Admissions Update

Thank you for reading our Spring Admissions Update which is designed to give you the latest information on the admissions process, as well as news and developments at Crackley Hall and Little Crackers. We also hope that the newsletter will convey a feel for the family atmosphere at Crackley and a taste of the many achievements of the children in our community, from academic to sporting and the arts.

We have continued to thrive following our last 'outstanding in all areas' inspection. The report was a real vote of confidence for everything we do at Crackley Hall and a recognition of the positive impact a Crackley education has on our pupils' lives. I would encourage you to visit the ISI website to read the full report.

Crackley Hall was very proud to be shortlisted for the Independent School of the Year - Prep School of the Year Award. A new award introduced to showcase excellence in student experience and to recognise the varied and imaginative way in which independent schools prepare young people for their future lives.

As a result Crackley continues to be very popular, we are adding a second Reception class for 2019 to meet demand and have a limited number of places available in other year groups.  We continue to maintain our small class sizes which allows us to give the attention needed for each child at this critical time in their development.

Crackley retains the small-school feel that makes it so special, but with a wealth of opportunities, often delivered by larger schools, that stretch and challenge all. It's a place where the children are individuals who are known to every member of staff. Our children are very happy and this matters so much to us.

We look forward to welcoming you to Crackley Hall and Little Crackers Nursery soon.

Robert Duigan

Princethorpe is putting Science at the forefront of its vision for the future with plans for a new state-of-the-art Science building. Planning was submitted last September for the two-storey, £8 million building, which will see Biology, Chemistry and Physics sited together in one dedicated location. It is hoped that construction will start on the project within the next three years.

This is the latest in a programme of capital investment in the infrastructure of the College, including recent projects such as the refurbishment of the Clarkson Theatre and the Roundhouse for the Performing Arts, the Limes Building for Modern Foreign Languages, English and ICT and restoration of the wooded lake area known as Switzerland for outdoor education.

At just over 1,600 sq metres, the building will provide contemporary, spacious and well-equipped accommodation for the three Sciences including ten new laboratories, preparation areas, staff bases and toilets.

Comments, Headmaster, Ed Hester, “In a demanding world, where scientific progress is essential across the spheres of discovery, development and innovation, we need to provide the very best facilities for teaching and learning to stimulate the intellect, ambition and creativity of our pupils. This tremendous new building will enable us to do just that.”

The main entrance of the new block will face the Lime Walk and the side of the building will abut the existing Limes Building at the top of the North Lawn. The two buildings will be connected on both floors creating free flow for pupils and staff between them. The area in front of the new building will be attractively landscaped with a central square feature.

The project will also enable the College to redevelop and cluster other departments, providing permanent homes for Economics, Business Studies, Geography and Classics and dedicated laboratory areas for Academic PE. Plans are also afoot to provide additional catering and seated dining facilities. This last major phase of the upgrading of the school’s accommodation will benefit all of the College’s 900 plus pupils.

The project has been designed in collaboration with Leamington-based AT Architects.

The Princethorpe Foundation was thrilled to be shortlisted in two categories in the Independent School of the Year Awards.  Crackley Hall School was shortlisted for the coveted Independent Prep School of the Year Award.  Whilst the Foundation’s senior school, Princethorpe College, was shortlisted for Independent School of the Year - Student Careers Programme Award.  They were both selected ahead of hundreds of independent schools from across the country who had entered the awards.

The Awards Scheme was in its inaugural year and has been introduced to celebrate the independent education sector, showcase excellence in student experience and recognise the varied and imaginative way in which independent schools prepare young people for their future lives.

Ed Hester, Foundation Headmaster commented, “We are delighted that the Awards committee have recognised our Foundation schools. Our dedicated staff are committed to providing the very best experience for our pupils, supporting them as they grow into confident, resilient young people. This is a testament to the hard work they do every day and we are very proud to have been shortlisted.”

On Saturday 24 November 12 Crackley Hall pupils from the school’s Drama Festival Club competed in the Coventry Festival of Speech and Drama at Bablake School. It proved a long, but very successful day.

During the morning session Key Stage 2 pupils took part in the Group Verse class. They performed The Old Wife And The Ghost against extremely competent groups from specialist arts school, Pattisson College. Their performance delighted the judges and was rewarded with a superb score of 92% (anything over 90% is classed as an outstanding performance). That result just pipped Pattison at the post, reversing the result from last year. The Key Stage 2 pupils were awarded the ‘Oscar Trophy’ as a reward for their first place.

