Admissions Update

A very warm welcome to our Admissions Update e-newsletter, designed to give you an insight into the Crescent and a feel for the richness of school life here. You will also find lots of practical information that will help you through the admissions process.

The first thing that strikes visitors to our school is the special sense of purpose that there is here, combined with a genuinely caring and nurturing atmosphere. Every child here is unique and everyone has their place in our shared community. 

Our wonderful teaching staff are determined to go the extra mile to help children achieve everything they are capable of. This has never been more true than during the challenges of recent months, where we have continued to offer excellent provision both academically and pastorally. Our philosophy applies inside the classroom, on the sports field and in all of our extra-curricular pursuits as well.

We look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful school in the near future.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

It has been a fantastic first few weeks at the Crescent School for our two new Reception classes. Under the ever-present care of their teachers, Mrs Pullen and Mrs Emery, the 12 girls and 10 boys have settled in and have smiles on their faces.

They have been busy making friends, playing outside, sitting down for lunch together, hanging up their blazers on the right peg and of course – enjoying plenty of fabulous new lessons in their spacious and well-equipped classrooms. 

Their teaching team includes dedicated Teaching Assistants and subject specialists who lead lessons in MFL, PE and Music. Together the Early Years team deliver a tailored child-centred approach that provides an excellent start for youngsters at the very beginning of their education journey.

Already the bubbly, bright youngsters are becoming familiar with their new routines and what an exciting adventure they have ahead of them over the next few years.

Comments, Headmaster, Joe Thackway, “We have started the year with two small classes of 11 pupils each and the excellent staff to pupil ratio will provide our new Reception children with a welcome boost to their learning after the disruption we have all experienced this year.”

He continued, “Both classes have room to grow, as we know demand for Reception places locally is on the increase. Having two classes provides the flexibility to incorporate a few extra children easily, while still delivering the tailored education the Crescent is so well known for.”  

Prospective parents who would be interested in a place in Reception for their child are invited to contact Mrs Helen Morley, the Registrar, on 01788 523851 or email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk to register their interest. 

The Crescent School, has a new school film. It features our School Promise and is a celebration of our ethos and values.

The film cleverly combines live action with the school’s animated Crescent Promise characters to uniquely bring the different elements of the promise to life. Produced by the Foundation Marketing Team and award-winning Affixxius Films, the film was shot over the Lent Term 2020 and aims to communicate how the Crescent School Promise fosters and develops the qualities of kindness and tolerance in a safe and caring environment where staff and families work together to deliver an inspiring, challenging and varied education. ​

Comments, Headmaster, Joe Thackway, “The Crescent School Promise expresses our community’s shared values, it is a simple set of guidelines, developed and shared by all pupils and staff, that helps our pupils become Good Friends, Good Learners and Good Citizens."​

We think it is wonderful. Congratulations to Crescent School, Affixxius Films, Dam Design who created the Promise characters, and to all the pupils and staff who helped and took part in the film - what stars you are! ​

So roll out the red carpet, grab your popcorn, sit back and enjoy the film.

Click here to view the film.

All 83 Crescent pupils who took the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) examinations passed with the overwhelming majority, 80 pupils, achieving a distinction.

Children from Year 3-6 study for the examinations in their Drama lessons as part of the school’s curriculum. Years 3-4 take the Introductory level, Stages 1 and 2 respectively, while Years 5-6 study the Communications - Speaking Verse and Prose, Entry and Grade 1 examinations.

The children prepare poems to perform. They are judged on interpretation, technique and knowledge. They have to consider their diction, expression and movement and be able to discuss their choices of poems with their examiner.

Drama teacher Kim Thompson explains, “What’s brilliant about the LAMDA exams is that they equip the children with communication skills which will serve them throughout life. They not only promote an appreciation of literature and poetry, but also help unlock their imagination and creative-thinking. This is a superb set of results, some of the best the school has ever seen, I am delighted.”

Congratulations to all of the children,  Crescent School is very proud of you. The results are a reflection of your hard work both in and out of school – clearly all your rehearsing paid off.

Netball is a popular sport at the Crescent School and a hungry Crescent U10 team started strongly displaying fantastic agility and strength on court, fabulous shooting and tight marking at this year's U10 ISA Netball Tournament.

