The Chronicle

Following the announcement of the general election on Thursday 4 July, I write to give you some updates and further information.

Parents who attended our recent Online Forum will know our strategic plans for the future and the approach we have been taking in order to meet the possible political and economic challenges ahead, whilst maintaining the standards of the education we provide. If you were unable to attend, we would urge you to watch the recording, see below.

Announcement of Tuition Fees for 2024-25 
We appreciate that this is an unsettling time and have decided therefore to move our Governing Body meeting forward so that we can announce the tuition fees for September 2024 to parents on Thursday 6 June. This will hopefully give parents some greater certainty.

There is of course, for all independent schools, the possibility that VAT could be added to fees at some stage over the next year or beyond. Were that the case, please be assured that we would do all we can to make sure that the full impact of VAT is not passed on to our parents.

For parents considering our Fees in Advance scheme, the announcement of the fees for September gives more time to consider the options. Click here for details of the scheme. Parents who want to enter the scheme can do so immediately.

We had many good questions from parents at the Online Forum and will continue to add any further questions we receive. The Q & A along with the recording can be accessed by logging on to My School Portal here. If you do have any queries which have not been answered, please submit them using the link here.

We will continue to watch developments closely and will update you as soon as we are able, in the meantime, I send my best wishes to you and your families and hope you can enjoy some time together over the Half Term.

E D Hester

Dear Parents 
 
What a wonderful day we have had today, celebrating six of our children's First Holy Communion! It is always such a lovely occasion, and seeing the whole school come together in St Francis Church is a suitably special way to mark it. Liana, Sloane, Lewis, William (J3), Isabel (J4) and Vaughan (J6) all conducted themselves with dignity and reverence, and we were proud to support them on their special day. It was wonderful to be able to welcome their families (close by and from further away). We hope that our First Holy Communicants have all had a memorable day with their families. Father Kevin's kind support of the children throughout their period of preparation has been enormously appreciated, and we thank him for it as well as for celebrating today's Mass.  I would like to thank Mrs Forino, Mrs Simmonds and the whole staff team for their contributions to the day, however large or small.  
 
Our children have had a busy week carrying out assessments which are an important gauge for staff to look at where progress has been made, and to establish where some extra support might be needed. As always, we work hard to keep these assessments as ‘worry-free’ as possible in order to ensure that the pupils perform to the best of their ability. 
 
The Junior 4 children had an amazing morning at Princethorpe this week enjoying an Eco Explorers Day. Thank you to all who facilitated this both here at school and at Princethorpe. I wonder if you can spot who is who in the bee-keeping suits!  
 
The Cream Tea for Grandparents and Parishioners was a resounding success as always, with our Mini Vinnies hosting our guests with their usual aplomb. The Chamber Choir sang beautifully, and poems were recited to a very high standard by some of our LAMDA pupils. Mrs Simmonds made what seemed to be hundreds of her delicious scones and Mrs Forino's coordination meant that everything went ahead without a hitch. Thank you to Mrs Olden and Mrs Wildey for their support as well. 
 
Yesterday's ISA Midlands Athletics saw over 40 children from Junior 4 - 6 competing at Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium in Leicester. We were thrilled to see 7 of our pupils qualify for the nationals, so please do head to the article to read all about it.  
 
Well done to all of our stars of the week: Nursery - Kabir and Suravi, Reception - August and Amelie, all of Junior 1G and Anna, Junior 2 - Royce and Sam, Junior 3 - Poppy and Harriet, Junior 4 - Remy and Archie, Junior 5 - Ain and one person deferred until after half term, and Junior 6 - Lizzie and Amy.  Sienna sang beautifully and it was good to see Junior 1's progress on the recorder. 
 
Grove du Toit, Headmaster at Princethorpe College, has asked me to pass on an invitation to Princethorpe’s Open Evening on Wednesday 5 June, this will be of interest to Year 5 and Year 4 families, though all are of course welcome. The Crackley team will also be on hand, so do come and say hello. 

If you attended the recent Parents’ Information Session after the Year 5 Taster Day, you will have heard me say that it does not matter which school your child attends. The number one consideration must be their happiness. You as parents are best suited to make that decision and to know where you child will find their passions and have their love of learning nurtured. My best advice is to get to know each school you are considering. Make sure you visit and ask questions. With this in mind, you have a fantastic opportunity to put us to the test during our Open Evening. Even if you have attended before, seeing us on a glorious summer evening (fingers crossed for good weather) does show the very best we have to offer. There will be colleagues and pupils on hand to answer questions about subjects, sport, admissions, SEND, scholarships, trips, performing arts, and anything else you may be wondering about. I will address parents in the Chapel and will be happy to discuss any questions or queries you may have. Refreshments, including the famous Princethorpe cookies, will also be on offer - it really is a lovely, relaxed evening where you can wander the campus and children can take part in so many different activities.

