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Our view
Basking in 240 acres of leafy Surrey countryside, Cranleigh School is a bit of a Goldilocks school – not too big, not too small, good for girls, good for boys, not greedy for the sportiest or the cleverest, but rather valuing what every pupil brings to the community. A real family atmosphere and a down-to-earth attitude creates a school filled with happy, well-rounded children confident in their own abilities.
Where is Cranleigh School?
Cranleigh’s sweeping grounds and 19th-century buildings are genuinely breathtaking with the Surrey Hills and South Downs offering wraparound views. It’s approached from a pretty road outside the market town of Cranleigh and is easy to get to from Guildford, which is only 20 minutes’ drive away. London isn’t far either and as well as attracting the less flashy Surrey crowd, Cranleigh is also gaining popularity with parents looking to escape the competitiveness of the
London school circuit.
Headmaster at Cranleigh School
Martin Reader has been head since 2014 and he’s a shining example of the warmth and quiet confidence the school exudes. He’s rightly proud of the co-ed experience Cranleigh has been delivering for more than 20 years – the split is 50/50 and it’s notable how seamlessly boys and girls mix at the school. ‘It’s an environment that encourages mutual respect, a sense of equality and empathy,’ says Mr Reader. He’s definitely a community-minded head and has centred the school’s ethos around young people, ‘the sort of people the world is going to need – thinking, being, giving people’.
Mr Reader leaves Cranleigh at the end of this academic year, with new head Samantha Price stepping into his shoes from September 2024. Mrs Price arrives from a hugely successful tenure at Benenden, and we look forward to hearing what plans she has in store.
Admissions at Cranleigh School
While applicants sit the ISEB pre-test at their prep schools in Year 6, there is no hard-and-fast pass or fail mark. It’s more about finding the ‘Cranleigh fit’; ie, are they prepared to have a go and get stuck in? Will they contribute to the school community? Holistic assessment days where the children take part in team-building exercises and discussion groups help the school find the all-rounders it’s looking for.
Children from Cranleigh Prep are exempt from sitting the ISEB if they wish to move on up to the senior school, which helps them avoid stressful senior-school entrance exams. Instead, the head of the prep will discuss each child’s individual suitability for progression with the senior admissions team. Around 85 per cent of the prep cohort join the senior school, making up around 45 per cent of the Year 9 intake.
Things get a bit more selective at sixth form when demand outstrips places, so there are minimum GCSE requirements as well as an assessment day that looks at applicants’ ‘Cranleigh fit’ potential.
The Cranleigh Foundation offers means-tested
bursary support to children who have faced significant trauma, and works together with local charities and Surrey Social Services to identify children who could benefit from a boarding school experience and education.
Academics and destinations
Pupils receive a broad education with equal emphasis on academic and creative subjects. There’s streaming in most subjects from Year 9 and independent learning is encouraged from the start. In Year 10, all children take the
School Certificate in Philosophy, which Cranleigh developed with the New College of the Humanities, which involves pupils completing a philosophy project which they can present as a written report, artwork, presentation or video. In the sixth form, most students do an EPQ (the school’s director of learning, teaching and innovation, Dr John Taylor, was one of the founding writers of the qualification) alongside three A-levels. This emphasis on critical thinking over digesting facts is all part of the school’s ethos and children are encouraged to look to the future, identify how they can be useful global citizens and develop their leadership skills.
Results are good, with 60 per cent achieving seven or more grade 9-7 GCSEs in 2023 and 80 per cent achieving grades A*-B at A-level. Leavers’ destinations are diverse and celebrated equally: Russell Group universities; music conservatoires; the armed forces; computer science entrepreneurships; and universities abroad.