The girls won the first four games comfortably, but needed to change tactics against a very tall Twycross team. Unfortunately this came too late and Twycross went on to win the game, and indeed the tournament.

The team still progressed to the knockout stages and the Semi Finals against Crackley Hall were end to end excitement, that sadly went in Crackley's favour this time.

The girls went through to the 3rd place play off against Stafford Prep, where the they showed the true meaning of the words grit and determination. After finishing the first half 4-0 down they kept their heads, stayed composed and came back for a 5-4 win to take overall 3rd place.

It was absolutely awesome work from all the girls.

The Pre-Prep children together with youngsters from Pathfinders Nursery performed their Open Morning production, The Selfish Ladybird, in front of a proper audience of the older school children and staff on Tuesday 17 March. 

A lot of hard work had gone into the rehearsals, learning the songs, memorising lines, sorting out costumes, scenery and planning the production, and what a lovely ladybird spectacle it proved to be. Telling the story of Lucinda and her search for advice about sharing and friendship, it showcased the wonderful talents, confidence and stage presence of Crescent School's youngest pupils.

After all the hard work, the school was delighted the FoC were able to film the performance, so the recording could be shared with parents.  It was a really fabulous story full of plenty of terrific songs, so we are sure you all enjoyed flitting and hovering along.

Well done Pre-Prep, you were all amazing and really rose to the occasion and you all looked lovely in your insect costumes.

Congratulations to Crescent pupils, George Crowfoot, Emme Edge and Izzy Slaytor, whose entries have been recognised in this year’s Rupert Brooke Literary competition.

Established in 1987 to commemorate the birth of poet Rupert Brooke, the award is an annual creative writing competition organised by Rugby School open to school pupils local to the Rugby area.

Sarah Webb, Assistant Head, commented, “Year 5 and Year 6 pupils enjoyed crafting creative stories on the subject of the Body for the Rupert Brooke Literary Award. They put a lot of time and effort in, to showcase their best English skills, and it is lovely to see that their hard work has been recognised.”

George Crowfoot has been awarded 3rd place.

Emme Edge and Izzy Slaytor have both had their entries awarded a Highly Commended.

Alix Scott-Martin from Rugby School said, “Thank you for submitting such strong entries for this year's Rupert Brooke Literary Prize. These students should feel particularly proud of themselves as we received over 200 entries.”

Crescent School congratulates them, well done, we are delighted with your literary success.

On Tuesday 3 March, Crescent School welcomed musicians from fellow Foundation junior school, Crackley Hall, for an orchestral workshop. It was a great opportunity for the young virtuosos to play together, as 16 members of Crackley Hall’s Orchestra joined 16 Crescent instrumentalists for a day designed to develop and stretch their music and performance skills.

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

The children enjoyed a busy morning and afternoon of rehearsals, they relished making music together, especially in such a big group. They worked hard to prepare three challenging pieces, including the instantly recognisable I Am Sailing by Rod Stewart, two complicated movements, Woody’s Round Up and When She Loves Me, from Toy Story 2 and the catchy big band number In The Mood by Glen Miller. All of the pieces tested the players’ technical and music-reading ability to the limit.

The afternoon concert was super, a sensational symphony of sound. As well as featuring the full 32-piece orchestra playing their now near perfect pieces, it included four solo performances, two from each school.  

Mrs Barnes, Director of Music at Crescent, commented, “It was another 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, "The children had a brilliant day, it was fantastic for them to play with different instruments and with so many other talented musicians."

It was a great to see the young musicians enjoying learning and working together!

Last year, Crescent School pupil, Daniel Ovens Gibbs, read an impressive six million words and 65 books. This year 11-year-old Daniel has gone one step better. As we approached the end of the summer term, Daniel broke through the nine million words mark after reading an astonishing 106 books this school year.

Daniel is modest about his achievement saying, “I love reading – it takes me into a world of adventure and stimulates my imagination. My favourite time to read is in the evening; it helps me wind down after the day.”

Some of Daniel’s favourite reads this year have included, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Earthsea Saga (series of books) and The Lantern Bearers – all great mystery and adventure stories full of drama and suspense to captivate their reader.

