Dear Parents and Friends of the School

It is rather late to wish you all a happy Easter but I do hope you enjoyed the holiday period just gone by. I know that many parents continue to work during the school holidays and try to find lots of time they can spend with their children, and I very much hope you managed to do that. It has been a healthy break for the children I am sure, and they have come back with renewed vigour and freshness. 
The positive vibe in the school has been very much aided by the beautiful spring sunshine we have enjoyed throughout the week. We are an accredited Sun Safe School and, as part of this, we ran our annual assembly on this theme on Wednesday morning. The children learned about the new version of ‘slip slap slop’, which now includes the extra three ‘Ss’ slide (on the sunglasses), seek (the shade) and slurp (on a drink of water). Each day, we put up the UV level in the school for the children to see and we also talked about what this means and the protections they can take to look after themselves. 
I know that the Year 5 children had a lovely day over at Princethorpe College for their annual taster day on Tuesday. Just a gentle reminder to parents in that class if they would like to put their children forward for the early offer scheme then the deadline is this Friday. There is an article on this further on in the newsletter that I hope will provide all the information that you need and details on how to apply. 
I managed to get away to the Lake District as planned during the break and me and Mandy got in a nice couple of days walking on the hills. Somebody asked me on my return ‘is it ever actually not raining in the Late District?’ I’m able to confirm that there are occasions when the rain does stop and, when it does, it is most lovely, or as Mr Wordsworth himself once famously put it, "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found". 
On the family front, our son James also returned this week from four months away at sea and it was great to see him looking so fit and healthy with lots of sailor’s tales to share with us. 
I hope you enjoy the three day weekend and I look forward to catching up with you all at some point during the remainder of the term. 

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

Following  Year 5's successful Taster Day at Princethorpe on Tuesday, the deadline for the Foundation Early Offer Scheme is fast approaching. 

Many families have already signed up, and we do not want anyone to miss out, so if you would like your child to be included in the scheme, please ensure that Princethorpe has your completed online registration by 9.00am on Tuesday 6 May 2025. Click here to register.

This will enable us to ensure that everyone who wants to, participates in the next stage of the process, the online assessment, which will take place on Thursday 8 May at Crescent.

Details of the Early Offer Scheme can be found here and the 2026 Admissions and Entrance Examinations Booklet, which includes full Scholarships information, is available here. The deadline for Scholarship applications is Friday 26 September 2025, so you have plenty of time to consider these.

If you have any further questions about the Scheme or admissions to the College please contact Catherine Rogers, Registrar or Georgia Newborough, the Assistant Registrar at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk or call 01926 634201/297.

Please find below a link to view the Trinity Term’s Crescent School calendar. We hope that you will find it a useful aide memoir when planning school events and activities into your busy schedules. There is plenty to look forward to, including lots of fixtures and the Summer Fete.

Crescent School Trinity Term Calendar 2025

Crescent School

Please can all children have their Crescent School sun hat in school this term. These will be needed to wear when it is sunny at break/lunch times and in their PE/Games lessons. Hats can be purchased from the school office.

Children should also have sun cream in school (to apply themselves). 

Crescent School

We will be running as the Williams Warriors in the Summer Wolf Run on Sunday 8 June (day after Barnaby Football Cup). Last year was a phenomenal turnout with a nearly 150 strong pack. 

Please contact me on 07769891231 to be added to the WhatsApp Group that will be used for joining and event details. 

Lisa Millward

Weekly Calendar 

Weekly Calendar 6 May

After School

Provision can be booked through My School Portal selecting the sessions you require. If you require your child to have tea, please ensure bookings are made by 10.00am each day.  

MySchoolPortal

Crescent School

Please click below to view the lunch menu for next week. 

Lunch Menu - 6 May 2025

Crescent School

Please see below to view the music lesson timetable and the music exam timetable:

Music Lessons 5 May 2025

Please note the following:

• The timetable changes every week. Lessons are rotated as we try to avoid children missing the same lesson each week, though sometimes this is unavoidable if there are trips, matches and events to work around. If a teacher teaches on more than one day, your child's lesson could be on any of those days. Lessons in bold type are in fixed slots and therefore do not rotate, though, again, on occasions we may have to swap them around to avoid clashes with events.
• The music staff will always try to reschedule lessons missed because of a school event, however lessons missed because of illness or not having an instrument in school cannot be made up.
• If you know your child is not going to be in school for their lesson for any reason, please do let me know as early as possible and I will try to work around it, though this cannot be guaranteed.
• Lessons before school and during lunchtime are prioritised to Year 5 pupils now and Year 6 lessons have moved to being during class time.
• Half a term's (ie five lessons) notice is required to stop having lessons, or payment of half a term's fees in lieu of notice.

