the Foundation in the new academic year; optimising our resources, sustainability planning and being as financially and operationally efficient as possible, will be key planks of our plans.

What about challenges for you as parents? Again, there will be many, I am sure. With my own children being 31, 29 and 25-years-old I am conscious of how challenging I found parenting and am very aware how much children’s experiences have changed in many ways over the past 30 years.  As such I would ask you to reflect on two questions, which relate to their health and wellbeing:

·         Am I happy with my child’s relationship with digital technology?

·         Does my child get enough sleep?

If your answer to either of these is no, then there are many articles on these subjects for parents available, here is just one.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your support and hope you all manage to enjoy some high-quality time with your families over the Easter break.

With best wishes

Ed Hester
Foundation Principal

`The secret in education lies in respecting the student.’ 

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Dear Parents
 
Welcome to the last Chronicle of this term. With Easter just around the corner, there is much to look forward to and to be grateful for. 
 
Junior 5 set off for their adventure in Shropshire, arriving at the PGL centre at Wednesday lunchtime. The pupils have been able to experience so many different activities and staff have updated me on how much the children have enjoyed the visits and how well they have represented Crackley Hall School. I have seen some photographs of the visit but look forward to hearing more about their time away next week. I am sure all the children will have lots to report to you and I hope they have created memories with their friends which will last a lifetime. Thank you to all the staff who have helped make this visit happen and to those who have accompanied the children this week. I’m not sure that the weather behaved, though! 
 
It was wonderful to be able to welcome Father Kevin into school on two occasions on Tuesday - for Easter Mass and the Easter Performance. I am incredibly grateful to Father Kevin for giving his time to school and guiding our pupils on their spiritual journey.  Many thanks are also extended to Mrs Simmonds, Mrs Olden and Mrs Jackson-Mayne for their help in preparing for a most spiritual Mass. 
 
Heartfelt gratitude is extended to Amanda Brew from our Catering Team, who freshly baked a selection of cakes, catering to all dietary needs, for our Easter Extravaganza event. This event was for our new Reception children for 2023 who do not attend Little Crackers Nursery. 
 
Today we held our Pre-loved Uniform sale in school which had been planned for the Michaelmas Term. The cost of new items can be a big expense, and with children growing out of clothes quickly this is a fantastic opportunity. I would like to thank the PTA for arranging and hosting this event and delivering the important sustainability message that goes hand in hand with reusing uniform. 
 
In this morning’s assembly, I announced our Stars of the Week as: Aiden, Jack, Margot, Marie, Marley, Wilf, all Junior 2, Zach, Gaby, Charlotte C, all Junior 4S, Evie and Andrew. There were lots of pupils presented with their Bronze awards and Junior Da Vincis today. Congratulations to you all on your achievements and well-earned rewards. Felix, Rory, Mahnoor and Liana all played exceptionally well at assembly today and Nieve’s singing was also outstanding. Well done to all of you! 
 
Although some days are full, Holiday Club bookings are still able to be made but please do so quickly as spaces are now limited. The booking facility can be found on the My School Portal. The office will be open throughout the Easter Break but operating the reduced hours of 9.00 am until 4.00 pm. 
 
My thoughts and prayers are with our Muslim families as they began the holy period of Ramadan on Wednesday evening. We are approaching Holy Week in our Liturgical Year, and a most important time in the Church’s year. Christians all around the world will be observing the period of fasting, prayer and almsgiving in preparation for the wonder of Easter. 
 
I recently received the news that Mrs Susanne Jackson-Mayne will be retiring from teaching at the end of this academic year in July. She has been a mainstay of our school and has been immense in helping to lead the spiritual development of our pupils and staff. She is an inspiring and gifted teacher who exudes joy in all her engagements with the pupils. We are currently advertising for a Religious Education Leader (who will also teach other subjects across the curriculum). 
 
I am grateful to our fantastic team of staff, from those in the office, catering, support, estates, through to the classroom. They have all worked so hard to help make for a wonderful educational experience at Crackley Hall. I bid a sad farewell to Mrs Jo Walter our Aftercare Leader, who has been with us for the last four years, we wish her all the best for her future, and Mrs Sophie Wheatley who has gone on Maternity Leave, we look forward to her return in 2024. As parents and family members, thank you all, very much, for everything you have done for your children and the school over the past term.  I wish you and your family a restful and Happy Easter when it comes.  Don’t forget to amend your clocks on Saturday evening. 