If you would like to take me up on my invitation, please click here to book by Monday 3 June. An open invitation to meet with me is also always available - we can combine this with an individual tour by our Sixth Formers during a working day to ensure you experience our Spirit of Family first hand. With best wishes, Grove du Toit

I must close with thanking the entire school community for a really fabulous day on Saturday at our PTA Summer Fayre. The months of careful planning and coordination paid off and the sun did indeed shine on the righteous! I was pleased to have Mr du Toit (Princethorpe College Headmaster) join me at the coals to ensure that everyone was well-fed, and I very much enjoyed watching such a wonderful afternoon unfold. These events do bring everyone together in such an enjoyable way and remind us of what a fantastic family we have here. It has been heartwarming to see the bunting fluttering away in the storms outside my window this week! Well done and a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the fayre, parents and staff; and also those who came along on the day. Special thanks go to the marvellous PTA team, especially Maria Gordon (chair), Sara Higginbotham (chief organiser) and Aimee Clark (Sara’s advisor and assistant). From a personal perspective, I was grateful to Mr Adam Stokes and Mr Dan Robinson for helping out on the BBQ – these men are experts in their respective fields! 
 
I wish you all a very happy half term break and look forward to welcoming you back to school for the last few weeks of the academic year on Monday 3 June.  

 
God bless, 

Robert Duigan

"I have only one understanding of development and of making success, and that's going step by step." - Jurgen Klopp

The Summer Production is taking place on Friday 21 June, please see below for information regarding the final details, costumes and ticket link.

Final Details Letter

Costume Letter Reception to Junior 5

Costume Letter Junior 6

Tickets Link

Key Stage 2 Sports Day will be held all day on Tuesday 4 June on the Sports Field.

Key Stage 1 Sports Day will be held in the morning on Wednesday 12 June on the Sports Field.

Children should wear their summer sports kit, but are welcome to wear a t-shirt in the colour of their house, together with matching coloured accessories, eg caps, hair ribbons/bands, socks, sweat bands etc.

Mars - Red

Venus - Green

Saturn - Yellow

Jupiter - Blue

Please see detailed below events for week begininng Monday 20 May 2024. 

Please see our SPORT section for fixture information.

Seven Crackley Hall athletes have qualified for this year’s ISA’s National Track and Field Championships with nine further athletes just missing out, after a super successful outing at the regional qualifying event.

Crackley Hall took a team of Junior 4, 5 and 6 pupils to Saffron Lane Stadium in Leicester on Thursday 23 May to compete against schools in the Midlands ISA Athletics event. Many of the children put in amazing performances and the school was delighted with so many athletes being placed in both track and field events.

In terms of team placings, Crackley’s Girls were second overall with the Boys finishing third overall. Individually, the Year 5 Girls placed first with the Year 5 Boys and Year 6 Girls finishing second. The Year 6 Boys were third as were the Year 4 Girls team whilst the Year 4 Boys finished fifth.

Director of Sport, Mrs Kat Vaughan praised the outstanding attitude adopted by the Crackley team. “It was a long and exciting day,” commented Mrs Vaughan. “The atmosphere was amazing and our Crackley children really stepped up with team spirit second to none, with every child supporting their peers, regardless of event or year group. I am very proud that so many children have qualified for the National Championships.”

Congratulations go to Sienna L (J6) who qualifies for the 150m sprint, Leo C (J6) who qualifies for the 600m, Casper B (J4) who qualifies for the Throw and to Grace A, Amalie S, Jessie J and Scarlett (J5) who qualify for the Girls Relay.

Special mention for the J6 Girls Relay team who just missed 1st place after dropping the baton.

These results reflect the breadth of sporting excellence nurtured through class and extra-curricular sporting opportunities across the school.