Please send all enquiries about music lessons to me juliebarnes@crescentschool.co.uk rather than the individual music teachers.

Mrs Barnes
Director of Music

Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who back in March had their secondary school places confirmed. Once again pupils will be moving on to a range of outstanding local independent and state schools.

Ten of the 23-strong class will be moving to the Foundation’s senior school, Princethorpe College. We also have pupils going to a number of other independent schools as well as the local grammar schools. We are especially delighted that this year, 18 of our Year 6 pupils have been awarded scholarships, including academic, sports, drama, music and choral awards.

Sarah Webb, Assistant Head and Year 6 Teacher, said, “It’s lovely to see the children enjoying such success. Our aim is always to do our best to help our pupils reach the destination secondary school of their choice. We are particularly pleased with the wide range of scholarship offers this group has received. It’s an excellent outcome and everyone here is thrilled for them.”

Congratulations to all the children on their achievements – Crescent School is really proud of them all.

Our Trinity Term programme of Outdoor Learning for Years 1-6 has kicked off this week. Combining forest school activities with orienteering, team building and leadership skills training, this term’s structured activities will develop the children’s collaborative work skills while enhancing their growth mindset in problem solving situations.

Our programme is guided by the well-respected John Muir Programme of Outdoor Learning, a nationally recognised environmental and conservation award scheme.

During the week, children across the school have enjoyed getting outside in the fresh air and taking on the opportunity to develop their problem solving skills.

Crescent School gave a warm welcome to the Leavers of 2024 when they returned to their old primary school to take part in the annual Past Pupil Sports Matches yesterday afternoon. It was lovely to see all their familiar faces and to welcome them and their parents back into school. It was even better to catch up with their news while enjoying tea and cakes. First on the agenda was a tour of the school and a visit to their old form room, then it was off to the field and courts respectively, ready to face Crescent’s senior teams. The matches were great fun to watch, full of super sporting spirit, and fast paced with plenty of shots on goal.

Sport is such a huge part of life here at Crescent, and it was wonderful to see the camaraderie of all the pupils. This year the results in the Football were 4-1 to Crescent Year 6, with a super performance from everyone. Then in the Netball the Year 7s resoundingly came out on top beating the Year 6s 11-6. What matters most though, is that great fun was had by all. 

We always like hearing from our past pupils and encourage everyone within the Crescent community to stay in touch with the school. The Foundation has an active alumni community that past parents are welcome to join, as are past pupils once they have finished their secondary education. Find out more here: https://connect.princethorpe.co.uk/ There is also the Old Crescentians' Facebook group (again for over 18s) which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldcrescentians/

As part of the fundraising efforts for the Barnaby Friendship Garden, Barnaby’s sister Beau was keen to undertake a challenge of her own. On Saturday 10 May, Beau and Roisin will undertake a sponsored dribble around the pitch at the King Power Stadium during half time of the ladies match. 

We are hoping to use the money to put towards the pledge that the FoC made to the Barnaby Friendship Garden and to add some finishing touches as well. Any additional funds that we make will go to the Birmingham Children's Hospital Appeal:

Crowdfunding For Good From JustGiving

Should you wish to attend the match, tickets are available via the Leicester City Football Club website click here:

Select Tickets for Leicester City Women v West Ham United Women Car Park: Leicester City Ticketing

As many of you know, Barnaby and Chris were big Leicester City fans and what a fitting tribute for Beau to undertake this challenge at the King Power Stadium, the home of Leicester City. 

Good Luck Beau and Roisin! 

Tuesday 13 May - 5.00pm to 7.00pm

Please share news of our Open Evening for prospective pupils.

Prospective pupils and their parents are warmly invited to Crescent School's Open Evening on Tuesday 13 May 2025 - 5.00pm to 7.00pm.

Our Open Evening is a great opportunity for prospective families to get a feel for the school and to meet, Mr Thackway, Headmaster.

We had very high levels of interest in places for Reception for September 2025 entry at the Early Bird Application deadline stage. As a result, we have decided to have two classes for Reception resulting in limited places still being available for September 2025.

We are already taking registrations for places in Reception and Year 3 starting in September 2026. 

To book your place please click here. 

For more information or to talk to our Admissions Team, please contact our Registrar Mrs Becky Witcomb on 01788 523851 or by email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk.

Wednesday 14 May 2025 - 2.30pm to 3.30pm

We are looking forward to our Year 3 production of Anglos Saxons And Vikings.   

