Dear Parents

As we come to the end of this last full week of term, the school has been filled with a real sense of achievement, energy and shared purpose. It has been a privilege to see our pupils, staff and families coming together in so many meaningful ways. 

This week, our Art Show and Open Classrooms created a wonderful buzz throughout the school. The atmosphere was incredibly positive as pupils proudly led their families into their world of school life, sharing their learning, creativity and achievements. It was lovely to see families spending time together and connecting through the children’s work and experiences. We have included a feedback form in the related article and would welcome your thoughts and suggestions on the event. A huge thank you to our PTA for kindly serving teas and coffees – your support helped make the afternoon even more welcoming. 

We also marked the Feast of St Joseph, one of the most important figures in our school ethos. St Joseph is a model of quiet strength, humility and faithful service – values that sit at the heart of our Crackley Hall ethos. He teaches us that true leadership often happens through simple acts of care, responsibility and kindness. Just as St Joseph protected and nurtured the Holy Family, we encourage our pupils to show compassion, integrity and a willingness to support others each day. His example reminds us that we grow not only through achievement, but through the way we treat one another, and it is wonderful to see those qualities reflected in the children across our school community. Thank you to Fr Ryan for celebrating Mass and also for hearing the confessions of our J4 to J6 catholic pupils. 

We were also delighted to welcome families to our Reception Taster Day, giving prospective pupils the chance to explore the Early Years setting and enjoy a flavour of life at Crackley. It was a pleasure to meet so many enthusiastic young learners as they get ready to join thew school in September. 

The week ended on a real high, with the dodgeball sessions, generously funded by our PTA, bringing tremendous enjoyment to pupils across the school. The non-uniform day added to the fun, and we remain very grateful for the PTA’s continued enthusiasm in providing memorable experiences for our children. Thanks to Alec Masson who led the dodgeball, and guided pupils through a series of games and fun. Thank you to everyone – pupils, staff, families and the PTA – for your support, positivity and involvement. It has been a busy and very special week, and a lovely way to draw this term to a close. 

Although we did not hold our usual celebration assembly due to our dodgeball sessions, we are delighted to recognise this week’s Stars of the Week: Nursery – Vaani; Reception – Finnick and Emmie; Junior 1 – Georgia and Amos; Junior 2 – Edward and Emma; Junior 3 – Angus and Anna; Junior 4 – Amaya and Saffie; Junior 5 – Leo and Lewis; Junior 6 – Alfie and Emily.  We will be handing out their certificates at next week’s celebration assembly. 

I hope that you are all able to enjoy a restful and happy weekend with your families

God bless
Rob Duigan 

“Lent comes providentially to re awaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” - Pope Francis.

We are delighted to confirm that our ever-popular Holiday Club will be running during the Easter holidays.

Our Holiday Club is something we’re incredibly proud of. It gives children the chance to enjoy time with their friends in a familiar environment, looked after by the professional and friendly staff they already know and trust.

We offer a fantastic range of planned activities, including:

• Arts and crafts
• Sports days with specialist coaches
• Trips to local nature reserves, parks and woodlands
• Cinema and soft play visits
• Cookery days

There’s something for everyone – please see here to view the timetable.

We are also pleased to introduce a new, instant online booking system for Holiday Club, which replaces the previous email‑based booking process.

• Instant bookings via My School Portal
• Immediate confirmation of your child’s place
• Live availability

This new system allows parents to book Holiday Club sessions quickly and securely at a time that suits you. Please read the guide to book holiday club carefully as this is a new process which does require payment when booking. Cancellations can be made up to 48 hours before the booking starts, and you can do this via My School Portal.

Please read the attached Holiday Club Terms & Conditions carefully as this details the cancellations and refunds charges.

• If your preferred days are fully booked, please email holidayclub@crackleyhall.co.uk to be added to the waiting list.
• If you book a day with an additional charge, for example for a trip, the additional cost element will be added to your next School Invoice.
• We kindly request that on the days where trips are booked, children booked on arrive on time due to transport to the necessary venue. 
• You can pay for these sessions via childcare vouchers, within the portal there are options available for you to pay via this method.

As it is the last week of term, some internal clubs will be cancelled next week.