The full results:

Junior 6 Girls:

• Sienna L – 1st 150m
• Ellie A – 2nd 60m
• Alexa B – 4th High Jump
• Issy C – 5th Shot Putt
• Eloise S – 5th 600m
• Sienna L – 8th Long Jump
• Relay team: (Sienna L, Ellie A, Eloise S and Issy C) – 4th

Junior 6 Boys:

• Josh B – 4th Long Jump
• Josh B – 7th 60m
• Harry B – 7th Throw
• Jenson S – 7th Shot Putt
• Harry B – 8th High Jump
• Isaac F – 8th 150m
• Relay team: (Josh B, Isaac F, Harry B and Wade D) – 5th

Junior 5 Girls:

• Jessie J – 2nd Long Jump
• Jessie J – 3rd Throw
• Grace A – 4th 150m
• Relay team: (Grace A, Amalie S, Jessie J and Scarlett M) - 1st

Junior 5 Boys:

• Leo C – 2nd 600m
• Rory S – 2nd Long Jump
• Ryan M – 4th 150m
• Rory S – 2nd 60m
• Relay team: (Ryan M, Rory S, Theo H and Alex T) – 2nd

Junior 4 Girls:

• Isabel AJ – 2nd 60m
• Isabel AJ – 3rd Long Jump
• Sara Y – 7th Throw
• Relay team: (Isabel AJ, Gabriella F, Emily F and Gabi A) – 3rd

Junior 4 Boys:

• Casper B – 1st Throw
• Harry W – 7th 600m
• Harry W – 8th Long Jump
• Relay team: (Casper B, Patrick BW, Hugo R and Archie J) – 6th

The ISA National Track and Field Championships take place later this term, on Monday 17 June, at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. We wish all who have qualified the very best of luck.

Friday 24 May was an important day for six Crackley Hall pupils as they celebrated their first Holy Communion Mass. Junior 3s Sloane, William, Lewis and Liana, Isabel in Junior 4 and Vaughan in Junior 6, gathered together excitedly with friends, family and the Crackley Hall School community at St Francis of Assisi Church in Kenilworth.

The children have been preparing for this special day for a while, learning about their faith so that they understand what they are committing to. In March, they took the Sacrament of First Reconciliation.

In the joyful and celebratory Eucharist, Father Kevin Hooper spoke about the nourishing love of God that would sustain the young communicants throughout their lives. The children then received the sacrament with the utmost sincerity and reverence. They were all a credit to their families and the school. Following celebratory prayers, reflections and concluding hymns the recipients were presented with certificates and posed for proud parents and friends in front of the altar.

Special thanks were given to Mrs Forino, Mrs Simmonds and Mrs Hill for their support of the children and to Mrs Olden and the Chamber Choir for providing the music and singing.

After the Eucharist the children were presented with gifts and individual First Holy Communion cakes to mark the occasion. It was a very special day for all concerned.

Former Crackley Hall pupil, Toby Lee returned to his Prep school on Wednesday 22 May, ahead of his evening performance at Warwick Arts Centre with Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.

He met with, Headmaster, Mr Duigan who was delighted to catch up with all his news.

Some of you may remember Toby from his school days at Crackley Hall, when he was cast as the first original Zack Mooneyham in the West End production of School of Rock the Musical.

Toby is currently on a 100 date UK tour – 60 performing with Jools Holland and 40 with his own band. He will even be playing at Glastonbury. You can find out more here.

Junior 4 visited Princethorpe College on Tuesday 21 May to take part in an Eco-Explorers Workshop. Led by Princethorpe's Science and Games staff, pupils enjoyed adventurous and interactive sessions that made use of the College’s extensive Outdoor Education facilities.

Working in groups, the children rotated round three activities, pond-dipping, mini-beasts and orienteering. Using their Science skills, everyone had fun exploring the natural world, observing and identifying the creatures that live on the Princethorpe estate. The pond-dipping took place in the Outdoor Classroom situated up in Switzerland and Junior 4 were particularly excited to observe the many tadpoles. While in their search for mini-beasts, pupils made use of the bug hotels up on the Mile Walk, spotting centipedes, beetles and worms galore. The orienteering had Junior 4 developing their map-reading and navigational skills while running around the main Sports Fields. Mid-morning there was time for a short break and an obligatory Princethorpe cookie, which was followed by a quick introduction to beekeeping.

The session was hands on, engaging and great fun. The children loved working outside, and the topics and activities linked to their learning back in school. On the way back to school, Junior 4 all agreed that the Eco-Explorers Workshop had been brilliant!

Crackley Hall welcomed grandparents and parishioners to school on Tuesday 21 May for a special afternoon cream tea. Organised by Crackley Hall’s Mini Vinnies, the junior arm of the charity St Vincent de Paul Society, the community cream tea is a favourite on the school calendar and the children were delighted to be able to welcome their visitors to the school.