Refreshments will be served in the Library from 2.15pm

There are three tickets available per family of pupils in Year 3 to book by Sunday 11 May 2025:

Year 3 - 'Anglo Saxons and Vikings' - Performance to Parents in the School Hall

Mrs Woolfenden
Drama Teacher

Monday 12 May 2025 - 09.00am to 12.00pm

Class, Group and Team photographs will take place on Monday 12 May. Summer uniform and blazers to be worn please.

Orchestra and Brass group may bring their instruments as props.

Those who are having Sports Team photos taken will be advised so they can bring their kit in. 

Crescent School

Friday 16 May 2025 - 4.15pm to 6.00pm

The afternoon is aimed at children of all skill levels, including those who have not necessarily played hockey before. Taught by Princethorpe's experienced sports coaches, including national level hockey players, this event is aimed at both boys and girls and will be a fun and informal experience of this energetic and fast paced sport.

To book your child's place please click here. 

This event is open to all Year 4 and Year 5 pupils however, we understand that this event clashes with the Year 5 residential. 

Friday 16 May 2025 - 7.00pm - 8.00pm

On Friday 16 May, Crescent School Brass Group have been invited to perform with Bilton Training and EVO band at Princethorpe College.

All are welcome to attend this wonderful musical extravaganza.  No booking required just arrive and head to the Princethorpe College Chapel by 7pm.

Jodie Kelsall

Wednesday 21 May 2025 - 3.45pm to 4.15pm

We would very much like to welcome you to look around the school corridors on Wednesday 21 May.

The playground will be open for parking from 3.40pm. Year 5 and 6 will be dismissed through the pupil door, all other classes are to be dismissed through their usual door(s).

Please collect your child(ren) then come round to the front door where you will be welcomed in from 3.45pm to look at all the great work in school. Entry and exit is via the main school entrance only and last entry is at 3.55pm.

If your child is in a co-curricular club they will be expected to attend their club as normal unless you arrange otherwise.

Please be aware that this is not a time to talk to the teachers concerning your child, please email them separately if you have concerns.

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Thursday 22 May - 2.30pm to 3.30pm

We are looking forward to our Year 4 production of Wind in the Willows

Refreshments will be served in the Library from 2.15pm

There are three tickets available per family of pupils in Year 4 to book by Sunday 11 May 2025:

Year 4 - 'Wind in the Willows' - Performance to Parents in the School Hall

Mrs Woolfenden
Drama Teacher

Friday 23 May 2025

We will be holding a non-uniform day on Friday 23 May with all proceeds going to this term's chosen charity, Bwengu Projects (details to be announced in due course). 

Please send a £1 donation with your child to be given to their form teacher.

Thank you.

Ms Forth
Deputy Head

Monday 19 May 2025 - 9.00am to 9.30am or 

Tuesday 20 May 2025 - 2.45pm to 3.15pm

This is an opportunity to share your child's learning journey through Reception. 

One parent is able to attend either of the sessions below. Entry will be via the After School entrance by the side of school where parents normally collect Reception children. Please book your ticket by Sunday 11 May 2025:

Monday 19 May - 09.00am to 09.30am

Reception 'Stay & Play' in Classroom

Tuesday 20 May - 2.45pm to 3.15pm

Reception 'Stay & Play' in Classroom

We look forward to seeing you then.

Mrs Pullen 
Reception Class Teacher

Saturday 24 May and Sunday 25 May 2025

The National Schools And Riding Clubs Two Day Event is once again taking place on the magnificent Princethorpe estate.

This year’s event includes classes at 70cm, 80cm, 90cm and 100cm for school and riding club teams. The best performing school will be awarded the Winners Cup and ISA member school teams will also compete for ISA rosettes.

The two day event takes place across the weekend of 24 to 25 May at Princethorpe College, near Rugby.

Entry to the event is free and spectators are most welcome to come along and enjoy a wonderful weekend of exciting equestrian sport.

To find out more or to enter the Two Day Event click here.

Team Super Sports Camps are back for May Half Term! The camps are held at Princethorpe College from Tuesday 27 May to Friday 29 May, the 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!

Checkout this video of the Super Sports Camp at Princethorpe to see what they get up to. 

Camps are priced at £38 per day. 10% early bird discount ends on Sunday 11 May! 

Sibling discounts and flexible booking options available!

Click here to book your Team Super Sports camps 

Wednesday 4 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 4 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity for families looking for a secondary school place in September 2026 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. 

Saturday 7 June 2025 - 10.00am to 12.00pm

We are all looking forward to this year's Barnaby Bear Football Tournament. 

This was a new event last year, and one that we hope will become a school tradition. It is a chance to remember Barnaby in a fun way each year. 