For after-school clubs, the following will not be on: 

• Monday 23 March - Junior 5/6 Hockey Club
• Wednesday 25 March - Junior 5/6 Netball Club, therefore Junior 6 girls will be back at school at normal carline following Games. 
• Thursday 26 March - Junior 1/2 Gymnastics Club 

External club providers have published their dates with you already, so please ensure you check with the provider directly whether the club is running or not.

We hope parents enjoyed our Spring Art Show and our first ever Open Classrooms event on Tuesday 17 March. We were delighted to welcome you all into school and it was wonderful to be able to showcase the creative talents of pupils from Nursery up to Junior 6.

The art exhibition featured over 250 different paintings, all inspired by the great masters. While producing their pieces, the children enjoyed the opportunity to study their paintings, inspirations and colour palettes.

During the day, the classes came down in turn to view the exhibition and marvel at the work of their peers. After school, we welcomed parents to view the framed artwork mounted on display boards in the school hall. All were amazed at the talent on show with many remarking the pictures would grace any wall.

Our thanks go to Mrs Holmes for organising the exhibition, and to all involved in the production of the pictures. The artwork was incredible and was a joy to view.

Crackley took a team of Junior 4s to the ISA Midlands U9 Tag Rugby Tournament at Stafford Grammar on Thursday 12 March. Crackley’s squad put on a great show despite some very windy conditions. The team played some super attacking rugby and were delighted to come home with the Bronze medal.

The round-robin format gave Crackley’s players lots of match experience allowing them to develop their tagging and support play. Well done team Crackley, you showed great promise and should be proud of yourselves!
 

Huge thanks to the School Council and their parents for their support of the Save the Children Kenilworth Spring Fayre last Saturday 14 March at St Francis of Assisi Parish Centre.

Pupils had pre-potted plants in mugs at school with volunteers from Save the Children the week before. At the Spring Fayre, they sold the mugs of spring flowers as gifts perfect for Mother's Day. Their stall raised £52 which helped the fayre raise nearly £1,500.

The children were delighted to meet Mayor James Kennedy, who has visited our school before. He was impressed with the children's work. 

Everyone said what a credit our pupils were to Crackley Hall School. They contributed, in a large part, to the lovely atmosphere, receiving many compliments from the organisers and visitors.

Thank you to all the parents who supported the fayre.

Junior 6 pupil, Belle, has been selected to represent Team GB. She will compete for the GB U21 Dressage team in the CDI International that takes place at Hartpury in the Easter holidays.

Belle will be riding Jackpot Verde and Champignon Sauvage and competing three times: first in the team event, then in the individuals and finally in a dressage to music competition.

It’s an incredible honour for such a young rider, especially one still at junior school. We are all very proud of her and everyone here at Crackley Hall wishes Belle every success as she dons her GB jacket for the very first time.

It was a pleasure to welcome so many parents into school on Tuesday for our Open Classrooms event. The building was filled with excitement as pupils eagerly shared their learning environments and proudly showcased their work. Each classroom buzzed with activity as children proudly pointed out their work in books, on displays, and even challenged their parents to take part in some of our regular classroom activities.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to such a lovely and memorable occasion.

We look forward to welcoming families to more events like this in the future. 

If you could please complete this feedback form we would be grateful. 

Anna van Zyl
Assistant Head (Academic)

We had lots of happy, hoppy bunnies at Little Crackers Stay ‘n’ Play on Wednesday 18 March. Our visiting mums and tots enjoyed a fun morning of Easter crafts and it was all 'egg-cellent' fun. The children decorated Easter Bunny templates and giant Easter Eggs with crayons and tissue paper, making some wonderfully colourful keepsakes to take home.

Of course, we had all our usual Stay 'n' Play activities too, plus tea and cake for all to enjoy. Our session finished with our regular nursery rhyme singalong.

Our friendly toddler group meets most Wednesdays in term time. Everyone is welcome, check out our website www.littlecrackers.co.uk/stay-n-play, to find out more.

We held our Easter Eggs-travaganza on Thursday morning and it was great fun. We welcomed children who are due to start Reception at Crackley Hall in September 2026 for an enjoyable morning of Easter activities, including story time and an easter egg hunt.