God bless,

Rob Duigan 

A reminder for the Trinity Term for carline collections. 

When dropping off and collecting please be as safe and as quick as possible by turning off engines, parking with due consideration and courtesy for other cars and pedestrians as this really helps making these journeys as easy for all. Once you have safely dropped off your child(ren) please vacate the playground as soon as possible as any delays impact on other parents and has a knock on effect on surrounding roads and on our neighbours. 

With the new term afoot any previous Aftercare bookings will have dropped off, if you need Aftercare in the Trinity Term please ensure you re-book by calling the office on 01926 514444 or by emailing aftercare@crackleyhall.co.uk or receptionist@crackleyhall.co.uk.

If you have booked an Aftercare session, it would also be helpful to let your child know.

Please also note that permanent bookings are only valid for the term, due to club and activity changes.

Any children who are not collected from carline, for example if parents are stuck in traffic, will be taken to Aftercare at 4.15pm, when carline finishes and charged accordingly.

Aftercare runs from after school until 6:00pm, with charges being £4.75 per hour or part thereof.

Childcare vouchers can be used as payment or part payment for aftercare.

As the office now closes at 5.30pm, please call Aftercare directly on 07732 036625

We can confirm that Holiday Club will be open over the Easter break.

Mrs Orsborn has confirmed the programme and activities - take a look below! 

Holiday Club is open on the below dates;

Week 1: Monday 27 to Friday 31 March

Week 2: Monday 3 to Thursday 6 April

Week 3: Tuesday 11 to Friday 14 April.

If you would like to book and confirm your place please email holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk

Programme of Activites

Easter Tennis Camp is running over the Easter break. 

The Camp is for juniors of all abilities from ages 4-15. Please click the booking form link below for further details. 

Booking Form

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

On Monday 20 March, Crackley Hall travelled to the U10 ISA Netball tournament at Stafford Grammar School.

Crackley Hall started strong, recording the same score in their first and second games 10-1. They then nailed their third game with a great 7-0 victory. The results got tighter towards the middle of the day with a 5-4 and 6-2 victory but they finished the tournament with excellent wins 11-0 and 14-2.

Mrs Thomas and Mrs Duigan could not have been prouder of how the whole squad performed. The team's synchronisation and teamwork were impeccable, and they were able to use this to their advantage. The shooters made some amazing baskets, and the defenders succeeded in intercepting several passes from the opposing teams.

When they finished the final game the team were delighted and full of happiness. Winning the competition gave them a huge morale boost and a feeling of accomplishment.

Congratulations to the whole squad, they should be very proud of themselves. The U10 Netball team is unbeaten all season.

We wish Mrs Walter a fond farewell as she leaves Crackley Hall, she has been our Aftercare Leader for four years, I know all the parents, staff and especially the children will miss her dearly.

We thank her for her hardwork and care she has shown us all whilst here. Good luck Mrs Walter, we will miss you!

With the ISA U11 National Football Tournament being on the same day, Crackley took a team of eight Junior 5s and three Junior 6s to the ISA U11 Midlands Tag Rugby Sevens at Princethorpe College last Friday 17 March. With the majority of the team playing up a year against Year 6 pupils, Crackley’s squad put on a determined show and only just missed out on a medal.

The team showed great effort, determination and teamwork in the group stages; particularly after losing one of their top taggers and try scorers to a hand injury. They won four of their five matches, against Bowbrook 40-30, Crescent B 45-15 and Arnold Lodge 40-20, Tettenhall College A 35-25, but lost out to Dixie A (the event winners) 25-40. That just clinched the second spot in the group and a well-earned place in the 3rd v 4th play off. Despite being in the lead until the last minute - having shown excellent tagging and support play - one late try by a strong Twycross side denied Crackley the bronze. The team finished in 4th place overall out of 14 teams at the tournament.

Congratulations to the entire squad, you should be proud of yourselves after an excellent day of rugby.