The guests gathered in the School Hall which reverberated with friendly chatter and the clink of china, as teapots and plates piled high with scones, strawberries, jam and cream were enjoyed.

Alongside their tea, guests were treated to a programme of entertainment as pupils from across the school took turns to perform. There was also plenty of time to chat and the pupils from Junior 5 and Junior 6 enjoyed talking to the older generations as they enjoyed their tea.

Mr Duigan, Headmaster, popped in to welcome everyone to the school and to thank Mrs Simmonds for helping the Mini Vinnies organise the community event.

It was as always, a lovely afternoon thoroughly enjoyed by all.

What a super Saturday we had here at Crackley Hall with our amazing PTA hosting their sensational Summer Fair. The sun shone brightly, and the school grounds were filled full of happy families. As always, the tombola was popular, as were the new House activities, with pupils eager to earn housepoints taking on the obstacle course and the Lego ‘Build A Boat’ challenge. Then there was fabulous face painting, as well as lots of outdoor fun and craft to keep everyone busy. We had cake stalls, book stalls, pre-loved uniform and much more. The Gymnastics team put on an amazing display while Choral Group sang beautifully. On the refreshments front, we fired up the barbeque (or should we say braai) and employed two top chefs, Mr Duigan and Mr du Toit, to cook for us all. Teachers and parents volunteered their time, either by running a stall or with the organisation behind the scenes, while the children all enjoyed themselves. We were especially delighted to welcome the new Mayor of Kenilworth, Cllr Alan Chalmers, (a former Crackley Hall parent) to the fair who kindly spoke to the crowds. We can most definitely say it was a fantastic day, enjoyed by all! Huge thanks to everyone involved in organising and running the fair.

Princethorpe College is delighted to be partnering with Team Super Sports to offer Holiday Camps to children aged 5 to 16 years for six weeks this July and August.

The initiative is part of the Foundation’s new Commercial Enterprise activity aimed at generating additional sources of income and is in response to feedback and demand from parents.

The Summer Holiday Camps will run from 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday from 15 July to 23 August and are open to all. They will offer a wide variety of sporting activities, taking advantage of the College’s extensive grounds and sporting facilities. Youngsters aged 7 to 16 can take their pick of rugby, cricket, football, gymnastics, netball, hockey and tennis and create their very own sports camp. In addition to sports, dance and games there will also be optional arts and crafts activities for younger children aged 5 to 7.

Comments, Gemma Cullinane, Princethorpe Commercial Enterprise Manager, “Team Super Sports are an experienced provider of sport and multi-activity holiday camps with a fantastic reputation for top-level coaching for children of all abilities. We are very excited to be joining forces with them for the first of many holiday camps to come.

Dan Super, Founder of Team Super Sports, added, “Princethorpe’s beautiful campus is the perfect setting for a holiday camp. We are expecting it to be a very popular choice for many families in the local area.”

For more information and to book your child’s place simply visit the Team Super Sports website here. The camps are priced at £37 a day. Bookings before the early bird deadline of Sunday 9 June attract an extra 10% discount and there are further discounts available for siblings and four and five-day bookings. Childcare vouchers are also accepted.

Team Super Sports will be on hand at the College’s Open Evening on Wednesday 5 June and at Induction Day on Wednesday 26 June to answer any questions families may have or you can contact them at info@teamsupersports.co.uk or call 01675 448494.

Crackley Hall’s Holiday Club will continue to run as normal.

Wednesday 5 June - 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Princethorpe College invites prospective families to the College's annual Summer Open Evening which will take place on Wednesday 5 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity for families looking for a secondary school place in September 2025 and beyond to visit the school, for children to take part in departmental activities and for parents to meet and chat to members of staff and pupils.

The Headmaster, Grove du Toit, will also address visitors during the evening. Light refreshments will be available.

Please click here to book your place. 

Our Stars of the Week this week are:

Congratulations to them all!

We love to celebrate our pupils' talents, so every week in Celebration Assembly, we hear of the childrens' successes and achievements and we watch performances by some of our pupils.  Here are some photos from this morning.

A huge well done to all!

In Science this week, Junior 6 have been exploring how we see colour. Using our mathematical knowledge, we created our very own colour wheels using a compass to measure out an accurate circle and a protractor to measure equal sevenths inside the wheel. We then coloured our wheels using the key colours of the visible light spectrum. The children worked exceptionally hard in this practical lesson, and we were extremely impressed and proud with how they collaborated and proved that the colours mix back into visible light. Well done Junior 6, you are all science super stars!