The visit was for pre-schoolers who do not attend Little Crackers Nursery and it was an egg-cellent way to introduce them to life at Crackley Hall. Parents and little ones got to meet some of the teaching staff and to spend time in the Reception classroom. We look forward to seeing them again in June for Move Up Morning, when they will meet the rest of their classmates.

We have limited spaces available for Reception 2026, so if you know anyone who might be interested in applying for a place, do suggest they contact our Registrar, Mrs Jenny Vaughan at admissions@crackleyhall.co.uk.

Many congratulations to Ethan in Junior 6A and Eli in Junior 3W and who have both qualified for the Euro Division Finals of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Experience Programme after their Coventry Central Church teams finished first in their respective competitions. The boys will be travelling Poland in April to take part in the next round.

Ethan’s team is competing in the Pathfinders Bible Experience Programme while Eli’s team is taking part in the Adventurers Bible Experience Programme. Both programmes test the children on their Bible knowledge, and the boys have worked extremely hard to memorise this year’s chosen chapters.

We were very impressed to hear of their achievement and wish them both the very best of luck in the next round.
 

Mr Duigan extended a warm welcome to everyone gathered for our special St Joseph's Feast Day Mass on Thursday - current staff and those who have moved on, parents, governors and trustees, past pupils, and family members spanning generations, from parents to grandparents and great-grandparents. He also welcomed parishioners and all those with a deep connection to the school, including those who are no longer with us but remain in our hearts.

Father Ryan led the Mass, supported by Junior 6A, with St Joseph - the patron saint of our school - at its heart. During his Homily, Fr Ryan reflected on how Joseph is so often overlooked; a quiet, background figure in the crib scene, rarely given the recognition he deserves. Yet God sought him out nonetheless, reaching him through a dream when words alone could not. Father Ryan reminded us that God will always find a way to reach each of us too - even in those moments when we are not looking for Him.

Our U9 Netball team had a fantastic time in the sunshine at the ISA Midlands Netball Tournament on Thursday, embracing the opportunity to gain real match experience playing a round robin of games. 

The girls were super stars all day and there were so many positives to take away, with the girls showing great development of their core skills, competitive edge and resilience.

The team finished sixth overall and we are very proud of them all.

Team Super Sports are back for the Easter holidays for three action-packed weeks for children aged 5 to 16 years. From Monday 30 March to Friday 17 April, excluding Easter Weekend, their Holiday Camps will run from 8.00am to 5.00pm.

Children aged 7 to 16 can choose from a variety of sports to create their own personalised sports camp. For our younger campers (ages 5 to 7), along with sport we’ve got arts, crafts, and dance activities to keep them engaged and having a blast.

Why Team Super Sports? They’re experts in sport and multi-activity holiday camps, providing top-level coaching for all abilities.

Click here to visit the Team Super Sports website to secure your child’s spot.

Sibling discounts and flexible booking options available!

Crackley Hall's Holiday Club will be running as normal.

Our Stars of the Week this week are: 

• Nursery - Vaani
• Reception A - Finnick
• Reception M - Emmie
• J1O - Georgia
• J1H - Amos
• J2R - Edward
• J2V - Emma
• J3C - Angus
• J3W - Anna
• J4C - Amaya
• J4O - Saffie
• J5L  - Leo 
• J5S - Lewis
• J6A - Alfie
• J6V - Emily

Congratulations to them all!

As we approach the end of the Lent Term, Junior 6 pupils are excitedly preparing for the many events that will take place in what will be their final term at Crackley Hall School.

Both Junior 6 and the Performing Arts staff have been thoroughly impressed by the Summer Show auditions. Pupils demonstrated clear dedication in learning their lines, along with great courage as they took to the stage to perform to their peers.

A much-loved Junior 6 tradition is the Leavers’ Hoodie, featuring the names of every pupil on the back. Choosing the perfect size and favourite colour has certainly added to the excitement!

As the term draws to a close, we do so with mixed emotions. While we eagerly look ahead to next term, there is also a growing sense of how quickly the end of the academic year is approaching.

Over the last few weeks, Junior 5 have been designing and creating their very own marble runs. Once their designs were complete, they were eager to begin constructing. The children first sanded their wooden plank to create a smooth surface, before painting their design onto the planks. This week, they have been thinking about how they could place the nails in an effective way to create marble runs that work. Junior 5 have been testing their skills with a hammer as they nailed their nails in the intended place on their wooden planks. They have been learning lots of useful life skills! 