Huge thanks go to the School Council and their parents for their involvement in the Save the Children Kenilworth Spring Fayre on Saturday 18 March at St Francis of Assisi Parish Centre. The pupils first prepared the plants in school with a volunteer from Save the Children. They then ran their own ‘Spring in a Mug’ stall at the fayre. Everyone said what a credit they are to Crackley Hall School. They contributed, in a large part, to the lovely atmosphere.

Their efforts exceeded the target the children set themselves. A total of £131.20 was raised. This will go a long way to support children and their families in the earthquake-affected areas. Altogether the Spring Fayre raised close to £1000.

The rain and the slate grey skies were not going to dampen the enthusiasm and exuberance of this year’s Junior 4 adventurers on their residential trip to Kingswood Activity Centre in Staffordshire.

For three days last week, pupils took part in a wide range of activities, including the zip wire, obstacle course, caving, crate stack challenge, archery, team games, mini-beast experience, the camp fire and, perhaps the most challenging of all, bed making!

All the pupils showed a wonderful willingness to try new experiences and to celebrate each other’s successes. They had a fantastic time and took home memories that will last a lifetime. Well done and way to go, Junior 4!

Father Kevin led the school mass in recognition of St Joseph's Day on Sunday 19 March. Pupils from Key Stage 2 led the readings and bidding prayers, and the Chamber Choir, under the musical direction of Mrs Olden, concluded the mass with a beautiful, reflective and symbolic rendition of Corner of the Sky; a song which embodied the vastness of love and emotion, which the Choir sang with thoughtful expression with the audience of pupils, parents and Trustees totally absorbed in their performance. Father Kevin also blessed crucifixes which were then given to the ten pupils who will be making their First Holy Communion in May, as well as awarding certificates to pupils in the Year 5 Minnie Vinnies, recognising their charity within the school.

The next Mass will be at 2pm on Friday 21 April.

On Wednesday we welcomed children new to the Foundation, who are due to start Reception at Crackley Hall in September 2023. They had an enjoyable morning making Easter baskets and cards, listened to an Easter themed story and were treated to an outdoor egg hunt!

As these pre-schoolers do not attend Little Crackers Nursery, it was a perfect way to sample life in Reception, meet some of the teaching staff and spend time in the Reception classroom. We look forward to seeing them all again soon in June for Moving Up Day, when they will meet the rest of their classmates and new teachers.

Children who attend Little Crackers will have their session in Reception when we return from the Easter break.

We would like to help the Leamington and Warwick Food Banks to support people in our local community. Each month we ask a different year group to bring in donations for the Food Bank, these will be distributed to people within Warwickshire.

During the week beginning 1 May we invite parents with pupils in Junior 5 to send in tins or packets of food or hygiene products so that these can be donated to people in need in our local community. Please give your donations to the class teacher who will put them in a box in the classroom. On Friday 5 May the donations will be taken to the Kenilworth, Leamington and Warwick Food Banks to help communities in need.

If you have any questions or indeed any suggestions in ways we could help our local community, please contact Mrs Jackson-Mayne at sjacksonmayne@crackleyhall.co.uk.

Thank you for your support.

Scroll through the gallery to see photos from our Celebration Assembly this morning.

In our French lessons this week Junior 6 learnt about Easter in France and heard the story of the flying bells. They wrote some fantastic, poetic sentences about different coloured Easter eggs. Junior 6 impressed us with their imaginative ideas, super writing and their brilliant dictionary skills.

Children in Junior 6H had the chance to meet their French penpals and to introduce themselves in a Teams meeting this week. It was a great opportunity to learn more about our friends at Ecole St Louis, to hear about what they have been learning in English and to see their classroom. The children talked about their likes and dislikes and there were some strong opinions from both sides about Mbappé, fish and chips and cheese!

 « Allez J6, vous êtes fantastiques! ».

This week, Junior 5 have been having a fantastic time on their residential trip to PGL, Boreatton Park. The children have been learning new skills through a range of different activities: archery, giant swing, zip wire and trapeze. They have also been demonstrating their teamworking skills by helping and encouraging each other. The children have survived activity-packed days as well as enjoying evenings with a campfire. Overall, they have had an amazing time and a much needed break from the classroom.

