Dear Parents and Friends of the School

As I stand at the gate each morning welcoming the children into the school, the Year 6 monitors and I make a note of the point at which the sun rises above the houses on the opposite side of the field. Except that I can tell you that it doesn't at this time of year, at least not until about 8.28 in the morning. Its trajectory across the sky is pretty low after that as well, so we are not getting our usual fix of sunlight. I am not sure the monitors find it quite as interesting as I do, but I never like to miss out on a learning opportunity.  

With the end of the autumn term fast approaching, all of the children in the school can look back upon many learning opportunities over the last four months. So much happens in this, the longest of the school terms, and the children have all embraced those opportunities across the term and are now looking forward to a well-earned winter break. 

We have a little way to go, of course, and the second of the Carol services takes place on Monday next week for the children in Year 5 and 6 over at the Princethorpe Chapel. This is followed closely on its heels by the Christmas Cracker Year 2 performance on Tuesday which will round off the public events for the term very nicely. The children themselves get to enjoy a festive Celebration Assembly, Christmas Jumper day and Christmas dinner as well next week, with some of the younger children off for their theatre visit on Monday afternoon.  

All in all, it has been a lovely school Christmas and I am hoping by Wednesday of next week we'll all feel suitably in the mood for our family events and holidays in the following couple of weeks. 

We had a very nice message back from the Salvation Army thanking us for our Christmas toy appeal collection, which was so generously supported by all of the parents. They told us that up to 172 children in Rugby will benefit from the toys that we provided, which gives us just a brief glimpse into the alternate world that many children still sadly inhabit, even in this modern day. 

I am sure you'll be fascinated to know that the Christmas tree did indeed go up in the Thackway household last weekend, and also that my son James is safely embarked upon his new ship out in the Middle East.  I am also nearly there with the presents this year so hopefully the weekend will prove a good opportunity for a little bit of early Christmas relaxation. 

I do hope the same goes for you. 

With all best wishes

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

Co-curricular clubs end today, Friday 12 December, with the exception of the club below:

• Tuesday 16 December  - Tae Kwon Do

After this date, if you require After School care please make sure you book this in advance through My School Portal so we can ensure correct staff ratios.

Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Today, Friday 12 December, Parents of Reception and Years 3 to 6 children will be able to access your child's shorter, Mid-Year Report on 'My School Portal' at 4pm. Years 1 and 2 reports will be published on 13 February 2026.

Staff have spent much time gathering evidence and writing these reports to keep you informed of your child's progress, achievements and wellbeing in school. 

We do hope you enjoy reading them and sharing the comments and targets with your child.  

Ms Forth
Deputy Head - Curriculum

As we approach Christmas and the New Year, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some upcoming events with your families, particularly those with children in the current Year 5.

Christmas Masses

There will be Christmas Masses held either in the College Chapel (Our Lady of the Angels) or at St Anne’s, Wappenbury, CV33 9DW, over the festive period and you or any of your families would be very welcome to attend.

• Wednesday 24 December – College Chapel, Princethorpe - 5.00pm Family Mass and 9.00pm First Mass of Christmas. Note: There will be no Midnight Mass.
• Thursday 25 December – St Anne’s Church, Wappenbury - Mass of Christmas Morning - 9.30am

Looking ahead to 2026:

We have some opportunities for Year 5 children to visit Princethorpe early in the New Year, along with other children who have been offered places for September 2026.

Choral Fun Day – Saturday 10 January 2026 - 9.30am to 5.00pm

A day of free musical activities, singing tuition and team-building skills ending with a gala performance at 3.45pm for family and friends. Light refreshments will be available for parents and children upon collection.

Try Tag Rugby – Friday 23 January 2026 – 4.15pm to 6.00pm

An afternoon of free tag rugby training for boys and girls on our astro, learning new skills and making friends before a mini tournament. Beginners welcome. Light refreshments will be available for spectators.

If any of your families would like to take advantage of any of these activities, they should complete the short booking form at this link by Monday 5 January 2026.

September 2027 Entry

We will be launching our 2027 Admissions Cycle in earnest in March 2026, and we look forward to welcoming families to our Spring Open Morning on Thursday 23 April 2026 from 10.30am to 12.30pm. This is an opportunity for all families to visit the College on a normal working day and to be toured around the site by pupils. Booking is now open at this link.