This year's tournament is planned for Saturday 7 June and will run from 10.00am until 12.00 noon. It is open to all children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 and everyone is welcome. 

I know this is a busy time of year for sporting events so, to help us with our preparations, please let us know whether your child will be able to come along and play.

There will be two mini-tournaments, one for the U9s and one for the U11s, with trophies on offer for the winning teams and a sporty version of Barnaby Bear to be won by the overall winners. The children will take part in house teams, there may be more than one team per house.

Please complete the form below if your child is able to take part in the tournament. 

If any parents would like to be involved in the morning, either refereeing, serving refreshments or coaching one of the teams, please let us know in the form below.

Barnaby Bear Football Tournament

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

Sunday 29 June 2024 - 11.00am to 7.00pm

Princethorpe’s PTA are joining forces with the Foundation’s Commercial Enterprises Team to host a new exciting event – Princethorpe Summer Fest.

Join us for an unforgettable day building on the success of the PTA's Summer Fête and Motoring Festival!

Mark your calendars for Sunday 29 June, from 11.00am to 7.00pm, and get ready to immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration featuring:

• Live Music
• Performances from local groups
• Stunning Vintage Car Display
• Food, Craft and Beauty stalls selling lots of amazing products
• Exquisite Art Exhibition
• Fun-filled Activities, Games, and Crafts for all ages!

And that's not all! Indulge in a delightful array of food, drink, and artisan products.

Don't miss out on this spectacular event—bring your friends and family for a day of entertainment, creativity, and delicious treats!

Entry is £5 per car to be paid on the day. To get your tickets click here. 

With thanks to our generous sponsor, Carter and King.

We were delighted, in today's assembly, to award our Promise Badges. They are very special and are awarded at the end of each term to one child in Pre-Prep (PP) and one child in the Upper School (US) for each of the three promise strands: Good Friends, Good Learners, Good Citizens.

The children listed below have embodied the qualities of the promise this term and can wear their new badges with pride.

PP

• Leila (RP) - Good Friend - always kind to others and well mannered.
• Maia (1Q) - Good Citizen - always looking after our environment and encouraging others to do so .
• Emily (2E)  - Good Learner - she approaches every piece of work with enthusiasm, always tries her hardest and is making super progress.

US

• Elliott (4W) - Good Friend - for always having calm energy and thinking of others.
• Toni (6W) - Good Citizen -  above and beyond initiative and forward thinking.
• Siara (3LS) - Good Learner - working super hard and concentrating on her learning.

Mr Webb
Assistant Head

Congratulations to the following children who have received their JDV badge this week:

Keep up the good work.

Ms Forth
Deputy Head

Reading superstars this week are:

• 500k words – Hannah (3SS), Daniel (3SS), Felicity (4C)  and Lucas (4C).
• Word Millionaire – Kian (5F)
• Quintuple Millionaire (x5) – Alice (4C)

Keep up the fantastic reading!

Mrs Nelson
Teaching Assistant

Word Wizards

The pupils achieving the highest word count from successfully quizzing this week, are:

• 3LS Alex
• 3SS Nishaan
• 4C Henry
• 4W Janhavi
• 5F Lilah
• 6W Harry

Top Quizzers 

The pupils who have quizzed on the most books successfully or made a noticeable improvement in quizzing scores this week are:

• 3LS Olivia-Rose
• 3SS Jed
• 4C Alice
• 4W Hermione
• 5F Ava
• 6W Nora

Mrs Nelson
Teaching Assistant

Garage and Gigs are the most important games to show your progress. 

Pupils  reaching landmark % for JDVs for Maths Practice this week:

• Lucas 4C completed 24%, 48% and then 72% of the training course.

Most improved speedsters in the studio are:

4W

• Joshua - Rockstar!

New battle between all classes 30 April- 7 May 2025.

Please note only the children should play on their account or it influences the level appropriate to them.

Art Frizzmeister 
Deputy Head

Some of the things the children have been learning:

We have introduced our new topic Once Upon a Time using Goldilocks and The Three Bears as our focus text. We have written about the story using word mats to support our sentence building.

We have revisited time and practised reading o’clock and half past times. We have been learning to recognise and name bigger numbers and looking for numerical patterns on 100 square.

We have talked about trusted adults at home and school and why it’s so important to share our worries and tell someone if we don’t feel safe.

Some of the things the children will be learning in the weeks to come:

The next traditional tales we will be using as focus texts are Little Red Riding Hood and The Gingerbread Man. We will be considering alternative characters and describing them using simple adjectives. 