Pupils in Junior 4 have been investigating Fractions. Using a variety of games and equipment, they have explored equivalent and whole fractions. Pupils enjoyed playing fraction snap, fraction dominoes and identifying missing fractions in pairs. We also gave out our Termly Prizes, which all pupils will receive over the course of the year. We hope all the Junior 4 pupils and their families have a wonderful and restful Easter.

This week Junior 3 have been investigating the permeability of different types of rock. First, we observed the different rocks (marble, slate, chalk, sandstone, granite and bubble basalt) while thinking about and discussing the properties of each. Then, we made our predictions as to whether they would be permeable or impermeable. Finally, we completed a fair test, dropping 3ml of water onto each rock and watching to see if it permeated within 10 seconds. It was quite exciting to see that some of our predictions were correct, but also to understand that the water had not disappeared, but rather was inside the structure of the rock. We are looking forward to continuing with our learning about rocks after Easter, where we will be finding out more about how different types of rock form and even making our own chocolate rocks with all that ‘left-over’ chocolate. We were so sad to say goodbye to Mrs Wheatley this week, but we are looking forward to seeing her again soon with her new baby. Mrs Wheatley, thank you for all you have done with us over this year- that is one lucky baby boy!

Junior 2 has finished this term with a flourish. We started our week with St Joseph's Feast Day Mass and we were treated to a fantastic Junior 3 and Junior 4 Easter Performance later in the afternoon. This week has been about reflecting on what we learnt during the Lent term. On Wednesday, we were lucky to go and visit Aston Hall; we had the pleasure of some lovely sunshine which highlighted the beauty of the building. Children had a guided tour, learning fascinating facts about The Great Fire of London. Our theme of 'The Great Fire of London' is now finished. We would like to wish everyone a fabulous Easter, and we look forward to seeing you all next term.

During our last week of the term Junior 1 have been looking closely at the story of Easter and why it is such an important time in the Christian church. English and RE have been brought together this week by this special story and we have learnt all about Palm Sunday, Maunday Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. We balanced this by creating some lovely Easter cards and baskets in our Art and DT lessons, that will help to get everyone into the spirit of Easter. Juniors 3 and 4 also helped us as they performed their Easter production and this was superb at bringing the story to life for us. We are now ready for our Easter break, so that we are rested and ready for our final term in Junior 1!

This week in Reception we have been completing lots of different Easter activities within the classroom and have enjoyed making cards, designing eggs and getting ready for the exciting upcoming holiday! The children have found out about the life-cycle of a hen and asked lots of thoughtful and challenging questions. They have also sequenced the events of Holy Week, recognising that the breaking of the bread during the Last Supper was linked to Fr Kevin breaking the bread during the St Joseph's Day mass to remind us of Jesus.

Please click here for this week's newsletter 

Mr Duigan led the school assembly on St Joseph's Day, which celebrated St Joseph being the Patron Saint of our school and for being the Husband of Mary and the Earthly Father of Jesus. We learnt how he was a reserved man who was very special, loyal, faithful, protective, caring and humble and he helped Jesus during His formative years of growing up. From 2020 to 2021 Pope Francis proclaimed a special year of St Joseph to mark the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St Joseph as the Patron Saint of the Universal Church - the church of the whole world.  Several Year 6 pupils each read a piece about the life of St Joseph. Mr Duigan asked everyone what a Patron Saint was and explained that this was a saint which people can pray to for extra help in their lives. As well as being the Patron Saint of the Universal Church, St Joseph is also the Patron Saint of a happy death, families, expectant mothers, travellers, immigrants, craftsmen, engineers and workers.

Please click on the link below for this week's Weekly Mission:

Weekly Mission

Please find information below:

Children's Liturgy

We hear about an amazing thing that Jesus does when His friend Lazarus dies and we reflect on all that we need so that everyone may live life to the full.

Activity Sheet

On Thursday, Crackley took two teams of very excited Junior 3 Boys to Bilton Grange for their first competitive hockey fixture – a triangular with Crescent and Bilton Grange. Having been coached in unihoc through Key Stage 1, their challenge was to now just use one side of the stick! All the boys rose to the occasion.