Then brave six-year-old Jia Mehta impressed the judge in the Humorous Verse class with her solo rendition of My Mother Does My Homework, scoring a brilliant Highly Commended with 85%.

The evening session started with Elle Weir and Lily Bryson’s super duologue The Three Bears. Then, against stiff competition from other local schools, Kiran Dhillon and Jasper Nicholls took first place with another outstanding score of 90% for their humorous duologue, Excuses, Excuses. Finally, the Drama Group delighted the adjudicator with a fantastic performance of the hockey scene from Daisy Pulls it Off, scoring an absolutely amazing 95% to take the coveted ‘Blue Trophy’ for first place in the Small Dramatic Scene category against the accomplished Cobweb Theatre Company.

Drama teacher, Nicola Wildey, was ecstatic commenting, “I am so very proud of all the children who have worked so incredibly hard all term to learn their lines. They have been so dedicated attending numerous rehearsals during break and lunchtimes. Well done to them all, this is an absolutely outstanding result.”

Junior 5 pupil Isabella Ward, and former Little Crackers pupil, Bode Owen, were both recently recognised in the Independent Schools’ Association’s prestigious National Art Competition.

Isabella's 'Saxon Weaving', which she produced last year in Junior 4, and Bode's 'Masai People and Beads' both received Highly Commended in the Key Stage 2 Textile Art class and EYFS and Key Stage 1 3D Art class respectively.

The National competition followed on from the Regional Midlands competition which took place back in September where Crackley Hall School received the following results:

KS2 Textile Art Individual: 1st Place Isabella Ward - Saxon Weaving

EYFS & KS1 3D Art Individual: 1st Place Bode Owen - Masai People and Beads

KS2 3D Art Individual: 2nd Place India Ferguson - String Panda

EYFS & KS1 Textile Art Individual: Highly Commended Milana Lambeth - Heart Strings

All of the artists are to be congratulated on their success.

On Monday 21 January Junior 5 left modern day Britain behind and travelled back in time to the Tudor era. Children, staff and even parents came to school dressed in costume and enjoyed a memorable day exploring life in the 16th century.

They began in the court of King Henry VIII in the year of our Lord 1536. Despite rumours and intrigue surrounding his second wife, Anne Boleyn, the King’s household had plenty of tasks to attend to. Set out in Crackley’s great hall were typical Tudor professions and a range of crafts that included: Alchemists, Apothecaries, Barbers, Chandlers, Embroiders, Leatherworkers, Miniature Artists, Scholars (ink making and writing), Scent bag and Soap makers. The children all enjoyed taking part in the traditional Tudor activities, it was fantastic hands-on learning.

In the afternoon the children took on various roles at a mock royal banquet. Some were servants whilst others were entertainers, dancers and even singers. As they worked, more rumours swirled around the ill-fated Anne Boleyn. The background narrative really helped bring the Tudor era alive.

Sebastian from J5 commented, "Tudor Day was amazing. The man was very knowledgeable, he made history come to life." Amy, also from J5, added, "It was exciting. The stories of Tudor punishments made me feel glad I'm living now and not then."

Crackley’s Tudor Day was led by History Off The Page, a company who run historical workshops. The day was organised by teacher Sarah Lammas, who commented, “The children had an amazing time, immersed in history and surrounded by authentic replica artefacts. It was a day full of practical learning, storytelling and drama.“ Fellow Junior 5 teacher, Julia Roberts added, “History Off the Page were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. All of the children and adults thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, a huge thanks goes to all of the parents, who joined in the fun, dressed up and so ably assisted us.”

Crackley Hall is celebrating after its U11 Netball team qualified for the ISA National Netball Finals.

A combination of committed play, great passing and excellent teamwork saw them finish in 3rd place at the ISA Midlands’ Regional Tournament held on Tuesday 26 February at Malvern St James Girls’ School, Worcestershire.

With nine in Crackley’s pool, the team started a busy day with eight matches of eight minutes each.  The girls made a solid start with a 2-1 win against Twycross, they then drew 1-1 against Stafford Prep and Malvern St James, before St Edwards delivered the team their only first round defeat 1-2.  The girls stayed focused and committed and were rewarded with good wins against Mylnhurst 3-0, Akeley Wood 2-0, Castle Howard 4-0 and Arnold Lodge 7-0. They finished as runners up in the pool and qualified for the semi-finals. 