We will be revisiting the composition of 10 in Maths and applying this to recall number bonds.

In phonics we have been introduced to trigraphs;

ear               and             ure 

How to help your child at home:

Share different versions of traditional tales - ask the children to try and read a page or two and identify familiar words.

Revise the value of ‘teen’ numbers as a ten and some more.

Practise reading bigger numbers in the environment. Talk about the materials that are used in our homes and their simple properties.

What’s going on next half term/notices/information

Our Show and Tell sessions take place soon – please come along to one of these if you can. It’s a lovely opportunity for the children to share their Reception learning journey with you.

Mrs Pullen
Reception Teacher

This week, Year 1 have had a fantastic start to their new topic: Superheroes! The children were captivated by fictional heroes such as Spider-Man and The Hulk, using exciting vocabulary to describe their superpowers and what makes them unique.

We also took time to celebrate real-life heroes, including doctors, nurses, firefighters, and other everyday role models who make a big difference in our lives.

One of the highlights of the week was when the children imagined themselves as superheroes, creating wonderful drawings and thoughtful writing about the powers they would have and how they would help others.

Miss Quirke
Year 1 Teacher

This half term we will be looking at relationships in PSHE and we began with our family. We have looked at all the different ways a family can be made up and how each are equally important. We thought about what makes a family happy and have made a ’happy family recipe’.

We had a pinch of fun, a spoonful of hugs and dollop of kindness. It was important to also think about our role and how we can contribute to a happy family.

Mrs Emery
Year 2 Teacher

In Science, Year 2 are learning about plants. We are building on our Year 1 learning and looking in greater detail about what plants need to grow and how bulbs and seeds grow into mature plants.

We planted our potatoes a few weeks ago and have looked after them well in this warm weather. They are growing beautifully. We are excited to see whether the Casa Blanca or Shannon potatoes grow the biggest or taste the best. 

Mrs Johnson
Year 2 Science Teacher

This term everybody at Crescent is learning Spanish. Year 2 have been practising greetings and introductions. They also listened to the Language Angels song, ‘Me llamo …’. (My name is …)

Mrs Day
MFL Teacher

Did you know about Earth Day, which was on 22 April 2025? You can read about this day and its aims on the website. 

Just a reminder that we have a Community Litter Pick organised for Tuesday 24 June in the afternoon. This is part of the Great British Spring Clean Campaign, and we have pledged to collect at least 10 large bags of litter. The Green Team and Year 6 will be out and about in the community litter picking. If you would like to be involved please contact: jacquijohnson@crescentschool.co.uk

The Great British Spring Clean | Keep Britain Tidy

From the Green Team

Friday 9 May 2025

Please see the image for details of the FoC Disco.

• Reception to Year 3 - 3.50pm to 4.45pm
• Year 4 to Year 6 - 5.00pm to 6.00pm

The 'What's On' section has gone and events are now under 'Calendar' which is found at the top of the home screen. 

Disco

FoC

Friday 23 May 2025 - 3.30pm to 4.45pm

Year 1 Bake Sale is on Friday 23 May. As always this will start from 3.30pm and will have a range of yummy cakes and snacks selling at £1 each.

All profits will go to Class 1Q to spend on entertainment for Privilege Time.

Friends of Crescent

Please see below for useful school contact information:

Uniform can be ordered here:

Uniform Order Form

Please note the following items are stocked in the School Office and can be added to your account. Do pop in to collect any items.

• Winter hats
• Scarves
• Gloves
• Ties
• Swimming hats
• Sports socks
• Hair bands
• Hair scrunchies
• Hair clips
• Sun hats
• Music group badges - Choir, Orchestra, String and Brass 

School Uniform Shop 
Tel: 01926 634272
Email: uniform@princethorpe.co.uk

Click here to view the term dates for 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Crescent School

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 

• Graduate Sports Coach

 Crescent School

• Teacher - KS2 (part-time)
• Teacher - Lower KS2
• Teacher - KS1

Crackley Hall School

• Estates Operative

Full details and information on how to apply are available on the Foundation website here:

www.princethorpe.co.uk/join-us

Should you know anyone who might be interested in these posts, please do share this information with them.

Please click on the link below which provides information regarding areas of the curriculum where you may be able to help your child at home.

• Class 1Q - How to Support Your Child
• Class 2E - How to Support Your Child
• Class 3LS - How to Support Your Child
• Class 3SS- How to Support Your Child
• Class 4C - How to Support Your Child
• Class 4W - How to Support Your Child
• Class 5F - How to Support Your Child
• Class 6W - How to Support Your Child

Ms Forth
Deputy Head - Curriculum