Co-curricular at Cranleigh School
Cranleigh has a glittering sporting reputation, but it’s important to note that pupils are equally revered for all talents, not just their skills on the pitches. The school embraces sport wholeheartedly, which shows in the incredible facilities available. Almost too many to list, they include 10 grass pitches, nine Astro courts, an equestrian centre, a nine-hole golf course, a swimming pool, a sports centre and an athletic development facility for pupils on the elite sports programme. There’s also the Woodland Fitness centre equipped with hi-tech gym equipment and a physiotherapy room – and a new building with another gym, squash courts and two dance studios is slated to open in 2024. All children have four sessions of sport a week, with Saturday matches. They’re formidable competitors and often walk away triumphant.
Drama is also a big part of school life. The department is eye-catching with ‘Cranleigh Drama!’ emblazoned in neon lights and old theatre chairs lining the corridor. It’s a very popular option, with 70 per cent of Year 9s choosing it. And everyone is easily accommodated as there are plenty of dedicated rooms and places to perform, including the 1920s Speech Hall, which has stage and technical lighting, and a smaller, 100-seat theatre, complete with green room. It’s like a slice of the West End in Surrey and is often used by visiting theatre companies. Dance is also part of the performing arts offering, with ballet, modern, contemporary and tap all on the menu.
Music is an option from Year 9 too, with hundreds of individual lessons taught each week. In addition to GCSE and A-level music, pupils can choose music technology at A-level, making use of an impressive recording studio and music tech suite. Art, meanwhile, is served by double-height-ceilinged rooms that are wonderfully light, the perfect setting for children to explore sculpture, printmaking, photography and painting. Plus, there is a comprehensive design engineering department and many students who take A-level go on to take engineering degrees.
Boarding at Cranleigh School
The majority of children board at Cranleigh; day pupils make up about 25 per cent. Boarders are evenly split between boys and girls, and live in eight lovely boarding houses dotted around the campus. Boarding houses vary from modern to quirky and characterful, with big dorms for younger children and single rooms for older years. House families, created within each individual house, are not only a super support network for younger pupils but also excellent for in-house bonding.
Day pupils are assigned to houses too and each have their own desk space, so there’s a fantastically integrated feel. All day pupils stay for supper and often don’t go home until after 9pm as the school day is so full of activities. Each boys’ house is paired with a girls’ house, and lots of socials together and inter-house competitions create a lively, fun atmosphere. The houses have a strong family feeling and are a happy downtime hub where children can eat, relax and hang out with their friends.
As so many boarders are local, most return home for the remainder of the weekend after the completion of Saturday fixtures. A small number of international boarders do remain on site, and staff ensure they can have some social time with sleepovers, cooking sessions and informal brunches together on Sunday. And, in a move that’s proved popular with both children and parents alike, chapel now takes place on Friday evening so weekly boarders can return to site first-thing on Monday morning.
Cranleigh School community
The house system creates a very secure pastoral setting, with houseparents and matrons all enjoying a great relationship with pupils. Families within the houses are headed by sixth-formers, and children are also assigned tutors who stay with them throughout their time at the school. The Year 9s aren’t allowed phones – at all – which they seem to get used to after the initial shock. They even end up agreeing it’s a good thing. As they go up the years, phone access is increased – but up until Year 12, phones get handed in at bedtime. Pastoral care is tracked by a system initiated by the IT department and the pastoral team meets weekly to ensure no one slips through the net.
A new assistant head pastoral role was created last year, welcoming David Mulae to the senior leadership team. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Mr Mulae is in charge of both pupil and staff wellbeing, and he is determined to recruit staff from a wider range of backgrounds and heritages which he believes would lead to a further increase in diversity among the pupil and parent body.
Since trousers were introduced for girls’ uniform, almost all have switched to this smart and modern option.
Parents are regarded as part of the family and even though many pupils board, plenty of parents live locally and are invited into school for concerts, talks and matches.
And finally....
Quietly confident, entirely unpretentious, it’s no surprise that local Surrey families and, increasingly, canny ones from London seek out the excellent broad-church education which Cranleigh delivers.