This week Junior 5 have been working incredibly hard. In RE, Junior 5L have been exploring what the afterlife is and what it means to them. They have also been learning about Pentecost in assembly and lessons. In English, the children have created lovely pieces of writing. They wrote a continuation from an extract of Carrie’s War using DADWAVERS. The children have been learning about perspective in Art and have enjoyed learning about music in their French lessons; identifying different types of music and musical instruments. They have listened to a variety of French songs, including some entries from the Eurovision Song Contest. Junior 5 have not been shy about giving their opinions about each track! Nil point!

Well done, Junior 5 for all your hard work this half-term. Have a fantastic break.

Junior 4 have been learning about weather in their French lessons recently with plenty of games and songs to help them get to grips with the vocabulary. They found out about weather in French-speaking areas around the world, from sunny Tahiti, soon to host Olympic surfing, to snowcapped mountains in Quebec. They also bravely navigated a French weather website, discovering that Nice would be a better holiday destination than Paris if you are looking for sunshine. This week the children have been weather forecasters. They worked in pairs to give weather descriptions for various French towns. They then played a French snakes and ladders game with translation challenges which had to be worked out to allow them to move towards the finish line and say ‘J’ai gagné’.

Vous êtes supers Junior 4!

It has been a momentous week for Junior 3, as we prepare for several of our friends to take their First Holy Communion. We were lucky enough to all be involved in a wonderful retreat day, where we thought about the significance of this upcoming event and how to support our friends on their spiritual journey. We also learnt new songs, shared ‘bread’ and ‘wine’ and completed lots of super activities. We are so looking forward to seeing Sloane, Liana, Lewis, and Willliam in church on Friday, and we wish them all the best for a wonderful day.

In our Maths lessons we have been continuing our learning about 2D shapes and have learnt a lot of new vocabulary to help us accurately describe and classify them. We loved using dotty paper to mark vertices before joining them up with very straight and accurate lines to create lots of different polygons. We found we could draw both regular and irregular shapes and that drawing them improved our understanding so much.

Well done for another brilliant half-term, Junior 3 – have a wonderful break.

Children in Junior 2 were delighted to explore the world of curious creatures this week. They observed the intricate details of snakes, the mysterious habits of spiders and marvelled at the playfulness of lizards. These experiences really entertained the children but, more importantly, educated them on how important these creatures are in our living world, fostering a deep appreciation of biodiversity.We so enjoyed interacting with these fascinating creatures and loved learning about science in nature.

In Science, we eagerly engaged in planting beans to discover the optimal conditions for germination. We transformed a simple experiment into a captivating learning experience as we discovered different types of soil and varying amounts of sunlight and watering schedules. The conclusion our young scientists have learnt is that the correct environment will lead to the healthiest sprouts.

Junior 1 put their best feet forward this week and braved the torrential rain for their trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. It certainly was a wet affair! However, the Mad Museum offered the perfect shelter from the storm, and we were provided with a wonderful array of interactive exhibits with buttons, handles, lights and sound effects. The children were enthralled with the mind-boggling, mechanical creations and it was wonderful to see their delight mixed with such concentration. We then dodged the puddles as we walked through town to have our lunch, before moving onto the park. The children were amazed to see an empty play area all to themselves and the rain certainly didn’t deter their enthusiasm. The day was a welcome break from our preparations for the Phonics test which takes place after half-term. Keep practising those digraphs over the holidays Junior 1 and we look forward to seeing you for our last half-term!

This week, Reception have been amazing mathematicians! They have started to divide and multiply through the sharing and grouping of objects. They thought carefully about how to share different toys and equipment from around our room equally and fairly. They then added the amounts of items back together to make a number sentence with adding too! Well done to our superstars!

Ms McAloon led the Monday Mission Assembly and talked about the Feast of Pentecost, which is celebrated 50 days after Easter and commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples. Ms McAloon asked pupils how the disciples heard that the Holy Spirit had arrived? Answers ranged from hearing a rush of wind, to tongues of fire appearing above the disciples' heads - this was the promise which Jesus kept of sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to help His disciples spread the message of Jesus throughout the world. Ms McAloon compared the Holy Spirit to the wind or your breath. She explained that we cannot see the wind, but we can feel how powerful and strong it can be and we can see the effects of the Holy Spirit at work within us when we are kind to our family and friends; when we think about other people around the world and when we work together with people who need our help.  Ms McAloon linked the Hedbrew word 'Ruach' - which means wind, breath, mind and spirit - to how everyone can be breathing God's spirit every day in their lives which enables us to think of other people as we love, learn and grow with the Holy Spirit as our guide.