Year 5 Taster Days will also be available in May and June 2026, featuring a range of lessons, a Q and A session with pupils and the Headmaster, lunch and a legendary Princethorpe cookie!

Should any parents have questions regarding these events or the Year 7 admissions process for September 2027 entry, please contact the College's Admissions Team on 01926 634201 or 634297, or by email at admissions@princethorpe.co.uk

Catherine Rogers
Registrar - Princethorpe College

Weekly Calendar 

Weekly Calendar 15 December

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

You can view the lunch menu for next week by clicking the link below:

Lunch Menu - 15 December

Crescent School

There is not an instrumental timetable this week. Parents will be emailed directly, from their music teacher, if a pupil has a lesson.

Mrs Westlake
Head of Music

Please find below a link to view the Michaelmas Term’s Crescent School calendar. 

Michaelmas Term Calendar 2025

Crescent School

It was wonderful to see our Crescent School alumni being recognised at Princethorpe College’s recent Prize Giving. Their annual celebration of achievement took place in The Butterworth Hall at The University of Warwick on Friday 28 November.

OC Josh Gorbutt (Class of 2020) was presented with the Art Friends Warwickshire Bauhaus Trophy in recognition of his most promising contribution to the aesthetics of design. While, OC Liv Sarkies (Class of 2018) was awarded the Edward MacFetridge Award for the Linguist of the year, in her absence, recognising her achievements in languages. 

We were also delighted to see former pupils from the Classes of 2018 and 2020 being presented with their A-level and GCSE certificates respectively. Congratulations to them all on their well-deserved success. Their teachers here at Crescent School applaud them.

Then not forgetting our very newest Old Crescentians, from the Class of 2025, who sang their hearts out in the Year 7 Chorus performing two pieces on the evening to entertain parents and guests.

Headmaster, Joe Thackway, was proud and impressed, commenting, “Congratulations to our Old Crescentians. It is clear they have flourished at Princethorpe College, their success and achievement is inspiring for us all and no doubt a reflection of their talent, dedication and determination. I wish them the very best for the future.”

Take a look at Princethorpe’s Prize Giving programme here as a number of other OCs also featured in the many achievements, prizes and awards listed.

Year 6 pupils have been taking part in a special DT Challenge this week, channelling their inner Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, as they went all out to win the school’s Christmas Bake Off. Their task this Christmas, to design, bake and decorate a Yule Log to celebrate the festive season.

Pupils worked in teams and began by carefully making and baking their cakes. As well as the swiss roll sponge mixture they also had to make their own fillings. This morning was all about the decoration and the youngsters spent period 1 excitedly creating their stunning designs, we had a Winter Wonderland, Polar Express, Candy Cart and even a rapid Rudolph, along with all sorts of fabulous creations!

Judging the cakes were Mr Webb, Mrs Witcomb, Mrs Miliopoulos and Mrs Stephenson, who happily took on the hard work of inspecting and tasting them all. In addition to the texture and taste of the sponge they considered, the creativity of the decoration and how the teams had worked together.

Joint first were: 

• Winter Wonderland - Aria, Kiran and Isabella
• Candy Cart - Thomas and Mithun

Joint second:

• Polar Express - Kian, Alice and Ella
• Rapid Rudolph - Seren, Alfie and Gloria

Mrs Johnson, said, “Our bakers were just incredible, the effort and creativity put into making their cakes has been amazing. Well done everyone.”

Dear Mr Thackway, Staff, Students and Parents of Crescent School

I am writing on behalf of Rugby Salvation Army, and the children who will receive these toys, to say a BIG thank you for your very kind dontation of toys to our toy appeal this year.

As you can see from the photos attached, we had a large number of toys given to us and had a huge job sorting them out in order to help 127 children in Rugby this year.

Thank you again and may we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Catherine Rand (Major)

Monday 15 December 2025 - 4.45pm to 6.00pm

Dear Parents

As noted in the calendar, our Christmas Carol Service for Years 5 and 6 will take place on Monday 15 December 2025 from 4.45pm to 6.00pm.

Children will be taken to Princethorpe College in the afternoon by coach for a rehearsal ahead of the main event. We kindly ask parents to arrive at the Chapel no earlier than 4.30pm. The service will begin promptly at 4.45pm and conclude at approximately 6.00pm, after which you may take your child home.