Outside of school, Daniel reads most days but, just like any other boy, he also plays sports such as hockey, tennis and sailing and finds time to practise the piano and flute.

Assistant Head, Sarah Webb, who leads on literacy at the Crescent School, explains, “We have a very positive reading culture here at Crescent, it is cool for boys to read, many of our boys in Year 6 have the reading age of a 16-year-old. There are just so many good books out there for boys to read these days.”

The Crescent’s approach to literacy is supported by Renaissance’s Accelerated Reader system. Children take a quiz after reading each book that tests their understanding. Its approach promotes reading for pleasure whilst ensuring the children read appropriately challenging books. It also totals up the books and words read.

Sarah, continues, “Pupils from Year 3 onwards take part in the reading challenge and can quiz daily. We find the boys respond really well to the competitive nature of the challenge. Daniel has been our top reader for several years, but it is an absolutely awe-inspiring achievement that he has read nine million words this year.”

Crescent School’s U11 boys’ hockey team qualified for the IAPS (Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) U11 Boys’ National Hockey Finals for the fourth year running.

The boys secured their place on Monday 20 January at Rugby School when they faced school hockey teams from across the Midlands area.

Matt Phillips, Head of PE and Games, commented, “ The boys had one goal in mind as they set out last Monday, there was a quiet, steely determination in their eyes and this translated into their play.  They sailed through the group stage with four wins and without conceding a goal!”

In the quarter finals, they faced local rivals Bilton Grange. Crescent concentrated on the game, snuffing out counter-attacks and being energetic on the restarts and finished the match with a good 3-0 win.

Solihull awaited them in the semi-final. It was a closely fought battle and goalkeeper, Josh, who had had little to do up until that point, showed good concentration levels to pull off some great saves when called upon. The match ended 0-0 and went to golden goal extra time. Halfway through, Crescent won a short corner and following a blocked strike at goal, the ball fell to Archie. He hit the ball goal-wards and the shot deflected into the roof of the net. Crescent had reached the final.

Against Moulsford, the boys were on the attack straight away but the teams were evenly matched. With the game heading for extra time again, Archie found space on the left by-line where there seemed to be none. He tiptoed around two sticks and laid it into George in the D. George coolly slotted the ball to the side of the keeper and into the goal. The hooter sounded straight afterwards and Crescent were the Regional Champions. 

Matt Phillips continued, "The boys were absolutely delighted but showed great respect towards their worthy opponents.  Their Regional Final win means that Crescent qualifies for the National Finals for the fourth year in a row. An amazing achievement for our small school, and a reflection of the commitment our boys have for their sport."

May marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe. There were plenty of celebrations to mark this important anniversary, but the Crescent School wanted to commemorate the day in our own special way. So, on Thursday 7 May, pupils spent the day off timetable, taking part in lessons for a themed VE History Day.

Headmaster, Joe Thackway kicked off proceedings with a VE Day Assembly. Mr Thackway talked to the children about the Second World War and VE Day and then he set them a writing challenge.

Throughout the day the children took part in a host of different themed activities they included delights such as: creating invitations to a VE party in 1945, designing, making and labelling in French a VE day picnic, designing and making flags and bunting, decoding and encoding Morse code and then undertaking a spot of code breaking, writing newspaper reports, making air raid shelters, putting together their own evacuee suitcases, performing wartime songs and dances, designing commemorative teacups and even creating war medals.

Across the school everyone participated enthusiastically, and it was wonderful to see all the photos of the super work the children produced. We are sure they all now know a lot more about the Second World War and VE Day.

It was an enjoyable History Day and alongside all in our country, we give thanks to all those who gave so much to secure the peace, freedom and prosperity our society enjoys today.

In February Crescent School held its first ever Maths Dash.  The competition was devised by Deputy Head, Ms Forth, and inspired by and built on the school’s success in last year’s Warwick University Primary Maths Challenge. 

The competition took place in the school hall and 24 children from Year 2 through to Year 5 completed a series of challenges, which tested their teamwork and communication skills in addition to their mathematical knowledge.