The first match was very wet and windy, but Crackley’s Team B saw out a competitive Bilton B Team to earn a well-deserved 0:0 draw; with standout performances from Patrick B in defence, and William C in attack.

The first game for Crackley’s Team A was against the eventual winners, Crescent A Team, narrowly losing out by just one goal, but a game that got them ‘off the minibus and into the blocks’.

Our Team B then took on a very strong Bilton A Team. Again, all the boys gave it their all and continued to apply and develop their skills, but on this occasion, it wasn’t quite enough, with a 4:0 loss.

The last game for Crackley saw Team A to take on Bilton’s A Team. With Team B’s side-line support and chants, Team A weathered attack after attack, and showed true resilience and teamwork to keep Bilton out. But then, heading into the final minutes, from a superb clearance pass from Rory T, Casper made an amazing run from the half-way line into the D, and with the passionate cheering of his name from Team B, he held his nerve and put away the winning goal – much to the delight of all the boys, supporter and Mrs Vaughan (Mr Vaughan was umpiring, so couldn’t get too carried away!) Team A went on to keep a clean-sheet and saw out the game to record their first victory in a fitting nail-biting end of tournament match-up.

Thank you to all the side-line supporters, and to Bilton Grange for their generous hospitality and for hosting the event, plus big big thanks goes to Mrs Vaughan for her umpiring and coaching on the day.

Finally, a hearty congratulations to the entire squad, who should be very proud of themselves  and who demonstrate the promise of what is to come from this very promising year group.

We have had another very enjoyable and productive sewing club this term. The pupils made beautiful heart hangings which they each gave to their mums for Mother’s Day last Sunday.  Each heart was chosen, designed and sewed by the pupils themselves, with Mrs Duigan adding the final touches by gluing each heart onto a piece of ribbon. Mrs Duigan is so proud of each and every pupil for their super sewing skills and great enthusiasm. Special thanks to Mrs Verma and Mrs McAloon for all their help. Remember to book your place in sewing club for next term!

There’s no doubt that the Junior 4 trip to Kingswood has made a lasting impression on pupils in Lego Club, creating unforgettable experiences and special memories. With this in mind, and with Junior 5 out at PGL, this week in Lego Club we decided to travel, not by coach, but by stepping aboard the iconic Hogwarts express train to the outdoor adventure centre ready to re-enact the variety of activity sessions, from aerial adventures to fun problem-solving initiatives in Lego form! We swung into action in the meadow, scanning the area for potential Easter bunnies. With magical bunnies running through the assault course and the dining hall, we looked for the Easter treats which were hopefully hiding in the undergrowth. “Make sure the Easter bunnies don’t step on any Lego bricks!” we cried. With all this egg-citement, we were egg-hausted!  Happy Easter everybody!

Check out the flyers for details of upcoming PTA events.

Please follow us on social media to keep updated with our events!

We regularly recruit for a variety of roles, please do share news of the vacancies with interested friends and family. Current vacancies include:

Princethorpe College

• Library Assistant

Crackley Hall

• KS1 Teacher
• RE Co-ordinator

Crescent School

• Sports Coach

Further information and application forms on all roles are available on the Foundation's website - www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us

We have a large amount of lost property in school which is unnamed and, therefore, impossible to be returned to its rightful owner.

A table of lost property is put in the Gables Foyer before Celebration Assembly. Lost property is put out for two weeks, to cover KS1 and KS2 Assemblies, with any unclaimed uniform being then donated to the PTA for re-sale.

Unnamed, unclaimed water bottles, lunchboxes and snackboxes will be disposed of.

Please help us to return your child's property to them by labelling everything clearly.

Please check labels in your own child`s clothing to see if you are in possession of someone else's items. Scan the photos to see if you identify anything and let the office know in order for it to be returned to you. 

Lost Uniform

Hugo - Fleece hat, scarf and gloves (all named)

Angelica - Blazer, coat, fleece scarf and fleece hat (all named)

Jai - fleecy hat

Sloane - sports jumper

Felix - 2 lunchboxes (one football lunch box and one M&S black and green small cool bag).  has also lost a pair of football boots and shin pads, the shin pads are yellow and the football boots and black and orange. 

Elora - school blazer - named