What your child will need:

• School jumper and blazer
• A water bottle

(Snacks will be provided by the school)

Kind regards

Mrs Stapleton
Head of RE

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Our Christmas Jumper Day this year will be held on Wednesday 17 December 2025. On that day, children should wear normal school uniform, but instead of their green jumper, they can wear a Christmas jumper, if they wish.

We invite you to make a voluntary contribution of £1 to wear a festive jumper, which is in aid of this term's Charity - Read Easy Warwickshire.

Mr Webb
Assistant Head

Tuesday 16 December 2025 - 9.15am to 10.00am

Parents of the children in Year 2 are invited to share in a performance of poetry, music and readings to celebrate the Christmas festivities.

You are welcome to come into school for light refreshments from 8.45am and the performance will start at 9.15am. 

Mrs Emery
Year 2 Form Teacher

Years 1 to 6 were all involved in scoring House points for every single correct answer in this year’s Maths Trail around the school. 

Children were tested on number, measure, calculation, data and geometry at their own level. 

Results: 

• 1st Yellow House 255 HPs
• 2nd Blue House 219 HPs
• 3rd Red House 189 HPs

Congratulations to Yellow House who are the new champions and winners of the Jewel Trophy. 

Thank you to members of 6W who helped with the marking. 

Ms Forth
Deputy Head Academic 

To receive a Junior da Vinci award, a pupil must earn merits in all three areas - Creativity, Practice and Mastery within the same subject. Once achieved, they are awarded a badge in assembly.

This week's full Junior da Vinci students are:

Well done to you all.

Ms Forth
Deputy Head

A really important part of life in Pre-Prep is building a love of reading. We are developing the children's phonics skills, reading fluency, expression, style and comprehension. Each week we select two readers from each class who have stood out to us as demonstrating one or more of these skills or who have made really great progress over the previous few weeks. It's a lovely way for the children to know that we recognise and celebrate their success.

This week's reading superstars are:

• RC - Erin and Ethan
• RP - Luca and Phoebe
• Year 1 - Layla and Ronnie
• Year 2 - Clementine and Nifemi

Mrs Emery
Head of KS1 and Class 2E Form Teacher

Results for battle 3 - 10 December 2025 (Y1 - Y6) - average score per member:

• 1st 2E 50
• 2nd 4M 41
• 3rd 5F 27

Most valuable players in the whole competition:

• 1st Locan 4M
• 2nd Gabriel 2E
• 3rd Sanvika 2E

Well done, 2E! 🏆

No battle until after Christmas holidays. Keep going on Gigs and Garage to achieve JdVs and Studio to improve speed.

Stay calm and Rock On!

Art Frizzmeister 
Deputy Head

This week's Artists of the Week are:

• Alice 5F - A beautifully composed still life composition
• Klara 5F - Excellent colour blends to add depth to a painting
• Ria 5F - Creative use of oils to add light and shadow to a painting
• Lily 5F - Powerful tonal contrast to show shadow and light
• Rachael 5C - A well balanced still life painting  
• Uma 5C - Beautifully painted still life composition

Mrs Thackway
Head of Art

Some of the things the children have been learning...

A recent highlight in Reception has been our performance of A Bundle of Joy. Each and every one of the Reception children rose to the occasion and were true stars. We were really proud with how they sang, delivered their lines, remembered stage directions and smiled throughout.

In Handwriting we have introduced cursive q and c as we continue with Georgia the pigs up and over letter family. It’s wonderful to see the children using some cursive letters in their own writing.

In Maths we have been ordering numbers to 10 and identified the missing number in simple sequences. We have started to explore ways to make 10. We have consolidated our learning of simple capacity with our own Monster Milkshake Café. We have also been naming some 2D shapes and identifying them in repeating patterns.

In PSHE we have thought about the importance of saying ‘sorry’ and shared our own experiences of apologising to our friends and family. We have been building on our awareness of qualities that make a good friend particularly sharing and turn taking.

In Phonics we have reinforced previously taught single sounds and diagraphs and introduced digraphs;

oo   ar

and high frequency words: too  her  with  are  yes   then  them  that  this  said
 

Some of the things the children will be learning next term...

We will be starting our new topic ‘Hot and Cold.’ We will compare hot and cold places and our role play area will take the shape of an igloo as the children become arctic explorers!