Their semi-final was a much closer and competitive game and the team were disappointed to lose 1-2 to Grantham Prep.  They faced Old Vicarage in the play-off and performed brilliantly to win 3-1, take the bronze medal and win a coveted place in the National Netball Finals.

A jubilant Head of Games, Mrs Kat Vaughan, commented, “The girls were great, they were feisty, didn’t lose concentration and really worked well as a team.  I am delighted to be taking them to the Nationals.”

Well done to you all.

Playing in the team were: Hannah Wildey (Captain), Maddie Lambeth, Isabella Osborne, Francesca Kelly, Annamaria Kordas, Amisha Modi, Caitlin Horan and Martha Harris.

In early February our Girls and Boys Under 10 and Under 12 Cross Country teams ventured north to Bedstone College, Shropshire to tackle the arduous ISA Midlands Cross Country course. 

Team Crackley were eager and enthusiastic and tackled the course's tricky twists, challenging hills and freezing water with courage and determination. Slippery conditions led to quite a lot of trips and falls, but between them Crackley’s 40 runners delivered a super set of results.

Six runners have qualified for the ISA Nationals, huge congratulations to Elle, Sidney, Maxwell, George, Hannah and Amisha.

In the team events the first four across the line count, so with such a lot of top placings Crackley also secured first place in both the U12 Girls and U10 Boys events.

U12 Girls: Hannah, Amisha, Caitlin and Isla

U10 Boys: Sidney, Maxwell, George and Olly

A special mention must go to Elle, Sid, George and Olly, who are all only in Year 3 and competed in the U10 age-group and beat them! Also, to Hannah, who has qualified for National Finals for the third year in a row.

The children then enjoyed cheering on the Princethorpe runners (many of whom were former Crackley Hall pupils!)

Commenting on the event, PE Teacher, Kat Vaughan, said, “As always, the children were exceptionally well behaved, a real credit to the school, and a pleasure to take to the competition. They were nervous but excited and ran courageously despite the conditions. Congratulations to them all on an excellent set of results.”

On Tuesday 12 February, 34 pupils from across the Princethorpe Foundation travelled to the National Space Centre in Leicester to take part in a simulated space mission called Rendezvous with a Comet. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) based adventure took place in the Challenger Learning Centre, one of only two educational space mission simulators outside North America.

For the mission pupils took on the roles of navigation experts, medical officers, data officers, scientists and engineers; the Year 6 and 7 pupils worked as a team to plot a successful course to rendezvous with Comet Enke as it streaked across the solar system, and then launched a probe to collect scientific data.

The first task was to construct the space probe before then plotting the correct intercept course but what seemed at first to be a routine exploration was soon filled with exciting challenges and emergencies along the way. Giving concise instructions, documenting the research and analysing data enabled pupils to maintain the safety of their team in space and ultimately accomplish a successful mission. And how exciting it was to discover that they had chanced upon a much rarer comet than Comet Enke. The new comet was so rare that no living human being had ever before observed it, so pupils got to name it! Our cross-phase pupils voted on the name Comet CCP to ensure that Crackley, Crescent and Princethorpe were equal partners in this extra-terrestrial mission.

The teams got a heroes’ welcome home when they returned to Mission Control safely. Da Vinci Co-ordinator, Mrs Pascoe-Williams commented, “It was another excellent mission – I was impressed with how well the pupils from our three schools worked together. The atmosphere was fantastic and the enthusiasm boundless, all in all it was a great opportunity for cross-curricular learning. Well done everyone!”

Crackley Hall took a team of ten boys to the National Hockey Finals at the Lee Valley Stadium on Thursday 7 February. It was an early start leaving school at 6am, the boys were full of excitement and anticipation although a few delays in traffic meant they got there only just in time!

The morning pool games were for qualification into the cup or plate competitions in the afternoon. Crackley played steadily to achieve the following results:

Game 1 vs Abercorn – 1-0 win
Game 2 vs Rosemead – 0-0 draw
Game 3 vs Lingfield – 0-1 loss

This put them on equal points with Rosemead however, on goal difference, Rosemead were ahead, so Crackley turned their attention to the plate competition setting their sights firmly on winning that.