Junior 4 have been really busy this week, spending lots of time on final preparations for the Easter Production. In RE they have been learning about God's promises to Abraham and finding out why Christians call Abraham the 'father of many nations' - because he had many descendants. They have learnt that the blessings which God gave to Abraham have been passed down from one generation to another. In Science, they have continued to build circuits. Finally, this morning they had great fun playing Glow in the Dark Dodgeball! What a great week!

During Science, Junior 3W made the most of the sunshine by heading outside to measure the length of shadows. We used a metre stick to carefully measure how long each shadow was. We discovered that the position of the sun in the sky affects how long or short a shadow appears - when the sun is lower, shadows are longer, and when the sun is higher, shadows are shorter. We worked as scientists, making observations and thinking about why shadows change throughout the day.

Junior 3 have also been busy preparing for their role as the chorus in our Easter production, 'The Three Trees'. The children have shown fantastic focus and patience throughout rehearsals, with costumes all ready to go. We look forward to seeing them perform to the whole school on Tuesday, then to parents at 5.30pm that evening. Good luck Junior 3, you'll smash it!

Pupils in Junior 2 enjoyed an exciting 'China Morning' as part of their current Geography topic, immersing themselves in the sights, sounds and flavours of Chinese culture. The children sampled a range of traditional Chinese foods, including dumplings and crispy seaweed, before taking part in a calming Tai Chi session. They also practised writing Chinese characters, created their own good luck red envelopes and explored the country’s rich history and traditions in greater depth. The morning offered a vibrant, hands‑on learning experience that brought their Geography studies to life and left the class eager to discover even more about China.

The busy week we usually have became even busier this week as we added the fabulous Art Exhibition, Open Classrooms and Mass into the timetable. The children rose to the challenge admirably, and we have all enjoyed the extra events, especially welcoming so many of you to look around the classrooms on Tuesday. It was really lovely watching the children choose the work they were most proud of to show you, and welcoming you into their space.

In RE we thought carefully about the world God created – and how sad we would feel if there was no colour, and then we created some beautiful class rainbows to go with our thankful prayers. In Geography we continued our journey around the UK and stopped off in Northern Ireland - just in time for St Patrick's Day! We explored some of the country, and it all ended with a slice of soda bread and plenty of Irish butter – smiles all round!

As we get closer to Easter, we have begun to think about the Easter story and enjoyed some sequencing and comprehension activities in English – before retelling the story in our own words.

The children in Reception have had a wonderfully busy and exciting week. They have been working incredibly hard in Phonics, especially practising their tricky words and showing real determination with their writing. In Art, they loved creating their own colourful snakes, exploring patterns and textures with great enthusiasm. The highlight of the week however, was undoubtedly our trip to Attwell Farm Park on Wednesday, where the children fed a range of animals, met adorable new born lambs, and learnt so much about life on the farm. After lunch, they had an amazing time letting off steam in the soft play, rounding off a very memorable day.

Please see here for this week's Weekly Mission.

Mrs Van Zyl led a wonderful assembly this week, beginning with a celebration of Mother's Day before turning our thoughts to the Feast of St Joseph, marked on Thursday 19 March.

Using lilies and working tools as clues, the children enthusiastically guessed that our special figure was St Joseph - a carpenter, the earthly father of Jesus, and the Patron Saint of our school. We learnt that Joseph provided loving care and protection for Mary and Jesus throughout their lives, and he is celebrated as the Patron Saint of Fathers, Workers, and the Universal Church. Though no words of his are recorded in the Bible, he is one of its most quietly powerful figures. March is fittingly known as St Joseph's Month.

Our mission this week is to follow his example by being responsible, trustworthy, kind, hardworking and faithful, and loving one another as he did.

We are delighted to share a special message from Father Ryan, who has recorded a short video inviting all Crackley Hall families to join the parish for the upcoming Easter services. Easter is the most important celebration in the Church calendar, a time of hope, renewal and joy, and Father Ryan warmly welcomes our whole school community to take part.