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

Weekly Mission

Please find information below:

Children's Liturgy

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Year B)
We reflect on a very special meal Jesus shared with his friends, which we remember every time we go to Mass.

Activity Sheet 

Please remember to check team sheets and find further fixture information on www.crackleyhallsport.co.uk or on SOCS.

Please can we remind all parents that whilst sports fixture information, once published, usually remains the same, parents should check www.crackleyhallsport.co.uk or SOCS on the day of the fixture for the most up to date information.

With the KS2 Sports Day fast approaching, Lego Club decided to hold their very own sports tournament, with some rather excitable Lego minifigures just bursting to take part. Lightsabers poised for questionable manoeuvres, we lined up one by one along the starting block. Looking puzzled and bewildered, R2-D2, Captain America and Batman were having a little bit of a wobble over what they were supposed to do with the baton, so we reminded everyone of the rules of the relay race. After a shaky start, and delaying tactics sort of resolved, they were off!! But not for long. With a pitch invasion of squirrels, we had to halt the proceedings quite abruptly after an announcement that one of the squirrels had stolen the baton and was last seen digging a hole in the Jubilee Garden! Watch out for the ants!!

As you are aware, the children will be involved in performing A Hint of Snow White for our summer production, which is a modern twist on the classic story.

All children in the school are invited and encouraged to design a programme for the two shows drawing inspiration from the classic Snow White tale.

The following information needs to be on the design:

• Crackley Hall Presents A Hint of Snow White
• Friday 21 June 2024

The design needs to be on an A4 piece of paper with no glitter or reflective stickers as these do not photocopy well.

Designs need to be handed into the office no later than Wednesday 5 June. Mr Duigan and the Performing Arts department will select a winner and some runners up.

Each entry will earn 3hps for their house, with the runner ups earning 5hps and the winner earning 10 hps.

We look forward to seeing what the children come up with.

Good luck!

To celebrate World Chocolate Day on 7 July, your challenge is to design a new chocolate!

Please see here for the poster to see all the details, and to get inspired!

1st place - 25 house points

2nd place - 20 house points

3rd place - 15 house points

All entries will receive 5 house points

Junior da Vinci awards may also be given out!

Closing date is Monday 10 June 2024.  Please hand your entries in to Mrs Hardwick or Mrs Cowlishaw.

We would like to remind Nursery parents of two important dates coming up:

• Thursday 13 June - Nursery Sports Morning - 9.30am to 10.00am
• Wednesday 26 June - Nursery Graduation (Badgers only) - 2.00pm to 2.30pm

More details will follow shorly via email, so for now please save the dates in your diaries.

Nursery have been honing their hand-to-eye coordination outside this week, by aiming corks into the suspended hanging baskets. Everyone enjoyed a spot of fun target practice and as skill levels improved throughout the week, potential netballers and basketball players began to emerge. As we edge towards the month of June and the prospect of a sunny Sports Day, the Garden Centre theme continued with flowerpot races - children pitting themselves against a partner to be the first to upturn all the flowerpots along their individual race track.

Dormice have been busy building, using different sized indoor and outdoor equipment to construct their own creations. We saw fire engines, trains and terrific towers!

Many thanks to Evelyn’s parents who responded to our appeal for bedding plants and kindly sent in a tray of petunias to supplement our flowerbed, which Evelyn enjoyed planting with her friends. The days of sunshine have encouraged our iris bulbs to bloom and the splash of colour which they bring is quite stunning.

The torrential rain on Wednesday made Forest School interesting! Despite customary resilience, Mrs Clarke and Mrs Whitehurst were eventually forced to admit ‘defeat by weather’ so the session was cut short. However, our introduction to Tool Skills continued through the week. Those children who hadn’t yet had chance to drill holes in their wood slice did so, and pupils who do not attend on ‘Forest School Wednesdays’ were also given an opportunity to use the bow saw and drill.

Inside Nursery with Mrs Allen, the classroom role play area morphed into Crackley Garden Centre for the week, so the customers and shop keepers transferred all their lovely, learned shop and café phrases and applied them to the new imaginary play setting. In Maths, the children explored repeated patterns using natural resources, whilst during Phonics, our focus has been to identify words which rhyme at the end. The children also began to learn a couple of topical songs in readiness for our Father’s Day celebration on the 20 June.  

There is lots going in Nursery over the half-term break. Our year-round children will enjoy a Dinosaur themed week, starting with creating their own fossils using clay before going on a dino hunt and becoming palaeontologists for the day!