Overseen by the Year 6 House Captains and working in groups of four, they took it in turns, as pairs, to problem solve and answer before dashing to their Captain to check their answers and for the next question.

The children all worked exceptionally well, sharing ideas, demonstrating their impressive mathematical abilities and supporting each other.

Pupils really enjoyed the Maths Dash commenting, they were "up for a challenge", "loved it" and that "we should do it every year"! 

Well done to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to Blue House who finished in first place and were awarded a Diamond trophy in Assembly. 

A special commendation to the Alex and Shiv, the Year 2 Blue team, who contributed the most points to their team overall.

In the Lent Term, four firefighters came to meet Class 1 and 2 to talk about fire safety. It was a really interactive session where the children first considered the different parts of the firefighters uniform and discussed how it keeps them safe in a fire. They then learned the difference between a safe and unsafe fire and some good fire prevention tips focussing on the dangers of matches and the importance of checking your smoke alarm weekly.

The class finished with by learning about the Stop, Drop and Roll technique that you should use if your clothes catch fire and how to safely get yourself out of a house fire should one start.

Looking at the fire truck was a special highlight for the children. So much discussion and learning took place that will hopefully keep the children fire safe for life.

The latest editions of the Pinnacle and Minnacle were published in June.  Showcasing exceptional work by pupils from across the Foundation they are an inspiring read.

They celebrated the extraordinary 'home learning' that took place during the coronavirus lockdown and are a testament to the dedication of pupils and staff to continue with their studies in the face of the pandemic restrictions.

From the Spring Social Distance-Sing Concert and the Princethorpe At Home Recital to superb Art and DT, English competition winners, History projects, Bridging courses, EPQ and even an Online Bake Off, they showcased flair and ingenuity across a wide range of subjects and year groups.

The Minnacle included equally impressive work by the Foundation junior schools, Crackley Hall and Crescent School. It was wonderful to showcase their pupils' talents too!!

Click here to read The Pinnacle and here if you would like to see The Minnacle.

The Crescent Circular is a wonderful celebration of the last school year.  It provides existing and prospective parents with a great insight into the wealth of activities and opportunities available at the school and makes a treasured keepsake.

The 2019/2020 edition will be published shortly but in the meantime do have a look at the previous year.

You can find the Circular on a school website here or please email admin@crescentschool.co.uk if you would like to be sent a hard copy of the magazine.  

Princethorpe College’s plans for a new Science Centre took a major step forward last year with planning permission granted and the unveiling of further campus wide benefits.

The state-of-the-art £8 million Science Centre, which will allow the College to redevelop and cluster several other departments, was granted planning permission in May.  The College then revealed further plans for a new suite of Art studios, additional space for Maths and Technology, increased dining capacity and sporting facilities.

Comments, Foundation Headmaster, Ed Hester, “Princethorpe is situated at the heart of the UK’s automotive industry, where science and engineering meet art and design. We know that our pupils need the finest facilities to give them the best opportunities for their future and widening the scope of our Science Campaign to encompass all STEAM subjects enables us to provide these.”

The Science Centre has entered the detailed ‘developed design’ stage with local RIBA members, AT Architects of Leamington, who designed The Limes 14-classroom wing in 2014. A cost plan will follow, and then a period of value engineering and technical design before a bill of quantities is prepared.

Mr Hester continues, “This is a large, complex and exciting project. The next six months will be critical as we prepare thoroughly for the tendering process in autumn 2020. If all goes to plan we should be appointing a main contractor this time next year.”

A fundraising campaign has been launched to work hand in hand with the delivery of the project. The Science Plus Campaign outlines a menu of giving including engraved pavers and bricks, sponsorship of elements on a giant periodic table and personal and corporate naming opportunities.

Our Director of Development comments, “We’re determined to make sure that this project is funded and built as soon as possible. We hope that the many Friends of Princethorpe will be moved to support this project, as they have previous initiatives in the College’s history. Their support is vital in making our vision for Science Plus a reality.”

Those interested in supporting the Science Plus Campaign are invited to email makingadifference@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634265 for a Science Campaign Plus brochure.

Pictured here alongside Mr Hester and Mr Lee are Head of Science, Emma Cooper, and some of the pupils who will reap the benefits of the new facilities at the College.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.