We will be learning the value of teen numbers and beyond and identifying the value of numbers we find on a number hunt around school.

How to help your child at home/Notices...

• Reinforce digraphs/trigraphs introduced at school. Identify them in words in stories you share.
• Practise simple addition in real life contexts e.g. how many red and blue baubles on the tree?
• Keep a Christmas holiday diary to share at school.
• To conclude this terms phonics, we have a small assessment activity based on the letter sounds we have covered in the second half of the term – j, v, w, x, y, z, zz, qu, ch, sh, th (voiced) th (unvoiced) ng, oo (long) ar. As we have our Christmas theatre trip on Monday, this will take place on Tuesday in class.

Thank you all for your continued support this term. 

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas.

Mrs Pullen and Mrs Collie
Reception Class Teachers

As part of COP week, Year 1 had a French lesson in which they were introduced to simple phrases relating to sustainability. They then had to do a sorting activity where they divided the phrases into two categories: the problems we face, and the actions that we can take to help the environment. 

Here they are showing off their work.

Mrs Day
MFL Teacher

In Maths we have been using our ever-growing knowledge to add coins to make different amounts of money. 

Children used a range of physical resources to consolidate the value of each coin and  then used their place value, addition and counting in multiples skills, to add coins together. 

A super summary of lots of the skills we have been building this term. 

Mrs Emery
Year 2 Form Teacher

We have been learning our poems and songs for the Year 2 Christmas Cracker, practising delivering with volume, slow pace and expression. Thursday was our first chance to show what we have been doing to an audience, performing to the school. 

The children did a fabulous job and are very much looking forward to their parents coming next week, with a few extra treats to add in for the main show.

Mrs Emery
Year 2 Form Teacher

The Green Team have shared a link for recycling around Christmas:

How to recycle your Christmas waste: Recycling Centres festive opening hours - Warwickshire County Council

From the Green Team

Last Friday morning, Year 5 and 6 became Waste Busters to track and research the journey of waste in school and the onward journey when it leaves Crescent.  

They investigated food waste, general waste, IT equipment, school uniforms, used pens and pencils and card and paper. 

Working in mixed groups, they took on the roles of project leaders, data analysts, field researchers, creators and sustainability advocates. 

At the end of the morning, the teams made pledges (using the 5Rs refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle) for each of the waste streams and this will be turned into an action plan to improve our waste processes for 2026.

From the Green Team

A big thank you to all the brilliant parents who helped plan and run the Christmas bazaar last Friday, and another big thank you to everyone who donated prizes, bought raffle tickets and game cards, and brought your children along to join the wonderfully chaotic fun! Lots of noise, lots of happy faces - it really was a fantastic afternoon.

We’re delighted to share that we’ve raised a brilliant sum that will help pay for treats for the children throughout the year. The raffle alone raised a phenomenal £700 for the Book Trust Christmas Appeal, helping provide much-needed books to children who don’t have easy access to them. We all know how magical the gift of reading can be. Thank you so much for your support. More info here.

And the fun doesn’t stop there… it just takes a short holiday break!

Save the dates:

• Friday 6 February – Family Bingo Evening (parents and children welcome)
• Friday 6 March – The much-loved school disco

More details will follow when we’re back in January.

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas break with your families.

Louisa and the FoC

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 

Contact details for the School Uniform Shop are:
Tel: 01926 634272
Email: uniform@princethorpe.co.uk

Click here to view the term dates for 2025/26.

Click here to view 2026/27.

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:

Foundation

• Foundation Office PA

Crescent School

• KS2 Teacher (part time)

Princethorpe College

• Cricket Coach

Little Crackers Nursery

• Nursery Assistant

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 see below for useful school contact information:

Crescent School Office

01788 521595

Email: admin@crescentschool.co.uk

Postal address: Crescent School, Bawnmore Road, Bilton, Rugby CV22 7QH

After School Club

01788 523850

Bills, Fees and Online Payment

01926 634273

Email: georginamalin@princethorpe.co.uk

Registrar

01788 523851

Email: admissions@crescentschool.co.uk

Princethorpe College General Office

01926 634200

Email: post@princethorpe.co.uk

Website:  www.crescentschool.co.uk

X:    @CrescentSchRug

Facebook: @cres.school

Instagram: @crescentschoolrugby