Please click here to view the weekly timetable for Nursery specialist activties.

Our annual Summer Fair took place last Saturday. Our school was dressed fabulously for the occasion with bunting galore! The sun shone brightly and we were delighted to welcome well over 450 of you to take part and enjoy the many games, food stalls and house competitions.

The event was an overwhelming success with an excellent amount raised for the PTA funds  (final figures will be revealed after the half term). 

We were treated to a fantastic musical medley from the Choral Group and the fair was declared officially open by the newly appointed Mayor of Kenilworth, Cllr Alan Chalmers, (a former Crackley Hall parent). 

The gymnastic team thrilled us with their group performance and the fencing club, Sword Kids, treated the children to a free taster session.

The obstacle course proved popular with the following children coming 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their respective key stages: 

KS1 Obstacle Course Winners:

• 1st - George Westerman - 1.48
• 2nd - Joel Copland - 2.12
• 3rd - Matteo Forino - 2.13

KS2 Obstacle Course Winners:

• 1st - Adreena Greevy - 1.11
• 2nd - Lexi-Jean Ellis - 1.15
• 3rd - Ted Higginbotham - 1.23

Obstacle Course House Points:

• Jupiter - 27
• Saturn - 20
• Venus - 13
• Mars - 11

Trophies will be awarded in assemblies KS1 and KS2 respectively.

The Lego house competition was an overwhelming success with Venus winning the most house points and the following being crowned:

KS1 Boat Building:

• 1st - Bracken in J1 
• 2nd - Alpha in Nursery
• Runner Up - Charlotte in J1

KS2 Boat Building:

• 1st - Hugo in J4
• 2nd - Angelica in J4 and Nieve in J4
• Runner Up - Oliver, former pupil 

Thank you to Mrs Hill for organising and running the competition, great to see so many budding scientist and engineers in the making! 

The whole day had a feeling of warmth and community, with so many happy children enjoying all that was on offer. 

The summer fair committee of 2024 had a great time  organising and running the event, it was a real pleasure to see many familiar faces as well as meet so many new people. We really were overwhelmed by your support. 

It was especially great to see an increase in the number of grandparents volunteering this year, no job or time given is too small! 

If you’d like to keep upto date with PTA events please follow us on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com

If you enjoyed volunteering, helping adhoc on the day or you think it’s something you’d like to help with in the future we would welcome you to join our PTA WhatsApp group, with absolutely no obligation to contribute unless you feel it’s something you’d like to be involved in, please look here: 

https://chat.whatsapp.com

As with anything we can always make improvements, if anyone has any feedback or suggestions about the fair we would love to hear them, please email: mariagordonpta@gmail.com

There are too many people to thank individually, but a special thank you must go to:

• To all Crackley Hall staff who gave up their Saturday to support the fair, we really value all you do to support the PTA, without it the fair just wouldn’t be the same. 
• To all of you who volunteered during the fair as well as helping to set up and close down, your time was so valued.
• To those who pre ordered food, for the first time we had zero food wastage, (one of ours and the Foundation's main aims for this year)
• Jen Robinson for the incredible cake donatiotions.
• Adam Stokes, Dan Robinson, Grove du Toit and Mr Duigan for their fantastic BBQ skills.
• Mrs Olden for Choral Group's moving performance.
• Mrs Hill for organising the Lego competition.
• Mr Vaughan and the PE teams obstacle course house competition
• Mrs Ellis and Ms Whitley for the gymnastics display 
• Jo Ward and her helpers for her ever fabulous nearly new uniform sale.
• Mrs Bhogal for her double bar stint (it was busy!)
• The super site team, Mr Hunt and Mr Louis for extending their working day and saying yes to all our requests! 
• Emmerson Press for printing our new vouchers (a huge success) 
• Sword Kids for their free fencing taster sessions
• Videographer/social media liaison officer Kate Greevy
• Rob Wood for the delicious sweet stall 
• Steve’s S.Porretta & Sons for all of the barbecue charcoal
• Samantha for her popcorn machine 
• Raspberry Hair Salon for their time and kind donations

Everyone’s support, energy and attitude made the Fair a fantastic event, where the Crackley spirit was in obvious abundance.