In his video, Father Ryan reflects on the meaning of Holy Week and extends an open invitation to pupils, parents, staff and friends of the school to join the parish as we journey together towards Easter Sunday. He shares details of the planned liturgies and encourages families to come along and celebrate this sacred season with the wider community.

We are extremely grateful to Father Ryan for his continued support of the school and for keeping us so closely connected with parish life. We hope you enjoy watching his message and that many of you will be able to join the services over the coming days.

You can watch Father Ryan’s video invitation here.

The Dormice have been busy sorting and matching coloured eggs before placing them into the correct baskets. Afterwards, we counted how many eggs were in each one. The children also explored some exciting new toys. They especially enjoyed using the coloured screws - pretending they were ice creams - as well as investigating our counting flowers. These activities were fantastic for supporting physical development and strengthening fine motor skills.

In our tuff tray, we set out the animals from What the Ladybird Heard, but the children were far more interested in using the sticks to make music! They experimented with loud and quiet sounds, as well as fast and slow rhythms. In Music, we also learnt a lovely new song all about a tiny seed.

At Forest School, the children were curious about where all the water had gone, noticing that the usual muddy puddles had dried up - much to their disappointment and thanks to the beautiful sunshine.

Badgers and Hedgehogs have been marvelling over all manner of minibeasts this week. They dug for worms and made a wormery for our Garden Room. They went on a Grand Bug Hunt and gently gathered all sorts of insects and invertebrates during our Forest School session. They had to have sharp eyes and nimble fingers to spot and then catch the tiny creatures, as they explored mini beast habitats. They learned that many mini beasts prefer to live hidden under rocks and logs, or amongst the leaf litter. All specimens were carefully stored in airy viewing cylinders and then we had a close encounter by releasing them into a tray and closely observing their varied movement, before finally returning them to their woodland home.

The mini beast theme lent itself well to our Maths activities and followed through our art and craft designs too. For example, the children learned to exert sufficient pressure on the single hole punch and counted eight holes, to add eight pipe cleaner legs for a scampering spider. They also made beautiful beetles by applying paint to create an ombre effect for a decorative exoskeleton. They practised positional vocabulary as they precisely placed dib-dabber circles to design symmetrical butterflies. Their creepy crawlies will form part of a lovely display in class.

The PTA are in desperate need of pre‑loved school uniform.

We are especially short of KS1 sizes and all sports kit, but all good-quality uniform is gratefully received.

Please leave donations in the white boxes located in the reception foyer.

Thank you for your support.

Saturday 16 May - 12.00pm to 3.00pm

The PTA Summer Fair will take place on Saturday 16 May. Everyone is invited to come along for a fun-filled afternoon for all the family.

The Summer Fair wouldn't happen without our community pulling together so we need your help. Our wonderful PTA team is looking for:

• Raffle prizes
• Cuddly toys and teddies
• Good-quality toys

All donations are greatly appreciated.

An ask for any volunteers - if you can spare just one hour to help run a stall, it would make a huge difference.

As well as a number of existing road closures, please be aware that there are a number of upcoming closures that may impact on your journey to school.

• Cromwell Lane will be closed from Tuesday 7 April 2026 until 6:00pm on Sunday 30 August 2026.
• Dalehouse Lane will be closed from Tuesday 7 April 2026 until 6:00pm on Monday 7 June 2027, this is a long closure due to HS2 works.

Information on road closures is available from Warwickshire County Council's website here.

Please take time to plan your journeys in advance and drive safely.

Please find below the links to key information for the term.

Carline Collections

Sports Collections

Uniform and Appearance

Sports Kit

Absences, Absence Requests, Medication and Registration

Extended Day - Early Birds and Aftercare

Administration of Medication Form

Uniform Ordering Link

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

• Grounds Operative
• Learning Support Assistant (with Autism Specialism)

Little Crackers Nursery 

• Nursery Assistant

Crescent

• Classroom Teacher - Year 3 - Maternity Cover

For further information please refer to the link  here. 

Please see the attached menus for the Lent Term.

These operate on a four‑week rotation throughout the term, providing pupils with a balanced and varied selection of meals. We hope you find the information helpful when planning for the weeks ahead.

Week 1 Lent Term

Week 2 Lent Term

Week 3 Lent Term 

Week 4 Lent Term