The team had good results in the plate first round:

Game 1 vs Lewes – 0-0 draw
Game 2 vs Avon House – 1-0 win
Game 3 vs Oakkfield Prep – 2-0 win

That put Crackley top of the table with 11 points. However, one of the other team's results had been entered incorrectly, so having thought they were in the final the boys then found out they were equal on points with Lewes. So, it went to the result of their game – a draw. Then onto goal difference, which was also equal, then goals for and Lewes had scored just one more than Crackley over the tournament, so Lewes went into the final and Crackley were in the play off for 3rd/4th place.

The boys were really disappointed, but showed real grit and picked themselves up, playing the best game of the tournament and beating Queen Ethelburga 3-0 to secure the bronze medal!

Commenting on the event, PE Teacher Kat Vaughan, said, “The boys were an absolute pleasure to take out for the day. They showed exceptional team spirit, working hard to support each other in celebration and disappointment."

Pupils and staff at Crackley Hall have welcomed a new member to the school’s leadership team. Mrs Tanya Hill, an experienced teacher and senior leader, has been appointed Assistant Head of Academic and Key Stage 2 for the Kenilworth independent junior school.

Mrs Hill has worked at a number of independent prep schools and has previously held the role of Deputy Head at both Warwick Prep School and Eversfield Prep School. Most recently she has been an Independent Schools Inspector. She brings a wealth of experience to her new role having played a significant part in the development and management of a wide range of schools.

As a member of the senior leadership team at Crackley Hall, she will work closely with the Headmaster, Rob Duigan, and colleagues to ensure that pupils achieve to the very best of their abilities.

Explaining her approach to learning, Tanya Hill comments, “Children deserve innovative and creative opportunities to learn across a broad curriculum. They need to enjoy their learning and have their successes celebrated. I am delighted that I have been given the opportunity to lead on Academic and Key Stage 2 at Crackley Hall. I look forward to working with all of the parents and staff, but my main aim will be to engage Crackley’s pupils with an enthusiasm for learning.”

Rob Duigan, Headmaster at Crackley Hall, comments, “We are delighted that Tanya has accepted the position of Assistant Head, Academic and Key Stage 2. When interviewing her for the role I was impressed with how her passion for the curriculum was balanced with her philosophy that achievement sits alongside shared values, an ethos which is echoed here at Crackley. She will be a key figure in the future of our teaching provision at Crackley Hall and the education of all our pupils. I wish her well in her new role.”

On Tuesday 5 March, Crescent School welcomed musicians from fellow Foundation junior school, Crackley Hall, for an orchestral workshop. It was another opportunity for the young virtuosos to work together following a successful Choral Workshop at Crackley Hall in the Michaelmas Term. The event saw 20 members of Crackley Hall’s Orchestra join 20 Crescent instrumentalists for a day designed to develop and stretch their music and performance skills.

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

The children enjoyed a busy morning and afternoon of rehearsals, they relished making music together especially in such a big group. They worked hard to prepare two challenging pieces, including the moving 'I Dreamed A Dream' from the hit musical Les Miserables and the stirring ‘Great Movie Adventures’ by John Williams, both pieces testing the players’ technical and music-reading ability to the limit.

The afternoon concert was superb, a sensational symphony of sound. As well as featuring the full 40-piece orchestra playing their now near perfect pieces, it also included four solo performances, two from each school. Edward Hunter played ‘I’d Do Anything’ from Oliver on Trumpet, Fin Calder played ‘Reverie’ by Tchaikovsky on Tenor Horn, Andrea Zanyi played ‘Take Five’ by Paul Desmond on Flute and Matthew Thomas played ‘Prelude’ by Charpentier on Cornet.

Mrs Barnes, Director of Music at Crescent, commented, “It was a very successful day and the pupils enjoyed working and collaborating together. They achieved a very high standard of performance, and this was due in no small part to the preparation and practising that went on in the weeks beforehand”.

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

Another successful Foundation day with the young musicians leading the way enjoying learning and working together!

Work is well underway on an exciting, new Foundation website which is due to launch this spring.

The new site has been carefully designed as five websites in one to perfectly showcase the Foundation and its four schools - Princethorpe College, Crescent School, Crackley Hall School and Little Crackers Nursery.

Melanie Butler, Assistant Head – Marketing, Admissions and Communications, comments, “This has been a major project, which we hope will be well received by the Foundation community and prospective families. It will look better, work faster and be easier to use than our current sites. We can’t wait to share it with everybody!”

The Foundation Marketing Team have developed the site in partnership with website company, e4education.

Keep an eye on the Foundation social media platforms for previews of the site and news of the launch date.