We can’t wait to see you all for more fun at the Colour Run, 

Your summer fair committee, 

Aimee (J5), Sandrine, (J4&J6), Annie(J1,J4&J6), Geraldine (Grandparent) , Phillip (Grandparent) , Maria (J1)  and Sara (J4&6)

200 Club - an easy way to support the PTA 

Looking for an easy way to support the PTA? Sign up to our 200 Club! Only £5 per half termly draw and each entry has a chance to win £200 at the end of the year as an added bonus. Every little helps and we thank you for your support. Please click on the link to buy a ticket.

Link: 200 Club

Colour Run

We are cranking up the plans for our 3rd annual Colour Run on Friday 7 June, 4:00pm to 7:00pm – put the date in your diary for another fabulous social event.

Please bring a picnic, and there will be a licenced bar, soft drinks, snacks and ice cream on sale.

There will also be a fire engine for the children!

Link: Colour Run

PTA Pre-loved Uniform

Many thanks for all the donations that have been sent in this year - without these we literally could not operate! Please continue to use the containers in the foyer to drop off any donations rather than dropping into the office staff. We are especially grateful to receive good quality sports items - particularly tracksuit bottoms!

Please email us at: uniform@pta.crackleyhall.co.uk stating your child’s name and class and we will get all orders sent home for you.

Due to club and activity changes, permanent Aftercare bookings are only valid for the current term. 

If you require either permanent or occasional Aftercare for the Trinity Term, please make a new booking by emailing:

aftercare@crackleyhall.co.uk or receptionist@crackleyhall.co.uk

If you need to make a same-day Aftercare booking - please ensure you contact the school office no later than 1:00 pm that day. Any requests made after 1:00 pm will only be authorised at the Headmaster's discretion.

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

Any children not collected from the carline, for example, if parents are stuck in traffic, will be taken to Aftercare at 4:15 pm, when carline finishes and charged accordingly.

Aftercare runs from 3:15 pm until 6:00 pm, with charges being £5.00 per hour or part thereof.

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

The school office closes at 5:00 pm, please call Aftercare directly on 07543 164 779 for collection. 

Please see the attached menus for the Trinity Term. These rotate on a four weekly basis.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Crackley Hall School Office
01926 514 444
Email: post@crackleyhall.co.uk
Postal address: St Joseph's Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2FT
SATNAV: Use CV8 2FT

Office Manager/Headmaster’s Personal Assistant – Anna Bond
01926 514 444
Email: receptionist@crackleyhall.co.uk

Little Crackers Nursery; Nursery Manager - Emma Birch
01926 514 456 - Email: post@littlecrackers.co.uk

After Care - David Johnson, Aftercare Manager
Collection contact no; 07543 164 779
Email: aftercare@crackleyhall.co.uk

Bills, Fees and Online Payment
01926 634 273
Email: georginamalin@princethorpe.co.uk

Registrar - Jenny Vaughan
01926 514 410
Email: admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk 
 
Princethorpe College General Office
01926 634 200
Email: post@princethorpe.co.uk
 
website: www.crackleyhall.co.uk
X: @CrackleyHallSch  
facebook: @crackleyhallandlittlecrackersofficial
instagram:@crackleyhall_littlecrackers

For children who require any medication periodically or on a permanent basis, the Office will require a completed Administration of Medication Form. A copy is attached for your convenience. 

Administration of Medication Form

Please ensure that any medication brought into school is in date and labelled with your child's name and form.

Please hand medication into the School Office, please do not give to your child to hand in. 

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

The Princethorpe Foundation

• Events Co-ordinator

Princethorpe College

• Minibus Driver

Crackley Hall

• Class Teacher (maternity cover)

Crescent School

• 1:1 Learning Support Assistant

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

When dropping off in the morning, if you are using carline, please move round the roundabout before dropping off and do not leave your car unattended. Carline can cause traffic issues on the Kenilworth Road, so please be mindful.

If you are dropping off and wish to walk your child up to the school or are coming into school please use the Lower Playground or the Sports Field. Please remember to park considerately as parking is at a premium.

We would ask that if you use the Lower Playground at morning drop off, that you leave the school site promptly, as parking is at a premium, and it has been causing traffic congestion.

Please do not park on the Grasscrete Parking area or on the left hand side when you enter the school main carline, as these are both staff parking areas.

Where possible, please avoid parking on the local residential roads, and if you do, please park considerately and legally. 

When collecting in the evening, please adhere to the collection times, as if you arrive too early, this causes traffic congestion. If you are early, we would suggest parking on the Sports Field and walking up to school.

If you are unsure or wish to clarify any points, please call the School Office.

Please see below the carline locations and collections for the Michaelmas Term:

Please see below collection locations for after games lessons (but not clubs):